《One Night Surprise》 Chapter 1: What? I鈥檓 Pregnant? Chapter 1: What? I¡¯m Pregnant? It¡¯s hot. I feel so hot¡­ Courtney wondered if it was because she had drunk too much as she felt hot all over. Then, she vaguely heard what she thought was the sound of the door being pushed open. Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org. When she forced herself to open her eyes and look toward the only light source, she saw a few people standing perfectly straight at the door with reverence. They were greeting a tall and erect figure that was walking toward them from the other end of the red carpet. The man¡¯s long legs came to a stop before he asked in a cold voice, ¡°Have you confirmed that she¡¯s clean?¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡±What are they saying? Who is that guy? Is he Isaac?Courtney wanted to open her eyes wide to see the man carefully, but the room to the door was closed. Now, she couldn¡¯t see anything clearly; she could only hear the sound of someone¡¯s footsteps approaching her bed. Suddenly, a body with ice-cold skin leaned over her, and she couldn¡¯t help clinging to him. The man¡¯s body tensed up while lust flooded his eyes. Kissing her red lips precisely in the darkness, he turned over and pressed his body onto hers, gaining the advantage over her. ¡°It hurts¡­¡± Courtney cried out in pain as her body arched. ¡°It hurts, Isaac¡­ Isaac¡­ Can you not be together with her¡­¡± The man froze; this was the first time a woman called out another man¡¯s name in his bed. ¡°Rx.¡± The man¡¯s unfamiliar voice brought Courtney to her senses.He isn¡¯t Isaac! That¡¯s right¡ªIsaac has hooked up with that so-called bestie of mine, so how could he possibly show up in my bed? ¡°W-Who are you?! Don¡¯t touch me¡­¡± Courtney iled her arms and resisted the man with all her might. He let out a grunt as her sharp fingernails seemed to have scratched his neck, and she appeared to have ripped something off his neck. Her pain slowly subsided as the pleasant sensation overwhelmed her. The increasingly passionate voices of a man and a woman could be frequently heard from the deluxe suite. Even so, the bodyguards who guarded the door still stood with serious expressions, as if nothing had happened. ¡°Aaah!¡± Courtney¡¯s body was drenched with sweat as she woke up with a start. It was a bright sunny day outside, yet her slim back was covered in a cold sweat.I actually dreamed of that night again!Courtney breathed heavily while wiping the sweat off her face. She recalled the man¡¯s deep voice, his icy chest, his deep eyes that were staring at her, and¡­ She experienced the most mortifying night in her life two months ago. After all, she went to a bar and had drinks with somebody after stumbling upon the affair between her boyfriend and bestie. As a result, someone drugged her drink, and she was taken into a luxurious suite in a daze and robbed of her virginity! Courtney¡¯s cheeks burned. Not daring to think deeper, she hurriedly changed her clothes. While she was busy with her report in theboratory, her junior came back with her lunch, and the faint smell of fish turned her stomach. ¡°Barf!¡± Leaving her upleted experiment behind, Courtney rushed to the restroom and retched for a long time. ¡°Based on your reaction, Courtney, could you be pregnant?¡± The junior¡¯s words seemed to hit a nerve in Courtney as her face turned even paler.P-Pregnant? There couldn¡¯t be such a coincidence, could it? Could I get pregnant after sleeping with a man just once? However, the truth came as a p in her face. The female doctor handed the medical report to her in the hospital and even made a special effort to point out where the fetus was. ¡°Congrattions, Miss Hunter¡ªyou¡¯re indeed pregnant! The baby is now about 70 days old, and it¡¯s quite stable.¡± Her words hit Courtney like a thunderbolt. She wobbled; it wasn¡¯t until she leaned against the wall with great difficulty that she kept her bnce.I¡¯m pregnant¡­ I¡¯m really pregnant! But I have no idea who the baby¡¯s father is! Who¡¯s the guy that slept with me that night?! She paced up and down the hospital¡¯s corridor for a long time before finally bursting into the doctor¡¯s office once again. ¡°D-Doctor, I don¡¯t want this baby. I want to have an abortion.¡± ¡°What?¡± The smile on the doctor¡¯s face seemed to freeze at once, for she didn¡¯t expect thisdy, who looked young and weak, to be so cruel. She couldn¡¯t help but advise, ¡°Miss, now that you¡¯re pregnant with the baby, it¡¯d be a pity will it be if you get an abortion¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t want this baby!¡± Courtney tightened her grip on the doctor¡¯s arm. She said, as if pleading, ¡°I want to abort the baby¡ªnow!¡± Chapter 2: Teach Her a Lesson Chapter 2: Teach Her a Lesson Courtney took off her shoes andy down on the operating table. Despite having prepared herself, she still felt freezingly cold. I can¡¯t have this baby. I¡¯m still an undergraduate, so I¡¯ll be looked down upon¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, baby¡­¡± Courtney showed a hint of reluctance as she put her hand on her belly. Just when the surgery was about to begin, the door to the operating room was forcefully kicked open with a loud bang. Then, a group of men wearing ck suits swarmed in, instantly crowding the whole operating room. ¡°W-Who are you guys?¡± The doctor and nurses were startled by this unexpected situation. The scalpel dropped onto the operating table with a tter, awaking Courtney. Before she could realize what was happening, a man came over and held her down right away before giving her a shot of a sedative. The doctor and nurses were stupefied by this series of events. The man¡ªwho hadn¡¯t left yet¡ªtook a thick pile of cash out of his pocket and tossed it to the doctor right away while saying coldly, ¡°This woman has nevere to your ce. Got it?¡± ¡°G-Got it.¡± The doctor and the few nurses trembled with fright. Courtney woke up from anesthesia in a daze to find herself in a luxurious bedroom. Coincidentally, someone pushed the door open and came in at this moment. The person who entered was a middle-aged man with an exquisitely made dish in his hands. Seeing Courtney looking at him warily, he greeted her with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re awake, Miss Hunter?¡± ¡°H-How did you know that my surname is Hunter?¡± Courtney raised her guard; this man knew who she was, yet she didn¡¯t know him. ¡°Why did you guys bring me here?¡± ¡°Miss Hunter, what happened that night¡­ was an ident.¡± They had arranged the wrongdy for that night! The butler said apologetically, ¡°Our Young Master didn¡¯t want to pursue this matter, but we didn¡¯t expect you to get pregnant, Miss Hunter. But since you¡¯re pregnant, he must have the baby.¡± Courtney instantly understood that the Young Master he was referring to must be the detestable man to whom she had lost her virginity! ¡°Why? What gives him the right to do so? Tell your Young Master that I¡¯ll abort my baby as I want to!¡± The butler had no choice but to hand Courtney the newspaper that he had brought with him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look at this first?¡± Courtney didn¡¯t want to take the newspaper from him, but she inadvertently caught sight of an eye- catching title on the newspaper. It read, ¡®The Hunter Group Exposed for Using Fake Materials! How Should the Hunter Group Solve This Crisis After Its Shares Plummeted This Morning?¡¯ Upon that, Courtney snatched the newspaper from the butler. After reading the news report, her face turned as white as a sheet, and she red at the butler furiously. ¡°This was your Young Master¡¯s doing, wasn¡¯t it? H-How could your Young Master be so shameless¡­¡± The butler didn¡¯t turn a hair. ¡°Miss Hunter, the Hunters will be alright as long as you give birth to the baby. Not only that, but you¡¯ll also get 20 million. I believe you won¡¯t want the Hunters to go bankrupt, Miss Hunter, will you?¡± Courtney clenched the newspaper hard while the butler silently handed a document to her. Looking at the document, Courtney hesitated for a long time. In the end, she gritted her teeth and made up her mind, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll sign it!¡± The butler was obviously satisfied after getting the signed document. He said, ¡°Please rest assured, Miss Hunter. Our Young Master will certainly fulfill his promise once the baby is born safely.¡± Eight monthster¡­ Rumble! The sudden p of thunder outside woke Courtney from her sleep with a startle. Courtney only felt unbearable pain in her belly. Summoning up all her strength, she reached out her hand and rang the little bell on the nightstand. Then, everything went ck before her eyes, and she fell unconscious. ¡°It¡¯s here! The baby hase out!¡± Courtney gasped for breath as she vaguely heard a baby¡¯s loud and clear cries. She opened her eyes with some difficulty, but the nurse had carried the baby away before she could see what it looked like. Several minutester, she was transferred to the ward, and the butler came in. Courtney was in so much pain that she was still clutching the sheets. ¡°Where¡¯s the baby?¡± ¡°The baby has been sent to Young Master¡¯s ce. He¡¯s a healthy boy,¡± answered the butler. Then, he put an envelope on the cab. ¡°Here is a check for 20 million. Thank you, Miss Hunter.¡± With that, he got ready to leave. ¡°No, please let me see the baby¡­¡± Flustered, Courtney threw back the sheets and was about to scramble out of bed. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. It¡¯s my baby no matter what! However, she was too weak, so she fell onto the floor right away. She could only watch the butler leaving as the spasms of pain in her belly caused her to cry out in agony, ¡°Please, let me see the baby¡­¡± Several minutester, a nurse came to deliver medicine to Courtney. Seeing that she was lying on the floor, the nurse quickly helped her up, only to find her hand covered in blood. The nurse¡¯s face instantly turned deathly pale. As she ran out of the room in a fluster, Courtney¡ªwho was slipping into aa¡ªcould vaguely hear her saying in panic, ¡°Bad news, Dr. Gill! This pregnant woman has another baby in her womb!¡± Chapter 3: Five Years Later Chapter 3: Five Years Later Five yearster¡­ A young man who emerged from Farnville International Airport¡¯s arrival passage along with the crowd was very conspicuous with his ck shirt and pants. His lips were pressed together under his brown sunsses, giving him an unweing appearance that deterred strangers away from him. Seeing that he emerged from the passage, his assistant, who had been waiting outside, hurriedly went up to him and picked up his suitcase. He asked cautiously, ¡°President Duncan, would you like to go back to the mansion first? Little Master hasn¡¯t eaten anything for a day.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me this earlier?¡± The man¡¯s cial voice showed signs that he was getting angry, causing the assistant¡¯s legs to tremble. Everyone in the entire Duncan Family knew that Little Master, Jordan Duncan, was dearest to Alexander Duncan¡¯s heart. Alexander doted on him so much that he was sometimes overcautious with thetter. Alexander didn¡¯t dare to raise his voice even while talking to Jordan, which showed how much he spoiled thetter. However¡­ R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Despite his apprehension, the assistant braced himself and exined, ¡°You were going to Chicago to sign an important contract, so I didn¡¯t call you, lest your work be held up. But I didn¡¯t expect Little Master to go on a hunger strike for a day¡­¡± Suddenly, the man stopped in his tracks, took off his sunsses, and looked at his assistant. His eyes were dark ck in color, but they gradually turned green with a speed visible to the naked eye. Not only that, but the temperature of his surroundings seemed to have dropped bit by bit. Upon catching sight of this, the assistant went so weak at the knees that he nearly copsed. ¡°Since when could you make decisions on my behalf? Huh?¡± His sound sounded a bit more chilling than a moment ago. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The assistant hung his head, ready to ept his fate. Just then, a small piece of chocte rolled across the crowd and came to a halt next to Alexander¡¯s shoes. At the sight of the chocte wrapper, Alexander knitted his brows before he bent down and picked up the piece of chocte. ¡°That¡¯s my chocte, mister!¡± A soft and sweet voice rang as a little girl ran up to him. She was about four to five years old. Since she was short, she had to raise her head to look at Alexander even if he squatted down. Her eyes were big, with ck pupils that looked as bright and sparkling as agates, and they shone with a kind of purity that was unique to kids. Her innocent appearance made Alexander¡¯s heart skip a beat, so he fixed his eyes on her. It¡¯s strange. I¡¯m meeting this little girl for the first time, but why does she give me such a strong feeling, as if we¡¯d known each other in the first ce? Tina Hunter tilted her head to both sides before extending her tender hand to Alexander. ¡°Mister, please buy choctes yourself if you want to eat one. I have only three pieces of it, so I can¡¯t give you any.¡± Her cute and sweet-sounding words seemed to have caused Alexander¡¯s frosty and gloomy expression to somewhat soften. He crouched down and gave the chocte back to her, asking, ¡°You like this brand of chocte?¡± What? The assistant beside him was stunned right away. This is so strange! Doesn¡¯t President Duncan dislike every child other than Little Master? Why would he crouch down and speak to this little girl in a gentle tone that he normally uses while talking to Little Master? This is so unbelievable! Tina nodded vigorously and gave a sweet smile, showing her two super adorable white canines. ¡°Do you like this brand of chocte too, mister?¡± Chapter 4: Applying for a Job Chapter 4: Applying for a Job ¡°I don¡¯t like it, but my boy likes it very much,¡± replied Alexander. Then, he took a box of chocte of the same brand out of his shopping bag. ¡°I¡¯ve bought many boxes of them for my boy, so I can give you a box.¡± Whoa! Tina¡¯s eyes brightened at the sight of the box full of chocte, but she hesitated. ¡°B-But Mommy said I can¡¯t ept others¡¯ gifts casually. Although¡­¡± Tina¡¯s ck and bright eyes rolled about. Moving close to Alexander on tiptoe, she nted a smacker on his cheek before taking the box of chocte. ¡°Now I can take it this way!¡± Alexander was stunned. Surprisingly, his thin lips curved up into a faint smile. The assistant wiped his sweat away. After checking the time, he reminded Alexander, ¡°President Duncan¡­ it¡¯s time to go.¡± ¡°Okay. Goodbye, little one.¡± Alexander got up and left with his assistant right away. ¡°Goodbye, mister!¡± Tina waved her little hand at the cold and aloof figure from behind. Wow, this mister is so handsome and kind! ¡°Tina Hunter!¡± Tina puckered up her little face upon hearing the angry voice of the woman behind her. Oh, no. I¡¯m done for, she thought to herself. The next second, the woman walked up to Tina, raised her slim hand, and gave Tina a hard spank with an angry expression. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to wait for me in the same ce? Why did you run around?¡±R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only ¡°Ouch! Don¡¯t hit me, Mommy; it hurts!¡± Tina was actually pretending since it didn¡¯t hurt at all. Putting her hands on her bottom, she exined aggrievedly, ¡°I dropped my chocte, so I went to pick it up.¡± Seeing the box of chocte in her arms, Courtney took it from the little girl. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± Tinaced her fingers together. ¡°A handsome mister gave this to me because he thought that I was cute.¡± ¡°He gave it to you? Why didn¡¯t you simply leave with him?¡± Courtney got even angrier. She raised her hand and was about to give Tina another spank, but thetter cried out and covered her butt quickly. Pulling her old trick, the little girl blinked her watery eyes and stared at Courtney. ¡°I know I was wrong, Mommy. I¡¯ll stand facing the wall for three minutester.¡± ¡°Ten minutes!¡± Tina pretended to weep. ¡°Ten minutes is too long. Don¡¯t you feel sorry for me, Mommy?¡± ¡°The time will be extended if you bargain again!¡± Tina didn¡¯t dare to utter a sound anymore. Puckering up her lips, she obediently held Courtney¡¯s hand and left with thetter. Farnville City had undergone so many unbelievable changes when Courtney came back after five years. Rows upon rows of high-rise buildings were everywhere. She got up early the next day. After setting Tina down at home, she hailed a taxi at the gate of her neighborhood right away to go to Sunhill Enterprise downtown. This day was the day of Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s quarterly job interview, so people were hurrying to and fro in front of the revolving ss door. ¡°Hey, stop! Wait a minute!¡± Seeing that the elevator door was about to close, Courtney ran there in high-heeled shoes. Then, she gritted her teeth and dashed into the elevator before the elevator door closed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry; I¡¯m here to ¡ªaah!¡± Since she came in too quickly, her high heels broke, causing her to fall over right away. Courtney¡¯s hands seemed to have touched some silky smooth fabric. As she subconsciously caught hold of the fabric, her face pressed against the man¡¯s body, and the overwhelming smell of pheromones made her feel dizzy. Chapter 5: He Must Be a Nightclub Star! Chapter 5: He Must Be a Nightclub Star! Someone around them eximed, ¡°Who are you? Why are you taking the executives¡¯ elevator?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m here for a job interview, and I¡¯m in a rush,¡± Courtney answered while trying to get up. Unexpectedly, she moved too hastily, causing her long wavy hair to get twisted around the man¡¯s shirt button. Her hair was pulled so hard that her scalp hurt. While she fell again, she happened to ce her hands on the man¡¯s chest. As if she had gotten an electric shock, Courtney uttered hurriedly, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m not touching you on purpose!¡± The elevator was suddenly silent for two seconds. ¡°Pffffft!¡± The next instant, several people in the elevator didn¡¯t know whether tough or to frown. However, the frosty expression of this ¡®big shot¡¯ made them quickly cover their mouths and forcibly hold back their laughter. Alexander visibly froze for a second. He couldn¡¯t help knitting his brows, for he had never run into such a ridiculous situation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m really sorry¡­ C-Can you lend me a hand?¡± Courtney desperately tried to free her hair from the entanglement, but her hair got twisted more tightly around the button when she moved. She was so nervous that her palms were sweating. Alexander couldn¡¯t help feeling that thisdy felt strongly familiar, but he had never seen her before. Her tender hands kept scratching at him, as if trying to arouse him. Strangely, despite the fact that he suffered from serious mysophobia, he wasn¡¯t repulsed. After being silent for a second, he lowered his head and unwound her hair from the button with his thin and long fingers at her request. ¡°Don¡¯t move; rx.¡± His voice sounded cool and distant. This voice¡­ sounds so familiar! Courtney was stunned. She suddenly recalled that night in the hotel five years ago. When she opened her eyes in a daze, she couldn¡¯t see clearly what the man looked like in the dim light, but she caught a faint glimpse of his rose- colored lips. He told her to rx, only to thrust his member into her even harder after that. Courtney instantly went red in the face as those erotic scenes crossed her mind. Oh, my God! Am I pining for man? Why would I recall all these?! ¡°Thanks.¡± Not getting a response, she could no longer resist her curiosity, so she quietly looked at the man. He was dressed in an expensive handmade suit that set off his attractive long legs. He looked noble and cool, and his tightlypressed lips, though good-looking, showed a hint of aloofness. ¡°Miss.¡± His assistant quickly came to his senses. Recalling that Courtney had just thrown herself at Alexander, he said coldly, ¡°What you said about being in a rush was probably an excuse. You just wanted to ost him, didn¡¯t you?¡± ost? Courtney was still confused when the man next to her lowered his head and nced at her from the corner of his eye. Many women hade and gone around him over these years¡ªthey had indeed racked their brains to get close to him, but he hadn¡¯t been interested in women since that incident five years ago. The only woman he¡¯d ever had a one-night stand with was perhaps the woman he had slept with by mistake that same year. She was also the biological mother of his son. As Alexander recalled thisdy¡¯s movements just now¡ªwhich apparently appeared to be a deliberate attempt toe into contact with him¡ªthe steeliness and disgust in his eyes grew. I was nearly fooled by the woman in front of me, he thought to himself. Courtney was displeased. ¡°What¡¯s with that look in your eyes?! I said I¡¯m in a rush!¡± I have just thanked him from the bottom of my heart for getting me out of the fix just now! The man no longer wanted to pay attention to her, though. He ordered indifferently, ¡°Josh, press the floor button.¡± Josh, his assistant, pressed the elevator button to the nearest floor. When the elevator door opened, he asked Courtney to go out. ¡°Lady, please go down from here, and don¡¯t pull such tricks again next time!¡± ¡°Please, I really wasn¡¯t¡ª¡± Courtney wanted to exin herself, but the assistant asked her to exit the elevator with an upromising attitude. Courtney clenched her teeth and gave Alexander a re. As she exited the elevator, she muttered, ¡°Who does he think he is? It¡¯s so funny that they used me of osting him! His skin looks so fair and clear; one can tell at a nce that he must be a nightclub star!¡± Her voice wasn¡¯t low enough, so Josh looked horrified upon hearing what she said. Is this interviewee courting death? H-How could she say that our President Duncan here is a nightclub star? Josh¡¯s limbs trembled due to the forbidding aura that emanated from the man next to him. Not daring to look at the man, he said in a quavering voice, ¡°I¡¯ll call the security guards right away and tell them to come up and handle this!¡± ¡°That¡¯s too much of a hassle.¡± Alexander withdrew his gaze as the elevator door closed. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. For some reason, he found himself interested in thisdy as her words were still ringing in his ears. How could she use me of being a nightclub star after getting her hair twisted around my shirt button on purpose? Interesting! He narrowed his eyes, but his voice sounded deeper and colder than it was earlier. He wanted to see if thisdy could shine at her job interview. ¡°Call George and tell him that I¡¯ll be there for the interview at 10.00AM.¡± ¡°Yes, President Duncan.¡± When Courtney arrived at the reception room, she caught sight of the huge crowd of people. She suddenly found herself under great stress, for more people than she had imagined were applying for the job. She found a random ce and stood next to a few conversing women. ¡°Hey, did you hear that President Duncan will be here for today¡¯s interview too?¡± Chapter 6: How Could He Be the Interviewer?! Chapter 6: How Could He Be the Interviewer?! ¡°Wow, really? I heard that President Duncan has a son that is unmarried but very handsome. Is he interviewing the applicants to look for a mother for his son?¡± ¡°That¡¯s possible, but it¡¯s rumored that he is impotent¡­ Otherwise, why wouldn¡¯t he have a regr femalepanion after such a long time? There are countless gossips about him, though¡­ Do the women frown at him because he¡¯s impotent?!¡± The women at the scene still felt tempted after their lively discussion. As long as they could marry into a wealthy family, it didn¡¯t matter even if they had to be a stepmother or if he was impotent! Courtney couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes in disdain upon seeing how these womenpeted with each other to disy their charm. Company bosses who have kids are generally over 30 years old, and they must have beer bellies. But since they¡¯re so rich, do they really have to choose a stepmother for their children from the interviewees? He must be choosing a sexy secretary for himself. Courtney was subconsciously disgusted with this future boss. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°Courtney Hunter!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Courtney thrust her way through the crowd when she heard her name being called. After taking a deep breath, she pushed the door and went inside. Five interviewers were sitting right at the center of the stage, and the interviewer on the right side was saying something to the man beside him with a look of reverence. Courtney was stunned. I-Isn¡¯t he the man in the elevator?! She held her breath at the sight of the ingratiating looks of those around the man. What should I do? Courtney hesitated. This guy¡¯s job position seems higher than everyone else¡¯s. Is he a manager, a director, or a¡­ Alexander seemed to have noticed something; he raised his head and shot Courtney an indifferent nce. Then, he bowed his head and asked, as if he had never seen her before, ¡°So you graduated from Wharton?¡± Courtney had a hard time finding her voice. ¡°I-I haven¡¯t gotten my graduation certificate yet.¡± She sessfully received the reply letter for the job interview only by summoning her courage to write in the name of the university she graduated from. She really needed this job a lot. The interviewer was startled. ¡°Do you mean that your information is fake?¡± He quickly turned to Alexander next to him and apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, President Duncan. Our verification process¡­¡± Alexander gestured to him to keep quiet with a wave of his hand. Then, he looked at the woman below the stage with a cold gaze. ¡°Do you mean that you applied for the job based on your working experience in Mdy Hotel in Germany alone?¡± His voice sounded even colder. ¡°Have you read the job requirements?¡± Then, he tossed the documents to her with an indifferent expression as he had seen through her lies long ago. ¡°Get out!¡± Dejected, Courtney picked up the documents and turned around to leave. As she left, she heard the man speaking in a cold voice behind her. ¡°Don¡¯t y useless tricks. Nopany would hire someone who faked even their personal information!¡± Courtney stopped in her tracks in defiance. Isn¡¯t this man a little too holier-than-thou? She turned around, went back, and pped the documents on the table. The sound she made was so loud that the interviewers around her looked at her and gasped in shock. How could someone dare to toss things in front of President Duncan! Is she tired of living? Chapter 7: Making a Bet Chapter 7: Making a Bet Alexander looked up. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Since you think that a person¡¯s ability can only be proven by their graduation certificate, let¡¯s make a bet.¡± Courtney smiled while staring at him with a provoking look in her eyes. ¡°Would you ept the challenge?¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only Gale Langley, who had been made sleepy by the boring interview since a while ago, instantly perked up. Wow! This is the first time I see someone making a bet with Alexander with such an arrogant attitude! ¡°What bet would you like to make with him, babe?¡± Alexander turned to shoot Gale a look of displeasure. Taking a deep breath, Courtney looked straight into Alexander¡¯s deep eyes and uttered sonorously, ¡°I¡¯ll work for three months in a hotel under Sunhill Enterprise. I guarantee that the hotel will make a monthly profit of more than 30 percent; if I make it, I want Sunhill Enterprise to put me on regr payroll and pay me three times the usual sry. Also, you must¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Apologize! To! Me!¡± she enunciated. Everyone at the scene was shocked. How dare she make such a boastful bet! She had only contributed to 10 percent of Hotel Mdy¡¯s monthly revenue when she worked in Germany for only a year! Alexander closed the file and tossed it aside. Putting his hands on the table, he stood up and bent over slightly. ¡°What if you can¡¯t make it?¡± Courtney¡¯s smile grew even more dazzling as she didn¡¯t flinch at all. ¡°If I can¡¯t make it, I¡¯ll sell myself to Sunhill Enterprise and be at your disposal for three years. How about that? Do you dare to ept this bet?¡± ¡°ept it! ept it!¡± Gale urged at one side. ¡°You¡¯d be a coward if you don¡¯t ept the bet, Alex!¡± Alexander shot Gale a frosty look, and thetter curled his lips. ¡°Go back and wait for the employment letter,¡± said Alexander in a deep voice before getting up and going off the stage. When he brushed past Courtney, he paused, turned his head, and looked at her, only to see her slightly jutted chin and small, upturned nose. She had a fragrant scent on her, but the scent wasn¡¯t the kind of strong fragrance that belonged to ordinary women. The allure hidden in her bones gave him a thrill. She¡¯s interesting; she¡¯s at least more interesting than those women, he thought to himself. ¡°I¡¯ll ept this bet.¡± With that, he turned around and strode off. Seeing that Alexander was leaving, Gale hurriedly caught up to him. ¡°Alex, where are we going to eat later?¡± Before he left, he turned around, winked at Courtney, and said with a grin, ¡°You¡¯re very interesting, babe. I hope that you can win this bet!¡± Courtney was nonplussed. Nevertheless, she had gotten through this after all. It¡¯s better to have an opportunity than to be driven to despair! It was already noon when Courtney dragged herself home after the interview. ¡°You¡¯re back, Mommy!¡± Tina, who came out to greet her, gave her a warm hug. ¡°I have finished memorizing the spellings and steaming the rice. I¡¯m just waiting for you to cook some dishes!¡± ¡°That¡¯s so good of you, sweetheart!¡± Courtney nted a kiss on the little girl¡¯s cheek. After Courtney washed her hands and cooked the dishes, the mother and daughter had lunch together. Back then, Courtney was dumbfounded for a long time when the doctor told her that she had also given birth to a daughter after she regained consciousness. Since the baby looked adorable with her fair and tender skin, Courtney found herself reluctant to give the baby to the man. Therefore, she went overseas with the baby in a hurry after asking a friend of hers to buy ne tickets for them. She even severed her rtions with the Hunters for the sake of this little one. It was hard to raise a child abroad, but Courtney didn¡¯t feel tired as long as she could see Tina¡¯s sweet smile. Moreover, this daughter of hers was unusually clever and fluent in English. Not only that, she started brushing her teeth and putting on her clothes by herself at three years old; when she grew older, she began helping Courtney with the household chores. Courtney never had to worry about her even when she was away from home. Chapter 8: Why Don鈥檛 You Get a Divorce, Mommy Chapter 8: Why Don¡¯t You Get a Divorce, Mommy Tilting her head to one side, Tina asked Courtney, ¡°Mommy, how about you divorce Daddy?¡± Courtney was both amused and saddened. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°I think that Daddy doesn¡¯t love you,¡± Tina slurred while chewing a piece of vegetable. ¡°Everyone else¡¯s parents are lovey-dovey all day long, but Daddy visits me only twice a year. Besides, whenever he comes back, he leaves after having a few words with you. He neither kisses you nor hugs you; most importantly, he doesn¡¯t care about me. I don¡¯t want this daddy anymore!¡± Courtney felt a little bad. She didn¡¯t dare to tell her daughter the truth, but she feared that her daughter wouldn¡¯t have a father when every child in the neighborhood had one. Therefore, she had someone help her bying over a few times a year to let her daughter know that she had a father. She didn¡¯t expect her daughter to be so clever and so considerate of her. Tina then continued, ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t think that your divorce will make me sad. I¡¯d rather you find another husband than you and I see your husband¡ªand my daddy¡ªonly once a year. I can ept having brothers and sisters as long as my new daddy loves me.¡± ¡°You silly girl.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes reddened at Tina¡¯s words. ¡°I don¡¯t need a husband; I just want to take good care of you.¡± ¡°But I want a brother.¡± Tina smiled sweetly, ¡°I want you and Daddy to spoil me, and I want to have a brother spoil me like a princess!¡± Courtney stroked Tina¡¯s hair without saying another word. She recalled her eldest son, who had been taken away by the butler, and wondered if he was doing well right now. She wished to see her son and hug him one day if she could. Stealing a nce at Courtney¡¯s sad expression, Tina vowed inwardly, I must find a gentle and handsome new Daddy so that Mommy is happy every day! That night, Courtney received an email from Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s Human Resource Department telling her to report for duty at Sunhill Hotel the next Monday. As she packed up her stuff, she saw her daughter ying with her tablet, and she couldn¡¯t help walking up to her. ¡°What are you ying, sweetheart?¡± Tine quickly held the tablet to her chest. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to see, Mommy. Go away!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. I won¡¯t look at it.¡± After Courtney left, Tina continued filling in the information just now. She continued filling in Courtney¡¯s name and uploaded a photo. The line at the web page¡¯s bottom right corner read¡ª¡®OkCupid Dating Website¡¯. After getting it done atst, Tina gave a long stretch. The guys that I saw today were nice, but I like the mister that I met at the airport so much. I can tell at a nce that he¡¯s the perfect match for Mommy! What a shame that I couldn¡¯t find that man¡¯s information, so I can only use these guys in his ce first! Courtney was still unaware that she had been ¡®sold¡¯ by her clever daughter. The day Courtney reported for duty at Sunhill Hotel happened to be the hotel¡¯s tenth anniversary. After a brief introduction to the staff, Courtney got snowed under with the anniversary celebrations. A thinyer of sweat covered her forehead as she stood in the lobby while giving instructions to the staff members upstairs using her walkie-talkie. ¡°Courtney?¡± Courtney froze for a moment upon hearing the familiar voice. Her hands, which were resting on the front desk, gradually clenched into fists. There can¡¯t be such a coincidence. She turned around to see a young couple in front of her. The couple looked very intimate. The man was tall and handsome, and a visible look of surprise shed across his eyes when he saw Courtney turning around to face them. Thedy, on the other hand, was holding the man¡¯s arm tightly, looking very lovey-dovey. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only It was impossible to say that Courtney wasn¡¯t saddened to see her ex-boyfriend again after five years. She clenched her fists tightly, trying to conceal her emotions with a smile as her heart ached badly. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since west met.¡± Isaac stared at Courtney with aplicated look in his eyes. His lips parted as he tried to say something, but he said nothing in the end. Chapter 9: Please Attend My Wedding Chapter 9: Please Attend My Wedding On the other hand, Vanessa Garcia tightened her grip on Isaac¡¯s arm, as if asserting her im on him. She smiled at Courtney, saying, ¡°Look at you, Courtney. Why didn¡¯t you tell Isaac and me that you were back?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think there was a need for that.¡± ¡°I heard that you severed your rtions with the Hunters to go overseas back then.¡± Vanessa sounded concerned, but her words were caustic despite her gentle facade. ¡°Do you want to go back to the Hunter Mansion to take a look?¡± Isaac interrupted, as if noticing that Courtney was feeling awkward. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Vanessa.¡± ¡°Why are you in such a hurry? I still want to chat with her since we haven¡¯t met for a long time,¡± Vanessa retorted while forcibly dragging Courtney toward the elevator without allowing her to refuse. Feeling that her lips were bing dry, Courtney dropped her gaze. Vanessa dragged her into the elevator after its door opened. Since Courtney¡¯s gaze was lowered, she could only see a guest entering the elevator after them, so she moved sideways a little. As the suit jacket of the guest who walked past her brushed the tip of her nose, its coldness made her tremble unknowingly. For some reason, she found the coldness familiar to her. Courtney looked up and tried to steal a nce at the guest, but Vanessa stepped in front of her with her high heels before she could do so. ¡°Courtney, can you be there by then?¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Not knowing what Vanessa had just said, Courtney withdrew her gaze, asking, ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I mean Issac and my engagement party.¡± Vanessa raised her hand to show the sparkling diamond ring on her ring finger. With a look of smugness in her eyes, she curled her red lips into a smile, saying, ¡°It¡¯s on the 18th of next month. I hope that you¡¯ll be there.¡± The familiar and expensive diamond ring was so dazzling that it stung Courtney¡¯s eyes. She remembered herself pointing at a ring in a jewelry shop with Isaac in the past, saying that she must have this ring as her wedding ring. She didn¡¯t expect this ring to end up on Vanessa¡¯s finger at this present time. ¡°I¡¯ve just started working, so I may not be free.¡± Courtney turned her head away instead of looking at the ring, lest she felt even more upset. ¡°You have toe, Courtney!¡± Vanessa took Courtney¡¯s hand affectionately with a smile. ¡°I have been looking forward to the day when you can be my bridesmaid.¡± Courtney sneered inwardly, Is she implying that she had wanted to steal my boyfriend a long time ago? Vanessa¡¯s eyes flickered when she saw that Courtney was silent, and she suggested with a smile, ¡°I know you are afraid that you won¡¯t have a malepanion who can attend the party with you. It¡¯s alright; I know many friends, so I can introduce one of them to you.¡± ¡°I have a boyfriend; it¡¯s just inconvenient for me to attend the party.¡± Courtney shoved Vanessa¡¯s hand away calmly. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m afraid that he won¡¯t allow me to attend the engagement party of my ex- boyfriend and bestie.¡± Isaac¡¯s expression changed slightly. Vanessa¡¯s expression also froze for a moment before she took Courtney¡¯s hand once again in a seemingly friendly manner. ¡°Courtney, why don¡¯t you call your boyfriend over and introduce them to us? I have to thank him for taking such good care of you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for such a hassle. He¡¯s very busy.¡± As Vanessa pulled Courtney about, thetter tripped and fell right away. However, Vanessa quietly moved to the side without showing any intention of helping her up. Courtney fell over and bumped her head against a hard chest, causing pain in her forehead. ¡°Heh.¡± She heard a sneer above her. For some reason, the sneer sounded familiar to her. Chapter 10: He Is My Boyfriend Chapter 10: He Is My Boyfriend Courtney regained her bnce and looked up in just a few seconds. When she saw the man¡¯s steely face, she turned her head to one side and swore inwardly, Is Farnville City so small? Why would I run into Alexander Duncan in the same way during the first two times I took the elevator? Vanessa spoke. ¡°Are you alright, Courtney?¡± Courtney clenched her fists. Vanessa keeps showing off and mocking me in every way ever since we entered the elevator. God only knows how smug she would feel if she learned that I don¡¯t have a boyfriend. More frustratingly, this man, whom I¡¯m meeting for the third time, is obviously looking on! An idea urred to Courtney; the next second, she intimately wrapped her arm around Alexander¡¯s shoulders. When she leaned on him, she could distinctly feel that the man froze for a moment, making her feel quite happy. Then, she said coquettishly, ¡°Honey, are you trying to give me a surprise by secretly waiting in the elevator? That was so mischievous of you!¡± Alexander was speechless. The other four people in the elevator other than Courtney were stunned. Vanessa, in particr, gnashed her teeth in hatred. This man looked particrly handsome with his aloof and noble appearance, and one could tell from the suit he was wearing that he must be a sessful businessman. How could Courtney possibly hook up with such a wealthy and handsome guy? Hence, Courtneyughed. ¡°Courtney, he didn¡¯t even look at you when we entered the elevator just now, so how could he be your boyfriend? Even if you wanted to find someone to act with you, you should have read through the script with him beforehand!¡± Feeling panicky, Courtney stole a nce at Alexander. She didn¡¯t dare to continue speaking since she couldn¡¯t quite figure out what this guy was thinking. The man looked up proudly before speaking in a cold and unfriendly voice. ¡°How much do you think she can pay me to y-act with her?¡± Stunned, Courtney was speechless. Is he tacitly admitting that he¡¯s my boyfriend? Josh, who was unusually good at reading Alexander¡¯s mind, then pretended to flip through the document before reminding in a voice audible to everyone, ¡°President Duncan, this is the speech you need to give during the celebration¡­¡± Unable to control her voice, Vanessa eximed in a piercing voice, ¡°President Duncan?¡± So the man before me is Alexander Duncan? Vanessa truly never had the honor to meet Alexander in person, but she had heard many rumors about him. Alexander had always stayed away from women. Some ignorant business partners had arranged for women to sleep with him, to which he responded by cutting off all his coborations with them, causing thesepanies to go bankrupt overnight. A few years ago, he suddenly had a son, but he never mentioned his son¡¯s biological mother. Whether the son was the result of surrogacy or a child conceived using donated sperm had been everyone¡¯s favorite topic. Countless women wanted to be his son¡¯s stepmother, but none of them could get close to him. But now¡­ Isaac looked as ck as thunder for an instant as he watched Courtney nestling in the arms of a man who was superior to him in every way. Unable to restrain herself anymore, Vanessa dragged Isaac out of the elevator as soon as they arrived at the floor. She then said with a forcedugh, ¡°Courtney, you¡¯re wee to bring President Duncan to our engagement party by then.¡± When the elevator door closed again, Courtney let out a sigh of relief. Alexander shot her a nce. ¡°You dared to provoke me back then, yet you acted like a coward at the sight of someone else just now, huh?¡± Intimidated by the oppressive air about him, Courtney didn¡¯t dare to move an inch; her hands were clenched into fists as she pressed her back closely against the elevator wall. They were so close that she could feel the man¡¯s warm breath on her cheek. Feeling nervous, Courtney stammered, as if she was tongue-tied, ¡°J-Just talk to me properly. You don¡¯t have to get so close!¡± Alexander could feel the pair of hands that were ced on his chest through the thinyer of clothing. For some reason, their tenderness and warmth felt familiar to him. Not only did he have a subtle feeling, but there was also a change in the lower part of his body. This woman can actually get me hard as the woman from five years ago did! T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Alexander looked stony because of his body¡¯s peculiar reaction. He had always disliked such a feeling where he lost control of himself, but thedy before him could always make him lose himself again and again. ¡°Weren¡¯t you even closer to me than you are right now when you seduced me in the elevator that day?¡± ¡°W-Who was seducing you? I said that I was in a rush that day, so it was an ident!¡± Chapter 11 One Night Surprise Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Little Master Has Gone Missing ¡°So what happened today was an ident too, where you used me as a cover?¡± Alexander helped her simply because he didn¡¯t allow her¡ªhis employee and one of his people¡ªto be challenged and provoked by outsiders. He bent over to get close to her ear before speaking in a voice as cold as an iceke. ¡°I hope that what happened today will not happen again. If you throw yourself at me again, I don¡¯t mind ending your three-month probation ahead of time.¡± Alexander stared at Courtney until she felt a chill running down her spine. Thetter was choked with anger, but she couldn¡¯t get rid of the anger inside her. Just as Alexander finished his sentence, the elevator door opened with a crisp ding! No longer desiring to continue fighting, he turned around and left. Only then did Courtney¡¯s tensed body go limp. I can¡¯t have a good opinion of this big boss for more than three seconds! she thought to herself. When she arrived at the department, her assistant, Vivienne, stopped her with a panic-stricken expression. ¡°Miss Hunter.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± Vivienne looked troubled. ¡°The little guest in the VIP suite on the 20th floor is kicking up a fuss. He refuses to eat anything and has thrown many out of his room. His room is in a mess right now, and our hotel will be held ountable if he falls and hurts himself.¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°A little guest in the VIP suite on the 20th floor?¡± Courtney had never seen such a guest being recorded in her guest list. ¡°Is he a new guest?¡± Vivienne nodded quickly. ¡°You may say so. He¡¯s only five years old, but he¡¯s got quite a temper despite his young age, and no one can calm him down. He is smashing things in anger since his family is absent at this moment.¡± ¡°What? His family is absent? Is this proper?¡± Courtney asked. Upon making a prompt decision, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡± Her words were exactly what Vivienne had been waiting for. Vivienne caught up to her, saying, ¡°He hasn¡¯t eaten for a day. If he still refuses to eat, we¡¯re afraid that something might happen, and we won¡¯t be able to bear the responsibility.¡± ¡°It¡¯s normal for a kid to feel insecure when his parents aren¡¯t around,¡± Courtney uttered while pressing the elevator button. ¡°Are there parents who left their child alone in the hotel? Is this even proper?¡± Vivienne bowed her head next to Courtney and nodded with an unnatural expression. When they reached the door to the suite, they heard the tter of porcins shattering into pieces, which was followed by exmations from the hotel attendant. Many staff members were standing outside the door. ¡°Miss Hunter is here!¡± Amid the noise, everyone made way for Courtney, who then entered the room to find the living room in a mess so chaotic that one could scarcely find a ce to get a foothold. The sofa covers and cushions were thrown all over the floor, whereas the ss containing fruit juice was turned over and mixed together with the spaghetti and the shattered tes and mugs. Furthermore, the floormp beside the sofa had fallen onto the floor. Courtney gave a gasp of shock. Can a five-year-old boy really destroy the scene to such an extent? ¡°Where¡¯s the kid?¡± she asked in a whisper. Another manager behind her pointed at the bedroom. ¡°He has just shut himself in. What do you think we should do, Miss Hunter?¡± The seemingly more than ten people outside the door¡ªranging from attendants to receptionists to hotel managers¡ªwere at a loss for what to do. Courtney frowned. ¡°Have you guys contacted the boy¡¯s parents?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t get through to them yet.¡± Those behind her looked at each other, as if trying tomunicate something by exchanging nces. ¡°Never mind.¡± Courtney rolled up her sleeves. ¡°Tell the kitchen to make an egg custard and prepare a bowl of poached meatballs that are a bit less salty. Also, have someone tidy up this ce.¡± With that, she stepped over the mess on the floor and headed for the bedroom. ¡°Should we let her go there just like that?¡± ¡°Or else? Should you go instead?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going. I¡¯d lose my job if I pissed off the little prince.¡± Courtney didn¡¯t hear the whispers behind her. The bedroom door was half-opened, enabling her to see the situation inside the room. The covers and pillows were thrown all over the ce, and the little figure, dressed in a set of brown-checkered pajamas, was sitting on the icy floor like a statue with his back toward the bedroom door. ¡°Hello there¡­¡± Courtney tried to greet the kid, but he didn¡¯t show any intention of responding to her. She then tried to get close to him, but after she made a few steps, the figure suddenly moved and hurled something in his hand right in her face. Chapter 12 Courtney¡ªwho had superb reflexes¡ªinstantly dodged the item that was hurled at her. The ss smashed into the cupboard behind her and shattered to pieces. Courtney had seen someone with a hot temper, but she had really never seen someone like the little boy before her, who hurled things at people without saying a word. She frowned with a hint of anger in her eyes, but the anger in her eyes vanished when she saw the little boy before her clearly. Surrounded by the jumbled covers and pillows, the little boy dressed in brown checkered pajamas was staring at her. His young and tender facial features looked as if they were exquisitely carved; one could even imagine right now how handsome he would be when he grew up in the future. At this moment, though, his face crumpled with grievance written all over it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Courtney took two steps closer to him and crouched down. ¡°Who bullied you?¡± A trace of puzzlement shed across the little boy¡¯s watery eyes as he stared at her. The next instant, he shoved her hand away in an unweing and defensive posture. Seeing his response, Courtney didn¡¯t touch him again. She sat on the floor while the two of them looked at each other in speechless dismay. It didn¡¯t take long before the hotel attendant was heard speaking outside the door. ¡°Miss Hunter, the egg custard and the meatballs have been prepared. Should we deliver them inside?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Courtney looked back and said. ¡°Put them outside first and cover them with a dish cover to keep them warm.¡± As the wisps of aroma wafted into the room, the little boy¡ªwho had been silent the whole time¡ªstole nces at her from time to time; he seemed to have gulped a few mouthfuls of saliva. He should indeed be hungry after throwing tantrums for such a long time, thought Courtney to herself. Courtney waited for another while before pretending to recall something. ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry, so I¡¯d like to have a meal in your room. Can I do so?¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. The little boy frowned and turned his head away silently with an awkward expression. Treating his response as tacit consent, Courtney went outside to bring the dishes in. The egg custard looked appetizing, and the meatballs¡¯ aroma spread out in all directions. After grabbing an empty bowl, Courtney spooned some of the egg custard into it before adding half a meatball. After crushing the meatball in the egg custard, she blew on the food, saying, ¡°This smells so tasty. The meatballs today smell so appetizing.¡± Gulp! She heard the voice of someone audibly gulping from behind. Holding the bowl with both hands, Courtney looked back with an expression of feigned surprise to see the reluctant-yet-hopeful look in the little boy¡¯s eyes. She smiled inwardly while assuming a hesitant expression. ¡°Would you like to do me a favor by taking a taste of this? This is my favorite food, and it¡¯s quite delicious.¡± Sitting on the covers, the little boy nodded hesitantly. ¡°Alright, then.¡± Only then did Courtney move toward him while holding the bowl with her hands. She spooned the egg custard with crushed meatballs into the little boy¡¯s mouth, asking, ¡°Is it delicious?¡± The little boy chewed two mouthfuls of the food before his eyes brightened. Then, he nodded. Courtney didn¡¯t stop. Instead, she took another spoonful of the food and continued feeding him. The little boy ate while secretly eyeing thedy before him thoroughly. Thisdy seems different from thedies outside, who fear and hate me at the same time. She¡¯s so gentle and kind. It didn¡¯t take long before the egg custard and meatballs in the bowl were finished off. Taking a tissue to wipe the little boy¡¯s mouth, Courtney then persuaded him half-heartedly. ¡°Alright. You¡¯ll gain the strength to continue throwing tantrums only by eating your fill like this. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± The little boy pouted his lips in displeasure. Then, he suddenly turned his face away, as if he disliked being teased like this. Courtney smiled before turning to tidy away the tes and send them out of the room. But as soon as she got up, someone grabbed her. She lowered her head to see the little boy pulling at her skirt with a hurt expression, as though he thought she was about to leave just like this. Seeing that he felt so insecure, Courtney was reminded of her daughter, whosepany she didn¡¯t have the time to keep back when she was busy with her work. As she couldn¡¯t help feeling sorry for the little boy, she assured him softly, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. I¡¯m just sending the tes out of the room, lest we make a mess.¡± The little boy still stubbornly clutched the edge of her skirt, unwilling to let go of her. Chapter 13 One Night Surprise Chapter 13 Chapter 13 I Hate Him Courtney had no choice but to put down the tes for the time being. She looked back and caressed the little boy¡¯s head, asking, ¡°You want me to stay here and keep youpany, is it?¡± The little boy nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stay.¡± The little boy was stunned for a moment, as if he never expected her toply so readily. ¡°But we can¡¯t sit on the floor any longer. The floor is cold, so you¡¯ll get sick. Let¡¯s sit on the sofa, okay?¡± The little boy nodded obediently at once. Courtney smiled with satisfaction before bending down to carry him to the sofa and sit down. Turning a blind eye at the mess on the floor, she told the little boy several jokes in a row until his gloomy expression was reced by a smile. In the end, he giggled continuously. However, this kid never spoke. When his mood lightened, Courtney sounded him out by asking, ¡°Can you tell me why you were so upset? Was it because nobody was ying with you?¡± Her questions seemed to hit the little boy¡¯s sore spot, and he made gestures for a long time before Courtney finally figured out that he wanted some papers and a pen. When she looked back, she happened to see a pen and a stack of papers on the nightstand. They seemed to have been prepared long ago since many words were written on the papers. She immediately took the pen and papers and handed them to the little boy. The little boy then wrote a line on the paper that read, ¡®Daddy is bad. Promised to take me outside for fun but didn¡¯t.¡¯ Courtney was surprised that such a little kid could write so many words. After being stunned for a long time, she came to her senses and figured that his parents must have taught him so on purpose, for it seemed that this kid really couldn¡¯t speak. ¡°Do you mean that you were angry because your Dad didn¡¯t take you to have fun outside after promising to do so?¡± The little boy nodded angrily with a frown of indignation. Courtney let out a sigh before stroking his hair andforted him. ¡°Perhaps your Dad is really very busy. He wants you to live a better life, so he gets so busy that he has no time to rest or y with you.¡± The little boy didn¡¯t buy her excuse, though. He let out a snort and wrote on the paper, ¡®Didn¡¯t see Daddy for many days. He didn¡¯te back. I hate him.¡¯ How could he leave a kid behind in the hotel for so many days? Courtney frowned as well. This parent of his sounds so careless! ¡°I¡¯ll help you talk to your Dad when hees back.¡± Courtney held the little boy¡¯s hand. ¡°How could he let a child stay alone at home? Moreover, this is not your home; it¡¯s a hotel. What if something happens?¡± The little boy nodded repeatedly. ¡°Have you been staying alone in the room these days?¡± The little boy nodded again. At the sight of his response, Courtney pondered for a while. ¡°Would you like me to take you out for a walk so that you can get some fresh air?¡± The little boy nodded at once. It is indeed in a kid¡¯s nature to be yful and active. The hotel suite isrge, but even adults couldn¡¯t stand staying in the room all day long like this, let alone a kid. Upon that thought, Courtney immediately decided to take him outside. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s your name?¡± Courtney asked before they left. Then, recalling that he couldn¡¯t speak, she paused in her tracks in the living room. ¡°Wait a minute while I take a pen and some papers so that we can talk to each other while we¡¯re outside.¡± With that, she left the little boy in the living room and went back to the bedroom to take the pen and papers. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Most of the crowd that gathered outside the door had dispersed at this moment, leaving two attendants on standby and Courtney¡¯s assistant, who hadn¡¯t left as well. Those behind them were about to leave. Suddenly, a tter was heard, and someone among the crowd screamed, ¡°The chandelier!¡± Upon hearing the scream, Courtney¡ªwho had just left the bedroom with the pen and papers¡ªlooked at the chandelier. To her horror, she saw the crystal chandelier ttering right above the little boy. The sound of the chains rubbing against and knocking into each other caused the crystal chandelier to shake vigorously. ¡°Aaaah!¡± Those outside the door turned pale with fright, but they could only watch helplessly as the chandelier fell with a tter! Chapter 14 One Night Surprise Chapter 14 Chapter 14 You Don¡¯t Have to Persuade Me on His Behalf ¡°Little Master!¡± ¡°Miss Hunter!¡± The exmations of the panic-stricken crowd outside the door could be heard amid the tter of the shattering crystal chandelier. At this moment, the crystal chandelier had shattered into countless pieces at the center of the living room, leaving the floor in a mess. Courtney shielded the little boy with one hand while her other hand was badly mangled under the chandelier. She then fainted on the spot from the pain. Just when everyone was panicky and hesitant just now, Courtney dashed from the bedroom door right away without thinking, shielding the little boy who was at the risk of being smashed by the chandelier. The scene was chaotic. Before losing consciousness, Courtney vaguely heard the little boy in her arms uttering a word with a choke in his voice. The word sounded like ¡®Mommy¡¯. The scene was in a state of chaos. ¡°Hurry up and call the ambnce to rush Miss Hunter to the hospital!¡± ¡°Little Master is clutching Miss Hunter¡¯s clothes and unwilling to let go of her. What should we do?¡± ¡°Take them there together. Who¡¯d look after him if we leave him here? Who can bear the responsibility if something happens to him?¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Let¡¯s call President Duncan.¡± The conversation went on. Meanwhile, Alexander, who had just finished signing a contract, was drinking tea alone in a private room in a high-end private clubhouse in Melrose City. He was waiting for his assistant, who was seeing off thepany director with whom Alexander had held a discussion on a coboration. Such a day was the norm in his life. ¡°Alexander.¡± Ady¡¯s sweet voice rang. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. Upon hearing this voice, Alexander looked back with an unnoticeable frown. A talldy, who had just lifted the private room¡¯s curtain, looked pleasantly surprised at the sight of him. She walked inside, saying, ¡°It really is you. It so happened that I have just finished having a meeting about an endorsement deal. Jason saw your assistant sending people out just now, so I wondered if you were here.¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± mumbled Alexander nonchntly as a reply. ¡°I have just visited Grandpa a few days ago.¡± Britney Price sat down across from him while carefully studying his expression. Seeing that he didn¡¯t respond to the word ¡®Grandpa¡¯, she continued speaking. ¡°Grandpa said that there¡¯d always be instances where you can¡¯t look after Jordan seeing that you¡¯re raising him all by yourself. He¡¯s worried that the maids aren¡¯t dutiful enough, so it seems that he wants to ask if you¡¯d like to consider sending Jordan back to him.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression darkened at her words. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s more dangerous to send Jordan back than to keep him by my side. You don¡¯t have to persuade me on his behalf.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here to persuade you on his behalf. I was just bringing it up casually, but that also happened to be what Grandpa was thinking.¡± Britney smiled. Then, she exined calmly, ¡°Actually, Grandpa also said he hoped that you could find someone who would do her utmost to look after Jordan and attend to him as soon as possible. This way, you can have peace of mind when you¡¯re away from home.¡± Alexander refrained frommenting on her words. As they were conversing, his assistant hurriedly walked inside. ¡°President Duncan¡­¡± Seeing that Britney was also present, he was startled for a while. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± asked Alexander. ¡°Oh!¡± The assistant came to his senses. He uttered urgently, ¡°The hotel has called just now to say that Little Master has met with an ident. The crystal chandelier in the suite has fallen down.¡± A venomous look shed across Britney¡¯s eyes when she heard this, but the look vanished soon after that. On the other hand, Alexander¡¯s expression clouded over, and a trace of anxiety shed across his usually emotionless eyes. He immediately got up from his seat before asking in a cold voice, ¡°How is Jordan?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, President Duncan,¡± Josh replied. ¡°A staff member of the hotel rescued Little Master in time, so he wasn¡¯t injured. I was told that he insisted on going to the hospital along with the staff member.¡± Upon hearing his words, Alexander immediately got ready to leave. ncing at Alexander¡¯s suit jacket on the clothes stand, Britney hurriedly picked it up and caught up with him. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Alex.¡± Chapter 15 One Night Surprise Chapter 15 Chapter 15 He Was Probably Frightened Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. The person lying on the sickbed hadn¡¯t regained consciousness when Alexander reached the hospital. As he walked in, he saw his dear son leaning on the edge of the bed in his pajamas without even changing his clothes. Alexander was astounded at the sight of the scene. ¡°Jordan?¡± Jordan looked back upon hearing the noise. At the sight of Alexander, his expression rxed a little, and he held up the paintings in his hand. These were crayon paintings that Jordan often made. He couldn¡¯t speak and had a limited vocabry, so there were many instances where he needed to expressplicated messages through his drawings. The first painting showed ady feeding a kid, whose happiness was evident from the smile on his face. The second painting showed ady holding the kid¡¯s hand as they were about to go outdoors happily. A castle in an amusement park was drawn inside a cloud-shaped circle next to their heads. The third painting illustrated a golden chandelier which had dropped from the ceiling and smashed into the floor. Thedy was holding the kid to her bosom, and her hand was bleeding under the chandelier. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Jordan dragged Alexander to the bedside. Then, he pointed at thedy on the sickbed and the lady he had drawn to imply that they were the same person. Alexander hesitantly looked at the person on the sickbed, but his expression froze at the sight of the pale face. It¡¯s her? This woman had the courage to risk her life and save Jordan! The look on Alexander¡¯s face grew a bit moreplicated as he recalled his bad attitude toward her previously. Jordan looked as though he wanted to convey something else, but his face turned pale at the sight of Britney as she walked in after Alexander. He broke free from Alexander¡¯s hand and cowered near the hospital bed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jordan?¡± Not noticing the peculiar look in Jordan¡¯s eyes, Alexander thought that Jordan was putting the me on him¡ªafter all, he ended up in the ident only because his father hadn¡¯t taken him to the amusement park. Alexander softened his voice a little and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what happened today. I¡¯ll be sure to keep my promise next time, alright?¡± Nheless, Jordan still looked hesitant and refused to approach Alexander. Feeling helpless, Alexander turned around and called the mansion¡¯s butler, who had been standing outside the door the whole time. ¡°Mr. Harry, please take Jordan home first. It¡¯s alreadyte, so he should get some rest.¡± However, Jordan kept shaking his head and clutched the sickbed¡¯s bed sheets, refusing to let go of them. Alexander was puzzled at the sight of the scene. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Jordan?¡± ¡°Let me do it¡ªperhaps he¡¯s quite shaken up from today,¡± said Britney as she spoke from behind him. She crouched down and stroked Jordan¡¯s head. ¡°Would you like to have dinner with me, Jordan?¡± Jordan trembled, and his eyes were full of fear. Running away from Britney at once, he hid behind Alexander and clutched thetter¡¯s pants. ¡°He¡¯s probably traumatized from the incident,¡± exined Britney calmly. Then, she continued with a sigh, ¡°Alex, why don¡¯t you leave the matters at the hospital to the butler while you and I take Jordan back first? It¡¯s toote, so the kid should get some rest.¡± Alexander hesitated before taking a look at Courtney, who was still lying unconsciously on the sickbed. Before he left, he instructed the others and said, ¡°Tell the hospital to take good care of her.¡± Back at home, Alexander didn¡¯t walk out of the bedroom until the nanny had coaxed Jordan into sleep. It was apparent from the trace of steeliness in his eyes that his mind was still preupied with what had happened during the day. Meanwhile, Britney was still in the living room. ¡°Has he fallen asleep yet?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Alexander nodded. He then nced at the time and said curtly, ¡°It¡¯ste. I¡¯ll get the chauffeur to send you home.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. My chauffeur will pick me up in a while.¡± Britney nced at the bedroom on the second floor. ¡°It¡¯s just that it¡¯s improper to have Jordan follow you around when he¡¯s so little; just look at the heart-stopping ident today. Grandpa is right¡ªyou should find a person to take care of him.¡± Alexander nced at her, seeming as though he was considering this suggestion seriously. Chapter 16 One Night Surprise Chapter 16 Chapter 16 It¡¯s No Trouble to Raise Me! After leaving Alexander¡¯s mansion, Britney got into her minivan. ¡°Drive.¡± As the minivan drove out of the upscale vi area, the driver¡¯s anxious voice was heard inside the car. ¡°Miss Price, there should have been no problem with getting the job done, but we didn¡¯t expect such a tactless hotel manager to pop up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± A sinister expression shed across Britney¡¯s face. ¡°After all, it would¡¯ve been inconvenient if he was simply smashed to death. It¡¯s best to leave Alex with a lingering fear inside him just like this. This way, he will actually consider getting married.¡± ¡°How about the kid¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch him for now. We¡¯ll have plenty of opportunities in the future.¡± Britney lowered her head and nced at the glittering diamond manicure on her fingernails with a nonchnt expression. ¡°I¡¯ll be visiting the hotel over the next few days. Tell the new assistant to prepare more kid-friendly stuff so that I can bring them there.¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Price.¡± The conversation went on. Soon, Courtney regained consciousness in severe pain. She moved her numb arms slightly in her sleep, only to feel an excruciating pain that forced her eyes open; her body was also covered in sweat. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. After opening her eyes, Courtney realized that everything in front of her was pure white in color. ¡°Mommy! Are you awake now?¡± A familiar and tender voice spoke into her ear. Bending over the edge of her bed, Tina held her uninjured hand. The little girl¡¯s eyes reddened as she said, ¡°You scared me to death, Mommy.¡± Startled, Courtney tried hard to recall what had happened; she had hurt herself while trying to save someone, and the chandelier had smashed directly on her. This ce must be the hospital, she thought to herself. However, why would her daughter be here? ¡°Why are you here, Tina? Have I been sleeping for a long time?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Tina wiped her tears away with a look of indignation. ¡°I had a hard time going to the hotel to give you a surprise, but I was told that you were sent to the hospital when I arrived¡ªI was scared to death.¡± Courtney was touched upon hearing Tina¡¯s words, but she was sorry at the same time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you worry, sweetheart.¡± ¡°How can I not worry about you? You¡¯re always telling me to care about myself first before caring about others, yet you risked your life to save someone. What if your head was smashed?¡± Tina pouted her lips in anger. ¡°I¡¯m still counting on you to raise me! What should I do if you die?¡± Courtney was initially moved, but she had a lump in her throat upon hearing thest sentence. Staring at this simple-minded daughter of hers speechlessly, she raised her hand and rubbed Tina¡¯s nose despite the pain. ¡°You fool! You only want me to raise you. It¡¯s such a hassle to bring you up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no hassle at all!¡± Tina let out a snort, looking at Courtney with her arms folded across her chest like an adult. ¡°Where else would you be able to find a daughter like me¡ªone who can prepare food, wash the clothes, and do the chores?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah. You¡¯re so amazing that I need you to support me.¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with Tina. This little girl grew up with a silver tongue, and Courtney always ended up falling prey to her sophistry whenever they argued. As they were speaking, they heard a knock on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Courtney looked at the door puzzledly. ¡°Miss Hunter.¡± The visitor was a middle-aged man whom Courtney remembered as the butler in charge of looking after the little boy. At this moment, he walked inside with a reverent expression while carrying tworge bags full of supplements. ¡°These have been prepared at my Young Master¡¯s instructions. Miss Hunter, since you have suffered a fracture, these supplements can help with the healing process. I was also told by my Young Master to express his gratitude to you; he is very sorry for being unable to wait until you regain consciousness because he had to take Little Master home.¡± Chapter 17 One Night Surprise Chapter 17 Chapter 17 It Really Is Him ¡°It¡¯s nothing. This is my duty, so you don¡¯t have to be so courteous.¡± Courtney was ttered by the bags full of presents. When she nced at the bags¡¯ contents, she even saw some caterpir fungus that cost at least 10,000! ¡°These are just a token of our gratitude, Miss Hunter. By the way, the Young Master has instructed that you don¡¯t have to work at the hotel for the time being since you¡¯re currently injured. You can get enough rest until you think it¡¯s okay to go to work. Your sry and bonuses will be paid as usual during this period.¡± Courtney was even more surprised upon hearing this. ¡°I don¡¯t have to go to work?¡± Which Young Master is capable enough to apply for sick leave on my behalf? Sunhill Hotel has a rule whereby employees cannot be on sick leave for more than a month. Moreover, I haven¡¯t been put on the regr payroll; how can I ask for sick leave as I please? ¡°May I know who your Young Master is?¡± The butler looked surprised. ¡°Don¡¯t you know who my Young Master is?¡± Courtney was puzzled by the look of surprise on the butler¡¯s face. Feeling unsettled, she then asked, ¡°Should I know him?¡± ¡°My Young Master is Sunhill Hotel¡¯s CEO. Don¡¯t you know him?¡± Courtney frowned upon hearing the butler¡¯s words. Isn¡¯t the CEO of Sunhill Hotel¡­ Alexander himself? ¡°Are you saying that the little boy is Alexander Duncan¡ªahem, President Duncan¡¯s son?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The butler smiled. He said politely, ¡°Miss Hunter, you have risked your life to save Little Master, so it is reasonable for President Duncan to grant you sick leave. Feel free to contact me if you need anything.¡± Courtney was stupefied; she didn¡¯t expect the little boy to be Alexander¡¯s son. He has such a huge family business and is so wealthy, but he has a son who can¡¯t speak? This kind of feeling where one had everything but couldn¡¯t help those dearest to them suddenly aroused her sympathy. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. While she was secretly feeling sorry for Alexander, Tina had something else on her mind as she sat to one side. Resting her chin in one hand, she measured the pile of high-priced supplements on the table with her eyes. She thought to herself, Thepany Mommy works at is a hugepany, so her boss must be very rich. We¡¯re about to make a fortune this time! What did Mommy say his name was? Alexander Duncan? Courtney stayed at the hospital over the next few days, but Alexander seemed very busy. He did not come to visit her¡ªnot even after she had been discharged and went home to recuperate. Courtney didn¡¯t take offense at this, though. She had to bow, scrape, and behave with great caution if he came, which could never feel more ufortable than her eating and drinking to her heart¡¯s content while resting alone. Courtney counted the days and realized that she could still be on leave for some time after being discharged. Therefore, she focused on keeping her daughterpany at home while enjoying the rare opportunity of being on sick leave. Because of that, she even had a much better impression of the stony-faced Alexander. On this day, Courtney was taking a nap when Tina entered the room, holding an iPad to her bosom. Then, she keyed in the name ¡®Alexander Duncan¡¯ on Wikipedia via speech input. Wikipedia immediately showed the introduction of several people. Tina, who didn¡¯t know many words, first marveled at Alexander¡¯s good-looking photo¡ªwhich she quickly took a liking to¡ªafter clicking on his name. Then, she read the introduction on Wikipedia line by line using a reading pen. As she listened to the words, she was left speechless. Whoa! Not only is Mommy¡¯s boss handsome, he is also very capable! Hees from a distinguished family and runs a conglomerate. Isn¡¯t this the wealthy family that I¡¯ve always wanted Mommy to marry into? Hey, wait a minute! As she stared at Alexander¡¯s photo on Wikipedia, her ck eyes suddenly froze for a moment. I think I have met this mister somewhere! Where exactly have I seen him? After pieces of information quickly shed through her mind, Tina immediately opened a website that she often surfed and found the personal information of a single man from the endless array of bachelors saved in the ¡®My Favorites¡¯ folder. As shepared the two photos, she found that the single man was really him! The red heart-shaped logo on the top right corner of the website was very eye-catching, and the advertising slogan appeared on the screen again and again as the song ¡®Wedding March¡¯ was being yed. The slogan read, ¡®Wee to OkCupid Dating Website, where you can choose from thousands of eligible bachelors and bachelorettes!¡¯ Mommy¡¯s boss is also anxious to find a spouse! Chapter 18 One Night Surprise Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Finding a Daddy for Herself ¡°I¡¯m going out, Mommy,¡± Tina shouted in the bedroom¡¯s direction after packing her little backpack. Then, she walked out of the door in a very natural manner. Courtney was heard speaking leisurely from inside the bedroom in a daze. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°To buy some ice cream.¡± Courtney turned over in bed with sleepy eyes. ¡°Okay. Come back early, and get me one ice cream as well.¡± Tina often went out shopping by herself. Moreover, she was very clever, so Courtney let her go shopping alone since she wasn¡¯t too worried about her. After going downstairs, Tina did go to a ce that sold ice cream. She was very happy as she skipped to her destination. Meanwhile, a hale and hearty old man stepped out of an extended Bentley outside a cafe. Wearing a ck suit, he walked very briskly. The person next to him looked like a butler, and he pushed the cafe¡¯s door open. ¡°We¡¯re here, Master.¡± The old man sized up the cafe with a frown. Heined in a low voice, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s proper for me toe here and find a blind date for my grandson at such an old age? In my opinion, it¡¯s enough to have someone pretending to be him; we can finalize the marriage once we settle on someone.¡± The butler caught up with him vishly. ¡°That won¡¯t do, Master. As you see, there are too many people in Melrose City who know the Young Master; no one will believe the photo disyed on the dating website. Even if someone does believe the photo, she may think that we¡¯re swindlers when she arrives and realizes that it isn¡¯t the Young Master himself. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The old man breathed out and steadied his nerves before sitting at a seat near the window. ¡°Never mind. I¡¯ll risk losing face for the sake of my great-grandson this time.¡± ¡°Oh, right! The ice cream.¡± As if recalling something, the butler immediately went to the counter and ordered a cup of ice cream before putting it in front of the old man. The old man¡¯s expression changed. Decorated with strawberries and assorted fruits, therge cup of colorful ice cream looked ipatible with the old man, who looked extremely stern in his ck attire. However, one would find the striking contrast between the ice cream and the old man cute if they looked at them for a while. The butler could barely suppress hisughter. ¡°If youugh again, you¡¯ll have to sit here.¡± The old man shot him a look of displeasure. As they were speaking, the bell on the door rang. One couldn¡¯t see anyone at first nce, but when they lowered their heads, they could see a little girl skipping inside while carrying a schoolbag with the picture of a rubber duck printed on it. After looking around, she fixed her eyes on the cup of ice cream on a table near the window, only to be startled for a moment when she saw the old man behind the ice cream. After hesitating for a long time, she walked up to him. ¡°Hello.¡± A girlish voice was heard from behind the table. The old man had initially grown impatient from waiting, but he was startled when he saw the person who spoke to him. Whose little daughter is this? Not only is she so good-looking, she also looks a little familiar. ¡°You aren¡¯t Mr. Alexander Duncan, are you?¡± As Tina looked the old man up and down, her big and clear eyes rolled about as if she had countless tricks up her sleeve. This old man¡¯s eyes and eyebrows resemble Alexander Duncan despite his grey hair. Can he be a member of that mister¡¯s family? ¡°Are you a member of Mr. Alexander Duncan¡¯s family?¡± Stunned by the cuteness of the little girl¡¯s girlish voice, the old man softened his voice without realizing it and asked, ¡°How do you know that?¡± Tina sighed with relief before mbering onto the seat across him. After sitting down with swagger, she introduced herself and said, ¡°I¡¯m Courtney Hunter¡¯s daughter. I¡¯m looking for a blind date for my Mommy, so I was the one who asked you out.¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. The old man was even more astounded. ¡°Are you finding a husband for your Mom at such a young age?¡± Tina blinked her eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you finding a wife for your son at such an old age as well?!¡± The old man was startled for a second before he burst outughing. ¡°Yeah, this matter has nothing to do with age. It¡¯s my fault for being confused.¡± Tina looked at him with a straight face. ¡°So, mister¡ªtell me what kind of person you¡¯re looking for, and I¡¯ll see if my Mom fits.¡± Chapter 19 One Night Surprise Chapter 19 Chapter 19 My Mommy Is Very Beautiful In a few sentences, Scott stated all of his demands. ¡°You are looking for a woman with good looks, a great personality, and capable abilities? Do you also prefer ones who can take good care of people?¡± Tina counted with her fingers in a serious, adult-like manner. Then, she picked out several key words she had just heard. ¡°I think that my mom qualifies for all the conditions you¡¯ve stated. You see, I need to find a husband for my mommy and you need to find a wife for your son¡ªwe both have the same purpose. Besides, I am a good girl and would definitely not be a burden. Take a look at me and you will know that my mommy is very good at taking care of people.¡± Tina felt a little guilty when she mentioned ¡®taking care of people¡¯. It was already a miracle for Tina to grow up healthily on her own. Her mom¡¯s working ability was top notch, but her ability to take care of herself was quite questionable. Scott grew to like the little girl, whose train of thoughts were clear and logical. It takes a certain kind of mother to raise her daughter to be so bright and graceful. ¡°Did you bring a picture of your mommy?¡± ¡°I did!¡± Tina quickly opened her backpack and handed over the photos she had prepared. ¡°My mommy is very beautiful.¡± Scott nodded after he looked at the woman in the photo and handed it to the butler. ¡°You should take a look too.¡± The butler examined the picture for a while. ¡°Very sharp, prominent features with a hint of tenacity. Sir, this youngdy has very good looks.¡± ¡°In that case, it¡¯s settled.¡± Scott looked at Tina with a smile. ¡°I should meet up with your mommy someday.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Tina didn¡¯t expect to reach a consensus so easily. Her eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°Grandpa, if my mommy really gets together with your son, I will definitely treat you well in the future.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a good child.¡± Once they had reached a consensus, they talked about the lifestyle habits of the two parties involved¡ª Alexander was a dull and boring person. On the contrary, Courtney had many interesting stories. Scott was slowly looking forward to meeting this woman based on all the stories he heard from Tina. After the meeting ended, Scott personally sent Tina to the entrance and watched her jump into the car before getting the chauffeur to drive her back. The butler was puzzled. ¡°Sir, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s an injustice for someone with fine qualities like the Young Master to match with a single mother who has a child?¡± ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t you go ahead and look for a youngdy with the right family? All the young ladies nowadays are spoiled by their families; do you expect them to take care of Jordan? What¡¯s wrong with single mothers? I think that we are lucky enough to stumble upon this gem.¡± All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Scott nced at the butler with a disdained look, seeming as though he was disgusted by the butler¡¯s prejudice. The butler quickly understood that he had jumped to conclusions. ¡°That is true.¡± Scott¡¯s priority is to find a stepmother for Jordan¡ªfinding a wife for the Young Master is secondary. ¡°Tina was brought up well. If Alexander had met such a woman earlier, perhaps Jordan would have been better taken care of; that incident three years ago wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± Scott¡¯s sigh resonated within the car as he seemed very remorseful. The butlerforted him. ¡°Sir, it was not your fault. It has been three years, so let bygones be bygones. You shouldn¡¯t me yourself too much¡ªeven the Young Master has no intention of ming you.¡± His expression was sad. Scott replied in a hoarse voice, ¡°If he didn¡¯t me me, he would¡¯ve left Jordan with me rather than bringing him on his business trips for the past three years.¡± Chapter 20 One Night Surprise Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Seize the Opportunity, Mommy! After that day, Tina would use the excuse of going out to buy ice cream so that she could secretly meet up with Scott at the cafe; each time, she went back home with a bag full of gifts. Soon enough, Courtney found a lot of unfamiliar toys while cleaning up the clutter at home. ¡°When did you buy this little mermaid bracelet?¡± Tina was fiddling with her new toys on the bed as she answered with a poker face, ¡°It was a gift that came with the ice cream.¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°Have there been many events at the ice cream store nearby?¡± Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. She was suspicious, but she wasn¡¯t worried that Tina would do anything bad; it was just a few toys, so it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll be taking you to the nearby kindergartens this afternoon; let¡¯s see which one you like. Your godmother wants me to find a school for you before the summer holidays. You can¡¯t always stay at home, right?¡± If it hadn¡¯t been for the phone conversation with her best friend, Cameron Miller, Courtney would¡¯ve forgotten about Tina¡¯s school arrangements. Tina nodded obediently. ¡°Okay.¡± Since most of the nearby elementary schools started on Monday, Courtney took Tina to visit several kindergartens nearby. However, the results were quite unsatisfactory. Courtney was most concerned about the schools¡¯ medical facilities¡ªthat was because Tina had asthma. Ordinary kindergartens in the country weren¡¯t well equipped in this aspect, and most of the infirmaries didn¡¯t even have a doctor who knew how to do a simple infusion. She was quite worried when only a few of them could answer her simple medical questions. ¡°I want to eat Japanese food, Mommy.¡± When they came out of the kindergarten, Tina pleaded yfully as she tugged on Courtney¡¯s sleeve and instantly dispelled all her troubles away. ¡°Alright, we shall eat Japanese food today.¡± Since it was a Monday, there were not many people in the Japanese restaurant. Upon their arrival, the waiter sat them at a secluded seat by the window which overlooked downtown traffic. The mother-daughter duo stared at each other in a daze after they ordered their food. ¡°Mommy, I think that you should probably go to work now.¡± Tina rested her chin under her palm. She was trying to figure out a n to get these two people together. ¡°Why? Can¡¯t I rest for two more days?¡± It¡¯s not every day you get the chance to be paid for not working; we can talk about it when the week is over. ¡°You have to seize the opportunity, Mommy!¡± ¡°What opportunity?¡± ¡°Your boss! He¡¯s rich, handsome, and single! I¡¯m pretty sure that many beautiful women in thepany are eager to pursue him. If you don¡¯t work hard, how am I going to survive in the future?¡± ¡°You brat! What are you talking about?¡± Courtney red at her and pinched her nose. ¡°Where did you get all these ideas from? You haven¡¯t even met my boss¡ªhow do you know he is handsome?¡± Tina was dodging Courtney¡¯s attacks when she suddenly brightened up and jumped on her chair, waving excitedly at a distance. ¡°Here, Mr. Alexander! Here!¡± Mr. Alexander? Courtney looked toward the distance suspiciously; the moment she realized who it was, her smile froze at the corners of her mouth. There was a tall silhouette holding a little boy at the entrance of the Japanese restaurant. Both of them had the same handsome face with a cold, unapproachable look. They looked toward the source of sound. Isn¡¯t that Alexander and his temperamental young master? Damn it, I just recovered and came out for a walk; why do I have to bump into him? More importantly, why does Tina know him? What the hell is going on? Chapter 21 One Night Surprise Chapter 21 Chapter 21 You Ask Too Much Alexander subconsciously turned to look when he heard someone calling him ¡®Mr. Alexander¡¯. He froze for a moment when he saw the little girl waving at him, feeling that she looked rather familiar. As he stared nkly at the girl, Jordan had already let go of his hand and ran over. Hence, Alexander had no choice but to follow him. Courtney was blocking her face when she felt a tight grip on her legs. As she looked down, she saw a pair of big eyes staring back at her¡ªJordan was hugging one of her legs with an ecstatic look on his face. ¡°We¡¯ve met before, Mr. Alexander!¡± Tina stood by the table as her ck, pearl-like eyes blinked at Alexander. Alexander pondered for a moment and finally associated the young woman in front of him as the clumsy, little girl who had bumped into him at the airport. His expression softened as he realized who she was. ¡°How do you two know each other?¡± Courtney was still confused. ¡°Mr. Alexander was the one who gave me choctes at the airport the other day, Mommy!¡± exined Tina as her eyes lit up. ¡°What a coincidence! I can¡¯t believe we¡¯d bump into each other here. Mommy, do you know Mr. Alexander too?¡± Courtney¡¯s face stiffened. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ the boss of mypany.¡± Alexander stood by the table and looked down in a condescending manner. ¡°This is your daughter?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He felt an indescribable feeling in his heart when he heard Courtney¡¯s answer. She¡¯s actually married with a child? He quickly changed the subject and asked casually, ¡°Has your hand recovered?¡± Why do the things I don¡¯t want to happen keep happening? Courtney bit her lip as she pulled Jordan out from under the table, using him as a shield. She replied shyly, ¡°It¡¯s not fully recovered, so it¡¯s still a bit ufortable.¡± ¡°In that case, you should rest for a while longer. You don¡¯t have to rush back to work.¡± Courtney was stunned by Alexander¡¯s words. Since when did he be such a nice person to talk to? ¡°Her hands are fine! She can go back to work tomorrow!¡± Tina interrupted. ¡°Tina!¡± Courtney red at her. Since when did her daughter be a snitch? However, Alexander seemed unfazed by Tina¡¯s words. He simply thought of it as a child¡¯s joke and swiftly changed the subject. ¡°Thank you for rescuing Jordan. I¡¯m sorry for not visiting you at the hospital earlier, but when I finally went over, I was told that you had been discharged. I even thought about bringing Jordan to your house to express my gratitude.¡± ¡°No, no.¡± Courtney shook her head. ¡°The holiday that you¡¯ve given me is already considered a form of gratitude. After all, it is my duty as apany employee to ensure the safety of our guests anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s another issue.¡± Alexander nced at Tina as his expression darkened. ¡°However, you shouldn¡¯t forget about the bet. I don¡¯t n on extending the three-month deadline.¡± Courtney¡¯s face turned sour when she heard his words. What does he mean by that? Is he trying to imply that the holiday I¡¯m on right now is equivalent to wasting my time? All the good feelings she felt toward Alexander moments ago dissipated in a sh. This man is definitely good at giving people a hard time! Before Courtney coulde back to her senses, Alexander beckoned toward Jordan. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Jordan! Let¡¯s not disturb their meal.¡± However, Jordan clung tightly onto Courtney¡¯s arm. He turned to look at Alexander like he was about to battle an enemy. ¡°Jordan!¡± Alexander frowned. The little boy¡¯s stubborn face was an exact replica of Alexander¡¯s, which was right in front of him. Seeing this, Courtney quickly jumped in to smoothen things over. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, both of you can just join us. This is a four-person seat anyway.¡± It wasn¡¯t busy at the restaurant, so the waiter had arranged a spacious seat for Courtney¡ªwho knew that it would¡¯vee in handy at this moment? Realizing that Jordan had no intention of leaving, Alexander sat down with a grumbled look that Courtney found to be quite amusing. Even the President of Sunhill Enterprise has a soft spot. Tina wanted Alexander to be here, so she pulled out a chair enthusiastically. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit down first, Mr. Alexander? I¡¯ll go and get some fruit.¡± As she was about to leave, she looked at Jordan and invited him earnestly. ¡°Do you want toe with me?¡± Jordan took in Tina¡¯s cheerful and pleasing manner; he hesitated for a while before letting go of Courtney¡¯s hand and followed Tina. I want to get along with Ms. Courtney¡¯s daughter. Meanwhile, Alexander was amazed. Jordan is actually willing to get along with this little girl? He knew that his son had always been temperamental and had no friends among his peers. Alexander even tried to get his friends¡¯ children to y with him, but Jordan couldn¡¯t be bothered to make friends with them. As such, his son¡¯s emotional disorder had always been like a thorn in his heart. ¡°Your daughter is very lively.¡± ¡°Are you talking about Tina?¡± Courtney smiled. ¡°She is such a little brat. Most of the time, I don¡¯t even know how many weird ideas she has inside her head. She usually gets along well with her peers, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it, President Duncan. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be fine.¡± Alexander wanted to exin himself, but he decided to drop the topic. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so formal. Jordan is really fond of you, and I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯ll throw a tantrum if you call him Young Master.¡± After that, he ordered a few more dishes and handed the menu back to the waiter. Soon, the two children came back with fruits. When they realized that their food hadn¡¯t been served yet, Tina and Jordan ran over to the slide at the children¡¯s y area. Courtney was at ease because the view from their seats was good enough to watch over them. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. The atmosphere was light and rxed. After some small talk, Courtney felt that Alexander was not as unfriendly as he was in thepany; the two of them chatted casually. She thought about Jordan¡¯s episode back then and asked, ¡°By the way, is Jordan¡¯s ability to speak congenital? Is it due to his mother¡¯s weak body?¡± All of a sudden, Alexander¡¯s nd expression darkened and his gaze snapped from the children¡¯s area to Courtney¡ªit was a piercing lookced with warning. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Courtney was flustered by his stare and realized that she had crossed a line. ¡°It was just a simple question; I didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡± Alexander nced at her and said coldly, ¡°You ask too much. You should just mind your own business.¡± Courtney clenched her fingers under the table in embarrassment; she regretted asking so many questions. After all, how could she casually ask about the disability of someone else¡¯s child¡ªespecially from someone as proud as Alexander? The temperature of the atmosphere dropped instantly. Meanwhile, Alexander was lost in thought because of her words as he stared at the distant children¡¯s area. In fact, Jordan¡¯s speech disability was not a congenital disease. When he was two years old, he could already speak in full sentences; he was even smarter than his peers. If it hadn¡¯t been for Alexander¡¯s negligence back then, Jordan wouldn¡¯t have nearly died from a high fever¡ªthe situation today would have been much different. All the doctors they had visited throughout the years circled back to the same conclusion; Jordan¡¯s vocal cords weren¡¯t damaged, but it was rather his own unwillingness to talk Chapter 22 One Night Surprise Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Let Tina Come Over and y At the end of the day, it simply meant that Jordan had autism. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ªI didn¡¯t mean to pry too much,¡± said Courtney as she apologized sincerely. ¡°How about this? Let me pay for today¡¯s meal in order to express my sincerest apologies.¡± Right then, Alexander came back to his senses and saw her flustered face. He soon realized that his attitude was too harsh. After all, she was the one who saved Jordan¡¯s life. He softened his tone and exined, ¡°It¡¯s not that Jordan can¡¯t talk; he just chooses not to talk.¡± Courtney nodded and decided to stop asking questions. Meanwhile, Jordan sat in the midst of an ocean of colorful balls. When he suddenly lost sight of Tina, he frowned and a panicked look crossed over his face. ¡°Haha!¡± All of a sudden, the ocean of balls exploded in front of him as Tina emerged under it and looked at him with a big smile. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Jordan was startled by her and mored up; it seemed like this was the first time someone had ever yed with him like that. Tina was taken aback. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jordan shook his head. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and pointed at the table¡ªhe wanted to go back. Even though she still wanted to y, Tina saw the look of shock on Jordan¡¯s face and nodded understandingly. ¡°Are you hungry? Let¡¯s go back.¡± While they were having their meals, Jordan insisted on sitting next to Courtney despite Alexander¡¯s countless attempts to discourage him. Tina was quite generous as she climbed onto the seat next to Alexander and said, ¡°Since he likes my mommy so much, you should just let him sit next to her. I¡¯ll just sit here.¡± Since Courtney seemed fine with it, Alexander let the matter slide and looked at the cute little girl who was sitting next to him; he felt that she was quite pleasing to the eyes. ¡°His name is Jordan,¡± said Alexander to Tina. ¡°Jordan.¡± Tina nodded obediently. As she thought of a question, she immediately asked, ¡°That¡¯s right¡ª how old is Jordan? What if he¡¯s younger than me?¡± ¡°He¡¯s five years old. His birthday is a day before the Mid-Autumn Festival.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression froze for a moment. A day before the Mid-Autumn Festival? What a coincidence! He shares his birthday with Tina! ¡°What about you?¡± When she heard Alexander¡¯s question, Tina scratched her head and looked at Courtney for help. She was unable to remember her own birthday¡ªafter all, she was only a five-year-old child. Courtney had no idea why she blurted out that Tina¡¯s birthday was a month apart from Jordan¡¯s. ¡°Tina¡¯s birthday is on the 14th of September.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t follow up with his question, dismissing it as a casual and unimportant question. While they were eating, Tina and Jordan had the same taste in desserts. When thest dessert arrived, Tina ate it with excitement while Jordan ate in silence, but judging from the clean dessert te, it was quite obvious that he was pleased as well. The young kids couldn¡¯t seem to sit still as they ran to the y area again after finishing their meal. Meanwhile, Courtney and Alexander waited around for a bit. They were calm as they waited in the beginning, but as time dragged on, Courtney began to check her watch frequently. After countless reminders, Courtney finally said, ¡°We have to go home now, Tina.¡± Tina stuck her head out from the ocean of balls. ¡°No, I want to y with Jordan for a little while longer.¡± ¡°Tina Hunter.¡± Whenever Courtney called Tina by her full name, it meant that she was about to get angry. This tactic normally worked, but Tina seemed so courageous all of a sudden that shepletely ignored her mother¡¯s warning and continued to y with Jordan in the ocean of balls. Eventually, Courtney went down herself and dragged Tina out. ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte¡ªyou have to go home with me, Tina.¡± One of Tina¡¯s arms was held by Courtney, so she quickly used the other to grab Alexander¡¯s pants. ¡°Save me, Mr. Alexander.¡± Alexander had nned on keeping his sonpany while he yed outside, so he didn¡¯t care how long Jordan wanted to y. Besides, he seemed to have taken a liking to Tina. With that, he swiftly fished Tina out of Courtney¡¯s hands and held thetter in his arms. ¡°Children just like to y; it¡¯s okay to let them y a little while longer.¡± Tina wrapped her arms around Alexander¡¯s neck and made a face at Courtney. ¡°You have nothing to do at home anyway, Mommy. Why don¡¯t you talk to Mr. Alexander and improve your rtionship?¡± Courtney almost had a heart attack when she heard those words. ¡°What are you babbling about? Tina Hunter, youe down right this instant¡­ I¡¯m sorry President Duncan, I¡¯m not trying to hit you¡­¡± Tina was like a monkey that held onto Alexander¡¯s body, refusing toe down. Courtney usually raised her hands to pat Tina¡¯s buttocks as a threat, but now that thetter had Alexander as her shield, Courtney had no other means of getting her daughter. The mother-daughter duo messed around for a while as the people in the restaurant giggled at their antics. Courtney finally gave in and huffed helplessly. ¡°You¡¯d better put her down, President Duncan. It seems like she¡¯scking discipline¡ªI¡¯d have to go back and talk to her about it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Alexander showed a rare smile. ¡°Tina is quite cute; she¡¯s just a little hyperactive. It¡¯s a good thing that she gets along with Jordan.¡± Tina¡¯s sharp ears picked up his words as she chipped in and said, ¡°In that case, can you please bring me over to y at Jordan¡¯s house, Mommy?¡± Courtney¡¯s face turned red as she spoke through gritted teeth. ¡°Tina Hunter!¡± That¡¯s Alexander Duncan! How can apany intern like me visit his house so casually? This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll go home if you promise me this, Mommy.¡± As Courtney was about to forcefully grab Tina, Jordan quickly took out a pile of sticky notes from his small backpack and wrote on it. He raised it up and showed it to Alexander. ¡®Please let Tinae over and y.¡¯ Alexander was stunned. Jordan rarely asked anything from him, let alone something about making friends. He remembered his psychiatrist suggesting that children with autism needed to meet more people. Alexander¡¯s heart wavered slightly. After a moment of contemtion, he suggested, ¡°How about next Saturday? I¡¯ll send someone to pick you and Tina up.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Courtney stared at him with her eyes wide open. Am I imagining things? Tina, on the other hand, jumped down from Alexander¡¯s arms in excitement and grabbed Jordan¡¯s hand as she gave him a forceful high five. ¡°Yay! I¡¯ll being over to your house, Jordan!¡± Since Alexander had invited them, it would be rude to tantly refuse him. Once Courtney had approved their ydate reluctantly, the two kids finally agreed to leave the Japanese restaurant. If I stay here any longer, the entire restaurant staff will know who I am. Once they were out of the mall, Alexander¡¯s driver drove the car over as Alexander offered in a deep voice, ¡°Let me send you guys back.¡± Before Courtney could refuse his offer, Tina had taken a step forward and climbed into the back seat of the MPV. She sat in the car and waved at Courtney. ¡°Come on. Get in, Mommy! It¡¯s a veryfortable car!¡± Courtney pressed her forehead against her palm ashamedly. Her instincts were telling her that after today, Alexander would definitely think that she had a spoiled brat and was one of those parents who didn¡¯t know how to educate their children! Chapter 23 One Night Surprise Chapter 23 Chapter 23 You Finally Said Something, Jordan! The MPV continued to crawl along the congested highway after sending Courtney and her daughter home. Since it was the evening peak hour in Melrose City, there was a traffic jam on their way back. Jordan would normally start to get a little agitated in such a situation, but he was oddly quiet that day. He held a crayon in his hand and was doodling on his tiny drawing board. Meanwhile, Alexander was still in disbelief; he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what had happened at the Japanese restaurant that afternoon. I guess it¡¯s possible for Jordan to take a liking toward Courtney because of how she had saved him once previously, but what about her daughter? Sure¡ªthat little girl may be lovable, but I¡¯ve also tried to get Jordan to interact with my friends¡¯ sons and daughters in the past, and he never seemed interested in any of them. Right as he was caught up in his thoughts, Alexander felt a tug on his sleeve and quickly turned toward the children¡¯s safety seat beside him. Jordan had lifted his drawing board up and turned it toward Alexander excitedly. On the nk, white canvas, he drew a man and woman holding the hands of a young child between them. The skies were blue, the grass was green, and the sun was a golden yellow color in the drawing; it was a beautiful sight to see. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Alexander froze for a moment upon looking at the drawing. ¡°Do you want to have a Mommy, Jordan?¡± he asked btedly. Jordan nodded his head furiously in response to this. His cheeks were flushed as he forcefully croaked a two-syble word. ¡°Mommy!¡± Alexander felt his jaw hanging loose and his eyes widening the moment he heard Jordan¡¯s words. Although he had always been a calm and collected man, Alexander¡¯s voice was trembling with shock when he spoke. ¡°You¡¯ve finally said something, Jordan!¡± Jordan had gone mute ever since his high fever three years ago, and this was the first time anyone heard his voice in such a long time. The young child gazed at Alexander hopefully right then, his fingers curled tightly around his drawing board. It took Alexander a while for him to contain his own emotions. Perhaps Jordan felt a little envious after watching the way Courtney and Tina interacted with one another just now. He felt a little guilty upon that thought. When Alexander first decided to have a child in the past, he was younger and more energetic; he thought that raising a child would be simple and figured that his grandfather would be able to handle it. However, he was surprised to find himself getting so attached to the child as time passed. I wouldn¡¯t have allowed for such a little life to be born alone in a scary world like this if I had known any better. I, of all people, should know how important it is to have aplete and healthy family. With that thought in mind, Alexander gently stroked the young boy¡¯s head. ¡°Daddy¡¯s going to find you a Mommy then.¡± Jordan¡¯s eyes curved into a crescent, moon-like shape as he grinned joyfully. ¡°I took a look at the schools nearby, but their medical services aren¡¯t that great. None of the schools are close to a hospital either. I¡¯m afraid that they might not be able to get help for Tina in time if she experiences an asthma attack.¡± Courtney got on the phone with Cameron as soon as she arrived home. She had first met Cameron while overseas, and they shared the same, straightforward personalities. They got along extremely well, and Cameron even made Tina her goddaughter. Since Cameron was on a work trip abroad, Courtney asked if she could stay in Cameron¡¯s house for the time being after she made the sudden decision to bring her daughter back to seek medical treatment. Chapter 24 One Night Surprise Chapter 24 Chapler 24 ¡°Did you ask Miss Hunter about the ns for thepany¡¯s centennial celebration?¡± Alexander asked after he recalled the orders that he had sent out that morning. Josh nodded as he came back to his senses. ¡°I did. She said that she would hand the ns over as soon as possible. As expected, she didn¡¯t know about thepany¡¯s tradition. Thankfully, we managed to remind her of it in time. However, I think she might not have much time to prepare for it soon as she seems to be pretty busy recently. ¡°What is she so busy about?* Alexander asked ¡°I heard that she¡¯s looking for a kindergarten to enroll her daughter in.¡± Josh always had an impressive, photographic memory he even managed to name the kindergarten that Courtney had been nning to apply for. ¡°Miss Hunter is still so young though I can¡¯t believe her daughter¡¯s already in kindergarten he added Alexanders face muscles had been ixed, but he pressed his eyebrows into a frown upon hearing Josh¡¯s words His face ca kenes a little Right then, Jordan lottered over excitedly before he ran past Josh and shoved a little drawing board over to Alexander. ¡®I want to go to kindergarten¡¯, he wrote. *Stcp nuti n g kontan The environment in the kindergarten is too chaotic. You already have a tutor at han e r wereld This made Jordan extremely lurious, and the young boy instantly DUSHI set of an the table onto the ground. The papers flew all across the room, and Josh anktious ant to put them up Meanwhile, Jordan quickly scribbled something on his drawing beard at Move to Alexander once again. Twent test the meandergarten as Tina¡¯, it said. This made Alexander frown even harder. ¡°No.¡± Since O p e ld definitely get bullied by the other immature kids in the kindergarten. Thest tim we to send Jordan into apletely foreign environment, leaving the young children o gents before he could even fully treat his symptoms for autism. Nheless, tant myned to throw a tantrum, all the documents that Josh had just picked up were shoved be n efit with another loud thud. Then, the fuming young boy scribbled more words on his or g m going to tell Grandpa if you don¡¯t let me go. You¡¯re a bad person. I want to stay with Grandpa Defeated. Alexander simply pressed a palm against his forehead as he looked at Jordan helplessly. Josh had to stile augh as he watched the almighty CEO of Sunhill Enterprise turning feeble and powerless in front of his own son. Who would believe this if they didn¡®t witness it with their own eyes, eh? After what felt like hours, Alexander finally gave in ¡°Let me think about it for two days. However, you can¡¯t throw tantrums at me, okay?¡± Jordan didn¡¯t seem too pleased by this response, but the sound of a door opening interrupted the young boy¡¯s protests. ¡°Alexander.¡± Britney¡¯s slender figure appeared from behind the door. ¡°Am I disturbing anything? I brought lunch for you and Jordan,¡± she said with a smile. Jordan immediately finched upon hearing the woman¡¯s sweet voice. He quickly ran over to the lounge next door with his drawing board in his hands. Alexander didn¡¯t pay much attention to this as he thought that Jordan simply left after heplied with his requests. ¡°No. Come on in.¡± Alexander nced at Britney. ¡°I¡¯ll leave if there isn¡¯t anything else you need me to do, President Duncan.¡± Josh thoughtfully offered to step out, but Alexander stopped him. ¡°Josh, I want you to let go of all the unimportant tasks that you¡¯ve been handling recently. I need you to n a marriage,¡± he ordered. ¡°A marriage? Who¡¯s getting married?¡± Josh was confused. ¡°Me.¡± Alexander had a neutral look on his face, looking as though he was just having a regr conversation, Even Britney, who stood behind Josh, was shocked to hear this, ¡°Alexander, you¡¯re...* ¡°You can get yourself ready. We¡¯ll get married once I¡¯m done with the things I¡¯m working on.¡± Alexander was too casual as he spoke about this it was an utterly shocking piece of news for both Josh, who knew Alexander the best and Britney, who held the title as Alexander¡¯s fianc¨¦e for the past five years. Josh was still dazed by the news as he walked out of the office, while Britney looked as if she had just awoken from a dream when she finally snapped back into reality. ¡°Are you serious, Alexander?¡± ¡°Do I look like someone who would joke about such matters? I¡¯m not going to force you into anything, though. You can tell me if you don¡¯t want to do it,¡± he uttered ¡°No, of course not I was just taken aback it came as a pleasant surprise for Britney, but Alexander didn¡¯t seem especially enthusiastic about it. ¡°You were night, Jordan needs a molher. Apart from our maids at home, you re the winnes the most familiar with, so you¡¯d suit this role perfectly. Alexander said with a cam book on his face A loud clung sounded the meyvet Alexander finished speaking Jordan had Nung his drawing board onto the ground and her sondag by the door of the lounge with a look of disbelief on his face as he red at A nte T omboy began to stomp his loot on the ground, his face turning red as he did 50 ¡°What is it tort o Jordan 1 tematy u head with all s Alexander hurried over as he didn¡¯t know what happened. the grabbed onto Alexander¡¯s sleeve and began to shake his ¡°What is it! Are you animg but Jordan shove Aonder bent down and attempted to touch Jordan¡¯s forehead, on a bottom as he lost his bnce. ¡°Jordan. he muttered. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Jordan couldn¡¯t exprastai perhetoit within him He lost it when he heard that his father was about to marry Britney- ketti lice stter hadlied to him. No matter how much Alexander tried to coax him the young boy samolyused to calm tumsell down. Instead, Jordan turned around and stormed back into the ounce his new tale stiching out in all directions like a lion¡¯s mane. He began to thrash around and smash everything he could get his hands on to the ground. Soon enough, he turned the lounge into an etter mess Chapter 25 One Night Surprise Chapter 25 This wasn¡¯t the first time such an incident had urred As Alexander stood by the door and watched the young boy, he felt a stabbing ache in his heart although he wasn¡¯t surprised by the boy¡¯s actions. Alexander knew that Jordan had to unleash his anger in such a manner because he couldn¡¯t express himself with words The young boy needed an outlet to release himself, but his acts often hurt himself as well as the people around him After a while, the lounge finally sell silent. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Come out, Jordan¡± Alexander knocked on the door. Jordan had locked himself inside, and he refused to open the door no matter how many times Alexander called for him. Although Alexander could open the door from the outside, he was worried that he might trigger Jordan even more if he simply barged into the room, so he hesitated to make the move. ¡°Jordan¡­¡± he cried. ¡°Let me go in and take a look, Alexander.¡± Britney¡¯s gaze was filled with concern as she stood beside the man. ¡°I¡¯m pretty close to Jordan. Let me try to talk to him.¡± Alexander frowned and stared at the shut door for a moment before he nodded. With a calm expression, Britney pushed the door open gently. ¡°It¡¯s me, Jordan-Aunt Britney. I¡¯ming in.¡± Jordan was curled up in a ball at the corner of the room. Once he heard Britney¡¯s voice entering the lounge, his entire body froze as if someone had just injected poison into him; his still gaze was filled with fear. Britney walked in and closed the door behind her with a soft thump. Then, she carefully stepped over all the toys and plushies on the ground as her towering figure made its way toward Jordan. The young boy crouched in a corner where he hugged his trembling elbows together. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Jordan. I¡¯m Aunt Britney¡± Britney whispered. The room was dark, and the only weak source of light came from amp that was lying on the ground. The gentle look in Britney¡¯s eyes was rather disquieting-the gentler she appeared to be, the more sinister it seemed. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to behave? Are you supposed to throw things around like that?¡± she said in a hushed tone. Jordan pressed his back against the wall with all his might, his eyes filled with fear and helplessness. A series of messy shbacks yed itself in his mind, all of them involving the evil woman in front of him. How can Daddy ask for an evil woman like her to be my Mommy? ¡°Jordan, you have to remember what I tell you at all times, alright?¡± she said. Chapter 26 One Night Surprise Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Right then, someone knocked on his door. ¡°Come in.¡± Britney stepped in with two cups of coffee in her hands. ¡°I¡¯ve brought your favorite americano drink, Alex.¡± ¡°What brings you here?¡± Alexander nced up at her calmly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that we¡¯ll be telling Grandpa about our wedding tonight? I¡¯m a little nervous.¡± Britney bit on her lower lip as she gave him a bashful smile. ¡°Haven¡¯t you always visited Grandpa before we even decided to have this wedding?¡± Alexander didn¡¯t bother to y along with her; he simply tore down her pretentious front. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. An awkward look crept across Britney¡¯s face, but she shamelessly continued to speak in a sweet voice. ¡°That was when I was putting up a show with you, Alex. Naturally, I have to be a little more worried now that this is the real thing. Do you think I¡¯m dressed appropriately for tonight? Will Grandpa like this?¡± Alexander didn¡¯t even look at her. ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°Alex¡± Britney uttered as she walked toward him. Feeling slightly annoyed, she was about to start a fight when she caught a glimpse of the medical documents that were ced on the table. The words ¡®Tina Hunter¡¯ were printed on it. ¡°Who¡¯s Tina Hunter?¡± Britney couldn¡¯t stop herself from asking. Alexander nced at her as he responded calmly and said, ¡°She¡¯s the daughter of an employee.¡± ¡°Why are you looking at the medical records of an employee¡¯s daughter? Who is this staff of yours?¡± She demanded. Alexander finally ced his hands over the medical records as he spoke with a sharp edge to his tone. ¡°Do I have to report everything to you?¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s not what I meant; I was just asking,¡± she said as her face fell a little. ¡°Well, you¡¯re asking too many questions. I still have other matters to handle, and we¡¯re only meeting Grandpa during dinner. You can head over there yourself; I¡¯ll be there on time.¡± This time, he was giving her a direct order. She quickly regretted having asked so many questions earlier, but she knew that the situation could no longer be salvaged when she saw the annoyed look on Alexander¡¯s face. She embarrassedly mumbled some excuse before seeing herself out of the office. Tina Hunter, she sneakily recited the name in her head as she went out. ¡°Alexander offered to handle your kindergarten admissions for you?¡± Scott pressed a phone against his ear as he paced around energetically in the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. ¡°It seems like things are working out well since he offered to help your mother out so soon.¡± The voice on the other end of the call was sweet and innocent. ¡°It¡¯s lucky that you informed me about Mr. Alexander¡¯s whereabouts, Grandpa Scott. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get Mommy and Mr. Alexander to ¡®bump¡¯ into each other at the restaurant.¡± ¡°It¡¯s also partially because your mother¡¯s a good woman. There aren¡¯t many women who have caught Alexander¡¯s attention in the past,¡± Scott replied. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Mommy has a chance, right?!¡± Tina asked excitedly. ¡°She doesn¡¯t just have a chance; she has a high chance.¡± The two of them were chatting happily when the housekeeper stepped into Scott¡¯s room. ¡°Mr. Duncan, Mr. Alexander and Miss Price have arrived.¡± Scott chuckled. ¡°Alright, Alexander¡¯s back. I¡¯m going to take this opportunity to ask him what his thoughts are. I¡¯ll talk to youter, Tina.¡± ¡°Okay. Bye, Grandpa Scott,¡± she uttered. Scott felt extremely pleased and rxed to hear the easygoing, cheerful voice on the other end of the call; he was still beaming even moments after the call had ended. ¡°That cheeky girl, Tina, really captured my heart. If her mother gets married to Alexander and moves in with us, the atmosphere in our house will be so much more lively. Jordan will get himself a friend too.¡± he said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that Tina¡¯s mother will be less attentive to Jordan since she has her own child to care for?¡± the housekeeper asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see them at the restaurant that day? Jordan and Tina got along so well, and her mother was so sweet to Jordan¡± Scott replied. The housekeeper seemed a little more at ease upon the mention of the meeting at the Japanese restaurant that day. No one was surprised to hear Alexander bringing Britney home for dinner. Ever since Scott pressured Alexander to get married five years ago, he had brought her back to meet the Duncan Family so that they would stop pestering him. Initially, Scott considered the possibility that they might actually be interested in one another, but he soon realized that it was all just a show. ¡°Why didn¡¯t Jordane along?¡± Scott asked about the young boy once they were all sat at the dining table. Alexander frowned a little when he thought of the tantrums Jordan had thrown at home. ¡°He¡¯s been in a bad mood recently, so I didn¡¯t want to cause more trouble by bringing him here,¡± he exined. ¡°You¡¯re the only one that can ever cause me trouble,¡± Scott said as he threw Alexander a side¨Ceye. ¡°You have to find a mother who can care for Jordan soon. Do you think he¡¯s going to be in a good mood when he spends all his time with a bunch of maids? It¡¯s going to be your own fault if you end up with a spoiled brat¡± Upon the mention of that topic, Alexander lowered his chopsticks as he began to speak. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about this, and I think you¡¯re right. I¡¯m nning to get married soon.¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting married?¡± Before Scott could express his joy, Alexander continued to exin himself. ¡°That¡¯s why I brought Britney home to let you know about this,¡± he said. ¡°What? You¡¯re getting married to her?¡± The old man¡¯s face fell instantly. Alexander frowned as he didn¡¯t understand why Scott¡¯s face had darkened so quickly. ¡°Britney has been with me for a while now, so I thought I¡¯d just get married since you want me to,¡± Alexander exined. ¡°Wait, no. Hold on.¡± Scott felt his mind spinning in circles, and it took him a while to calm himself down. ¡°What about Jordan? Did Jordan agree to this marriage?¡± Alexander nodded with great certainty. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for the sake of Jordan, after all.¡± ¡°No way. I don¡¯t agree to this; not until Jordanes over personally and tells me that he agrees to it.¡± Scott was fuming as he rejected the marriage right in front of Britney. Alexander was rather surprised. I thought Grandpa would be d to hear about my ns on getting married. What¡®s up with this odd reaction of his? Britney was fuming with rage at this point, but she tried her best to suppress it as she chimed in with a gentle voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to treat Jordan really well after we get married, Grandpa. Furthermore, I¡¯m the one who knows Jordan the best-I¡¯ve watched him grow up throughout the years.¡± However, Scott only threw her a disdainful look before he scoffed and turned toward the housekeeper. ¡°Go pick Jordan up and bring him over, Harry.¡± The Duncans¡¯ ancestral home wasn¡¯t far from where Alexander lived, so it only took half an hour for the housekeeper to return with Jordan. The young boy flinched with fear the moment he walked in and saw Britney in the house. Scott smiled and waved for Jordan toe over to him. ¡°Come to your great- grandfather, Jordan.¡± Jordan then ran over to Scott. ¡°Your Daddy told me that you want a Mommy, right?¡± the old man asked. Jordan shook his head at first before shuddering in fear when he caught sight of Britney through the corner of his eye. He then nodded slightly. Alexander noticed that there seemed to be something odd about this. ¡°Children can¡¯t truly understand what¡¯s going on, but I¡¯m sure he knows who treats him the best. Come over to your Aunt Britney, Jordan.¡± Britney waved at the young boy as she beamed sweetly, but Jordan unknowingly shrunk away and hid behind Scott. The old man realized this and looked up at Britney with a cold re. ¡°That¡¯s not right of you to say that. I think children know a lot more than we think they do; the way youmunicate with a child will eventually determine the child¡¯s character.¡± The smile on Britney¡¯s face froze a little as she awkwardly agreed to him. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right, Grandpa. I¡¯ll be careful with my words from now on.¡± Chapter 27 One Night Surprise Chapter 27 Chapter 27 However, the look on Scott¡¯s face remained calm as the old man didn¡¯t express any opinions toward Britney. Instead, he turned toward Alexander. ¡°You¡¯re in your thirties. Since you haven¡¯t gotten married, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to rush into it now. I think you should contemte more about your marriage before we discuss this again in the future.¡± His words clearly indicated his disagreement toward the marriage. What more is there to discuss? Britney dug her nails into her palms as she stared at Alexander. He didn¡¯t give any reaction at all, and dinner ended on a bad note. Britney was supposed to leave along with Alexander, but Scott got her to leave first as he wanted to speak to Alexander in private. ¡°That sh*tty old man clearly doesn¡¯t support our marriage. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve spent so much time visiting him at the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home all these years. All of that has gone to waste now,¡± Britney hissed angrily as she punched her fists into the car seat once she got into the car. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Britney. That old man won¡¯t be able to say anything as long as President Duncan insists on getting married. You know how bad President Duncan¡¯s temper can be, right? He even found some random person to give birth to a child just because that old man forced him to get married and have kids previously. You can clearly tell from that incident that President Duncan doesn¡¯t actually care about what his grandfather thinks.¡± The person¡¯s words served as a reminder for Britney. That¡¯s true. Alexander has always been one to do whatever he wishes to. Although he appears to respect Grandpa¡¯s orders, he still ends up doing whatever he wants to in the end, so I just have to make sure that he doesn¡¯t change his mind about the wedding. That night, both Alexander and Jordan stayed in the Duncans¡¯ ancestral house. Alexander thought that his grandfather would have something to say to him, but after the old man received a call, he hastily gestured for his maids to prepare the room for his guests before he went into his study and locked the door behind him. ¡°Is Grandpa busy with something recently?¡± Alexander gave the butler a curious look. The butler maintained a calm expression as he answered, ¡°Your grandfather has been talking to his friends a lot more recently, but I¡¯m not sure about the details. You can just make yourselffortable as you wait for him to get off the call, Young Master.¡± But Scott remained on the phone even as the night fell. Alexander had already read Jordan an entire storybook, and Jordan fell asleep by the end of it. Soon, Alexander found himself yawning uncontrobly. He nced at the clock to see that it was nearly midnight, so he decided to go to bed without waiting any longer. Sometime during the middle of the night, Courtney woke up to pour herself a ss of water. Seeing that the lights in Tina¡¯s room were still turned on when she went out to the living room, she frowned and walked over to the room. She could hear Tina¡¯s voice from the outside. ¡°You¡¯d never told me about this person. Ugh, this is so troublesome. I wouldn¡¯t have asked Mommy to go if you had told me about this earlier. It¡¯s just too much trouble,¡± Tina said. ¡°What are you doing up at this hour, Tina?¡± Courtney immediately pushed the door open and scowled at her daughter. Tina hurriedly ended the call before she turned around with a frightened look on her face. She shifted her eyes nervously before she replied, ¡°Nothing. I was just talking to my godmother.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes lit up upon hearing this. ¡°Really? I have some stuff to tell her too. Pass me the phone and let me talk to her for a while.¡± ¡°No. I ended the call. Godmother said she was going to bed,¡± Tina mumbled as she hid her phone behind her back.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°Oh?¡± Courtney seemed rather disappointed, but she didn¡¯t suspect anything. ¡°Alright. You should go to bed too. Look at the time! Kids have to sleep early.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Tina nodded obediently before she knitted her brows and scrunched her face into a rather worried expression. ¡°I just got some bad news, Mommy. Do you want to know about it?¡± ¡°Did your godmother get into a fight with her clients again?¡± Courtney tensed her facial muscles as she felt rather nervous. Although Cameron appeared to be polite and gentle, she actually had a terrible temper. Furthermore, she was a pretty good fighter, and it wasmon for her to get into scuffles with her clients when she encountered clients that couldn¡¯t get along well with her. ¡°No. It¡¯s not about her; it¡¯s about you, Mommy.¡± Tina shook her head. ¡°Me?¡± Courtney pointed at her own nose. ¡°Yup.¡± Tina lowered her head and sighed dejectedly. ¡°I think your second marriage isn¡¯t going to happen, Mommy.¡± ¡°My second marriage?¡± Courtney was utterly bewildered. ¡°I heard that your boss, Mr. Alexander, is about to get married,¡± Tina uttered. Courtney froze upon hearing this. The rumors of Alexander and Britney¡¯s marriage had been spreading like wildfire across the entirepany, and it sounded pretty legitimate. Furthermore, Britney had been showing up more frequently at the headquarters, so all of the staff began to gossip about them even more. They all assumed that it was true since Alexander didn¡¯t show any intentions of rifying the rumors. But what has Alexander¡¯s marriage got to do with me? ¡°What are you talking about?¡± she asked. ¡°Mr. Alexander is handsome and rich; he¡¯s literally the man of every girl¡¯s dreams. I¡¯d be able to enjoy the rest of my life if you get married to him, Mommy. Great-now that you¡¯ve failed to seize this opportunity, he¡¯s going to get married to someone else,¡± Tina grumbled. Courtney finally understood what was going on. This silly girl is still trying to find me a husband, huh! She didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry as she knocked her knuckles against Tina¡¯s head. ¡°What¡¯s going on in that little brain of yours all day? What has his marriage got to do with me? He¡¯s just my superior; that¡¯s all. You need to stop daydreaming and just go to bed.¡± Tina quietly crawled under her covers and went to bed. There goes a good opportunity, she thought disappointedly. Courtney simply shook her head before turning the lights off and shutting the bedroom door. After that day, Courtney began to purchase all the ssroom necessities for Tina. She then picked a Monday morning to send her daughter off to school. The local schools were rather different from the schools they had overseas, so Courtney was worried that Tina might not be able to adapt to the environment. ¡®Coincidentally¡¯, Alexander had picked the same day to send Jordan to school. ¡°Isn¡¯t it good enough for Jordan to have his home tutor? Why did you decide to send him to school all of a sudden?¡± Britney tried her best to sound casual as she spoke to Alexander in the car. Ever since Alexander brought up the idea of marriage, she had been especially attentive and thoughtful with all her acts. She diligently traveled between the two ces-Alexander¡¯s house and Sunhill Enterprise-to fulfil her duty as a caring partner. After she heard that Jordan was attending his first day of school, she specially woke up early in the morning just to appear as if she cared and wanted to apany the boy ¡°It¡¯s better for his recovery if he gets to spend time with more people.¡± Alexander uttered calmly. He hadn¡¯t actually nned on sending Jordan to school, but Jordan insisted that he did so. There were a lot of students in school, and that just increased the chances of there being problems urring. Alexander wasn¡¯t sure that he¡¯d be able to handle all of it. ¡°Well, if Jordan likes that, then we can give him a few younger brothers and sisters. He¡¯d have more people around him, then,¡± she offered. Jordan¡¯s face turned pale the moment he heard the woman¡¯s words. He shrunk in his safety seat as he hugged his drawing board tightly. This evil woman¡¯s kids must be just as evil as her. Alexander frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t have such ns at the moment. Just Jordan¡¯s enough for now.¡± His words left Britney fuming on the inside. What is that supposed to mean? Is he saying that he¡¯s not nning to have kids with me after we get married? The atmosphere turned sour in the car, but they soon arrived at the school. Once the driver held their car door open, Alexander took Jordan in his hand and led him toward the entrance of the school. They only walked a short distance when Jordan flung his father¡¯s hand away and charged toward another figure. Courtney was speaking to Nora, who came out to greet her and Tina, when she felt a tight grip around her calf. She looked down to see a handsome young boy¡¯s face. It was Jordan clinging onto her leg with a look of distress on his face as he pouted his lips. Chapter 28 One Night Surprise Chapter 28 Chapter 28 ¡°Jordan! Are you studying here too? What¡¯s with that sad face? Are you still half-asleep?¡± Courtney quickly kneeled down to see Jordan shaking his head in an upset manner. Meanwhile, Tina was filled with joy the moment she saw Jordan appear beside her, so she quickly held onto his arm. ¡°You¡¯re here too! That¡¯s great! I have a friend, then! I¡¯ll take care of you from now on!¡± Alexander and Britney walked side-by-side toward them. Once Britney saw how close Jordan was with the mother and daughter, she red at Courtney for a long while. This woman looks familiar. ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Price.¡± Courtney immediately straightened herself after she saw Britney ¡°You know me?¡± Britney raised an eyebrow. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t know the award-winning actress?¡± Courtney chuckled. ¡°Also, I was the one who greeted you when you stayed in the Sunhill Hotel previously.¡± You work for Sunhill Enterprise?¡± Britney froze for a moment as she seemed to have recalled something then. ¡°Is ¡®Hunter¡¯ your surname?¡± she asked. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Courtney didn¡¯t realize anything odd about Britney¡¯s question, she simply nodded and beamed happily. ¡°So you still remember me, huh, Miss Price.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your daughter¡¯s name?¡± Britney didn¡¯t respond to her statement. She nced at Tina¡¯s smooth and innocent face before she felt a sudden jolt in her heart. Why does this young girl¡®s face resemble Alexander¡¯s? No way, she thought. ¡°I¡¯m Tina Hunter. You can call me Tina.¡± The young girl abruptly interrupted their conversation as she nced up at Britney, as if she was analyzing the woman before her eyes. ¡°Tina Hunter?¡± Britney¡¯s fists curled up tightly when she heard the name. She recalled the medical records that she had seen in Alexander¡¯s office that day, and she felt suspicion growing within her. ¡°Why do you have your mother¡¯s surname?¡± she asked in a straightforward manner. Tina turned toward her own mother as she seemed rather confused. Courtney hadn¡¯t realized anything odd about the questions that Britney had asked previously, but at this point, she¡¯d be an idiot if she didn¡¯t sense something wrong with Britney¡¯s invasive manners of questioning. She therefore pulled Tina closer toward her as she replied in a less friendly tone, ¡°Tina grew up in America, so I don¡¯t think she understands your question since she¡¯s only returned to the country a while ago. Furthermore, it¡¯s the 21st century; is it really that odd that she takes her mother¡¯s surname?¡± Britney was rather taken aback by this, but she felt even more displeased when she saw Jordan hiding himself behind Courtney as well. Her tone took a more hostile turn. ¡°It¡¯s fine to take either parent¡¯s surname; I was just curious because a school like Sapphire Kindergarten isn¡¯t a ce that anyone can just enrol their children into. You¡¯re just a manager under probation in the Sunhill Enterprise; I don¡¯t see how you can have the ability to send your child here apart from having a husband with an impressive background¡± This left Courtney feeling rather embarrassed. She wasn¡¯t the one who provoked Britney to begin with, yet thetter¡¯s tone of voice sounded hostile and rude. Furthermore, Britney¡¯s words had directly attacked a vulnerable spot of hers-it was true that she would have no ability to send Tina to such a school if she didn¡¯t have help. Courtney therefore didn¡¯t know what to say in response. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± said Alexander as he interrupted Britney to get Courtney out of her embarrassing situation. ¡°Does everyone here have to inform you of how they got enrolled into this school? You¡¯ve been too much of a busybody recently,¡± he uttered as he shed Britney a look of disdain. Britney¡¯s face turned pale immediately. How can he speak up for this woman? He even shamed me in front of her. ¡°I was just asking for Jordan¡¯s sake, Alexander. I thought it¡¯d be better to rify things as | was worried that the environment at school might be messy.¡± She tried her best to fix the situation. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. You can go back to the car. I¡¯ll send Jordan in myself.¡± Alexander¡¯s attitude was cold; he didn¡¯t even look at her. Since he had given his orders, the security at the entrance had a duty to stop Britney from entering the schoolpounds. This was a rule at Sapphire Kindergarten. ¡°Alexander!¡± Britney furiously stomped her foot against the ground as she watched Alexander and Courtney walking in together. They didn¡®t even bother to turn around and check on me, she thought furiously. Tina and Jordan strolled around in front of the two adults. The little girl flinched when she turned around to see Britney throwing a tantrum outside the gates. ¡°Jordan, do you really like that woman outside? I think she¡¯s a little scary.¡± Ever since Scott told Tina about the news of Alexander and Britney¡¯s marriage, she had been doing her research on Britney online. She looked like a beautiful angel in all the pictures uploaded online, but now that Tina saw her in person, she simply pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. She probably just dresses in a trendier manner. But her face and the mean and harsh w ay she talks makes her iparable to my own mother! Mr. Alexander has such bad taste Jordan seemed a little agitated as he quickly shook his head. ¡°Do you like her? Do you want her to be your stepmother?¡± Tina asked with a look of surprise on her face. Jordan shook his head even harder than before. ¡°Does that mean that you don¡¯t want her to be your stepmother?¡± Tina¡¯s eyes lit up excitedly. Jordan nodded his head again then. ¡°Well¡­ what about my mother, then? Do you think you¡¯d like it better if my mother became your stepmother instead? The food that Mommy and I make is delicious,¡± she said with her eyes widened. Jordan nodded his head with all his might. When she saw this, she jumped around with joy, as if she had just found a sliver of hope. She then held onto Jordan¡¯s hand in a formal manner as she stared at him with her big eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll be my elder brother from now on then. Don¡¯t worry, as long as I have scrumptious meat in my bowl, you¡¯ll never have to fill your tummy with soup, okay?¡± Jordan nodded for a while before he suddenly shook his head. He then looked down and began to write on his drawing board before he held it up to show her. Tina didn¡¯t know a lot of words, so she frowned when she looked at it. ¡°What are you writing, Jordan?¡± Seeing this, Jordan tottered over to his father before shoving his drawing board to him. Jordan then pointed at the drawing board before pointing toward Tina, indicating for Alexander to read it out to her. Alexander threw his son a curious stare as Jordan anxiously tugged against his sleeve. With a frown, Alexander read the sentence out. ¡°I¡¯m really rich, so we can eat meat together. We won¡¯t have to survive on soup at all. Why did you write this, Jordan?¡± But Jordan simply threw a faint nce at Alexander before he snatched the board away, ran back to Tina, and gave her a wink. Tina burst intoughter as she nodded at Jordan excitedly. ¡°That¡¯s true! Hahaha!¡± While Alexander saw all the odd exchanges between the two children, he couldn¡¯t understand what was going on at all. Well, I guess it¡®s no surprise that I can¡®t understand these kids¡® behaviors. There¡®s no need for me to ove Meanwhile, Courtney seemed rather distant as she strode in with them. She only came to her senses when she heard the two childrenughing heartily. After some hesitation, she finally turned toward Alexander. ¡°Thank you for helping with Tina¡¯s enrollment, President Duncan.¡± He continued looking forward without revealing any emotions on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. As a father, I just want Jordan to have a friend, and it seems like Jordan really gets along well with Tina. Tina¡¯s his first friend.¡± Courtney felt a little speechless upon hearing this. He spent all that money for Tina to study here just because he wanted a friend for his son. You can really do whatever you want to when you¡®re rich. I wouldn¡®t have had to go through all the trouble to send her here if it weren¡®t for Doctor Ishiguro. But now, I¡®ll just have to deal with all the troubles; l¡®ll have to deal with them really well. From where she stood behind Alexander, Courtney angrily cracked her knuckles to make loud noises. ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± Alexander turned around to look at her. She then let go of her hands as she beamed. ¡°What? What sound? I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± ¡°Huh. Perhaps I¡¯ve misheard,¡± he said calmly as his gaze sharpened. Once the admission procedures werepleted, the helpers came forward and led the two children into their ssroom. Both Courtney and Alexander hade along to observe the school¡¯s environments, but the difference between them was that Courtney had to arrive at work by 9.00AM. She was running out of time, so she had to speedily tour around the whole school. Chapter 29 One Night Surprise Chapter 29 Chapter 29 She simply nced around at the yground before she began to walk away. However, she then slowed down as she heard a voice behind her. ¡°There aren¡®t any safety precautions taken for the swings here.¡± Alexand er¡®s voice was deep as he nced at the helper who had been following them around. ¡°Are you sure th at these are safe?¡± Nora, the pretty helper, seemed a little stunned upon hearing Alexander¡®s question. ¡°The swing isn¡®t tha t high, and the ground beneath it is cushioned. Plus, we¡®ve never had any idents with the swings in school,¡± she answered. But Alexander continued to point at the railing of the swings with a look of contempt on his face. ¡°Just because there has never been an ident doesn¡®t mean that there won¡®t be one in the f uture. Do you think a child would be able to bnce and keep themselves on the swing if they were to l oosen their grip while they¡®re high up in the air?¡± He then turned around to nce at the rainbow¨C colored tartan track nearby. ¡°I took a look at the tartan track just now. Its corners aren¡®t fully covered with rubberized material, and it¡®s clear that you guy s do not pay enough attention to the untrimmed weeds around the area. Some naughty kids might hide in the bushes without you realizing; what happens if a poisonous snake shows up then?¡± The helper¡®s face was drained of color. She didn¡®t know how to respond to the man¡®s words. What kind of kid is going to let go of their grip on the swing for no good reason? Also, the gardeners might have sl acked off a little with their work in the field recently, but the grass is barely at the height of my ankles! I¡® ve never seen a parent as harsh and demanding as Alexander in Sapphire Kindergarten! ¡°It looks okay to me.¡± A pleasant and firm voice broke the silence as Courtney walked toward them. ¡°I th ink you¡®re too worried about Jordan, President Duncan. Tina fell off a swingT¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. when she was younger. She sprained her arm and had a few cuts on her face, but I don¡®t think that it¡®s necessarily a bad thing.¡± She gazed at him gen tly, as if she was recalling a heartwarming memory. ¡°After that incident, she always remembered to hold onto the sides of the swing tightly; she never fell off again after that. She would even remind me to hold on tightly whenever I rode the swing with her.¡± Her words seemed to have relieved the tension in his facial muscles. His gaze was filled with mixed emotions as he nced at her. Nora, who had been watching from the side, carefully spoke up then. ¡°I think Miss Hunter¡®s right, President Duncan. However, if you truly feel worried about this, we can just take the swing sets down. We¡®ll also make sure to cover up all the tracks so that there won¡®t be any we eds left.¡± He fell silent for a moment as he contemted their words. ¡°Forget it. Just leave it the way it is. You jus t have to call me immediately if anything happens to Jordan,¡± he said quietly. Nora heaved a sigh of relief as she shed Courtney a thankful nce. ¡°Alright! Well, if there isn¡®t anyt hing else that you¡®d like to ask, i¡®ll have to excuse myself to send these reports over to the headmaster. ¡± It was still rather early in the morning. Courtney took a deep breath before she sat herself down on one of the swings, her eyes squinting as she grinned at the man in front of her. ¡°I didn¡®t know you were willing to listen to the opinions of others, President Duncan.¡± When Alexander lifted his head to look at her, the sunlight spilled across her face and lit up her sparklin g pupils. He noticed a hint of yful teasing underneath her crescent¨C shaped eyes, but surprisingly, he didn¡®t seem annoyed by her words. ¡°Do I look like a lone wolf who¡®d reject everyone else¡®s opinions?¡± he asked. ¡°No way! Everyone knows how you achieved sess at a young age, President Duncan. How would a nyone take you as a tyrant who only trusts in his own opinions?¡± Courtney denied his usations in an excessively tt ering manner as she swayed herself on the swing. ¡°A tyrant?¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Really?¡± Complicated emotions shed across his face. Courtney assumed that he didn¡®t agree to her point, so she continued to exin herself. ¡°I don¡®t think there¡®s anything wrong with a child getting hurt sometimes. Us humans can¡®t stay at home forever just because we¡®re scared of the world outside, can we? Likewise, you can¡®t treat Jordan like a nt cooped up in a greenhouse forever, he has to expose himself to the sunlight outdoors to understa nd the sort of life that he¡®s looking for. Each of us has to learn to live our lives for the sake of ourselves, don¡®t you think?¡± Her words seemed to have made an impact on him, as the sentence, ¡®each of us has to learn to live our lives for the sake of ourselves¡®, echoed in his mind for a long while. Once Courtney noticed the odd look on his face, she carefully proceeded with a question. ¡°Are you only so nervous because Jordan can¡®t spea k?¡± Alexander snapped back into reality then, his gaze as cold and dark as the bottom of ake when he gl ared at her. ¡°I¡®m sorry.¡± She quickly bit on her lower lip. ¡°I¨C I forgot that you mentioned that I shouldn¡®t ask about that. I¡®m sorry. You can just pretend I never said t hat.¡± She then nced at her watch as she stood up from the swing. ¡°Well, it¡®ste, and I have to go to work. I¡®ll have to make a move soon,¡± she said in an attempt to change the topic of conversation. ¡°Jordan wouldn¡®t have stopped talking if it weren¡®t for my carelessness.¡± Courtney¡®s footsteps came to a halt when she heard a deep, self- critical voice from behind. She turned around, stunned. I can¡®t believe my ears. He doesn¡®t seem like th e type to talk about his private life. I even got lectured by him thest time I asked about Jordan¡®s condition! ¡°Are you saying that Jordan doesn¡®t talk only because he refuses to speak?¡± she asked cautiously. He nodded lightly as a mixture of emotions surfaced within him. ¡°Jordan was already a talkative boy by the age of 2, but he stopped speaking after he had a high fever. The doctor was certain that there wasn¡®t any damage to his nerves and vocal cords, so his refusal to speak is entirely a psychological issue.¡± ¡°A psychological issue? What did he go through?¡± A hint of sympathy flickered across Courtney¡®s gaze. Alexander heaved a long sigh; he was always flooded with guilt upon the mention of this topic. ¡°I don¡®t know.¡± He felt more guilty precisely because he didn¡®t know. The high fever that gued Jordan appeared out of nowhere; no one life due to that high fever¨C a father¡®s duty is beyond just visiting his child whenever he has the spare time. It¡®s more than just getting Right then, Alexander¡®s brows were knitted tightly as he was extremely upset. Courtney was surprised to hear what he just said. ¡°Well, it exins why you¡®re so worried about Jordan now. But you shouldn¡®t dwell on the past; it¡®s in the into tears after telling me about his story, right?! Courtney¡®s eyes then lit up as she saw the swing set tha Her sudden, silly question got Alexander to re at her curiously. Before he could get a full grasp of the problems that you have in life. Sit here, President Duncan. I¡®ll push you from the back.¡± ¡°I don¡®t need you to push me,¡± he grunted. ¡°Oh, don¡®t worry, President Duncan; I know it was my fault that I brought up some sad memories of Chapter 30 One Night Surprise Chapter 30 Chapter 30 your past. Sit tight.¡± ¡°Courtney.¡± Alexander felt the corner of his lips twitching in anger as he gritted his teeth together. ¡°Stop it now.¡± Courtney kept telling Alexander not to worry as she thought that he simply didn¡¯t want to trouble her She only heard the fury in his voice after she pushed the swing forward a few times. ¡°Stop it, Courtney.¡± he hissed ¡°W-What¡¯s wrong?¡± She quickly stopped pushing the swing. He then nted his feet on the ground to slow the swing down, his expensive leather shoes forming ¡®brake marks¡¯ on the sandpit beneath his feet as he dragged his shoes across the ground. He then turned to re at Courtney. ¡°Did I say that I wanted to ride on the swing?¡± ¡°Well, I thought you might want to test it out for Jordan since you said that it didn¡¯t look safe. You have to y with these childish rides when you¡¯re spending time with your kid, anyway. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been on a swing with Jordan, right?¡± Courtney didn¡¯t see the need to apologize for her acts as she didn¡¯t think that she had done anything wrong. ¡°That¡¯s the reason you think I should be riding a swing here?¡± His gaze was burning with anger as he stared at Courtney, but she didn¡¯t understand his rage. The smile on her face hardened as she observed Alexander for a while more. He was dressed in a ck, formal suit-theplete opposite of the colorful swings he was seated on. I was trying so hard tofort him that I nearly forgot how he¡¯s usually as cold and emotionless as an iceberg. ¡°Well¡­ um¡­ I just realized the time. I have to go to work. I-I¡¯ll leave now.¡± Courtney pretended to nce at her watch before she took a few steps back and turned to run away from him.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. The rage Alexander felt within him gradually dissipated as he watched the woman¡¯s flustered manner of running away from him. He even felt an odd sense of fondness. Once he checked to see that there wasn¡¯t anyone around him, he wrapped his long fingers around the ropes of the swing as hints of joy flickered across his gaze. Courtney jogged out of the school and only stopped to catch her breath once she got out of the front doors. She pressed her palm against her chest, as if she was still in shock from what had just happened. That was terrifying. The knives in Alexander¡¯s eyes could have killed me if I had stayed any longer. ¡°Why did youe out by yourself, Miss Hunter?¡± Courtney looked up to see Britney, who had just stepped out of Alexander¡¯s MPV. Britney had her arms crossed in front of her chest as she gave Courtney a hostile nce, making thetter frown at this. She felt rather disgusted by the woman in front of her after she thought about how Britney had rudely asked Tina about her surname earlier, so she simply gave her a perfunctory nod before she stepped aside to hail a cab for herself. ¡°Do you know that Alexander and I are getting married?¡± Britney pressed on, as if she didn¡¯t want to allow Courtney to leave. Courtney had no choice but to turn around and reply to the woman. ¡°It¡¯s hard to ignore the rumors that have been spreading across thepany.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s great that you know about it.¡± Britney tidied her hair and lifted her chin up a little. ¡°Although the official news isn¡¯t out yet, we will be hosting a press conference soon. The whole nation will learn about this huge news of my marriage with Alexander. If anyone dares to even dream ofing between us, then that person should be prepared to be cursed by thousands of others. Don¡¯t go out for wool ande home shorn.¡± Courtney decided to pretend that she didn¡¯t understand what the other woman meant in an attempt to stop the woman from further embarrassing herself. ¡°You might have been worrying too much, Miss Price. I don¡¯t really understand what you mean.¡± Britney clearly didn¡¯t ept Courtney¡¯s courteous reply, for her voice was cold as she got directly to her point. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to stay away from Alexander.¡± Britney had never seen Alexander interested in another woman ever since she met him 6 years ago; she once thought that this would give her an advantage. Since he doesn¡¯t seem interested in women, I¡¯ll just have to try my best to secure my slot as his wife. I¡¯ll be able to get everything I want, and I won¡¯t even have to be worried about him cheating on me But the woman who is standing before my eyes has intrigued Alexander enough to get him to personally find a school for her daughter. I can¡¯t believe it. Any pretentious fa?ades that they had put up between them were gone the moment Britney rified herself. Courtney took a deep breath as she clenched her fists tightly. ¡°I would suggest you take your words back, Miss Price,¡± she uttered in an angry tone. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you guilty of something?¡± Britney scoffed. ¡°Do you think every woman in Alexander¡¯s life is interested in taking advantage of him?¡± Courtney asked in return. ¡°Most of the time, yes. Who knows what sort of requests you mighte up with since you saved Jordan before? After all, how did you-a manager under probation at the hotel-even manage to send your daughter here if you hadn¡¯t seen an opportunity and seized it immediately? Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking-you¡¯re trying to get closer to Alexander. I¡¯ve seen countless women like you,¡± Britney hissed. Courtney¡¯s face darkened when she heard all the malicious and hurtful words that escaped Britney¡¯s lips. ¡°Women like me?¡± she simply asked. ¡°I meant shameless women like you who only think of using men to lift yourselves up. I¡¯m warning you now: don¡¯t try to take what isn¡¯t yours. You should take note for your daughter¡¯s sake, at least.¡± Britney curled her lips up into a cold smirk. ¡°You should be careful with your words, Miss Price. I don¡¯t have any interest toward President Duncan; you¡¯re simply imagining things on your own.¡± Courtney curled her fists up tightly after she heard what the other woman said. Britney was about to respond when she saw a familiar figure emerging from the corner of her eyes. Immediately, her expression turned into a pleasant one as she turned around to greet the man. ¡°What took you so long, Alexander?¡± ¡°I had some stuff to handle.¡± Alexander only nced at her slightly before he looked over her shoulder to address Courtney. ¡°I¡¯m heading over to the hotel now, do you want toe along?¡± If Courtney agreed to tag along after the warning that she had just received from Britney, she would clearly be seen as trying to start a fight. She didn¡¯t want to do anything of that sort, so she shook her head furiously. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll get myself a cab.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t insist on his offer; he simply got into the car and headed over to the hotel along with Britney. On the way there, Britney stole nces at Alexander. She suspected that something might have urred in the kindergarten as he seemed to be in a really great mood. ¡°Alexander, although Miss Hunter has indeed saved Jordan¡¯s life, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a little too nice to her?¡± she asked. ¡°Really? You¡¯re just thinking too much,¡± he muttered in a calm voice as he continued to look at the view of the streets outside the car window. ¡°You were the one that arranged for Miss Hunter¡¯s daughter to attend Sapphire Kindergarten, weren¡¯t you?¡± she asked again. When he heard this, his expression darkened as he turned to re at the direction of his driver. It looks like Josh¡¯s selection of workers has really declined in terms of quality. You can collect the rest of your sry from the finance department today afternoon; you don¡¯t have to work anymore after today, he said to the driver. Chapter 31 One Night Surprise Chapter 31 Chapter 31 This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. but his face now darkened as he continued to interrogate the unexpected visitor. ¡°Where did you hear the news about Jordan at 2.00AM? The surgery just ended half an hour ago, yet you¡¯re here at the hospital already? What are your intentions?¡± Courtney felt her chest burning with rage upon listening to Alexander¡¯s pressing questions. She stood up angrily once she recalled how Scott had told her about Jordan falling off the stairs. ¡°Is this the right time for you to be asking about how I heard of Jordan¡¯s ident? Your son¡¯s lying on the hospital bed right now; how could you have the energy to even suspect that I have ulterior motives?¡± she asked rudely. ¡°This has to do with my personal matters. Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re just a mere hotel manager in one of the hotels under Sunhill Enterprise,¡± he hissed. ¡°Of course l¡¯ve got no right to ask about your family matters, President Duncan. You have so much power that you could fire me just by uttering a single sentence. However, we¡¯re not at work now. I¡¯m here to visit my daughter¡¯s ssmate. I initially thought that it was just a minor injury that he got while ying, but I was shocked to hear that he had to be hospitalized because of how bad his injuries were. Aren¡¯t you worried after hearing that he rolled down the stairs? If he had hit his head, you could have lost your son. Do you know that?¡± Courtney lost all control of her temper, perhaps because she had been suppressing her emotions and experiencing a great deal of stress at work recently. She also felt furious whenever she thought about how Jordan¡¯s past two idents were always because there weren¡¯t any adults watching over him. ¡°Do you know why Jordan doesn¡¯t speak up and call you his dad? It¡¯s because you simply don¡¯t care about him enough. Ask yourself-do you think you¡¯re a dependable father? Do you make your son feel safe? He¡¯s your biological son; why did you allow him to be born if you weren¡¯t nning on loving and caring for him wholeheartedly?¡± Her words struck Alexander where it hurt the most, and his gaze fell onto the floor while he frowned deeply as he didn¡¯t know how to respond to her words. In the past, Jordan was born only because he wanted to satisfy his grandfather¡¯s pressing demands, so that he would be able to obtain the rights to take over Sunhill Enterprise. Right then, Alexander hung his head low as Courtney¡¯s words had been spot on. ¡°Miss Hunter, aren¡¯t you being a little too much of a busybody right now? This has to do with his personal family matters; how are you a part of this at all? Who are you to point fingers and ce the me on him?¡± Britney spoke up with a tone of irritation. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t she have the right to do that? She¡¯s using her perspective as a mother to teach Alexander how he should act as a father. She has the right to do that because she¡¯s brought her daughter up so well. Alexander, on the other hand, should really do some self-reflection.¡± Scott¡¯s old and calm voice echoed off the walls as he interrupted their conversation. ¡°You¡¯re doing a great job with thepany, but you really have to think about your role as a father. Are you really doing your best in that aspect?¡± he asked Alexander. Britney¡¯s eyes were wide, her hands trembling. I can¡®t believe that this old man¡®s speaking up for Courtney. This woman is really showing up everywhere we go. First, she managed to get that stupid brat, Jordan, to be attached to her; now, she even seeded in getting Old Master Duncan to support her. ¡°Even if that is the case, she¡¯s still not a part of the Duncan Family. Why did she show up in the middle of the night?¡± Tina, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up. ¡°Well, you¡¯re not part of the Duncan Family either, Miss Price. What are you doing here?¡± Britney nearly lost her temper upon hearing the young girl¡¯s words. ¡°What nonsense are you saying, you brat? I¡¯m Alexander¡¯s fianc¨¦e, of course I¡¯m a part of the Duncan Family.¡± ¡°A fianc¨¦e means that you haven¡¯t gotten married to him, right?¡± Tina shrunk away from Britney and hid behind her mother¡¯s back as she nced up and blinked at Britnoy na my ¡°How dare you¡­¡± Britney was too furious to say anything Right a Tina ma armasta ting mother, Scott sneakily gave her a high five while they both wore solemn, calme et grassing faces. ¡°That¡¯s enough. What¡¯s there to fight about? Jordan needs to rest¡± Alexander fronrecard Britney. ¡°It¡¯s late, so you should leave now. I can stay here by myself.¡± His voice was clear annoyance, and Britney knew better than to go against his will. Furthermore, she had ot! handle, so she left the room without hesitation. However, her footsteps slowed down a corridor of the hospital as she then wondered why Courtney and Tina were allowed to s she was asked to leave. She then heard a voiceing from the room. ¡°You can leave as well. I don¡¯t need yo did Britney heave a sign of relief and walk out calmly. Rate the Trantion to Get 2 Pearls. Wait! I Have Something to Say! Send a Gift to the Writer! Britney shed Jordan a gentle smile, but that smile was the same one that appeared in the countless childhood memories and nightmares Jordan had. ¡°Come here-give me your hand¡± Britney reached her pale hand out. She had skinny fingers, pink nail polish, and a diamond ring that glinted at certain angles. The sharp reflection of the light against the diamond shot directly into Jordan¡¯s eyes; it seemed like a warning that something was about to happen. The young boy held his shaking hand out, and Britney grabbed onto him tightly before she led him out of the room. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s afraid that you won¡¯t have the time to y with him once we get married,¡± Britney said pitifully as she brought Jordan over to Alexander. ¡°I told him that I¡¯d stop acting in many films; I¡¯d take care of him and bring him to theme parks with you. He calmed down after that.¡± Her gaze was warm and kind as she spoke. Alexander felt relieved to see Jordan with his head lowered and his temper under control; he had no reason to question Britney¡¯s words. He simply felt like the wedding was happening too soon. Like every other Friday, Courtney got off work and routinely went to the mailbox downstairs to collect the magazines and newsletters that she had subscribed to. She flipped through the pages of a magazine as she let herself into the house and walked toward the couch. Meanwhile, Tina ran out of her bedroom and plopped herself down on the couch to show her mother some new bracelet-braiding techniques that she had just learnt. ¡°Sapphire Bilingual Kindergarten?¡± Courtney eximed all of a sudden as she red at a thick set of documents that was sandwiched between a stack of magazines. ¡°What is it, Mommy?¡± Tina put her braided strings aside and edged over as she didn¡¯t know what was going on. Courtney hastily tore the packet of documents open to reveal a bunch of papers in it. ¡°An enrollment letter?!¡± Her shouts were even louder than before. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Tina had a limited vocabry, and she frowned in confusion. ¡°All of your fees have been paid for?¡± Courtney¡¯s voice was so loud, she could practically blow the entire roof off the ce. ¡°You¡¯re scaring me, Mommy! What is it?¡± Tina mped her palms over her ears annoyedly. Courtney continued to mumble to herself in disbelief. ¡°How did you get enrolled in Sapphire Kindergarten? Have you heard of this ce?¡± Tina shook her head dumbfoundedly. Courtney then smacked herself lightly on her forehead as if she had just snapped back into reality. ¡°Of course. How could you possibly have heard of this?¡± she muttered to herself. Courtney grew up in Melrose City, so she was extremely familiar with all of the names of the famous kindergartens in the area. Sapphire Kindergarten was known to be one of the best and most exclusive preschools in Melrosemoners could never dream of getting into such a ce. It was known as the Hermes of preschools; the King of all royalties. Their school fees were about 400,000 excluding food, uniforms and other extracurricr activities. Combining all of that, a family would need to spare at least one million per year if they wanted to send their kids to this school. ¡°This school sounds nice. Why would they let me attend without having to pay for anything?¡± Tina¡¯s eyes bulged wide as she couldn¡¯tprehend the situation. ¡°More importantly, we didn¡¯t even apply to this ce. How did they get your personal details?¡± Courtney Knitted her eyebrows together as she realized how odd the situation was. ¡°Did your godmother do this?¡± Cameron had a lot of connections, and she had even offered to pay for the misceneous fees to send Tina off to a better private kindergarten previously. I rejected her offer back then, though. Could she have gone ahead with it anyway? Thinking about that, Courtney quickly gave Cameron a call. ¡°Sapphire Kindergarten? Do you think I¡¯d dare to force you into paying such a fortune? You think too highly of me, Courtney. Sure, I could find ways to smuggle Tina into that ce, but you won¡¯t allow me to pay for anything. Also, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to handle all her school fees by yourself!¡± Cameron was just as shocked at the other end of the call. Courtney exined the rest of the situation to Cameron. ¡°What?! All the fees have been paid for? Did | hear you correctly? How did you get so lucky?!¡± Courtney had to move her ear away from the phone as Cameron¡¯s shouts were too loud. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to end the call since you weren¡¯t the one who did this. I¡¯ll think about it for a while more,¡± Courtney said. ¡°Hey, did you find yourself a new man who¡¯s willing to splurge on you recently?¡± Cameron teased just before she ended the call. However, her words rang a bell in Courtney¡¯s mind. Could it be...? There can¡®t be anyone else who is both capable and willing to help me with this other than that person. After some contemtion, Courtney finally decided to dial the number on her phone. ¡°Hello? President Duncan¡­ I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you at this time of the night.¡± Alexander was the only person Courtney could think of that would spare a few million without even batting an eyelid. ¡°What is it?¡± His tone of voice was rather chilly on the other end of the call. ¡°This is really sudden, but I can¡¯t think of anyone else who might¡¯ve done this. I received an enrollment package from Sapphire Bilingual Kindergarten, and I was wondering if you were the one who helped me with it,¡± she said. ¡°Yup,¡± he uttered. Yup? That¡®s it? Courtney was a little confused. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°You saved Jordan, so I thought I should help you out in return,¡± he exined. ¡°This favor is way too expensive. I can¡¯t ept it.¡± ¡°I just made a phone call, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Courtney stumbled over her words as she didn¡¯t know how to exin the reason why she felt conflicted and hesitant. She was afraid that others would think that she was taking advantage of Alexander. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± He began to sound a little annoyed. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Well, I have other matters to handle. Goodbye.¡± Courtney stared at her phone frustratedly after he ended the call. I don¡®t mind him helping me out, but can¡®t he ask me what I need at the very least? | would¡®ve been extremely thankful if he offered to help me with the gover why did he have to pick Sapphire Kindergarten? Even if he could handle all the bills, would Tina be able to handle being in an environment filled with rich second generations? Chapter 32 One Night Surprise Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Alexander continued to gaze out of the window, but he was no longer in the mood to enjoy the view outside. What Britney said earlier made him reflect on his recent actions. It¡®s true; I¡®ve really been treating Courtney especially well. Is it just because she saved Jordan? But if that¡®s all it is, I¡®ve already arranged for Josh and the housekeeper to show her my appreciation previously. Yet, I ended up sending her daughter to Sapphire Kindergarten; / even allowed Jordan to attend sses with Tina¨C all of this wasn¡®t part of my n. He felt overwhelmed by all the confusing emotions as he thought about this. There was a slight jam on the way to the hotel, so they only arrived around noon. The hotel managers and staff on duty were all positioned in two straight lines as they greeted Alexander. He walked down the pathway in the middle and nced at all the staff to see Courtney standing at the very end of the line. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from taking a longer look at her. They¡®re all wearing the same uniforms, but why does she look more elegant than the rest of them? Did she add that silk scarf to her uniform? That in, green colored scarf is tied arou nd her neck so beautifully. Courtney couldn¡¯t help but realize how Alexander slowed himself down to stare at her. ¡°What is it, President Duncan?¡± she asked. He frowned the moment he came back to his senses. ¡°Your badge is crooked.¡± He then strode off, takingrge steps as he entered the hotel. Courtney lowered her head to stare at the perfectly straight badge on her chest. ¡°But it¡¯s not crooked,¡± she mumbled as she looked at it puzzledly. Once Alexander arrived, he gathered all of the hotel managers for a meeting on the second floor to discuss thepany¡¯s annual celebration that was happening at the end of next month. They had already decided to host the annual celebration in that hotel itself, but they hadn¡¯te up with a proper n. The Sunhill Hotel was a business endeavor that Alexander started after he took over the Sunhill Enterprise at the age of 20. Although he had only been developing the business for 10 years, the results were amazing-the Sunhill Hotel was now a chain hotel that had various branches all over the country. The hotel that Courtney was working in was the first branch of the Sunhill Hotel that Alexander had designed and built personally. The ce held great value and meaning to him; it therefore made sense for thepany¡¯s centennial celebration to be hosted in that very branch. ¡°This centennial celebration is also a good opportunity to promote thepany...¡± While the higher ups were all engaged in the discussion during the meeting, Courtney found herself nodding off. She was simply a trainee, so she sat at the very end of the table. She had been pretending to take notes in her notebook, but all she did was doodle a pageful of turtles on it. ¡°These solutions are too outdated. Does anyone else have any other suggestions?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice echoed throughout the room. Courtney pressed her lips together before she lowered her head to hide the fact that she was yawning. When is this going to end? I¡®m starving. ¡°What do you think, Miss Hunter?¡± T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What?¡± Courtney lifted her head in surprise. She only jumped onto her feet once she saw that everyone was staring at her. ¡°Yes? Did you ask for me, President Duncan?¡± He nced at her with his usual emotionless expression. ¡°Everyone expressed their opinions earlier. Don¡¯t you have anything to add on to that, Miss Hunter? We¡¯re talking about the centennial celebration here.¡± She took a deep, thoughtful breath before she began to speak. ¡°Well, I do have an idea, but I need a little more time to think about it. I didn¡¯t expect the rest of the managers to have established such detailed ns. I¡¯ll work on mine soon.¡± ¡°What is this idea of yours?¡± Alexander squinted as he nced toward the notebook in her hands. ¡°I saw you scribbling a lot of things into your notebook earlier, so I¡¯m sure you must have a lot of ideas. ¡°l-It¡¯s nothing.¡± Courtney hastily mmed a palm over her notebook. ¡°Bring it to me.¡± Alexander¡¯s tone was firm; he didn¡¯t allow any space for her to reject his order. She immediately felt the color draining out of her face as her hands went stiff. She couldn¡¯t embarrass her own boss in front of the whole crowd in the room, so she had no choice but to shamelessly hand the notebook over to Alexander. Before she gave it to him, she sneakily flipped through the pages and mumbled a silent prayer. He took the notebook and flipped through it. His expression changed a little as he then frowned and nced at her. The notebook is just filled with meeting minutes. She heaved a sigh of relief before she beamed happily. ¡°Like I said, there¡¯s nothing-these are all just meeting minutes. I didn¡¯t write any ideas in the book.¡± However, he still seemed a little suspicious of her. Right then, he ran his index finger through the notebook and found a page that had been folded. Courtney watched in shock as he flipped the notebook precisely to the page that was filled with turtles. She immediately pressed her palm against her forehead as she cursed underneath her breath. It¡®s just a few turtles; I didn¡®tmit some horrible crime, did /? I saved Jordan, after all. He¡®ll probably just think that I wasn¡®t paying attention during the meeting, right? ¡°Well, it seems like I¡¯ve failed to notice your talents in the past, Miss Hunter.¡± Alexander was being sarcastic, and his words had a hidden meaning to it, but the rest of the crowd in the meeting room only nodded in agreement as they assumed that he was praising her. Courtney, on the other hand, was losing her mind as it sounded more like a death warrant to her. First, I offended him early in the morning by forcing him onto the swing. Now, I¡®m caught doodling turtles during the meeting. Am I ju st especially unlucky today? ¡°Thisbination of traditional Chinese and Western cultures is a great idea. It fits well with the Sunhill Hotel¡¯s core intentions. It looks like you¡¯ve put in some effort, Miss Hunter.¡± Alexander¡¯s deep voice filled the meeting room. Courtney was utterly stunned. Whatbination of traditional Chinese and Western cultures is he talking about? What did I write in the notebook? ¡°Since no one else has any decent ideas or ns for now, I¡¯ll hand this project for the centennial celebration over to Miss Hunter.¡± Alexander pped the notebook shut and handed it back to her. His words erupted like andmine in Courtney¡¯s head. What is going on? What ideas did I have? What ns did I make? ¡°I-I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. I don¡¯t have sufficient experience to handle this, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a good fit for the job,¡± she muttered. ¡°You can train yourself to be experienced in this job, but you can¡¯t train yourself toe up with good ideas. I think everyone else agrees with my decision, right?¡± Alexander nced up to see everyone nodding. Most of the participants of the meeting didn¡¯t have much to say, for it was rare for Alexander to praise anyone foring up with a decent n. They were all impressed by Courtney¡¯s abilities, and her mentor even shed her a proud grin, as if he had yed a role in her sess. Once the meeting was over and everyone had left the room, Courtney hurried behind Alexander as he stepped out of the hotel. ¡°Hold on, President Duncan.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Well¡­ why did you assign me to handle the nning for thepany¡¯s centennial celebration?¡± she asked with a frown. He raised an eyebrow upon hearing her question. ¡°Didn¡¯t I exin myself during the meeting earlier? Is there something wrong with your hearing? Your notes were good, and I think they fit the topic of this event perfectly.¡± ¡°But my notes,¡± ¡°What else did you write in your notes? Do you think you can still secure your job if those managers found out that you had just been drawing them as turtles throughout the entire meeting?¡± Alexander shed her a yful re. In other words, he was reminding her to be careful with what she would say. ¡°¡­ I recorded all the meeting minutes, of course.¡± She bit on her lower lip. ¡°That¡¯s great, then. I hope to see the initial draft of the n on my office table by the end of tomorrow.¡± he uttered. ¡°Tomorrow?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that enough time? Or do you work as slow as a turtle?¡± He teased her. ¡°Okay¡­ alright.¡± she muttered. After Courtney left, Josh followed closely behind Alexander as they got into the car and headed back to the headquarters. ¡°President Duncan, why did you make the sudden decision to hand this anniversary project over to Miss Hunter? She¡¯s still under probation, so she¡¯s probably busy gaining more job achievements¡­¡± Josh stopped himself mid-sentence as he seemed to have realized something. Job achievements? The centennial celebration? ¡°Are you trying to help Miss Hunter, President Duncan?¡± Josh felt Alexander¡¯s darkened gaze lingering on him the moment he finished his sentence, so he quickly swallowed the rest of his words; he then quietly ignited the car engine and wore his seatbelt Everything is pretty obvious, anyway. Courtney made a bet with the boss¨C she promised to pack up and leave if she didn¡®t fulfil the job achievements that she had agreed to by the month probation, All of the interviewers witnessed this agreement. Although the hotel¡®s performance has took over the job, she¡®s still far from achieving her targeted goals. It has been 2 months, and she even had to Alexander put her in charge of the centennial celebration! Firstly, it gives her an additional two months to work here; also, she can take credit for all the achievements obtained as she handles the centennial celebration. But there was one thing that Josh still didn¡¯t understand. Why is Alexander being so caring toward Courtney? Is it just because she saved Jordan? ¡°By the way, President Duncan, didn¡¯t you say that Eddie¡¯s driving skills were pretty good? Why did you fire him all of a sudden?¡± Josh asked. ¡°He talked too much,¡± Alexander muttered. Josh felt his muscles tensing in fright. He no longer dared to say anything as he was pretty talkative himself Edward Burton, the mentor who guided Courtney in her job, quickly handed the rest of her projects and duties over to other employees once Courtney took on the project of nning the centennial celebration. She was surprised to see that he did this to allow more time for her to handle her current project ¡°Courtney, there were so many people from the nning team during that meeting, yet President Duncan wasn¡¯t interested in any of their ideas. You have to do a good job since your abilities caught his eye. It helps to improve our hotel¡¯s reputation as well.¡± Edward rarely ever guided her in work, but he seemed to have changed his attitude toward her after that meeting. She was ttered. ¡°I¡¯ll work hard!¡± The whole week after that, she spent most of her time traveling around town. As she had never nned an anniversary event in the past, she wanted to take a look at how otherpanies or businesses nned their events just to get an idea of what it would look like. ¡°May I help you, miss?¡± Courtney spun around to see a worker from the mall staring at her. He appeared to be polite and nice, but there was a hint of alertness in his gaze. Courtney had been snapping arge number of pictures of the mall with the phone in her hand, so he probably assumed she was somepetitor within their industry, or a worker from the Bureau of Commerce. She hurriedly put her phone away before she spoke in a calm tone. ¡°I¡¯m just shopping. Can I know where your jewelry store is?¡± The worker hesitated for a moment before he pointed in a direction. ¡°Over there.¡± She thanked the worker and ignored his odd nces as she walked directly toward the jewelry store. She had expected her photographing acts to attract unwanted attention, so she already had a backup n to deal with this matter. The manager in the jewelry store wore her gloves before she lifted up the ne that Courtney had passed to her. It was a silver rope chain ne that had a clear emerald stone hanging on it, with small diamonds surrounding the stone. It was a special and stunning piece of jewelry. ¡°It¡¯s from our store indeed.¡± The manager confirmed. ¡°Really? You guys were the ones that sold this?¡± Courtney tried her best to contain her excitement. ¡°This rope chain is a ssic collection in our store. Also, look at this. Every piece of jewelry made in our store has a small logo of our brand here. It¡¯s tiny, so most people don¡¯t realize it,¡± the manager Chapter 33? One Night Surprise Chapter 33? Chapter 33 Don¡¯t Come Back if You¡¯re That Great Josh felt Alexander¡¯s darkened gaze lingering on him the moment he finished his sentence, so he quickly swallowed the rest of his words; he then quietly ignited the car engine and wore his seatbelt. Everything is pretty obvious, anyway. Courtney made a bet with the boss¡ªshe promised to pack up and leave if she didn¡¯t fulfil the job achievements that she had agreed to by the end of her 3-month probation. All of the interviewers witnessed this agreement. Although the hotel¡¯s performance has been improving ever since Courtney took over the job, she¡¯s still far from achieving her targeted goals. It has been 2 months, and she even had to be hospitalized for a while during that period, so it seems like she might not be able to seed. That¡¯s probably why Alexander put her in charge of the centennial celebration! Firstly, it gives her an additional two months to work here; also, she can take credit for all the achievements obtained as she handles the centennial celebration. But there was one thing that Josh still didn¡¯t understand. Why is Alexander being so caring toward Courtney? Is it just because she saved Jordan? ¡°By the way, President Duncan, didn¡¯t you say that Eddie¡¯s driving skills were pretty good? Why did you fire him all of a sudden?¡± Josh asked. ¡°He talked too much,¡± Alexander muttered. Josh felt his muscles tensing in fright. He no longer dared to say anything as he was pretty talkative himself. Edward Burton, the mentor who guided Courtney in her job, quickly handed the rest of her projects and duties over to other employees once Courtney took on the project of nning the centennial celebration. She was surprised to see that he did this to allow more time for her to handle her current project. ¡°Courtney, there were so many people from the nning team during that meeting, yet President Duncan wasn¡¯t interested in any of their ideas. You have to do a good job since your abilities caught his eye. It helps to improve our hotel¡¯s reputation as well.¡± Edward rarely ever guided her in work, but he seemed to have changed his attitude toward her after that meeting. She was ttered. ¡°I¡¯ll work hard!¡± The whole week after that, she spent most of her time traveling around town. As she had never nned an anniversary event in the past, she wanted to take a look at how otherpanies or businesses nned their events just to get an idea of what it would look like. ¡°May I help you, miss?¡± Courtney spun around to see a worker from the mall staring at her. He appeared to be polite and nice, but there was a hint of alertness in his gaze. Courtney had been snapping arge number of pictures of the mall with the phone in her hand, so he probably assumed she was somepetitor within their industry, or a worker from the Bureau of Commerce. She hurriedly put her phone away before she spoke in a calm tone. ¡°I¡¯m just shopping. Can I know where your jewelry store is?¡± The worker hesitated for a moment before he pointed in a direction. ¡°Over there.¡± She thanked the worker and ignored his odd nces as she walked directly toward the jewelry store. She had expected her photographing acts to attract unwanted attention, so she already had a backup n to deal with this matter. The manager in the jewelry store wore her gloves before she lifted up the ne that Courtney had passed to her. It was a silver rope chain ne that had a clear emerald stone hanging on it, with small diamonds surrounding the stone. It was a special and stunning piece of jewelry. ¡°It¡¯s from our store indeed.¡± The manager confirmed. ¡°Really? You guys were the ones that sold this?¡± Courtney tried her best to contain her excitement. ¡°This rope chain is a ssic collection in our store. Also, look at this. Every piece of jewelry made in our store has a small logo of our brand here. It¡¯s tiny, so most people don¡¯t realize it,¡± the manager exined as she pointed her finger toward a part of the chain. ¡°Are there a lot of people that purchased this ne in your store?¡± Courtney asked. The manager shook her head as she beamed. ¡°This is a valuable piece of emerald; it¡¯s dated and priceless. We don¡¯t have such designs in the store, so this client probably brought the emerald in and asked for us to customize it.¡± ¡°Can you check the details of the customer that customized it?¡± Courtney¡¯s face lit up in joy. ¡°This was probably sold a long time ago, so it might take some time for me to find the records. But we¡¯ll try our best to help,¡± the manager uttered, upon which Courtney expressed her gratitude immediately. ¡°No worries. You can keep the ne for now. Honestly, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen an emerald as pretty as this after working here for so many years. There¡¯s probably a record of it somewhere,¡± the manager said. Courtney couldn¡¯t contain the excitement that she felt even after she stepped out of the jewelry store. When she gave birth to her two children in Melrose City 5 years ago, she brought Tina home after the doctor took her other baby. After all these years, she still longed to see her other child; this ne was the only clue that connected her to the child because she tore the ne away from the man¡¯s neck that night. Courtney felt chills running down her spine whenever she thought of that incident 6 years ago. She felt the shadow of another person¡¯s figure standing in her way just as she was recalling her past memories. ¡°Courtney.¡± The person¡¯s voice was thin and a little menacing. The look on Courtney¡¯s face changed the moment she lifted her head up to see the person who stood before her eyes. ¡°It really is you. I was worried that I had gotten the wrong person.¡± The edge of the woman¡¯s lips curled up into a smirk as she wrapped her arms in front of her chest. ¡°You haven¡¯t been home in 5 years, and you haven¡¯t contacted anyone from home recently. We all thought you had died on the streets.¡± Anna Hunter snickered. She was Courtney¡¯s half-sister as they had the same father, and she still had the same arrogant and domineering personality even though they hadn¡¯t met one another in years. In fact, Courtney felt that she might even be more malicious and sharper with her words than before. She quickly regained herposure and red at her sister coldly. ¡°You seem pretty disappointed that I didn¡¯t die on the streets, Anna.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to be disappointed about? Have you been back in the country for a long while? Dad would be so heartbroken to learn that you returned without even informing your own family of it. He spent years taking care of you, yet you leave and return to the country as you please. You really think our home is just a motel, huh?¡± Anna didn¡¯t y along with Courtney¡¯s snide remarks and lectured her in a sour tone instead. ¡°That¡¯s between Dad and I; it has got nothing to do with you,¡± Courtney muttered. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m the eldest daughter of the Hunter Family, so of course it has something to do with me. Who knows what sort of people you¡¯ve been messing around with all these years? You imed that you traveled overseas to further your studies when you didn¡¯t even graduate from your university here. You were just lying to Dad, weren¡¯t you?¡± Anna lifted her chin and looked downward upon Courtney. In response to her sister¡¯s harsh words, Courtney simply clenched her fists and smirked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be good news for you if I didn¡¯t further my studies and messed around with other men instead? That way, you¡¯d have one less person as yourpetition for the family¡¯s inheritance; you and your mom can probably smile even in your sleep then, huh?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make unfounded usations like that,¡± Anna hissed as her face turned pale. ¡°Well, you know how true my words are deep down. Anyway, it¡¯s none of your business whether I go home or not. Since we don¡¯t share the same mother, you should stop bossing me around as if you were actually my elder sister. I¡¯m not a kid anymore, so you can¡¯t bully me even if you have your mother¡¯s support.¡± Courtney¡¯s face was stone cold as she gave the other woman a warning. Her final sentence sounded like she was criticizing her sister. ¡°W-Who are you criticizing now? You¡­¡± Anna¡¯s face was as pale as a sheet. ¡°Good dogs don¡¯t stand in the way of others,¡± Courtney mumbled before she stepped to her side and walked past her sister. She intentionally bumped her shoulder against Anna as she left. ¡°Just you wait, Courtney. You should just nevere home if you¡¯re that great,¡± Anna hissed as furiously stomped her foot. Chapter 34 One Night Surprise Chapter 34 Chapter 34 You¡¯ll Be the One Who Suffers Courtney looked back and sneered once she got on the esctor. ¡°I have other things to do with my day. I¡¯m not like you¡ªthe princess of the Hunter Family¡ªwho has nothing better to do apart from scheming to get the family¡¯s inheritance and find yourself a rich man.¡± Her words left Anna digging her nails into her palms as she fumed with rage. 6 years ago, Anna invested all of her effort into staging an incident that would ruin Courtney¡¯s reputation once and for all. She wanted her father to despise Courtney so that she would lose the rights to inherit any of their family¡¯s wealth. However, Anna hadn¡¯t expected Courtney to escape that night, much less for her to disappear for 6 whole years. I¡¯d been enjoying myself for the past 6 years since her disappearance, but why is she back now? What is she trying to do? After work that day, Courtney went home and prepared a meal for Tina in the kitchen. Right then, her phone rang in her pocket. She rubbed her palms against her apron before pulling it out and nced at the screen, but her face fell when she saw the caller ID. It was her father. ¡°Dad.¡± She greeted him. ¡°I heard you were back.¡± Her father¡¯s voice was deep and quiet from the other end; he sounded a little more worn out since thest time she contacted him years ago. ¡°Yeah,¡± she replied softly as she ran her fingers back and forth across the home screen of her phone. She was certain that Anna was the one who had told her father about it, but she didn¡¯t know what Anna had said about her. It¡¯s probably nothing good. ¡°Why don¡¯t you move home since you¡¯re back here? How can you live alone for such a long time?¡± he asked. She frowned upon hearing this. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Dad. I like living outside by myself.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯ve always had your opinions against me after what happened with your mother, Courtney. We¡¯re still family regardless; it worries me to imagine a girl like you living alone out there. You should¡ª¡± But Courtney interrupted him before he could go on. ¡°Dad. I¡¯m doing really well now. I¡­ I have a job, and I live really close to thepany. Alright, I have to end the call now as I have other stuff to handle. I¡¯ll visit you when I¡¯m free,¡± she uttered. Her father had no option but to end the call after sending her his regards. Courtney had always been a stubborn girl since she was a child. Unlike Anna, she had never been one to act in a sweet and adorable manner in front of adults. Conversely, she was seen as the ¡®unlucky¡¯ child since she lost her mother soon after birth; most of the adults at home didn¡¯t like her as they thought that she was a loner. Courtney stood in the kitchen for a long time after she ended the call. ¡°Mommy.¡± A sweet, child-like voice brought Courtney back from the depths of her own mind, and she quickly forced a smile onto her face once she saw her daughter. ¡°What is it? Are you hungry? Dinner¡¯s almost ready.¡± Tina walked in and pointed at the phone. ¡°Was that my grandfather?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Courtney nodded and stroked Tina¡¯s hair gently. ¡°Would you like to meet your grandfather, Tina?¡± The young girl obediently blinked at her mother. ¡°Do you want to meet him, Mommy? I¡¯ll go back with you if you want to meet him. I¡¯ll follow you wherever you go, Mommy. I¡¯m your little sweetheart wherever we go, anyway.¡± Her words flowed through Courtney¡¯s chest like a stream of warmth. ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re my little sweetheart no matter where we go, Tina,¡± Courtney muttered as she pulled her daughter into her arms. In the past, Courtney brought her baby overseas all by herself, mainly because she wanted to run away from the man who forcefully took her other baby from her. Furthermore, she wasn¡¯t on good terms with her family, and she was afraid that they would all judge and criticize her if she were to bring a child home on her own. She therefore decided to avoid all of them. It¡¯s been 5 years now. I can¡¯t hide the truth about Tina for much longer, can I? Even if I don¡¯t seek them out myself, it¡¯s only a matter of time before someone finds me. Melrose isn¡¯t exactly a huge ce; Anna will probably find out about the truth sooner orter, so I have to be prepared for that. Later that night, Britney had her arms around Alexander as she shed him a concerned gaze. ¡°You¡¯ve had a lot to drink, Alexander. Let me send you home.¡± She then nced at an inconspicuous van that was parked a distance away from them. A number of high-quality cameras recorded their every move as Britney helped Alexander out of the hotel. She tightened her grip around Alexander as she leaned her body toward him. Her breasts, covered by her fitting evening gown, were losing its shape as it was pressed tightly against his arm. Alexander seemed rather tipsy as it took him a while to feel her leaning against him. He frowned as he pulled his hand away. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can walk by myself.¡± ¡°Alexander.¡± Britney lifted the hem of her dress up as she ran after him. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for you to go home alone sote at night. Let me send you home before I leave,¡± she said. The sound of the camera shutter came from the van as they took a few more images of Alexander and Britney getting into the car together. Alexander stayed in a vi in Royal Park at the East Side of Melrose City. He felt as if the alcohol he drank that day was a lot stronger than usual, as his footsteps were light and wobbly when he got out of the car. Britney had to call for his maids to help him in, all the way up into his own bedroom. ¡°How much did he drink? Anyway, thank you for sending him back, Miss Price,¡± the maid said. ¡°No worries. We¡¯re about to be family now, so it¡¯s my job to take care of him.¡± Britney sat herself down on the side of his bed as she ran her long fingers across the edge of Alexander¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You can leave now; I¡¯ll take care of him.¡± She spoke while ncing at the maid. ¡°What? Are you not going home, Miss Price?¡± The maid was a little surprised. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I just said? This ce is going to be my house soon; where do you want me to go home to?¡± Agitation shed across Britney¡¯s face. The maid quickly shook her head after realizing how she might have said the wrong thing. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Miss Price. Please go ahead and take care of Young Master. I¡¯ll leave now; you can call me if you need anything.¡± Britney simply scoffed arrogantly, as if she was already the owner of the house. Her eyes began to sparkle with victory the moment the maid went out and shut the door. The room was dimly lit as she slowly turned around andid both her palms against Alexander¡¯s chest. ¡°Alexander¡­¡± He was extremely drunk, and he seemed irritated as he struggled to loosen his tie. ¡°It¡¯s hot,¡± he muttered in a hoarse voice. ¡°Is it? Let me take your shirt off,¡± Britney whispered by the side of his ear before her fingers swiftly moved to unbutton the top of his shirt. Once she made her way down, she pulled his shirt open to reveal his tan, well-built chest. Britney felt her cheeks flushing with excitement as she took her own shoes off and kneeled over his body while her hands began to move down his body. All of a sudden, there was a loud, distinct noise that came from the door as someone fumbled with the doorknob. Creak. The noise was clearer in the middle of the night, and light spilled in from outside the room as the door opened to reveal a tiny shadow¡ªit was Jordan. Britney felt her pent-up rage rising in her chest when she saw who it was. ¡°Who allowed you in here? Get out,¡± she hissed. On a regr day, Jordan would have definitely run off the moment he caught a glimpse of Britney. But right then, he forced himself to stay still, his teeth gritted and his face pale as he thought of what he had just heard the maids say. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. An expression of anger and hatred shed across Britney¡¯s face as she had no option but to stop what she was doing and get off the bed. She pulled Jordan out of the room and quickly wrapped her hands around his neck once she saw that there wasn¡¯t anyone else around. ¡°Do you remember what I¡¯ve warned you about, Jordan? Don¡¯t you dare ruin my ns. You¡¯d be the one who suffers if that happens.¡± The young boy began to wrestle away from her as she was hurting him. ¡°Behave yourself,¡± Britney hissed as she was afraid the noise would attract the attention of others. She then let go of him and shoved him away angrily. However, the moment he pulled himself away from her, the young boy felt his feet slipping on the ground before he fell backward directly toward the stairs. Chapter 35 One Night Surprise Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Mommy, Jordan Had an ident! The loud crash echoed off the walls of the vi. By the time Britney came to her senses, Jordan was already lying in a pool of his own blood at the end of the stairs, fully passed out. Britney¡¯s face was drained of color as she anxiously circled at her own spot. Before any of the maids appeared, she quickly ran into the bedroom to pretend as if she didn¡¯t know what happened. She took her clothes off as she hurried over to the bed. Soon enough, the maids¡¯ loud cries filled the vi. ¡°Little Master fell down the stairs!¡± one said. ¡°Hurry up and call the ambnce. Where¡¯s Young Master?¡± another asked. ¡°Hurry up and get Young Master!¡± Boom. The door to the master bedroom was flung open as the maid rushed in to see the man and woman lying on the bed. The maid¡¯s face was pale; she could barely get her words out of her throat. Britney screamed at the top of her lungs before she quickly covered her body with the sheets. Alexander was startled by this, and he frowned before opening his eyes and turning toward the woman beside him. His face darkened the moment he saw Britney, with her bare shoulders, lying beside him. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± he asked in an annoyed tone of voice. He was much more sober than he was earlier. Britney looked sorry for herself as she began to tear up. ¡°Y-You drank too much, Alexander. You insisted that I¡­ I¡­¡± Her face was red as she stuttered. He pressed a palm against his forehead as he felt a pounding ache in his head. He couldn¡¯t seem to recall anything that had happened before he got drunk. ¡°What are you doing here, then?¡± He agitatedly turned toward the maid. The maid finally snapped back into reality as she hastily exined herself. ¡°L-Little Master fell off the stairs. There¡¯s blood everywhere.¡± ¡°What?¡± Alexander lifted his head up immediately, his face terrifyingly grim. He threw the sheets off him and stormed out of the room without even putting his shoes on. Britney then began to fumble around and put her clothes on before she got out of bed and followed behind him. Jordan, who had passed out and wouldn¡¯t wake up, was immediately sent by Alexander to the hospital in the middle of the night. Soon enough, Scott was informed of this incident. ¡°What happened?¡± Scott¡¯s face was filled with anxiety as he stood outside the operation theater. ¡°How did Jordan just fall down the stairs all of a sudden? There were so many maids at home; weren¡¯t they taking care of him?¡± he asked as he turned around to re at Alexander. Alexander didn¡¯t answer Scott¡¯s question. From where he sat on the sofa, Scott could instantly smell the strong scent of alcohol on his body. ¡°How much did you drink? Look at you; do you have the right to be Jordan¡¯s father?¡± Scott was furious. ¡°Old Master Duncan, Young Master was just socializing with others. The party tonight was hosted by Melrose¡¯s Chamber of Commerce; he had to be there.¡± The butler immediately spoke up on behalf of Alexander. Right after he finished his sentence, the doors to the operation theater opened, and a doctor walked out. Upon that, Alexander quickly got onto his feet. ¡°How¡¯s Jordan, doctor?¡± ¡°He fractured his right forearm and dislocated his left arm. The rest of his injuries are just minor grazes, and he didn¡¯t hurt his head. There isn¡¯t much to worry about; kids heal really fast.¡± Although the doctor¡¯s words sounded reassuring, Scott still felt his heart aching for the young boy. He let out a long sigh once they arrived at the ward that the doctors and nurses had shifted Jordan into. ¡°Poor Jordan has met with so many problems at such a young age. It must hurt to have a fracture when he¡¯s still so young.¡± Alexander knitted his brows together and only felt himself calming down once he saw Jordan sleeping soundly. He then turned toward his butler, who worked at the Royal Park vi. ¡°What happened earlier? How exactly did Jordan fall off the stairs?¡± He¡¯s usually in bed by this time of the night, Alexander thought. The butler didn¡¯t know what happened either. ¡°I was checking the doors outside when I heard the maids screaming from inside the house. By the time I ran into the living room, Little Master was already on the floor in a pool of his own blood. I asked everyone there; none of them were by his side when the ident happened. I guess he must¡¯ve slipped and fell.¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Alexander¡¯s expression darkened upon hearing this. ¡°I want all of the maids that were working tonight to be fired. Get me a new batch of maids. I can¡¯t have this same incident urring again.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The butler nodded. Meanwhile, Courtney was fast asleep when she heard her bedroom door being opened. Tina rushed over to her, making loud thumps as she ran to Courtney¡¯s bed and pulled her sheets away. ¡°Mommy! Mommy! Something¡¯s happened!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Courtney was still half-asleep as she forced her eyes open to look at her daughter. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just fine?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about me. It¡¯s my brother. My brother had an ident!¡± Tina cried. ¡°What brother? Since when did you get yourself a brother?¡± Courtney was stunned for a moment, but she then shut her eyes slowly before she pulled her sheets over her face. ¡°You must have been dreaming,¡± she mumbled. Tina was so anxious that she began to jump on the spot before she grabbed onto Courtney¡¯s arm and attempted to pull her out of bed. ¡°It¡¯s Jordan. Jordan fell off the stairs, and he¡¯s in the hospital now!¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Courtney could barely open her eyes as she weakly pushed Tina¡¯s arm away. ¡°I¡¯m really tired. Please let me sleep. You were just dreaming, Tina.¡± She sounded like she was begging her daughter. How could Jordan possibly fall off a flight of stairs at this time of the night? What is this brat thinking? Tina furiously stomped her foot on the ground when she saw that her mother still refused to believe her. ¡°I¡¯m going to go out myself if you¡¯re noting. There are a lot of bad people out at this time of night; you can continue sleeping if you really don¡¯t care about me.¡± Tina then ran back to her own room. Initially, Courtney thought that her daughter was just kidding. However, she then got out of bed as she wasn¡¯t certain if Tina was serious. Gosh, this brat is really changing her clothes and packing her bag in her room. ¡°Are you really going out? What time is it?¡± Courtneybed her fingers through her messy hair as she checked the time. ¡°Oh, my God. It¡¯s 2.00AM. Where are you going?¡± ¡°The hospital.¡± Tina was still fuming as she put her socks on. ¡°You¡¯re so heartless, Mommy. Hmph. I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore.¡± Courtney was utterly speechless as she rested one arm on her hip and another against the door. ¡°What do you mean by that? You¡¯re the weirdo who¡¯s trying to get me to go to the hospital in the middle of the night after you¡¯ve had a bad dream.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t dreaming. Jordan really fell off the stairs. It¡¯s real.¡± Tina insisted. ¡°Fine. Why are you getting all worried just because he fell off the stairs? He¡¯s not even your actual brother; why are you so worried?¡± Courtney didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry at this point. ¡°Excuse me, Mommy. I¡¯m heading out.¡± Tina was dressed neatly, her backpack slung over her shoulders as she pushed her mother¡¯s hand away to step out of her bedroom. ¡°Hey, are you really leaving?¡± Courtney began to treat things seriously once she saw Tina putting on her shoes at the doorway. ¡°Alright, missy. Give me a minute. Let me change before I take you there.¡± ¡°Which hospital is it?¡± Courtney only realized that she hadn¡¯t asked the question earlier once they finally hailed a cab. ¡°Melrose Medical Center.¡± The childish yet stern voice echoed in the cab. She sounds like she knows what she¡¯s talking about, huh. Courtney was rather puzzled as she further questioned her daughter. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it just a dream? How did you know that Jordan was admitted to the hospital? Who told you about it?¡± Tina pouted. ¡°I just know.¡± ¡°What? Ugh, I¡¯m losing my mind.¡± Courtney was utterly speechless. I must be crazy to follow my daughter out at this time of night. Chapter 36 One Night Surprise Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Why Doesn¡¯t She Have the Right to Do That? Once they arrived at the hospital, Tina dragged Courtney all the way into the wards. ¡°Slow down, Tina. You¡¯re about to break my arm.¡± Courtney helplessly allowed her daughter to drag her out of the hospital lift. She only believed her daughter¡¯s words after she saw Jordan lying on the hospital bed. ¡°What happened to Jordan?¡± Courtney asked as she entered the room. Scott was the only one who was sitting by the bed. When he saw Courtney, his face lit up with joy and he quickly got to his feet. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked, although he already knew the answer. She quickly introduced herself. ¡°I¡¯m Courtney Hunter, a hotel manager in Sunhill Hotel. My daughter attends the same kindergarten as Jordan. And you are?¡± Her sentences are clear and simple while her tone is respectful and polite; just the way one should speak to an elderly. She even looks a little bit like Jordan! I really like this woman, the old man thought as he nced at Courtney. He sneakily gave Tina a silly face before he beamed toward Courtney. ¡°I¡¯m Jordan¡¯s great-grandfather.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Duncan? The chairperson of Sunhill Enterprise?¡± Courtney quickly straightened her posture. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I was being rude earlier,¡± she quickly said. ¡°No worries. Take a seat. Jordan has mentioned you in the past; he really likes you a lot. I remember this because you saved Jordan¡¯s life previously,¡± Scott uttered as he gestured for Courtney to sit down. She quickly heaved a sigh of relief when she realized that Scott wasn¡¯t as haughty and mean as the rumors had made him to be. She then sat down on a chair beside him before she nced toward Jordan worriedly. ¡°How did Jordan get so badly injured?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but he hurt himself in Alexander¡¯s home. I heard that he rolled off the stairs from the 2nd floor down to the 1st. He just got out of surgery, and the doctors said that he fractured his right forearm and dislocated his left. He has a few cuts and bruises too. Ah, this young boy has suffered so many illnesses and injuries as he didn¡¯t have a mother to care for him since he was a baby.¡± Courtney felt her heart aching for the young boy when she heard the old man¡¯s words. Although she hadn¡¯t spent a lot of time with Jordan, he was the same age as Tina, and she had a missing son who was the same as him. I always think of my missing son whenever I look at Jordan. I wonder if he has a mother by his side. If he doesn¡¯t, perhaps he¡¯s just like Jordan now. ¡°Fortunately, kids heal really quickly. He should drink some snakehead fish soup to replenish the calcium in his body since he fractured his bone,¡± she said. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . The look on Scott¡¯s face turned uneasy as he nced at her. ¡°Really? But Alexander just fired all of his maids after this incident. I¡¯m rather worried as well; these maids are simply too careless with their jobs nowadays.¡± She quickly understood what he meant. ¡°No worries. I¡¯m not working this weekend, so I can make some soup and bring it over.¡± ¡°That would be amazing. Thank you for going through the trouble of doing this, Miss Hunter,¡± he said happily. ¡°No worries. I feel like Jordan and I get along really well, so it¡¯s no big deal for me to make him some soup,¡± she replied. Right then, the doors to the ward were flung open before Alexander and Britney walked in one after another. Alexander¡¯s eyes widened the moment he saw Courtney. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I came over to visit Jordan because I heard that he got into an ident,¡± Courtney exined. ¡°You heard that he got into an ident?¡± Alexander was already in a bad mood after Jordan¡¯s ident, but his face now darkened as he continued to interrogate the unexpected visitor. ¡°Where did you hear the news about Jordan at 2.00AM? The surgery just ended half an hour ago, yet you¡¯re here at the hospital already? What are your intentions?¡± Courtney felt her chest burning with rage upon listening to Alexander¡¯s pressing questions. She stood up angrily once she recalled how Scott had told her about Jordan falling off the stairs. ¡°Is this the right time for you to be asking about how I heard of Jordan¡¯s ident? Your son¡¯s lying on the hospital bed right now; how could you have the energy to even suspect that I have ulterior motives?¡± she asked rudely. ¡°This has to do with my personal matters. Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re just a mere hotel manager in one of the hotels under Sunhill Enterprise,¡± he hissed. ¡°Of course I¡¯ve got no right to ask about your family matters, President Duncan. You have so much power that you could fire me just by uttering a single sentence. However, we¡¯re not at work now. I¡¯m here to visit my daughter¡¯s ssmate. I initially thought that it was just a minor injury that he got while ying, but I was shocked to hear that he had to be hospitalized because of how bad his injuries were. Aren¡¯t you worried after hearing that he rolled down the stairs? If he had hit his head, you could have lost your son. Do you know that?¡± Courtney lost all control of her temper, perhaps because she had been suppressing her emotions and experiencing a great deal of stress at work recently. She also felt furious whenever she thought about how Jordan¡¯s past two idents were always because there weren¡¯t any adults watching over him. ¡°Do you know why Jordan doesn¡¯t speak up and call you his dad? It¡¯s because you simply don¡¯t care about him enough. Ask yourself¡ªdo you think you¡¯re a dependable father? Do you make your son feel safe? He¡¯s your biological son; why did you allow him to be born if you weren¡¯t nning on loving and caring for him wholeheartedly?¡± Her words struck Alexander where it hurt the most, and his gaze fell onto the floor while he frowned deeply as he didn¡¯t know how to respond to her words. In the past, Jordan was born only because he wanted to satisfy his grandfather¡¯s pressing demands, so that he would be able to obtain the rights to take over Sunhill Enterprise. Right then, Alexander hung his head low as Courtney¡¯s words had been spot on. ¡°Miss Hunter, aren¡¯t you being a little too much of a busybody right now? This has to do with his personal family matters; how are you a part of this at all? Who are you to point fingers and ce the me on him?¡± Britney spoke up with a tone of irritation. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t she have the right to do that? She¡¯s using her perspective as a mother to teach Alexander how he should act as a father. She has the right to do that because she¡¯s brought her daughter up so well. Alexander, on the other hand, should really do some self-reflection.¡± Scott¡¯s old and calm voice echoed off the walls as he interrupted their conversation. ¡°You¡¯re doing a great job with thepany, but you really have to think about your role as a father. Are you really doing your best in that aspect?¡± he asked Alexander. Britney¡¯s eyes were wide, her hands trembling. I can¡¯t believe that this old man¡¯s speaking up for Courtney. This woman is really showing up everywhere we go. First, she managed to get that stupid brat, Jordan, to be attached to her; now, she even seeded in getting Old Master Duncan to support her. ¡°Even if that is the case, she¡¯s still not a part of the Duncan Family. Why did she show up in the middle of the night?¡± Tina, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up. ¡°Well, you¡¯re not part of the Duncan Family either, Miss Price. What are you doing here?¡± Britney nearly lost her temper upon hearing the young girl¡¯s words. ¡°What nonsense are you saying, you brat? I¡¯m Alexander¡¯s fianc¨¦e; of course I¡¯m a part of the Duncan Family.¡± ¡°A fianc¨¦e means that you haven¡¯t gotten married to him, right?¡± Tina shrunk away from Britney and hid behind her mother¡¯s back as she nced up and blinked at Britney innocently. ¡°How dare you¡­¡± Britney was too furious to say anything. Right as Tina was standing behind her mother, Scott sneakily gave her a high five while they both wore solemn, calm expressions on their faces. ¡°That¡¯s enough. What¡¯s there to fight about? Jordan needs to rest.¡± Alexander frowned and nced at Britney. ¡°It¡¯ste, so you should leave now. I can stay here by myself.¡± His voice was clearly filled with annoyance, and Britney knew better than to go against his will. Furthermore, she had other matters to handle, so she left the room without hesitation. However, her footsteps slowed down along the corridor of the hospital as she then wondered why Courtney and Tina were allowed to stay back when she was asked to leave. She then heard a voiceing from the room. ¡°You can leave as well. I don¡¯t need you here.¡± Only then did Britney heave a sigh of relief and walk out calmly. Chapter 37 One Night Surprise Chapter 37 Chapter 37 A Pro Bono Chef However, what Britney hadn¡¯t expected was for Scott to challenge Alexander¡¯s orders after thetter attempted to get Courtney to leave. ¡°I think it¡¯s more likely for Jordan to not need you right now,¡± Scott uttered in a cold tone as he nced at Alexander disdainfully. He was hinting Alexander to take his words back. ¡°I think what Miss Hunter said was perfectly correct. Look at yourself¡ªdo you think you look like his father? You drank so much; where were you when Jordan fell off the stairs? You were probably fast asleep on your bed after getting drunk, right? How careless of you.¡± Scott didn¡¯t hesitate to lecture him in front of Courtney. Alexander felt guilty to begin with, and he only felt worse upon hearing Scott¡¯s words. He no longer mentioned anything about sending Courtney away. ¡°She can stay if she wants; you can stay if you want too.¡± He frowned annoyedly. ¡°Why should I stay here? I¡¯m old now; I don¡¯t have the time to clean up all the messes that you make. I want to live a long life,¡± the old man scoffed before he called for his butler to send him home. Before he walked out, he sneakily gave an ¡®okay¡¯ hand sign to Tina, who winked her eye furiously in return. Now, Mommy can spend some quality time with my future dad! Once Scott had left, Courtney pulled her chair closer to Jordan¡¯s bed before she gently touched his forehead to measure his temperature. Alexander frowned at this. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even have a fever. What are you touching his forehead for?¡± Courtney simply rolled her eyes; she no longer concealed the contempt she felt for the man. ¡°Kids are more prone to getting high fevers when they aren¡¯t feeling well. Furthermore, he might get a fever if he got an infection from the surgery, and things would get worse if he gets pneumonia or other infectious diseases. What do you know?¡± His face turned stiff for a moment before he sat himself down on the couch. ¡°You¡¯re saying all that as if you¡¯re a doctor,¡± he mumbled in a softer tone. ¡°Mommy was supposed to be a doctor.¡± Out of nowhere, Tina popped up beside Alexander before she used both her arms and legs to climb up onto his thighs. He didn¡¯t feel repulsed by the young girl¡¯s acts; if anything, he found himself enjoying herpany. He lifted her up and positioned her on his thighs as he replied without thinking much of it, ¡°Why didn¡¯t she be a doctor in the end?¡± ¡°Because she didn¡¯t have the time to take care of other children after she had me. That was why she gave up on her career as a doctor,¡± Tina exined. She¡¯s such an adorable and innocent girl; I¡¯m sure Courtney must have been lying and bragging about her own career in front of her daughter. It¡¯s time for me to embarrass her this time, he thought as he scoffed. ¡°Well, if I remember correctly, doctors have to formally graduate from a medical school after 7 years of studying there. You can¡¯t be a doctor just because you want to.¡± Courtney had been exposed for faking her academic qualifications 3 months ago during their interview. She didn¡¯t even graduate from university; how could she dream of bing a doctor? She¡¯s probably just learnt some nursing skills in one of her courses and used it to impress her daughter. Although the look on Courtney¡¯s face darkened a little, she didn¡¯t say anything in response. She might have even looked rather dejected. Alexander felt his heart clenching at the sight of this; he no longer found this fun and he quickly swallowed the remaining insults that he had prepared for her. Throughout the night, Courtney stayed by Jordan¡¯s side and made sure that he wasfortable in his sleep. Soon, as her eyelids gradually felt heavier and heavier, she eventually fell asleep by the edge of the bed. By the time she woke up, the sun was pouring in from the window, and her back was aching from the posture she fell asleep in. Right then, the scene before her eyes gave her a mixture ofplicated feelings. Tina was sitting on top of Alexander¡¯sp as the both of them yed games on their phones. Tina seemed to have gotten into some trouble in the game, for she looked up and nced at Alexander pleadingly. ¡°I can¡¯t get past this stage, Mr. Alexander. What am I supposed to do here?¡± He took her phone into his hands before curling her closer toward his chest as he patiently showed her how the game worked. ¡°You have to do this. Then you have to speed up at this part¡­¡± Alexander only noticed Courtney watching them after they gamed for a long while. The gentle smile he had on his face quickly disappeared as he looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Courtney snapped back into reality then and began to stand up as she massaged her back and comined. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m so tired. I have to go; I need to head back to the office and prepare the ns for the centennial celebration.¡± ¡°I can give you the day off if you¡¯re too tired.¡± Alexander was in a good mood after he spent the morning ying games with Tina. All the terrible feelings he had the night before had disappeared into thin air. T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already been suspected of having ulterior motives even though I didn¡¯t do anything; I¡¯m afraid someone might think I¡¯m trying to rely on the power and position of others to get a promotion if I don¡¯t do my work properly. By the way, President Duncan, let me rify myself again¡ªI¡¯m working purely for the sake of working, and I came to visit purely because Jordan is a good friend of Tina¡¯s. You aren¡¯t that attractive and wonderful; I¡¯m not trying to impress you or anything.¡± The good mood that Alexander had been in quickly switched into a terrible one as he red at Courtney with his brows knitted. All the gratitude that he had for the woman disappeared instantly. Upon that sight, Tina hurriedly interrupted their conversation before they could start a fight. ¡°You can go back and do your work, Mommy. I¡¯ll be here with Jordan.¡± Courtney frowned at this. ¡°You¡¯re noting with me?¡± ¡°Why should I? Aren¡¯t you going to make some snakehead fish soup for Jordan in the afternoon? It¡¯d be too tiring for me to follow you around, and today¡¯s a Sunday anyway.¡± Tina barely looked up as she spoke to her mother. She remained seated on Alexander, as if he was her personal couch. This girl still remembers about the snakehead fish soup, huh? Courtney felt rather speechless then. She was afraid that Alexander would further suspect her intentions if she were to do such kind acts without asking for anything in return. ¡°I¡¯m not going back to thepany today, and I¡¯ve cleared all my ns, so I can take care of Tina here at the hospital. It¡¯ll be fine. You can go do your work,¡± he said calmly. ¡°What?¡± Courtney was surprised by his sudden kind gesture. Is he offering to look after my daughter for me? ¡°But you have to remember to pack lunch for all 3 of uster,¡± Alexander added. She felt like her heart fell instantly upon hearing that. That sounds more like Alexander. He¡¯d never do something without getting some sort of benefit out of it¡ªit¡¯s pretty worth it to spend time with Tina in exchange for getting a pro bono chef to prepare his meals for him. Cameron had specially offered to set Courtney up with a few of her friends in the advertising industry so that Courtney could ask them for details regarding event nning and management that she needed for thepany¡¯s centennial celebration. Courtney was in a rush then, so she didn¡¯t bother to argue any longer before she left Tina behind and stepped out of the hospital. Throughout her conversations with Cameron¡¯s friends, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from yawning. She even had to drink a few cups of coffee that day. After the meetings were over, Courtney rushed to the market at noon to buy the snakehead fish needed for the soup. She also prepared two other side dishes and packed them in a stacked lunch box before bringing it to the hospital. When she arrived, Jordan was awake. One of his arms was in a cast while the other arm still seemed rather stiff since it was just relocated the night before. He nced pathetically as the dishes wereid out in front of his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll feed you.¡± Alexander held a spoonful of soup over to Jordan¡¯s lips. But Jordan didn¡¯t hesitate to embarrass his father in front of everyone else. He didn¡¯t even nce at Alexander; instead, he shifted his gaze firmly toward Courtney. What Scott mentioned the night before was true¡ªAlexander wasn¡¯t needed as much as Courtney was. ¡°Let me do it, then.¡± Courtney reached her hands out to Alexander and asked for his bowl and spoon. Indeed, Jordan¡¯s mouth cracked into a grin the moment Courtney tried to feed him, and he quickly finished a big bowl of the snakehead fish soup. Alexander seemed a little jealous upon seeing this. ¡°Jordan, you need to know that I¡¯m your father,¡± he uttered with a straight face. The young boy nced at Alexander for a moment before he reached his leg out from underneath the sheets and fiercely sent a kick toward Alexander¡¯s thigh, his small face scrunched up into a look of fury. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Although Jordan¡¯s kick didn¡¯t hurt, Alexander still found himself getting angry at his son¡¯s actions. Chapter 38 One Night Surprise Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Was It Intentional, or Was It an ident? ¡°You¡¯re scaring him.¡± Courtney reminded Alexander with a frown. In no time, Jordan pulled his leg away and leaned his body closer toward Courtney. Alexander quickly felt a pang of regret when he saw his son¡¯s pale little face ring at him resentfully. He then took a deep breath before he tried to talk to his son again. ¡°Are you ming me because I didn¡¯t take good care of you?¡± Jordan didn¡¯t seem interested in responding to Alexander; he turned his head and pressed himself into Courtney¡¯s arms, his left arm gripping firmly onto the cor of her shirt. Courtney couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for Alexander when she saw the look of disappointment on his face. ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s still in shock after what happenedst night. Just give him a little more time,¡± she said in an attempt tofort Alexander. You¡¯re so careless toward your own son; it¡¯s no wonder that your son¡¯s closer to others than he is to you. What else do you expect? The atmosphere in the room turned rather chilly. Tina¡¯s gaze flickered from one end of the room to the other before she quickly tugged on Alexander¡¯s sleeve and spoke to him in a childish tone. ¡°Mr. Alexander, can you please help me with this level? I¡¯m stuck here.¡± Only then did Alexander¡¯s tightly knit brows rx as the young girl had sessfully diverted his attention. ¡°Which level is this?¡± he asked as he turned toward Tina. ¡°This! This one. I can never beat this evil boss,¡± she uttered. As the tense atmosphere gradually dissolved, Courtney gently stroked the young boy¡¯s hair as hey in her arms. ¡°Jordan, do you me your father for your ident?¡± she whispered. The boy shook his head in her arms before he looked up to meet Courtney¡¯s eyes, his gaze filled with sorrow. ¡°What is it?¡± Courtney was rather confused. Jordan¡¯s arm¡ªthe one that had been dislocated¡ª could barely move, and he only managed feeble attempts of shifting his arm up and down. Tears began to form in his eyes as he was frustrated by this. ¡°Do you want to write something?¡± Courtney quickly asked, upon which Jordan immediately nodded. ¡°Calm down.¡± Courtneyforted him before she pulled a notebook and pen out of her bag and handed it to him. He held onto the pen with his left hand, and his words were all crooked and messy. Courtney barely managed to decipher his scrawls. ¡®I don¡¯t want Daddy to get married to another woman.¡¯ ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Courtney unconsciously nced toward Tina¡ªwho was sitting on the couch while ying mobile games with Alexander¡ªonce she read what Jordan wrote. She frowned a little. I think it¡¯s inevitable for children to feel rather conflicted or displeased when their parents are getting remarried to another person. Furthermore, judging by how inconsiderate of a father Alexander is, he probably never thought about Jordan¡¯s feelings. It must be harder for Jordan since he can¡¯t speak. It¡¯s depressing to think about this, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m in any position toment about their situation since I¡¯m just an outsider. ¡°Your father loves you a lot. Even if he gets married to another woman, he¡¯ll still treat you well.¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t do much apart from gentlyforting Jordan in a hushed tone. However, Jordan merely shook his head sadly in response to her words. ¡°What is it? Do you not like Miss Price?¡± she asked as he ced her hands on his shoulders. Jordan seemed to hesitate a little before he then nodded his head firmly, as if he had juste to a decision. He hastily scribbled onto the piece of paper. ¡®I want you to be my mommy.¡¯ Courtney didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry upon reading what he wrote. She had no idea how she could exin herself to a young boy. Being an adult and getting married isn¡¯t as simple as it sounds; you can¡¯t determine who you want your mother to be just because you like someone. Right then, Alexander got up from the couch after he finished a round of the mobile game he had been ying with Tina. ¡°What did Jordan write?¡± he asked. Flustered, Courtney immediately tore the piece of paper out of her notebook before she stuffed it into her bag. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. He told me what he wanted to eat for dinner; I noted it down so that I can prepare it for himter,¡± she replied in an uneasy tone. Alexander immediately eyed her suspiciously when he noticed how flustered she seemed. But before he could ask her any more questions, she hopped up onto her feet. ¡°Well, I have to go back and work on the n for the centennial celebration. I have to leave now. I¡¯lle back a littleter; you guys can get some snacks to fill your tummies if you guys get hungry before Ie back,¡± she said hastily. She practically charged out of the ward after that, leaving Alexander in the ward with the two kids the moment she shut the door behind her. Tina was curled up on the couch. She was so immersed in the game that she didn¡¯t even care that her mother had left her there. Meanwhile, Jordan stared at the door longingly, as if he was hoping for Courtney toe back. Alexander felt a sense of guilt building up in his chest when he saw the way Jordan looked. Maybe what Courtney said earlier was true. How terrible of a father must I be to have my own son being so dependent on a woman that he¡¯s met only a while ago? How many mistakes must I have made to have my son dislike his own biological father so badly? ¡°Jordan.¡± Alexander calmly called out for his son. Once Jordan realized that Courtney wasn¡¯t about to return to the room, he began to doodle in the notebook that Courtney had left behind without paying any attention to his father. Alexander groaned before he noticed Tina¡¯s figure from the corner of his eye. He then recalled how Jordan had pestered him to invite Courtney and Tina over to their house in the past. ¡°How about this, Jordan? We can have a small party at home once you get better, and we can invite Miss Hunter and Tina over, okay?¡± He was attempting to see if this would please the young boy. As expected, Jordan immediately lifted his head up to look at Alexander with eyes full of joy. ¡°Are you going to talk to me now?¡± Alexander stroked his son¡¯s head. Jordan then wrote something in his notebook before handing it over to his father. ¡®You have to apologize to me, Daddy.¡¯ Alexander froze for a moment as he recalled how he had been too drunk the night before. I didn¡¯t even hear Jordan falling off the stairs when it happened right outside my room. He¡¯s right; it¡¯s my fault for being so careless. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll apologize. I¡¯m sorry, Jordan; I¡¯ll make sure that this never happens again in the future.¡± However, what Jordan had been asking an apology for was actually Alexander¡¯s act of bringing Britney back to his house. Although they had been thinking of different things, Jordan assumed that Alexander had now promised him to never bring Britney back to the house. He therefore looked much happier than before. Children were forgetful beings; Jordan quickly forgot about everything else as he began to y with Tina. Although he didn¡¯t y any mobile games, he seemed entertained just by watching Tina, who was hopping around excitedly as she yed her games. Scott got up early that morning, right when his butler, Harry, had gotten back to the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. Scott had sent Harry over to the vi at Royal Park earlier to investigate the situation there. ¡°Did you manage to find anything? Was Jordan¡¯s fall from the 2nd floor an ident, or did someone intentionally attempt to harm him?¡± Scott asked. ¡°It looks like it was an ident. I¡¯ve asked every single one of the maids there. The maid that was on duty to care for Jordan during that hour had gone to make him milk, so there wasn¡¯t anyone else on the 2nd floor during that time,¡± Harry exined with a stern expression. ¡°No one at all?¡± Scott still felt rather suspicious. There are more than 10 maids working in the Royal Park vi; how can there not be a single witness to Jordan¡¯s fall? His fall must have created a huge commotion then, yet no one realized anything until hended at the end of the stairs on the 1st floor. ¡°Miss Price was there that night. She brought presents over, so the maids were distributing them at the time,¡± Harry continued. ¡°Britney?¡± Scott furrowed his brows as his face turned grim. ¡°Where was she when Jordan fell down?¡± If someone had nned for this incident to ur, Scott couldn¡¯t think of a person that had greater motives than Britney. Chapter 39 One Night Surprise Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Would You Like to Consider My Mother? ¡°Old Master Duncan, I don¡¯t think this has got anything to do with Miss Price.¡± The housekeeper frowned ufortably. ¡°Why? How are you sure that she has got nothing to do with it?¡± Scott knitted his brows. ¡°Miss Price was in Young Master¡¯s room when Little Master got into an ident. When the maids rushed into the room, she saw the two of them on the bed together.¡± The housekeeper tried his best to exin the situation without feeling embarrassed. Scott was furious to hear this, and he mmed his palm against the rosewood table. ¡°How shameless,¡± he hissed coldly. He had never liked Britney; even if he were to disregard her other ws, just the number of scandals and gossip that she had been involved in throughout the years gave him enough reason to dislike her. Furthermore, he had run a background check on Britney when Alexander first brought her home six years ago¡ªhe found out that she had been a waitress serving alcohol in a club before she managed to squeeze her way up to the top of the entertainment industry. She couldn¡¯t have managed to achieve so much if she was simply given some opportunities in the field; she must have been greedy enough to work her way up there. ¡°Should I continue looking into this matter, Old Master Duncan?¡± the housekeeper asked. Scott took a long, deep breath as he gazed at the housekeeper thoughtfully. ¡°No. There¡¯s something else I need you to do.¡± That night, Tina wouldn¡¯t stop talking on the way home after Courtney picked her up from the hospital. Courtney was getting a headache from all the noise. ¡°Mr. Alexander is handsome, rich and funny. You¡¯ve got yourself a keeper this time, Mommy!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Courtney pulled her house keys out to open the door as she rolled her eyes at her daughter. She dragged Tina into the house and took her shoes off as she continued to disagree with Tina¡¯s statement. ¡°He¡¯s decent-looking, but he isn¡¯t stunningly handsome, right? He¡¯s not as handsome as Shay, is he?¡± Tina frowned and widened her eyes upon hearing her mother¡¯s words. ¡°Of course not. Shay is a superstar; he¡¯s the most handsome man in the world. I¡¯m going to marry him.¡± ¡°There you have it.¡± Courtney grinned sneakily before she corrected her daughter. ¡°Shay¡¯s your uncle; you won¡¯t be able to get married to him. He can¡¯t wait for you for that long.¡± ¡°No way. He said that he¡¯ll wait for me to grow up!¡± Tina insisted. ¡°Well, he was lying to you. How could you believe that?¡± Courtney rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t care. He belongs to me.¡± ¡°Sure, sure¡ªyou can have him.¡± Courtney wasn¡¯t in the mood to argue about this; she simply wanted to use Shay as a distraction so that Tina would stop talking about Alexander. ¡°By the way, Shay called me two days ago and mentioned that he¡¯ll be returning to the country to host a concert soon. Do you want to go watch it?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Tina cried excitedly! ¡°Shay is returning to the country?!¡± ¡°Not yet, but he¡¯sing back soon. You should behave yourself if you want to go to his concert.¡± Courtney lowered herself and patted Tina on the shoulder as she spoke in a threatening voice. ¡°If you continue to daydream about any nonsense, I¡¯m not going to bring you to the concert.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± Tina shouted as if Courtney was her greatest enemy right then. ¡°In that case, you¡¯ll have to be a good girl by showering before you sleep.¡± Once Courtney employed Shay¡ªher ultimate weapon against Tina¡ªthe young girl was as obedient as a soldier in the army. She went to bed without mentioning Alexander¡¯s name at all. Simrly, Courtney fell asleep quickly after the long day she had. The weather was good the next day, and Courtney went to the market to purchase some ingredients early in the morning. She cooked a full meal and packed it up before heading to the hospital with Tina. After some contemtion, she decided to bring the amended draft of her event proposal along. ¡°I made some ck-bone chicken soup today. I thought it would be boring for Jordan to drink the same snakehead fish soup every day, so I made something different instead. This soup is pretty good for his recovery too.¡± Courtney took off the lid on the thermos that she had brought over, and the delicious smell of the soup spread across the entire room. She passed a bowl of soup to Tina before she brought another bowl over and began to feed Jordan. Alexander was eating a packet of rice in a corner, but he stole nces at the soup in the thermos every now and then. Has Courtney forgotten about me? Did she not prepare any soup for me in the first ce? She doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s about to offer me a bowl. I can¡¯t just shamelessly walk over to pour some for myself, can I? This soup smells amazing, though. Tina was extremely perceptive; she quickly brought a spoonful of soup toward Alexander¡¯s lips. ¡°My mom made this chicken soup herself, Mr. Alexander. It¡¯s great¡ªyou should try some.¡± Alexander froze for a moment; he had no option but to ept the offer since the spoon was already in front of his face. A series of mixed emotions surfaced in his gaze the moment he took a sip of the soup. This chicken soup tastes so good! It has exceeded my expectations. This woman is really talented in cooking. ¡°Is it good, Mr. Alexander?¡± Tina nced at him with a hopeful look in her eyes. ¡°Yeah.¡± He nodded faintly. Tina then shouted across the room for her mother. ¡°Mommy, Mr. Alexander said that the soup tastes good! Hurry up and get him a bowl of it!¡± Courtney only realized that Alexander hadn¡¯t gotten any soup then. He¡¯s an adult; doesn¡¯t he have hands? Why does he need me to get a bowl for him? ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Soon enough, Alexander sipped on his bowl of soup as he gazed at Courtney. ¡°You¡¯re really good at cooking. Did you steal some tips from the head chef while working at the hotel?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not stealing; I simply got the opportunity to observe their talents up close. Ie in contact with a lot of chefs since I work in a hotel. They aren¡¯t usually generous with their own personal recipes, and I only managed to learn a thing or two because I¡¯m a skillful cook myself,¡± Courtney exined casually. Alexander didn¡¯tment any further. ¡°By the way, President Duncan, I¡¯ve made some changes to the proposal based on thements that you gave me previously. Do take a look at it again.¡± Courtney lowered her bowl of soup and pulled the proposal out from her bag before handing it over to him. Alexander was a little reluctant to read through the proposal when he hadn¡¯t even finished eating his meal, but he felt the need to be an encouraging boss since his employee was being so enthusiastic with her work. Therefore, he put his food down and took the proposal into his hands before reading through it carefully. However, he could smell the delicious scent of the chicken soup as he buried his face in the dry, boring documents. Even a man like Alexander couldn¡¯t bring himself to fully focus on the documents before him right then. Soon, he pped the proposal shut after ncing through it briefly. ¡°It looks fine to me. We can proceed with this for now. You can ask the rest of the workers for their opinions during the meeting at the headquarters next Monday.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes lit up with joy. ¡°Really? Is it really fine?¡± It was a shocking event for Alexander to be satisfied with his employee¡¯s proposal. The first time Courtney went for a meeting at the headquarters, she witnessed Alexander¡¯s brutal act of criticizing a worker who was responsible for thepany¡¯s marketing and advertising duties. Although Alexander remained calm throughout the process, the worker¡¯s face was drained of all color¡ªhe looked like he was about to get a heart attack before fainting right there and then. Therefore, ¡®It looks fine to me¡¯ was a hugepliment when it came from a man like Alexander. Courtney began to speak in a nicer tone as she felt her insides bursting with joy. ¡°You should have some more soup, President Duncan. There¡¯s more here; I can give you some if you haven¡¯t had enough.¡± The edge of Alexander¡¯s brows twitched with excitement as he continued to sip on his bowl of soup. That afternoon, Tina continued to pester Alexander after Courtney left the hospital. ¡°Mr. Alexander, my mom¡¯s a pretty decent woman, right? She cooks good meals, she¡¯s good at taking care of others, and Jordan likes her a lot. You can¡¯t find anyone else like my mom in this world. She¡¯s definitely better than some superstar, right?¡± Alexander chuckled helplessly upon hearing the young girl¡¯s words. ¡°Yeah. Your mom¡¯s a pretty nice woman.¡± He found her statement understandable as it was only normal for every child to see their own mother as the most perfect person. However, that wasn¡¯t exactly what Tina meant with her words. Her eyes lit up the moment she heard Alexander¡¯spliment toward her mother. ¡°Well, Mr. Alexander, would you like to consider making my mother your wife then?¡± Alexander froze in surprise. Chapter 40 One Night Surprise Chapter 40 Chapter 40 She Is Your Sister? Although he knew that Tina liked to be close to him, Alexander never thought that the little girl intended to set him up with her mother. He froze for a few seconds beforeing back to his senses and silently stroked the little girl¡¯s head. ¡°Jordan also likes my mommy very much.¡± Tina pulled out her killer move and winked. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Jordan. He really wants my mommy to be his mommy too.¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze fell onto the hospital bed as he asked hesitantly, ¡°Is that right, Jordan?¡± Jordan nodded solemnly. Alexander frowned as Tina¡¯s voice came from beside him. ¡°Mr. Alexander, Jordan doesn¡¯t like that big star at all. If you want to look for a wife, shouldn¡¯t you ask for his opinion? My mommy said that she would definitely ask for my opinion if she ever finds a stepfather for me.¡± She was trying to implicate that as long as Alexander agreed, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem from Courtney¡¯s side. Looking somewhat puzzled, Alexander asked, ¡°Tina, don¡¯t you already have a father?¡± ¡°I do, but ever since I was a kid, I hardly see my father twice a year.¡± Tina sighed in an adult-like manner with a sad face. ¡°Isn¡¯t it pitiful?¡± After that, she quietly peeked at Alexander¡¯s reaction. Realization dawned upon Alexander. No wonder Tina has Courtney¡¯sst name; they probably didn¡¯t last well and had separated a long time ago. How dare she criticize me¡ªshe doesn¡¯t know what Tina wants because she doesn¡¯t have enough time to care for her daughter as well. While Alexander was busy analyzing Courtney¡¯s rtionship, Tina and Jordan secretly exchanged a triumphant look. ¡°Are you sure no one saw what happened that night?¡± In the cafe at the golf course, Britney was dressed casually as she drank some coffee and waved at the producer from the window with a bright smile. However, her expression darkened when she turned to look at her manager across the table. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Britney,¡± replied the manager coolly. ¡°I¡¯ve already tried asking around; the housekeepers were so busy with the gifts you brought over the other day that none of them were at the scene. By the time they arrived, the little boy had been lying on the ground for a while.¡± ¡°Deceiving those fools isn¡¯t a difficult task¡ªeven if someone had seen it, we can just pay them with money. Are you sure nothing was uncovered by the old man¡¯s men who went over to check things out? That old man is quite smart.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t find anything. Do you know what the maids said when I got someone to go over and ask?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They said that they have never seen their young master bring a woman home, let alone stay overnight. Since they saw you on his bed, why would you be a suspect?¡± As the matter came up, Britney had a smug look on her face. ¡°Indeed, such improvisation skills are my specialty. Did they really think that thest six years with Alexander was all for show?¡± Everyone in Melrose City knew that Alexander wasn¡¯t interested in women, for he never got himself involved with otherdies. People barely associated him with Britney, and many of them were suspicious of his sexual orientation. Even Britney¡¯s manager had his own suspicions, but it didn¡¯t matter to Britney. ¡°I don¡¯t care if he likes men or women. I don¡¯t need him to like me; all I want is the title of the Young Mistress of the Duncan Family.¡± As they were chatting, a figure paused for a few seconds and came over enthusiastically when she realized it was Britney. ¡°What a coincidence, Britney! You¡¯re here too?¡± When she heard the familiar voice, Britney raised her head with a surprised look. ¡°Anna? Why are you here?¡± Anna wore a beige colored chic suit with a limited edition Chanel clutch bag. She took off her sunsses and revealed a mmed up face with a big smile as Britney¡¯s manager gave her his seat. ¡°I just arrived.¡± Anna put down her bag. ¡°I was supposed to meet my friends here, but as soon as I arrived, my friends called to cancel. I was about to leave; I didn¡¯t expect to bump into you here, though.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other in over a year, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Unlike me, you¡¯re so busy shooting every day.¡± ¡°How can Ipare myself to you? You¡¯re the Young Lady of the Hunter Family; you don¡¯t have to run around for a living like we do in the entertainment industry.¡± They met at a business reception a few years ago and got along well, but they hadn¡¯t been in touch for a while. After they exchanged pleasantries, Britney asked about Anna¡¯s wellbeing as thetter sighed in frustration. ¡°Everything was fine, but I¡¯ve recently encountered some problems.¡± ¡°Problems?¡± ¡°Do you remember that I have a half-sister? Ever since she returned to the country, my father¡¯s attention has been all over her again. He initially promised my mother to let me join thepany, but he¡¯s been having second thoughts again¡ªapparently, he needs more time to think about it. Isn¡¯t it obvious? He¡¯s actually considering someone else.¡± ¡°Your sister?¡± Britney was a little surprised. ¡°Since when did you have a sister? I¡¯ve never heard about it before. Is she your father¡¯s illegitimate daughter?¡± Anna shook her head and exined vaguely. ¡°I do, and her name is Courtney. She never fit in with the rest of the family ever since she was a kid and never really hung out with us. After that, she went to college to study medicine and lived in school all year round. She has never participated in any of our circle¡¯s activities, so it¡¯s normal for others not to know her.¡± Britney¡¯s face changed when she heard the name. Anna Hunter? Courtney Hunter? Why didn¡¯t I think of that? ¡°I really hate her.¡± Anna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for her, me and my mother¡¯s lives would have been easy and nice. With her around, my father is so afraid of treating her poorly that he is always thinking about her¡ªjust thinking about it is driving me crazy.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not like she is your own sister.¡± Britney asked tentatively, ¡°Not only is she an illegitimate daughter that can¡¯t be known publicly, both you and your mother hate her as well. Why don¡¯t you just find a way to get rid of her? Isn¡¯t that kind of thing quitemon?¡± Anna didn¡¯t go into much detail about the ¡®illegitimate daughter¡¯, but she felt happy when she heard Britney¡¯sment about Courtney, so she blurted out the things that happened back then. ¡°It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t tried. Six years ago, I came up with a n to disgrace her in front of the Hunter Family so that my father would definitely not consider her to inherit the family business, but I couldn¡¯t find her at the critical time and missed my chance. She was quite capable¡ªshe disappeared for six months before leaving the country without a word for five years.¡± All of a sudden, Britney¡¯s heart sank. Something just doesn¡¯t feel right. Anna was still chattering away across the table. ¡°Since she already left, she should just stay where she was; why is she back after five years? What does she want? Is she back to fight against me for the family¡¯s fortune once she¡¯s done hiding her talents?¡± The young girl beside Courtney shed through Britney¡¯s mind. She pondered for a moment and asked, ¡°Is your sister married?¡± Chapter 41 One Night Surprise Chapter 41 Chapter 41 I¡¯ve Never Forced Anyone ¡°Married?¡± Anna frowned and snorted. ¡°When was she ever married? She still has her identification at home! She didn¡¯t even graduate college when she left, and she¡¯s only twenty-four this year.¡± Britney tried to pry more information out of Anna as she hinted, ¡°Did she fall in love with somebody? Why did she leave the country all of a sudden? Didn¡¯t you say that she did not even finish college? Could she have followed her boyfriend overseas?¡± Anna¡¯s face took on a look of contempt when she spoke of Courtney¡¯s past. ¡°Her boyfriend at that time? You probably know him¡ªhe¡¯s Isaac Graham, the Young Master of Graham Enterprise. He had gotten together with her best friend for ages, and they couldn¡¯t wait to let the whole world know about it. She was the only one who had no clue about it¡ªhow brainless!¡± ¡°Is that so? Issac Graham?¡± Britney made some calctions¡ªit seemed as though Anna was not aware that her sister had a child. Six years ago, Courtney was still in Melrose City and had only left five years ago, so the child was probably born here. In that case, the father of the child was probably someone in Melrose City, and it wouldn¡¯t have been Isaac. As she left the golf course in her MPV, Britney felt that something just wasn¡¯t adding up. ¡°Jason, is there a way to find out someone¡¯s hidden past from five or six years ago?¡± Jason turned back from the passenger seat and pondered for a moment. ¡°Yeah, just get a private investigator.¡± ¡°I want to look into someone.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The other Young Lady of the Hunter Family, Courtney Hunter. If I¡¯m not mistaken, she only left the country five years ago after giving birth in Melrose City. I want to know who the father of the child is.¡± Alexander¡¯s attitude toward Courtney is simply too strange. Just because she saved Jordan once doesn¡¯t mean that Alexander should treat her so differently. I don¡¯t care if this makes me an overly suspicious person, but I will only be at ease if she doesn¡¯t have anything to do with Alexander. Meanwhile, Anna had just returned home. Susan, who was Anna¡¯s mother, greeted thetter as soon as she came back. ¡°You¡¯re back, Anna! Why are you back sote? You didn¡¯t make it back in time for dinner.¡± Anna leaned against her mother¡¯s arm and said affectionately, ¡°I went to the golf course with my friend today and chatted for a while. It was Britney; you mentioned that you liked her TV series, so I asked her for a photograph.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve always been this thoughtful, Anna.¡± Susan praised her as she nced toward the sofa and raised her voice. ¡°Although I didn¡¯t give birth to a son, you can¡¯t find anyone more thoughtful than Anna in this world.¡± ¡°Okay, Mom¡ªhow can you praise yourself?¡± Annaughed and diligently brought some tea to the sofa. ¡°Have some tea, Dad.¡± Lucian was sitting on the sofa as he read the newspaper. Then, he put down the newspaper and nced at Anna with a loving look as he warned her and said, ¡°You¡¯re back sote. Go and quickly wash up¡ªyoung girls shouldn¡¯t stay up sote.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Anna nodded obediently. ¡°I know, Dad. You should take care of your health too.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Lucian took a sip of the tea and raised his head. ¡°You mentioned that thest time you saw your sister was at the mall. Do you know where your sister is living now?¡± When Anna heard that, the smile on her face stiffened as she tried to mask her displeasure. ¡°How would I know? I tried to talk to her that day, but she looked so busy and refused to talk to me. If we hadn¡¯t met at the mall, we wouldn¡¯t have known that she returned to the country.¡± Lucian sighed. ¡°This girl¡ªit must be tough living alone in the outside world. If you have time, ask around and find out where she is living. I¡¯ll go take a look and try to persuade her. I¡¯ll only stop worrying about her when shees back home.¡± Anna frowned and was about to say something when a cough came from behind her. Susan gave her daughter a pointed look and came forward with a smile. ¡°I understand your logic; it¡¯s not safe for a girl to live outside alone. Since Melrose City isn¡¯t that big, I¡¯ll ask around¡ªit shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find her.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Lucian picked up the newspaper. When she got back to the bedroom, Anna sat on the bed with a huff as she scowled. ¡°Mom, why did you promise Dad that you would find her? Also, I told you that I saw the b*tchst time, yet you told Dad about it¡ªaren¡¯t you looking for trouble?¡± Susan locked the door and turned around calmly. ¡°She¡¯d stille back whether you tell your father or not. Since she has returned to the country, it¡¯s impossible for her not toe home; instead of being unprepared when shees back herself, why don¡¯t we take the initiative to tell your father? That way, he would think that we mean well.¡± ¡°Is it useful for him to think that we mean well? If shees back, Dad will reconsider the position of thepany¡¯s heir again.¡± Susan frowned in response as her expression darkened. She huffed. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for my useless belly that couldn¡¯t give birth to a son, it wouldn¡¯t be so hard for him to choose between you and that brat. Well, lucky for us¡ªafter all those years that brat has been in the wild, there is no way she has achieved anything outstanding. As long as you marry into a wealthy family, you will definitely be the heir to this company.¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Anna¡¯s expression softened as she scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s for sure. Who knows what kind of man she¡¯s been fooling around with all those years living abroad? I think she¡¯s just afraid toe home because she¡¯s ashamed.¡± After the weekend was over, Courtney dropped Tina off at the kindergarten on Monday morning and went to work. After the meeting at the headquarters in the morning, she called out to Alexander in the corridor. ¡°Wait a minute, President Duncan.¡± Alexander and his assistant, Josh, turned around at the same time. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°Are you going to the hospital at noon?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Courtney sighed in relief and handed over a thermos bucket. ¡°I boiled this soup overnight. The thermos bucket is of special quality, so it will stay warm until noon. Please give it to Jordan.¡± Alexander nodded and personally took over the thermos bucket from Courtney¡¯s hands. Meanwhile, Josh was dumbfounded. This is not the first time! Is Miss Hunter¡¯s rtionship with President Ducan this special? She even manages Jordan¡¯s hospitalization? And President Duncan lets her do it too! ¡°Oh, right! There¡¯s also this.¡± Courtney handed over a small palm-sized book. ¡°I¡¯ve also written down the detailed method and steps of making the soup, so just pass it over to your cook. I may not have the time to cook for Jordantely because I can¡¯t afford to dy the project¡ªsorry for that.¡± Alexander took it and replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be going back to the hotel first.¡± Courtney nodded and smiled as she walked toward the elevator. ¡°Courtney.¡± Suddenly, Alexander¡¯s voice called out from behind her, making Courtney stop in her tracks. She then turned back in confusion. ¡°Is there anything else, President Duncan?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have someonee pick you and Tina up this Saturday; Jordan wants you toe over the house.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Courtney was stunned. ¡°Y-Your house?¡± ¡°Do you have something nned?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ N-Nothing but the project.¡± ¡°You can bring it over and work on it there. I will pay you overtime.¡± Alexander¡¯s tone sounded commanding and irrefusable. ¡°Is there a problem? I¡¯ve never forced anyone, so you can just forget about it if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°N-No problem.¡± Courtney stuttered. What does he mean by ¡®I¡¯ve never forced anyone¡¯? This is just so unfair! The bet is still ongoing and the contract hasn¡¯t even been signed yet! One word from him and I¡¯d have to leave, so who would dare to go against their boss¡¯ word? Chapter 42 One Night Surprise Chapter 42 Chapter 42 She Is Not an Outsider Early Saturday morning, Courtney was still sleeping when she was dragged out of bed by Tina. ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s time to wake up.¡± Courtney looked at the bedside clock in a daze and said desperately, ¡°Tina, it¡¯s only 7.00AM! What are you doing?¡± Tina tugged on one of Courtney¡¯s arms and puffed her cheeks. ¡°Mommy, this is your first time going to Mr. Alexander¡¯s house; don¡¯t you want to dress up properly? Come on¡ªget up, take a shower and change your clothes.¡± Courtney hugged the pillow in exasperation. Why did I give birth to such a shameless daughter who pushes me to any man she sees? Under Tina¡¯s continuous urges, Courtney put on some simple makeup and took out her usual T-shirt and jeans from the closet. Before she could even put them on, it was dragged away by Tina. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Why are you wearing this, Mommy?¡± ¡°What else would I be wearing?¡± ¡°This one.¡± Tina pulled out a burgundy open-back dress from the closet. ¡°This one is pretty.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Courtney smacked Tina¡¯s head lightly. ¡°It¡¯s not like we are going to a nightclub¡ªthis is a formal dress. We¡¯re just going to y at your ssmate¡¯s house; do I really need to put on a formal dress?¡± ¡°This one!¡± Tina suggested again as she tugged on a grey-blue dress. ¡°This one should be fine.¡± Courtney took the dress out and examined it for a while¡ªit did look good, but she hesitated for a bit. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be inconvenient to wear a dress? Both of you will be jumping up and down.¡± ¡°No,¡± Tina raised her hand and swore. ¡°I promise that I¡¯ll behave today.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be damned if I believe you.¡± Courtney wanted to ignore her, but Tina stomped her feet and refused to let her wear a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. In the end, she had no choice but to put on that blue dress. After having their breakfast at 9.00AM, Alexander¡¯s butler arrived downstairs to take them back to Royal Park Manor. ¡°The Young Master had an important meeting in the morning, so he is not at home right now. He asked me to pick you and Tina up first.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Courtney replied understandingly. The butler was aposed middle-aged man in his early forties, and he drove in a calm and steady manner. ¡°The little master has been in a lot of identstely, so he must be feeling quite miserable. He is still wary of everyone even when all the maids in the manor have beenpletely changed, so I was quite surprised when he invited Miss Hunter toe over.¡± ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s more at ease with me because I saved him once before.¡± Courtney smiled as she thought, Who isn¡¯t surprised? I¡¯m pretty surprised as well. As they spoke about Jordan¡¯s injury, Tina sat up straight from her seat and sighed heavily. It drew Courtney¡¯s attention to her as she asked, ¡°Why are you sighing? You¡¯re still so young.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sighing because of Jordan.¡± Tina furrowed her brows. ¡°You see, Jordan can¡¯t talk and he¡¯s so unlucky. I¡¯ve never seen a kid more unfortunate than him! Mommy, our school teacher said that people tend to be unluckier during the year of their zodiac. Is it Jordan¡¯s zodiac sign this year?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯re only five years old, and this is just a form of superstition. Which teacher taught you all of this nonsense? You even took it so seriously.¡± Courtney felt helpless, but she also felt sorry for Jordan. Although they had only known each other for two months, Jordan had already been in two life- threatening idents. If she hadn¡¯t blocked the chandelier back then, the little guy would have died; had he cracked his head this time, Jordan would have lost his life too. Were all of these incidents just idents? She began to grow suspicious. When they arrived at the Royal Park Manor and got down the car, a small figure ran over from the doorway and hugged Courtney¡¯s legs. The maid chased after him. ¡°Little Master, oh dear¡­ He hasn¡¯t even finished washing his face yet.¡± Courtney carried Jordan from the floor. ¡°You haven¡¯t washed your face yet? No worries, I¡¯ll take him to wash his face. Where is the bathroom?¡± The maid quickly pointed at a direction in the house as she sized Courtney up and followed behind. Then, the maid looked at the little girl behind them and sighed. ¡°You must be Miss Hunter¡ªyou¡¯re so young, yet your daughter is so big already!¡± As soon as they walked in the house, Tina looked around with admiration. Jordan¡¯s house is so big! The staircase actually divides into the left, right and center¡ªthere¡¯s even an elevator! Whoa! Tina immediately started talking to the young maid who led them in. Courtney, on the other hand, was clueless about her daughter¡¯s thoughts as she took Jordan into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. ¡°I brought over some snacks that I made this morning. Do you want to eat them together?¡± she asked. Jordan nodded happily. They sat at the dining table and opened the lunch box brought by Courtney. When Courtney was about to feed Jordan, the maid who was taking care of him cried out in panic, ¡°Wait a minute, Miss Hunter! Little Master is not allowed to eat anything from the outside.¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney froze as she held the snack. Seeing this, the butler red at the maid and scolded her. He said, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? The Young Master invited Miss Hunter to the house, don¡¯t you understand? In the eyes of the Young Master and the Little Master, whatever Miss Hunter makes is probably much safer than what you all make.¡± The maid¡¯s face paled as she was reprimanded by the butler. The butler continued, ¡°All right, you can go about your business. The Young Master¡¯s instructions were that Miss Hunter and Tinae and y at ease, so they will call you when they need you.¡± After that, the maids quickly dispersed. Courtney breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at the butler gratefully. ¡°They¡¯re finally gone. I¡¯m quite ufortable when people watch me eat.¡± The butler lowered his head apologetically. ¡°It¡¯s my fault for not instructing them properly. Please take your time to eat, Miss Hunter. Do not hesitate to call me or a servant if you need anything.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± After the minor incident, Courtney finally rxed and began to eat properly. Jordan ate a lot during breakfast¡ªhe had a bun, two small snacks and even a bowl of porridge. The maids were startled as they watched from afar and whispered amongst themselves. Ever since thest incident, most of them were new maids andcked discipline, so they were bold enough to discuss Courtney¡¯s origins. ¡°Why does the Young Master like Miss Hunter so much?¡± ¡°I heard that she¡¯s the mother of Little Master¡¯s ssmate¡ªthat little girl over there.¡± ¡°Oh, that little girl is so sweet! She even gave me a candy¡ªwait, could it be that our Little Master likes that little girl?¡± ¡°What rubbish! He¡¯s just a little boy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just kidding! However, I think the way the Young Master treats Miss Hunter is special. I heard from the maid who worked here before that the Young Master never brought a woman back to the house; even his fianc¨¦e of five, six years hasn¡¯t been here that often.¡± ¡°Hey, could it be that the Young Master and Miss Hunter¡­¡± Chapter 43 One Night Surprise Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Future Young Mistress ¡°How can that be possible? The Young Master is getting married to Miss Price.¡± ¡°I heard that Old Master Duncan dislikes Miss Price and doesn¡¯t agree with the marriage at all.¡± ¡°Really?¡± A maid covered her mouth with astonishment as she lowered her voice and said, ¡°If that¡¯s true, does it mean that the appearance of Miss Hunter shows that the Young Master likes her more?¡± ¡°Be a little more sharp and respectful to her¡ªwho knows, she might be the future Young Mistress.¡± Meanwhile, Courtney was busy eating with the children. Unbeknownst to her, Jordan¡¯s dependence on herself had triggered the imagination of all the servants in the manor; she was even crowned as the future Young Mistress of the family. It was already 3.00PM when the two meetings of Sunhill Enterprise were over. Josh ced the meal he had ordered earlier on the coffee table in the office. ¡°You should eat first, President Duncan. I will copy the minutes of the meeting to yourputerter.¡± Alexander pinched his eyebrows and nodded tiredly. He had been busy since 7.00AM and hadn¡¯t had time to eat yet. After a brief rest, Alexander called home and put his phone on speaker as he unpacked his meal. The call was quickly connected as the butler¡¯s respectful voice came through. ¡°Are you done with your work, Young Master?¡± ¡°Yeah, I just finished. How are things at home?¡± ¡°Everything is fine. Don¡¯t worry, Young Master¡ªMiss Hunter and the Little Master are getting along, and he is having fun with Miss Hunter¡¯s daughter as well.¡± The sound of children ying came from the other end of the call as well as Tina¡¯s loudugh. ¡°Jordan, this toy of yours is just too funny! Haha!¡± Alexander¡¯s expression softened. Although he couldn¡¯t hear Jordan¡¯s voice, he could already imagine how happy Jordan was from Tina¡¯s laugh. ¡°That¡¯s good. Pay attention to their safety,¡± he said. ¡°Do you still have work, Young Master? Miss Hunter asked me if you wereing back for dinner.¡± ¡°No, I have a dinner partyter tonight.¡± Alexander said tly. ¡°I will be backter. If it¡¯s toote, please arrange for a driver to send both of them back.¡± As he hung up the phone, Alexander felt strange as he held the chopsticks and stared at the delicious meal in front of him. He suddenly lost his appetite and somehow yearned for the food that Courtney had brought over to the hospitalst weekend. She should be preparing dinner soon. Even though there are maids at home, she¡¯d probably make it herself ording to her personality. I wonder what¡¯s for dinner? ¡°President Duncan, here is the chicken soup that the delivery guy forgot to deliver.¡± All of a sudden, Josh knocked on the door and walked in with a thermos bucket. Alexander stared at the silver thermos box and suddenly put down his chopsticks and stood up. ¡°Josh, cancel the dinner party for me¡ªI¡¯m not going.¡± ¡°What?¡± Josh carried the thermos box with a puzzled look and asked, ¡°Why are you not going? Is there something important? It¡¯s a dinner party for the Shanghai exhibition and sale.¡± Meanwhile, Alexander had already grabbed his jacket and walked out,pletely ignoring Josh. While driving back, he stopped at a snack shop and bought two boxes of snacks to bring back home. It was almost evening when he arrived, but the sky was still bright with a gorgeous colorful haze in the distance. The house was lively with the sound of children giggling from the toy room on the second floor. When Alexander pushed open the door of the room, a fuming Courtney was standing with her hands full of flour while she pointed at Tina, who was jumping excitedly on the bed. ¡°Youe down this instant, Tina! Stop fooling around. I¡¯m going to cook, and no one will be here if you fall down again. You too, Jordan¡ªyour injuries are not healed yet. How can you follow this nonsense?¡± Alexander leaned against the door and was stunned by the scene in front of him. Jordan had always been quiet and reserved, but now he was actually jumping and rolling on the bed with Tina while wearing Spiderman clothes and asionally posing as the hero. He doesn¡¯t look like a person who has a broken bone! Courtney warned them again as the two kids looked at each other and stuck their tongues out before they got off the bed. ¡°That¡¯s right, be good. If you want to y, you¡¯ll have to wait until I finish cooking, all right?¡± Courtney pointed at Tina¡¯s nose. ¡°You must look after Jordan. Don¡¯t y too rough¡ªhe¡¯s not healed yet, and his arm is still in a cast.¡± Tina giggled yfully. ¡°Okay Mommy, I know! I won¡¯t y then.¡± Courtney nodded with satisfaction and turned around. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Her gaze was so focused on the two children that she hadn¡¯t noticed there was someone at the door, bumping right into him immediately. ¡°Ah!¡± Courtney cried out as her forehead knocked into a rock-hard chest. As she raised her head in pain, her heart skipped a beat while she panicked and took a few steps back. ¡°S-Sorry.¡± Courtney looked down and realized there were two white handprints on Alexander¡¯s ck shirt as flour fluttered down to the ground. Alexander¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Courtney rushed forward. ¡°Let me help you pat it off.¡± As her hands patted Alexander¡¯s chest several times, the white palm prints were gone, leaving behind a chest full of flour. Alexander covered his mouth as he coughed and pushed her away from him. ¡°Courtney, y-you¡­ are you trying to take revenge on your boss?¡± Courtney shook her head vigorously. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that! It¡¯s just a misunderstanding! I was going to cook dinner¡ªin fact, I¡¯m making dough. How was I supposed to know that you were standing at the door?¡± ¡°Are you saying that it¡¯s my fault right now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying that you shouldn¡¯t stand at the doorway so quietly,¡± Courtney muttered guilty. Alexander¡¯s gaze darkened as his tone sounded strained. ¡°Courtney, is this because I¡¯ve been treating you too nice as ofte?¡± ¡°No, not at all!¡± Courtney waved her hands and reasoned calmly. ¡°I just thought that the reason I¡¯m making dough and identally soiling your clothes is for your son, so when you think about it¡ªwhich is more important, your shirt or your son?¡± Alexander was actually rendered speechless as he frowned and changed the subject. ¡°There are maids in the house, so why do you need to cook? I invited you as a guest here¡ªdon¡¯t turn this on meter and say that I was bullying you.¡± ¡°How can what the maids makepare with mine?¡± Courtney rolled her eyes and raised her eyebrow. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? If you make a snack for Jordan now, Jordan will still be exceptionally happy¡ªeven if it¡¯s not as good as the ones made by the maids.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to go through all that trouble; I¡¯ve already bought some.¡± Alexander lifted the box of snacks in his hand. ¡°Store-bought snacks are definitely not the same as the ones you make yourself.¡± Suddenly, Courtney thought of something. ¡°Wait a minute, do you not have any ns for tonight?¡¯ Alexander looked at her and answered faintly, ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great¡ªyou¡¯re just in time. Follow me to the kitchen; let me teach you how to make the dough and snacks for the kids. Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 44 One Night Surprise Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Don¡¯t Be a Sore Loser Without another word, Courtney pushed Alexander into the kitchen. ¡°You really should spend more time with Jordan. Look how happy he is ying with Tina! I also heard from the maids who take care of him that he has never been so happy before¡ªthat¡¯s the craziest thing I¡¯ve ever heard.¡± Alexander felt a pang of guilt as he listened to Courtney¡¯s words and was taken aback when an apron was shoved into his hands. ¡°Put this on so that the flour won¡¯t get on your clothes.¡± His eyes slightly twitched as he stared at the pink apron in his hands. He was about to say something when Courtney urged, ¡°Why are you still standing there? Go and wash your hands. It¡¯s already 5.00PM, and the kids will die of hunger if we don¡¯t cook dinner soon.¡± He actually listened to her as he silently put on the apron and washed his hands. With that, Alexander began learning how to make noodles under Courtney¡¯s instructions. ¡°When we make our own cookies, a simple round or square shaped cookie is usually fine. However, kids don¡¯t focus on vor¡ªthey like the appearance of the food more than how it tastes. When we¡¯re making cookies, we can use molds or our hands to pinch the dough into various animal shapes.¡± Courtney demonstrated and squeezed the dough on the oven paper. ¡°Look, this is the shape of a small duck, but don¡¯t make it too fat¡ªit¡¯ll expand on its own after you put it in the oven.¡± Courtney looked very serious when she was teaching as she stared at her oven paper. Shortly after that, various animals appeared on the baking tray. Alexander looked at her as he stood on the side and suddenly felt a strange feeling in his heart. All of a sudden, he found her very interesting; she was far more interesting than all the women he had met before. Courtney was not vain and pretentious; not only was she capable at work and at home, she was also kind and brave. She was simple, direct, and also very patient when it came to dealing with the children. Mr. Alexander, why don¡¯t you consider making my mommy your wife? The words that he had taken as a child¡¯s joke suddenly turned up in his head. Alexander¡¯s hand trembled and squeezed too much dough onto the oven paper as a weird pile of dough appeared. Courtney bursted into a fit of giggles and said bluntly, ¡°President Duncan, we¡¯re lucky that this dough is beige in color. Otherwise, no one would want to eat a pile of chocte vored poop-shaped cookies.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression froze as he looked at his own masterpiece and felt embarrassed. He impatiently threw down the things in his hand and said, ¡°You do it yourself then.¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s sulking.¡± Courtney raised her eyebrow and gave him a gloating look. ¡°All right, it¡¯s not like we can¡¯t save it¡ªI think there¡¯s a way we can still salvage this.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. After that, she took out a small cranberry from the bag of cranberries and ced it on the ¡®poop¡¯ shaped cookie before using a toothpick to lengthen the end of the dough. ¡°There, it looks like a small snake now.¡± Alexander nced at the salvaged ¡®snake¡¯ shape¡ªits eyes made from cranberries radiated a yful shine as the ¡®snake¡¯ curledzily on the oven paper with its long, thin tail dragging behind. He stared at it for a while as his eyes unconsciously moved to Courtney¡¯s face¡ªthat smug look on her was surprisingly pleasant to his eyes. At dinner time, Jordan seemed much happier than usual. Alexander, on the other hand, was amazed that the little boy took the initiative to eat by himself. Feeding Jordan had always been a difficult task because he would rather not eat than let others feed him; even if he was fed, he would only eat a little. Hence, the five-year-old Jordan was always thinner and weakerpared to his peers. ¡°Can you actually eat by yourself, Jordan?¡± Alexander couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°He¡¯s already five years old; who doesn¡¯t know how?¡± Courtney raised her voice. ¡°Jordan knows a lot of things, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Jordan nodded his head and nced at Alexander with disdain, seeming as though he was just hiding his talents from Alexander before. Alexander was slightly annoyed by Jordan¡¯s gaze, but he finally caved in and put some food in Jordan¡¯s bowl as he said gently, ¡°I¡¯m the one who hasn¡¯t been paying enough attention to you. You should eat more.¡± It was gettingte and Courtney was prepared to leave after the meal, but Tina was reluctant to go back as she insisted on ying games together. There was a huge LCD television in Alexander¡¯s living room with a game called ¡®Tank Battle¡¯ on it, which could be yed by four people at the same time with a game console each. They were only five minutes into the first round as Alexander upied all of their territories and ended the game. Courtney was a little frustrated. ¡°This is not fair. You must have yed it very frequently since it¡¯s your family¡¯s game machine. We¡¯re all new to this game, so this is not fair.¡± ¡°This is my first time ying this too.¡± Alexander said tantly. ¡°Don¡¯t make excuses for your failures.¡± As soon as he heard that, Jordan kicked Alexander with frustration and jumped around angrily¡ªno one knew what he was saying as he grabbed his drawing board and wrote, ¡°Bad Daddy.¡± Alexander gave a wry smile as he stroked Jordan¡¯s head and asked, ¡°Am I considered bad if I win? Jordan, that¡¯s not logical¡ªyou can¡¯t be a sore loser when you lose.¡± Jordan red at him and pushed his hand away as he sulked, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Alexander had no choice but to y again. This time, he carefully circled around the game for almost half an hour before finally deciding to counterattack, but Jordan kicked off the game console in his hand as Courtney broke into his camp with a tank and destroyed everything. ¡°Yeah, we won!¡± Tina jumped up and cheered as she tore down a note and pped it across Alexander¡¯s forehead. ¡°Punishment!¡± Alexander questioned. ¡°Howe there was no punishment for you guys when you lost earlier?¡± ¡°We were just trying out the game earlier. How can there be punishment when it was just a trial? This is the real start of the game,¡± Courtney replied with a justified look. He nced at his son who followed her lead and nodded his head. Alexander was speechless. I have led the wolves into my house, and my own son is rebelling against me. They yed several rounds after that¡ªAlexander had the intention to win, but he didn¡¯t stand a chance against the sabotage of the two little kids. Finally, after being stered with a face full of notes, the papers fluttered along with Alexander¡¯s breath and had almost covered his whole face. Laughing heartily, Courtney fell on the cushion and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t y the game anymore¡ªthere¡¯s no more space on your face to stick more notes!¡± The children pped their hands and jumped on the cushion as Tinaughed loudly. ¡°All right, it¡¯ste¡ªwe should go.¡± After she calmed down, Courtney stood up from the sofa and reached toward Tina. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Tina. It¡¯s almost 10.00PM, and it¡¯ll be toote if we don¡¯t go back soon.¡± Immediately, Tina¡¯s smile vanished from her face as she pouted. ¡°No! Since it¡¯s alreadyte, why don¡¯t we stay here for the night, Mommy?¡± Courtney¡¯s face dropped. Chapter 45 One Night Surprise Chapter 45 Chapter 45 She¡¯s Here With Me ¡°Tina.¡± Courtney¡¯s voice deepened as she stared at the little girl. ¡°Do you think this is appropriate?¡± Tina pursed her lips as she felt guilty. When Mommy talks to me like this, it usually means that she¡¯s really angry. ¡°Mommy,¡± Tina tugged on her sleeve. ¡°I just want to y with Jordan for a little while longer.¡± Courtney looked at her with a serious face. ¡°Do you know what time it is now? Haven¡¯t I told you this before? You can y at someone¡¯s house, but when it¡¯s time to go back, you can¡¯t insist on staying at someone¡¯s house¡ªthat¡¯s basic manners.¡± As she was reprimanding Tina, Jordan suddenly crawled over and hugged one of her legs while his other hand was holding the drawing board. Courtney felt a tight grasp on her leg and looked down. Jordan raised his drawing board, and she read the words written on it, ¡®I want Tina to stay.¡¯ ¡°Jordan,¡± Courtney frowned. She didn¡¯t know what to say because she was always unable to refuse Jordan¡¯s request. ¡°I have to go, Jordan. It¡¯s toote today, so I¡¯ll bring Tina over to y with you the next time I have a chance, okay?¡± Jordan got nervous when he realized Courtney insisted on going back. He quickly wrote on his drawing board and tugged on Alexander¡¯s pants as he tried to show it to thetter. ¡®If you don¡¯t let Tina and Miss Hunter stay, then I will stop eating.¡¯ Alexander was stunned as a strange wave rippled through his heart. He looked at Courtney and asked hesitantly, ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay here tonight? There¡¯s a spare room for you and Tina here.¡± Courtney froze. ¡°No, that¡¯s not good.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way,¡± Alexander nced at her and exined calmly. ¡°If you leave now, Jordan will stop eating again. Besides, his hand injury is not healed yet and he¡¯s stuck at home, so it¡¯s hard for him to see his friends.¡± Courtney was rendered speechless by his words. Tina joined in and said, ¡°Tomorrow is a Sunday, Mommy. There¡¯s no need to go to school or work. I promise that I¡¯ll definitely go home tomorrow¡ªI just want to spend more time with Jordan.¡± Courtney finally caved in and poked Tina¡¯s forehead with her finger. ¡°You already know how to apany others at such a young age; it¡¯s true that girls don¡¯t stay long with their mothers.¡± Once they decided to stay for the night, the maids promptly arranged a guest room for them. Courtney took Tina for a bath, and the little girl was so excited that she kept jumping around in the bathtub. As a result, all the towels in the bathroom were soaked wet by her. ¡°All right, all right, is there no end to this? Do you have to be so happy?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Tina smiled brightly at Courtney. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ve always wanted to have a brother.¡± Courtney frowned as she lowered her voice. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t have one.¡± Tina knew that she had brought up her mother¡¯s painful memory and instantly regretted her words. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mommy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Courtney sighed and stroked her hair. ¡°Stop fooling around and stay put in the water. Don¡¯t get cold; I¡¯ll go and find you a new towel.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The son that had been taken away back then was always a knot in Courtney¡¯s heart. Even if she could find the child, Courtney knew that it was highly unlikely for her to bring him back. Nheless, she hoped that she could just see him one more time¡ªeven if she could only watch from afar to see how he was doing. If he was living happily, there was no need for her to disrupt his life. As soon as she walked out of the room, Courtney exhaled nervously and felt her heart suffocating with sadness. Meanwhile, Alexander was drinking water in the living room and turned around when he heard a sound from upstairs to see Courtney walking down. Her light blue dress was mostly soaked through. In particr, her chest area revealed the vague outline of her brasette inside. He felt his abdomen tightening as he watched, and his mouth went dry. ¡°Uh, where are the maids?¡± Courtney asked hesitantly when she saw him staring at her intently. Alexander came to his senses and avoided her gaze. ¡°They just went out to throw the garbage. What are you looking for?¡± ¡°A towel,¡± Courtney pulled her cor and smiled wryly. ¡°Tina got excited while showering and got me soaked all over. All the towels inside the bathroom got wet, so I wanted to ask for some fresh towels.¡± Alexander nced at the door. The garbage disposal ce was quite far; since the maids had just left not too long ago, it would take a while for them toe back. ¡°I have some in my room. I¡¯ll go get it for you.¡± Then, he put down his ss and walked toward the stairs. When Courtney followed behind him to the second floor¡¯s master bedroom, she couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous and clutched her fingers. As she stared at Alexander¡¯s back, she shook her head to dispel the distracting thoughts that popped up in her head. What am I thinking about? ¡°Do you want a bath towel or a face towel? Come and see for yourself.¡± Alexander stood at the bathroom door and called out to her as she quickly ran over. ¡°Both.¡± There were neatly folded towels in the cab next to the bathroom sink. Courtney took two bath towels; as she turned the rest over and couldn¡¯t find any face towels, she figured that they could be on the top. She tiptoed to reach it, but it was quite straining for her with her limited height. A hand reached over her head as a low murmur came from the dark. ¡°Just two?¡± She was a little dazed and nodded numbly. She didn¡¯t know whether he saw it, but she felt that the shadow had further engulfed her body. As Alexander took the towel, he lowered his head and met Courtney¡¯s dazed gaze¡ªeven in the dark, her eyes were exceptionally bright. There was a tug on his heartstrings as his hands froze mid-air. Under the dim light of the bathroom, the way Alexander was taking the things from Courtney¡¯s back seemed like he was hugging her very intimately. Suddenly, the atmosphere around them turned ambiguous as the temperature in the bathroom slowly increased. Courtney¡¯s breath became heavier as she smelled the faint cologne on his body; she couldn¡¯t stop herself from taking a gentle whiff. He smells good. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Young Master¡­¡± All of a sudden, the sound of the servant knocking on the door interrupted the intimate atmosphere in the bathroom abruptly. Courtney sobered up when she heard the sound and lowered her head to avoid the gaze that fell onto her, taking a step back to pull a safe distance between them. Alexander also returned to his senses and looked toward the door with displeasure in his eyes. ¡°What is it?¡± He took down a face towel and handed it to Courtney. Courtney stiffened as she took it. She felt that her heart was still pounding in her chest, and it seemed like it was about to jump out at any moment. This feeling is very strange. ¡°I just went to the guest room; Miss Hunter¡¯s daughter was alone in the bathroom asking about her mother¡¯s whereabouts. I have looked all over the house and can¡¯t seem to find Miss Hunter.¡± Courtney looked at Alexander, but it was toote¡ªhe had calmly walked out of the bathroom and replied, ¡°She¡¯s here with me.¡± There was only silence outside the door. Chapter 46 One Night Surprise Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Mommy ¡°I-I will take my leave now, Young Master. I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you and Miss Hunter.¡± The maid¡¯s flustered exnation and departing footsteps came from the doorway. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like that.¡± Courtney ran to the door to exin, but when she opened the door, the corridor waspletely empty¡ªit was as though it was all just her own illusion. She felt helpless. This is great. Now, no one will ever believe me. ¡°Do all of your maids appear out of nowhere?¡± She turned around and looked at Alexander with a scowl. Alexander was puzzled and frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Courtney felt that it was pointless to talk to him about the impact of words, so she took the towels and was about to leave when she suddenly remembered something and turned around. ¡°By the way, you should spend more time with Jordan because I think he¡¯s really insecure. You saw how happy he was today with Tina¡ªhe needspany, and you can¡¯t just solve it by getting so many people to take care of him. All he needs is people that he likes to apany and take care of him.¡± In reality, she wanted to ask Alexander if he had to marry Britney; Jordan seemed to really dislike that actress, and that woman didn¡¯t seem like she meant well. However, after pondering over it for a while, she felt that it was strange for her to ask that. She was afraid that people would think she had ulterior motives, so she decided against it. After all, it was someone else¡¯s family affairs. As Alexander looked at Courtney¡¯s concerned face, a thought suddenly came to his mind and he blurted out without thinking. ¡°In that case, you should stay here and take care of him.¡± His low voice echoed in therge manor as Courtney¡¯s expression froze. ¡°W-What do you mean?¡± Alexander¡¯s brows slightly furrowed with a surprised look; it seemed like he couldn¡¯t believe his own words and quickly averted his gaze. Then, he spoke in a cold manner. ¡°The monthly sry as Jordan¡¯s nanny is three times more of what you make as a hotel manager.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Courtney¡¯s tense expression softened when she realized that Alexander was just joking as she replied yfully, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t consider it even if it was ten times more. From the perspective of my career, I¡¯m much better at managing the hotel than taking care of your child. Don¡¯t worry, President Duncan, Sunhill Hotel is still my main priority¡ªyou don¡¯t have to test me like this.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression was nd and he didn¡¯t say anything else. After she left, he closed the door and stood in the bathroom as he recalled his words. A strange feeling rippled through his heart, which was much stronger than when he saw her in the afternoon. Asking her to stay? I think that I¡¯m really overthinking this. Why did I evene up with such an idea? At work, Courtney was his subordinate¡ªshe was nothing but an intern manager. In private, he had only known her for a few months. It was quite ridiculous for him to have such thoughts in contrast to his usual reasoning. He pondered for a while and attributed it all to the fact that Jordan was just very fond of her and Tina. But even after he found the source of the problem, he still couldn¡¯t sleep as he tossed and turned all night. Meanwhile, someone was theplete opposite of Alexander. Courtney finished her shower and applied some expensive skincare products in the guest room. After she put on an overpriced face mask, she shamelessly stuffed the whole box of masks into her bag and hugged Tina as theyy down on the big bed. This is sofortable. ¡°Is itfortable, Mommy?¡± asked Tina as she nestled in her arms. Tina nodded with her face mask on. ¡°It¡¯s superfortable. I¡¯ve decided to take the masks back home tomorrow.¡± ¡°I was right¡ªmoney is everything! If you marry Mr. Alexander, all of these will be yours!¡± Tina¡¯s eyes were full of encouragement as she rolled over onto Courtney¡¯s chest in anticipation. Courtney raised her eyebrow and poked Tina¡¯s forehead. ¡°You¡¯re going to sell your mother for such a small profit? Looks like I have to show you more of the world¡ªI used to be rich too, okay?¡± Tina put her hand over her forehead and pouted. ¡°I know that, but you no longer have any money because of me. I just want you to be rich again.¡± While they were living abroad back then, Tina¡¯s ¡®father¡¯¡ªwhom she only saw once or twice a year¡ª told her that her mommy used to be a Young Lady. Her mommy couldn¡¯t go back home because of her, so she was to be good and not make her Mommy angry. ¡°Who cares if we¡¯re poor? Tina, our lives have been pretty good so far.¡± Courtney closed her eyes with a satisfied expression. ¡°When we were rich, we slept in a bed in a house, we ate three meals a day and even had to guard against the ill-intentioned schemes from other people. I prefer the life we have now than before.¡± Seeing that her mom was so unambitious, Tina sighed in a very adult-like manner. ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s not right for you to be like this. Mommy?¡± Courtney didn¡¯t answer because she had drifted off to sleep. Tina felt helpless. It looks like I¡¯ll have to work my way from Mr. Alexander if I want to enlighten my mommy and get her to seize the opportunity! The next day, Courtney and Tina spent another day at Alexander¡¯s ce. Much to Courtney¡¯s surprise, Alexander personally drove them back in the evening. ¡°Thank you for all the trouble, President Duncan.¡± After they got out of the car, Courtney held Tina¡¯s hand and stood under the apartment building. Alexander stood in front of the car and replied in his strong, low voice, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You guys should head back.¡± Tina raised her head and looked at Alexander as her child-like voice echoed throughout the neighborhood. ¡°Mr. Alexander, can you bring Jordan to my house to y next weekend?¡± Courtney looked at her in astonishment. This brat! Who told her to randomly invite others? Did she even ask for my permission? Then again, she thought to herself, Who is Alexander? He¡¯s so busy all the time, so I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll even agree. ¡°Okay.¡± Just then, she heard his clear reply. Her surprised gaze fell upon Alexander. However, Alexander seemed calm andposed as he squatted down and touched Tina¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ll bring Jordan over with me next Saturday, okay?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Tina¡¯s eyes lit up as she hugged his neck and gave him a peck on his cheek. ¡°I¡¯ve stamped on it, so Mr. Alexander has to keep his word.¡± Alexander froze for a moment as he touched his face and smiled. ¡°All right.¡± The rare and gentle smile on Alexander¡¯s face made Courtney swallow back the words she was about to scold Tina. She stared at him dazedly and was lost in her own thoughts. Suddenly, she felt that Alexander only chose to smile after strict logical consideration. There were so many women lined up to be his son¡¯s stepmother; with that smile he had earlier, anyone would be willing to be his lover. Somehow, she remembered that intimate scene in the bathroomst night, and her cheeks started to warm up. Chapter 47 One Night Surprise Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Why Would I Fall In Love ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mommy.¡± Courtney came to her senses and watched the rear end of the car disappear from the entrance of the neighborhood and coughed awkwardly. On the way back, Tina took Courtney¡¯s hand and looked at her knowingly. ¡°Mommy, did you just fall in love?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s fallen in love?¡± Courtney denied. ¡°Why would I fall in love?¡± ¡°You kept staring at Mr. Alexander and wouldn¡¯t leave! Even I felt embarrassed for you, Mommy!¡± Courtney blushed scarlet and was speechless. When they exited the elevator, her expression changed as she remembered what Tina did earlier and grabbed her by the cor. ¡°I haven¡¯t settled the score with you. Who allowed you to casually invite others to our house? Did you ask for my permission?¡± Tina struggled and protested. ¡°Let me go, Mommy! My teacher taught us to return the courtesy from others.¡± Courtney was speechless. She didn¡¯t really care if Tina¡¯s teacher had taught them about courtesy. The following Monday, Courtney met Alexander at the entrance when kindergarten had ended; he was also there to pick his kid up. ¡°I¡¯ll drop you guys off¡ªit¡¯s along the way.¡± The ck car was parked under the inconspicuous old locust tree. As Courtney saw the busy crowd on the street, she realized that it would be hard to get a cab; the subway would be difficult to squeeze in at this time too, so she agreed. After arriving at their doorstep, she said politely, ¡°Thanks a lot, President Duncan. If you hadn¡¯t been so busy, I would have invited you toe up for dinner.¡± She was obviously being courteous, but she was afraid that Alexander wouldn¡¯t understand. After all, some people pretended to be oblivious to such courteous words when they wanted to. ¡°I¡¯m not busy.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice echoed in her ears. ¡°Since Jordan wants to eat your cooking and has refused to eat properly at home, let¡¯s go.¡± With that, he got out of his car. Courtney wanted to p herself. Why did I run my mouth off? Why didn¡¯t I just keep my mouth shut? Filled with regret, she brought Alexander and Jordan into the house and prepared a table full of food. Although she only used the ingredients she had in the fridge, her cooking skills won them over. ¡°Our house is quite small, so I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than what I imagined. Stop fussing about¡ªsit down and eat.¡± Alexander was passing the food to the children like he was in his own house. Surprised, Courtney listened to him and took off her apron before sitting across from him. The atmosphere was a little awkward, so she tried to find a topic to talk about as she asked, ¡°Earlier this afternoon, I heard from Josh that you usually have dinner parties at night.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What about today?¡± ¡°There¡¯s none today.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± After a brief and awkward conversation, Courtney decided to shut her mouth and stopped talking¡ª Alexander was not one to make small talk. I¡¯d better not look for a topic to talk about since it¡¯s even more awkward to try. Then, it was quiet for a while as Tina ate and started to chatter about what happened in school. Alexander actually seemed interested and asked questions from time to time while Jordan would nod or shake his head. Soon enough, the atmosphere gradually warmed up. After they finished their meal, Alexander chatted with the two kids in the living room while Courtney washed the dishes in the kitchen. It was almost 9.00PM by the time she came out of the kitchen. ¡°It¡¯ste; I shall take my leave with Jordan.¡± Alexander got up from the sofa and bid them goodbye. Courtney was slightly taken aback; the perfect excuse she had prepared to get them to leave the house was now useless, and she suddenly felt embarrassed about the whole ordeal. As she walked them to the door, she suggested politely, ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t do anything special since today was kind of ast- minute thing, so you guys should visit us more often.¡± Alexander held Jordan¡¯s hand and nodded at her. ¡°Okay.¡± Courtney¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Why do I think that he hasn¡¯t taken the hint? Don¡¯t tell me that he¡¯s taking it seriously again? The next day, the ck car was parked in front of the kindergarten under the old locust tree again. Once again, it was on the way and back to Courtney¡¯s house for a meal. Over the next few days, Alexander would bring his son to Courtney¡¯s house for dinner. She felt more ufortable as the days went by and finally took Tina to the subway train to avoid passing the old locust tree. Naturally, Alexander was not there when they were having dinner. They were having two dishes and a soup; Courtney passed a te to Tina. ¡°This one is nice.¡± Tina seemed the same as usual without Alexander and Jordan¡¯spany. On the other hand, Courtney suddenly felt a sense of emptiness in her heart. Why do I suddenly feel like the house has be so much quieter without the two equally silent people sitting at the opposite end of the table? There wasn¡¯t even much going on when they were around. The next day, it was time for school to end. After picking Tina up, Courtney was hesitant about walking under the locust tree when her phone suddenly rang; it was a call from Alexander. ¡°President Duncan?¡± ¡°Are you picking Tina up?¡± The voice on the other end was deep and strong. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can you pick Jordan up along the way? Something came up at work and I can¡¯t leave right away.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Courtney froze as she subconsciously looked back toward the crowd of children and saw Jordan frantically waving at her from the middle of the line¡ªhe was covered in sweat from waving for so long. ¡°Oh, all right. I got it, don¡¯t worry.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll pick him upter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After she exined the situation to the teacher and picked Jordan up, they got into the car under the locust tree as Alexander¡¯s butler drove them back to the apartment. On the road, the butler looked in the rearview mirror with a smile. ¡°Miss Hunter, you have no idea how much the maids in the manor admire you.¡± ¡°Why is that so?¡± Courtney was puzzled. ¡°The Little Master always refused to eat back then, and the Young Master was always mad at the servants. But now that the Young Master has been sending the Little Master to your ce for meals, even the manor¡¯s cook asked me yesterday if you could teach her some cooking skills.¡± Courtney was slightly taken aback. ¡°He¡¯s been bringing Jordan to my house because of Jordan¡¯s eating problem?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The butler looked confused. ¡°What did you think it was for, Miss Hunter?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s what I thought.¡± Courtney quickly agreed even though she had mixed feelings about it. Connecting the incident fromst Saturday¡ªwhere Alexander had offered her a job as Jordan¡¯s nanny ¡ªtogether with their frequent visits to Courtney¡¯s house for their meals, it all made sense. He¡¯s just here to get his son to eat, yet I¡¯ve been thinking too much about it! Fortunately, I wasn¡¯t too obvious; otherwise, it would have been too embarrassing. When Alexander came to pick Jordan up in the evening, Courtney walked him to the door and said, ¡°President Duncan, you¡¯re wee to visit any time with Jordan for dinner.¡± Alexander had a calm andposed expression as he nodded in response. ¡°Okay.¡± Meanwhile, Jordan had drifted off to sleep in his safety seat. The butler held the steering wheel and nced at the rearview mirror, looking like a thief as he lowered his voice. ¡°Young Master, I said everything just as you instructed me to.¡± Chapter 48 One Night Surprise Chapter 48 Chapter 48 What¡¯s Impossible? N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Yep,¡± Alexander replied offhandedly. As he gazed out the window, an ominous look¡ªlike he had gotten his way¡ªshed across his eyes briefly. After casting his thoughts back to that night, he felt that he hade to a breakthrough. However, he needed some time to confirm things for himself. He initially thought that things would proceed smoothly, but Courtney had been clearly evading him after yesterday¡¯s events. He realized that he still had to find a good excuse for this, and Jordan was the perfect decoy. Since that day, Alexander would frequently bring his son over as they came knocking on Courtney¡¯s door. He would also bring Courtney and Tina to his ce during the weekends. asionally, the pair would also have a pic at the park or visit theme parks for a day of fun. As time went by, they got along better. Naturally, Courtney thought that her cooking skills were what drew the father and son pair in. On the other hand, Alexander would give her some suggestions for the centennial celebration ns so that Courtney wouldn¡¯t have to embarrass herself when her other coworkers shoot her down¡ªit was a fair arrangement. ¡°Sorry for the wait, Miss Price.¡± In a booth at Verdant Shore Cafe, a young man put his briefcase down before sliding into the seat across from Britney. Britney was already impatient from the wait, her expression darkening even more when she took in the man before her. ¡°You¡¯re the private detective that Jason spoke of? Benjamin Ford?¡± The man inclined his head. He was still calm even when faced with Britney¡¯s skeptical gaze. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± Britney was irritated. After surveying him for a while, she grabbed her bag and prepared to leave. ¡°Jason has really gone nuts. Where did he find you? Are you even an adult? Anyone else would probably think that you¡¯re some random makeup artist from the beauty salon. What I have here is not something for little kids to y with.¡± The man before her looked to be in his early twenties or so; delicate features made up his baby face. While it wasn¡¯t possible to mistake him for a minor, he certainly couldn¡¯t be any older than 25. No one would have immediately believed that he was the best detective in Melrose City when they saw him. Benjamin sat politely in his seat. He had no intention of getting up whatsoever as he said tly, ¡°Once you leave, I will erase all that I have uncovered. You don¡¯t have to worry about me leaking anything. That¡¯s the principle I follow while working.¡± Britney froze on the spot upon hearing those words. She frowned as she looked at him. ¡°What did you manage to dig up?¡± ¡°Are you now interested in what I have to say?¡± Britney¡¯s brows knitted together for a brief moment before she finally returned to her seat and sat down. ¡°Tell me what you have uncovered. I¡¯ll only believe that you¡¯re capable of helping me with my case if you¡¯ve managed to dig up something useful.¡± Benjamin was in no hurry as he pulled out a document and slowly pushed it over to Britney, the slender fingers on his other hand still pressed on the document folder. ¡°Regarding your request to look into a woman named Courtney Hunter and her child, I¡¯ve already investigated them in detail. What I know currently is the night of Courtney¡¯s 18th birthday¡ª6 years ago ¡ªwas thest night her social circle saw her before she left the country.¡± ¡°Six years ago¡­¡± Britney stared at the date on the document, the frown lines on her forehead deepening. ¡°How could it be that night?¡± ¡°Although you didn¡¯t exactly state what you wanted me to look into, I think that you might be interested in this. After being drugged that night, Courtney didn¡¯t go to the room that her sister had arranged for her; someone else took her instead. On that same night, Alexander Duncan was there at the same hotel.¡± ¡°What are you implying?¡± ¡°I think I have sufficient evidence to suspect that the surrogate Alexander went to look for back then was Courtney.¡± Color drained from Britney¡¯s face. Her hands quivered as they clutched at the paper. How could everything line up so perfectly? She had managed to find out¡ªwith much difficulty¡ªthat Jordan was born through a surrogate mother when she initially looked into his birth. Since it was meant to be a surrogacy, Alexander couldn¡¯t possibly be in contact with the surrogate mother; that was why Britney had been sox about this all these years. Much to her shock, there was a good chance that the surrogate mother might be Courtney. She was the second daughter of the Hunters; how could she possibly go through something like a surrogate pregnancy? ¡°Impossible.¡± Britney immediately shot down that notion. ¡°She¡¯s the second youngdy of the Hunter Family. She has everything she could possibly want. Why would she do something like this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who said it, Miss Price. Courtney was drugged by her sister that night. Anything could¡¯ve happened after that, right? I¡¯m just telling you the current direction of my investigation. If you still don¡¯t believe me, I can end the investigation right here. I won¡¯t continue anymore.¡± Benjamin leveled a look at Britney, his gaze a little scornful. Meanwhile, Britney¡¯s expression darkened as she clenched her fists. ¡°Just continue with the investigation. When did I say that you could stop? I must get to the bottom of this.¡± ¡°All right. My next step would be to find the butler who used to serve the Duncans before. He was probably the one responsible for the surrogacy back then. I¡¯ll get in touch with you when I have updates.¡± Benjamin nced at the paper in Britney¡¯s hands. ¡°Keep that document for yourself, and you can call me anytime if you have any questions. By the way, it¡¯s not a good habit to judge a book by its cover. A private eye relies on the sharpness of one¡¯s perception skills, not age.¡± Having said that, Benjamin got up and made his exit, a haughty look evident on that baby face of his. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the target of his investigation this time was Alexander, he wouldn¡¯t have taken this case at all. Just as he thought, behind a female celebrity¡¯s sunny disposition was an uglier one; Britney made his hackles rise. Once he was out of the cafe, Benjamin looked up at the sky as he pressed his hand against his brow bone. The weather was beautiful, and it was great for a chance encounter. ¡°Let¡¯s drop by the supermarket on our way back and get some groceries. Is hot pot tonight fine with you?¡± Courtney asked Alexander as they sat in the car after picking up the children. ¡°Sure.¡± Courtney nodded. Right before they passed the traffic light, she reminded the butler to take a right turn. ¡°Go to the supermarket over there.¡± The pair led their children by the hand around the supermarket. They had originally nned on browsing just the fresh produce section, but Tina was not easily satisfied by that as she immediately dragged Jordan over to the snacks section. ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll watch over them.¡± Alexander turned and followed the children. Exasperated, Courtney could only push her trolley while she shopped for groceries. Meanwhile, Alexander followed the children after he got another trolley. Tina experimentally grabbed a box of choctes before looking at Alexander inquisitively. As herrge, crystalline eyes blinked at him, it made her look heartwarmingly adorable. ¡°Mommy doesn¡¯t usually let me have too many choctes. Both Jordan and I love to eat this particr brand of choctes. They actually have it here!¡± Alexander reached out and took one of each vor. ¡°Let¡¯s just buy them.¡± This was the legendary move that rich people usually made! Tina¡¯s eyes gleamed as she hopped and whooped on the spot. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Mr. Alexander!¡± Meanwhile, Jordan looked at him with a grin while pointing ahead. There were still more snacks to buy. By the time the children were done with their shopping spree, their cart was already piled high with snacks when they met with Courtney at the cashier. Courtney¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh God, what did you guys get? How are you going to be able to finish this? Tina, you¡­¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my idea.¡± Tina immediately waved her hands in denial. ¡°Who else can it be, if not you?¡± Courtney pinched her forehead. ¡°Jordan¡¯s not like you. He doesn¡¯t eat snacks as often.¡± With that, she reached a hand out and pretended to pull Tina¡¯s ear, scaring the little girl into hiding behind Alexander¡¯s legs while she screamed, ¡°Save me, Mr. Alexander!¡± Alexander shielded Tina, slightly exasperated by her antics. His deep voice stopped Courtney in her tracks. ¡°I was the one who wanted to buy those snacks.¡± Chapter 49 One Night Surprise Chapter 49 Chapter 49 A Crazy Woman and a Damn Jerk ¡°What? You¡¯re the one who wants to buy these?¡± Seeing how Alexander stood up for Tina, Courtney was forced to throw in the towel. She red at the girl. ¡°I¡¯ll let it slide just this once, Tina. I¡¯ll be deducting your pocket money for next month.¡± Tina pouted pitifully. Jordan tugged at her sleeve and blinked at her, indicating that he still had his own pocket money. It was only then did Tina break out into a smile again. Just as Courtney was about to nag Alexander about his child-rearing methods, her phone rang all of a sudden. The moment she epted the call, she could hear the noisy sound of a crowd apanied by a frail woman¡¯s voice on the other end. ¡°Are you at home, Courtney? Pleasee here quickly.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± After asking several questions, Courtney¡¯s expression tensed. ¡°What? Not again¡­¡± With Alexander here as well, Courney couldn¡¯t let too much slip. She hastily ended the call and looked at him. ¡°Something urgent came up. Could you please watch over Tina on my behalf?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± With that, Courtney rushed her way past the cashier and ran toward the supermarket exit, not caring if Alexander had finished speaking. She looked like she was in a hurry. Alexander swallowed his question about the urgent matter and his offer to send her to wherever she was going. It happened to be rush hour as people got off work. The taxi that Courtney had hailed was stuck in traffic for half an hour before she finally made it to the security area in the airport. As soon as she stepped in, she saw a woman dressed in ck and white sitting on a chair. The sunsses perched on the woman¡¯s face did not hide any of the arrogance she had. With her white blouse tucked into a high-waisted ck fishtail skirt and the cold gleam glinting off the silver sequined purse she was holding onto, the woman seemed very cold and unapproachable. The 12 centimeter-heels that she had on made her legs look longer, slender, and powerful. Tina charged over. ¡°What trouble did you get yourself in this time, Cameron?¡± ¡°Me? Trouble?¡± Cameron plucked her sunsses off to reveal her gorgeous face. The anger she felt hadn¡¯t yet dissipated. ¡°I decided to help someone I saw who was in trouble. I¡¯ve seen my fair share of hooligans, but up until that point, I had never seen one who would actually take his pants off in the parking lot of an airport¡ªit was in broad daylight, and there were many cameras on him!¡± ¡°Huh? Who took his pants off?¡± Courtney was shocked by this. She hastily circled Cameron and asked worriedly, ¡°You¡¯re okay, right? Did he do anything to you?¡± ¡°Oh, it wasn¡¯t me,¡± Cameron gritted out furiously as she grabbed Courtney¡¯s iling hand. ¡°I told you that I decided to help someone out, right? She was being harassed by him earlier, but her friend has already picked her up. It¡¯s just that criminal now.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± Courtney looked around the room, but she didn¡¯t see anyone else there. ¡°He¡¯s locked up inside. You think this kind of man should be left to roam outside and cause chaos instead of being held in security?¡± ¡°All right, all right.¡± Courtney let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°Since everything has been settled, I¡¯ll go sign that paper. Let¡¯s head home soon¡ªTina is still waiting for me.¡± Cameron was a direct woman. Since she had spent several years in the police force, she was physically in top shape; a typical man wouldn¡¯t be able to beat her in a fight. Courtney got to know Cameron because thetter had helped her out when she was in a bind at a bar abroad. Ever since meeting Cameron, there were many instances where she had to go to the police station to pick her up. ¡°Where¡¯s your luggage?¡± Courtney asked once they were out of security. Cameron only had her purse with her. All of a sudden, she cried out as though she had just remembered something. ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s still in the parking lot!¡± In the end, Cameron sessfully retrieved her luggage after the airport staff brought her over to the storage area for lost items found in the parking lot. Her wine-red, aluminum suitcase stood out like a sore thumb among the rest of the lost suitcases. ¡°I told you it wouldn¡¯t be lost,¡± Cameron said as she looked at Courtney¡¯s rmed face while pulling her suitcase along. ¡°Since I¡¯m in a good mood, let¡¯s go out and get some good food after we pick Tina up.¡± The two of them went back to the parking lot. Cameron typically left the airport this way; she¡¯d always leave her car here so that it would be convenient for her to drive it back whenever she returned. After they loaded the luggage into the boot, Courtney suddenly heard a familiar voice before entering the vehicle. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital first for a checkup.¡± ¡°Why are we going to the hospital? I need to find awyer first. Elise is practically a nutcase.¡± ¡°Are you sure that your injuries are nothing?¡± That deep voice resounded through the parking lot. As Courtney turned her head with one hand on the car¡¯s door frame, she saw two tall figures talking by a ck BMW. One of them was clearly Alexander. ¡°Alexander?¡± Courtney eximed in surprise. Shouldn¡¯t he be taking the children home now? Why is he here? Hearing Courtney¡¯s voice, Alexander turned his head as well, his expression shifting when he caught sight of her. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Courtney closed the door. She had only just taken a few steps forward when she saw the other figure darting behind Alexander. The bruises on the man¡¯s face couldn¡¯t cover up his lackadaisical energy. ¡°What happened to your face, Mr. Langley?¡± Gale brought his hands up to shield his face and said in a pained voice, ¡°Can you still recognize me even when my face is covered? You¡¯ve got the wrong man.¡± Confused, Cameron slung an arm around Courtney¡¯s shoulder and grinned. ¡°What¡¯s up? Bumped into someone you know? Is he your friend?¡± ¡°Oh, this is my superior¡ªMr. Duncan of Sunhill Enterprise,¡± Courtney quickly introduced. ¡°And this is¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m Cameron Miller.¡± Cameron cut Courtney off and took the initiative to offer her hand to Alexander. She made no attempt at idle chatter. ¡°I¡¯m Courtney¡¯s best friend. You¡¯re Alexander Duncan, right? You¡¯re a famous man that I¡¯ve been wanting to meet for a while.¡± Alexander nced at Courtney before politely shaking Cameron¡¯s hand. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± Cameron¡¯s gaze suddenly flitted to the man hiding behind Alexander, and Gale slowly lifted his head. Fire immediately roared to life when their gazes met. ¡°It¡¯s the crazy woman¡ª¡± ¡°You damn jerk¡ª¡± Both of them practically shouted at the same time, and Gale¡¯s deeper voice mixed with Cameron¡¯s lighter one. Coutney pulled Cameron back, but mes of anger were already burning in Cameron¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s him.¡± Cameron pointed at Gale. ¡°The hoodlum I was talking about back at security is him.¡± ¡°Who are you calling a hoodlum?¡± Gale stomped his foot while ducking behind Alexander, his face having turned red. ¡°You beat me into a pulp, you psycho! Just wait until mywyer sends that legal letter to you. I¡¯m gonna make sure I don¡¯t forget your name. Cameron Miller, is it?¡± Purple and green patches were visible across Gale¡¯s face. His gorgeous eyes were now ckened from the bruises caused by his earlier beating. Even Courtney¡ªwho was used to Cameron¡¯s violent actions¡ªcouldn¡¯t help shooting him a look of sympathy. Alexander took a few steps back, increasing the distance between him and Cameron. ¡°Why are you still denying it? Weren¡¯t you the guy who forced himself on a girl earlier in the parking lot? You even had your pants off already! That¡¯s damn disgusting of you!¡± Courtney and Alexander¡¯s expressions changed as they stared at Gale in shock. They hadn¡¯t expected it at all; Gale was typically a polite man. Although he liked to flirt with women at work, how did he have such a beastly side to him? ¡°What¡¯s with that look?¡± Gale was frantic. ¡°Do you guys actually believe her? It¡¯s not like that at all!¡± Chapter 50 One Night Surprise Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Giving Herself to Him N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Was there a misunderstanding, Cameron?¡± Courtney tried to smooth things over; she didn¡¯t exactly believe that Gale would do such a thing. She hadn¡¯t been working at Sunhill for long, but Gale was regarded in a positive light at work. While he did like to flirt with thedies, she hadn¡¯t heard about him doing something like this before. ¡°I saw it with my own eyes. Since I was worried that this jerk wouldn¡¯t admit to it, I even took a video.¡± Seeing how Courtney still didn¡¯t believe her, Cameron fished out her phone and immediately yed a shocking clip in front of everyone. The setting in the video was the backseat of the ck BMW behind them. The door was slightly ajar as Gale pinned a woman down, their clothes disheveled. After a while, all of them saw Gale taking off his pants in the video while the woman suddenly struggled and screamed for help. Gale¡¯s pants were nearlypletely pulled off¡­ ¡°Uh¡­¡± Courtney really couldn¡¯t stand to watch any longer. She ducked her head and ced a hand on her forehead while she shoved Cameron with her free hand. ¡°Okay, okay. Stop that clip,¡± she said in a hushed voice. ¡°Hey, why do you still have that video? Delete it.¡± Gale was frantic now, for he kept stomping his foot. ¡°You¡¯re infringing on my privacy!¡± Cameron¡¯s eyebrow twitched. ¡°Who¡¯s infringing on your privacy here? You creep! If I hadn¡¯t been there, you would have gotten your way. Do you think that you won¡¯t end up in jail just because you¡¯re rich and powerful? From now on, I¡¯ll wallop you at every chance I get.¡± ¡°What are you spouting, you psycho? Just you wait till I sue you for nder¡ª¡± Seeing how the two were about to get into a fight again, Courtney and Alexander each grabbed a person and drew them apart from each other. ¡°Okay¡ªthat¡¯s enough, Cameron. You should hold it right there.¡± Courtney was nearly dead from embarrassment. Even if Gale was a garbage person, she wouldn¡¯t be able to lift her head at thepany anymore after this. What should she do if Cameron actually beat Gale up again? ¡°That was Gale¡¯s girlfriend, Elise Foster,¡± Alexander exined as he restrained Gale¡¯s arms. ¡°She¡¯s not just somebody.¡± ¡°His girlfriend?¡± Courtney was stunned by this, and the atmosphere eased a little. ¡°Of course she¡¯s my girlfriend. Do you think I¡¯m nuts? Do you think I want to go to prison for raping a woman?¡± Gale screeched at Cameron, flustered. ¡°Besides, I wasn¡¯t the one who initiated this at all. It was all Elise¡¯s n to frame me.¡± Everyone was shocked by this. In order to prove his innocence, Gale whipped out his phone to show them a few pictures of himself with Elise. Then, he unwillinglyunched into an exnation about the argument they had gotten into during their messy breakup. Eventually, the rest of them understood what was going on in this chaos. To sum things up, Cameron had gone to the parking lot after she exited the airport. Just as she was about to load her luggage into the boot, she heard the car across her shake. After observing the car for a bit, Cameron heard the sound of a woman struggling, so she whipped her phone out and filmed as she ran over. Just as she thought, she saw a beautiful woman being ¡®forcefully pinned¡¯ under a man. Suddenly, the woman began to scream for help just then. Being Cameron, she couldn¡¯t stand by and watch; she leaped into action and beat Gale within an inch of his life before dropping him off at airport security. On the other hand, Gale had a different story. ¡°I just returned from a business trip today, but I broke up with Elise before going on the trip. She said that she had something to give me, so she insisted oning to the airport to pick me up. I never thought that she would suddenly be so forward in the car. When she saw that woman, she suddenly began to yell for help. I think that she¡¯s pissed about the breakup and tried to frame me on purpose.¡± Courtney nodded. After some thought, Gale had a point. Even if he did want to bone someone, who would actually choose to do it in the parking lot of an airport, where there were many cameras filming them? ¡°We can¡¯t tell who actually initiated it, though. You said she¡¯s an ex now¡ªno one can guarantee that you weren¡¯t trying to get revenge on her.¡± Cameron was still hostile as she red at Gale with a most scornful gaze. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Let¡¯s stop here.¡± Courtney tugged at Cameron. ¡°Since he has exined everything, let¡¯s just drop this, okay? Mr. Langley, you should hurry to the hospital. I need to go home soon too.¡± Cameron wasn¡¯t an idiot; while she figured that Gale wasn¡¯t an upright member of society, there were some holes in today¡¯s incident. Hence, she settled down and kept quiet. They were about to leave when Courtney heard Alexander call out from behind her. ¡°Tina¡¯s staying over at my house tonight. I¡¯ll send her to school tomorrow.¡± Courtney paused. She was in a rush to go back because of that, but she supposed she had been worried about nothing. As expected, Cameron picked up on the smell of potential gossip and refused to leave. She turned around and asked, ¡°Tina? Why is Tina at your ce? What¡¯s your rtionship with Courtney?¡± ¡°We were at the supermarket when she got your call to pick you up, and she left Tina in my care at the last minute. I also got a call from Gale then, so I requested the butler to take the kids home first,¡± Alexander exined with an expressionless face. However, his words were worth mulling over. Gale was stunned. He had only been away for a month; what kind of weird reality did he return to? Were his ears ying tricks on him? Is Alex actually helping to raise a kid? ¡°Alex, why are you helping her with her kid? Are you two actually¡ª¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney hastily pulled Cameron away with her. ¡°Thank you for today, Mr. Duncan. Sorry for troubling you tomorrow morning too. We¡¯ll be taking our leave first.¡± Cameron still hadn¡¯t gathered her wits back when she was shoved into her car. Meanwhile, Courtney swifty got into the driver¡¯s seat and locked the door. Never had she started the car this fast; in the blink of an eye, they shot out of the parking lot. ¡°Courtney, are you dating that guy named Alexander?¡± ¡°No, quit making things up.¡± ¡°What are you panicking about?¡± Cameron had an inquisitive look on her face. ¡°I hadn¡¯t asked any incriminating questions, but you were in such a hurry to get away. Why else would you be like this if you don¡¯t have any skeletons in your closet?¡± ¡°I was just worried that I¡¯d lose my job if you continued talking.¡± Courtney shot a re at her. ¡°It¡¯s always like this¡ªyou¡¯d jump into action without getting both sides of the story, and I¡¯d have to clean up your mess.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject,¡± Cameron said meaningfully as she leaned back in her seat with her arms folded. ¡°You two must be close if you can actually leave Tina with him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really thinking too much about this; I saved his son once. He should feel grateful to me to some extent, right?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do to pay back a life debt.¡± Cameron rubbed her chin as if she was deep in thought. ¡°Typically, you¡¯d give yourself wholly to the other in this situation.¡± ¡°I have to marvel at your imagination.¡± Courtney had noeback for that as she rolled her eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t be bothered to continue with your nonsense. Believe whatever you want.¡± ¡°If that really is the truth, what if I say that I¡¯ve got my eyes on him and want to date him?¡± At those words, Courtney¡¯s heart suddenly lurched and stopped for a few moments. ¡°You can date him if you like him, but I¡¯m telling you now that he¡¯s naturally as icy as he looks. Your efforts are probably going to be shrugged off. I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll just give up after a day with that temper of yours.¡± Cameron surveyed Courtney, unsure whether to believe that kind reminder of hers. She blinked suddenly, and a serious look came to her eyes. ¡°Based on my analysis, those few seconds when you paused actually showed me that you reject the idea, Courtney. Your excuses after that are actually meant to cover up your denial. You¡¯ve got your heart set on him.¡± Chapter 51 One Night Surprise Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Just How Much Does She Want This Marriage? When she heard Cameron say ¡®you¡¯ve got your heart set on him¡¯ in such a calm manner, a rock that had seemingly been suspended in Courtney¡¯s head for many days crashed to the ground with a loud smash all of a sudden, shattering into countless shards in her mind. How is this possible? ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s no such thing as pure friendship between men and women. Alexander¡¯s a young guy, and he¡¯s the CEO of Sunhill Enterprise. He¡¯s one busy man; why would he help you out with your daughter in his free time? Other than his mutual interest in you, I can¡¯t think of any other reason that can exin his actions. It¡¯s that simple.¡± ¡°He only likes me because Jordan loves my cooking.¡± ¡°In that case, he¡¯s definitely thinking of marrying you for life.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Cameron turned a deaf ear to Courtney¡¯s constant denials, even going as far as to giggle jovially at her; it was as though Cameron had already won the argument and was preening over her victory. She didn¡¯t care how Courtney was going to perceive her for this. That night, Courtney couldn¡¯t sleep at all. Cameron¡¯s words about how she had her heart set on Alexander kept reying themselves in her mind, as well as the various bits of daily life she shared with Alexander. When she got up to drink some water and groped her way to the living room, she saw a new tea set on the table. At that moment, she recalled how one of her cups at home had been chipped, but she made Alexander drink out of that cup. The next day, he showed up at her home with a new tea set. That wasn¡¯t all; during this period of time, Alexander would constantly bring new things over. It was to the point where he had practically invaded every corner of her apartment. At that thought, Courtney clutched at her cup, her heart beating erratically. The next morning, Courney received a text from Alexander on her way to work. ¡®Tina has been sent to school already. Don¡¯t worry.¡¯ She typed out a single ¡®thanks¡¯ with much difficulty as she stood there, squashed inside the subway carriage; the corners of her lips curved into a sweet smile without her realizing. Cameron stayed with Courtney ever sinceing back from her trip, but Alexander didn¡¯t mind. He still came over for meals regrly. On the first day of eating together, Alexander was thoroughly interrogated by Cameron about his family background. Courtney felt awkward and embarrassed as she heard them from the kitchen. How she wished she could storm out and whack Cameron on the head with adle to make her shut up. Fortunately, Cameron didn¡¯t mill around at home every day; she still had her job, which kept her well and busy with work. Being able to eat at home for one day out of the week was considered a luxury for her. As night creeped on, Courtney pulled Tina over to her bedroom. Meanwhile, Cameron was lying on the couch, a sheet mask on her face as she scrolled through her phone in a hard-earned moment of rxation. When she saw Courtneying out of the bedroom, she suddenly got up and asked, ¡°I heard an assistant at the studio gossiping earlier today. Supposedly, Alexander¡¯s going to marry Britney?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression was even as she took a sip of water. ¡°Whoa there.¡± The ck sheet mask on Cameron¡¯s face wrinkled up. ¡°In that case, why is he still showing his face here and showering you with attention? Isn¡¯t he two-timing then?¡± ¡°Where are you getting the idea that he¡¯s been showering me with attention? Anyway, I¡¯ve already told you earlier that I¡¯m just his employee. You don¡¯t believe me, that¡¯s all.¡± Courtney rolled her eyes at Cameon, but a lost expression flitted across her face when she turned around. Once that moment of impulsiveness was gone and she could think rationally again, she mulled things over. He was indeed going to marry someone else. How could he have feelings for her then? Cameron was about to say something when Courtney¡¯s phone rang. Courtney took a look at the screen before simply rejecting the call. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you pick it up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a spam caller.¡± With that, Courtney picked up the clothes from the washing machine and headed to the balcony to air them. There was a clear cloud of darkness hanging around her. The phone on the table lit up again, disying a notification from a text message. Cameron got up from the couch and edged toward the table, catching a glimpse of the message. ¡®The engagement is this Saturday. Don¡¯t forget about it. Isaac and I have¡­¡¯ Cameron tensed up at the sight of the name Isaac. If her memory served her right, wasn¡¯t that her friend¡¯s jerk of an ex-boyfriend that Courtney unwittingly told her about when they went drinking abroad? There was a high chance that the woman who sent this text was that shameless homewrecker of a friend! Courtney came back from drying the clothes on the balcony, and she caught sight of Cameron still sitting on the couch. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you done with your sheet mask? It¡¯s drying up,¡± she chided. ¡°That¡¯s not important.¡± Cameron¡¯s arms were folded as she sat straight. ¡°Come here and take a seat.¡± ¡°What for?¡± Courtney was amused by Cameron¡¯s seriousness. ¡°What kind of prank are you pulling on me in the dead of the night?¡± ¡°What is this?¡± Cameron pulled out arge, red invitation card and ced it on the coffee table. She had dug the invitation out from under the coffee table after she saw the text; it was buried under a stack of newspapers and magazines. From the looks of it, Courtney had received the card a while ago. The stark red of the card was somewhat harsh on the eyes, making Courtney frown. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± ¡°I found it under the pile of magazines. If I¡¯m not mistaken, the groom here is that douchebag who cheated on you with your friend back then, yeah?¡± Cameron couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes when she brought up Isaac. ¡°I thought that it was a wedding invitation. I¡¯m amazed that she had to send such a fancy invitation card just for an engagement party. Just how badly does she want this marriage?¡± Courtney was exasperated. ¡°That¡¯s their own business.¡± ¡°The real question is, what are you going to do about it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t n on going.¡± Courtney immediately announced her stance. ¡°Why not?¡± Cameron leaped up from the couch. ¡°I¡¯ve already thought of a whole n for such an opportunity. I¡¯ll personally make this amazing gown for you. You¡¯re guaranteed to wow the entire crowd there; that jerk will immediately break up with that girlie ande crying to you, asking you to take him back while admitting how blind he was.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. It¡¯s all in the past.¡± Courtney shrugged, a nonchnt look on her face. ¡°How they live their life has nothing to do with me, so I don¡¯t want to go. There¡¯s nothing I can do about it anyway.¡± ¡°Look at you saying that. That clearly shows that you still haven¡¯t gotten over things. Don¡¯t you still feel something about it? The guy didn¡¯t even give you an exnation for that.¡± Courtney¡¯s gaze turnedplicated at the mention of that. She was naturally resentful about this. If Isaac hadn¡¯t cheated on her back then, she wouldn¡¯t have been taken to be a surrogate mother by ident. ¡°Anyway, I already answered that text for you.¡± Cameron winked, a smug look on her face. ¡°What did you say in your text?¡± Courtney¡¯s expression stiffened, and her gaze immediately flitted over to the phone on the table. When she hastily opened up the messaging app, there was a reply to the text that Vanessa had sent. ¡®Oh, you actually called? I thought that it was some insurancepany spamming me every day. I¡¯ve gotten the invitation already. Of course I¡¯ll be going! After all, it¡¯s my best friend¡¯s wedding. I¡¯ll definitely be there on the dot.¡¯ ¡°Cameron!¡± Courtney¡¯s expression morphed before she grabbed a cushion and hurled it at Cameron. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve already epted the invitation for you. You¡¯re on your own now. At most, you¡¯ll just have to call her again and say that you¡¯re not going.¡± Cameron peeled her sheet mask off and leaped off the couch from the other end, running barefooted into her own room. ¡°That little b*tch definitely thought that you wouldn¡¯t attend the party. If you don¡¯t go, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to be humiliated!¡± she taunted through the door. Courtney was so furious that she became speechless. Right then, another text message popped up on her phone. ¡®In that case, I look forward to seeing you there.¡¯ Even through the screen, it felt as though she could see Vanessa¡¯s insufferably smug face. Courtney clutched her phone tightly. All of a sudden, she changed her mind. ¡°Who said that I¡¯m not going? I¡¯ve just decided that I will go. You¡¯d better get started on that gown soon,¡± she said as she looked at Cameron¡¯s door. Chapter 52 One Night Surprise Chapter 52 Chapter 52 You Can Go With Her On Friday afternoon, Courtney went to the headquarters of Sunhill Enterprise for a meeting. ¡°After ourst meeting, here is the improved n after taking everyone¡¯s feedback into ount. If there is anything else that needs to be amended, there is still time to do so.¡± Courtney stood before the projector, dressed in a crisp business outfit with a skirt. Her bouncy waves were tied up, leaving only her side bangs as it swept across her forehead. While she looked mature, there was an air of loveliness peeking through her maturity. The attendees discussed among themselves for a while, but they seemed to have no opposing opinions. ¡°Well, that¡¯s that. We¡¯ll begin decorating the venue next Monday.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice reverberated through the meeting room. ¡°This matter is nowpletely under Miss Hunter¡¯s jurisdiction, and that is all for this meeting.¡± The sound of chairs scratching the floor could be heard the moment he said that. Everyone scattered like the wind, leaving Courtney alone at her seat as she gathered herptop and the documents she brought along. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up at 9.00AM tomorrow.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice came from behind her. He was talking about their promise to have a pic at the forestry center. Last week, Sapphire Kindergarten gave the children their final homework before the start of the summer holidays. The kids were supposed to go to the woods to find different types of leaves and draw a picture of them. However, Courtney stiffened for a moment before returning to her senses. She hastily turned around, an apologetic look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ªI might not be able to make it since something cropped up at thest moment. Cameron¡¯s on holiday, so she¡¯ll be taking Tina to help her out with her homework. If you don¡¯t mind, you can go with her.¡± Alexander tipped his head slightly. He didn¡¯t seem to have much of a reaction to that; a barely discernible frown simply appeared on his face. After Courtney left, Josh followed Alexander back to his office. As they walked, Josh flipped through Alexander¡¯s schedule. ¡°Mr. Duncan, tomorrow is the night of the young Graham scion¡¯s engagement party. If you are sure that you won¡¯t be going, I will arrange for the secretary to go as your representative.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Also, there will be a fitting session with the designer at 7.00PM tomorrow night for your wedding clothes. Are you sure you can make it in time?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression slipped for a moment, seeming as though he had just remembered about the wedding ceremony. Hesitation made its way into his eyes, but he nodded in the end. ¡°Yeah.¡± He just needed to do everything by the book; the safest way to live was for everything to be under his control. The next day, Cameron drove Tina over to the forestry center. Alexander and Jordan had seemingly arrived there a lot earlier, for they had already gathered a whole basketful of leaves. They sat on their pic mat as Jordan made his art masterpiece. At the sight of Tina, Jordan got up from his pile of leaves, his bright eyes flitting about. However, he still couldn¡¯t see thedy that he had been looking forward to meeting even after looking for a while. Jordan immediately frowned and tugged at Alexander¡¯s sleeve. ¡°She has an urgent matter, so she¡¯s noting today. I told you earlier this morning before we came.¡± Alexander patted his son¡¯s head as he exined patiently. When Alexander told Jordan that Courtney wouldn¡¯t being, the kid looked like he didn¡¯t believe him. He even thought that Alexander was lying to him. Jordan pouted, a dark fog immediately descending on his expression. Meanwhile, Cameron led Tina over by the hand and greeted Alexander. ¡°The weather¡¯s so nice today. It¡¯s a pity that Courtney can¡¯te today,¡± she eximed. ¡°What¡¯s the urgent appointment that she had?¡± Alexander asked in an offhand manner as he picked up the leaves that Jordan had scattered. ¡°Mommy went to a wedding party.¡± Tina poked her head over and blinked at Alexander. ¡°Not only that, it¡¯s her ex-boyfriend¡¯s wedding!¡± Alexander stopped what he was doing. He lifted his head to look at Cameron, as though he was seeking her confirmation. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Don¡¯t say such nonsense, kiddo.¡± Cameron pretended to pinch her. Tina screeched and leaped into Alexander¡¯s arms. ¡°Save me, Mr. Alexander!¡± Alexander was somewhat distracted as he held Tina. ¡°She went alone?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Cameron sighed. ¡°She¡¯s always been a good-tempered girl. She didn¡¯t want to go, but that woman kept pestering her with phone calls every day; even I couldn¡¯t stand to see this. She ended up going because she had no other choice. She¡¯s such a sweet girl, and I figured that it won¡¯t do her any good to go. She¡¯s going to cry her eyes outter when she gets back.¡± ¡°Cry? It won¡¯t get to that point, right?¡± Alexander found it hard to imagine Courtney crying. Based on his impression of her, Courtney was a strong and smart woman. Even in her day-to-day life, she never gave in. It was difficult to believe that she would be so easily cowed. ¡°Why do you think that she wouldn¡¯t?¡± Cameron¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen how Courtney was before. She was molded into the woman she is now after her ex cheated on her back then and she went abroad alone. She used to be a soft girl.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t know when Courtney became friends with Cameron. Based solely on Cameron¡¯s words, there were a lot of holes in her testimony. However, he couldn¡¯t pick out anything actually problematic about what she said. Besides, he was a little worried now. ¡°I heard that you need to go with someone else when you get invited to a party. Mommy¡¯s definitely going to be bullied since she went there by herself.¡± Tina sighed as well from where she was curled up in Alexander¡¯s arms. Jordan quickly lifted his drawing board and tugged on Alexander¡¯s sleeve to get his attention. ¡°If you don¡¯t help Aunt Courtney, then you¡¯re not my daddy.¡± Alexander wasn¡¯t sure whether he shouldugh at this. ¡°What are you doing? She didn¡¯t ask me for my help. I won¡¯t necessarily be able to help her even if I go.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Courtney doesn¡¯t like to bother others,¡± Cameron exined. ¡°Besides, the man has to be a bit more willing to take the initiative when ites to these kinds of things. I guess you don¡¯t know that Courtney¡¯s ex actually two-timed her with her best friend. That friend is still parading the guy around and rubbing it in Courtney¡¯s face. Courtney wasn¡¯t willing to go to their wedding at first, but Vanessa pulled a dirty move¡ªshe med Courtney for not valuing their sisterhood. No one else knows what happened back then, so they¡¯d be wondering what¡¯s wrong with Courtney.¡± Cameron¡¯s words made Alexander¡¯s expression shift. After a moment¡¯s thought, he looked at Cameron. ¡°Please help me take Jordan home. I¡¯ll head over there.¡± Seeing Alexandere to this snap decision, an admiring look came over Cameron¡¯s face. ¡°Rx, I promise you that I¡¯ll look after the kids properly. Hurry on now,¡± she said. Alexander nagged at Jordan for a bit before driving off the hill. The forestry center was a distance away from the center of Melrose City. As he drove down the hill, Alexander suddenly received a call from Britney. ¡°Alex, the designer for the wedding gown will be here at 7.00PM. Don¡¯t forget that.¡± Alexander nced at the clock in his car before pressing a hand to his wireless buds. He said in a low voice, ¡°Something urgent came up. Let¡¯s move it to another day.¡± ¡°An urgent matter? What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m driving right now. Talk to youter.¡± Britney seemed like she was about to continue speaking, but Alexander had already ended the call. With her call forcefully cut off, Britney stared at the darkened screen of her phone. The joy she initially had on her face was gone, and it was reced by a dark fog instead. Her manager knocked on the door before entering. ¡°The filming is about to start, Britney. Please get ready.¡± Britney frowned. All of a sudden, she stood up. ¡°Tell the director that I have an urgent matter and won¡¯t be filming today.¡± ¡°Huh? Britney, that won¡¯t do¡ªhey, where are you going?¡± Chapter 53 One Night Surprise Chapter 53 Chapter 53 To Steal You Away? In Your Dreams ¡°Start the car and head to Royal Park Manor,¡± Britney said to the driver the moment she got into the car,pletely ignoring the manager as he chased after her. She was supposed to get fitted for her wedding dress today; it wasn¡¯t like Alexander had no idea how important this day was for her. Furthermore, he hadn¡¯t made his suit yet and was meant to be fitted for it today as well. They had already booked the designer, and Alexander¡¯s schedule had beenpletely cleared for this. Why would he cancel the appointment all of a sudden? She suspected that Jordan, the little pest, was the one pulling the strings. Meanwhile, Courtney had just arrived at the engagement party¡¯s venue. After she showed her invitation, she picked up the gifts that she had prepared and stepped into the banquet hall. An entire floor of the restaurant had been booked for the engagement party itself. It was decorated lavishly with helium balloons festooning the ce. All the guests here were either wealthy individuals or people of high standing. Courtney surveyed the ce, but she didn¡¯t recognize anyone there. She had never been quite used to situations like this, so she silently walked over to a corner and ate. In the dressing room on the second floor, a gaggle of people dressed in party finery surrounded the soon-to-be bride Vanessa. They were her ssmates from her days at university, all of whom she hadn¡¯t seen in a long while. Currently, they were all ttering Vanessa, envious words and titters tumbling out of their mouths. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought that you were the prettiest out of all our dorm heads back then, Vanessa. You and Isaac practically look like a match made in heaven.¡± ¡°When your weddinges, you¡¯ve got to let me be a bridesmaid. Perhaps I¡¯ll be able to snag a guy out of the groomsmen.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so stunning. I heard that Isaac hired an Italian designer to personally design the dress that you¡¯re wearing, right? Doesn¡¯t it cost over 200,000? Let me touch it.¡± Vanessa let out a giggle as she caressed her gown. ¡°I guess it¡¯s pretty alright. What¡¯s 200,000 anyway? No regr person can just hire this designer, though.¡± Isaac was neglected in the corner as this went on, growing more irate by the minute as Vanessa continued to talk. With that, he simply left the dressing room and headed out into the corridor, lighting a cigarette as he walked. He nced over the banisters in boredom to observe the merriment one floor down, looking as though he was an outside observer. ¡°You¡¯re about to get married. Why do you look so glum?¡± asked Ezra Arneil, who was Isaac¡¯s best friend. He yfully slipped an arm around his shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re havingst-minute regrets, are you?¡± Isaac flicked away some cigarette ash, his expression tired. ¡°Will you believe me if I say yes?¡± Ezra¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°Are you for real? You and Vanessa have been going out for six years already. What have you been smoking?¡± Isaac let out a bitterugh. ¡°Never mind. You won¡¯t understand even if I tell you.¡± Six years ago when he went behind Courtney¡¯s back to be with Vanessa, all he felt at that time was a fresh, interesting, and exhrating experience. Vanessa was more gung-ho than Courtney, and she always let him experience new things that delighted him. Courtney had been busy with her medical research back then, so she didn¡¯t have much time to spend with him. He ended up forgetting that he actually had a proper girlfriend as he continued his affair with Vanessa. Later on when Courtney left the country and cut all contact with everyone, Isaac knew deep down that she probably had uncovered his rtionship with Vanessa; Courtney had gone abroad out of sorrow. He beat himself up for a while and even broke up with Vanessa, but he wasn¡¯t able to withstand Vanessa¡¯s wiles in the end. He started officially dating Vanessa down the line, but the freshness disappeared as time went on. He began to miss Courtney¡¯s niceness after he was subjected to all the restrictions and rules that Vanessa imposed on him. Ezra patted his shoulder, seeming as though he understood. ¡°Women are actually like that. You¡¯d think it¡¯s a fresh and new experience at first, but they all turn out the same as time goes on. Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± Isaac didn¡¯t say anything about that. ¡°Anyway, there are plenty of prettydies at the party today; they¡¯re all from good families too. I¡¯m going insane from all the blind dates that my mother has been arranging for me every day. Maybe I should just pick ady that¡¯s easy on the eyes.¡± The dark fog clouding Isaac¡¯s face lifted a little and he smiled. ¡°Yeah? Who do you have your eye on? I¡¯ll be your wingman.¡± ¡°There, that one. Gorgeous, isn¡¯t she?¡± Ezra looked at a corner one floor down and pursed his lips, a smug look on his face. ¡°I think that woman¡¯s the best one out of all of them here. Nothing much to say about her body and looks, but that aura of hers! She exudes maturity, but there¡¯s this hint of pureness peeking through it. Hehe, it¡¯s gonna be a wild experience in bed with a woman like that.¡± Once he followed Ezra¡¯s gaze and nced at the woman, Isaac could no longer shift his eyes away. The woman was dressed in a strapless silver gown; the front of her skirt was short, but the tail dragged along the floor. Slender legs peeked out from under her skirt, and her bouncy curls fell in a curtain across her shoulders. She leaned back against a deserted corner, enjoying the dessert she had in one hand. She was like a fresh breath of air in the bustle and opulence of the banquet hall, so clean and pure that there was nothing sullying around her. Yet, she also made others inexplicably want to approach her. ¡°I¡¯m going to end this conversation right here. I¡¯d better snap her up before anyone else makes a move.¡± ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Isaac returned to his senses and promptly stopped Ezra by grabbing hold of him. ¡°Don¡¯t go yet.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You can hit on anyone else here except that woman.¡± As Courtney polished off her third dessert, the waiter by the side couldn¡¯t help but sneak a few nces at her. After all, no one actually came to this kind of party to eat. She was just taking a sip of water when a familiar voice called out from behind her. ¡°Courtney.¡± When Courtney turned around, she saw Isaac in his white tuxedo; his hair wasbed back with nary a strand out of ce. He looked far more mature than he did back when he was a university student. He was currently staring at her, sparks of excitement dancing in his eyes. ¡°It really is you. Why are you here?¡± ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s because I got your invitation. Besides, your fianc¨¦e kept pestering me with phone calls to ask if I¡¯de. If I kept declining after all that, it would make me seem petty. Why else do you think I¡¯m here?¡± To steal you away? In your dreams. ¡°Sorry.¡± Isaac clearly didn¡¯t think that it would be because of this. The sparks in his eyes died down a little, and the regret he felt deepened. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Vanessa would do that. I¡¯m sorry you had to go through her antics.¡± Seeing how he was still polite, the glumness that Courtney felt dissipated a little. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It wasn¡¯t anything bad. All of us used to be ssmates anyway. It¡¯s something that I should do¡ªshowing up at your engagement party and giving my blessings, that is. Here¡¯s the present I brought for you two.¡± As she said that, she handed over the gift that she had been lugging around forever. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but I hope that you¡¯ll like it.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Isaac took the present, but his gaze never once shifted away from Courtney¡¯s face. He looked a little dejected. ¡°I know that a present¡¯s valuees from the giver¡¯s sincerity.¡± Back then, she had left so suddenly that he didn¡¯t get to talk to her, nor did he get the chance to see her. Now that he looked at her carefully, he could see that she was even more beautiful and stunning than she was six years ago. She was like a beautiful jewel that had been cut into its own dazzling shape. ¡°Well, may your marriage be filled with happiness.¡± Courtney smiled politely. The only reason she came to this engagement party was to bid farewell to the past. ¡°Courtney, I actually¡­¡± Isaac looked conflicted, as though he was holding back his words. ¡°I¡¯ve actually missed you all these years. I even asked people about your whereabouts, but I was never able to find out anything. Have thest few years treated you well?¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Quite well, actually.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s good then.¡± Isaac clutched the bag that the gift was packed in. Sometimes, there wasn¡¯t a second chance for people to say the words that should¡¯ve been said long ago. ¡°Isaac!¡±A sweet voice suddenly rang out. The two of them turned to the side at the same time to see Vanessa descending the stairs, her gown hiked up as she made her way over. ¡°I was wondering who was talking to my dear Isaac here. It¡¯s you, huh?¡± Chapter 54 One Night Surprise Chapter 54 Chapter 54 She¡¯s Your Fianc¨¦e? Many people crowded over with the appearance of both the bride-to-be and groom-to-be, including many of the former university ssmates that Vanessa had invited. Two of them were Courtney¡¯s roommates from back then. Vanessa silently took Isaac¡¯s hand, seeming as though she was establishing her ownership over him. ¡°Isaac told me that you wouldn¡¯t want toe, so he asked me not to call you. However, I told him that he was being petty. We were so close in the past; why wouldn¡¯t youe to our engagement party?¡± Courtney looked at her with a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°Of course. Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Meanwhile, Isaac was frowning as he attempted to free his arm from Vanessa¡¯s grip. ¡°All right, I still have to greet the other guests. I¡¯ll be off now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the rush? It¡¯s not time yet.¡± Vanessa pulled him back and deliberately raised her voice. ¡°Courtney, why didn¡¯t youe with your boyfriend?¡± ¡°Boyfriend? Who is it?¡± someone asked from behind Vanessa as she stepped out at the same time. She was dressed in an expensive Chanel gown, and Courtney could tell with a nce that her hair had been meticulously styled. The woman¡¯s hair was coiled up behind her head, and the diamond ne across her neck dazzled so brilliantly that it was blinding. Who else could this woman be other than Anna, who was dressed as though she was afraid others wouldn¡¯t know just how wealthy she was? Right then, Courtney remembered that the Grahams and the Hunters had always been on good terms; it was expected that Anna would represent their father at Isaac¡¯s engagement party. ¡°Don¡¯t you know, Anna?¡± Vanessa looked shocked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you know that your sister has a boyfriend? Didn¡¯t she tell you?¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Anna raised her wine ss with a contemptuous expression. ¡°That sister of mine has always been a lone wolf; she doesn¡¯t evene to see us at home. Why would she tell us about her dating life?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if she¡¯s seeing someone else, but she¡¯s actually dating Alexander.¡± Vanessa lifted an eyebrow as her tone took a dramatic shift. ¡°He¡¯s the CEO of Sunhill Enterprise. Why didn¡¯t she tell you about such a major thing?¡± The crowd was sent into a furor at those words. Everyone knew that the CEO of Sunhill Enterprise took no notice of women; how could he possibly be in a rtionship with Courtney? Courtney clutched her bag tighter, her expression darkening. She had made that up when she ran into Isaac and Vanessa and was put on the spot back then. She was lucky that Alexander had yed along with her, but she didn¡¯t imagine that Vanessa would throw it back in her face right now, especially with Anna present. As expected, a mocking expression made itself known on Anna¡¯s face when she heard that. ¡°That is the biggest joke I¡¯ve ever heard. Courtney, don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re thinking too highly of yourself? You didn¡¯t even finish your university studies before running off abroad for five years or so, and then you came crawling back. What? Were you thinking of snagging a rich husband as your financial security nket the moment you came back? Why don¡¯t you look at yourself in a mirror? All you think about is getting to y mother to Alexander¡¯s son, but do you know this? I heard a few days ago that Alexander and Britney have fixed their wedding date.¡± The noise of gossipy voices turned louder at that. Some were gossiping about Alexander and Britney¡¯s love life over the past few years, while some insisted that Britney actually gave birth to Alexander¡¯s son. Some even mocked Courtney for being a fame-chaser who didn¡¯t know her limits¡ªa woman who would just make things up for the sake of it. ¡°You¡¯re still my younger sister, so don¡¯t go around embarrassing me. If our father finds out how you¡¯re so gung-ho about being some boy¡¯s stepmother and how you¡¯re lying to everyone by pretending to be Alexander¡¯s girlfriend without even asking for his opinion, he might blow a gasket.¡± Anna¡¯s tone was cold and sharp, her attitude harsh. She didn¡¯t treat Courtney like a sister at all. The attendees here only knew Anna. Very few people had met Courtney before, so they thought that this was a squabble between members from the same elite family. They thought that Courtney might be a child that the Hunter patriarch had in an illicit affair with a woman outside of the family, so no one spoke up for her. ¡°I never heard that you have a sister. Who is she actually?¡± ¡°Who knows? The Hunters have money and power. It¡¯s not strange if the head of house has a b*stard child or two.¡± Courtney could put up with everything else, but the gossip that she was a child born out of wedlock clearly twisted facts into things they weren¡¯t. Even more so, the crowd¡¯s words poked at her painful past. She immediately balled her fists up and chided her sister coldly, ¡°Anna, don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s embarrassing for you to tell me off in front of so many people?¡± ¡°Why? As the eldest daughter of the Hunter Family, I am your elder sister. Of course I have the right to chastise you.¡± At that, Courtney gave a chillyugh before she continuednguidly and said, ¡°Only someone who is on the official family register can be called the eldest daughter.¡± There were many implications to that statement, and Anna¡¯s face promptly turned stony. She couldn¡¯t restrain her rage as she raised a hand. ¡°Stop your nonsense.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t nonsense. It¡¯s not something that you can prove otherwise by hitting her,¡± said a man with a deep voice that reverberated throughout the hall. Courtney was pulled into someone¡¯s arms when they grabbed her by the shoulder. Before Anna could bring her hand down, the mystery man grabbed her hand and stopped her in her tracks. ¡°Alexander?¡± ¡°Why is he here?¡± The discussions got even louder. Courtney lifted her head in surprise and saw part of Alexander¡¯s face, which had an icy expression on it. Under the light of the crystal chandeliers above them, he looked unbothered and unharried. ¡°Alexander.¡± Both Vanessa and Anna¡¯s expressions had taken a turn. They had initially plotted together to make a scene and humiliate Courtney. After all, Anna did personally hear Britney say that she was going to marry Alexander. That also meant that Courtney was lying when Vanessa overheard her talking about her rtionship with Alexander. Neither woman had imagined that Alexander would actually make an appearance. ¡°You¡¯re the CEO of Sunhill Enterprise, Mr. Duncan?¡± Anna¡¯s expression was ghastly as she asked in confirmation, unable to help her curiosity. Alexander¡¯s demeanor was chilly indeed. ¡°Do I have to show you my ID?¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant.¡± Anna hastily shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in what you¡¯re implying, but I would like to know why exactly you were about to hit my fianc¨¦e in front of everyone here.¡± ¡°Fianc¨¦e?¡± Anna¡¯s face frozepletely as she asked in disbelief. ¡°How is this possible? S-She¡¯s your fianc¨¦e?¡± Courtney was also stunned. She hadn¡¯t thought that Alexander would say that in front of such a crowd. ¡°What¡¯s impossible?¡± Alexander wrapped an arm around Courtney¡¯s shoulders, looking all leisurely as he did. ¡°Who else would be my fianc¨¦e, if not her? You?¡± Anna pressed her lips together before asking mutinously, ¡°In that case, why didn¡¯t she say so earlier?¡± Courtney snapped back to her senses right then and immediately fired back. ¡°Did you give me a chance to speak? You and Vanessa had been doing all you could to make me look bad in front of everyone. Would you have allowed me to exin myself?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that, not at all.¡± Vanessa quickly cut in. It was as though she was fearful of earning Alexander¡¯s ire. However, Vanessa¡¯s words seemed to have let something slip, for Anna shot a re at her. Now that Courney had Alexander here to back her up, she was more confident. ¡°Alex was just a little busy¡ªthat¡¯s why he¡¯ste. You kept cornering me without letting me breathe; not only that, you tried to take your temper out on me over a grudge or something. Weren¡¯t you trying to humiliate me? Aren¡¯t you guys my sister? My best friend? I really have to thank my lucky stars for being able to meet you two.¡± Chapter 55 One Night Surprise Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Why Would I Cry? Courtney¡¯s words were food for thought. However, Alexander wasn¡¯t one to stand by. He continued to speak up for her and said, ¡°Courtney is no stranger to the Hunter Family¡¯s affairs. If you¡¯re deliberately trying to cause trouble for her because of this, I won¡¯t mind having a word with her father. I don¡¯t think he knows that Anna has been throwing her weight around and picking on her innocent little sister.¡± Now that Alexander was here, everyone began singing a different tune. Those who knew the truth but hadn¡¯t dared to speak up earlier now began to whisper. ¡°I heard that Mr. Hunter¡¯s current wife is actually his second one; he had a daughter with his previous wife. She¡¯s that daughter, right?¡± ¡°I think so. Anna¡¯s probably the illegitimate child.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a high probability of that. His previous wife never made any public appearances, so no one knows who she was; we can see that Mr. Hunter protected that daughter well, though.¡± Anna was so furious that she shook. The properdy image that she had carefully sculpted over the years was now being destroyed right in front of her eyes. All of a sudden, her boyfriend, who had been standing by her, also turned and left. She stomped her foot and yelled as she chased after him. ¡°Dean? Where are you going?¡± With Anna gone, only Isaac and Vanessa were left. Having heard themotion, Isaac¡¯s parents came running as well. When his father caught sight of Courtney, he stiffened for a moment as well. Nheless, he had experienced his fair number of surprises before. Once he returned to his senses, he quickly began to apologize to Alexander and Courtney. Mrs. Graham tugged on her son¡¯s sleeve and shot him a re. ¡°Why are you not apologizing to Mr. Duncan? Look at the fuss that you¡¯ve caused.¡± Isaac frowned as he looked at Alexander and unwillingly said, ¡°Sorry.¡± Vanessa was quick to respond. Having seen the tables turn on her, her expression changed faster than a sh of lightning. She was all smiles as she pulled on Courney¡¯s hand in a friendly manner. ¡°That was just a misunderstanding. You and Mr. Duncan are both our esteemed guests. Please don¡¯t take notice of that. Let¡¯s open a bottle of champagne to wash all of that away, all right?¡± ¡°Yes, yes! Let¡¯s get some champagne to get over that ruckus.¡± Mr. Graham nodded as well. The guests who had been watching the show had all scattered, but no one knew what they were thinking on the inside. However, Courtney knew that news of her being Alexander¡¯s fianc¨¦e was going to spread now that thatmotion had urred. After drinking some champagne, Courtney and Alexander walked side by side in the banquet hall. She lowered her voice to ask him about the lie he made earlier. ¡°I ended up causing trouble for you. Is it going to be easy for you to deal with the consequences?¡± Alexander was calm, looking as though he wasn¡¯t thinking of that earlier event at all. ¡°Never mind that.¡± Courtney naturally thought he meant that she didn¡¯t need to bother about it; someone would probably handle the matter, so she nodded. Suddenly, a thought urred to her and she immediately asked him, ¡°By the way, why are you here? Shouldn¡¯t you be at the forestry center?¡± ¡°Your friend took the kids back home. I heard that you¡¯re here today for your ex-boyfriend¡¯s wedding, so I got curious.¡± ¡°Curious?¡± Courtney¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°Curious about what you¡¯d look like when you cry.¡± ¡°Cry? Why would I cry?¡± Courtney pouted. ¡°It¡¯s all in the past. You don¡¯t think that I came all the way here to drink myself silly and crash their wedding, right?¡± ¡°If you actually can pull that off, Tina and Jordan wouldn¡¯t have threatened me.¡± Courtney froze for a moment, unsure if she shouldugh. ¡°Ah, so Tina and Jordan got you toe.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Amid her exasperation, Courtney felt a little disappointed. She naturally knew that Jordan liked her, and Tina would wish for nothing more than to tie the two of them together. It was no wonder those two kids were able to cook up something like this. She was disappointed that Alexander probably hadn¡¯te to see her because he wanted to act on his feelings. As she stayed lost in her thoughts, Alexander¡¯s voice suddenly rang by her ear. He sounded somewhat amused. ¡°On the other hand, I¡¯m more interested as to what kind of mental preparations you made before coming here. It¡¯s more interesting to see what a jilted ex-girlfriend would do at her cheating ex and two- faced best friend¡¯s engagement party than it is to help Jordan to collect leaves for his art homework at the forestry center.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Courtney angrily pushed at his arm, embarrassed. ¡°Don¡¯t poke at touchy subjects.¡± If he hadn¡¯t showed up and lent her some credibility, she would have treated him worse. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Anna would be here too. I was caught off-guard.¡± ¡°You¡¯re afraid of her?¡± ¡°Who said that I am?¡± Courtney red, her eyes wide as saucers. She looked like she was displeased with the whole thing. After ring at Alexander for a while, a thought suddenly hit her. ¡°How did you know that Anna¡¯s my sister?¡± she asked. Alexander lowered his gaze a little. He looked like he was stating some facts as he answered, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that I should vet the background of someone who picks up my son from school and spends a lot of time with him?¡± Courtney looked embarrassed as she let out a dry cough. She had noebacks for that. On the other hand, Alexander simply continued. ¡°Did you think that I wouldn¡¯t be suspicious as to why the second daughter of the Hunter Family would tamper with her resume and work as a manager at one of the hotels under my banner? Don¡¯t you think that I would¡¯ve suspected you for having some ulterior motive? Isn¡¯t allowing you to have that job a sign that I trust you enough?¡± ¡°I absolutely have no ulterior motives.¡± Courtney immediately shook her head. ¡°I simply wanted to feed myself and my daughter.¡± Alexander studied her, as though something was on his mind. A beatter, he raised a hand and swept the messy strands of hair covering her forehead behind her ear. He then bent down slightly and whispered, ¡°I know.¡± Courtney immediately blushed a brilliant red. In the distance, Isaac took in this romantic moment. As he watched Courtney¡¯s lovely smile and their flirtatious movements, he balled his fists up in envy. If it hadn¡¯t been for his momentarypse in judgment, she would have been the woman he was going to be engaged to today. Meanwhile, Vanessa was chatting with her friends next to Isaac. At the mention of his name, she looked back to see the unhappy look on his face. She followed his gaze and saw Courtney in the distance. Her smile slowly disappeared at that. Despite all her efforts over the years, she still wasn¡¯t able to make Isaacpletely forget about Courtney. ¡°What are you thinking about, Vanessa?¡± Her friends¡¯ voices pulled her out of her thoughts. Vanessa stared at the ss in her hand for a moment before whipping her head up. ¡°Give me a hand, Leah,¡± she said breezily. During the banquet, Alexander received a call from his butler. He went to the balcony by himself, leaving Courtney alone to eat in boredom. ¡°Courtney.¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. When she looked up, she saw that two of her roommates back from her university days were standing before her. There were two young men that she didn¡¯t know. One of her former roommates greeted her warmly. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since west saw you, Courtney. You¡¯ve gotten prettier.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Courtney smiled politely. She had only lived with them for a year, so they weren¡¯t particrly close. They were barely on a first-name basis. After some idle chatter, someone said, ¡°Since it¡¯s been a long time since ourst meeting, we should drink to this.¡± That wasn¡¯t anything strange, so Courtney lifted her ss and drank. But before she could even put her ss down, the other former roommate lifted another ss of wine. ¡°Me too, me too. Courtney, do you remember that I used to sleep across from you? Come on, let¡¯s have a toast.¡± With that, she clinked sses with Courtney¡¯s own. ¡°You¡¯ve got to ept this drink too.¡± ¡°I remember.¡± Courtney nodded. She had no choice but to drink another ss. Chapter 56 One Night Surprise Chapter 56 Chapter 56 The Child Is Congenitally Deformed One after another, people toasted with her. Courtney¡¯s steps were now wobbly from all the drinks she had. When a vaguely-shaped shadow suddenly appeared before her, she toppled over, but someone¡¯s arm reached out and caught her. ¡°Here, have another drink.¡± Brtiney stopped the car by the entrance to Royal Park Manor. Without waiting for the driver to help her with the door, she was already out of the car, tottering over to the house in her 12 centimeter heels. ¡°Why are you here, Miss Price? The Young Master isn¡¯t home.¡± The butler blocked her entry into the house itself. ¡°He¡¯s not here?¡± Britney¡¯s brows furrowed as she looked into the house. She could clearly hear the sound of childrenughing. ¡°Impossible!¡± How could Alexander leave Jordan alone at home while he did his errands? As long as Jordan was at home, he was supposed to be there too. Having said that, she shoved the butler out of the way and put on some house slippers before heading up to the second floor, following theughter all the way to the yroom upstairs. When she pulled open the door, the scene before Britney made her expression darken. ¡°Who are you?¡± Cameron was currently sitting cross-legged among a pile of toys when a sharp woman¡¯s voice reached her ears, making her shiver momentarily in surprise. A momentter, she finally regained her senses and followed the voice to look at the door, catching sight of Britney in her furious state. Cameron¡¯s expression immediately shifted. ¡°Do you need to know who I am? You gave me a fright there,¡± she said, disgruntled. ¡°I¡­¡± Britney¡¯s face was now green. ¡°What¡¯s with that attitude? Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± Cameron got up by supporting her weight on a chair, pulling the two clearly frightened children behind her before she crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know who you are? You¡¯re Britney, famous celebrity. However, what are you nning since you came crashing into someone else¡¯s home all bad-tempered?¡± ¡°Someone else¡¯s home?¡± Britney clenched her fists tightly. ¡°I am Alexander¡¯s fianc¨¦e, and this is my home in the future. On the other hand, where did youe from, you wild animal? How dare you break in here and give me that cheek?¡± Cameron was born beautiful, and she had never hidden her good looks. Today, she was dressed in a blouse that revealed her shoulders and a pair of hot pants. Whenever women saw another woman with a hot body, they would feel threatened and defensive. Britney had been with Alexander for a while now, and she was especially wary of the women around him. She hadn¡¯t noticed that the girl hiding behind Cameron was Tina. ¡°Wild animal?¡± Cameron smoothed out her sleeves, sweeping her gaze over Britney contemptuously. ¡°No wonder Alexander doesn¡¯t want to marry you even though it¡¯s been five or six years. Your mouth¡¯s so filthy that no one can stand it.¡± As he watched the fight break out on the second floor, the butler hastily called Alexander. ¡°Young Master, something is happening at home now. Miss Price is here, and she has run into Miss Miller. They look like they¡¯re about to get into a physical fight.¡± Alexander¡¯s brows furrowed upon hearing those words as he stood on the balcony. He then ordered the butler, ¡°Take the children somewhere else. Don¡¯t let them get hurt.¡± ¡°All right, I understand. What about Miss Price and Miss Miller?¡± ¡°Leave them.¡± With that, Alexander ended the call. He had seen Cameron¡¯s physical prowess with the number she did on Gale; she wouldn¡¯t lose the fight. However, Britney was a different case. He had already told her earlier over the phone that he was busy, yet she still went over to his house to look for him. That was crossing the line, and she should be taught a lesson. When he returned to the banquet hall after talking to his butler, Alexander surveyed the ce before seeing a group of people crowding around Courtney as they clinked sses with her. She was horrendously drunk already, and a man was helping her to stand up. Yet, the people around her kept funneling drinks to her. There were so many different people there that she was already confused. His expression darkened, and he immediately stalked over withrge steps before he parted the crowd to pull the drunken Courtney into his arms. He leveled a chilly stare at the man who was fidgeting before him. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to continue having hands, you can keep standing there.¡± The man jumped in fright at his words, and he promptly skedaddled. The crowd hadn¡¯t thought that Alexander would return so quickly, so they guiltily scattered as well, leaving Courtney to lean back in Alexander¡¯s arms with a wine ss in her hand. ¡°Hey, I remember you. Let¡¯s drink.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Alexander grumbled as he snatched the ss away and flung it on a nearby table. With one arm around her waist, he smacked her face lightly. ¡°Courtney, are you still there?¡± He had only been away for a short while, but she had already drank herself into this current mess. Does she have any brains? ¡°I¡¯m not drunk. Come on, drink!¡± Courtney stretched her arms out and attempted to break free, but she had only wriggled around for a bit beforepletely sinking limply into his arms. Alexander¡¯s anger dissipated slightly as he looked at the red face in his embrace. Nheless, he was still angry and a little exasperated. He scooped her up into a princess carry and immediately brought her away from the banquet hall under the attendees¡¯ watchful eyes. Seeing this, Isaac couldn¡¯t stand it and chased after them. However, he had only taken a few steps when Vanessa stopped him. ¡°What are you doing, Isaac?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to check on Courtney. She had too much to drink.¡± ¡°Why do you need to check on her?¡± Vanessa¡¯s expression turned stony. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see Alexander carrying her drunk self off? She¡¯s his fianc¨¦e, and Alexander has said so himself. What are you going to do even if you follow them?¡± Isaac also had plenty to drink. He was already irate, but when he heard that, he shook Vanessa¡¯s grip off roughly. ¡°Yeah, what am I going to do? I know very well about them. Do you need to keep reminding me every second?¡± Isaac spat out in annoyance. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Vanessa lost her footing, and a momentter, she toppled backward into the table behind her while screaming. The champagne tower copsed, and she ended up sitting in a mix of champagne and ss shards as the sound of spilling champagne and crashing sses rang out, causing a ruckus. Alexander had carried Courtney all the way to the entrance. Despite the sheermotion behind him, he never once looked back. All he could hear was the chaotic screams and shoutsing from the banquet hall. ¡°Blood! Vanessa, you¡¯re bleeding. Oh God, why is there so much blood?¡± ¡°There¡¯s blood¡­¡± ¡°Vanessa? Vanessa, don¡¯t scare me.¡± Atst, a frail voice somehow floated over the cacophony and made its way into Alexander¡¯s ears. ¡°My baby¡­¡± The corners of his eyes crinkled a little into a mocking look. After he had gotten into his car and had Courtney settled, the chauffeur drove away from the hotel. ¡°How did the investigation go?¡± The chauffeur nodded. ¡°I have looked into everything. The one called Vanessa had indeed gone to that private hospital three days ago for a prenatal exam. The child is congenitally deformed, so the doctors suggested that she abort it.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression darkened even more at those words. On the way to the engagement party, he had gotten a call from Cameron. Cameron told him over the phone that she had run into Vanessa at the hospital while apanying a friend for a prenatal examination. It just so happened that the husband of Cameron¡¯s friend was also a doctor at that private hospital. She simply asked him about it, and she found out that Vanessa was in such a rush to get engaged because she had gotten pregnant out of wedlock, but the child was deformed. ¡°I can¡¯t exactly say there¡¯s anything fishy about this, but my friend¡¯s husband told me that Vanessa wanted him to keep the news of her baby¡¯s deformity a secret. She wasn¡¯t willing to let Isaac know either. Then, I remembered that Vanessa kept cajoling and insisting for Courtney toe to her engagement party in that invitation she sent. I¡¯m worried that something would happen since she has asked her to go. I¡¯m just really worried about the worst possible oue.¡± Cameron had spilled her worries to Alexander over the call; that was the primary reason she wanted Alexander to go to the party to help Courtney. The events that had ured showed that Cameron was right to worry. Chapter 57 One Night Surprise Chapter 57 Chapter 57 You Look so Handsome Even a baby that was supposed to be aborted could be weaponized by Vanessa as an opportunity to seal the marriage. Her n was airtight; even if it failed, she still had a backup n. If Alexander hadn¡¯t known about all this earlier, Courtney would¡¯ve probably been med for the entire brouhaha; she wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape the usations once she was pinned as the scapegoat. Alexander looked back to gaze at Courtney, who was currently ckout drunk andpletely unaware of anything. He mentally heaved a sigh of relief for her. She was usually very smart; why did she drop her guard during a situation like this? Was she supposed to just take every drink tossed her way? As he thought things over, Courtney suddenly lifted a leg and spread it across Alexander¡¯s legs. His expression shifted, but before he could push her leg away, her arm smacked onto him, wrapping itself around his shoulders. She ended up sitting on him, having hauled herself into hisp. She had his face in her hands as she asked drunkenly, ¡°Who are you?¡± The corners of Alexander¡¯s mouth twitched, and he forced some words through his clenched teeth. ¡°Courtney, let go of me.¡± Clearly, trying to talk sense into a drunk person was not a wide decision. As soon as he spoke, Courtney smacked his face; her alcohol-scented breath blew directly on him. ¡°Oh, it speaks too!¡± Alexander was so sick of the scent of alcohol that he was tempted to roll down the window and hurl her out of the car. However, she ramped up her antics. As she sucked in a breath, she flung her arms around his neck and wriggled. ¡°It¡¯s so hot!¡± All Alexander could feel as she squirmed around was a tightening sensation below his belt. His body was reacting to her. ¡°Courtney.¡± His voice now had a deep raspiness to it as he pinned her, stopping her from moving. ¡°Stop wriggling.¡± However, she didn¡¯t think she was doing anything inappropriate. She bent lower and pressed her neck against Alexander¡¯s face; it was as though this was the only way the fire burning in her body could be extinguished. With them now touching skin-to-skin, Alexander¡¯s expression tightened. The hands around her waist, which had been supporting her weight, now had a stiffness to them. He had no idea where he should put his hands. The driver looked at the backseat through his rearview mirror. Shock entered his eyes, and he didn¡¯t dare to continue peeking. Alexander¡¯s hushed voice sounded out from the backseat. ¡°Take us straight to Royal Park Manor.¡± The chauffeur got the hint and promptly mmed on the gas, zooming toward their destination. The moment they reached home, Alexander¡¯s butler and domestic servants surged over. ¡°Where¡¯s Cameron?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°Young Master, Miss Miller said that it was gettingte. She left with Tina not long ago.¡± Alexander nodded his head lightly, not even bothering to ask about Britney at all. When the domestic servants saw Courtney passed out on the backseat, they hurried over and attempted to help her, but Alexander waved them away. He picked Courtney up in a princess carry and brought her to the bedroom that she had stayed in before on the second floor. All of them were surprised by this, and their gazes were odd. The butler swept his gaze over them. ¡°What are you looking at? I¡¯ve told you that you are here to work. Sometimes, you have to pretend that you didn¡¯t see something even if you actually did. Do you understand?¡± The servants then scattered. The butler looked at the locked door on the second floor and silently took out his phone. ¡°Sir, the Young Master brought Miss Hunter home. Both of them are heavily drunk. Yes, they¡¯re in the same room. They still haven¡¯te out yet.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. After Alexander ced Courtney down on the bed in the guest bedroom, he went to look for a servant to help freshen her up. Just as he was about to leave, he felt a tug on his sleeve. He lost his bnce from the pull and ended up toppling once again onto her. He could sense the softness of her chest pressing against his own chest through the thin material of their clothes, rendering him immobile. ¡°Water,¡± Courtney croaked as she tugged on his sleeve. ¡°Thirsty.¡± Alexander frowned. He weathered through the difort he was feeling and lowered his voice. ¡°Courtney, you have to let go of me first if you want some water.¡± He didn¡¯t know whether she understood him or not. A moment after he said that, she finally released her grip on him. There was a tumbler and some cups on the desk in the room. Alexander picked up the tumbler and poured some water into a cup. He then brought the cup over and ced it right by the bedside table. ¡°It¡¯s on the table next to the bed. You can drink once you¡¯re awake.¡± With that, he turned and left. He had only taken a few steps when he heard some shuffling sounds behind him. When he looked back, he saw Courtney¡¯s hand groping around the bedside table beforending on the rim of the cup. ¡°Watch o¡ª¡± Before he could finish his words, the cup toppled on its side on top of the bedside table with a ng. The cup rolled onto the bed, sshing Courtney with its contents. ¡°Oh no!¡± she cried out as she suddenly began struggling on the bed and screaming. ¡°I can¡¯t swim¡ª¡± Alexander¡¯s brow furrowed. He found the situation infuriating yet amusing. ¡°Help¡­¡± However, Alexander couldn¡¯tugh at those screams. What if the people outside heard her? He hastily walked over and covered her mouth, saying to her in a hushed voice, ¡°That¡¯s enough. You¡¯re not in a pool or something. Why do you need to swim?¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes were zed over; it looked like the mist of spring was clouding them. She looked up at him innocently like a frightened fawn. Alexander could feel his heart pound erratically, and it was beating faster than it normally did. ¡°I¡¯m hot.¡± She felt ufortable from being pinned down. Suddenly, she began to wriggle around. The top of her sleeveless dress was already on the verge of falling down, but with the way she was squirming now, there was the real threat of her breasts escaping their confines. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was so raspy that his throat was nearly on fire. He had his hands on her bare shoulders, but that wasn¡¯t able to stop the friction between their lower halves. She suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, flipping him so that he was the one pinned under her instead. She held his face in her hands as she drunkenly mumbled, ¡°You look¡­ so handsome.¡± Alexander clearly hadn¡¯t expected her to do that to him. He was stunned too; he hadn¡¯t been on alert for this. He watched as her face got closer and closer to his, and her burning hot lips pressed themselves against his. They had a hint of sweetness from the red wine she drank, and they were very moist. Alexander had been forcing himself to stamp down on the fire inside, but right now, he could no longer hold himself back. His passiveness gave way to dominance as his hands slid down her waist and began to undo their clothes. Courtney¡¯s skin was smooth and soft; it was like he was touching a bolt of silk. Meanwhile, she was enjoying herself as she moaned. Alexander lifted one of her legs and aimed himself at her entrance. With a thrust, he was inside her. When he first entered her, she felt incredibly tight¡ªit even seemed like it was her first time. He then gave a low grunt. Meanwhile, the woman beneath him couldn¡¯t restrain the yell that escaped her. Her neck arched off the bed, drenched in sweat. There was some agony on her face, but pleasure overtook the pain. The bed creaked as they moved. As Alexander¡¯s thrusts grew stronger and stronger, Courtney¡¯s moans grew lovelier and lovelier. Perhaps it was because he had been holding his desires for far too long, or perhaps it was the alcohol¡¯s effects, but Alexander felt like he couldn¡¯t stop. He had to have her. After coupling with her countless times, Alexander yed with her body, hisrge hands sweeping over her own soft hands. He even pinned her hands down on the pillow. At the same time, he felt that this feeling was familiar; the same could be said for the sensations he felt in bed. It was like her body molded well to his own. A clear scene suddenly shed in his mind. ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡± Despite the woman¡¯s protests, there was still pleasure in her moans. Those moans kept reverberating clearly around his ears, and they sounded exactly like the moansing from the woman below him now. The scene in his mind was from that fateful night six years ago, where they were in a dark room. Chapter 58 One Night Surprise Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Did Something Happen? ¡°Ah¡­¡± The loud moan let out by the woman beneath Alexander brought him back to reality. At the sight of her smoking hot figure and her legs¡ªwhich were wrapped around his waist like a pair of snakes¡ªthe mes of lust within him leaped up again, dispelling other thoughts in his mind. He lifted her waist and passionately put himself in and out of her several times, making her moan repeatedly before she reached her climax. They made out endlessly that night. When Courtney woke up the next morning, she felt so worn out as if her body had been crushed under a truck. Even the simple movement of turning over made her feel like all her limbs were out of joint. The ache made her open her eyes slowly, and what came in sight were splendid furnishings that seemed familiar to her. After staring at these furnishings for a while, she recalled that this room seemed to be the guest room at Alexander¡¯s ce. She threw back the covers and was about to get out of bed when she suddenly touched her smooth and bare skin. When she lowered her head and saw what had happened, her eyes instantly widened, and she screamed, ¡°Ahh!¡± Her scream was drowned by the sound of someone showering in the bathroom. Looking at the bathroom in panic, Courtney could see the blurry outline of a strong and muscr man inside the bathroom through the frosted ss door. No way! She yanked the bed sheet to cover her chest. What the hell did I dost night? The sound of water in the bathroom stopped abruptly. A whileter, a slightly wet hand pulled the door open, and Alexander¡ªwith a bath towel wrapped around his waist¡ªcame out while toweling his hair dry as if nothing had happened. After walking a few steps as though he didn¡¯t hear the scream just now, he finally saw Courtney sitting up on his bed. As their eyes met, the memory of how they had spent the night before with all-consuming passion instantly came to mind. Courtney curled her lips to give an awkward smile. ¡°S-Something happened between you and Ist night¡­ right?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you sense that yourself?¡± replied Alexander as he hung the towel over his shoulder. The neatly packed abs on his abdomen visibly contracted and rxed as he moved about. ¡°Don¡¯te over here.¡± Courtney covered her eyes. She couldn¡¯t stand looking at him any longer lest the bath towel on his waist would fall off the next second. ¡°What are you afraid of?¡± Alexander looked very calm while standing by the bed. ¡°We have done whatever we should and shouldn¡¯t havest night. Don¡¯t tell me you have zero memory of that.¡± Courtney hung her head with her face as red as a tomato; she was so nervous that she couldn¡¯t utter a word for a long time. Naturally, she knew what had happenedst night. Judging from the ache in her body right now, she had either been beaten up or made out with someone all night. Considering the swelling ache in her lower body, she must have gone to bed with Alexander yesterday. ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t remember anything.¡± Putting up a bold front, she decided to deny it no matter what. Then, she heard a chuckle above her head that seemed to sound a bit teasing. Courtney thought she had heard it wrong, but when she looked up, Alexander had taken his bathrobe out of the closet and turned around to walk to the door. ¡°The maid will bring in some clothes and medicine for youter. Come out and eat after you get changed.¡± ¡°Medicine?¡± Courtney was startled for a moment. ¡°What medicine?¡± The medicine won¡¯t be something like birth control pills, right? As she was letting her imagination run wild, she heard a meaningful voiceing from outside the door. ¡°Healing cream.¡± At first, Courtney didn¡¯t understand what he meant. However, when she threw back the covers to get out of bed and shower, she saw the bloodstains on the bed sheet. Coupled with the pain she felt while moving her feet slightly, it made her go red in the face at once. She instantly figured out where she should apply the healing cream. Oh my God! Just how passionate was the lovemaking sessionst night? I even grazed myself and bled! After getting changed, Courtney spent as much as over ten minutes preparing herself mentally in the room. Then, she pulled the door open and went out. When she met the maid¡ªwho was about to enter the room to tidy it up¡ªshe looked calm and at ease. Not only did she brazen it out and pretended as if nothing had happened, she even greeted the maid by saying, ¡°Good morning.¡± The maid¡¯s face was beaming with joy. ¡°It¡¯s not morning anymore, Miss Hunter. It¡¯s already noon.¡± Courtney¡¯s originally forced smile looked even more unnatural. When she came downstairs, Alexander wasn¡¯t in the living room. ¡°The Young Master is working in the study. He told us to call him when youe downstairs so that you two can have lunch together.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± Courtney quickly raised her hand in a refusing gesture. ¡°There¡¯s no need to call him because I¡¯ll be leaving right away. I-I have something else to attend to, so I won¡¯t be eating lunch here.¡± ¡°Huh? This is not good, Miss Hunter. This¡ª¡± Fearing that the maid would stop her, Courtney hurriedly went out without even changing her shoes. However, the sound of a car¡¯s engine turning off outside made her pause in her tracks. After a ck sedan stopped at the entrance to the courtyard, the familiar old butler got out of the sedan and opened the car door for Scott, who then got out of the sedan. ¡°Miss Hunter?¡± Scott eyed her up and down expressively. ¡°What a coincidence! I¡¯m here to visit Alex, and you¡¯re here as well.¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Hi, Mr. Duncan.¡± The corners of Courtney¡¯s mouth twitched; she felt so guilty that she wished she could bury herself in a hole on the ground. At this instant, she no longer thought that the awkward situation just now was embarrassing, for the awkward situation right now was the most embarrassing moment in the century for her. It was apparent that Scott¡¯s car had deliberately blocked the entrance to the courtyard to prevent her from leaving. When Alexander went downstairs from his study two minutester, Courtney had been arranged to sit at the dining table. The way she straightened out her clothes and sat bold upright made her look as edgy as a criminal awaiting their trial. ¡°Grandpa?¡± Alexander came over with a frown. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Scott had fondness written all over his face. ¡°You hadn¡¯t gone back to visit me for such a long time, so I decided to drop by and see you. I didn¡¯t expect a surprise, though.¡± Drop by and visit me? Isn¡¯t this too much of a coincidence? Not blowing his grandfather¡¯s cover, Alexander walked to the seat across from Courtney. However, when he was about to sit down, the maid pulled out the chair next to hers. ¡°Please have a seat here, Young Master.¡± Courtney cleared her throat and shook her head vigorously at him. She looked as guilty as a teenage girl who was caught having fun away from home all night by her elders. Turning a blind eye at her hopeless expression, Alexander walked straight over and sat down next to her. ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch together since you¡¯re here, Grandpa.¡± Scott nodded slightly. He told Courtney to eat more, but he didn¡¯t move his cutlery. Bracing herself to eat lunch, Courtney felt so ill at ease that she found little taste in the food. ¡°I have learned about everything that happenedst night.¡± Upon hearing Scott¡¯s words, Courtney instantly choked on the red braised pork belly that she hadn¡¯t finished chewing up, her face turning crimson. She wanted to say something, but she couldn¡¯t utter a word. Hence, she could only keep downing the ss of water in her hand. ¡°Alex isn¡¯t an irresponsible person, so I¡¯ll make sure that he doesn¡¯t let you down,¡± Scott said while giving Alexander a fierce re. ¡°Do my words still carry weight?¡± ¡°You learned of this so quickly, Grandpa.¡± Alexander shot an emotionless nce at his mansion¡¯s butler, who was standing aside. Not only did Scott get the news so quickly, he even hurried here early in the morning. It was clear at a nce who had tipped him off. Courtney, who had finally swallowed that chunk of red braised pork belly, wanted to wave her hand and say that this wasn¡¯t necessary. However, before she could say so, Scott said to Alexander, ¡°By the way, since your marriage with Courtney has been finalized, you should hurry up and deal with the matter between you and Britney. Those tabloid news reports circting around are giving me a headache.¡± Finalized? Courtney looked up with a flushed face as it turned pale by turns. What had been finalized while I was choking on a chunk of braised pork belly? Chapter 59 One Night Surprise Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Tearing Up Her Mouth ¡°All right, I shall stop disturbing you guys.¡± Scott suddenly got up, producing some sound as his chair rubbed against the floor. Looking at Courtney with a smile, he said, ¡°You¡¯re wee to have fun at my ce when you have the time, Courtney. I¡¯ll get someone to arrange for the wedding. If there¡¯s anything, you can just contact me directly.¡± Courtney had a lot to say, but she couldn¡¯t utter a word at this moment. She watched as Scott left, leaving her and Alexander as they looked at each other helplessly. ¡°Let me send you home.¡± After finishing their lunch, Alexander offered to send Courtney home. Courtney wanted to turn him down, but it urred to her that they should clear the air about what had happened on this day. It would be better to talk in the car since it wasn¡¯t convenient for them to speak at Alexander¡¯s home with the housekeepers walking around, so she didn¡¯t refuse his offer. The atmosphere in the car was quite stuffy as it drove out of the vi area. Courtney looked at her cell phone and scrolled her Facebook with her head down, but in reality, she was reading nothing. Suddenly, Alexander¡¯s voice rang. He asked her naturally, ¡°Should I turn right at the intersection ahead?¡± Courtney was startled for a few seconds before she nodded. ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± The car pulled up at the traffic lights before turning at the intersection, and there were 60 seconds to go before the lights changed to green. Grabbing the steering wheel with his long and thin fingers, Alexander tapped his index finger on the steering wheel every once in a while. He suddenly asked, ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you something aboutst night.¡± The feel of Courtney¡¯s skin seemed to be still lingering in his hand,pelling him to spend the entire morningparing her with thedy he encountered six years ago. Such a feeling was so familiar to him that he couldn¡¯t forget it. ¡°Last night¡­¡± Courtney straightened up abruptly and clenched her fists. She continued stiffly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to take what happenedst night to heart.¡± Alexander stopped tapping his index finger on the steering wheel. ¡°Well.¡± Courtney sniffed and pretended to be unconcerned. ¡°We were drunk, and we¡¯re both adults, so we don¡¯t have to take this too seriously. I know you¡¯re going to marry Britney, so you don¡¯t have to think there¡¯s something because of this ident. I-I won¡¯t ask you to take responsibility; I¡¯m not that kind of person.¡± Alexander tightened his grip on the steering wheel, forming an indentation on its genuine leather cover in the shape of his fingers. He looked unmoved, but his tone of voice suddenly turned chilly. ¡°Get out of the car.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you don¡¯t need me to take responsibility? You may get out of the car now so that we don¡¯t get misunderstood.¡± His chilly voice reverberated in the car with a barely perceptible hint of anger. N?velDrama.Org content. Courtney finally came to her senses. Standing at the intersection, she held her handbag and watched as Alexander¡¯s car sped off. Atst, she could no longer assume the feigned unconcerned expression on her face, and she sat down on a corner of the raised flower bed as if she had lost heart. Just what the hell is going on? ¡°What? Did she spend the night at Royal Park Manor?¡± All of a sudden, Britney turned around to look at the assistant behind her with a look of disbelief in the backstage dressing room of a show. Her sudden movements startled the makeup artist; as her hands trembled, the lip brush left a blood-red lipstick mark on the corner of Britney¡¯s mouth. The makeup artist hurriedly apologized and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean it¡­¡± Britney snatched the lip brush out of the makeup artist¡¯s hand and threw it to the floor roughly. She snapped, ¡°Where did you find this person? She doesn¡¯t even know how to apply makeup! Do you want to be fired?¡± At the sight of the scene, Jason¡ªher talent agent¡ªimmediately apologized to Britney while shooting a nce at the makeup artist, who then gritted her teeth and left the dressing room with a look of grievance. ¡°Britney, you have to appear on the show in a while, so please control your temper a little. Let¡¯s hurry up and get your makeup done.¡± ¡°Who cares about the show?¡± Filled with anger, Britney red at Jason. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Millie said just now? The woman named Courtney spent the night at Royal Park Manor shortly after I left. Furthermore, Alexander carried her back himself! There were only the two of them in the vi¡ªdo you think I¡¯d believe you when you say that nothing happened?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you go there yesterday as well?¡± Jason was puzzled at the mention of this. ¡°Why did youe back afterward?¡± ¡°Speaking of this, I wish I could have torn that d*mn woman into pieces!¡± Britney mmed the dressing table, her face darkening. ¡°The woman in Alex¡¯s home yesterday was simply arrogant. She knew who I was, yet she had the nerve to boast shamelessly by saying that Alex was just ying around with me! I will tear up her mouth if I meet her again!¡± Confused by her repeated mentions of ¡®the woman¡¯, Jason couldn¡¯t distinguish whether the woman Britney was referring to was the same person. After ncing at his wristwatch, he hastily urged, ¡°You should sit down and have your makeup fixed no matter which woman stands in your way again. It¡¯s time to appear on the show; we¡¯ve made so many apologies when you left the show abruptly yesterday.¡± Britney clenched her fists, but she knew as well that it was useless to be angry; what had been done couldn¡¯t be undone. It was pointless for her to go back right now, so she could only get her job done first before slowly finding a way to deal with Courtney. I was right to be rmed at the beginning. This woman already has a daughter, yet she¡¯s so capable of seducing a man. She isn¡¯t as simple as she seems, she thought to herself. Meanwhile, Alexander went back to the CEO¡¯s office at Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s headquarters after a briefing in the morning. Josh gave a report on the 100th-anniversary celebrations before asking, ¡°The decorations can officially begin next Monday, but Miss Hunter mentioned that decorating the event hall during the day would surely cause a drop in Sunhill Hotel¡¯s recent performance, and there might be lots ofints from the guests by then. Do you want to consider telling Miss Hunter to do the decorations during the night instead?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Alexander raised his left hand slightly before shaking his fingers. ¡°There will be moreints if the decorations are done at night since the guests will be disturbed by the noise. Her time allocation is right, plus the lobby¡¯s decoration will be carried out in different areas during the daytime, so the impact won¡¯t be huge. There¡¯s no need to be worried, so just let her do it. You just have to report the progress on time.¡± ¡°Yes, President Duncan.¡± Only then did Josh realize Courtney¡¯s purpose in doing the decorations during the daytime, so he admired her a little from the bottom of his heart. ¡°By the way, I¡¯d like to ask you something.¡± ¡°Please ask, President Duncan.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Where is thedy who acted as the surrogate mother six years ago right now?¡± ¡°Surrogate mother?¡± Josh was startled for a moment; he didn¡¯t understand why Alexander had suddenly brought up such an old story. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he responded reverently, ¡°She¡¯s in Austria. Her father died of cancer shortly after she took the money back then, so she was sent to the airport to further her studies in Austria ording to the instructions of Louis, the butler. She married a local there three years ago after finishing her Master¡¯s degree.¡± ¡°Why are you so clear about it?¡± ¡°She¡¯s Little Master¡¯s birth mother, after all. I have been keeping an eye on her all the time in case you ask about her one day, Young Master.¡± Josh was a little nervous. Alexander never instructed him to do this, but he had grown ustomed to taking more details into consideration while doing things after working for Alexander for seven years. Alexander didn¡¯t suspect that there was something wrong with Josh¡¯s answer. Josh had been his close aide since he took over Sunhill Enterprise. Josh and Louis, who used to be his butler, were in charge of having the surrogate mother arranged back then. If there was something wrong with thedy who acted as the surrogate mother back then, Josh wouldn¡¯t have kept it secret from him. Josh wouldn¡¯t have hid such a secret if anything went wrong, so it meant that Josh probably had no idea about this. In other words, Louis was the only person who knew the inside story. Therefore, Louis¡¯s sudden resignation and retirement after sending Jordan to Alexander¡¯s side back then seemed increasingly abrupt and suspicious to Alexander. ¡°Go to Armskirk Town to look for Louis and bring him to me. I have something to ask him.¡± Chapter 60 One Night Surprise Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Our Fates Really Are Intertwined Courtney received a warm wee from Tina when she returned home. ¡°You¡¯re home atst, Mommy! Were you happyst night?¡± Courtney knew that Tina couldn¡¯t possibly be aware of the stuff between men and women at such a young age, but she couldn¡¯t help giving thetter a noogie. ¡°Why should I be happy? Who told you to egg Jordan¡¯s dad on to look for me at the engagement party?¡± Rubbing her head in pain, Tina pouted her lips and argued, ¡°It wasn¡¯t me who proposed that; Jordan and Godmother were the ones responsible. Godmother even said that Mr. Alexander would be a hero saving a damsel in distress by doing so!¡± ¡°Are you putting the me on whoever is absent?¡± Courtney shot her a nce while pouring herself some water to drink by the table. She asked casually, ¡°What else did your Godmother say?¡± ¡°Godmother said that the story of a hero saving a damsel in distress always ends with the heroine pledging to marry the hero out of gratitude.¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Courtney spat a mouthful of water all over the table. After coughing a few times, she went to p the door to the main bedroom in exasperation. ¡°Come out, Cameron! How could you teach her these things instead of the good stuff?¡± It was the weekend, which Cameran usually spent resting at home and sleeping soundly to her heart¡¯s content. However, nobody answered the door even after Courtney knocked on it for a long time. When Courtney opened the door, she found the room as messy as a doghouse, but Cameron was nowhere to be seen. ¡°My Godmother left this morning on a business trip.¡± Tina trotted up to her. ¡°She also said that you are free to invite Mr. Alexander over while she¡¯s away¡ªshe doesn¡¯t mind it at all.¡± ¡°Who wants to invite him?¡± Looking guilty, Courtney raised her voice and covered her blushing face. ¡°All right, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯m dog-tired, so I want to sleep. Don¡¯t make trouble for me here; go y on your own somewhere else.¡± Tina was chased back into her room, but she covered her mouth and tittered while peeping through the door crack. It seems that Godmother¡¯s n of having a hero save a damsel in distress works wonders! As expected, I should let Godmother take action since she can do the job of two! Courtney kept tossing and turning in bed that afternoon, but she couldn¡¯t fall asleep due to her sore waist and aching back. When she turned over, she recalled what had happenedst night. Blushing with embarrassment, she covered herself under the nket, only to push back the nket and pant heavily a whileter because she couldn¡¯t breathe. After being restless for some time, she went into a sulk. If Cameron did not pressure me into attending the engagement party, such a thing wouldn¡¯t have happened. This incident wouldn¡¯t be possible if she didn¡¯t speak out of turn by persuading Alexander to appear at the banquet. In conclusion, thisdy is the culprit! Thinking about this, Courtney¡¯s mind suddenly cleared a little. She increasingly felt that Cameron was likely to be the mastermind behind the incident! Meanwhile, Cameron was bored stiff while waiting for her dyed flight in the airport lounge when she received a voice message on her cell phone¡¯s Messenger. When she saw the sender ID of the voice message, her fidgety expression instantly cleared. After unlocking her cell phone by slowly swiping her finger across the screen, she pleasantly listened to Courtney¡¯s usation. ¡°Confess to me¡ªdid you n in advance to urge me to attend the wedding and notify Alexander about it?¡± Pressing the recording button on her cell phone, Cameron moved closer to the microphone. She argued, ¡°How could that be possible? Did something happenst night, though? Why didn¡¯t youe back all night yesterday?¡± ¡°Nothing happened.¡± ¡°You sound so flustered and exasperated that I don¡¯t believe nothing has happened.¡± Her message was met with silence. For a long time, there was no answer from the other end of the conversation. However, Cameron could imagine Courtney¡¯s blushing face in front of the screen. What a shame that I can¡¯t see her blushing face with my own eyes. Just then, the airport¡¯s broadcasting system announced that her flight had arrived. Cameron picked up her handbag leisurely and boarded the ne before finding her seat. After seating herself, she lowered her voice and spoke into her cell phone. ¡°I¡¯m on the ne, so I won¡¯t discuss the details with you. Share your passionate night yesterday with me when Ie backter!¡± With that, she switched off her cell phone. Just then, she heard a man¡¯s deep voice speaking above her head against the background of the safety warning broadcast. ¡°Babe, may I ask if I can move your stuff in the overheadpartment to the side a little bit?¡± Cameron didn¡¯t even raise her head. ¡°It¡¯s not mine, so move it as you please.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± replied the man politely. As he was moving the bags around, he suddenly stopped. Cameron, who found the voice familiar to her, put down the tablet in her hand and looked up. Their eyes met in an instant. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Cameron and Gale¡¯s voices ovepped. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . After confirming that the seat number on his ne ticket was correct, Gale seated himself next to Cameron and extended his hand to her politely. ¡°What a coincidence! We meet again, Miss Miller.¡± Cameron rolled her eyes before raising her hand to beckon the flight attendant toe over. ¡°Do you need any help, miss?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to switch seats.¡± Gale¡¯s expression changed as his hand stretched out awkwardly in midair. Sensing the subtle atmosphere between them, the flight attendant gave an awkward smile. ¡°Miss Miller, all the seats of this flight are filled, so there¡¯s no way of switching seats.¡± Cameron¡¯s expression changed at once. She shot a disdainful look at Gale next to her and asked, ¡°Are the economy ss seats filled as well? I can switch to an economy ss seat as long as I¡¯m not seated next to him. I have no problem sitting on a jump seat with you guys.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Gale stared at her with a frown. He said in displeasure, ¡°Why are you making a fuss¡ªeven I haven¡¯t made a request to switch seats!¡± Cameron¡¯s expression was very cold. ¡°I simply can¡¯t stand the sight of some ill-mannered person who takes his liberties with women!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but there really aren¡¯t any empty seats anymore.¡± The flight attendant looked troubled. Gale¡¯s face fell as well. He answered back sarcastically, ¡°Have you ever found anyone easy on the eyes? In my opinion, you¡¯re just hostile to society. The flight will take off very soon, yet you¡¯ve made things difficult for the flight attendant here and used me ofcking manners. I don¡¯t think you have good manners either.¡± ¡°You!¡± Cameron knitted her brows. After giving the flight attendant an understanding look to motion her to leave first, she red at Gale and continued, ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to talk nonsense with you. I¡¯m warning you¡ªthis flight will take only four hours, so don¡¯t speak to me. We shall pretend that we have never met.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Surprisingly, Gale didn¡¯t get angry after being dissed so many times. Instead, he started to get curious. Just what the hell is it about me that thisdy can¡¯t stand the sight of? Why does she behave like a grouch every time we meet? Then, his eyes suddenly lit up when he saw the staff ID card on Cameron¡¯s table from the corner of his eye. The words ¡®Twilight LLC¡¯s cultural media exchange program¡¯ were printed on it very clearly. Is she going to attend Twilight¡¯s cultural media exchange program as well? If that¡¯s the case, our fates are really intertwined. Gale¡¯s mouth curved into a meaningful smile. The next day was a Monday. Setting aside all the ¡®idents¡¯ that happened over the weekend, Courtney immediately began the preparations to decorate the event hall for Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s 100th-anniversary celebration. She spent the entire day overseeing the partitioning of different areas in the lobby. ¡°The posters on the board aren¡¯t good; make them prettier. We can¡¯t let others think that there¡¯s some sort of construction going on here, and try not to inconvenience the hotel¡¯s guests as much as possible. Don¡¯t pile things up right here¡ªput everything in the storeroom and take them out only when needed. It¡¯s okay to make a few more trips.¡± While she was busy in the afternoon, she heard the receptionist calling her from the front desk nearby. ¡°Miss Hunter, a gentleman here wants to see you.¡± Upon hearing this, Courtney¡ªwho was looking up while directing the workers to install the new chandelier¡ªlooked back to see a familiar figure standing at the front desk. Surprisingly, the stooping figure had be much older than she remembered since theyst met many years ago. Chapter 61 One Night Surprise Chapter 61 Chapter 61 I Have to Do What I¡¯ve Promised You It was almost time for dinner, and there were only a few customers in the cafe on Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s first floor. After serving some coffee to the table in the corner, the waiter¡ªwho seemed to know Courtney very well¡ªnodded to her with a smile. Courtney often worked on the first-floor lobby, so she was well acquainted with the people who worked in the shops on the first floor. She felt a little ill at ease while stirring her coffee. ¡°What brings you here, Dad?¡± The man across from her looked about 50 years old. Dressed in a brown suit, he looked very refined. Threads of silver ran through the ck hair at his temples, and the watch on his left wrist¡ªwhich was worth at least 1 million¡ªhad a cold luster to it. ¡°Your sister said that she saw you when she attended Isaac¡¯s engagement partyst Saturday. She told me that you¡¯re working here.¡± Courtney had guessed a long time ago that Anna was bound to take liberties with the truth after going back that day, so she took a colder attitude at once. ¡°What else did she say? She didn¡¯t put in a good word for me, did she?¡± Courtney¡¯s father, Lucian, frowned upon hearing that. ¡°How could she say nasty things about you? She just told me that you¡¯re working here. Do you have any misunderstandings with your sister, Courtney?¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Courtney¡¯s face clouded over as she clenched the spoon in her hand. ¡°What kind of misunderstanding can I have with her? We simply can¡¯t get along well because our personalities are ipatible.¡± ¡°Indeed, Anna doesn¡¯t have a good temper, but she cares a lot about you. Since both of you are from the same family, she treats you more sincerely than the outsiders, Courtney¡ª¡± ¡°Dad,¡± Courtney interrupted him. ¡°You didn¡¯te here just to mediate between us sisters, did you?¡± Lucian nced at her upon hearing this. ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve been dating President Duncan of Sunhill Enterprise. Is that true?¡± Courtney wasn¡¯t surprised that her father would ask this question. Since Anna would talk about her encounter with Courtney at the engagement party when she got home, she would surely talk about the matter between Courtney and Alexander, for this matter had caused a great stir back then. Even if Anna said nothing about that, Lucian would probably hear it from his friends; someone as smart as Anna wouldn¡¯t let her father hear this from anyone other than herself, of course. Not only that, Anna was probably worried that Lucian might learn of how she had ridiculed Courtney at the engagement party that day if he asked someone else about this. ¡°Who cares if it¡¯s true or false?¡± Courtney lowered her head without denying it, but she didn¡¯t have the nerve to acknowledge it as well. ¡°You never cared about how I have been doing over so many years anyway, so don¡¯t concern yourself with this matter. I¡¯ll take care of it myself.¡± Lucian wasn¡¯t angered by Courtney¡¯s indifference. Instead, he worried for her by saying with a concerned expression, ¡°I heard that he has a son. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have a lot to consider if you want to be together with him.¡± Courtney slowly raised her head. ¡°What if I tell you that I have a child as well?¡± Lucian¡¯s expression slowly changed. Courtney waited for her father tosh out at her. Ever since she grew more sensible, she had been waiting for him tosh out at her. That way, she could pour out all her doubts and grievances over these years. To her dismay, however, Lucian only looked astounded for a moment. Then, as if wanting to calm down, he held up his cup of coffee with a trembling hand to take a sip of it. When he finished drinking his coffee, he assumed the look of a loving father again. ¡°When did that happen?¡± Courtney answered perfunctorily, ¡°I went overseas five years ago because I had given birth to a child whom I didn¡¯t want to take home.¡± ¡°In that case¡­ the child should be five years old.¡± Lucian frowned. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t calm down so quickly, but he didn¡¯t show signs of getting angry. He even asked after a moment of silence, ¡°Is the child a boy or a girl?¡± ¡°A girl.¡± The conversation then headed in an increasingly weird direction. Courtney was anticipating her father¡¯s anger, but he patiently asked many questions about her daughter as if he had forgotten that he was initially here to question her rtionship with Alexander. When he finally left, he settled the bill, hesitated for a moment, and advised with a hint of mindfulness, ¡°Take your daughter home for a visit when you¡¯re free. It¡¯s okay to live at home with your daughter if you¡¯re willing to do so. No one in our family will say anything.¡± With that, he left. For some reason, his figure looked lonely from behind. Courtney had lost her mother as a child, so she spent her childhood in the care of her maternal grandfather. It wasn¡¯t until her maternal grandfather passed away afterward that Lucian took her home. At that time, he had remarried and had a daughter, Anna, who was a few months older than Courtney. Children probably knew nothing when they were little, but they would inevitably hear rumors and gossip when they grew up. After all, some matters couldn¡¯t be concealed. Lucian always thought that he was indebted to his daughter, so he was set on making it up to her. Not only did he never deny her anything, he even said yes when she suddenly brought a beggar-like boy home for him to adopt at 15 years old. Even so, he still felt that he couldn¡¯t care for her as he would have liked to, for he couldn¡¯t help feeling that he didn¡¯t fulfill his responsibility as a father. Courtney felt a little agitated after meeting her father. Luckily, the construction work in the afternoon had ended, and it wouldn¡¯t resume at night to avoid disturbing the guests upstairs while they were resting. Walking out of Sunhill Hotel with her backpack on her back, she raised her wrist to check the time. As she was lost in thought, she suddenly remembered that she was so busy that she had forgotten to pick Tina up. She quickly hailed a taxi. ¡°Go to Sapphire Kindergarten, please.¡± On the way to the kindergarten, she called Nora, the kindergarten¡¯s helper. ¡°Someone has picked her up?¡± she eximed while sitting in the taxi. ¡°Who picked her up?¡± Nora¡¯s voice could be heard over the phone as she exined nervously, ¡°Mr. Alexander picked her up. I thought you were on good terms with Jordan¡¯s father, and you two often pick up each other¡¯s children, so we handed Tina over to him when he offered to pick her up. Is there a problem with this, Miss Hunter?¡± ¡°Oh, t-that¡¯s fine then.¡± Courtney sighed with relief. ¡°Sorry for troubling you.¡± After hanging up the phone, she noticed an unread message from Alexander on her Messenger. It read, ¡®I have taken Tina back to my home.¡¯ She immediately instructed the driver to change their route and went to the Royal Park Manor. Then, she gave Alexander a phone call. ¡°Hello?¡± Alexander, whose voice sounded as low and deep as his whispers in her ear that night, spoke from the other end of the line. Feeling that the air was stuffy, Courtney quickly wound down the car window to get some fresh air. ¡°Uh, thank you for picking Tina up. I forgot about this because I was so busy today.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was devoid of emotion. ¡°It¡¯s only natural that I have to do what I have promised you.¡± ¡°Promised me?¡± Courtney was stunned. ¡°What have you promised me?¡± Alexander sounded very justified. ¡°Didn¡¯t you make me promise to pick Tina up? Also, I¡¯ve promised to let you two stay at my ce for the time being while you¡¯re busy with the hotel¡¯s anniversary celebrations.¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney was totally baffled. She asked hastily, ¡°When did I make such a request?¡± There was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the line. Then, Alexander uttered four words in a very serious tone. ¡°The night before yesterday.¡± Chapter 62 One Night Surprise Chapter 62 Chapter 62 A Significant Reason Alexander spoke from the other end of the line as if whispering close to Courtney¡¯s ear, instantly reminding her of that particr night. She instantly went red in the face. How could that be possible? I have no recollection of that at all. ¡°It can¡¯t be possible, right?¡± Courtney braced herself and asked in reply. ¡°How could I have possibly made such a request?¡± I must have gone insane instead of getting drunk. ¡°What are you suspecting?¡± Alexander¡¯s questioning voice was heard over the phone. ¡°Why do you think I would make up this kind of request if you don¡¯t believe it?¡± Courtney was rendered speechless. Alexander¡¯s right¡ªwhy would he make up such a request if I didn¡¯t make such a request myself? This doesn¡¯t make sense. Even though she was reluctant to believe that she had made such a request herself, she would rather believe that she had talked nonsense in a drunken stupor than believe that Alexander was lying to her about this kind of thing. Therefore, she withdrew her remarks right away and stammered, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I was drunk that day. I-I¡¯ll go to your ce and pick Tina up right away.¡± After she hung up the phone, the taxi driver sped all the way, and she arrived at the Royal Park Manor soon after that. It was already dark, and Alexander was in the living room with the two kids. Upon seeing Courtney, Jordan became the first to rush at her and wrapped his arms around her feet. Courtney patted his head. ¡°Good boy, Jordan. Be careful with your hand, and don¡¯t bruise yourself again. Does your hand still hurt?¡± Jordan shook his head while staring at Courtney with yearning eyes. It was normal for kids to have a speedy recovery, so the ster cast on his hand had been taken off. However, the doctor had instructed him to be careful while using his hand. The cook, who was serving the dishes, said with a smile upon seeing Courtney, ¡°You came back just in time, Miss Hunter. The dishes are all ready, so you may have dinner now.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Courtney was startled for a moment. Feeling a little ill at ease, she refused, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯m just here to pick Tina up.¡± Alexander closed the book in his hand on the sofa beforeing over. ¡°Since you¡¯re already here, let¡¯s have dinner together.¡± Tina also nodded. ¡°I¡¯m hungry, Mommy.¡± Courtney could only give in and sat herself down; she would appear pretentious if she turned them down again. ¡°Mommy, have a taste of this sweet and sour fish. I said that this is your favorite dish, and Mr. Alexander made a special effort to ask the cook to prepare this!¡± Tina blinked her eyes as if trying to present a treasure to Courtney. Courtney felt even more embarrassed upon hearing this. She shot a fleeting nce at Alexander and said, ¡°Thanks for the effort.¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t bother with any polite remarks. He was about to scoop up some food with the spoon in his hand when he suddenly sensed his sleeve being pulled. When he lowered his head, he saw Jordan tugging at his sleeves with one hand while holding his drawing board in the other. A line had been written on the drawing board before he realized it. It read, ¡°Pick some food.¡± With that, Alexander spooned some food into Jordan¡¯s bowl in resignation. Jordan became anxious, though; he kept tugging at Alexander¡¯s sleeve while desperately shooting nces in Courtney¡¯s direction. Only then did Alexander realize that Jordan wanted him to pick up some food for Courtney instead of him. This little brat! he thought to himself. Courtney was eating in silence with her head down when a long, clean hand suddenly reached out in front of her. Then, the hand spooned a chunk of meat from the sweet and sour fish¡¯s belly into the bowl before her. She looked up to meet Alexander¡¯s calm eyes. Looking ttered, she thanked, ¡°Thank you. I can pick the food myself.¡± ¡°Eat it. Jordan wanted me to pick it up for you.¡± Alexander¡¯s chilly voice sounded very natural. He sounded as if trying to assert that he had nothing to do with the action of picking up food for her, but in reality, what he said sounded even more suggestive to the others. On the first hearing, his words gave the impression of a happy family with loving parents and filial children. It wasn¡¯t like they hadn¡¯t had dinner together before, but the reason why they had dinner togetherst time was because Jordan liked the food she prepared. However, after that incident the night before yesterday, it was honestly too difficult for Courtney to have dinner with Alexander as if nothing had happened. Unbeknownst to her, Alexander had invited her to dinner on purpose. When he sent her back that day, what she said in the car about them not having to be concerned as adults sounded lighthearted and casual, yet Alexander found her remark deeply ufortable. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like she had taken advantage of him. Aren¡¯t you unconcerned about it? In that case, I¡¯d like to see how unconcerned you can be. The two kids ate their dinner very slowly as if on purpose. They had spent two hours eating since Courtney came, yet they hadn¡¯t finished their meals yet. When Tina finally ate thest spoon of food in her bowl at Courtney¡¯s urging, it was already dark outside. Courtney checked the time and found that it was already past 10.00 PM. ¡°Where¡¯s your school bag, Tina? Pack your things up¡ªit¡¯s time for us to go home.¡± Tina blinked her eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t we staying here today, Mommy?¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Courtney blushed upon hearing this. ¡°No, that¡¯s not going to happen. We need to go home, so hurry up and get your school bag.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. There¡¯s no taxi outside at this time.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice could be heard from the living room. ¡°The guest room is ready.¡± ¡°Hurray!¡± Tina exulted as soon as Alexander finished his sentence. Jumping for joy, she quickly followed Jordan upstairs, leaving Courtney behind. ¡°Let¡¯s y on the trampoline, Jordan.¡± ¡°Hey¡­¡± Unable to stop Tina, Courtney quickly turned to face Alexander. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯m here to take Tina home; I won¡¯t be bothering you since I know that you¡¯re very busy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no bother.¡± Alexander stood in front of a cab that disyed a heap of antiques while taking out a jade figurine at random. He continued unhurriedly, ¡°As it so happens, I¡¯m not busy recently. Didn¡¯t you tell me to spend more time with Jordan? These days are perfect since I have time to pick up the kids.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t necessary.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t go back on what I have promised someone else.¡± Alexander turned to look into Courtney¡¯s eyes. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll do what I have promised you.¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t take what I¡¯ve said back then seriously; I was talking nonsense because my mind wasn¡¯t clear after I got drunk. Besides, it¡¯s inappropriate for Tina and me to stay at your home.¡± Courtney suddenly felt vexed. She had been taken advantage of for nothing by someone who didn¡¯t take responsibility for it, but why was she feeling guilty right now? She was the one who got the short end of the stick! ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you won¡¯t take what happened that night to heart?¡± Alexander suddenly asked. ¡°What is inappropriate about staying here for a few days as you used to during the weekend? Are you worried about something else?¡± Courtney¡¯s heart clenched at his questions, and she found herself quite at a loss. ¡°I-I¡¯m not worried about anything.¡± She frowned. Then, she decided to be frank and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting married very soon? There will be misunderstandings if I stay here.¡± In fact, this was also one of the reasons why she had told him not to take that night¡¯s incident to heart. It was rumored among thepany staff that Alexander was about to get married, so anything unexpected couldn¡¯t possibly happen because of her. Also, she didn¡¯t want to offend Britney. ¡°Is this the only reason?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this reason significant enough?¡± Courtney was puzzled at his unconcerned expression. She braced herself and argued, ¡°It¡¯s indeed inappropriate for Tina and me to stay here.¡± After pondering for a moment, Alexander took two steps toward her and curled his lips into a meaningful smile. Then, he spoke in a voice as low as a whisper. ¡°This isn¡¯t some misunderstanding, is it?¡± He specifically emphasized the word ¡®misunderstanding¡¯ as if to deliberately remind her of something. Chapter 63 One Night Surprise Chapter 63 Chapter 63 You¡¯re So Annoying! Courtney froze on the spot at once. It took a long time before she came to her senses as she stammered, ¡°I-I¡¯ll take a look at Tina.¡± Alexander rubbed his long, thin fingers against the jade figurine as his eyes reflected the image of Courtney, who was going downstairs in a panic. Then, the satisfaction of having teased someone slowly crept over his usually cold expression. Is she unconcerned about that night¡¯s incident? That doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. ¡®My flight hasnded, and I¡¯m waiting for my baggage.¡¯ At Shanghai International Airport, Cameron folded her arms across her chest. Then, she sneezed. ¡°Achoo!¡± After sniffling a little, she continued replying via Messenger, ¡®All right, I¡¯ll stop talking to you. I saw my suitcase.¡¯ A red suitcase slowly moved toward her on the baggage carousel¡¯s conveyor belt. Cameron put away her cell phone and was about to take the suitcase when a hand reached over her shoulder and lifted it down effortlessly. Before she could thank the person, a familiar-yet-annoying voice spoke into her ear. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Cameron forcibly choked back the words ¡®thank you¡¯ and breathed out before looking up. Staring sideways at the man before her, she asked snappishly, ¡°Did I ask you to help me? Why do you keep haunting me like a ghost?¡± Gale looked calm and unperturbed as if he had been used to her rude manners. ¡°It¡¯s raining outside. Is someone going to pick you up? If not, I can give you a lift.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Shooting a nce at him, Cameron pulled up the suitcase¡¯s handle and turned around to leave with ease. Surprisingly, Gale confirmed what she said about him haunting her like a ghost by catching up with her. ¡°Miss Miller, I think there¡¯s a need for a clear exnation if you have any misunderstandings toward me. Do you know how much trouble I got into because of the previous incident at the airport?¡± Turning a deaf ear to his words, Cameron made phone calls along the way while dragging her suitcase to the parking lot. ¡°Hey, did you hear what I say?¡± Gale took a few steps and stood in front of her. Then, he held up his cell phone before her and urged, ¡°Look.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so annoying!¡± Cameron waved her hand, causing their cell phones to fall onto the ground almost simultaneously. ¡°I¡¯m totally uninterested in your business, and the previous incident is over regardless if it¡¯s a misunderstanding or not. I won¡¯t fuss with you for Alexander and Courtney¡¯s sake, but please don¡¯t get in my way right now.¡± With that, she picked up one of the cell phones, waved to the person who came to pick her up from a distance, and trotted up to them. Gale frowned speechlessly while watching her from behind. What kind of person is she? Depressed, he picked up the cell phone that dropped to the floor and tried to unlock it with his fingerprint. However, the cell phone vibrated twice and its screen read, ¡®Wrong passcode. Please re- enter your passcode.¡¯ ¡°Huh?¡± eximed Gale. Then, his expression changed as he stared at the huge green cactus on the cell phone¡¯s lock screen. This isn¡¯t my cell phone at all! Meanwhile, Cameron was checking into the hotel at the front desk when the cell phone in her pocket started vibrating. She pressed the answer button reflexively without even looking at the caller¡¯s ID. ¡°You¡¯ve finally answered my phone call!¡± A high-pitched female voice instantly prated Cameron¡¯s ear. Startled, Cameron immediately moved the cell phone slightly away from her ear. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯m telling you again for thest time. If you don¡¯t marry me, I¡¯ll bring awsuit against you and upload that video online so that everyone will think you¡¯re a shameless sex offender. Don¡¯t cry and beg me for mercy when your reputation is destroyed by then!¡± ¡°Who are you? Are you calling the wrong number?¡± Cameron knitted her brows. ¡°Who am I? Who are you? Where¡¯s Gale? Which seductress are you? Let Gale answer the phone!¡± Gale? Cameron nced at the caller¡¯s ID with a frown and realized that the call was from someone named Elise. Her expression changed at once. ¡°Our cell phones.¡± She instantly recalled how Gale¡¯s cell phone and hers had dropped to the floor simultaneously at the parking lot half an hour ago. No way! Such a mix-up couldn¡¯t have happened, could it? When Courtney finished her shower and came out, Tina had fallen asleep in a boorish posture. Shey on her back with her arms and legs stretched out, upying the center of the bed. Courtney shook her head in resignation while moving Tina to the side. ¡°Sweetheart, do you want me to sleep on the floor?¡± Tina turned over and was still soundly asleep, but she suddenly started to mumble something in a girlish voice. ¡°Daddy¡­¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t help clenching her fists as she stopped tucking Tina in. This girl really wants a Daddy deep down inside. Perhaps this is why she¡¯s trying so hard to bring Alexander and me together; perhaps she¡¯s looking forward to having a normal family like other children. Wait a minute¡ªAlexander and me? The picture of Alexander and her standing side by side suddenly shed across Courtney¡¯s mind, and she shook her head vigorously in an instant. How could that be possible? How could Alexander and I possibly be together? However, the picture flooded her mind. Even though she was incredibly sleepy, she was so parched that she couldn¡¯t sleep. She could only get out of bed in resignation to find some water to drink. The lights in the house were switched off, so Courtney groped her way downstairs in the dark to avoid waking up the maid. After feeling for the dining table in the living room, she groped for the pitcher, which she remembered was on the dining table. After pouring herself some water, she took a few packets of biscuits from the table. The dinner was sumptuous, but she felt so on edge at the time that she could hardly eat much, so she was starving right now. When she turned around, she was stopped by a dark silhouette. ¡°Oh gosh!¡± she eximed while falling into the chair behind her, spilling half of the water in the ss. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was heard speaking before her in the dark; he switched on the lights in the kitchen. ¡°You scared the hell out of me!¡± Courtney panted heavily while putting her hand on her chest. She red at him peevishly, ¡°Don¡¯t you make any sounds while walking?¡± Alexander sized her up with an indiscernible look in his eyes. Only then did Courtney realize that she was in someone else¡¯s home, so it didn¡¯t seem right for her to be so rude and unreasonable. More importantly, she was holding a few packets of biscuits to her bosom like a thief. The biscuits¡¯ packaging was making some sound in her arms, and two of the packets happened to fall onto the floor right at Alexander¡¯s feet. ¡°Uh¡­¡± she braced herself to exin, ¡°I¡¯m worried that Tina might get hungry in the middle of the night, so I took a few packets upstairs just in case. You don¡¯t mind it, do you?¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened. It¡¯s just a few packets of biscuits. Am I such a narrow-minded person in her eyes? As the atmosphere was a little awkward, Courtney couldn¡¯t help giving a few dry coughs. ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs first.¡± She had barely made a few steps when Alexander spoke from behind. ¡°I¡¯m hungry as well.¡± His voice wasn¡¯t loud, so Courtney was startled for a moment, for she thought she had heard it wrong. She turned around and looked at him and asked, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Is there something to eat?¡± Now that Courtney was certain she had heard it right, she was still a little surprised. Did hee downstairs to search for food as well? I remember that he ate a lot over dinner. Despite her doubts, Alexander¡¯s words perfectly dissolved the embarrassment she felt foring downstairs in search of food. Therefore, she decided to seize this opportunity by preparing some midnight snacks to fill herself up. ¡°There is. Do you eat spaghetti bolognese? There should be some ingredients in the fridge.¡± Alexander nodded before pulling out a chair to seat himself. Courtney put down the biscuits in her arms, rolled up her sleeves, and entered the kitchen; it didn¡¯t take long before the loud tter of someone cutting up the food ingredients could be heard from the kitchen. Upon hearing the noise, a maid came out from her room, only to receive a casual warning nce from Alexander; she immediately covered her ears and eyes and snuck back into her room. Chapter 64 One Night Surprise Chapter 64 Chapter 64 So You Don¡¯t Hate Him? Courtney¡¯s midnight snack looked no less impressive than a regr meal. Soon, three beautiful bowls containing bolognese sauce, cooked spaghetti, and meatballs were served on the table. The most aromatic food among them was the bowl filled with bolognese sauce, which smelled very appetizing. Courtney served Alexander a big bowl of spaghetti before serving the sauce and the meatballs in front of him. She urged without thinking, ¡°Mix the sauce with the spaghetti yourself. This is especially delicious.¡± With that, she hastily served herself some spaghetti. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Alexander pressed his palms against the bowl of spaghetti bolognese. As he felt the bowl¡¯s warmth, his eyes¡ªwhich were fixed on the busy woman in front of him¡ªwere slowly filled with warmth as well. Actually, it was rare for someone from a wealthy and powerful family to see a member of their family preparing food for them personally. There were plenty of maids and servants at home, so everyone in the household always lived off other people¡¯sbor. Such was the way Alexander lived ever since he was a child, but the scene before his eyes ovepped with some scenes of his childhood, evoking his memories and reminding him of some long-standing grievances at the same time. Meanwhile, Courtney ate half a bowl of spaghetti bolognese in just a few bites. Just as she was fully satisfied, she saw Alexander¡¯s bowl from the corner of her eye; its contents still looked the same as when she had given it to him earlier. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you eaten it yet?¡± she asked, puzzled. After pondering for a moment, she asked in a whisper, ¡°Have you not eaten spaghetti bolognese before?¡± ¡°Is it weird that I¡¯ve never eaten spaghetti bolognese before?¡± Alexander asked her in reply. Melrose City was located in the south. Spaghetti bolognese, which originated from another country, wasmon in the area, but it was avable mainly as street food. Courtney presumed that the Duncans¡¯ cooks wouldn¡¯t prepare spaghetti bolognese for Alexander¡¯s dinner, and it was even more impossible for Alexander to eat at a food stall. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s not weird. It isn¡¯t weird at all.¡± Courtney smiled with embarrassment. She reached out her hand ingratiatingly and offered, ¡°Why don¡¯t I mix the sauce with the spaghetti for you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not necessary.¡± Holding the fork in his hand, Alexander mixed the sauce and the spaghetti himself. His movements couldn¡¯t be considered skillful, but it wasn¡¯t clumsy either. ¡°Actually, I understand your feelings.¡± Courtney desperately looked for words to make up for herck of manners just now. ¡°Back when I was still the second youngdy of the Hunter Family, my family wouldn¡¯t let me do the chores whenever I was at home. My stepmother and sister led a pampered life and did nothing since they never had to fend for themselves. I guess Anna won¡¯t ever eat something like spaghetti bolognese in her life.¡± Alexander looked a little surprised upon seeing that Courtney didn¡¯t evade talking about her family, but he quickly resumed his usual expression a moment after that. He asked, ¡°Did your stepmother treat you well?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Courtney threw him a look to let him figure it out himself. Would¡¯ve Anna treated her like that at Isaac and Vanessa¡¯s engagement party if her stepmother treated her well? Children always followed their mothers¡¯ example, so one could tell at a nce how her stepmother treated her. Alexander frowned. He then asked, ¡°But you don¡¯t seem to be concerned, do you?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m unconcerned.¡± Courtney swallowed a big mouthful of spaghetti. Then, she slurred, ¡°Those who were truly important to me and treated me well have passed away, and those remaining are unimportant, so it¡¯s meaningless to dwell on that.¡± Alexander was startled for a moment. Thinking that he had reminded her of her sorrowful past, he was a little apologetic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Why should you apologize?¡± Courtney curled her lips into a self-deprecating smile. ¡°You know what? My dad kept telling me that my mom died of an illness, which was also what everyone in the Hunter Family and even my grandfather said. However, why would Anna be born before her mother married into the Hunter Family if my dad didn¡¯t cheat on my mom back then? She¡¯s even two months older than I am.¡± All adults thought that kids were gullible, but kids weren¡¯t idiots despite their childishness. ¡°Do you hate your father?¡± Courtney nodded before shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯d certainly hate him if he treats me slightly worse, but he has never concealed his preference for me ever since I was little. I figured outter that there is nothing wrong with the way he treats me. In the end, I just can¡¯t reconcile myself to what happened to my mom and grandfather.¡± Courtney¡¯s father founded the Hunter Family by starting his business from scratch, but he couldn¡¯t have done so back then without the first start-up capital given to him by Courtney¡¯s mother, who brought a handsome dowry with her when she married him. Otherwise, how could the Hunter Family be what it was today? ¡°Simply speaking, you don¡¯t hate your father.¡± Alexander found it hard to describe the feelings within him as he stared at Courtney. ¡°Not really. It¡¯s a matter between my parents, so we¡¯re not qualified to intervene as children.¡± Courtney raised her brows, trying her best to assume an unconcerned expression. ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m no longer living with them right now. Otherwise, could you do anything if you were me?¡± ¡°If I were you,¡± said Alexander as his voice deepened; for some reason, it sounded chilling. ¡°I would make him and his mistress get out of the house together without a single penny.¡± Stunned, Courtney stared at Alexander in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± The fork produced a slight noise as it was put down on the table. The noise wasn¡¯t loud, but for some reason, Courtney could sense the anger in it. Courtney waspletely baffled as Alexander¡¯s figure quickly disappeared at the door to his room on the second floor. How did I make him angry again? In the dimly lit main bedroom on the second floor, Alexander opened a book ced on the bedside table to reveal a photo that was torn in half. Half of the photo had been crumpled beyond recognition, whereas the other half showed a little boy who was riding on the shoulders of a handsome man in high spirits. Alexander held the photo, pressing his thumb so hard on its edge that it almost crinkled up. The light cast on his face revealed a hint of touchiness. So many years had passed since then, yet he never admitted what he had done wrong back then. It was that woman who betrayed his father; she had an affair with another man behind his father¡¯s back, thus killing his father indirectly. Therefore, he didn¡¯t consider it wrong to banish her from the family himself even though she was his mother. Yet, Courtney said that it was a matter between his parents, and he had no right to intervene as a child. When Alexander woke up the next day, Courtney had prepared their breakfast and was having breakfast with the two kids at the dining table. ¡°Are you awake? Let¡¯s eat.¡± Courtney looked at him. She said with a smile. ¡°I made some millet gruel with red dates. It¡¯s good for your health.¡± Alexander pulled out his chair and sat down without answering her. His attitude was obviously colder than before. Courtney, who also noticed that, felt a little awkward. Nheless, she couldn¡¯t figure out how she had made him angry. She was only too anxious to stop staying here, but she wouldn¡¯t allow that if her job would be affected. The maid filled a bowl with the gruel and put it in front of Alexander, who lowered his head and tasted it without saying a word. He even finished off the bowl of gruel; only then did Courtney breathe a sigh of relief. As expected, one must take their cue from somebody else while living under their roof. I¡¯d better finish my job as soon as possible. Tina had been living in Royal Park Manor ever since that day. Courtney and Alexander would send the two kids to school together in the morning, whereas Alexander would pick them up personally in the evening. Strangely, Courtney was always in time for dinner no matter when she came home from work; it was as though the cook at Royal Park Manor could predict the time she arrived back at home after work in the evening. The decoration of the event hall for the 100th-anniversary celebration took half a month toplete. When it ended formally on Friday, Courtney had the Finance Department settle ounts with the contract workers. Just as she was contemting whether to get off work early and pick Tina up, her cell phone rang suddenly. Chapter 65 One Night Surprise Chapter 65 Chapter 65 She Favors Him Over You ¡°It¡¯s me, Courtney.¡± The loud and clear voice of a young man spoke from the other end of the line. ¡°I know it¡¯s you,¡± Courtney spoke gently with a note of familiarity. ¡°It¡¯s not like the caller ID isn¡¯t disyed. What¡¯s the matter? You told mest time that you¡¯d return to the country after the performances are over. Have you confirmed when you¡¯reing back?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been confirmed.¡± ¡°Well, when is it? I just wrapped up a project, so I can go to the airport to pick you up if I¡¯m avable.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not necessary.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Courtney smiled. ¡°Our famous cellist here is also a popr Prince Charming whom every lady in the country dreams of marrying; naturally, he has a special car to take him wherever he goes.¡± ¡°This Prince Charming is about to sleep out on the streets right now. Don¡¯t you care about me, Courtney?¡± ¡°What do you mean by sleeping out on the streets?¡± ¡°Just turn around.¡± Upon hearing this, Courtney subconsciously turned around to look at Sunhill Hotel¡¯s entrance. Standing at the entrance against the background of arge fountain, the young man was dragging his suitcase with a huge cello case on his back. He was staring at her with a grin, revealing his white teeth. His grin was innocent without a trace of impurity. Then, he spread his arms wide and shouted, ¡°Surprise, Courtney!¡± Courtney was startled for a moment before smiling almost instantly. Trotting up to him in her 10- centimeter heels, she pped his shoulder andined with a smile, ¡°You brat! When did you come back? Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± ¡°I have been traveling by ne for more than 40 hours, and I¡¯m almost dying of exhaustion right now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have dinnerter.¡± Courtney checked the time. ¡°It just so happens that I¡¯ve finished my work today. Wait for me while I pack my stuff up and clock out.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Instead of allowing her to leave, the young man suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m sweating all over.¡± Courtney struggled. Acting like a spoiled child, the young man leaned his head on Courtney¡¯s shoulder and swayed his body. He whispered to her ear in an attractive voice, ¡°I¡¯m recharging my batteries, sis. I¡¯m running out of batteries, so I need to recharge with a hug.¡± Courtney patted him on the back in resignation. ¡°How old are you already? Why are you still behaving like a kid?¡± She always found herself at a loss whenever Shay called her ¡®sis¡¯. Shay looked pitiful on their way to pick Tina up. ¡°I have just returned to the country, so I don¡¯t have a ce to stay, sis.¡± ¡°Cut that nonsense. Didn¡¯t your philharmonic orchestra arrange a ce for you to stay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m no longer working in the philharmonic orchestra.¡± Shay blinked his eyes. ¡°The work at the philharmonic orchestra is too easy, and it doesn¡¯t pay much either. Hence, I signed up with a new agency.¡± ¡°Has your contract with the philharmonic orchestra expired?¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not right. Didn¡¯t you tell me that you wereing back to the country to prepare for your concertst time?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The contract hasn¡¯t expired, so I have to pay the damages for the concert¡¯s cancetion. After paying thepensation for the breach of contract, I don¡¯t even have enough money to stay in a hotel until my new agency arranges a job for me. Please take me in, sis.¡± Shay¡¯s words didn¡¯t sound like a lie. He had always known his own mind; he¡¯d rather continue staying in the philharmonic orchestra than pay such a huge amount of money for the breach of contract unless something had happened there. Concerned, Courtney asked, ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Shay waved his hand nonchntly. ¡°What can possibly happen to me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t keep it a secret from me if something happened to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really all right. I¡¯m a man who wrestled in underground boxing rings at the risk of my life since I was 10 years old¡ªwhat can possibly happen to me?¡± Shay pulled Courtney¡¯s arm over and leaned on it naturally. Then, he changed the subject by saying, ¡°Let me sleep for a while first. Wake me up when we arrive.¡± Seeing that he was really asleep and exhausted in a way that made people feel sorry for him, Courtney let out a sigh in resignation and pulled up his cor with her other hand. Shay was two years younger than her, so he always called her ¡®sis¡¯ and put on a mischievous grin. He liked behaving like a spoiled child more than actual kids did, but Courtney was aware deep down inside that some bloody memories of the past would haunt him for the rest of his life. To him, he could never put these memories out of his mind, and his smile was only a barrier that concealed his innermost self. After Courtney and Shay waited at the kindergarten¡¯s entrance for a while, school finally ended. A figure darted out like aunched rocket; the next instant, Courtney sensed her feet being hugged tightly. ¡°Mommy!¡± Tina wrapped her arms around Courtney¡¯s feet with a look of delight. ¡°Have you finished work, Mommy? Why do you have time to pick me up?¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. My job is done, so you and I will be staying at our home from today onward.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The sudden and distressing news hit Tina hard, and her face fell at once. She pouted her lips and asked, ¡°Can¡¯t we keep staying at Mr. Alexander¡¯s home?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Alexander, who had just picked Jordan up, heard this while Jordan dragged him toward Courtney, and his expression froze for a moment. He asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have to get busy with the celebrationster as well?¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°I do, but I won¡¯t be so busy. I should be able to clock in and out on time, so I won¡¯t be troubling you after this. Thank you for looking after Tina over the past two weeks. I¡¯ll return to Royal Park Manor this Saturday to collect the stuff we¡¯ve left there.¡± She had brought some belongings with her while staying there previously, so she should take them back. Upon hearing that Courtney was leaving, Jordan was immediately displeased; he kept tugging at the hem of Alexander¡¯s suit jacket and red at thetter. Tina looked reluctant as well. She grabbed her own hand and muttered, ¡°I want to y with Jordan.¡± Courtney frowned at her and was about to pretend to get angry when Shay¡¯s voice spoke from behind. ¡°Long time no see, Tina.¡± The young man¡¯s clear voice was particrly pleasing to hear, and it made its way through the noise of the crowd¡ªprecisely into the ears of everyone. Tina¡¯s expression lightened almost instantly. She threw herself into Shay¡¯s arms and screamed, ¡°Shay!¡± ¡°Do you miss me, little girl?¡± ¡°Yes, I do! I miss you to death!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. I have brought you many little gifts. Don¡¯t you want to see them?¡± ¡°Yes, I do!¡± Shayughed while scooping her up in his arms, making her giggle. Dressed casually in a white T-shirt and ck trousers, the young man¡ªwho was in his early twenties¡ª looked incredibly pure and innocent as the wind lifted the hair in front of his forehead, making many youngdies pause as they walked by. Some of them even took out their cell phones and started taking pictures of him. Seeing that Tina and Shay were ying like that, Courtney immediately urged, ¡°Hey, Shay¡ªit¡¯s dangerous for you to lift her up that high! That¡¯s enough! Tina, how many times have I told you that you should call him Uncle Shay instead of Shay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Shay, my favorite Shay!¡± Tina held Shay¡¯s face and nted a smacker on it with a smug expression. ¡°Shay, you mustn¡¯t leave aftering back this time!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. Your Mommy has promised to let me stay together with you two!¡± Shay winked an eye at Tina. ¡°Tomorrow is a Saturday, so feel free to tell me whatever you want to y with me, Tina!¡± At the sight of the scene, Jordan desperately tugged at the hem of Alexander¡¯s suit jacket with great anxiety. However, Alexander merely lowered his head and nced at Jordan before speaking in a cold voice, ¡°Obviously, she favors this uncle over you, so it¡¯s useless to tug at me. Let¡¯s go¡ªit¡¯s time to go home.¡± Jordan flushed angrily at once. Chapter 66 One Night Surprise Chapter 66 Chapter 66 How Could She Date Someone Younger Than Her? ¡°You¡¯ll stay in this room.¡± Courtney opened the door to a bedroom. ¡°I have talked to Cameron, and she said that she¡¯s fine with you staying here.¡± ¡°Cameron is a chivalrousdy, so she won¡¯t be indifferent to my predicament, of course.¡± Shay leaned against the door to his room with his head tilted to one side. After looking at the inside of the room, he nodded his head with satisfaction. ¡°Don¡¯t take my kindness for granted. Move out once you find a ce to stay. This isn¡¯t my house, so it¡¯s inappropriate for you to stay here.¡± ¡°I got it!¡± Shay threw his arm around her shoulders. ¡°What are we going to eat for dinner, sis?¡± ¡°Spaghetti bolognese.¡± ¡°I love your spaghetti bolognese the most.¡± Sitting on the carpet, Tina ate the chocte Shay brought her from overseas with a look of satisfaction while listening to the conversation outside through the opened bedroom door. As she recalled Alexander¡¯s response at the kindergarten¡¯s entrance on this day, her big eyes flickered again. There hasn¡¯t been much progress in Mommy¡¯s rtionship with Mr. Alexander since they¡¯ve been living together for such a long time. It seems that some reinforcements are needed! The next day, Courtney went out early in the morning to shop for groceries. After all, she felt obligated to give Shay a wee dinner since he was here. She had only been gone for a while before the doorbell rang. Shay, who went to answer the door, opened the door while asking, ¡°Did you forget something?¡± However, when he opened the door, he didn¡¯t see Courtney. ¡°Who are you?¡± Alexander stood at the door while holding Jordan¡¯s hand. He came because Jordan had been pestering his father to take him to Courtney¡¯s ce for lunch since this morning, but he didn¡¯t expect Shay to be here as well. Hence, his expression changed instantly. Just as both sides were locked in a stalemate, Shay suddenly pped his hands as if recalling something. ¡°You¡¯re the father of Tina¡¯s ssmate, right? We met yesterday at the kindergarten entrance. Are you staying in this apartment building too?¡± ¡°Mr. Alexander!¡± Tina spoke from inside her room. ¡°Jordan! You both are here!¡± She scampered out of her room right after that and said, ¡°Shay, Mr. Alexander is Mommy¡¯s superior and close friend, whereas Jordan is my ssmate. They¡¯re often here for dinner.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Shay gave a warm smile while making way for them. ¡°In that case, pleasee in. Don¡¯t stand at the door.¡± He conducted himself as if he was the man of the house. Meanwhile, Jordan knitted his brows while ring at him with a hostile expression. Paying no attention to the little boy at his feet, Shay looked at Alexander with a smile. ¡°Courtney doesn¡¯t have many friends since she has just returned to the country. I heard from her that she has gotten a job at Sunhill Enterprise. You must be taking good care of her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a capable woman,¡± Alexander answered perfunctorily. Then, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with her? I heard from her yesterday that Tina calls you Uncle Shay?¡± He had never heard about the Hunter Family having a son before. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Shay raised his brow slightly. ¡°Courtney took me home back then; I can be considered her half-brother, but we¡¯re not rted by blood. To put it urately, I¡¯m her future boyfriend, which is something akin to a child groom. Do you understand that?¡± A child groom¡­ Alexander had never seen a man who gave himself this title in such a self-satisfied tone throughout the 30 years of his life. ¡°You¡¯re quite humorous,¡± hemented briefly. ¡°Humorous?¡± Shay looked at him. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m joking? I¡¯m telling the truth. Courtney will be my girlfriend in the future anyway; just ask Tina if you don¡¯t believe it.¡± Three pairs of eyes then fell on Tina simultaneously. Tina blinked her eyes and nodded solemnly after being startled for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s right. Mommy and Shay are very close! It¡¯ll be very cool if Shay bes my Daddy.¡± Upon hearing this, Alexander inexplicably felt a tightness in his chest as if there was a lump in his chest. He said gruffly, ¡°I didn¡¯t notice before that your Mom is quite open-minded when ites to rtionships. How could she date someone younger than her while having a daughter?¡± ¡°The society is progressing. Besides, I¡¯m only two years younger than Courtney.¡± Shay smiled, and a trace of caution shed across his eyes as he looked at Alexander. ¡°Have a seat while I pour you some tea.¡± With that, he entered the kitchen deftly. This man named Alexander seems to be a formidable rival, he thought to himself. Meanwhile, Tina took Jordan to her bedroom. ¡°Look, Jordan¡ªI can¡¯t solve this Rubik¡¯s Cube. Please take a look and help me solve it.¡± Folding his arms across his chest, Jordan stood aside and snorted angrily without talking to her. ¡°Jordan?¡± Tina looked up at him while scratching her head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± The sight of her innocent expression angered Jordan even more. He picked up his drawing board and wrote, ¡®My Daddy is rich and handsome, so how could you give your heart to another man at the sight of him? I don¡¯t want to talk to you anymore.¡¯ Tina stared at the drawing board for a long time, but she couldn¡¯t make out what Jordan meant. ¡°What are you saying? I don¡¯t know many words, Jordan.¡± Taking a deep breath, Jordan spent a while writing and drawing before handing the drawing board to her again. The left side of the drawing board showed a man in a suit and a woman with long, wavy hair who held hands with each other while taking a child¡¯s hand each. The right side of the drawing board showed a man in sportswear and a woman with long, wavy hair who held hands with a girl together. Jordan was fuming with anger as he pointed at the drawing board and then at Tina. Tina realized what he meant. ¡°Are you saying that I didn¡¯t keep my promise?¡± Jordan nodded. We agreed to find a way to be a family and eat meat together by uniting our parents! Why would you break your promise after meeting a good-looking guy? Women¡¯s hearts are really as fickle as the changing weather! ¡°Haha!¡± Tina suddenlyughed. ¡°You¡¯ve been duped too! It proves that my acting was superb, Jordan.¡± Jordan frowned with a puzzled look. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that there hasn¡¯t been much progress in the rtionship between my mommy and your daddy after such a long time?¡± Tina sat straight on the carpet. She exined, ¡°I was just pretending! Grandpa Scott told me that there will be pressure only when there¡¯s apetition, so I think that Shay¡¯s return would definitely put Mr. Alexander under pressure. Only then will Mr. Alexander consider taking his rtionship with my Mommy a step further!¡± Jordan kept a straight face as he was unconvinced. ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice that Mr. Alexander looked angry when he saw Shay just now?¡± Tina tugged at his sleeve with a smug expression. ¡°I think that Mr. Alexander must have fallen in love with my Mommy a long time ago. We just have to redouble our efforts!¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Upon hearing this, Jordan recalled Alexander¡¯s response just now; only then did his expression soften a little. Tina¡¯s words seem to make some sense. Daddy rarely smiles, so how could he possibly chase ady on his own initiative? He probably won¡¯t even know what to do if there¡¯s no pressure on him! At the thought of this, Jordan became enlightened at once; he nodded vigorously at Tina. Meanwhile, Courtney, who had returned from her grocery shopping, opened the door to see two men sitting on the sofa. The house was strangely quiet except for Tina¡¯s asionalughter in the bedroom. What¡¯s going on? Seeing that she had returned, Shay immediately got up. ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± he said while walking to the door to take the grocery bags she was carrying. ¡°Let me take the bags.¡± Alexander stood up from the sofa as well. Courtney put down her handbag and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Alexander answered unhurriedly with a calm expression, ¡°Jordan wanted to visit you, so I brought him here.¡± ¡°Jordan is here too?¡± Courtney threw a nce at the direction of Tina¡¯s bedroom. She suggested in a natural tone, ¡°It happens that I have bought some extra groceries. Let¡¯s stay and have lunch together.¡± Shay¡¯s expression changed subtly. Chapter 67 One Night Surprise Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Taking Advantage of Her ¡°By the way, I believe you two have met before.¡± Courtney looked at Alexander before ncing at Shay. ¡°Would you like me to introduce you two?¡± ¡°No need for that.¡± Alexander nced at Shay with aplicated look. Then, he added in an odd tone, ¡°Your future boyfriend has introduced himself.¡± Courtney was stumped when she heard that. Hence, she turned around to re at Shay. ¡°What nonsense did you spout this time?¡± Shay scowled deeply, looking clearly upset. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t darement further; he mumbled in a quiet voice instead, ¡°What do you mean, spouting nonsense?¡± ¡°He is my younger brother,¡± Courtney exined to Alexander. ¡°He is a cellist, but he¡¯s jobless now.¡± ¡°Oh, that means he is currently relying on you to survive.¡± Alexander nced at Shay in a scornful way. ¡°Says who I¡¯m relying on Courtney to survive? I¡¯m merely staying with her temporarily. Besides, I¡¯ll be signed on to a newpany soon enough,¡± Shay retorted as he red at Alexander furiously. ¡°I hope so too.¡± Courtney looked at him while appearing slightly helpless. ¡°I need to make some preparations in the kitchen. You two should feel free to chat.¡± Shay was just about tounch into a long speech that he wasn¡¯tpletely without ie when Alexander picked the ingredients up from the floor. Then, he moved forward swiftly to enter the kitchen. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Courtney chased after him hastily. ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡± The two of them entered the kitchen one after another, whereas Shay stood rooted to the spot in a daze for a while before he snapped back to his senses and followed them in a hurry too. ¡°I¡¯ll help too.¡± ¡°There¡¯s limited space in the kitchen, so you shouldn¡¯te in to create more trouble. Please go to Tina.¡± Courtney did not wait for an exnation; instead, she shut him outside of the kitchen ss door. Shay was slightly annoyed at that. ¡°You need to stop treating me like a child.¡± He started knocking against the door while making a fuss for the longest time. In the end, Courtney opened the door to shove a bag of bean sprouts at him. ¡°Sure; since you¡¯re an adult, you can help me pick the bean sprouts.¡± With that, she closed the door straight away. ¡°Huh?¡± Shay held onto the bag of bean sprouts while feeling confused and frustrated. I obviously meant that she should treat me as an adult when ites to matters involving feelings and rtionships. She always treats me as her younger brother. Isn¡¯t she deliberately embarrassing me in front of others? It¡¯s especially true with this fellow here. Alexander was washing tomatoes by the basin, and he just couldn¡¯t help but feel especially pleased when Courtney closed the door in Shay¡¯s face. The frustration and annoyance he felt earlier after meeting Shay vanished instantly. Undeniably, he was surprised at his own drastic change of emotions. ¡°I think it¡¯s best that I wash these. You are a guest after all, so you should just rest out there.¡± Courtney felt bad that Alexander was helping in the kitchen in person. However, he ced two washed tomatoes on the chopping board while replying to her steadily, ¡°That¡¯s fine; I have nothing else to do anyway.¡± ¡°O-Okay, I guess.¡± Courtney gave up trying to convince him. After all the vegetables had been chopped up, Alexander still refused to leave the kitchen, which Courtney found odd. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going out? It will be very smoky and oily once I start cooking.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention that you¡¯d teach me to cook?¡± ¡°Huh? Right now?¡± Courtney got a shock. Previously, he barely paid attention when I took the initiative to teach him to cook at Royal Park. Why is he volunteering to learn to cook right now? ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Courtney was stumped for a moment upon his confirmation. ¡°Alright. Observe how I cook then.¡± She was just about to prepare braised chicken wings. Courtney picked up the marinated chicken wings in the ss container while signaling Alexander to pay attention. ¡°I don¡¯t think you saw the chicken wing marinating process earlier. Allow me to walk you through the steps now. First, score three times on each side of the chicken wings. Then, add some thin and thick soy sauces, cooking wine, ginger slices, and a pinch of starch. Stir the mixture well with the chicken. After that, seal it with a Saran wrap before cing it into the fridge. It looks like this after marinating it for an hour.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± ¡°Then, add some oil to the pot, and once it¡¯s hot enough, add in the chopped onion, ginger, and garlic. Stir fry it until it¡¯s fragrant¡­¡± With that, Courtney added the chopped onion, ginger, and garlic from the te into the pot. The hot oil started sizzling away, and she retreated a couple steps back reflexively, whereupon her back bumped against Alexander¡¯s chest by ident. ¡°Sorry.¡± She turned around hastily, but the slippery floor caused her to lose her footing and she staggered.N?velDrama.Org content. Alexander was quick to respond; he held her by her waist swiftly to stop her from falling as concern was etched across his usually cold and distant face. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine.¡± Courtney gulped hard. Fine, my a**! I can feel my heart in my throat. Besides, I feel the pressure of his arm against my waist, and our faces are merely inches apart when I look up at him; I can even smell the light scent of his cologne. Swoosh. The door opened swiftly before Shay eximed in surprise, ¡°What are you two doing?¡± Upon snapping back to reality, Courtney shoved against Alexander hastily. However, her legs slipped further against the floor, and she was about to fall onto the ground when Alexander bent down to hold her even tighter. Shay¡¯s gaze was burning with fury by that point. He immediately shouted fiercely at Alexander, ¡°Hey, what are you doing? Why are youying your hands on her? Let go of her!¡± Alexander supported Courtney while straightening up. He then took his time to release her before turning around to nce at Shay. ¡°I was demonstrating to you why we were in that position earlier.¡± ¡°Y-You are clearly taking advantage of her.¡± ¡°Shay, shut up.¡± Courtney red at him, but she was obviously blushing. ¡°I almost slipped and fell, all because of your shouting.¡± Shay was reprimanded, but he didn¡¯t look satisfied. Hence, he red at Alexander while stating stubbornly, ¡°I want to learn how to cook in the kitchen too.¡± ¡°Forget it; how would you find time to cook? You would be swamped with work once you sign your contract.¡± ¡°Well, do you think he has the time? Isn¡¯t he apany president? Since when does a president need to cook for themselves?¡± Shay had a hostile expression across his face when he said that. A man could always see through another man¡¯s true thoughts. As a president of an enterprise, Alexander puts aside his work to hang around his staff¡¯s home to enjoy free meals. I¡¯d eat my hat if he had not an ulterior motive. ¡°It was Courtney¡¯s idea to teach me how to cook.¡± Alexander nced at Shay casually while he appeared especially sure of himself. On the other hand, Courtney was caught by surprise when she heard that. I don¡¯t recall us being close enough to be on first-name basis. Nevertheless, Shay did not care about the reason; instead, he was adamant about staying to learn how to cook. It was getting dark outside, and Courtney was toozy to argue with him, so she agreed to his request in the end. Courtney was nked by two men on either side, and they both looked like her protectors. In fact, they seemed especially powerful and domineering. ¡°After that, add in the chicken wings. There will be some oil stter, so you two should retreat slightly right now.¡± After giving the reminder, Courtney ced the drained chicken wings into the pot. There was a sudden sizzling noise the moment the chicken wings were ced into the pot and came into contact with the hot oil. The oil sttered in all directions instantly. ¡°Careful!¡± Shay shouted in surprise, and he held onto Courtney while twirling around a few times. On the other side, Alexander was a little slow, but his actions obviously revealed that he was about to whisk Courtney away in his arms. Unfortunately, before he could even grasp onto her sleeve, Shay cut him off by being a step ahead of him. ¡°Oh, my. What are you doing?¡± Courtney lost her temper, and she shoved Shay away. ¡°Do you think that we are acting in a drama? This is just a pot of hot oil, not andmine. Why do I have to be careful? Please go out right now.¡± Chapter 68 One Night Surprise Chapter 68 Chapter 68 I¡¯m Not Going Home Tonight Having lost her temper, Courtney chased both men out of the kitchen straight away. These two are acting as if they¡¯d skipped their meds today. If they continue wreaking havoc in the kitchen, I¡¯m afraid lunch would never be served today. In the end, both Alexander and Shay were shut out of the kitchen door. They exchanged nces, and it was clear that they held a tinge of contempt toward each other. At that moment, Tina and Jordan were both pressed up behind the slit of the bedroom door as they were covering their mouths while snickering discreetly. ¡°Look, what did I tell you? With pressure, there¡¯d be motivation.¡± Tina was especially gleeful. Jordan nodded in agreement, looking delighted too. This is my first time seeing Daddy taking the initiative. Lunch was particrly sumptuous that day. There were boiled fish fillets, braised chicken wings, fried shredded pork with asparagus, as well as tomato and egg soup. Three different dishes were served with a bowl of soup at the table, and the fragrance was simply tantalizing. Everybody sang praises before they polished off every grain of rice and dishes on the table. After finishing their meal, the two children went back to the room to continue ying, whereas Shay helped out by cleaning up the dishes. He seemed afraid he¡¯d be robbed of the chance, and so he took the initiative to wash the dishes. ¡°Courtney, I promise that I¡¯ll get them sparkling clean.¡± She was more than happy to take the chance to rx, and so she did not reject his offer. ¡°Well, in that case, go ahead and wash the dishes, but please do not break anything.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± With that, Shay brought the pile of dishes into the kitchen tentatively. Nevertheless, he suddenly felt that something was amiss halfway through washing the dishes. I¡¯m working hard washing the dishes here, but haven¡¯t I just created a chance for Alexander to spend time alone with Courtney? He turned around in a hurry to peek into the living room. Those two aren¡¯t in the living room¡ªwhere are they? Two adults and two children sat in a circle in Tina¡¯s bedroom. There was a board game of Ludo in the middle, and each of them was in charge of a different color. They were engrossed in a friendly fight right now. ¡°I¡¯m at the finishing point! You have all lost to me! You¡¯ve lost! Everybody will get a sticker each.¡± Tina, who had a face full of Minion stickers, stuck a sticker each on Alexander, Courtney, and Jordan¡¯s face excitedly. N?velDrama.Org content. The faces of these four were clearly a mess by now. Shay was still wearing the rubber gloves from washing the dishes. He grumbled while standing by the door, ¡°You didn¡¯t even invite me to y the game; instead, you let me wash the dishes all alone. You guys are so inconsiderate!¡± The group turned around swiftly toward the door. Courtney felt slightly embarrassed too. After all, Shay had just returned to the country yesterday, and she knew that it was inappropriate to neglect a guest, no matter how close they were. Hence, she suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t you join the game, and I¡¯ll wash the dishes?¡± ¡°Who would ever want to y with him?¡± Shay frowned deeply. He figured Courtney would never ask Alexander to wash the dishes, and so he endured the stabbing in his heart while saying to her, ¡°Wait for me to finish washing the dishes. I¡¯ll be back soon enough.¡± Upon saying that, he turned around to enter the kitchen again and started scrubbing the dishes vehemently. Courtney was unsure whether to be amused or exasperated when she saw that. After ten minutes, Shay joined in the battle of the board game. It started with a game of Ludo before it morphed into Gobang. Then, they switched to international chess before starting on a game of Go. In the end, Shay and Alexander were the only ones left to battle to the end across the board game. While Alexander was a meticulous person, Shay wasn¡¯t half bad either. Shay was skilled at international chess, whereas Alexander was always ahead of him in the game of Go. Their scores were tied after ying the whole afternoon; in the end, there was no clear winner out of the two. The sky was getting darker, and Courtney summoned them for dinner outside. Shay wasn¡¯t even sure when Courtney had left the room. It was only then when he realized with a start that he¡¯d spent the entire afternoon with Alexander. He couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed with himself. After dinner, Shay spoke to Alexander directly. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte now. When are you taking your son home?¡± Alexander took his time to sip his tea. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going home tonight.¡± ¡°What?¡± Shay stood up abruptly. ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re not going home? This is not your house.¡± Courtney was stumped when she heard that because she wasn¡¯t sure what Alexander was implying. He can¡¯t be nning to stay overnight here, can he? That¡¯d be too strange. ¡°Jordan doesn¡¯t want to go home.¡± Alexander nced at Courtney while speaking naturally. ¡°He told me even beforeing over. Previously, Tina stayed at my house for so long, and so he¡¯d like to stay over at Tina¡¯s home too.¡± ¡°No way! I disagree.¡± Shay rejected him decisively. He knew that there was a period when Courtney brought Tina to stay in Alexander¡¯s house; otherwise, he would not have allowed Alexander to enter the house. It was clear that Shay treated him as his number one rival in love. ¡°This isn¡¯t even your home; you are just staying here temporarily, so your opinion doesn¡¯t matter.¡± After ncing at Shay, Alexander turned to look at Courtney again. On the other side of the room, Courtney looked especially embarrassed while she intertwined her fingers tightly together. Even if I were to agree for him to stay overnight, it is truly too strange to have two men staying for the night. However, Alexander has a point¡ªI can¡¯t deny him because I¡¯d lived for two weeks in his home with Tina previously. It would seem as if I¡¯m ungrateful after receiving his help! While she was struggling for the longest time, Tina suddenly came out of her room. She jogged toward Courtney while uttering, ¡°Mommy, Jordan is asleep. Are Jordan and Mr. Alexander staying over at our house tonight?¡± Courtney had no choice but to nod. ¡°Well, I guess so.¡± ¡°Hey, no way!¡± Shay tried to stop her. ¡°You just need to carry the child away since he¡¯s asleep. After all, he is such a tiny boy. Why would you let them stay overnight here?¡± ¡°Jordan is generally weak, and so he¡¯d catch a cold if he were to be exposed to the wind during his sleep,¡± exined Alexander from the side calmly. Courtney had always had a soft spot for Jordan. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t possibly allow him to head out and expose himself to the chilly night wind since he was asleep. ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t let him leave right now because the child has always struggled with having a sense of security to begin with.¡± Courtney nodded in agreement. ¡°Well, what about him? Why can¡¯t he leave if the child has to stay?¡± Shay was grasping at straws at this point while he hissed through clenched teeth. ¡°My son has never left my side his whole life, so he¡¯ll not be used to it.¡± Alexander sounded nonchnt when he spoke, but Shay was rendered speechless by his response. I¡¯m losing my mind! I know that this man has an ulterior motive, but everything he says makes perfect sense! What am I dealing with here? After confirming that they were staying overnight, Courtney tidied her room to offer it to him. ¡°I haven¡¯t informed Cameron, so I can¡¯t let you sleep in her room. I think it¡¯s best that you sleep in mine while I sleep in hers.¡± Alexander did not oppose that, of course, but Shay was furious at that point. ¡°No way! I do not agree! Why is he allowed to sleep in your room? Courtney, you need to understand that men and women are different. You need to learn to protect your privacy! I will never agree to this.¡± ¡°Well, what would you suggest?¡± Courtney stared at him. ¡°We have only so many rooms in the house.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take one for the team and let him sleep with me!¡± Shay red at Alexander. He seemed especially reluctant, as if he was making a huge sacrifice. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± replied Alexander as he nced at him. ¡°I do not like to sleep with men.¡± ¡°How dare you¡­¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Courtney cut Shay off. ¡°Stop causing a ruckus. He will be staying overnight tonight, so it doesn¡¯t matter where he sleeps. Besides, there¡¯s nothing private in my room. You two shoulde out first because I need to change a fresh set of bed sheets.¡± With that, she pushed Shay and Alexander out of the room before she closed the room door and started tidying up. Shay held his arms together while staring daggers at Alexander. ¡°You are the president of an enterprise. Why must you insist on roughing it up in this house with us? You can¡¯t be wanting to experience real life after getting bored of yourfortable life, can you?¡± Shay snapped at him. ¡°Would you believe me if I said yes?¡± Alexander¡¯sment was filled with double meaning. He moved forward to the bookcase while obviously not taking Shay seriously. Chapter 69 One Night Surprise Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Don¡¯t You Trust Me at All? Well, I don¡¯t believe him, of course! Shay red vehemently at Alexander¡¯s back, his youthful face etched with animosity. He is the president of the Sunhill Enterprise, for God¡¯s sake. I¡¯m sure he gets everything he wants, so why would hee all the way to experience life in a small apartment? I won¡¯t believe him even if he ims that he doesn¡¯t have an ulterior motive. Courtney made the bed swiftly, and when she walked out of the room, she handed Alexander a new towel and some toiletries. At night, Tina and Alexander were brushing their teeth in the bathroom. She stood on a small stool, and her mouth was foaming with bubbles. In fact, she looked especially delighted. ¡°What are you smiling about?¡± Alexander asked her. Tina gargled and spat out the water. Then, she stood on the stool while beckoning to Alexander with her finger. He got the hint and bent down. She patted his shoulder reassuringly whilementing like an adult. ¡°Look, I told you from the very beginning¡ªmy mommy is outstanding. People are queueing up in a long line to pursue her.¡± Alexander was slightly upset when he thought of Shay, and so he asked, ¡°Well, what do you feel I should do?¡± ¡°Work hard, of course! You need to take more initiative, Mr. Alexander.¡± Tina straightened her back, looking especially d. ¡°You¡¯d be able to catch up if you work hard now. Besides, you¡¯ll have such an obedient and adorable daughter, such as myself, without having to put in any effort. If you do not work harder and end up marrying Miss Price, I¡¯m sure Jordan wouldn¡¯t be happy about it. Furthermore, even if you two were to give birth to another daughter, I¡¯m sure that she wouldn¡¯t be as cute as I am.¡± Alexander chuckled involuntarily when he heard such an illogical statement. He picked up a towel to wipe Tina¡¯s mouth with it, and then he caressed her soft hair while reassuring her. ¡°Alright, I understand. Go and sleep now.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Alexander. Bear in mind that you have to work hard. I will support you.¡± Tina kissed him on the cheek. After that, she jumped off the stool and skipped to her bedroom. Courtney entered the house after putting out theundry. She picked up her mouth-rinsing mug on the way while asking him casually, ¡°Why is she so pumped up? What did she say to you?¡± Alexander regarded their reflection from the mirror as they stood beside each other. He observed that both their toothbrushes and mugs were red and blue respectively. The woman, who was standing beside him, was asking about her child in a rxed way, making him feel the wonder of being with loved ones somehow. Alexander¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he was in a daze. Since she did not receive an answer, Courtney looked at him through the mirror to find that he was staring at her too. Caught by surprise, she asked in a thick and muffled voice while brushing her teeth, ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡± Alexander snapped back to reality. ¡°Nothing. The toothbrush bristles are just too hard.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Oh?¡± Courtney nced at the toothbrush in his hand in a hurry. ¡°There¡¯s a convenience store downstairs. Why don¡¯t I buy a new one for you? I don¡¯t pay much attention to this sort of thing, so I usually just buy the cheaper option.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary; I can use this.¡± Alexander barely had an expression. After brushing his teeth, he walked straight back into the bedroom. Jordan was tossing and turning in bed, and it seemed as if he was in high spirits. ¡°Jordan, it¡¯s time for bed.¡± Alexander pushed his wriggling shoulders down while tugging against the nket. Jordan nuzzled against Alexander¡¯s arms. Finally, he found afortable position and settled down in an obedient manner. Alexander couldn¡¯t help but frown when he thought of the special feelings he harbored for Courtney. He just couldn¡¯t fall asleep as he stared at the ceiling. These feelings that I can¡¯t seem to exin must have stemmed from my concern for Jordan¡¯s preferences. After all, it¡¯s rare toe by someone whom Jordan is willing to be close with. After being acquainted with Courtney, Jordan¡¯s temper has improved leaps and bounds. In fact, he has be more cheerful than before. Previously, I decided to marry Britney after considering Jordan¡¯s feelings, but judging by the current situation, it is obvious that Jordan prefers Courtney more. Maybe he isn¡¯t simply hoping for a mommy; perhaps he has already acknowledged Courtney as his mommy deep down in his heart. All the previous questions and doubts suddenly felt clearer and brighter when he came to that conclusion. ¡°Jordan, do you yearn for a mommy like Courtney?¡± Jordan, who had already closed his eyes initially, scrambled up from Alexander¡¯s embrace when he heard that. He then picked up his drawing board to write a sentence across it before he whacked the drawing board roughly against Alexander¡¯s stomach. ¡®What¡¯s the use of my yearning? It¡¯s not like you¡¯d be able to pursue her. I saw everything today. She isn¡¯t bothered with you at all. In fact, she allowed us to stay overnight all thanks to me. Tina says that Mr. Shay is very close to her mommy.¡¯ Alexander felt especially depressed because two children doubted his charms consecutively. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me at all?¡± Jordan responded by scribbling across the drawing board. ¡®Have you pursued a girl before?¡¯ Alexander rubbed his nose in embarrassment. Well, it¡¯s true that I haven¡¯t. Jordan stared at Alexander¡¯s expression for a while, and he seemed to have deciphered his expression. Hence, the little boy sighed heavily and pulled up his nket to sleep. It was obvious that he had given up on speaking with Alexander. I do not have any practical experience at all because I¡¯m used to being pursued ever since I was a child. So how could I possibly know how to pursue a girl? If it weren¡¯t for Tina¡¯s help, I doubt I¡¯d stand a chance at all. ncing at Jordan, who was clearly disappointed, made Alexander feel gloomy. Later, he just couldn¡¯t fall asleep, and so he sent out a text message before turning the lights off. The next morning, Courtney was still fast asleep in bed when amotion started outside. Soon, Tina came barging into the room; she was wearing a bunny onesie pajamas when she hopped onto the bed to wake Courtney up. ¡°Mommy, bad news! Something has gone wrong! There are many people outside of our house!¡± Courtney was bleary-eyed, and she yawned while asking sleepily, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°They are all holding cameras, and they are blocking the entrance of our house.¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney woke up with a start and sat up on the bed abruptly. ¡°What cameras are you referring to? How many people are there?¡± ¡°There are too many of them.¡± Courtney walked out of the room while still wearing her pajamas. Alexander seemed to have just been woken up too. He opened the room door while ncing at the main door in confusion. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked. ¡°I have no idea,¡± Courtney rushed to the main door as she replied to him. ¡°Tina mentioned that there were many people at the door. I¡¯ll have a look.¡± The door had a peephole, and the small stool hadn¡¯t been moved aside just yet. Tina must have left it there when she looked through the peephole to check on the situation outside just now. Courtney moved the lid away to peek into the peephole. Nevertheless, she was utterly startled the moment she took a closer look. ¡°Oh, my!¡± She stumbled backward a couple of steps, and she almost slipped and fell. Fortunately, Alexander was quick on his feet, and he managed to steady her by supporting her shoulders. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± The color had drained from her face as she was exhaling slowly. ¡°I think somebody is looking through my door¡¯s peephole. I saw an eye staring back at me just now, and it caught me by surprise.¡± ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Alexander walked toward the door, and he nced through the peephole to observe the situation outside for quite some time. ¡°What is it? What did you see?¡± ¡°There are quite a number of people in the corridor, but they aren¡¯t looking for us.¡± ¡°Oh, they aren¡¯t looking for us?¡± Courtney sighed in relief. However, she thought of something and blurted out, ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem right. We are the only ones living on this floor.¡± Alexander nced at another room while replying to her steadily, ¡°Isn¡¯t there somebody else living here apart from us?¡± Chapter 70 One Night Surprise Chapter 70 Chapter 70 They¡¯ll Be Safe With You Gone There was a huge crowd carrying a variety of camera equipment outside of the door. They were reporters from the entertainment industry. In fact, they arrived here early in the morning after receiving news that the Cello Prince, Shay Spencer, had returned to the country, and that he was living here. Not long ago, he was in Vienna, and the entertainment news from all countries revealed that a popr young actress, Rachel Sharpe, specifically attended his solo performance. The news reported that by the end of the concert, they even left together. Reporters from the showbiz had been clinging onto his romantic affairs with Rachel for half a month now. On the other hand, Rachel had gone missing recently, and that was the reason the reporters were eager to get their hands on the firsthand report once they caught wind of Shay¡¯s location. ¡°This bunch of reporters must be insane! There¡¯s nothing going on between Rachel and me. I don¡¯t even know her.¡± Shay shut the peephole before turning around angrily. ¡°Why can¡¯t they get someone else to write about? Why must they look into me?¡± ¡°You were the only one there apart from Rachel that night. Why is it odd that the reporters are looking for you?¡± Alexander gave him a sideway nce. ¡°Rachel is currently a popr female artist. How could you not know about her when even I know about her?¡± ¡°What¡­¡± Shay panicked because he was afraid that Courtney might misunderstand the situation. ¡°What are you implying?¡± He red at Alexander menacingly. ¡°I¡¯m not implying anything at all; I was just asking casually. I just feel like you don¡¯t have to be so anxious in clearing the air regarding your rtionship with her. After all, nobody here cares if you have anything to do with her.¡± Shay¡¯s expression changed drastically when he heard that. He almost leaped to his feet in anger. ¡°Alexander, you had better not spout nonsense here.¡± ¡°Stop arguing, Shay, because this isn¡¯t the time.¡± Courtney was obviously distressed. ¡°The most important thing now is to resolve the current issue at hand. We can¡¯t let them block the door forever, can we?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll phone the police.¡± Shay spoke as he took out his mobile phone. ¡°That¡¯s useless,¡± replied Alexander casually. ¡°They¡¯re not breaking thew. The worst is that they¡¯ve disturbed the peace of the public, and the police might chase them down the building. However, they will try to get up here once the police are gone.¡± Shay¡¯s expression darkened since Alexander dismissed his suggestion without hesitating, and he retorted angrily, ¡°Well, what do you suggest, then? Why don¡¯t you say something since you are so capable?¡± Upon hearing that. Courtney turned to look at Alexander too. After all, Shay and I aren¡¯t the only ones trapped in the house because Alexander and his son are here. In any case, I feel that this has arger impact on him than on us. ¡°That¡¯s right, President Duncan. Do you have a solution?¡± Courtney broke the silence. Alexander decided to stop wasting time with Shay and answered Courtney calmly, ¡°Start by phoning the building¡¯s management. Ask them to summon security guards to escort that bunch of reporters down.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference between that and me phoning the police? How are security guards better than police officers?¡± Shay nced at him in disdain. Nevertheless, Alexander looked indifferent as he answered in a gravelly voice, ¡°At least the security guards are always here, and they¡¯d get here quicker than the police.¡± ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you just arguing for the sake of arguing?!¡± ¡°Shay, let President Duncan finish speaking.¡± Courtney knew straight away that Alexander would not juste up with a method that wouldn¡¯t resolve the issue. Therefore, she was sure that he had something else up his sleeve. ¡°There¡¯s no hurry.¡± Alexander checked his wrist. ¡°They should be here anytime now,¡± he stated. After hisment, the security guards led by the building management chased away the hoard of reporters before they knocked on the door to apologize to Courtney. After that, everything outside returned to its usual silence. ¡°They¡¯ve all left,¡± Courtney said while letting out a sigh of relief. Just as she said that, the doorbell rang suddenly. Ding-dong! ¡°They can¡¯t be back again, can they?¡± She wore a bitter and resentful expression as she frowned deeply. Is thepetition within the entertainment industry so fierce nowadays? Alexander strode ahead to open the door. ¡°President Duncan, they are all on the ground floor for now. Don¡¯t worry.¡± It was Alexander¡¯s assistant, Josh. ¡°Whoa?¡± Shay burst outughing, looking especially contemptuous. ¡°I see you even have your assistant here! Well, what are you nning to do next?¡± I can¡¯t stomach it especially when Courtney trusts him so much. I¡¯d like to see what else this man is capable of apart from earning big bucks. It¡¯s not easy to get rid of the reporters from showbiz. However, Alexander couldn¡¯t be bothered to answer him. Hence, Josh, who was standing beside, got the hint and approached Shay. ¡°Are you Mr. Shay?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Shay lifted his chin up slightly, looking especially arrogant. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Can you pleasee with me to have a change of clothes?¡± ¡°What for?¡± Shay covered his chest while jumping backward. He looked alert when he asked again, ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Josh answered with a deadpan voice, ¡°I¡¯ll put on your clothes to distract the reporters downstairs. After that, there will be people waiting for you downstairs to arrange for your stay in another hotel. Everything has been arranged for you.¡± Shay was stunned momentarily. ¡°You want me to leave? Well, what about Courtney and Tina?¡± In fact, there¡¯s nothing wrong with this idea because I was just trying to figure out a way to leave while leading the reporters away from here. However, Alexander has somehow managed it without me doing anything. It almost makes it seem as though I¡¯m being chased away now. ¡°They¡¯ll be safe once you¡¯re gone,¡± Alexander remarked indifferently. Shay couldn¡¯t help but re at him furiously, but he did not have aeback. In the end, he was forced to leave with Josh obediently to change his clothes in the room. After ten minutes, Josh put on a casual shirt, which the reporters had seen Shay in, and he carried the cello case on his back while making his way down the stairs. They saw Josh surrounded by arge crowd of reporters through the window, while he lowered the brim of his hat as much as possible. Under the escort of the security guards, Josh managed to get into the car after maneuvering potential risks and dangers. Soon, arge group of people and cars went chasing after Josh¡¯s car onto the road. Once everybody had left, Shay left the building while beingpletely undercover. Two bodyguards wearing suits and leather shoes led him into the car before they drove him out of the residential area in the opposite direction. ¡°They are finally gone.¡± Courtney let out a sigh of relief as she slumped onto the couch. ¡°This isn¡¯t the end.¡± Alexander looked at her. ¡°You need to pack a light suitcase for yourself and Tina.¡± Courtney was confused when she heard that. ¡°Huh? Why should I pack a suitcase?¡± ¡°Do you think that this is still a safe location after the reporters learned that Shay has lived here before? When they realize that that¡¯s not Shay, they will send people over to camp outside of the house.¡± ¡°Well, in any case, Shay is gone now.¡± ¡°Do you truly believe that they wouldn¡¯t start asking questions about a woman and a child who lives with Shay?¡± Alexander¡¯s analysis was wless, and so Courtney was at a loss for words. She inhaled deeply reflexively. If I¡¯d known all these, I wouldn¡¯t have given in and agreed to that fellow¡¯s request. I could have gotten a staff discount for him to stay in Sunhill Hotel; that sounds like a much better deal than getting myself into a homeless situation. Alexander¡¯s bodyguards carried Courtney¡¯s tworge suitcases, and the group left the building together. ¡°Well, mommy, where should we live now?¡± Tina looked up at Courtney while blinking her eyes innocently in the elevator. She looked especially worried while she asked, ¡°Are we going back to grandpa¡¯s house?¡± Courtney scowled when she heard that. There is no issue if I were to return to the Hunter Mansion alone, but if Tina returns with me, I¡¯m sure that it will raise questions and gossip. I do not wish for that to happen. Suddenly, Alexander felt somebody tugging his shirt downward. He lowered his head, only to see Jordan staring at him warningly. Hence, Alexander had no choice but to break the silence. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about amodation because I¡¯ve had that arranged too.¡±ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org . Chapter 71 One Night Surprise Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Conceal and Strike ¡°You¡¯ve had that arranged too?¡± Courtney appeared stumped when she heard that. ¡°Where will we stay? A hotel?¡± I¡¯d like to head directly to the hotel if possible. After all, hotels have staff amodation, and the facilities there are convenient too. ¡°Forget about hotels.¡± Alexander burst her bubble straight away. ¡°There are no rooms left.¡± ¡°Huh? There are no rooms left? But thest time I counted, there should be still¡ª¡± ¡°Get into the car.¡± Alexander shoved her into the car before she could evenplete her sentence, and he ordered the chauffeur to start driving. The car drove straight to the entrance of the Royal Park Manor. We¡¯vee full circle. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m back here after merely staying at home for a day. Courtney pursed her lips. ¡°President Duncan, you can¡¯t be telling me that this is the amodation that you¡¯ve arranged for me.¡± ¡°This is it.¡± The servants from the residence were already shifting the suitcases into the house efficiently; Courtney could do nothing to stop them. ¡°This isn¡¯t appropriate.¡± ¡°We have a lot of empty rooms, and it doesn¡¯t make a difference with you living here. There¡¯s always transport to drive Tina around, and it isn¡¯t too far away from your workce as well,¡± Alexander regarded Courtney while exining. ¡°Plus, you are not staying for free. You are in charge of breakfast and dinner during weekdays, and you¡¯ll have to prepare three meals during the weekends. Jordan only enjoys the food you cook.¡± His demands were fair, and so Courtney couldn¡¯t fault him at all. Even the official cook in Alexander¡¯s house has her meals and amodation included apart from her monthly wage. I¡¯m just required to cook in exchange for amodation, so I¡¯m not truly taking advantage of the situation. ¡°Well, alright. I will move out once the situation dies down.¡± Alexander nodded while keeping a straight face. ¡°Let¡¯s go in first.¡± The servant led Courtney to the room beside the master bedroom. Previously, it was just an ordinary extra bedroom, which Courtney had stayed in previously. However, she noticed many changes this time round as there were clearly more decorations now. There were all sorts of luxurious and expensive makeup products on the dressing table, but Courtney felt that the most surprising part was the husky plush toy at the headboard. ¡°This must be for Tina! Thank you so much!¡± The servant looked especially respectful. ¡°Miss Tina has her own bedroom. Young Master mentioned that usually, you might have to work overtime, and so you will get homete. Hence, it is inconvenient for you to share a room with Miss Tina. That is why this room is specifically for you, and the plush toy is for you too.¡± Courtney did not expect Alexander to make such an arrangement, but it warmed her heart nheless. She toyed with the husky plush toy while smiling faintly. ¡°Why would you prepare this for me? I¡¯m no longer a child.¡± ¡°I was worried that you might not be used to sleeping alone.¡± The servant didn¡¯t look too old. In fact, she looked like a young woman in her early twenties, but she was very shy. She seemed especially anxious with Courtney¡¯s questions. ¡°I have many toys at home, and so I simply picked one for you. However, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯d like it. I¡¯ll take it away if it¡¯s not suited to your taste.¡± ¡°No worries at all,¡± Courtney replied hastily. ¡°Don¡¯t panic; I didn¡¯t say that I did not like it.¡± The servant finally let out a sigh of relief. Courtney stared at the husky for the longest time before she suddenly burst intoughter. ¡°The husky kind of looks like your young master. He looks like everybody around him owes him money¡ªdon¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The young female servant looked shocked because this was her first time hearing somebody bold enough topare Alexander to a dog. ¡°I-I have no idea.¡± Courtney felt rather helpless since the young female servant had such a serious and timid response. Alexander must have been instilling fear in her all this while, and that is most probably why she is so scared. Well, I shall stop teasing her. After chatting for some time, Courtney learned that the young female servant was named Chloe, and she soon let her take her leave. Courtney walked around her room once while she observed the newly changed purple curtains. She couldn¡¯t help but break into a satisfied smile at that. It is undeniable that the furnishings at Alexander¡¯s house are rather tasteful. On the other side, it had been arranged for Shay to stay at a Sunhill Hotel branch in the East Side of Melrose City, which was extremely far away from the city center. Shay was livid after hearing what Alexander¡¯s assistant, Josh, had to say. He snatched his phone away to call Alexander. ¡°Alexander, you cunning old fox! How dare you lure me away! You deliberately got me to leave just so that Courtney would stay at your ce.¡± Alexander held the phone farther away from his ear to prevent damaging his eardrums due to the screaming over the phone. In the end, he merely answered lightly, ¡°You are overthinking it. Did you truly believe that you¡¯d get to stay after what happened today?¡± ¡°Do you take me as a fool? You¡¯ve already arranged for the security team and the hotel room ten minutes after the reporters showed up. Spill it¡ªwere you the one who informed the reporters that I was at Courtney¡¯s house?¡± A glimmer of excitement shed across Alexander¡¯s eyes. This fellow is rather smart. I can¡¯t believe he saw through it so quickly. Shay was even more convinced that he had hit the bull¡¯s eyes since he was greeted with a deafening silence over the phone. Therefore, he raised his voice straight away. ¡°D*mn you, you cunning old fox! You are such a hooligan! Here you are, iming that you are the president of Sunhill Enterprise, but you are unscrupulous in achieving what you want. Does your family know about this trait of yours? You are shameless to try to fool our simple and innocent Courtney!¡± Alexander had never been scolded in such a horrible way before, but he wasn¡¯t angry at all. On the contrary, he corrected Shay matter-of-factly. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s considered innocent at all.¡± The headquarters have long heard about Courtney¡¯s abilities to carry out tasks exceptionally with vigor and drive while maintaining a smooth character. She is not just an innocent little bunny who is at the mercy of others. She has never been particrly favored ever since she took office, but now, she has been entrusted with utmost important responsibilities. How could an innocent little bunny achieve that? ¡°Yes! She is not innocent at all!¡± Somehow, Shay changed tactics all of a sudden. He sounded panicked as he spoke. ¡°She is especially conniving, and so it might be toote by the time you realize that she¡¯s sold your house off. You had better not let her stay with you.¡± Alexander smirked when he heard that. This is truly a first for me to meet a person like Shay. Courtney truly has a variety of talents around her, as well as a best friend who is able to beat Gale into a pulp. Besides, she has a possessive younger brother who is extremely capable¡ªhe could handle everything from being charming to scolding and beating people, right up to threatening me. ¡°I am letting her stay here because Jordan enjoys her cooking. There¡¯s nothing more to it. You are overthinking it.¡± ¡°Only a fool would believe you! You are able to hire any famous chefs from Couver, Loam, Hagen, and Youver! However, here you are, iming that you want Courtney to cook for you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether you believe it or not, but Jordan only enjoys her cooking,¡± Alexander started to sound somber at this point. ¡°Besides, I have something else to tell you. I am close with the owner of Pride Media, and so I can rmend you to sign on with them. I¡¯ll get them to contact you after you¡¯ve mulled it over.¡± ¡°Who says I need your rmendation?¡± Alexander was greeted by a stream of expletives over the phone. ¡°I am extremely popr, so why would I need a rmendation from you?¡± Alexander did not have the patience, and so he hung up on the call. Shay takes pride in his natural talent in music. Furthermore, he has had a rather smooth sailing journey until now, and so it¡¯s expected for him to be arrogant. Naturally, he will go against me no matter what advice I give him. Soon, Josh¡¯s number was calling in again, and this time, it was Josh himself, indeed. ¡°President Duncan, the issue has been handled. The agent from Starlight Media will be signing this fellow on.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm, got it.¡± Alexander hung up on the call as his lips curled into a smile. In reality, I own 23% of Starlight Media. This method is to conceal my intentions by creating a distraction. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Have you confirmed it? Did he see the picture?¡± In an independent dressing room, a bespectacled man ced a portfolio on top of the coffee table before he leaned backward and sat still. ¡°I am 100% sure. Louis is still as fit as a fiddle, and his eyesight has not been affected at all. In fact, he immediately recognized the woman in the picture as the surrogate woman from years ago. He assumed that I was Alexander¡¯s subordinate, and so he admitted to everything.¡± Britney¡¯s expression turned ashen while she tightened her fists. Her knuckles turned white as she squeezed her fists tightly. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it really is her,¡± she hissed through gritted teeth. Chapter 72 One Night Surprise Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Only the Dead Can Keep a Secret ¡°Hang on, that doesn¡¯t add up. Courtney is the Young Lady of the Hunter Family; how could she possibly end up as somebody¡¯s surrogate?¡± Britney frowned deeply, looking as though she was struggling to make sense of this. ¡°Besides, if it¡¯s true that Courtney was the surrogate mother, how many children did she give birth to? Why does she have a child with her now?¡± Benjamin adjusted his spectacles while opening the folder calmly. ¡°ording to Louis, they caught the wrong person from the nightclub six years ago. They only realized their mistake after everything had been done. Later, the butler, Louis, observed Courtney in secret until she was on the way to the hospital for a surgery. Then, he sent people to stop her because he was trying to make the best out of a bad bargain. He even forced her to sign a contract. N?velDrama.Org content. Previously, the first child was a boy, and so Louis took him away; it was onlyter on that he learned from the doctor that there was a daughter too. However, Courtney had taken her away by then. On one end, Louis felt guilty, and on the other, he did not dare call attention to the situation, and so he did not go searching for Courtney again. In fact, he resigned and returned to his hometown soon after that.¡± ¡°That means¡­¡± Britney was bracing herself against the dressing table, and her expression rxed significantly. ¡°Alexander has no idea that the surrogate woman was at fault all those years ago.¡± ¡°Judging by the current situation, I believe so. Louis was the only person who knew about the entire incident, whereas the subordinate who carried out the dirty deed is nowhere to be found. Furthermore, we can¡¯t even confirm if he¡¯s alive.¡± ¡°We can never let Alexander know about this.¡± I have a feeling that I will never have the chance to marry Alexander if he were to learn that Courtney is Jordan¡¯s biological mother. I will never allow that to happen. ¡°Well, that¡¯s your business.¡± Benjamin arranged the documents before standing up. ¡°My work is done here. Please transfer the rest of the bnce to me as soon as possible.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best detective of Melrose City; I can¡¯t imagine that you actually value money so much. Do you think I¡¯d not pay you?¡± Britney nced at him with a scornful expression. Benjamin, however, was unfazed while he answered her directly, ¡°It is only natural that I value money. I also believe that money deserves to be valued because it is the only thing in the world that wouldn¡¯t lie to you.¡± This was the first time she had heard such a refreshing and unconventional description for being greedy for money. Britney burst outughing in response, and she didn¡¯t seem to agree with him. Nevertheless, she instructed her agent, who was just beside her, ¡°Jason, transfer the money to him.¡± While Jason was transferring the money, Britney stared at the pile of documents in her hands. She started ripping them apart unhappily before tossing them all into the trash can. ¡°These are all copies. Where are the originals? Where¡¯s the contract from all those years ago?¡± ¡°Louis isn¡¯t a fool. Later on, when I couldn¡¯t prove that I was a subordinate of Alexander¡¯s, he took them back and wouldn¡¯t let me view them anymore. I managed to take pictures of those documents discreetly. Besides, I was only responsible for finding out the truth, and I wasn¡¯t tasked to collect the original copies for you. You can¡¯t deduct my fees over this matter because it was clearly written in the agreement.¡± Money, money, money! This fe, Benjamin, is always talking about money. Britney could feel a throbbing headache forming after listening to all his money-talk. However, she thought of something suddenly and turned to Benjamin to say to him, ¡°You seem to like money. I need you to do something for me¡ªonce you¡¯ve aplished it, I¡¯ll give you 5 million. What do you say?¡± ¡°5 million?¡± Benjamin regarded her carefully. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± ¡°I want no one else to find out about the truth of this incident.¡± Britney¡¯s gaze gleamed with an eerie and sinister look. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how much you pay me, because I will notmit murder and arson.¡± Benjamin rejected her decisively. ¡°I am involved in skilled and technical work. You should hire a thug for that sort of thing.¡± However, Britney exined, ¡°Who says that I wanted you to kill anyone? I just want you toe up with a way to destroy all the original documents in Louis¡¯ hands. Can¡¯t you do that?¡± Upon hearing that, Benjamin hesitated for a moment. It is undeniably challenging, but it¡¯s doable. ¡°6 million.¡± After weighing his options, he looked up to meet Britney¡¯s gaze. ¡°There is a risk in this matter. If things go south, I could get into trouble for trespassing.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She agreed swiftly. ¡°Deal.¡± After Benjamin left, Jason locked the dressing room door while uttering to her, ¡°It is not appropriate for you to have asked him to do that. He doesn¡¯t look skilled physically. I don¡¯t want something bad to happen.¡± ¡°Well, I want something to happen.¡± Britney had a mysterious look when she spoke. ¡°Jason, hire someone else to follow him. Once he destroys all the documents, dispose of Louis.¡± ¡°Do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Only the dead can keep a secret.¡± Jason did not know what to reply. The next morning, Alexander woke up to the fragrance of steamed stuffed buns. From the second floor, he saw the two children, who were already up, sitting at the dining table enjoying their meal. The tray of steamed stuffed buns gave off a delicious aroma. ¡°You¡¯re up! Come down for breakfast.¡± Courtney was walking out of the kitchen while carrying a pot of porridge. ¡°We have Jujube porridge, steamed meat buns, and steamed vegetable buns.¡± Alexander nodded lightly; there was a tinge of warmth in his expression when he turned away. ¡°Miss Hunter, let me do it. Please, have a seat.¡± Chloe saw Courtney about to serve the porridge into smaller bowls, and so she rushed forward to help her. After serving a bowl of porridge each to the children and Courtney, Chloe served Alexander the fourth bowl carefully in front of him. ¡°Young Master, please enjoy your porridge.¡± Alexander nced at the bowl before he asked casually, ¡°Where are the chopsticks?¡± Courtney and the two children were using spoons for the porridge, and they enjoyed the steamed buns with their bare hands in a very casual manner. Therefore, there were no chopsticks on the table. However, Chloe was startled when she heard Alexander¡¯s sudden question, and she spilled the bowl of boiling porridge all over the ce. His expression changed drastically while his chair made a screeching noise as it scratched against the floor. He scowled deeply as he stared at the spilled porridge on his pants. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± he asked in a deep and icy tone. Chloe was so scared that her legs turned into jelly. She kneeled onto the ground with a thud, her eyes turning red with tears. ¡°Young Master, I didn¡¯t do that on purpose.¡± Courtney was shocked when she saw that too. Hence, she rushed over to check on him. ¡°Are you alright? Were you scalded?¡± Alexander was clearly upset because he found it embarrassing to be in such an awkward position in front of Courtney. ¡°You should be fine,¡± Courtney said before she looked down at Chloe, who was trembling uncontrobly. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re too fierce to your servants? She¡¯s just a young girl; you startled her.¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze darkened when he heard that; he asked rhetorically, ¡°How am I fierce?¡± I merely asked ¡®what¡¯s wrong with you?¡¯¡ªhow is that fierce at all? ¡°Well, weren¡¯t you? Look, Chloe has been scared witless.¡± Courtney helped her up, and she realized with a start that she had just blurted something out without processing it. Hence, she corrected herself hastily. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t saying that you were fierce. I was just saying that, well, Chloe is only 19 years old, and I heard that she¡¯s only been here for about a month. It might help if you¡¯re gentler with her.¡± Great! The more I try to justify it, the worse it gets. I¡¯m still saying he is fierce. ¡°Forget it.¡± Alexander was losing his patience, and so he waved his arm to dismiss Chloe. Then, he strode back upstairs. The two children exchanged meaningful looks with each other. Tina understood the situation straight away, and she said while looking concerned, ¡°I think Mr. Alexander has been scalded. I¡¯ll check on him.¡± Courtney turned around abruptly to look at her. ¡°Why do you want to check on him? You don¡¯t even know how to handle burns. Stop messing around. Take your seat and finish your food. I¡¯ll go and check on him.¡± With that, Courtney wiped her hands before she went upstairs in the direction of the changing room. Chapter 73 One Night Surprise Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Let Go of Your Hand Before going up the stairs, Courtney asked the maids for some ointment and knocked on the door of the dressing room. ¡°Come in.¡± Alexander had already changed his attire; the previously worn pajamas were bunched up and simply thrown to the floor. ¡°Is your leg fine? I¡¯ve brought you some ointment,¡± Courtney stood at the door and said. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. He nodded as a reply. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee; It¡¯s your ointment anyway. I¡¯ll just leave it here for you to use. I¡¯m going out now.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After putting down the ointment, she turned around and left the dressing room. However, upon taking a few steps, she suddenly remembered something, so she turned back and opened the door straight away. ¡°Remember to put the ointment¡ª¡± Before she could finish her words, her expression immediately froze the moment she saw the scene in front of her. Alexander¡¯s hand twitched as his belt fell from his hand, causing his whole pants to fall to the floor and revealing his pair of muscr legs. Instantly, Courtney came back to her senses and covered her eyes while turning around. ¡°Why are you taking off your pants?¡± she asked anxiously. At the same time, Alexander looked embarrassed as his face sulked. ¡°How else can I apply the medicine on my body? Besides, I should be the one asking you why you came in without knocking on the door.¡± With a flushed face, Courtney refuted, ¡°I came in to tell you how to use the ointment. Who knew you would¡­¡± As Alexander noticed her frightened looks, he suddenly found the situation a little funny, so he simply grabbed a towel to cover his legs and sat down. ¡°Is that so? Then I would like you to teach me how to use it.¡± Even so, she was still facing him with her back. ¡°Have you put on your pants yet?¡± Alexander lowered his head and looked at the towel covering his thighs before answering her seriously, ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®I guess so¡¯?¡± She then furrowed her brows and turned around carefully. The moment she saw him sitting on the couch with a white towel covering his legs, her face immediately turned red as she turned back instantly and growled, ¡°How does that count as putting your pants on?¡± ¡°What did you see?¡± ¡°I saw nothing.¡± She quickly denied. ¡°Then it¡¯s fine.¡± He put on a natural tone. ¡°Hurry up. I have other matters to attend toter on. Aren¡¯t you going to help me apply the ointment?¡± ¡°I¡­ Do it yourself.¡± At the moment, Courtney regretteding back to the room. I knew I shouldn¡¯t have troubled myself. There are so many servants in the house, so why did Ie up here myself? Am I not purposely looking for trouble? ¡°But it was the porridge you cooked that burned me.¡± As soon as she heard his words, she suddenly exploded with rage, so she turned around angrily and ranted, ¡°Hey! Why are you so unreasonable? Did I make porridge just to purposely burn you?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say you did it on purpose.¡± Alexander gazed at her and scanned her looks with interest as he tried to test her limit. ¡°Since you offered to help, you should do exactly that. I really don¡¯t know how to use this ointment anyway.¡± As Courtney¡¯s face started to boil under his gaze, she hesitated for a while before walking over to him with the ointment. Then, she bent over and lifted a corner of the towel on hisp, revealing a huge piece of burned skin. For some reason, her heart twitched when she saw his injury. This is quite a serious burn. ¡°Please pay attention. You need to rub the ointment on your palm to make it warm before applying it on the wound.¡± She sat and demonstrated to him by rubbing a small piece of paste in her palm. However, just as she was about to apply the ointment, she hesitated. ¡°I think you should do it yourself.¡± She backed off upon saying that, but Alexander suddenly grabbed her wrist. ¡°You do it.¡± ¡°Why me? You can do it yourself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s troublesome.¡± Instantly, Courtney was speechless. ¡°You can just wash your hands afterward. You really are troublesome, ¡®Young Master¡¯.¡± When the words ¡®Young Master¡¯ and her mocking tone reached Alexander¡¯s ears, his cold eyes trembled slightly. Thinking about his privileged life, Courtney assumed that he probably had never applied medicine on himself before, so she braced herself and nodded after taking a nce at the ointment in her hands. ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it. Please let go of your hand first.¡± After warming up her palm, she ced her hands on the skin of his thigh, sending waves of heat through his skin. Alexander lowered his eyes and saw her hair slipping down her shoulder, blocking her face. As his emotions became uncontroble, he reached out and brushed the hair behind her ear. For a moment, Courtney was startled as she turned her face around in shock, and the two of them looked at each other. Their gazes connected for a long while before she suddenly came back around and stuttered, ¡°I-It should be fine. Y-You can handle the rest yourself. I¡¯ll leave now.¡± However, Alexander pulled her again, and this time, it was a little harder, so she screamed and fell on his left leg. ¡°Alexander, you¡­¡± Immediately, she struggled to get up. She didn¡¯t know whether she had touched his wound, but she could hear the cold gasp behind her. ¡°Did I touch your wound?¡± she asked anxiously while remaining still. After that, Alexander grabbed her waist and spoke in a hoarse voice. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°You¡­ should let me go.¡± Courtney gritted her teeth while her face looked flushed. Even though they were separated by two thinyers of cloth, she could almost feel the shape of the object underneath. What if someone sees us? However, Alexander didn¡¯t seem to hear her as his voice grew deeper. ¡°You were more proactive that night than now.¡± At the moment, Courtney¡¯s face had turned red all the way to her neck as she yelled, ¡°Let me go. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying.¡± That night was just an ident. I¡¯ve tried multiple times to convince myself to forget that ident, but he just has to mention it again in front of me. However, Alexander was quite upset with her attitude. How could she be so indifferent toward what happened that night? As soon as the thought came to mind, he felt a burning sensation surging up from his heart. Without much consideration, he lifted her chin and leaned over. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes widened as her pupils started to lose focus. She stared at the blurry figure in daze while her mind became nk. In the meantime, Alexander moved his hand down her waist and slipped into the hem of her skirt, causing goosebumps on her skin. Just when he was about to go further, she suddenly had a realization and came back to her senses, so she started to struggle hurriedly. However, Alexander was holding her waist with one hand so she couldn¡¯t move around, while his other hand had already slipped into her skirt, unceremoniously moving between her legs. Immediately, a sense of shame arose spontaneously as Courtney pushed him away with strength that she didn¡¯t know she had. Then, she raised her hand and pped him ruthlessly. p! The crisp sound echoed through the dressing room. Even the servants downstairs were staggered as they stared nkly at the second floor. Courtney panted heavily while her dangling hands were still trembling. At the moment, she was frightened because she had never thought Alexander would suddenly do something like this to her. She suppressed her anger and tried her best to calm herself down. ¡°If you think that this is how I should repay you for taking me in, then I¡¯ll move out with Tina right now. Getting myself involved in other people¡¯s marriage is against my moral principles.¡± Chapter 74 One Night Surprise Chapter 74 Chapter 74 She Can¡¯t Wait That Long A bright red palm print was left on Alexander¡¯s face, which showed how ruthless Courtney was with her p. This was the first time he had seen her this determined, so he could not help but feel upset by his abrupt actions just now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Upon hearing his response, Courtney was startled instead since she didn¡¯t expect him to apologize so soon. After all, he was a young master and president with a high status, so no one dared to question him. No one would even be surprised if he did something as spontaneous as what he did just now. She grabbed her faintly hurting hand and felt a little awkward. ¡°Forget about it. Just forget about it. I-I¡¯ll just move out with Tina.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Alexander called after her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to move out. I¡¯ll go on a long business trip this evening, and my flight departs at 3.00PM, which means I won¡¯t be staying here for the time being. During this period, I would like you to help me take care of Jordan.¡± Courtney instantly halted her steps and hesitated for a while before nodding her head. At this point, if she suddenly moved away, there was nowhere for her to go anyway. I can¡¯t bring Tina out with me to find a ce to stay. How could a child stand that? After changing his attire, Alexander went downstairs, and without finishing his breakfast, he reminded Jordan to always listen to Courtney and the butler before leaving. While the sound of the engine in the yard slowly disappeared, Courtney was still holding her hands together, her heart beating wildly. She must admit that she had an inexplicable affection toward Alexander, but he was about to get married, and she couldn¡¯t bring herself to destroy other people¡¯s marriages. After what happened with Isaac and Vanessa, she hated third wheels for the rest of her life, so she herself definitely wouldn¡¯t do that as well. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. That night, Alexander didn¡¯t return. She found out from Harry that he went to Shanghai on a business trip, and this time, he was waiting for a huge client from New York, so he wouldn¡¯t be back for at least another two weeks. ¡°Should I not stay here?¡± At night, she leaned on a pillow and talked to herself while pinching the nose of a husky doll. ¡°Please tell me what I should do.¡± She then shook the husky¡¯s head with her hand and pressed her lips to show that she was in her thinking state. ¡°You don¡¯t know either?¡± After that, a long sigh echoed in the dim room. The next morning, after sending the two children to kindergarten, she went to work in herpany. Not long after she arrived at the hotel, the current manager of the housekeeping department came rushing toward her. ¡°Miss Hunter, please go and take a look in Room 1023. There¡¯s been an incident. They are quarreling right now.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Courtney furrowed her brows and asked about the situation while walking out. ¡°The female guest who checked into Room 1023 said that there were cockroaches in her room, so we went in and dealt with it. Indeed, we found two cockroaches, but I don¡¯t know whether the previous attendant had a bad attitude because she¡¯s now making a scene.¡± In the meantime, they had already arrived at the door of Room 1023, which had a group of onlookers surrounding it. Immediately, Courtney scolded, ¡°Don¡¯t you all have work to do?¡± The manager of the housekeeping department, who was beside her, quickly waved his hands. ¡°Go and do your work. What are you all gathered here for?¡± As the crowd dispersed, a sharp scream came from the room. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re simply bullying your guest just because you have an impressive business. Where is everyone going? You should send someone to deal with this matter.¡± ¡°Miss Heather, please calm down.¡± The manager of the housekeeping department went in to greet her, but the woman simply ignored him. ¡°Where is your general manager? I request to speak to him. I don¡¯t want to speak to you arrogant people.¡± Courtney also went in with the manager and saw the typical face of an influencer who had such a stic face that her own mother possibly wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize her. She had a sharp pointy chin and a pair ofrge European-style double eyelids with the currently popr peach-colored makeup. There was also glitter at the corner of her eyes. Wearing a ginger- yellow camisole, she sat cross-legged on a marble table while swaying her two snowy-white legs around, looking extremely arrogant. However, Courtney had been working in this industry for many years, so she had seen all sorts of people before. At the moment, she was quite tolerant as she said, ¡°The general manager is now traveling abroad on a business trip, so he isn¡¯t here. You¡¯re Miss Heather, right? May I ask about your dissatisfaction with the hotel? You can tell me, and I¡¯ll see if I can deal with it. We can look for the general manager afterward if we are unable to solve it. Is that fine with you?¡± ¡°Who are you? Do you even have any power here?¡± The influencer nced at her. As soon as she saw the name tag on the front of Courtney¡¯s chest, her eyes darkened slightly. ¡°You are Courtney Hunter, the hall manager?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± Courtney followed her gaze toward her name tag before she nodded politely and reached out to touch it. ¡°Our hotel always rotates the housekeeping and hall manager. We both serve the same role, so you can inform me if there¡¯s any problem. There¡¯s no difference.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that. I¡¯m not interested in your hotel¡¯s rotation at all.¡± The influencer impatiently crossed her other leg. ¡°You are a five-star hotel known for your top service in the country, but you¡¯re telling me that you can¡¯t even meet the minimum hygiene requirements? You are practically scamming your customers.¡± ¡°Miss Heather, our hotel definitely meets the hygiene requirements. If you don¡¯t believe me, I can ask someone to flip the bed over for you to see. I can confirm that the underside of the bed ispletely clean and free of dust. You won¡¯t find a better hotel than ours in the country.¡± Even though Courtney was firm with her words, the influencer still looked disdainful. ¡°Who wants to see the underside of the bed? I don¡¯t even sleep there. Don¡¯t think you can escape the fact that there are cockroaches in this room. You¡¯d better give me a reasonable exnation for this.¡± Upon that, Courtney furrowed her brows. ¡°To be honest, Miss Heather, it¡¯s impossible for any cockroaches to breed in our hotel. If there really are cockroaches, it might be because they came in identally from a trash can or somewhere outside. But this is the hotel¡¯s mistake, so why don¡¯t we give you a new room, and we won¡¯t charge you for your stay here in the hotel?¡± ¡°Do you think Ick the money?¡± The influencer jumped off the table and red at Courtney. ¡°You are saying as though I¡¯ve wronged you. Could it be that I brought in the cockroach myself? Also, you are not sincere with your apology at all. If that¡¯s the case, there is nothing much to talk about. I¡¯ll call the Commerce Department and the Health Department straight away. I¡¯ll ask them to shut down the hotel, and we¡¯ll get to the bottom of this in two days.¡± Although this influencer looked like she only had a pretty face, she was very harsh and stubborn with her words. Without saying much, she was already trying to take full control of the situation. Immediately, the manager of the housekeeping department was getting anxious. ¡°Please don¡¯t do that, Miss Heather. Let¡¯s just talk about this.¡± Of course, the Sunhill Enterprise wasn¡¯t afraid to be investigated by the Commerce and Health Departments, but in today¡¯s digital age, if any actions were taken that would cause the Sunhill Hotel to be shut down, it would be a huge topic on the inte, which could be devastating to their business for some time. ¡°She¡¯s right, Miss Heather. Let¡¯s sit down and have a talk. You can ask me for anypensation.¡± Courtney was also starting to be worried. Her public rtions crisis awareness wasn¡¯t bad, but she couldn¡¯t wait that long because she was still in a bet with Alexander. Even though the centennial celebration was postponed for a month, the ceremony is still looming on the horizon. If it shes with this incident, I¡¯m afraid the performance of the hotel during this period will plummet drastically. ¡°Alright. Since you¡¯ve mentioned it, it¡¯ll be unreasonable of me to keep on being stubborn.¡± Chapter 75 One Night Surprise Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Malicious Reviews The influencer held her arms and sat on the couch before uttering a few words faintly, ¡°I want 100,000.¡± Upon hearing the numbers, Courtney¡¯s face instantly became gloomy. Beside her, the housekeeping manager also revealed a shocked expression. ¡°Miss Heather, you must be joking. 100,000? How can we possibly give you 100,000?¡± This is daylight robbery! However, Courtneyposed herself and pulled the housekeeping manager¡¯s sleeves to tell him to calm down. ¡°Miss Heather, both of us are in no position to fulfill your request. Why don¡¯t we change your room first, and I¡¯ll put in a request to the general manager for yourpensation? I¡¯ll try my best to give you a quick reply. What do you think?¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± The influencer smirked. ¡°The 100,000 I mentioned is only for one cockroach. I saw two of them here just now, which makes the price 200,000.¡± The housekeeping manager¡¯s face turned ashen. Not only is this a daylight robbery, she is now upping thepensation. This is a tant scam! She was obviously someone who was not negotiable. Courtney wrapped one arm around the furious housekeeping manager while still remaining a calm expression. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll report this to the general manager and provide you with a satisfying answer before you leave the hotel. What do you think?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with that. Do you really think I¡¯m that unreasonable?¡± ¡°Of course you¡¯re not. Addie, ask someone to arrange Miss Heather to a cleaner room.¡± Courtney remained unfazed as she gave out the orders. Then, she forced out a professional smile before leaving Room 1023 while pulling the housekeeping manager¡¯s sleeves. ¡°Are you mad?¡± As soon as they went back to the office, the housekeeping manager mmed the desk with rage. ¡°Courtney, I brought you there to solve the problem, and your solution was to agree to whatever fee she demanded? If that¡¯s the case, our hotel doesn¡¯t need public rtions crisis management anymore. After all, anything is solvable as long as we have the money.¡± Alfred Conrad was much older than Courtney, and he had been working in Sunhill Hotel for a long period of time. Usually, he had a good temper, but now, he was fuming like an angry cat. Courtney furrowed her brows at that. ¡°Mr. Conrad, I don¡¯t think we can handle this situation like we usually did. Seeing that ourpany¡¯s centennial celebration is about to be held in our hotel, there can be no idents during this crucial period.¡± Naturally, Alfred understood the gravity of the situation, but he was furious at the moment, so he sighed. ¡°Then what should we do? Let me remind you that we definitely won¡¯t be getting that 200,000.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t n to give her the money either.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this isn¡¯t just a coincidence. As for what actually happened, we still need to investigate.¡± After Alfred left, Courtney asked her assistant, Addie, to bring her the data sheet for the month. ¡°Miss Hunter, the negative reviews of our hotel in the past half month has been oddly high.¡± After flipping through the negative reviews, mostly about ¡®dirty room¡¯, Courtney saw a review mentioning ¡®cockroaches in the room¡¯. ¡°Addie, have there been any hygiene problems in the hoteltely? Has any staff who lives in the hotel seen a cockroach before? What about the cleaningdies?¡± ¡°There haven¡¯t been any problems. When I first saw that review, I went around and asked, but no one in the hotel had seen a cockroach. Also, the guest who gave the review was anonymous, so we didn¡¯t know which room to check,¡± Addie furrowed his brows as he murmured. ¡°At first, we thought that someone was giving malicious reviews, but we didn¡¯t expect the incident today. Why is it always the guest who sees the cockroaches, but not us?¡± Courtney scanned through the data sheet and realized that all the negative reviews during this period were anonymous. Other than that, they were weirdly unanimous, seeing that they all mentioned dirty rooms, with two guests saying they saw cockroaches. The more she thought about it, the weirder it seemed. ¡°Addie, no one has touched Room 1023 yet, right?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t dare to. You ordered us to leave it for investigation, so we left it untouched. We even vacated the ce where the cockroaches were killed and locked the room.¡± ¡°Alright. I want you to put the two dead cockroaches in a bag and give it to me immediately.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Addie¡¯s eyes widened straight away. ¡°Me? But I¡¯m afraid of cockroaches.¡± Courtney red at him. ¡°Or you want me to do it myself? You are a big northern boy. What¡¯s so scary about cockroaches?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have cockroaches this big in the north. They look so scary.¡± Addie put on a bitter face. ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to go. I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± ¡°Thank you, Miss Hunter.¡± Addie was immediately grateful. However, Courtney red at him and pretended to get up. ¡°I have to do everything myself anyway. I¡¯ll inform the human resource department tomorrow that I don¡¯t need an assistant anymore.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Addie¡¯s face instantly turned pale. ¡°Please don¡¯t do that. Miss Hunter, please take a seat. I-I¡¯ll go get it. Alright?¡± As he tried his best to suppress the fear before even seeing the cockroaches, Courtney shook her head resignedly. Why are men these days so fearful of everything? After the two dead cockroaches were sealed in a stic bag, Courtney brought it to theboratory of a nearby medical school. She spent 300 to ask the schoolboratory¡¯s master student to do research on the cockroaches, and the final result was as expected. ¡°President Duncan, there seems to have been a problem at the Sunhill Hotel.¡± Inside the presidential suite of a five-star hotel in Shanghai, Josh, who had just returned after receiving a phone call, reported the situation in Melrose City to Alexander. At the moment, Alexander was reading a contract. As he heard Josh, he put down his pen and asked while lifting his head, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Lately, the online ordering reviews of the Sunhill Hotel in the city have been quite poor. It feels like someone is giving malicious reviews of the hotel. I¡¯ve heard that someone even caused amotion in the hotel today.¡± Alexander furrowed his brows. ¡°Who is it that dares to go against thepany?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like the person is aiming at the Sunhill Enterprise because the reviews are only targeting that hotel in the city. Looks like Miss Hunter is going to have her hands full for now.¡± Upon hearing the name ¡®Miss Hunter¡¯, Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. When he was on the ne, the whole affectionate scene that happened in the dressing room kept on ying in his mind during the entire journey. He couldn¡¯t point out why he was so obsessed with this woman. ¡°President Duncan, do you need me to help Miss Hunter deal with the situation?¡± Josh asked tentatively. Alexander came back around and thought about it for a while before replying seriously, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. If she can¡¯t even handle this matter properly, there¡¯d be no point for her to stay in her position.¡± At noon the next day, the influencer from the ¡®cockroach incident¡¯ arrived at the reception with her neon light backpack to check out from her room. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Her nails that were studded with rhinestones glittered on the desk. The moment she arrived, one of the two women behind the desk quickly went to the office to get the manager. Soon after, Courtney was here. ¡°Miss Heather, you¡¯re leaving after just one night?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The influencer put on a smug face. ¡°I think one night is enough for me to stay in your hotel. How long do you think I should stay?¡± ¡°Very well. Please help Miss Heather check out from her room.¡± Courtney gave the receptionist a nce. The influencer watched as the receptionistpleted the formalities and refunded the deposits. However, she furrowed her brows straight away after hearing them saying, ¡°We look forward to having you again.¡± ¡°Wait. Aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡± Chapter 76 One Night Surprise Chapter 76 Chapter 76 That Would Be Murder ¡°We aren¡¯t,¡± Courtney answered the influencer with a straight face. ¡°Miss Heather, what do you think we are forgetting?¡± The influencer immediately came back to her senses and shouted while pointing at Courtney¡¯s face, ¡°Are you now discarding your previous promise? Where is your shame? Do you really think you can get away with what happenedst night?¡± A bunch of onlookers were starting to gather in the hall. However, Courtney didn¡¯t hesitate and went straight to the point. ¡°Miss Heather,st night you imed that there were cockroaches in your room, so we immediately handled it and arranged a new room for you. I promised that we¡¯d provide you thepensation needed if the situation was true, but now, we believe that the cockroaches had nothing to do with our hotel at all.¡± Upon hearing her words, the influencer was so enraged that her face turned red. ¡°I have seen many shameless people before, but I¡¯ve never met anyone as shameless as the staff of the Sunhill Hotel. Are you now bullying your guest? Just you wait as I call the Commerce and Health Departments right this instance.¡± ¡°You can make the call all you want.¡± Courtney remained calm as she spoke slowly. ¡°I specially took the cockroaches in your roomst night to the medical school for an inspection, and the results showed that the cockroaches had been dead for at least five days because their bodies had dried out. However, last night, you imed that you killed the cockroaches on our carpet 30 minutes after staying in our hotel. This is really odd.¡± The moment her words came out, it stirred up the crowd surrounding them. This is the same situation as someone throwing a bug in the bowl after their meal just to frame the restaurant. She is obviously here to y victim and scam the hotel. As soon as the influencer noticed that the people around were starting to criticize her, she immediately lowered her head and ran away as fast as she could without uttering another word. After the situation had been settled, everyone in the hotel was more impressed by Courtney, especially her assistant, Addie, who admired her for having the courage to deal with those two cockroaches. ¡°Miss Hunter, I can¡¯t believe you dared to bring such a terrifying thing out for an inspection. That day, I used up half my breath just to put it in the bag.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you still need more training. Now, I need you to think of a way to deal with the negative reviews.¡± She calmly patted Addie¡¯s shoulder and strode back into the office with her head held high. The moment she shut the office door, shey against the back of the door and released a huge sigh of relief. Actually, ever sincest night, she was absolutely disgusted by the two cockroaches to a point where she couldn¡¯t even bring herself to drink water. I¡¯m no better than Addie. This is all to maintain my reputation. After a week, the hotel¡¯s negative reviews still weren¡¯t resolved. Therefore, Courtney personally checked every room in the hotel, but after confirming herself that there weren¡¯t any problems, she went back to her office confused. In the office, not only did she realize that the hotel¡¯s performance was far from what had been set in the bet, it was also drastically declining, so she sighed resignedly. What the hell! Did the hotel offend someely? Is someone purposely sabotaging the hotel behind the scenes? A few minutes before getting off work, she answered a phone call from her father, who told her to meet him in a cafe near thepany. When she got there, her father, Lucian, had already arrived, looking a little uneasy. ¡°I¡¯ve ordered a cup of hot milk for you. Drinking too much coffee is bad for your sleep. However, if you don¡¯t like it, you can order something else.¡± Courtney shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll drink anything.¡± Finally, Lucian let out a sigh of relief and smiled. ¡°Courtney, I¡¯m quite surprised and happy when you called me.¡± With her head down, Courtney stirred the milk in her cup as she refused to look at her father. After a while of hesitation, she said, ¡°Dad, I asked to see you because I wanted you to help me with something.¡± ¡°What is it? You can tell me.¡± Courtney rarely asked him for favors, so he was quite delighted to hear her asking him for help. ¡°On my 18th birthday six years ago, didn¡¯t you give me a house as a gift? Is it still mine?¡± Even though thepany had lots of work and was very busy during this period, she still wanted to move out of Alexander¡¯s house because she felt that it was inappropriate for her to stay in his house with Tina. After much consideration, she had no choice, but that was when she recalled the house gifted to her by her father. ¡°Of course it is.¡± Lucian¡¯s brows were raised slightly, showing signs of excitement. ¡°Your name is still on the property deed, which means it¡¯s technically your house.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Thanks, Dad.¡± Courtney felt a little uneasy. Although she was trying to make herself look more gentle, her tone still had traces of alienation, as if she wasn¡¯t talking to her own father. ¡°But I didn¡¯t take the keys when I left. When will you be at home? Can I go back and take it?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether I¡¯m at home or not. You cane by anytime you like. However, you must remember to inform me beforeing home so that I can ask your aunt to prepare a proper meal for us to eat as a family.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to trouble you, Dad.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no trouble at all.¡± Lucian seemed to be firm with his words. After a moment of hesitation, he continued, ¡°Remember to bring your daughter too. After all, she is my granddaughter. The family and I would like to meet her.¡± Upon mentioning Tina, Courtney bit her lips tightly. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about this. She is still young, so she can¡¯t handle too many people gossiping about her. I¡¯ll bring her to meet you when she¡¯s older.¡± Lucian furrowed his brow, as if he wanted to persist on his request, but at the end, he let out a sigh of relief and gave up. After leaving the cafe, Lucian got into his car and started coughing uncontrobly. He used a handkerchief to cover his mouth while coughing, and when he removed it, he could clearly see stains of blood on the cloth. ¡°Mr. Lucian, are you alright?¡± the driver asked nervously while looking through the rearview mirror. However, Lucian waved his hand and clenched his handkerchief. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just an old ailment. Let¡¯s go.¡± In Shanghai, the negotiations between Alexander and his client continued till midnight. After returning to the hotel, hey down on the couch and nced at the dinner sent over by the hotel when he suddenly remembered Courtney¡¯s cooking. ¡°President Duncan, the person you sent to Lowton Town just called me.¡± Josh served a te of fruits that he had just washed on the coffee table, but his expression looked a littleplicated. ¡°He said that Louis is dead.¡± Alexander¡¯s brows tightened. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°He died in a fire. It happened the night before we sent Luca to his house. When he got there, there was nothing left in the house, and Louis had already be a pile of skeletons.¡± Josh sighed as he brought up Louis¡¯ death. ¡°Luca sent me photos of the scene. Other than Louis¡¯ house, the neighbors on both sides were also caught in the fire, but the two houses were empty because they weren¡¯t upied by anyone. Therefore, Louis¡¯ house kept on burning until early in the morning before someone finally found out. When the fire trucks arrived to put out the fire, everything was already burned to the ground.¡± Alexander¡¯s brow tightened even more. ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Louis just so happened to have an ident when I sent someone over to investigate the surrogacy back then? Is there such a coincidence? ¡°Do you think someone did this?¡± Josh was starting to look nervous. ¡°No way. That would be murder.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever heard of murder before?¡± Alexander stared at him. ¡°There¡¯s something fishy about all this. As soon as I¡¯m done with my business in Shanghai, I want you to go there personally to investigate what happened before and after the fire.¡± Firstly, Louis was the only one who knew about the surrogacy, so I need answers. Secondly, he was an old butler of the Duncan Family, and he had stayed beside grandpa for many years. If there¡¯s anything fishy about this, I have the responsibility to find out the truth. ¡°Will do.¡± ¡°Also, don¡¯t mention Louis¡¯ death to my grandpa.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± As Alexander nodded his head, he suddenly thought of another matter. ¡°What¡¯s the progress with Shay?¡± Chapter 77 One Night Surprise Chapter 77 Chapter 77 You¡¯re Not Her Mother in the First ce ¡°Everything is done. He signed a five-year contract with Starlight Media straight away. If he breaches the contract, thepensation fee will be enough to put him into bankruptcy.¡± Josh wanted tough as he reported the situation to Alexander. This little brat, Shay, is so easy to deceive. A slight feint by President Duncan is enough for him to take the bait instantly. After all, he is still young, so he couldn¡¯t read the minds of bosses like him. ¡°Why would I want to terminate his contract?¡± Alexander tly refuted. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to keep him so that he can make money for me?¡± After hearing his exnation, Josh was dumbfounded as he started to sympathize with Shay upon his realization. President Duncan is trying to drive him insane! Imagine being the servant of someone that you especially hate and being forced to make money for him. If he doesn¡¯t earn money for President Duncan, he won¡¯t be able to support himself, but if he does make money, half of what he earns will be taken away by his boss. What a painful way to live! In the Hunter Mansion, Courtney deliberately chose a Monday afternoon toe back and retrieve the keys. This was because Anna was at work, and even though Courtney¡¯s stepmom, Susan Yves, wasn¡¯t a nice person, she was still polite toward her on the surface, so she wouldn¡¯t trouble her. I can just take the keys and leave. It should be fine. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Miss Courtney.¡± The moment the old maid of the Hunter Family, Mrs. Bell, saw Courtney, she almost burst out in tears. ¡°Miss Courtney, why are you back? Where have you been all these years?¡± Mrs. Bell was a maid who followed Courtney¡¯s mother in her early years, but ever since her mother¡¯s death, she had always stayed beside Courtney to take care of her. Inter years, she followed her to the Hunter Family. At the moment, Courtney¡¯s eyes were getting a little teary as she held Mrs. Bell¡¯s hands and sobbed. ¡°It has been a while since I returned, but I didn¡¯te back here. I¡¯m sorry that I had you worried, Mrs. Bell.¡± ¡°My worries don¡¯t matter. I have no idea how much you¡¯ve suffered outside. If your mother found out about it, I¡¯m afraid she¡¯d me me for not taking good care of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite well actually, Mrs. Bell.¡± ¡°Courtney?¡± While they were talking, the voice of a woman suddenly broke into their conversation. Susan was wearing a blue-grey traditional outfit as she stood on the stairs. Her well-preserved face made her look like a 30-year-olddy who still had her charm. When she saw Courtney, Susan¡¯s face was filled with shock, but soon after, sheposed herself and went down the stairs while weing her enthusiastically. ¡°Courtney, why are you back? You should have told me in advance. I would have asked the kitchen to prepare your favorite dishes.¡± Hearing that, Courtney let go of Mrs. Bell¡¯s hands. ¡°I came back to take something. I¡¯m leaving afterward, so there¡¯s no need for all the trouble, Aunt Susan.¡± For many years, she always called her Aunt Susan, and it never changed. In the early years, she secretly heard Susanining to Lucian with an aggrieved face, saying that this daughter of hers was ungrateful and unwilling to call her ¡®mother¡¯ even though she did all her best to treat her well. However, Lucian rendered her speechless by saying, ¡°You are not her mother in the first ce. She¡¯s polite enough to call you ¡®aunt¡¯.¡± Back then, Susan didn¡¯t dare to say anything in front of Lucian, but ever since he left the house, she smashed countless objects in the house and even abused the maids in the bedroom. At that time, she yelled, ¡°If she isn¡¯t my daughter in the first ce, why won¡¯t he tell me to stop treating her well?¡± Courtney had seen through a two-faced woman like her long ago when she was a child, but she couldn¡¯t never understand why her father couldn¡¯t realize that after all these years. Is he blind? she wondered. After a few greetings, Susan didn¡¯t stop Courtney from going upstairs. Her room was still the same as before as nothing was touched. Following her memory, she opened the right drawer of her desk and furrowed her brows because the key wasn¡¯t there. When I received the gift that year, I clearly ced it here. Someone has gone through my stuff. Upon seeing hering down the stairs, Susan got up from the couch and asked gently, ¡°Have you found it?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Courtney answered straight away. ¡°Aunt Susan, the key to my house isn¡¯t in my drawer. Has someone gone through my stuff?¡± Susan was startled. ¡°House key? What house key?¡± ¡°The house key to the vi that my dad gave me six years ago. It¡¯s in Golden Water Park.¡± ¡°I really didn¡¯t know about that.¡± Susan denied knowing about it while looking innocent. ¡°I¡¯ve never entered your room, and it¡¯s usually Mrs. Bell who cleans the room for you. asionally, your dad would go in to sit for a while. Why don¡¯t you ask him?¡± ¡°I see. Alright.¡± Courtney didn¡¯t want to talk too much with her, so she prepared to leave. ¡°Courtney, do stay for lunch.¡± Susan tried to ask her to stay. ¡°I¡¯ve already asked the cooks to prepare your favorite sweet and sour fish.¡± With her back facing her, Courtney was suddenly a bit frustrated. ¡°If I stay for lunch, I¡¯m afraid you wouldn¡¯t even dare to take a bite.¡± ¡°Courtney, what are you talking about? Why would I¡ª¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Courtney turned around and red at her profoundly. ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone here; my dad isn¡¯t here either, so you can just stop pretending. My dad can¡¯t see what kind of a person you and your daughter are, but I can see it clearly.¡± With these words, Courtney left the Hunter Mansion without turning back. Susan leaned on the back of the couch as her face grew gloomy. Slowly, she directed her gaze toward Mrs. Bell, who was standing by the door. ¡°Let me ask you something. What did you tell her?¡± Mrs. Bell put on a cold attitude with her head down. ¡°Miss Courtney was only here for less than 10 minutes. What could I have told her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking about the past. What did you tell her in the past?¡± ¡°In the past?¡± Mrs. Bell lifted her head as her eyes seemed to be bruning, striking fear into Susan¡¯s heart. ¡°Do you still remember the past, Madam? I thought you¡¯d forgotten all about it.¡± The moment her words came out, Susan¡¯s hands couldn¡¯t stop trembling. This means that the girl knows everything. No wonder¡­ No wonder she refused toe back for so many years! After clinging herself onto Alexander Duncan, what does she actually want now that she¡¯s back? On the other side, Courtney took a cab away from the Hunter Mansion, but she was still feeling uneasy. Back then, when her mother gave birth to her prematurely, she died in a few days due to excessive blood loss. It wasn¡¯t until the year she was admitted into Melrose Medical University that Mrs. Bell told her the truth. If Susan didn¡¯te to our doorsteps and provoke her, my mother would not have been so stressed out that she gave birth prematurely! That is why my mother¡¯s death is closely rted to this two-faced woman. After two years in university, she chose to study in the city, so she seldom went back home. Even though it was a long time ago, and it would be meaningless to pursue it, she was still sad for her mother. In the end, she simply chose not to face the lying hypocrites in the Hunter Mansion. After clearing away the disturbance in her mind, she took out her phone as she wanted to call her father, but for some reason, she suddenly thought of how Susan dodged her gaze just now. All of a sudden, she had an idea in her mind. ¡°Mister, I¡¯m not going to the Royal Park. Please change the course to Golden Water Park.¡± Her stuff in the study was left untouched probably because of her father¡¯s orders. Two days ago, she just told her father that she was going to retrieve the key, so he definitely wouldn¡¯t go to her room and take it away on purpose. That was why there was only one ce the key might have gone to. Someone who had always thought of snatching away other people¡¯s stuff must have taken it. Chapter 78 One Night Surprise Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Her Performance All Depends on This Golden Water Park was located in the middle of Melrose City, and due to theplete infrastructures around it, the price of its houses had soared in recent years. The two-story vi under Courtney¡¯s name had a yard of its own, and its price had already risen to 90 million. After closing the car door, Courtney turned around and gazed at the vi before pressing the doorbell right away. Soon after, a maid in her fifties came to open the door and scanned Courtney suspiciously. ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± With a calm demeanor, Courtney¡¯s eyes flickered as she said, ¡°Hello, madam. Is this house for sale?¡± ¡°For sale? Are you a real estate agent?¡± The maid shook her head. ¡°Why would my master sell the house? I think you should ask elsewhere.¡± ¡°Your master? Isn¡¯t this house yours, madam?¡± Courtney continued with her conventional talk. ¡°I thought it belonged to you. Many elderlies nowadays want to sell their houses in the city so that they can live a rural life in the countryside.¡± ¡°Haha, if I could afford such a house, why would I still be someone else¡¯s maid?¡± The maidughed unwarily. ¡°I believe you¡¯re mistaken.¡± ¡°What is your master¡¯s name, then? Maybe he would like to sell his house. Can you leave me his contact information? I have a small gift here to give you.¡± Then, Courtney went through her bag and took out a bottle of colorful candies that hadn¡¯t been opened yet. ¡°Look. This is the gift.¡± Upon seeing the candy, the maid was delighted. ¡°My granddaughter loves to eat this sort of candy.¡± However, after a thought, she sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I really can¡¯t give you my master¡¯s contact information. Actually, I think I can tell you that my master is actually an actor. But no matter how rich he gets, he won¡¯t be able to afford such a house.¡± Suddenly, she lowered her voice. ¡°In fact, this house belongs to thedy of Sunrise Enterprise. She gave the house to my master, so how can I sell it to you? Am I right?¡± Upon hearing the information given by her, Courtney was internally shocked. Anna is now acting so boldly. How dare she keep a man outside for herself! Not only that, why did she take my house and give it to someone else? ¡°Alright, then.¡± She smiled and shoved the candy into the maid¡¯s hands. ¡°Madam, I¡¯ll give you this candy, but can you tell who your master is? I¡¯m quite curious about it. Don¡¯t worry; I promise that I won¡¯t tell anyone else. I¡¯m just trying to quench my curiosity.¡± After receiving the candy, the maid couldn¡¯t stop smiling, so she answered mysteriously, ¡°It¡¯s alright. He isn¡¯t that famous anyway because he¡¯s always ying secondary roles. His name is Michael Evans.¡± Sure enough, Courtney had never heard of this person before, but she secretly remembered his name and thanked the maid. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. On the way back, she couldn¡¯t help but find the whole situation hrious. Anna has always dreamed of marrying into an elite family in the upper ss, but she now has a kept man. If her real boyfriend found out about this, it¡¯d be fun to see how she and her mother would react to this. However, I don¡¯t need to get anxious first. I¡¯m not in a hurry to move in here anyway. ¡°Miss Hunter, the performance summary for thest three months are all here.¡± After Courtney came back to thepany from the vi, she requested for the hotel¡¯s performance summary starting from when she joined. Overall, the performance wasn¡¯t satisfactory, and it was far from the goal she had agreed with Alexander back then. She sighed while her eyes nced across the desk, and she then saw a lucky draw segment nned for the centennial celebration. When she saw the prizes for the draw, she suddenly had a new idea. ¡°Addie, please show me the budget of the centennial celebration n. Also, we haven¡¯t bought the prizes, right?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Good. Except for the prizes for the first three winners, don¡¯t buy anything else. Wait for my notice.¡± Addie was confused. ¡°Miss Hunter, the celebration is next week, which means it¡¯s only a few days away. Are you really going to change the n? Won¡¯t it be toote?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be responsible for any mishaps,¡± Courtney stated clearly. Besides, this is a matter of life and death. If I don¡¯t give it my all this time, I can only wait and plead as I get kicked out of here. That night, she entered ¡®famous actor rankings¡¯ into the search bar on herputer. Quickly, she found a list on the inte with the top one hundred popr actors¡¯ names. She didn¡¯t care whether the rankings were real as she only wanted to select a few with a fanbase that had a strong purchasing power. After a while, her eyes twinkled as she stared at the four androgynous ¡®young hunks¡¯ she had chosen, as if she was looking straight at her performance report. If I hadn¡¯t taken a look at the vi today and found out Anna had been fooling around with a kept man who¡¯s an actor, I really wouldn¡¯t have thought of this idea. These days, fans have a huge effect, and nothing is more appealing than celebrities. My performance all depends on this. At the International Shanghai Hotel, Alexander was ready to fall asleep when his phone rang, and a text appeared. He swiped his phone and took a look at the text before calling the sender straight away. ¡°Y-You¡¯re still awake?¡± On the other side, the familiar voice seemed to be suppressing her excitement. ¡°Did you send me the text just to see if I was awake?¡± ¡°I have something work-rted to ask you. I was afraid of disturbing you, so I sent a text first.¡± ¡°You want to change the centennial celebration n?¡± ¡°Yes, but not too much. I¡¯m only changing the lucky draw segment at the end.¡± ¡°We are less than a week away from the ceremony. Are you sure you can make this n work?¡± ¡°As long as you agree to it, I can implement my changes immediately. I promise that if this works, it will attract far more consumers than the previous n.¡± ¡°And if it doesn¡¯t work?¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll quit on my own ord.¡± ¡°But you were already losing your job.¡± Alexander pierced straight through her heart. ¡°Are you nning to bet your all on this celebration and just see how it goes? If something happens at that time, you¡¯d just quit and leave me a huge mess to deal with.¡± Courtney let out a dry cough. ¡°I admit that I thought of that before. You wouldn¡¯t believe me anyway even if I denied it. Besides, I¡¯m only doing this for my performance. If my performance turns out good, I won¡¯t leave, and the hotel will be in a better situation. Both of us win.¡± Courtney was fast with her words, but this little trick of hers had no effect on Alexander. Overall, the hotel is the sole bearer of risk due to the change in n. She has nothing to lose at all. However, he still agreed, but he didn¡¯t know why he did it. For some reason, he wanted to give her a legitimate opportunity and reason to stay. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll definitely make good preparations.¡± ¡°Your thanks are meaningless to me. How about you buy me a meal when the celebration is over?¡± Courtney immediately agreed. After hanging up the phone, Alexander opened the curtains and gazed at the beautiful moonlight outside. Suddenly, he had an urge to rush back to Melrose City. Before he went to sleep, he made a call to Josh. ¡°For the centennial celebration, I want you to contact the finance department tomorrow morning and tell them to increase the original budget by 20%.¡± Chapter 79 One Night Surprise Chapter 79 Chapter 79 I Can¡¯t Believe You Remember Me The centennial celebration of Sunhill Hotel was still three days away, and the popr young hunk, Austin Webb, had helped catapult the hotel¡¯s celebration to the top of the search engine. Not only that, but the hotel even remained as the most trending topic on the inte for an entire day. ¡®During the celebration, guests who stay at the Sunhill Hotel in Melrose City can participate in the lucky draw on the day of the celebration. Five people will be selected for the first prize, which is a five-day tour around the Maldives alongside Austin Webb! Oh, my God!¡¯ The moment Sunhill Hotel announced the news, it immediately caused an uproar on the inte. Austin debuted in a popr talent show that had been airing for thest two months, and the young hunks who debuted from the show came out extremely popr with an almost unprecedented crazy fanbase. As soon as his album came out, it was sold out in a matter of seconds. It was every fan¡¯s wildest dream to be able to go on a personal trip with him. Ever since the news started trending on Facebook, the hotel¡¯s ordering line was almost destroyed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she thought of this!¡± In a hotel room, Britney was fuming after receiving the news. ¡°These fans are so irrational! Are they crazy? Just because of a young brat, they¡¯d spend all their money to stay in such a poorly rated hotel?¡± Her agent, Jason, was standing aside while wiping his sweat. ¡°Aren¡¯t all fans the same?¡± ¡°Sunhill Hotel¡¯s cheapest room costs at least 2,000. If they have the money, why don¡¯t they just use it to buy tickets for a concert? Why do they need to be involved in this? This is just a lucky draw. It¡¯s not like everyone will get the chance to win it!¡± ¡°Not all of them are Austin¡¯s fans. I¡¯ve heard that Sunhill Hotel has invited five male celebrities. For the first prize, the fans will be divided into categories based on their idol, and each celebrity will get to draw a fan to go on a trip with them. Not only that, the whole trip will also be filmed because Starlight Media is nning to follow up the celebration by shooting a travel program with the celebrities and their fans.¡± ¡°How did ourpany get involved in this?¡± Britney looked gloomy. ¡°After all, President Duncan is a huge shareholder of ourpany. Starlight Media and Sunhill Enterprise have always had a good coborative rtionship. It has already caused a stir on the inte before the celebration even started, so shouldn¡¯t thepany take the chance while they still can?¡± Jason sighed. ¡°Britney, I think we should stop going against that woman for the time being. If the company¡¯s senior officials find out about this, they might think that we are deliberately sabotaging the company¡¯s benefits.¡± With an upset face, Britney smashed everything on the table angrily. On the other hand, although Courtney noticed the feedback from the fans on the inte and the rapid- growing performance of the hotel, she still didn¡¯t dare to let her guard down as she kept on deducting the overspend in the budget to calcte the remaining profit. Fortunately, these young hunks had not officially debuted yet, so their asking price wasn¡¯t that high, which was a huge relief for her. ¡°Miss Hunter, we still need one more male celebrity. Do you have any candidates in mind? We need to make a deal with him quickly.¡± Courtney had a look at the list and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go talk with thest celebrity myself.¡± After Addie left, Courtney stared at the celebrity¡¯s profile on her desk before revealing a profound smile. On the profile, there was the name of a celebrity¡ªShay Spencer. I¡¯ve been so busytely that I didn¡¯t notice that Shay had already joined Starlight Media. A singing show that he just participated inpletely turned him from a cello yer to an actual singer. He has also gained a lot of fans recently. That was why for thest celebrity, she nned to find Shay. Even though his appeal to the fans wasn¡¯t as strong as the previous four, it would still help elevate the hotel¡¯s status by having a cello yer in their ranks. On the day of the celebration, the entirewn in front of the Sunhill Hotel was decorated with colorful balloons and ribbons that were flying around, making the ce look very festive. Even the hall was looking splendid with its bright decoration. Except for thepanies which had a long term coborative rtionship with Sunhill Hotel, the guests who stayed in the hotel during the celebration were also on the invitation list. The transportation department even set up a cordon around the perimeter of the hotel early because safety measures must be taken in advance for the celebrities to enter. As the main person in charge of the celebration, Courtney was required to give a speech on stage before the opening ceremony. Today, she wore a grey tube-top dress with white lotus dots scattered at the hem. As she lifted her dress and walked onto stage, she looked like an elegant walking flower that no one could keep their eyes off of. ¡°Are most senior officials in the Sunhill Hotel this young and pretty?¡± ¡°Not only that, but she is also very capable. All of these were nned by her.¡± After taking a look around, Courtney bowed respectfully. ¡°Thank you all for taking your precious time to attend Sunhill Hotel¡¯s centennial celebration. I¡¯m the hotel¡¯s housekeeping manager, Courtney Hunter, but I don¡¯t think many of you recognize me because I only joined thepany a little over three months ago. However, I hope that from now on, I will be fortunate enough to cooperate with all the presidents, guests, and friends we have here¡­¡± Before getting up the stage, she memorized the whole speech down to every word. Besides, her mannerism was particrlyposed, and she would asionally put in a few humorous jokes. Therefore, the guests below were all smiling as they gazed at her with admiration. Among the crowd, there was a slender figure who arrivedte to the celebration, but his 1.8-meter height was enough to make him stand out from the crowd. ¡°President Duncan, you still need to attend a meeting tonight in Shanghai. Are you here early in the morning to take a look because you¡¯re worried about the celebration? It seems to me that Miss Hunter has arranged everything perfectly.¡± However, Alexander¡¯s eyes were glued to the stage. ¡°Is that so?¡± The assistant hesitated for a while and said, ¡°However, if you hadn¡¯t asked the finance department to increase the budget by 20%, I¡¯m afraid none of this would have been achievable.¡± Alexander red at him. ¡°You are a little talkative today.¡± Immediately, the assistant shrunk his neck. Did I say something wrong? Just when the two of them were having a conversation, an old and solemn voice came from behind. ¡°President Duncan.¡± Alexander turned around and saw a man in his fifties, who was wearing a formal suit and leather shoes. Even though he looked old, his back was still firm. However, he seemed tock a bit of energy as his eye sockets were deep and tired. ¡°Mr. Hunter?¡± The person who had arrived was Courtney¡¯s father¡ªthe president of Sunrise Enterprise, Lucian Hunter. ¡°It¡¯s me. I can¡¯t believe you still remember me,¡± Lucian said in a calm demeanor. ¡°Can I talk to you for a minute?¡± Alexander furrowed his brows and gave a nod. Before leaving, he nced at the stage and saw Courtney, who had finished her speech, leaving the stage to the host. Due to the ceremony, the open-air cafe on the second floor of the Sunhill Hotel was empty except for the staff. N?velDrama.Org content. The two of them ordered two cups of tea and sat face to face under a parasol. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask me why I¡¯m here?¡± Lucian started the conversation. Alexander remainedposed. ¡°The Sunrise Enterprise has a coboration with the Sunhill Enterprise. You focus on high-end tourism while we focus on high-end hotel franchises; both of us have a mutual benefit, so it¡¯s no surprise that you are on the invitation list.¡± ¡°But I have been in poor health over the past few years, so it was always my daughter who had attended these banquets for me.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°But this time, you didn¡¯t let your eldest daughter attend because your other daughter is now working for mypany, right? Not only that, she is also in charge of this event.¡± Upon hearing his assumption, Lucian revealed a somewhat unpleasant look as he thought that Alexander was mentioning the feud between Courtney and Anna. After all, this matter had already spread across the upper ss due to the incident during Isaac¡¯s engagement ceremony. ¡°It seems like you have looked into my family¡¯s affairs quite thoroughly. However, making assumptions about your employee¡¯s family affairs doesn¡¯t seem like what a president should do.¡± The atmosphere immediately became intense upon his words. Chapter 80 One Night Surprise Chapter 80 Chapter 80 She Told Me Everything However, Alexander was unfazed as he took a sip of coffee before putting down the cup. ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood me. I was only making an assumption that maybe you came here personally for Courtney¡¯s sake.¡± His excuse was ingenious and usible. After that, Lucian calmed down a little as he declined to make anyments. No matter what the true reason was, elite families would always put their reputation as their first priority. Upon mentioning her daughter, Lucian felt a little proud. ¡°From a young age, Courtney has always been focused with her work, so there shouldn¡¯t be any questions about her ability, but the working environment in the country is still much different than the ones abroad after all. Looks like you have been taking good care of her, President Duncan.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because she is already superb.¡± Alexander couldn¡¯t help but remember the interview that day and the confidence on her face when sheid down the performance target she could achieve in just two months. ¡°I didn¡¯t help much, and even if I did, it¡¯d only be considered a normal act of me taking care of a subordinate.¡± Even though there was nothing special in his words, it wasn¡¯t what Lucian wanted to hear, so he furrowed his brows and took a sip of tea with his head down. Realizing that they had not gotten to the point of the conversation, Alexander took a nce at his watch. ¡°Mr. Hunter, I have a ne to catchter on, so I¡¯m afraid I can only chat with you for a while.¡± Then, Lucian took a deep breath and gazed at him. ¡°You should know why I came to see you.¡± At the engagement ceremony back then, Alexander announced to the public that Courtney was his fianc¨¦e, and news about it was already spreading across the upper ss like wildfire. Actually, from the moment he saw Lucian, he instantly figured out why he came to talk to him. It¡¯s reasonable for a father to worry about his daughter, so he came here today to see what kind of a person his potential future son-inw is. ¡°Courtney told me everything.¡± Lucian slowly exhaled a suffocating breath while looking emotionally hurt. ¡°She lost her mother at childbirth, and I wasn¡¯t there with her when she was a kid, so I owe her a lot. Before she went abroad, I came to the conclusion that no matter who she chooses to marry, as long as the person treats her well, I won¡¯t oppose it.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. At this point, Alexander was suddenly curious. ¡°What did she tell you?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you and Courtney together? I thought that the two of you were already preparing to get married.¡± Alexander was dumbfounded for a while, but for some reason, he actually nodded his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s exactly like what she said.¡± Upon Alexander¡¯s confirmation, Lucian let out a sigh of relief and spoke earnestly. ¡°If you two ever find the time, pleasee and visit us in our home. I know that young people these days don¡¯t care much about formalities, but please consider the perspective of us elders. It¡¯ll be nice if you two can juste by our house.¡± At the moment, Alexander was in aplicated mood as he wanted to know why Courtney lied about their rtionship to her father. Does she have any affection toward me? Or is she only using me to deal with her family¡¯s constant questioning? ¡°If you and Courtney get married, I will rest assured, knowing that thepany will be handed to you two in the future.¡± Upon hearing his words, Alexander was surprised at first, but after much thought, he finally understood. The Sunrise Enterprise has a certain status in Melrose City, but a few years ago, Lucian¡¯s health started to decline, so he began dividing his position to his eldest daughter and a few nephews. Immediately, following that year, multiple incidents urred in thepany one after another, which caused Sunrise Enterprise¡¯s reputation to decline rapidly. Hence, Lucian had no choice but to return to thepany to turn the tide. For a family enterprise like Sunrise Enterprise, what theyck the most is a capable leader who the people in power can trust, but sadly, Lucian only has two daughters. Although Courtney has no experience of truly running an enterprise, from her current ability, I can see that she has the potential to take that position. As for Anna, I¡¯ve never met her before, but by the looks of it, other than buying luxurious handbags and showing off her wealth to her friends, she has no abilities at all. However, Alexander didn¡¯t promise him straight away as he tried to change the subject with a few trivial words. Then, Josh realized that it was almost time for his flight, so he came up to urge him to leave. As he got up and was about to leave, Lucian suddenly stopped him. ¡°By the way, there¡¯s one more thing I want you to do. The 15th of next month is Courtney¡¯s birthday, and it¡¯s also the anniversary of her mother¡¯s death. If you have the time, please spend more time on her then.¡± Alexander halted his steps and nodded with a rare sense of seriousness. When he got downstairs, the celebration was lively, and it was time for thest segment, which was the lucky draw. The moment the young hunks went up the stage one by one to perform, the fans below screamed, almost turning the celebration into a fan meeting. Josh, who was standing beside Alexander, couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°Miss Hunter is really capable. I¡¯ve heard that ever since the lucky draw was announced online, every Sunhill Hotel in the country has been fully-booked for a few months.¡± ¡°How does that count as capable?¡± Alexander gazed at the slim figure afar and concealed the admiration in his eyes by pretending to sneer. ¡°Not only is the preliminary investment toorge, there are also many uncertainties, which makes this a huge risk. If it weren¡¯t for the celebration, she wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to make money from this short-lived fan effect. Besides, this n is useless to the long term development of the hotel, and there may be subsequent negative effects.¡± ¡°Huh? It¡¯s unsustainable, and there may be negative effects? Then why did you order me to call the finance department to increase the funds?¡± As soon as his words came out, Alexander red at him with murderous intent. Immediately, Josh was trembling with fear as he waspletely unaware of what he had said wrongly. As the person in charge of the whole celebration, Courtney needed to greet all the invited guests, so she went around the venue with a wine ss in her hand, but she never noticed the slender figure standing afar in the blind spot among the crowd. asionally, she would greet the people she recognized around her, but she never got close to the figure. ¡°President Duncan, shouldn¡¯t we go over there to greet her? We are leaving for the airport in a little while.¡± Alexander narrowed his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Huh? They are now drawing the winners. Don¡¯t you want to see the oue?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not important.¡± As soon as his cold words came out, Josh could only sigh secretly inside him before leaving the scene hurriedly with Alexander. I knew I shouldn¡¯t talk too much, but I¡¯m still curious about the oue! ¡°Now is the most exciting moment of the event¡ªthe lucky draw,¡± the host announced loudly on the stage. ¡°Let¡¯s wee our five celebrities to the stage so that they can personally pick their fans.¡± In front of the five celebrities, there were five separate red lottery boxes with their names printed on each of them. Before entering the venue, each guest would ce their invitation card into the lottery box of the celebrity they wished to go on a trip with. Then, the celebrities would draw the winner personally. The prize could be transferred to other people, so the elites among the guests, who didn¡¯t like young hunks, could give it to their employees instead as apany benefit. ¡°Now, our celebrities have all drawn their winners. Starting from the left, please announce the name of the lucky guest you have drawn!¡± The five dashing men lined up on the stage, and every one of them wore a loving smile on their faces. Their interactions from time to time would cause waves of screams in the crowd. At the moment, Courtney was standing below the stage with her hands covering her ears due to the loud cheers. People always say that a woman is as noisy as 1500 ducks. I believe that we have enough ducks in the audience to circle the globe several times. Chapter 81 One Night Surprise Chapter 81 Chapter 81 I Prefer This Kind of Handsome Face The four young men in front reported the numbers that they had drawn in turns, arousing envy, jealousy, and indignance from the crowd at the scene. When it was finally Shay¡¯s turn, Courtney focused her attention and gazed at the stage. Shay currently had a considerablyrge fanbase. Therefore, a huge group of youngdies crowded in front of the stage with their eyes beaming with eagerness when it was time for the lucky draw by Shay. ¡°The card number that I¡¯ve drawn is number 28.¡± The clear voice of the young man echoed in the scene, and the fans below the stage looked at their respective numbers in their hands before sighing. Suddenly, a childish voice rang from among the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m number 28! Shay, it¡¯s me!¡± The adorable voice of a little girl sessfully attracted everyone¡¯s attention. The crowd automatically gave way, revealing a young girl in a soft yellow T-shirt and blue overalls, who was jumping on the spot non-stop. Upon seeing that the path was clear, she dashed to the front and got onto the stage using both her hands and legs before throwing herself into Shay¡¯s arms. ¡°I can go on a trip with you now, Shay!¡± ¡°Why is the winner a little girl?¡± ¡°Aww, that girl is cute.¡± ¡°She¡¯s so lucky.¡± ¡°Oh, my! She¡¯s overwhelmingly cute!¡± Everyone was immersed in the little girl¡¯s cuteness except Courtney, whose expression instantly fell as she immediately rushed to the stage while picking up the skirt of her gown. ¡°Tina, what are you doing? Get down now.¡± Tina refused to leave Shay¡¯s embrace. ¡°No, I won the lucky draw. I want to go on a trip with Shay.¡± Hearing that, the audience burst intoughter. ¡°What nonsense are you saying?¡± Coutney involuntarily frowned and pulled the standing mic beside her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, everyone. This is my daughter. It¡¯s against the rule for the hotel employees to participate in the lucky draw, so this draw doesn¡¯t count. We will have Shay draw a number again.¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m not an employee! Mommy, you are taking this too far!¡± Tina pursed her lips, wearing a dissatisfied expression. The audience was abuzz as they discussed among themselves. A person suddenly shouted, ¡°What the girl said is right¡ªshe is not a hotel employee, so just let her go on the trip. This is something we should be d for.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Voices of agreement came from the crowd. Standing before the super adorable little girl, the fans, who would usually put up a fight till the end, were unusually generous; all of them agreed to let Tina win the prize. Courtney was put on a spot, so she exined, ¡°Thank you, everyone, for your kindness. However, I don¡¯t think that this is a good idea¡ªI can¡¯t allow her to go on a trip with Shay on her own. So just forget it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s no big deal. You can go along with them.¡± A plump girl waved and openlyughed as she spoke. ¡°We¡¯ll be more than happy if it is a mother and a child going on a trip with Shay!¡± To this bunch of girls, Courtney was a ¡®safer¡¯ choice¡ªrather than to let some unknown fangirl, who had her own motive, go on a trip with Shay, it would be better to give this chance to some stranger. On top of that, this stranger had a child, which would greatly reduce the chances of their idol getting into a rtionship after the trip! Courtney was dumbfounded. Who could have thought that something so unexpected would happen at the final part of the celebration? Tina returned to the lounge in high spirits while carrying arge bag of snacks that were given to her by Shay¡¯s fans. ¡°Jordan, look at what I have here. Many prettydies gave me yummy food.¡± Pouting, Jordan sat on the couch while staring at her, as if she was a traitor. She soon realized something and sat down beside him. ¡°Jordan, it was unintentional. I initially wanted to go on a trip with Shay on my own, but Mommy unexpectedly wanted to follow along. It was out of my control, so please don¡¯t be mad.¡± Jordan, who felt disgruntled even after listening to her exnation, wrote something on his newly- bought drawing board and turned on the voice mode, and then a mechanical voice was heard. ¡°Do you really like him so much? My father is way more handsome than him, and richer too!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the same! Mr. Alexander is very handsome, but his kind of handsomeness is more suitable for my mommy. On the other hand, Shay¡¯s kind of handsomeness is more suitable for me. Hahaha!¡± Jordan, who was rendered speechless by her fanatic words, turned around and ignored her. ¡°Jordan, what are you doing?¡± Tina leaned closer to check out what he was doing but was blocked by his body. He refused to let her see that his fingers were deftly typing a message before sending it out. Meanwhile, Alexander had boarded a ne. He received Jordan¡¯s message right before he switched off his phone. It was extremely rare for Jordan to send him a message because the former would usually ignore him when he was with Courtney. ¡®If you don¡¯te back, Courtney and Tina are going to leave with someone else.¡¯ The message left him in puzzlement. He then thought of something and asked Josh, who was beside him, ¡°What happened at the celebration after we left the hotel today?¡± ¡°The celebration at the hotel?¡± Stunned for a moment, Josh quickly tapped open to read the messages in the work chat group in Messenger, and his eyes suddenly brightened up. ¡°Oh, my! Miss Hunter¡¯s daughter was actually the winner for Shay¡¯s lucky draw, and all his fans agreed to let Miss Hunter and her daughter to represent them to go on a five-days trip to Maldives with Shay. This is such a coincidence.¡± When Josh was still astonished by the news, he suddenly realized the heavy atmosphere around him. He turned to take a look, only to realize that Alexander¡¯s expression was inexplicably gloomy. It gave him a fright, causing the words of exmation to be choked in his throat. After the celebration ended, the performance report showed that Courtney had already aplished the bet she made with Alexander back then. Her profile was readministered by the human resource department, which made her an official employee of Sunhill Enterprise. When she finally got her new work tag, the worries that had been troubling her for the past few months were finally gone. Afterpleting the procedures, she returned home to pack her luggage. Thepany gave her a week off before she would start as an official employee, also taking into consideration that she needed some time off to shoot for the show ¡®A Trip With an Idol¡¯. Before departure, Courtney stroked Jordan¡¯s head and worriedly said, ¡°Jordan, are you sure that you will be alright to stay at home alone? Or maybe I should wait for your daddy toe home and hand you over to him before I leave.¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Jordan shook his head in a serious manner and raised his drawing board. ¡®Daddy just told me that he has arrived at the airport. You and Tina don¡¯t need to stay and wait with me. Just go and have fun.¡¯ This time, he actually did not cling on to her and refuse to let her go, which made Courtney a little surprised. However, since he had said so, and he had butlers and nannies taking care of him at home, she called a cab and took Tina to the airport without pressing on. As soon as Courtney and Tina alighted from the cab, two videographers followed them all the way to the airport security checkpoint. Shay, who had long arrived, was surrounded by a bunch of fans, who were asking for his autograph. He had a cameraman following beside him. Upon seeing that Courtney had arrived, he immediately handed over thest autograph to his fan and walked toward her with a grin. ¡°Shay!¡± The passionate Tina called his name loudly and threw herself into his embrace. Her action overwhelmed the surrounding fangirls with her cuteness, causing them to take photos of the scene non-stop. When the slightly anxious Courtney saw the cameramen putting down their cameras when they were at the security checkpoint, she finally dared to speak. ¡°Have we started filming?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous; just act normal. Just pretend that the cameramen were invisible.¡± It was easier said than done. The shooting along the way here nearly made her lose the ability to walk. On top of that, they still had five more days to go! Chapter 82 One Night Surprise Chapter 82 Chapter 82 I Wish That I Could Take Care Of You After a ten-hour flight, their flight arrived at the Vna International Airport in the Maldives. As soon as they alighted from the ne, they were greeted by a refreshing sea breeze that seemed to contain the salty scent of the ocean, but it was not unpleasant. Tina, who had been gluing herself to Shay throughout the flight, was exhausted when she exited the ne. She wrapped her arms around Shay¡¯s neck like a ko bear and dozed off when they were on their way to the hotel. Upon arriving at the hotel, Shay first made arrangements for Tina to sleep in a room on the ground floor before moving his luggage into the suite. He then took a look around the ce and arranged everyone else¡¯s amodation. ¡°Courtney, you and Tina should take the first-floor room since it isrger. I will take the room downstairs.¡± Courtney handed him a ss of water. ¡°You must be tired now. Drink some water, and I will go and take a look upstairs.¡± He burst into a guffaw. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so nervous. I¡¯m not used to you acting so courteous around me.¡± She helplessly looked around the house, which was filled with cameras, and sitting in a tent ced in the corner of the living room was a cameraman, who was pretending to be invisible¡ªit would be difficult for her not to be nervous in such a ce. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do this. I have a feeling that the uing five days will make me break down.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry and just rx. They will focus on shooting Tina and me, and they will cut out most of the scenes if you are caught on the camera.¡± She hesitated for a moment before her eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°What if I have Tina to follow you most of the time starting tomorrow? If the two of you have less interactions with me, I guess that I won¡¯t be caught on camera.¡± Her words rendered him speechless. ¡°Tina will be in your care for the following two days, then.¡± After saying that, she went directly upstairs. It was soon evening when the night breeze brushed by. She pushed open the ss door to the balcony on the second floor as the faraway sea, which was dyed orange-red by the sunset, entered her sight. A few pairs of couples were taking a stroll by the beach with swaying shadows of coconut trees and a shimmering ocean as background. Supporting herself on the balcony, she took a deep breath, feeling refreshed. It had been a long time since she had felt so rxed. Although filming for this traveling show was something unexpected, she still felt grateful for it, since having an all-expenses-paid vacation was not something one would usually encounter. Ding! The phone in her pocket rang¡ªshe had a message. Just as she was lowering her head to check her phone, the corner of her eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar figure downstairs. The sight of that figure caused her heart to skip a beat, so she raised her head to get a clear view of that person. At the entrance of the coffee shop next to the swimming pool was a man, who was dressed in a beige casual shirt, sitting on a chair with his back facing her. His figure looked like that person. This sudden thought gave her a fright. Have I gone crazy? Why do I think that it is him? Ding! Just when she was deep in her wild thoughts, the sound of notification that came from her phone made here to her senses. She lowered her head and found that it was a message from Shay. ¡®Tina hasn¡¯t woken up yet. I am going downstairs to get dinner, so you should apany her.¡± Courtney replied, ¡®Sure.¡¯ After that, she turned around and went downstairs. The moment she turned around, she happened to have missed the scene at the coffee shop downstairs, where a little boy crawled up to the chair opposite that person with both his hands and legs. A sentence was written on the drawing board. ¡®Why don¡¯t we straightaway go and look for them?¡¯ The man leisurely took a sip of tea. ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. They have plenty of cameras by their sides, so it¡¯s not convenient for us to appear before them.¡± Feeling a little dissatisfied, the little boy pouted in disgruntlement. Then, two or three lines of words appeared on the drawing board. ¡®I am not going back if I don¡¯t get to meet them. You can¡¯t go back as well.¡¯ The man¡¯s cold expression was reced with a somewhat helpless expression when he saw what he wrote. ¡°Alright, I understand. Can you properly eat your food now?¡± Hearing that, the expression of the little boy, who was sitting opposite him, eased a little, and he forced himself to take a bite although he still felt indignant deep inside. This is not yummy at all; it tastes nothing like Courtney¡¯s cooking. This ce is not fun at all. It waste at night. When Shay brought their dinner back from downstairs, Tina happened to have woken up, so the three of them had dinner together on the ground floor. As they had been exhausted after a long ride here, they returned to their rooms after having dinner. Tina and Courtney slept on the first floor at night. It was a starry night outside, and a gentle breeze entered the room through the gap of the floor-to-ceiling window and the undrawn curtain, bringing along the salty smell of sea breeze, which was a soothing scent. Two figures, onerge and the other small, could be vaguely seen at the balcony. Upon seeing Courtney, the little boy was eager to barge into the room but was carried by the man, who then uttered in a small voice, ¡°If you wake them up now, we won¡¯t be able to have fun tomorrow.¡± Although the little boy was reluctant, all he could do was to enviously gaze at the little Tina, who was soundly asleep in Courtney¡¯s arms, with his spirits droop. ¡°Now that you have seen them, it is time for you to go back and sleep.¡± His intentionally lowered voice was drowned out by the wind. The figures on the balcony then turned and left in light footsteps. The next morning, Shay suddenly threw them a question when they were having breakfast. ¡°Come to think of it, did you lock the balcony doorst night?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°In this hotel, two suites share the same balcony, and you can ess the neighboring suite via the balcony on the first floor. I don¡¯t know if there is anybody staying in the neighboring suite, so you have to lock the door and draw the curtains at night. I forgot to remind you yesterday.¡± Courtney nodded, but she seemed unfazed by his words. ¡°Really? I think I didn¡¯t lock it, but it seems like nobody is staying in the neighboring suite. It has been quiet next door; I spent some time on the balcony outside yesterday afternoon but I didn¡¯t see anybody.¡± Hearing that, he adjured her that it would be safer to remember to lock the door at night. Then, he packed some things like sunscreen, cups, and hats and finally left after Tina¡¯s impatient urges. Courtney saw Shay and Tina off at the entrance of the hotel as they got into the car. ¡°Are you really noting along?¡± Before the car door was closed, Shay asked again with a hint of eagerness. ¡°You know me well enough to know that I have seasickness.¡± She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. ¡°If I follow along, you¡¯d probably not only have to take care of Tina, but me as well. It will be a hassle, so just forget it.¡± Shay murmured that he hoped to care for her, but his words were so slurred that she could not hear them clearly. Shay was going to take Tina out to the sea today. On one hand, Courtney was worried that she might get seasick; on the other hand, she disliked having cameras following her around, capturing her every move. Therefore, she told himst night that she would not be going out with them today. After seeing them off, she returned to the hotel room. ¡°I¡¯ll have a cup of coffee. Thanks.¡± Next to the hotel¡¯s open-air pool, Courtney ordered a cup of coffee and leisurely rxed till noon. A little figure in the distance was caught by a waiter, who spoke to the former. Casting a nce in that direction through her sunsses, she was suddenly stunned and immediately sat up straight. Isn¡¯t that Jordan? ¡°Jordan?¡± she rose to her full height and shouted at him from afar. The little boy expectedly turned around, escaped the waiter¡¯s grip, and dashed toward her before throwing himself at her and hugged her leg. ¡°Jordan, why are you here alone?¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Chapter 83 One Night Surprise Chapter 83 Chapter 83 You Should Come With Us Courtney nearly could not believe her eyes¡ªa little guy like Jordan should have been staying back in their country, but why did he appear in front of her all of a sudden? The waiter came over to check out the situation, gesturing and asking her about the little kid. She carried him in her arms and exined to him, ¡°This is my friend¡¯s child, so he should be staying in this hotel as well. I will send this child over to him. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Seeing that Jordan was close to Courtney, the waiter did not suspect anything and left unworriedly. As soon as the waiter had left, she put Jordan down before squatting down and asked, ¡°Jordan, why are you here? Where¡¯s your daddy?¡± He stared at her while gesturing something. Knowing that he was not able to speak, she changed the question. ¡°Is your daddy here with you?¡± Jordan nodded. She frowned. ¡°Are you staying in this hotel with your daddy?¡± He nodded again. ¡°So why are you here alone?¡± Upon hearing this, he pouted on the spot, a look of dissatisfaction on his face. He seems upset¡­ Courtney felt helpless as she did not understand what he was gesturing, so she turned on her phone and gave Alexander a call. ¡°Hello, the person you have called cannot be reached at the moment. Please¡­¡± There were nothing but clearly pronounced words which stated that her call was not answered by the person at the other side of the phone, which made her frown. What¡¯s with Alexander? Why did he leave his kid here all by himself and is not answering calls? When she was deep in her thoughts, she caught a glimpse of Jordan¡¯s neck, which was red, from the corner of her eyes. ¡°Jordan, what happened to your neck?¡± She tugged open his cor and discovered that not only his neck, but his chest was red as well. It was obvious that he was sunburned. After asking him for a while, he took her phone and typed out the whole incident. ¡®Daddy took me out to y at the beach yesterday afternoon, so I got sunburned. It hurts.¡¯ Alexander actually arrived yesterday afternoon? She could not afford to care about this at the moment as she felt extremely distressed for Jordan when she saw his sunburn. ¡°Your daddy didn¡¯t even apply sunscreen on you.¡± Jordan pouted, looking even more pitiful. Feeling distressed for him, she took him upstairs to deal with his sunburn before she could think of how to look for Alexander; otherwise, Jordan¡¯s skin would definitely peel in a couple of days. Just when she was applying medicine on Jordan¡¯s sunburn, the doorbell rang. ¡°Jordan, don¡¯t make any move first. I¡¯m going to answer the door.¡± When she saw Alexander¡¯s never-changing poker face from the peephole, she immediately opened the door and muttered in an upset tone, ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Jordan¡¯s with you?¡± He sounded righteous. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have your son by your side?¡± ¡°Is he not here?¡± he asked again. Courtney was pissed off by his attitude. ¡°Alexander, what kind of father are you? Since you have brought Jordan out to y, can you pay more attention in taking care of him? Do you know that he has sunburn?¡± His expression slightly changed. ¡°Let me have a look.¡± ¡°Of course you should take a look.¡± As she was speaking, she subconsciously gave way to him and allowed him to enter her suite, overlooking the shred of slyness shing across his eyes the moment he entered. He held Jordan¡¯s chubby little hand and carefully examined the sunburn on his body. ¡°Let¡¯s stay in today,¡± he frowned as he adjured. ¡°Why can¡¯t he go out?¡± she darted him a look and grumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that there is this thing called sunscreen in this world? Even if you don¡¯t, you should know about summer hats and long sleeve shirts. I have just asked Jordan¡ªhe said that you actually allowed him to wear nothing but a swimming trunk when ying by the beach under the hot sun yesterday afternoon. Why didn¡¯t you go and y under the sun yesterday, then?¡± Alexander looked at her and exined in a stern manner, ¡°On one hand, I wasn¡¯t interested in a low- difficulty activity like building a sandcastle of The Great Wall; on the other hand, I felt that it was too hot.¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Haha! You thought that it was too hot, yet you let Jordan go under the sun?¡± Courtney was speechless, thinking that Alexander was definitely the most careless father that she had ever met in her life when it came to taking care of a child. Seeing that Courtney kept reprimanding Alexander, Jordan carefully tugged her sleeve and showed her the word that he had just written. ¡®Hungry.¡¯ It made here to her senses and frown. ¡°Jordan is hungry, but as his father, you don¡¯t know about it as well. You are too busy working everyday¡ªis work more important than your son?¡± ¡°I totally understand what you mean. I was ordering some food downstairs when¡­ Jordan disappeared in the blink of an eye.¡± His gaze was deep as theynded on her. Hearing that, her throat tightened; a shocking expression appeared on her face as she realized what she had done. If Alexander had been downstairs, the waiter would have taken care of Jordan and sent him back to the former in the end if she had not taken Jordan away. It was because of her action of taking him upstairs that gave him the extra work of looking for Jordan. Recalling her attitude earlier, she felt awkward and coughed before nervously exining, ¡°Umm, I saw that Jordan was sunburned, so I brought him upstairs to treat them. I didn¡¯t know that you were downstairs too. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± His expression was as cold as usual, as if he was unfazed by her scolding. He then reached out his hand at Jordan. ¡°Our food is ready downstairs, Jordan. Let¡¯s go down to eat something.¡± Jordan hesitated for a while before taking Courtney¡¯s sleeve while using his eyes to gesture at Alexander. Alexander nced at him and turned to her. ¡°Jordan hopes that you can join us for a meal.¡± Courtney was alone right now since Shay had brought Tina out, and she had no idea when they would being back. Hence, she felt that she preferred eating with the little guy instead of doing that alone, so she did not reject their invitation. After having their meal, Jordan asked where Tina went. ¡°She went out to the sea with Shay to an uninhabited ind nearby.¡± Hearing that, he was incredibly envious of Tina. He turned to Alexander with a look of eagerness on his face. Alexander took a sip of tea and calmly uttered, ¡°You can¡¯t swim, so even if you go, you will only be making sandcastles by the beach, which is just the same wherever you are.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you want to go as well, Jordan?¡± Courtney asked. When she saw that Jordan nodded, she suggested to Alexander, ¡°Take him there, then. Anyway, I heard that it is not far from here ¡ªit¡¯s only a ten-minute boat ride from the jetty.¡± Alexander pondered for a moment. Lowering his head, he saw Jordan looking at him with eagerness in his ck, beady eyes. He nodded after a moment of consideration. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go after having our meal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how you do it. Since you have brought him out here to have fun, you shouldn¡¯t keep him in the hotel room all the time.¡± Courtney was satisfied with his attitude this time. Although he was quite careless in taking care of his child, he was willing to humbly listen to the advice of others, which made him at least salvageable. After lunch, Courtney fished out a bottle of sunscreen from her bag and handed it to Alexander. ¡°Take this with you. Apply it on Jordan every hour so that he doesn¡¯t get sunburned again.¡± Alexander did not ept it and sternly replied, ¡°What Jordan meant was for you toe with us.¡± Chapter 84 One Night Surprise Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Daddy Wants to Give You a Surprise ¡°Huh? I-I don¡¯t want to go.¡± Upon thinking about going out to the sea, a hint of resistance shed across her eyes as she immediately waved her hand. ¡°I can¡¯t go.¡± After she said that, she felt a pull on her sleeve. She lowered her head and found Jordan pitifully tugging her sleeve with a look of eagerness on his face as he gazed at her, while his other hand was holding a note with a line of words, which she had no idea when it was written. ¡®I want you to go together with me.¡¯ Stunned, Courtney stroked his head, and her heart suddenly softened. ¡°Alright. If that¡¯s the case, let me go to my room and get changed.¡± Jordan had no mother, and Alexander was indeed a careless father¡ªhe managed to let Jordan get sunburned from ying under the sun for too long even though they were merely staying in the hotel, so it might be worse if they went out to the sea; not to mention that Jordan could not swim, as ording to Alexander. ¡°Okay.¡± Although it did not show on Alexander¡¯s face, there was, in fact, an inexplicable feeling of dness that filled his heart. He saw her at the entrance of the coffee shop early in the morning, spending her whole morning drinking a cup of coffee. After asking the film crew, he learnt that she had allowed Shay to bring Tina out by himself, and this news caused him to be in great spirits throughout the morning. They rode on a speedboat to the little ind. When Courtney was putting on the life jacket, she felt a little dizzy, but she forced herself to put it on and sat still on her seat, trying her best to not look at the waters. ¡°Mister, please go a little slower.¡± Her voice slightly trembled, and even Alexander noticed the difference in her voice. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She nonchntly smiled, masking the fact that she was struggling. She adjured, ¡°Fasten Jordan¡¯s hat properly. If the wind is strongter, his hat may be blown away.¡± Alexander nodded and helped Jordan to adjust his hat, only to realize that Courtney was having a hard time fastening the button of her hat with her trembling hands. ¡°Are you really fine?¡± He frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s not go if you are not feeling well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that the boat is a little shaky, so I can¡¯t fasten the button.¡± He hesitated for a moment before leaning forward and held her hands. ¡°Let me help you.¡± Her hands were suddenly wrapped by his warm palm, causing her to be momentarily stunned and even forget about the seasickness that she was currently experiencing. She looked at him in a daze as he helped her to fasten the button. The tingling feeling on her chin actually gave her a fleeting moment of breathing difficulty. ¡°All done.¡± The low, husky voice rang by her years, pulling her back to her senses. She then abruptly turned her gaze away. ¡°Oh, t-thank you.¡± ¡°You are wee.¡± Alexander stared at her. ¡°Do you feel hot?¡± ¡°N-Not really.¡± ¡°Why is your face so red, then?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She immediately covered her face, her speech incoherent. ¡°I-Is that so? M-Maybe it¡¯s because of the hot sun.¡± As she was speaking, she suddenly pointed at the sun. ¡°The weather is too hot today. You should help Jordan button up his long sleeve shirt.¡± Alexander raised his brows, revealing a cryptic smile as he was pretty sure she was lying. Jordan, who was curious about anything, pointed at everything and kept asking various questions. Meanwhile, Courtney patiently exined them to him, but there were some questions that she did not understand herself, especially when he asked about the mechanical equipment on the boat, which she knew nothing about. It was Alexander who exined to him about the operation principle of ships at this moment. ¡°President Duncan, has anybody ever told you that you look professional when you talk about boats?¡± Alexander initially thought that this was apliment, but she then continued with an unexpected statement. ¡°People who don¡¯t know you would think that you were a shipyard worker.¡± Hearing that, his expression fell. Alexander, who usually would be able to easily render people speechless with a word or two, seemed to have lost his ability to refute her statements for some unknown reason today, which instantly put her in a good mood¡ªeven her seasickness subsided a little. She uttered, ¡°Speaking of which, why did you bring Jordan over here to the Maldives all of a sudden? You didn¡¯t tell me about this before. If I had known about this earlier, we could havee together.¡± He was impassive. ¡°Jordan wanted toe.¡± Jordan red at him and wrote on the drawing board that he brought along with him all the time. ¡®Daddy wanted to give you a surprise.¡¯ Upon hearing this, Courtney¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously gazed at Alexander, who happened to be looking at her as well. Their eyes met, and the air around them seemed to have be a little stagnant. She had always thought that Alexander¡¯s care for her was due to her close rtionship with Jordan. If it were not because of the incident during the night she was dead-drunk, which she had been struggling to forget, she would never have thought about the possibility of them getting together. Even if she had indeed thought of it, the thought was merely a tiny spark, which could be easily extinguished in the blink of an eye. He is about to get married soon, so it would be impossible for us to have a future together. Upon having such thoughts, she avoided his gaze and intentionally smiled to ease the awkward air. ¡°You are still so young, yet you know how to say things that make people happy.¡± Jordan cast Alexander a nce, hoping that he would say something, but thetter turned a blind eye to him, as if he did not understand his gesture, and turned to look at the faraway ind. Pissed, Jordan quickly wrote on his drawing board with his head lowered. ¡®You said that my words made you happy. In other words, this surprise from my daddy really made you happy, right?¡¯ Upon seeing his question, the smile on her face froze¡ªshe did not know how she should answer his question. She had to admit that she was delighted to see Alexander and Jordan here. In fact, when she saw a figure from the balconyst night, which she had mistaken for him, she was actually d at that instant. Seeing that she seemed to be troubled, he attempted to ask further, but the boat suddenly shook vigorously. Courtney screamed in shock and fell to the side at once. The sharp-eyed Alexander swiftly pulled her arm, but before he could firmly grab on her, the boat shook again. His expression tensed as he tugged her into his embrace with a sudden pull before asking the boat driver, ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± He was wearing a life jacket, so when her face knocked into his chest, it felt a little painful due to the friction. Before she could react, she felt her world spinning¡ªher sight started to blur in an iprehensible speed, and her stomach started churning. The boat driver¡¯s anxious voice came from the front of the boat. ¡°Sir, we can¡¯t travel far in these strong waves, and it seems like it is about to rain. Should we head straight to the ind or turn back?¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. Looking at Courtney, who had passed out in his arms, Alexander¡¯s expression was dark. This woman is obviously seasick. She hasn¡¯t been feeling well since the moment we boarded the boat, yet she forced herself to endure it. Now that she is in such a state after the boat merely encountered some waves, how is she going to get to the ind like this? ¡°Let¡¯s turn back.¡± It was an adamant decision. He then nced at Jordan and asked, ¡°Jordan, can you sit properly on your own?¡± Jordan solemnly nodded. Holding Jordan¡¯s hand with one hand, Alexander wrapped his other hand around Courtney¡¯s shoulder, holding her in his embrace. The weather instantly changed, andrge rain droplets hit the speedboat. Without any shelter above their heads, the people in the boat were soon drenched to the skin. When he was frowning, sobbing sounds suddenly came from his arms. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t go. Please don¡¯t go¡­¡± Chapter 85 One Night Surprise Chapter 85 Chapter 85 I Don¡¯t Want to Go to That House ¡°I don¡¯t want to go there. I don¡¯t want to go to that house¡­¡± Incoherent words that sounded like she was sleep talking came from his embrace, causing his stern expression to reveal a shred of tenderness amongst the storm. Alexander¡¯s father passed away when he was 13 years old. Even though his mother wasn¡¯t around, he still had his grandfather to take care of him and raise him. His grandfather was currently still alive and kicking, and he loved to act against him. But this was not the case for Courtney¡ªshe had lost her mother ever since she was born, and though her father was still around, he had formed a new family with someone else. She had lived with her grandfather for a few years before thetter passed away. After that, she was taken back to the Hunter Mansion by her father, which had obviously put her in an awkward situation¡ªshe should have been the original family member but was treated as a guest in the family instead. Alexander¡¯s only friend since childhood had once remarked him as an obstinate person, and he himself also thought that a person¡¯s surrounding environment was the cause of one¡¯s obstinance. Therefore, the type of environment that Courtney grew up in should have caused her to be a more obstinate person than he was, but in contrast, she was actually able to live a carefree andfortable life. She even gave up on her identity as the second youngdy of the Hunter Family and became a manager in a hotel. He initially thought that he knew her very well¡ªan ordinary woman who was shrewd in work but silly in life. However, after getting along with her for so long, he realized that there was much more to learn about her. The rain got heavier. Looking at the hazy sea with a frown, he asked, ¡°How much longer before we can dock?¡± ¡°Very soon. Don¡¯t worry. It usually stops raining within five to ten minutes here,¡± the boat driver exined while controlling the steering wheel, intending to return to the maind as fast as possible. However, after half an hour, when Alexander had taken the two of them back to the hotel, there was still a downpour outside. The weather station announced at thest minute that there might be a rainstorm coming and ordered all the fishing boats to urgently evacuate from the sea. There were plenty of small boats that had been capsized by the strong waves, and rescue teams had been dispatched. ¡°President Duncan, who¡¯s this¡­¡± A few persons-in-charge of the show from Starlight Media were waiting for Shay¡¯s news at the hotel lobby. They were stunned when they saw Alexander back with Courtney. ¡°Get a doctor here.¡± He went straight to the point and threw them a brief and concise order. Under their dumbfounded gaze, he carried her in his arms and went upstairs. ¡°It was just seasickness. Since she is not on the boat now, there is no need for her to take any medicine for it. She probably got wet in the rain and caught a fever, so she will be fine after taking some antipyretic drugs.¡± After the doctor diagnosed that it was nothing serious, the person-in-charge of the show showed the doctor out, and Alexander followed them out of the room as well. After that, the person-in-charge turned and saw Alexander. Stunned, he greeted, ¡°President Duncan.¡± Alexander nodded in response. ¡°Get a caretaker to look after her for the night.¡± Upon hearing this, the person-in-charge revealed an expression that he seemed to have been put in a spot. ¡°President Duncan, you might not know this, but this sort of heavy rain had never urred even once in many years, so many incidents happened following this downpour. The medical facilities here arecking in the first ce, and I heard that a cruise ship that was heading toward the resort ind capsized, so the hospitals here have all been upied. There is a shortage of medical staff, so it will be difficult to look for a caretaker.¡± Upon hearing this, he became anxious. ¡°A cruise ship has capsized? Which one?¡± He suddenly thought of the fact that Tina had not returned yet. The person-in-charge, who thought that he was worried about Shay, quickly exined, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it was not the ship that Shay boarded. Shay and Miss Hunter¡¯s daughter have safely arrived at the ind, but they can¡¯te back at the moment. They have reported to us that they are now safe.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression slightly eased. ¡°About the caretaker¡­¡± The person-in-charge seemed nervous. ¡°It¡¯s fine, then.¡± Alexander waved his hand, gesturing to him to leave before he returned to the room. The ash-blue bed sheets made her face look even colder, which looked different from when she was awake earlier. He sat beside her and stared at her face, recalling the incident when he met her in the lift, when she daringly imed that he was her boyfriend. Traces of gentleness involuntarily appeared in his eyes. This woman was astonishing when she was daring, but she could melt his heart when she was weak and helpless. He leaned over at her, attempting to take a closer look at her face, but when he got closer to her, he found that he seemed to have lost control of himself as he leaned even closer to her and finally nted a kiss on her lips. The sound of the rain was loud outside the window as the curtains swayed in the wind; raindrops fell on the ground and sshed in all directions. Arge shadow was cast on the wall¡ªit was kissing an unconscious person. Courtney felt that her head was heavy, as if she had fallen into the water. When she was drowning in her muddle-headed condition, she seemed to feel that someone had covered a nket on her and ced a cold, wet cloth on her forehead to reduce her fever. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Although she knew that there was someone next to her, she could not stop herself from spiraling into a dream about her past from years ago. At that time, her grandfather was soon dying from heart failure. The young Courtney stayed with him by the bed while he held her hands with his old withered hand, which resembled a wilted branch. His eyes were filled with worry as he repetitively adjured, ¡°Court, you have to be a good girl when you go back, but you don¡¯t have to pay too much attention to what they think. You still have a ce in your father¡¯s heart. If you are bullied, just tell him straight, and he will help you.¡± ¡°Grandpa, I don¡¯t want to go there. I will be a good girl, and I won¡¯t eat too many candies.¡± She was like a bystander, listening to the girl with pigtails as thetter cried miserably, as if she did not understand that her grandfather was dying. The girl thought that he was going to abandon her and send her away. The hospital suddenly became noisy as a few mean-looking men and women barged into the ward. A fat woman with permed hair, dressed in an expensive-looking purple coat, cursed at the young Courtney the moment she saw her. ¡°You jinx, your mother died because of you the moment you were born. You are still so young and immature, yet once again, you¡¯ve caused your grandfather to die. Why are you still here? Do you have a death wish? Send her away. Her presence alone irritates me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. Grandpa, Grandpa¡ª¡± The young Courtney was dragged out from the ward by two adults. Before she was thrown out of the ward, she looked behind and saw the old man on the bed looking at her with his eyes widened, as if he still had somest words that he had yet to tell her. Amidst his children¡¯s sorrowful sobs, his withered arm finally fell from a height and drooped on the edge of the bed. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that the jinx?¡± ¡°She is the bearer of bad luck.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s her.¡± As she grew older, she gradually understood thements made by the people around her. There was once when she was driven to a corner, a roar suddenly burst out from her heart, rushed through her throat, and escaped her lips. ¡°I¡¯m not a jinx!¡± Then, she forcefully pushed the chubby kid that spat on her face to the ground. ¡°You even have the guts to push me? You damn jinx! The jinx is trying to kill someone!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a jinx!¡± Courtney suddenly screamed as she awakened from her nightmare, but she was slowly calmed down by the warm sensation on the back of her hand. She was stunned when she saw Alexander, who had just opened his drowsy eyes, lying on the bed beside her. ¡°Ah!¡± A loud shriek cut through the rainy night. Chapter 86 One Night Surprise Chapter 86 Chapter 86 I Am Not Your Mistress Alexander was woken up from his deep sleep by her shrill scream in the wee hours of the morning. He frowned for a few seconds before returning to his calmposure as he sat up. ¡°What are you screaming at? Take a closer look¡ªwe¡¯re both wearing clothes,¡± he said in displeasure. Courtney looked at him in a daze for a long time. After noting that both of them were indeed wearing pajamas, her face immediately flushed red. He shot a nce at her before he exined indifferently, ¡°The hotel attendants were the ones who changed your clothes. Apart from that, you should ask yourself why I¡¯m sleeping next to you. You insisted on speaking to me in your dreams for the entire night¡ªsurely you don¡¯t expect me to sit next to you throughout the night, do you?¡± Her face had the hue of beets as she could not wait to dig a hole in the ground to hide herself. This man looks like he is a mind reader! He knows what I¡¯m thinking with just one look. ¡°T-Then, why am I here?¡± she asked as she bit the bullet . The structure of the hotel room was simr to the one she stayed at, but there were no hidden cameras around, so it was rather obvious that it was a different room than hers. After Alexander rose from the bed, he poured a cup of tea before passing it to her. He asked her again, ¡°You clearly know that you are seasick yet you insisted oning with us. Are you really doing this for Jordan, or are you deliberately¡­¡± ¡°Deliberately what?¡± Courtney looked perplexed. He gazed at her. ¡°Deliberately creating a situation like this.¡± Her expression immediately changed as she raised her eyebrows and questioned, ¡°What? What do you mean by me deliberately creating such a situation? Do you think that I¡¯m such a shameless woman who intentionally throws myself at you? Are you thinking that all the women in the world fancy you?¡± The tone of her retaliation was strong and violent, as if he had greatly insulted her. ¡°What if I actually hope that you are deliberately doing this?¡± That sentence from him was enough to douse the mes of her anger and render her confused. ¡°Y-Y-You must be joking. T-T-This is not funny at all.¡± Courtney¡¯s face stiffened as she lowered her head to drink the entire huge ss of water in order to avoid Alexander¡¯s gaze. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m someone who likes to joke around?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney suddenly choked on the mouthful of water. Her face reddened after she tried to suppress her urge to cough. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are trying to say.¡± It¡¯s better to continue to y dumb. If I speak too much and the feelings aren¡¯t mutual, I¡¯m the one who would be embarrassed again. Alexander frowned. ¡°Raise your head.¡± ¡°What?¡± Although she was taken aback, she subconsciously raised her head. In that instant, a shadow fell on her as her plump lips were covered by a warm sensation. She felt him lightly nibbling her lips and when she eximed, his tongue took the opportunity to kiss her. Her mind seemed to have exploded, as if and mine had sted every thought she had into rubbles. The kisssted for a long time. When he let her go, she was dangerously out of breath and she grabbed the bed as she panted. She lost all of her strength to me him. ¡°Do you understand now?¡± Alexander stood up with a straight posture. His tall shadow cast on Courtney, making her unable to calm her breathing while his deep, hoarse voice that was filled with lust made her heart thump violently. After keeping her head low for a while, she demanded through gritted teeth, ¡°If I say that I don¡¯t understand, do you think that I don¡¯t know any better?¡± When Alexander saw her disgust after she lifted her head, he was stunned for a while. ¡°If I have previously made you misunderstand that I am such a woman, I apologize for that. It¡¯s just that I hope that this will never happen again and I hate to repeat myself.¡± With that, Courtney rose from her full height and walked to the door. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. However, he grabbed her arm from behind. ¡°Tell me clearly what do you me¡ª¡± Smack! A loud p echoed in the room. She roughly shook his arm away with a humiliated look in her eyes and sounded quite aggrieved as she roared in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m not that shameless to be your mistress!¡± Once she said that, she barged out of the door. Thud! The loud m of the door reverberated in the room, making the entire structure seem as if it was shaking. Alexander touched his cheek that she pped him on. As his shock gradually subsided, he did not feel angry at all, but rather, he was amused. The first ray of sunshine rose from the sea level and brightened the entire dark room. After listening to the beeping sound from the phone as it rang, his voice was heard. ¡°Josh, cancel the wedding.¡± Upon hearing that, Josh was speechless, as if he could not believe his ears. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m calling it off. Please speak to Britney about this.¡± The silence remained. After hanging up on the phone, Alexander walked to the windows. As soon as he opened the French windows, the sea breeze entered the room with exceptionally fresh air after a night of storms. Without even asking about my thoughts, this woman immediately pped me! She really does think that I¡¯m a yboy who f*cks around. On the other end, when Courtney returned to her room in annoyance, shey on the bed for a long time without even lifting her head. The mix of humiliation and anger had made her very ufortable. What the hell is Alexander thinking? Does he think that he can easily take advantage of me? This is too much! In the afternoon, Shay returned with Tina. Due to Tina¡¯s ignorance, she was unafraid of anything. Even after returning to the room, she animatedly described the dangerous situation that happened the day before. ¡°Mommy, the wind was so strong at the ce where Shay and I stayed. The entire house was about to be blown away! When it rained, even fish fell from the sky and it¡¯s so astounding!¡± Courtney still looked frightened as she tightened her grip on Tina¡¯s hands. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I should have gone with you.¡± ¡°Luckily you were not there. When I was with Tina on the ind, I was worried that I couldn¡¯t exin to you if she got hurt.¡± Shay¡¯s face paled as she added. ¡°But if you went there with us, I would have to worry about the both of you. In such a dangerous situation, I¡¯m not sure if I can take good care of you two.¡± Fortunately, the danger was over. Courtney went to hug Tina, who did not look like she was traumatized by the situation. The little girl merelyined that she was hungry and wanted some food. Hence, Courtney had to freshen up and headed downstairs for a meal without caring about the fact that a few photographers were following behind them. After they ordered some food, Tina¡¯s ck iris flickered around and saw two familiar figures¡ªan adult and a child¡ªentering the restaurant and walking toward them. At that moment, she immediately eximed, ¡°Mr. Alexander! Jordan!¡± After Courtney heard Tina¡¯s exims, her expression stiffened as she raised her head. Sure enough, Alexander and Jordan are here. ¡°Mommy! It¡¯s Mr. Alexander and Jordan!¡± Tina looked like she had discovered something new. While shaking Courtney¡¯s arm in happiness with one hand, she waved to both of them with another hand. ¡°Here! Over here, Mr. Alexander!¡± Shay, who was seated beside them, frowned and muttered unhappily, ¡°Why is he still here? Is he pestering us?¡± Chapter 87 One Night Surprise Chapter 87 Chapter 87 The Owner of the Custom-made Ne As soon as he heard Tina calling him, Jordan¡¯s eyes immediately brightened and he released his grip on Alexander to run to her. He could not stop smiling as he looked at her. As she shared manymon topics with him, she started to share with Jordan about everything that happened in the past two days¡ªthe incident on the ne, at the beach, the storm that she encountered when they were at the sea¡­ The topics were endless. Alexander subtly pulled the chair next to Courtney and deliberately asked, ¡°You don¡¯t mind me sitting here, do you?¡± Courtney forced a smile. Even though she told him that she did not mind, one look at her eyes illustrated that she could not wait for him to leave. However, he ignored it and politely nodded at her. She was so infuriated by his actions that she could have flipped the table in front of him countless times. Upon seeing them ¡®flirt¡¯ with each other, Shay felt rather disappointed. For many years, Courtney has only been treating me as her younger brother. Even though I usually joke about marrying her, she has never treated it seriously enough to give it a thought. Even though I¡¯m closer to her, my chances are not that high,pared to an outsider. Now that this sly fox, Alexander, has suddenly appeared, he¡¯s adding fuel to the fire. This fox has even tricked me to sign a contract with the mediapany that he has stocks in! As he thought about it, he gritted his teeth in resentment. He could not resist being sarcastic. ¡°The President of the Sunhill Enterprise hase all the way here ¡ªyou are not nning to expand your business here, are you?¡± Alexander merely shot him a nce. ¡°Your suggestion is pretty useful. When I have more time, I will consider doing business in this area. However, this time around, I¡¯m just here to travel with my son.¡± ¡°There are so many ces to travel with your son. Why do you have to follow us here? I find it hard to believe that this is all just a coincidence!¡± With a calmposure, Alexander responded, ¡°It¡¯s not a coincidence. Both Jordan and I have always thought that it¡¯s best toe here.¡± Shay immediately clenched his fists as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s so good about this ce?¡± ¡°There are many people around, so it¡¯s lively.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s dig in.¡± Courtney¡¯s voice suddenly interrupted them as she looked uneasy. ¡°The food is bing cold.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyebrows were slightly arched as he slowly took a sip of his tea. However, Shay looked quite upset. ¡°Aren¡¯t you about to be married soon? Why didn¡¯t you bring your fianc¨¦e along?¡± His question was exactly the same as what Courtney had in mind. In that instant, she became more nervous. Even though she did not lift her head, she still listened attentively. Alexander merely put his ss down with a rxed expression. ¡°I don¡¯t remember announcing it publicly that I¡¯m getting married. Where did you hear about this ¡®fianc¨¦e¡¯ of mine? As soon as she heard that, the expression on her face immediately changed and she subconsciously raised her head to look at Alexander. When she saw his seriousposure, which did not indicate that he was joking, she suddenly became more nervous. Is he saying that he has no ns to marry Britney at all? ¡°Everyone in the industry has said so. Yet, you still want to deny it?¡± Again, Shay had asked the question that she wanted to ask as well. With his head lowered, Alexander cut his steak and retorted slowly, ¡°Have you confirmed the gossip about you and the other celebrity? Seems like you don¡¯t need thepany to rify for you anymore.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Shay was speechless by Alexander¡¯seback. In fact, he was so angry that his cheeks blushed red. ¡°Stop using thepany¡¯s name to pressure me. If you hadn¡¯t forced me to sign the contract in such a despicable manner, I would never have signed it!¡± The moment he mentioned that, Courtney was also unable to remain silent. ¡°Shay, Starlight Media is a hugepany and I¡¯ve also looked at your contract after you signed it. As long as you don¡¯t breach the terms, there is no problem at all. President Duncan is also doing this for your own good. Why do you have to put it in such a way?¡± ¡°Courtney, it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s trying to control and threaten me and yet you are still defending him.¡± ¡°Threaten you?¡± She was confused after hearing that. ¡°Threaten you with what?¡± ¡°Of course, he¡¯s threatening to¡ª¡± Shay suddenly stopped himself and gritted his teeth. ¡°No matter what, it¡¯s definitely not something good. Once I earn enough money to pay for the penalty, I¡¯m going to breach the contract. To hell with staying in thepany!¡± With that, he red at Alexander without showing an ounce of respect to his boss. However, Alexander was not angered by Shay¡¯s words. Instead, he was rather calm as he ced the steak that was cut on Jordan¡¯s te nonchntly. Apart from that, he even voluntarily poured a ss of water for her. As the weather report in Maldives showed that there could be heavy rain in thete afternoon, the filming crew did not dare to travel far even though it was still sunny. Hence, they changed the location of their ns to a beach near the hotel and gave Shay and Tina some tasks to carry out. He was going to dive to look for starfishes in the sea. After dinner, both Tina and Jordan had changed into their swimsuits. Then, they ran to the beach with some pails and small shovels in their hands. She was quite adventurous¡ªwith her arms on her hips, she proudly dered that she was going to build a castle fit for a princess on the circled area of the sand. It was after Jordan¡¯s solemn nod that both of them started to get busy. Behind them, Courtneyy on a reclining chair in a long yellow sundress. Next to her, Alexander was doing the same with a table in between them that had a ss of juice on top of it. A sunshade above them blocked the scorching sun. After holding it in for a long time, she finally could not help herself and blurted out, ¡°So, the news that thepany has been spreading about you and Britney getting married is fake?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Alexander¡¯s low voice rang from next to her. ¡°But I regret it.¡± She was stunned to hear that and with mixed feelings, she asked, ¡°Why is that so?¡± ¡°I decided to marry her because of Jordan, but he doesn¡¯t seem to like her.¡± Alexander¡¯s reply was short and sinct; it did not have any unnecessary words. However, she felt disappointed, as though she had fallen down from the clouds. To people like Alexander, marriage is nothing. The only person important to him is his son. Hence, he would only get married because of Jordan, and he would also call it off because of his son. Does this mean that all of his actions and his words before this are also because of Jordan?Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Not far from them, Tina and Jordan seemed to have conflicting opinions on building the sandcastle¡ª she was exining her ideas, but he said nothing apart from shaking his head and making some hand gestures that even adults could not understand. Courtney frowned and tried to shake off her earlier messy thoughts to ensure that everything was back on track. At that moment, the sudden ringing of her phone interrupted her thoughts. ¡°Hello, are you Miss Hunter? I¡¯m the branch manager of Brilliant Jewelry of the branch at the East Road of Melrose City. Do you still remember me?¡± A sweetdy¡¯s voice sounded on the other end. After she introduced herself, Courtney¡¯s expression froze as she walked further with the phone in her hands. ¡°Yes. Have you found some clues about what I have asked about before?¡± ¡°Yes, I have.¡± The female branch manager sounded confident. Courtney merely felt as if only half of her blood rushed to her head. As her breathing quickened, she asked hastily, ¡°Have you found the person who ordered the ne? Who is it?¡± ¡°After checking the custom-made jewelry orders made in thest 10 years, we found out that this ne was made here in April eight years ago. The person who made the order¡ªit was a Mr. Alexander Duncan.¡± ¡°Alexander Duncan?¡± Courtney¡¯s expression immediately changed. ¡°Which Alexander Duncan is that?¡± ¡°The President of Sunhill Enterprise¡ªAlexander Duncan.¡± Chapter 88 One Night Surprise Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Mommy, Why Are You Crying? As soon as Courtney heard that, she felt as if her blood, which was boiling moments ago, was frozen in an instant. The entire Melrose City is such a big ce¡ªwhy does it have to be him? However, after carefully thinking about it, apart from the Duncan Family, no one would have been able to use the Sunrise Enterprise¡¯s future to threaten people back then. At that moment, Alexander was not at the same location as he was earlier¡ªhe seemed to be preupied with other matters and had already returned to the hotel. Upon thinking about that, she looked at a spot not far away from her and saw a tiny figure who was building the first prototype of a sandcastle with her daughter. His young facial features looked increasingly familiar to her. Apart from slightly panicking, she had believed the truth without any hesitation. The son whom I¡¯ve been thinking about for the past five years has been right in front of me all this while. Yet, as his mother, I couldn¡¯t even recognize him! As the waves crashed into her feet, she stood frozen on the ground as she could not even move her feet. After taking a few steps with great difficulty, she could no longer withstand her anguish and sobbed. ¡°Mommy!¡± Tina suddenly ran to her. ¡°Look at the castles we just built¡­¡± Courtney quickly turned to hide the tears swimming in her eyes, but Tina saw everything and asked in a fluster, ¡°Mommy, why are you crying?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t cry.¡± Courtney¡¯s words did not have any logic in them. ¡°It¡¯s the wind. The wind is too strong, so the sand has entered my eyes.¡± Jordan also ran toward her. With a worried expression on his face, he took her hands and looked at her carefully when he saw her. She thought to herself, His eyes look exactly the same as Tina¡¯s. I¡¯ve never even suspected this¡ªeven though both of them have simr features! As Courtney thought about that, she could no longer control her tears from streaming down her face. Then, she slowly crouched and looked at the child who did not grow up with her¡ªtheplicated feelings that she suppressed almost tore her into pieces. He was anxious upon seeing that. His little hand carelessly wiped the tears away from her cheeks as he himself almost burst into tears. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry, Jordan.¡± Courtney took his hands and grabbed them. ¡°Mommy is happy.¡± As soon as he heard the words ¡®mommy¡¯, he was stunned for a while. However, Tina did not notice anything weird as she winked and exined, ¡°Jordan, Mommy says that her eyes hurt because of the sand entering into her eyes from the wind. Let¡¯s blow it away for her.¡± After a moment of hesitation, Jordan nodded. The two kids then carefully blew into Courtney¡¯s eyes. As the warm breathnded on her face, she could no longer suppress her feelings and hugged both of them in her arms whileughing and crying at the same time. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± No matter how unobservant Tina had been all along, she now understood that there was no sand in Courtney¡¯s eyes. After releasing both children from her embrace, Courtney hesitated for a long time. She was close to revealing the truth a couple of times, but forcefully responded in the end, ¡°Nothing.¡± Jordan is Alexander¡¯s son. If I tell the truth at this moment and even if Jordan would like to take me as his mother, what about Alexander? Thinking about how he asked people to coerce and entice Jordan back then and how he interacts with the child now, it¡¯s clear how important this child is to him¡ªand way beyond my expectation. I definitely can¡¯t take him away just because I am his mother. That would be the worst thing I could do! Apart from that, once Alexander learns that Jordan is not his only child and he has another daughter, would he take Tina away as well? When she thought about it, a chill ran down her spine as fear spread to her entire body. There was a huge possibility of that happening and she could not afford to take the risk. After wiping her tears away, Courtney forced a smile as she took the shovel. ¡°Tina, Jordan, let¡¯s make some sandcastles together!¡± They were kids after all¡ªtheir attention was diverted as soon as she assured them that she was fine and wanted to y with them. Then, they happily pulled her to their building site. During dinner, Alexander frowned when he saw that Courtney¡¯s eyes were slightly red. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your eyes?¡± Courtney did not dare to look into his eyes as she kept her head lowered while saying in a low voice, ¡°Nothing. I was seasick earlier, so I haven¡¯t been feeling well all this while.¡± His frown deepened and a look of concern appeared in his eyes. ¡°Take a good rest after the meal and hand everything to the filming crew. They will take care of the kids. You don¡¯t have to worry about them.¡± She quickly hummed in agreement, but the expression on her face did not look natural. After calming down from the huge shock, she recalled everything that happened that night six years ago. A chill ran down her spine as she felt enshrouded in darkness that was filled with fear. The Duncan Family was immensely powerful and it had always been difficult to guess what Alexander was thinking. If he knew that she was the surrogate mother whom they had mistaken back then, the peaceful life that she had just regained would be flipped upside down once again. After dinner, Courtney hastily returned to her room. Without thinking about it, she pulled the suitcase out from the corner. The next day, both Alexander and Jordan were having breakfast at the restaurant downstairs. Not long after that, Shay brought Tina over while holding her hand and confidently walked over to sit opposite Alexander with a rxed expression on his face. ¡°Excuse me, waiter, I would like atte, a ss of milk, and two waffles, please.¡± Alexander looked in the direction of the elevator, but he did not see the person whom he was expecting. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Who?¡± As if he had been waiting all along for Alexander¡¯s question, Shay looked slightly triumphant. Alexander shot a nce at Shay, making no attempt to hide his disdain at thetter¡¯s childish attitude. ¡°She¡¯s probably upstairs, isn¡¯t she? Women are troublesome indeed.¡± ¡°Women are troublesome indeed,¡± Shay repeated yfully. ¡°However, Courtney is the least troublesome woman I¡¯ve ever met. Even when she has to return home immediately, she¡¯s able to manage all of that alone without troubling anyone.¡± ¡°She went home?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression slightly changed. It¡¯s just been a night; how could she suddenly return? ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Shay asked in an exaggerated tone and clucked his tongue. ¡°I thought that she would at least inform you, seeing that you are her boss. It seems like I¡¯m the only person whom she informed.¡± Courtney had left Maldives overnight, saying that she needed to return home to make arrangements for moving houses. Before her departure, she left a note for Shay and asked him to take care of Tina. Alexander frowned. ¡°What did she tell you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The chair under him let out a shrill squeak as it scratched on the floor. He rose to his full height and tidied his suit with an indifferent expression on his face. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t tell me, I have my own ways to know.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? What are you nning to do?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Return to the country as well.¡± As soon as he heard that, Shay¡¯s face immediately darkened. ¡°What?¡± I¡¯m making it worse now, huh! For the past few days, at least they were right in front of me. It¡¯ll definitely go out of control once they return to the country! Alexander did not look like he was fooling around because he left hastily with his son. With a frown, Shay shouted to his manager, who was not far away, ¡°Fatty, I also want to head home! Book the earliest flight for me!¡± Upon hearing that, the manager¡¯s expression immediately changed. ¡°The show is still on. We can¡¯t leave since the remaining schedule requires you to be present.¡± ¡°When I say I want to leave, it means I want to leave!!!¡± ¡°T-T-The penalty costs 20 million!¡± Shay was speechless upon hearing that. He gave himself a facepalm, feeling troubled that he had landed in such a situation. If I didn¡¯t sign the contract with Alexander¡ªthis sly fox¡ªI don¡¯t have to be enved right now! Chapter 89 One Night Surprise Chapter 89 Chapter 89 Draw a Line As there was a storm that afternoon, all of the flights were canceled, causing everything to be on hold for two days before normal operations could be resumed. Because of that, Alexander had no choice but to stay in Maldives for an extra two days and it was already three dayster when he finally arrived in the country. At a mansion in Royal Park, he stood in front of the guest room with a deep frown while his butler tentatively reported, ¡°Mr. Alexander, Miss Hunter had already moved all her belongings out when she returned two days ago. She said that she has found a ce to stay, so she will not disturb us anymore.¡± ¡°What else did she say?¡± ¡°She also said that the rough estimate of her rent for staying here for more than a month is 30 thousand. She has left all of it here.¡± The butler held up a bag. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to give her our ount number, so she brought this bag here the next day.¡± When Alexander saw the paper bag, his face immediately darkened. Is she so anxious to keep a distance from me? Meanwhile, Jordan was pulling on Alexander¡¯s sleeves with an anxious expression. Alexander replied angrily, ¡°Can¡¯t you see it for yourself? She¡¯s gone! We can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± Jordan immediately pouted as tears formed in his eyes before he burst out in tears. When the butler saw that, he and the maids were helpless as they could not calm him down. While feeling angry and sorry for his son, Alexander said loudly, ¡°Is she this amazing? She¡¯s not your mom! Why do you like her so much?¡± Jordan was crying so much that he almost ran out of breath. The butler quickly asked the maids to bring him out before he advised Alexander, ¡°Mr. Alexander, please don¡¯t be angry. I saw that Miss Hunter looked rather troubled when she returned this time. Did something happen during the vacation that caused her to be unhappy?¡± When Alexander heard that, his frown deepened. Well, something did happen, but at that time I clearly didn¡¯t see her getting upset¡ªapart from the night when she left. She was still fine at the beach, but she looked distressed during dinner. ording to Shay, something seemed to have happened with her family? ¡°Mr. Harry, where is the house of Lucian Hunter, the president of Sunrise Enterprise?¡± After a moment of silence, the butler replied, ¡°I think it¡¯s at River Park.¡± With thevishly decorated living room, the house was probably worth tens of millions. In the lounge, the maid brought a cup of tea over and spoke coldly¡ª¡®please enjoy the tea, Miss Hunter¡¯¡ªbefore leaving with the te in her arms. ¡°Is my uncle home yet?¡± The maid stopped and looked at Courtney with a lukewarm attitude. ¡°He is very busy. At this hour, he is still dealing with the paperwork, so he has no time to return home.¡± ¡°So what? He still has to attend to clients on Sundays! Miss Hunter, if you are willing to do so, just wait for him here. Perhaps he mighte home for dinner tonight.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. With that, she left without looking at Courtney, who slowly sighed with mixed feelings. When she left the Somerfield Family, she was only five¡ªand it was a messy departure. She had caused her grandfather¡¯s death and Alicia sent all of her belongings to the Hunter Family in a manner that was interpreted as never wanting to see her again. Many years passed since that incident and she never returned. If it was not because of her future custody battle, Courtney would not return to take the assets her mother left for her during that time. After some time, shuffling footsteps could be heard on the second floor, which was followed by someone walking down the stairs. Upon looking toward the source of the sound, Courtney¡¯s heart tightened. The footsteps stopped in the middle of the staircase¡ªit was a slightly plump woman in her fifties, who was looking down at Courtney with a pair of sharp, shrewd eyes. ¡°Oh, hey, I was just thinking, who the hell is the one interrupting my sleep? You haven¡¯t returned in two decades. If I didn¡¯t hear the maids telling me about you after I woke up, I thought I would never stand the chance to meet the granddaughter who has been spoiled by Dad back then,¡± she said sarcastically as soon as she opened her mouth. Clenching her fists tightly, Courtney replied with difficulty, ¡°Aunt Alicia, you¡¯re home?¡± It was at least half an hour after her arrival and the maids had been heading upstairs several times. Judging by Alicia¡¯s attitude, if Courtney had not been waiting all the time, her aunt would not have nned to meet her downstairs. ¡°I was taking a nap! All of the maids know my temper. When I¡¯m napping, no one can wake me up¡ªnot even the mayor.¡± Courtney awkwardly looked at her, not knowing what to say for a long time. Alicia was from a family of influential diplomats in Kyoto¡¯s political scene. Back then, Courtney¡¯s uncle had been groomed by Alicia¡¯s family, which was why she always enjoyed a fair share of influence from her inws. Even as a little girl, Courtney was always afraid of her. ¡°Take a seat.¡± Alicia then walked down the stairs and sat in front of her before asking with a cold expression. ¡°Why are you here?¡± After a moment of hesitation, Courtney replied, ¡°I think it¡¯s better to wait for Uncle William.¡± ¡°Are you sure? You might not be able to meet him since I am not even sure when he will return.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney grabbed the edge of her clothes and thought for a while before repeating herself, ¡°I¡¯m here to take the assets that my mom had asked my grandpa to take care of on her behalf. I don¡¯t want anything else¡ªonly the house.¡± ¡°Of course! I was wondering what else you could have been thinking of after decades of not returning.¡± Alicia snorted coldly. ¡°Your mom left the Hunter Family without a single cent and died after giving birth to you. Who told you that she left you something?¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney immediately paled and tentatively responded, ¡°Grandpa said that there was. Even though I might have been a young child back then, he reminded me about this countless times. Hence, I think I remembered it correctly.¡± Even though her mother had left the Hunter Family in a fit of anger without asking for any money, there were many assets under her name¡ªsome of them were from the family while the rest were given by her parents as her dowry when she settled down. Alicia was still quite cold. ¡°Is that so? Why is it that I don¡¯t remember it? You were only five when you left. Do you still remember this? Furthermore, when Lucian¡¯spanynded with some issues during these two years, he kept asking your grandpa for assistance. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the assets were used by him to set up thepany back then. Your good-for-nothing mother left something for you? I bet you are day-dreaming!¡± When Courtney heard that, the remaining blood was drained from her face. She almost bit her lips until they bled and she could not wait to immediately leave. Nevertheless, she clenched her fists tightly and spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°Aunt Alicia, if my memory serves me right, grandpa has told me that the house my mother left me has my name written on the deed. Even though the deed isn¡¯t with me, I can check with the Real Estate Bureau if you don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Alicia¡¯s expression immediately changed. ¡°Is this how you speak to me? Are you saying that I snatched your house? Are you going to sue me? If you have the capabilities, go ahead! Go to court and ask your Uncle William directly and see if he will settle it for you.¡± Courtney¡¯s heart sank as soon as she heard that, seeing that her uncle was the director of Melrose Municipal Court. Chapter 90 One Night Surprise Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Someone Like Him Is Too Terrifying ¡°Mr. William is back,¡± the maid reported from outside. Immediately after she spoke, a tall figure entered the house from the front yard¡ªhe was a man in his fifties and wore a perfectly ironed suit that made him look powerful and solemn. As soon as he saw Courtney, he stopped and looked at her in a daze. Then, he muttered in a low voice that only he could hear, ¡°Cecilia¡­¡± Courtney quickly stood up and greeted, ¡°Hello, Uncle William.¡± William returned to his senses before he was stunned again when he appraised her. Then, he happily asked, ¡°Courtney, is that you? You¡¯re now an adult! Why are you here today? I heard that you went abroad for a few years. When did you return?¡± He bombarded her with many questions that made her low spirits slightly bounce back. Then, she nodded before answering, ¡°I¡¯ve been back for a few months now, but I¡¯ve been busy with work.¡± ¡°You already have a job? Where do you work?¡± ¡°At Sunhill Hotel,¡± she replied honestly. ¡°Oh, Sunhill! It¡¯s pretty good.¡± William was d to see her. ¡°It¡¯s been almost ten years since Ist saw you and I even thought you were your mother when I saw you earlier. Stay for dinner, will you?¡± ¡°What dinner?¡± Before Courtney could reply, Alicia¡¯s harsh voice immediately interrupted him. ¡°Your niece returned all the way from another country to take the assets that her mother has left her. If it weren¡¯t for this, she probably wouldn¡¯t havee for the rest of your life. Do you think it¡¯s because she misses you?¡± His expression slightly changed. ¡°Assets?¡± Courtney pursed her lips without speaking. Judging from the situation, he knew what had been going on after giving it a brief thought. He shot a nce at his wife in the living room before asking hesitantly, ¡°Are you here because of this?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Since it hade to that, Courtney could only forcefully admit it. ¡°What assets are there? Even if there were, she has been staying with us since she was born. Are you telling me that we don¡¯t have to spend money for her clothes and food? Everything has already been spent!¡± Alicia red at William sullenly, making the atmosphere rather awkward. After a while, he said in a low voice, ¡°Courtney, I¡¯ll take note of this. Why don¡¯t you head home first?¡± Courtney had never nned on staying longer. After hearing his words, she gave a mock smile before leaving angrily. I shouldn¡¯t havee here today. How could I have forgotten that Aunt Alicia mes me for being a jinx after Grandpa died? Then, she chased me out of the house and sent all my belongings to the Hunter Family. Her actions clearly show that there is no turning back and that I¡¯m not wee here. It¡¯s impossible that they would help me out even after I came. After she left, William sat on the couch with his hands on his knees. ¡°You didn¡¯t touch anything that Courtney¡¯s mother left her, so why did you speak to her in that way to make her hate you?¡± ¡°I just want her to hate me.¡± Alicia, who had been quite cold, looked spiteful at that moment. ¡°Cecilia was too weak back then. Look at where she ended up after she did everything for Lucian. How could he leave his wife and daughter for a more stable life? Courtney is his daughter¡ªno matter how he wants to ignore her, he has to take care of her. This girl looks smart, but she is also an idiot like her mother. Whenever she has problems, she doesn¡¯t know how to look for her dad. Instead, shees to us. What the hell?¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s remorseful. I just met him two days ago and we talked about Cecilia.¡± ¡°He still has the audacity to speak about her?¡± Alicia gritted her teeth. ¡°So what if he¡¯s remorseful? I want him to always see the daughter that Cecilia Somerfield died while giving birth to, all because of him. By seeing Courtney, he will remember that Cecilia died because of him and he doesn¡¯t deserve any peace in his life at all.¡± When William heard that, he sighed without saying another word. Before his sister, Cecilia, died, she grabbed his hand and told him that her only worry was her daughter. Now that we¡¯ve forced her to this point, I wonder if it¡¯s good or bad. After leaving William¡¯s ce, Courtney hailed a taxi and immediately went home. ¡°How¡¯s everything? Did you manage to get your house back?¡± Cameron¡¯s voice came from the study. Then, the door was opened before she came out of the room with a mask on her face as she had returned from a business trip the night before. Before she could even do anything, Courtney dragged her to move houses with her, so she slept through the entire morning. Courtney helplessly shook her head as she sank into the couch and sighed. Cameron took a cucumber from the fridge and crisply bit it before saying with a muffled voice, ¡°Aren¡¯t you like the most unfortunate person? The mansion that your father left ended up with Anna, who used it to keep men. Then, the one your mother left for you was taken away by your aunt. What kind of luck do you have?¡± ¡°Stop it. I¡¯m so frustrated now.¡± Courtney sighed. ¡°If I don¡¯t even have a house, what can I do in the future?¡± ¡°Stay here with me? I¡¯ll take care of you for my entire life, as long as you cook for me.¡± Cameron chuckled and cheerfully sat down next to her. ¡°Why are you in such a rush to have your own house?¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°I¡¯m worried that in the future, if I have to fight for child custody, the judge might conclude that I don¡¯t have the ability to provide for my children.¡± ¡°Child custody?¡± Cameron was stunned to hear that. ¡°Who are you fighting for child custody with? Someone¡¯s taking Tina away from you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Tina.¡± Courtney slowly raised her head. After a long moment of hesitation, she decided to tell Cameron. ¡°The jewelry shop called two days ago, saying that they found the owner of the ne.¡± ¡°The owner of the ne?¡± Cameron finally recalled the incident after thinking about it. ¡°You mean Tina¡¯s father? This means you have also found your son, who was taken away back then?¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°But, do you know who that man is?¡± Upon seeing that, Cameron¡¯s expression became more solemn as she realized that something was amiss. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Alexander Duncan.¡± Silencested for half a minute as she looked at Courtney in a daze. After making sure that Courtney was not joking, she eximed, ¡°Oh my God! What kind of fate has tied you two together?¡± Courtney started to frown. ¡°Hey! Why do you have to give such an expression? Isn¡¯t it better if it¡¯s Alexander? Grab this golden opportunity! You are the mother of his baby son, after all. Since he loves his son so much, you will be important as well, seeing you are his mother. Just marry into their rich family and be his wife! Why are you fighting for child custody? Are you nuts?¡± Cameron spoke away and almost spilled the cucumber juice in her mouth. However, the more Courtney heard Cameron¡¯s logic, the more headache she felt. Hence, she could not help but interrupt Cameron. ¡°Come on, Cameron. Stop joking. I¡¯m not in the mood at all.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible for me to be with Alexander.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Courtney exined morosely, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for him, I wouldn¡¯t have delivered two babies back then. In order to keep Tina, I couldn¡¯t even graduate university and hastily went abroad. The Duncan Family is so powerful that they could rewrite my life story with ease. To him, he just has one more son. What about me? Has he ever given a thought about the future of a girl who¡¯s not even 20 years old? Someone like him is simply too terrifying.¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Chapter 91 One Night Surprise Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Ask For His Help Ever since Courtney knew that Alexander was the man from six years ago, she projected all of her hatred toward the man who changed the entire course of her life on him. It even overshadowed the flirtatious feelings that she had for him for the past few days. Upon noticing that Courtney still looked morose, Cameron knew that she was not joking. After frowning while thinking about it, her eyes suddenly brightened. ¡°Courtney, I have an idea.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Isaac! Aren¡¯t you guys still married legally? Do you want to consider letting him help you?¡± When she heard the name ¡®Isaac¡¯, Courtney looked slightly dazed and shook her head after thinking about it for a while. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not trouble him.¡± All those years when I¡¯m abroad, I have already troubled him enough. Now that I¡¯m back here, how can I still ask him for help? Cameron sighed. ¡°Fine. You¡¯re just too stubborn. There¡¯s nothing else that I can think of to help you.¡± She patted Courtney¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Regardless, just remember that no matter what happens, I¡¯m always here, so you can talk to me anytime.¡± Courtney calmed down and looked at Cameron with gratitude after hearing her words. ¡°Sure thing. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine. What about you instead? What are all those recent posts on Twitter about? Are you in love with someone?¡± At that mention of that, Cameron suddenly avoided her gaze. ¡°Nothing¡ªoh, I suddenly remember that I have a contract to send off. I¡¯ll head back to my room first.¡± With that, she fled the scene. Upon looking at Cameron¡¯s departing figure, Courtney helplessly smiled. Three dayster, Shay brought Tina to their country and took the greenne at immigration to avoid the groups of fans. Courtney also went to the airport to pick them up. ¡°Mommy!¡± As soon as Tina saw Courtney, she immediately pounced on thetter while herughter that sounded like bells reverberated in the airport. In that instant when Courtney saw her, all the troubles that she faced for the past few days seemed to have evaporated. ¡°Did you have fun, Tina?¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s so fun!¡± Tina wrapped her arms around Courtney¡¯s neck and nted a kiss on her cheeks before mysteriously asking. ¡°But, why did you suddenly leave, mommy? Did you n it with Mr. Alexander and Jordan? You guys abandoned me and left.¡± Courtney was slightly confused after hearing that. ¡°What? They left earlier too?¡± Shay, who was next to them, gave a dry cough and changed the topic. ¡°The car is here. Let¡¯s get into it.¡± In order to celebrate thepletion of the shoot for the first season, hispany held a celebratory party in the evening where the celebrities, guests, and even the entire filming crew participated. As Tina¡¯s chaperone, Courtney was also one of the invited guests. Since it was merely a celebratory party and not an official one, everyone wore casual clothes and the atmosphere was light and fun. Courtney brought Tina along where they ate and drank while basking in a rxing atmosphere. In the middle of the party, the director brought Tina to introduce her to other people while Courtney merely watched them from afar. A bright smile blossomed on her young, pretty face. From Tina¡¯s yful and fun expression, it was difficult to see any resemnce to Alexander. However, in the rare times that she was quiet, it was clear that her facial features resembled him. After a nce at Tina, panic rose within Courtney and made her nervous before she quickly took a sip of water to calm herself. ¡°Courtney.¡± A deep voice rang from behind her. After finally calming herself down, her heart fluttered again as she tightened her grip on the ss of water. Alexander wore a ck suit and walked over to join her in looking at Tina from afar. One of his hands was holding a wine ss while the other was naturally ced in his pockets. ¡°You ran away from Maldives without giving any notice. What was the reason?¡± ¡°Nothing. Something happened back home.¡± Courtney was slightly nervous around him. After knowing the truth, she felt quite repulsed by him and forced herself to keep a distance from him¡ªas if her self-defense mechanism had been triggered. ¡°Is it because of the house or because of me?¡± She frowned. Alexander looked calm as he took a sip of his wine. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of me that caused your house issue?¡± Her heart sank as she felt nervous. He knows? ¡°You hastily moved out from my ce, but you don¡¯t want to stay with Cameron again. I heard that you¡¯ve been busy with amodation issues. Is that so?¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. A relieved Courtney nodded. ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t possibly stay at your ce forever.¡± ¡°Do you need any help?¡± Alexander did not ask her to stay and only asked her that question instead. A wave of shock flitted across her eyes, but she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine; I can manage it on my own.¡± Alexander definitely doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m busy with amodation matters for my future ns and it involves confronting him too. How would I dare to ask for his help? While Courtney¡¯s rejection was too direct, her repulsive tone had attracted Alexander¡¯s attention because he turned to look at her intently. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Courtney froze and looked at him in shock as she almost thought she misheard him. He frowned, regretting that he had asked such a question. The atmosphere between both of them suddenly became more awkward. Not long after that, Shay suddenly waved and walked to them. He wore casual beige long pants and a light blue T-shirt. With a bright and young smile on his face, he directly gave Courtney a ss of juice, as if it was the most natural thing to do. ¡°Courtney, they are going to karaoketer. Are you joining them?¡± ¡°Hmm? Nah, I¡¯ll pass.¡± She immediately shook her head. ¡°I have Tina with me, so I can¡¯t go to ces like that.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression became slightly calmer. After shooting a nce at him, Shay gave Courtney a good-natured wink while having a yful expression on his face. ¡°Right. I think so too. When they switch venues, I¡¯ll send you home.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Courtney smiled. However, to Alexander, her smile was too striking. He tightened his grip on the ss as his face slightly darkened. The next morning, after Courtney sent Tina to school, she officially started her work at Sunhill Hotel. After she wore the employee¡¯s name tag, she had conflicted feelings. Now that she had something that she always wanted, it felt like a huge trouble to her. As she thought about the future, she felt that she could not stay at Sunhill Hotel for long. Perhaps I should look for another job and have some ns as a contingency. After she started her work, her job was rather smooth and she seldom had the opportunity to meet Alexander. Her assistant, Addie, knocked before he entered her room to talk to her about celebrating her new job that afternoon. ¡°Miss Hunter, we are nning to celebrate your first day working here tonight. I¡¯m here to check with you on your schedule. Is the time alright for you?¡± While Courtney was hesitating, her phone suddenly rang and quickly unlocked her phone disy screen after seeing who the caller was. ¡°Hello.¡± There was a moment of silence in the room as the other person spoke. ¡°What?¡± Her expression immediately changed as she turned pale. ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Before she hung up on the call, she grabbed her bag and ran outside. Addie could not even stop her, no matter how he called for her. ¡°Miss Hunter, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Courtney did not reply to him. Chapter 92 One Night Surprise Chapter 92 Chapter 92 B*stards Courtney immediately drove to the kindergarten. As it was almost time to return home, many fancy cars stopped at the gate with a group of butlers and maids flocking at the front door. She finally managed to squeeze through them until she arrived at the door where the person in charge of Sapphire Kindergarten, Nora, had been waiting for her. As soon as she saw Courtney, she immediately escorted her into the kindergarten. ¡°How¡¯s Tina?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a huge issue. Dr. Ishiguro has already attended to her. Luckily we discovered it early, so there are no signs of cardiogenic shock. However, she wasn¡¯t doing too well before, which was why I called you earlier. We thought you might be worried about her.¡± They immediately rushed to the medicine bay. As soon as Courtney saw Tina, tears immediately welled up in her eyes. She stood by the bed, unsure of what she could do. ¡°Tina, Mommy¡¯s here.¡± Tinay on the bed with a haggard look on her face. Her usual joyful and yful demeanour was gone and it was reced by bruises on her forehead. However, she still forced a smile. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m fine now!¡± Courtney tentatively grabbed Tina¡¯s hand. She did not want to be too harsh on her daughter, yet she could not help herself from gently chastising her. ¡°What did you promise me before we started school? You said you won¡¯t get into trouble and you will behave yourself. Did you forget about those? I¡¯m getting angry now.¡± Tina looked reproachful. ¡°But, Mommy, they bullied me!¡± While they were chatting, Dr. Ishiguro, who had been taking care of Tina, entered the room. ¡°Are you Tina¡¯s mom?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Courtney quickly turned. Dr. Ishigura was an olderdy whose hair had turned gray. Wearing a white robe and a pair of gold-rim round sses, she looked kind. After gesturing to Courtney with her eyes, the former quickly walked out of the room with her. ¡°Doctor, are there any problems with Tina¡¯s condition?¡± ¡°I saw her previous medical history. This child has congenital asthma. Usually, we would use medicine to control it. However, she would develop dependency on the medicine after using it for a long time and it¡¯s not good for her as well. I would like to suggest acupuncture treatment. Would you consider it?¡± ¡°Can it be cured? If it¡¯s possible, of course we¡¯ll agree to that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no rush because this treatment is not a short one. Once you start on it, you cannot stop it. I¡¯ll find another time to talk about the specifics with you. I¡¯m afraid you have to settle today¡¯s incident first.¡± Dr. Ishiguro¡¯s words reminded Courtney that the way Tina looked today was not because of her asthma attack. After all, she did not suffer from a rpse for such a long time. When Courtney looked at her face earlier, there were many injuries. It¡¯s obvious that Tina has fought with other kids. Nora had initially asked Courtney to relieve her worries by visiting Tina first. Once that was done, Courtney had to follow Nora to her office. Upon recalling that, Courtney quickly thanked Dr. Ishiguro before walking back to the ward and went to the office after asking Tina about the entire situation. In Nora¡¯s office, a young mother with a darkened expression was holding a small boy whose face had sustained bruises. As soon as she walked to the door, Courtney heard loud usations from inside. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your kindergarten? How can you enrol a kid like this? Can you afford to pay compensation if Charles sustains any serious injuries?¡± Nora tentatively smiled at her apologetically. ¡°There¡¯s a reason for this. Mrs. Everett, please calm down first.¡± ¡°What reason is¡ª¡± Courtney knocked the door just in time and interrupted their argument. As soon as Nora saw her, she quickly stood up to introduce both mothers. ¡°This is Charles and his mother, Mrs. Everett. This is Tina¡¯s mother, Miss Hunter.¡± Mrs. Everett nced at Courtney. ¡°So, you¡¯re Tina Hunter¡¯s mother? Why is it that I have never seen you before? Are you originally from Melrose City?¡± Courtney frowned. The kids just had a fight, yet the first thing she asks is whether I¡¯m from this city? What is her reasoning? Although she was slightly confused, she nodded. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Mrs. Everettughed coldly. ¡°So, you¡¯re a local then? I heard from Nora that you¡¯re a hotel manager?¡± Courtney nodded once more. ¡°How is it possible for a hotel manager to enroll her kids here? I bet you must have done some sneaky things and your kid learned from you. Your entire family is up to no good!¡± The woman¡¯s voice was shrill with a sharp and sarcastic tone. Courtney¡¯s ears buzzed after hearing her usations. Then, she clenched her fists and retorted, ¡°Mrs. Everett, I know that Tina is wrong in this matter, but you shouldn¡¯t speak like this, should you? Just because I¡¯m a hotel manager means I can¡¯t send my kids here? What logic is this?¡± ¡°Do you want me to say it out loud?¡± Mrs. Everett looked at her in contempt. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone here knows about having an easy job when you are young.¡± Courtney¡¯s face darkened, but she could not be bothered to argue. Through gritted teeth, she responded, ¡°They are different matters. Why don¡¯t you just tell me how you would like to resolve this? Whether it¡¯s medical bills or mental healthpensation, I can afford it.¡± ¡°Money?¡± Mrs. Everett burst out inughter as if she had heard a joke. ¡°Do you think weck money? Let me tell you this¡ªfor today¡¯s incident, I want your daughter to personally apologize to Charles and from tomorrow onwards, she can¡¯te here anymore.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression immediately changed as she could hardly believe what she had just heard. This is just a small fight between kids and it also stems from a valid reason. Because of this, she wants Tina to leave this school? This is outrageous! ¡°Impossible.¡± She calmed down and looked at Mrs. Everett with a dark expression. ¡°I don¡¯t think the situation warrants that.¡± ¡°Impossible? In that case, you shall see how possible it can be. The injuries on my son¡¯s face is the greatest reason and you still think that it¡¯s not serious? I bet you are fine with going to the police station with your daughter.¡± With that, she nced arrogantly at Nora, who was caught between a rock and a hard ce as she stood beside them. ¡°You are the person in charge of this kindergarten, so you should settle this. If Charles still sees that girl tomorrow at school, the Everett Group will retract all our investments next year.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Upon hearing that, Nora¡¯s expression changed immediately. Gritting her teeth, Courtney had tightly clenched her fists until her knuckles cracked as blood boiled in her as she could not wait to give Mrs. Everett a punch. How can there be such an arrogant person who looks down on others like this? ¡°After the Everett Group withdraws their investment, the Sunhill Enterprise will invest twice the amount in this kindergarten for the infrastructure.¡± A tall figure loomed at the office door while the low voice rang from a corner, breaking the awkward atmosphere in the room. Alexander held Jordan¡¯s hands as he nonchntly walked toward them. When he looked at Mrs. Everett, he slightly raised his chin with eyes that were full of apathy and arrogance. ¡°The Everett Group doesn¡¯t have such a huge influence on Sapphire Kindergarten, does it, Mrs. Everett?¡± As soon as Mrs. Everett saw Alexander, her expression immediately changed. ¡°P-P-President Duncan, w-w-why are you here today?¡± ¡°I heard that my sonnded himself in trouble, so I¡¯m here to have a look. After all, I have to apologize for his mishap. Isn¡¯t that so?¡± ¡°Hended himself into trouble?¡± She gave an apologetic smile. ¡°Your son is so obedient. How could he have gotten into trouble?¡± Jordan raised his head to re at her before he moved toward Courtney¡¯s side. ¡°You have been here for so long and scolded others for the same amount of time. Mrs. Everett, don¡¯t you know why your son was beaten up today?¡± Alexander coldly looked at Mrs. Everett. ¡°I wonder who taught him to say that ¡®kids who have no mothers are b*stards¡¯ in front of Jordan.¡± Chapter 93 One Night Surprise Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Biological Father The atmosphere of the room dropped to below freezing point after Alexander¡¯s words. Mrs. Everett paled. ¡°What? I-I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand you.¡± Nora, who was beside them and silent all the while, could no longer hold back and helplessly answered, ¡°Mrs. Everett, the reason why Tina hit Charles is because he pushed Jordan and called him a b*stard who has no mother. All these are recorded by the surveince camera and I have been meaning to show it to you.¡± ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± Mrs. Everett¡¯s face turned ashy. As if she tried to save herself for the final time, she red at Nora. ¡°You must be doing this deliberately. You didn¡¯t even tell me about Charles¡¯ problem when I first arrived. You merely spoke about both kids fighting. Did you even mention President Duncan¡¯s son?¡± A helpless Nora answered in an aggrieved manner, ¡°You would have needed to give me a chance to speak, Mrs. Everett.¡± Once the truth was finally revealed, Mrs. Everett nervously looked at Alexander. ¡°President Duncan, I admit that it¡¯s my fault today. The kids are still young, so they are unaware of many things. After we return home today, I¡¯ll definitely educate Charles well and ask his father to personally apologize to Jordan. Is that okay with you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± He merely gave her a cold nce. ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize to me. Instead, you should apologize to Miss Hunter for everything that you said to her earlier, shouldn¡¯t you?¡± Upon hearing that, Mrs. Everett¡¯s face darkened. After looking at Courtney for a long time, she squeezed the word through gritted teeth. ¡°Sorry.¡± Courtney did not want toment further and ignored her before turning to check whether Jordan was hurt. Sure enough, Alexander¡¯s power in Melrose City is overwhelming. Once he arrives, no matter who was at fault, he is definitely the one who¡¯s right. The woman who was arrogant to me seconds ago immediately became humble after just a few words from him. After the issue was settled, she released his hands to bid farewell to him. ¡°You should head with your dad since I have to pick Tina up. Bye.¡± Unwilling to let her go, he continued to hold her hand with an anxious look on his face, as if he wanted to leave with her. Alexander frowned. ¡°Is Tina alright? I heard that her asthma rpsed?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± He walked closer toward Courtney. ¡°Thepany dinner ister tonight. I can bring you there on the way.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Courtney took a few steps back to increase the distance between them. ¡°Tina¡¯s condition isn¡¯t too good, so I have to leave. President Duncan, thank you for taking all the trouble today. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t attend the dinner tonight. So, I hope you¡¯ll understand.¡± Even though she had been addressing him as ¡®President Duncan¡¯, her tone sounded sharper today. Alexander¡¯s frown deepened as a cold look swept over his eyes. When Jordan was about to walk to her, he carried his son into his arms and warned him in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t follow her.¡± Before that, he was merely specting about the possibilities, but at that very moment, he was absolutely sure that Courtney was avoiding him. Jordan struggled in his arms and even pped his father¡¯s cheeks. In the end, Alexander grabbed his little hand and advised, ¡°She has her own daughter, so she doesn¡¯t care about you. Even if you chase after her, you can¡¯t do anything. Let¡¯s go home.¡± With that, he ignored Jordan¡¯s cries and walked to the front door of the kindergarten with his son in his arms. On the other hand, after discussing with Dr. Ishiguro about things to note about Tina¡¯s asthma, Courtney picked her up and saw a gray figure waving his hand at them from across the stress after they walked out of the kindergarten. ¡°Over here, Courtney!¡± Shay was well-equipped with a cap, sunsses, and a grey jacket that entirely protected him from the hot sun. The wave of his hand made him more ostentatious. After Courtney quickly entered the car, she was irritated. ¡°You can just wait for me in the car. Why did youe out? Aren¡¯t you afraid that people might recognize you?¡± He buckled his seatbelt. ¡°Well, I¡¯m just worried that you might not see me. Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯m well- prepared for anonymity.¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. She did not bother toment on his so-called ¡®well-equipped prevention¡¯. Feeling sorry for Tina, he caressed her small hands. ¡°You look like you have been beaten up in an action movie. Does it hurt, Tina?¡± Tina¡¯s voice sounded muffled from the kid¡¯s safety seat. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°You are as stubborn as your mom.¡± With that, Courtney knocked on his head in annoyance. ¡°Who are you talking about? I¡¯m your elder sister after all. If Cameron is free, I wouldn¡¯t have allowed you to pick me up.¡± The car started to move slowly. In a ck business car that was not far away from them, a sharp gaze lingered on Shay¡¯s car until it had disappeared from sight. The silence in the car was so heavy that a single squeak could be heard. While holding the steering wheel, the driver could not help but shudder after he carefully appraised the cold face through the rearview mirror. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± In the child¡¯s seat, Jordan wailed unhappily when he saw the other car disappear around the corner before kicking Alexander¡¯s knees. Alexander looked at him with a rare, cold gaze. ¡°See? She has her own life, so she can¡¯t apany you everyday. No matter how much you make a scene, no matter how much you want a mommy, she¡¯s not the one.¡± It was rare for him to be harsh on Jordan, so the little boy was shocked and angry. He immediately cried out loud and threw tantrums in the car. ¡°Drive,¡± Alexander coldly ordered and ignored his tantrum. When he saw Courtney entering Shay¡¯s car, a ball of fire seemed to rage within him until his entire body was hot. It was a sensation that he had never experienced, so he needed some space to figure out what exactly was happening. In the night, it had been a while since Tina and Courtney slept in the same room. Hence, Tina asked while being in her mother¡¯s embrace, ¡°Mommy, I haven¡¯t seen Mr. Alexander for a long time. Did you guys have a fight?¡± Courtney was stunned to hear that. ¡°Do you like him?¡± ¡°Mr. Alexander is handsome and rich. If you date him, you will be very blissful in the future.¡± ¡°I have never thought about these.¡± She rubbed her eyebrows that contained a lot of insolvable worries and suddenly asked. ¡°Tina, if you had to choose between Mommy and Mr. Alexander one day, who would you choose?¡± Tina suddenly lifted her head and asked naively, ¡°Why do I have to choose between the both of you? Can¡¯t I have both? You are my mommy and he is my daddy. Then, Jordan will be my brother!¡± ¡°What if Mr. Alexander is your biological father? If he ns to take you away, who would you choose?¡± ¡°Mr. Alexander is my biological father?¡± A stunned Tina seemed to have a hard time grappling with the truth. However, she became quite excited. ¡°Mommy, are you serious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying ¡®what if¡¯. What if he is your father and you have to choose? Who would you pick?¡± ¡°You, of course!¡± Tina replied without any hesitation. However, after that, she added with hesitance ¡°But, Mommy, if Mr. Alexander is my daddy, why can¡¯t both of you be together?¡± Courtney hugged the little figure in her arms, feeling relieved yet helpless. Without replying to her question, she responded, ¡°It¡¯s time for bed, Tina. We have to go to Grandpa¡¯s ce tomorrow.¡± Chapter 94 One Night Surprise Chapter 94 Chapter 94 Paying a Visit The next day, Courtney brought some health supplements when she returned to the Hunter mansion with Tina. The person who opened the door for them was Mrs. Bell. Since she had already heard from Lucian that Courtney was returning, she prepared a table full of food. It was rather apparent that there was joy emanating from her. ¡°Miss Courtney, Mr. Lucian was about to call you to ask for your whereabouts and you arrived.¡± With that, her gaze fell on Tina with even more joy. ¡°This is Tina, right?¡± ¡°Tina, this is Mrs. Bell. Say hi to her.¡± ¡°Hello, Mrs. Bell.¡± Tina was both cute and sweet. As soon as she spoke, she could melt one¡¯s heart. Hence, Mrs. Bell liked her a lot, causing her tone to rise by a few pitches as she yelled into the house, ¡°Mr. Lucian, Miss Courtney is back with Tina!¡± On the second floor, the door of the study was opened before it was followed by a series of heavy footsteps that sounded quite rushed. In no time, his voice rang at the top of the staircase. Even though his voice sounded grave, he was overjoyed to see them. ¡°Courtney.¡± After Lucian walked down the stairs and saw Courtney holding Tina¡¯s tiny hands, he looked quite flustered. ¡°Dad.¡± Courtney led Tina to him with a rxed expression on her face. ¡°Tina, this is grandpa.¡± After appraising him for a while, Tina¡¯s clear voice rang in the living room. ¡°Grandpa is different from what I imagined him to be.¡± ¡°Why? What¡¯s different?¡± Lucian sounded nervous after hearing that. She tilted her head. ¡°Grandpa¡¯s hair should be gray and he should be an exceptionally old man!¡± Mrs. Bell and the other maids around themughed. He sighed in relief and gave a helpless smile. Then, he crouched to lovingly hold Tina¡¯s other hand. ¡°Grandpa is indeed extremely old, but not to the point where all of my hair is gray. That will happen in the future.¡± ¡°I hope not.¡± Tina shook her head. ¡°Mommy says that people with grey hair are too old. Old people don¡¯t have a healthy body and they can¡¯t eat delicious food.¡± ¡°What do you like to eat the most?¡± ¡°There is so much food that I like, but I like desserts the most!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask Mrs. Bell to buy them for you then.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± With that, their conversation ended. When Courtney heard her father¡¯s voice bing more childish when he spoke to Tina, she felt slightly disoriented. She was already five years old by the time she arrived at the Hunter Family, so she was able to remember many incidents. She was at the same age as Tina and he had talked to her in such a tone as well. They initially had a pretty good rtionship. However, as time passed, she gradually spoke less at home as she was afraid to be close to her father because of Susan and her daughter. Even though it was a self-defense mechanism, other people havemented that Courtney was someone who could not be warm toward her own family. ¡°Take a seat and eat something. Let¡¯s chat while we eat.¡± Mrs. Bell invited them for lunch, but tears seemed to well in her eyes when she looked at Courtney. However, Courtney was hesitant. ¡°Just us?¡± She had not seen both Susan and Anna since she returned. ¡°Anna and Susan are back in Susan¡¯s hometown,¡± Lucian briefly exined, looking tired when he mentioned their names. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling unwell, Dad?¡± ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s tuck in.¡± With that, he kept loading Courtney¡¯s te with food. ¡°How is everything? Have you found the keys to the house at Golden Water Park? Do you need me to arrange some people to help you to move? Or, should I ask people to clean it up? No one has lived there ever since it was bought. We should buy more new furniture.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I can clean it up myself.¡± Courtney frowned with hesitance. Initially, she nned to speak to her father about the house in Golden Water Park. However, since he did not look like he was healthy, she would not know how much trouble would result if she revealed that Anna was using that house to provide for a man. Never mind. Since the property is under my name, I can solve this myself. ¡°I¡¯m back this time to bring Tina to meet you. That¡¯s all¡ªthere are no other motives.¡± Lucian looked relieved yet emotional as he sighed. ¡°I actually hope that you would ask for something from me in return. I know it has been hard on you for the past few years.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney had conflicted feelings. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Dad. I¡¯m fine.¡± He raised his hand to interrupt her. ¡°That¡¯s enough; you don¡¯t have to console me. Tina is five years old today. Don¡¯t you think that I don¡¯t know why you went abroad six years ago? If I¡¯ve really taken good care of you, you wouldn¡¯t have kept such a huge incident from me back then.¡± When he mentioned that, her frown deepened. Back then, even though she was mistaken for a surrogate mother, she suspected that someone was manipting her from behind the scenes and trying to make her do something. However, that was not the reason for her return today and she could not possibly talk to her father about it, so she did not bring it up again. After lunch, he brought Tina to his study to y with her. After all, he was the only family member whom Courtney had, so she was willing to let Tina spend more time with the young child¡¯s grandfather. When Mrs. Bell had finished clearing the dining table, Courtney dragged her to the couch in the living room for small talk. ¡°If Madam Cecilia is really in heaven, she must be d to see your cute and lovely daughter.¡± While they were chatting, a roar of the car engine was heard by the gate. Not long after that, a familiar female voice rang from the door. The sound of high heels ttering powerfully on the steps were heard after the car door was briskly closed. Without a doubt, both Mrs. Bell and Courtney knew who had returned. ¡°Where¡¯s everyone? Take the stuff from the car right now!¡± A gentler voice rang behind her. ¡°Anna, be softer. Your dad is probably taking a nap. Let¡¯s not wake him up.¡± ¡°What nap¡ª¡± Before Anna could finish her sentence, her expression abruptly changed when she saw Courtney sitting on the couch. Then, Courtney stood up nonchntly. ¡°This is my house too. You don¡¯t have to be so shocked to see me return.¡± As soon as Anna heard that, she clenched her fists tightly. ¡°You have the guts to call this your house? After you returned for a long time, have you ever visited us? Why are you back now? You can¡¯t survive outside anymore? You broke up with Alexander and want some money from us?¡± ¡°Stop making everything sound so ugly, Anna. I¡¯m here just to visit Dad.¡± ¡°Visit Dad?¡± Anna snorted coldly before looking behind Courtney. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring the little b*tch back here to visit him as well? Are you visiting him or deliberately making him angry?¡± Even though Courtney had never mentioned to Anna that she had a child, it was not difficult for her to look it up if she wanted to. Hence, Courtney was not surprised that Anna knew about Tina.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. While they were speaking, a door was opened on the second floor. Lucian walked out of his study and stood on the staircase as he said unhappily, ¡°Anna, why are you yelling upon your return?¡± Chapter 95 One Night Surprise Chapter 95 Chapter 95 You Forced Me to Do This After being stunned for a moment, Anna defended herself. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m not yelling. I was thinking aloud that Courtney has nothing good up her sleeves by returning here. Don¡¯t be fooled by her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s your younger sister.¡± Lucian frowned. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since shest returned and this is your attitude toward her. What are you up to?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have such a shameless sister!¡± As Anna crossed her arms in front of her, she looked triumphant. ¡°Dad, you still probably don¡¯t know what shameless thing she has done outside. Back then, she lied to us that she was going to study abroad. In the end, she had a child out of wedlock and she hid from all of us to give birth to a b*tch abroad. We don¡¯t even know who the father is!¡± She and her mother were sure that if he was aware about it, he would be furious. Hence, Susan even pretended to advise, ¡°Lucian, don¡¯t be too angry. I¡¯m sure it was a mistake that Courtney made because she was too young.¡± Courtney never made any effort to defend herself¡ªinstead, her eyes were merely full of mockery and sarcasm. ¡°Grandpa.¡± A young voice rang, breaking the awkward atmosphere and the expectations of the mother and daughter. Tina ran out of the study with an antique cigar in her hands that Lucian treasured the most. While rubbing her eyes sleepily, she said, ¡°Grandpa, I want some cakes.¡± His cold expression immediately melted as he crouched and held her in his arms while walking downstairs. ¡°No problem. Let¡¯s grab some cakes then.¡± Even though he did not reply to what Anna reported earlier, his actions were clearly a p to both her and Susan. It was a soundless p indeed. Anna¡¯s face paled as she could not believe what she had just seen. She was still gritting her teeth when she sent Courtney out the door. ¡°What method did you use to make Dad ept this little b*tch?¡± ¡°Anna, be respectful.¡± Courtney red at her coldly before lowering her voice. ¡°You used my house to keep a man inside. How do you think Dad would react if he knew about this?¡± In an instant, Anna¡¯s face turned pale. Courtney could not be bothered to deal with her anymore and opened the car door. ¡°Sir, please start the car now.¡± Anna was still standing by the gate when the car left the house. With a dark look on her face, she tightly clenched her fists until her fingernails almost entered her flesh. On the other hand, when Susan was bringing a cup of tea upstairs, she overheard Lucian¡¯s phone call through the door. ¡°Mr. Bakerfield, I¡¯ll hand this matter over to you. A formal notice is needed for the transfer of shares, but you need to transfer the assets as soon as possible. Yes, transfer it under my granddaughter¡¯s name. If I give them to Courtney, she might not ept them.¡± The reply from the other end could not be heard. As his grave voice rang through the door, Susan, who was holding the tray, slightly trembled and threw a pill into the tea after a moment of hesitation. As she saw it dissolving, her expression became cruel and ruthless. Lucian, you are forcing me to do this. In the evening, Courtney brought Tina back to Cameron¡¯s house. It was midnight when Courtney heard a couple speaking to each other and peeked through the door. After seeing some passionate scenes, she quickly closed both her eyes and the door, causing her sleep to be affected the entire night. The next morning, she was busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen. When she saw Cameron opening the door of her room, she took a deep breath. ¡°Wow, pancakes! My favorite!¡± Cameron walked out of the room with her slippers and immediately sat on the chair. Then, she picked up a pancake and stuffed it in her mouth. With her arms crossed in front of her chest, Courtney demanded, ¡°Is there something you would like to tell me aboutst night? This is the first time that I saw Gale leaving awkwardly.¡± Gale was everyone¡¯s lover at the Sunhill Enterprise¡ªhe has always been confident and attractive, but blushed when he saw Courtney after leaving Cameron¡¯s room. Did the sun rise from the west today? Courtney thought. Meanwhile, Cameron froze as her chewing slowed. ¡°Well,st night we just had too much to drink. What else is there to say?¡± ¡°So, it is a fling?¡± Courtney asked meaningfully. ¡°It¡¯s good, then. I don¡¯t really know him, so I don¡¯t know his actual personality. However, his reputation isn¡¯t that good¡ªhe has girlfriends all over Melrose City. I¡¯m worried that you can¡¯t take it if you are involved with him.¡± ¡°The entire Melrose City?¡± Cameron frowned as her face fell. Courtney smiled in her heart, but she remained serious on the surface. ¡°Yeah. Nine out of ten girls in mypany have been involved with him at least once. His nickname of being the ¡®golden provider of nightclubs¡¯ isn¡¯t just for fun, you know. Every club owner is treating him as their top priority guest.¡± With a crack, Cameron broke the egg in her hands with a dark expression. Courtney coughed and turned, pretending that she did not see Cameron¡¯s reaction. ¡°Tina, time to wake up now! After breakfast, Mommy will send you to school.¡± Actually, it was not a matter of a day or two that Cameron was dating Gale. Ever since she returned from her business trip, she had been talking about him. Hence, Courtney could tell that something was up between them and thought, It is easy to bury oneself in a rtionship, but difficult to treat it with rationale. She was merely trying to remind Cameron that many of his characteristics were not something that she could ept, so she needed to be aware of those. If they could work through it, only then could they really be together without any obstacles. As it was the end of the month that day, Courtney rushed to the headquarters of the Sunhill Enterprise for a meeting sending Tina to school. ¡°Miss Hunter.¡± In the hall of the enterprise, a man called her name. She turned and quickly scanned the man who had been looking for her¡ªshe recognized him as the producer of the travel show which Shay had participated in before. ¡°What a coincidence to meet you here, Miss Hunter.¡± The producer was in his thirties. With a casual outfit, he smiled at her. ¡°Before I came, I was just discussing with thepany to talk to you about some matters.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± She did not understand what was going on. ¡°Well, about the travel show we didst time, we just finished editing the trailer and received a positive response. Hence, I proposed to continue this show. Would you like to consider asking Tina to sign a long term contract with us?¡± ¡°What? Long term?¡± Courtney shook her head. ¡°No, this won¡¯t do. I have to work and I can¡¯t possibly ask Tina to go there alone.¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°No worries.¡± The producer looked rxed. ¡°I know your work performance is excellent. If you are willing, we can discuss with President Duncan to transfer you from the hotel to the mediapany so that you can be your daughter¡¯s manager. With that, you¡¯ll have more time.¡± ¡°Thanks, but no thanks.¡± Courtney had never worked as a celebrity¡¯s manager, so she rejected the offer without even thinking about it. ¡°Are you worried about the job being unstable? Don¡¯t worry, our sry won¡¯t be any less than a hotel manager.¡± ¡°No, no! That¡¯s not the case¡­¡± She rejected him kindly, causing the producer to look disappointed and he even left his business card with her before he left. ¡°Give it a thought and you can call me anytime. There are many mothers who apany their celebrity children nowadays. From various aspects, Tina has a great potential to be a child star.¡± With the business card in her hand, she was rather amused, but failed to realize that Alexander had witnessed the entire scene. Chapter 96 One Night Surprise Chapter 96 Chapter 96 I Want to Stay with You ¡°It¡¯s Lawrence Gilbert, a producer from Starlight Media.¡± Josh stood still with a straight back in front of Alexander¡¯s office table as he was slightly nervous. ¡°The recent reality show jointlyunched by Sunhill Hotel and Starlight Media has just released a video trailer. In a short time, it is already on the trending page, especially Shay and Tina¡¯s team. The fans love the interaction between them, so Starlight Media has the intention of grooming Tina as a young celebrity and signing a contract with her.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Alexander merely frowned and no one could tell whether he was happy or angry about it. ¡°Yes, the reason why Lawrence came is to discuss the n of aplete show with this series as the basis. He¡¯s nning to discuss this with the finance department. Apart from that, he would like to hire Miss Hunter at theirpany after he saw her capabilities. After all, this show was mooted by her.¡± When Alexander heard it, he tightened his grip on the pen and raised his head from the contract. ¡°Has she agreed?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about this.¡± Josh sounded slightly worried. Recently, it¡¯s been arduous to tell what the boss is thinking from his unstable mood. Alexander remained silent for a while before Josh carefully reminded, ¡°President Duncan, the meeting is about to start. A few representatives from the different branches have arrived.¡± Sunhill Hotel had a n to develop a series of youth hostels under their umbre, allowing them to be listed under the same category as the travel agency. Hence, Alexander had summoned all of the branch representatives from the Sunhill Hotel in Melrose City. As a result, Courtney was also there. He put his pen down and said in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The conference room was full of people and because she was the youngest, she sat in the corner. ¡°Initially, Sunhill Enterprise only focused on high-end hotels, so we have no experience inmonly priced products. Now that we have ns to develop a youth hotel franchise, we need to do a market research.¡± After someone pointed that out, Alexander, who had been quiet, started to speak. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s necessary to do market research, but the credibility of a market researchpany isn¡¯t excellent. Hence, I think it¡¯s unnecessary to hand this task to a market consultingpany. Every branch of the hotel should send a representative to personally carry out the market research.¡± As Courtney¡¯s focus was on taking notes, she waspletely oblivious that his gaze had fallen upon her. ¡°After the centennial celebration, your schedule seems to be free, Miss Hunter. Why don¡¯t you take charge of this?¡± As soon as she heard that, Courtney¡¯s expression changed as she lifted her head. ¡°Me? Market research?¡± One look at Alexander¡¯s serious gaze was enough to provide her with a definitive answer. ¡°Isn¡¯t there anyone else who can do this?¡± I still have to take care of Tina and send her to school on a daily basis. How can I be on a business trip for such a long time? Alexander merely looked at her coldly, even though he knew about her difficulties. ¡°Why? Do you have any problem with that, Miss Hunter? Don¡¯t you want to do this?¡± Ever since they returned from Maldives, she knew that her attitude toward him was terrible when they crossed paths a couple of times. I¡¯m afraid I have offended him. No matter how important my reason is, it will only give him an excuse to mock me. Hence, she gritted her teeth and agreed. ¡°No problem. I can do it.¡± After ncing at her, he saw how troubled she was and regretted his actions. Everyone left one after another when the meeting ended. Even though Courtney had left in a haste, she never expected to run into Alexander¡¯s butler, who held Jordan¡¯s hands, immediately after she walked out of the door. Jordan¡¯s face brightened as soon as he saw Courtney. He released his butler¡¯s hand and immediately pounced on her. After being stunned for a while, she quickly crouched. ¡°Jordan, why aren¡¯t you at the kindergarten today?¡± He merely hugged her without speaking another word and his silence was making her feel sorry for him. The butler then exined, ¡°Jordan hasn¡¯t been feeling well for the past two days. He has been coughing non-stop, so Mr. Duncan asked him to rest at home. Since he is feeling much better today, he can¡¯t stand being at home anymore and has been throwing tantrums about being outdoors. ¡°You have a cough?¡± Courtney touched his forehead instinctively. Feeling relieved that he was not running a temperature, she asked again. ¡°Are you still feeling unwell?¡± Jordan shook his head, but he looked upset, as if he was about to burst into tears in the next second. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who bullied you?¡± He nodded and took his drawing board from the butler before penning a word¡ª¡®daddy¡¯. She was confused. ¡°Daddy? He bullied you?¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. He wrote another sentence again¡ª¡®He doesn¡¯t allow me to see you.¡¯ As soon as Courtney saw the sentence, a lump formed in her throat as mixed feelings rose within her. Tears almost streamed down her face. ¡®I want to stay with you¡¯ was another sentence that Jordan wrote before he pulled her hands to show it to her. The more she spoke to him, the worse she felt. Alexander¡¯s displeased voice suddenly rang behind them. ¡°Jordan,e here.¡± Jordan immediately grabbed Courtney¡¯s pants by force. She lowered her head and sniffed to keep her tears at bay. ¡°Jordan, I still have to work, so I can¡¯t y with you anymore. Go to your dad. In the future, I¡¯ll try to find some time to apany you.¡± He still clung onto her pants with a stubborn look on his face. While ncing at the butler, Alexander asked, ¡°What are you doing? Bring him to the office.¡± With that, the butler had to pry Jordan¡¯s hands off from her pants and forcefully hold him in his arms. Worried that she would be unable to suppress her emotions, Courtney turned to leave. Jordan struggled in the butler¡¯s arms before he suddenly yelled in her direction. ¡°Mommy!¡± It was the first time that Courtney heard Jordan speak, so she immediately stopped and turned to look incredulously at the little fellow in the butler¡¯s arms. ¡°She¡¯s not your mommy!¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was like a bucket of cold water that doused the fire in her heart. In that instant, conflicted feelings arose within her. After ordering the butler to bring Jordan back to his office, Alexander walked toward her with an indifferent look on his face. The people who were watching the drama in the corridor were chased off by Josh, who had great eyesight, before silence fell on the entire area. ¡°President Duncan.¡± Courtney suddenly lowered her head and hid her shock from earlier. ¡°Courtney Hunter, what are you nning?¡± he asked. She frowned. ¡°President Duncan, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± The moment she said that, a force was suddenly exerted on her shoulders, causing her to exim as her feet staggered backward and her backnded on the wall beside her. Alexander had pressed on her and went closer to her ears to ask in a cold voice, ¡°You rejected me, but you are treating Jordan with a mother¡¯s love. Are you ying hard to get?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve thought too much into this.¡± She stopped moving, but the frown on her face almost made her eyebrows meet each other. ¡°I just think that Jordan is cute¡ªthat¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll believe such nonsense?¡± Alexander increased his force on her shoulders with a cold look on his face. ¡°If you are ying this game to show how important you are to Jordan and coerce me into thinking that you are the only suitable woman for me, let me tell you this¡ªyou have lost. I¡¯m never threatened by anyone.¡± Courtney felt that her shoulders were almost broken by his grip. With a face that was as pale as a sheet of paper, she said painfully, ¡°Really, you are thinking too much about this. I don¡¯t have any intentions to be with you. All I have is the respect of an employee to her boss. Please respect yourself, President Duncan.¡± The words ¡®respect yourself¡¯ reverberated in Alexander¡¯s mind. The anger that was already burning within him seemed to re up as her words added fuel to the fire, causing the mes to fiercely rage on. Even though he was initially cold toward her, his eyes were reddened by that point. Chapter 97 One Night Surprise Chapter 97 Chapter 97 You Guys Really Broke Up? ¡°What are you doing?¡± Courtney thought Alexander had released his grip on her. However, in that instant, she was dragged back into the conference room before she could even regain her bnce. The world spun around her as she was pushed onto the huge meeting desk. With a loud thud, vibrations throughout the entire structure were heard as the door was closed. Angered and humiliated, she raised her pale face while demanding, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Respect myself?¡± Alexander loosened his tie and pressed his hands down on her sides to pin her down on the conference table. With a darkened expression, he looked down at her as he spoke. ¡°Let me ask you this¡ªafter you sleep with men, do you treat it as if it was nothing and ask them to ¡®respect themselves¡¯?¡± For such a long time, am I the only one who cared about the ¡®ident¡¯ that night? Courtney turned her head around. With her face still pressed down to the table, she avoided his gaze as she only felt anger apart from the humiliation. ¡°If you care so much about what happened that night. I apologize for giving you the wrong idea. I have no feelings for you whatsoever, let alone wanting to y hard to get with you. So, let me go.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Alexander was angered to the point where he burst out inughter as his hands traced her waist. ¡°That¡¯s just great!¡± Goosebumps rose in each area that he touched Courtney as trepidation rose within her. ¡°What are you doing? Let me go!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mind, do you? In that case, if we do it one more time, what¡¯s there to worry about?¡± When she heard that, her mind seemed to have exploded and she started to struggle against his grip without even thinking about it. However, in front of Alexander, her strength was no match at all. Not only was he enraged by her words, but he also felt that she had trampled on his pride as a man. Throughout his entire life, it was the first time that he cared for a woman¡ªyet all he received from her was the ¡®wrong idea¡¯. This is a great humiliation for me. As cool air gushed over her, Courtney¡¯s eyes suddenly widened and she mustered the courage out of nowhere to escape from his grip to give him a p. The loud smack reverberated throughout the entire conference room. With that, Alexander immediately stopped his actions. In no time, a red, clear palm print slowly appeared on his cheek. ¡°*sshole!¡± Courtney quickly pushed him away and escaped. For a long time after she left, Alexander touched his cheek that slightly stung while pulling out a chair to sit. What am I doing? Have I gone crazy? After leaving Sunhill Enterprise, Courtney applied for a half-day leave from the hotel and locked herself at home. Even after she slept soundly for an entire afternoon, all she could think of was Alexander¡¯s crazy actions earlier that morning. Apart from anger, she realized that other emotions had been raging in her. If he didn¡¯t threaten me about the incident six years ago, perhaps¡­ She did not dare to continue thinking about that. After tapping her cheeks to force herself to forget about the incident, she continued to sleep until evening before waking up to pick Tina from the kindergarten. Meanwhile, Cameron was putting a mask on her face on the sofa, and she asked, ¡°Going to the Ancient City for a business trip? Who arranged this for you? Isn¡¯t Alexander courting you¡ªwhat is he doing?¡± Courtney avoided her gaze and continued to pack her bag while her head was lowered. ¡°It was arranged by thepany. Stop saying nonsense. I have no rtions with Alexander.¡± Standing right next to her luggage, Tina was quietly eating a lollipop. ¡°During this period, your godmother will take care of you. You have to listen to her, alright? If she¡¯ste in picking you up, just stay in the kindergarten. Can you do that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Tina nodded obediently. ¡°But Mommy, can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Did you really break up with Mr. Alexander?¡± As soon as she heard that, Courtney¡¯s expression immediately changed. ¡°What do you mean by breaking up? When have we dated each other?¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°You guys even moved in together! Isn¡¯t that considered dating?¡± Tina asked with widened eyes. ¡°Moved in together?¡± Cameron¡¯s mask was about to dry off. ¡°When did that happen?¡± ¡°When you were out for a business trip, Godmother!¡± Tina clearly remembered everything and said in an usatory tone. ¡°Mommy, if you don¡¯t like him, why did you stay with him? You¡¯re making me happy for nothing.¡± Courtney was speechless upon hearing that. ¡°Stop saying nonsense. That¡¯s because Shay attracted many reporters at your ce. I was over at his ce to avoid them, that¡¯s all.¡± Cameron still looked confused. It was after Courtney exined the entire situation that she forcefully nodded. ¡°Okay, even if you were there to avoid the reporters, I still believe that the destiny between you and Alexander is quite extraordinary indeed. See, six years ago¡ª¡± ¡°Excuse me!¡± Courtney quickly coughed to interrupt Cameron¡¯s sentence. It was only then that she realized that Tina was still around, so they could not speak about many things. ¡°Tina, you should head to bed soon. Quickly head to your room.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not nning to stay here either. Hmph!¡± Tina pouted. ¡°My wealthy daddy is gone¡ªjust like that. Even though he¡¯s close to being my daddy, I¡¯m not happy about this. Mommy, I¡¯m angry!¡± With that, she angrily stormed to her room. While looking at her leaving figure, Cameron shook her head. ¡°When do you n to tell her that her biological father is Alexander?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t thought it through.¡± ¡°She already likes him a lot without knowing the truth. If she discovers this in the future, what if she wants to follow him?¡± ¡°Impossible. I know my own daughter well.¡± ¡°You have all your priorities in the wrong ce, girl.¡± Cameron removed her facial mask. ¡°Is your brain made out of hay? You really never ced yourself in Alexander¡¯s shoes at all? He¡¯s the president of an enterprise, so he has no reason to treat you and Tina so well. It¡¯s obvious that he likes you! I even asked Gale about this. Alexander has already canceled his wedding with that celebrity. Isn¡¯t it all because of you?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s because of me, why would he send me to such a faraway ce for a business trip? I don¡¯t think I can ept his love.¡± ¡°Oh,e on!¡± Cameron pouted. ¡°Because of you, his marriage is ruined. Yet, you don¡¯t seem to care about him at all. If I were him, I would immediately fire you.¡± ¡°Whose side are you on, exactly?¡± ¡°Hmm? You asked the right question.¡± She suddenlyughed. ¡°Whose side indeed?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think that you are throwing a tantrum at Alexander? It¡¯s like you guys are a loving couple who just started fighting!¡± Courtney¡¯s expression froze for a few seconds before she denied it. ¡°Stop saying nonsense. It¡¯s nothing like that.¡± Cameron was toozy to argue with her about it. ¡°Fine, I can¡¯t say anything about love anyway. As long as you know what you are doing, that¡¯s enough. I¡¯m going to sleep soon. You should sleep earlier too!¡± After the door of the room was closed, Courtney was left in the living room alone. She sat on the mat and looked at the luggage she had been packing with a deep frown on her face. Late at night, in the minivan, Britney had just gotten off work after filming and her expression immediately changed after she heard what her assistant said. ¡°Only Louis¡¯ body? What about the detective?¡± ¡°He¡¯s gone. No one is able to look for him now.¡± ¡°Look for him quickly!¡± Britney paled. ¡°If he runs away and reports to the police, we will never see the end of this!¡± ¡°We are already looking for him! We¡¯ve searched everywhere nearby¡ªeven his little motel¡ªbut the employees said that he hasn¡¯t returned for two months.¡± She fell silent upon hearing that. Chapter 98 One Night Surprise Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Weird ¡°Does anyone else know about this?¡± After calming herself, Britney tightly clenched her fists. Her manager frowned while confidently replying, ¡°The people from the ck market always have their way in settling their scores. On top of that, they have killed the man and burned down his entire house, so they won¡¯t dare to say anything aloud. Only Benjamin knows about this and it is all their fault. They have already promised to fix this by finding him, but we are worried that we might not be quick enough.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Britney¡¯s face darkened. ¡°If the detective is safe, he might have already reported this to the police. However, since there is no news until now, something might have happened to him too. Remind them to look for nearby hospitals or homes.¡± The fire was huge, causing the nearby houses to be burned down as well. Apart from that, he was drugged and unconscious, so how could he have possibly made it out alive? With that logic, she slowly convinced herself and loosened her fists. Her palm was reddened due to her fingernails, which were dug in it. The next morning, Courtney started her journey to the first youth hostel n that she was about to research on¡ªit was at Oreus, which was around 200 kilometers away from Melrose City. The first Airbnb that she researched was called ¡®Hostel D¡¯Amour¡¯ as it was the first one in the rmended list online. ¡°The paperwork for your check-in is ready. Your room is the first one to your right on the second floor.¡± After they registered all her information, the receptionist handed Courtney¡¯s identity card back to her. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the way.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± The receptionist was a young girl who looked like she was younger than 20 years of age. Wearing a green T-shirt and a pair of shorts, her demeanor gave people the feeling of their youth once again. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Are you the only one taking care of this hostel? Can you manage it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the only one. Our boss went out some time ago, but he hasn¡¯t been back for two months.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney frowned in slight disappointment. The first thing to do in her market research was to look at the decoration of the entire ce and she noticed it as soon as she arrived¡ªit was better than what she had imagined. Hence, she was even more determined with her original n to ask the boss of the hostel to work for Sunhill Hotel so that he would be involved in the n to build a series of youth hostels. This is better than me umting experience over time. ¡°I see. When is your bossing back?¡± ¡°No idea. He¡¯s usually quite unpredictable and mysterious. This hotel is managed by our madam. Why? Do you have something to discuss with our boss?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Courtney smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just curious about the person who designed this unique hostel and I would like to meet him. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°In that case, it¡¯s the same if you talk to the madam. The entire design was done by her and our boss. In fact, many of the decorations are based on her ideas.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Her eyes lit up. ¡°This hostel is not managed by your boss, but her?¡± ¡°Yeah, this entire hostel is the product of her hard work .¡± After chatting with each other for a while, the receptionist went downstairs to serve other guests. Courtney was delighted to find out about that as it was usually much easier to convince women compared to men. In the evening, as the entire Oreus was enshrouded in the warm glow of sunset, a middle-aged woman was brewing tea with a y teapot in the corner of Hostel D¡¯Amour. Since her hair was tied up in a bun with a hair pin, it was difficult to determine her age. To be more precise, the range of her possible age was quite wide¡ªit would be believable if one imed that she was in her thirties or in her fifties. Courtney walked to her and initiated a conversation.¡°The tea smells delicious. Is it jasmine tea?¡± The woman lifted her head and kindly smiled. ¡°Indeed. Would you like to give it a try? It¡¯s going to be ready soon.¡± Courtney nodded and thanked her as she sat down. ¡°Are youfortable with your stay here?¡± she asked while she was still focused on brewing the tea. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s amazing here. I can see the rooftop of the entire ancient city. It¡¯s really beautiful.¡± ¡°Here, have some tea.¡± The woman passed a tea cup to her. After thanking her, Courtney took a sip of it¡ªit indeed left a strong fragrance in her mouth. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like you are here to travel,¡± the woman stated. Courtney¡¯s expression slightly froze. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°People who are traveling here won¡¯t be staying in their room all day like you.¡± Courtney smiled. ¡°Even though you don¡¯te downstairs, you seem to understand all the customers here. You are quite caring indeed, madam.¡± The woman merely smiled without saying another word. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about what I¡¯m doing here, madam?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not curious since curiosity kills the cat. There are too many stories that kill curious people, but if you are willing to tell me, I would dly listen.¡± Courtney was stunned for a moment as she had never met anyone like that woman, who seemed ethereal. After a moment of silence, she decided to tell her about herself. ¡°Let me introduce myself first ¡ªI¡¯m Courtney Hunter, a branch manager of Sunhill Hotel under the umbre of Sunhill Enterprise.¡± With that, she passed her business card over. As soon as the woman heard the words ¡®Sunhill Enterprise¡¯, her rxed demeanour suddenly tensed as she looked at Courtney in shock. ¡°Sunhill?¡± ¡°Yes, Sunhill.¡± Courtney heaved a sigh of relief. Even though Oreus was far and deserted, the madam seemed to know about Sunhill Enterprise. This definitely made my work easier. ¡°I heard that you were personally involved in the design and management of this hostel. Hence, I would like to ask whether you have the intention to work for our group, particrly managing a new business of a chain of hostels?¡± The woman frowned deeply as she looked at the business card while being deep in her thoughts. After a while, she asked, ¡°Whose arrangement is this¡ªasking me to work at the enterprise?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s a n from the proposal team. Our president signed it off himself.¡± ¡°Your president, Alexander Duncan?¡± ¡°Do you know President Duncan?¡± Courtney tentatively asked. Suddenly, she felt that the madam¡¯s reaction was rather peculiar. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him before.¡± The woman looked at her. ¡°A-Are you well-acquainted with your president?¡± Courtney froze again. What question is this? ¡°I-I guess so.¡± ¡°How is his health? I heard that he has a son. Is he married?¡± ¡°He has been fairly healthy. As for his son, yes, he does have a son, but he is not married yet. Soon, perhaps.¡± At the mention of Alexander¡¯s son, Courtney¡¯s face slightly darkened as her thoughts wandered elsewhere. ¡°Yeah? What about the old Master Duncan, Scott Duncan? Is he doing alright? Have you met him?¡± After Courtney returned to her senses, she was slightly confused. ¡°Madam, you seem to be quite concerned about President Duncan¡¯s family matters¡­¡± The woman had an unnatural expression on her face. ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m merely curious. After all, there are many rumors about their family. Even though I¡¯m old, I¡¯m still quite into gossip.¡± Is that so? Courtney felt even more confused. The first question I asked her was whether she was curious about my ns here. From her nonchnt reply, she doesn¡¯t seem to care even if the world is ending tomorrow. Yet she¡¯s saying that she¡¯s curious about the Duncan Family now? Weird. ¡°I heard that you sent Courtney on a business trip?¡± At the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home, Scott suddenly asked Alexander about Courtney when they had dinner together. Alexander froze as he was about to take the vegetables before shooting a nce at Jordan, who sat next to Scott. Jordan tightened his grip on Scott¡¯s clothes and looked at Alexander indignantly, as if to say, That¡¯s right. I told him! What can you do about it?. Chapter 99 One Night Surprise Chapter 99 Chapter 99 ident ¡°Grandpa, you even know about such a small matter in thepany now?¡± Alexander asked indifferently. ¡°Why? Can¡¯t I ask about it after handing thepany to you?¡± Scott¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Courtney has been doing well in thepany, yet you have arranged for her to head to a faraway ce toplete such a tedious task. You have a child yourself¡ªcan¡¯t you put yourself in her shoes?¡± Jordan nodded vehemently beside Scott. After shooting a nce at his son, Alexander still had a nonchnt look on his face. ¡°It was not my sole decision to send Courtney to do the market research¡ªit was agreed by everyone in the meeting. What I¡¯m curious about is¡ªwhen have you be close to her, grandpa?¡± Now that I think about it, Courtney is pretty incredible indeed¡ªinitially, she is able to make Jordan listen to everything she says and stay with her. Then, she is suddenly able to make grandpa speak up for her and asionally ask about her. Hmph. Yet she still pretends to be an innocent woman and ims that she has no ulterior motives in getting closer to me. Scott surmised, ¡°Courtney is a gooddy and Jordan likes her. I also think that if you were to be married, she would be the most suitable choice. I don¡¯t see any problem in getting to know my future granddaughter-inw.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never agreed to that.¡± Alexander¡¯s lukewarm voice rang like a bucket of cold water that doused the warm atmosphere of the family. ¡°There are many avable options if Jordan wants a mom. Courtney is not the only one. To be precise, I¡¯ve never considered her to be my future wife and I don¡¯t think a single mom with a kid has the right to marry into my family.¡± Upon hearing that, Jordan was angered to the point where his expression changed. Scott retorted with displeasure, ¡°What are you saying? Yes, Courtney has a kid, but I¡¯ve seen that girl¡ª she¡¯s obedient. If she does not have the right to marry you, what about those celebrities who are surrounded by gossip and scandals? Let me tell you this¡ªyou won¡¯t have any chance to marry Britney.¡± Alexander put his cutleries down and slowly wiped his mouth before saying coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve finished eating and I think Jordan doesn¡¯t want to follow me home today. So, I¡¯ll just stay here.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. While looking at Alexander¡¯s leaving figure, Scott did not utter another word. However, Jordan was tugging on Scott¡¯s sleeves, so thetter ced him on hisp and sighed in exasperation. ¡°Jordan, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not helping you, but your father is extremely stubborn. He¡¯s been like that since young¡ªthe more people try to force him to make a decision, the more he tries to oppose that.¡± Jordan pouted with an aggrieved look and almost burst into tears. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t cry! I¡¯m thinking of other ways now.¡± While trying to console the young child, Scott yelled out of the room, ¡°Harry, have you checked on the thing that I asked you to?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Harry quickly entered the dining area and stood straight while reporting respectfully, ¡°Miss Hunter has been sent to Oreus and she¡¯s staying at Hostel D¡¯Amour.¡± ¡°Oreus?¡± Scott frowned. ¡°Why does that ce¡­ sound so familiar?¡± After a moment of hesitation, Harry reminded him, ¡°It¡¯s because of madam¡­¡± Scott¡¯s expression froze for a moment before his frown deepened. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll meet,¡± he spoke carefully, as if it was a sensitive topic. ¡°Does Alex know about that ce?¡± ¡°Judging by the current situation, probably not. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have included this spot in the youth hostel n.¡± Scott slightly raised his head with a conflicted expression on his face. Courtneyy in the bed of the hostel as she nkly looked at the ceiling at night. When she asked about the madam of the hostel, thetter¡¯s reaction was rather peculiar, especially the mixture of guilt and care on her face when she mentioned Alexander¡¯s name. She doesn¡¯t look like someone who merely wanted to know gossip, but instead, she looked like she had known him for a long time and wanted to know more about him. Apart from that, Courtney found the madam to be a familiar face, but she could not remember where she had seen her. After thinking about it, sleep finally swept over her. No matter how big or small it was, she visited all the other hostels in Oreus after that day. However, Hostel D¡¯Amour was the one that gave her the most unforgettable experience and made her desire to stay there for the second time. Before she left, the madam did not look like she would agree to Courtney¡¯s request to hire her, so she gave up and checked out after packing her belongings. Then, Courtney nned to visit another ancient city¡ªEphyra, which was 300km away from her current location. Courtney was maneuvering the steering wheel moments after driving out of Oreus and setting the navigation on the remote country road. Suddenly, a ck figure stumbled onto the road, causing her to pale as she stepped on the brake. A shrill screeching sound ensued at once. Amidst the dust and sand, she broke out in cold sweat with trembling hands as she alighted from the car. A figurey in front of her, but the person was already unconscious. Courtney calmed herself down and crouched to inspect the person. She managed to make out that he looked like a homeless man in disheveled clothes¡ªhe was covered in dirt and blood oozed from his head. It was in that instant when she immediately called the ambnce. ¡°Hello, is this the hospital?¡± She heard the voice at the end replying to her. ¡°There is a car crash on the freeway at around 3 kilometers outside Oreus. Pleasee immediately.¡± After receiving the confirmation from the hospital, she waited for them to arrive. In the CEO¡¯s office at Sunhill Enterprise, Courtney¡¯s assistant, Addie, held a stack of documents in front of Alexander¡¯s desk. ¡°President Duncan, these are all the documents from the market research in Oreus. Miss Hunter has already categorized them and asked me to send them over.¡± Because of his nervousness, he was unable to speak coherently. Alexander merely nced at him coldly. ¡°Where is Miss Hunter? Why didn¡¯t she send it over herself?¡± ¡°There are some problems on her end. She encountered an ident on her way back, so she asked me to send the documents over first.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander¡¯s expression immediately changed as he stood up abruptly. ¡°ident? Is she alright?¡± Addie was also shocked upon seeing Alexander¡¯s reaction and stuttered, ¡°M-M-Miss Hunter is fine. It¡¯s just that she knocked into someone and that person is still undergoing an emergency operation at a hospital in Oreus. Hence, Miss Hunter asked me to head over to take the documents from her first.¡± Even though Alexander heaved a sigh of relief, he still looked solemn. ¡°Which hospital is that?¡± ¡°What?¡± As Addie had not regained hisposure, he was stunned for a second. When he saw Alexander¡¯s unfriendly face, he jumped and quickly revealed the hospital¡¯s name and address before tentatively asking. ¡°Are you going to the hospital, President Duncan?¡± Once again, Alexander merely shot a nce. ¡°Who told you that? Also, don¡¯t you think that you are asking many questions?¡± Addie had been frightened that his legs had softened since his biggest fear was Alexander¡¯s sudden decision to fire him. ¡°That¡¯s it. You can leave now.¡± Alexander impatiently waved him away, leaving him alone in the room. After a while, he was still uneasy. Would she bepletely fine after an ident? His thoughts were now in a mess. ¡°President Duncan, there¡¯s a document that needs your¡ª¡± Ten minutester, when Josh came into the room, Alexander was no longer there. Chapter 100 One Night Surprise Chapter 100 Chapter 100 Up to No Good ¡°Something cropped up at my end. I¡¯ll be back in the office tomorrow afternoon.¡± After exining himself, Alexander hung up and mmed his foot on the elerator to enter the highway. It was already evening and the distance from Melrose City to Oreus was around 200 kilometers. Without stopping on the way, he arrived at the hospital two hourster. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. After he reached the door of the ward, he heard Courtney¡¯s shrill scream. ¡°What are you doing? Let me go!¡± Without giving it a second thought, he opened the door and ran inside. On the bed, a man with bandages on his head circled his arms around her waist. Even though the bandages had covered his face, it was clear that the man was quite good-looking. After she struggled to be free from his embrace, he actually jumped out of the bed to catch her. Upon seeing that, Alexander¡¯s expression immediately changed. In a few steps, he stepped forward and caught the man¡¯s cor while using another hand to pin his arms to his back, making him scream in pain. ¡°Hey, let him go now. He just finished an operation. You can¡¯t do this to him.¡± Courtney anxiously stomped on the ground. ¡°Let him go!¡± Alexander frowned as he threw the man onto the bed and coldly replied, ¡°There¡¯s no pity in seeing such a rude person dying.¡± After the man heard Alexander¡¯s words, he jolted in fear and climbed back to the bed. Then, he pulled the nket over himself while only revealing a pair of eyes that darted around in anxiousness. The room only returned to silence after that. Courtney heaved a sigh of relief before looking at Alexander with mixed feelings. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°My employee has knocked someone over. I need toe over to take a look so that others won¡¯t generate rumors andments that couldn¡¯t be prevented in the future.¡± His reply was solid and firm; it even sounded slightly fierce. However, he was merely taking advantage of her inexperience in thepany¡ªsince she had not been working in Sunhill Hotel for long, she did not know that there was a special department in thepany to handle such matters. ¡°The police have already investigated it and I have a dashcam on my dashboard. It¡¯s true that he ran to the road all of a sudden, so I didn¡¯t have enough time to stop. However, I was also using my phone to navigate, so I have to bear some responsibility too. Hence¡­ Sorry.¡± Courtney thought he was there to me her. Alexander scowled and looked slightly impatient. ¡°What are you sorry for? I heard from your assistant that you knocked into a homeless man. Is it him?¡± The man on the bed looked clean and tall. Apart from the childish and naive vibe he radiated, he did not look like a homeless man after Alexander appraised him from top to bottom. Courtney was also slightly confused. ¡°But when I knocked into him, the clothes that he wore were indeed ragged, like he hadn¡¯t taken a shower for a long time. His entire body had a pungent smell. After examining him, the doctor announced that there was a blood clot in his head that seemed to have been there before the ident happened.¡± ¡°So, you knocked into a person who already has something wrong with his head.¡± Alexander summarized the entire situation with one straightforward sentence. ¡°What about his family? Were you able to contact them?¡± She shook her head. ¡°There are no contacts with him whatsoever.¡± ¡°After his injuries have healed, just send him to the temporary home for the homeless in the city.¡± In a few words, he decided the future of the ¡®homeless man¡¯. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the best way. After all, I¡¯m the one who knocked into him, so I have to figure out where he is from. What if his family is looking for him? Apart from that, there¡¯s something wrong with him and there¡¯s a possibility that it was caused by me.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Whatever.¡± Seeing that he was about to leave, Courtney chased after him. ¡°It¡¯s already sote. Where are you going?¡± The night has already fallen. He¡¯s not going back to Melrose City overnight, is he? Sure enough, he threw her a nce before answering in a displeased tone, ¡°I¡¯m going back since I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon. Do you think I¡¯m that free?¡± He had driven all the way just to check if she was fine¡ªand not to see her causing more troubles for herself. ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡± She frowned. ¡°The weather forecast says that there¡¯s a thunderstormter at night. I think you better stay the night and leave tomorrow morning.¡± Earlier in the morning, the meteorologist in Oreus announced that there would be a thunderstormter. Since there were many country roads on the route leading to Melrose City, chances of cars skidding off the slopes were high. It¡¯s better to avoid what-ifs. ¡°Where can I stay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not far from Oreus and the hostel I¡¯ve been staying at has a decent environment. Would you consider staying there?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Alexander agreed without any hesitation. After shooting her a nce, he added. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡± It¡¯s that easy to persuade him? After being stunned for a moment, Courtney quickly caught up to him. After both of them left the hospital, there was a p of thunder and in an instant, heavy rain fell from the sky. Itnded on the windscreen with such force that even the wipers could not dissipate them. He sat in her car as they made the slow drive to the city. Even though it was only a few kilometers, it took them around half an hour to arrive. ¡°Here it is.¡± Courtney closed the umbre and led Alexander to the hostel. Then, she asked the receptionist. ¡°Are there any more rooms? Please arrange a room for him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. All the rooms are fully booked, Miss Hunter.¡± The receptionist looked apologetic. ¡°Because of the heavy rain, a few tourists who were nning to leave have extended their stay for another night. I¡¯m afraid there aren¡¯t many hostels here with empty rooms.¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney froze on the spot. Now, this is awkward¡ªI¡¯m the one who dragged him here, yet there are no rooms left¡­ ¡°Miss Hunter, why don¡¯t you share a room with your boyfriend? The room that you are staying on the second floor is thergest room. There won¡¯t be any problem amodating another person inside.¡± The receptionist smiled meaningfully. ¡°He¡¯s not¡ª¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Before Courtney could deny anything, Alexander interrupted her. She looked at him with widened eyes. Just as she was about to say something, he suddenly pulled her to the second floor without saying another word. ¡°No, wait. What are you doing?¡± As soon as they reached the room, she pressed her hands on his hands as he closed the door before asking in a low voice. ¡°You are not nning to share a room with me, are you?¡± ¡°You were the one who asked me to stay the night,¡± he replied indignantly. ¡°Well, what I meant is for you to stay in a room alone. What are you up to by sharing a room with me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take the bed while you sleep on the couch.¡± Alexander ignored her and immediately walked into the room. After looking around, he sat on the bed. ¡°Why?¡± Courtney was unhappy to hear that. ¡°This is my room. Why do I have to sleep on the couch?¡± ¡°Well, you sleep on the bed then. I¡¯ll sleep on the couch.¡± ¡°This is much better.¡± As soon as she said that, Courtney could not help but want to p herself. Why am I so easily convinced by him? ¡°No, absolutely not. I¡¯ll find another ce for you to stay in.¡± ¡°What are you worried about?¡± Alexander looked at her with honesty. ¡°Are you afraid that I might do something to you? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not that desperate.¡± Upon hearing that, she was immediately annoyed. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®desperate¡¯? You are clearly up to no good. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you did to me during that night in Maldives.¡± Although she suffered from seasickness and a fever because of the rain, she felt the kiss that Alexander secretly gave her. She was merely pretending to be oblivious all along. With that, silence hung in the air. After a long time, he walked toward her. In a low voice that seemed to have been brightened by a spark in the dark night, he teased, ¡°So, what have I done to you that night?¡± Chapter 101 One Night Surprise Chapter 101 Chapter 101 What Have I Done? Courtney¡¯s entire face flushed red. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Tell me¡ªwhat have I done?¡± Alexander¡¯s calmposure did not change as he casually walked to her with a glint in his eyes. ¡°Otherwise, you can demonstrate it yourself. I don¡¯t mind.¡± A panicked Courtney did not watch where she was going and continued to stagger backward. Then, her legs bumped into something and caused her to lose her bnce. As she was falling backward, her hands reached out to grab the nearest thing that she could find. In an instant, she realized that she had grabbed Alexander¡¯s tie. When they fell together, she was already preparing herself to push him away. However, the thunder outside roared loudly. Amidst the thunder and lightning, everything became pitch ck after sizzling sounds were heard. Courtney let out a small scream and hid in the slightly cool embrace in front of her as she jolted. At that moment, amotion was stirring outside. ¡°Why is everything dark?¡± ¡°The electricity has been tripped?¡± The staff were trying to calm everyone down. ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t be afraid and wait inside your rooms. The main switch is down, but we are fixing it now. Everything will soon return to normal. Amidst the chaos, only Courtney¡¯s room waspletely silent¡ªthe door had blocked them from the commotion outside as silence filled the entire room. In fact, she could even hear Alexander¡¯s breathing in front of her. Meanwhile, he could smell the sweet perfume on her. Their hearts pounded loudly as their chests heaved with each other. It was dark and they were too close to each other forfort. As the air gradually became thinner between them, she could not help thinking about the kiss and forgot to push him away due to her thoughts being in a mess. ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me what I did to you that night.¡± A low voice rang beside her ear, but she was groggy, as if her soul had left her body. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What I did to you that night was way more restrained than now.¡± With that, his cool lips sealed her lips before she returned to her senses. ¡°Umm¡­¡± His gentle kisses fell on her lips and gently sucked on her sweetness. Then, he kissed her chin, neck and her shoulder that had been exposed some time ago, even though she did not know exactly when it happened. Courtney¡¯s blouse was in a disarray after Alexander opened the buttons one by one. The cool wind blew through the window, but none of them felt cold. Instead, a surge of heat flowed through them. She knew that she was awake, but her body was out of her control, as if she had been intoxicated with alcohol. As he grabbed the hem of her skirt and was about to lift it up, there was a flicker of light in the room. After a few sizzles, the entire room waspletely bright again. At that moment, Courtney quickly pushed him away as if she had returned to her senses. After looking at him for two seconds, she frantically ran away and locked herself in the bathroom. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Alexander fell back into the couch and resentfully looked at themp after she pushed him away, as if he was ming it for the interference. Then, he looked at the direction of the bathroom and recalled what had happened with a slight confusion in his eyes. Once again, he had confirmed that her body did not reject him at all andplimented him a lot instead. After locking herself into the bathroom, Courtney opened the tap. As the water flowed through the tap, she sshed it on her face and patted her cheeks to calm her raging heat. What happened to me earlier? Have I gone crazy? I almost did it with him again! At that moment, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Sir, because there were some problems with the electricity just now, the madam of this hostel is cooking some dumplings as an apology. She would like to invite everyone for a round of supper downstairs.¡± ¡°Alright. Got it.¡± Courtney heard the conversation between Alexander and the young receptionist. She stood in the bathroom and nkly looked at the door. In no time, he indeed knocked on the bathroom door. ¡°Just now¡ª¡± ¡°I heard that.¡± She quickly interrupted him. ¡°You can go ahead. I¡¯ll join youter.¡± The movements outside immediately stopped. She wondered whether it was her illusion, but she seemed to have heard him chuckling to himself. After taking 10 minutes to mentally prepare herself, she opened the bathroom door and walked outside. He did not wait for her. It seemed that he had gone downstairs for supper. After she tidied the pillows and the couch, she thought, Seeing the rain today, it¡¯s impossible to look for another ce to stay. I¡¯m afraid we have to settle with what we have right now. At that moment, it was quite lively on the ground floor of the hostel with the tourists around. They were in groups of three or five¡ªsome yed Among Us and other card games while others yed guitars and sang. Alexander was the odd one out¡ªhe sat in the corner and read the finance newspaper of the day with a pen in his hands while writing on it. After taking a deep breath, Courtney sat opposite him and avoided bringing up what had happened earlier before feigning to ask lightheartedly, ¡°You¡¯re already off work, yet you are still so serious? Reading the finance news?¡± He raised his head and looked at her indifferently. ¡°You must have thought that I¡¯m someone who doesn¡¯t have fun, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡®Well, do you?¡± She highly doubted that. Alexander ced the newspaper on the table and nudged it toward her. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have fun; it¡¯s just that my entertainment requires me to use my brains, aspared to what you usually y with.¡± The newspaper showed a sudoku section that was already filled out. So, he was writing in the newspaper earlier because he¡¯s ying this. Courtney smiled¡ªshe did not mind about the earlier incident after being taunted by him. ¡°It¡¯s just a brain teaser, yet you described it as if it¡¯s the greatest game ever. We also need to use intelligence while ying Among Us and other card games, okay?¡± Since they are all games, there¡¯s no need to rank them. However, Alexander disagreed. ¡°Is that so? If three people are ying a deck of cards and don¡¯t consider memorizing the card sequence while shuffling it, you can already guess what cards the other two are holding when you get yours. To me, such games don¡¯t require any brain power at all.¡± ¡°You memorize the cards?¡± Courtney asked doubtfully. ¡°I heard that there are people who could guess what cards the other people have. However, I have never heard of anyone who could correctly guess what cards the other people are holding right after they have received their cards. This is impossible.¡± Before anyone starts ying, how can anyone correctly guess the cards that the other yers are holding? ¡°Well, I¡¯m not forcing you to believe me anyway.¡± Alexander arched his eyebrows, looking down at her as though he had won. Upon seeing his demeanour, Courtney felt rather annoyed. Hence, she looked around and found that two girls at the neighboring table kept throwing secret nces at Alexander. Then, her eyes brightened. ¡°Is it just the both of you? Would you like to y some card games?¡± Shocked that they were noticed, both girls blushed and nodded. Then, Courtney nced at Alexander before challenging him. ¡°It¡¯s nothing if it¡¯s all words. Prove it, President Duncan. I¡¯m curious.¡± He did not reject her request. As a result, they joined both tables and took a deck of cards from the reception. After they teamed up, it so happened that she was his opponent. After they shuffled the cards, she almostughed out loud after looking at the cards she had. If I am able to get rid of a single card, I will definitely win this round since the card has a bigger value. Chapter 102 One Night Surprise Chapter 102 Chapter 102 I Have a Group Picture After ying a few rounds of cards, Courtney¡¯s rade¡¯, who sat across from her, quickly understood what she meant. ¡°A two.¡± Courtney¡¯s gaze brightened as she was eager to make a move with the only card she had in her hand. A deep and rumbling voice spoke, ¡°King.¡± Alexander appeared calm when he looked at her. ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡± While suppressing the uneasy feeling that she had, she smiled before answering tersely, ¡°No.¡± He used a King to suppress a two; he obviously knows the cards I¡¯m ying! He is doing this deliberately! Later, the situation continued for a few rounds and she was unable to y a single card despite having a good hand¡ªas a result of him intercepting all the cards that she had. ¡°Yay! We won again! Sir, you are awesome. The young woman, who partnered with Alexander, looked about 18 to 19 years old and she seemed like a university student. She sounded especially eager while addressing him as ¡®Sir¡¯. On the other hand, although the other young woman was partnered with Courtney, the former swiftly shifted her focus on him. In fact, they were only serious during the first game because in the seeding rounds, the two young women took turns to learn more about his age and work. Both of them were beating around the bush to invade his privacy by acting cute. Courtney was rendered speechless as she watched the girls after a few rounds. Then, she tossed her cards while announcing, ¡°Forget it; I¡¯m not ying anymore.¡± The two young women were more than happy to stop ying and they immediately surrounded Alexander to press him about further private matters. ¡°Sir, you are already 31 years old. Are you married?¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney felt her heart sinking and she felt upset. I am right here. Haven¡¯t these two young women ever considered the possibility that I might be his girlfriend or wife? Are they deliberately ignoring me? Nevertheless, she could not help but pay attention to his response despite her frustration. He leaned against the back of his seat before he calmly answered them, ¡°My son is 5 years old this year.¡± The two young women were stunned into silence when they heard that. Initially, Courtney thought that they would stop pestering Alexander after learning that he has a child. Unfortunately, it seemed like they werepletely unfazed; instead, their eyes shone brightly, and they pulled their stools to sit closer toward him. ¡°You already have a child! Sir, do you have a photo?¡± ¡°Sir, you are handsome, so I¡¯m sure your son must be adorable too.¡± Courtney clenched her fists, but after a few seconds, she took her phone out of her pocket. ¡°His photos are with me. Let me show it to you.¡± Their expressions slightly changed and one of them immediately asked, ¡°Miss, isn¡¯t he your employer? Why would you have a picture of his son?¡± Courtney raised her brow at the young woman. ¡°Is it a rule that an employee isn¡¯t allowed to have a picture of her boss¡¯ son? Not only do I have a picture of his son, I even have a group picture of us at Maldives as well.¡± The two young women were dumbstruck when they saw the photo. ¡°Oh, you are both a couple!¡± One of them chuckled as shemented, ¡°I assumed that he¡¯s your employer since you addressed him as President Duncan.¡± From the corner of her eyes, Courtney caught a glimpse of Alexander¡¯s rxed expression as if he was merely an onlooker. He weighed his options before he swiftly asked, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose that you two have graduated from university, have you?¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Both girls nodded in response. ¡°You¡¯ll understand more after graduating from university. Working in reality is much moreplicated than studying. Things aren¡¯t usually what they seem because oftentimes, superficial status might not reflect somebody¡¯s true identity.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Courtney shot them a long and thoughtful look. ¡°We are not a couple at all.¡± The two young women exchanged nces. After a pause, they seemed to have realized what she meant because they immediately dragged their stools away. The sound of the rain continued to stter against the windows. The group around them was still boisterous¡ªAlexander continued to stare at Courtney with a mysterious expression. In fact, it was impossible to tell what he was feeling at that moment. She tilted her head while exining, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to stop your luck with thedies. It¡¯s just that I feel these two young women are underage. They can¡¯t possibly be suited as Jordan¡¯s stepmother, can they?¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze darkened before he teased, ¡°So, are you the one making up the unwritten rules within the office?¡± There is clearly a double meaning in what she has said. Even a fool is able to tell that she is deliberately indicating something else. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything. Well, I was merely warning them that society is a ruthless and dangerous ce. It¡¯s not like I was referring to myself.¡± Courtney seemed calm when she further exined herself. ¡°Besides, President Duncan, you are a principled and honorable person. With your genuine and ethical ways, you don¡¯t have to worry about others misunderstanding you.¡± Alexander kept quiet for the longest time. ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡± She was feeling uneasy because he was staring at her. In fact, she was regretting her decision to spew nonsense earlier. ¡°Courtney?¡± He suddenly straightened his sitting posture while he ced his hands on the table and inteced his fingers. Then, he slightly leaned forward as his exquisite face came into a muchrger view. She was astounded by his actions and she immediately asked, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Have we met before you started work?¡± The hot, pumping blood that initially flowed within Courtney¡¯s veins gradually cooled down when she heard Alexander¡¯s words. The impulses in her mindpletely vanished and were reced by the constant echo of his question as it impacted every nerve of hers. ¡°Why are you asking that?¡± She forced herself to appear bewildered. ¡°Have you met me before?¡± Alexander was stumped and he leaned back against the chair. ¡°I¡¯m not sure since I can¡¯t recall.¡± Maybe I am overthinking this. Even if I had seen her in the past, I should not have such a familiar feeling around her. There are only a handful of women close to me, after all. The staff enthusiastically eximed, ¡°The dumpling soup is here!¡± Her voice rang loud amidst the noisy and lively atmosphere and it was soon before each table was served with bowls of dumpling soup at the rest area. ¡°Our madam personally wraps each dumpling by hand. I apologize for the sudden electrical fault earlier.¡± The staff was especially quick and smart. Nobody in the crowd seemed to be displeased, but she apologized while she served free bowls of dumpling soup to every table. The customers appeared satisfied and happy. Courtney had a taste of the dumpling soup and she nced at Alexander. ¡°I suppose with this bowl of dumpling soup, there¡¯s no doubt that this particr Ancient City Homestay earns the first ce.¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s that delicious?¡± Alexander did not sound convinced, but tried a spoonful and he gradually frowned. ¡°How is it?¡± Courtney asked without being aware of the change in his expression. ¡°The madam conducted all the renovation in this ce. Previously, I chatted with her and she even asked about you. For someone who ims that she has heard a lot about you, she seems pretty concerned about you despite not knowing who you are.¡± Upon hearing that, he had an intimidating expression when he reached out to grab the staff, who was about to leave, after she served the bowls of dumpling soup. ¡°What is your madam¡¯s name?¡± The staff was frightened by his words. ¡°What happened?¡± Simultaneously, there was a loud ng from the kitchen. The sound of ceramic bowls crashing onto the ground was especially loud, and it interrupted the rowdiness within the rest area. Courtney turned, but she only caught sight of the madam turning in a hurry as thetter rushed into the kitchen. There was a bowl of spilled dumpling soup by the kitchen door while the ceramic bowl was smashed into pieces, causing the soup and dumpling to scatter across the floor. Nevertheless, the madam left without saying a word and she left the mess behind her. Courtney had wondered what was happening when the chair opposite her made a scratching noise due to the friction. She looked up at Alexander in bewilderment since he abruptly stood up to leave the table. He had a frosty expression when he headed upstairs. What happened? We were merely enjoying a bowl of dumpling soup. Did I say something by mistake? Why¡­ She seemed to have realized something after linking what she had said earlier to the madam¡¯s hasty reaction by the kitchen door as thetter turned. Chapter 103 One Night Surprise Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Has He Mentioned Me? The lights were not switched on in the room. After Courtney opened the door, she could only identify a figure sitting on the couch with a ray of light peeking through the crack of the door. Alexander had a long cigarette between his fingers, which brightly burned each time he inhaled the nicotine. The cigarette smoke faded in the dark as soon as it was formed. After a moment of hesitation, she closed the door before making her way to the couch. ¡°Why did you suddenly stop eating? Is the dumpling soup not up to your liking?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he answered simply and brushed away Courtney¡¯s question with a simple grunt. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Courtney lightly waved her arm in an attempt to disperse the cigarette smoke as she had ended up choking on the smoke despite holding her breath. Alexander was stunned when he saw that, causing his movements to freeze mid-air for a few seconds. Then, he stubbed his cigarette butt in the ashtray. After getting up from the couch, he went over to open the windows to allow the chilly air to circte the room. They could hear the sound of rain sttering while the suffocating atmosphere started to gradually disperse. ¡°We will leave first thing in the morning tomorrow. As for the fellow whom you crashed into, arrange for a hospital transfer. We will return to Melrose City together tomorrow.¡± His voice sounded gloomy amidst the noisy rain. Nevertheless, Courtney let out a sigh of relief while nodding her head. She suddenly realized that his back was facing her and he could not possibly notice her response. Hence, she answered after a while, ¡°Okay, sure. After all, I¡¯vepleted my work here. Our return would not have been dyed if there was no warning for the rainstorm.¡± Alexander went into the bathroom after nodding in response. Soon, Courtney heard the water being sshed from there. She stood rooted in the room for a while before walking out and she headed downstairs after closing the door behind her. Most of the guests there had returned to their rooms in groups, causing the rest area to be quiet again. On the other hand, the staff was in the midst of tidying the table when she saw Courtney walking down the stairs. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you and your boyfriend have your dumpling soup? Is it not up to your liking?¡± she asked. Courtney shook her head hastily, but she did not rify her rtionship with Alexander either. Instead, she shifted the focus of the topic by responding, He isn¡¯t feeling well, which is why he went back to the room for some rest. My apologies.¡± ¡°Hey, why are you apologizing for that? No worries at all. Did he catch a cold after today¡¯s heavy rain? We have some medication for flu at the counter.¡± ¡°No worries.¡± Courtney smiled faintly. ¡°I¡¯d like to borrow your kitchen to cook a bowl of noodles. Is that alright?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The staff was dumbfounded and she seemed embarrassed. ¡°Sure,¡± a gentle voice answered Courtney from the kitchen. Courtney turned to see the madam wearing a in cotton dress. The madam lifted up the tie-dyed curtain at the kitchen entrance before a trace of elusive friendliness shed through her cold and distant gaze. ¡°In that case, thanks a lot.¡± Courtney followed the madam into the kitchen after thanking her. The madam was in her fifties, but her gaze was clear, which made her seem innocent and docile. Previously, Courtney thought that she seemed especially familiar, but it was difficult to connect the dots with regards to his rtionship with the madam after his earlier reaction. When he was 13 years old, his father passed away and his mother left the Duncan Family. It became an ugly incident. Although Alexander has not openly talked about it, I¡¯ve heard rumors about it. The woman in front of me has an elegant temperament and she doesn¡¯t seem like the kind of promiscuous woman described in the scandalous rumors. The madam¡¯s voice interrupted Courtney¡¯s train of thoughts. ¡°What do you need?¡± Upon hearing the question, Courtney snapped back to reality. ¡°I just need to cook a bowl of noodles. Do you have any flour? I¡¯ll knead them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡± Courtney hastily rejected, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Upon noticing the disappointment in the madam¡¯s gaze, Courtney frowned slightly. ¡°Madam, please do not misunderstand¡ª¡± ¡°I understand what you mean.¡± The Madam gave a self-deprecating chuckle as she removed her hands from the bag of flour. ¡°You must be worried that he¡¯s unwilling to eat the food that I prepared.¡± An embarrassed Courtney pressed her lips together. After all, it is a family issue and I can¡¯t be asking too many questions. In all honesty, I don¡¯t think I should know a lot either way. ¡°I just wanted to do it myself because I did not want to trouble you since I¡¯m free.¡± She had phrased it in such a nice manner that it relieved the madam¡¯s uneasiness. ¡°In that case, help yourself. Just let me know if and when you need help.¡± The madam turned to leave after saying that. ¡°Madam,¡± Courtney called for her. ¡°If you are free, can you please teach me how you usually prepare your noodles?¡± The madam was astounded, but she seemed to have realized something because she nodded in delight. Then, she pulled a chair over to sit beside Courtney. Courtney started to roll the dough while the madam gave her detailed instructions, like when to add water into the dough and such. Soon, the dough took its shape and Courtney kneaded it into long strands. After that, she cut them and stretched them into thin, long strands. Next, she poured some hot water into the pot¡ª The Madam gazed at Courtney. ¡°I knew earlier that you were a staff member from Sunhill Enterprise, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be so close to him.¡± It goes without saying who this ¡®him¡¯ she is referring to. ¡°In the beginning, I thought that you were merely asking about him out of curiosity.¡± The madam was stunned into silence when she heard that, but she suddenly asked, ¡°Has he asked you about me?¡± ¡°Madam, what are you referring to?¡± Courtney did not answer. President Duncan wouldn¡¯t hate his biological mother without a valid reason. It¡¯s best that I don¡¯tment too much since I¡¯m an outsider. ¡°Please stop addressing me as madam.¡± The madam regarded Courtney. ¡°My name is Fiona Duncan. Feel free to address me as Miss Duncan.¡± Courtney felt slightly confused. ¡°Is Duncan yourst name?¡± The madam looked rather surprised. ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone tell you that?¡± Courtney seriously shook her head while giving it a careful thought. Madam is Alexander¡¯s mother, but it should not be strange for herst name to be Duncan too. The madam seemed to have realized something because she gave a self-depreciating chuckle. ¡°Well, it makes sense, I guess, since I left many years ago. Why would anyone talk about me for no reason?¡± She looked up at Courtney¡ªher gaze was as clear as a youthful teenage girl and her tone was calm. ¡°I am the adoptive daughter of the Duncan Family. In fact, I got married before I graduated university. It has been many years and I am sure Dad has never mentioned this to you. By the way, is Dad keeping well?¡± Courtney hesitated for a moment before she realized with a start that the madam was referring to Scott as her ¡®dad¡¯. ¡°I¡¯ve only met Old Master Duncan once, but he is still fit and healthy. In any case, madam, I think you have misunderstood the whole situation. Actually, President Duncan and I¡ª¡± However, when her words were half-spoken, Courtney realized that she was about to rify their rtionship. In any case, at this point, it will seem even stranger that we are sharing a room, especially in front of Alexander¡¯s biological mother. However, she stopped herself from revealing the truth. ¡°In all honesty, I haven¡¯t been with him for too long. Hence, I¡¯m not quite sure about the things that you are asking me.¡± After hearing that, the madam no longer looked suspicious. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Courtney nodded sheepishly while avoiding the madam¡¯s gaze. Instead, she continued to fish the noodles from the pot. ¡°The noodles are almost ready. Thank you for lending me the kitchen.¡± ¡°No worries. I should be the one thanking you.¡± She is obviously treating me as Alexander¡¯s girlfriend at this point. Courtney suddenly felt goosebumps all over her body. ¡°Would it be possible for you to give me your contact details?¡± Madam persisted. Chapter 104 One Night Surprise Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Why Did You Lie Earlier? Courtney felt like she could not say no, so she offered her verified Messenger contact. It was only after that the madam finally broke into a satisfied grin and she looked so happy that she seemed like a child. I can¡¯t imagine a woman like her possibly swindling the Duncans¡¯ assets as described in the rumors. The gossip even mentioned that she cheated and snatched another man. A trace of suspicion shed through Courtney¡¯s eyes, but she hid her curiosity well. ¡°Well, I should leave now.¡± After serving the noodles from the pot, Courtney poured some sauce over it. She nodded at the madam politely before leaving to head upstairs. Just when she ced the bowl of noodles on the table, Alexander walked out of the bathroom. He was wearing a bathrobe and his hair was still dripping wet from his shower. Droplets of water rolled down his neck while the bathroom door was covered with sshes of water. She felt her throat automatically tightening and it took her a while to snap back to her senses. Then, she coughed dryly. ¡°Well, you should have some of the noodles that I¡¯ve just prepared in the borrowed kitchen.¡± He looked at her before ncing at the bowl of noodles. Finally, he nodded lightly. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Courtney felt a wave of heat wafting toward her when Alexander sat on the couch. She felt almost completely shrouded within his heat¡ªshe felt ufortable, so she moved slightly to the side. The room was silent, save for the sound of him eating the noodles. It was not loud, especially since it was pouring outside. Nevertheless, the sound of him eating warmed her heart. Without realizing it, she had been holding her breath all this while and lowered her head to gradually sigh after confirming that his attention was not on her. ¡°You should sleep on the bed tonight,¡± he suddenly mentioned. She was stunned to hear that because she thought that it sounded too good to be true. Her eyes shone brightly. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± There was a hint of teasing in his deep voice, as though he had long forgotten about the unpleasantness from before. Apart from feeling delighted, she secretly felt that the effort she put into the bowl of noodles was worth it because it was in exchange for the chance of having a good night¡¯s sleep. It seemed that she had conveniently forgotten that she should be the one sleeping on the bed. Alexander felt rather helpless when he noticed how pleasantly surprised Courtney was. Did she truly think that I would actually allow a woman to sleep on the couch? The atmosphere rxed significantly where Courtney was happy and attentive. ¡°In that case, let me prepare the couch for you because Iy there earlier. The length of the couch is fine. In fact, it¡¯s even morefortable than the bed!¡± Seeing that she was showing off even after getting what she wanted, Alexander red. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep on thefortable couch then?¡± ¡°Please, no!¡± She immediately rejected him, but she was smiling happily. ¡°I think I should sleep on the bed. After all, men should act like gentlemen, don¡¯t you agree?¡± With that, she made her way to the bed and she stretchedzily while walking forward. He questioned from behind her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you having a shower first?¡± Courtney came to a sudden halt in her footsteps and she could feel the air stiffen around her. After a pause, she forced a reply while keeping her back facing him. ¡°I am having a shower. Of course, I¡¯m having a shower. I¡¯m just fetching my clothes.¡± Initially, I was nning not to have a shower because I don¡¯t want to create more trouble. However, it¡¯s obvious that Alexander is deliberately doing this. He would most probably assume that I¡¯m a slob if I refuse to shower. The sound of flowing water in the bathroom was a stark contrast to the strong wind outside the window. One was flowing steadily whereas the other was swift. The former was gradual while thetter was intense. The shower was warm, but the wind was chilly. Thanks to the extremeparisons, the lighting within the room seemed especially gentle. After taking his time to slowly finish his noodles, Alexander lifted the nket from the couch before lying on the couch. The bathroom door opened gradually agester when Courtney snuck out like a thief because her clothes had long sleeves and long pants. She let out a sigh of relief when she finally saw the figure which was fast asleep on the couch. Well, you just can¡¯t be extremely cautious. I can¡¯t seem to decipher Alexander¡¯s train of thoughts despite knowing him for such a long time. Besides, I can¡¯t be sure whether this man might unleash his animalistic side. After getting in bed, she dimmed the bedsidemp before the room soon felt especially quiet. The stormsted throughout the night, but it was a sunny day the next morning when they woke up. Courtney packed her backpack before heading toward the front desk to check out of the room. She nced out of the door just as she was going through the procedure before she saw Alexander through the car window¡ªhis hands were on the steering wheel and he was staring ahead. He went to the car first thing after going downstairs earlier that morning. It seemed like he did not want to spend an extra second in the hostel. ¡°Please keep your ID card well.¡± The staff handed Courtney her ID card. ¡°Hang on,¡± the madam called out for Courtney just as thetter was about to leave. The madam briskly walked over from the kitchen while holding onto a Japanese-style bento box, which was wrapped up with a tie-dyed blue cloth. She handed it to Courtney with anticipation. ¡°You guys haven¡¯t had your breakfast. Please have this during your journey because there¡¯s another 200 kilometers to Melrose City.¡± Courtney hesitated because she knew that the madam meant more than that. Somehow, after taking in the madam¡¯s sincerity and her gaze that seemed like she was half-pleading, Courtney epted the bento. The road conditions were fine because the storm did not cause andslide. Therefore, it was indeed a pleasant and smooth journey. The car entered the highway soon after leaving the town. Then, they stopped at a service area since Alexander needed to use the washroom. When he returned, he saw Courtney opening a clothed package at the front passenger seat¡ªthere was a bento inside with egg rolls, sliced steak and rice topped with sauce. It looked exceptionally delicious. He nced at the food. ¡°When did you buy the food?¡± ¡°This morning in the Ancient City, of course! There was a specialized shop selling these bento¡¯s. Would you like to have a try?¡± Courtney picked up a piece of steak with the chopsticks to offer him a bite and she looked at him in anticipation. Alexander slightly scowled because he had guessed where the bento was truly from. However, he opened his mouth reflexively since she had directly served him the food. She took the chance to feed the steak to him. ¡°Isn¡¯t it delicious?¡± He swallowed after chewing a few times and he answered her indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s so-so.¡± ¡°What do you mean that it¡¯s so-so? This is delicious!¡± Courtney also tried a piece of steak. ¡°The standard is simr to that of a chef in Sunhill Hotel! I¡¯m sure it has the potential to be a popr western restaurant, if it¡¯s given the chance.¡± ¡°She started off with a western restaurant. What¡¯s so amazing about that?¡± Alexander suddenly commented, but his expression stiffened the moment he said that. Courtney nced at him and she asked in awkwardness, ¡°Do you know who made this?¡± Alexander ignored her and he started the car instead. Hisment echoed in the car, ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice the fast-food brand on the box? In fact, it is an internationally famous brand.¡± It was only then when Courtney realized the logo printed across the bento box. True enough, it was a well-known brand. She could not help but sigh in silence, but she was trying to read in between the lines after listening to hisments. Alexander obviously knew who prepared the bento, but he ate it anyway. I think it means that he can¡¯t absolutely hates his mother, doesn¡¯t it? ¡°Madam was just being kind and it is actually very delicious,¡± she quietly mumbled. Alexander nced at her while asking her stoically, ¡°If you truly stand behind that reason of yours, why did you lie earlier?¡± ¡±Well, it¡¯s all thanks to youining about her dumpling soupst night and you were so upset. If I were to mention that the madam prepared this, I doubt you¡¯d even give it a second look.¡± Courtney pursed her lips together and she looked especially sheepish. I feel like giving myself a p after saying that. Chapter 105 One Night Surprise Chapter 105 Chapter 105 There Is Something Wrong With His Brain Alexander had a nk expression whereas his fingers tightened around the steering wheel. Then, he stated calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t be such a busybody in the future.¡± From Courtney¡¯s perspective, she could still tell that he was suppressing his unhappiness. After two and a half hourster, they finally arrived at the city center of Melrose City. As he had a meeting in the afternoon, he drove her to the hospital entrance after giving his assistant, Josh, a ring while they were on their way. Josh was already waiting for them for some time by the time they arrived. ¡°President Duncan, Miss Hunter,¡± Josh greeted Alexander and Courtney while standing in front of the car and started talking about the patient who was transferred. ¡°The patient from Oreus has been arranged for admission here. However, he wasn¡¯t very cooperative when the hospital suggested treatment outside of the hospital. In fact, he was causing amotion during the transfer and he had to be sedated for us to send him over. Therefore, it¡¯s best for you to be careful when you meet him later, Miss Hunter.¡± She frowned instinctively. ¡°Is that so? He was rather normal when I was around.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander stared at her pointedly while asking in an unhappy tone, ¡°Do you have a different understanding of the word ¡®normal¡¯?¡± I saw that fellow holding her tightly when I arrived at the ward yesterday. Is that considered normal behavior? ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You need to be more careful.¡± He frowned deeper when he saw her confused expression. After checking the time, he advised her again before getting back into the car. ¡°Call if somethinges up.¡± Courtney had a mixture of feelings while she watched the back of the car disappear out of the hospital entrance. It seems like I¡¯ve witnessed a different side of Alexander afterst night. When she arrived at the hospital room, she saw the doctor and nurses in a state of chaos. Different kinds of medical equipment were scattered across the ground whereas a few people surrounded the bed as they tried to capture the youth in the middle. In fact, they looked like they were ying a game of tag. ¡°Quick over there! Over there!¡± ¡°Block the door! Don¡¯t let him get out.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt him because he has a wound across his head.¡± ¡°Oh, my God¡­¡± Courtney was at a loss for words when she opened the door. Her expression drastically changed when she caught sight of the scene in front of her. ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± The trapped youth broke free from the middle of the crowd like a mad person the moment he caught sight of her. He then hid behind her while trembling uncontrobly. ¡°Hey, grab him¡­¡± ¡°Who are you grabbing?¡± Courtney red at the intern leading the group. She saw the phone and selfie-stick on the ground from the corner of her eyes and she guessed what happened after putting the two and two together. ¡°There is something wrong with his brain. Didn¡¯t anyone inform you during the hospital transfer? What is wrong with you guys?¡± she asked unhappily. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. He suddenly started crashing everything after waking up while insisting on leaving. We are afraid that he might get into trouble once he leaves!¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have started to destroy things if you guys hadn¡¯t touched him. There is something wrong with his brain, but he isn¡¯t having mental issues.¡± Courtney could have been a youngdy, but she had a palpable aura and force. The young doctor and nurses did not dare to utter a word after her assertive announcement and everybody looked like they were at their wits¡¯ end. Soon, the chief physician and head nurse came rushing over after learning about the incident. Courtney reassured the youth in the room first beforeing out of the ward. The head nurse apologized profusely and borated that they had discovered the truth when Courtney came out of the room. ¡°The new trainee nurse made a mistake. She insisted that the transferred patient looks like her schoolmate. That is why she used a selfie-stick to grab a photo with him, which is how it all started. We¡¯d like to apologize for that.¡± ¡°He looks like her schoolmate, did you say?¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes shone brightly. ¡°Which nurse is that?¡± ¡°Miss Hunter.¡± The head nurse looked especially nervous. ¡°That nurse has recently arrived for her training and I know it¡¯s my fault that I haven¡¯t trained her well. Please speak with me if you are unsatisfied with anything. After all, the girl is still young and she hasn¡¯t even graduated.¡± After hearing that, Courtney realized that the head nurse had misunderstood her. It took Courtney quite a while to exin that the patient had a concussion to his brain, so he most probably suffered from temporary amnesia. She was helping him to look for his family, which was why she wanted to ask the nurse since thetter imed that he looked like a schoolmate. The head nurse finally significantly rxed and she immediately summoned the trainee nurse who caused the ruckus over. The nurse appeared to be barely 18 to 19 years old. She could have been shocked by Courtney¡¯s forceful aura earlier because she seemed especially anxious when she saw thetter. ¡°Miss Hunter, I heard that you were looking for me. What did you want to ask me about? I honestly did not hit him. On the contrary, I just wanted to take a photo with him.¡± ¡°Let me ask you this¡ªdo you know him?¡± Courtney stared at the young girl in front of her while wearing a serious expression. ¡°Huh?¡± The young girl was clearly confused as she was stunned for a few seconds. ¡°Isn¡¯t he your friend? Why are you asking me¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with his brain because he was in an ident earlier. I¡¯m not sure if he has temporary amnesia due to the car crash, but you mentioned that he looked like your former schoolmate. Can you tell me who this schoolmate of yours is?¡± Courtney reiterated what happened in brief and the nurse seemed to finally understand what was going on. After racking her brains while observing the youth in bed through the window on the door, she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen him at the school entrance a few times. It was at the Campus City, but I¡¯m from nursing school, and almost all the students there are women. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s from our school, but since he¡¯s very handsome, my friends and I have been betting that we should ask for his contact details if we meet him again. It is such a coincidence to meet him here, but I honestly do not know anything else.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you don¡¯t know who he is?¡± The nurse nodded while looking bewildered. ¡°You don¡¯t even know his name?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± Courtney could not help but feel disappointed because it felt as if everything was all in vain. After allowing the nurse to leave, she stood at the door for a while before entering the room again. The youth was curled up in bed while hugging a clean and white nket. He had tightly wrapped himself up and only his eyes were revealed. His eyes were especially clear and he seemed like an innocent child who was unfamiliar with the ways of the real world. Just when she felt that the pair of eyes looked rather familiar, he suddenly broke the silence. ¡°Courtney, I want to drink some water.¡± She was stumped when she heard that. ¡°Were you calling for me?¡± He nodded. ¡°How did you know my name?¡± She looked shocked by his conduct. ¡°I want to drink water.¡± The youth repeated his request. Courtney snapped back to reality and she poured a cup of water for him. Simultaneously, she thought to herself, My guess is that he must have heard Alexander calling my name. I suppose he is picking up things that he has seen. While he drank his water, she found a news article of the day. ¡°Do you know how to read?¡± she asked. The youth swallowed the water in a gulp while blinking innocently. ¡°A 19-year-old man fell into the West River and died early this morning¡­¡± Oh, he isn¡¯t stupid! Did I knock him so hard that he has lost his memories? She carefully regarded the youth¡¯s face. His features are delicate and he has the air of a young and tender person. In fact, he seems to fit the nurse¡¯s description as he looks like a university student too. After observing him for the longest time, she asked tentatively, ¡°Do you still remember your name?¡± The youth blinked several times before suddenly freezing up. It seemed as though he was trying his best to recall something. Soon, he scrunched up his face and he held his head between his hands while copsing onto his nket. He looked as if he was in great pain. Upon witnessing that, she did not dare to ask him to try recalling further. Instead, she started to rub his back soothingly to reassure him. ¡°If you can¡¯t recall, it¡¯s okay; you don¡¯t have to force yourself to think.¡± However, the youth kept trembling while he was sprawled across the bed. His desperate wails through the nket was audibly hoarse and depressing. Courtney was not sure how much time had passed, but just when she was about to call for the doctor, he suddenly grabbed her wrist and answered in a quivering voice, ¡°Oliver.¡± Chapter 106 One Night Surprise Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Are You Living With Him? Courtney was stumped when she heard that, but she asked him solemnly, ¡°Are you saying that your name is Oliver?¡± The youth lifted his head up from the nket, but his face was as pale as a white sheet. There was a sheen of sweat across his forehead as he forced himself to nod. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What is yourst name?¡± The youth shook his head. ¡°In that case, forget it. Do not think about it now.¡± Courtney reassuringly patted his arm because she was afraid that he would suffer too much while trying to recall his past. ¡°Oliver, is it? In any case, at least we have your name now. I¡¯ll find a way to gradually look for your family.¡± It will be rather troublesome if Oliver is truly a student from Campus City because summer holidays are just around the corner. I¡¯m afraid nobody will notice if a student or two are missing from school. Well, I suppose I have no choice, but to investigate in person. The summer holidays officially started at Sapphire Kindergarten a weekter. Courtney attended the parents¡¯ meeting at the end of term and as expected, she bumped into Alexander and Jordan. Upon seeing her, Jordan ran over to hug her leg. Although he was not saying anything, it was impossible for him to hide the happiness across his young and na?ve face. Ever since that night in Oreus, the rtionship between Alexander and Courtney seemed more rxed andfortable. The two of them simultaneously set aside the sudden cold war they had earlier without bringing it up. Work went on as usual while life moved forward. Everything seemed back to normal from an outsider¡¯s point of view. However, they were the only ones aware of their respective thoughts. ¡°Mommy, can I spend time at Jordan¡¯s house this summer holiday?¡± Tina tugged against Courtney¡¯s sleeve, causing thetter to snap to reality. ¡°Of course,¡± Courtney did not hesitate. ¡°Really?¡± Initially, Tina had prepared a whole speech of sweet talk to help convince her mother. Who would have expected Mommy to agree once I asked? It seems like there¡¯s hope for mommy and Mr. Alexander! Jordan was extremely delighted and he happily grinned from ear to ear. ¡°Since it so happens I need to work, is it alright to let Tina stay at your ce for a period? The two children can keep each otherpany.¡± Courtney looked at Alexander while maintaining a calm expression. His lips curled into a smile and he seemed especially rxed. ¡°Of course; I don¡¯t mind youing over to stay as well. It¡¯s easier for you to look after the children anyway.¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m not staying.¡± She avoided his gaze because she was slightly feeling guilty. I have my reasons because I want Tina to spend quality time with Jordan. After all, they are biological siblings. They might not be able to reunite right away, but I am still d watching them ying together. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Have you found a house?¡± Alexander casually asked and he changed the topic effortlessly. He did not seem adamant on his earlier ¡®joke¡¯. ¡°Yup, I found a ce. Coincidentally, I¡¯ll head over to the hospitalter to help Oliver with his discharge procedures. Then, I¡¯ll take him to move in together with me.¡± Two days ago, Anna suddenly phoned me to inform me that she¡¯s returning the house in Golden Water Park to me. She instructed me to never use the house as a reason to return home in the future. At that time, I ignored her, but Cameron found the key to Golden Water Park in her mailbox the next day. ¡°Are you moving in with that fellow?¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze darkened swiftly. ¡°The hospital mentioned that he doesn¡¯t need to stay in the hospital anymore. Besides, I haven¡¯t figured which university he¡¯s from. That is why I can only take him home to live with me.¡± ¡°No way.¡± He refused and coldly demanded. ¡°Courtney, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s inappropriate to take a grown man back home?¡± It¡¯s not just inappropriate. In fact, it¡¯s absurd. I can¡¯t believe she came up with that. ¡°Well, I have no choice.¡± Courtney raised her hands in defeat. ¡°I can¡¯t possibly send him to the welfare center, can I? I¡¯ll be worried if something happens.¡± ¡°In that case, stay in the hotel.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She was bewildered. ¡°What do you mean by staying in a hotel? Which hotel?¡± ¡°Sunhill Hotel.¡± Alexander nced at her while coughing dryly. ¡°Since you were involved in an ident while working, he should have a long-term room in Sunhill Hotel. This matter has nothing to do with you to begin with, so the hotel will be responsible.¡± ¡°Is this appropriate? I was the one who knocked him over.¡± ¡°It is appropriate as long as I say so.¡± With that, Alexander phoned his assistant, Josh, with instructions to prepare an empty room in the hotel for Oliver to move in tomorrow. The phone call was brief andprehensive. In fact, he settled the issue in less than three minutes. Courtney barely snapped back to her senses when the phone call ended. On the other hand, the parents¡¯ meeting ended, but Jordan was still clinging onto her. He refused to leave and when he heard that she was headed to the hospital, he insisted on tagging along. She could only agree since Alexander was not opposed to the idea. Oliver had been admitted to the hospital for a week and he even enjoyed his time there. He seemed panicky during the first two days, but it improved soon after. He was just like an ordinary person apart from his immense dislike to speak with other people. Therefore, when Alexander met him again, he was very suspicious as to whether Oliver pretended to have amnesia. Courtney left the hospital room to handle the discharge procedure while the two children tagged along happily. In the end, both men were the only ones left in the room and they stared at each other. ¡°Have you recovered?¡± Alexander asked. Oliver nodded, but he was void of expression. ¡°It has recovered, thanks to Courtney looking after me all this while.¡± ¡°I think you seem fully recovered. In that case, why are you still hanging around?¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze shone with resentment. He looked as if his eyes could read into Oliver¡¯s inner thoughts. ¡°I haven¡¯t recovered from amnesia.¡± Oliver did not seem scared at all. On the contrary, he directly faced Alexander while exining. ¡°The doctor mentioned that the blood clot in the brain has yet to resolve completely, so the past will be in fragments to me. That is why I¡¯ll have to trouble Courtney to look after me for a while¡ªI need to recall my past.¡± ¡°How do you need her to look after you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that concerns you at all.¡± Alexander regarded him while wearing an arrogant and cold expression. ¡°I need to understand the extent of care you require. While I¡¯ve instructed my assistant to arrange for your amodation, I need to check whether I should provide you with a service staff too.¡± Oliver was stunned into silence. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Alexander ignored him. Soon, Courtney returned after shepleted the discharge procedure. She opened the door while asking them, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Why are you guys still chatting here?¡± ¡°I was just telling him that the hotel is nicer than this.¡± Alexander stood up from the couch. After dusting some imaginary dust off from his suit, he strode out impressively. After half an hour, Oliver was checked into the suite at the top floor in Sunhill Hotel. However, Oliver¡¯s expression changed drastically when he caught sight of his future amodation. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I¡¯ll be heading home with you?¡± he questioned Courtney. The hotel service staff were still standing by the side. From their gaze, she finally understood what Alexander meant by ¡®inappropriate¡¯. In any case, she tried to hide her embarrassment by adjusting her hair. ¡°Well, Oliver, I¡¯ve thought about it. It is inappropriate for you to move in with me since you¡¯re a grown man. This is the hotel I usually work at, so it¡¯s great that you¡¯re staying here. It is very convenient and you cane looking for me during the day if you need anything at all,¡± she exined. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Josh, take him to check out the ce.¡± Alexander interrupted Oliver. Josh immediately understood and forcefully dragged Oliver into the suite before he started to assertively exin the roomyout and the various considerate facilities. Chapter 107 One Night Surprise Chapter 107 Chapter 107 I¡¯ve Seen Plenty of Women Like You The moment Josh dragged the troublesome fellow away, Alexander immediately felt much better before he nced at Courtney. ¡°Let¡¯s go; you aren¡¯t his mother. Josh is here to take care of the rest of it.¡± Courtney snapped back to reality and she retreated slightly from peeking into the suite, thereafter she chuckled in embarrassment. ¡°I am used to it because Oliver is about the same age as Shay and he¡¯s just like a younger brother to me. That is why I can¡¯t help but be concerned about him. I¡¯m sure outsiders would think that it¡¯s strange.¡± It was fine before she mentioned Shay. However, the moment she did so, Alexander¡¯s expression fell. ¡°Do you think siblings are like trash that you can randomly pick up from the streets?¡± ¡°Trash?¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes shot wide open. ¡°What do you mean by trash? I knocked into Oliver by ident! How many times do I have to tell you that?¡± ¡°What about Shay?¡± Alexander red at her. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have banged into him too, can you? It seems like you¡¯ve been rather bold from a young age considering you had the courage to join in with the crowd at the underground boxing ring when you were 15 years old.¡± Courtney was stumped when she heard that. ¡°How did you know about that?¡± Judging by Alexander¡¯s tone, he must have thoroughly investigated Shay. He even found out about his illegal boxing in the underground boxing ring before the Hunters adopted him. ¡°Do you think not many people know about this?¡± Alexander suddenly appeared somber. ¡°If he wants to be an artist, those things from the past are tarnishes. If he doesn¡¯t properly handle it, nobody would know when the ticking time bomb might explode and ruin his career.¡± His statement sent shivers down her spine because she realized with a start that she had not been in contact with Shay ever since she returned from the Maldives. She rxed significantly after going with Alexander¡¯s n to ce Oliver in the hotel. That night, when she arrived home, she packed a simple luggage for Tina as she nned to take her daughter to work and send her to Alexander¡¯s house in the evening. ¡°Jordan!¡± The moment they arrived at the hotel, Tina released Courtney¡¯s hand to dash across the hall in the opposite direction. Looking up, Courtney caught sight of the Duncan Family¡¯s butler holding onto Jordan¡¯s hand. It seemed like they had just arrived. ¡°Little Master has been demanding to meet you early in the morning, Miss Hunter. Since it¡¯s a work day today, I guessed you¡¯ll be here at work, which is why I brought Little Master along.¡± The butler looked helpless, but his eyes shone brightly when he saw the children¡¯s luggage in Courtney¡¯s hand. ¡°This must be Miss Tina¡¯s luggage! Let me ce it in the trunk first. I¡¯ll take it home at night.¡± Judging by the situation, I suppose Alexander has informed the servants at home that Tina is spending her summer vacation at their home. Courtney did not reject the butler¡¯s request; instead, she allowed him to yank the luggage into the garage. On the other hand, she held hands with the two children to enter the lounge. She instructed someone to prepare some fruit and snacks for the children before she advised them with caution, ¡°Tina, you have to take good care of Jordan. Can you do that for me?¡± Upon hearing that, Tina jumped off the couch straight away and she stood still to bow majestically. ¡°I promise that I¡¯ll aplish the mission,¡± she announced like an adult. Courtney smiled in satisfaction before leaving the lounge. Usually, she would have the time to apany the children if there were not any important events. However, the hotel was weing a crew to check in today. After noticing Britney¡¯s name beforehand, she knew instinctively that the matter today would be a challenging one. Hence, she knew that she had to focus to avoid further troubles. She barely sat down after returning to her office when the front desk phoned her to inform her that the crew had arrived. ¡°Miss Hunter, in all honesty, I don¡¯t think we need to be nervous. Rumors have it that Britney is President Duncan¡¯s fianc¨¦e, so it means that she has to maintain his dignity. I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll find fault with our hotel.¡± Addie was mumbling nonstop while following Courtney from behind. She was clearly annoyed and she rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Who says that she¡¯s President Duncan¡¯s fianc¨¦e?¡± ¡°Says everybody! There are lots of rumors too.¡± Courtney was about to retort when she saw a few minivans parked at the entrance. Arge group of fans came rushing forward, but the security guards were there to form a barrier. On the other hand, the crew and a few artists entered the hotel¡¯s lobby one after another while all the fans were blocked outside the hotel. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°The rooms have been arranged. This is our hotel¡¯s executive housekeeper and she will show you the way,¡± Courtney informed the person-in-charge in the crew¡ªa polite and concise person who did not speak any nonsense. Before the person-in-charge could reply, a cold and distant voice interrupted. ¡°Miss Hunter, it¡¯s been such a long time. Have you taken the righteous path now? Congrattions!¡± The moment she looked up, Courtney caught sight of Britney. Britney had just removed her shades, but she appeared especially arrogant as she lifted her chin. Courtney continued to stand tall¡ªshe did not seem haughty nor humbler. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Since we are old friends, there is no need to get the executive housekeeper to lead the way. Miss Hunter, please lead us in person and take me to my room. After all, I am closer with you and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s easier to chat with you, am I right?¡± Courtney could not possibly reject her request in front of such a crowd. In the end, she had no choice but to nod and agree to it. She instructed the executive housekeeper to arrange for the other crew¡¯s check-in process while she herself led Britney and her agent to the suite on the 12th floor. ¡°As per your request, the air-conditioning has been set at twenty-seven degrees Celsius whereas the humidifier has been operating all this while to maintain the humidity. Both outside and inside of the room have been sprayed with your favorite perfume¡ª¡± ¡°Enough; I know that you are extremely capable.¡± Britney interrupted Courtney and her expression was frosty when she added, ¡°You do not have to show off how capable you are in front of me. After all, I¡¯ve experienced it firsthand. You have the ability to snatch somebody else¡¯s fianc¨¦ away from me after a trip to the Maldives. Courtney, you truly are capable.¡± Britney¡¯s shrill voice echoed loudly in therge suite and Courtney could hear the palpable fury that she had for her. After a pause, Courtney frowned while answering, ¡°I am sorry, Miss Price, but I do not understand what you mean. I have never deliberately broken up your engagement and I did not try destroying it.¡± ¡°Stop pretending! Do you take me as a fool? Stop pretending like an innocent b*tch! Who are you putting up a show for? Put a hand over your heart and ask yourself this question¡ªdon¡¯t you have any ulterior motive involving Alexander?¡± Fury was etched across Britney¡¯s face. I¡¯ve been enduring my anger for a very long time. Previously, I was trying on wedding gowns when I received a call from Alexander¡¯s assistant. I almost fainted out from anger upon learning that the wedding had been called off. ¡°I¡¯ve met plenty of women like you. Under the guise of being self-reliant and self-sufficient, you approach Alexander in the name of work. When ites to acting, I¡¯m sure that actors like us can¡¯t evenpare to women like you who are vixens in the workce.¡± Courtney frowned deeply after being scolded with horrible names. Her gaze was ice-cold when she looked up again. ¡°Miss Price, you¡¯d better not nder my name.¡± I am responsible at work and I¡¯m respectful toward my guests. However, that doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll endure abusivenguage being thrown at me. Chapter 108 One Night Surprise Chapter 108 Chapter 108 We Are Very Close Britney seemed to have expected such a response from Courtney because sheughed mirthlessly. ¡°What is it? Isn¡¯t the victim allowed to voice out their distress since you are happy to assume the role of a shameless mistress? I should truly ask Alexander to look at you now. He must think that you are a very loving wife while assuming that you would want to willingly be his son¡¯s stepmother! I am being generous when I say that you are shameless, especially when you have a child out of wedlock while seducing somebody else¡¯s fianc¨¦!¡± ¡°Miss Price.¡± Courtney suddenly took a step closer to Britney. Her expression was dark when she spoke again. ¡°I told you to stop using me. Did you not understand what I said?¡± Britney was shocked by the coldness in Courtney¡¯s eyes, so she took a step backward instinctively. However, she straightened her back and retorted, ¡°What are you doing? Do you want to hit me?¡± Courtney coldly stared at her. ¡°You assume that I¡¯m about to hit you when I¡¯ve done nothing. It is no wonder you are stupid enough to assume that I snatched your fianc¨¦ when I was just in the Maldives for work. Why don¡¯t you ask yourself why your fianc¨¦ called off the engagement? You shouldn¡¯t me others. Besides, I am very busy and I just do not have the time to be entangled in this nonsense with you.¡± After she said her words, she red at Britney icily before turning to walk out of the door. ¡°Stand right there!¡± Britney furiously eximed. ¡°Plus¡ª¡± Courtney was holding onto the door handle, but she could not be bothered to turn around. ¡°I¡¯ve recorded everything that you said when you were scolding me. It might not be a crime, but I suppose it would affect you if I were to upload it online, right?¡± ¡°How dare you¡­¡± Britney¡¯s expression changed drastically, but she stopped herself just in time before she started to scold Courtney again. I can¡¯t believe you recorded me. I must have underestimated you in the past, Courtney. The door mmed shut with a loud thud. Courtney stood in the corridor while breathing heavily to calm herplicated emotions. If this had happened in the past, I wouldn¡¯t have handled it in such a way. The rash behavior earlier has made me realize that I tend to get overly anxious over matters involving Alexander. ¡°Miss Hunter, are you alright?¡± Addie stopped his work at hand to check on her the moment she returned to the office. ¡°I noticed that Britney didn¡¯t seem ted when she asked you to leave with her. Do you two have a grudge against each other?¡± ¡°Are you done with your work? You are always gossiping like a girl every day.¡± Courtney rolled her eyes at him. ¡°If you do not wish to be my assistant, I can have the female trainee take your ce.¡± ¡°No.¡± Addie immediately covered his mouth before he quietly continued with his boration. ¡°I was just worried about you, Miss Hunter. After all, you are close to President Duncan, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯s only natural for Britney to have strong opinions about you since she¡¯s his fianc¨¦e.¡± She turned with an insincere smile stered across her face when she heard his words and it looked especially eerie. ¡°Addie, I can tell that you seem to have a lot going on in your mindtely, isn¡¯t it? Why are you saying that I¡¯m close to President Duncan? Why would others have opinions on that?¡± ¡°Well, President Duncan¡¯s Little Master is always clinging onto you. Besides, I¡¯m just saying that casually. Everybody knows that you have a daughter, so how could you possibly have anything going on with President Duncan?¡± He smiled apologetically. Courtney scowled and her expression turned serious. ¡°Enough with your smart mouth. The film crew will be staying at our hotel for the next two days. Pay attention to security at every spot to avoid fans from slipping into the premises.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± She closed the door behind her after returning to her office before she pouted with a scornful expression and softly mumbled, ¡°Fianc¨¦e? Who admitted to that? She has been barking up the wrong tree all along.¡± In the afternoon, Tina and Jordan were staring at each other in the lounge. ¡°Jordan, I¡¯m so bored.¡± We have been staying in the lounge for the entire day. We even had our meal here. I am truly bored to death! He was twisting his Rubik¡¯s Cube that had been rearranged countless times and blinked several times while thinking, Well, I think it¡¯s quite alright. It¡¯s not that boring. She sat on the couch with an audible sigh. ¡°Jordan, if I knew it¡¯s boring toe to work with Mommy, I would have stayed at home. At least I have many toys to y with and I can watch cartoons.¡± Jordan scratched his head because he was not sure what to do. Based on my experience, it is true that nobody has ever taught me what to do if my younger sister feels bored. Knock, knock, knock. The sound of somebody knocking the door interrupted Tina¡¯s one-sided ¡®conversation¡¯. ¡°Can Ie in?¡± a husky voice rang loud as the door slightly cracked open. Tina¡¯s eyes shone brightly when she looked up to the source of the voice. ¡°Mr. Oliver.¡± Jordan was astonished when he saw the sudden and drastic change in her emotions. Hence, he questioningly looked up at the person. It was none other than Oliver. Courtney had taken Tina along to visit him when he stayed at the hospital in Melrose City for more than a week. Hence, both him and Tina grew close. Although he suffered from temporary amnesia, he somehow had an out-of-the-box thinking to amuse children. The fact that he was young was a great help too. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. His eyes narrowed when he broadly grinned before he opened the door to naturally enter the lounge. Soon, he picked Tina up. ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe to look for me since you¡¯re here? Aren¡¯t we good friends?¡± Tina blinked a few times. ¡°I forgot. Mr. Oliver, I¡¯m feeling bored. Do you have anything fun?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s easy. I can take you out to y.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Tina¡¯s eyes shone brilliantly. ¡°Can I?¡± Oliver was about to nod, but he felt a tug against his thigh. He then saw a little boy grabbing his pants when he looked down¡ªit was Jordan alertly staring at him. ¡°The little fellow doesn¡¯t seem to agree for me to take you out.¡± Oliver touched Tina¡¯s nose lightly. Then, he ced her on the floor whilementing with a tease. ¡°Well, I suppose he¡¯s afraid that I¡¯ll sell you off.¡± She held onto Jordan when she heard that. ¡°Jordan, Mr. Oliver is not a bad guy. You saw him in the hospital yesterday! Mr. Oliver is Mommy¡¯s friend and we are very close.¡± Jordan sighed quietly in his heart and he felt utterly helpless. I heard the butler talk about the entire incident. He isn¡¯t a close friend. It¡¯s obviously a consequence after a car ident. Tina is such a na?ve little girl. Although he felt helpless, there was nothing he could do except to write on his drawing board¡ª ¡®Your mommy told us to stay here and we aren¡¯t allowed to leave as we please.¡¯ Then, he pressed the voice function and his writing was tranted into a robotic voice for Tina to understand him. Upon hearing that, she seemed slightly disappointed and looked at Oliver dejectedly. ¡°Alright, Mr. Oliver, Mommy doesn¡¯t allow us to leave.¡± Oliver patted her head softly. ¡°Don¡¯t look so pitiful, please. It¡¯s time for dinner soon. I was nning to take you and your mommy to head out for a meal,¡± he stated while chuckling happily. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Tina became cheerful and energetic again. ¡°I want to have fried chicken.¡± ¡°Sure, you can eat whatever you want. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it.¡± However, he nced at Jordan thoughtfully after speaking with Tina. ¡°Little one, would you like toe with us?¡± Jordan¡¯s brows knitted tightly together and he seemed prudent despite his tender age. For some reason, I just can¡¯t shake off the feeling that this man has an ulterior motive. Chapter 109 One Night Surprise Chapter 109 Chapter 109 I Want to Eat Your Noodles Oliver had not been in the lounge for long when Courtney was done with her work and came to the lounge to pick up the kids. ¡°You¡¯re here too.¡± She smiled when she saw him. ¡°Addie informed me that you went to Campus City earlier in the afternoon. Did you get anything?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m familiar with that ce you mentioned, but it still doesn¡¯t jog my memory.¡± A trace of disappointment shed through her eyes as sheforted him. ¡°I see, but don¡¯t worry. Campus City is not a big ce. I¡¯ll apany you there this weekend to ask some questions.¡± Oliver smiled as if he was not concerned about regaining his memories and identity. ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner tonight. I already found a great ce.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Upon seeing how quick Courtney agreed to his invitation, Jordan¡¯s expression immediately changed as he quickly wrote his words on the drawing board before holding it up for her to see. ¡®Aren¡¯t you going to my house?¡¯ After reading his words, Courtney rubbed his head and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m going to your house, but in the evening. Mr. Harry called me in the afternoon to inform me that your father is away for the night because he needs to head on a sudden business trip. I feel worried about leaving you and Tina at home alone, so you are staying with me tonight. I¡¯ll send you over tomorrow.¡± Upon hearing her, Jordan¡¯s brows became tighter. How can Dad go on a business trip at such a crucial time? Is every adult a careless person? Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Although he felt upset about it, he had no choice but to follow them to dinner. When they arrived at the destination, his eyes were wide open. At the bustling night market of Campus City, young men and women were walking down the streets while the various food stalls exuded a strong smokey scent. The ce was so lively that Tina could not blink her eyes. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s so lively here!¡± When Courtney heard Tina¡¯s astonishment, she could not help but sigh. ¡°It has been many years since I¡¯ve been to a night market in the country. How do you find this ce?¡± ¡°I remember a ce like this in my mind.¡± Oliver¡¯s eyes were filled with joy. ¡°But I can¡¯t remember who I came here with. However, it feels like I came to this ce often, so I brought you here. I remember there is a clean food stall nearby and it has a good business too.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes flickered as she asked, ¡°Are you talking about Mrs. Fletcher¡¯s kebab?¡± ¡°You know about it?¡± Oliver was dumbfounded. ¡°I studied at a medical school in Campus City six years ago and that food stall is the most famous one around here. I can¡¯t believe it is still open for business after so many years, but sadly, I never had the chance to head there.¡± ¡°This is a great opportunity for you to make up for the regret.¡± He followed up on her words and they went straight to the food stall. Although it was still early at night, the food stalls were in full swing as people continuously came and went. It was fortunately still early, so they were able to find a seat. Then, Oliver ordered the dishes as if he was familiar with them, before handing the menu over to the waiter. ¡°Other than the kebabs, I would like another two beef noodles. It¡¯s for the kids, so please prepare a small portion and don¡¯t make it spicy.¡± After the waiter left, he turned toward Courtney and realized that she was looking around the ce with the same curiosity as Tina. ¡°Haven¡¯t you visited the food stalls in the night market before?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Courtney turned her head and smiled embarrassingly. ¡°I never had any friends in the country and the ones I have don¡¯t usuallye to this sort of ce. Although I wanted to visit here, I never had the chance to do so because I¡¯m always alone.¡± The moment she mentioned her past, she seemed to feel relieved, but in all honesty, she had suffered a lot back then. During her early years in Melrose City, no one in the school dared to be friends with her because of Anna. As a kid, she became used to being alone until her years in university because she did not enroll in the same ce as Anna. However, she was careless with her only best friend at that time as the latter became her first love¡¯s lover. As Oliver saw her expression, he had a strange mutual feeling, as if the two of them experienced the same childhood. ¡°It looks like I don¡¯t have any friends either.¡± He went straight to the point. ¡°Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been missing for so long without any police reports.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll take this slowly.¡± After they chatted for a while, the waiter served the dishes one after another. ¡°The chicken wings here are really good. Tina, don¡¯t you want one? You can try.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. She is never picky with her food. It¡¯s fine for her to eat something like this now and then.¡± Courtney removed the chicken wings from the stick and ced them in Tina¡¯s bowl. ¡°There you go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not her that I¡¯m worried about. It¡¯s this little master.¡± Oliver took a profound look at Jordan. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem like he has eaten from a food stall before. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s used to it.¡± Courtney turned toward Jordan and realized that he did not look good at all. Not only did he not take a bite of the beef noodles in front of him, he did not even seem to be interested in the kebabs on the table. ¡°What is it, Jordan? Don¡¯t you want to eat?¡± She looked concerned. After that, he furrowed his brow and wrote a line of words on the drawing board¡ª¡®I want to eat your noodles.¡± She felt resigned as she rubbed his head. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll make some for you when we get home, but it¡¯s time for dinner now. Can you please eat some to fill your stomach for a while? We¡¯ll be back soon after dinner.¡± Upon listening to her advice, he reluctantly nodded and slowly ate the noodles. In Courtney¡¯s heart, she understood that Jordan was born with a silver spoon, so it was not a surprise that he was not used to the atmosphere in a food stall. Although she quickly wanted to finish her food so that they could leave, Tina was having a great time eating. In the end, she was getting a little out of hand with her food intake, so they ordered some chicken wings for takeaway. After dinner, Courtney drove and sent Oliver to the hotel first before bringing the two kids back home. As soon as they returned home, she still remembered to make a bowl of noodles for Jordan, but he seemed to have a bad appetite because he only ate half of the bowl. After midnight, Courtney was suddenly woken up by Tina. ¡°Mommy? Mommy, it¡¯s bad.¡± Courtney sat up while her eyes were still sleepy. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Jordan has a stomachache and he is now on the floor after falling from his bed.¡± Upon hearing those words, she almost instantly woke up and jumped off from her bed. With bare feet, she rushed to his bedroom and was nearly frightened to death when she saw his tiny body curled up on the floor. ¡°Jordan? Jordan¡­¡± As she ced her hand on his forehead, she noticed that his head was severely burning. Just when she was about to carry him up, he vomited all over her. ¡°Mommy, what happened?¡± Tina was so scared that her face had turned pale and her voice was now much softer. ¡°Tina, I want you to stay in the house alone. Can you sleep in my room first? I¡¯m going to bring him to the hospital.¡± ¡°I want toe with you.¡± ¡°Listen to me.¡± After giving out her order, Courtney carried Jordan downstairs to her car and drove straight to the hospital without even changing her clothes. While waiting outside the emergency room, the butler from the Duncan Family had also rushed over after receiving the news. ¡°What happened to Little Master? He was still fine when I saw him this evening.¡± With a guilty face, she exined, ¡°I don¡¯t know. He was vomiting everywhere, so it might be because he ate something bad. I took him to a food stall beside the road to eat some noodles earlier tonight, but he didn¡¯t eat much of it. He only ate a few bites, so it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± ¡°Food stall?¡± The butler¡¯s expression changed. ¡°How could you let him eat at a food stall?¡± Chapter 110 One Night Surprise Chapter 110 Chapter 110 No Chance for Excuses ¡°Little Master has always had a bad stomach from young, so how could you let him eat something bad? Miss Hunter, how could you be so irresponsible? How am I going to exin this to Young Master Alexander?¡± Upon facing the butler¡¯s criticism, Courtney had no other excuse as she also felt frustrated. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll apologize to President Duncan since it is my mistake.¡± As the butler saw how devastated she looked, he did not know what else to say. Instead, he let out a huge sigh before standing aside to call Alexander. After the check in the emergency room, the doctor had arranged for Jordan to stay in the hospital for further observation. As for the cause behind his stomach ache, they did not know whether it was because he ate something bad or the result of something else as they still needed to wait for the laboratory results. However, as soon as Jordan was injected with medications, his face looked better as he fell asleep. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Courtney had been in the hospital all along beside him, but when she saw him sleeping, her heart was filled with guilt. I can¡¯t believe something like this happened during my limited time with him. I guess I can¡¯t count myself as apetent mother after all. If he realizes that I¡¯m his biological mother someday in the future, I bet he will me me for this. She did not sleep for the whole night and before dawn the next day, she returned home to prepare breakfast for him. After instructing Tina to have her meal at home, she brought a lunch box to the hospital. The moment she arrived at the door of the ward, she heard a familiar voiceing from inside. As she pushed the door open, her movements suddenly halted while her hands tightened instinctively. ¡°As soon as I heard that Jordan was in the hospital, I immediately set aside my business and rushed over here. Also, I specially brought breakfast for him. I watched my maid make it herself, so I promise that it ispletely clean.¡± Britney¡¯s gentle voice almost sent goosebumps down everyone¡¯s skin. Upon hearing her words, Alexander calmly replied, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Here, Jordan. Let me feed you.¡± From the door, Courtney could clearly see two figures sitting beside the bed. It was Alexander and Britney sitting on each of Jordan¡¯s side as she held a bowl of porridge in her hands to carefully feed him. After standing at the door for a while, Courtney felt hollow in her heart, so she turned and left moments later. In the ward, Jordan reluctantly took two sips of porridge before he shook his head. Then, Britney nced at Alexander and said, ¡°I think his stomach still isn¡¯t feeling well. Just put that aside. Later on, if you¡¯re hungry, you can just let me know and I¡¯ll feed you.¡± Jordan shrugged his shoulders because he was still a little frightened of her while he stretched one of his hands from the nket to tug on Alexander¡¯s sleeve. Alexander held his hand and asked, ¡°What is it? Are you still feeling ufortable?¡± Jordan shook his head before he stared at the door of the ward. ¡°She isn¡¯t here.¡± Alexander knew what his son thought, so he furrowed his brows and gave a cold answer. They were still unsure whether Jordan¡¯s situation was caused by food poisoning, but when Alexander arrived at the hospital in the morning, he only noticed his son asleep with an exhausted face in his bed alone. He immediately felt a little annoyed when he realized that no one was apanying his son. Did she treat him so casually because he isn¡¯t her own son? If it were her daughter lying on the hospital bed, I¡¯m afraid that she would have stayed by her side all the time. How could she leave such a young kid alone in the hospital? Just as he thought about it, he heard Britney¡¯s voice beside him. ¡°I heard that Courtney brought him to have dinner at a night marketst night. That ce is filled with all sorts of gutter oil and it¡¯s not hygienic at all. How could she bring him to eat at a ce like that?¡± Alexander had already heard about the incident from the butler beforehand, but he was even more furious when she mentioned it again. Suddenly, his eyes were obviously starting to look unpleasant. When Jordan noticed that his father was getting upset, he quickly wrote on his drawing board, ¡®It wasn¡¯t Courtney who brought me there. It was Mr. Oliver who chose the ce to eat.¡¯ He was trying to clear the me on Courtney, but it made things worse instead. The moment Alexander saw those words on the drawing board, his face suddenly darkened as he was even more irritated by the name ¡®Mr. Oliver¡¯. In the meantime, Britney stood aside to quietly observe what was happening. Upon seeing Alexander¡¯s gloomy face, she could not help but feel happy inside. Then, she rolled her eyes before looking at Jordan. All of a sudden, a trace of malicious intent shed through her eyes and disappeared instantly. If I want to win Alexander back, I still need to rely on his only weakness. He is only particrly concerned about the troublesome little brat. After spending a while with Jordan in the ward, Alexander took a look at the time before telling his son to take a good rest. Britney also diligently said that she would take good care of him, so Alexander rose up to his full height and left. The moment he left the ward, he saw a familiar figure sitting on a couch in the corridor, looking very haggard. As soon as Courtney saw himing out, she hurriedly stood up. However, he furrowed his brows and spoke in an indifferent tone, which was extremely alienating. ¡°When did you arrive?¡± ¡°I just arrived.¡± She was holding a lunch box. ¡°I wanted to bring some breakfast for Jordan, but I didn¡¯t want to interrupt when I saw you all inside. Has Jordan eaten his breakfast?¡± He nced at the lunch box in her hands before answering coldly, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about Jordan.¡± She lowered her head as she did not dare to look him straight in the eyes and her voice was as soft as air. ¡°But from now on, I¡¯ll take good care of him until he recovers. I¡¯ve already requested leave from thepany.¡± However, the more sincere she sounded, the more he felt that she was feeling guilty after making a mistake. Even though no one knew exactly what happened, he was already unhappy with her. ¡°No need for that. You have been busytely. Not only do you need to take care of your daughter, but you also need to be concerned about someone you picked up from nowhere, so you don¡¯t have the mind left for Jordan. Besides, he already has someone to take care of him.¡± Courtney clenched her fist, but when she lifted her head to say something, Alexander had already left without giving her a chance to exin. However, she also felt lost as she realized that she did not have any excuses. I canpletely understand his anger because I¡¯m the one who caused Jordan to be in the hospital. I¡¯m even angry at myself. Jordan has always lived a delicate life beside Alexander for many years, so why did I stupidly bring him to eat at a food stall beside the road? On the other side, Britney, who was apanying Jordan in the ward, clearly heard everything outside the door. Knock! Knock! A series of knocks on the door was heard. ¡°Come in.¡± Before the door was opened, she wore a pair of sunsses and a mask so that it would not bring any unnecessary troubles. ¡°Where is the patient¡¯s family?¡± The doctor came in and looked around the ward, but Alexander was nowhere to be seen, so he asked Britney instead. ¡°He just left. Is there any problem?¡± she asked. The sunsses covered half of her face, so her voice was a little muffled. However, the doctor could not recognize her as he exined emotionlessly, ¡°The results are out from theboratory. Our friend here had a stomach ache not because of food poisoning, but because of a virus infection caused by his fever. That¡¯s the reason why he vomited. He can be discharged from the hospital this evening.¡± Upon hearing the results, Britney¡¯s brows tightened slightly as she clenched her fists, but on the surface, she pretended to be relieved. ¡°I see. That¡¯s great. I¡¯ll tell his fatherter. Thank you, doctor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± The doctor gave a small smile before leaving the ward. Jordan only revealed a pair of dim eyes from the nket. However, the closer Britney approached him, the more his eyes shrank in fear. Chapter 111 One Night Surprise Chapter 111 Chapter 111 You Can¡¯t Hate My Mommy ¡°Jordan, what did you hear just now?¡± Although Britney¡¯s voice was soft, it carried a ghoulish and sinister sense, as if it was the manifestation of Jordan¡¯s deepest fears. His face paled while his body started to perspire intensely to a point where he almost passed out. In the end, he shook his head. ¡°Good boy.¡± She raised her hand to caress the back of his head. ¡°That¡¯s good. You didn¡¯t hear anything earlier. If I find out that you have been talking nonsense in front of your father, you know that I will be angry. If that happens, the consequences will be severe.¡± The moment her hand swept across his head, he trembled with fear as his tears almost rolled down his face. At that moment, he seemed to remember something in the past, causing him to open his eyes and mouth wide, but he could not make a sound. However, Britney seemed to be satisfied by the fear in his eyes while hers were filled with disdain toward the weak. She then gave a cold smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jordan. Once I¡¯m your mommy, I will treat you well. Don¡¯t be scared.¡± That evening, after Alexander was done with his work, he went through the procedures at the hospital to discharge Jordan before sending him home. Britney, who stayed in the hospital, also entered the car. Her voice echoed in the car as she spoke, ¡°The doctor said that Jordan has a bad stomach, so he can¡¯t simply eat at a food stall from now on.¡± Meanwhile, Jordan snuggled inside Alexander¡¯s arms while secretly clenching his tiny fists, but he did not dare to say a word. Alexander politely nodded his head. ¡°I see. Thank you for today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve been watching over him ever since he was a baby, so I¡¯ll definitely feel bad whenever he is sick.¡± However, he was not paying attention to her words as his eyes kept gazing outside the window. After I said those hurtful words to Courtney this morning, she never returned to the hospital. Maybe I was too harsh with my words? Two dayster, it was Saturday and Alexander stayed at home to apany Jordan while he recovered from his sickness. Although he did not vomit sinceing back from the hospital, he still suffered from a slight fever. Therefore, Alexander did not allow him to head outside so that he could stay at home and recover. Even so, the kid still had the energy to continue annoying him and demanding that he wanted to see Courtney and Tina. Alexander ignored him for the first few times, but after his son¡¯s many attempts, he found it hard to sleep at night, causing him to lose sleep for a few days. In the morning, just when he was coaxing Jordan to eat his breakfast, the doorbell rang and the sound echoed in the house. A maid quickly opened the door and not long after, her shock could be heard from the entrance. ¡°Tina?¡± ¡°Hello, Miss.¡± Tina politely greeted before she followed the maid into the house. ¡°Young Master Alexander, Little Master, Tina is here.¡± ¡°Good morning, Mr. Alexander.¡± She tilted her head and nced at Jordan behind Alexander. ¡°Good morning to you too, Jordan.¡± Alexander nodded his head while his expression warmed a little. The maid quickly helped Tina to look for shoes that she could change to, but thetter waved her hands and said no. Then, she carried a huge lunch box and ced it on the steps before sitting down to take a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s burning hot outside. I¡¯m close to dying.¡± Jordan immediately stood up from his chair and rushed toward Tina before making gestures to her. She blinked and thought for a while before she understood what he said, so she exined, ¡°Mommy is at home, butst night and this morning, she made lots of snacks and she has asked me to bring them over here, so I¡¯m here.¡± After that, she opened the lunch box while sitting on the floor. There were fouryers inside with each one containing a kind of pastry. Not only did it look delicious, it also smelled wonderful.¡± ¡°Okay. Now that I¡¯ve delivered the snacks, I¡¯ll leave now.¡± With that, she stood and was about to leave. However, he quickly grabbed her and turned his head to anxiously look at Alexander. Alexander approached and condescendingly gazed at Tina before asking, ¡°Did youe here by yourself?¡± Tina felt a little guilty for lying, but she stiffened her neck and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll ask someone to send you back. It¡¯s not safe for you to go back alone.¡± ¡°No need for that. I can go home by myself.¡± She stared at him in a daze, but suddenly, her expressions became serious. ¡°But before I leave, I would like to exin something to you.¡± ¡°You can say it.¡± ¡°That day, when we ate at the night market, I ate a lot while Jordan only ate a little, but in the end, I turned out fine. You can¡¯t hate my mommy because of that. If you hate my mommy just because she brought us to the night market, you are no longer my favorite Mr. Alexander.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. For a moment, Alexander was startled. Although it was a kid¡¯s childish words, for some reason, he felt empty after hearing it, as if he was about to lose someone in the next second. After Tina left, Jordan shot him a fierce look before angrily taking the box of snacks away and he refused to leave a piece for his father. Outside the vi, she pretended to look gloomy as she took a long walk before she looked around and rushed toward a car a whileter. In the car, she high-fived a young man. A crisp voice echoed in the car along with her childish voice. ¡°Mission aplished, Mr. Oliver.¡± The young man in the car raised his brows. ¡°You are brilliant, Tina.¡± ¡°But, will my mommy be happy just like that?¡± ¡°As long as your favorite Mr. Alexander isn¡¯t as stupid as he seems. A forgiving man will definitely apologize to your mommy. By then, your mommy won¡¯t be that upset. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°What if Mr. Alexander still refuses to apologize?¡± ¡°Then, do you still want a stubborn man to be your daddy?¡± Upon facing that kind of question, Tina shook her head without any hesitation. ¡°Nope.¡± If that¡¯s the case, won¡¯t Mommy be constantly bullied in the future? ¡°Then, you have your answer.¡± Oliver patted her shoulder. ¡°If Courtney hadn¡¯t been depressed for the last couple of days because of this, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered to give Alexander a chance to make amends. There are many men in the world for her to choose from.¡± ¡°Mommy isn¡¯t upset because of that man. It¡¯s because of Jordan.¡± Upon hearing the real reason behind Courtney¡¯s sadness, Oliver was dumbfounded. ¡°Do you know why your mommy is so concerned about that little brat? He isn¡¯t even her own son. Even if she is in love with Alexander, there¡¯s no need for her to please that little kid this much, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because Jordan is at the same age as my elder brother, so she isn¡¯t doing this to please him.¡± Immediately, Tina realized that she had spilled the beans, so she quickly covered her mouth and stared at Oliver while her eyes widened. She then said in a muffled voice, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± After staring at her for a while, he murmured, ¡°I heard you mentioned that you have another brother, right?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Fine. In that case, I¡¯ll just ask Courtney myself. Also, I¡¯m going to tell her that it was you who told me.¡± ¡°You cannot do that!¡± Tina pouted her lips and quickly grabbed Oliver¡¯s sleeves while looking extremely nervous, as if she was afraid that he would ask her mother at any second. ¡°Everytime I mentioned my brother, she would always cry. You can¡¯t ask her.¡± ¡°So, do you really have another brother?¡± Against a cunning fox like him, a naive little rabbit like her could only surrender to her fate. Although her eyes were young, they were now full of sorrow. ¡°It¡¯splicated.¡± Chapter 112 One Night Surprise Chapter 112 Chapter 112 The Roses Arrived on Time The car drove under the burning July sun and a young lolita¡¯s voice was heard inside while Tina exined the situation for a whole 10 minutes. ¡°That was what happened. Mommy is always sad about this, so please don¡¯t bring this up in front of her.¡± At that moment, Oliver rested his elbow on the window frame of the car and he supported his chin with one hand, as if he was lost in his own thoughts. ¡°You said that your brother went missing not long after you were born, right? And it was here that he went missing from? Weren¡¯t you born in America?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Tina blinked while answering firmly. ¡°Why can¡¯t my brother be missing here if I¡¯m born and bred in America?¡± ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡± Oliver tried to suppress hisughter. ¡°What about your dad? Didn¡¯t anyone try to find your brother?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I rarely see my daddy.¡± She shrugged her shoulders with an innocent face. ¡°You rarely see your daddy?¡± ¡°Yes. My daddy is so busy that I can even count the number of times that I¡¯ve seen him with my fingers. However, I haven¡¯t seen him this year and I¡¯m quickly forgetting how he looks.¡± ¡°Do you know why your daddy divorced your mommy? Is it because he doesn¡¯t like you?¡± Oliver suddenly approached her with curiosity as he tried to engage in gossip. ¡°Who told you that my parents are divorced?¡± Tina waved her hand resignedly. ¡°Daddy likes me a lot. Everytime he sees me, he brings a lot of gifts for me. Even though they are not the ones that I like, they are still expensive.¡± ¡°Your mommy isn¡¯t divorced?!¡± Oliver seemed to have heard a breaking news as his eyes widened. ¡°Then, why do you keep pushing your mommy toward Alexander?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I like Mr. Alexander and I want him to be my daddy.¡± Tina went straight to the point. ¡°Besides, my mommy only gets to see my daddy a few times a year. It¡¯s more fun to see my mommy with Mr. Alexander.¡± This reason¡­ Oliver¡¯s lips twitched. Ipletely salute her. On the other side, Alexander knocked on Jordan¡¯s door and entered his room. Before his dad entered, Jordan was sitting alone on his bed and he held the box of snacks in a daze, but when he saw his fathering in, he immediately wore a resentful look. The indifferent Alexander could only helplessly sit down to speak sincerely, ¡°Jordan, she stole your heart with only a box of snacks. Have you forgotten how many snacks I¡¯ve bought for you since you were a baby? Don¡¯t you think that this is a bit unfair?¡± However, Jordan pouted his lips and still looked angry as he wrote on his drawing board, ¡®Her snacks are delicious and the ones you bought aren¡¯t. She is good to me, but because of you, she won¡¯te and see me now.¡¯ Upon seeing his son¡¯s reaction, Alexander furrowed his brows. ¡°That¡¯s because I told her not toe to you. Not only did she not take good care of you, she even sent you to the hospital. Jordan, this is why she isn¡¯t suitable to be your mom. If you want a mom, I can find another one for you.¡± The moment Jordan heard those words, he almost burst into mes as he red at Alexander angrily while his tiny face started to redden. A whileter, he wrote a line of words while trembling. ¡®It wasn¡¯t her. I was sent to the hospital not because of food poisoning.¡¯ However, Alexander only took it as a child throwing tantrums. ¡°Alright, you should stop speaking up for her. I¡¯ll let you eat the snacks, but from now on, I won¡¯t allow you to meet her alone.¡± Jordan furiously gritted his teeth and grabbed Alexander¡¯s hand before biting him. Alexander yelped, but he did not dare to injure his son by pushing his hand away, so he growled instead, ¡°Jordan, what are you doing?¡± After that, Jordan released his bite and furiously pointed at the words he wrote on the drawing board. Yet, Alexander did not think much when he saw Jordan¡¯s reaction as he only felt that his son needed to properly control his temperament. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll ask the butler to search for talent sses that you can choose from so that we can remove that nonsense in your head.¡± At that moment, Jordan¡¯s face had already reddened due to his rage while he threw a pillow angrily at Alexander. With a loud grunt, he buried himself in his nket. During the entire weekend, Tina continued to observe Courtney¡¯s emotions. Whenever Courtney¡¯s phone rang, her ears would prick up, but the weekend ended after two days and not one of the calls was from Alexander. On Sunday night, Tina could not bear to see her mother in that situation any longer, so she hid in her bedroom and made a call. As soon as the other person answered the call, she exined anxiously, ¡°Grandpa Scott, the situation between my mommy and Mr. Alexander is getting worse.¡± After a while of silence, an old and firm voice was heard at the other end. ¡°Alright, leave this to me.¡± The next morning, Courtney could sense that something was wrong in the atmosphere the moment she arrived at the hotel. ¡°Good morning, Miss Hunter.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. On the way to her office, it seemed like countless eyes were sweeping across her body. I don¡¯t think I was that attractive when I usuallye to work, right? At first, she thought that she could have worn the wrong shoes or that there was something on her face. ¡°Miss Hunter, you¡¯re here.¡± Addie weed her. ¡°Morning.¡± When Courtney saw him, her brows instantly tightened. ¡°What is that expression for?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy for you.¡± He smiled joyfully as he stood in front of her office. ¡°You don¡¯t know what has happened yet. Don¡¯t be too surprised. Come and see for yourself.¡± After that, he opened the door to her office. Instantly, she could see that her office was filled with roses of all colors as the fragrant scent entered her nose. Every inch of her office from the desk to the corner of the wall was filled with flowers. Some would have even mistaken the ce for a florist. Courtney¡¯s eyes were wide open. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see?¡± Addie smiled. ¡°This is definitely a surprise from your husband. Hmm¡­ Isn¡¯t Valentine¡¯s Day approaching? He sent the roses just in time.¡± However, Courtney furrowed her brows as she was even more confused. Everyone in the hotel knew that she had a child, so they naturally assumed that she also had a husband. To prevent any misunderstandings, she never tried to correct them. Therefore, it was reasonable for everyone to mistakenly think that it was her husband who filled her whole office with roses as a gift. But, I¡¯m the only one who knows about this. Where did I get myself a husband? Even if he and I are married in name only, he would never order a bunch of flowers from a thousand miles away for me. After Addie¡¯s reminder, she saw a card on her desk¡ª¡®To my dearest Miss Hunter.¡¯ ¡°Miss Hunter, you and your husband have unique ways of addressing each other. I can¡¯t believe he still calls you ¡®Miss¡¯ after your marriage!¡± Upon looking at his annoying face, she angrily hid the card away. ¡°Go and do your work. What are you looking at? Don¡¯t you have anything to do?¡± ¡°Fine, I don¡¯t want to be the only singleton here anyway.¡± His head shrunk before he cheerfully ran off. In the end, Courtney was the only one left in the office. So, she slowly opened the card and she saw a line of words that were firmly written with a pen¡ª¡®I apologize for my recklessness a few days ago.¡¯ At first, she was startled, but after much thought, she seemed to realize something. For a moment, the mist hovering above her head for the past few days was now slowly disintegrating. The corners of her eyes were raised upward while a strange warmth spread across her heart. Chapter 113 One Night Surprise Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Where Have I Offended Him? The roses in the room and the apology card slightly cleared the depressive mood that troubled Courtney for the past two days. However, after she calmed herself down, she still felt gloomy. Alexander doesn¡¯t seem like the cold man that he always portrays to be. What I understood after interacting with him for a long time is that he is responsible toward the women and children around him, but this isn¡¯t the reason why I should be relieved to leave Jordan by his side. Due to her concern for Jordan¡¯s situation, she was continuously in touch with the hospital and she was notified that his vomiting was not caused by food poisoning but a fever. However, she did not feel relieved and was instead more upset after hearing the reason. In her eyes, even though Alexander loved Jordan with all his heart, he still was not careful enough to take care of his son. Judging from the fact that a chandelier almost dropped on Jordan¡¯s head when they first metbined with the asional sickness he endured afterward, it was clear to her that Alexander had not been taking good care of him for the past few years. I should find an opportunity to talk to him about the kid. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Just as she thought about it, her assistant, Addie, returned after knocking on the door. ¡°Miss Hunter, we just received a call from headquarters saying that there will be a provisional inspection. President Duncan and a few senior members from the board of directors will arrive here in a while to inspect the hotel. Should we prepare to wee them?¡± Courtney came around and answered, ¡°No need for any special preparations. Just act normal like we usually do. When are they arriving?¡± ¡°The headquarters informed that President Duncan has already left and he should probably be arriving in 15 minutes.¡± ¡°Alright. Inform Mr. Webb, who is in charge of the lobby today, to choose a few supervisors to follow me and wee them. The others can just go on with their usual work.¡± After a few instructions, Courtney tidied up her uniform and calmly walked out of her office. Alexander isn¡¯t the kind of person who likes to show off. If he and the board of directors areing here for an inspection, they will usually want to see how the hotel operates. A person with confidence naturally won¡¯t panic in this situation. Not long after she headed downstairs, three ck luxurious cars parked in front of the hotel entrance one after another. Subsequently, several men in suits and leather shoes alighted from the car and walked into the hotel shoulder to shoulder with Alexander. They were all in their 40s to 50s and they were all members of the board of directors without question. As Courtney nced at Alexander, she thought about the flowers in her office, which caused her eyes to fill with joy. Then, she nodded her head at him. ¡°Hello, President Duncan.¡± After greeting the others one by one, Mr. Webb introduced them to Courtney. ¡°I don¡¯t think President Duncan needs much introduction. These two gentlemen are Mr. Morris and Mr. Woods of the board of directors. I assume you haven¡¯t met them before, Miss Hunter.¡± Courtney bowed slightly and took the initiative to shake their hands. The two board members wore a stern expression and did not smile or say anything along the way. They only stated that they wanted to check the hotel¡¯s environment, so she arranged for two supervisors to lead them around while she followed behind with confusion and nervousness. When the two board members visited the rooms, they kept on pointing and mentioning the colors of the curtains while Alexander listened and nodded his head from time to time. As for Courtney, she held onto her notebook and continued to record what they were saying. Even though she did not know what they were doing, she wanted to record it just to be on the safe side After being busy for a while, the two board members proposed to have the senior officials of the hotel gather at the meeting room to have an ad hoc meeting ten minutester. Therefore, Mr. Webb went to organize the meeting while she returned to her office to gather some documents. The moment she arrived at the door, she ran into Alexander who had returned from the washroom. ¡°President Duncan.¡± She greeted politely and hesitated for a second before asking, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of directorsing here to observe the hotel¡¯s environment, so why are the two board members suddenly coming here to inspect? Is there something going on?¡± Alexander nced at her with a faint surprise in his eyes as he exined solemnly, ¡°There will be important guestsing to the city for a meeting in two days. If I¡¯m not mistaken, they¡¯ll be staying here. To prevent any idents from happening, the board members decided toe here first to check out the surroundings.¡± Ever since he said those harsh words to her in the hospital that day, they never contacted each other again, so he was surprised that she was able to pretend that nothing had ever happened, as if she never took that incident to heart. ¡°There will be important guests staying here?¡± Her expression became stern, so she did not realize the change of emotions in his eyes. ¡°By then, do we need to ask the other upants staying in the hotel to leave? Should we increase the security too?¡± ¡°About that¡­ That is what we¡¯ll discuss in the meetingter on.¡± Courtney nodded and opened her office door. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take my documents to the meeting now.¡± The moment the door was opened, a strong fragrant scent of roses entered their noses. Just as Alexander was about to leave, he halted his steps and instinctively nced inside the door before seeing a bunch of dazzling roses that filled up the whole office. Immediately, his brows tightened to form deep lines on his forehead. No wonder she doesn¡¯t care about what happened in the hospital that day. Looks like she has been busytely. ¡°About security¡ª¡± Courtney came out with her documents, but before she could finish her words, she realized that he did not wait for her at the door. Suddenly, she felt a little awkward, but fortunately, no one was around to see it, so she let out a few dry coughs before heading toward the meeting room. The content discussed during the meeting was exactly as what Alexander mentioned. The two board members had arrived to discuss the impending reception of the important guests in a few days¡¯ time. The points they brought up were indeed security and the service aspect of the hotel while also emphasizing on the menu. ¡°When will the important guests check into the hotel?¡± ¡°Three dayster.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too rushed. What about the guests staying in the hotel during this period?¡± Courtney furrowed her brows. ¡°We can handle the ones who have made their reservations, but what about the ones who are already staying here?¡± Everyone at the meeting table looked at each other. This is really a problem. If we cancel all reservations and ask the guests who are staying here to check out within three days, they will definitely criticize us. After all, nobody wants to spontaneously change hotels for no reason. Amidst everyone¡¯s discussion, a cold and stern voice stood out among the others. ¡°If you need to ask us for a solution because of a small matter like this, what is the point of hiring you to be in charge of the hotel?¡± His words were direct without any use of euphemism. For a moment, everyone in the meeting room was startled as they held onto their breath and stared at her with sympathetic eyes. Courtney was also dumbfounded while she pursed her lips. ¡°I see; I¡¯ll try my best to settle the problem.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to try your best because this is a must. When I first hired you as the hotel¡¯s manager, you should clearly know that I chose you not because of your fake qualifications.¡± Alexander ruthlessly rectified her and his eyes grew cold, as if they were wrapped in the frost of winter, making others afraid to look directly at him. At first, it was reasonable for him to be dissatisfied with her work, but his words now clearly indicated that he was intentionally targeting her and even tried to bring up her previous incident with the fake resume. On the other hand, Courtney looked extremely embarrassed. After the meeting, everyone quickly dispersed and Alexander left the hotel without turning his head to have a word with her. Everyone stood at the hotel¡¯s entrance and watched while he and the two board members drove away. Finally, all of them let out a collective sigh of relief. Standing beside Courtney, Addie whispered, ¡°Miss Hunter, did you do something to offend President Duncan?¡± At the moment, her brows had deeply tightened as she red at him angrily. ¡°Who knows? He¡¯s crazy.¡± Isn¡¯t this weird? He just sent me flowers this morning, so why did hepletely change this evening? Chapter 114 One Night Surprise Chapter 114 Chapter 114 Don¡¯t Mention Him to Me When Courtney returned home at night, she wrapped an apron around her waist and cooked some noodles in the kitchen for Tina. Then, Tina ran toward her with a smile and asked, ¡°Mommy, are you in a good mood today?¡± ¡°What is it? Why are you asking?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just asking!¡± Tina sniffed with her nose. ¡°Mommy, did you receive flowers? I can smell the scent of it all over you.¡± Upon hearing her daughter, Courtney immediately furrowed her brows. However, Tina had not noticed it, so she continued to ask with expectation. ¡°Is it Mr. Alexander? It smells like roses and is fragrant!¡± The moment she spoke those words, a loud ¡®ng¡¯ was heard as Courtney immediately stabbed her knife on the cutting board and growled, ¡°Do not mention his name to me!¡± Instantly, Tina trembled as she felt a shiver down her neck. When she lifted her head, she saw Courtney¡¯s gloomy face, causing her tiny heart to race while she quickly fled the scene. What happened? I thought sending her flowers would definitely win her over. As the chopping sound of meat continued to ring in the kitchen, Tina hid in her bedroom and secretly made a call. ¡°Grandpa Scott, Mommy seems to be angrier than before¡ªno, she was merely unhappy before, but she¡¯s really angry now!¡± After a while of silence, he replied, ¡°We¡¯ll think of another way.¡± In the dining room of the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home, Scott looked gloomy as he hung up on the call. This makes no sense. I thought women are usually happy to receive flowers. Why is she angry instead? Courtney seemed to have calmed down during dinner after chopping all those pork ribs, so she grabbed some ribs for Tina. ¡°You should eat more. When I¡¯m not at home during the day, you can heat up the ribs in the microwave yourself. You shouldn¡¯t eat a lot of junk food.¡± Tina bit her ribs and murmured, ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s boring to stay at home alone everyday. Why don¡¯t you sign me up for extra-curricr activities?¡± ¡°Extra-curricr activities?¡± Courtney was slightly startled. ¡°What do you want to learn?¡± ¡°Swimming!¡± Tina ran to her room before returning with aptop that showed an admission advertisement for a summer swimming ss. ¡°I¡¯ve already found a ss. The kids can attend sses by themselves from Monday to Sunday whereas you can apany me there on the weekends.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to swim.¡± Courtney furrowed her brows. ¡°Why should I even go there?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve asked them and they told me that there will be a free ss for adults on Saturday, so you can learn with me.¡± ¡°When did you ask?¡± Courtney looked confused. ¡°I called them earlier.¡± Tina wore an innocent expression. ¡°Mommy, aren¡¯t you always worried that I don¡¯t eat well while staying at home alone? As long as you send me to the swimming ss in the morning, they¡¯ll even provide lunch!¡± ¡°Lunch?¡± Courtney scanned through the advertisement and mumbled. ¡°It sounds too good to be true. I bet it isn¡¯t cheap.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve asked them about that too. There is a 50% discount on their opening day.¡± ¡°That means¡­¡± Courtney quietly counted the price before letting out a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll sign you up tomorrow.¡± Tina blinked her eyes. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re the best. Then, you areing with me to the swimming pool this Saturday, right?¡± ¡°No problem.¡± The next day, after Courtney sent Tina to the swimming pool, she received a call from her assistant, saying that the hotel¡¯s receptionist came into conflict with one of the guests. She immediately hung up the phone and hurried over. ¡°What happened?¡± The moment she arrived at the hotel, she was met with Addie¡¯s gloomy face. ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to clear out the entire hotel to wee the important guests? However, the filming crew that previously stayed here is a huge problem. I don¡¯t know how theymunicated with each other, but the crew¡¯s second female lead was somehow offended.¡± ¡°Someone from the crew?¡± Courtney¡¯s brows tightened. ¡°Second female lead? Is she the one who is staying in room 1213¡ªBrenda rk?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s her. Initially, we¡¯ve discussed with the person in charge of the crew by arranging a nearby hotel for them to stay in. We are responsible for the luggage transportation and their loss of time, but Brenda imed that she lost a diamond ne. The surveince video showed that only the receptionist, Penelope, has been to her room this morning to inform her about the time to move¡­¡± ¡°Are you saying Penelope stole it?¡± Courtney¡¯s brows tightened. I know everyone in the hotel and Penelope is even someone who I hired myself. She doesn¡¯t seem like someone who would steal. ¡°Am I not? Brenda is now moring to call the police. We are supposed to wee the important guests, but if we rm the police and let everyone know that someone from our hotel is a thief, it¡¯ll definitely cause a negative oue.¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°We can¡¯t call the police. By the way, where¡¯s Penelope? Tell her toe to me first so that I can ask her what happened.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Addie quickly nodded before heading off to look for her. On the other hand, she went straight to the surveince room, but as soon as she arrived there, she saw a familiar figure. ¡°Why are you here?¡± She looked at Oliver with surprise. Oliver blinked at her and answered, ¡°Something has happened in the hotel, so my first reaction is to come and check the surveince video. I have nothing to do anyway, so why don¡¯t I help you out? I have already asked them to cut the recording that you want, so you can just watch it right away.¡± Courtney praised him. ¡°Good on you.¡± The surveince video showed the door outside room 1213 and the operator quickly fast forwarded it at eight times the speed. As soon as the video arrived tost night¡¯s timeline, she was suddenly alert. ¡°Stop.¡± The operator quickly pressed the pause button. ¡°Is there any problem, Miss Hunter?¡± Courtney raised her hand to inform him not to speak while she focused on the frame on the screen. It was only a whileter that she murmured, ¡°Rewind by about five minutes.¡± The operator quickly rewinded the video. ¡°Stop.¡± While looking at the door, Courtney could see Penelope¡¯s panic. As she took a deep breath, her face grew gloomier. ¡°Just like what Addie told me. Last night at 9PM, Penelope went into room 1213 and there¡¯s probably no one in Brenda¡¯s room at that time.¡± However, as Oliver touched his chin and held the sses on his nose, a trace of wisdom seemed to constantly flicker in his eyes. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look that simple.¡± Then, a series of hurried footsteps were heard rushing outside the door and what transpired was Addie panting. ¡°Miss Hunter, something has happened. Penelope is now on the rooftop. She wants to jump off the roof.¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney¡¯s face suddenly turned pale as she rushed out of the room in her 12cm heels. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. On the rooftop of Sunhill Hotel, a slim figure trembled outside the rusty railings. The scorching sun was so bright that it was hard for anyone to keep one¡¯s eyes open while the hot wind blowing on the roof made people feel that they were about to be melted at any time. ¡°Don¡¯te here. Don¡¯t you guys come here.¡± ¡°Penelope, calm down.¡± When Courtney arrived at the rooftop, there was already a circle of hotel staff gathering outside. All of them looked nervous with a pale face as they gazed at the shaky figure outside the railings. If something happens to the hotel before the important guests arrive, the hotel and even the entire Sunhill Enterprise will be doomed. ¡°Move aside. I need all of you to move aside first.¡± Courtney pushed aside the crowd and walked to the front. The moment she saw the scene in front of her, she was almost frightened to death, but after she calmed down, she raised both her hands and panted. ¡°Penelope, it¡¯s me. You need to calm down. We can talk about it after you step down from there.¡± Chapter 115 One Night Surprise Chapter 115 Chapter 115 An Unexpected Kiss As soon as Penelope saw Courtney, tears started to stream down her eyes as she cried, ¡°Miss Hunter, I didn¡¯t take any ne at all. She is ndering me.¡± ¡°I know. I know you didn¡¯t take it. We still haven¡¯t finished investigating the situation. Pleasee down first.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying to me.¡± Penelope held on to the railing with one hand while wiping her tears with the other. Everyone was terrified as they looked at her while she screamed loudly, ¡°You are all lying to me. That¡¯s not what happened. You all heard what that little celebrity said¡ªshe wants you all to fire me from the hotel. I heard it all.¡± Upon hearing Penelope, Courtney¡¯s face suddenly turned pale as she red at Addie. ¡°What happened?¡± Addie furrowed his brows and answered, ¡°Mr. Webb felt that we needed to move the entire crew out immediately, so¡ª¡± Suddenly, Mr. Webb interrupted from the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about the hotel¡¯s sake.¡± ¡°Even if you are thinking about the hotel¡¯s sake, you still can¡¯t simply fire someone.¡± Courtney red at him with cold eyes, causing him to shiver in fear. He instantly did not dare to say another word. Then, she turned toward Penelope and shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I promise that I¡¯ll thoroughly look into this situation. If you didn¡¯t take the ne, I can assure you that no one will fire you.¡± There was no trace of blood on Penelope¡¯s delicate face as it was filled with despair and sorrow. She repeatedly shook her head while tears rolled down her face. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. You¡¯ll definitely fire me.¡± After that, the old railing on the rooftop, which was in need of repair, suddenly made a cracking sound. As the rusty steel railing connected with the cement pier to make a screeching sound, it caused everyone to scream in fear. Courtney clenched her fists and said, ¡°This is not working. Addie, I want you to distract her by talking to her. Talk to her about her grandma and I¡¯ll think of a way to get her down.¡± Then, she suppressed her racing heart and waited for him to start talking to Penelope about her grandma so that she herself could quietly approach her from the side. On the rooftop, Addie¡¯s trembling voice echoed. ¡°Penelope, your grandma isn¡¯t in the best shape and she is still waiting for you to mail her money every month. You can¡¯t just give up on your life like this.¡± However, Penelope remained silent. Under the scorching sun, Courtney¡¯s every step caused her body to perspire and it was quickly evaporated by the sun. Through the gaps of the railings, she could see the fire brigade positioning themselves downstairs as they quickly pumped the safety cushion. If she falls down from such a height, I¡¯m afraid she will still suffer from concussion even if there¡¯s a safety cushion to break the fall. However, Penelope seemed to be moved by Addie¡¯s words as she could not help crying. ¡°If I don¡¯t have a job, I can¡¯t send money to my grandma at all. I¡¯m different from all of you¡ªyou guys can kill someone with just amand and still feel nothing about it.¡± As her emotions intensified, her hand kept on tightening around the railing. The constant screeching sound of the railings caused a sudden thump in everyone¡¯s heart. Suddenly, a loud crack was heard and amidst the constant screams, the already unstable railing finally copsed, causing Penelope¡¯s scream to pierce the air. Everyone at the scene gasped, but they did not dare to look. ¡°Help!! Someone¡­¡± Courtney¡¯s muffled shout instantly brought everyone back to their senses. At that moment, she was hanging on the edge of the roof with one hand tightly holding the stone pier while the other held onto Penelope¡¯s hand in the nick of time. Courtney¡¯s wrist suddenly felt like it weighed a thousand pounds as every second became a struggle for her. While grtitting her teeth, she used herst strength to force three words between her teeth. ¡°Quickly help us.¡± Everyone who had recovered from the shock quickly came forward to help Penelope, who had already passed out. As Courtney turned, she immediately sat on the ground, but her wrist seemed to be dislocated since it was numb from the pain and she even found it difficult to raise her hand. ¡°Can you still stand up?¡± A familiar voice was heard above her. She was startled as she lifted her head under the bright sun, but she was still able to make out Alexander¡¯s dashing face. Then, a clean hand with round nails and slim fingers reached out in front of her. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°The reporters are all broadcasting this live downstairs. Can I not be here? The firemen have positioned themselves downstairs, so why do you have to act as a heroine? Do you think the hotel isn¡¯t infamous enough?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was firm and ruthless as ever. ¡°Can you at least stand up?¡± The feeling of escaping death was still wandering in her mind, so she did not notice the concern and love in his tone at all as she took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± The moment she finished speaking, her whole body was suddenly lifted to the air. In a sudden turn, her bodypletely changed direction and she was finally able to clearly see his face with the sunlight behind him. Not only that, she could lucidly hear his deep cold voice. ¡°No need to try.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. For a moment, her scream was stuck in her throat as she subconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck. Under everyone¡¯s gaze, she was carried away from the rooftop by him. Is he crazy? He carried her all the way to her office through the stairs and elevator while ignoring the shock in everyone¡¯s eyes along the way. The moment they returned to her office, her face had already turned beet red all the way to her neck. ¡°W-What are you doing?¡± He threw her on the office couch before violently grabbing her struggling arm with a gloomy face. ¡°Have you ever considered the consequences if you didn¡¯t catch her at that moment, or if you fell down along with her?¡± Under his questioning eyes, Courtney suddenly felt something blocking her throat as she was only able to speak after a while. ¡°D-Didn¡¯t you say that the firemen were already prepared downstairs?¡± At most¡­ At most, the both of us would fall down together andnd on the safety cushion. ¡°We are talking about the 20th floor.¡± Alexander¡¯s face grew darker. How useful can the safety cushion be? Even if you don¡¯t die after falling on it, you will still be severely injured. Under his staring gaze, she began to feel an invisible pressure and an inexplicable guilt, as if she had done something wrong. She did not dare to look straight into his eyes, so she tried to change the subject. ¡°Am I not alright now? I¡¯m just contributing to the hotel. If I really sacrificed myself in honor, you all have to take care of my daughter¡­ Um¡ª¡± Before Courtney could finish her words, her lips were suddenly sealed by another pair of cold lips. As her eyes widened, she stared at the suddenly erged face in front of her in disbelief while her pupils began to lose their focus. Due to the close distance between them, she could clearly feel the firm heartbeat inside Alexander¡¯s chest. This kiss waspletely unexpected as she actually forgot to push him away or maybe it was because her consciousness never wanted to push him away in the first ce. After just escaping death, she was frightened to the core, but a kiss like that was gradually calming her down. Slowly, she started to pander to the kiss after experiencing panic at the start. Her body sunk into the couch as she let his imposing body apply its pressure on her and hepletely engulfed her in his arms. She allowed him to hold the back of her head so that he could deepen the kiss in a way that she could not deny. As she allowed his intense breathing to merge with her pants, the ambiguous atmosphere around the entire room was suddenly ignited like a me. ¡°Um¡­¡± The air gradually thinned while their heartbeat elerated as if their hearts were about to pop out of their chests at any time. Chapter 116 One Night Surprise Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Pettiness As their body temperatures increased at an elerating rate, the whole room was starting to burn. The intimate kiss spread all the way to Courtney¡¯s chin, neck and her chest while a huge pair of hands swept through her body. However, she did not resist him at all since her mind waspletely nk. Knock! Knock! Knock! The rapid knocks on the door tried to halt the man¡¯s advancement. ¡°Miss Hunter, Penelope has woken up. What should we do? The police are also here.¡± Suddenly, she returned to her senses and pushed Alexander away as she sat up in panic. Knock! Knock! Knock! ¡°Miss Hunter, are you there?¡± On the other side of the office door, Addie¡¯s voice was filled with confusion. After taking a deep breath, she tried her best topose herself. ¡°I¡¯m here. I didn¡¯t hear you the first time because I¡¯m a little busy. I¡¯ll be there in 5 minutes. You can head there first.¡± ¡°What is it? Do you need my help?¡± Upon hearing his words, she suddenly felt frustrated, so she anxiously replied, ¡°No, I-I¡¯m changing my clothes. My clothes became dirty while I was saving Penelope.¡± Luckily, Addie left, so Courtney let out a sigh of relief. As she turned, she saw Alexander smiling at her with his narrowed eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you blink when you lie?¡± Suddenly, she could feel her face flushing as she stared at him. ¡°It¡¯s all because of you.¡± ¡°Actually, your lie isn¡¯t convincing enough.¡± He held his arms and spoke teasingly. ¡°Many people saw me carrying you here. How likely is it that your assistant doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m in here?¡± Upon hearing his exnation, Courtney¡¯s expression changed as she could not say anything for a while. Am I not shooting myself in the leg? ¡°Then, why did you do that if you clearly knew about this?¡± She gritted her teeth. ¡°You did this on purpose.¡± ¡°Yes, I did it on purpose.¡± Alexander remained calm. ¡°An eye for an eye.¡± Instantly, her brows tightened. ¡°What do you mean? Where have I offended you again?¡± Alexander profoundly gazed at her and reminded, ¡°You seem to have quickly forgotten about the unspoken rule in the Ancient City.¡± Courtney suddenly came around while her face became hotter. ¡°That is because¡­¡± For a while, she tried to follow up on the word ¡®because¡¯, but she just could not find the excuse. She immediately became upset, so she changed the subject. ¡°So, because of that, you took it to heart and always targeted me until today. Not only that, you even purposely tried to embarrass me in front of everyone today¡­¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes flickered as he murmured, ¡°Do you really think I would go against you because of that?¡± ¡°What else could it be?¡± Courtney looked angry as she mumbled quietly. ¡°You exposed me in front of many people at the meeting, which shows how petty you are to abuse your power.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°I said nothing.¡± She avoided her gaze and moved aside. After ncing at her, Alexander¡¯s eyesnded on arge bouquet of roses in the corner. Slowly, the tease in his eyes disappeared as he pretended to be indifferent. ¡°That scent is too strong. Please don¡¯t put it in your office from now on. It has such a poor taste.¡± Upon hearing his disgusted tone, Courtney furrowed her brows and uttered, ¡°Poor taste? Then, why did you send it to me?¡± Alexander was startled while traces of confusion shed through his eyes. ¡°Fine. I have a poor taste, so I deserve lousy flowers.¡± She red at him before angrily standing up to let out a dry cough. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. Please wait until no one is outside before you leave.¡± With that, she left with a red face. Even though she pretended to beposed, in his eyes, her back was obviously anxious. The moment she left, he rose to his full height and went to the front of the vase containing the roses. After looking at it for a while, he noticed the card under the vase, so he picked it up and saw the writing inside. Immediately, his mouth could not stop twitching. It all makes sense now. Looks like Grandpa has a lot of free time these days! In the lounge, Penelope had just regained consciousness with a weak and pale face while her colleague, who was usually very close with her, stayed by her side tofort her. ¡°Penelope.¡± Courtney pushed aside the crowd and walked to the bed before speaking in a soft voice. ¡°Are you alright? Are you still feeling ufortable?¡± Penelope shook her head with all her strength while bean-like tears fell on her nket. ¡°I¡¯ll look into this situation thoroughly. From now on, I don¡¯t want you to give up on your life ever again. Do you know how sad your grandma will feel if she knows about this?¡± Courtney held Penelope¡¯s cold hands while feeling a little upset for her. Courtney had hired Penelope a month ago as the receptionist. Even though Penelope dropped out of high school to work and she was introverted without having other abilities, she was still a focused and hardworking kid from the countryside who only wanted to take care of her sick grandma at home. On the other hand, Courtney once personally experienced the same background as her. Although there was no clear evidence that pointed to Penelope stealing the ne, Courtney was sure that she would not do something like that. As sheforted Penelope, a ruckus was heard outside. Courtney furrowed her brows and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Brenda,¡± the crowd whispered as they discussed the situation. The moment they heard the name ¡®Brenda¡¯, Courtney could clearly feel that Penelope¡¯s hand was tightly holding onto hers, as if she was extremely scared. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get to the bottom of this.¡± She patted Penelope¡¯s hand before walking out. ¡°Everyone should leave too. Let Penelope rest for now.¡± ¡°Have a rest?¡± The moment Courtney closed the door, a sharp voice was heard. ¡°If every thief uses suicide to gain symphathy, then I think all murderers in prison should climb a building and jump off its roof.¡± Courtney focused her eyes toward the source of the voice and saw that it was Brenda folding both arms while staring at her. Her innocent face was filled with disdain as she wore a casual retro dark green sports shorts along with her ck boyfriend-style loose shirt, which made her look adorable. She was the little celebrity who was in the limelight recently after she debuted with the image of a pure, innocent girl, but behind the scenes, she had a bad temper. During her stay in the hotel, rumors were circting that she openly and secretly had several conflicts with the female lead, Britney Price, due to herck of screentime. ¡°Miss rk, we are not trying to protect one of our own. The matter has not been investigated thoroughly, so we can¡¯t simply make conclusions.¡± ¡°Fromst night until today, she was the only one who went into my room. It¡¯s all captured in the surveince video. Do you really think I¡¯m framing her?¡± Brenda furrowed her brows with a gloomy face. ¡°I think you are purposely shielding her. Didn¡¯t you just risk your life to save her earlier? What is it? Are you two rtives?¡± Upon hearing her assumptions, Courtney could only roll her eyes in her heart, but she still outwardly maintained a friendly expression on her face. ¡°About that¡ª¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s simple. I don¡¯t need an investigation and I¡¯m certainly not short of a ne, but I hate thieves the most. That¡¯s why I only have one request¡ªif you fire her, all of this ends here, but if you disagree, I will start to believe that you¡¯re jointly responsible for this matter too.¡± Brenda interrupted and arrogantly raised her chin. ¡°After all, that thief is your subordinate, right? If I choose to pursue this matter further, you can also leave this ce along with her.¡± At that moment, Courtney was clenching her fists. ¡°You should be the one leaving here, Miss rk.¡± The cold voice of a man echoed in the corridor, drawing the heads of the surrounding onlookers. Chapter 117 One Night Surprise Chapter 117 Chapter 117 Can Money Resolve Everything? The 1.83-meter young man walked toward them from the other end of the hallway; his young immature face adopted an inexplicably steady aura of a middle-aged man, causing the crowd to automatically give way to him. Courtney was momentarily stunned before returning to her senses. She then stopped him and asked in a small voice, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Oliver cast a nce tofort her before patting the back of her hand. ¡°I¡¯m here to watch the show of a culprit using the innocent of a sin that wasmitted by herself¡ªI wonder why you insisted on using a youngdy of stealing. Miss rk, if this incident is exposed to the media, I think the entertainment industry will no longer wee you in the future.¡± Brenda¡¯s face paled. ¡°What nonsense are you spewing? Where do youe from? Don¡¯t you guys have anyone else in the Sunhill Hotel?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who I am. What matters is that Miss rk, you imed that Penelope stole your ne, but what is your basis for making such an adamant usation?¡± ¡°The security footage showed that she was the only person who entered my room at 10.00PMst night.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you there when Penelope entered your room?¡± Upon hearing that, everyone looked at one another in shock. Ever since the filming crew checked in, it was widely known that the actors had a habit of having a meeting to discuss the script at around 10.00PM. The actors¡¯ rooms were mostly empty at that time, so when the security cameras caught Penelope entering the room and exiting it in panic, it aroused their suspicion. ¡°What do you mean? I returned to my room at 11.00PM.¡± Brenda¡¯s expression suddenly changed and she scolded, ¡°You shoulde up with a smarter excuse if you wish to protect her.¡± ¡°A better excuse?¡± Oliver scoffed as his handsome face filled with disdain. ¡°Miss rk, this is exactly what I want to tell you¡ªif you want to hook up with a man, you should have found a smarter way. Don¡¯t think that you can hide it from everyone by taking advantage of the shared balcony that connects both rooms and taking a preemptive move to stop the witness of your deeds from exposing your doings.¡± Upon hearing his words, everyone at the scene was stunned. Brenda and a man? As if something dawned on Courtney, she instantly came to her senses and made a sudden realization. Britney and Brenda had argued with each other before the alleged theft, which Courtney had overheard when she passed by the room. Britney seemed to be reprimanding Brenda for not being professional as thetter disappeared when they all had a meeting to discuss the script. Upon hearing Oliver¡¯s words, she suddenly understood the situation. Brenda¡¯s disappearance was merely because she took advantage of the fact that some of the rooms in the floor upied by the filming crew had balconies that connected the neighboring rooms. She then sneaked out when the others were discussing the script. As for the reason why she did so, it was pretty obvious by now. Her face paled as she nervously refuted, ¡°What nonsense did you just say? You have to take responsibility for saying this kind of thing. Be careful because I may sue you for defamation.¡± ¡°Suing me for defamation is not exactly an urgent matter now. I happened to be free earlier, so I casually asked some of the crew members about your whereabouts at that time. Coincidentally, during the period that you imed that your ne went missing, you were not discussing the script with the other actors in the director¡¯s room. What was more coincidental was that the producer was absent too.¡± Upon hearing the word ¡®producer¡¯, the discussion among the crowd became even louder and more looks of dismaynded on Brenda¡ªthey were filled with contemptuousness and disgust. The film producer was a renowned professional actor, who retired to work behind the scenes a few years ago. As he had long been married, that revtion made Brenda a mistress. ¡°Y-You should shut up!¡± Brenda¡¯s face paled with a dark expression. The corners of Oliver¡¯s lips curved upward. ¡°There are more coincidences¡ªthe hotel¡¯s system database showed that the water of your bathtub in the bathroom of your room was left flowing at 9.00PM.¡± More evidence was revealed¡ªand it was more solid and concrete than the one given by Brenda to support her unfounded one-sided usation that Penelope had stolen her ne. There were even people who secretly took videos of the situation. Courtney nced at the hotel employees who were watching themotion and frowned. ¡°Keep your phones away. Stop taking videos.¡± The crowd felt a little embarrassed and kept their phones away before they dispersed. Courtney then turned to Brenda, who had lost all of the confidence she had earlier, and asked, ¡°Miss rk, can we have a word in private now?¡± Brenda gritted her teeth; she nodded and agreed, even though she was reluctant to do so. ¡°I won¡¯t be joining you guys, then. Everything has been resolved, right?¡± Oliver returned to his innocent facade. His childish, immature features gave off a vibe of a young teenage boy, making it difficult for people to associate him with the logical, meticulous, and solemn look he had earlier¡ªit was as if they werepletely different people. Although Courtney was a little puzzled, she nodded without asking further since she had to deal with Brenda¡¯s matter now. ¡°Okay, you don¡¯t have toe. Thank you for this.¡± ¡°You are wee. It¡¯s just a small matter. Go ahead with your matters. I will exin the situation to Penelopeter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After Courtney left, it was only Oliver and the remaining hotel employees left in the hallway. Most of them were waiters and some receptionists who were quite close with Penelope. Upon seeing that Courtney had left, they joyfully approached him. ¡°You are amazing. How did you manage to find out about those things?¡± ¡°Brenda¡¯s expression fell earlier. I have long noticed that she had been having suspicious eye-contacts with the film producer, but you were actually able to think of this. You are simply brilliant!¡± The couple of girls who stayed behind were all young¡ªtheir eyes were filled with admiration, treating the young boy who was 18 to 19 years old as a god in deduction and continued to praise him. Meanwhile, at the end of the hallway, a slender figure stood still at the corner for a long time and thoughtfully stared at the young boy. A shred of wariness appeared in his calm cold eyes¡­ The matter was much easier to deal with after that. Courtney had a frank and open conversation with Brenda while exining the whole situation¡ªthe incident today was indeed thetter¡¯s self- orchestrated farce. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Penelope happened to run into Brenda when thetter was in the midst of hooking up with the producer in the bathroom. As Brenda was afraid that the matter would be exposed, she framed Penelope for stealing her ne¡ªon one hand, she could take advantage of the situation and force her out of the hotel. On the other hand, if Penelope exposed the matter in the future, Brenda could im that the usation was merely a revenge tactic on her. After understanding the whole situation, Courtney felt cold in her heart. ¡°Miss rk, did you realize that your wild usation nearly caused someone to take their own life?¡± Brenda seemed embarrassed, but she put up a strong front. ¡°I never thought that she would really attempt to jump from the building. Since things havee to this stage, I¡­ Go ahead and name your price and I will ept whatever figure as long as the hotel can keep your employees¡¯ mouths shut.¡± Courtney was pissed by her words. ¡°Do you really think that money is able to resolve everything?¡± Brenda was also maddened. ¡°What should I do, then? I said that I will pay, so what else do you want? Anyway, if footage of this incident is uploaded online, it will be the hotel¡¯s responsibility. I will definitely file awsuit for the loss that it will cause me.¡± Upon seeing her attitude that did not have any sense of remorse, Courtney clenched her fist, took a deep breath, and raised her head to look at Brenda¡¯s eyes before she scoffed, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if this incident is uploaded online, you will be busy dealing with the reporters¡¯ inquiries and handling the producer¡¯s wife. I don¡¯t think that you will have the time to sue us.¡± Brenda¡¯s face immediately paled. Chapter 118 One Night Surprise Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Announce It to the Whole World Brenda growled through gritted teeth, ¡°What are you going to do? What¡¯s the point of us ruining each other? My reputation will be destroyed, but what good will it bring to your hotel? Are you going to give up on your job for the sake of a mere receptionist?¡± Courtney¡¯s expression was cold as she scoffed, ¡°To have a clear conscience, but I have no ns to have a life and death struggle with you either.¡± Brenda detected a silver lining in her words and she frowned as she looked at Courtney. ¡°You don¡¯t want this incident to be known by everyone, do you? The hotel will protect a client¡¯s secret, so I will delete everything that the hotel employees have recorded with their phones earlier and I can ensure that they won¡¯t spread this incident online, but with one condition.¡± ¡°Name it.¡± ¡°Apologize to Penelope.¡± Upon hearing it, Brenda was stunned. After she hesitated for some time, she finally nodded with reluctance with her brows furrowed. With several hotel executives as the witnesses, Brenda personally apologized to Penelope in the lounge. As a result, Penelope seemed a little uneasy and she stopped Courtney with anxiety after Brenda and everyone else left. ¡°Miss Hunter, will I-I still be fired?¡± Courtney smiled. ¡°The matter has been thoroughly investigated, so why would we fire you? Don¡¯t make hasty decisions like this in the future since your life matters the most.¡± It was only then that Penelope heaved a sigh of relief. Tears swam in her eyes as she solemnly nodded. ¡°Okay. Thank you, Miss Hunter.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me for this matter. It was Oliver who helped you to look into this matter, so you should thank him instead.¡± ¡°Oliver?¡± Penelope was stunned and her face suddenly blushed. ¡°Where is he now?¡± ¡°Right now? I think he should be at the cafe downstairs.¡± ¡°Let me go and look for him now.¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. While looking at Penelope¡¯s lively figure, Courtney helplessly smiled while she folded her arms across her chest. Ever since Oliver started to stay in the hotel, manydies there came to her with all sorts of reasons to inquire about him. Even a patient who lost his memory had such great attraction, which showed how much the society cared about one¡¯s look. Just when Courtney was about to leave, a figure paused next to her before she heard Alexander¡¯s voice. ¡°You are only older than that kid by a couple of years, yet your smile makes you look like you are his mother. Are you addicted to being his mother?¡± She immediately turned and snapped, ¡°Who are you talking about? President Duncan, this kind of joke is not funny in a work setting.¡± Raising his eyebrow, he had a smug look on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t crack jokes. I am merely curious as to how the kid will react if he finds out that you passionately arranged a girl to look for him.¡± His words left her puzzled. ¡°What sort of reaction?¡± As she spoke, two waiters passed by them. One of them attempted to greet them but was stopped and dragged away by the other. Their conversation could be vaguely heard from a distance. ¡°Idiot. You know the rtionship between President Duncan and Miss Hunter, yet you tried to approach them.¡± The other waiter was rendered speechless. ¡°You just have to pretend that you didn¡¯t see anything.¡± Courtney was at a loss for words and her face instantly flushed red. ¡°Courtney¡­¡± Before Alexander¡¯s raised hand couldnd on her shoulder, she suddenly took two steps backward and she muttered through gritted teeth, ¡°President Duncan, please have some self-respect.¡± He had once carried her down from the rooftop in front of many people, and after taking advantage of her, he deliberately mentioned about the time when she badmouthed about him in Oreus. There should be a limit as to how far he can abuse his power to settle his personal grudges by cing me in unfavorable situations. I don¡¯t need to be in situations like this for the rest of my life. Alexander felt helpless. ¡°I just wanted to ask whether you would like to join me for a meal.¡± After the news was under control, he had lost his purpose ofing over to the hotel. However, he still gained something¡ªhe at least learned the identity of the person who sent her the roses that filled her entire office. Courtney frowned and asked warily, ¡°What are you nning now? Are you unsatisfied with the number of rumors about us spreading around?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look like someone who is afraid of rumors.¡± He ced both his hands in his pockets with a smirk on his cold face. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m your superior. You can¡¯t simply avoid me to stop those rumors, can you?¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney pondered for a moment with furrowed brows before turning her gaze away to avoid his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not like you, a president who can eat whatever and whenever you want¡ªI have some aftermaths to deal with. I will ask my assistant to grab me a fast-food meal at the convenience store after this. I really don¡¯t have the time to eat now.¡± While looking at her as she gave him a slick reply, a cryptic curve appeared at the corner of his lips. ¡°You were mincing your words. If I¡¯m not wrong, you are still shy, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Who?¡± Her eyes widened as her words became incoherent. ¡°Who are you talking about? I-I have no time to talk to you as I have loads of things to do.¡± After saying that, she escaped the scene in a state of panic. As Alexander observed her leaving back, the smile in his eyes deepened and the gloominess that hovered above him for the past few days disappeared without a trace at that moment. After he left the Sunhill hotel, he sat at the back seat of the MPV while listening to Josh¡¯s report about the oue after Brenda¡¯s incident had been handled. ¡°The news online has been removed. We didn¡¯t manage to do anything with the news about Brenda because her agency¡¯s actions were faster than mine. The incident didn¡¯t arouse much public opinion either, so it shouldn¡¯t affect the reception of the important guests on the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Alexander nodded as he looked a little distracted. ¡°Speaking of which, President Duncan, the important guests will be arriving next Monday. When are you going to check in at the hotel? I will inform the person-in-charge in advance.¡± He pondered for a moment. ¡°This is not very urgent. There is something else that I would like you to do.¡± ¡°Please tell me.¡± ¡°During the stay of the important guests in the hotel, the hotel manager, who is responsible for weing them, will have to apany them throughout the period. So, the manager has to check in at the hotel as well tomorrow night.¡± Josh was stunned. The manager who is responsible for receiving the guests? Isn¡¯t that Courtney? He immediately started to rack his brain as he tentatively asked Alexander, ¡°The employees¡¯ rooms have all been cleared as per your request, so where should the person-in-charge stay this time?¡± ¡°The vacant penthouse suite.¡± Upon hearing that, Josh was again stunned. The penthouse suite? Isn¡¯t that the suite he usually stays in? This is such an obvious arrangement. Is he nning to announce their rtionship to the whole world? Looks like I will have to be smart and act ording to the future president¡¯s wife¡¯s preference after this. On the other hand, after Courtney hadpleted all the tasks at hand and she returned to her office, her feet felt sore to the point where she slumped on the office chair as she sighed deeply. Just when she stared into space, she suddenly caught a glimpse of the pile of boxes at the corner of her eyes, which made her instantly return to her senses and straighten her posture. It was a ck lunch box with a transparent cover on top, which allowed her to clearly see the content inside¡ªa fried drumstick, seasonal vegetable, stir-fried bell pepper with shredded pork, and purple sweet potato rice, which were all neatly arranged with matching colors that were pleasing to the eye. When she lifted the lunch box, she saw a note under it¡ª¡®The president doesn¡¯t have that much time to eat whatever and whenever he wants as well, so fast food is indeed a good choice to save time.¡¯ His handwriting was sharp and powerful, as if it was able to slice through the paper. ¡°Nobody would believe that you will eat fast food. You are so stingy when you treat someone to a meal,¡± she muttered, but warmth slowly crept into her eyes as her hands were busy opening the lunch box. It was certainly the taste that she was used to, but it tasted slightly sweeter this time. Chapter 119 One Night Surprise Chapter 119 Chapter 119 It Won¡¯t Go Well if There Are Too Many People Around! At night, the hotel employees had alreadypleted their cleaning duties before they got off work. After giving instructions to the janitors to have a final clean of the area, Courtney packed her stuff and clocked out of work. While she drove home, she received a notification from the hotel¡¯s general manager. The traffic was awful during the peak hour, so she decided that she should take a look at the message. Upon reading the content, she frowned and gave him a call. ¡°Mr. Webb, why is there a sudden request for me to stay in the hotel?¡± Mr. Webb¡¯s helpless voice came from the other side of the phone. ¡°It was an order given by the headquarters. I¡¯m not sure about it as well. Maybe it is because they are afraid that something may happen when the important guests are here, so they need you there to handle them if anything urgent comes up. What¡¯s the matter? Is there any problem from your side?¡± ¡°The thing is that my daughter is having her summer holidays, so she is now at home. The notice came at a sudden to me and I haven¡¯t figured out where she should stay. Can I bring her along with me to stay in the hotel?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Upon noticing the displeasure in his tone, she felt awkward. ¡°I understand. I was just asking. It¡¯s fine if I can¡¯t. I will figure out a way.¡± After hanging up her phone, she stared at the screen. Sigh, the ones with authority surely can do anything they like. I am going to obey thest-minute arrangement without anyints, yet I am not allowed to bring along my daughter to stay in the hotel. Looks like I will have to put her under Cameron¡¯s care.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Fortunately, Cameron was on holiday, so she would be home the whole day and night. ¡°I initially thought not to upy your time, but this time is really something unexpected.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be courteous around me. I am, after all, Tina¡¯s godmother, so this is my responsibility. Just leave her with me and I will take proper care of her.¡± Cameron adamantly agreed. ¡°Speaking of which, tomorrow is a Saturday, right? It¡¯s your day off, so let¡¯s head out shopping.¡± Courtney exined, ¡°I need to first send Tina to her swimming ss. I was told that they are having parent-child sses this weekend, which are sses that need the parents¡¯ involvement. I will take a look at it first, and if I don¡¯t need to be there, I will give you a call.¡± ¡°Parent-child ss? It is not even a kindergarten.¡± Cameron was puzzled. When Courtney went to the washroom, shey on the couch and poked Tina¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Tina, be honest and tell me¡ªwhy are you suddenly interested in learning how to swim? What are you scheming?¡± Tina, who was sitting on the carpet while watching the cartoon, was suddenly questioned. She shrank backward as she chuckled. ¡°Godmother, what are you saying? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Cameron pinched her cheek. ¡°Stop pretending. Your mother is not a swimmer, but you are no better. You used to cry your eyes out during shower time when you were younger, but now you are taking the initiative to learn how to swim?¡± Seeing that she could not continue to hide it from Cameron, Tina pouted and pleaded, ¡°This is for Mommy¡¯s lifelong happiness. Godmother, if you are my mommy¡¯s best friend, you have to help me. You have to get her toe with me to the swimming pool tomorrow.¡± ¡°Lifelong happiness?¡± Cameron shot Tina a nce. ¡°Why is that so? Have you arranged a blind date for her at the swimming pool?¡± ¡°Not exactly, but it¡¯s close.¡± ¡°I want to watch.¡± ¡°No!¡± Tina immediately rejected the idea. ¡°Things won¡¯t develop well if there are many people around!¡± ¡°Sneaky brat, you are just full of tricks. I bet that your mother won¡¯t even realize that you are the culprit after falling into your traps!¡± The two of them whispered to each other in the living room while Courtney hummed a song to herself as she brushed her teeth and was totally ignorant to their conversation. After a night, Courtney took her time to pack her things after having breakfast at home the next morning before bringing Tina to the swimming pool. ¡°We are leaving.¡± Before Courtney departed, she nced in the direction of the couch. She could not help but to shake her head at Cameron, who was leisurely lounging on the couch while eating chips and watching Korean drama with a face mask on her face despite it being early in the morning. Most people would be traveling during the holidays, but it was not the case for her¡ªshe preferred to laze at home without going anywhere during her holidays as she hoped to lie on the couch and dig a hole in it. ¡°I will wait for your news.¡± Before the door was closed, Courtney heard Cameron saying those words in a weak tone and it made her frown. After contemting for a moment, she thought, Maybe she means going shopping? Upon arriving at the swimming pool, the morning ss had already started. A lot of parents came¡ª they were mostly young mothers who chatted andughed with each other in the changing room. When Courtney changed into her swimsuit, she realized that the mothers who attended the parent-child ss knew one another as they were chatting in groups of three or five. Eavesdropping on their conversation gave her a little headache. ¡°Jenny¡¯s mom, why is Tom¡¯s mom absent today?¡± ¡°She¡¯s pregnant. She found out about itst week, so she has to stay at home to rest. I have always said this¡ªit¡¯s better to give birth to more children when you are still young to safeguard your life when you are old.¡± ¡°What brand of milk powder is your second child drinking?¡± ¡°They are imported brands¡­¡± The mothers were engaged in a conversation with one another. Courtney was removing her long sleeves when she overheard the conversations. In fact, they were in a large changing room, but she felt suffocated upon listening to the topics about milk powder and second child, as if she and the mothers were living in two different worlds. It made her realize that those mothers, who came to apany their children on a Saturday morning, were mostly jobless housewives, who invested all their energy and time on their husbands, children, and families. That thought gave her a sense of foreboding, which was proven true ten minutester. After the coach taught them a few simple moves, the pool was packed with all sorts of colorful and stunning swimsuits and the mothers took care of their children while chatting with one another. Their conversation revolved around schools, results, tuition teachers, and those who taught extra- curricr activities. After being repetitively inundated with questions like how many kids she had and where her child studied, Courtney used the excuse of heading to the washroom to escape. I would rather continuously work overtime for a whole month than to listen to someone urging me to give birth to another child. What the hell is wrong with this parent-child ss? After she changed her attire and she exited the changing room, she immediately gave Cameron a call to invite her to go shopping. ¡°Aren¡¯t you apanying Tina for her swimming lessons?¡± ¡°Just forget it. The air is too weird here and I would rather be shopping. They are providing lunch here, so I can juste to pick Tina up in the afternoon after ss.¡± ¡°Alright, then. Let me pack my things. Wait for me for a while.¡± Courtney hung up on her phone and she was lounging on the couch in the lobby to leisurely rest when her pair of half-opened eyes caught sight of two figures¡ªone tall and the other short¡ªslowly walking toward her. This dream¡ª ¡°Why are you here?¡± The low, husky voice of a man echoed in the lobby, causing her to snap out of her drowsiness and to open her eyes. This isn¡¯t a dream! Alexander was wearing a white t-shirt with beige casual pants while curiously looking at her. While she was still in a daze, Jordan hugged her leg. The little guy was delighted to see her as his eyes formed two lines as he beamed at her. ¡°Why are you guys here?¡± She had a look of puzzlement on her face and her eyes were still sleepy. ¡°Jordan is here for a swimming lesson.¡± ¡°Tina is here for a swimming lesson as well.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Such a coincidence!¡± Coincidence? With a thoughtful look, he stared at the little guy, who was climbing onto her with both his arms and legs. Jordan had received a flyer from somewhere and insisted oning to that particr swimming pool. In fact, he begged and pleaded with Alexander for quite a long time, which made the situation now seem like it was not a coincidence. Since he had already arrived, he did not bother to find out the true reason. ¡°Aren¡¯t you here to apany Tina? Why are you outside here?¡± he asked. Upon hearing that, a gleam shed across her eyes¡ªit was a hint of slyness that was hidden deep within. Chapter 120 One Night Surprise Chapter 120 Chapter 120 Where Are You Taking Me To? ¡°I was a little tired so I came out to rest for a while. I¡¯m going in now. Let¡¯s go.¡± Alexander slightly nodded as he pulled Jordan by his cor and reminded, ¡°You can¡¯t enter the female changing room. Let her go if you want to go swimming.¡± It was only then did Jordan reluctantly free his arms that wrapped around Courtney¡¯s neck and allowed Alexander to bring him to the male changing room. After confirming that Alexander had entered the room, she headed in the opposite direction and passed by the female changing room before arriving at the exit. She squatted at a spot with a clear view and tapped open the recording interface. Then, she aimed the lens at the door of the male changing room while resisting herughter. Alexander soon exited while holding Jordan¡¯s hand. The two of them were wearing ck swimming trunks and Alexander had a white towel hanging around his neck. After taking barely two steps, a young woman stopped him. ¡°Coach, do you have new swimsuits here? My swimsuit is a little tight, but I didn¡¯t bring any extra set.¡± He frowned. ¡°You have made a mistake. I¡¯m not the coach.¡± She was stunned. ¡°Huh? You are not a coach? Who are you then?¡± ¡°I am¡ª¡± Just when Alexander was about to answer thedy, he noticed the situation in the swimming pool¡ªother than kids and a male coach, who was teaching a little girl swimming at the opposite pool, the rest were women¡ªmothers of all ages, to be exact. At that moment, he felt a throbbing sensation in his temple. ¡°Hey, coach,e over here and check out whether my son¡¯s swimming posture is correct.¡± ¡°Look at my kid first.¡± ¡°My daughter¡­¡± Everyone tried to get him over to teach their kids. Upon seeing the mothers in the pool swarming toward him and surrounding him, Courtneyughed so hard that she could not stand straight¡ªeven her phone trembled along with her hand. The major difference between a swimming pool and a gym was that thetter usually had sufficient coaches, so all of the students could receive equal attention from the coaches. However, a swimming pool, which usually had less coaches for the students, had a firste, first serve basis. The wealthy wives naturally did not dare to spend their husbands¡¯ money to find men in clubs, but taking advantage of the coaches in ces like a gym or a swimming pool was nothing umon. Courtney, whoughed so hard that her tummy ached, sent the video that she recorded to Cameron and attached it with a voice message. ¡°I don¡¯t think Alexander has evere to a ce like this before. Or else, why would he have chosen such a weird swimming lesson, which requires him to have lessons with a bunch of young and middle-aged wives? Did you see how dark his expression was? It¡¯s just too comical.¡± Cameron soon replied, ¡°I don¡¯t get why it was funny at all. Anyway, I¡¯m curious about the fate that you two share¡ªyou guys actually met in a swimming ss. It¡¯s practically a fate blessed by God.¡± ¡°What do you mean by a blessed fate? It¡¯s more like a cursed fate. Have you left the house yet? I¡¯m waiting for you at the entrance of the swimming pool. It¡¯s burning hot here.¡± After replying to her, she tapped open the video to rewatch it. Seeing how uneasy he felt as he was being surrounded by the mothers, she burst into a guffaw at the lobby. Cameron, who had only met Alexander a couple of times, had never seen his usual cold, distant and sharp-tongued self. Only those who saw how he was normally like would find the stark contrast entertaining. As she was unable to receive any reply from Cameron despite having waited for a long time, she decided that it was better for her to return to the lobby to enjoy the air-conditioning. Right after she opened the door, she bumped into a solid chest. ¡°Ouch!¡± Courtney covered her nose and eximed. Raising her head, she found Alexander¡¯s dark expression, which made her heart skip a beat. Such bad luck! Why did I forget about him? ¡°H-How did you manage toe out?¡± Her tone reflected her awkwardness. Alexander¡¯s eyes burned with fury as he red at her. ¡°You are asking how I managed toe out? Didn¡¯t you say that you will be heading in after taking a short rest? Why didn¡¯t I see you there but here you are instead?¡± She let out an awkward chuckle. ¡°Haha¡­ I-I still felt tired. I regretted my decision as soon as I entered the changing room, so I came out again.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± He raised his phone and showed her his messages on Messenger. ¡°You immediately came out after going in, so how did you manage to take this video?¡± Upon seeing the name ¡®Gale¡¯, she could instantly confirm that it was Cameron who betrayed her. She closed her eyes at once, feeling disheartened. A God-like enemy is nothing to be afraid ofpared to a hopeless team mate. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Aren¡¯t you going to exin?¡± Alexander kept his phone away with a gloomy expression. ¡°You deliberately sent me in to face that bunch of people? Do you think that it was funny?¡± The corners of Courtney¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Even if I hadn¡¯t said anything, you would have gone in as well, right? Also, what¡¯s up with that bunch of people? Do you look down on housewives? I think that they are fine.¡± She is just so stubborn. Feeling pissed, Alexander immediately grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the premises. ¡°Hey, where are you bringing me to?¡± No matter how hard she struggled, Alexander¡¯s grip was tight on Courtney as he did not say anything. He held her wrist and pushed her into the passenger seat of his car. Then, he stomped the pedal before the car sped off. Ever since he was born, he had never been made into a fool to such an extent or even encountered such an awkward situation like earlier. If it had not been for Tina, who squeezed her way through the crowd and called ¡®Mr. Alexander¡¯, that bunch of desperate women would have touched all over his body. ¡°Where are you taking me to?¡± Clutching on the safety belt, Courtney¡¯s face paled at the frightening speed. If I knew that he can¡¯t take a joke, I wouldn¡¯t have done it. If he gets so mad that he does something irrational, the game would not be worth the candle. ¡°Going home to take a shower.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney immediately recalled Gale¡¯s final reply in the chat room that she had seen earlier¡ª¡®A final-stage clean freak like you will surely have to scrub off ayer of skin when you arrive home.¡¯ ¡°Why are you bringing me along if you are going home to take a shower?¡± She was a little flustered. Alexander cast her a nce with his dark eyes. ¡°Since it was you who caused this to happen, you will have to clean up the mess.¡± His car arrived at the entrance of Duncan¡¯s vi and she was yanked all the way into the house. While pulling her to the bathroom, he then gestured to the maids to leave. ¡°What are you doing? Open the door and let me out.¡± Courtney anxiously pulled the door handle but she was unable to open the door no matter how hard she tried. She had no idea how he had locked the both of them in the bathroom. He ignored her as she tried to open the door while he opened the tap of the bathtub to fill it with water. Then, he removed his t-shirt and tossed it on the floor to reveal his muscr build. Click! The sound of the belt¡¯s metal buckle being opened echoed in the bathroom. ¡°Ahhh! What are you doing?¡± Courtney screamed as she covered her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t take any rash actions. I was merely joking with you and they didn¡¯t really do anything to you. Let me tell you that this is a crime. Alexander, don¡¯t think that you are my boss¡­¡± Wildly waving her hands in panic, incoherent words were escaping her lips. Suddenly, the sound of someone entering the water echoed in the bathroom and there was nothing else except that. She hesitantly opened her eyes and saw his clothes on the floor as well as his broad shoulder while he sat in the bathtub with his back facing her. His voice was low and husky, resounding in the humid air of the bathroom. ¡°Aren¡¯t you thinking too much?¡±N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Alexander slowly turned and casually propped his muscr arms at the edge of the marble bathtub while water droplets trickled down hisplexion. ¡°You allowed me to be taken advantage of by so many women and you expected me to do the same to you?¡± A shadow of a smug look was on his face. Chapter 121 One Night Surprise Chapter 121 Chapter 121 The Word ¡®Pervert¡¯ Should Be Used Here Her face instantly flushed red. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t think of it that way.¡± The corner of his lips curled up into a smirk as he stared at her. ¡°Really? But it doesn¡¯t seem like that.¡± What she had in mind was pretty obvious when she hugged herself while staying on guard. Seeing that he was staring at her, she subconsciously lowered her head and nced at herself. Then, she hesitantly lowered her arms and she forced herself to ask, ¡°What I was thinking doesn¡¯t matter. However, what¡¯s the purpose of you bringing me here? I am willing to apologize to you for the matter earlier, but you have to open the door and let me out.¡± Alexander, who did not seem to have any ns to make any move, turned and leaned his back against the pillow at the side of the bathtub. His low, husky voice sounded inexplicably suggestive amidst the humid air in the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in the empty words of an apology.¡± Courtney was flustered. ¡°What do you want me to do then?¡± ¡°Scrub my back.¡± The three brief yet strong words echoed in the bathroom, causing her to freeze on the spot for some time without her being able to move a muscle. Her eyes widened as she stared at his back and her words were incoherent. ¡°A-Are you serious?¡± ¡°You are wee to take it as a joke. That is if you want to stay with me in the bathroom for the whole afternoon.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± While looking at Alexander¡¯s back view, Courtney wished that she could press his head underwater. Why does this petty and shameless yet bold man exist? He is actually confident that he is in the right! I was merely joking around, so is there a need to hold grudges against me and use this method to take it out on me? He really doesn¡¯t let anything slide easily. The gradually rising temperature in the bathroom is causing my white t-shirt to be drenched in my sweat. If I were to continue to be in a stand-off with him, I would either pass out from the heat or his attitude, which is pissing me off! After weighing her options, she walked to the bathtub with gritted teeth and snorted in a small voice, ¡°How do you want me to scrub your back?¡± Alexander raised his head and nced at her. ¡°Scrub properly.¡± Isn¡¯t that stating the obvious? Courtney rolled her eyes at him in her heart. Without bothering to ask further, she took a towel from the side. She perfunctorily moisten it with water and squeezed it dry before scrubbing his shoulder with it. The water in the bathtub was crystal clear. When she was rinsing the towel, she casually caught a glimpse of the member in between his legs and it caused her heart to skip a beat. She immediately turned away, but her heart continued to pound wildly, which caused her scrubbing action to be slightly out of control before it became as stiff as mechanical movements. On the other hand, Alexander did not fare any better. His initial intention was to tease the daring woman, but as she was scrubbing his back, his body unexpectedly started to lose control¡ªthere were signs that he was going to get an erection, which made his expression change. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Just when she was going to scrub his chest, he suddenly caught her hands, which frightened her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? I¡¯m not done yet. Didn¡¯t you tell me to scrub properly?¡± He avoided her gaze and moved her hands away from his body. ¡°You may leave now,¡± he spoke in a horse and restrained voice. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Courtney frowned as she leaned closer to him to check the spot where she had scrubbed earlier and asked in puzzlement. ¡°I didn¡¯t use much strength.¡± As she was speaking, she reached out with her hand to touch him. The breath thatnded on Alexander¡¯s neck aroused a tingling sensation that pushed him to his limits. He pressed on her fumbling hands with a rough movement and uttered in a low voice, ¡°Stop touching.¡± His burning temperature engulfed her hands. Raising her head, she saw the gleam of lust in his eyes. As a mature woman who had s*xual experience, she instantly understood the situation and her body froze on the spot as she lost all the courage to even budge. ¡°Leave.¡± He retracted his hands with deeply furrowed brows. His words made here to her senses. With her reddened face, she did not dare to reply a word to him and stood up by supporting the edge of the bathtub in an attempt to leave. However, the bathroom floor was slippery and she was also restless. Before she could even move forward, she stepped on bubbles and slipped, which caused her to fall backward into the bathtub. Ssh! The sound of water sshing from the bathtub echoed in the confined space along with her high- pitched shriek. She floundered in fear for a while and drank a few mouthfuls of water before finally getting up by holding on to the only ¡®support¡¯ in the bathtub. She then vigorously coughed and nearly caused her lungs toe out of her mouth. The moment she opened her eyes, her coughs were caught in her throat¡ªthe only support in the bathtub was none other than the naked man. Courtney¡¯s arms were currently wrapped around Alexander¡¯s broad shoulders as she clung onto him in an incredibly suggestive posture. Her white t-shirt had beenpletely soaked and it clearly revealed her pink brassiere underneath¡ªthe scene would definitely ignite the imaginations of all observers. What was even more embarrassing was that she clearly felt a strange firmness between her legs. ¡°Pervert!¡± she scolded as her eyes widened in anger while she red with her head raised. She then struggled to get back up by using his shoulders as a support. Nevertheless, Alexander was pissed by her scolding him as a pervert. He ced his hands on her waist and pressed her toward his chest. The smooth inner wall of the bathtub hadplimented his movement well as it caused her to slip and fall into his embrace. ¡°That¡¯s not how you use the word ¡®pervert¡¯.¡± His husky voice was thest voice that she heard with her clear mind. Right after that, arge palm pressed on the back of her head, which caused her to lose her bnce and she leaned closer to his face. Their passionate lips mingled with each other, messing up their reasoning and halted all of her struggles. Under the glimmering water in the bathtub, a sculpturedrge hand caressed the sexy body before it trailed along her back down to her plump buttocks before vigorously squeezing them. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± An insuppressible moan escaped their intertwining kiss. Courtney seemed to have found a moment of rity, but in the next second, the fleeting consciousness was washed away by the passion between them as it disappeared without a trace. Alexander¡¯s great kissing techniques caused her to lose all of her self-control under his domineering attacks. Her hotpants slid down her legs to her ankle without her knowledge. The firmness in the water rubbed against her most tenderplexion over a thinyer of cloth and instantly aroused her sensitive nerves. A gush of heat swept over her, resulting in her body amodating to his every movement without any control. Hisrge hands held onto her waist while passionate lust tainted his cold eyes. He then burrowed his head in her neck as he gently nibbled on her earlobe to distract her attention. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± At her most unprepared moment, her body was prated and filled by him. Water overflowed from the bathtub with a loud ssh. Amidst the contradicting feelings of pain and pleasure, she pushed her head backward with a crimson flushed face. Beads of sweat trickled down from her forehead into the bathtub, blending into the water that was mixed with some unknown liquid. Gazing at Courtney¡¯s stunning face, Alexander approached her ear and exhaled on it while he murmured in his throaty voice, ¡°This is where you should use the word ¡®pervert¡¯.¡± Her face was crimson as she bit on her lips. Before she managed to react, he thrusted hard into her, causing her to react with a high-pitched moan that was mixed with vague curses as she wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°Pervert!¡± ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Along with the woman¡¯s moan, the sound of sshing water became more frequent. Streams of water overflowed from the edge of the bathtub and flooded the entire bathroom. Chapter 122 One Night Surprise Chapter 122 Chapter 122 To Put Up a Bold Front Courtney¡¯s body rose and fell in the water, as if all her senses embarked on a roller coaster ride with her body¡¯s motion. When she reached another climax, her eyes widened while her pupils lost focus and her entire body uncontrobly trembled before slumping into Alexander¡¯s embrace. She had actually passed out. When she was in a befuddled state, she seemed to feel like there was someone who dried her body in his arms before he ced her on a clean,fortable,rge bed and covered a nket over her. As she was incredibly exhausted, she fell into a deep sleep with some wild dreams. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. In her dreams, she arrived at the Melrose City Center, the most prosperous part of the city, and the sky was dyed red by the evening sunset. She was walking alone on the street when she suddenly felt lost and confused. ¡°Courtney¡­¡± A familiar voice rang by her ear. She raised her head and found that she was holding Alexander¡¯s arm. She was stunned and intended to retract her hands but he had caught hold of her before speaking in a gentle voice, ¡°We are going home to have dinner. Let¡¯s hurry up and pick up our two kids.¡± ¡°Going home?¡± She looked at him in puzzlement. ¡°Whose home? We¡ª¡± ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡± In her dream, Alexander¡¯s eyes reflected his extreme love for her as he resignedly looked at her. ¡°We have been married for over a year, yet you still ask me whose home we are returning to?¡± ¡°Are we already married?¡± Courtney followed him from behind in a daze. ¡°Daddy, Mommy.¡± Two children ran up toward them from a distance and threw themselves at her while their crispughter echoed by her ears. Alexander picked Tina up and let her sit on his shoulder¡ªthe beautiful scene before her eyes eliminated some of her vague concerns. The scene then turned to the Duncan Family¡¯s gathering, where Scott was full of praise for her. ¡°You really treat Jordan well like he¡¯s your biological son. Alexander is lucky to have been able to marry you. I was right about you.¡± Many unfamiliar faces appeared before her and agreed with his words. ¡°Yes, yes, Alexander is a lucky man.¡± Her two children¡ªeach of them held one of her hands¡ªhad love and trust toward her dancing in their eyes. All of a sudden, a slender figure pushed his way through the crowd and on his palm was a ne in an emerald hue. He then coldly asked, ¡°What is this?¡± The emerald-colored ne had belonged to him, but it was in her possession for many years. When their belongings were kept together after they became married, he had unexpectedly discovered the ne. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with Jordan and Tina¡¯s background?¡± The sudden question made Courtney freeze as she was unable to answer the question. ¡°You knew about everything from the beginning. Is this why you approached me? You are disgusting, Courtney.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression no longer had any trace of gentleness. His tone was cold and it resembled a wintry night. From this day on, you won¡¯t ever see your two children again.¡± Fear swept over her like rising tides and she closely hugged her two children. ¡°No, the children are mine¡ª¡± ¡°Someone, take the children away!¡± ¡°No!¡± Courtney screamed and the voice that escaped her throat smashed her dream into pieces. She woke up with a start from her dreams and gasped for air like she was drowning, as she clenched the nket. The lights were not switched on in the room and the ash-blue curtains hid the sky outside the window. It was already evening time, with a scenery simr to that in her dreams. She had cold sweat all over her while her heart raced as she recalled her dream. Knock, knock, knock. The sound of someone knocking on the door rang before the maid¡¯s voice was heard from outside the door. ¡°Miss Hunter, are you awake?¡± Only then did Courtneye to her senses. Just when she was about to respond to the maid, she suddenly realized that she was sleeping in Alexander¡¯s room, so all the maids in the vi could have learned about the incident that happened earlier. Her face instantly flushed red as she stuttered. ¡°Yeah.¡± The maid, who seemed to realize that Courtney felt embarrassed, did not open the door and spoke to her through the closed door. ¡°I¡¯ve ced your clothes at the door. Please rest for a little longer.¡± The sound of the footsteps leaving outside the door made Courtney heave a sigh of relief. She lifted the nket and took a look at herself¡ªshe was wearing a loose man¡¯s pajamas, which could have been worn by Alexander since the clothes carried his unique scent. She went downstairs after changing into her clothes. A few maids were busy working in the kitchen as the fragrant smell of food came from the dining hall and only the maid, who gave her the clothes earlier, was arranging the toys on the couch. Upon seeing Courtney downstairs, the maid respectively greeted her, ¡°Miss Hunter.¡± Courtney¡¯s face blushed and she coughed to conceal her awkwardness. ¡°Where¡¯s your Young Master?¡± ¡°Young Master has ordered us to prepare dinner as he will be returning to have dinner with you. If you are hungry, I will prepare some snacks for you first.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. It¡¯s fine since I¡¯m leaving.¡± Courtney felt a little awkward. ¡°However, Young Master has gone out to pick Little Master and Tina up. They should be back in a while.¡± Upon hearing that, she had no choice but to take a seat. ¡°Please sit. I¡¯ll go and get some snacks for you.¡± Although Courtney repeatedly refused the young maid¡¯s offer, thetter insisted on getting some snacks for her. The maids of the Duncan Family had also been recently reced, so all of them knew Courtney. As she had visited the vi quite frequently, it would only be natural for the maids to think that she was the future mistress of the Duncan Family, so they treated her with full respect. After waiting for a while, the sound of a car engine came from the yard. The maid then opened the door and Alexander entered the house together with two kids. Upon seeing Courtney, the two children threw themselves at her. ¡°Mommy, Mr. Alexander said that we are having hot pot tonight.¡± The dining table had been set as vapor rose from the boiling pork bone broth and the busy maids were entering and exiting the dining room¡ªall those inexplicably gave her the feeling that they were having a reunion dinner. Courtney raised her head and looked at Alexander. Her face was as red as a ripe tomato as she forced herself to say, ¡°I think that it would be better for me to take Tina home. It would be difficult to grab a cab if it¡¯s toote after this.¡± ¡°I will send you guys home after dinner.¡± Looking at her, Alexander calmly removed his suit and handed it to the maid before he changed into his slippers and entered the house. He was incredibly calm, as if nothing had happened in the afternoon. She had always understood the importance of putting up a bold front. Therefore, when she saw him with his nonchnt act, she forced herself to sit upright and hesitated for a moment before she nodded in agreement. It¡¯s just having dinner together. If I insist on leaving now, it will make me look like I am feeling guilty. The two little kids were the happiest when Courtney decided to stay. They exchanged nces and gave each other a high five, as if they were sharing a secret that was only known by the two of them. When they were about to take their seats, Tina took the initiative to give the position next to Courtney to Jordan while she herself climbed onto Alexander¡¯sp. Courtney immediately reprimanded in a small voice, ¡°Tina, sit at your ce.¡± Tina pouted as she exined, ¡°The chair is too short, so I can¡¯t reach the table to eat.¡± Just as Courtney was about to say something, Alexander casually interrupted her, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s just eat like this.¡± As he spoke, he took Tina closer into his embrace and gently asked her what she wanted to eat¡ªthey looked like a pair of loving father and filial daughter. For some reason, the scene reminded Courtney about the dream she had in the afternoon, which made her feel overwhelmed with mixed feelings. If Alexander learns that the girl in his arms is his biological daughter, I wonder how he will feel. Chapter 123 One Night Surprise Chapter 123 Chapter 123 Don¡¯t Make Me Wait Too Long ¡°We are here.¡± Alexander¡¯s low, husky voice resounded in the car, causing Courtney to regain her senses. She turned and nced outside the window at the familiar environment of the neighborhood before she fell into a slight daze. It felt like it was moments ago that they dined together. ¡°Thank you.¡± She thanked him before turning to shake Tina¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Tina¡­¡± The little girl mumbled something and continued to sleep like a pig who was unable to be woken up, no matter how hard Courtney tried. ¡°Let me handle this.¡± The sound of him unbuckling the safety belt came from the driver seat. Before she could even reject his offer, he had already exited the car and yanked open the car door at the other side before he gently carried Tina in his arms. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I will follow you upstairs.¡± Courtney was stunned, but she returned to her senses and nodded while leading him from the front. Cameron¡¯s apartment was on the twentieth floor. In the slowly-rising elevator, the space was so cramped that they were almost able to clearly hear each other¡¯s breaths. Tina meekly leaned on Alexander¡¯s shoulder and slept soundly, as if the person carrying her was someone whom she truly trusted. ncing at them, Courtney thought to herself, Perhaps this is the special bond shared between people rted by blood, which also exins why this girl is especially close to Alexander and so is Jordan to me. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me that you have taken your house back? Why are you still staying here?¡± His voice brought her out of her reverie. She turned away before she replied, ¡°The house is located at Golden Water Park. It is an old vi with a ratherrge area. I once brought Tina along with me to spend a night there, but the ce was so cold and quiet that it was frightening, so I ended up staying with Cameron instead.¡± Her initial idea was to take Oliver, who had yet to regain his memory about his identity, to stay with them since the more the merrier, but Alexander unexpectedly offered for him to stay in the hotel. As she was not used to hiring a nanny, her n to move into the vi together with Tina was momentarily ced on the backburner. ¡°Did the reporterse here again after that?¡± Alexander recalled the incident where Shay¡¯s stay there had attracted the reporters toe. ¡°They came a few times.¡± Upon that incident being brought up, Courtney suddenly chuckled. ¡°After Cameron returned from her business trip, she gave them a good scolding and they did not dare to come again after that.¡± As they were speaking, the elevator door slid open with a ding. It waste at night, so it was quiet in the corridor. Courtney fished out her keys and opened the door before throwing a quick nce in the direction of the master bedroom with the corner of her eye. Her movements then became even lighter. Carrying Tina in his arms, the cooperative Alexander ced her in her room with gentle movements. After shutting Tina¡¯s room door, Courtney thanked, ¡°Thank you for sending me home sote at night and for even carrying her up here.¡± ¡°This is the second time.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He looked at her while his expression was cold as usual. ¡°This is the second time that I heard the word ¡®thank you¡¯ from you after we alighted from the car. Are you someone who loves to say ¡®thank you¡¯?¡± She looked down in an attempt to avoid his gaze. ¡°It¡¯s polite to say ¡®thank you¡¯. If I don¡¯t, it will make me look like I am uncivilized.¡± ¡°Perhaps I can take it that you are being¡­ courteous?¡± A stunned Courtney raised her head and answered in a slightly hesitant tone. ¡°Is it wrong to be¡­ courteous?¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze abruptly darkened as he asked, ¡°Regarding the incident that happened in the afternoon, are you nning to mask it with the excuse that we are both adults?¡± Her throat tightened as she was overwhelmed by panic, as if she was caught after hiding for the whole day, despite knowing that he would not allow the incident that happened in the afternoon to slide easily. However, she indeed was not able to provide any exnation this time as she was unsure of her feelings for him. She had no idea whether it happened because she could not help it at that point in time or because her feelings for him had reached its peak. Nevertheless, it was not something that could be easily exined. ¡°I¡ª¡± She found it hard to form words, as if she suffered from a speech disorder. In the end, she mustered the courage and raised her head before asking in a serious manner. ¡°I want to know what you think about it.¡± She threw the question back to him. The lights in the living room were not switched on. Everything looked vague under the dim light in the foyer and even their expressions and emotions seemed hazy and fuzzy, as if their reasonings started to fade away. Alexander had already left for some time. Courtney sat on the couch and looked in the direction of the main door in a daze before she nced at the wall clock and did the math. Right now, Alexander should have exited the elevator and he is walking out of the building. His unique masculine scent still lingered in the room as well as his words, which he uttered in his husky voice and it continued to echo in her ears, Among all of the women I have met, you are the only one who makes me feel like marriage isn¡¯t a bad idea. It was something that she did not reply to. Lastly, he added, ¡°Whether it is a rtionship or work, I¡¯m used to being efficient. I know that women think differently than men, so I¡¯m willing to give you some time to think about it, but don¡¯t take too long.¡± Just when she was in a daze, the door to the master room suddenly opened as dim light poured into the living room through the tiny gap. A startled Courtney raised her head and looked in that direction. She found Cameron, who was in striped pajamas, leaning against the door frame with her arms folded across her chest. There was a suggestive smug look on her face as she teased, ¡°I heard everything, loud and clear. So, what are your ns?¡± Courtney¡¯s face instantly flushed red as she avoided Cameron¡¯s gaze. ¡°What n? I don¡¯t have any ns.¡± ¡°Still not going to admit it? Roar!¡± She pounced at Courtney in a dramatic movement before pressing thetter on the couch. ¡°Spill it. What was that about ¡®afternoon¡¯ and ¡®adults¡¯? Let an adult like me know what the two of you have done in the afternoon!¡± Cameron tickled Courtney until thetterughed so hard that she could not stop. Courtney finally begged for forgiveness while curling up on the couch. ¡°I will tell you¡­ I will definitely tell you¡­ Let me go¡­ Hahaha¡­ Let me go¡­¡± There were no secrets between the best friends. After chatting for some time, there was a pile of sunflower seed shells on the coffee table. While eating sunflower seeds, Cameron asked as she slurred her words, ¡°You have done everything that needs to be done, so why don¡¯t you agree to his offer? Since he has made himself clear, what are you waiting for? You shouldn¡¯t y hard to enter into rtionships¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°I am just worried¡­¡± ¡°Worried about what?¡± ¡°Worried about Tina and Jordan¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you worrying for nothing? You gave birth to both Tina and Jordan, so isn¡¯t being together with Alexander the right choice? Just tell me if you like him.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Do you like him? Yes or no? There is no third answer.¡± Courtney pursed her lips and after a while, she replied, ¡°I like him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, then. Liking him is good enough. Besides, from what I saw earlier, judging from his attitude toward you, you totally don¡¯t have to worry that he will snatch your child away from you after telling him the truth¡ªsince both of you will be married, what belongs to him will be yours too, so the issue of child custody will be automatically solved. Cameron had always been straightforward and never done things half-heartedly. What she said was right, but it would be easier said than done. As it was now ratherte, Courtney gave half-hearted replies before urging Cameron to return to bed. Courtney then brushed her teeth and went to bed as well, but she kept tossing and turning while being unable to sleep. It was as if her brain was stuffed with a messy woolen ball and there was a knot that could not seem to be untangled. She admitted that she fancied Alexander, but her fondness for him was mixed with something else. Chapter 124 One Night Surprise Chapter 124 Chapter 124 Let Me Go The following afternoon, Cameron drove Courtney to the hotel. ¡°Do you want me to go in with you?¡± Cameron asked teasingly, wagging her eyebrows. ¡°We might bump into Alexander, and if it gets awkward for you, I could give him an answer on your behalf.¡± ¡°Would it kill you to shut up about this?¡± Courtney rolled her eyes in exasperation. ¡°Pop the trunk. I¡¯ll leave Tina in your capable hands for now.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Cameron answered, leaning into her seat. She winked at Courtney mischievously and said, ¡°Instead of worrying about everything else, you ought to think about how you could work things out on your end, like finding a step-dad for Tina or something.¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. At this, Courtney could muster noeback. Ever since this morning, all Cameron could talk about was Alexander Duncan, which made Courtney wonder if the man had bribed her into bringing his name into every conversation. Courtney¡¯s mind was finally at ease after she had taken her suitcase and waved Cameron off. She went into the hotel and made her way to the room that had been arranged for her, then swiped the key card to unlock the door. ¡°Why am I given a suite?¡± she muttered in surprise. Pulling her suitcase behind her, Courtney headed toward the bedroom. She hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the text message when she first received it, and she had been under the impression that she would be staying in a regr executive room. However, upon her arrival at the door, Courtney had wondered why she was staying on a floor that was designated for suites only. The suite that she stood in now was a spacious one, and a partition ran between the bedroom and the living area. Just as Courtney entered the bedroom with her suitcase, she heard the sound of a door opening, followed by what could only be described as a scene that made her want to jump into a cold shower. Alexander had emerged from the attached bathroom with only arge, white towel slung low on his hips. His hair was still dripping with water, the droplets running down his sun-kissed chest before disappearing into the groove between the towel and his skin. The sight of him sent Courtney¡¯s thoughts running wild. ¡°Like what you see?¡± Alexander teased, regarding her with a wicked grin. Courtney hastily tore her gaze away from him before snapping, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Alexander took a step toward her and drawled, ¡°You mean, you didn¡¯t know that I¡¯ve been staying in this suite?¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know,¡± Courtney stammered, swallowing convulsively. ¡°I must have made a mistake¡­¡± Her voice trailed off as she dragged her suitcase and began to turn toward the way she came. But before she could make it past the partition, she heard the clear, unmistakable electronic ¡®beep¡¯ of the door being unlocked, followed by the sound of the room service attendants conversing. Courtney felt her stomach drop. She turned around and quickly got onto her tiptoes as she mped a hand over Alexander¡¯s mouth. Her eyes swept the room frantically before she dragged Alexander toward the balcony outside the bedroom, thereafter shielding the both of them behind the curtain. She knew she would have a hard time clearing things up if the both of them were caught in the bedroom in their current state. Now that they were hidden from sight, Courtney let out a breath of relief until a strong grip sped around her wrist and pushed her hand away. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± Alexander demanded through gritted teeth. Courtney clenched her jaw and looked up to meet his dark gaze, pleading, ¡°Just bear with me for a while, okay? For the sake of my job.¡± Seeing her like this, Alexander smirked as a mischievous gleam shed in his eyes. He bent his knees ever so slightly, and took one step toward her. Courtney faltered at this and stepped back. However, Alexander took another step forward. Courtney found herself helpless as her back pressed against the cool ss. She could take no further step backward, and Alexander was still closing in what little was left of the space between them. His hands gripped her shoulders, and he pinned her against the ss. He leaned forward, his broad frame eclipsing the sun. ¡°Let me go,¡± Courtney protested in a low voice, her eyes wide with horror. How could she forget that Alexander had no respect for boundaries when she was left alone with him? And why did she even bother dragging him out here in the first ce? She could have left him in the room to deal with the room service! Where¡¯s your brain, Courtney? Alexander was simply teasing Courtney and had no other intentions, but seeing her outraged like this made him realize how adorable she was when anger got the better of her. In fact, she looked very much like a defensive kitten; it was obvious she wanted to kill him, but there was little she could do in these circumstances. Her frustration amused Alexander to no end. ¡°Why is there a suitcase here?¡± The voice that came from the bedroom seemed to cut through the tension between them. Courtney paled, feeling like her heart was pounding out of her chest. She clenched her teeth while she red at Alexander, as if warning him that she would not hesitate to bite him if he were to attempt anything funny. ¡°It must be President Duncan¡¯s since he arrived at noon. He¡¯s meeting important guests tomorrow, and seeing as he¡¯s going to be with them most of the time, he¡¯s staying here in the hotel.¡± ¡°Oh, but where is he now?¡± ¡°I guess he went out. Oh, right, make sure you put that suitcase back where you found it. We aren¡¯t supposed to move his things around, so maybe it¡¯s best if we clean up the rest of the suite first.¡± ¡°I almost forgot about that! Thanks for the heads up.¡± When it was silent once again in the bedroom, Courtney let out a breath of relief and leaned against the ss. However, before she could think that the coast was clear, the staff began to speak again, but this time in hushed tones. ¡°Ellie, are President Duncan and Miss Hunter seeing each other?¡± ¡°So, you¡¯ve heard about it too. The whole hotel¡¯s talking about it. President Duncan was seen carrying Miss Hunter down the other day when Penelope tried to jump off the building. Everyone could tell there was something going on¡ªit¡¯s not as if he¡¯s being discreet about it.¡± ¡°But how about his engagement to Britney Price? Is it over?¡± ¡°Who knows? The thing is, Miss Hunter has a family of her own, and her daughter¡¯s already in school. How shameless can she be to do such things? I used to think better of her, but now I think she probably became a manager by sleeping her way up thedder.¡± ¡°I think so too! I heard that her husband bought her a house full of roses, but I was surprised when I found out that she¡¯s been seeing President Duncan instead. It takes skills, doesn¡¯t it, to even so much as approach President Duncan? Tons of other women have tried and failed, so what¡¯s her secret?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no secret to it, but you¡¯re right in saying that it takes skills to do it. Very specific ones, to be exact.¡± The other person made no response to that remark, but Courtney had heard enough. She clenched her fists, and her brows knitted together. She looked like she was about to burst into tears. She knew that there had been rumors going around the hotel after the incident with Penelope, and she had been ready to face the aftermath, but as reality would have it, nothing could have prepared her for when she actually heard the vicious things that were being said about her. Alexander was staring down at Courtney. He had seen the way her expression gradually shifted from looking outraged to looking hurt. She was trying so hard to hide her grievances, which only seemed more prominent as his shadow loomed over her, and it made him feel as though someone was wrenching his gut out. He let go of her shoulders and opened the door with furious haste. The sun bore down on the both of them, casting their shadows on the floor of the bedroom. The attendants in the room jumped. ¡°President Duncan!¡± they eximed in unison, flustered. Alexander¡¯s voice was icy. ¡°You both seem to have so much to say, so why don¡¯t you tell us right now? Who¡¯s been spreading these rumors, and how?¡± The attendants simply gaped at him, having gone into shock upon seeing both him and Courtney standing before them. Finally, one of them spoke. ¡°We only heard about it from others, sir, and we didn¡¯t know what we were saying. We¡¯re sorry. We weren¡¯t there at the scene and we didn¡¯t see anything¡ªwe shouldn¡¯t have insinuated that there was anything going on between you and Miss Hunter. We¡¯re sorry.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± Alexander gave them both a withering look, his expression stone-cold. ¡°The person did a pretty good job spreading those rumors, and for your information, there¡¯s more going on between Miss Hunter and myself than the both of you may think.¡± At this, Courtney turned to look at Alexander with wide eyes, but before she could protest, she felt the warmth of his hand sping around her cold one. He held up their intertwined hands and barked at the two attendants, ¡°Take a long, hard look for yourselves.¡± Chapter 125 One Night Surprise Chapter 125 Chapter 125 You Were Tight With their jaws dropped, the room service attendants exchanged a look of surprise. Courtney, on the other hand, had recovered from the initial shock and was now trying to pull her hand away, but Alexander merely tightened his grip. His voice was deep as it reverberated throughout the bedroom. ¡°Do you see for yourselves now? She¡¯s mine. You¡¯re both fired, and on your way to Human Resources, make sure to tell everyone what you¡¯ve seen today.¡± The two attendants had turned as white as sheets, and one of them had broken into a cold sweat. She would even have buckled over if it weren¡¯t for her colleague holding her up. If looks could kill, they would have been dead. They dared not even ask Alexander for mercy before leaving resentfully. The door fell shut, and once again, all was quiet in the bedroom. Courtney rubbed her wrist. There was a long pause before she asked with her head hung low, ¡°Why did you say that?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That I¡¯m your f-fianc¨¦e.¡± Alexander closed the distance between them and gently tipped her chin up, forcing her to look into his eyes. ¡°I think I¡¯ve made myself very clearst night.¡± She would like to run, but she was caught between Alexander and the bed. Frowning, Courtney argued, ¡°You said you¡¯d give me time¡ª¡± Courtney let out a cry before she could finish her sentence. Alexander had nudged her, causing her to lose her bnce. She fell backward, and just as the softness of the bed caught her, Alexander moved to cover her with his body. ¡°And I also said I didn¡¯t want to wait that long.¡± His arms were on either side of her as he hovered above her. He was staring at her unrelentingly, and she could tell he was not going to take ¡®no¡¯ for an answer. Courtney felt her breath hitch and she swallowed helplessly as she countered, ¡°What if I¡¯m married?¡± She had a daughter, and everyone in the hotel assumed that she was married. She didn¡¯t believe that Alexander wouldn¡¯t have given this some thought. Instead, he retorted with light humor, ¡°You¡¯re single. I¡¯ve known that since the first time I entered you.¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. At this, Courtney stiffened. Tried as she might to force out some kind of expression, she was unable to ovee this sudden paralysis that seized her entire being. She felt as though she had dug her own grave, and more often than not, she found that most of her arguments with Alexandernded her in simr predicaments. At this rate, she might as well be buried six feet under. How could he even say something like that? More to the point, how could he be so wickedly tant about it? As if proving a point, he grinned roguishly and added, ¡°You were tight.¡± The next moment, blood rushed to Courtney¡¯s face as she struggled to escape from beneath him. ¡°Let me go, you rascal!¡± He was weightless when she pushed him away this time. As he rolled away on his side and allowed her to escape, she sat up, then drew deep breaths like she had almost drowned. Her chest rose and fell with each angry breath as she glowered at him mutinously. ¡°You have some nerve,¡± she grumbled. Alexander, on the other hand, stretched out on the bed in a leisurely manner. His arms were behind his head, and his eyes regarded her yfully as he chuckled, ¡°I believe it was only yesterday when you hinted at me like this.¡± Upon realizing what he was talking about, Courtney felt her blood boil. She grabbed a pillow and tried to hit him with it as she snapped, ¡°Shut up!¡± Alexander lifted his hand and deftly blocked the pillow, then reached upward to wrap his arm around Courtney¡¯s neck. She toppled onto him, and the pillow fell onto the carpet. At this very moment, it was as though time had gone still. ¡°So,¡± Alexander began quietly, ¡°what do you think?¡± The sound of her breathing stirred something deep within him, stroking his senses and awakening them. Courtney was having difficulty catching her breath, and while her rationale was telling her to think before she answered, she hummed in agreement without conscious volition. As soon as that happened, Alexander¡¯s lips found hers, sealing off anything else she might have to say. It was as though the world was spinning, and Courtney¡¯s mind went nk. All she could hear were the rustling sound of her clothes being discarded and the stato of her heartbeat. Whatever inhibitions she had melted away at this moment, and all that lingered on her mind was how brazen Alexander was to ravish her in daylight without even bothering to draw the curtains. The next morning, those who had been dispatched to the airport alongside the ambassador had arrived back at the hotel with the foreign guests. As representative of the hotel, Courtney stood with the entourage and supervised the check-in process. The main purpose of the visit was for promoting trade andmerce. There were about fifteen foreign guests who were now checking into the hotel, all of whom were led by a man named Hans and his plump wife, Jennifer. Hans was in his fifties, and he had grey hair and piercing blue eyes. The ambassador knew Alexander, so he promptly introduced him to Hans. ¡°This is Alexander Duncan, the president of Sunhill Enterprise.¡± Hans nodded with a smile and shook Alexander¡¯s hand jovially. Alexander then nced over at Courtney, directing Hans¡¯ attention toward her. ¡°This is Miss Hunter. She¡¯ll be in charge of your stay here and show you around Melrose City. We hope you¡¯ll have a pleasant time here.¡± ¡°Oh, she¡¯s a beautiful youngdy,¡± Hans praised. Then, he tilted his head and, with as much mischief as his age would allow, asked yfully, ¡°Is she your wife?¡± Alexander smiled pleasantly. ¡°She will be soon.¡± The hotel staff who heard this all exchanged meaningful looks, as though they had just been vindicated of some private truth that only they knew, and the air rippled with barely-suppressed frenzy; even the ambassador couldn¡¯t help but look at Courtney in astonishment. However, Hans and Jennifer were oblivious to the reason behind the shift in the atmosphere. They perked up at the mention of an uing marriage, and they were ecstatic as they congratted both Alexander and Courtney. Jennifer, in particr, was overjoyed as she pulled Courtney into her arms, quipping excitedly, ¡°Let me know when you¡¯ve got a date for the wedding! I have a friend who makes the most exquisite wedding gowns!¡± When Jennifer released her from the embrace after saying this, Courtney flushed, which warranted another round of teasing from Hans. Thankfully, the ambassador stepped in to steer the conversation back on track, relieving Courtney of the sudden and overwhelming attention she had received. Regainingposure, she assigned the hotel staff to bring the guests to their rooms. Seeing as the guests would be down with jeg for the first day, nothing had been arranged on the itinerary. The guests would have lunch in their rooms, and in order to make sure that everything went off without a hitch, Courtney supervised the entire process, unwilling to let her guard down until thest of the food had been sent up to the designated rooms. Once she had done that, Courtney returned to her own room to catch a breather. She slipped off her high heels and padded across the carpet, then plopped down onto the couch. Stretching, she allowed a full-bodied yawn to escape her. She was exhausted. She had woken up early that morning and girded herself for the arrival of the guests, which hadn¡¯t happened until close to noon time. Courtney had only justid down when a tall figure came around from behind the partition and made his way toward her. ¡°You¡¯ll catch a cold if you sleep here. Go to the room where it¡¯s warmer,¡± Alexander pointed out gently. ¡°I¡¯m tired. The couch will do.¡± Courtney could barely keep her eyes open, and she lifted her arm to weakly dismiss Alexander¡¯s concern. ¡°Just get me a nket.¡± Watching as her slender arm made azy circle above her head before she let it fall onto the back of the sofa, Alexander shook his head in resignation, then walked over to her. ¡°Huh?¡± Courtney gasped as she was lifted off the couch before being cradled in Alexander¡¯s arms. Her eyes fluttered open briefly, and for a moment there she looked as if she was awake, but almost instantaneously she shut her eyes once more and mumbled drowsily, ¡°You don¡¯t have to carry me to the bed. Just let me sleep on the couch.¡± So much for gratitude, Alexander thought dryly. He ought to leave her on the carpet. However, his eyes softened as he gazed down at her sleeping form, and he gently tucked her into bed. Then, he drew the curtains and switched on the night light. He adjusted the temperature of the air-conditioner in the room before leaving. As he closed the door behind him, he took in the warm ambience that was now present in the suite, and he realized that he was doing things he never would have done before. Chapter 126 One Night Surprise Chapter 126 Chapter 126 This Is Between You and Me Alexander had never wasted time pondering the idea of a soulmate until he met Courtney Hunter. He had been the type to believe that a dog offered more reliablepanionship than marriage ever could, and he had never been lonely in all the time he was single. In fact, he had enjoyed his bachelorhood very much. He had thought that Jordan was the only one capable of turning his life upside down, but then he met Courtney and realized he had been very wrong. That said, the only difference between Jordan and Courtney had been the way in which they had shown up in Alexander¡¯s life. Where Alexander had felt conflicted when he first met Jordan, he had felt theplete opposite with Courtney¡ªif anything, his fondness and affection for her had only grown since their first meeting. Presently, the sound of the door clicking shut seemed to reverberate throughout the suite, but it was soft enough to not stir Courtney from her slumber. As Alexander emerged from the suite, Josh, who had been waiting by the door, greeted, ¡°President Duncan.¡± N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Alexander nodded in acknowledgement, then said, ¡°Right. I need you to take care of the rumors that have been going around the hotel for the past couple of days. I don¡¯t want to hear any more of these groundless usations.¡± He was getting irritated just talking about this. Everyone in the hotel was under the impression that Courtney was married, and instead of rifying on this matter, she had chosen to keep her mouth shut for the sake of convenience. Now, Alexander was left with no choice but to resolve the issue himself. ¡°I¡¯ll have it taken care of by tomorrow morning,¡± Josh promised. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve looked into the incident with Louis; his neighbor said that a young man had dropped by Louis¡¯s house before the fire broke out.¡± At this, Alexander stopped in his tracks and raised a brow. ¡°A young man?¡± ¡°Eye witnesses imed that the young man was a college student who couldn¡¯t be more than 20, and that he had delicate features. He was seen staying with Louis thest time he visited the old town, and half a month had passed before he dropped by again the other day. That same night, a fire broke out in Louis¡¯ home. Here¡¯s a picture of the young man in question.¡± As he said this, Josh produced the said picture from the brown paper bag he was carrying and handed it over to Alexander. ¡°The picture was drawn up on the spot based on the description given by the neighbor, but it should be pretty close to the real thing.¡± Alexander held the picture between his long fingers. There was something familiar about the young man¡¯s features, but Alexander couldn¡¯t quite say what it was. Just as Alexander was deep in thought, the sound of footsteps came from down the hallway, and the corridor lights cast a long shadow of an approaching figure who mused in a youthful baritone when he reached them, ¡°Oh, you guys are here, too?¡± Alexander lifted his head and shoved the picture back into the paper bag, frowning as he registered Oliver¡¯s presence. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Oliver was dressed casually in white, the very picture of athleisure-chic. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Courtney. I¡¯ve recalled a couple of ces in the past two days, and I think they may have something to do with my memory. I was hoping she could check them out with me.¡± ¡°She¡¯s sleeping. I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t have time for you, seeing as she¡¯ll be kept on her feet for the next few days.¡± Alexander paused as he eyed Oliver with discreet wariness, then said tersely, ¡°If you remember anything else, you can look for my assistant.¡± Oliver crossed his arms as his gaze lingered briefly on Alexander. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trouble you with it as this is between Courtney and me.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression darkened as he shot Oliver an icy look. For the past couple of years, Alexander hadn¡¯t met many who dared rebuke him, and this was not the first time he had felt Oliver¡¯s immense hostility toward him. ¡°Sunhill Enterprise has taken responsibility for the ident, and from the very moment you were discharged from the hospital, there was no longer anything between you and Courtney,¡± Alexander countered, regarding Oliver with a withering gaze before he emphasized, ¡°This is between you and me.¡± A contemptuous smirk tugged at Oliver¡¯s lips and he drawled, ¡°Is that what you think?¡± The air around them seemed to have gone very still. Just then, the sound of a phone ringing cut through the rising tension that was threatening to freeze the hallway over, and Josh hastily answered the call. When he hung up, he turned to address Alexander. ¡°President Duncan, the front desk says that Miss Price is here to see you. There¡¯s something she would like to talk to you about.¡± Alexander nodded curtly. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Oliver frowned, the scorn in his bright eyes ever-so-subtle as he watched Alexander leave. Meanwhile, after bringing in the tea, the secretary sneaked a couple of curious nces at Britney Price before leaving the office. The entire hotel was already buzzing with the announcement of Alexander and Courtney¡¯s rtionship, so what could have brought Britney here? The fact that the announcement was made was further proof that Britney¡¯s previous engagement to Alexander had fallen through, but her presence here today could indicate that something dramatic was about to happen. After all, hell hath no fury like an ex-fianc¨¦e scorned. Alexander wasted no time on small talk as he asked, ¡°Josh told me that you¡¯ve managed to get a hold of a doctor from Germany who specializes in child psychology. Is that true?¡± Britney looked pleased at this and answered, ¡°Yes. While I was in Germany, I got to know this professor whose work on child psychology is centralized on how childhood trauma caused by illnesses could lead to speech impediments and antisocial tendencies. I thought of Jordan immediately.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice of you,¡± Alexander said pensively with his brows drawn together. ¡°Of course. After all, I did watch Jordan grow up, and I want nothing more than to see him talk like how other children could. When you have the time, I¡¯ll get in touch with the doctor and have him take a look at Jordan.¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll arrange a time for it¡ªafter the foreign guests leave, perhaps.¡± Jordan¡¯s speech impediment, or rather his refusal to speak, had been something that Alexander found difficult to deal with. There had been no breakthrough despite visiting countless doctors over the years. On the two asions when Jordan did speak, he had called out for ¡®Mommy¡¯, which only made Alexander feel an insurmountable sense of guilt. He could not shake the thought that perhaps it was his failure in providing Jordan with a happy family that led to the boy¡¯s current condition. Britney bent her head as she took a sip of tea, effectively hiding the glee in her eyes. She knew that the more time she spent with Alexander, the more likely she could get him back. ¡°I¡¯ll probably get in touch with the doctor in the next few days to ask him about his schedule,¡± she said softly. As a sudden thought came over her, she mused with a self-deprecating smile, ¡°Now that I think about it, I met this doctor while I was shooting a movie in Germany. I was picking up my wedding gown at the bridal shop, and he was there too.¡± Alexander made no effort to respond to this. Instead, he kept his head down while going through the paperwork before him. Seeing this, Britney clenched her fists and demanded, ¡°Alexander, I know you don¡¯t have the highest regard for actors, but you and I go way back¡ªyou know how I feel about you, but till now, you still haven¡¯t given me a reason as to why you canceled our engagement.¡± She had been on her way to attend an award show when Alexander¡¯s assistant had called to inform her that the wedding was off. Britney had been infuriated that he had canceled the wedding¡ªover the phone, no less¡ªand because he had asked his assistant to do it, she hadn¡¯t even been given the chance to retaliate. ¡°Aspensation, President Duncan has contacted the Ivory Bear Awardsmittee, and they¡¯ve agreed to let you win the award of Best Lead Actress,¡± the assistant had said briskly before hanging up the call, and Britney had watched as all her hard work was reduced to nothing. She hadn¡¯t been able to live that down. Now, upon hearing her questioning him, Alexander looked up slowly from his paperwork and regarded her impassively. His gaze was distant, almost apathetic, as he said, ¡°I think I made myself very clear when I told you back then that I wasn¡¯t getting married because I needed a wife, but because Jordan needed a mother.¡± Chapter 127 One Night Surprise Chapter 127 Chapter 127 There¡¯s Someone I Like ¡°And what about Courtney?¡± Britney was heartbroken, and her voice trembled as she pressed on, ¡°Do you think she would be a better mother to Jordan than I would?¡± Alexander¡¯s brows furrowed. After a moment of thought, he let out a hum and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Efficiency was key when it came to solving problems, and Alexander knew this principle well. He also knew that the answer he just gave Britney would bring a swift end to their conversation, and seeing as he owed her no obligation to borate further on his deepest thoughts or feelings, his monosybic response sufficed. As expected, and this was clearly much to Britney¡¯s dismay, she pressed no further. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Britney¡¯s fists were clenched as she marched her way from Alexander¡¯s office to the elevator. As far as she was concerned, she would have been Alexander¡¯s top choice for marriage if it weren¡¯t for Courtney. The elevator doors were closing when a clear, youthful voice called out, ¡°Wait!¡± She reached out instinctively and pressed on the button to hold the doors open. Her mind tried to work out why the voice sounded familiar, and when she looked up, she saw the towering figure of a young man saunter into the elevator. He turned and nodded at her. ¡°Thanks.¡± Upon seeing his face, Britney faltered. Her panic would have been obvious to the man if she weren¡¯t presently wearing shades. ¡°You¡­¡± she gasped. ¡°Yes?¡± He looked at her questioningly. ¡°Do you know me?¡± Britney¡¯s fists tightened at her sides. With her hat and shades in ce, her face was almost entirely hidden from view, hence she denied it. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know you at all.¡± She was well aware of the existence of doppelgangers, but the person who was currently in the elevator with her looked exactly like the missing Benjamin Ford. But from the looks of it, he didn¡¯t seem to recognize her. The elevator doors slowly opened with a ¡®ding¡¯, and Britney watched as the young man left without even turning back to look at her. She snapped out of her thoughts and walked toward the front desk, whereupon she asked, ¡°Who was that guy? I thought the hotel was not receiving any more guests at the moment.¡± Penelope was working at the front desk today, and having heard Britney¡¯s question, she nced over at the man who had just left. ¡°Do you mean Oliver? He¡¯s a friend of Miss Hunter¡¯s, and President Duncan arranged for his stay here. He¡¯s not really a guest.¡± As far as the Sunhill Hotel staff were concerned, Oliver was staying at the hotel as a friend of President Duncan¡¯s, who had made the arrangements personally. They had no idea who Oliver really was, and given that he was usually incognito, there weren¡¯t more than a handful of people who knew about his memory loss. Britney¡¯s frown deepened. How could he be a friend of Courtney¡¯s? He was clearly Benjamin Ford! What if he had told Alexander about all the sleuthing he had done on Louis? Britney paled at the thought of this and hastily made a call. ¡°Jason,¡± she said anxiously into her phone, ¡°I think we may have a problem. I just saw Benjamin Ford.¡± Courtney slept through the entire day, and it was dark outside by the time she woke up. The light that came from behind the partition basked the bedroom in a warm glow. Her eyes fluttered open, and she was still drowsy with sleep when the faint smell of cooking wafted through the air. She shuffled out from behind the partition and saw that Alexander was eating alone at the dining table. Her eyes fell on the spreadid out before him, whichprised three dishes, arge bowl of soup, a fruit tter and two dessert choices. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± she asked usingly. ¡°You woke up anyway,¡± Alexander said as he lifted his gaze, an impish grin ying on his lips. ¡°Much like how puppies and kittens do when they smell food.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you justpared me to puppies and kittens,¡± Courtney grumbled, ring at him as she pulled out a chair for herself. ¡°You know, humans wake up on their own too when they smell food.¡± Alexander offered no argument. Instead, hedled out a small bowl of soup and ced it in front of her. ¡°Try this. It¡¯s chicken soup.¡± ¡°Did you make this?¡± ¡°Sort of.¡± Courtney gaped at him. She had only asked as a matter of courtesy, and she certainly had not expected for a person like him, who had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, to make soup for her. Seeing her astonishment, Alexander gave her a lopsided smile and rified, ¡°I had the kitchen make it.¡± At this, Courtney rolled her eyes. ¡°If you think that means you¡¯ve ¡®sort of¡¯ made soup, then you might as well rebrand the entire restaurant menu as ¡®the President¡¯s Special¡¯ the next time you decide to advertise the hotel. I¡¯m sure all the women in Melrose City would line up at our doors just to cheer you on in your culinary endeavors.¡± Alexander smiled pleasantly, then asked, ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re jealous?¡± ¡°J-Jealous?¡± Courtney stuttered, then flushed as she realized what she had just told him. She scoffed in awkward denial before retorting, ¡°Do you really think there are women out there who would line up for you? Don¡¯t tter yourself. I was only exaggerating. I have nothing to be jealous of! ¡± ¡°I certainly have no idea how many women would line up for me.¡± Alexander looked at her in bemusement. ¡°You, on the other hand, have plenty of men lining up for you. Don¡¯t you think you should exin yourself?¡± He switched topics so abruptly that Courtney couldn¡¯t catch up with him. She blinked. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He crossed his arms and stared at her assessingly. ¡°Fifteen years old, then twenty-five. Do you have a thing about bringing a man home every ten years?¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes widened when she finally made sense of what he was saying, and she sputtered, ¡°I don¡¯t have a ¡®thing¡¯ for bringing men home. You know as well as I do that those were idents!¡± ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m well aware that the punk staying in my hotel was an ident, but how about the other guy? He¡¯s been getting on my nerves recently.¡± ¡°Shay? Why is he getting on your nerves? The man¡¯s on a variety show!¡± ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve been really busy these days. Take a look.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression was nd as he clicked into a video on his phone and propped it up in front of her. If he was upset, he certainly didn¡¯t show it. Confused, Courtney fixed her eyes on the screen and saw that it was a video clip taken from the variety show in which Shay was starring. It was a clip of his interview, and he was sitting in front of the camera wearing blue-and-white checkered pajamas. The reporter asked, ¡°You¡¯re only in your twenties. In light of your agency¡¯s public announcement that you are currently single and your recent rifications on the dating rumors, would you mind sharing with us the qualities you look for in a woman?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really looking for anything in anyone right now,¡± Shay answered in all seriousness. ¡°There¡¯s someone I like.¡± ¡°Is there?¡± The reporter grew excited and pressed on eagerly, ¡°Who is it? Is she someone in the industry?¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s not. She took me in when I was a kid.¡± ¡°She took you in? Is she your adoptive mother?¡± The reporter did not bother hiding his astonishment. ¡°No, of course no. She¡¯s only three years older than me, so she¡¯s more like a sister. We¡¯re not rted.¡± Nothing more was said after that. Courtney shrugged, then drank her soup nonchntly as she exined, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. He¡¯s probably joking, as always. Even as a kid, he would tell others that I was his fianc¨¦e. I mean, you can¡¯t take him seriously¡ªI¡¯m practically an older sister to him!¡± ¡°Are you?¡± Seeing how unaffected she was, Alexander clicked on the return key and suggested inly, ¡°Why don¡¯t you read the caption for this news clip?¡± Courtney swallowed another mouthful of soup and nced at him curiously. On his phone was a three-minute news clip with a caption that read: ¡®Shay Spencer reveals that he¡¯s been groomed since young, and that he¡¯s in love with his adoptive mother!¡¯ Soup sputtered out of her mouth as she began to choke. In between coughs, she demanded incredulously, ¡°Who is this reporter? This is ridiculous! Adoptive mother? Groomed since young? Who ¡ª¡± ¡°Do you still think this isn¡¯t a big deal?¡± Alexander asked dryly as he handed her a tissue. Still coughing, Courtney took the tissue and hastily wiped her mouth. She looked up at Alexander sheepishly. ¡°So, what do we do about it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had all relevant clips and articles removed from all trending searches before I came over,¡± he replied, his deep voice echoing off the walls. Courtney stared at him in surprise. Slowly, she let out the breath she had been holding and finally said, ¡°Thank you, and I apologize on Shay¡¯s behalf.¡± Seeing as Shay was signed under Alexander¡¯s agency, Courtney grimaced inwardly at the thought of how much resources had gone into putting out this fire that he had started. However, Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened as he mused, ¡°I find your apology and your word of thanks to be rather insincere.¡± Chapter 128 One Night Surprise Chapter 128 Chapter 128 I Thought You Wanted Me to Stop ¡°Well, what do you think passes for sincerity?¡± ¡°I believe I should be asking you that question,¡± Alexander countered easily, his eyes sparkling deviously. Courtney blushed and looked down, muttering, ¡°The things that go on in your mind¡ªand right in the middle of dinner, too.¡± But before she could say anything else, she looked up to see Alexander standing up from his seat and leaving the table. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked, her brows furrowing. He strode toward the couch, picked up a huge purple gift box, then returned to the dining table. He undid the bow that was around the box and lifted the cover to reveal the teal-colored cheongsam within. The dress was exquisitely made, with a high neckline that featured the fine embroidery of a dark red flower. ¡°Since you¡¯re going to show Hans and the others around Melrose City tomorrow, I figured you could dress for the asion,¡± Alexander exined. Realizing that she had made a mistake, Courtney secretly winced and wished that the ground would open up and swallow her. To make matters worse, Alexander had caught what she said and was now looking at her with wicked amusement. ¡°So, what were you saying about the things that went on in my mind?¡± Courtney avoided his gaze. ¡°I said nothing. I¡¯m going to try this on now,¡± she blurted as she hurriedly picked up the dress and darted around the partition to go into the bedroom. Alexander smiled, clearly entertained. His eyes lit up as he heard the faint rustling of fabricing from the bedroom, which indicated that Courtney was in the middle of trying on the dress, and he decided to walk in. Courtney had her back turned toward him. She had pulled on the cheongsam and was now working on the sp at the neckline. When she heard hime into the bedroom, she bent her head and continued busying herself with the sp while grumbling, ¡°I can¡¯t quite manage to button this up. Is it supposed to be this difficult?¡± As she grew agitated, a hand slid along her shoulder and gently pulled her hair back against her nape. Courtney began to turn around. ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Alexander instructed quietly. Courtney went still as her breath hitched. She could feel her hair being tugged out from beneath the cor of her dress, followed by the sensation of the neckline loosening. ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± Her lips were pressed in a straight line as she tried to look unbothered, but her fingers remained useless as they fumbled clumsily at the sp. ¡°Here, let me,¡± Alexander offered from where he stood behind her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and as she looked down, she could see his fingers expertly sping up the neckline. He made it look so easy. She could feel his warm breath stirring her hair. No longer able to keep her gaze away, Courtney lifted her eyes and saw their reflection in the full-length mirror. The teal-colored cheongsam was closely fitted against her petite frame, entuating her curves with a sophisticated vintage ir. Alexander was embracing her from behind. They looked as though they had traveled back in time to thest century, and words could not describe the passion and the tension thaty in their proximity. Courtney swallowed nervously. ¡°How do I look?¡± She saw in the mirror as Alexander tilted his head to look at her. His right hand fell away from her left shoulder, travelled across her corbone before resting below her chin. Gently, he turned her face toward him, and their noses touched as he whispered, ¡°You look beautiful.¡± His voice was hoarse despite the short answer, and Courtney could feel the heat that radiated from his palm as he cupped one side of her face. She felt warm all over. As the sp came halfway undone, Alexander seemed to have lost his patience. His hand ran along her thigh, which was exposed beneath the high slit of the dress, and he nibbled on her earlobe. She could tell he was mildly irritated as he grumbled, ¡°If I had known it would take this much work to undress you, I never would have let you wear it in the first ce.¡± Courtney flushed. She could feel her blood rushing toward her core, heating her up from within. As her breathing grew erratic, the embroidered flower near the neckline of her dress seemed to move as though it was drifting across a tempestuous sea. Seeing her like this when he cast a sideways nce at the mirror, Alexander could restrain himself no longer. He pushed her up against the mirror, and Courtney reached out to brace herself against the ss, the heat from her palms leaving marks on the clear surface. The back of the dress was scrunched up, leaving the lower half of her body exposed. Alexander¡¯s hand was quick to remove thest piece of clothing that came between them, and before long, the sound of the belt buckle hitting the ground echoed off the walls like an erotic prelude. He grabbed onto her waist as he pushed himself into her. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Courtney let out a sharp gasp when she felt him fill up her core, her breath fogging up the mirror and effectively blurring the reflection of their entwined bodies. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was strained and rough, like he was suppressing a growl. Courtney¡¯s legs trembled, and she reached behind her to grab onto his wrist. Her face was flushed as she panted, ¡°Stop¡ª¡± ¡°Stop what?¡± ¡°Stop talking to me,¡± she forced through gritted teeth as she tried to keep her body from shaking. Why did he have to talk to her now of all times? Alexander¡¯s eyes burned with humor as he drawled, ¡°I thought you were asking me to stop.¡± Courtney knew he was teasing her on purpose, but she blushed nheless, clenching her jaw as she kept quiet. ¡°Do you want this?¡± Alexander asked hoarsely as his girth slowly stroked against her core, eliciting another moan from her. She let out an impatient groan when he stopped abruptly, desperate for him to continue. ¡°If you want this, say my name.¡± Courtney felt herself unraveling as he teased her. Her body wanted him so badly that it seemed to ache with desperation. ¡°Alexander¡­¡± she cried out in a pleading tone. The way she called out his name¡ªa raspy whimper heavily inteced with desire¡ªcoupled with how tousled and disheveled she looked in the mirror stirred something almost animalistic within Alexander. He made a noise in the back of his throat, and as an overwhelming sense of urgency seized him, he grabbed her waist, then began thrusting into her warmth. Courtney¡¯s moans escted as his movements grew rough; she could feel herselfing undone. She was drained. Her legs were trembling as she begged and moaned, but Alexander showed no sign of slowing down. He pinned her up against the wall, unrelenting, and she felt him thrust into her with greater urgency, prating deep into her core. Courtney swore she felt the earth shake. They had navigated their way to the bed at some point, losing all sense of time. With one final thrust of Alexander¡¯s hips, Courtney came undone around him. She craned her neck, and her back arched as she felt the intensity of the climax wash over her; Alexander watched as the light yed across the curves of her naked body. Her skin was as wless as porcin¡ªerotic and beautiful all the same. The expensive handmade cheongsam had been discarded and nowy crumpled on the floor next to the bed. The delicate neckline had been torn beyond repair, which served only as proof of how rough and passionate the both of them had been. Alexander picked her up from the bed. She softened into his arms, weak after the ordeal. ¡°No more. I¡¯m exhausted,¡± she mumbled softly in protest, patting his chest. He kissed her forehead, his voice hoarse as he said, ¡°You have to shower before you sleep, my love.¡± Courtney hummed in relief, then shifted in his arms so that she could restfortably while he carried her into the bathroom. She waspletely spent, and she kept her eyes closed as Alexander bathed her. Alexander held her in his arms that night, and he watched her sleep. There was a reassuring sense of comfort that seemed to wrap itself around his once-empty heart. There had been a time when he was convinced that life was meant to be lonely, and that he would leave the world alone, just as he came. He had thought of love as an intangible and meaningless illusion, one that was untethered by any real sense of responsibility or practicality. But when he found love, he felt like he was the luckiest man in the world. Courtney, on the other hand, was frowning in her sleep. She appeared to be dreaming, and she seemed distressed about it. ¡°Jordan¡­¡± she mumbled, eyes still closed. Alexander stirred at the sound of her voice, and snapping out of his reverie, he tightened his arms around her. As he pulled her closer, he heard her say, ¡°Come over here to Mommy¡­¡± His eyes widened in surprise, and his gaze darkened as it fell upon her.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Chapter 129 One Night Surprise Chapter 129 Chapter 129 A Memento of Last Night ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s Benjamin? Could you have been mistaken?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible! I clearly saw him.¡± Late at night in an upscale vi in Westpark, Jason had a look of uncertainty on his face as he grabbed Britney¡¯s wine ss from her. ¡°That¡¯s enough drinking. Even if it was him, the fact that Alexander is still willing to see you must mean that he hasn¡¯t said anything yet. There¡¯s still room for discussion.¡± ¡°Are you saying that he went to Alexander on purpose?¡± Britney asked as she was jolted back to reality. Her delicate face was tinged with drunkenness as she turned to her manager and murmured, ¡°Just so he could use it to threaten me?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an eighty percent chance that that¡¯s the case. After all, money is his favorite thing, isn¡¯t it? Who knows if he intends to use this to ckmail us? Then again, he doesn¡¯t have any proof of what happened that night.¡± ¡°What should we do now?¡± ¡°Instead of hiding, why don¡¯t we just negotiate with him? There¡¯s nothing that money can¡¯t solve.¡± Her manager¡¯s confidentposure eased the hard expression on Britney¡¯s face. He¡¯s right. Benjamin loves money so much, there¡¯s no way he will turn away from it. The next morning, Courtney was awoken by the ringing of an rm clock. When she got up and saw the time, she nearly jumped out of bed. ¡°It¡¯s already eight thirty!¡± Alexander came out of the living room that was hidden behind the screen, dressed in a white shirt and dress pants. With a mug of coffee in his hands, he looked calmly at her. ¡°You have another twenty-five minutes to get ready.¡± Courtney grabbed at her hair frantically, stumbling out of bed and searching for a change of clothes as she chided, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault¡­¡± ¡°My fault?¡± Alexander sipped his coffee, his tone enigmatic. Courtney fished out a suit from the cupboard and shot him a fierce re. ¡°Because you didn¡¯t wake me even though you¡¯re up.¡± ¡°As your boyfriend, there¡¯s nothing wrong with wanting my girlfriend to get a little more rest.¡± ¡°Then if I¡¯mte, don¡¯t reprimand me. Not a single word.¡± Courtney rolled her eyes at him as she went to the bathroom with her clothes in her arms. Alexander¡¯s voice sounded from outside the door. ¡°As a boss, it¡¯s only right that I¡¯m strict with my employees.¡± From across the bathroom, Courtney shot back angrily, ¡°Switching between roles when you get off work seems easy enough for you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± That wasn¡¯t apliment! Courtney was speechless. She muttered silently to herself as she looked in the mirror and put on some light makeup. When she came out, she identally stepped on the cheongsam from the night before and she frowned. ¡°What should we do with this?¡± ¡°Someone wille byter to clean up the ce. Just have them send it to the store to get it mended.¡± ¡°Can it be mended?¡± Courtney seriously doubted the feasibility of this matter. After all, the slit at the side of the dress had been torn up to the underarm section, causing it to be destroyed beyond recognition. ¡°Whether or not it can be mended well isn¡¯t important. You can just keep it as a memento.¡± Courtney was confused to hear this. ¡°A memento of what?¡± ¡°A memento ofst night.¡± For several seconds, Courtney was stuck in ce. Then, she fled red-faced from the door. She was highly suspicious that Alexander had suppressed his desires for too long, so much so that his physiological needs were rushing out like savage beasts now that the brakes were released, unable to be contained any longer. They had only just started their rtionship but they were already advancing really quickly. The day¡¯s itinerary included leading the foreign guests around the garden, which was roughly two kilometers away from Sunhill Hotel, not far at all. Courtney was responsible for the English exnations throughout their tour and her fluent trantions rendered the apanying interpreter useless. Hans and Jennifer liked Courtney very much and they were even more impressed to learn that she had spent five years alone with her daughter in America. ¡°It must¡¯ve been tough living alone in a foreign country with your daughter. You are amazing!¡± Jennifer grasped Courtney¡¯s hand with a look of admiration. ¡°It was alright; it wasn¡¯t that miserable. We came back not because we couldn¡¯t bear living abroad but because my daughter and I preferred the environment here.¡± ¡°I like your country¡¯s environment too.¡± Jennifer tilted her head and smiled like a mischievous little girl. ¡°And you¡¯re right¡ªyou weren¡¯t miserable at all. Look at you; you came back and met Mr. Duncan. True love is hard toe by.¡± ¡°Yes; it is.¡± Courtney gazed into the distance and saw that Alexander was discussing the construction process of the stone bridge with Hans. She couldn¡¯t help but smile. As night fell, Sunhill Hotel had specially arranged an open-air music reception¡ªwhich was held on the largewn in front of the hotel¡ªto wee the foreign guests. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Jennifer wore a floor-lengthvender evening gown, looking elegant and graceful even in her fifties. ¡°Mr. Duncan and Miss Hunter, I¡¯d like to introduce you to a friend of mine. She¡¯s also from Otharia but we met in America.¡± ¡°Oh¡ªyou have other friends from Otharia?¡± ¡°Here she is.¡± Jennifer grinned and waved in the direction of the entrance. A dark figure dressed in a pure ck silk dress iid with ck sequins walked leisurely toward them. Under the glow of the light, the figure seemed to shine like a ck mermaid. Upon seeing her, Courtney froze. ¡°Cameron?¡± ¡°You two know each other?¡± Jennifer was surprised. Cameron, on the other hand, was unperturbed. She smiled and exined, ¡°Jennifer is a friend of mine whom I met in America and she¡¯s also a big fan of my store. Courtney here is my best friend, so I knew when Jennifer told me the address of the party.¡± Cameron was a fashion designer so she had many foreign friends, but it still took Courtney by surprise that she knew Jennifer as it was such a coincidence. After they made small talk for a while with wine sses in hand, Jennifer excused herself. ¡°Oh and Cameron, Gale will being tonight.¡± Courtney suddenly thought of this and looked to Alexander for confirmation. ¡°Yes?¡± On the side, Alexander gave a slight nod. Although it was a private reception, Gale was apany shareholder so it was only natural for him to drop by. Cameron rolled her eyes then said airily, ¡°It¡¯s none of my business whether or not hees.¡± ¡°Another fight?¡± Courtney sighed helplessly. ¡°Everything was fine two days ago. How did it end up like this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just a fight this time. We¡¯ve gone our separate ways.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve broken up?¡± Courtney asked hesitantly. Cameron raised her eyebrows. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hearing this, Courtney and Alexander exchanged a look, mutual understanding in their expressions. Ever since Cameron and Gale got together, they would break up seven or eight times a month. Hence, they no longer bothered to determine which time was a real breakup and which was not. At this moment, a familiar figure entered and started walking toward them upon catching sight of them. Courtney tugged on Alexander¡¯s sleeve when she saw him. ¡°Cameron, Alexander and I have to go over and entertain the guests first. I trust you¡¯ll be okay by yourself?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Cameron waved her hand, unconcerned. ¡°You guys go ahead. I didn¡¯te alone anyway.¡± Courtney was stunned once again upon hearing that.¡±Who else is here?¡± Chapter 130 One Night Surprise Chapter 130 Chapter 130 Missed the Return of the Prodigal Son As they were speaking, Gale had reached them. Standing at 1.85 meters with a model¡¯s figure, he looked like he belonged on a runway and was dressed in a white suit that showed off his gentlemanly demeanor. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Gale directed his question at Cameron as soon as he arrived. ¡°Why? I can¡¯t be here because your family owns the ce?¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Gale rubbed his nose and smiled before he continued teasingly, ¡°It¡¯s just thatst night, someone said that we should go our separate ways and stay out of each other¡¯s lives. It¡¯s only been a short while¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid what I saidst night is still valid.¡± Cameron threw him a disdainful re. All of a sudden, she waved to someone behind him and called out sweetly, ¡°Honey, over here!¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. The person that came over was the youngest of the foreign guests¡ªa blue-eyed man with blond hair. The man had broad shoulders and his muscr physique was obviously bigger than Gale¡¯s, causing him to appear more imposing. As soon as he walked over, Cameron affectionately hooked her arm with his. ¡°Allow me to introduce my boyfriend, Spence.¡± After exchanging pleasantries, Courtney was speechless so she hurriedly pulled Alexander away from the awkward scene. Both Cameron and Gale were both unwilling to admit defeat and they would rather suffer than lose their sense of pride. They were constantly going against each other, so Courtney and Alexander were used to this kind of incident. However, Courtney had the distinct feeling that Cameron had gone overboard this time. Even Gale¡¯s expression had changed. Sure enough, as soon as Courtney and Alexander left, Gale dropped his pleasant expression and gritted out, ¡°Cameron, if I¡¯m not mistaken, we¡¯ve only just broken up yesterday. It sure took you a short amount of time to move on.¡± ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡± Cameron shot him a look. ¡°At least I found someone new after the breakup, unlike someone who got together with several others when we were still together.¡± ¡°I already told you that she¡¯s my friend¡¯s sister.¡± ¡°Then your friend must have a lot of sisters.¡± Meanwhile, Courtney was drinking red wine with the guests, her arm hooked with Alexander¡¯s. It didn¡¯t take long before her face was flushed red and she had to lean on him. Music started to y and several foreign men enthusiastically invited Courtney to dance. She graciously epted their invitation and entered the dance floor. She wore a burgundy slip dress and when she spun, her dress red out in a burst of color. The intery of light created an amorous atmosphere; no one could look away and an increasing number of men had their eyes on her. Gale walked to Alexander with a ss of wine in his hand, and the crisp clink of their sses was drowned out by the loud music. Watching the figure on the dance floor, Gale teased, ¡°So many men are staring at her. Aren¡¯t you jealous?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they be the ones that are jealous?¡± Alexander¡¯s face was calm as he took a sip of wine. ¡°Such a beautiful woman, yet they can only look at her because she belongs to me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good way to look at things. I used to be like that too.¡± Gale shrugged. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m older now, so my mindset isn¡¯t that great.¡± Alexander cast him a sideways nce before he corrected in a deep voice, ¡°Your mentality wasn¡¯t good before. You just didn¡¯t care.¡± Gale went through women faster than he changed clothes. Sometimes, he couldn¡¯t even remember the names of the women who were in bed with him the night before. It wasn¡¯t a good mentality¡ªhe was just being rash and thoughtless. All he cared about was fulfilling his physiological needs. ¡°Does that mean that I care now?¡± ¡°I have a feeling that you¡¯re starting to care now but you¡¯re just pretending to be indifferent.¡± Alexander looked thoughtfully into the distance. ¡°If you continue to pretend, I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be yours anymore.¡± Gale frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°See for yourself.¡± Following Alexander¡¯s gaze, Gale saw two figures standing together in an intimate manner on the opposite side of the dance floor. Cameron held her new boyfriend in one hand while feeding him fruit with the other. Gale¡¯s expression turned thunderous as he took in the scene. It was bad enough that Cameron had found a new man to anger him, yet now she was even trying to pretend to be infatuated with the new guy? Gale tossed his head back and downed the rest of the wine before he set it down heavily and strode off. When the dance was over, another man came up to ask for a dance but Courtney simply shook her head and tactfully held her forehead, saying that she had a headache from drinking too much. After getting through multiple obstacles, she finally managed to return to Alexander¡¯s side. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Gale here?¡± Courtney asked casually as she drank a mouthful of the water that Alexander handed to her. ¡°He just left.¡± She nodded then sighed. ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take before they get back together again this time?¡± ¡°After the party, I reckon.¡± Alexander¡¯s nonchnt voice came from beside her. ¡°What?¡± Courtney¡¯s head shot up in surprise. ¡°Why would you say so?¡± Alexander looked into the distance and Courtney followed his gaze. On the opposite end of the dance floor, Gale had tugged Cameron out of her new boyfriend¡¯s grasp and was wordlessly pulling her into the nearest lounge. When the door shut behind them, it seemed as if it were closing off a room filled with passion and ambiguity. ¡°Did I miss something?¡± Courtney asked, her eyes wide. From the side, Alexander held her by the shoulders and murmured, ¡°You¡¯ve missed the return of the prodigal son.¡± The reception finally ended at ten o¡¯clock. Besides Cameron and Gale, everyone else was staying in the hotel, which made matters a lot more convenient. As there was nothing much to do afterward, Courtney gave instructions for the venue to be cleaned up overnight before going back to her room to rest. The following week, Courtney was busy entertaining the foreign guests. Alexander apanied her during the first few days but on the third day, he disappeared early in the morning. ¡°President Duncan has some business to attend to so you¡¯ll have to take care of the foreign guests for the next two days, Miss Hunter.¡± When asked about it at night, Josh kept dodging her gaze, making him look highly suspicious. ¡°What business?¡± she pressed. Josh let out a dry cough before he answered awkwardly, ¡°I don¡¯t know everything that goes on with the boss. It seems to be a private matter.¡± Courtney¡¯s brows furrowed. Alexander was not someone who didn¡¯t know how to differentiate between public and private matters. Why would he run off to handle something private when handling the foreign guests was such an important affair? Unless, of course, it was a really urgent matter. In the end, Alexander only returned in the early hours of the morning. Courtney was already asleep but the sound of the door opening startled her. She sat up groggily and asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°What time is it? Why are you justing back now?¡± Alexander walked over to hug her. ¡°It¡¯s still early. Go back to sleep.¡± Courtney put her arms around his waist and rubbed against his chest like a cat. ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Alexander stroked her back, his eyes full of affection. The sshing sounds of water came from the bathroom and Courtney closed her eyes again, only to be jolted awake by the chime of a message alert next to her ear. Still in a daze, she reached for the phone on her bedside and nced at it. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the time tomorrow. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the airport.¡± She frowned, thinking that someone had mistakenly sent the wrong message. However, when she saw the name of the sender, she realized that she had taken the wrong phone instead. The name ¡®Britney Price¡¯ that was being shown on the screen made Courtney inexplicably ufortable. Chapter 131 One Night Surprise Chapter 131 Chapter 131 I¡¯ll Be Back as Soon as Possible It was already dawn when Alexander finished his shower. Moonlight spilled through the window and after the bathroom lights were turned off, the room became somewhat colder. Courtney felt Alexander hug her from behind and she was enveloped in heat. She felt like a steamed bun, the nket turning into a piping hot steamer. Feeling a little hot, she couldn¡¯t help but squirm. ¡°Did I wake you?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice sounded in her ears. His voice had dipped low, bringing with it a sense of temptation. She went along with it and said, ¡°Yeah. Why did youe back sote?¡± ¡°Some dys during the day.¡± ¡°Is everything done?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Courtney thought of the message earlier and was silent for a moment. ¡°How long is it going to take? Will you still be able to attend the farewell banquet next weekend?¡± Hans, Jennifer, and the rest of their group would be staying in Melrose City for half a month and their farewell banquet was scheduled for next weekend. No matter how busy Alexander was, he should attend the party. ¡°I will.¡± Courtney frowned but held her tongue and did not continue to question him. She was still brooding over the matter when Alexander spoke. ¡°About Jordan¡¯s inability to speak¡­ I¡¯ve found a German doctor who specializes in this area but it¡¯s not easy to get an appointment, so I¡¯m bringing Jordan to Germany tomorrow. I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible.¡± For a moment, Courtney was bemused. So this is what I was getting upset about? Her mind had strayed too far off. ¡°You¡¯re bringing Jordan there alone?¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it. We won¡¯t take long but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to work harder to attend to the guests.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Jordan¡¯s more important.¡± Alexander was silent for a while before he took her in his arms again. He pressed his cheek against hers and murmured, ¡°I feel very fortunate for Jordan that he¡¯s able to meet a mother as good as you when he¡¯s young.¡± When she heard this, mixed feelings surfaced in Courtney¡¯s heart. She didn¡¯t know how to express her emotions so she turned around and wrapped him in a tight embrace. It was as if this was the only way she could suppress the raging urge to tell him the truth. Alexander left early the next morning. The butler had already picked Jordan up and was waiting for him at the airport. When he left, the sky was still dark. He ced a kiss on Courtney¡¯s forehead before taking his coat and quietly leaving the hotel. Following this, for more than a week, Courtney¡ªas the hotel¡¯s representative¡ªwas in charge of attending to Hans and Jennifer¡¯s group. They visited all of Melrose City¡¯s famous attractions and tried all kinds of food. During the tour, Jennifer expressed her enjoyment of the authentic delicacies that Courtney had introduced them to. They weren¡¯t even halfway through the tour but the two of them had already forged a friendship. Jennifer had even agreed to bring Courtney around should she have the time to travel abroad. ¡°Thank you very much for your hospitality this whole while.¡± When they returned to the hotel on the night before the farewell banquet, Jennifer gave Courtney a hug and said in choppy Otharian, ¡°I must give you a present during tomorrow¡¯s party.¡± Courtney smiled graciously. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll love it. By the way, you should ask your friend, that very interesting young man, to join too.¡± ¡°Do you mean Oliver?¡± Courtney was taken by surprise. Thest time they went hiking, they happened to ¡®bump¡¯ into Oliver. Jennifer had taken a liking to him, saying that her son was about the same age as him and enjoyed sports like hiking as well. They talked for a long time and Oliver was even invited to join them for dinner that night. ¡°Yes, that interesting young man. Tell him toe.¡± Hans was standing to one side, talking on the phone. He winked yfully before he asked, ¡°Oh right, has President Duncan returned? Will he make it in time for tomorrow night¡¯s party?¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll let him know.¡± Courtney smiled. ¡°And President Duncan will definitely make it back in time. He told me that before you leave, he would like to attend the party to make amends for his absence.¡± ¡°Great; I have something important to tell him,¡± Hans said meaningfully. Courtney¡¯s heart tightened. She had a vague guess of what it was about. After Hans and the rest went back to their rooms, she turned to Josh, who had been following her around for the past two days, and asked, ¡°Is President Duncan sure he can be back by tomorrow?¡± ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be a problem. He¡¯s already on the ne.¡± ¡°Great. I think Mr. Hans means to talk to President Duncan about multteral trade tomorrow night.¡± Courtney was worried for Alexander. Although the reception of the foreign guests was only a task given by the government, it was also a huge business opportunity. This was the reason why Alexander had wanted to follow along the whole journey in the first ce. She didn¡¯t expect that he would be held up because of Jordan¡¯s appointment with the doctor halfway through. However, Hans¡¯ attitude showed that he preferred them, as his implications were quite obvious. It seemed that as long as Alexander could make it back in time, there would be hope for cooperation. The following afternoon, the farewell banquet was held as scheduled. As Hans and Jennifer¡¯s flight was in the early hours of the morning, they had to leave right after the banquet, so it was brought forward to three in the afternoon. Due to this, Courtney had been busy since morning. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. ¡°Hasn¡¯t President Duncan gotten off the ne yet?¡± Holding her phone, Courtney gave Josh a call. ¡°I¡¯ve called him but the call is not getting through. What happened? Have you gone to fetch him? Didn¡¯t you say that he¡¯d be here in the morning?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic, Miss Hunter. President Duncan is already here with me, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve picked him up?¡± Courtney breathed a sigh of relief. She lifted her wrist to look at the time then muttered, ¡°If he¡¯s already landed, why didn¡¯t he answer my calls? He has got to be kidding me!¡± ¡°I need to focus on driving now, Miss Hunter. We¡¯ll talk at the hotel.¡± Josh sounded rather nervous when he spoke. ¡°All right. Drive safely.¡± After hanging up, Courtney stared at the ck screen. For some reason, a strange sense of uneasiness began to stir in her gut. On the other side, Josh¡¯s hands were on the steering wheel and he couldn¡¯t help but take a peek into the rearview mirror as he asked carefully, ¡°President Duncan, should I drive them home first or go directly to the hotel?¡± ¡°Go to the hotel, then send Jordan and the others back separately.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Josh nodded, not daring to question any further. It was almost half past six and the party in Sunhill Hotel¡¯s banquet hall wasing to an end. Hans and his wife sauntered over with wine sses in hand. ¡°Miss Hunter, it seems that President Duncan won¡¯t make it in time. It¡¯s such a pity.¡± Courtney nced at her wrist. ¡°Mr. Hans, President Duncan is on his way here. His flight was probably dyed but he should be here soon.¡± ¡°Oh? I¡¯m afraid we have to leave by seven thirty. Hopefully he¡¯ll make it so we can meet onest time.¡± Hans gave her a smile, not seeming to mind if Alexander reached in time or not. Courtney took one quick nce at the vibrating phone in her hand and saw that Alexander had sent her a text message¡ª¡®I¡¯m almost there¡¯. ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± she announced, a joyful look on her face. ¡°Mr. Hans and Miss Jennifer, President Duncan has arrived. Please wait here for a moment. I¡¯ll go to the hotel to check on him; he should be at the entrance by now.¡± With that, she lifted her dress and walked toward the entrance of the banquet hall. Chapter 132 One Night Surprise Chapter 132 Chapter 132 I¡¯d Like to Give You a Present It was the height of summer in Melrose City and a rare breeze was blowing outside even though the sun had set. In her five inch heels, Courtney walked into the hotel lobby. Just as she stepped out of the elevator, she caught sight of a familiar MPV parked at the entrance. An impably dressed Alexander got out of the car, fastening the buttons on his suit. She was about to step forward when she saw another familiar figure getting out after him. Despite dressing in a low-key manner, her simple white T-shirt and ck skinny jeans couldn¡¯t conceal the star¡¯s stunning figure. Not to mention, the ck baseball cap and huge sunsses that she had on was simply entuating her identity. Courtney¡¯s steps halted. She quietly retraced her steps and went to stand in the corridor at the corner of the elevator, keeping an eye on the two figures at the hotel entrance. They looked like a lovely young couple but they began to blur into two dark silhouettes as anger clouded Courtney¡¯s vision. Britney was adjusting Alexander¡¯s cor and he didn¡¯t seem to be resisting her advances. From her corner, Courtney couldn¡¯t see any changes in Alexander¡¯s expression and she couldn¡¯t hear what he was saying either. Eventually, Britney got back into the car. A tiny head peeked out and Britney rubbed it ¡®gently¡¯. Upon seeing that, Courtney clenched her fists. This is the important matter that Alexander was referring to? She gritted her teeth and couldn¡¯t help but imagine their conversation. ¡°Your tie is crooked.¡± ¡°There¡¯s too many people here. Get in the car first; my assistant will send you back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Take care of Jordan.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take good care of him.¡± Watching as Alexander walked into the elevator, Courtney frowned and red at the elevator, nearly balding the fortune tree in front of the doors with her deadly stare. In most cases, when a woman encountered a suspected cheating incident, she would lose the ability to think rationally. If she didn¡¯t get a reasonable exnation in time, the situation would take an uncontroble turn. Courtney lingered at the entrance to the banquet hall for a long while before going back in, but she didn¡¯t see Alexander anywhere. ¡°Courtney.¡± Jennifer¡¯s voice pulled her back from her thoughts. ¡°Yes?¡± Courtney came back to her senses. When she turned around, her expression had already turned pleasant. Jennifer enthusiastically tugged on her hand. ¡°President Duncan is back and he has gone to discuss something with my husband. It just so happened that I was looking for you. Come with me.¡± Courtney followed Jennifer to her hotel room. Three suitcases were in the living room. Evidently, the couple had already packed their luggage. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Courtney was slightly worried. ¡°Is there a problem with the hotel?¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Not at all.¡± Jennifer turned around andughed. ¡°The hotel¡¯s great. Hans and I are very grateful for your hospitality. We like Otharia very much so I¡¯d like to give you a present as promised yesterday.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney remembered and felt extremely ttered. Jennifer then handed her a purple satin box and looked on expectantly. ¡°Open it.¡± The purple satin box appeared somewhat dated. It was a palm-sized rectangr box with a delicate coppertch. Courtney opened it to reveal an emerald gemstone earring. She was bbergasted. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°This is for you.¡± Jennifer tilted her head. Despite being in her fifties, she still had a certain charm to her and she sat withplete elegance. ¡°The first time I met you, you told me that I could call you Natasha. From that moment on, I knew that this earring would suit you well.¡± ¡°This is too much,¡± Courtney hurriedly declined. Although she didn¡¯t know much about jewelry, she had heard that Hans and Jennifer were both famous jewelry collectors, so the things they gave away were certainly not cheap. She and Jennifer had only known each other for half a month and it was all for a government function, so it didn¡¯t seem right to ept such a costly gift. However, in her best attempt at speaking Otharian, Jennifer insisted, ¡°I must give it to you.¡± Puzzled, Courtney asked helplessly, ¡°Why?¡± Jennifer tucked her hair behind her ears before getting up and walking toward the tall wardrobe. She returned with a ck and white picture. On it were two young children, both around five or six years old. The boy had a big figure and huge eyes; it was obvious that he was a mixed-race child. The girl, on the other hand, resembled an Otharian doll. ¡°This is my daughter and son when they were little.¡± ¡°They¡¯re adorable.¡± An enigmatic smile appeared on Jennifer¡¯s face. ¡°Yes, they are. If my daughter was still alive, she would be around your age now, probably about to get married. Her name was Natasha.¡± Hearing this, Courtney instantly understood why Jennifer was giving her the earring. No wonder Jennifer had never called her by her first name. ¡°So keep it. Your eyes look like my Natasha¡¯s. I know you Otharians call this fate, right?¡± Jennifer¡¯s eyes were wet with tears. To Courtney, Jennifer had always been a humorous and elegant lady, an easily approachable person. She never thought that Jennifer would have such a heartbreaking story hidden behind that exterior. Courtney didn¡¯t have the heart to pursue more about Jennifer¡¯s past so after a moment¡¯s hesitation, she took the earring out of the box and smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll keep it, but can you put it on for me?¡± It would be like helping Natasha put it on. The earring was iid with a circle of beautiful diamonds, which brought out the dazzling emerald gemstone in the middle and made it glisten. It resembled a dark green pool of water, full of ancient mystery. When putting it on, Jennifer was filled with excitement as she exined, ¡°I got this earring at an auction when I was pregnant with Natasha. It should¡¯ve been a pair, but I don¡¯t know where the other one is. Isn¡¯t it beautiful?¡± Looking at her reflection in the dressing table mirror, Courtney admired the single earring glowing with luster. In the mirror, she could see Jennifer desperately trying to hold back tears. Courtney quickly grabbed her hands and nodded solemnly. ¡°It is; it¡¯s beautiful. Natasha thinks so too.¡± Jennifer covered her mouth, her eyes rimmed red. Hugging Courtney, she sobbed, ¡°Yes, my Natasha thinks it looks beautiful.¡± After the banquet was over, all the foreign guests got into their cars and left the hotel one after another. Before leaving, Hans saw the earring on Courtney¡¯s ear and cast a surprised nce at Jennifer, but didn¡¯t ask any questions as he understood his wife¡¯s intentions. He gave Courtney a polite hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± After seeing Jennifer off, Courtney felt a mixture of emotions gnawing at her heart. Compared to Jennifer, who had lost her daughter to an ident, Courtney was fortunate enough to find her son after five years; that was her only constion today. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± A familiar voice from beside her brought her back to her senses. Their guests were present earlier and Courtney couldn¡¯t say much during working hours. Now, she nced at her wrist. Seeing that the hands on her red Longines watch showed that it was a little past eight o¡¯clock, she said, ¡°President Duncan, it¡¯s time for me to get off work now.¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°Of course. You¡¯ve worked hard these past two days so you may take three days off. I¡¯ll take¡ª¡± ¡°Thank you, President Duncan.¡± Before he could finish speaking, Courtney angrily interrupted him and turned on her heel before walking into the hotel. Alexander frowned and stared at her retreating back for a while, then strode to catch up. He chased her all the way to the hotel room, where she had wordlessly begun to pack up her suitcase. ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Alexander¡¯s deep eyes were tinged with a hint of surprise. Without looking up, Courtney snapped, ¡°My work here is done and you¡¯ve allowed me to take a short vacation. If I don¡¯t leave, am I supposed to stay here and work overtime for free?¡± Chapter 133 One Night Surprise Chapter 133 Chapter 133 Buy Her Things to Win Her Back That one sentence alone was filled with rage. Puzzled, Alexander asked bluntly, ¡°Who angered you?¡± It was fine if he didn¡¯t bring it up but now that he did, Courtney could feel the fire in her rising. ¡°Who angered me? Who¡­¡± The words were about to leave her lips when she saw Alexander¡¯s expressionless face and instantly felt as if she had been doused with cold water. Swallowing her words, she gritted out, ¡°Nobody. I¡¯m just tired.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re tired, don¡¯t go back tonight. I¡¯ll send you off tomorrow morning.¡± Courtney was breathless from the infuriation burning inside her. She dumped all the unfolded clothes, along with its hangers, into her suitcase. ¡°No; I want to go home to see my daughter. I have to leave now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send you back.¡± ¡°I have my own car.¡± Courtney had been using Cameron¡¯s car for the past two days, so now she could drive it back to her ce. Without another word, she closed her suitcase and pulled up the handle before leaving, her actions sharp and clean. In the corridor, the sounds of the wheels rotating gradually grew further. Alexander stood in the doorway and gazed at her aggressive silhouette, feeling utterly baffled. ¡°He just let you leave like that? It¡¯s sote and he didn¡¯t even bother sending you back?¡± ¡°He tried, but I didn¡¯t let him.¡± ¡°And he gave up just because you said no?¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. As soon as she got home, Cameron, who had on a facial mask, listened as Courtney exined the entire situation to her. Eventually, Cameron exploded and pped the table while saying, ¡°It seems that men will only be reliable when pigs fly. That b*stard Gale isn¡¯t any better than him. It¡¯s no wonder they¡¯re such good buddies; they¡¯re both rotten men. I¡¯ve really misjudged Alexander.¡± ¡°The problem isn¡¯t whether or not he sent me back. Why did he have to bring Britney along if he was just taking Jordan overseas to see a doctor? He didn¡¯t even mention it to me. What¡¯s wrong with telling me? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m petty. If he needed his ex-girlfriend¡¯s help for this matter, how could I have stopped him?¡± Courtney was so annoyed that she was nearly breathing fire. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you saw them. If you hadn¡¯t, who knows what would happen?¡± Cameron continued to add fuel to the fire. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you saw Britney adjusting his tie? That¡¯s such an ambiguous thing to do¡­ and at the hotel entrance too! Isn¡¯t this a deration of war?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t know I was there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still a deration of war. The receptionist must¡¯ve seen it and Alexander¡¯s assistant must know about this too. They¡¯ve gone too far, trying to hide it all from you. Aren¡¯t they just humiliating you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that serious, is it?¡± Courtney hesitated slightly, thinking that Cameron was taking this a little too far. ¡°Listen to me. Don¡¯t pay any attention to him for the time being. Men are despicable; just let him reflect for a couple of days and take the initiative to admit his mistake.¡± ¡°Admit his mistake?¡± The corners of Courtney¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Alexander isn¡¯t like Gale. This matter will be left unresolved.¡± Cameron disagreed with a scowl. ¡°Men can be trained! Mark my words!¡± While the two best friends continued their heated discussion on men¡¯s unfaithfulness, the two men in question were conversing in a remote pub. In just a few words, Alexander recounted the tale of Courtney¡¯s show of anger. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Gale stretched out his arms. ¡°You only told me that she¡¯s angry, not the reason behind her anger. How am I supposed to give you advice?¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because I came back toote this time.¡± Alexander frowned, his expression perplexed. ¡°Perhaps she¡¯s unhappy because I left her alone to attend to the guests.¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± Gale gave a dismissive wave and immediately rejected his assumptions. ¡°Women like it when men entrust them with important tasks, so that¡¯s definitely not the reason. I think that one of the main reasons a woman gets angry is because of her boyfriend¡¯s ex.¡± ¡°You¡¯re overthinking this.¡± Alexander nced at Gale, his face the epitome of calm. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. The matter between Britney and I had been settled a long time ago.¡± ¡°Is there someone else then?¡± Swirling his wine ss, Gale gave Alexander a knowing look. ¡°Did she report on you? Perhaps you¡¯ve left some traces at home that have been discovered?¡± At the mention of this, Alexander¡¯s eyes shed with displeasure. Gale let out a dry cough. ¡°Let¡¯s pretend I never said that. Since that¡¯s not the case, then it¡¯s for another reason.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s simply too many. Women get mad multiple times a day, so who knows what trivial matter is the cause? However, they¡¯re very easy to win back.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Just buy her things¡ªbags, clothes, jewelry. Buy her anything.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s easy.¡± Alexander nodded thoughtfully. After finishing his wine, he put down the ss and stood up. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯ll go back first.¡± ¡°What?¡± Gale stared nkly ahead before he fumed, ¡°So you¡¯re getting rid of me now? You¡¯re just going to leave me alone here all night long?¡± ¡°You find the night boring?¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze swept over Gale. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just open a new bar? Tired of it already?¡± ¡°Ugh¡ªdon¡¯t mention it.¡± Speaking of this made Gale bitter. ¡°Cameron has been fighting with me over this for several days. If I dare to step foot into that bar again, she¡¯ll break up with me for real.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious this time.¡± ¡°You say that every time.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression grew somber. ¡°But Cameron is Courtney¡¯s friend, so I¡¯m advising you to not let things turn too awful.¡± ¡°Damn it! Why won¡¯t you believe me? We¡¯ve been friends for so long yet you still don¡¯t trust me.¡± With a look of disdain, Gale waved his hand at Alexander, as if he was warding off flies. ¡°Go on then. Don¡¯t stay here and provoke me.¡± Alexander calmly took his coat and patted his friend on the shoulder before preparing to leave. ¡°I heard that many people are pursuing Cameron.¡± Gale froze and it was only after Alexander left that he recovered. He shouted at Alexander¡¯s retreating back, ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve got to be specific! Who¡¯s pursuing her? How did you know that? Is he from the hotel? Which b*stard is blind enough to steal my girl? Is it that assistant of yours, Josh?¡± Early the next morning, Courtney was still sound asleep under the covers when she was woken up by shouts from the living room. ¡°Wow! Mr. Alexander, did you bring all these presents?¡± Tina¡¯s eyes sparkled while she stood at the entryway and watched as Alexander¡¯s assistant, Josh, brought inrge bags of luxury goods. ¡°President Duncan, there are still some bags in the car. I¡¯ll go get them.¡± With her long hair still in a mess, Courtney cracked open the bedroom door and saw that the weak- willed Tina had already been bribed with a box of choctes. Tina¡¯s hands were wrapped around Alexander¡¯s neck as she showered him with fancy littlepliments. ¡°Mr. Alexander, did youe here just to give Mommy presents? Why didn¡¯t Jordane?¡± ¡°Jordan¡¯s at home because he has jetg.¡± Alexander faintly directed his gaze in the direction of the bedroom. ¡°Is your mommy still sleeping?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll go wake her up so we can go get some food. You should stay for lunch, Mr. Alexander!¡± Chapter 134 One Night Surprise Chapter 134 Chapter 134 My Life Experiences Have Never Failed Me Courtney¡¯s expression tensed as she perked up her ears and leaned against the door. Then, she heard Alexander¡¯s voiceing from outside. ¡°No need; I still have other things to do. Besides, it¡¯s enough that these items have been delivered here. Let your mommy have a good rest.¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± Alexander did not reply to that. ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Alexander.¡± Alexander came and went in a hurry. Moreover, he left after delivering arge number of luxury items. What is this all about? ¡°I bet he¡¯s trying to make amends!¡± Cameron sat on the floor, hugging Chanel¡¯stest product in her arms and refusing to let go¡ªit was like it was her baby. At the same time, she exined the meaning behind the gifts to Courtney. She eloquently continued, ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? This is what he came up with after reflecting upon his actionsst night! It¡¯s obvious he has a guilty conscience! That¡¯s why he decided to use these luxury items to make up for his mistakes! This is thetest bag! How did he get this?! It¡¯s a limited-edition item!¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Courtney swept a trifling nce at the presents piled up under the table. The gifts were overflowing all over the floor. Listening to what Cameron said, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to feel happy. Rather, she felt the lump in her throat growingrger. ¡°Are you saying that something is going on between him and Britney?¡± ¡°If not, why is he doing this?¡± Cameron leaned against the sofa as she analyzed the situation with a stern expression. ¡°It¡¯s neither the holiday season nor a special asion. Are you saying he gave you so many luxury items simply because he wanted to? Then, why did he leave without saying anything? So that he can look cool? In truth, he¡¯s probably creating a buffer period for himself, hoping that your happiness at receiving these gifts will overshadow your anger from before.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Courtney felt slightly doubtful. ¡°Trust me.¡± This was the second time Courtney had heard these words sincest night. ¡°Then, I will return everything to him.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Cameron looked shocked. ¡°Y-You¡¯re joking, right? These are limited-edition items!¡± ¡°All the more reason to return them then.¡± ¡°Keep one at least.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not keeping a single thing.¡± If he is trying to make up for his mistakes by giving me these gifts, then it feels like I¡¯m letting him off too easily just by epting them. Courtney¡¯s upbringing did not allow her to let such matters go unresolved and be swept under the rug. Cameron was speechless. That night, in the same hotel, two men sat facing each other while drinking. ¡°She returned all the gifts? I guess she must be really angry this time.¡± Gale rubbed his chin with a thoughtful yet dubious look on his face. ¡°Most women won¡¯t be able to resist these temptations.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before? She¡¯s not like other women.¡± Alexander nced at him. His eyes held slight displeasure in them. He had a vague feeling that it wasn¡¯t a big deal in the beginning. However, things seemed to have taken a more serious turn after he heeded Gale¡¯s foolish idea. ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Gale seemed to have realized something. ¡°Courtney Hunter is not like other women; she is a strong career woman! Under most circumstances, these tricks to fool women won¡¯t work on her.¡± Alexander said nothing in response. ¡°Women like her get more courageous the more suffering they experience! They are only motivated when there ispetition!¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± He frowned as he looked at Gale. ¡°To put it bluntly, they have a slight masochistic tendency in them.¡± Gale looked extremely confident; he looked like he had it all figured out as he continued, ¡°Women can do anything when they are consumed by jealousy. If she won¡¯t ept your peace offering, then you should do the exact opposite.¡± Alexander remained silent. The three-day holiday passed by quickly. ¡°He still hasn¡¯t contacted you yet?¡± Cameron snuggled on the sofa while ying games on her phone. ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried; why are you more worried than I am?¡± Courtney brought out a te of fruit sd and ced it on the coffee table. Crossing her legs as she sat down, she let out a long and deep sigh. ¡°On the contrary, I think it¡¯s a good thing. It¡¯s not asplicated as you make it out to be. To be honest, this is no big deal. I¡¯ll just ask him about what happened the other day when we meet again.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Cameron sounded skeptical. ¡°Based on my life experience, men¡ªah!¡± Before she finished her sentence, she eximed in surprise. At the same time, she practically bounced up from the sofa. Courtney was so frightened by Cameron¡¯s actions that she jumped in shock. The grape on her fork fell to the ground and rolled under the coffee table. ¡°What¡¯s with you? That scared me to death!¡± ¡°My life experiences have never failed me before.¡± Cameron grabbed Courtney, who was kneeling on the ground and looking for the fallen grape under the coffee table. Then, she shoved her phone in Courtney¡¯s face. ¡°Look! I told you: my life experiences have never failed me before.¡± The news headline wrote: ¡®Britney Price Acting Intimate With a Mysterious Man and a Five-Year-Old Child At the Airport. Suspected Hidden Marriage!¡¯ ¡°Isn¡¯t that Alexander and Jordan?¡± she asked straightforwardly. ¡°Even if they¡¯ve been censored out, I can still recognize them. Didn¡¯t he say he was going to see a doctor in Germany? But, he looks like he¡¯s going on an overseas vacation with his lover and his kid!¡± Courtney tried to suppress all the suspicions growing in her heart. ¡°No, he wouldn¡¯t. He wouldn¡¯t do that. Perhaps, it¡¯s like what I guessed before¡ªshe pulled some strings to arrange the sudden doctor¡¯s appointment for Jordan. I believe I¡¯ve heard Alexander¡¯s assistant mention that before.¡± ¡°A doctor¡¯s appointment?¡± Cameron scrolled through her phone and brought up Britney¡¯s personal webpage. ¡°Can you still say that they went to Germany for a doctor¡¯s appointment after seeing this?¡± It was a picture of Britney lying next to a hotel¡¯s swimming pool with the caption: ¡®Thank you for being there with me. Happy birthday.¡¯ It was posted on her birthday one week ago. The entire webpage was filled with birthday wishes. Moreover, her location was tagged at one of the resorts in Germany, which previously triggered a heated discussion on Facebook. ¡°Sc*mbag.¡± Cameron turned off her phone while gritting her teeth. ¡°Courtney, don¡¯t feel down. I¡¯ll hire some ghostwriters tomorrow to denounce those two cheating b*stards on the inte!¡± Courtney felt a little lost and bewildered at the moment. Furthermore, there was a constant buzzing in her ears. She had not realized how great an existence Alexander upied in her heart. All this while, she thought the main reason she approached him was Jordan. Therefore, she gave herself an extremely reasonable excuse to approach him. However, now that he was in an ambiguous rtionship with another woman, she suddenly felt unimaginably heartbroken. It was no less than the pain she felt when she learned that Isaac was cheating on her back then. ¡°I need some time to think.¡± She did not seem to hear any of theforting words Cameron was saying to her as she locked herself in her study. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Mommy?¡± Tina looked surprised; she was oblivious to what was going on online. ¡°Tina, the new daddy you found for yourself is not a good man. He¡¯s worse than Isaac! I¡¯m going to go and question him about this!¡± ¡°Is this rted to Mr. Alexander?¡± When Tina heard that it was rted to Alexander, she made a fuss about going along. Cameron was the type to take action immediately. She went back inside the house, changed her clothes, and came back out. Then, she brought Tina with her and hastily left the house. ¡°Are we going to meet Mr. Alexander? This doesn¡¯t seem to be the road to Mr. Alexander¡¯s house.¡± Tina leaned against the car window. ¡°Godmom, you¡¯re going the wrong way.¡± ¡°Why would I want to meet that cheating b*stard? Talking to him is a waste of my energy.¡± ¡°Then, where are we going?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to meet the other aplice involved in this.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± 15 minutester, a servant served some tea in the living room of a vi at Westpark before leaving respectfully. ¡°Well, how are you going to exin this? What¡¯s going on?¡± Cameron pulled up the news from before on her phone and ced her phone on the coffee table. She looked extremely unhappy. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be on good terms with Courtney, then just be straight about it. Don¡¯t pull this cheating stunt. That¡¯s just in nasty.¡± ¡°Cheating?¡± Gale looked confused for a moment. After reading the news, he was taken aback for quite a while before he suddenly burst outughing. ¡°Alex sure moves fast!¡± Chapter 135 One Night Surprise Chapter 135 Chapter 135 Mommy Hates Liars the Most ¡°How can youugh?! Are you rich yboys all so shameless?!¡± Cameron red at Gale. ¡°If you want to be cursed at, let me know sooner. I need to cover Tina¡¯s ears first.¡± Upon hearing those words, Gale sighed helplessly. He nced at the little girl sitting next to Cameron and said, ¡°There¡¯s a story behind this. It¡¯s not what you think. Still¡­ I don¡¯t think the little girl should listen to this.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Cameron and Tina both asked in unison. Then, Tina pouted. Her young, childlike voice reverberated throughout the room as she said, ¡°Mommy said only bad things cannot be told to others. What bad things are you going to tell Godmom that I cannot listen to?¡± Scratching his nose, Gale didn¡¯t know whether to cry orugh at those words. ¡°Alright then. In any case, this was done for the good of their rtionship. I won¡¯t hide this from you, but you must not add fuel to the fire when you return home. It wasn¡¯t a big deal in the first ce.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°This is something Alex deliberately leaked out for no other purpose besides reconciliation.¡± ¡°Bullsh*t! Is this how you reconcile with somebody? By going on vacation with another woman?¡± ¡°That¡¯s obviously fake,¡± Gale hurriedly exined. ¡°Look; there are two ways to reconcile. The first method is to step back and give the other a way out. The second method is to give the other party a sense of crisis. We tried to give Courtney a way out but it failed. Hence, we were forced to take the desperate route.¡± Listening to his ramblings on women¡¯s psychology, Cameron scowled and remained silent for a long while. Then, she stared straight at him and questioned, ¡°Whose lousy idea was this?¡± He abruptly felt a chill going down his back. ¡°O-Of course, it was Alex¡¯s idea. Don¡¯t look at me; it has nothing to do with me!¡± ¡°How shameless.¡± She did not hesitate to spit out those words in a loud voice. ¡°You don¡¯t even reflect on the mistakes you made, and you¡¯re always using these fancy tricks to fool women. Truly shameless. Let¡¯s go, Tina.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t get mad. You must not tell Courtney about this! You promised me just now!¡± ¡°Even if I don¡¯t say anything¡­¡± she red at him, ¡°Tina will.¡± ¡°Mommy hates liars the most!¡± Tina scoffed cooperatively before following Cameron out. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Gale was dumbfounded, and his thoughts were aplete mess. Both sides are not pleased with the results of this incident. If Alexander learns about this, he is going to skin me alive! No; I need to find a ce to hide before anything happens! The next day, Courtney saw a group of women gossiping among themselves as soon as she arrived at the office. She knew what they were talking about without even needing to think about it. ¡°Do you have nothing better to do? Has the customer data been entered into the system? Have you checked the guest room? What about the reservation information? Have you checked and confirmed them?¡± She stood at the door to her office. The group scattered as soon as she started scolding them. Then, she went back into her office without looking back. Courtney¡¯s assistant, Addie, knocked on the door and came in. Looking at Courtney nervously, he said, ¡°Miss Hunter, this is the customer data.¡± ¡°Leave it there.¡± After that, he hesitated for a long while before saying, ¡°Miss Hunter, you¡¯re such a catch. I¡¯m sure you can find a better man.¡± Upon hearing those words, Courtney felt her temper ring even higher. ¡°Are your lips loose because I have been too lenient to you? Gossiping like a woman all day¡­ Get back to work!¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Addie nodded timidly and fled quickly. Throughout the entire morning, Courtney received many surreptitious yet meaningful nces in the hotel. However, she was rather calm about it¡ªso much so that she deliberately went to the canteen for lunch at noon. All the employees at the hotel stared at her as she expressionlessly sat down at the most conspicuous spot in the canteen. Don¡¯t you want to stare? Go ahead; stare all you want. As soon as she was seated, a sudden uproar swept through her surroundings. She secretly thought to herself, You don¡¯t need to be so loud with your gossiping, do you? All of a sudden, she heard a name that had made her grit her teeth all morning. ¡°President Duncan¡­¡± A tall figure cast a shadow over the seat opposite her. In front of so many people, Alexander sat down directly opposite her. After that, a deep and clear voice came from opposite her. ¡°I went to your office, but you weren¡¯t there. I brought you lunch.¡± She suddenly lost her temper and mmed her spoon down on the table. ¡°This soup is too salty.¡± Their surroundings fell silent for a moment. At the same time, the canteen chef, who was standing at the food distribution line, shuddered slightly when he heard those words. Despite the distance, he nced nervously at Alexander. Meanwhile, everybody else exchanged nces with each other. This was the first woman to throw a fit in front of Alexander! Even if he was caught cheating by a reporter, no other woman would have dared to disy their anger to him in that manner. Miss Hunter¡¯s temper is amazing! Alexander did not show the slightest hint of anger in his expression. He simply frowned slightly. ¡°Follow me to the office. I need to talk to you about the news article.¡± Courtney crossed her arms and sat primly, ring at him with a cold look. ¡°If you have something to say, say it here. Everyone here is an employee; this is a public rtions issue everyone should listen to.¡± Their surroundings became quieter than before. It wasn¡¯t just silent¡ªthe atmosphere was getting colder too. Everybody could feel the battlefield-like atmosphere that was rapidly expanding throughout the canteen¡ªit felt as if the very air in the canteen had been frozen over. After a few seconds of silence, Alexander looked around with a cold gaze. ¡°Thepany has already dealt with the public rtions issue. I¡¯m sure the employees have seen the announcement. Does anybody have a problem with it?¡± Everybody else held their breath in fear. That was a rhetorical question! ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s nothing but fake news; it was hyped up by celebrities¡­¡± Somebody spoke up and everybody else fervently agreed with him. Amidst the noise, Alexander stood up and leaned forward slightly. Leaning across the canteen table, he lowered his voice and spoke to Courtney. ¡°But, I have a private matter to talk to you about. I¡¯ll be waiting for you in the office.¡± His warm breath blew against Courtney¡¯s head. Clenching her fists, she lifted her head and curled the corner of her lips. ¡°Sure.¡± I¡¯m curious about what tricks he prepared to resolve this issue he created himself. I¡¯ll see if his acting is worthy of an Academy Award. Their departure left the entire canteen in an uproar. Aside from the canteen chef who was criticized for his overly salty soup, everybody else broke out into a fervent discussion about the nuanced battle that just took ce. ¡°Miss Hunter is really unlike most ordinary women. She gets angry when she should! A man like President Duncan is one in a million, but it feels like she will be able to hold out! I¡¯ll bet 50 cents that she is the top candidate to be his wife.¡± ¡°That might not be so¡­ If President Duncan likes such a temperamental woman, why would he cheat on her? I think it¡¯s just a matter of novelty. Men value their pride the most. But, Miss Hunter was so rude just now¡­ I don¡¯t think they canst long together.¡± Courtney felt a little speechless when she heard those words. Then, she closed the door and cut off the sounds of discussion outside her office. Her gaze seemed peaceful, but her eyes hid a trace of contempt in them. ¡°Well? There¡¯s no one else here.¡± Chapter 136 One Night Surprise Chapter 136 Chapter 136 Burdened by the Greatest Injustice Ever ¡°The news is not always true. Are you misunderstanding something?¡± Alexander lookedposed as he took the initiative to bring up the news that had been creating a buzz sincest night. Courtney nced at him. Despite the dissatisfaction in her heart, she did her best to maintain a calm expression. ¡°Since the news written by reporters might not always be true, I certainly would like to hear about what that incident is all about. Don¡¯t you dare tell me that you coincidentally met her at the airport, and then just so happened to get photographed by a reporter during that time?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± He frowned slightly for some reason. ¡°I did not conceal from you the fact that Britney was the one to contact the doctor in Germany. When I brought Jordan to Germany, she happened to be shooting amercial in Germany too. That¡¯s how we met. As for being secretly photographed by a reporter on our way back¡­ Josh is dealing with it. It will soon be removed from the trending posts.¡± He exined the situation clearly and concisely in several sentences. She nearly fell for it. If not for what Cameron had told herst night, she would definitely have been frustrated with herself for being so petty and not trusting him over something so trivial. She took a deep breath; her eyes were as cold as frost. ¡°Are you done?¡± ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t believe me?¡± His eyebrows furrowed. He believed that he had made it clear enough. Throughout his 30 years in life, he had never spent so much effort to exin himself over such a trivial matter. ¡°I believe you. Of course, I will believe whatever you say.¡± She nced at him. Then, she lifted her wrist and pointed at her watch. ¡°If you¡¯re done, you should leave, President Duncan. My personal time is almost over. In another five minutes, it will be my working time.¡± Looking at the indifference in her eyes, he felt a little strange. He fell silent for a moment and saw that her attitude remained firm. He said, ¡°Courtney Hunter, I do not like ying mind games with women.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it either.¡± The questions and answers urred practically instantaneously. Thus, the atmosphere that was already tense in the first ce seemed to freeze at that moment. A long whileter, a loud sound rang out¡ªit was the sound of the office door mming against the wall. Looking at Alexander¡¯s back as he left, Courtney slowly tightened her fingers and grasped the edges of the table. Didn¡¯t you go to such lengths to cause such a huge fuss just to make me angry about your ambiguous rtionship with another woman? Well, I¡¯ll do as you wish then. After leaving Sunhill Hotel, Alexander got into the car with a suffocating fury in his heart that he had never felt before. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. Josh was unaware of Alexander¡¯s feelings. He reported about the reservation he was asked to prepare beforehand with his hand on the steering wheel. ¡°President Duncan, I have reserved a restaurant for tonight at 6.30 PM.¡± ¡°Cancel¡­¡± The cold and harsh tone that came from the backseat made him unable to continue with what he was about to say. Looking at the back through the rearview mirror in surprise, he saw that Alexander¡¯s expression was moody. He asked stupidly, ¡°Alright, I understand. Is Miss Hunter working overtime tonight?¡± As soon as his words came out, his eyes met with a cold and sharp gaze in the rearview mirror. He shuddered in response, feeling as if a cold wind was blowing down the back of his neck. Was that something I shouldn¡¯t have brought up? Fortunately, the phone rang suddenly and he was saved by the bell. The call was from Gale. Alexander nced at it for a moment before answering the call. ¡°What is it?¡± Gale¡¯s tentative voice came from the other end. ¡°Has Courtney heard about the news?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was very cold. ¡°Did you fight?¡± Gale asked boldly. ¡°No.¡± Hearing the answer that clearly indicated otherwise, the voice on the other end of the phone fell silent for a moment. ¡°Alex, I n to go on a vacation in the next two days. If anything urgentes up at the company, you can ask my assistant to handle it. I won¡¯t being back for the time being.¡± Going on vacations was something Gale constantly did. Whenever he couldn¡¯t solve whatever issues arose from his yboy antics, he would use this method to escape. After so many years, Alexander had gotten used to Gale¡¯s behavior. Therefore, he readily agreed to it without enquiring further. ¡°When will you being back?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Gale¡¯s voice was obviously unnatural. ¡°Uh¡­ There¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°To be honest, Cameron learned about the newsst night; she brought Tina with her to my house. I identally told them about the tricks to courting I told you about the other day. I didn¡¯t know you were going to move so quickly either. Only after one night, the news was already being reported¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Alexander did not quite catch his meaning. ¡°Alex, I know you¡¯ll be very mad at me when you see me. So¡­ I¡¯m going to escape for now. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Without waiting for Alexander to finish with his questions, Gale hurriedly ended the call. Alexander stared at his phone screen, Gale¡¯s words echoing in his head. Then, he suddenly seemed to realize something. His gaze deepened abruptly as he quickly picked up his phone and called the number again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. The number you have dialed is unavable. Please try againter.¡± A robotic female voice repeated the same thing over and over again. Upon hanging up the call, he swiftly typed several words on his phone and sent a message out: ¡®Don¡¯t you daree back again.¡¯ At that moment, hepletely understood the meaning behind what Gale¡¯s words meant. No wonder Courtney was so cold and distant no matter what I said to her. It¡¯s as if she already knew what I was going to say. I really got pped with the world¡¯s greatest injustice. ¡°Josh, no need to cancel the reservation for tonight. Also, head back to the hotel.¡± His voice rang out inside the car. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Josh caught sight of the annoyed look on Alexander¡¯s face through the rearview mirror and was deeply surprised. When Alexander returned to Sunhill Hotel, he immediately went straight to Courtney¡¯s office. However, there was nobody there. ¡°President Duncan.¡± Courtney¡¯s assistant, Addie, walked in suddenly. When he saw Alexander¡¯s face, he became nervous. ¡°Why are you back?¡± Alexander and Courtney¡¯s exchange in the canteen during lunch was a raging topic in the hotel. All sorts of stories about the incident were flying about. Some imed that Alexander had mmed the door behind him as he left. Moreover, the entire floor had heard him breaking up with Courtney. So, why is he here again? ¡°Where is Miss Hunter?¡± Alexander nced at Addie¡¯s work badge and immediately recalled that this man was Courtney¡¯s assistant. Addie came back to his senses and hurriedly replied, ¡°Miss Hunter is taking the rest of the day off. She just left 10 minutes ago.¡± ¡°Time off?¡± Alexander scowled. He was getting more and more worried that his words had been too harsh earlier. Don¡¯t tell me she was so upset about it that she didn¡¯t even feel like working anymore¡­ Addie studied Alexander¡¯s expression before cautiously saying, ¡°President Duncan, Shay Spencer is having a concert today. I believe Miss Hunter is going to attend his concert tonight.¡± Upon hearing those words, Alexander¡¯s expression changed abruptly. ¡°Did she go alone?¡± Hesitating, Addie shook his head. ¡°No; I saw Oliver waiting for her at the entrance for quite some time. They are probably attending the concert together. I heard from Miss Hunter that she was also going to go home and pick her daughter up.¡± Alexander¡¯s face immediately turned icy¡ªso much so that it seemed to be covered in ayer of frost¡ª when the name ¡®Oliver¡¯ came up. That brat is really seizing any opportunity he can find. He keeps turning up everywhere! Chapter 137 One Night Surprise Chapter 137 Chapter 137 Bing the Stepmother of Somebody Else¡¯s Son ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. We¡¯re looking for a parking spot right now. Don¡¯t worry about us; just focus on getting ready for your concert.¡± ¡°Courtney, there¡¯s an open spot there.¡± Oliver¡¯s voice interrupted what Courtney was about to say. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. ¡°Really? Where?¡± Looking in the direction Oliver was pointing, Courtney hurriedly turned the steering wheel in that direction. ¡°Shay, I can¡¯t talk to you right now. I¡¯ll call your assistant once I finish parking.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The inside of the car reverberated with Shay¡¯s voiceing from the speaker of the car. It wasn¡¯t easy for Courtney to find an empty parking spot. After Courtney parked the car she borrowed from Cameron, she headed directly to the backstage area where Shay¡¯s assistant had been waiting for a long time. Meanwhile, Oliver held Tina¡¯s hand as he followed behind Courtney. When the assistant saw Courtney, he breathed a sigh of relief. Hastily leading them to the dressing room, he talked as he walked. ¡°I¡¯m so d you¡¯re here, Courtney. Shay has been nagging me for over two hours now! He wanted me to wait for you there since noon! He was so worried you might not find the right ce.¡± Courtney felt a little exasperated. ¡°How could I not find it? Seriously; Shay is looking down on me. It¡¯s his first concert! How can he be so distracted? Who would dare toe again next time if he continues acting like this?¡± While they were conversing with each other, she saw two workers carrying props in front of her. They hurried past her like the wind and nearly hit her in the face with what they were carrying. Fortunately, Oliver pulled her back just in time, and both parties avoided colliding with each other. Shay¡¯s assistant immediately paled in fright and shouted at the two workers, ¡°What are you doing?! Watch it! You can¡¯t afford to damage either this person or the props in your hands!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine; it¡¯s fine.¡± Courtney quickly smoothed things over. The corridor was bustling with people makingst-minute preparations for the concert. Too many people were running about and too many things were going on at the same time. There was no need to create conflict. Still, she was worried about Tina. Looking back, she wanted to remind Oliver to watch over her child. However, she discovered that he was already carrying Tina in his arms. Moreover, he was carefully protecting Tina so that nothing could touch her. For a moment, Courtney felt stunned. Her impression of Oliver had always remained the same. It was the first impression she got of him when she knocked him over¡ªthe terrified expression on his face when he first woke up in the hospital. Back then, he was like a child seeing the world for the first time. Filled with terror, he had regarded her as his sole support in this entire world. At some point in time, he became an adult even though his memories were not recovered. Perhaps, this is how he originally was. However, she couldn¡¯t help wondering, What sort of environment did this eighteen or neen-year-old child grow up in for him to be so mature? ¡°There are too many people here. Why don¡¯t I bring Tina to the front first?¡± Oliver¡¯s voice pulled her wandering thoughts back to the present. ¡°Okay.¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°Please bring her there first. I¡¯ll head over after speaking to Shay for a bit. It should be almost time for the concert to start soon.¡± Shay¡¯s assistant made a sound of agreement as he nced at his watch. ¡°It¡¯s almost time; the concert will start in less than 10 minutes.¡± After that, Oliver carried Tina and went to the seats in front. On the other hand, Courtney followed Shay¡¯s assistant into the dressing room. ¡°Where¡¯s Shay?¡± Courtney nced around the room. The hairstylist, makeup artist, manager, and everybody else were standing outside the room. However, she could not find a familiar face among them. ¡°He just headed to the restroom. He¡¯ll be back soon,¡± the manager said. When he saw Courtney, he smiled warmly. ¡°You¡¯re here, Courtney. Have a seat. Why don¡¯t I see Tina?¡± ¡°There are too many people in the backstage area. I didn¡¯t want to cause extra trouble for you, so I sent her to the front.¡± The team members in charge of Shay¡¯s acting work were quite familiar with Courtney. When Shay was filming for a travel variety show in the past, both Shay¡¯s manager and assistant had followed along throughout the entire journey. Moreover, the entire team especially liked Tina. Although Alexander always imed to dislike Shay, the team he prepared for Shay was first-rate. He was also very willing to go all out with publicity efforts. It was only months since Shay first made his debut on a variety show, but the tickets to his solo concert were almost sold out. At that thought, Courtney couldn¡¯t help feeling a glimmer of appreciation growing in her heart. For a while, she forgot about the unpleasant encounter she had during lunch today. ¡°Miss, you can¡¯t enter¡ª¡± ¡°Why am I not allowed to enter? Don¡¯t you know what rtionship I have with Shay?¡± A suddenmotion outside the room caught their attention. Following the sound of the door opening, a gigantic pink bouquet burst into the room. The size of the bouquet wasrge enough to cover half the body of the person holding it. Then, a coy female voice rang out. ¡°Surprise, Shay! Congrattions on the sess of your first concert!¡± ¡°Who is this?¡± The manager immediately frowned. ¡°A fan? Who allowed her in?¡± The security guard that followed this woman until the door looked nervous as he said, ¡°She slipped in when I wasn¡¯t paying attention. Besides, she imed to be Shay¡¯s sister. We didn¡¯t dare to stop her.¡± ¡°Sister?¡± The manager¡¯s friendly expression was gone. ¡°Shay¡¯s sister is sitting right here. How could another sister pop out of nowhere? Please leave immediately.¡± ¡°Courtney Hunter?¡± When the person behind the bouquet heard what the manager said, she quickly put the bouquet down and revealed her face. As soon as she saw Courtney¡¯s face, her expression instantly changed. ¡°Why are you here?!¡± This time, the manager was the one taken aback. Hesitating slightly, he asked, ¡°Courtney, do you know her?¡± Courtney leisurely sipped on her tea and smiled perfunctorily at those words. ¡°I guess you can say that.¡± From the moment she heard Anna¡¯s whiny voice ring out, she could tell who it was. That voice gave her goosebumps. At the same time, she happily watched the show ying out in front of her. She wanted to see how Anna shamelessly came in without Shay¡¯s invitation. ¡°I guess you can say that?! What do you mean by that, Courtney Hunter?!¡± Anna ced the bouquet on a nearby sofa. Looking around, she did not see Shay anywhere and immediately red at Courtney. ¡°Did you get so used to living outside that you even forgot what your family looked like? What an ungrateful thing you are! Why didn¡¯t you say this to Dad when you asked him for a house?!¡± Upon hearing those words, everybody immediately understood who this person was. Then, they gathered closer to each other and whispered among themselves. ¡°That is that, and this is this.¡± Courtney nced at Anna coolly. ¡°You barged in so arrogantly that I honestly did not dare to admit that I know you. I don¡¯t want to bring shame to Shay¡¯s name in the future.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Anna was livid. Then, she sarcastically said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong abouting to cheer for Shay?! I grew up with him! How could I bring shame to his name?! You, on the other hand, fled abroad without getting married and came back with a daughter. I wonder whose illegitimate child that is? Did you think that you¡¯ve be sessful after getting together with the president of Sunhill Enterprise?! What are you so proud of?! You¡¯re just his son¡¯s stepmother!¡± Courtney clenched her fists tightly¡ªwhat annoyed her the most was other people talking about her child in front of her. Luckily for her, Tina is not here right now. If Tina were here, I would immediately rip her mouth to pieces. ¡°I don¡¯t believe my private affairs have anything to do with meing to cheer for my brother, right? Sister.¡± Courtney spoke up suddenly. Moreover, she emphasized the word ¡®sister¡¯. The way she said that word seemed to hold a different meaning behind it. ¡°On the other hand, everybody knows just what kind of feelings you have for Shay, sister. Rushing here to cheer for Shay¡­ Aren¡¯t you afraid that boy toy you have at home might get jealous?¡± As soon as Anna heard those words, herplexion immediately turned deathly pale. ¡°What nonsense are you saying?!¡± How does she know about my personal affairs?! Chapter 138 One Night Surprise Chapter 138 Chapter 138 Freedom Is Your Faith ¡°It¡¯s not early anymore. Since you like staying here, you can continue staying here. I do not wish to fight with you. But, on the same note, I do not want to hear anything about my daughter from you again.¡± Courtney stood up from the sofa. While walking past Anna, she turned her head slightly and indifferently continued, ¡°If you don¡¯t like the fianc¨¦ your mother arranged for you, you should bring your lover home and introduce him to her. If you don¡¯t dare to do that, as your younger sister, I can ask around on your behalf. After all, Dad wishes you to have a good match too. You should not misunderstand the painstaking efforts of our parents.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Anna was panicking and freaking out¡ªso much so that her words were slightly iprehensible. Looking around at her surroundings, she noticed that the people around Shay were studying her. Hence, the look in her eyes becameplicated. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her. She¡¯s talking nonsense; she¡¯s trying to ruin my reputation! I¡¯m the youngdy of the Hunter Family! How could I possibly keep a boy toy?!¡± Anna was a woman filled with pride and vanity. That was something Courtney understood very well. It was a surprise that Anna was keeping a boy toy. However, keeping a boy toy was one thing. The courage to mention her boy toy in front of others was another thing altogether. It was human nature to like gossiping and hunting for interesting tidbits. With such juicy gossip in front of them, everybody¡¯s attention was immediately drawn to it. They began discussing Anna¡¯s private life, and the atmosphere within the room became rather awkward as a result. If Anna had not provoked Courtney first, she would not have been humiliated in public in this manner. ¡°You!¡± When Anna saw that nobody was listening to her exnation, she panicked. ¡°Courtney, you shameless slut! How dare you sully my reputation?! I¡¯m going to tear you apart!¡± As she said that, she grabbed Courtney by the shoulder and lifted her hand. Courtney had not expected Anna to hit her in front of such arge crowd. Just as she thought of avoiding the attack, she saw the open palm swinging in her direction¡ªit was toote to dodge. Right before that palm struck her, a figure blocked the lighting from the doorway and grabbed Anna¡¯s hand. That person stopped the attack, then an unreserved roar rang out. ¡°Anna Hunter! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Upon seeing the person who just arrived, Anna¡¯s expression changed immediately. ¡°Shay¡ª¡± ¡°This is my ce! How dare you try to bully Courtney here?! Do you want me to call the police on you?!¡± Shay¡¯s expression was cold and distant as he rudely pped her hand away. ¡°Shay, you¡¯re misunderstanding me. She was the one who ndered me in front of so many people and sullied my reputation! I was so furious that I couldn¡¯t stop myself. But, I originally came here to cheer for you! I even brought you flowers! They just arrived this morning by air. Look!¡± Anna tried to push the me onto Courtney. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Courtney sneered but did not try to exin herself. Instead, she simply watched Anna acting out with a frigid gaze. Meanwhile, Shay didn¡¯t even bother to nce at the flowers as he icily said, ¡°Courtney is not an unreasonable person. As for you, I don¡¯t believe I invited you here. Get out.¡± What Courtney said previously had already embarrassed Anna rather badly. Combined with Shay¡¯s actions of chasing Anna out in front of so many people, Anna felt utterly humiliated at this point. Pursing her lips, she scowled as her embarrassment turned into anger. ¡°Shay, we grew up together. I¡¯ve always regarded you as family. Ever since you returned to the country and made your debut, I¡¯ve been sponsoring all your variety shows and dramas. I¡¯ve always been supporting you unconditionally! How can you treat me in this manner?! Don¡¯t you dare forget that if not for the Hunter Family, you would have died in the underground boxing ring back then!¡± As soon as Anna said those words, the very air in the room seemed to freeze over. Courtney felt her heart clench as she worriedly nced at Shay. Shay normally looked bright and lively. However, he currently felt like a huge iceberg¡ªhis entire body was radiating with cold air. He took two steps toward Anna. On the other hand, Anna was starting to panic under his re. She staggered backward and used the wall to support herself as her knees buckled under her slightly. Then, he stared at her directly and said, ¡°Anna Hunter, this is myst warning to you. Do not interfere with my personal affairs. Courtney and I are simr; we don¡¯t need to rely on the charity of the Hunter Family to have a good life.¡± ¡°Shay, that wasn¡¯t my intention! I¡ª¡± ¡°Get lost.¡± His expression was frigid, and his inherently unique youthful voice was stained with a bloodthirsty coldness. Although his voice was not loud, it seemed to carry across the room. At that moment, Courtney shot a look at Shay¡¯s manager, who had long since turned into a statue. He finally came back to his senses and stepped in between Shay and Anna. Directing a polite smile at Anna, he said, ¡°Miss Hunter, this way, please. The concert is about to start. If you bought a ticket, please head to your seat immediately.¡± Under these circumstances, it was impossible to forcefully stay there. Thus, Anna bit her lip and red at Courtney in resentment before turning to leave. Everybody went back to their positions as the crowd dispersed. Those in charge of styling went back to styling; those in charge of makeup went back to putting on the finishing touches of makeup. Working in this industry, they were used to seeing all sorts of disputes take ce. Hence, they did not bring up the matter again¡ªit was as if they had unanimously agreed upon it beforehand. More importantly, Courtney saw Shay¡¯s manager going around greeting everybody and handing them a small token of ¡®appreciation¡¯, which could also be regarded as hush money. However, nobody noticed the man in the ck baseball cap standing in the corridor next to the safety escape. He held a high-spec camera in his hands and recorded everything that had just taken ce. ¡°You¡¯re going on stage in 10 minutes. Shay, get yourself into the game. We¡¯ll take our leave first.¡± After receiving a signal, Shay¡¯s manager patted Shay on the shoulder to cheer him up before leaving with the styling team in tow. Afterward, only Courtney was left inside the room to apany Shay, and the noisy lounge instantly becamepletely silent. ¡°Are you still bothered by what happened in the past?¡± Courtney¡¯s voice rang out in the silent room. The dressing room was notrge, so every word carried across clearly. To Shay, it felt like a pair of warm and gentle hands tearing open his wounds and exposing the unbearable past that he was desperately trying to hide. Still, no matter how gentle it was, reopening closed wounds would always be painful. His eyebrows twitched strongly. His vision went dark as the memories of various life and death situations in the boxing ring shed before his eyes. Looking at the reflection of the gentle figure standing behind him, he finally gave a wry smile and whispered, ¡°I wish I could say I¡¯m not bothered by it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Courtney ced both hands on his shoulders andfortingly continued, ¡°Nobody can truly forget about their past. And, letting go is even more difficult. No matter what you experienced in the past, it¡¯s a part of who you are now. There¡¯s no way topletely separate it from yourself. Everything you experienced made you who you are today. Do you not like the person you are today?¡± ¡°I do.¡± His gaze gradually softened and became gentle. ¡°I like everything as it is right now. If you hadn¡¯t taken me away from the boxing ring back then, I would never have all this. So, everything I have was given by you. And, everything I have¡­ is yours.¡± ¡°Did you forget what you said to me when I escaped with you?¡± She smiled. ¡°I asked you what you wanted, and you said you wanted freedom. The freedom you want does note with being trapped by my side for the rest of your life. That¡¯s no different from putting you into another cage.¡± Shay seemed stunned. It seemed like it had been a long time since he thought back about what he said back then. Thus, he was a little lost and a little disappointed. ¡°Courtney, you know I¡ª¡± ¡°The concert is about to begin. You have to go on stage soon.¡± Courtney interrupted him abruptly. At the same time, she took her hands off his shoulders. ¡°In my opinion, freedom is your faith; nothing else and nobody else is.¡± Chapter 139 One Night Surprise Chapter 139 Chapter 139 Looks Like Daddy Isn¡¯t That Stupid Shay seemed to care about Courtney very much, and she had never dismissed his feelings. However, his feelings mostly came from the time when she rescued him from the boxing ring¡ªit was the turning point of his life. Therefore, the more sessful he became and the closer he got to the life he always wanted to live, the more thankful he felt toward her. Even so, he was still so young. Witnessing death, pain, and sorrow at such a young age had left him scarred and no longer attracted to girls around his age. As a result, Courtney, the one who turned the gears of fate and changed his life, became his faith. She had no right to judge whether or not his feelings for her were that of romantic love, but she knew that her feelings for him were simply that of familial love. ¡°I understand.¡± Shay¡¯s eyes were gloomy, and he seemed a little lost when he stood up. Courtney followed him to the door when he suddenly turned around and asked, ¡°Courtney, can I get a hug? For encouragement.¡± Courtney seemed stunned for a moment. Then, she spread open her arms and smiled. Wrapping him in a big hug, she said, ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Good luck, Shay!¡± ¡°I love you, Shay!¡± ¡°Shay¡ª¡± During the concert, Tina pressured the girls surrounding her although they were several times her age. She waved her glowsticks desperately, causing the surrounding fans to scream and shout at the top of their lungs. Toward the end, everybody was shouting, ¡°Encore!¡± Courtney felt as if her eardrums were going to burst from all the screaming around her. Then, she yelled at Oliver, ¡°This girl has gone mad. If you can¡¯t stand it, you can leave first.¡± The corners of Oliver¡¯s mouth lifted slightly as he ced a pair of earplugs in her hand. ¡°You¡¯re a genius!¡± Her eyes brightened up. Using her hair as a cover, she slid the earplugs into her ears perfectly, instantly cutting off the noise around her. On the stage, Shay¡¯s return made the surrounding screams even more intense. Even so, Courtney was looking at the stagefortably while nodding sagely as if she could really hear. Standing on the elevator tform, Shay held a guitar in his hands. He was wearing a sultry white shirt as he nced in her direction and smiled. ¡°This song is dedicated to the most important person in my life. Her existence changed the entire trajectory of my life. I used to believe that she was my everything. However, she told me that what I used to believe in was freedom. And, it should never be something or somebody¡­¡± Amidst the sea of pink light, the rhythmic swaying felt like the rippling of waves. Then, a strange silence fell over the audience. Only his clean and clear voice could be heard as it seeped into everybody¡¯s hearts with the sound of his guitar. He wrote his beliefs into his song. It touched many of his fans and brought tears to their eyes. Unfortunately, the only person who was not touched by the song was the very person the song was dedicated to. Courtney remained in her usual calm demeanor. Even her swaying was slightly out of sync with the song. Wearing her earplugs, shepletely missed out on his romantic confession. After the concert, Tina¡¯s voice was hoarse. She was so tired that she fell asleep on Oliver¡¯s shoulder before she reached the car. ¡°You can head directly to your house. I¡¯ll help you bring Tina in before taking a cab back to the hotel by myself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Cameron is at home. I¡¯ll send Tina back to sleep, then send you back to the hotel. It¡¯s not that far.¡± Courtney buckled her seatbelt and drove onto the highway. The concert was held in a gym located in a remote location. It took an hour and a half to drive back to the city center. That was one of the reasons why she took time off today. Just as her car left the parking lot, a small figure broke free of a man and chased after her car in the distance. The two short legs ran after her car desperately, but there was no way he could run faster than a car. He only managed to take several steps before the car vanished out of sight. ¡°Jordan.¡± The man rushed after him and bent down to hold his hand. Jordan turned back and red at the man fiercely. His small hand pped the man¡¯s hand away. Lowering his head, he lifted his drawing board resentfully. ¡®Why didn¡¯t you stop Mommy and Tina?¡¯ Ever since Courtney and Alexander confirmed their rtionship, Jordan began openly treating her as his own mother. Besides, it was easier to write¡ªway easier than it was to write the word ¡®Aunt¡¯. Alexander took a deep breath and slowly let it out before earnestly saying, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that she brought Tina with her to watch the concert with another man? She didn¡¯t even ask if you wanted to come along. Why are you still calling her Mommy?¡± ¡®Because I want to!¡¯ The drawing board was lifted again, and Jordan¡¯s expression was proud. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± In response, he red at Alexander with his arms crossed in front of his chest. The word ¡®No¡¯ was written all over his face. Alexander didn¡¯t get angry. ¡°If you won¡¯t go home with me, I¡¯m going to leave you here. You can chase after her car yourself.¡± Upon hearing those words, Jordan threw himself on the ground. He was pouting sulkily, and he looked like he was about to cry. Then, Alexander turned back without even taking a step. He only wanted to scare Jordan a little. When he saw Jordan lying on the ground, his heart melted. He knelt beside Jordan and coaxed, ¡°Alright, I get it. Let¡¯s invite Courtney and Tina over for dinner this Thursday.¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Jordan had not managed to squeeze out a single tear. When he heard those words, the frown on his face immediately disappeared. His mood changed even faster than the weather as he hurriedly raised his drawing board in a panic. ¡®Mommy¡¯s birthday.¡¯ Alexander frowned. ¡°How did you know?¡± Jordan couldn¡¯t be bothered to reply to Alexander. He got up by himself and dusted off his pants. Then, he swaggered toward their car and climbed in himself without Alexander¡¯s help, acting like a winner. Of course, Tina told me about it. Besides, why would you invite Courtney out for dinner on a weekday? Although he could not remember the specific date, he immediately recalled it when he heard the word ¡®Thursday¡¯. Looks like Daddy isn¡¯t that stupid after all! On Thursday, Courtney took a day off from work and brought Tina to the cemetery to visit her mother¡¯s grave. Seeing the bouquet of Ca Lilies in front of the gravestone, she looked startled and subconsciously nced around her surroundings. However, she did not see anybody around. Hence, she secretly thought that it might have been one of her mother¡¯s friends. After all, so many years had gone by. Perhaps, they¡¯re beginning to care again. The gravestone was very clean since it had just been cleaned by somebody else. Still, she wiped it down again carefully. ¡°Mom, this is Tina, your granddaughter. I had no time to greet you when I left back then. So now, I brought her back to visit you.¡± Tina was still too young to understand what death meant. Looking at the picture on the gravestone, she eximed in amazement, ¡°Grandma is so pretty! Mommy, you and Grandma look so simr.¡± Courtney smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. Your Great-Uncle William used to say that a lot.¡± At the thought of ¡®Great-Uncle William¡¯, Courtney suddenly nced at the Ca Lilies again and realized who the visitor was. Well; on Mom¡¯s side of the family, no one else aside from Uncle William is so caring. He is the only one who has not forgotten my mother. After a short prayer, Courtney held Tina¡¯s hand as they prepared to leave the cemetery. Before they walked out, Courtney saw a familiar figure. That person was wearing a grey dress, and her makeup was much lighter than usual. Thus, Courtney could barely recognize who it was. ¡°Aunt Alicia?¡± Courtney¡¯s expression changed suddenly. Alicia lifted her head and frowned as she swept a nce over Courtney. She was as mean as ever. ¡°Why are you looking at me as if you¡¯ve seen a ghost? What¡¯s so strange about me visiting your mother?¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t my intention. Thank you, Aunt Alicia.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me for this.¡± When Alicia noticed Tina, she seemed taken aback for a moment. Then, she asked ufortably, ¡°Is this girl your daughter?¡± Chapter 140 One Night Surprise Chapter 140 Chapter 140 Do You Intend to Marry Her? ¡°Yes.¡± Courtney hastily nodded, then instructed Tina, ¡°Tina, this is your Grand-Aunt Alicia.¡± Alicia murmured the name ¡®Tina¡¯ under her breath several times before bringing her focus back to the present. She nced at Courtney and said, ¡°Why is she calling me ¡®Grand-Aunt¡¯? That makes me sound so old.¡± ¡°Then, what should she call you?¡± Courtney asked, feeling slightly nervous. Her childhood impression of Alicia was not a good one. Alicia was always a little mean and sharp-tongued toward her, so she used to be extremely scared of her aunt. Fortunately, her grandfather protected her. Otherwise, she would have been scared silly every time she met Alicia back then. ¡°Just call me Great-Aunt Alicia.¡± Upon hearing those words, Tina used her baby voice to greet Alicia without further prompting from Courtney. ¡°Nice to meet you, Great-Aunt Alicia.¡± Alicia¡¯s usual cold and indifferent demeanor seemed to soften for a moment. She leaned down and beckoned to Tina. ¡°Come;e closer for me to see you. I¡¯m getting older, and my eyesight is getting worse.¡± Tina nced at Courtney. After receiving approval from Courtney, she obediently stepped forward and generously lifted her head for Alicia to see her face. ¡°Great-Aunt Alicia, is this close enough for you to see my face?¡± Alicia¡¯s eyes lit up with a smile. ¡°What¡¯s this? Are you not scared of me?¡± ¡°Why would I be afraid of you, Great-Aunt Alicia? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re a scary beast or a caterpir.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because all the children your age or younger are always scared of me.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Tina widened her eyes in surprise; she looked as if she had heard something surprising. Then, she replied seriously, ¡°Then, those children must be very timid. Parents shouldn¡¯t raise their children to be so timid. How will they protect their family in the future?¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°Hahaha! Next time, you¡¯ll have to teach them then.¡± Alicia suddenly burst into heartyughter. Throughout her life, Courtney had never seen herugh so happily before. Aliciaughed for a while, then patted Tina¡¯s hand. Straightening her back, she turned around and looked at Courtney. ¡°I like this girl. In the future, why don¡¯t you leave her in my hands?¡± Courtney could not understand the meaning behind the question. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I know you went against the Hunter Family¡¯s wishes and secretly went abroad to give birth to this child. At the end of the day, she does not have a legitimate status. I couldn¡¯t care less about who the father of this child is. But, it¡¯s not appropriate to keep her by your side. You¡¯re still only in your twenties; how will you find a husband with her by your side? If I just leave things be, I¡¯ll be too ashamed to face your mother when I die.¡± Alicia¡¯s words had always been blunt. However, her words this time frightened Tina so much that she shrank back behind Courtney. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be separated from Mommy! Mommy¡¯s boyfriend likes me a lot! And, I like him too! Great-Aunt Alicia, you don¡¯t need to worry about Mommy¡¯s marriage.¡± Alicia nced at Tina before continuing the conversation. ¡°I heard about you and Alexander. He has a son of unknown origins too. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that you have a daughter of your own, I would never agree to such a marriage. Still, now that things havee this far, you better think it over carefully. The Duncan Family isn¡¯t as simple as you seem to think. I suggest you wait until after I finish investigating them before considering your options.¡± Courtney pursed her lips. She looked like a child listening to an adult scolding her as she obediently listened to her aunt¡¯s advice without any intention of rebelling. Ugh, my nightmare from the past has not gone away despite the years. While Alicia was talking, two figures¡ªonerge and one small¡ªwalked in through the cemetery entrance. After listening to the second half of what Alicia said, they paused where they stood. ¡°If you have any questions, you can ask me directly. You don¡¯t need to go to the trouble of investigating me.¡± Startled, Courtney gazed in the direction of the voice and saw Alexander walking over while holding Jordan¡¯s hand. As soon as Jordan saw Courtney, he immediately broke free of Alexander and flew toward her. After that, he and Tina happily yed together. Meanwhile, Alicia turned around. She stood in front of Courtney protectively and studied Alexander coolly. ¡°The president of Sunhill Enterprise, Alexander Duncan, right?¡± It was rare for Alexander to meet people who thought nothing of him. However, Courtney seemed to be surrounded by people like that. He had met so many of them by now that he was no longer surprised by it. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me. And, you are?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to bother about who I am. The meaning behind your words just now¡­ Do you intend to marry Courtney?¡± Upon hearing that question, Courtney felt her chest tightening in nervousness. Then, she stared at the man in front of her nkly. On the other hand, Alexander calmly and leisurely answered, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I have a few questions for you.¡± Alicia¡¯s imposing aura was no less than Alexander¡¯s ¡ªshe had the demeanor of a general. ¡°Go ahead.¡± From their conversation, Alexander could tell that Alicia was probably quite a prestigious elder in Courtney¡¯s family. ¡°Aunt Alicia, forget it. He and I¡ª¡± Courtney tried to stop the two of them. I¡¯m still in a cold war with Alexander! I haven¡¯t talked to him in several days! What¡¯s going on?! ¡°Let¡¯s talk somewhere else.¡± Alicia ignored Courtney. Then, she walked side by side with Alexander, heading toward the cemetery entrance. Inside the car, a woman¡¯s calm and steady voice rang out. ¡°My first question is rted to the mother of your son. Who is she? I need to know about all the possible threats Courtney might face after marriage. If your ex-wife constantly wishes to see her child, it will be difficult to have a good life down the road.¡± ¡°I have never been married, so there is no ex-wife.¡± Alexander did not hide anything as he answered frankly. ¡°As for who the mother of my son is¡­ At present, Courtney is the only one Jordan recognizes as his mother.¡± Alicia frowned slightly. From the corner of her eye, she could see both children hugging Courtney from both sides and refusing to let go. It seemed like what he said was true. ¡°Okay. Then, my second question¡­ If you marry Courtney, how are you going to manage your assets?¡± Compared to the first question, the second question was far more straightforward. He hesitated slightly. He had yet to consider it so deeply, but it wasn¡¯t toote to start thinking about it now. ¡°Based on Courtney¡¯s personality, she would not wish to be a housewife. Besides, my assets are managed by financial advisers. If she wishes to, I can transfer some of them over to her.¡± ¡°What if you divorce one day?¡± ¡°I guarantee she will never have to worry about money.¡± ¡°When asked this question, most people would tell me that divorce will never happen.¡± She nced at him with a lukewarm expression. However, her gaze was sharp. ¡°Why? Do you already n to divorce her before you even marry her? Don¡¯t you dare think that Courtney has no family supporting her.¡± ¡°Things like emotions are not predictable. I cannot guarantee everybody¡¯s feelings. Even if I can guarantee mine, I cannot guarantee hers. Aside from that, I can only promise what I can control, and that is the best materialistic conditions for her.¡± Alicia said nothing as she nced outside the car window. Through the ss, she saw the two children surrounding Courtney as they yed happily. Even in this solemn cemetery, they did not look out of ce. After that, she continued asking many questions. Toward the end, Alexander asked her one question. ¡°If you care about Courtney so much, why didn¡¯t you take care of her when she was being bullied by the Hunter Family for so many years?¡± Alicia did not answer. However, she could tell that Alexander had guessed her answer. This man in his early thirties had a pair of piercing eyes belonging to a mature man. It felt as if he could see through one¡¯s thoughts. Survival of the fittest¡ªthat is thew of the jungle. I did not want Courtney to follow in her mother¡¯s footsteps. Courtney¡¯s mother grew up in a sheltered environment. Whenever she met even the smallest setback, she would try to avoid dealing with it. In the end, she couldn¡¯t escape everything and lost her life as a result. Chapter 141 One Night Surprise Chapter 141 Chapter 141 No One Wants to Do Anything With You While Courtney was ying with the children, she was slightly distracted. From time to time, she nced at the silver sedan that was parked at the entrance of the cemetery; she was restless. After a long moment, she heard the sound of the car door opening. Alicia and Alexander got out of the car one after another. They had the same calm and collected look on their faces¡ªshe could not detect any change of emotion from their appearances. Staring at their expressions, she was depressed. Alicia waved at Tina. ¡°It¡¯s summer break. Do you want to stay at my house for two days?¡± Upon hearing that, Tina¡¯s eyes darted between Courtney and Alexander. Instantly, she had an idea. ¡°Sure, Great-Aunt Alicia. Can I bring Jordan along with me?¡± Alicia looked toward Jordan; uncertainty shed before her eyes when she saw his features. People said that birds of different feathers don¡¯t flock together. Although Jordan was not Courtney¡¯s own child, he looked somewhat simr to Tina and her. ¡°I can¡¯t make the decision.¡± She nced at Alexander. ¡°I can only bring him along if his father agrees.¡± Tina turned toward Alexander. Blinking, she began, ¡°Mr. Alexander, you¡¯ll agree, right? When you and Mom are married, my great-aunt will be Jordan¡¯s great-aunt too.¡± In response, a faint smile appeared on Alexander¡¯s face. Looking at Alicia, he said with respect, ¡°I¡¯ll leave my kid to you, then, Aunt Alicia.¡± The moment Courtney heard him calling ¡®Aunt Alicia¡¯, goosebumps crawled all over her body. Later, Alicia led the two children into her car. When Alexander was staring at the car that was leaving the cemetery, he heard Courtney mumble, ¡°Who¡¯s your aunt? Did anyone agree for you to call her that?¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± He turned his head and asked deliberately even though he already heard her. ¡°Nothing.¡± Throwing him a single nce, Courtney changed the topic casually. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Jordan¡¯s safety. Although my aunt doesn¡¯t have children, she¡¯s more careful than anyone else in doing things. Your kid will be safe with her.¡± However, Alexander did not respond to her words. ¡°Where are you going? I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve called a taxi. It¡¯ll be here in a moment.¡± ¡°The news is not what you think it is.¡± ¡°What do you think I¡¯ve thought, then? Suspecting that you have an affair with Britney? If you¡¯re really going out with her, why did you stille to me? I¡¯m not that stupid,¡± Courtney deflected. Yet, Alexander waited patiently for her to finish her words before he began slowly, ¡°Cameron went to find Gale, and Gale thought I released the news deliberately. He identally spilled it to Cameron, and that¡¯s why you guys believed it. Isn¡¯t that what you assumed?¡± As soon as he mentioned that incident, Courtney¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°I know what happened. Isn¡¯t it toote for you to confess to me now?¡± ¡°What if I said that I didn¡¯t even n to do anything dodgy from the beginning?¡± Upon hearing his confession, Courtney was caught off guard. Startled, she stared at Alexander. ¡°Get into the car.¡± Taking two steps forward, Alexander pulled open the door to the passenger seat. ¡°I can give you a reasonable exnation about every assumption you have made. And, if you think my exnations are uneptable, you can leave the car at any time.¡± The car went onto the highway, and Alexander¡¯s deep voice echoed inside the vehicle. When he mentioned the ideas Gale had suggested, he sounded unnatural. ¡°So, Gale was the one who told you to buy those things and ignore me?¡± Alexander nodded, and he avoided her gaze. ¡°Why did you do as he said? Haven¡¯t you ever been in a rtionship? How can there be only one standard when ites to this kind of thing? If he knows so much, he should¡¯ve published a book about tricks in rtionships!¡± A series of questions went on and on inside the car. Not being able to hold back her anger, Courtney took her phone out. ¡°No way. I have to tell Cameron about this. Ca¡­¡± Her voice trailed off, and her expression changed. As if she had suddenly thought of something, her hand that was holding her phone halted. ¡°What happened?¡± Alexander asked. Ahem. Courtney coughed dryly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Now that this matter is over, I don¡¯t think there is anything to tell her. I should just let it be.¡± The truth was, Cameron had always suggested stupid ideas like that to her too. It seemed like Cameron and Gale werepeting with one another on the tricks they could pull on both of them. They were truly a match made in heaven. ¡°Where are you taking me to? Aren¡¯t you going to send me home?¡± When Courtney looked at the scenery outside the window, she came back to her senses. ¡°To an interesting ce.¡± Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. As the sun went down, the car left the highway. Both of them took their lunch and dinner in the rest area. The view outside the window changed from the scene of skyscrapers to borderless fields. The twilight painted the sky orange and red¡ªthe colors deepened as they came closer to the distant hills. The car finally stopped on a spacious mountain top. At the foot of the mountain was a fast-flowing river and the mountains in the distance seemed endless. ¡°Wow; The air here is so fresh.¡± Spreading her arms open, Courtney looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. This was the first time she came out after a long time, and she was revitalized. When the cool breeze hit her cor, she sniffled from the cold. A pair of hands passed through her underarms and wrapped around her waist. When she finally came back to her senses, Alexander had rested his chin on her shoulder. His maic voice rang in her ears. ¡°If you like it here, we can visit more often.¡± ¡°Visit more often? You just brought me here without making any ns. Are we going to sleep in the car tonight?¡± Courtney pouted, and she tried hard to calm her heart from beating too quickly. ¡°There is no one here. No one will be able to see what we¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°No one wants to do anything with you.¡± Courtney¡¯s face flushed from the twilight, and her voice was soft. It was cold on top of the mountain. After standing outside for a while, both of them felt cold. Alexander took Courtney by her hand and pulled her into the car. He poured out a cup of warm milk from the thermos and handed it to her. Her eyes widened. ¡°You even brought milk? I thought you left without a n.¡± ¡°If I left without a n, you would have to stay hungry all night. Only irresponsible men would do that kind of thing.¡± He stared at her as he grabbed a food incubator from under the seat. ¡°For instance, romantic young men like Shay. Except for poems and dreams, they usually don¡¯t guarantee their woman anything.¡± ¡°Just say what you want to say. Why are you involving Shay again?¡± protested Courtney. Reaching out, she pointed at the box beside his feet and inquired, ¡°What¡¯s in there?¡± With a ¡®click¡¯, Alexander opened the lock and was weed by a rush of heat. Inside was a dinner for two which had been kept warm throughout the journey. Staring at the dinner, Courtney had to give him a thumbs up. ¡°I have to admit that you¡¯re indeed a very respectable man.¡± Alexander was a young master that the Duncan Family brought up with love and affection since he was a child. If he could do things to such an extent for her, she would be too small-minded if she continued to reject him. Besides, what happened with Britney was the result of the terrible ideas suggested by the two good-for- nothing advisors. When both of them were enjoying their warm and cozy dinner on top of the mountain, two people¡ªone in the apartment in the city center, and another in the resort hotel in the Maldives¡ªsneezed. Achoo! Chapter 142 One Night Surprise Chapter 142 Chapter 142 Don¡¯t You Dare to Ruin It When the night came, the wind at the top of the mountain became harsher. The pair took a stroll around the mountain with their hands locked together. Noticing that Alexander seemed to be familiar with the mountain, Courtney couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Do youe here very often? Why are you so familiar with this ce?¡± ¡°Sunhill Enterprise holds the development rights of this ce. We originally intended to build a resort here, but the n was left on hold because of some other things. So, this ce became a deserted mountain.¡± ¡°Deserted? It looks like someone has been taking very good care of this ce. There are flowers and trees here. And I saw a lot of raspberries over there too.¡± Studying his expression, Courtney continued, ¡°But, you haven¡¯t answered my question.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression froze. After a long moment, he let go of her hand and walked toward the channel alone. The cool breeze on the mountain blew a small bulge in his shirt, and he looked exceptionally lonely. ¡°I came here very often when I was a child.¡± He looked indifferent. ¡°After my dad passed, I haven¡¯t been here since. The n to build the resort was suspended because of his death.¡± Alexander¡¯s dad passed away in a car ident. Courtney¡¯s brows snapped together. ¡°So, Mr. Duncan¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He took a deep breath, showing her his rarely-seen sorrow. ¡°My dad passed away on this mountain.¡± Listening to his words, Courtney¡¯s heart flinched. She walked up and grabbed his palm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. So many years have passed. Moreover, I was the one who brought you here. I¡¯m nning to restart the n to build the resort. So, this is probably thest time we can enjoy the beautiful scenery here.¡± He took her palm and pulled her to his side. ¡°The next time wee, there will be a ce for you to stay.¡± A flush crept up Courtney¡¯s face in an instant. ¡°How can you rte everything to that thing?¡± ¡°What thing?¡± All of a sudden, Alexander took her into his embrace. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about anything. I just hope that on this same day in the future, what you can think of is not only the anniversary of your mother¡¯s death but something happy too.¡± Leaning against his chest, Courtney¡¯s voice was muffled. ¡°For instance?¡± ¡°For instance, today is the day you came to this world. Without this day, I wouldn¡¯t have met you.¡± ¡°But, you would¡¯ve met someone else.¡± Courtney made fun of him deliberately. ¡°Like Britney. If it were not for me, you would have married her, right? You guys would probably have a kid soon.¡± ¡°What exactly are you trying to say?¡± Alexander¡¯s forehead furrowed. Why is she bringing this up? Courtney blinked and with regret, she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for messing up your marriage.¡± As she said that, she looked like a sly little fox. Alexander looked at her as he held his head low. He couldn¡¯t see her clearly under the dim light, but he could feel her heart beating through his own heart; their heaving chests leaned closely against one another. The coil in his lower stomach tightened. Ahh¡­ Courtney¡¯s screams echoed on the top of the mountain. ¡°What are you doing? Let me down, you rascal¡­¡± ¡°You can scream as much as you want. No one wille to your rescue no matter how loud you scream.¡± Pushing Courtney into the backseat of the car, Alexander pulled the door closed. He pressed her down into the seat and started unbuttoning his shirt. His voice was hoarse, and his breathing was rapid. ¡°Do you know what the consequence of teasing me is?¡± Courtneyy on the backseat fearlessly. Her chest heaved like beating waves while her inky ck hair spread underneath her body. As she panted heavily, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Alexander was caught off guard by her action, and he fell on top of her. A seductive voice rose in his ears. ¡°Of course, I know.¡± As a result, Alexander could no longer restrain himself. Hisrge hand tugged at the hem of Courtney¡¯s chiffon shirt on her shoulder, tearing it away. Half of her shoulder was exposed and a familiar scent exuded from her curvy figure, alluring him in every way. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare ruin my clothes. I didn¡¯t bring an extra set to change into,¡± Courtney muttered with discontent, but her hands were quick to remove his belt. The intense sound of clothes sliding against one another was heard as the moans of the man and the woman fused into one. The car shook violently under the cover of the trees, startling flocks of birds out from the forest. N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. On Saturday, Courtney went to her aunt¡¯s house to pick up the children. It was a coincidence that her uncle was at home too. ¡°You¡¯re here, Courtney. Just in time for lunch. You should stay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Courtney rejected quickly. ¡°I¡¯m just here to pick up the kids. I promised to visit Alexander¡¯s house this afternoon and have a meal with his grandpa.¡± Scott called her a day in advance, asking her to bring the children over for a meal. His purpose was obvious; after all, he only had one precious grandson and great-grandson. He needed to know more about her¡ªthe rumored wife-to-be of Alexander¡ªin order to put his mind at ease. ¡°Where¡¯s Aunt Alicia?¡± She looked around the house, but Alicia was nowhere to be seen. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait for a while. Come and take a seat. She brought the kids out for a morning walk.¡± ¡°Morning walk?¡± Courtney¡¯s mouth twitched. The children loved to stay in bed, and it was especially so for Jordan. He had been spoiled since young. He sat and stood whenever he wanted. He even decided when he should sleep depending on his temperament. However, Alicia had the habit of going on morning walks. She would always wake up at 6 AM. It was probably fine for Tina, but what about Jordan? Could he get up so early? ¡°Uncle William, the kids didn¡¯t cause you any trouble in the past two days, right?¡± ¡°Nah.¡± William waved his hand. He smiled and gestured for her to sit down. ¡°It¡¯s just that yesterday your Aunt Maryse visited with her two troublemakers. They broke Alicia¡¯s record yer and med it on Tina. In the end, although Jordan couldn¡¯t speak, he managed to write down everything that had happened to prove Tina¡¯s innocence. The kid is remarkable.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney couldn¡¯t help but look proud. ¡°He has always been a smart kid.¡± ¡°He¡¯s such a smart kid and has his own ideas about how the world works despite being so young. Plus he seems veryfortable around you. It¡¯s like he¡¯s your own son.¡± William put a teacup in front of Courtney. His words were meaningful, and they touched something inside Courtney¡¯s heart. Clenching her fists, Courtney smiled awkwardly. ¡°I think Aunt Alicia will be back soon.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He checked on the time. ¡°It¡¯s almost time. By the way, there¡¯s something Alicia wanted me to give you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°This is the key to a duplex apartment at Blossoms Garden. You can¡¯t always live in your friend¡¯s house. Move there from now on.¡± Staring at the key, Courtney was stunned. When she finally caught on to what her uncle said, she quickly rejected, ¡°Uncle William, I can¡¯t take this.¡± ¡°Your aunt¡¯s bark is a lot worse than her bite. The apartment has always been under your name. We didn¡¯t give it to you before this because we were afraid that that woman from the Hunter Family would target the things your mother had left you. We know Lucian gave you a vi located at Golden Water Park, but that area is too remote, and not many people live there anymore. Take the key and bring the kids there.¡± William had aged a lot over the years. When Courtney listened to his words, she had mixed feelings. It was not a pleasant feeling. Her nose sniffled, and her tears ran down her cheeks. Chapter 143 One Night Surprise Chapter 143 Chapter 143 Why Should I Give Up As they were talking, Alicia came home with the children. ¡°Mommy!¡± The moment Tina saw Courtney, she plunged into her embrace and cheered. On the other hand, Jordan looked exhausted. Dragging his feet, he went straight to the sofa and sank himself into it. He clung to Courtney¡¯s arm, looking as if he was going to fall asleep on the spot. ¡°This kid is too weak. We only ran for a while. How can he be so tired already? He has been spoiled.¡± Alicia appeared to be disappointed by his performance. Slightly speechless, Courtney patted Jordan¡¯s head and exined, ¡°It¡¯s not his fault. He has been weak since young. After that high fever he got when he was younger, he couldn¡¯t speak anymore. Ever since, his physique has been particrly weak.¡± ¡°He couldn¡¯t speak because of the high fever?¡± Alicia put her drinking ss aside and stared at Jordan thoughtfully. ¡°He never spoke after that?¡± Courtney knitted her brows. ¡°He didn¡¯t stop talkingpletely. From what I heard from Alexander, he spoke twice this year.¡± ¡°I think there¡¯s more to it.¡± Alicia gave her a long, deep look. ¡°The Duncan Family is prestigious, and Alexander is the only child. If the family bes extinct after Alexander, many people will benefit from it. I don¡¯t think this kid can grow up safely.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney was dumbfounded. She looked at her aunt in disbelief. In the past, her grandfather told her that Alicia had had a child before, but no one knew how she lost it. However, after that incident, William and Stephen, whose families had been close to each other, stopped seeing each other. It was only until Stephen¡¯s divorce and remarriage that both families reconnected. Courtney did not know much when she was young. Nevertheless, when she looked back at what happened back then, it sent chills down her spine. Most people would lose their rationale in the face of huge amounts of assets. She realized that her aunt was trying to warn her that the high fever Jordan had during his childhood might not have been an ident. It was highly likely that this kind of ¡®ident¡¯ would continue to ur more frequently in the future. Instantly, she remembered the first time she met Jordan when a chandelier smashed down on him. ¡°Take precautions in advance and don¡¯t trust anyone.¡± Alicia¡¯s voice pulled Courtney back from her thoughts. She stared at her aunt. Although Alicia was standing in her sportswear drinking coffee in front of the kitchen counter, her posture was upright even though she was in her fifties. Her aura was extraordinary, and the words she said went straight into Courtney¡¯s heart. After chatting for a while, Courtney left with her two children. ¡°I¡¯ll leave with the kids, then. I¡¯ll bring them back to see you again when I have the time.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Alicia came over and handed her a key. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your things.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t ept this.¡± ¡°You were the one to talk when you came asking for your mother¡¯s inheritance before! This is only a small part of your mother¡¯s inheritance that has been left with me so that you would have a ce to live when you came back. Don¡¯t go boasting around like Lucian. Why learn to be a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing from him? Don¡¯t tell me. The Hunter Family didn¡¯t leave any money for you, so he¡¯s trying to make you inherit his sheep¡¯s clothing?¡± Not only was Courtney being scolded by Alicia, but the whole Hunter Family was being criticized as well. Although she did not use any four-letter words, Courtney felt chills on her neck, and her scalp prickled. s, she could only take the keys from her aunt. When they left the Hunter Residence, Jordan was sleeping as he leaned into Courtney¡¯s embrace. However, Tina was wide awake. Curiously, she asked, ¡°Mommy, why does Great-Aunt Alicia hate Grandpa so much?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t she tell you the reason?¡± ¡°She did. She said she has a deep-seated grudge toward Grandpa, and she even scolded him in front of me. I didn¡¯t understand what she was saying, but she was quite scary.¡± Tina blinked. ¡°But, you said we can¡¯t only listen to one person¡¯s words, so I decided to hear it from you too.¡± Smiling helplessly, Courtney flicked her forehead softly. ¡°What a kid. What I said was not to listen to only one side of the story. This is an adult problem; kids shouldn¡¯t ask too much. And kids shouldn¡¯t carry too much of the burden too.¡± ¡°What is ¡®burden¡¯?¡± ¡°Burden is¡­¡± Courtney was tongue-tied. After a moment of hesitation, she continued solemnly, ¡°Burden is the things in the small school bag you carry to school every day. You need to carry some of the snacks you like to eat and you also need to carry some books. These books are things you don¡¯t like, but you have to carry them anyway. Let¡¯s say that you¡¯re too tired one day, and you have to give up part of the things in your bag; what would you give up?¡± Despite her young age, Tina gave the question some serious thought. After thinking for a while, she looked back at Courtney and questioned, ¡°Why do I have to give them up? I can ask Mr. Alexander, Mommy, and Jordan to help me carry some of them!¡± Courtney was startled by her answer. In the end, she caressed Tina¡¯s head with a wistful expression. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Tina was right. When one didn¡¯t think that it was difficult to make a choice, or there was even no such choice to be made, it was because there was someone else carrying the burden for them. Courtney did not have much hatred for the way her father had abandoned her mother because no one had ever told her about that when she was young. It was her grandfather, William, and Alicia who were carrying that burden. It was just after 11 AM when Courtney and the children arrived at the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. When Courtney got out of the car, she was amused by the greetings. There were a total of twenty servants standing in two rows. Ten men and ten women lined up on each side and bowed in unison. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hunter, Little Master, and Little Miss.¡± Courtney tensed up at the sight of them. Holding onto her children, one on each of her sides, she was afraid to take another step. In the meantime, Alexander came out of the house. The moment he noticed her expression, his face stiffened. Gruffly, he huffed, ¡°What are you guys doing? Don¡¯t you have work to do? What are you doing here?¡± The two rows of servants exchanged nces with one another. Like a mouse confronting a cat, they scattered away. After everyone left, Courtney let out a chuckle. As she walked into the house with Alexander, she asked, ¡°Did your family start their business in the underworld? I thought your family was trying to show me who¡¯s the boss from the earlier greetings.¡± When she mentioned that, Alexander grimaced. ¡°Those putting up an act at the entrance were the servants picked by Grandpa. They are usually loud and clumsy, and they never do things seriously. They only know how to spread rumors and look for drama every day.¡± Courtney looked back and her eyes met with a little girl, who was hiding behind the bushes in the garden as she peeked at her. She waved her hand at her. Rather than shying away, the girl waved back. ¡°Hannah, if you take another peek, I¡¯ll have the butler send you back to the orphanage tonight.¡± The girl behind the bushes shrank back and ran away, vanishing in a sh. Courtney tugged Alexander¡¯s elbow. ¡°You scared her. She was just curious. Why were you so mean to her? She looks like she¡¯s only twelve or thirteen.¡± ¡°Is she scared?¡± His brows knitted and impatience was evident between his brows. ¡°Hey, I thought no one is allowed to hire childborers. That girl is not your servant, right?¡± Courtney suddenly remembered something, and she looked toward the direction where the girl had run away, but there was no one to be seen. The butler, who was leading the way in front of them, turned around and exined with a smile, ¡°Miss Hannah is a student from the orphanage sponsored by Mr. Alexander. She came here six years ago and took the Duncans¡¯st name. She¡¯s very quirky, and Old Master Scott is very fond of her, so he decided to adopt her. Considering that, Mr. Alexander technically should address her as his aunt.¡± Chapter 144 One Night Surprise Chapter 144 Chapter 144 Is There No Other Room? ¡°Aunt?¡± Courtney was stunned, she couldn¡¯t stop herself fromughing out loud. That girl looked at most twelve or thirteen years old, yet she was more senior than Alexander. Courtney could not imagine what he would look like when he had to call her ¡®Aunt Hannah¡¯. ncing at Alexander from the corner of her eye, she noticed that his expression was ugly. Holding back herughter, she decided to let him off the hook. ¡°Mr. Harry, she must be his aunt in name only. I don¡¯t think Alexander ever called her ¡®aunt¡¯, right?¡± However, whether identally or intentionally, the butler shook his head. ¡°He still has to address her as his aunt. Although Miss Hannah is only an adopted child, she has been recorded into the Duncans¡¯ genealogy record book. When she celebrates her birthday and the Duncan Family visits their ancestral grave every year, Mr. Alexander needs to address her as Aunt Hannah.¡± Alexander threw the butler a cold nce. ¡°Mr. Harry, you¡¯re a lot more talkative the older you get. I think it¡¯s time for you to retire and go home.¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Courtney held her head down and stifled augh. Immediately, the butler shut his mouth and changed the topic with a smile. ¡°There¡¯s a doorsill over here. Watch your steps, Little Master and Little Miss.¡± The Duncans¡¯ ancestral home was a protected property in Melrose City. It was a traditional mansion with connecting courtyards. The group passed through the winding corridors and built-in external doors under the butler¡¯s lead. It took a while for them to arrive at the dining room. Although Scott¡¯s hair had gone gray, he was still healthy and had a back as straight as an arrow. ¡°President Duncan,¡± Courtney greeted respectfully. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. This isn¡¯t a work asion. Besides, I¡¯m already retired. You don¡¯t have to call me President Duncan. Just follow Alexander and call me Grandpa. Make yourselffortable.¡± Courtney blushed at his words. Hesitating for a while, she uttered, ¡°Grandpa.¡± s, Scott was satisfied. With a smile, he moved his attention to Tina and Jordan. ¡°Come here, both of you. Come and take a seat here with your great-grandpa.¡± Not afraid of strangers, Tina grabbed his hand and gave him a peck on his cheek. ¡°Great-Grandpa, I want fried ice cream.¡± ¡°Okay. The kitchen has prepared it for you. You can eat itter.¡± Staring at the harmonious interaction between Scott and Tina, Courtney was full of doubt. ¡°When did Tina be so close with you, Grandpa?¡± Puzzled, Scott¡¯s brain stopped processing for a moment. Instantly, the butler took over. ¡°After they met once in the hospital, Old Master Scott became very fond of Little Miss. When he heard that Little Master and her y well together, they both exchanged phone numbers. Sometimes, Mr. Scott would call Little Miss to ask her about Little Master¡¯s progress at school.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Courtney did not suspect anything further. ¡°It¡¯s Jordan¡¯s first time attending school outside and spending time by himself in school. It¡¯s normal for you to be worried.¡± However, Alexander¡¯s expression was iprehensible; his eyes were fixated on Scott for a while. Scott, who had always been calm and collected, let out a dry cough when he met Alexander¡¯s gaze. He pretended to avoid his gaze inadvertently. His unnatural act was an indication to Alexander that the kids had been keeping a secret with his grandpa. Scott was so close to Tina that it was unlikely because of that one encounter. ¡°Grandpa, did Tina tell you about the fried ice cream over the phone?¡± He exposed them without giving face. Scott was shocked once again. He nced at the butler through the corner of his eye, but thetter did nothing this time. Both Scott and Alexander stared at each other for a few seconds, and the former let out a cough nonchntly. ¡°I knew Tina wasing, so I asked her what she would want in advance. Did I do something wrong as a great-grandpa? But, look at you. You¡¯ve known Courtney for so long, and what did you tell me when I asked you about her favorite food?¡± He retaliated. This time, Alexander¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°What did you say?¡± Courtney raised her eyebrows and looked at him. ¡°What¡¯s my favorite food?¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± He tensed up. ¡°I remember that you¡¯re not a picky eater, and you don¡¯t have any food taboos. So¡­¡± ¡°So, you remember nothing.¡± Scott red at him. At this moment, he finally regained his face as the elder. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that Courtney is easy-going. If the one sitting here is some little girl outside, she would have broken up with you long ago.¡± Alexander frowned at the criticism, but he was at a loss for words. Contrarily, Courtney observed the confrontation between the pair as if she was watching a fire from the other side of the river. Mr. Scott is probably the only person in this world who can scold Alexander to such an extent without having a valid reason. The family enjoyed the dinner happily. The children sat on each side of Scott; Courtney and Alexander sat separately facing each other. It was true that the Duncan Family had a great chef. The dishes were not at all worse than those prepared by the best chef at Sunhill Hotel. After dinner, the children went upstairs and yed. Meanwhile, Courtney and Alexander sat in the living room and drank tea with Scott. ¡°Courtney, tell me when you¡¯re free. We have to pick a date.¡± ¡°What date?¡± Her heart pinched all of a sudden. ¡°I think we should announce Alexander¡¯s rtionship with you to our rtives and friends so that the women out there won¡¯t keep on hanging around him not knowing how the wind blows.¡± When Scott was talking to her, he was originally smiling. However, the moment he talked about the ¡®women out there¡¯, he threw Alexander a vicious re. ¡°I told Alexander to cut ties with that actress a long time ago. Look at all the trouble she caused after all this time. If it were not for Courtney¡¯s generosity, it would have been toote for you to regret it.¡± Pertaining to the news about Britney, Courtney was a little bit guilty. Therefore, she decided to help Alexander and said, ¡°It¡¯s actually nothing. The media were just scratching fleas on a stuffed dog. Besides, the matter is resolved now. You don¡¯t have to worry about it anymore, Grandpa.¡± Scott¡¯s heart bloomed when he heard her calling him ¡®Grandpa¡¯. ¡°You¡¯re indeed a well-educated girl and more generous than the others. All of us agree on this, then. The tenth day of next month is a good day, and I¡¯m celebrating my birthday too. We can take the opportunity to announce your rtionship.¡± Courtney¡¯s brows knitted unnoticeably; she was flustered. ¡°Grandpa, you haven¡¯t even met Courtney¡¯s parents yet. It¡¯s not a good idea to set things up on your own,¡± Alexander spoke up suddenly and spoke on behalf of Courtney. ¡°Ah, how did I forget about that?¡± Scott was chagrined. ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s arrange to meet Courtney¡¯s family first.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll handle this.¡± Knowing theplicated rtionship between Courtney and her family, Alexander answered for her again. ¡°Okay. You better do it as soon as possible.¡± Scott was worried and reminded him again. Though Courtney was listening to the conversation between the two, she was distracted. Knowing how quick-witted Alexander was, Courtney knew he must have noticed her hesitation from earlier. She was not sure if he had misunderstood her. In the evening, Scott made the pair stay at the ancestral home. He simply ignored Courtney¡¯s refusal. When the servant told her that the children had fallen asleep, she had no choice but to ept the arrangement since she could no longer leave. She was not sure whether it was the servant or Scott¡¯s intention when she found herself being arranged to sleep in Alexander¡¯s room. ¡°Is there no other room?¡± Standing at the entrance of the room, Courtney felt ufortable. After all, the two of them were not married yet. Besides, this house was so quaint that she felt like she had to be more conservative when she was here. Chapter 145 One Night Surprise Chapter 145 Chapter 145 Do You Think I¡¯ll Let You Go? The servant nodded with a vexed expression. ¡°Miss Hunter, the guestroom is musty and the air is not ventted. Mr. Scott has arranged for you to sleep in Mr. Alexander¡¯s room, and he will be sleeping in the guestroom. Please rest well. You can call me if anything happens.¡± As soon as the words were said, the servant ran away at once. Courtney was clueless. There was no way she could run after the servant now because the mansion was huge. If she wasn¡¯t paying attention, she might have lost her way in the courtyard. It was already dark outside, so she would not be able to find her way back. Now that she was already here, it would be better for her to stay. Simr to the rustic mansion, Alexander¡¯s room was very old-fashioned too. The furniture was all made of Chinese rosewood, and the room faced south. It was separated into two rooms at the entrance. The study seemed to be located on the east side. From the half-open door, Courtney could see a desk that was facing the door. A writing brush hung over the desk, and there was rice paper spread across the desk. He still practices calligraphy? Courtney was surprised by the discovery. Pushing the door open, she headed into the study. The paperweight pressed the properly-cut rice paper firmly on the desk. After taking a closer look at the contents on the paper, Courtney couldn¡¯t help but giggle as she propped herself against the corner of the desk. The two cursive words ¡®Extremely Boring¡¯ were written on the paper. The study exuded a serious vibe, and the man that owned this room was meticulous. Who would have thought that a man like him would write something like that on paper? As a result, Courtney got interested in what she saw. Staring at the paper balls inside the trash can beside the desk, she squatted down and took them out. One was written with ¡®This is so annoying¡¯; one was written with ¡®The weather is bad¡¯; and another one was written with ¡®I have to get up early tomorrow¡¯. After studying the series of nonsensical calligraphy ¡®masterpieces¡¯, Courtney was so overjoyed that she failed to notice Alexander¡¯s arrival. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± asked Alexander as he came in. ¡°You wrote these?¡± Courtney¡¯s face was flushed from holding back herughter. Looking at the ¡®masterpieces¡¯, his face turned ashen. With a sullen face, he said, ¡°Is it your habit to go through the trash can?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a habit of going through the trash can. But, now that I¡¯ve seen your masterpieces, I might want to consider picking up this habit in the future.¡± ¡°Boring.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s extremely boring,¡± teased Courtney. Seeing Alexander¡¯s embarrassed expression, she was even more entertained. Failing to pay attention to herself, she lost her bnce and fell onto the ground. For a long moment, she couldn¡¯t get herself to stand up. Alexander was in the midst of his own embarrassment, but when he saw her sitting on the ground, he was rendered speechless. Walking forward, he stretched his hand out to her. ¡°Enough. Get up when you¡¯re doneughing at me. The floor is cold.¡± Courtney rested her palm on his hand and blinked. Boldly, she teased, ¡°Do you have to get up early tomorrow?¡± This time, her ridicule sent fury surging through Alexander¡¯s veins. He tightened his grip around her wrist and pulled her up suddenly. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Without any precaution, Courtney was being lifted from the ground by his force. Due to inertia, the moment she got up, she plunged into his chest. Her smile was still hanging on the corners of her mouth. Suddenly, his huge hand pressed onto her waist from behind, causing her to cling to his chest. Looking up, Courtney stared at Alexander nkly. ¡°Are you stillughing?¡± warned Alexander as he looked down at her. His voice was deep, and he sounded dangerous. Returning back to her senses, Courtney started to struggle. ¡°Let go of me.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t youughing at me? You can do that however you want now.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t intend to let her go. Instead, his grip on her waist tightened, refusing to let her break free from his embrace. Courtney was anxious. ¡°Grandpa said you¡¯re staying in the guestroom. What are you doing here? I¡¯m going to tell him you bullied me.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± He dragged out the end of his question. ¡°I was talking business with Grandpa for half an hour, but he didn¡¯t mention anything about me staying in the guestroom.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney was puzzled and her eyes widened. ¡°What do you mean? Are you implying that I¡¯m the one who came into your room on purpose? Are you even in your right mind?¡± Looking at Courtney¡¯s silly, yet serious expression, Alexander did not know whether he shouldugh or cry. His intention to tease her subsided. ¡°Don¡¯t you think Grandpa made this arrangement on purpose?¡± Courtney was startled at his question, and her face blushed in an instant. ¡°N-No¡­ way.¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t that possible?¡± Lowering his head, he leaned closer to her face. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time Grandpa has acted so recklessly. To make sure that I have more children, he would do anything.¡± Courtney¡¯s head went down even further. Although both of them had always slept together, this was the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. The atmosphere here made her feel like she should be more reserved. But all in all, it was hard for her to restrain herself when Alexander was leaning so close to her! ¡°Let¡­ let me go.¡± Her lips pursed; her words came out stuttered. ¡°I¡¯ll go sleep in the guestroom.¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯re in my room, do you think I¡¯ll let you go?¡± His deliberate words came from the crown of her head. ¡°What are you doing?¡± When Courtney looked up, the grip on her waist tightened before she could recover from her embarrassment. Her world went upside down as Alexander picked her up bridal-style and headed toward his bedroom located on the west side. She felt slightly painful being thrown onto the smooth brocade quilt. Alexander stood by the side of the bed. He leaned down and hovered above her. Grabbing her hands over her head, he stared straight at her face. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me.¡± Courtney blushed under his stare, and she turned her face away anxiously. Starting from her earlobe, Alexander kissed her all the way down to her neck. When his lips came to her chest, she couldn¡¯t hold her moan back. Her legs that were hanging on the side of the bed retracted in response. ¡°I¡¯m going on a business trip next week, so I can¡¯t be with you for a while. Is it okay if I satisfy your needs two days in advance?¡± As he was saying that, he separated her legs with his knees and caressed her inner thighs through his suit pants. She almost screamed from the friction. Gritting her teeth, she managed to utter, ¡°Can you please shut up?¡± After Courtney started a rtionship with Alexander, she had truly understood what a beast in human clothing was. Alexander was two different kinds of people in bed and out of bed. Usually, he looked like an unapproachable and collected man. However, the moment he was in bed, he was simply a beast that was ready to devour her. Alexander undid his tie with one hand. His slender fingers removed the buttons on his shirt, revealing his tanned torso. His breathing was heavy, and his dark pupils showed a teasing gaze. ¡°I couldn¡¯t make it to stay with you yesterday, and you¡¯re already so impatient?¡± ¡°Alexander Duncan¡­¡± Clenching her fists, Courtney wanted to kick him out of the bed. Yet, as soon as she spoke, the friction from her lower body hit her sensitive nerves, and she moaned, ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Her sanity shattered just like that, yet Alexander was still hovering above her. As if he was watching a show, he stared at her as he slowly stroked her body. ¡°What did you call me just now?¡± She clenched her jaws. ¡°Alexander Duncan¡­ Ahh¡­¡± He was teasing her but refused to satisfy her desire. Pleasure wandered around the edge, and Courtney was about to lose her mind from the torture. Surrendering, she changed her choice of words. ¡°Alexander¡­¡± ¡°Do you want it?¡± He leaned down and bit her earlobe. His breath filled her ears. She panted heavily and nodded hard. ¡°I want¡­¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°You.¡± ¡°Say my name.¡± ¡°Alex¡­¡± Her fingers gripped the sheets beside her tightly; her pink lips mumbled in ecstasy, ¡°Alex, I want you¡­¡± Courtney¡¯s invitation overpowered Alexander¡¯s self-restraint. While his eyes were filled with lust, he lifted her waist and pushed himself inside her. His overwhelming desire swept across the entire bedroom. Chapter 146 One Night Surprise Chapter 146 Chapter 146 Who Gave It; Return It After a night of passion, Courtney and Alexander fell into a deep sleep. By the time they woke up the next day, it was alreadyte in the morning. ¡°What time is it?¡± Courtney rolled herself over. With her droopy eyes, she looked at the figure at the end of the bed. Alexander was fastening his watch strap around his wrist. Upon hearing her question, he turned around and looked at her. ¡°11 AM.¡± ¡°11 AM?¡± Courtney was wide awake all of a sudden. Immediately, she sat up from the bed. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± This was her first visit to the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home, and she slept for so long. Her image would be ruined if Scott knew about this. ¡°The servant came and woke you up three times, but you didn¡¯t wake up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± As Courtney put her clothes on, she protested, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything at all. Stop fooling around.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you were exhausted from yesterday night. You were deep in sleep.¡± ¡°Who said I was exhausted?¡± Color rushed up to her cheeks. Lowering her head, she mumbled, ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky.¡± ¡°Really? Then, you should have heard what I just said to the servant.¡± Alexander looked at her in a teasing manner. As he turned around and leaned against the table, he slowly said, ¡°I told the servant that you were too tired fromst night, so we won¡¯t be having lunch with Grandpa today.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney looked up immediately. She was so embarrassed that she was frustrated. ¡°You rascal¡­¡± I wonder how thick his skin is? How can he say something like that without flinching? ¡°Are you angry?¡± Alexander looked at her, pretending as if he did not understand the reason behind her wrath. ¡°So, you still want to have lunch with Grandpa?¡± Annoyed, Courtney did not say anything. She left the bed and headed straight to the bathroom. Staring at herself in the mirror, she saw her cheeks painted red and hickeys all the way down her neck. ¡°Alexander Duncan!¡± She pulled the door open angrily and yelled, ¡°Look at what you did.¡± These won¡¯t go away for a few days. What am I going to do when I go back to work? Alexander rested against the chair as he flipped through a magazine. When he heard her, he looked up for a moment. He then titled his head innocently and shrugged. ¡°Courtney, this is something out of my control. But, you can hit back and take an eye for an eye.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Courtney gritted her teeth. For a long moment, she couldn¡¯t say a word. ¡°Bring me my liquid foundation.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± A hint of a smile crawled onto the corners of Alexander¡¯s eyes. Arching his brows, he fumbled through her purse. While waiting for Alexander, Courtney stood in front of the bathroom mirror. The cor of her white shirt was buttoned to the very top, but it could not cover up the two obvious hickeys. I wonder if the liquid foundation can conceal them? Well, nothing¡¯s dead until it¡¯s buried. After a while, Alexander came to the bathroom door. ¡°Did you find it?¡± she asked without turning around. ¡°What is this?¡± he asked in return. Turning her head, Courtney saw him holding a purple satin box. She was startled. ¡°My jewelry. I told you to bring me my liquid foundation. Why did you bring this instead? Someone gave it to me. It¡¯s quite expensive, so don¡¯t lose it. Put it back quickly.¡± Looking at her nervous state, Alexander¡¯s expression hardened. He continued to question, ¡°Who gave it to you?¡± ¡°Jen¡­¡± The name almost slipped out from Courtney¡¯s lips, but she suddenly sensed jealousy from Alexander¡¯s words. Moving her gaze away, she quickly grabbed the liquid foundation from his other hand. She applied the foundation onto her neck as she looked at the mirror. Casually, she said, ¡°A friend from abroad.¡± Courtney was trying to annoy Alexander as revenge for the frustration he caused her early in the morning. Sure enough; the moment Alexander heard her answer, his tone sank. ¡°You seem to have a lot of friends. Is this a teenage boy again?¡± Huh! Looks like he¡¯s bringing up the past now. Courtney avoided his gaze intentionally. She kept looking into the mirror and said with an indifferent tone, ¡°Why can¡¯t I know someone that is older and more experienced? Don¡¯t look down on me.¡± ¡°Older? More experienced?¡± Alexander sounded like he uttered those words through his gritted teeth. Before Courtney could react, he grabbed her arms and turned her around with a strong force. She spun around and was pressed against his chest. He sounded annoyed. ¡°Courtney Hunter, did you forget that you belong to me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re hurting me.¡± She looked up and frowned. ¡°Let me go.¡± ¡°Who gave it? Return it.¡± mes were dancing in his eyes, and his attitude seemed intolerable. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. However, Courtney was not afraid at all. A trace of cunning was hidden behind her eyes. ¡°Fine. Call Jennifer on your own and send someone to deliver it abroad. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to exin why I have to return something I just received from her.¡± Jennifer? Alexander¡¯s expression froze. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Courtney broke free from his hold and took the jewelry box away. ¡°This pair of earrings is from Jennifer¡¯s collection. I even wore it to the farewell banquet. But, someone was putting your tie on for you at the entrance that day, so of course, you didn¡¯t notice.¡± It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know how to settle old scores with you. Alexander looked awkward, which was a rare phenomenon. Deliberately, Courtney red at him with an aggressive look. ¡®Let¡¯s see how you¡¯re going to exin your way out of this¡¯ was written clearly all over her face. ¡°That was a misunderstanding.¡± Frowning, Alexander did not know how to exin himself. At the entrance of the hotel that day, Britney stopped him when she got out of the car. Because they were attending a banquet, she reminded him that his tie was crooked and wanted to straighten it for him. He did not think too much during that time because his servants usually did it for him. Thus, he forgot the asion they were at and the person who was doing it for him. ¡°Would you mind exining it to me?¡± Courtney grimaced, but there was mischief in her eyes. Staring at her for a second, Alexander realized he had been tricked. ¡°Are you trying to mess with me?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s messing¡ª¡± Before she could finish her words, her vision went dark and her mouth was sealed by a kiss. ¡°You¡¯re a rascal.¡± After a long moment, the pair separated. With her cheeks flushed, Courtney pped his hands that were touching her away and said, ¡°Stop messing with me. Aren¡¯t you going on a business trip? I need to go home and pack some things too.¡± She wanted to move her things away from Cameron¡¯s ce to her new ce now that it was the weekend. Alicia was right. She couldn¡¯t stay in Cameron¡¯s house all the time. Since there was a suitable ce for her to stay now, she had to move out as soon as possible. The pair came out from the bathroom together. Courtney kept her liquid foundation in her purse and Alexander followed behind her before handing the jewelry box¡ªthe source of the earlier conflict¡ªback to her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you move only after I¡¯m back from the trip?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t have many things with me. I can move them by car. Besides, the ce is huge. Didn¡¯t you n to let Jordan stay with me for a while? This will be convenient too.¡± Alexander thought for a moment, but he seemed to remember something. His brows furrowed, yet he did not continue asking. ¡°By the way, if you meet Jennifer on your business trip, greet her on my behalf.¡± Opening up the jewelry box, Courtney let out a sigh. ¡°Back then, Jennifer gave me this because I was about the same age as her daughter. She always thought of her daughter every time she saw me.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Alexander promised. When his eyes swept across the jewelry box, he was startled. ¡°Jennifer gave you this?¡± Chapter 147 One Night Surprise Chapter 147 Chapter 147 Lost It Six Years Ago ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Courtney did not know what had happened when she noticed Alexander¡¯s change of expression. Alexander took the earrings out from the jewelry box and examined them. After a while, he seemed to be sure of something. He went into the study opposite his room and came back with a ck-and-white photo. The photo looked old; its corners had discolored. There was a young woman in a cheongsam inside the photo. She looked like she was eighteen or neen years old, and she exuded a cold aura. She wore an iid gold ne around her neck. The ne was iid with two pieces of jade¡ªone smaller and one bigger. Despite the age of the photo, one could see the smooth outline of the jade through the photo. ¡°This is¡­?¡± Courtney was puzzled. Alexanderpared the earrings with the ne before he put the photo down. ¡°This is my grandmother. The ne she was wearing was her family heirloom. There were two pieces of jade iid in the ne. One was small, and another one was big. They were a matching pair of circr jades. When the country was in total chaos, the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home was upied by soldiers. The Duncan Family became poor, and she had to sell the smaller one to support the family.¡± ¡°The smaller one?¡± Courtney¡¯s gaze fixated on the earrings in her hand, and she noticed that the jade was indeed simr to the one in the photo. ¡°Is this the one?¡± Alexander nodded. Who would have thought that this jade would go overseas andnd in Jennifer¡¯s hands? In the end, it came all the way back to Courtney again. ¡°How about the other one?¡± asked Courtney. Alexander frowned at her inquiry. ¡°Grandpa gave the remaining one to me, and I made it into a ne. Unfortunately, I lost it six years ago.¡± Courtney was puzzled upon hearing that. She couldn¡¯t help but clench her fists; her expression became nervous. Could it be that the ne he¡¯s talking about is the one I snapped off his neck back then? ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s on your mind now?¡± His voice snapped her back to reality. A little absent-minded, she said, ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just surprised to hear that. I didn¡¯t know these earrings would have something to do with the Duncan Family.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably fate.¡± There was warmth in his eyes. This was the first time he had ever mentioned ¡®fate¡¯¡ªit was a trivial concept he had never considered before. However, Courtney had mixed feelings. When she greeted Scott and left the house with the children, her mind was still upied by that ne. What an ill twist of fate. The existence of that ne was like a reminder about what happened six years ago. It reminded her about the identity she was still hiding from Alexander. It was originally a clue to search for her son, but now it became a hot potato that she did not want to touch. When Courtney moved, she locked the earrings and the ne in a safe. Once the safe was locked ¡ªas if her past had been locked inside there¡ªshe felt relieved. ¡°We¡¯re going to live here in the future. Do you guys like it?¡± After spending an afternoon tidying up the house, Courtney brought the children back from Cameron¡¯s ce. Tina was extremely excited as she checked out every room in the house. ¡°Wow! This is so pretty. It¡¯s much bigger than Aunt Cameron¡¯s house. I love my room.¡± ¡°Great-Aunt Alicia decorated it for you.¡± Courtney followed behind her. Staring at the dolls that were carefully ced inside the room, her heart was full of warmth. Alicia told her that the house had been vacant and no one was taking care of it. Yet, when she stopped by, the house was fully furnished and was beautifully decorated. She had even prepared the daily necessities for her. Tina¡¯s room had been painted pink, there were dozens of children¡¯s toys piled up, and there were new clothes in her wardrobe. ¡°Jordan, this is your room.¡± She pushed open another door and waved at him. ¡°Come and take a look.¡± Jordan nodded obediently and walked toward her. Standing in front of the room, he observed. He was just like his dad, and Courtney could not tell whether he liked it or not. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Courtney could only take the initiative and asked. ¡°The decoration is simple probably because Great-Aunt Alicia didn¡¯t know that you¡¯re staying over here too. I¡¯ll redecorate your roomter. You can tell me if there¡¯s something that you like.¡± Jordan ran back to the sofa and picked up his small drawing board. Lowering his head, he wrote something on it and held it up: ¡®I like being with you and Tina.¡¯ The moment Courtney saw the writing, her heart ached. Squatting down, she pulled him into her embrace. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. The sound of the doorbell was followed by someone¡¯s loud voice. ¡°Hurry up and open the door, Courtney. My wrist is almost broken. I brought hotpot.¡± Tina poked her head out from her room and cheered, ¡°Godmom!¡± She darted to the entrance. Cameron came into the house with bags of food. With a weird tone, she said, ¡°Wow! This ce is good. No wonder you moved out from my little house in such a hurry.¡± In response, Courtney raised her brows. ¡°Why don¡¯t we switch ces? After all, I¡¯m used to your house. Since what¡¯s yours is mine, what¡¯s mine is yours too.¡± Finally, Cameron shed her a smile of satisfaction. ¡°Since you said that, I¡¯m going to cook tonight. Consider it a housewarming gift from me.¡± If one were to look forward to Cameron¡¯s cooking, their lowest expectation was that she would not burn down the kitchen. Fortunately, Cameron knew her limits, so she brought hotpot. However, there was still another problem. ¡°I don¡¯t have a pot for the hotpot.¡± Courtney shrugged helplessly. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem at all. Wait here.¡± Cameron turned on her phone and dialed a number as she twitched her brows at Courtney. The call was quickly connected. ¡°Courtney just moved to a new house, and she wants me to ask if you¡¯re free toe and have dinner tonight.¡± ¡°Okay. Come quickly, then. Buy some things that we might need for the hotpot while you¡¯re on the way here.¡± ¡°Nothing so troublesome. We have everything here. I bought all the food we need.¡± As soon as she said that, she raised her voice. ¡°Courtney, is there anything that you need?¡± Courtney¡¯s name was suddenly mentioned and reflexively, she responded, ¡°A pot.¡± ¡°Okay. You heard that, right? Courtney said we don¡¯t have a pot. The kind we use for hotpot.¡± After Cameron hung up the phone, she sank herself into the sofa. ¡°Done.¡± Courtney¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯ve dragged me into your evil n to torture glorified souls?¡± ¡°Glorified souls?¡± Cameron pouted. ¡°Gale has the word ¡®scumbag¡¯ written from the tip of his hair to his toenails. He is far from a glorified soul.¡± ¡°True.¡± Courtney nodded approvingly. The negligible feeling of shame in her heart vanished into the air. She then asked Cameron to call Gale again to bring Oliver along with him. Half an hourter, Gale came with a pot along with Oliver. As soon as Oliver came, Courtney handed the kitchen and the dining table to him. Even Gale had been instructed to help out in the kitchen. The two womeny on the sofa as they chatted and snacked on sunflower seeds. When Cameron recalled Oliver¡¯s elegant but ruthless attitude from earlier, she spat out the husk of the sunflower seed. ¡°Why do I feel like Oliver has changed into someone else? Wasn¡¯t he a fool when he first woke up in the hospital?¡± ¡°Did he?¡± Courtney was ignorant when it came to reading people. Therefore, she did not notice anything wrong with Oliver. ¡°Perhaps, he has something on his mind? Why? Do you think there¡¯s something wrong with him?¡± Cameron raised her brows and looked toward the kitchen with a thoughtful expression. ¡°No. What I¡¯m saying is that he looks much more handsome than before. How old is he? Is he twenty yet?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re in love with him.¡± Courtney stared at her warily. Chapter 148 One Night Surprise Chapter 148 Chapter 148 Are You Going to Tell Him? ¡°Don¡¯t be so rash. Oliver hasn¡¯t even graduated yet, and he still doesn¡¯t remember what happened back then. Who knows? He might already have a girlfriend.¡± Based on her understanding of Cameron, Courtney knew that whenever she started paying attention to a man, it most likely meant that she was interested in him. So much about Gale being a jerk. They¡¯re both equally bad, Courtney mused. ¡°Why do you sound like my mom?¡± Cameron scowled at her. ¡°I only asked a question. Why are you acting like I¡¯ve already made a move on him?¡± ¡°You were thinking about it.¡± Cameron flung a pillow at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you have fantasies, too? What¡¯s so wrong about being attracted to a young man?¡± ¡°Whatever. Don¡¯t you think I don¡¯t know you? It¡¯s just a spur of the moment. Go and watch some Korean dramas about older women dating younger men and forget about your feelings. I think Gale treats you really well. He always listens to what you say.¡± ¡°He listens to any female person.¡± At the mention of Gale, Cameron¡¯s spirits fell, and she slowly looked away from the kitchen. ¡°A tiger never changes its stripes.¡± ¡°What happened? Did he flirt with another woman again? Aren¡¯t things going well these days?¡± ¡°Just because he doesn¡¯t flirt with them doesn¡¯t mean no onees up to him first. He¡¯s not like Alexander who has always been a man with integrity. Gale is infamous out there. Do you really expect him to clean up his act and be able to hold himself back? We¡¯re all adults here. If we want to have a peaceful life, we just have to feign ignorance.¡± Seeing how downhearted Cameron was made Courtney upset. ¡°Cameron, don¡¯t dwell on the past. We have to live life looking ahead. You don¡¯t have to constantly be afraid of looking forward to the future. Don¡¯t try to bear all the burden on your own and pretend like you don¡¯t care about anything. Besides, the things that happened in the past might never happen again.¡± With a stiffened expression, Cameron clenched her fists and exined, ¡°I¡¯m not bothered by the past. You saw how I was back then. People¡¯s futures are in their hands, but mine is not. It¡¯s better not to have expectations or expect too much from others. I¡¯m content with just being happy now.¡± ¡°What if it doesn¡¯t recur? Hasn¡¯t it been three years already?¡± Courtney grasped her hand. It felt icy as though there was not a degree of warmth in her body. ¡°Like you said, it¡¯s only a ¡®what if¡¯.¡± Cameron looked pale. At that moment, her usually cunning eyes were filled with a myriad of untold stories. Only a handful of people in this world knew about her past¡ªit was an unbearable past that made asting impact on the rest of her life. After being silent for a while, Courtney looked in the direction of the kitchen where Gale was preparing vegetables and turned back around to ask, ¡°Do you n on telling him?¡± Cameron shook her head and blinked. ¡°Why would I tell him? What if we break up again after this meal?¡± Courtney let out a sigh. A crease was engraved between her brows. Not long after, the hotpot was ready. It was the dog days of summer, so the air conditioner was on full st while the boiling hotpot continued to exude heat. Since the age of three, Tina had not been a finicky eater and did not shun spicy food. On the other hand, Jordan started coughing until he teared up after having just one bite of some beef from the spicy hotpot. Cough! Cough! When he was coughing uncontrobly, Courtney quickly got him a cup of water and managed to quell the heat. After that, he did not want to eat anymore and grabbed a box of choctes to bring back to his room. Tina shoved two more spoonfuls into her mouth and also followed after him. ¡°He can¡¯t eat spicy food, just like his dad,¡± Gale teased. ¡°When Alex was younger, he always had a stiff expression on his face like an old man. One time on April Fool¡¯s Day, one of his friends gave him a biscuit that was covered in chili sauce. He was clearly in agony, but he still put up with it. Luckily, I noticed in time and rushed him to the emergency room.¡± Cameron looked at him. ¡°Why were you the one who noticed it?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± he touched his nose, ¡°it must have been fate.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Courtney interrupted. ¡°I heard that when Alex was hospitalized for two days after the incident, you cried by his bedside every day. Was it brotherly affection?¡± ¡°Alex even told you about that?¡± Panic grew in Gale¡¯s eyes. ¡°So what was the reason?¡± Cameron pried. ¡°Don¡¯t say it.¡± But, it was toote for him to stop Courtney. Without hesitation, she revealed, ¡°Because Gale was the one who covered the biscuit in chili sauce. When Alex was in the hospital, he went to see him to apologize in tears every day because his father had spanked him. As long as Alex did not forgive him, he continued to get punished. Even after he apologized for a whole week, Alex did not utter a single word to him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s brutal.¡± Cameron burst intoughter. ¡°No!¡± Gale was displeased now. ¡°That¡¯s because he hurt his throat from the heat and couldn¡¯t speak for that whole week! When his voice returned, he immediately forgave me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like he was in aa. So what if he couldn¡¯t speak?¡± Cameron countered. ¡°Look at Jordan! He can¡¯t talk, but does it affect his ability to express himself?¡± Gale boiled over with rage. While Gale was being teased repeatedly, Oliver suddenly remembered that Jordan was unable to talk. ¡°Was Jordan born mute?¡± ¡°No.¡± Courtney shook her head. ¡°After suffering from a high fever when he was younger, he was unable to speak anymore. I don¡¯t really know the details either.¡± The moment Gale found an opportunity to save his pride, he interjected, ¡°When he was around three years old, he was still living with Old Master Duncan. I had gone over to talk to Old Master Duncan about something, but he wasn¡¯t home at the time. I thought I¡¯d go see my nephew since I was already there, but when I got to Jordan, I saw that his nanny wasn¡¯t with him. He was just lying on the bed and crying all alone inside the room.¡± ¡°The nanny wasn¡¯t around? No one tended to him even though he was crying that badly?¡± Oliver inquired. ¡°You¡¯ve never been to the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home before, so you don¡¯t know this.¡± Gale nced at him. ¡°The ancestral home is huge. Jordan and the old master didn¡¯t live in the same building. If I hadn¡¯t intentionally gone over to see Jordan, I wouldn¡¯t have discovered the situation, either.¡± Courtney felt a tug in her chest. If Gale hadn¡¯t cared to go check on Jordan, he might not have been here today. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Duncan Family care a lot about Jordan? How could his nanny be that irresponsible?¡± Oliver was hung up on the nanny¡¯s agenda as if he had found a loophole. Courtney pulled her focus back and was perplexed by the same question. She had been to the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home before, and there were housekeepers all over the house. Even Scott¡¯s adopted daughter always had two housekeepers following in her shadow. Considering how much Scott adored and cared about Jordan, it did not make sense that he only had one nanny with him. Something isn¡¯t right here. Oliver¡¯s reminder sent chills down her spine. Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. If it had been someone¡¯s doing, then that person must have been familiar with the Duncans¡¯ housekeepers¡¯ work schedule. They had to know when the house was bustling with people and when it was not. They might have even been able to bribe people off and enter the house when no one was around. These were not things that just anyone could carry out. This person was definitely familiar with the ancestral home. Perhaps, it was even someone from the Duncan Family. Chapter 149 One Night Surprise Chapter 149 Chapter 149 Desires Are Limitless ¡°After the incident, Alex brought Jordan home and looked him all over, but he didn¡¯t find anything. They found out that the nanny had skipped work that day. It wasn¡¯t her first time, but Jordan was always obedient so nothing ever happened. During the day before the incident, however, Jordan happened to catch a cold and develop a high fever, then one thing led to another.¡± Gale remembered what happened that year very clearly. Of all the years he knew Alexander, he had never seen him that angry before. Jordan was his biological son. Scott wanted him to settle down, so he gave him a grandson to deal with. Even though Alexander acted like he did not care, when something happened to Jordan, he was more worried than anyone else. ¡°What happened to the nanny?¡± Oliver asked. ¡°Of course, she got fired. After Alex brought Jordan home, he handpicked every housekeeper they hired. He brought Jordan along on his business trips whenever he could. If he wasn¡¯t around, then Britney would look after Jordan. She was not the only one who wanted to be Jordan¡¯s stepmother, but she was the only one who could reach him. How would she dare to neglect him?¡± ¡°That might not be entirely true.¡± Oliver looked calm. ¡°If Britney could only reach Jordan after the incident, and get to Alexander through him, then she is obviously the biggest beneficiary here.¡± ¡°She is.¡± Gale failed to notice the implication of his words. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what I meant?¡± Courtney, however, picked up on it. ¡°Are you saying that what happened to Jordan has something to do with Britney?¡± They were stunned. Oliver¡¯s face was still hard to read, and he spoke in an unhurried manner. ¡°I¡¯m just specting. Besides, Alexander is famous for his disinterest in women. Britney was the only one who appeared next to him from time to time, but he didn¡¯t treat her any differently. If all of this happened so she could use Jordan for personal gains, then it actually makes sense.¡± They felt chills all over from hearing his exnation. What could someone do by using a child? Courtney quickly thought of clinical cases where childhood trauma resulted in mental illnesses. Some children who suffered severe psychological distress ended up bing traumatized and refused to interact with people. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t go that far to do that.¡± Gale looked baffled. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re going overboard with your conspiracy theory? Even if you give Britney all the courage in the world, she still wouldn¡¯t dare to pull this stunt in front of Alex. Two years ago, she was just a small-time actress who was not well- known; who did not have much of a background; and who knew her ce. It was only because of those reasons that Alex let her pretend to be his girlfriend to fool Scott.¡± ¡°There is no limit to desire. I believe Alexander yed a big part in helping her be who she is today over the past two years,¡± Olivermented, then abruptly changed the topic. ¡°Let¡¯s eat. It¡¯s cooked now.¡± After dinner, Gale and Oliver were in the kitchen doing the dishes when Gale asked bluntly, ¡°How do you know so much?¡± ¡°Is it that hard to find out?¡± Oliver nced at him. ¡°You just have to search on the inte. It¡¯s the 21st century, Gale.¡± ¡°What was your intention for looking up those things?¡± Gale had his guard up now. ¡°I wanted to find my memories.¡± Oliver shrugged. ¡°Maybe I was a police officer in training; I seem naturally sensitive to my surroundings. But, I was just saying. Why are you so tense?¡± Gale pulled his brows together. ¡°I would advise you not to pry any further.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Oliver shot him a questioning look. ¡°I think I hear various implications in that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. If you don¡¯t want trouble, then don¡¯t bring this up again. Do you think people are fools who don¡¯t know anything? It involves tremendous financial benefits and isn¡¯t as simple as you think it is.¡± Oliver raised his eyebrows but did not exhibit any intention to reply. He was well aware that huge financial benefits could drive a person mad. Gale assumed that his warning was enough to stop Oliver from talking, but before Oliver left, he told Courtney everything without missing a beat. After closing the door behind her, Courtney did not even know how she made it back to her room. It just felt like her mind was a tangled ball of mess that could not be undone. Does that mean Alex knew about what happened all along? But, why did he act like he had no clue? He keeps telling people that Jordan lost his ability to speak because of the high fever he developed from being neglected by his nanny. Could someone really use a child as bait and a bargaining chip for financial gains? Oliver¡¯s words kept reying in her mind. ¡°Two years ago, not long after Jordan¡¯s incident, Alexander¡¯s cousin stepped down from his position as the chief financial officer of Sunhill Enterprise. Scott also legally acquired all the shares he had on hand. When the board of directors was dismissed, the only entity that was capable of going up against Alexander in the Duncan Family was also gone. That was how Alexander secured his position as president at Sunhill Enterprise.¡± Alexander was the only child in the Duncan Family in his generation, but he had numerous cousins. That year, a number of his cousins were on the board of directors at thepany, and many also held important positions in each department. At the time, Scott said he would not let Alexander be the sessor if he did not get married. For the sake of the inheritance, Alexander even gave him a grandchild through surrogacy. During that time, Jordan was only a trivial living being of little importance to Alexander. The more Courtney thought about it, the more she felt chills in her bones and she dared not to think any further. Perhaps I¡¯m overthinking this. Late at night, at an obscure jazz bar, the sounds of chatter in booths blended with the slow music. A woman with a slender body moved through the public space to a private room on the second floor. When she pushed open the door, her face tensed up under her sunsses. A lone young man was inside the room, leaning against the window as he looked down at the jazz performance below. A single ss of whisky sat on the industrial-styled table before him. Looking at his side profile, the woman tightened her grip on her handbag and walked in. ¡°Are you Benjamin Ford?¡± ¡°You¡¯re here, aren¡¯t you? Why bother asking when you already know?¡± He scorned. ¡°Sit down. You can order anything you want. Even though I¡¯m going to press charges against you for attempted murder, we still have time for this.¡± Britney¡¯s face went white. Looking around nervously, she mumbled, ¡°I told you. I¡¯ll give you as much as you want. This issue ends here.¡± ¡°I do like money, but I want to change things up a bit this time.¡± He smirked and a menacing look grew in his eyes. ¡°I want to take back what¡¯s mine. If you help me, I can pretend like you never inflicted harm on me before or that you cost someone their life.¡± ¡°What do you want me to help you with?¡± ¡°Alexander¡¯s son. He¡¯s a real eyesore to me¡ªget rid of him.¡± The expression on her face shifted. ¡°Are you telling me to kill someone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve never done it before.¡± He shot her a sidelong nce. Britney felt an intense shudder. ¡°Haven¡¯t you always yearned to be the Duncans¡¯ daughter-inw? If you get rid of that nuisance, you¡¯ll have that chance. As for me, I just happen to have some bad blood with Alexander. It¡¯s that simple.¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Chapter 150 One Night Surprise Chapter 150 Chapter 150 Sever Ties With Her Britney looked up to meet a pair of bleak eyes. Shuddering in fear, she instantly had the feeling that Benjamin was not an average person, and that his connection to Alexander was not an average one, either. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What happened between the both of you?¡± ¡°That is none of your business. You just have to do as you¡¯re told.¡± He was indifferent toward her question. It was clear that he had no intention of engaging in idle talk. ¡°What should I do?¡± She put her mind to it and took a deep breath. ¡°You have to give me some instructions.¡± It was tough to be in the palm of someone¡¯s hand, but things had already unfolded that way. Benjamin was clearly one step ahead of her. The carelessness of the person Jason hired is to me. How could he let him get away so easily? ¡°It¡¯s simple¡ªcause an ident to happen and frame someone else for it.¡± ¡°Good morning, Miss Hunter.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± Courtney brought the two children along with her to the hotel for work today. As they were making their way in, they were greeted by many employees¡ªsome of whom gave them strange looks. ¡°I told you. Do you still not believe me? Miss Hunter and President Duncan have already started living together. Whenever he goes on a business trip, she looks after his son for him, so that¡¯s why he¡¯s been following her to work every day. I saw them yesterday too.¡± ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t the little prince the hardest to tend to? The hotel was in chaos thest time he stayed here.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make Miss Hunter capable? Being able to get on the little prince¡¯s good side is basically getting on President Duncan¡¯s good side.¡± ¡°If I had known, I would¡¯ve been the first one to rush to Little Master whenever he came to stay at the hotel. I wouldn¡¯t budge even if I got punched or kicked. Wouldn¡¯t I be the daughter-inw of the Duncan Family, then?¡± ¡°You have a wild imagination! If you bother the little prince, you wouldn¡¯t even have this job anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Oh well, I¡¯ll just wait for an ordinary person. It¡¯s still better to have your feet on the ground. Only a person¡¯s career can change their fate.¡± Despite the heated gossip and chatter in the office, Courtney remained oblivious to it all. Since it was not too malicious or far-fetched, she did not bother with it even when it reached her ears. Alexander was on a business trip for two days. She did not feel at ease leaving the two children at home, so she decided to bring them along with her to work at the hotel. Besides, the people at the hotel already knew who they were. She let them run around the hotel as long as they did not step outside. ¡°The same rules from yesterday apply today. If you¡¯re hungry, go look for Uncle Oliver. You have to stay inside this hotel. If there¡¯s a problem,e to me or Miss Penelope at the front desk.¡± ¡°We know, Mommy. Get to work already.¡± Tina urged her to leave while Jordan nodded his head obediently and tugged at Tina with apliant look on his face. When Courtney arrived at her office, Addie came running over in a frantic state. ¡°We have a problem, Miss Hunter!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°A call from the headquarters came just now. They told us to tighten security at the hotel and advised you not toe to work for a couple of days.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Courtney looked up from herputer when she sensed the gravity of the situation. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Look at the trending searches on the inte today.¡± Filled with rm, Courtney¡¯s hands started flying across the keyboard and quickly brought up the trending news articles on the screen. ¡®Popr singer Shay Spencer¡¯s first love and girlfriend exposed at the same time.¡¯ ¡®Rumored adoptive sister and his current girlfriend got into a big fight.¡¯ ¡®Shay Spencer hasn¡¯t forgotten about the incestuousheadquarters ¡¯ love affair with his sister.¡¯ Courtney was rendered speechless. The red and bold headlines were shocking. Most of the pictures included in the articles had the watermark of only one media source. ¡°The headquarters and Shay¡¯spany are rushing to resolve this issue, but the editor-in-chief at the mediapany seems to have a bit of animosity toward President Duncan. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t show us mercy. Netizens are currently leaning more toward one side.¡± Addie was overwhelmed with concern. Very carefully, he said, ¡°Miss Hunter, we don¡¯t believe that you are this kind of person, but the pictures might be difficult to justify.¡± The picture captured what happened backstage on the day of Shay¡¯s performance. The person imed to be his current girlfriend was Anna Hunter while the adoptive older sister he once talked about while on a program was naturally Courtney. Courtney clenched her fists. ¡°This is nonsense.¡± ¡°We think it¡¯s nonsense too.¡± Addie nodded in agreement. ¡°You¡¯re older than him by two to three years, and you¡¯re not rted by blood. Why is it considered an inappropriate rtionship?¡± Courtney gave out a side-splittingugh and rolled her eyes. ¡°Addie, you sure know how to discern a problem.¡± An unbelievably slow-witted Addie took it as apliment. ¡°I learn from the best, Miss Hunter.¡± The news came out in the morning and spread across the inte very quickly. Even though Shay rose to fame recently, he was still building his reputation and fanbase. Since arge portion of his fans were students, the inte blew up with rage in an instant. As soon as they managed to take down one trending topic, ¡®Pity Shay¡¯s Girlfriend¡¯ made it to the top three. Courtney followed the headquarter¡¯s advice and was packing up her things to leave early when she received a call from Alexander. ¡°I just came out from a meeting.¡± His voice sounded hoarse like he hadn¡¯t slept enough. ¡°I saw the news. Stay at the hotel for a couple of days and don¡¯t run off anywhere else. It¡¯s not safe to go home.¡± She was rather taken aback. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me about the picture?¡± In the picture, Courtney and Shay were seen embracing each other. The paparazzi happened to find a convenient angle where it looked like they were tied up in each other¡¯s arms when it was just an endearing hug. There was even a picture of Anna running away in tears with her hands over her face beside it, giving people the wrong idea. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to believe things that you see about me on the news, either. It goes both ways.¡± Feeling touched by his words, Courtney murmured, ¡°Thank you. When are youing back?¡± Alexander had been gone for a few days, so she figured he must have been swamped with work. It was also their first phone call since he left. ¡°I won¡¯t be returning for the time being. Can you manage on your own?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she answered firmly. ¡°Okay.¡± After exchanging a few sentences with each other, the call ended. Alexander was always brief and to the point while Courtney always preferred to deal with her own problems. Thinking about that phone call, Courtney guessed that it wasn¡¯t even a minute long. If it were a different woman, she would probably have boiled over with anger by now. It was no wonder he stayed single all these years. He did not know how to speak affectionately, but he happened to meet Courtney, who understood how busy he was. At the thought of that, Courtney felt like she had gotten the short end of the stick. Why am I so good at finding excuses for people? At the entrance of a five-star hotel in a foreign country, Alexander hung up the call and sat inside the car. ¡°Who released the news?¡± ¡°Storm Media.¡± Josh furrowed his brows together. ¡°At the moment, people who have voiced their opinions on the inte seem to fall into two categories: Shay¡¯s diehard fans who won¡¯t ept that he has a girlfriend, and those who feel sorry for the said girlfriend. Should we do something about those who keep cursing at Shay and Miss Hunter?¡± ¡°No.¡± Alexander looked firm. ¡°Sever all of Courtney¡¯s ties with Sunhill Enterprise.¡± ¡°What?¡± Josh looked puzzled. ¡°Sever ties? What about¡ª¡± Upon seeing Alexander¡¯s indifferent expression, he took back thetter half of his sentence. Don¡¯t try to guess what Alex is thinking; I won¡¯t get it anyway. Chapter 151 Chapter 151 Was It Really an ident? Courtney did not let the news weigh her down too much. It was just a passing matter that would be forgotten with time. Even though the media worded it in an unpleasant way, it was still personal. The fans were making a fuss now, but they, ultimately, would not go overboard. She just had to be more cautious over the next couple of days. Addie had been overly frantic. Alexander¡¯s attitude was the normal rational response. Before leaving her office in the afternoon, Courtney turned off herputer and gathered her things. The employees in the office had not left yet. ncing at her watch, she looked back up and said, ¡°Get off work when it¡¯s time. We¡¯re not busy these days, so you can go home on time. Don¡¯t wait for me.¡± They all let out a sigh of relief and were finally able to smile. ¡°Why? Were you afraid that I was going to make you work overtime?¡± she teased. A mixture ofughter broke out in the room. They were already traumatized by the extra hours they had to workst week because of the quarterly statistical reports. Those who were used to getting off work on time also held their breaths out of fear that they would be asked to work overtime. As soon as Courtney took a few steps out of the elevator, Penelope called out to her. ¡°Miss Hunter, are you leaving now?¡± Turning back around, Courtney was taken aback to see the nervous look on her face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Addie tell you? I texted him already.¡± Penelope did not have work during the day today and had just arrived at the front desk for her shift after changing into her cream-colored uniform. Before she even had time to put on her name badge, however, she hastily approached Courtney. ¡°Miss Hunter, I saw a minivan parked on the road outside on my way in earlier. They had two video cameras facing the entrance of our hotel. I¡¯m certain they¡¯re here to film you.¡±Courtney frowned. The reporters actually came. The entertainment industry was desperate for news these days. Shay had just risen to fame over thest couple of days and was still a C-list celebrity at the very most. These journalists usually enjoyed creating drama out of nothing. Since this opportunity fell into their hands, they were still at a loss over what to do with it. In the middle of their conversation, Addie came out of the elevator and rushed over while smacking his head for having forgotten about the text message. ¡°Miss Hunter, I don¡¯t think you should leave today. You can stay at the hotel.¡± Penelope was deeply concerned. ¡°Yes. The room that President Duncan stays in is cleaned regrly. You can stay¡ª¡± Halfway through, Addie quickly shut his mouth out of fear that he might have misspoken. His eyes slowly moved up to sneak a nce at Courtney to perceive her reaction. She had pulled her eyebrows together slightly, but there were no major changes in her expression as if she was not affected by his words. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m going to get my daughter.¡± Previously, Tina and Jordan had signed up for swimming lessons, and the course was still ongoing. Normally, Alexander¡¯s butler was responsible for dropping them off and picking them up, but before leaving the house today, Courtney informed the children that she would be picking them up herself in the evening. She had always taken promises she made in front of the children seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you.¡± A man¡¯s clear and distinct voice came from behind the three of them. Courtney turned around to find Oliver who had his hands in his pockets and was wearing a white shirt and ck trousers. He had a youthful face that also carried maturity and wisdom. ¡°You¡¯ll drive me?¡± Courtney repeated after him in astonishment. Oliver took out the car keys from his pocket and waved them in front of her. ¡°Are we going or not?¡± ¡°And I thought you managed to get yourself a car in this short span of time,¡± Courtney teased as she fastened her seatbelt inside the car in the underground car park. ¡°When did Alex give you the keys?¡±Oliver looked exceptionally attractive as he backed out of the parking space with his long and slender fingers wrapped around the steering wheel. ¡°When I went to submit the car expenses to him before he left. Maybe he just didn¡¯t want to deal with me.¡± Courtney let out a chuckle. ¡°I told you to juste to me for small things like that. If you¡¯re short of money, you can alsoe to me; you don¡¯t have to look for him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Oliver was looking at the road outside through the windshield, seemingly upied with thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s only right that I asked him for it.¡± Assuming that he was talking about Alexander being responsible for his ident, Courtney rushed to exin. ¡°Oliver, I was the one who hit and injured you. Alex only brought the responsibility onto thepany so I wouldn¡¯t have to bear the burden. But still, I¡¯m the one who should be responsible. It¡¯s only right that I take responsibility for your life from now on.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that. He...¡± Oliver frowned and did not finish his sentence. ¡°Who? What is it?¡± She was perplexed. ¡°Nothing.¡± He changed the topic. When they passed by an overpass, the momentary shadow hid the murkiness in his eyes. ¡°What do you n to do about the news?¡± At the mention of the news, she felt a dull pain in her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just want to let it be. If I step up now and give my own statement, it might backfire. Also, Shay hasn¡¯t contacted me yet. I don¡¯t know how they¡¯re nning to go about this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to discuss it with them ande up with coherent statements.¡± He gave a nod. The look in his eyes was subtle. ¡°I saw someone trying to exin your rtionship with Shay on the inte. They¡¯re saying that Sunhill Enterprise was unaware of the situation before they began making ns for the travel program. It looks like they¡¯re going to sever ties with you.¡± Courtney grew somber. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yeah. I looked into the ID of the person who made that post and found that it was an employee from the technical department at Sunhill.¡± After Courtney¡¯s identity was revealed, someone quickly questioned whether Shay¡¯s debut as an amateur variety show star through the travel program was premeditated. Since Courtney was in charge of thememoration, she could have exploitedher power for personal gains. However, those spections were quickly suppressed by another post. The person, who was identified as an employee from Sunhill Hotel, imed to be an insider and revealed that no one at the hotel knew about Courtney¡¯s rtionship with Shay. Sunhill Enterprise severed ties with Courtney right away and easily turned the criticism away from themselves. ¡°He¡¯s a businessman. His first priority would be to minimize losses. You can¡¯t me him for that.¡± Oliver¡¯s low voice reverberated within the car. But it struck a chord in Courtney and sent her mind buzzing. Alexander was an opportunist. Everything he did, he did in order to gain some benefit. It was rare to see his personal feelings get in the way of his rationality or emotions. This time, she had gotten caught up in this scandal. If it was not under Alexander¡¯s orders, the PR team at Sunhill Enterprise would not dare to make such a move. Oliver was right; he was a rational person, and this was not his fault. After all, bringing thepany down with her would only be a loss for everyone.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Was what happened to Jordan really just an ident? She couldn¡¯t stop herself from thinking of the worst. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 152 Chapter 152 All Is Well if He Can Talk ¡°Sorry to trouble you, but I have to go to Westwind District.¡± Courtney sat back in the car aftering out from the indoor swimming pool center. ¡°The Duncans¡¯ butler picked Jordan and Tina up already. I was a bitte.¡± Oliver¡¯s face suddenly grew somber. ¡°Westwind District?¡± ¡°Is it too far away?¡± She stopped putting on her seatbelt halfway. ¡°I¡¯ll take a cab there. You can go ahead if you have things to do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± The expression on his face returned to normal, and he let out a chuckle. ¡°What would I be busy with? I have no family or friends. I¡¯ll take you there.¡± His pure and innocent gaze was imprinted in the rearview mirror. Anyone who saw it would not doubt his words. ¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡± She also let out a chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s my fault for arriving toote. Alex¡¯s grandfather is constantly worried about the two children and sends the butler out here in advance every day. The butler probably left with the children when he didn¡¯t see me.¡± By the time they arrived in Westwind District, it was already dark out. The security guard at the entrance of the Duncan Residence hurriedly stuck his head out the window of the guardhouse and greeted Courtney who was in the passenger seat. ¡°Please give me a moment, Young Master and Young Mistress. There is a bit of a problem with this gate so it has to be opened manually.¡± ¡°Young Master?¡± Courtney was dumbfounded for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken. This isn¡¯t Alexander.¡± Stretching his neck out, the security guard stared inside the car for a few seconds, then knocked himself on the head andughed. ¡°Excuse my poor eyesight. I thought it was Young Master Alexander earlier. The young master has gone on a business trip, hasn¡¯t he? They look rather simr at first sight. Who is this?¡± ¡°My friend,¡± Courtney answered in short. She did not see the need to exin any further. Once the security guard opened the gate, Oliver started to drive into the ancestral home. They drove on a long road and took about five to six minutes before arriving at the front of the house.¡°I won¡¯t go in.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯lle out right after I get Tina and Jordan.¡± After Courtney entered the ancestral home, Oliver looked out the windshield and was able to see the steps leading to the main entrance of the house. They were considered barriers through which one would enter taller andrger houses. He instantly became perplexed. Suddenly, a pressing ringtone sounded in the car. He nced at the number of the iing call and answered it right away. ¡°Mom?¡± Knock! Knock! Not long after, someone came and knocked on his window. He looked up and saw a young girl with big, sparkling eyes leaning against the car. Winding down the window, he asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Are you Oliver?¡± She did not answer him but asked a question in return. Oliver was taken aback, and a wary look began to grow in his eyes. ¡°Do you know me?¡± Shaking her head, she asked again, ¡°Are you Oliver? When he thought that she seemed rather goofy, he gave her a nod. ¡°Come with me.¡± The girl blinked. ¡°My dad told me to invite you in for dinner.¡± ¡°Your dad?¡± ¡°Yes. Hurry on now.¡± Despite feeling confused, Oliver got out of the car and followed the girl into the courtyard. He evaluated her from behind and figured that she was around twelve or thirteen years old. She was thin, frail, and even looked slightly shabby, but her eyes were so ck that they glistened. ¡°Who¡¯s your dad?¡±¡°Who are you?¡± The girl shot back. ¡°What is your rtionship with Courtney?¡± ¡°Me?¡± He frowned. ¡°I¡¯m like a younger brother to her; I guess.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Oh, then you can call me auntie.¡± ¡°What?¡± His face fell. What is she trying to pull here? Is she teasing me? Where did this crazy girle from? ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± The girl quickly chased after him when she saw that he had turned around and walked away. Grabbing his sleeve, she exhorted, ¡°It¡¯s dinnertime. It¡¯s not good to make people wait.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± He rolled his eyes at her and swung her hand off. ¡°Auntie? Where did a troublemaker like youe from? I almost believed you back there.¡± ¡°Troublemaker?¡± Feeling crossed, she straightened her back and retorted, ¡°Who are you calling a troublemaker? I¡¯m the second youngdy of this house. You don¡¯t believe me?¡± After looking around, she beckoned for a female housekeeper who was tidying up the garden in the distance. ¡°Julia? Come here for a second.¡± The housekeeper hurried over while wiping her hands on her apron, then asked in a respectful manner, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Young Lady?¡± ¡°Did you hear that?¡± The girl red at Oliver. ¡°I told you and yet you didn¡¯t believe me. Let¡¯s hurry inside for dinner now.¡± ¡°Old Master Duncan is already in his seventies. How could he have a daughter your age? Who are you trying to fool here?¡± He was frowning as he looked at her with a face full of doubt. ¡°He can¡¯t have a daughter in his seventies? Why not?¡± ¡°Because...¡± Oliver trailed off and had a stiff expression on his face. If someone else had asked that question, then they would have just been unreasonable to expect an answer. But that girl standing in front of him now was still only twelve to thirteen years of age, so she was still ignorant about the world. Will it even get through to her if I told her? ¡°Oh, let¡¯s just go. I¡¯m starving.¡±The girl could not be bothered to listen to his nonsense, either. Grabbing his wrist, she started running across the yard. The housekeeper called out from behind, ¡°Slow down, Young Lady. Be careful not to fall!¡± When they arrived in the dining room, the girl immediately let go of his wrist and darted toward the table while eximing, ¡°Souffl¨¦!¡± Meanwhile, Oliver remained standing in the entryway of the dining room. His brows knitted together tightly when he saw Scott in front of him. ¡°Oliver?¡± Courtney¡¯s voice pulled him back into reality. ¡°It¡¯ste now. Grandfather wants us to eat before leaving. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± Oliver looked steadily ahead and croaked, ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Have a seat.¡± She smiled while pulling out the chair beside her. Turning to Scott, she introduced, ¡°Grandpa, this is Oliver, the person I told you about.¡± Scott nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve also heard about him from Jordan. He looks like a sharpd. Come and have dinner with us.¡± Jordan and Tina sat across the table and were eating their food quietly. Every now and then, Tina would say a couple of things to Scott and make himugh heartily. Even though Jordan did not talk, he still giggled quietly to himself. Courtney felt saddened by the sight of that and felt the urge to ask Scott about it. ¡°Grandpa, was Jordan¡¯s high fever the reason he lost his ability to speak?¡± When she brought it up, the joy in Scott¡¯s face slowly disappeared and a stern expression took over. ¡°He did have a high fever. Since then, he has not spoken. We can¡¯t find another reason for it.¡± ¡°What happened to the nanny who was looking after him? Were the people who looked after him all fired? Is there a way to contact them?¡± Scott frowned. ¡°Why are you suddenly asking about this?¡± She couldn¡¯t seem to find an answer to his question. ¡°Jordan spoke a few words before. The high fever he had is not likely the reason that he isn¡¯t talking,¡± Oliver cut in abruptly. ¡°He can talk, but he¡¯s choosing not to for some reason.¡±¡°What?¡± Scott¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Jordan spoke? When?¡± Courtney was not expecting Oliver to bring that up. A brief momentter, she exined, ¡°It happened just twice before. Once in front of Alex, and once in front of me. All he said was ¡®mommy¡¯, but it was very clear.¡± Scott was overjoyed. Looking at a wide-eyed Jordan, he even started to tear up right away. ¡°As long as he can talk, all is well. Take things slowly. You¡¯re looking for a way to contact the nanny, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ll have Harry take care of that.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 153 Chapter 153 Well-Structured and Logical Jordan being unable to speak had always been a sore point for Scott. After all, Alexander had entrusted Jordan into his care and the incident happened under his watch. It weighed down on his conscience for years. He kept ming himself for not having made sure that Jordan was well taken care of. When Courtney brought it up again, he also felt that there was something fishy about the incident that year. After dinner, Harry went to see Courtney and the rest of them off at the entrance. Standing on the other side of the car door, he assured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Hunter. We might have fired the nanny, but we still have her file in our records. I¡¯ll search for it tonight and let you know when I find some clues.¡± ¡°Okay. Thank you for your trouble.¡± She gave him a nod to express her gratitude. On the way home, the two children fell asleep in the backseat. From the rearview mirror, Oliver noticed that Courtney looked troubled and asked, ¡°Are you worried that you won¡¯t be able to look further into the matter even if you get some clues?¡± She came back to her senses and nodded. ¡°Are you a worm in my body? You know exactly what I¡¯m thinking of. I just want to volunteer my help and give myself something to do.¡± His expression was subtle. ¡°If you¡¯ll let me, I can take over this matter.¡± ¡°You?¡± Courtney was dumbfounded. ¡°How would you handle it?¡± ¡°Once I get information on all the nannies who had taken care of Jordan that year, I¡¯m going to find those who might have possibly been rted to the incident and find out how they are living now. I¡¯ll also look into their bank ounts before and after the incident to see if there were any unusual transactions. You should know whates next.¡± It was well-structured and logical. Only one thing remained that perplexed Courtney. ¡°Oliver, are you starting to remember things?¡± ¡°A little bit. I think I used to have a career in this field.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Maybe I used to be a cop.¡±¡°No way.¡± She smirked. ¡°You¡¯re only twenty at most. You don¡¯t even qualify for training. I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t even graduated yet.¡± He did not answer her. The darkness of the night kept the grim expression on his face well hidden.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. The next day, Courtney did not go to work. She received Shay¡¯s call early in the morning and agreed to meet him at hispany to discuss the PR crisis they were facing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for giving you trouble again, Courtney.¡± Shay looked apologetic as soon as he saw her. ¡°I think these journalists have lost their minds. They¡¯re daring enough to write just about anything!¡± She patted him on the shoulder then asked Shay¡¯s assistant to take Jordan and Tina to go y. ¡°This wasn¡¯t a big issue at first, but something else happened this morning.¡± Keith Knight, Shay¡¯s manager, sighed heavily while looking despondent. ¡°Anna Hunter,¡± Courtney cut in. ¡°I saw the news on my way here. It was quite bold of her to do something like that.¡± In the early hours of the morning, someone on the inte who imed to be the best friend of Shay¡¯s girlfriend tipped off the media with information on Shay¡¯s rtionship. The person said that Shay and his girlfriend had a strong rtionship going over the years, but Courtney kept anchoring him down. Because of his gratitude and how Courtney had a powerful background, Shay had no choice but to meet her halfway. The revealed details and the truth were poles apart, but people on the inte chose to believe it and spread the article like wildfire on the inte. ¡°Awyer¡¯s letter has been issued, and the court has taken a look into this matter, but the oue of the defamationwsuit will still take some time. If we don¡¯t do anything now, we will end up watching this issue destroy Shay¡¯s careerpletely. He¡¯s only just started out and hasn¡¯t even gained a foothold yet.¡± ¡°Let them destroy me.¡± Shay looked dejected. ¡°I¡¯m not going to work in this field anymore. I won¡¯t follow through with your n either.¡± ¡°n?¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°What n have you guyse up with to resolve this?¡± Shay looked at Keith. ¡°Can you repeat what you said to me in front of her?¡±Keith observed Courtney¡¯s expression closely. ¡°We figured that we might as well take this chance and admit to Shay and Anna¡¯s rtionship. We have contacted Anna, and she is willing to cooperate. She will also clear up the misunderstanding about the picture.¡± ¡°Maybe when I¡¯ve gone insane.¡± Shay rolled his eyes at him. After a brief hesitation, Courtney asked once more, ¡°Are you sure she is willing to help?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re absolutely sure,¡± Keith beamed. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re okay with this, Courtney?¡± Urgency grew in Shay¡¯s eyes. ncing at him, she asserted, ¡°Why are you in such a panic? It¡¯s not like I agreed. There¡¯s another way to solve this problem.¡± If Anna had agreed to it so easily and believed that she could clear the situation if she stepped up, then there was only one implication¡ªshe was behind the whole thing. Now that Courtney knew who the mastermind was, things became much easier. It was dark out. Oliver¡¯s voice came through the earpiece. ¡°I see her car. She will be up in about ten minutes. Hide yourselves well and don¡¯t get caught.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Courtney had a hand on her earpiece. Pulling up the mask on her face, she pressed on the doorbell. Someone opened the door right away. ¡°Who are you?¡± When the door opened, a head of chestnut brown hair and skin that was even more fair and silky than a woman¡¯s entered her vision. The person looked very simr to Shay, but there was not an ounce of masculinity in his 180-centimeter-tall stature. The man had a bathrobe wrapped loosely around his body and was looking at Courtney warily. ¡°I didn¡¯t order room service,¡± he said with a frown. ¡°Compliments from the hotel. Red wine and a meal for two.¡± ¡°Does every room get this?¡±¡°Certainly not. Only VIP rooms.¡± Courtney lowered her voice to make it sound more hoarse and solemn. As soon as he heard the word ¡®VIP¡¯, his eyebrows shot up, and he dly pulled open the door. ¡°Come in. Your hotel knows a thing or two. This service isn¡¯t bad! Be careful on your way in. Don¡¯t step on my things.¡± While she was pushing the serving cart inside, she saw the path lined with candles and rose petals. Through the gap of the bedroom door, she could also see a bunch of sex toys on the bed¡ªwhips, blindfolds, handcuffs, and the like. It was a truly shocking sight. Is this what Anna is into? Goodness! ¡°Just leave it and go. Why are you still here?¡± ¡°I will decant the wine for you.¡± Focusing on the task at hand, she took out the decanter and started pouring the wine out while she took in her surroundings calmly. When the man was not looking, she quickly fixed a pinhole camera onto the flower vase on the dining table. Once everything was set up, she started pushing the serving cart out of the room. Shortly after she left, she saw a familiar silhouette in the corridor walking toward her. Despite wearing shades and a ck mask, the person still gave off a presumptuous presence. ¡°Wait,¡± Anna called out abruptly. Courtney stiffened. Gripping the handle of the serving cart, she turned toward her but did not dare to look up. ¡°Tell the waiter to send a bottle of red wine upter.¡± Courtney let out a sigh of relief and quickly nodded. With her head down, she went off while brushing past Anna¡¯s shoulder. Behind her, she heard the sound of a door opening. She waited until the door shut before pulling out a hotel key card and quickly pushing the serving cart into the room on the opposite side. When she entered, Cameron immediately pulled her aside.¡°That scared me to death. I thought Anna recognized you, but she only asked for a bottle of red wine. She¡¯s really something. She can¡¯t go one second without unting her high-ss status and stepping on others.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Stop making fun of her.¡± Courtney pulled down the mask on her face. ¡°Do you have it all set up?¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 154 Chapter 154 This Is Not for Kids ¡°Yes,¡± Oliver¡¯s voice sounded at the dining table. Looking up, he turned theptop to face both of them. ¡°It¡¯s very clear.¡± The screen showed a view of the couch. Behind it, the bedroom door that was opened halfway revealed most of the exhibition on the bed. ¡°Oh god, my eyes!¡± Cameron eximed. ¡°Whips, handcuffs... Oh my god! A nurse uniform?¡± Sitting down on the couch, Courtney chided, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you didn¡¯t go; otherwise, you would have puked on the spot. The whole room was doused in perfume; I almost suffocated to death. Where did Anna find such a clown?¡± ¡°Freaky.¡± Cameron might have beenining about the disturbing scene, but her actions betrayed her thoughts. She pulled out a chair and sat right in front of theptop. At some point, she had gotten some snacks and started munching on them like she was at the movies. On the other side, Anna entered the room. As soon as she did, the man held her in his arms; his lower body was pushed against her waist. ¡°About time, Anna. I haven¡¯t seen you in days.¡± With a frown, she pushed him away with some force. ¡°Why did you call me here? Didn¡¯t I tell you not to contact me for the time being? I¡¯m busy.¡± The man was not too happy about being pushed away. ¡°What are you busy with? Flirting with Shay? Do you really think I don¡¯t know anything? The news has spread everywhere. You¡¯ve been running over to Shay¡¯spany thesest two days.¡± ¡°It was to discuss the recent news.¡± Her expression remained unchanged. ¡°Are you actually jealous of him? It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know I have a fianc¨¦. How can I be in a rtionship with Shay?¡± ¡°Your fianc¨¦ is a different case; I¡¯m the only one who can be your lover.¡± The man sat down on the couch with a smug look on his face. ¡°If you didn¡¯t say you were going to take care of me back then, I would have be an actor too. I would probably be standing on the same stage as Shay today, but I chose you instead.¡± Anna nced at him. From the side, he looked just like the person she was head over heels for. Thinking about the cold shoulder she got from Shay this morning, however, only made her feel bitter.¡°That¡¯s enough now. I didn¡¯t say anything. Why are you getting mad?¡± Suddenly, she was in a good mood again. Moving up next to him, she coaxed, ¡°If I didn¡¯t care about you, why would I take care of you? Stop overthinking it. I bought a watch for you. Don¡¯t you want to take a look at it?¡± ¡°Oh, please. You always use this trick to lure men.¡± The man looked down at his fingers and ignored her. ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, then so be it.¡± She grew serious. If it weren¡¯t for that face of his, she would not have spent so much money on him all these years. When he sensed the change in her, he pursed his lips, seemingly conflicted, then went up to her. ¡°Who said I didn¡¯t want it? But, you know that¡¯s not the only thing I want.¡± ¡°Okay, I didn¡¯t¡ªwhat are you doing?¡± She heard a rattling sound then felt cold metal against the skin on her wrist. Her face immediately turned pale. ¡°Uncuff me now. Are you crazy?¡± ¡°Rx, baby.¡± The man cuffed his other hand too and interlocked his fingers with hers. Pressing her down on the couch, he lifted a leg and sat on top of her. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. To make it up to me, we¡¯re gonna make it exciting today.¡± As he spoke, his hand started to glide all over her body. Anna put up a fight in the beginning. Then, her breathing became more rushed as she squirmed on the couch and started to moan. Soon, the whole room was filled with passion. Meanwhile, everything was being recorded on the pinhole camera and yed back in real-time in another room. ¡°Oh, sh*t! This is not appropriate for kids! We can¡¯t watch this anymore,¡± Cameron yelled out. ¡°If you can¡¯t watch it, then don¡¯t, but can you just cover your own eyes, Cameron?¡± Oliver grasped her wrist. Cameron¡¯s face turned bright red as she pulled her hand back. ¡°I was just concerned because you aren¡¯t an adult yet.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so considerate.¡± He closed theptop in due time. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I think we¡¯ve got what we need. The recording on the video camera will be saved automatically.¡± ¡°What? Are we just going to leave now?¡± Cameron was slightly baffled. Courtney had just walked out of the bedroom after changing out of the hotel service outfit. ¡°Why do you look so reluctant? Oliver, why don¡¯t you leave theptop behind and let her finish watching the live show while the both of us head out first?¡±He pondered for a second. ¡°That¡¯s fine by me. I can even send her a copy if she wants.¡± ¡°Hey! I don¡¯t want to watch this!¡± Cameron yelled in annoyance. ¡°I was just wondering if we should wait for them toe out and deal with this today. You two are so mean!¡± ¡°Okay, we¡¯re mean. Are youing?¡± ¡°Of course I am! I certainly don¡¯t want to watch something so explicit.¡± The next morning, Anna showed upte in the conference room at Starlight Media headquarters. ¡°Sorry for beingte; I got caught up in something.¡± Courtney looked at her. ¡°Looks like it was something important.¡± Pulling her brows together, Anna reached up awkwardly to fiddle with the silk scarf around her neck that covered the suspicious- looking red marks. ¡°Aren¡¯t we preparing for a press conference? We can just dy things in the afternoon.¡± She shot a sidelong nce at Courtney. ¡°You don¡¯t have to participate. You¡¯ll only make more trouble if you join.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on participating, anyway. I only came here to give you something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Courtney handed her a script. ¡°You can read off this script at the press conferenceter.¡± After looking at the first few lines, Anna¡¯s face turned green but she did not lose her temper because Shay was in the room. Suppressing her anger, she pointed out, ¡°This ispletely different from what we agreed on before. Also, why am I Shay¡¯s sister? I¡¯m not his sister; I¡¯m his fianc¨¦e.¡± ¡°Fianc¨¦e?¡± Courtney scoffed. ¡°Keith, can you bring the others outside for a moment? I need to have a private conversation with this dear sister of mine.¡± Since it was a family w, there was no need for too many people to know about it. Keith could also sense the strange tension in the air. After he moved the people out, only Courtney, Anna, and Shay were left in the conference room. Then, Courtney pressed the ¡®Enter¡¯ key on theptop and brought up a loading screen on the projector. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out.¡±Shortly after the video started ying, Shay furrowed his brows and turned away from the screen. At the same time, the color on Anna¡¯s face drained, and she immediately pounced at theptop. m! Theptop mmed shut. Hastily, she yanked out all the power cords and the projector turned ck again. There was a quiver in her voice. ¡°Courtney, d-do you have no shame? How dare you set up a spy camera in my room?¡± Courtney remained calm and downyed the situation. ¡°What do you think the journalists and Shay¡¯s fans will say about you, his fianc¨¦e, if they see this?¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡± Anna was pale with fear. ¡°If you release that, Dad... Dad will be infuriated!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Courtney red at her. ¡°The thing you need to think about right now is whether you¡¯ll read off the script I just gave you.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 155 Chapter 155 Taking a Leap A dead silence fell in the conference room. Anna wasn¡¯t able to stand firmly anymore and was shaking as she held onto the edge of the table. Filled with resentment and shame, she did not want anything more than to shred Courtney to pieces and feed her to the dogs. I can¡¯t believe she recorded that obscenity and yed it in front of Shay! When Courtney threatened her with that video, she had taken away Anna¡¯s only chance of being with Shay. ¡°Are you going to read it or not?¡± After a while, Anna gritted her teeth and uttered, ¡°I¡¯ll read it.¡± Before leaving the conference room, Courtney pulled out the USB and added, ¡°Also, make sure Storm Media and your keyboard warriors take down those absurd articles andments online. You already know what will happen if you don¡¯t.¡± Standing in the doorway with her back toward Courtney, Anna was already close to gnawing her teeth down to her gums. ¡°I got it.¡± Just you wait, Courtney Hunter. Just you wait. The press conference ended sessfully. Because people sympathized with Anna, they mostly believed what she said. After she exined that she and Courtney were just Shay¡¯s sisters, those intrusivements died off on their own. Meanwhile, the journalists were extremely disappointed when they left. It became apparent that the media was just ying with smokes and mirrors, but there was no actual fire. ¡°I didn¡¯t think she had something to do with this.¡± Shay handed a cup of water to Courtney. ¡°Why did she do it?¡±¡°Do you really not know or are you pretending not to know?¡± Courtney eyed him. ¡°Why do you think she was always against me? It¡¯s because she likes you. Except for me, you practically ignore everyone in the Hunter Family.¡± ¡°She likes me?¡± He looked dumbfounded. ¡°I had no idea.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why she picked up that pretty face who looks just like you.¡± Courtney smirked. ¡°It¡¯s just a bit freaky.¡± If Anna hadn¡¯t gone overboard in the first ce, Courtney was not going to bring this matter up against her. It was better to make friends than enemies, and she did not want her rtionship with Anna to go too cold. Thinking about it now, however, that was no longer possible. Not long after the press conference ended, Storm Media also released their own statement. They expressed their apologies to Shay and the two parties involved, andpensated them. As an expression of sincerity, they fired all the journalists and editors involved. When Alexander came back from his business trip, the storm had mostly died down. ¡°Everything went quite smoothly.¡± At the dining table, Courtney stuck her chin out just begging to be praised. Alexander looked at her. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t give you and thepany any problems, did it?¡± she asked. To her surprise, he did not answer her right away. Instead, he fished out a small square box from his bag and pushed it in front of her. ¡°Open it.¡± bbergasted and bewildered, she mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m not ready yet. You can keep it for now.¡± There were still many secrets she was keeping from him and things she had yet to look into. How can I marry him now? He looked at her with a puzzled expression. ¡°What do you need to get ready for?¡± Opening the box, hemented, ¡°I bought this when I was in Italy because I thought it would look good on you.¡± Inside the box was a pair of shiny, pure white pearl earrings.Her expression stiffened. ¡°Oh, earrings...¡± Why did he have to put them in that small square box? Does he not know how misleading it can be? ¡°What did you think it was?¡± He was rather perplexed because he could not understand her reaction. ¡°N-Nothing.¡± Sheughed to hide the awkwardness. ¡°I like it. I really like it.¡± ¡°Why does it seem like you¡¯re a bit disappointed?¡± He frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t have to force yourself if you don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Her eyes widened all of a sudden as she spoke in a higher tone. ¡°I¡¯m not disappointed.¡± The two children at the table looked up at the same time in a confused state. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m going to the bathroom,¡± Courtney excused herself from the dining table. Looking at her mother from behind, Tina let out a long sigh then turned to Alexander with a disapproving look. ¡°Oh, Mr. Alexander. Don¡¯t you know what usually goes through a woman¡¯s mind when she sees a box like that?¡± ¡°What?¡± He did not get it.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Do you know, Jordan?¡± Tina looked back at him. Jordan started drawing on his drawing board right away. He drew a circle then a diamond on top of it and even added some dots around it for a sparkling effect. Along with it, he wrote, ¡®You¡¯re a fool, Dad.¡¯ ¡°Mr. Alexander, you know that Mommy will be super happy if you buy her earrings. But, if you made her think that she was going to get a ring, the disappointment when she found out it was only a pair of earrings was just too great. How can you not grasp such simple reasoning? You¡¯re really dumb.¡± Alexander felt rather defeated after being looked down upon by two children at the same time. Staring at the earrings box on the table, he simply fiddled with his nose awkwardly. Who knew giving a pair of earrings would be thisplicated? However...He looked in the direction of the bathroom, then back at the drawing of the ring on Jordan¡¯s board. Suddenly, his eyes filled with delight. Originally, he nned to take things slowly, but if Courtney was already expecting it, then he could just take a leap. Inside the bathroom, Courtney had washed her face with water and was staring at her bare face in the mirror. She still looked very young, but her eyes hid many stories. This was all she saw whenever she looked into the mirror. She was a bit anxious and a little worried. Earlier, her first reaction was to reject the ring. She was still uncertain whether she wanted to take the next step with him, but when she realized that it was not a ring, she also felt disappointed. Her rationality and feelings were in conflict with each other. At that moment, her feelings told her that she longed to marry him. Words and self-constion lied, but feelings did not. At nighttime, the two children had gone to bed, and Courtney returned to the bedroom after drying her hair. Alexander was reading a book while propped up against the bedhead. The warm light on his face made him seem rather gentle. ¡°Why do you keep staring at me?¡± He tore his eyes away from the book and looked up at her. She did not avoid him. After applying some hand cream, she sat down at the edge of the bed. ¡°I just think you look different from the first time I met you.¡± He frowned. ¡°I really just went on a business trip. I didn¡¯t do anything else.¡± She could not hold back augh. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. If you still need to get work done on your face, then what would the rest of us do?¡± ¡°Is that apliment?¡± He looked at her with a warm gaze. A smile slowly crept up on her face. ¡°I used to think your heart was made of stone. You were always cold to people.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± He closed the book and pulled her into his arms. cing his chin on her forehead, he murmured, ¡°I don¡¯t see a need to show warmth to too many insignificant people.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Even A Good Choice Might Not Bring Results When Alexander mentioned ¡®insignificant people¡¯, Courtney felt her heart lurch for an inexplicable reason. She suddenly remembered that she used to be an insignificant person to him just a few months ago. Simrly, Jordan had also been an insignificant person to him six years ago. To him, those he deemed insignificant had no impact on his life, whether they existed or not. As those thoughts went through her head, a small chill began to spread in her heart and gradually seeped into her bones. The next day, Courtney was stopped by the receptionist as soon as she arrived at the hotel entrance. ¡°Miss Hunter, somebody is looking for you.¡± The moment she heard those words, she noticed a familiar figure in the public lounge area of the lobby. Thus, she hurriedly nodded at the receptionist and walked over there. Her visitor turned out to be Scott¡¯s personal butler, Harry Zimmer. He was smartly dressed in a suit. Despite being over 60 years old, he was still full of energy¡ªjust like Scott himself. ¡°Mr. Harry, why are you here?¡± Harry smiled when he saw her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I brought you the information you requested, Mrs. Duncan.¡± He handed the brown paper bag in his hands to her. Lowering his voice, he said, ¡°It¡¯s just that many nannies were dismissed during that period. So, it will probably take a lot of effort to pinpoint the suspects from among them.¡± ¡°No problem. At least we have a direction to work in.¡± She quickly took the bag from him. ¡°Mr. Harry, why don¡¯t youe up to my office? I¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Old Master Duncan told me to deliver this to you. I¡¯ll be leaving now that I¡¯ve delivered it.¡± After saying that, he smoothened out the wrinkles on his suit and left the hotel. Holding the brown paper bag, Courtney prepared to enter the elevator when Penelope leaned out from behind the front desk and called out to her out of curiosity. ¡°Miss Hunter, that was the Duncan Family¡¯s butler, right? Why did hee looking for you?¡± ¡°To deliver something.¡± Courtney waved the brown paper bag in her hands and dismissed Penelope with a few words. ¡°Focus on your work and wear your nametag properly.¡± ¡°Oh... Yes.¡± Penelope immediately stood up straight and lowered her head to straighten the nametag on her chest. When she lifted her head again, Courtney was already far away in the distance. ¡°What a silly question,¡± one of thedies nearby chuckled. ¡°I overheard them just now. The Duncan Family¡¯s butler addressed Miss Hunter as ¡®Mrs. Duncan¡¯! I¡¯m certain Miss Hunter must have married President Duncan by now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I think we¡¯ll soon have a grand wedding at our hotel.¡± In the office, Courtney called Oliver over through the phone. ¡°This is the information Mr. Harry just handed to me. I¡¯m keeping the original. This is a copy of it. See if you still need anything.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Oliver flipped through it quickly and replied seriously. ¡°Later, I¡¯ll return to my room and organize this information. I¡¯ll see where these nannies¡¯ hometowns are and check their bank ounts. If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to leave in three days to look for the person.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She seemed a little worried as she said, ¡°Come to me if there are any problems.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry; It¡¯s just a search for a person. The only issue is that it takes up a lot of time. But, it¡¯s just the right thing for somebody like me to do since I have so much free time.¡± He tilted his head to the side. His gaze was innocent and na?ve. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± She smiled, then she recalled the message she received from Cameron before leaving the house this morning. ¡°By the way, why don¡¯t youe over to my house for hotpot tonight? I haven¡¯t had the chance to thank you for your help with the filming at the hotelst time.¡± Hesitating for several seconds, he asked, ¡°Will Alexander be joining?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t told him about it. I¡¯m not sure if he has the time.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go.¡± He nodded happily and waved with the information in his hands slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll get to work then.¡± ¡°Alright, thanks.¡± Watching Oliver leave, Courtney suddenly felt relieved. It felt as if her own child had grown up into an adult that could help her with her work. ¡°Mr. Langley, this is thetest product in our shop. It was designed by a famous designer.¡± Inside a jewelry shop, the female store manager personally carried out a box of rings to rmend. She was smiling so widely that her teeth were showing. Gale swept a nce across the row of diamond rings on the table. Just looking at them made his eyes hurt. Then, he turned around and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±Alexander was sitting next to him, leisurely drinking a cup of tea. When he heard the question, he didn¡¯t even bother lifting his head. ¡°They¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°Right?!¡± Gale immediately frowned and said unhappily, ¡°Aside from the size difference, they are practically all the same! What design are you talking about? This is the oldest trick in the book! Who are you trying to fool?!¡± The store manager wiped away her cold sweat and stubbornly exined, ¡°Mr. Langley, we can customize it if you have the time. But, didn¡¯t you say you wanted a finished product? Most finished products are of simr styles. They won¡¯t differ too much except for the size of the diamonds.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Gale irritably waved his hand in dismissal and looked at Alexander. ¡°Alex, I¡¯m not trying to criticize you. But, how could you bring me here if you thought their products were mediocre?! Don¡¯t you know how picky Cameron can be? Did you think she was as easygoing as Courtney? If I don¡¯t pick the ring well, I won¡¯t have a chance with the proposal at all.¡± ¡°Even if you choose well, you might not have results.¡± Alexander nced at him with a lukewarm gaze. ¡°I advise you to be more cautious about when you n to propose. Otherwise, it will backfire on you.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m joking? A real man would never drag things out,¡± Gale said. ¡°I told her I¡¯m going to marry her, so I¡¯m going to marry her.¡± Alexander couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with him on something as stupid as that. Sweeping his gaze over the diamond rings in front of him, he exined, ¡°This shop does not specialize in finished products. I advise you to wait for a while. On one hand, you¡¯ll be able to calm down. On the other hand, it takes time to customize a diamond ring. Just choose a loose diamond for now.¡± While he was speaking, he shot the store manager a look. The store manager immediately understood his signal and arranged for her staff to bring the loose diamonds out of the safe in the warehouse. ¡°Will it be done in time?¡± Gale looked suspicious. Alexander ced his teacup down and reminded Gale, ¡°I think you should be more worried about whether Cameron ever considered marrying you in the first ce. Don¡¯t forget; you have not gotten back together again since youst broke up.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That¡¯s because she doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m being serious with her. That¡¯s also why she refuses to take me seriously,¡± Gale said with a straight face. ¡°Now that I have a diamond ring in hand, I¡¯ll see what else she has to say.¡±Looking at Gale¡¯s confident expression, a touch of worry flitted across Alexander¡¯s eyes. Gale had been a yboy since he was young. He was used to fooling around, visiting all the nightclubs and bars in Melrose City since he was fifteen. Moreover, he had countless youngdies hanging around him. Even if an unknown woman stepped up and imed that her child was his, it wouldn¡¯te as a surprise. A person like that was used to fooling around when it came to emotional matters. Therefore, nobody believed him when he was finally serious about it. Besides, no girl wishing for a stable life would marry him. This issue wasn¡¯t something that could be solved by buying a diamond ring or two, especially not with Cameron¡¯s stubborn and unyielding temperament. I¡¯m afraid Gale is going to hit a huge stumbling block this time... Just as Alexander was mulling about it, the store manager brought out the loose diamonds. Scattered on a ck nnel cloth were loose diamonds of all shapes and sizes. Their workmanship was beautiful, and the light shining on them set off a bright sparkle. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 157 Chapter 157 Can They Be Contacted ¡°This one.¡± Gale looked around and pointed at thergest diamond in the middle. ¡°This one will do.¡± Just by looking at the eyes of the onlooking salesgirls, one could tell that the value of that diamond was astronomical. The store manager had been working in the shop for a long time. Thus, she managed to remain calm as she asked, ¡°Do you have any specific requirements? Or, if you¡¯ve prepared a design, you can hand it to us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have many requirements. I only need it to be unique, and it needs to suit her temperament.¡± ¡°What kind of temperament does she have?¡± A salesgirl asked tentatively. Closing his eyes, he pondered over it for a moment before blurting out, ¡°Hot and spicy.¡± The corner of the salesgirl¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. Then, she turned to Alexander with a pleading look. Alexander frowned and shifted his gaze away with a cold expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know him.¡± Gale acted like he didn¡¯t hear anything as he said to the store manager, ¡°I can give you several of her pictures. You can ask your designer to create a few designs based on her pictures until I¡¯m satisfied with one of the designs.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The store manager breathed a sigh of relief. As long as there¡¯s a reference. She was most afraid of customers making vague requests. How am I supposed to describe what the customer wants to the designer? ¡°Is there anything else I can help you with?¡± Gale nced at Alexander. ¡°I¡¯m done. Don¡¯t you have something you want to do?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Alexander handed a photo to the store manager. ¡°Can you make a ne with this design?¡± It was a photo of a pendant iid with an exquisite jade on a twisted silver ne. The ne sparkled brilliantly. ¡°This design?¡± The store manager was slightly taken aback. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the ne you were preparing to give to Mika six years ago?¡± Gale craned his neck to take a look at the picture and eximed in surprise. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it lost? Are you making a new one? For whom?¡±Alexander red at him firmly. In response, Gale closed his mouth abruptly. ¡°I talked too much. I should have known.¡± Who doesn¡¯t know that Alexander is joined at the hip with Courtney? Who else would it be for, if not for her? ¡°But, Alex, aren¡¯t you a bit of a bully?¡± He couldn¡¯t resist saying after mulling over it for a bit. ¡°To give the same ne to two different people... Even if you didn¡¯t manage to give away that first ne, I don¡¯t think this is a good idea.¡± Before Alexander could reply, the store manager quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen this ne before.¡± Alexander looked up. ¡°I ordered the exact same ne from this shop six years ago. It¡¯s not strange to have seen it before.¡± ¡°No, not six years ago.¡± The store manager had a conflicted look on her face. ¡°It was around two months ago. A woman came in with this ne and asked if we could find out who ordered that ne to be made.¡± He frowned deeply and asked, ¡°Can they still be contacted?¡± That ne vanished without a trace six years ago, and I couldn¡¯t find it even after searching for so many years. It looks like it was picked up by somebody. Looking at Alexander¡¯s expression, the store manager understood how important that ne was. Thus, she hurriedly said, ¡°That woman left us a phone number. I¡¯ll go and get it right now.¡± Gale watched the store manager hurrying away. Then, he looked at Alexander in confusion. ¡°Is that ne so important to you?¡± Alexander looked at him expressionlessly. ¡°That was my grandmother¡¯s ne.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nobody else here. Why are you still using that excuse on me?¡± Gale crossed his leg over his knee and confidently continued, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s your grandmother¡¯s ne. But, didn¡¯t you take it out and customize it for Mika? When ites down to it, you still can¡¯t forget about Mika, can you?¡± Alexander was not in the mood, so he perfunctorily said, ¡°Think whatever you want to think.¡± However, Gale became excited. ¡°Mika contacted mest month. She said her divorce procedures in France are almostpleted. She should be returning to the country this month. It seemed like she has been rather unhappy in the past few years. If you still can¡¯t get over her, this is a great opportunity.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have as many attachments to the past as you do.¡±¡°Forget I said anything,¡± he said. He had embarrassed himself. Hence, he leaned back against the sofa and said out of sheer boredom, ¡°I suggest you tell Courtney about this. Besides, it¡¯s not like you can avoid Mika forever once she returns to the country. Based on my previous experience, you should let Courtney know about this before she learns about it on her own.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Alexander coldly and calmly said those words, making Gale feel rather speechless. ¡°A good-natured girlfriend sure is different. What did I do to myself? Why did I fall for the hot-tempered Cameron? Her temper is as spicy as chili!¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°More like ghost pepper,¡± Alexander corrected expressionlessly. While they were conversing, the store manager brought the contact information over to them. ¡°It¡¯s a local number.¡± Gale nced at it. ¡°That will make her easier to find. As long as the call connects, we can locate them just by contacting the telcopany.¡± While speaking, he dialed the number on the spot before Alexander could stop him. ¡°Sorry, the number you have dialed does not exist¡ª¡± A sweet female voice with a slightly robotic tone came from his phone, and he looked embarrassed. Meanwhile, Alexander¡¯s expression remained as indifferent as ever. All of a sudden, his phone rang. ncing at the caller ID, he immediately answered the call right in front of Gale. ¡°At the mall with Gale... Okay.¡± After hanging up, he put his phone away and nced at the store manager. ¡°If the woman asking about this nees back again, call my assistant immediately.¡± In response, the store manager nodded quickly. After that, he got up and said to Gale, ¡°I have something else going on. Bye.¡± ¡°Hey, wait up!¡± Gale ran out of the jewelry store and grabbed Alexander¡¯s arm. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Alexander lowered his head and stared at Gale¡¯s arm. Then, Gale hurriedly let go of Alexander¡¯s arm while smiling brightly. ¡°I heard it all. Courtney invited you over for dinner. Bring me along.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t ask me to bring you along. I don¡¯t think Cameron wants to see you.¡± ¡°How could my fianc¨¦e not want to see me?¡± Gale scowled. ¡°How nonsensical! I just want to get a free ride there. Are you bringing me along or not?¡±¡°No.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll call Courtney right now and tell her all about you and Mika.¡± Upon hearing those words, Alexander¡¯s expression darkened considerably. ¡°Gale.¡± When Gale heard that icy voice, his face paled slightly. ¡°I-I was just joking. I won¡¯t tell her.¡± Then, Alexander withdrew his hostility. Turning around, he strode toward the entrance of the mall and said, ¡°You better watch your mouth when you¡¯re there.¡± Gale reacted rather btedly. Rushing after Alexander, he patted his chest reassuringly. ¡°I won¡¯t say anything at all. I don¡¯t know anything. Are we eating at Courtney¡¯s house? What are we eating?¡± ¡°Hotpot.¡± ¡°Hotpot in such hot weather?!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to go if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Hotpot is great! Hotpot is good for increasing perspiration. Alex, why don¡¯t we buy some ingredients along the way?¡± ¡°Did you think that you won¡¯t be chased away if you brought something there?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to point out the obvious. We¡¯ve been friends for so long; you should leave some dignity for me.¡± ¡°Have you ever had dignity?¡± Alexander said those words in a meaningful manner. However, Gale was oblivious to it. He simply regarded those words as something Alexander had thrown back at him during their bickering. Besides, he was immersed in the great joy of preparing for a romantic and surprise proposal for Cameron. Thus, he failed to realize just how terrible a situation he was currently in until he arrived at Courtney¡¯s house and saw the familiar figure as soon as the door opened. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 158 Chapter 158 I Have No Other Choice ¡°Oliver, this cuttlefish paste is delicious. I specially bought it just for today. Here, have a taste.¡± ¡°Thank you, Cameron.¡± Oliver ¡®obediently¡¯ nodded and reached out his bowl to ept Cameron¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°I can do it myself.¡± Cameron pretended to be shy as she said, ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so polite. I¡¯m only older than you by a few years. You can speak to me casually.¡± Sitting opposite them, Gale lost his appetite while watching their interaction. He endured it for a while but finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He snapped at them irritably, ¡°Are you sure this brat lost his memories?! Even if he lost his memories, why does he constantlye over to somebody else¡¯s house for free meals when he doesn¡¯t work or earn money of his own?!¡± ¡°Why do you care?¡± Cameron rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I wonder who it was that came without an invitation. Don¡¯t you feel embarrassed for using others of freeloading?¡± ¡°Cameron Miller, you¡ª¡± ¡°Stop right there.¡± She raised her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want to argue with you today. Gale, no, Mr. Langley, shut up if you want to eat.¡± Gale was so mad that steam was practicallying out of his ears. He was about to say something when Courtney mediated between them. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. Nobody came here to freeload. It was my idea to invite Oliver here for dinner. Oliver helped me with something the other day. It¡¯s all because of him that the previous scandal was resolved. So, I wanted to thank him for his help. Simrly, I also invited Mr. Langley here for dinner. He happened to be with Alexander when I invited Alexander over just now, so I invited him too.¡± Those words reminded Gale that he had been standing in a jewelry shop and choosing a diamond ring less than an hour ago. However, he was now watching Cameron flirting with another man right in front of him without any hesitation. Thus, his anger burned stronger. ¡°The chicken wings in the oven should be done. I¡¯ll go and check on it.¡± Oliver suddenly spoke up as if he did not notice the tense atmosphere around him. Then, he walked away with an innocent expression.¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Cameron followed after him like his shadow. Gale sat there for a few seconds before mming his cutlery down on the table with a loud ¡®thud¡¯ and following after them. Only Courtney and Alexander were left at the dining table. They looked at each other in consternation for a moment, then Courtney said worriedly, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, right?¡± ¡°Who are you worried about?¡± ¡°Oliver, of course,¡± she replied as if it were a matter of course. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see Gale¡¯s expression just now? He looked like he was going to tear Oliver apart.¡± ¡°I think if it really came down to a fight, Oliver won¡¯t lose to Gale.¡± ¡°Is that so? Oliver doesn¡¯t look like he knows how to fight. He¡¯s just a child.¡± Upon hearing those words, Alexander frowned slightly in displeasure. He seemed to be unhappy with her evaluation of Oliver being a ¡®child¡¯. Many times, women were prone to feeling motherly toward somebody¡ªso much so that they could not see the reality in front of them. The truth was that Oliver was nearly 1.85 meters tall. He was pretty muscr too. On the other hand, Gale spent most of his time in debauchery. He had nothing but his good looks; he was all sh and no bang. Comparatively, it was obvious that Gale was no match for Oliver in terms ofbat. However, Oliver had the most likable and angelic face ever. Therefore, he easily captured the hearts of all the olderdies around him. It was rumored that his hotel room was cleaned seven or eight times a day. Looking at Courtney¡¯s worried expression, Alexander shook his head helplessly. Throughout the entire meal, everybody had to y the peacemaker between Cameron and Gale. Dinnersted for more than an hour, and they bickered non-stop the entire time. Both parties were unwilling to give in to the other. In the end, they agreed to bring their fight elsewhere. Once they left, the house finally became peaceful again. It waste at night. The guests were gone, and the two children were with Scott. Thus, only Courtney and Alexander were left at home. Courtney cleaned up the leftovers on the table and piled the dirty dishes in the sink. Then, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± she eximed, wriggling slightly. ¡°It tickles...¡± All her ticklish parts were concentrated at her waist area. Hence, she was most afraid of people touching her around the waist, especially Alexander. Fortunately, Alexander only hugged her without doinganything else. He simply ced his chin on her right shoulder and murmured in a deep but strong voice, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re tired, you can go to bed first.¡± She knew exactly what he was thinking about when he said those words. Thus, she blushingly murmured, ¡°I need to do the dishes.¡± Her voice was as soft as a mosquito¡¯s buzzing. It felt like an electric shock running through his body when he heard her voice. Rubbing his face against her neck, he muttered, ¡°You can do them tomorrow.¡± ¡°I need to go to work tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Umph¡ª¡± Before she could answer, he sealed her lips. Leisurely letting his hands roam from her waist to her chest, hisrge hands cupped her soft mounds. She moaned as her breasts were fondled, the sound echoing throughout the huge apartment. Then, she leaned weakly against his chest as she breathed heavily with a flushed face. With nowhere to put her hands that were adorned with yellow rubber gloves, they hung in mid-air. White bubbles gathered at her fingertips, and water dripped from them. By then, the clothes under her apron were almost fully removed. The sound of a metal buckleing undone rang out in the still night air. He lifted her waist with one hand while the other hand lifted the hem of her skirt. His gaze darkened instantly as he entered her right by the sink. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Her hands gripped the sides of the sink tightly. Her breasts pped against the backs of her hands again and again in the same tempo as the surging rhythm from behind her, making lewd noises. During the chaos, they knocked into the water tap and turned it on. Then, the water spraying out sshed against them. The cold water couldn¡¯t lower the temperature of their bodies. He was like a beast that was finally released after being imprisoned for a long time¡ªhis hunger was immense. Thus, they went at it again and again. During thetter half of the night, Courtneyy limply in Alexander¡¯s arms. She waspletely drained of strength. Concerned about her body, Alexander finally stopped ravaging her and carried her to the bathroom to clean up.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. Her body was covered in red marks. She was half immersed in the bathtub and her messy hair was sticking to her face. Leaning against his arm, she fell asleep. Moreover, it was a deep and peaceful sleep. No matter how he sshed water at her or scrubbed her body, she showed no signs of waking. Looking at her innocent and pleasing appearance, he nearly lost control and wanted to make love to her again.Enduring his unfulfilled lust, he carried her back to the bed and nted a kiss on her forehead. After that, he pulled her into his arms, finally feeling satisfied enough to close his eyes and sleep. He had always been a sensible person. When he was younger, he was overly mature for his age. As a result, he was disliked by the adults yet could not fit in with people his age. After he became an adult, his emotional aspects became even more suppressed. Even if he respected his grandfather greatly, he was not close to him. Furthermore, he did not believe that marriage was a lifestyle worth pursuing due to the rtionship his parents had. With such a rational and rigid way of thinking, his beliefs about never getting married had never been shaken before. Even if his grandfather threatened to cut him off from what he considered most important¡ªhis career¡ªif he did not continue the family lineage, he had rather taken the extreme method of hiring a surrogate mother to covertly rebel against getting married. However, Alexander had never been more certain that he had fallen in love with somebody. No matter whether it was thepatibility of their bodies or their personalities, it all made him believe that the woman in his arms right now was his only life partner. If, like what Grandpa said, one could only choose one person to apany them for the rest of their lives... then I am extremely certain that no one else can fit that bill besides Courtney. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 159 Chapter 159 You Don¡¯t Need to Follow Along ¡°Stay focused. The president of the SG Travel Group¡¯s Eastern Branch will be visiting our hotel this afternoon to review the qualifications of our hotel. Not a single mistake can be made today! Do you understand?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Courtney finished the motivational session held inside the meeting room of Sunhill Hotel. Previously, the headquarters had been in discussion with a well-known overseas travel corporation, SG Travel Group, to form a long-term cooperative rtionship between the twopanies. At this stage, the preliminary part waspleted. Only the on- site evaluation was left, and the other party selected the hotel Courtney was working at to be the site of evaluation. As long as the audit teaming this afternoon was satisfied with the hotel¡¯s qualifications, the twopanies would sign a long-term cooperation agreement with each other. Once the contract was established, Sunhill Hotel would be the default amodation choice for all future customers under SG Eastern Branch. That afternoon, all the management-level personnel at the hotel were gathered at the entrance. They were waiting for the arrival of the audit team under the scorching sun when a ck Bentley stopped in front of them. After that, a person that seemed to be an assistant got out of the passenger seat and opened the door of the back seat. The first thing everybody saw was a pair of 12-centimeter-high rhinestone heels, followed by a pair of slender and well- proportioned legs as a woman stepped out of the car. She was wearing a ck spaghetti-strapped full-body jumpsuit that made her look very tall. Her ck hair was neatly tied in a bun behind her head, and her bangs were curled into retro-styled curls on one side of her face, revealing a pair of Bvlgari earrings. Paired with her ming red lips, she looked spectacr. How young! Are you kidding?! Everybody looked at each other in surprise¡ªnobody could have imagined that the personing today would be such a young female manager. After all, SG was an internationally renowned travel corporation while the Eastern region was an important development area for the tourism industry. The woman standing in front of them looked no more than 25 years old. Moreover, she was insanely beautiful. It was inevitable that her identity aroused suspicions. The hotel¡¯s general manager, Evan Elliott, stood forward and asked, ¡°Are you the president of SG Eastern Branch, Vivian Shepherd?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± The woman took off her sunsses, smiling gracefully and politely. ¡°My name is Evan Elliott. The hotel haspleted all the preparations before your arrival. You can check it out as you please.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Vivian nodded. ¡°I was just transferred back to Otharia not long ago. Although Sunhill Enterprise is very famous, this is my first contract in the Eastern region after all. I have to ensure that my clients get to enjoy services that will keep them satisfied. I hope you don¡¯t mind putting up with us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± After a few words of greeting at the entrance, Evan and the rest escorted Vivian into the hotel. During that exchange, Courtney felt as if Vivian had looked at her several times. However, she was not certain whether it was just her imagination. ¡°This hotel is the oldest among all the other Sunhill Hotel branches, but its facilities are the most up-to-date. The decoration¡ª¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Vivian suddenly interrupted Evan¡¯s exnation. At the same time, she stopped at the lounge area and stared at the flower vases on the coffee table for a moment. Walking over to the flower vases, she coldly asked, ¡°Who can exin to me why these flowers are here?¡± His expression tensed in response; he did not understand the reason behind her question. ¡°This is a hotel. It¡¯s a ce where all sorts of peoplee and go, including the social elites and the upper ss. It¡¯smon to have all sorts of special needs and requirements. How can you leave a bunch of flowers here just like this?! Have you not considered that your guests might be allergic to pollen?!¡± Her expression was extremely displeased, and she seemed to be very disappointed. ¡°Uh... We will take care of it right away,¡± he responded. Then, he red at his assistant. ¡°Hurry up and remove all the fresh flowers in the hotel!¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± She frowned, studying the assistant¡¯s name tag. ¡°Responsibilities should be clearly defined. This should be under the responsibility of today¡¯s lobby manager, right? Is that her?¡± Evan was slightly taken aback for a moment. Then, he nced to his side nervously. The lobby manager on duty today was Courtney. However, everybody was aware of her rtionship with Alexander. Even if it were her responsibility, he could not humiliate the wife of thepany¡¯s president in front of so many people. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Courtney¡¯s voice rang out from among the crowd. ¡°The lobby manager on duty today is me. The fresh flowers are my mistake.¡±Vivian looked in the direction of the sound and saw Courtney. Courtney was wearing her beige lobby manager uniform, walking out of the crowd with an attitude that was neither humble nor overbearing. ¡°Court-ney Hun-ter.¡± Vivian read the name on Courtney¡¯s name tag out loud, syble by syble. ¡°Nice name.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Courtney frowned slightly. ¡°I will immediately handle the matter involving the fresh flowers. I assure you that it will never happen again. I hope this incident will not affect your overall evaluation of the hotel.¡± ¡°Mistakes can be fixed, but people who frequently make mistakes are not easy to deal with.¡± Vivian nced at Evan and said meaningfully, ¡°You sure dare to employ just about anybody, don¡¯t you?¡± Those words were heard by everybody. It was clearly a direct insult that was meant to publicly embarrass Courtney. Courtney wasn¡¯t sure if it was because she had been highly praised recently, but those words left her feeling lightheaded and unsteady. Simultaneously, her face burned with shame. ¡°You don¡¯t need to follow along anymore.¡± Vivian left with the rest after spitting out that sentence. Penelope, the receptionist, watched as the crowd entered the elevator. Following that, she came over tofort Courtney. She said a little angrily, ¡°Miss Hunter, why didn¡¯t you defend yourself?! You didn¡¯t arrange for those flowers to be there!¡± ¡°How could I say that?¡± Courtney smiled bitterly. ¡°How could I say in front of so many people that Mr. Elliott personally asked for those flowers to be ced there this morning?¡± That¡¯s tantamount to discrediting the hotel... If the lower-level employees made a mistake, that was understandable. Moreover, it would not make much of an impact on the hotel. However, if one of the management-level personnel had made the mistake... Unlike Courtney, who was a mid-level manager, a mistake made by a senior manager like Evan would be much harder to resolve. Therefore, Courtney had no choice but to take the me for the sake of preserving the overall situation. ¡°That¡¯s just so wrong...¡± Penelope muttered reluctantly. She looked even more upset than Courtney was. In response, Courtney squeezed Penelope¡¯s hand and forced a smile. ¡°Come on; I don¡¯t even feel that bad, but look at how upset you¡¯re getting on my behalf! Go on; go back to the front desk. I¡¯m happy I don¡¯t need to follow them around during the evaluation. With this, I can return to my office and continue doing my own work.¡± After saying that, she went and waited for the elevator without so much as a change in her expression. She looked like she waspletely unaffected by the incident from before.As soon as Courtney entered the elevator, her expression reflected in the mirror turned gloomy immediately. Finally, she let out a long sigh. That was so humiliating.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. That afternoon, inside the VIP suite on the top floor of the hotel. ¡°Vivian, you will be living here during the duration of your stay. This is the best room avable in this hotel. There are only two rooms of this sort per floor.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After sending the hotel manager and everybody else away, Vivian closed the door and sat down on the sofa to make a phone call. The moment the call connected, her entire demeanor changed instantly and became that of a sweet youngdy. ¡°Gale, I¡¯m back! Can you guess where I am right now? I¡¯m at Alex¡¯s hotel! No, I¡¯m not here to y. I came here for work! Mypany is working together with Sunhill Hotel. Never mind; that¡¯s not what I want to talk about. Let¡¯s have dinner together tonight. You¡¯re not free? No, you can¡¯t do that! Even if you¡¯re not free, you have to find a way to let me meet Alex!¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 160 Chapter 160 The Ne Is Gone ¡°Okay, I understand. Thanks; you¡¯re the best!¡± Vivian took off her shoes and leaned against the sofa. At first, she was smiling. Then, she seemed to have thought about something, and her expression turned solemn. ¡°By the way, there¡¯s something I wanted to ask you. Didn¡¯t you tell me before that Alex has a girlfriend now? Is it that lobby manager named Courtney Hunter? It¡¯s nothing; I saw her today. She¡¯s quite pretty. Alright, I can¡¯t chat anymore. I have things to do. I¡¯ll invite you out for dinner some other day. Bye.¡± After hanging up the phone, Vivian put her phone down. Hugging her knees on the sofa, she fell into a daze while leaning against a pillow. She thought back about the woman she saw this morning. That woman is quite young, but she¡¯s not prettier than me. Judging by her temper, she seems to be quite obedient and submissive. I didn¡¯t see anything special about her; she certainly doesn¡¯t look like the type Alexander would like. Is it really because he¡¯s getting older that any woman would do? She wondered. Whatever; in any case, it doesn¡¯t matter what kind of woman it is. Any woman standing beside Alexander is my enemy. When I came back this time, I vowed to take back what I had. I¡¯m going to reconcile with Alexander. At noon the next day, Courtney was patrolling the lobby area when she saw a familiar car parked at the entrance. Her eyes instantly brightened at the sight, and she quickly walked over. Before she could approach, she saw two figuresing out of the car, one after another¡ªit was Alexander and Vivian. ¡°Alex, treat me to lunch today. I gave you such a valuable contract out of respect for you. In the future, you won¡¯t need to worry about customer turnover for all the major hotels across the Eastern region anymore, whether during the peak season or the off- season.¡± ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Otharian food, of course. I¡¯ve been overseas for so long, and there was no way to get authentic Otharian food there.¡± While they were talking, they saw a figure that was standing not too far away looking at them.Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s you again,¡± Vivian said with a frown. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you? I don¡¯t have the authority to manage the employees here, but I don¡¯t want to see such an irresponsible person like you during my stay here.¡± Courtney¡¯splexion paled, and she couldn¡¯t help clenching her fists. At first, she had wanted to call out to Alexander. However, looking at the current situation, calling out to Alexander would only embarrass him. Thus, she lowered her head, wishing that the ground would swallow her up. ¡°I got it. My apologies.¡± After saying that, she turned to leave. Frowning, Alexander looked at Courtney¡¯s back and asked Vivian, ¡°What was that about?¡± ¡°Oh, her?¡± Vivian didn¡¯t seem to care as she briefly exined what happened yesterday. ¡°Severe pollen allergies can cause respiratory failures. It¡¯s not like it is an unprecedented incident overseas. Isn¡¯t she the lobby manager? How can you hire people like her as the lobby manager? It¡¯s time for you to do something about the human resources department.¡± ¡°That¡¯s such a trivial matter.¡± He nced at her. ¡°You never used to care for small details like these before.¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t have to worry about managing such argepany before.¡± She winked. ¡°The workce is harsh. After fleeing overseas and working so hard, I had to be more sensible about such matters.¡± Alexander wasn¡¯t sure if he could believe her. Still, he felt somewhat ufortable as he stared in the direction Courtney had left. ¡°I¡¯ll take you at your word, but let it go this time.¡± ¡°Let it go? This isn¡¯t like you, Alex. In the past, you would have fired the employee on the spot if you saw them being so irresponsible! What¡¯s wrong? Did you fall for that woman because she¡¯s pretty?¡± ¡°She¡¯s my fianc¨¦e.¡± Upon hearing those words, the smile on Vivian¡¯s face froze, and her gaze darkened instantly. That night, the audit team from SG Travel Group¡¯s Eastern Branch joined the employees of Sunhill Enterprise for dinner at the hotel. It could be regarded as a pre-celebration of the approval for the contract. Naturally, Courtney was invited too. She sat beside Alexander, feeling rather ufortable due to what happened earlier. Vivian lifted her wine ss. ¡°This toast is for Miss Hunter. I wasn¡¯t aware that you are President Duncan¡¯s fianc¨¦e. I apologize if I have offended you.¡± There was more to her words than what was implied on the surface. First of all, apologizing made her seem very magnanimous. Furthermore, she was secretly implying that her apology was made out of respect for Alexander. It made Courtney out to be an incapable woman who relied on nepotism to get to where she was. ¡°No, I was at fault too. I should thank you instead, for not taking offense at my mistake.¡± Courtney forced herself to raise her ss, feeling very conflicted inside. Just as she was about to drink, Alexander grabbed her hand to stop her. Then, he looked atVivian and said, ¡°I will drink this on Courtney¡¯s behalf. She doesn¡¯t drink much.¡± After saying that, he took the ss out of Courtney¡¯s hands, lifted his head, and gulped it down. Watching his Adam¡¯s apple moving up and down as he drank the wine, Courtney felt the gloom covering her disperse a little. She quietlyforted herself, It may have been a loss from a career perspective, but it¡¯s a win from a rtionship perspective. I guess I can¡¯t have it all. However, nobody noticed that Vivian¡¯s expression was extremely ugly when she heard Alexander saying that he would drink on Courtney¡¯s behalf. During the dinner, Alexander drank quite a lot with that group of people. It was rare to see him drink so much. Most of it was drunk on Courtney¡¯s behalf. When he finally appeased everybody, he went to the restroom. Initially, Courtney waited for him at the lounge area. However, he did not return even after a long time had passed. Worried that he might have thrown up in the restroom, she went to the reception desk to get some hangover medicine and a warm towel. Then, she went looking for him in the restroom. Just outside the restroom door, she heard a woman¡¯s voiceing from inside and immediately stopped at the door. She subconsciously nced at the sign on the door¡ªit was definitely the men¡¯s restroom. Listening closely to the voiceing from inside, she froze in shock the moment she heard the voice clearly. ¡°Alex, I know I made a mistake six years ago. But, I was stupid at the time. I wasn¡¯t even 20 yet at the time. I didn¡¯t understand what love was. All I wanted was to escape our arranged marriage. I never even thought to ask myself if I loved you.¡± Courtney stood at the door of the restroom and saw Alexander¡¯s side profile. His tall andrge figure was enveloping a much smaller figure¡ªVivian was leaning against his chest weakly while crying prettily. ¡°Alex, I know you love me. You will never abandon me. Gale told me that you used your grandmother¡¯s jade pendant to customize a ne for me. That was something your grandmother told you to give to your wife. I know and I understand.¡± At that moment, Courtney felt as if something in her brain had snapped. Her mind went nk, and shepletely lost the ability to think. Although she wanted to escape the scene in front of her, her legs felt as heavy as lead and she couldn¡¯t move. Then, she saw Alexander lifting his hand and hugging Vivian. His low and hoarse voice echoed in therge restroom. It wasn¡¯t loud, but it was very clear. Moreover, it seemed to be filled with deep regret. ¡°Mika, I lost the ne.¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t bear to continue listening any longer. She didn¡¯t know where her strength came from as she turned and fled. She kept running until she was very far away from the hotel. She didn¡¯t know where she was, and traffic was passing by around her. Standing next to a bed of flowers, she bent over with her hands on her knees and panted heavily. Only then did she notice that she was still holding the hangover medicine and a towel that had long gone cold. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 161 Chapter 161 She Is Probably His Ex-Girlfriend After Alexander returned from the restroom, he did not see Courtney in the lounge area. Moreover, the front desk had just changed shifts. When he asked them about her whereabouts, nobody had seen her. ¡°Maybe she went back on her own since it¡¯s sote.¡± Vivian naturally hugged Alexander¡¯s arm, practically pressing her entire body against his arm. Her eyes were still slightly red as she said in a stifled voice, ¡°Alex, I¡¯m tired. Can you send me back?¡± The front desk was just behind them. Several receptionists watched the scene before them and revealed stunned expressions. What is with this intimate posture? What¡¯s going on? Isn¡¯t President Duncan in a rtionship with Miss Hunter? Why is he so close with the president of SG Eastern Branch? Alexander absentmindedly nced at the entrance of the hotel. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong. Even if it was something urgent, Courtney isn¡¯t the type of person to leave without telling me anything. However, Vivian seemed to be very drunk. She leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes without moving. Frowning, he had no choice but to call his driver to send her back home for now. In the living room of a three-story vi at Westpark, Vivian grabbed Alexander by the arm and stopped him. She raised her head to look at him with a drunk expression, her words slurring as she said, ¡°Alex, about what I mentioned before... you don¡¯t need to rush to answer me. I can wait.¡± Alexander was about to leave, but he paused and lowered his head to look at the person on the sofa. Without hesitating, he pushed her arm away. ¡°You¡¯re drunk, Mika.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not drunk.¡± She was reluctant to let go, wrapping both arms around his waist. Her voice sounded like she was about to cry. ¡°Alex, I¡¯m scared... Won¡¯t you stay with me?¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Despite allowing her to hug him, his gaze became cold and distant. ¡°I called your brother. He wille and apany you.¡± Upon hearing those words, the arms hugging him instantly stiffened. Then, she retracted her arms after a moment. Sitting on the sofa with her head hanging low, although her curled bangs blocked out most of her expression, her disappointment was as clear as day. He frowned slightly at the sight. A long whileter, Vivian suddenly looked up andined resentfully, ¡°Alex, you¡¯re terrible! I was only joking with you! Even if you don¡¯t want to apany me, you don¡¯t need to tell my brother! If my brotheres, he will know that I was drinking. He¡¯s going to scold me again!¡± The frown on Alexander¡¯s face rxed at those words. After leaving Vivian¡¯s house, he decided to drop by Courtney¡¯s apartment. However, there were no signs that anybody had returned tonight. In the meantime, Courtney¡¯s phone remained turned off, and the butler at the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home said that she had not gone there either. ¡°Where to now, President Duncan?¡± Josh held the steering wheel as the car left the residential area Courtney lived at. ¡°Head toward Cameron¡¯s house.¡± A low voice came from the back seat. From the rearview mirror, he could see that Alexander was scowling deeply. Mika¡¯s return had been a surprise to Alexander, and it had disrupted many of his ns. Half an hourter. ¡°Courtney? Why did youe to my house in the middle of the night looking for Courtney? Are you nuts?¡± Cameron yawned as she sat on the sofa. ¡°Did you quarrel with Courtney?¡± ¡°Is she really not here?¡± Alexander stood in the living room. Studying the messy apartment, his suspicious gaze finallynded on the door to the main bedroom. ¡°She¡¯s really not here. What time do you think it is? Can you let me sleep already? I still have to get up early tomorrow for work, unlike a certain young master. Hey¡ªwhat are you doing?!¡± She jumped up from the sofa. Before she could stop him, he strode over to the bedroom door and pushed it open. The yellow light spilled out from the bedroom. A familiar figure was sitting on the bed, looking very shocked. He abruptly wrapped the nkets around his body, trying to cover himself up. ¡°What the f*ck, Alex?! Knock before you barge into somebody else¡¯s bedroom¡ª¡± Alexander stared at Gale¡¯s shocked expression with a startled expression. ¡°Did Courtney note here?¡± Gale covered his chest, looking like he didn¡¯t know whether to cry or tough. ¡°What do you think?¡± Not longter, the sound of a door closing came from outside as well as Cameron¡¯s spiteful ¡®I won¡¯t see you out.¡¯ Those two sounds reverberated within the house. Then, Cameron crossed her arms and looked at Gale. ¡°Your acting was a little exaggerated. By the way, you can leave now.¡±¡°What?! You¡¯re throwing me aside after you¡¯re done using me?!¡± ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t you see I have something going on today?¡± While saying that, she turned to the balcony and shouted, ¡°Courtney, he¡¯s gone. You cane in now.¡± Gale muttered under his breath as he threw aside the nkets, picked up his shirt from the floor, and put it on. At the same time, the sound of a door opening came from the balcony. Courtney walked in with her head hanging low and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Thanks.¡± She originally nned to go home. However, when she recalled that Alexander had been living at her ce recently, she decided to head directly to Cameron¡¯s ce. She did not expect to see Gale standing outside Cameron¡¯s house. The two had yet to reconcile, so he had been locked outside. ¡°Why are you thanking me?¡± Cameron frowned. Pulling Courtney over to the bed, they sat down. ¡°Sit down and talk. What happened? You look like you¡¯ve lost your soul.¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious. She had a fight with Alex.¡± Gale¡¯s voice came from behind them. Cameron immediately rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°Will you die if you don¡¯t talk? If you¡¯re going to continue being nonsensical, then get out of here.¡± Upon hearing those words, Gale immediately shut his mouth and kept silent. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to the nonsense he spews.¡± She held Courtney¡¯s hands. ¡°What on earth happened? You need to tell me clearly for me to help you.¡± Courtney lowered her head and said in a gloomy voice, ¡°I saw Alexander hugging Vivian.¡± ¡°Vivian Shepherd?!¡± Cameron¡¯s expression changed drastically, and she nearly jumped out of bed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention her before? The female president of SG Eastern Branch, right?¡± Courtney nodded. Her head was a mess, and she didn¡¯t know what she was saying. Her mind was filled with the image of those two people hugging each other. ¡°Motherf*cker! What a sc*mbag!¡± Cameron clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles made a sound. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since the incident involving Britney Price subsided. And now, Vivian Shepherd?! Didn¡¯t he say he doesn¡¯t fool around with women? What lies! Besides, what¡¯s with these women throwing themselves at him, one after another?! Don¡¯t they know he has a girlfriend?! How can they be so shameless?!¡±¡°I think she is his ex-girlfriend.¡± Courtney looked depressed as she interrupted Cameron¡¯s rant. If I hadn¡¯t listened to Vivian talking about her past with Alexander, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten so shocked. I just ran away without making any preparations at all. She had always thought of Alexander as a decisive and strong-willed person. Moreover, she believed he held the same attitude toward women. She didn¡¯t even see him being nice to Britney, who stayed beside him for several years as his fake fianc¨¦e. However, she saw him looking at Vivian with apletely doting look from where she stood at the restroom door. There was that ne too. If I didn¡¯t hear wrongly, the ne I took from him back then was originally a token of their love. Cameron was stunned for quite a long while before she came back to her senses. ¡°He has an ex-girlfriend?¡± Courtney said nothing. ¡°Gale, didn¡¯t you tell me that Alexander had never been in a rtionship before?¡± Gale looked a little bleak and depressed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I shouldn¡¯t talk? Can I remain silent on this topic too?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Cameron clenched her fist and threatened him, ¡°It looks like you know exactly what is going on between Vivian and Alexander.¡± ¡°How can I not know? The three of us grew up together...¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 162 Chapter 162 A Private Matter to Take Care Of Gale closed his mouth abruptly, and his sentence was cut off partway. Courtney turned back to look at Gale. Her expression was extremely sorrowful. His childhood sweetheart... Cameron was livid. ¡°So, you do know. Keep talking.¡± Looking at the situation, Gale knew that if he didn¡¯t cough up the truth now, he would also be held liable for the mess Alexander had caused. He weighed the pros and cons in his head, then decided to temporarily defect over to this side. ¡°Vivian Shepherd is her alias. Her real name is Mika Lewis. The Lewis Family, the Duncan Family, and my family are very close. As Alexander and I are very simr in age to her two elder brothers, we used to y together a lot when we were younger. However, Alexander was rtively more introverted and didn¡¯t like to y with us that much. We also didn¡¯t like bringing Mika along with us since she was so much younger than us. Thus, Alexander took care of her most of the time.¡± ¡°Besides, the adults were happy to see Mika and Alexander getting along well. Alexander¡¯s father had always wanted a daughter when he was still alive¡ªso much so that he was always happier to see Mika than he was to see his own son. Therefore, he decided on their marriage. Alexander did not oppose the marriage, and the Lewis Family was happy to form a connection with a powerful family like the Duncans.¡± ¡°It was supposed to be a love that formed naturally. They were going to get married after Mika finished her studies abroad. However, she fell in love in France; she came back and had a huge fight with her parents just to break off the marriage with Alexander. s, she married the romantic French man just as she wished.¡± ¡°It was originally an inspirational love story that broke through the feudal ethical code. Unfortunately, she failed to judge that man¡¯s character well. The French man was not only romantic but also unfaithful. Thus, their marriage broke down after a few years. After that, she got divorced and returned home.¡± ¡°And, that¡¯s what happened back then. Don¡¯t think too much into it. Their marriage was decided by their parents. Besides, Alex¡¯s father passed away many years back. Meanwhile, Mika has since gotten married and gotten divorced. It all happened a long time ago.¡± Gale briefly summarized the rtionship between Alexander and Mika, downying their feelings for each other. Although he eloquently tried to make things sound trivial, it was not difficult for the people listening to tell that there was a deeper story to it.Back when the marriage was first announced, Alexander had not opposed the decision. However, he refused to get married six years ago when Scott forced him to. He had preferred to find a surrogate mother to give birth to his child than obey his grandfather. If it wasn¡¯t due to his attachments toward Mika, then there was no other reason that could exin his actions. After hearing the story, Courtney¡¯splexion turned pale. Clenching the smoky-grey bed sheets under her, it felt like a storm had swept across her heart and left a mess in its wake. They have been childhood sweethearts for 20 years. I had no chance of winning since the beginning. ¡°Courtney.¡± Cameron¡¯s voice brought Courtney back to the present. ¡°I¡¯m fine; I just need to rest.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. ¡°Alright, you can sleep in your old room.¡± Watching Courtney leaving dispiritedly, Cameron stood motionless. She wasn¡¯t sure what she could do. Then, a sigh came from the direction of the bed. Turning her head abruptly, she irritably said, ¡°Why are you sighing? I haven¡¯t even started on you yet! Alexander had such a passionate love before; why didn¡¯t you tell me about it?! I could have made a contingency n for Courtney!¡± Choosing between one¡¯s past love and one¡¯s current love has always been a difficult question. Who knows what a man feeling nostalgic about the past would do? Being scolded out of nowhere, Gale bitterly said, ¡°Those are Alex¡¯s private matters. I thought he would tell Courtney about it himself. Who could have thought Mika would return so suddenly?¡± ¡°Why on earth did shee back?¡± Cameron sat down by the bed. ¡°Do you know why?¡± He quickly waved his hand. ¡°How would I know? All I know is that she returned after her divorce. As for her intentions toward Alexander... Perhaps, she wants to recover what she lost.¡± ¡°Recover what she lost?¡± She scowled. ¡°If she does recover what she lost, then what will happen to Courtney?¡± ¡°Outsiders shouldn¡¯t care too much about their rtionship issues.¡± He covered his mouth and yawned, lifting a corner of the nkets and preparing to sleep. ¡°Who allowed you to sleep here?¡± She kicked him out of the bed and huffily said, ¡°Sleep on the sofa outside.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I spill the beans just now? I betrayed my best friend. Can¡¯t you at least give me a ce to stay?¡± he asked sadly.¡°Letting you sleep on the sofa is more than you deserve. If you¡¯re not happy with that, scram.¡± Gale said nothing in response. After tossing and turning the whole night, Courtney woke up before dawn broke the next day. Gale was woken up by the rustling sounds he heard while sleeping on the sofa. Thus, he drowsily picked up his watch from the coffee table and nced at it. ¡°It¡¯s only 5 AM. Why are you up so early?¡± Courtney picked up her bags and prepared to leave. Her expression was so calm that it felt as if nothing had happenedst night. ¡°I¡¯m going to work early. Oh, you can go and sleep in the guest room.¡± He nodded drowsily, hugging his pillow as he headed to the bedroom. When he turned the corner, he went the wrong way and entered the master bedroom where Cameron was sleeping. Courtney did not stop him. She simply smiled to herself and left Cameron¡¯s house. What happened with Alexander had been a huge blow to her. Even so, she had to continue with her daily life, and work went on as usual. Besides, she needed to make ns to prepare for her son¡¯s return. Since Alexander refuses to be honest with me, then the lies can continue until it runs out of control. ¡°Good morning, Miss Hunter.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± Along the way to the canteen for breakfast, Courtney greeted the night shift employees that were about to change shifts. She turned on her phone and immediately saw a missed call from Oliverst night as well as a text message. As soon as she read the message, she called him back directly. ¡°Are you awake?¡± Oliver¡¯s heavy breathing came from the other side of the phone. ¡°I just finished my run.¡± ¡°You mentioned in your text message that your itinerary has been nned. I just read it. Are you nning to leave today?¡± ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s quite a lot of ces to go. I can finish early if I start early.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s meet up to talk. I¡¯m at the canteen. What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll get you a portion.¡± ¡°Anything will do.¡±After that, she left the canteen with a bun and a portion of congee. She was walking toward the elevator when a familiar figure walked toward her and blocked her path. Frowning, she clenched her fingers around the stic bag in her hand. ¡°President Duncan, good morning. Why did youe to the hotel so early in the morning?¡± Alexander breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I came looking for you.¡± ¡°How unfortunate. I¡¯m about to deliver breakfast to Oliver. I have something I need to talk to him about.¡± Hearing her cold and distant tone, his expression fell slightly. ¡°Where did you gost night?¡± He had searched for her the entire night. When he heard that she was in the hotel¡¯s canteen, he immediately rushed over only to be greeted with this strange attitude of hers. ¡°I had a private matter to take care of.¡± She brushed past him and pressed the elevator button. ¡°What private matter?¡± His question rang out from behind her. ¡°It¡¯s a private matter. Everybody has their own space. You don¡¯t need to know everything about me in detail, right?¡± What do you mean by that?!¡± He red at her, feeling a little annoyed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you cannot say. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything between us that we cannot tell each other.¡± After searching for Courtney throughout the night, Alexander finally found her in the morning only to see her buying breakfast for another man. No matter who it was, it was an ufortable sight to see. Moreover, she just had to act so cold too. Thus, the atmosphere between them tensed up for a while. Ding! The sound of the elevator arriving finally broke the deadlock between them. Stepping into the elevator, Courtney said with her back to Alexander, ¡°Speak for yourself. You didn¡¯t tell me about Mika either, did you?¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 163 Chapter 163 How Magnanimous ¡°Is this why you¡¯re upset? What did Mika tell you?¡± Alexander looked at Courtney with aplicated expression. When he couldn¡¯t find her anywherest night, his first reaction was that she might have learned something. After all, he only discovered that Mika was the president of SG Eastern Branch after she spent several days in the hotel. ¡°She didn¡¯t say anything to me.¡± Courtneyughed self-deprecatingly. ¡°She doesn¡¯t like me very much. After all, she is your childhood friend and legitimate fianc¨¦e. A person you love; what does she need to tell me? All she needs to do is stand by your side. You¡¯re a good match for each other.¡± ¡°Courtney.¡± He cut her off, then unhappily continued, ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She turned away and refused to look at him. ¡°Let¡¯s go to your office if you want to know about my past with Mika. I will tell you everything. But, I don¡¯t like women being unreasonable. You are not this kind of person either.¡± Upon hearing those words, she clenched her fists tightly. She spent the whole night constructing all sorts of ideas, but it all fell apart the moment she saw him. The loss of reasoning immediately turned her into an unreasonable and bitter woman. Even if she agreed that she was acting just as he described, she couldn¡¯t help feeling as if a knife was stabbing into her heart when she heard him saying those words. Thus, she quickly entered the elevator. ¡°Forget it; I¡¯m not in the mood for this. Let¡¯s talk next time.¡± Avoiding him is good too. I need some time to digest what I heardst night. Oliver¡¯s luggage was packed and ready to go¡ªit was an 18-inch suitcase that was easy to carry around. Courtney absent- mindedly listened to Oliver telling her about his overall itinerary; she barely heard anything he said. ¡°You don¡¯t look too good today. Are you feeling unwell?¡± Oliver frowned as he looked at her. His eyes were filled with concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She pulled her thoughts back to the present and changed the topic. ¡°By the way, what time did you say your flight was this afternoon? I¡¯ll send you to the airport.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s at 3 PM; you won¡¯t be able to make it.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± She smiled faintly. ¡°I only need to apply for leave.¡±After leaving Oliver¡¯s ce, Courtney returned to her office directly to work. As she was passing by the office area, the usual morning-shift employees had more or less arrived. However, she couldn¡¯t help feeling as if they were giving her strange looks while greeting her. When she opened the door to her office, she immediately understood the reason behind those strange looks ¡ªnot only did Alexander not leave, but he also came to her office to wait for her. ¡°Why are you here?¡± She held the door open with a dazed expression. ¡°I wanted to talk to you about what happenedst night. If you want everybody outside to listen to our conversation, I don¡¯t mind talking to you with the door open.¡± Taken aback for a moment, she subconsciously nced behind her. The entire office area was so quiet that one could hear the son of a pin dropping. Everybody was surreptitiously trying to listen in on their conversation. Frowning, she closed the door behind her. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Vivian was Mika until yesterday,¡± he said bluntly. First and foremost, he had to exin that he was unaware of the connection between Mika and SG. When she heard those words, her expression eased slightly. Still, she remained silent. Then he continued exining. ¡°As for why I didn¡¯t tell you about my past... If you want to know about it, I have nothing to hide from you. Mika and I are just friends. Or rather, we are like siblings to each other. My father liked her a lot when he was still alive, and I used to be engaged to her. However, my father passed away and she wanted to marry somebody else. Hence, the engagement was broken.¡± The situation was more or less simr to the way Gale had described it, but it made her ufortable listening to it. ¡°I don¡¯t like being misunderstood. So, I need to clear the air between us before I leave.¡± ¡°Leave?¡± Courtney lifted her head and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to Kyoto to discuss a real estate development project. I won¡¯t being back for a while.¡± Alexander¡¯s deep and low voice echoed in the office. The moment he told her that he was leaving on a business trip, the jealousy and the ufortable feeling that had been weighing down on her heart disappeared without a trace. The sudden weight that disappeared left her feeling a little lost. ¡°Do you have anything else to ask me?¡± he asked.She looked at him. Hesitating for a long while, she shook her head in the end. She already knew everything she needed to know. All that was left was the unease in her heart. Whether Alexander would get back together with Mika was not something she could control. Simrly, whether or not she could work through her emotions was not up to her. ¡°My flight is at 2 PM this afternoon.¡± Alexander walked toward her with aplicated expression. ¡°I hope that you can tell me about your past when I return. You can ask me all about myself, and I would like to know all about you too.¡± He had investigated her before their rtionship became intimate. However, the information on her was unclear, especially during her time abroad. It felt like somebody had erased or changed it. Even though Josh put a lot of effort into investigating her, he could not obtain the truth. Compared to the past Alexander had no intention to hide, she seemed to hold more secrets during the few years she spent overseas. After Alexander left, Courtney sat alone in her office and sorted out her thoughts. The past few months felt like a dream. Everything had happened so quickly, and her original ns had beenpletely disrupted. As time passed, she became more and more uncertain as to whether she should tell Alexander that she was the surrogate mother back then. After all, the time they spent together was too short. Just when she thought he had feelings for her, Mika appeared suddenly. Mika¡¯s presence served to remind her that she was not the only woman in this world that he was affectionate toward. Thus, it easily broke the confidence she had been building. The urgent ringing of her phone interrupted her thoughts.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. ¡°Courtney, I heard something from Gale.¡± Cameron¡¯s voice came through the phone. It was rare for her voice to sound so serious. ¡°Mentally prepare yourself.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Mika¡¯s family seems to have approached Old Master Duncan in the past two days. They n to bring up the marriage talks from back then.¡± ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s not really unexpected.¡± Courtney sighed in relief; she did not take this matter seriously. When it came to marriage, Scott could not decide for Alexander. Whomever Alexander wanted to marry, or whether he intended to marry or not... was his own decision to make. ¡°How magnanimous of you,¡± Cameron yelled from the other side of the phone. If you are really thinking about yourself, you should go back home and ask your father for some dowry as soon as possible. In any case, not asking for a dowry is such awaste. I heard from Gale that Mika¡¯s family has put in a lot of investment this time. Shares, shops, real estate... They¡¯ve prepared it all. They n to do their best to marry their daughter into the Duncan Family.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they simply nning to sell their daughter to get back some money?¡± Courtneyughed. ¡°Do you take me for a fool?¡± ¡°How can youugh about this?!¡± Cameron sounded shocked. Then, she corrected Courtney, ¡°Don¡¯t get it wrong; that¡¯s called making an investment.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me to break up with himst night? You were saying that such a man isn¡¯t worth sacrificing myself for.¡± ¡°But, he didn¡¯t really do anything wrong during this incident. It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t tell you anything in advance. Besides, telling you in advance would have been useless too. That would simply make you panic in advance.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 164 Chapter 164 He Would Probably Lose His Hearing Too Courtney fell silent. Knowing that she was blundering, Cameron quickly exined, ¡°None of this is important. What matters most is the money you have with you. Didn¡¯t I tell you to visit your father more often so that he won¡¯t leave all his assets to that b*tch Anna, thinking that she¡¯s his only daughter?¡± ¡°He can give it to her if he wants to. I don¡¯t care about that.¡± ¡°Courtney, you have to make ns for the future. Don¡¯t lose both your money and your life.¡± Cameron¡¯s advice instantly reminded Courtney that she needed a lot of money to ensure that there was a contingency n for her to get custody of Jordan if she really broke up with Alexander. Lately, it had been so peaceful that she thought she wouldn¡¯t need this retreat anymore. After putting some thought into it, she replied, ¡°I understand.¡± At 1:30 PM, Courtney took an hour off from work to send Oliver to the airport. ¡°Let me know when you get there.¡± While Courtney stared at Oliver, who was dressed in a casual suit, her mind was not at ease. ¡°I¡¯m an adult.¡± Oliver was helpless looking at her reaction. ¡°Stop staring at me like I¡¯m a kid. You¡¯ll make me feel like you¡¯re my mother.¡± ¡°Your mother?¡± Courtney was surprised. ¡°Do you remember your mother?¡± ¡°I was just saying that you feel like a mother to me.¡± He looked down and sniffled, trying to hide away the momentary panic in his eyes. After making sure that Oliver had gone into the airport checkpoint, Courtney finally left the airport. A roaring sound flew across the sky. Looking up, Courtney could see the long trail left behind by the ne. Subconsciously, she checked the time on her watch; it was exactly 2 PM. I think Alexander¡¯s flight was at 2 PM, she thought. Recently, those things he told her about Mika had been bothering her. Women were born like that. They were so used to dissecting different meanings from one simple sentence. However, men thought that they were overthinking, so they tried to talk less to prevent women from thinking too much.I don¡¯t care anymore! In the end, Courtney was frustrated by her own thoughts. Stepping on the elerator, she drove the car onto the airport highway. Since she had taken the afternoon off from work, she decided to visit the Hunter Mansion. Instead of going back there to fight for the assets like what Cameron had told her to, she went back due to the call from Lucian. When he called her some time ago, he sounded ill. Therefore, she wanted to check on him. Standing in front of the Hunter Mansion¡¯s entrance, she rang the doorbell, thereafter a housemaid came and opened the gate. She was a middle-aged woman Courtney had never seen before, and she observed Courtney with cautious eyes. ¡°You are?¡± In response, Courtney shed her a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯m Courtney Hunter; you¡¯re the new housemaid?¡± ¡°Courtney Hunter?¡± The housemaid¡¯s forehead furrowed. Instantly, she proceeded to close the gate. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of you before. You must¡¯vee to the wrong ce.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Courtney pressed onto the gate. ¡°It makes sense that you haven¡¯t seen me before. My dad is Lucian Hunter, the owner of this house. Is he not here?¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± The housemaid¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°My master only has one daughter. She¡¯s the only young miss of the family. He doesn¡¯t have a daughter like you. You¡¯ve chosen the wrong ce if you¡¯re trying to scam us. Although Mr. Lucian isn¡¯t at home, and Miss Anna doesn¡¯te back very often, I¡¯m not that delirious.¡± ¡°He is not at home?¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney frowned. ¡°Where did he go?¡± Sunrise Enterprise had been handed over to Anna¡¯s mother to handle. Some of the rtives of the Hunter Family were also handling thepany. After all, Lucian had retired from his position recently. Although he still had control over thepany¡¯s shares, he didn¡¯t get involved in thepany¡¯s operations anymore. As he aged, he was reluctant to go outside, so he was always at home. ¡°Didn¡¯t you im to be Mr. Lucian¡¯s daughter? How can you not know where your father has gone?¡± The housemaid twitched her lips, and she looked at Courtney with contempt. As if she had found the loophole in Courtney¡¯s words, she mocked, ¡°Don¡¯te messing with me with your tricks. Tell you what. Mr. Lucian isn¡¯t feeling welltely and he has been staying at the nursing home. If you¡¯re really his daughter, you should¡¯ve known about that. Go back to where you came from; otherwise, I¡¯ll call the police.¡± As soon as she said that, she closed the gate with a bang. Courtney was dumbstruck for a second. Quickly, she went to her car and was ready to visit the nursing home.¡°Hello? Mrs. Bell, it¡¯s me, Courtney.¡± She dialed Mrs. Bell¡¯s number. ¡°Has my dad been hospitalized?¡± From the other side of the phone, she heard Mrs. Bell sigh, and it was only then that she found out that the old woman had been dismissed two weeks ago. Therefore, she did not know about the reason behind Lucian¡¯s hospitalization. ¡°It should be the nursing home at Eastgate Street. Before I left, I think I heard that woman mention it to her daughter.¡± ¡°Okay, I got it. Thank you so much, Mrs. Bell.¡± Hanging up, Courtney quickly went to the nursing home at Eastgate Street following the direction provided by the navigation system. From what Mrs. Bell had told her, it had been two weeks since Lucian was hospitalized, yet she knew nothing about it. Within this period, she had been on the phone with her dad, but he mentioned nothing about his illness and his hospitalization. The moment she thought about that, she felt unspeakable guilt. The nursing home was a five-star rating facility, and it was one of the best in Melrose City. After taking a look around the nursing home, Courtney was slightly relieved. She went to the front desk to check the room before she left for the inpatient department. When she arrived at the ward, Lucian was sleeping. Staring at him by the door for a while, she ended up closing the door and going directly to his doctor. ¡°Your father was admitted two weeks ago. When he first came, he was losing his sight. Even though we have been barely controlling his condition with medicine, he can no longer see clearly now.¡± ¡°You mean my dad can¡¯t see properly anymore?¡± Courtney¡¯s heart pinched, and she clenched her fists. ¡°How did this happen?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°There are many factors. ording to the test results, your father¡¯s liver function deteriorated. Your mother also told us that he drinks a lot of alcohol. An irregr diet can also be another reason why he lost his sight. He has a lot of illnesses. This time, it¡¯s aplication of different illnesses that caused the blindness.¡± The doctor only knew that she was Lucian¡¯s daughter, so naturally, he assumed that Susan was her mother. Frowning at what the doctor said, she did not bother to correct him. She continued to ask, ¡°Can my dad¡¯s loss of sight still be cured?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± The doctor shook his head with regret. ¡°This is irreversible and it can only be barely controlled by medicine. He has to maintain it; otherwise, I¡¯m afraid he will lose his sightpletely. Besides, there is something I¡¯m not sure if your mother has told you.¡±¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Your father would probably lose his hearing too.¡± Instantly, Courtney¡¯s nails tore into her palm. The pain reminded her that what happened now was reality and not a dream. Did the doctor just say that Dad will not be able to hear or see in the future? Despite her hatred toward the things her dad did to her mom, she knew the attention and care she received over the years was sincere. He was still the same dad who showered her with love and affection. In her eyes, he had always been invincible. After she came out from the doctor¡¯s clinic, she sat for a long time in front of Lucian¡¯s bed. ¡°Nurse...¡± Suddenly, Lucian woke up. He propped himself up using the side of the bed as support and stared at Courtney. His gaze was cloudy, and he looked like he had a hard time focusing his gaze on her. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 165 Chapter 165 Have I Found That Person? Courtney was about to call him ¡®Dad¡¯. However, the moment she heard him calling for the nurse, she was dumbstruck. ¡°How long have I been sleeping?¡± Lucian sat up from the bed. Leaning against the bedhead, he looked like he wanted to get out of the bed. Immediately, Courtney reached out, intending to help him. But, he shoved her away. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can do it myself.¡± As he said that, he got out of bed on his own and reached for his shoes. Feeling the bed with his hands, he managed toe to the end of the bed and headed toward the balcony as he slowly figured out the path through the things around him. ¡°The weather seems to be quite nice today.¡± When he reached the balcony, Courtney quickly pulled open the door for him. ¡°Thank you.¡± He nodded and went outside to the balcony. ¡°The air is fresh. It must have rained earlier today.¡± While he was talking, he stumbled. He was tripped by the chair beside his feet. ¡°Dad!¡± Courtney screamed in shock. Holding onto the chair, Lucian barely got up to his feet. Turning around in disbelief, he stared in the direction where her voice came from. ¡°Courtney?¡± He looked stunned, yet his vision was blurry. She quickly walked up and held him. ¡°It¡¯s me, Dad. You¡¯re so ill. Why didn¡¯t you tell me anything on the phone?¡± Other than surprise, there was delight on Lucian¡¯s face too. ¡°Come here. Sit down. Why should I tell you that? It¡¯s normal to fall sick when one ages. My condition is fine. It¡¯s neither painful nor itchy. Apart from some inconveniences during my daily life, there is nothing major.¡± He told her what happened to him with a matter-of-fact tone, but still and all, Courtney was upset listening to him. ¡°Why did you move to a nursing home? Didn¡¯t anyone at home visit you?¡±¡°Your aunt is busy with thepany, and Anna is preparing for her wedding. They doe and visit sometimes. By the way, did Anna send you her wedding invitation card?¡± Courtney hesitated for a few seconds. ¡°She did.¡± She knew about Anna¡¯s wedding, and it was Cameron who told her. She had a lot of friends. Most of them had received her wedding invitation cards, But, as her younger sister, Courtney had not received one. Now that Lucian was sick, she had to lie to prevent him from getting worked up. ¡°Anna has been spoiled by her mother. She is bad-tempered, and I know she likes to make a fuss. But, she¡¯s still your sister. I hope you¡¯ll attend her wedding for my sake.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Lucian nodded his head gratefully. Holding Courtney¡¯s hand, he continued, ¡°I know you don¡¯t like Anna and her mother, but you neverin because of me. You¡¯re a sensible child, just like your mother.¡± ¡°You still remember my mom?¡± ¡°Of course. How can I forget?¡± Staring at the air with his dted pupils, Lucian seemed to have remembered the past. Mixed feelings washed over him, and he sounded solemn. It was as if there was guilt and remorse in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m still wondering how I should face her when I meet her down there.¡± Sitting by the side, Courtney did not know how tofort him. No matter what she said, it would be inappropriate. After spending the afternoon with her dad in the nursing home, Courtney drove back home. When she got back, she felt empty. The house was like an enormous box without warmth and affection. Back then, Lucian thought he had finally met his true love. So, he decided to leave his wife that had always been by his side since the beginning when they had nothing. Yet, in his old age, he had no one around him. So what if he had children? Children thought differently from the way their parents did. The only one who could stay by one¡¯s side forever was their lifelong partner. However, one might not be able to find their soulmate even if they were to pick someone out from the billions of people in this world. Have I found that person?The question echoed in Courtney¡¯s mind. Sitting in the darkness for a long moment, Courtney looked like she finally found the answer. She took her phone out to book a flight. After packing her things, she got herself a taxi and headed to the airport. Everything was done in one go. Compared to July in Melrose City, the summer heat in Kyoto was much worse. Even the city was significantly more prosperous. When Courtney got off the ne, the sky waspletely dark. She was weed by the heat the moment she set foot outside the airport. Luckily, it was alreadyte at night.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Sir, I¡¯d like to go to the Sunhill Hotel on Central Road.¡± When Alexander went on business trips, he stayed at his own hotel most of the time. ¡°Okay.¡± It was already midnight when the meeting ended. Alexander left the meeting room surrounded by his staff. As he was walking, he was still reminding them about the contents of the meeting. Beside him was Josh, who was recording the amendments to the contract. ¡°The conditions they put forward are eptable, but let¡¯s not act like we are easy to deal with...¡± ¡°Okay, I understand. I¡¯ll find them tomorrow morning to make sure that they know we won¡¯t be epting the new conditions so easily.¡± Alexander responded with a hum. Suddenly, his movements halted in the corridor. The three staff behind him stopped as well. They exchanged a nce with each other and looked in the direction where Alexander was staring. When Josh saw the figure in front of the hotel suite, his expression froze. ¡°Miss Hunter...¡± ¡°Ahem. President Duncan, I¡¯ll bring the others to another suite.¡± Josh quickly came back to his senses. Sensibly, he brought the other two assistants and left the scene in an instant. The pair were left staring at each other in the long corridor.After a short moment, Alexander strode across the corridor. He was unable to conceal the astonishment in his eyes. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Taking a deep breath, Courtney plunged into his arms. Although no words were spoken, an action like this was more practical than any sweet nothings, not to mention Courtney had actually held her head up and kissed him. Her initiative was soon taken over by Alexander as he pinned her against the wall. Fishing his room card out from his pocket, Alexander scanned it on the door lock. After the sound of opening and closing the door in a hurry, there was only the sound of the heavy panting of the couple and the rustling sound of fabric in the spacious hotel suite. Their clothes were jumbled together, tracing the path from the entrance to the sofa. When passion subsided, the moon was hanging high outside the window. Courtneyy in Alexander¡¯s arms, and the flush on her face gradually faded. She let out a sigh and said, ¡°I went to see my dad this afternoon. He¡¯s in the nursing home. It looks like he has handed thepanypletely to my sister and my stepmother. Neither of them visit him very often at the nursing home, and Dad said he misses my mom.¡± ¡°So, you came to find me?¡± Alexander ran his fingers through her messy hair strands on her forehead. He changed into another position to cuddle her morefortably. His eyes were closed, and his voice was low. Yet, Courtney did not answer his question directly. Instead, she continued, ¡°Although I have no memory of my mother, Uncle William and Grandpa told me that she was a cold and arrogant woman. She was verypetitive and kept her feelings bottled up. Before my dad met Susan, they already had marital problems; they rarelymunicated with each other.¡± When she finished saying that, she tried to look up at Alexander. Her eyes met with his defined jawline and his phoenix eyes that were especially alluring when he narrowed them. She gulped, wondering if he understood what she had just said while beating around the bush.¡°When my dad was alive, he was very fond of Mika. When our parents made a joke about arranging a marriage for us, I was thirteen years old, and she wasn¡¯t even ten. No one took the joke seriously. It was only when something happened to our family that Grandpa started to look at the joke as my dad¡¯sst wish. No one ever asked about my opinion.¡± After Alexander said that, he hung his head down and looked at her. There was mischief in his eyes. ¡°Is there anything else you want to ask about?¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 166 Chapter 166 I¡¯m Dispensable Alexander was trying to imply that the arranged marriage was a decision made by the elders without first going through him. With just a couple of words, he pushed all the me away from him. Deliberately trying to make a fuss, Courtney pouted. ¡°Pfft. With your temperament, don¡¯t tell me that you were just over ten years old; even if you still didn¡¯t know how to talk, as long as you didn¡¯t agree with it, no one could force it on you. The truth is that you fancied your childhood sweetheart.¡± ¡°Do you want to hear the truth?¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened. The way he looked at Courtney sent her heart stuttering. Is he really in love with Mika? ¡°It¡¯s not what you think it is.¡± He flicked her head with a helpless look. She stifled a grunt in response and covered her head discontentedly. ¡°If you want to say something, say it properly. Why are you hitting me?¡± Affection surged through Alexander¡¯s cold face. In the few seconds of silence, he seemed to be contemting the right things to say. ¡°My dad always wanted a daughter when he was alive, but his wish was never granted. So, for a long time, he treated Mika as his own daughter.¡± Courtney was slightly startled. This was not the first time Alexander took the initiative and told her about his parents. However, this was the first time he seemed calm talking about them. ¡°My mom was a painter. Her heart could only hold her dreams. She always went out with her drawing board for months. The fact that she gave birth to me did not impact her usual life. Except for the time she came back and visited me after finishing her drawing, we rarely had the opportunity to meet each other. It had always been like that for many years.¡± His charming low voice flowed in the dimly lit room. He sounded so calm that Courtney could not sense any emotion from his voice. It was as if he was telling her something that had nothing to do with himself.From his words, she finally found out the rtionship between Mika and the Duncan Family. Alexander¡¯s parents had always been separated from each other in their early years. His mom was always away, and his dad was always busy with work. So, they could only leave him with his grandfather and the butler. Scott was very bad-tempered; he had always been strict when it came to educating children. Even though Alexander was only a child, Scott did not change any of his principles. Over time, Alexander became unsociable, and he had an entric temperamentpared to his peers. When he grew older, his dad knew they couldn¡¯t go on like that. So, he brought Alexander back to his side. Whenever he had a break, he would take Alexander to gatherings if there was someone of his age, hoping that he could blend in and make some friends. The Lewis Family had many children. Their two sons were almost the same age as Alexander, and they had a daughter who had just learned how to walk. His dad sent him over to stay with them during the summer break. By the time his dad went back to pick him up, he didn¡¯t get close with the two sons, but instead, he earned himself two followers. One was Gale, the naughty boy who had tricked Alexander into eating the spicy biscuit and ended up getting Alexander admitted into the hospital for a week. The other was Mika, who could not even speak properly yet.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. He became friends with Gale after a fight. As for Mika, it was because that particr summer break was extremely boring for Alexander. Yet, the two sons of the Lewis Family were very reluctant to y with him since he was a stranger. He didn¡¯t take it to heart and was actually enjoying the silence. Every time he sat in the corner by himself, Mika would stumble toward him. She would clutch onto the hem of his clothes and stuff a storybook into his hands, forcing him to read her the story. If he refused, she would cry. ¡°I read her a summer break¡¯s worth of stories and Mika¡¯s mother told my dad about it. Since then, my dad would always bring her over to our house during the summer break every year. He treated her as his own daughter, and I guess he was probably hinting to my mom that he wanted another child.¡± Therefore, the rtionship between this pair of childhood sweethearts was very different from what outsiders had imagined. Their rtionship continued for so long because of Alexander¡¯s father¡¯s own intent. The original goal was not to find Alexander a wife, but that he wanted a daughter. He was indeed very desperate to hint at it in such a tactful manner. Upon hearing that, Courtney was speechless. ¡°Your dad was too cryptic. If he really wanted another kid, why didn¡¯t he just tell your mom directly? Or...¡±Before she could finish what she was saying, she shut up, swallowing the rest of the sentence. After all, Mr. Duncan was an elder. It would be unsuitable for her to bad mouth him. Alexander¡¯s voice then rose in her ears. His tone was iprehensible. ¡°Ever since I could remember, my dad and my mom always slept in separate rooms.¡± The moment Courtney heard him, her heart pinched slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to be sorry about.¡± He lifted the nket to cover her shoulders. Hardening his expression, he changed the topic back to what they were initially talking about. ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything you need to know. Mika is like a younger sister to me, and there is nothing else between us.¡± ¡°I got it. You don¡¯t have to stress that to me all the time.¡± Courtney felt a little hot on her face. Since they began to talk about the past, Alexander had been emphasizing that Mika was just a younger sister. It was as if he was afraid that she would be making a fuss again if he were to say something more. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything else to interrogate about?¡± She heard his tease. Immediately, she pouted and said, ¡°Interrogate? When did I interrogate you? You told me all this yourself!¡± Alexander raised his brows. Leaning closer to her ears, he said, ¡°Compared to when you¡¯re serious, you¡¯re actually much cuter when you¡¯re jealous.¡± Courtney felt like her earlobes were going to burst into mes. Her body was also burning in an instant. The night went by with pleasure and sweet dreams. The next day, Courtney was ready to return to Melrose City. Alexander postponed his meeting purposely so that he could send her to the airport. ¡°Mika has been pampered by her family since young, so it¡¯s not surprising that she would go overboard.¡±¡°I understand. She¡¯s your younger sister, so I¡¯ll tolerate her.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to.¡± He raised his hand to straighten her stray hairs beside her ears. ¡°What I mean is, if she goes overboard, you don¡¯t have to tolerate her. There¡¯s no need to upset yourself.¡± When Courtney heard him, she was puzzled. A look of surprise appeared on her face. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that she¡¯s your younger sister?¡± ¡°She has two brothers, and I¡¯m dispensable.¡± His hand slid from her ear, and he held her into his arms. He whispered, ¡°So, you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± At this moment, thest bit of distrust vanished into thin air with the roar of airnes in the airport. Taking advantage of the situation, Courtney wrapped her arms around his waist. Like a kid, she swayed from side to side and let out a sigh. ¡°How can my boyfriend be such a good man?¡± And she heard his serious voice. ¡°I¡¯m your fianc¨¦.¡± On the ne back to Melrose City, Courtney finally figured out the whole situation. It was obvious as to the reason behind Mika¡¯s return, and she believed Alexander knew it too. However, looking at the situation now, it seemed like he did not respond to Mika, or perhaps it would be better to say that when she ran away from the bathroom the other day, she missed out on the part where he rejected Mika. Thus, she was afraid that the president of SG Eastern Branch would no longer treat her with a good attitude. After all, she knew Mika was not a rabbit from their first meeting. It was impossible for her to serve as the president of SG Eastern Branch at this age relying on the delicate personality she disyed in front of Alexander. I have to look for measures appropriate to the situation from now on! The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 167 Chapter 167 You Must Leave Him When the nended, Courtney turned her phone back on and saw that she had a missed call. After ncing at the number, she searched through her contacts and dialed Addie¡¯s number. ¡°Courtney! Are you back?¡± Addie¡¯s excited voice came through the phone the moment he picked up. Soon after, she asked, ¡°Do you think you can find Vivian Shepherd from SG¡¯s phone number?¡± Since Vivian shot Courtney down during the audit team¡¯s first visit to the hotel, Courtney was unable to follow along for the remainder of the inspection and did not manage to get Vivian¡¯s contact details. ¡°Vivian Shepherd?¡± Taken aback, he paused for a brief moment before answering. ¡°It should be on the agreement. I¡¯ll go take a look.¡± The cab had just gotten off the airport highway when a text from Addie came. Afterparing the phone numbers, the light in Courtney¡¯s eyes dimmed. Turning off her phone, she simply shut her eyes and did not bother with that missed call from before. The call was from Mika, and the reason for the call was obvious. Moreover, she also had a strong feeling that Mika was going to call again. By the time Courtney arrived at her apartment, it was already sometime in the afternoon. She took a shower and was in a rather good mood. Humming along to a song, she began tidying up the house as she had ns to have the two children over to stay for the weekend. Before she could finish cleaning, however, Mika called. ¡°Hello. Who is this?¡± Courtney intentionally asked. ¡°It¡¯s me, Vivian.¡± Her voice sounded cold unlike the kind appearance she had when they drank together the other day.Courtney kept herposure. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Do you have time? I want to talk.¡± ¡°Last I checked, I wasn¡¯t the person in charge of the coboration between SG Travel Group and Sunhill Hotel. I think you have the wrong person.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about the coboration. This is a personal matter.¡± ¡°What personal matters do we have between us?¡± ¡°Courtney.¡± Mika was getting impatient, but she suppressed her temper. ¡°Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t know anything. Do you think you can stay by Alex¡¯s side as long as you avoid me?¡± Those words almost made Courtneyugh. She used to think that Vivian was a woman of high status, but seeing how desperate she was now after a slight push made her realize that Alexander was right¡ªVivian was just a spoiled and pompous youngdy from a wealthy family. The two agreed to meet up at a coffee shop on Pinnacle Road. It was three in the afternoon¡ªjust in time for afternoon tea¡ªbut there were more waiters than customers in the shop. ncing over the menu, however, Courtney knew the reason for theck of business right away¡ªa cup of Americano cost a thousand six hundred and ny. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s my treat.¡± Mika¡¯s voice sounded from across her. ¡°I can afford this much.¡± Courtney closed the menu and smiled at the waiter. ¡°A ss of in water please.¡± Frowning, a look of astonishment shed before Mika¡¯s eyes. The waiter hesitated as he looked over at Mika. ¡°Give her a ss of water,¡± she ordered with a stiff expression on her face. She probably thought it was humiliating that Courtney had just ordered a ss of water at a ce like that. Calmly, Courtney added, ¡°I just don¡¯t think this conversation willst over a cup of coffee.¡±¡°Do you hate seeing me that much?¡± Mika eyed her. ¡°So, you do know about my rtionship with Alex?¡± ¡°He says you¡¯re his younger sister.¡± ¡°He said that?¡± Mika scoffed. ¡°It seems like I¡¯ve overestimated you. Did you really take his words at face value?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡± Courtney looked over at her calmly. ¡°To speak with responsibility, I¡¯m his rightful fianc¨¦e. Since you¡¯re not interested in idle chit-chat, I¡¯ll just be upfront with you. The love Alex and I share is not something your few short months of rtionship with him can rece. It might have been possible if I hadn¡¯t returned, but I¡¯m back now. If you¡¯re smart, you¡¯ll leave on your own and not embarrass yourself.¡± ¡°Responsibility?¡± Courtney grew serious. ¡°Were you being responsible when you broke off the engagement and married a French man? After you got divorced, did you think your previous engagement would still be valid? That would mean that feelings and rtionships are all just a game to you, isn¡¯t it? Is Alexander a backup n to you?¡± ¡°Watch your words.¡± Mika¡¯s expression changed in an instant. ¡°Backup n? I¡¯ve never thought of him that way. Did you say that in front of him?¡± ¡°I thought you were confident. Will my words threaten your position in his life?¡± Courtney was finding the whole situation rather funny. ¡°You didn¡¯t want him at first, but now that you do, everyone else should just give way? Even if I do give way, don¡¯t you think you should ask him what he thinks?¡± ¡°I just need you to leave. It doesn¡¯t matter what he thinks. He wille back to me.¡± After hearing that, Courtney was convinced that she had overestimated Mika. She used to think that Mika was a high-ss woman, but now it became clear that she was just a brazen fool. Suddenly, Courtney¡¯s phone started to ring. She took a look at the iing call, then turned to Mika and said, ¡°Let me answer this before you continue.¡± Mika almost burst with anger. Picking up the call in front of her, Courtney answered, ¡°Grandpa.¡± ¡°Nothing much. I n on bringing the kids over to stay at my ce over the weekend. I¡¯ll pick them up on Friday night.¡±¡°Sure, we¡¯ll have dinner together. Alex can¡¯t make it. The project in Kyoto is still underway. He might only have time after the next couple of days.¡± During Courtney¡¯s phone call, the look on Mika¡¯s face only grew worse. When the call ended, Courtney looked back up at her and informed, ¡°I have to leave soon. If you still have something to say, you better make it quick.¡± ¡°You...¡± Mika seethed. ¡°You must leave Alex. I¡¯m warning you.¡± ¡°Sorry to say this, but I have to go now.¡± Courtney stood up. ¡°Just a friendly reminder; the next time you ask someone out to talk about these things, remember to bring money or something of equivalent value. Don¡¯t be a leech.¡± Feeling light-hearted, she grabbed her bag and left the booth. Behind her, Mika spat, ¡°I thought you were a person of principle, but you¡¯re also in it for the money. Just tell me how much you want.¡± Courtney¡¯s steps came to a halt, but she did not turn back around. ¡°You¡¯re quite capable in your work. I used to wonder why you left Alex for a man with no backbone, but I think I understand now. There is something seriously wrong with your brain.¡± Despite Courtney having made herself very clear, Mika still did not put two and two together. The afternoon tea that day gave Courtney the feeling that she had gone overboard with the mental preparation she made beforehand. Meanwhile, Mika was quivering in anger. In all her life, she had never been so humiliated before. Without saying another word, her eyes turned red as she watched Courtney leave.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. From beside her, a cinereous silhouette walked past and sat down in front of her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± The woman¡¯s voice was sweet and caring. Suppressing the stinging feeling in her nose, Mika looked up and snapped, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Who are you? Don¡¯t you have your own table?¡± The woman did not answer her. With a smirk, she asked, ¡°Do you know why Courtney is so confident and unrelenting in front of you?¡± At that moment, Mika became dumbfounded. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 168 Chapter 168 Blood Is Thicker Than Water ¡°I know you.¡± Mika stared at the woman across from her for a moment. ¡°Britney Price.¡± Out of the small number of women Alexander was rumored to have been with, she had caused the most bewilderment. She was a public figure, so it was hard not to know her. For the longest time before Mika returned to the country, she had thought that Britney was her true rival. After all, Britney had spent a total of six years by Alexander¡¯s side. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t have any misunderstandings about me.¡± Britney was calm as if she already knew that Mika would recognize her. Furrowing her brows, Mika spoke frankly. ¡°What do you want to say? Because of your past rtionship with Alex, I don¡¯t think I can trust anything thates out of your mouth.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re still able to say that after you hear this.¡± Britney¡¯s eyes curled up into a mysterious gaze. ¡°I stayed by Alex¡¯s side for over six years. Not too long ago, we were supposed to get married. The hotel for the wedding reception was also decided upon. Did you know that?¡± Mika casted a sidelong nce at her. ¡°I guess you did.¡± Darkness swept over Britney¡¯s eyes. ¡°But, do you know why Alex backed out all of a sudden and canceled the wedding?¡± ¡°Because of Courtney?¡± Britney chuckled and gave her a scornful look. ¡°You¡¯ve known him longer than I have. Do you really think he would cancel the wedding for a woman he had only known for a few months?¡± ring at her, she continued, ¡°It was for Jordan.¡± Mika felt her heart start to thump in her chest and couldn¡¯t help but clench her hands into fists. She knew that Alexander had a son. A year after she got married, news came from within the country that the Duncan Family was weing their first grandson. But no matter how much Mika dug around, she still did not know who the biological mother of the child was.Over the years, she came to know how much Alexander treasured Jordan. Alexander brought him along everywhere and prioritized him above everything else. ¡°You probably know how important Jordan is to Alexander. Did you also know that Jordan is especially fond of Courtney? It¡¯s for that reason Alexander considered bringing Courtney in as the daughter-inw of the Duncan Family.¡± ¡°What are you implying?¡± Up until this point, Mika felt like Britney was only going around in circles with her words. If Alexander were to get married, the person he was marrying could not have a bad rtionship with his precious son. Even if Mika did not have any other information and only went by her understanding of Alexander, that was not hard to figure out. In a profound manner, Britney asserted, ¡°Blood is thicker than water.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Two days after their distasteful encounter, it was the weekend. Courtney had picked the two children up from the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home when she received a notice from the hotel toe in forst-minute overtime work over the weekend. She had no choice but to bring the children along to the hotel with her. As always, she had the supervisor bring them to the kids¡¯ lounge. ¡°During the lunch break at noon, I wille and take you guys out to eat. In the meantime, try to stay put. You must not follow anyone out of the hotel.¡± ¡°We know, Mommy. Get to work now. I¡¯ll take good care of Jordan.¡± Tina¡¯s innocent voice resounded in the room. Pinching her cheeks, Courtney cautioned, ¡°Take care of him? You just make sure to stay out of trouble. Don¡¯t prompt Jordan to run off with you. Do you hear me?¡± ¡°Ah! It hurts!¡± Tina broke away from Courtney¡¯s ws and pouted on the couch. ¡°Gosh. You were about to rip my skin off, Mommy.¡± Courtney did not bother with her. Compared to a hyperactive and cheeky Tina, Jordan looked exceptionally obedient beside her. Patting his head, Courtney said gently, ¡°Look after Tina and yourself. Okay?¡± He gave her a firm nod.Frankly speaking, there wasn¡¯t a person at the hotel who did not know of Jordan¡¯s status as the little prince. Wherever he went, people around him watched him carefully for fear that they would lose their jobs if anything were to happen to him. As soon as Courtney entered her office and put down her things, Addie knocked on the door and came in. ¡°Courtney, Mr. Elliott informed us that the meeting will start at 9.30 AM.¡± She nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°I got it. Print out ten copies of the guestints this month to bring overter.¡± A number of things happened in the hotel over the past few months. In preparation for various big events, there was an increase inst-minute construction work that inevitably made a portion of guests unhappy. The list ofints extended a few pages more than usual. This issue was emphasized at the meeting two days ago and Evan had asked her toe up with a n to alleviate the situation. After organizing her documents, she left to go join the meeting in the conference room. The houndstooth three-quarter sleeve suit she had on made her lookpetent and magnanimous. On the projector, she put up the n she came up with to remedy the issue and delivered her ideas in a clear and concise way. ¡°We willpensate all the guests who stayed here during that period whether they sent in aint or not. As for the guests who did send inints, we will give them a six-month stay at the hotel for free. The reason being that they provided us with constructive feedback. This has to be made very clear during the drafting process or when the customers are being tended to. Don¡¯t let people think that we¡¯re trying to buy them off. That would just be counterproductive.¡± The meeting went on for two hours. By the time it ended, it was almost time for lunch. Carrying the pile of documents in his arms, Addie followed behind Courtney, asking about specific methods of implementation for the n. When they arrived at the elevator, a sudden ear-piercing rm went off in the corridor, and the security lights on the wall started shing urgently. Amid the ring rm that rang throughout the entire building, Courtney became tense and ordered, ¡°Call the security team to see what¡¯s the problem.¡± Addie was already on the phone. Not long after, his face turned pale. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Courtney pressed. Addie hurriedly hung up the call. ¡°Courtney, they¡¯re saying that the kitchen caught on fire, and the sprinklers are out of order. They have called the fire department, but it¡¯s unclear when the fire engines will get here.¡±Her expression shifted, and she quickly responded, ¡°Inform all the supervisors and attendants to make an emergency evacuation.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go right now.¡± Addie ran off in a flustered state. Courtney pressed on the elevator button and stood there for a few seconds when she suddenly remembered that the two children were still in the lounge. Feeling her heart start to race, she turned around and darted toward the staircase. When she got to the kids¡¯ lounge, however, there was not a single person in sight. ¡°The supervisor brought Little Master to the restroom, but I haven¡¯t seen Tina anywhere.¡± Courtney grew pale with fear. After she interrogated several people at once, she started running toward the location of the fire. A thick, heavy cloud of smoke filled the entryway of the kitchen, and several people were gathered around the area. In one corner, there was a pile of used and discarded fire extinguishers. Everyone at the scene was overwhelmed with panic. As she was making her way there, she heard that their old head chef, who was about to retire, was trapped inside the kitchen. ¡°He¡¯s out! He¡¯s out!¡± A middle-aged man was seen staggering out of the smoke with a person dressed in white on his back. Those at the entrance quickly rushed forward to help out. The middle-aged man was panting profusely. ¡°Hurry! There¡¯s a child inside. It looks like Miss Hunter¡¯s daughter.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 169 Chapter 169 You¡¯re Not Fit to Be His Mother The moment he said that, the fire inside the kitchen grew even more violent. Without a second thought, Courtney dashed right in and did not give the people around her a chance to pull her back. ¡°Miss Hunter!¡± Bracing the thick smoke inside, Courtney yelled, ¡°Tina!¡± The kitchen was a big mess with pots and pans scattered all over the ground. It looked like the fire first broke out in the storage room and had instantly spread to the food preparation area between the two rows of stoves. All the smoke in the room was making Courtney cough uncontrobly. Across from the fire, she spotted a pink figure lying in the corner and ran toward it in a heartbeat. Taking off her outer coat, she wrapped Tina in it tightly and carried her out right away. As the ze erupted even further, it seemed like it was going to swallow them in its mes. Courtney could only feel her face going numb from the scorching heat. When she finally stepped out of the kitchen, she felt like she had just escaped death by a whisker. The voices of people talking all at once outside did not register in her mind. ¡°They¡¯re out.¡± ¡°Miss Hunter, the ambnce is here.¡± With Tina in her arms, she was too upied to respond to anyone else and simply followed in the direction one of the attendants was pointing toward the ambnce. As she walked past the crowd, she saw a familiar figure from the corner of her eye. The person was filled with terror and was cowering in fear¡ªit was unlike the demeanor she was familiar with. Pressed for time, she did not ponder on it and quickly rushed Tina to the hospital. After waiting anxiously for some time, the head doctor came out of the emergency room and reassured, ¡°Tina didn¡¯t suffer any serious injuries, but she has inhaled a lot of smoke. We will have to observe her at the hospital for a few days.¡±Finally, Courtney was able to let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you, doctor.¡± ¡°You should go in and see her. She¡¯s already awake.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Once the doctor left, Courtney pulled aside the curtain divider and saw Tina¡¯s small body under the white covers with only her ash-covered face poking out. She looked like a kitten staring at Courtney with a dazed look. ¡°Mommy...¡± Her eyes cleared up when she saw Courtney, but her voice was still hoarse, and she began coughing as soon as she spoke. ¡°Mommy¡¯s here. Mr. Doctor says you have to rest for a bit. You don¡¯t have to speak if it¡¯s too difficult.¡± Courtney sat on the side of the bed and grabbed her hand. Tina nodded. Looking behind Courtney, she paused for a moment then asked through a scratchy voice, ¡°Where¡¯s Jordan?¡± ¡°At the hotel. Thedy supervisor said Jordan went off to the bathroom. I didn¡¯t have time to inform him before rushing you to the hospital.¡± Suddenly, Tina¡¯s eyes widened. It seemed like she was trying to say something, but she only started coughing violently. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Courtney was in a bit of a panic as she patted Tina on the shoulder. ¡°Take it easy, Tina.¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Mommy...¡± Tina heaved between fits of coughing. ¡°Jordan... Jordan is in the kitchen. The big fire...¡± ¡°What did you say? Where did you say Jordan was?¡± A moment of horror sank in. ¡°In the kitchen?¡± Tina nodded. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she nudged Courtney. ¡°Hurry, Mommy. Save Jordan.¡± Courtney was about to lose her mind. Two hours had passed since she saved Tina from the fire. She did not dare fathom the state Jordan was in now if he had been in the kitchen this whole time and no one discovered him. Getting out of the cab, Courtney ran as fast as she could toward the hotel. The firefighters were already tidying up the scene while a crowd of guests and hotel staff was gathered at the entrance. From a distance, she spotted Addie and went to grab a hold of him immediately. ¡°Where¡¯s Jordan?¡±Addie was startled by her frantic appearance. After taking some time toe back to his senses, he stammered, ¡°A-At the hospital.¡± ¡°Which hospital?¡± Tears were streaming down her face. Her disorderly appearance garnered the attention of people around them. In their eyes, she looked like a madwoman pressing Addie for answers. In a flustered state, he exined, ¡°Don¡¯t panic, Courtney. He¡¯s fine. Little Master hid in the cold storage of the kitchen. He¡¯s only at the hospital for an examination. I... I tried calling you, but you didn¡¯t pick up. After you carried Tina away, Vivian ran into the fire suddenly and brought Little Master out.¡± Vivian? All of a sudden, Courtney remembered seeing a terrified face in the crowd while she was carrying Tina away. ¡°Courtney, I¡¯m very sure that Little Master is fine.¡± Addie assumed that she was in shock and kept emphasizing the state that Jordan was in when he came out of the kitchen. ¡°Aside from his hands and feet being cold, he waspletely okay. They brought him to the hospital just in case he develops a fever or catches a cold.¡± When therge weight was finally lifted off of her chest, her legs gave out, and she crumbled to the ground¡ªshe relied on one breath to keep herself together. After she collected herself, she heard a brief recount of how they managed to put out the fire from Addie. It was a good thing that they had discovered the fire in time and none of the employees were injured or killed. The only concern they had now was the criticism and bacsh they would face as a consequence of this safety hazard. ¡°Mr. Elliott has gone to make a report at the headquarters. What should we do next?¡± Courtney pulled her brows together. ¡°Let¡¯s first try to control the online media. Assemble a meeting with the PR department.¡± The meetingsted the whole afternoon. For the time being, they had settled on a preliminary n to control and lead public opinion. When the meeting was over, it was already dark outside. ¡°You should all get something to eat. Let¡¯s work hard tonight to suppress public opinion. I¡¯m going to step out for a bit.¡± Closing herptop, Courtney took her purse and went straight to the hospital.Cameron had gone over to look after Tina. The person Courtney was truly worried about was Jordan. Even though Addie had assured her that he was fine, she could not feel at ease until she saw him with her own eyes. ¡°The second room after turning right.¡± Courtney made her way to the hospital room with haste after inquiring about it at the information desk. As soon as she arrived at the door of the hospital room, however, someone opened it from inside. Courtney was stunned to see who it was. ¡°When did you get back?¡± Alexander¡¯s tall stature stood in the way of the light source behind him. He looked like a big sculpture casting an icy shadow upon her. ¡°I should be the one to ask you what are you doing here?¡± Her facial expression stiffened. ¡°I just came from an emergency meeting at the hotel to see Jordan. What¡¯s up with you?¡± She had only just asked him when she spotted a frail and thin figure inside the room from the corner of her eye. A realization dawned upon her, but she simply curled her hands into fists in denial of it. Alexander scorned. ¡°Where were you when Jordan was trapped in that fire?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know he was in there,¡± she said patiently with eyebrows furrowed together. Courtney feared that Mika had distorted the truth in front of him before he could first hear it from her. Inclined to believe the first story he heard, in addition to his love for Jordan, Alexander¡¯s reaction was not out of the ordinary. ¡°Please calm down. If I had known that Jordan was in there, how could I not have saved him? I¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± he cut in with a hostile attitude. ¡°You¡¯re Tina¡¯s biological mother. It was instinctual for you to save her in that situation, but you shouldn¡¯t have abandoned Jordan. I made a mistake. Now, it doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re fit to be Jordan¡¯s mother.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 170 Chapter 170 Is She Serious? Alexander¡¯s cold demeanor was carved into Courtney¡¯s gaze. It felt like a sharp thorn stabbing her chest, and the unbearable pain put her at a loss for words. ¡°What did you say?¡± She did not dare believe her ears. Even if she was not Jordan¡¯s biological mother, she would not just leave a child to die in a fire. Moreover, she was the one who had given birth to him, so they shared the same blood. Alexander had a stiff expression on his face. ¡°Just go. I¡¯ll get back to you in a few days. In the meantime, I will consider our rtionship andpensate you generously.¡± p! The clear sound rang in the corridor, gaining the attention of several nurses in the distance. There was a faint handprint on Alexander¡¯s right cheek. Tilting his head slightly, he stayed in that stance for a few seconds. He seemed to be in shock. When he came around again, the veins in his head were throbbing. With an embarrassed look on his face, he simply stared at Courtney without saying anything. It was the first time he had gotten pped in his life. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. We¡¯re over, Alexander.¡± Courtney was clenching her fists so tightly that her nails were almost digging into her skin. It was as though the pain from it was the only thing that could keep her sane and protect thest bit of dignity she had left. Her eyes swept over the woman inside the hospital room, then she gave him a warning, enunciating every word as she went. ¡°You can be blind, but if you bring harm to Jordan, I will make you pay for it.¡± The fact that Mika had shown up at the hotel and managed to save Jordan in time was enough to raise suspicions, but Alexander was turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to it. He had lost his ability to reason and chose to only take things at face value. He¡¯s truly blind. After she spat those words out at him, she walked away without looking back. Feelings of sadness and anger intertwined within her, giving off an indescribably unpleasant taste. After she returned to the hotel and finished thetter half of the meeting, it was alreadyte in the night. All the PR team members who joined the emergency PR meeting were yawning ceaselessly.¡°It¡¯s pretty much settled now. We should be able to keep everything under control by next Monday.¡± ¡°Oh! The kitchen at the hotel needs to be repaired. Should we stop business operations for now?¡± ¡°What should we do about the kitchen, Miss Hunter?¡± When the person asked repeatedly, Courtney, who had her head down and was gathering her things the entire time, finally ran out of patience. She mmed the documents in her hand down on the table and rebuked, ¡°Ask Mr. Elliott. This isn¡¯t my hotel, and I¡¯m not the executive manager here. Why does everyone ask me everything? I¡¯m going to resign next Monday. I will start handing over my duties tomorrow.¡± Everyone in the room exchanged shocked nces with each other and was rendered speechless. Addie was also dumbfounded. He quickly closed the meeting and followed after Courtney. ¡°Courtney, what happened to you? Why are you resigning all of a sudden? You can¡¯t be serious.¡± ¡°Does it look like I¡¯m kidding to you?¡¯ Once she returned to her office, she sat down at her table and began typing on herputer. On top of the screen were two words written clearly in big letters that seemed filled with anger: Resignation Letter. Is she serious? Addie¡¯s eyes widened in shock, but he was too afraid to pry further. In fact, it was not the first time she considered resigning. When she first found out about her rtionship to Jordan, she had thought of resigning. At the time, if her rtionship with Alexander had not been secured yet, she would not have voluntarily stayed at Sunhill Hotel all this while. But, after he said those words to her, what other reason did she have to keep working there now? In the VIP hospital room at night, Jordan was already fast asleep and Mika was put in the room next door to rest. Standing outside on the balcony, Alexander was feeling the night breeze against his face, but it did not feel cool. Instead, it made him even more agitated.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. He took a morning flight back from Kyoto to surprise Courtney because he knew that Scott had invited her and the children to eat dinner at the ancestral home. As soon as he got off the ne, however, he saw the news about the fire at the hotel. Soon after, Josh also received news from the hospital. In a state of panic, he rushed to the hospital. Instead of Courtney, though, he saw Mika next to Jordan. In order to save Jordan, Mika had burned her entire left arm. The pain was unbearable even for an adult. He could not imagine what wouldhave happened if Jordan had sustained those injuries. On the other hand, Courtney seemed unbothered and only showed up at the hospitalte at night. He could not contain his anger, especially when he knew that Tina had also been trapped in the kitchen, as Courtney only saved her own daughter. Behind him, Josh pushed open the door and walked toward Alexander to give him a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Alexander quit smoking a long time ago, but for some reason, he asked Josh to buy a pack today. Flicking the lighter, Alexander put the cigarette that was pinched between his long fingers to the blue me and took a long puff. His chilly appearance slowly turned murky. Josh stood at the side and hesitated for a while before he spoke. ¡°President Duncan, the manager at the HR department just called to inform me that Miss Hunter is resigning.¡± Alexander¡¯s fingers around the cigarette stiffened and a deep crease formed between his brows, intensifying the hostile look on his face. ¡°Let them process it.¡± Those words might have sounded apathetic, but when Josh listened closely, he could also hear the deep annoyance entangled within them. He observed Alexander¡¯s face carefully. ¡°President Duncan, I think there is something suspicious about the fire incident. Miss Hunter ims that she did not know Little Master was in the kitchen, which isn¡¯t a lie. Everyone saw her run out of the fire with her daughter. If she did not see anyone else inside, how did Miss Lewis know?¡± Because Mika had gotten injured, no one questioned her about the fire. There was even less information on how she managed to save Jordan from it. The people at the hotel were all saying the same thing¡ªshe had gone into the kitchen and carried Jordan out right after Courtney left. ¡°Not to mention, Little Master was found in the cold storage.¡± Josh reminded him of the peculiarities of this incident once again. Since he was in the cold storage, Courtney would not have discovered him even if she went into the kitchen unless his location was known. Seeing it from that perspective, Courtney¡¯s statement checked out. All at once, the suspicion was ced on Mika. Alexander furrowed his brows for a while, then ordered, ¡°Find out what happened.¡± ¡°What about Miss Hunter¡¯s resignation?¡± The expression on his face changed as though Josh was stepping out of line. ring at him, Alexander retorted, ¡°Let human resources find a way to drag it out.¡±The next morning, Courtney received a call from the HR department as soon as she woke up. ¡°Miss Hunter, we can¡¯t process your resignation letter at the moment.¡± ¡°Why not? Can¡¯t you just let me resign?¡± She had just woken up and was a bit irritated. ¡°ording topany regtions, I just need to give a fifteen-day notice.¡± ¡°That was the case, but since the fire incident happened, we are currently conducting an internal investigation to find out the cause. We are not epting any resignation letters until the investigation is over.¡± Courtney was rendered speechless. ¡°Oh yes; there¡¯s something else I need to tell you. You¡¯ve been suspended.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 171 Chapter 171 Who Is the Gossipmonger That very day, Courtney¡¯s name was listed on the notice of discipline issued by the person in charge. She was suspended without pay for a month and had to cooperate with their internal investigation into the cause of the fire. Upon receiving the notice of discipline in the early hours of the morning, the Human Resource Department bluntly rejected her letter of resignation on the grounds that ¡®no resignation was allowed during the suspension period¡¯. As a result, she had no means of venting out her anger. She couldn¡¯t even go to thepany. Cameron brought some breakfast with her when she visited Tina and Courtney at the hospital. Tina was eating some porridge on the hospital bed, and her voice was still rather hoarse as she said, ¡°Mommy, will Jordan being today?¡± Courtney was blowing on the porridge to cool it. When she heard the question, she frowned slightly. ¡°Jordan was not feeling well over the past two days and has been hospitalized. Unfortunately, he is not staying at this hospital. I¡¯m sure he¡¯lle and visit you once he gets better.¡± ¡°Then, what about Daddy?¡± Under Scott¡¯s instruction, Tina sessfully changed the way she addressed Alexander; she now directly addressed him as ¡®Daddy¡¯. Courtney lifted her head abruptly, a displeased scowl appearing between her eyebrows. ¡°He is not your daddy! Don¡¯t call him that anymore!¡± The sudden admonishment frightened Tina, and her eyes immediately filled with tears. ¡°Mommy...¡±All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Oh, my dear... Alright, alright,¡± Cameron came over to smooth things over. She pulled Tina into her arms and said, ¡°I know you had a fight with Alexander, but you shouldn¡¯t vent your anger on a child. Tina, don¡¯t cry.¡± Tina was usually not one to cry so easily. However, she suffered a huge scare during the fire and had been feeling jumpy ever since she woke up in the emergency room yesterday. Therefore, all it took was for Courtney to raise her voice suddenly to startle Tina to tears again. When Courtney saw her daughter sobbing in Cameron¡¯s arms, she instantly felt extremely remorseful. ¡°Tina, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to yell at you. I was just¡ª¡± ¡°You were just thinking about something else.¡± Cameron finished the rest of the sentence that Courtney could not bring herself to say. Then, she rolled her eyes at Courtney. ¡°You were wronged by Alexander, and you¡¯re not happy about that. Moreover, there¡¯s more to the fire than meets the eye. You suspect that you¡¯ve been set up by somebody. Still, Alexander is not a fool. He was simply too furious to think yesterday. Once the investigation resultse out, he will surely regret his actions. Well, if you can¡¯t wait for that long, you can investigate the incident yourself. Just speak up if you need help; don¡¯t sit here with your heart elsewhere. Jordan is your son, but Tina is your daughter too.¡± Courtney felt a little troubled that Cameron had hit the nail on its head about how she was feeling inside. ¡°I know you feel guilty because Jordan grew up without you. So, do what you need to do. Tina has me.¡± Cameron¡¯s words were stern; there was a hint of anger in them. Ever since Courtney learned that Jordan was the son that had been stolen away back then, she had been preupied with thoughts of him most of the time. It was not an exaggeration to say that she had been neglecting her daughter. After all, if not for her wish for both her children to get along well together, she would not have left both her children at the hotel together. By extension, Tina would not have been caught up in the fire at the hotel. Faced with Cameron¡¯s anger, she had nothing to say in her defense.Although I truly regret my actions, I must get to the bottom of this matter! I need to investigate the fire! ¡°I will settle everything as soon as possible and resign from the hotel,¡± Courtney promised as she walked over to Cameron. ¡°This will never happen again.¡± ¡°What about Jordan?¡± ¡°He is my son; I will do my best to get him back.¡± Cameron¡¯s expression softened slightly. Then, she lowered her voice and said, ¡°If it reallyes down to that, I will get you awyer.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Courtney felt the urge to cry washing over her. Only her best friend, Cameron, had remained by her side after so many years of ups and downs. What was originally a meeting of chance turned out to be a friendship of mutual support thatsted so many years. In the meantime, the hotel issued a provisional official statement regarding the fire. They imed that the staff in the kitchen had vited kitchen management regtions by smoking in the storeroom, which caused the incident. They also announced thatpensation procedures were being carried out to reimburse their guests for the scare and for suffering mary losses. There was not much public opinion regarding the incident online. Furthermore, the PR team promptly took action andsuppressed all negative reports involving the incident as soon as they appeared. Still, that was just the official statement to appease the public. The real cause of the fire remained a mystery; nothing had been found up until now. ¡°What on earth happened? Was it really caused by Mr. Gideon smoking in the storeroom? Did he admit to it?¡± Courtney invited her assistant, Addie, out to ask about the fire. Addie looked puzzled too. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. This is the statement issued by Mr. Elliott, as well as several managers from the HR department and the PR department, after some discussion. Furthermore, Mr. Gideon has taken early retirement and returned to his hometown in Eastbrook. There is no way to question him any more. If it wasn¡¯t for his apprentice, Louie, who risked his life to save him, he would have lost his life during the fire. ¡°Louie? By the way, I wanted to ask you about the man who carried Mr. Gideon out of the fire that day. Why have I never seen him before?¡± ¡°Louie is from the same hometown as Mr. Gideon. Mr. Gideon brought him here about half a month ago. Therefore, you¡¯ve never met him before. It¡¯s not wrong to say that he entered our hotel through personal connections. At present, he is an apprentice working in the kitchen, and his sry is calcted ording to internship rates. He was not part of the permanent staff at the time. However, the HR department recently broke precedence and took him on as part of the permanent staff due to his rescue efforts. He was deemed to have helped thepany by reducing the number of human casualties during the incident.¡± Courtney nodded and did not inquire further about Louie. Instead, she asked, ¡°Can you get me the surveince footage from inside the kitchen as well as the entrance to the kitchen?¡± He looked slightly troubled by her request. ¡°The police came by to collect the evidence and took away all the original copies. But, they left copies of the footage behind for the internal investigation. They should be stored in theputer in the security room. Still, isn¡¯t asking for the surveince footage at this point akin to telling the world that I¡¯m guilty?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like the me will fall on your head anyway.¡± She looked at him. ¡°I will take full responsibility for everything. If you still consider me your boss, you will find a way to get me the surveince footage.¡± ¡°How can you say that, Courtney? When have I ever failed to follow your instructions?¡± He immediately put on a solemn expression. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will surelyplete my duty and figure out a way to clear your name.¡± ¡°Clear my name? For what?¡± She nced at him in suspicion. ¡°I was suspended for negligence in performing my duties. What do you mean by that?¡±¡°Courtney, don¡¯t you know about the rumors?¡± Addie opened his mouth in surprise. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to be forthright with her. ¡°After the incident, everybody at the hotel is saying that you deliberately did not rescue the Little Master so that your own child will inherit the entirety of the Duncan Family¡¯s assets once you married President Duncan. Moreover, everybody is iming that you were suspended because President Duncan learned about your motives.¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Courtney furrowed her brows and continued, sounding annoyed, ¡°Who is behind this nonsensical rumor? The first thing I¡¯m going to do when I get back to work is to deal with this gossiping habit! How many times have I warned them about this? Why haven¡¯t they fixed their vile habits?!¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s not true?¡± He immediately broke out into a bright smile. ¡°I knew it! These people have nothing better to do. You have such a good rtionship with President Duncan; how could you possibly do something like that? They even gossiped about how you and President Duncan have broken up... It¡¯s so ridiculous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that we broke up.¡± A soft voice carrying considerable chill to it came from opposite him. Addie gave a start of surprise at her words, then he felt as if arge, gloomy fog had settled over his head.They really broke up?! His expression immediately copsed into one of despair at that realization.Why did I agree to help Courtney obtain the surveince footage?! I¡¯m... siding with the wrong team! I¡¯mmitting a crime! The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 172 Chapter 172 This Matter Ends Here Although Addie looked like he had been forced to associate with a criminal, he obtained the surveince footage of the day of the incident for Courtney anyway. That night, Courtney inserted the USB drive into herputer and pulled up the video file. Then, she carefully observed every detail on the screen as she watched the video. The fire urred at approximately 11.30 AM. Most of the middle and senior-level management were having a meeting in the meeting room on the second floor of the hotel. As it was close to lunchtime, many people were inside the kitchen. Moreover, many people came and went from the kitchen, so it was hard to notice any suspicious activities. From the video, she could see the pastry chef, Mr. Gideon, baking in the kitchen, and Louie, working next to him. It seemed like Louie had been asked to replenish the ingredients. She watched as Louie walked away for a brief period and came back holding various ingredients of different shapes and sizes. At 10.54 AM, two little figures appeared in the video. Jordan was following behind Tina as they entered the kitchen and stopped in front of Mr. Gideon. Recalling the scene of the fire, Courtney felt a lingering fear in her heart. Then, she took a deep breath of cold air and continued watching the video. Tina and Jordan both loved to eat sweets. From how familiar they seemed to be with Mr. Gideon, it seemed like it wasn¡¯t their first timeing into the kitchen to look for him. He pointed at the oven, then pointed at Louie. After that, the two children followed Louie somewhere else. Following that, Louie did not appear in the video again until after the fire broke out in the kitchen. At 11.10 AM, Mr. Gideon walked away from the oven. ording to the hotel¡¯s current investigations, that was the time Mr. Gideon had gone to the storeroom for a smoke break. He reportedly had a serious cigarette addiction. This was something everybody in the hotel knew. Therefore, not many people were suspicious of the reason given by the hotel management. Afterward, Courtney watched the video from the start to the end again. Then, she dragged the cursor along the video¡¯s progress bar until she reached the critical period and re-watched that portion of the video again. Even so, she couldn¡¯t find any clues. Everything seemed natural and logical¡ªthe incident looked like nothing more than an ident. Closing the surveince footage inside the kitchen, she checked the surveince footage of the storeroom. As expected, she could find nothing out of ce. The surveince camera in the storeroom was mainly to prevent people from stealing. Therefore,it mainly focused on the goods ced on the shelves. There were several blind spots outside of the surveince camera¡¯s range. Even if somebody were to stand there, they would not be visible in the surveince footage. The surveince footage of the entrance to the kitchen was even less productive than the other two videos. Too many serving staff came and went through the entrance. Aside from watching the two children confidently swaggering into the kitchen, she gained nothing from the video. However, she suddenly remembered something. When the fire broke out, she went to the lounge to search for the two children. A serving staff had told her that the supervisor had taken Jordan to the restroom, which led her to misunderstand that Jordan was not with Tina. Unfortunately, she could not recall which member of the serving staff had told her that, no matter how hard she tried. Besides, she felt suspicious of Louie for some inexplicable reason. He clearly brought both children to the kitchen. However, he only reported that her daughter was inside when he came out. Everybody in the hotel knows that Jordan is Alexander¡¯s little prince. Logically, wouldn¡¯t he mention that Jordan was inside first? Taking out a piece of A4 paper, she listed the three suspicious points about the incident. Firstly, it was a lie that the supervisor had taken Jordan to the restroom. Secondly, it was suspicious that Louie mentioned Tina being inside the building but did not mention whether Jordan was caught in the fire too. Thirdly, why was Jordan rescued from the cold storage roomter? Just as Courtney was mulling over these three points, the sound of a door opening came from outside the bedroom. Soon after that, the door of the study opened and a hand holding a takeaway box appeared in the gap. Then, Cameron¡¯s voice floated in through the door. She was pretending to sound cold. ¡°Detective, you still need to eat to solve a case, right?¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes immediately filled with warmth at those words. Later, she discussed her thoughts with Cameron during dinner. Cameron touched her chin as she pondered over it. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just ask them directly? For the first point, you can just ask the serving staff that told you Jordan had gone to the bathroom. For the second point, you can just question Louie about it. And for the third point, why don¡¯t you ask Tina or Jordan themselves? What¡¯s the point of cracking your head over this?¡± ¡°I n to head to Eastbrook,¡± Courtney slowly said. Hearing those words made Cameron choke on her saliva in surprise. ¡°Eastbrook? What¡¯s wrong with you? Do you have to go that far just for such a trivial matter? Are you going all the way to Eastbrook to look for Mr. Gideon?¡± ¡°I want to hear it directly from him. I need to know if he was smoking in the storeroom that day.¡±Not only did Courtney have a stubborn streak in her, but she was also still mad at Alexander over this incident. Thus, Cameron knew that there was no stopping Courtney. ¡°Fine. If you really want to go, then go. I¡¯ll find some time to investigate the rest of the suspicions that you have about this incident.¡± ¡°You?!¡± Courtney looked extremely doubtful. However, Cameron flipped her hair behind her shoulder and lifted her eyebrow proudly. ¡°I have suitors everywhere in thisnd. The Sunhill Hotel is no exception.¡± Courtney pressed her hand against her forehead, looking like she was having a headache. ¡°Don¡¯t let Gale learn about this. Otherwise, you¡¯re going to bring harm to those poor men.¡± Gale and Cameron were in a rtionship. Courtney originally thought that the two veteran flirts were simply flirting with each other andparing who had the better seductive methods. To her surprise, Gale suddenly turned a new leaf. He was now the very model of a good boyfriend. However, Cameron continued to break his heart with her fickleness. If Gale discovers that Cameron will be meeting with somebody interested in her, that Sunhill Hotel employee will have to write his resignation letter. The clouds were ever-changing outside the window of a hospital ward¡ªthere was a faint hint of the dark clouds that would bear down on the city. The lights inside the room were a little too bright and harsh on the eyes. When it reflected against the white walls of the hospital ward, it gave off the illusion that there was no ce to hide inside the room. Mika was wearing a pink-striped medical gown and one of her hands was covered in bandages. Meanwhile, her other hand was holding a phone as she stood by the side of the bed, talking on the phone. ¡°You told me it was only going to be a small fire. Now that it hase to this, how am I supposed to clean up this mess? You¡¯re deliberately trying to harm me, aren¡¯t you?¡± A delicate female voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°What good will harming you do? Didn¡¯t I exin it to you? It was an ident. I didn¡¯t mean to let the fire get out of control. Besides, didn¡¯t I take some safety precautions beforehand? I told you Jordan would not be injured. Wasn¡¯t he inside the cold storage room when you rushed into the fire? I gave you the chance to win over Alexander¡¯s heart again! How can you still resent me for this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give yourself so much credit. The only reason you helped me is that you can¡¯t stand Courtney. That isn¡¯t considered helping at all.¡± Her expression became gloomy. She could still remember the lingering fear from back then. ¡°I risked my life to rescue Jordan. What if I didn¡¯t dare to go in? What if something had happened to Jordan? You¡¯re so reckless!¡±She had been terrified when she saw the mes. It waspletely different from what she had expected. The only reason she gritted her teeth and rushed into the fire was that she was worried about something happening to Jordan. Otherwise, the consequences would have been disastrous. As things stand, Britney never had the intention of letting anybody off easy. If she can take human lives so lightly... What else is she capable of? ¡°Britney Price, I¡¯m warning you; this had better end here. I don¡¯t want any more people to spread rumors about Courtney being involved in this. The cooperation between you and me ends here.¡± Mika¡¯s voice was cold, yet it was trembling slightly. Moreover, she was practically whispering in the room.Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°End?¡± Coldughter rang out from the other side of the phone. ¡°What do you think Alexander would think of you if I told him the truth?¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 173 Chapter 173 The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend ¡°I don¡¯t want to be your enemy. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Don¡¯t you think so too, Miss Lewis?¡± In Mika¡¯s eyes, the female voiceing from the other side of the phone was akin to a voiceing from the deepest, darkest abyss. She felt as if Britney was dragging her down into a bottomless pit. If I don¡¯t get out now, I¡¯ll be in deeper trouble next time. Thus, she took a deep breath and solemnly said, ¡°You¡¯re only doing this to get revenge against Courtney and Alexander because you feel as if you lost everything that you were supposed to have. When ites down to it, isn¡¯t it just about money? How much money do you want to end all of this? I¡¯ll give you as much as you want.¡± A sneer came from the other side of the phone. ¡°Why don¡¯t you say that in front of Alexander too?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t happen to think of yourself as a kind person, do you, Miss Lewis?¡± Britney¡¯s voice was very oppressive. ¡°You wanted to regain your original position beside Alexander. I helped you, didn¡¯t I?¡± Mika felt a little taken aback when she thought back on how caring Alexander had been to her ever since she was hospitalized. He used to treat her very well before she got married. However, she took all of that for granted back then. Only after suffering various grievances in the outside world could shepare between her experiences and realize the difference. Even so, that love and protection he showed her after she saved his son were but a fraction of what she used to enjoy. Therefore, she felt a trace of bitterness in her heart. ¡°What else do you want from me?¡± Upon hearing that question, Britneyughed coldly from the other side of the phone. It seemed like everything was going as she had expected. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I don¡¯t need you to do anything. Just continue with your original n and try to find a way to bring Alexander back to your side.¡± Mika did not respond. Hanging up the phone, she sank down on the hospital bed with a dazed expression. She couldn¡¯t get Britney¡¯s sinister voice out of her head¡ªit lingered in her ears and filled the spaces in her head. Addie retrieved the exact address belonging to the pastry chef, Mr. Gideon, from thepany¡¯s employee profile database. When Courtney followed the address in search of the location, she ran into a dead end. A newly graduated young couple was living at the listed address. Moreover, they had been living there for two months now. Upon further questioning, she learned thatthendlord was a middle-ageddy. Unfortunately, thendlord did not hold the surname ¡®Gideon¡¯ and the young couple did not know who Mr. Gideon was. After going to various ces to ask about Mr. Gideon, Courtney finally found a clue as to his whereabouts at an ind off Silverkeep three dayster. ¡°Oh, Max? He makes pastries, right? Yes, I know of him.¡± A dark-skinned fisherman had just returned from the sea, carrying a bucket of oysters freshly harvested from the reef. Wiping his sweat, he gave Courtney a once-over. ¡°Wee from the same vige. I heard he came back not too long ago. Why are you looking for him?¡± ¡°We were colleagues at the samepany. When he resigned, he left some stuff in thepany. So, thepany sent me here to deliver them to him.¡± ¡°From the samepany?¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s eyes gleamed suddenly, and his expression became one of admiration. ¡°I heard Max was a chef at a high-end hotel. It¡¯s world-famous! Are you working at that hotel too?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org. In response, she nodded with a smile. ¡°C-Come with me.¡± The middle-aged man seemed extremely pleased as he enthusiastically led her into his vige. They walked along the road lining the sparse cottages for approximately ten minutes before they came to a clean and well-maintained white- walled courtyard. The main gate was open, and voices wereing from inside. ¡°This is the ce. The Gideon Residence is veryrge. The building in front is where Max¡¯s elder brother is staying. You have to go inside and greet his brother, then walk further inside to reach the ce he¡¯s living in.¡± The fisherman spoke in detail as he led the way, casually telling her about many things in the vige along the way there. Therefore, she had a general idea about Mr. Gideon¡¯s family background. Mr. Gideon came from a well-off family. He had two older brothers and his mother was still alive. Unfortunately, his wife had poor health, and there were no children between them as a result. Louie, who was working at the hotel, could be considered his half-adopted son. Therefore, they were quite close to each other. Courtney thanked the fisherman and headed toward the courtyard. Nobody paid attention to her as she entered the courtyard. Several men were standing along the corridor, crowding around a dark rosewood cab. It was the only shady area inside the courtyard.The man standing in the middle wore a suit paired with leather shoes. Moreover, he was very tall¡ªhe seemed to be at least 1.85 meters tall from a nce. He was studying the cab carefully with one hand ced on the cab. From the looks of it, he was here to purchase antique furniture. ¡°Hey, what are you doing here?!¡± The sharp voice of a middle-ageddy rang out from behind Courtney. Courtney turned around to see a face tanned by the sea breeze staring at her vigntly. Thus, she exined, ¡°Madam, is this where Max Gideon lives?¡± Thedy waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Max Gideon? You¡¯ve got the wrong ce. Hurry up and leave. We are busy since we have a guest right now.¡± Even so, Courtney immediately confirmed that Mr. Gideon was indeed living here from the way thedy¡¯s eyes shifted nervously. As she was not in a hurry, she thanked thedy and left the Gideon Residence per thedy¡¯s instructions. Not long after she left the Gideon Residence, the two men who came to the Gideon Residence to look at their furniture came out too. One of them looked like an assistant to the other. He gestured a number and said, ¡°President Lewis, they are asking for this price. If it truly is scented rosewood, then it¡¯s not expensive at all. But, I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s genuine.¡± ¡°Did you take a photo of it?¡± ¡°Yes, I did. I sent the picture to Master Walker just now, but he said he couldn¡¯t tell from the picture. He also asked if you needed him to take a trip here himself.¡± ¡°No need for that.¡± The other man frowned. ¡°He is not young anymore. Moreover, he is not in good health. Don¡¯t let hime here.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± As they were walking, they were greeted by an emerald shadow standing on the bluestone b bridge. ¡°Are the two of you unsure about the quality of that chest of drawers?¡± Two pairs of eyes swept toward her in unison. Then, the man, who seemed to be the assistant, frowned. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I was at the Gideon Residence just now and caught a glimpse of that chest of drawers. But, you didn¡¯t notice me there.¡± Courtney smiled faintly before continuing in a manner that was neither haughty nor humble, ¡°I originally came to purchase that chest of drawers too. Since you were there first, I decided not topete with you for it. Still, it looks like the talks did not go well. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll be taking that chest of drawers if you¡¯re not interested in it.¡±¡°You? Purchase it?¡± The assistant snorted derisively. His gaze was sharp as he added, ¡°Even we can¡¯t be certain about the quality of that chest of drawers. You¡¯re so young; what do you know about antiques? You look more like a nanny hired by the Gideon Family!¡± ¡°What if I tell you that purchasing that chest of drawers at their asking price will only bring you profit?¡± Listening to her confident tone, the boss finally paid attention to her. He asked in a deep voice, ¡°How can you be so sure when you only caught a glimpse of it at a distance?¡± I know I only caught a glimpse of it, but that¡¯s enough to tell me all that I need to know. My grandfather was interested in antique furniture all his life. Even the rocking chair I used as a child was made of scented rosewood. There are countless antiques in my house, so it¡¯s easy for me to tell.¡± She was able to say those words with confidence since it truly wasing from her childhood experience¡ªher grandfather had been a fervent antique lover all his life. As a result, she could immediately tell that the chest of drawers from before was a good item. Seeing that the man still seemed suspicious of her, she continued exining, ¡°The color is very good, and there¡¯s not a single scratch on it. It was preserved very well. Moreover, the legs of the table have not been sawn off. It¡¯s very rare to see such a well-preserved scented rosewood chest of drawers nowadays. I¡¯m sure you know that rarity increases its value.¡± The man studied Courtney for a moment, seemingly pondering something. ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 174 Chapter 174 Why Would I Intentionally Look For You Courtney could tell that this man was very shrewd and careful. If there was no equivalent exchange, he wouldn¡¯t ept anything even if he was offered money for it. Thus, she decided to be straightforward with him. ¡°Bring me along when you visit the Gideon Residence again. You can say that I¡¯m one of your assistants. Once you¡¯ve closed the deal, please propose to have a look around the house to see if there is any other furniture you might be interested in. I¡¯m looking for a person.¡± The man stared at her for several seconds. ¡°Okay.¡± Since the man¡¯s assistant addressed him as ¡®President Lewis¡¯, she followed suit and addressed the man as ¡®President Lewis¡¯ too. Walking behind the two men, she sessfully infiltrated the Gideon Residence this time around. Moreover, the woman who drove her away just now happened to be absent. Thus, things progressed smoothly without much trouble. After a careful observation to confirm that nothing was wrong with the chest of drawers, she secretly signaled President Lewis with a look. President Lewis nced toward the Gideon Family and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take it at your asking price.¡± The one selling the antique furniture happened to be Mario Gideon, the head of the Gideon Family. He was overjoyed upon hearing those words and quickly stretched out his hand for a handshake. ¡°Thank you so much¡ª¡± When the assistant noticed this, he quickly stepped forward and shook hands with Mario instead. ¡°That¡¯s settled then. The money will be credited to your ount within half an hour, and somebody will drop by to take this chest of drawers awayter. Since it¡¯s still early, is it okay if we have a look around to see if there are any other antiques here?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Mario eagerly hoped that they would buy a few more pieces of furniture from him. Unlike the others, President Lewis was generous with his money. Although many came to look at this chest of drawers, nobody had been willing to ept Mario¡¯s asking price up until now. Courtney followed behind President Lewis and his assistant as they entered the courtyard, pretending to look at the furniture. After a quick look around, they came to the annex at the back of the courtyard. Mario trailed after them and exined, ¡°This is where my younger brother lives. All his furniture is brand-new; there¡¯s nothing here for us to see.¡± However, she smilingly said, ¡°Master Gideon, could it be that you¡¯re hiding a treasure here for fear that President Lewis might see it? ¡°Of course not!¡± Mario hurriedly waved his hand in denial. He continued helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m speaking the truth. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go ahead and have a look. I just said that since I didn¡¯t want to waste your time!¡± Not far behind Courtney, President Lewis¡¯ assistant curled his lips and muttered under his breath, ¡°She really thinks of herself as your secretary, doesn¡¯t she? She¡¯s doing as she pleases.¡± As soon as he said that, he felt a chill going down his back. He looked up abruptly and saw his boss staring at him expressionlessly. ¡°If you think it¡¯s troublesome, my secretary cane along instead, next time.¡± The assistant jumped in fright and looked embarrassed. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. ¡°Then, stop talking nonsense.¡± The moment Courtney stepped into the annex, she could smell a strong scent of milk. Mario exined, ¡°My brother is a pastry chef. He just retired and returned home recently. He is used to baking, but the smell is so strong that it makes you sick. Why don¡¯t we head elsewhere to have a look?¡± ¡°He makes pastries?¡± She pretended to be surprised. ¡°Are there any ready-made ones? It so happens that President Lewis hasn¡¯t had the chance to eat anything yet. If there are ready-made ones, we would like to buy some to eat during our return journey.¡± Mario hurriedly waved his hands in embarrassment. ¡°There¡¯s no need to pay us for that! I¡¯ll give you some to bring home with you. President Lewis, what do you prefer? Do you prefer sweet pastries or savory pastries?¡± President Lewis nced at Courtney questioningly. This woman sure is good at using my name to get what she wants. I¡¯ve never said anything about wanting to eat anything. She¡¯s quite a brazen one to keep asking for more. However, she simply winked at him as if confidently asking him to y along with her. The assistant standing beside him had had enough of her attitude since the beginning. He was just about to speak up when a cold voice rang out from beside him. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a look?¡± In response, the assistant looked up in surprise and stared at his boss for a while, feeling extremely shocked. President Lewis is actually ying along with this woman?! Courtney gave President Lewis a grateful look, thinking to herself that this man was very shrewd indeed. He immediately figured out that the person I¡¯m looking for is in the kitchen.Afterward, Mario enthusiastically led the three of them into the kitchen. The rich aroma of bread and butter wasing from this kitchen. As soon as they entered the building, the heat washed over them. It was hotter here than it was outside. All of a sudden, she spotted a familiar figure kneading dough in the kitchen¡ªit was Mr. Gideon, who seemed to have fully recovered from the fire. ¡°Max, Mr. Lewis is here to buy furniture from us. I brought him here to have a look at the bread you make. Can I give them some to eat during their return journey?¡± Mr. Gideon didn¡¯t even bother to turn back as he said, ¡°Sure, take whatever you want.¡± Then, Mario pointed at the table next to the oven. ¡°President Lewis, pleasee this way.¡± There were all sorts of pastries there, and all of them were the specialties of Sunhill Hotel. With Mr. Gideon¡¯s sudden retirement, the hotel had to figure out a way to hire a recement pastry chef fast, which was proving to be quite a headache. ¡°President Lewis, what would you like to have?¡± Courtney pretentiously made some rmendations to President Lewis. ¡°This duck meat puff pastry looks good. The ce I used to work at served these kinds of puff pastries too. It was their signature dish.¡± At the sound of her voice, a loud crash rang out from where Mr. Gideon stood behind her. Something had fallen to the ground and resulted in a harsh nging sound. Thus, everybody turned around to look in the direction of the noise. The tool to sift flour had fallen to the ground, and flour was scattered all over the ground. Meanwhile, Mr. Gideon seemed to be frozen in ce; he seemed at a loss for what to do as he stared at her with a shocked expression written across his aged face. ¡°Miss Hunter?!¡± Mario frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Max? That gave me a fright!¡± Simrly, Courtney frowned and looked surprised. ¡°Mr. Gideon?¡± A short whileter, Mr. Gideon walked into the living room of the annex after washing his hands. The building was very quiet¡ªso much so that they could hear his wife shouting to feed the chickens from the courtyard. President Lewis and his assistant had taken their leave. Upon learning that Courtney and Mr. Gideon were acquainted, Mario did not say anything more as he led the other two away. Thus, only Courtney and Mr. Gideon remained in the annex. ¡°Miss Hunter, have you resigned from your job?¡± ¡°I guess you can say that. After all, I was the person in charge during the fire. As you can see, I¡¯m working for President Lewis now.¡±At the mention of the fire, Mr. Gideon seemed a little nervous. He dug around in the pockets of his pants and finally took out a packet of cigarettes. Taking one out, he was about to light it when his wife¡¯s scolding voice floated in from outside. ¡°Smoking again! You¡¯re going to die from smoking!¡± In response, he looked embarrassed. Hesitating for a long while, he returned his cigarette into the cigarette pack and gloomily said, ¡°What a coincidence. I thought you went out of your way to look for me.¡± ¡°Why would I intentionallye looking for you?¡± Courtney pretended to look puzzled. ncing out the door, she said, ¡°By the way, that must be your wife. I met her this morning. Why did she tell me that she didn¡¯t know who you are?¡± He seemed startled and couldn¡¯te up with an excuse on the spot. After a while, he finally answered haltingly, ¡°We had a fight. Did you hear her too?¡± ¡°Is it because of your smoking? You deserve that. You caused a huge loss for thepany this time around. Just the equipment in the kitchen alone is worth tens of millions.¡± She looked indifferent as if she was talking about something that had nothing to do with her. Upon hearing those words, Mr. Gideon¡¯s head lowered even further. In the dimness, she could see that his expression wasplicated. Moreover, his eyes seemed to be covered in ayer of fog. It felt like he had a dark secret he could not talk about. ¡°Alright. I better leave since I still need to apany President Lewis on his furniture hunt.¡± Courtney stood up abruptly. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 175 Chapter 175 Then, Why Didn¡¯t He Say Anything? Mr. Gideon did not stop Courtney from leaving. Thus, Courtney walked out of the building without stopping. Although the sun was at its strongest, Mr. Gideon¡¯s wife didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by the heat as she stood under the sun to feed her chickens. It was clear as day that she had been spying on them. However, she turned her head away when she saw Courtney walking out of the building. It seemed like there was a trace of hatred in her expression. As Courtney walked past Mrs. Gideon, she heard Mrs. Gideon mutter, ¡°Blind.¡± ¡°What?¡± She turned back to look at Mrs. Gideon with a frown. ¡°Who did you say is blind?¡± The woman looked up abruptly with an expression of fury. ¡°I said my chickens are blind.¡± The chickens inside the chicken coop had messy feathers. They even cooperatively cooed a few times as if they, too, were expressing their dissatisfaction. Needless to say, the woman would never be so crazy as to scold her chickens for being blind. Rather, she was pointedly insulting somebody. Since the only other person here was Courtney, it was obvious that her insult had been directed at Courtney. Courtney looked at Mrs. Gideon and said, ¡°A blind chicken doesn¡¯t prevent you from cooking it. But, if a man were to be mute... that would be quite a hindrance; don¡¯t you think so too?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°The hotel suffered considerable losses due to the fire. Somebody will have to bear the responsibility in the end. With that amount of losses, a person would go bankrupt even if they only had to pay a fraction of it. It¡¯s not something that can be fixed just by retiring. Did you know that?¡± The woman¡¯splexion turned deathly pale at those words. ¡°I¡¯m staying at a homestay in the vige tonight. If you have anything to say to me, you can find me there.¡± After saying that, Courtney left the Gideon Residence without looking back. Looking at the way Mrs. Gideon reacted, it¡¯s obvious that she knows something. Moreover, I believe this information is rted to the actual cause of the fire. She already had several possibilities in mind. Now, all she needed to do was confirm her suspicions.¡°Oh, you¡¯re back? Did you manage to meet Max?¡± The moment Courtney arrived at the ce she was staying, she received a warm wee from thendy, Mrs. Huff. She was staying at the house of the fisherman who led her to the Gideon Residence this morning. As the scenery in the vige was beautiful, many people traveled here on holiday during the peak season. Therefore, almost every household ran a homestay. ¡°Yes, I did.¡± She smiled. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Mr. Huff around?¡± ¡°Alfie brought our son with him to check the fishings. A customer just ordered a box of seafood from us. He¡¯ll be here soon to pick it up.¡± ¡°Is that so? Business is pretty good.¡± Drinking some tea, she looked out the window as the sea breeze caressed her face. A short whileter, an MPV pulled up outside. The assistant noticed Courtney immediately as soon as he got out of the car. Thus, he immediately had a vignt expression on his face. ¡°Why is it you again? Are you stalking us?!¡± Courtney did not understand why he was so hostile toward her. Rolling her eyes at him, she supported her chin with her hand. ¡°What are you going on about? I¡¯m staying here. Why are you twisting the truth around?¡± ¡°You¡¯re staying here?¡± A cold voice sounded from behind him. He gave a start and turned around to greet the man respectfully, ¡°President Lewis.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask thendy.¡± President Lewis did not question her further. Instead, he walked over to her and asked, ¡°May I have a seat?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The assistant was more pretentious than his boss. Before President Lewis could take a seat, he called out, ¡°Wait a moment, President Lewis! I¡¯ll get a cushion for you!¡± Courtney gave a heartfelt sigh at the sight of the assistant¡¯s groveling behavior. ¡°Where did you find that assistant of yours, President Lewis? He is even more caring than your secretary¡ªhe even cares about where you sit.¡± President Lewis did not deny her words as he sat down. ¡°Iter found another wooden armchair made of red sandalwood at the Gideon Residence. It¡¯s quite old. From its age, I believe it¡¯s even more valuable than the chest of drawers.¡± ¡°Is that so? Congrattions on your find.¡±¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you. Give your ount number to my assistantter; he will see to it that you receive thepensation you deserve.¡± ¡°No need for that.¡± She waved her hand dismissively and casually replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t do that much. Besides, I was just doing my own things. You don¡¯t need to be so polite.¡± Soon, the assistant returned. When he saw that his boss was already sitting, he seemed rather aggrieved as he held the cushion in his hands. She studied the two men for a bit and suddenly understood something. President Lewis seemed to be in his early forties. He was handsome, carried himself in a calm manner, and looked to be slightly older than Alexander. Moreover, he seemed to have gone through a lot in life. On the other hand, his assistant was a sharp contrast to him. Young and lively, his assistant looked rather intelligent but spoke without thinking sometimes. This was especially apparent when facing Courtney¡ªhe seemed to consider her an enemy for some reason. An assistant who pretends not to care, and a cold, impassive president. How interesting, she secretly thought to herself.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org. After a leisurely chat, Mr. Huff returned with his son and handed a box of seafood to President Lewis and his assistant. The assistant checked the contents of the box carefully before cing it in the car. Just as they were leaving, President Lewis handed a name card to Courtney. ¡°I don¡¯t like owing favors. You can contact me any time to receive thepensation you deserve after considering it carefully.¡± Courtney took his name card, feeling amused. I¡¯ve never met somebody who tries so hard to pay me for something. Looking at the name on the name card, she spelled it out in her heart, Casey Lewis. What a nice name. Still, she only had time to nce at the name card before stuffing it into her pocket. That was because she noticed a figure walking over from afar¡ªit was Mr. Gideon¡¯s wife, Mrs. Gideon. She came faster than I expected. ¡°Will we really have topensate the hotel for the losses caused by the fire?¡± Mrs. Gideon seemed rather nervous. She no longer looked like her domineering self from before. ¡°That would depend on whether thepany decides to file awsuit in the end.¡± Courtney wasn¡¯t lying. Thepany would never let an employee get away with causing such heavy losses with just a simple resignation letter¡ªsomebody would be held responsible for the incident.Upon hearing those words, Mrs. Gideon¡¯s face flushed in panic. ¡°That won¡¯t do! We don¡¯t have that much money! How are we going to pay for that?!¡± ¡°You can only me Mr. Gideon¡¯s smoking habit for causing this predicament.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the fire break out because the fire suppression system was broken? That¡¯s not our responsibility!¡± Courtney frowned and asked warily, ¡°How did you know that the fire suppression system was broken?¡± In order to prevent any public criticism, she had instructed Addie to handle the matter as soon as the fire broke out. Thus, no more than five people within the hotel were aware that the fire suppression system was broken¡ªthat number included both herself and Addie. Meanwhile, they publicly announced that the fire had been so fierce that the fire suppression system could not do much against it. However, Mrs. Gideon was so certain about that fact. Under Courtney¡¯s persistent questioning, the woman finally talked. ¡°It¡¯s my husband. He was worried that his smoking would activate the fire suppression system. Therefore, he damaged the fire suppression system. However, he did not cause the fire! He told me that he was always very careful whenever he smoked. He would ensure that the fire waspletely extinguished before wrapping it up, cing it in his pocket, and taking it out of the storeroom. This time was no different!¡± ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t he say anything?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡ª¡± Mrs. Gideon¡¯s expression turned pale, and her sentence trailed off. ¡°It¡¯s because of Louie, right?¡± Courtney finished Mrs. Gideon¡¯s sentence for her. Her cold voice was apanied by the cool breeze at night. ¡°You treat Louie like your own son. Moreover, Mr. Gideon knew that he would not be able to escape responsibility since he was the one to damage the fire suppression system. After weighing the pros and the cons, he decided to assume responsibility for the incident to protect Louie. Am I right?¡± By the time Courtney finished talking, the woman in front of her seemed to be panic-stricken. Mrs. Gideon stuttered, ¡°Y-You know... everything?¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 176 Chapter 176 Waiting For You to Come and Find Me Yourself ¡°How much I know depends on how much you are willing to admit. As for the oue of thewsuit... As you can see, I was just the officer on duty during the fire. I, too, had to quit my job and take on a new position,¡± Courtney made her words rather ambiguous as she looked at Mrs. Gideon. It was obvious that Mrs. Gideon had been building up her resentment for some time now. As soon as she heard those words, she couldn¡¯t help imagining the worst. Thus, she immediately came clean about everything. It was true that Mr. Gideon liked to smoke. That wasmon knowledge among all those who knew him. Moreover, he couldn¡¯t quit his cigarette addiction. Therefore, he deliberately damaged the fire suppression system at the storeroom behind the kitchen to prevent the smoke detector from alerting the police whenever he smoked. Naturally, he was very cautious too. He would bring the cigarette butts away with him after he finished smoking, every single time. So, there could not have been any residual fire from the cigarette butts to spark a fire. Initially, the situation that day was no different from usual. The only exception was that Louie was also in the storeroom when he took his smoke break. Moreover, he discovered that Louie was deliberately trying to start a fire. As a result, they quarreled over it. A cigarette butt fell on a mmable object during their fight, and the situation ultimately got out of hand.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. After the incident, Louie begged Mr. Gideon for forgiveness. Mr. Gideon became soft-hearted, so he decided to take responsibility for the incident, resign from his position, and return to his hometown. The Gideon couple had always regarded Louie as their son, hoping that somebody would take care of them in their old age. However, many people in this world did not know the meaning of gratitude. After Louie became a permanent staff at the hotel, he seemed to be worried that his rtionship with Mr. Gideon would cause him to also be held responsible for the incident. Hence, he made a call home which broke the hearts of the Gideon couple. ¡°That ungrateful little b*stard! He threatened Max by saying that he would reveal that Max was the one to damage the fire suppression system if Max dared to expose the truth about the incident. If that happens, wouldn¡¯t we be forced to bear all the financial losses?!¡± Courtney frowned deeply. If Louie¡¯s character was so terrible, then it was not strange for him to deliberately start a fire if someone paid him generously enough. A scene immediately jumped to the forefront of her mind. It was something she saw when she came out of the fire¡ªMika among the crowd. After much deliberation, she is the biggest beneficiary of this incident that I can think of. Besides, only she has enough motivation to do it.The next afternoon, Courtney flew back to Melrose City by ne. I have pretty much figured out the truth behind the fire. However, I don¡¯t think it will be easy to find out who instigated the incident. In the ne, an air stewardess was leading the passengers to their seats. ¡°Are you Miss Hunter?¡± The air stewardess¡¯ sweet voice floated into Courtney¡¯s ears, bringing her back from her musings outside the window. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Um, you see... We¡¯ve upgraded you to business ss.¡± She was taken aback. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the details either. But, this seat belongs to someone else now. Can you please follow me to your new seat?¡± Feeling utterly confused, she followed behind the air stewardess to the business ss section. ¡°Miss Hunter, this is your seat. Please call for me if you need anything.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she answered. After getting into her seat, she turned back and saw a man whose face was being blocked by a newspaper. She was startled by the sight. ¡°Mr. Lewis?!¡± Casey¡¯s face appeared from behind the newspaper. A pair of eyes that did not reveal his emotions easily were hidden behind his gold-rimmed sses. ¡°Miss Hunter, we meet again.¡± His attitude indicated that everything was within his expectations. It unconsciously roused a sense of vignce in her. ¡°Were you the one who upgraded me to business ss?¡± He pushed his sses up his nose. The unique temperament that only business elites had was vividly reflected in him¡ªso much so that even the words he said were impable. ¡°I just happened to hear that we were taking the same flight. So, I decided to arrange for an upgrade for you. I hope it will make your journey slightly morefortable. After all, I still owe you for the favor from before. If I wait for you to find me yourself... Well, let¡¯s just say that it doesn¡¯t seem very likely to happen.¡± ¡°There are no coincidences in this world.¡± She stared him straight in the eye without concealing her suspicions. Who will believe that Casey coincidentally learned that I am taking the same flight as him? What a poor exnation. It¡¯s obvious that he¡¯s not hiding his purpose.¡°Whether it is a coincidence or an intentional act, it can still be considered a fated meeting, right?¡± Putting on her seatbelt, she smiled faintly. ¡°I have a fianc¨¦, Mr. Lewis.¡± Most men usually approached women with only one reason in mind. Besides, it was easy enough to tell at a nce. It all depended on how the women reacted to it. He didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by her statement. Smiling in a gentlemanly manner, he said, ¡°Congrattions.¡± The two of them did notmunicate again after he said that. Once the ne took off, Courtney quickly fell asleep. Casey put down his newspaper and turned sideways to look at her. Then, he did something unexpected¡ªhe took out his camera and snapped a selfie with the sleeping Courtney. His assistant was separated from him by the aisle. He watched wide-eyed as the scene unfolded before him. It was a long time before he could get over what he saw¡ªso much so that his eyeballs nearly fell to the ground in shock. On the other hand, Casey acted like nothing strange had urred. He even casually beckoned the air stewardess over and indicated for her to cover Courtney with a nket. Courtney was sleeping deeply. Thus, she was unaware of what had happened. It was a long whileter before she learned about what impacts the photo would bring in the future. Even so, she still fell asleep despite knowing that Casey had ulterior motives for upgrading her to business ss. This d*mn sleepiness! At the headquarters of the Sunhill Enterprise, Josh ced a stack of documents in front of Alexander. He had conducted a thorough investigation of the fire per Alexander¡¯s instructions and finallypiled the results of his investigation after a week of investigating. ¡°This incident has little to do with Mr. Gideon. It is hypothesized that he deliberately damaged the smoke detector system so that he could smoke. But, the fire in the storeroom was not caused by cigarette butts. Moreover, there were multiple locations where the fire started. The ground also revealed traces of a diesel fire. Somebody intentionally started the fire.¡± Alexander stared at the surveince footage in front of him. His gaze was gloomy. ¡°Who did it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of our staff.¡± Josh looked confident. ¡°Mr. Gideon¡¯s apprentice is involved in this somehow. But, there is somebody else behind him. Arge amount of money was transferred into his bank ount.¡±¡°Apetitor?¡± ¡°That was what I thought initially. But... I saw something suspicious in the surveince footage.¡± As he spoke, he adjusted the surveince footage to one night before the incident. A truckload of fresh ingredients was being unloaded at the back door of the hotel to be used the next morning. ¡°Here.¡± He paused the video and erged it. Then, he pointed at a man in a ck jacket, who was unloading the goods. ¡°I¡¯ve seen this man before in the surveince footage of the gate at Louis¡¯ house located in Oreus.¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze deepened, revealing a chill in them. The man was wearing a baseball cap in the video, and a long scar running down the right side of his face could vaguely be seen. It gave one a negative impression. Alexander uttered only two simple words: ¡°His identity?¡± Josh understood the meaning behind those words and immediately answered, ¡°I¡¯ve investigated it. That man is known as Joe Stone, and his nickname is Scar Joe. He has a long list of criminal records for deliberately causing harm to others. He was released from prison half a year ago. At present, he is active in the ck market and specializes in collecting debts. A man who specializes in collecting debts... Why would he suddenly work as aborer under a food supplier? It¡¯s suspicious no matter how I think about it. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 177 Chapter 177 More Than Just Acquaintances ¡°Monitor this person and continue with your investigations. Check who is behind him. Also, check who he has been working for, what jobs he epted, and what he has been working on recently.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Josh nodded. ¡°By the way, President Duncan, Miss Hunter¡¯s flight today will probably arrive at the airport at night. Are you going to pick her up?¡± Alexander frowned. ¡°No. I¡¯m going to visit Mika at the hospital tonight.¡± Josh seemed startled. Sighing silently in his heart, he suddenly felt a little sympathetic toward Courtney. It was bad enough that she had to bear the me for the fire despite being innocent. Now that the investigation was almost over, they not only confirmed that she was not involved in the incident but also the fact that she waspletely unaware that anybody else was at the scene at the time. Unfortunately, Alexander no longer seemed to hold any feelings for her. ¡°President Duncan, the rumors about Miss Hunter have been running rampant in the hotel recently. Should we try to suppress it?¡± Most people believed that Courtney and Alexander had broken up. Therefore, all sorts of rumors were going around. The employees naturally did not dare to talk badly about their boss, so everything had fallen on her shoulders instead. When Josh went to Sunhill Hotel to settle something the other day, he had personally heard Courtney¡¯s direct subordinates gossiping about her. ¡°One¡¯s true colors show with time. Besides, I have never seen a stepmother treating her children nicely before. One¡¯s own flesh and blood will always take precedence during critical moments. Fortunately, President Duncan discovered this truth early. From the looks of it, Courtney¡¯s efforts up until now are all in vain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She was just putting on a show for President Duncan.¡± Courtney had not resigned; she was simply suspended for the time being. It was part of Alexander¡¯s plot to buy time, but it had been twisted and misinterpreted so badly. Josh was worried that these talks would reach Courtney¡¯s ears and cause irreparable consequences again. Then, a cold voice wormed its way into his ears. ¡°Let them talk; ignore it.¡± The tone was extremely indifferent. When Josh heard those words, he silently sighed in his heart again.It waste at night by the time the nended. Courtney grabbed her luggage from the baggage carousel and left. Many people were waiting outside the airport to pick up passengers. After looking around, she suddenly saw Cameron¡¯s car. ¡°Where is Tina?¡± she casually asked when she did not see Tina anywhere. ¡°At home. She is probably asleep by now.¡± Cameron helped Courtney put her luggage in the trunk before winking at her slyly. ¡°Instead of asking about Tina, I think you should get into the car and see who¡¯s here.¡± Courtney pulled open the car door suspiciously. She was immediately greeted by the sight of a face hidden by a pair of sunsses smiling widely at her. ¡°Sis!¡± ¡°Shay?!¡± She was both surprised and delighted as she quickly closed the car door behind her. ¡°Why are you here? Have you finished filming the variety show?¡± ¡°It¡¯s settled for now. Besides, I ran into a bit of trouble recently.¡± Shay leaned against her shoulder and rubbed his face against her. ¡°So, I came here to lie low until everything passes. ¡°Hey, let me say this in advance.¡± Cameron¡¯s voice floated from the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you want to lie low for a while, but can¡¯t you do it somewhere else? If you attract the reporters to us, will we be able to go home?¡± ¡°This time, it¡¯s not a problem with the reporters.¡± Shay scowled. It seemed like it was something difficult for him to talk about. ¡°In any case, I ran into a bit of trouble. It¡¯s unreasonable to ask anybody else for help, so I can only rely on my sis now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Courtney looked at him in concern.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. ¡°What else but the nonsensical stuff going on in the entertainment industry?¡± He seemed annoyed, even looking slightly disgusted. ¡°Half a month ago, my manager brought me along to attend a dinner. We were supposed to eat with the investors of the new drama. The investor was so handsy that it disgusted me greatly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great news!¡± Cameron meanly burst intoughter. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean you picked up a sugar mommy to spoil you without doing anything? Enjoy it; you¡¯ll get to rx for a few years.¡± ¡°Would I have such arge reaction if it were a wealthydy?!¡± He was so furious that he was blue in the face. ¡°It was a man!¡± All of a sudden, the entire car fell silent. A momentter, uncontrobleughter filled the car. He red at Cameron and Courtney, who couldn¡¯t stopughing. Then, he angrily said, ¡°How can youugh?! If a woman suddenly said that they were interested in you, won¡¯t you feel disgusted too?¡±¡°I¡¯ve always told Courtney that you¡¯re notpletely straight, but she disagreed. See?! I was right!¡± ¡°Sigh. I¡¯m a straight man; I¡ª¡± ¡°Internalized homophobia.¡± ¡°I believe you now.¡± Courtney yed along. Shay was livid. ¡°I came to you two for help. If you¡¯re going to be so sarcastic about this, I¡¯m getting off.¡± ¡°Alright; alright.¡± She stopped him, finally havingughed enough. ¡°We were just teasing you. Why are you taking it so seriously? So, how do we help you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a banquet being held two days from now. I was invited to attend by that pervert. Why don¡¯t the both of youe with me? I can say that you¡¯re my girlfriend. The problem will be solved once he confirms my sexual orientation.¡± ¡°That simple?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± In the face of Shay¡¯s innocence, Courtney and Cameron exchanged a nce through the rearview mirror. This child is still so young. Do you really think they¡¯ll give up on you just because you tell them about your sexual orientation? Besides, how many straight men have gone queer in the entertainment industry? ¡°I¡¯m not going,¡± Courtney refused bluntly. ¡°This matter isn¡¯t that simple. You might as well just drag it out for now. Once you start thinking about marriage, that person will leave you alone.¡± ¡°Are you really not going?¡± Shay lifted his eyebrows at her. ¡°I heard you have been challenging Alexander¡¯s ex-girlfriend recently. What if I were to tell you that... this pervert is Vivian Shepherd¡¯s elder brother?¡± She looked stunned by his words. The world sure is small. Mika is trying to snatch my partner while her brother is trying to snatch my brother. Why is this happening? The banquet Shay was aggressively inviting them to was the hundredth-day banquet of Mika¡¯s nephew. It was held to celebrate the hundredth day since the birth of her second brother¡¯s son. Therefore, many people attended the banquet, including various famous figures in society and celebrities.Courtney had her arm around Shay¡¯s arm as they entered the venue together. She wore a low-key Hepburn-style dress which revealed her fair and slender neck, which looked like a wless white jade. Cameron was with them too. She was looking around excitedly. ¡°Wow; it¡¯s such a grand asion. Shay, why don¡¯t you just ept that man¡¯s proposal? I heard that the eldest young master of the Lewis Family manages the entire group ofpanies. If you marry into their family, you¡¯ll be the matriarch of the group!¡± ¡°The matriarch of the group?!¡± Shay looked furious. ¡°Cameron, that¡¯s enough. How many times do I have to tell you? I¡¯m not gay.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah... You¡¯re not gay. You¡¯re a straight man; straighter than steel bars.¡± Needless to say, Cameron was only teasing him. Even so, Courtney felt exasperated listening to them. ¡°He¡¯s here.¡± She tightened her arm around his. Lifting her head, she followed his gaze and saw a figure dressed in a suit and leather shoes. Her expression froze for a moment, revealing her shock. The world sure is small... ¡°President Lewis, this is my girlfriend.¡± Shay introduced her. ¡°Is that so?¡± Casey¡¯s gaze was amused as he looked at Courtney and said, ¡°Miss Hunter, so we meet again.¡± ¡°How do you know her name?¡± Shay frowned in response. Staring at Casey, he asked, ¡°Do you know each other?¡± ¡°We¡¯re more than just acquaintances.¡± Casey nced at Shay. ¡°After all, Miss Hunter told me that she has a fianc¨¦.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 178 Chapter 178 No Other Way ¡°Sis, do you know him?¡± Shay looked wary.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. ¡°Sis?¡± A smile appeared in Casey¡¯s eyes. Courtney sighed helplessly. ¡°Shay, you¡¯ve been exposed.¡± Although she told Casey that she had a fianc¨¦, she did not mention who her fianc¨¦ was. However, Shay immediately exposed their rtionship as soon as he called her ¡®sister¡¯. It¡¯s not my fault. This child is still too na?ve. ¡°You guys can go ahead and talk. I¡¯m going to go over there with Cameron.¡± She touched her nose awkwardly before pulling Cameron away with her. It was embarrassing for her and Cameron to continue staying here, especially since there was nothing Casey could do to Shay while they were in public. It¡¯s better if we make a quick retreat. Courtney was just about to leave. Meanwhile, Shay red at Casey angrily as he turned to follow her. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know how I became acquainted with Courtney?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Which do you think would be worse? For the person you hate to be your boyfriend? Or, for him to be your brother-in- ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± He stopped in his tracks, turned back, and saw the photo on Casey¡¯s phone. His gaze immediately became wary. Grabbing Casey by the cor, he growled in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m warning you; stay away from my sister. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for what I might do.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Casey allowed Shay to grab him by the cor without struggling. He even casually stuffed both his hands into his pockets. His gold-rimmed sses reflected a cold light, revealing his great interest. ¡°I¡¯m curious about what you might do.¡± Shay angrily snapped, ¡°I will expose you as a homosexual pervert! The media reporters will surely have a heyday over the news. Don¡¯t forget that you have an ex-wife and children; you deceived a woman¡¯s love and married her to cover up the fact that you¡¯re gay! Do you think yourpany will be unaffected by the news once this information is exposed?!¡±¡°Before the newses out, I will hand over the president position to my younger brother.¡± Casey studied the young man in front of him like a big, bad wolf watching a small, white bunny. His attitude was way too rxed. ¡°Besides, once you do that, I will drag you down with me by announcing that you are in a rtionship with me. You can retire along with me.¡± ¡°Bullsh*t.¡± Shay immediately became livid. ¡°Who the f*ck is in a rtionship with you?!¡± ¡°I quite like the way you curse and swear.¡± Casey curled his lips into a refined yet rascally smile. Shay was so furious that his chest was heaving¡ªso much so that he couldn¡¯t evene up with a retort to those words. ¡°Calm down. Why don¡¯t you listen to what I have to say?¡± Casey took one hand out of his pocket and patted Shay on the shoulder. ¡°I won¡¯t touch your sister, but you have to peacefully get along with me. ¡°I¡¯m a normal man.¡± Shay pped Casey¡¯s hands away and took several steps back with a cautious expression. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re thinking about is impossible.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a normal man too.¡± Casey shrugged. It was maddening how this movement gave him such azy yet graceful elegance. ¡°That was an ident; I drank too much that day.¡± Shay gave Casey a suspicious look. ¡°If I remember correctly, you only had half a ss of red wine that day.¡± He kindly sent Casey home only to be molested during the process. Recalling the incident always gave him a headache, but he was worried about Courtney¡¯s safety. Thus, he took a deep breath and said, ¡°Fine; I can promise to be friends with you. But, you must stay away from my sister.¡± ¡°I don¡¯tck friends.¡± Casey looked at Shay with a smile that did not reach his eyes. ¡°You know in your heart what I¡¯m trying to achieve by getting along with you. Even if you want to feign ignorance, I don¡¯t.¡± The business world was bothersome enough. Therefore, he was used to being blunt when it came to rtionship issues. He did not like beating around the bush. ¡°What else do you want then?!¡± Shay gritted his teeth; his face was flushed. ¡°Date me just like how lovers would.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡±¡°There is no other way.¡± Casey took a ss of wine from a passing waiter before turning to head toward Courtney. Before he left, he said, ¡°Your sister probably broke up with Alexander recently. Coincidentally, my sister seems to have something going on with him. If I help fan the mes, it won¡¯t be strange if feelings change. I¡¯ll give you one night to consider my offer. Give me your answer at the end of the banquet.¡± Standing still, Shay trembled in anger. He helplessly watched as Casey strode toward Courtney; he was unable to stop it from happening. Thus, he turned around only to see a familiar figure entering the banquet hall¡ªit was Alexander. Alexander walked in with Mika by his side, in full view of the public. Moreover, Mika was holding on to his arm like they were a couple. Shay scowled at the sight, subconsciously ncing in Courtney¡¯s direction and feeling slightly relieved. Good; Courtney is still talking to Casey and has yet to notice Alexander. Then, he suddenly panicked again. Casey, that damn homosexual! Leaving aside the fact that he deceived his ex-wife into having children with him, how dare he try to deceive my sister?! How shameless of him! ¡°Alexander, my brother mentioned that he wanted to have a drink with youter. It¡¯s been a while since youst met each other.¡± Mika snuggled against Alexander, and her tone was intimate. However, Alexander was not paying attention to her. Not long after he entered the venue, he noticed Courtney and Casey standing together. It made him pause in his tracks for a moment, and his eyebrows furrowed together. Following in the direction of his gaze, Mika saw them and looked perplexed too. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Courtney? Why is my brother with her¡ª¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t your brother married?¡± His voice rang out from beside her, clearly sounding unhappy. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know?¡± She looked up at him. ¡°My sister-inw left for America after she gave birth to my niece. The two of them divorced five years ago, but it has not been made public. Even my parents only found out about it recently. They¡¯ve been urging him to find a new wife recently.¡± Alexander¡¯s scowl deepened. The image of Casey and Courtney happily chatting away was seared into his eyes, and he felt as if a rock was pressing against his heart. It made him panic. I thought she went on a trip this weekend for a change of pace, and her anger would have cooled by then. Instead, look at how capable she is. She is already targeting Casey in the blink of an eye. She doesn¡¯t seem at all bothered by what happened previously. She sure seems happy.¡°Alexander, my brother ising over.¡± Her voice entered his ears, carrying a hint of warning in it. ¡°I¡¯m busy. We¡¯ll talkter.¡± Alexander withdrew his arm and walked away, leaving Mika behind. Mika looked in the direction he left and bit her lip as her gaze dimmed. Alexander had taken no more than a few steps before he was stopped by a figure appearing from among the crowd. It was Mika¡¯s mother. ¡°Alexander, you¡¯re here! Mr. Lewis has been waiting for you for a long time.¡± The sounds of a conversation floated over and the name ¡®Alexander¡¯ rang out from not far away. Courtney subconsciously nced in the direction of the voice. She saw a graceful and elegant woman talking to Alexander affectionately and intimately. At the same time, Casey¡¯s indifferent voice sounded in her ears. ¡°That¡¯s my mother. Oh, you might not know this; my mother is very close to Alexander. They are practically like mother and son.¡± Upon hearing those words, Courtney¡¯s smile gradually stiffened at the corners of her mouth. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 179 Chapter 179 We Broke Up The scariest thing about Casey was that he didn¡¯t need long to figure out what one¡¯s weaknesses were; that held true even if they were newly acquainted with each other. Moreover, he would hit where it hurt the most without mercy. Just moments ago, Casey had mocked the turbulent rtionship between Courtney and Alexander. The problem between them was never about his sister because their rtionship itself was not strong enough in the first ce. That was why it fell apart so easily. On the other hand, Courtney had simply rolled her eyes at him. She also jokingly ridiculed him for falling for a straight man and being so delusional that he believed he could turn a straight man gay. In short, both refused to back down¡ªtheir sharp tongues were equal in this respect. At least, that was the case until Alexander appeared and was stopped by Mrs. Lewis. ¡°Does it feel ufortable to watch the harmonious rtionship between the man you love, his ex-fianc¨¦e, and his ex-fianc¨¦e¡¯s family?¡± ¡°You can shut up now.¡± Courtney nced at Casey. ¡°If I knew what your rtionship with Mika was, I would have ignored you back in Eastbrook.¡± This family of scoundrels. Casey didn¡¯t seem bothered by her words. Raising his eyebrow at her, he teasingly said, ¡°If you want me to, I can help you turn this around.¡± ¡°How will you do that?¡± Before she heard his answer, Alexander had finished greeting Mrs. Lewis and was walking toward them. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Alexander stood in front of Courtney with an imposing aura. Courtney unhappily retorted, ¡°Why do I need to report my whereabouts to you? Don¡¯t forget; I¡¯m no longer working at the hotel.¡± ¡°You¡¯re suspended; you didn¡¯t resign,¡± he corrected her coldly. ¡°What follows my suspension is my resignation; it makes no difference¡ª¡±He was just about to lose his temper when he noticed Casey out of the corner of his eye. He barely managed to suppress his temper as he grabbed her arm. ¡°Come with me.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Casey¡¯s voice rang out from behind Courtney. ¡°Alexander, where do you n on bringing somebody else¡¯s girlfriend?¡± Girlfriend?! Courtney¡¯s expression changed as she looked at Casey in bewilderment. However, that man¡¯s expression revealed nothing¡ªhe lied without even batting an eye. ¡°If that¡¯s a joke, I will pretend I never heard it.¡± Alexander red at Casey; the look on his face was rather hostile. ¡°Calm down. I didn¡¯t say that she is my girlfriend,¡± Casey said calmly. ¡°It¡¯s just that Shay just told me that she is his girlfriend.¡± Courtney felt a chill in her heart. Casey is a ck-hearted fox indeed. He doesn¡¯t want to cause trouble for himself, but he is nning to stir the pot! Sure enough, Alexander¡¯s expression darkened. Regardless of how many people were watching, he couldn¡¯t help dragging her into a lounge. He closed the door behind him and threw her on the sofa. She gasped in pain as she hit her tailbone during her fall. Her tied-up hair was a little messy as she lifted her head and snapped, ¡°What are you doing?!¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I recall you telling me that you and Shay are nothing but brothers and sisters.¡± He put his arms on both sides of the single-seat sofa, encircling her within his arms. His condescending look was rather scary. Swallowing nervously, she stubbornly said, ¡°We are brothers and sisters. Even if we aren¡¯t, it has nothing to do with you. We broke up.¡± ¡°I. Didn¡¯t. Agree. To. That.¡± Those words were uttered firmly, leaving no leeway for her to refute. He leaned down, his shadow looming over her face. A light perfume drifted through the air. It made Mika¡¯s innocuous face instantly appear in her mind¡¯s eye, and her expression sank. ¡°Stay away from me.¡± Her slender arms shoved against his chest as she angrily said, ¡°I don¡¯t like the scent on you right now.¡± He studied the look of disgust on her face and seemed to realize something. He did not exin anything. He simply got up and sat down nearby, regaining hisposure. ¡°What about Casey? How did you meet him?¡± ¡°I went on a trip and met him on the ne.¡± Her answer was very perfunctory.A barely noticeable hostility shed through his eyes. ¡°He never approaches anybody without an ulterior motive. Stay away from him.¡± ¡°Did you think that your ex-girlfriend approached you without any ulterior motives?¡± Courtney vented her emotions slightly as she counter-questioned him, ¡°Did you think she rescued Jordan without regard for her own safety because of her feelings for you?¡± He scowled. ¡°Something is going on behind the scenes. I¡¯m investigating it.¡± ¡°Of course, I know that you¡¯re investigating it.¡± The look in her eyes turned cold as she gazed at him. ¡°Nothing escapes your notice so easily. But, your first reaction was to doubt me. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± She did not doubt his intelligence and his judgment. After the incident, he would surely conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. He is no fool. If I can notice something suspicious about the incident, then he will surely notice it too. Therefore, she wasn¡¯t worried that the truth would be hidden forever. Unfortunately, his first reaction was to me her for that incident¡ªthat broke her heart. Moreover, how he handled it afterward ced their rtionship in an awkward position. ¡°What happens after you finish investigating? You know that it wasn¡¯t a coincidence for Mika to appear at the entrance of the kitchen. So? What are you going to do? Are you going to pursue her for masterminding this incident?¡± She lowered her head. Then, she stood up and smoothened out the creases in her dress. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her back and turned away. ¡°You won¡¯t. Even if it¡¯s just out of respect for her mother... you won¡¯t.¡± When Casey mentioned that they were ¡®like mother and son¡¯, she understood that this was the indisputable oue. No matter what Mika does, she will always be forgiven by Alexander. The rtionship between Mika and him is based on emotions. On the other hand, the rtionship between him and me is based on cold logic. That¡¯s the difference between us. Alexander was sitting up straight as he lifted his head slightly to look at the person standing in front of him. ¡°The rtionship between Mika and I is not thatplicated. You don¡¯t need to use that as an excuse for your irritation. I was at fault for ming you without understanding the situation beforehand. But, I would like to ask you something.¡± ¡°Ask away.¡± ¡°If, one day, Jordan and Tina were caught in an ident at the same time... Who would you save?¡± ¡°You should ask yourself this question,¡± Courtney replied brusquely. ¡°Who would you save?¡± ¡°Jordan,¡± he replied without hesitation.Even though she had guessed what his answer would be, it still broke her heart when she heard it herself. The immense disappointment washing over her felt like a freezing cold wind sweeping through her very bones. ¡°The question you asked is cruel in and of itself. I don¡¯t know if you will believe me when I say that I truly consider Jordan as my own son. So, I have a hard time answering this question.¡± She looked at him with a gaze that was clear and cold. ¡°But, you are different. You are so decisive in your answer. It shows that you have never regarded Tina as your own daughter.¡± Courtney¡¯s words held no resentment in them. She was doing her best to stop herself from telling Alexander the truth. She thought to herself, Will he regret asking this question if I told him that both Jordan and Tina are his biological children? Perhaps, it might render him speechless for a while. Maybe even make him feel angry and remorseful. But, telling him the truth will bring about other risks. I can¡¯t afford those risks; at least, not right now. ¡°Whatever goes on between me, Shay, Casey, or any other man for that matter, has nothing to do with you. I told you; we broke up.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 180 Chapter 180 Who the F*ck Is Jealous Josh kept guard outside the door of the lounge as he nced at his watch. The two of them had been inside for 15 minutes now. Intentionally or not, Mika came by to check on them twice. He stopped her from entering the lounge during both attempts. The way things are going, they are going to reconcile, right? While he was looking forward to it, the door opened behind him and Courtney walked out. ¡°Miss Hunter.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to address me so politely. I¡¯m no longer the manager of the hotel.¡± Courtney nced at Josh; her expression was cold and distant. Josh was stunned by her reply. Then, Alexander came out too. His expression was as ck as the soot at the bottom of a pot. Upon seeing that, Josh felt his heart sinking as he groaned in his heart. This is no reconciliation! It¡¯s clear that things between them are worse now! They had a falling out! The banquet was in full swing, and the Lewis Family was walking around with sses of champagne, drinking a toast to each guest. After Courtney came out from the lounge, she joined Cameron and Shay. Casey joined them shortly thereafter. Standing together in a group, he asionally introduced them to the guests at the venue. ¡°Since when was Casey so close to those people?¡± Mika asked her mother puzzledly. Mrs. Lewis was over 60 years old now. Having taken good care of herself, she retained her gorgeous looks. She nced at the group in the distance upon hearing those words, and her eyes lit up. ¡°Oh? That¡¯s true. Why does Cece seem so close to those people? Who is that girl? Is she married?¡± She was Taiwanese. Even after decades, she couldn¡¯t change the way she spoke. Moreover, she had a strange way of addressing her family members¡ªshe called her eldest son ¡®Cece¡¯, her second son ¡®Artie¡¯, and Mika ¡®L¡¯. Therefore, her three children were quite exasperated with her because of that. ¡°Which one are you asking about?¡± Mika hesitated as she looked from afar. ¡°There are two.¡±¡°That one; the girl in the ck evening dress. I saw her talking to Cece a lot. Cece normally doesn¡¯t talk to girls much. Do you think that¡¯s his girlfriend?¡± Mrs. Lewis was referring to Courtney. In response, Mika suddenly felt happy. ¡°She¡¯s not married. Her name is Courtney Hunter, and she works at Alex¡¯spany. Mommy, do you like her?¡± ¡°She looks good, but I don¡¯t know if she can take good care of the family. As you know, your sister-inw didn¡¯t care much for family and divorced just because she wanted to.¡± ¡°She¡¯s good at taking care of the family. She has a daughter, which she raised very well.¡± ¡°She has a daughter?¡± Mrs. Lewis looked surprised. ¡°She looks so young! I can¡¯t believe she already has a daughter!¡± That¡¯s right. I think she divorced a long time ago. She has always been a single mom. It must not have been easy. But, for a family like ours... it doesn¡¯t seem suitable for Casey to marry a woman who is divorced and has children from her previous marriage.¡± Mika was testing her mother¡¯s reaction. As expected, her mother wasn¡¯t bothered by that at all. Mrs. Lewis waved her hand dismissively; her gaze was as pure and clear as a young girl¡¯s. ¡°Why does that matter? As long as Cece likes her, what¡¯s wrong if she has a child? Besides, Cece has a child too. It¡¯s not a bad idea; they can y together. I¡¯m going to go over and greet them, L.¡± ¡°Hey, Mommy¡ª¡± Mika pretended to stop her mother but failed. Snickering slightly, she followed behind Mrs. Lewis. If Mommy can help me matchmake Courtney with Casey, won¡¯t that help to solve a huge problem for me? Courtney and Cameron were sitting on a sofa hidden in a corner as Courtneyined about the question Alexander asked her earlier. Cameron immediately became furious¡ªso much so that Courtney had to grab hold of her to prevent her from kicking up a fuss on the spot. ¡°What kind of stupid question is that?! That¡¯s his flesh and blood! F*cking Idiot!¡± ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s not like he knows anyway.¡± Courtney had sorted out her thoughts. Still, she was a little depressed. She raised her head and finished her ss of wine. ¡°He can think whatever he wants.¡± ¡°He will regret this next time.¡±Casey was sitting opposite her. After finishing her wine, she nced at him and bluntly informed him that she was nning to leave. Upon hearing that, Shay stood up immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you off.¡± Casey stood up too. In response, Courtney and Cameron nced at each other and exchanged an ambiguous look. Before the four of them got to the door, they were stopped by a sweet female voice. They looked back and saw Mrs. Lewis chasing after them while holding the corner of her sea-blue dress. ¡°Wait a minute! Casey, are these your friends? You haven¡¯t introduced them to me yet! Why are you leaving so soon?¡± Casey looked at his mother and said, ¡°They have something up, so I¡¯m seeing them off.¡± Mrs. Lewis¡¯ gazended on Courtney. ¡°Yes, you should send them back. It¡¯s not safe for a girl to be out alone at night. You should send her back home, and you don¡¯t need to rush back.¡± Those words sounded strange to Courtney. While she was pondering over it, Mrs. Lewis stepped forward and studied her. ¡°Mika told me that you work for Alexander¡¯spany. What¡¯s your name?¡± Stunned, she hesitated slightly before answering, ¡°Nice to meet you, Mrs. Lewis. My name is Courtney Hunter. I apologize for not greeting you earlier. You seemed busy.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Mrs. Lewis smiled warmly. ¡°It¡¯s the first time Cece brought his girlfriend over.¡± ¡°Girlfriend?¡± Courtney hurriedly exined, ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding, Mrs. Lewis. I¡¯m not Mr. Lewis¡¯ girlfriend.¡± Mrs. Lewis winked at her with an ambiguous look. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it; I understand. You can take your time. Cece acts cold and distant, but he is very kind to others. He doesn¡¯t even let his assistant do any difficult or tiring tasks.¡± Speaking of Casey¡¯s assistant, that man had left a strong impression on Courtney. That¡¯s true; I have not seen that arrogant, little assistant today. As for whether or not Cassey did not let his male assistant do any difficult tasks, Courtney did not know. After all, there were men in this world that were no different from women to Casey. It was simply a matter of cherishing what they loved. Mrs. Lewis saw them off to the door. Moreover, she enthusiastically invited Courtney over to their house next time. Her warm attitude left Courtney feeling both ttered and flustered¡ªso much so that she was still in a daze when she got into the car. ¡°Your mother seems to have misunderstood us.¡±¡°It¡¯s not a misunderstanding.¡± Casey crossed his arms and looked at her expressionlessly. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that she¡¯s trying to matchmake us.¡± Shay immediately jumped violently, and his head hit the roof of the car. Even though it hurt so badly that tears flooded his eyes, he turned and roared at Casey, ¡°Make your mother give up on that as soon as possible. Sis would never be interested in a homosexual like you!¡± Casey looked at Shay calmly. ¡°Are you jealous?¡± ¡°Who the f*ck is jealous?!¡± Utterly livid, Shay swore violently. ¡°How can you be so f*cking shameless?!¡± It was Courtney¡¯s first time listening to such foulnguageing from Shay since he was usually such a well-mannered boy. It shattered her previous impression of him¡ªso much so that she had trouble epting it for a moment. Coupled with the shock and agitation she experienced during the banquet, she felt a dull pain in her chest. ¡°Courtney, are you alright?¡± Cameron asked worriedly. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Courtney waved Cameron away. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine after some rest.¡± At that moment, Casey stopped quarreling with Shay. He studied Courtney for a moment before asking, ¡°If you are resigning from the Sunhill Hotel, why don¡¯t you consider working for mypany instead?¡± Those words left Courtney reeling in shock, and she couldn¡¯t quite believe what she just heard. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 181 Chapter 181 How Fair Are You to Him ¡°You were victimized by Sunhill Hotel. Don¡¯t tell me you still n to continue working for them?¡± Casey¡¯s tone was slightly yful. Courtney frowned, feeling empty inside. What Sunhill Hotel did to me this time was truly heartbreaking. The department that should have borne the greatest responsibility for this fire should have been the safety inspection department. It was never my responsibility to bear. But, they suspended me for investigation. She wasn¡¯t stupid. It didn¡¯t take much to figure out who was behind this order. Alexander refused to allow her to resign. Instead, he used this roundabout method to buy some time to prevent her from leaving. It was clear that he was abusing his authority for personal gain and revenge. Thus, it was reasonable for her to confidently ept the olive tree branch that Casey was offering to her at this point. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of position you can give me, Mr. Lewis. Aside from what is within my ability, I won¡¯t ept pity nor nepotism.¡± When she said the word ¡®nepotism¡¯, Shay¡¯s expression looked like he was forced to eat sh*t. ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s because I admire your abilities. I don¡¯t know why Alexander only ced you in the position of a lobby manager. I believe you will have greater career prospects if youe and work for me.¡± Casey spoke confidently as if he had already taken a fancy to her and wanted to head-hunt her for hispany. ¡°For example?¡± ¡°Come and be my administrative secretary.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t¡ª¡± Before Courtney could reply, Shay¡¯s voice sounded out suddenly. His expression was rather contradictory. ¡°My sister cannot be your secretary. Sis, you cannot take his offer! He doesn¡¯t have good intentions!¡± Courtney felt slightly helpless when she saw how anxious Shay was. Then, she nced at Casey and said, ¡°Look; Shay has known you longer than I have. Even he thinks that you don¡¯t bear goodwill. How could I possibly join yourpany?¡± Casey did not try to exin himself. Instead, he raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°It seems to me that you are reluctant to leave Sunhill. I¡¯m not going to force you if you don¡¯t want to. Feel free toe whenever you change your mind.¡±¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m reluctant to leave. It¡¯s just that yourpany isn¡¯t suitable for me, Mr. Lewis. It¡¯s better for me if I find a different solution.¡± His eyes flickered. ¡°Do you mean you truly do not wish to remain in Sunhill anymore?¡± ¡°Noment.¡± She smiled at him. Her attitude made it clear that she did not wish to say more about this. Although the Lewis Family and the Duncan Family had a good rtionship with each other, they were still businesspetitors. As an employee of Sunhill Enterprise, there was no need to tell him too much about any changes within thepany. Besides, she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he did not bear good intentions. It was better to be wary of him. ¡°Do you really n to resign from Sunhill?¡± As soon as they arrived home, Cameron questioned her about what had happened in the car earlier. Courtney changed her shoes and went to the kitchen to boil some water. She turned her back to Cameron as she said, ¡°Yes. There are too many personal issues involved. It¡¯s not good to let private issues interfere with work matters.¡± ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t you ept Casey¡¯s offer? Being his administrative secretary is way better than being the lobby manager at Sunhill! You¡¯ll be standing at the top! Don¡¯t you know that?¡± Cameron took off her evening dress, casually picked up a white T- shirt, and put it on. The T-shirt exposed her fair thighs as she sat down on the sofa. ¡°He¡¯s trying all sorts of methods to get involved with Shay. Couldn¡¯t you tell that he simply wanted to pull me to his side?¡± Casey is a businessman; he is not a phnthropist. He would never offer me such a good job out of sympathy just because he noticed that I am out of work. He clearly wants to use me for his benefit. Cameron waggled her eyebrows, looking like she disagreed with Courtney¡¯s outlook. ¡°You think too much. You shouldn¡¯t think too much about everything. It¡¯s not only bad for you, but also bad for others. In my opinion, you shoulde clean with Alexander. Don¡¯t keep hiding the truth from him.¡± When the water boiled, Courtney poured two cups of water and walked over to the sofa. She sat down and handed one cup to Cameron. ¡°You make it sound so easy. Out of all the times to talk about that, now is not the time. If he really ns to break up with me, he will surely fight for custody of both children if I tell him that Tina is his daughter. I know the extent of my abilities; I will never win thewsuit.¡± The Duncan Family was extremely influential in Melrose City. If Alexander truly wanted to gain custody of Tina, she could only resign herself to that fate.¡°Can¡¯t you think positively? If Alexander knows that both children are his, he won¡¯t suspect you of ying favorites anymore when ites to the children. Won¡¯t that resolve all the previous misunderstandings between the two of you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that at all.¡± She frowned deeply. ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you tell me what is it that you want? Just what do you want from Alexander?¡± Cameron sat up straight. For the first time, she wasn¡¯t siding with Courtney. ¡°You always feel that Alexander is asking too much of you and that he is not being fair to you. But, how fair are you to him? He doesn¡¯t even know that Tina is his daughter.¡± Courtney fell silent, and the entire house became very quiet. After a long time, Cameron stood up and pped her on the shoulder. ¡°Think about it yourself. When ites down to it, it¡¯s your personal affairs. I suggest that youe clean with him. If the dayes when you are faced with awsuit... Did you forget? We still have Elijah who¡¯s overseas. He will never allow Tina¡¯s custody rights to be snatched away by somebody else.¡± After Cameron left, Courtney remained sitting in the living room alone untilte at night. She often weighed the pros and cons of her rtionship with Alexander. However, she never felt that there was anything wrong with doing that. She was a mother; a mother who was robbed of her child five years ago at that. Even if she resented Alexander for that, it was well within her rights to do so.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Inside the master bedroom, Cameron saw that she had a missed call on her phone. Thus, she returned the call. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Gale¡¯s voice came from the other side of the phone; it was filled with excitement. ¡°I¡¯ll be back from my business trip tomorrow. I¡¯ll be on vacation for a while. Why don¡¯t you go on a trip with me?¡± ¡°Just because you are on vacation doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m on vacation. Do you think I have so much free time to go on a trip with you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing this because I heard Alex and Courtney had a fight. Don¡¯t you want to help them reconcile? Let¡¯s go on a trip and invite them along.¡± ¡°What has that got to do with me?¡± She continued indifferently, ¡°If they are quarreling, that¡¯s their own problem. They can fight if they want to. You can go ahead and be their mediator if you want. I refuse to do it.¡± He pretended as if he did not hear what she said. ¡°Survival on a deserted ind or a rxing vacation; which do you prefer?¡± ¡°Deserted ind.¡±¡°Alright, that¡¯s decided then. I¡¯ll prepare everything. You only need to be ready to leave.¡± Gale was well-versed with Cameron¡¯s disagreeable temperament where she could not be honest with her feelings. Nowadays, he could tell from her tone whether she was pleased or displeased with something regardless of what she said. Early the next morning, Cameron told Courtney about the ns to go on a trip before she left for work. ¡°This is a great opportunity. There are no other people on the ind. So, the two of you should have a good talk with each other.¡± Courtney mulled over it for a moment and finally nodded. Cameron could tell from the dark circles under Courtney¡¯s eyes that Courtney had not gotten a good night¡¯s sleep. She probably stayed up all night thinking about whether she shoulde clean about Jordan. Then, she casually asked before leaving, ¡°What are you doing this afternoon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to visit Tina at Old Master Duncan¡¯s ce.¡± ¡°You leave your daughter at the Duncan Residence every now and then so that you have a reason to visit your son, don¡¯t you? Wow, you sure are calcting!¡± ¡°He is my son.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. He¡¯s your son. Nobody is denying that. You are the only one who doesn¡¯t dare to admit it.¡± Cameron picked up her keys. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to talk to you anymore; I¡¯m going to bete for work. Bye!¡± ¡°Bye.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 182 Chapter 182 The Older, The Wiser After being mocked by Cameron for no reason, Courtney felt extremely ufortable. It feels like I¡¯m being very selfish by deliberately hiding the truth from Alexander and doing many things for my own benefit. But, am I not doing this so that both my children can get along well? With this self-doubt weighing down on her heart, it left her feeling a little uneasy when she visited her two children at the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. Especially when she heard Scott praising her for treating Jordan well. It made her face flush for an inexplicable reason. Jordan is my biological son. How can I not treat him well? ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s been a long time since I saw you and Mr. Alexandering together.¡± During their lunch break, Tina and Jordan sat in Courtney¡¯s arms, one on each side. Tina was chattering away endlessly. It seemed like she liked the living environment at the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that he is a very busy man? Many things need to be taken care of after the fire broke out at the hotel.¡± ¡°But, why are you not going to work, Mommy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m on vacation right now. This way, I can spend more time with the two of you. Don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°I like it.¡± Upon mentioning the fire, she turned her head away and rested her chin on the top of Jordan¡¯s head. ¡°Jordan, I¡¯m sorry for not realizing that you were in the cold storage room the other day.¡± At first, Jordan had been quietly listening to the conversation between Courtney and Tina. When he heard those words, he hurriedly got up from the bed, found his little drawing board, and quickly wrote several words. ¡®It¡¯s okay. I know you would have brought me out if you saw me, Mommy.¡¯Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Seeing his well-behaved and understanding attitude, she happily patted his head and said, ¡°Jordan is the best! You know I will never leave you.¡± He immediately wrote on his drawing board again: ¡®Really???¡¯His question was followed by three question marks behind it. Coupled with the nervous expression on his small face, it seemed like he didn¡¯t quite believe that she would always remain by his side. ¡°Of course.¡± Courtney didn¡¯t understand why he was so worried. She thought that he still retained some traumatic feelings from the fire and felt extremely distressed in her heart. On the other hand, Tina sighed like an adult before saying, ¡°Jordan is worried that Mr. Alexander has fallen in love with somebody else. To be honest, I¡¯m very worried too.¡± Courtney looked taken aback. After receiving an exnation from the two children¡ªone spoke while the other wrote¡ªshe learned that the Lewis Family visited the Duncan Residence several times. Mrs. Lewis, in particr, worked very diligently; she mentioned the previous engagement between Mika and Alexander many times. Although Scott tried to hide it from the children, he couldn¡¯t keep it from them in the end. Jordan looked downcast. He wrote a string of words on his little drawing board. ¡®I don¡¯t want anybody else to be my mommy.¡¯ She looked at his small and pitiful appearance; it was extremely heartrending. Thus, she hugged him tenderly and said solemnly, ¡°I will never let anybody else by your mommy. If that really happens one day, I will take you away with me.¡± After the Duncan Family¡¯s butler came out of Scott¡¯s study, he arranged for several phone calls to be made. Before dinnertime, many cars arrived at the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home, and the rtives and branch family members of the Duncan Family were gathered in the living room. ¡°It¡¯s neither New Year¡¯s nor a holiday. Why did Old Master Duncan call all of us over today?¡± ¡°I came as soon as I received the phone call. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either; I thought you all might know.¡± ¡°Could it be trouble in thepany?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we talk about the fire at one of the hotels under the group recently? I¡¯ve always said that it¡¯s not safe to leave such argepany in the hands of Alexander alone.¡± Amidst the chatter, only an old man in his fifties sat quietly by the side without saying anything. The old man gave off an insidious feeling. However, he was ying with a string of Bodhi beads in his hands. That string of beads was ck and shiny from many years of use.¡°Dad, what do you think is going on?¡± a middle-aged man lowered his voice and asked. His expression was full of doubt. ¡°Old Master Duncan has not contacted us in years. Do you think he called us here because something happened?¡± The old man¡¯s eyes shone with a cold light as he said gloomily, ¡°Who knows? Just wait and see; it won¡¯t be because of a trivial matter.¡± When the servant knocked on the door and invited them to dinner, Courtney took the two sleepy children to wash up again before heading toward the dining room. She was surprised to see many people sitting at tworge, round tables in the dining room¡ªshe thought that she was at the wrong ce for a moment. ¡°Old Master Duncan, the young mistress is here.¡± The way the servant addressed thedy as ¡®Young Mistress¡¯ caught everybody¡¯s attention, and they whispered among themselves. As everybody knew, Alexander was the only son of the Duncan Family. He was unmarried even though he was in his thirties. He also had a son of unknown origins. In any case, nobody had ever heard of him taking a wife before, so where did this ¡®Young Mistress¡¯e from? ¡°Come here, Courtney. Sit here.¡± Scott beckoned toward Courtney. Courtney calmed herself down. In full view of everybody, she hesitantly walked to Scott¡¯s side. Then, she sat down with her two children and tentatively said, ¡°Grandpa, I didn¡¯t know you were having guests over for dinner. Why don¡¯t I bring the children back ande back to visit you another day?¡± ¡°No need.¡± Scott smiled and gave her aforting look. Afterward, he stood up, looking lively and spirited. ¡°I called everybody here today to announced something to all of you. As all of you know, I only have one grandson¡ªAlexander. He is already in his thirties but remains unmarried. It is said that one should start a family before starting a business, and that has always been something I worried about.¡± At this point, Courtney¡¯s mind was in a mess as she vaguely realized something. ¡°I¡¯m sure that everybody heard the servants addressing Courtney as ¡®Young Mistress¡¯. I believe it is also time for me to officially introduce you. I cannot allow this youngdy to stay with Alexander without holding the proper status. The Duncan Family is not such an ill-mannered family.¡± The entire dining room was in an uproar. A young man sitting at the other table recklessly asked, ¡°Grandpa Scott, are you saying that she is Alexander¡¯s wife?¡±¡°That¡¯s right. Although their wedding has not been held, this matter has been decided. So, I¡¯m letting everybody know beforehand. Courtney Hunter, the youngdy of the Hunter Group, is now Alexander¡¯s fianc¨¦e. I wanted everybody in the family to get to know her. Once the wedding date has been decided, we will send out the invitations.¡± Courtney felt like she was sitting on pins and needles¡ªshe couldn¡¯t say a word. If I refute it, it will be a p in Old Master Duncan¡¯s face. But, if I just acquiesce to it... Besides, I¡¯m still quarreling with Alexander! I¡¯m still mad at him! However, she suddenly understood why Scott was doing this after giving it some thought. It was most probably because the Lewis Family had been pressuring him too much recently. Besides, there was nothing he did not know. I¡¯m sure he knows about the quarrel between Alexander and me. He is deliberately using this method to stabilize my position. One gets wiser with age indeed. After a series of whispering, somebody took the lead and addressed her as ¡®cousin-inw¡¯. Hearing that word made her skin crawl with goosebumps. The others also followed suit and stood up. ¡°This is great news! Congrattions! Let me drink a toast to my cousin-inw¡ª¡± The rtives congratted Courtney, one after the other. However, she simply felt lost as she listened to the butler introducing the rtives to her. Moreover, she soon became tipsy after downing several sses of wine. She didn¡¯t even know how she left the dining room that night. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 183 Chapter 183 Let Me Go, You Sick B*stard ¡°There¡¯s a step here. Be careful, Young Mistress.¡± Courtney held onto the door frame for support when she heard the housekeeper. ¡°Oh, where did the two children go? There¡¯s a lot of people here. They have to be watched over closely.¡± ¡°Little Master and Little Miss have been sent back to their rooms. They have a nanny watching and staying close to them. You don¡¯t have to worry, Young Mistress. It¡¯s quite windy today. Let¡¯s go back inside before you catch a cold.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about me. I want to get some air and sober up.¡± Courtney freed her hand from the housekeeper¡¯s grasp and waved her off. As the night breeze blew under the eaves of the veranda, it carried the fragrance of the flowers with it. After sobering up a bit, Courtney went to sit down by the stone table in the courtyard. ¡°Are you okay, cousin-inw?¡± A man¡¯s voice sounded, catching her off guard. Narrowing her eyes in the direction of the voice, she saw a gray shadow under the eaves of the veranda. He was wearing a silvery-gray suit and looked to be around the same age as Alexander. She faintly recalled, He was the first rtive to congratte me after Old Master Duncan made the introduction. He might be Alexander¡¯s cousin. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± she replied as she tried to look more awake. They were from a big and wealthy family; thus, she could not disgrace them. The man looked handsome. After she answered him, he took big strides toward her and ced a clear stic bottle on top of the stone table. He said out of concern, ¡°This candy will help you sober up. You won¡¯t get a headache tomorrow if you take one today. I noticed you drank quite a bit earlier and was a bit concerned, so I followed you here. I hope I¡¯m not being rude.¡±You followed me here even though you knew that it was rude. Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s inappropriate for a man and woman to be alone together? Suddenly, she had a feeling that this person was being very sketchy, and his sly behavior annoyed her. ¡°Thank you.¡± She gave him a polite nod but did not reach out to retrieve it.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. ¡°When did you and Alexander meet? I¡¯ve never heard him mention you before,¡± he asked nonchntly. She felt lightheaded as she nced at him through her hazy vision. ¡°I haven¡¯t known him for that long. It makes sense that he didn¡¯t mention me.¡± ¡°I see. I guess he really likes you. Otherwise, it does seem a bit hasty to get married this soon.¡± ¡°He wants to marry me?¡± When she heard that through her groggy state of mind, she only wanted tough. ¡°Why would he want to marry me? His first love returned. He¡¯s probably eager to break up with me.¡± ¡°First love?¡± That sparked the man¡¯s interest. ¡°It seems like you have a lot ofints about Alexander. You can tell me. I¡¯ll straighten him out when I get the chance.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to tell?¡± She shoved him out of annoyance, catching him off guard and almost making him tumble over. He scowled at her at once. ¡°Even if he wants to marry me, I won¡¯t ept it. There¡¯s a truckload of people who like me. Who does he think he is?¡± The man paused briefly then sneered, ¡°I like the sound of that. Who does he think he is being arrogant all the time? It¡¯s only because he was lucky enough to be born here. Courtney, tell me a little bit about how you two met.¡± ¡°Us?¡± She looked up and blinked at the man in front of her. Suddenly, she grasped his cor and growled, ¡°Alexander Duncan... You as*hole.¡± Perhaps she was drunk, but there was a clumsy and shameless charm about her that left the man in a daze when she got close. She¡¯s a rare beauty. No wonder Alexander decided on marrying her so quickly. ¡°You¡¯re drunk, Courtney. I¡¯ll take you back to rest.¡±Holding her up by the waist, he started to take a couple of steps when he saw a shadow looming over the ground. Looking up ahead, the color drained from his face. ¡°A-Alexander.¡± Alexander was staring at him coldly. Without saying a word, he strode over and pulled Courtney out of the man¡¯s arms. After making sure that her clothes were intact, he warned the man, ¡°James Duncan. For Old Master Duncan¡¯s sake, I won¡¯ty a finger on you. But if you ever touch my belongings or my people again, I will cut up the part of you that came in contact with them and feed it to the dogs. Believe it or not, that¡¯s up to you.¡± With that, he carried Courtney in his arms and went straight into the house. Standing in the corridor, James felt his back go cold from the slight breeze. The hatred in his eyes was seemingly able to prate through the house like two sharp daggers. Don¡¯t be too proud of yourself. The day you aren¡¯t able to stand tall anymore will be the day when everything you have and the people around you will be mine, he cursed. After Alexander kicked open the room door, he carried Courtney to the bathroom and threw her into the bathtub. A shower of cold water started to pour down on her. She woke with a jolt, screaming and slipping in the bathtub. The moment she opened her eyes and registered the person in front of her, she had mostly sobered up. ¡°Are you awake now?¡± His gaze was cold. ¡°Do you want me to tell you what you were doing earlier?¡± A sense of fear lingered in her when she remembered what happened in the courtyard, but she clenched her fists and retorted, ¡°Wasn¡¯t that your cousin? What could I possibly do in your family¡¯s courtyard?¡± ¡°Are you still not willing to admit to your mistakes?¡± He was not just mad about one thing. ¡°What did you tell James earlier? That you didn¡¯t want to marry me? That a truckload of people are into you? Who are they?¡± ¡°How is that any of your business?¡± The downpour of cold water got her fired up. Being in that awkward situation already made her want to find a ce to hide in, but Alexander only continued to provoke her further. As she lifted herself out of the bathtub, she snapped, ¡°We broke up. I didn¡¯t refute in front of everyone for Old Master Duncan¡¯s sake. I¡¯m going to go see him right now to rify the situation. Let¡¯s not cross paths again.¡±¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± His words were like nails that pinned her in ce. She gritted her teeth and red up at him. ¡°What do I have to fear?¡± At once, he pushed her down in the bathtub and leaped in swiftly with his long legs. A pair of steel arms pressed down on her shoulders and kept her locked in ce. Looking down at her aggressively, he snarled, ¡°What do you take the Duncan Family for? Is this a ce where you cane and go as you please?¡± ¡°Let go of me...¡± she cried out in pain. Rage had taken over him. In his mind, he could only picture the scene from the courtyard earlier when James had his hands all over her, but she did not resist it. Moreover, all he could hear was Courtney iming to have never intended on marrying him. The way she looked in front of him now was clearly engraved in his mind. But she was telling him to let her go; to give up. His eyes had turned red. In a spur of the moment, he let all his emotions loose and ripped the blouse she was wearing into pieces, revealing hercy bra underneath that was wrapped around her full and trembling chest. The more she trembled, the more aroused he became. ¡°Let me go, Alexander, you sick b*stard!¡± Courtney screamed as her hands fought desperately to escape, sshing water everywhere. He tied her hands to the faucet with a necktie then lifted her waist up abruptly. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 184 Chapter 184 Why Do We Have to Leave? The emotions that had built up for days on end without Courtney¡¯s awareness erupted at that moment. It was the first time in all these years that Alexander felt like his behavior was out of his control. Even though he knew that she was in pain and that doing this would result in an emotional rift that could never be repaired, he was unable to restrain himself. He wanted her even through violent and unreasonable means. ¡°Ah...¡± The moment he vited her, her shrills became hoarse. She only felt a tearing pain splitting her in half while he held her legs up and continued to push into her like a savage wild beast. He disregarded her will and forcibly became one with her. Inside the bathroom, the sounds of dull panting and flesh colliding were dulled by the sound of water. Courtney was ring at him through bloodshot eyes. While tied up, her wrists had be swollen and covered in bruises. It was unclear how much time had passed before the brutal act of violence came to an end with a man¡¯s low groan. It was then that Courtney also fainted. Tears seeped out the corners of her tightly shut eyes. They rolled down the sides of her cheeks and plopped into the icy cold bathtub. Seeing how dejected she looked, Alexander suddenly became flustered. He was almost at a loss for what to do and only carried her back to bed a whileter. When he was pulling the covers over her, he heard a somber voice from the direction of the bed. ¡°Is this what you wanted? Are you satisfied now?¡± His hands that were on the edge of the covers quivered and remained in the air for a moment before he pulled the covers all the way up to her shoulders.¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± Before his hand touched her face, he was met with her unfriendly gaze. ¡°Get out,¡± she seethed through tightly clenched teeth. Her delicate face looked pale. After the climax faded, all that was left was a cold body. She never would have imagined that this man she once thought of as her soulmate would force her into doing something like this. A look of frustration flickered across his eyes. He remained silent for a long time, then he eventually left the room without saying anything. He could not take back what he did. Moreover, the cracks in their rtionship could not be fixed with words alone. He had taken extreme measures to deal with the problem. He was wrong, but he could not bring himself to say sorry even at that moment. The house became quiet. Before he stepped out, he left a dim light turned on in the living room. The bedroom door was closed halfway, allowing the light toe in from outside and make the room feel less isted. Nheless, Courtney still felt a chill in her heart. Every slight movement she made was followed by excruciating pain from the lower part of her body. That evident pain served as a constant reminder of the frenzied act he had inflicted upon her. That night, she decided to leave the Duncan Residence. Tina was awoken from her sleep. Sitting up in bed, she rubbed her eyes and looked at the familiar silhouette in the dark. ¡°Mommy.¡± ¡°Tina, put on your coat ande with me.¡± She was in a daze and her voice was still hoarse. ¡°Where are we going, Mommy?¡± ¡°Home.¡± Courtney put the coat over Tina and lifted her off the bed. Just as they were about to leave, Courtney spotted a small figure on the other bed looking at her. She did not know when he woke up, but he remained still and quiet as if he had sensed her downcast mood. After a slight hesitation, she called, ¡°Jordan.¡± A deep sense of despair grew within her.If she had custody over him, she would bring him out of the Duncan Residence with her without a second thought. They would all return to America and never return to that sad ce again. But she knew that taking him away now would ruin everything they had painstakingly worked for. Alexander was someone who was capable of doing anything once he was provoked, and she could not put Jordan in danger. Shutting her eyes, two streaks of tears rolled down the sides of her face. With determination, she held Tina in her arms and walked out. Suddenly, a hoarse voice came from behind her. ¡°Mommy.¡± The boy still had a sweet and innocent voice. Perhaps it was because he had not spoken for a long time; his voice sounded hoarse and fragile, but it was also filled with grief and longing. It seemed as though he was begging Courtney to stay. Unable to stop her tears from falling, she turned around and returned to the side of the bed again. Jordan grasped her sleeves with tears already welling up in his eyes. Courtney was heartbroken, but she looked straight into his eyes and tried to suppress her shaky voice. ¡°Jordan, listen to me. I wille back to get you. It¡¯s just not a good time right now. If I take you with me now, your dad will not approve of it, and I won¡¯t get to see you again. You have to be a good boy and trust me, okay? I won¡¯t abandon you again.¡± Six years ago, she feared that the person who stained her and forced her to give birth to the baby would find out about Tina. She fled to America where she endured six full years of guilt and sorrow, unsure of how her son was doing. It always weighed down on her and was also the reason she could not part with this city. Since she reunited with him, she was not going to give up that easily. Even if she made a clean break with Alexander, she had to take Jordan with her. His small hand finally let go of her sleeve. After a few sniffles, he turned around and buried himself under the covers. The quiet sob that sounded from beneath felt like a dagger in Courtney¡¯s heart. Afraid of staying any longer, she carried Tina and left the ce in a hurry.It waste in the night. The Duncans¡¯ ancestral home was located in a remote area, so she was unable to get a cab. With Tina on her back, she walked along the main road under the cloudy sky that indicated a downpour was soon approaching. From behind her, Tina asked, ¡°Mommy, Jordan is so upset. Why do we have to leave?¡± ¡°Because this is not our home.¡± ¡°Did you break up with Mr. Alexander?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It was the first time Courtney was upfront with her daughter about the problems in her rtionship. In the past, she used to think that Tina was still too young so she did not want to elucidate these trivial matters. These days, however, she came to realize that a child often had a better understanding of things than they were given credit for. Without being told, the two children were able to tell that the Lewis Family intended on bing the Duncans¡¯ inws. ¡°Will your break up with Mr. Alexander make me sad?¡± ¡°Maybe a little.¡± While sprawled out on Courtney¡¯s back, Tina let out a sigh. ¡°It will probably only be because you¡¯re sad. If I had known that Mr. Alexander would make Mommy this sad, I wouldn¡¯t have wanted you two to be together.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Courtney let out a dryugh, uncertain of whether she should feel gratified or sad. s they continued to walk along the road, Tina suddenly eximed, ¡°Mommy!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I think you should make up with Daddy. Even though Daddy is never home, he still brings a lot of gifts for you whenever he returns. He treats me well too.¡± Courtney furrowed her brows and fell silent for a while.¡°You¡¯re big now, Tina. There¡¯s something I want to tell you. Before I do, you have to believe that no matter what, I always love you.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Do you remember your twin brother I told you about?¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 185 Chapter 185 Perhaps, She¡¯s Not the One for Me ¡°Jordan is your brother.¡± Under the streetmps that exuded a dim, warm light, Courtney was carrying her drowsy-eyed daughter while choking back tears. Three dayster, Courtney handed in her resignation notice once again. The worker at the HR department looked at her with a troubled expression, ¡°Miss Hunter, we can¡¯t process this. You¡¯re still under suspension, so you have to wait for the hotel¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Then I will go to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and request forbor protection,¡± Courtney cut the worker off. Her emotionless face was chilling to look at. ¡°This is my resignation notice. Thirty days from now, whether you process my resignation or not, I will automatically be released from my post byw. That is all.¡± After she said that, she walked off in front of the astounded worker without saying anything else. ¡°Is it all settled? Are you really not nning oning back?¡± Cameron asked inside the car. ¡°I¡¯ve been scheduled for an interview at two ces since sending out my r¨¦sum¨¦st night.¡± Courtney buckled in her seatbelt and raised an eyebrow at Cameron. ¡°Let¡¯s go and celebrate my sessful resignation. I have a month left before I officially start a new job. Let¡¯s go shopping; I¡¯ll treat you to a meal.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. ¡°Are you that certain you will find a job?¡± Cameron was rather worried. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if you resign without Alexander¡¯s permission, it might be hard for you to find a job in the future.¡± ¡°Are all the hotels in Melrose City inferior to the Duncans? Even if I can¡¯t find a job, I already have another n in mind. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Another n?¡± Cameron started to drive a bit slower. ¡°What are you thinking of?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say anything for now. I¡¯ll tell you once it¡¯s all ready.¡±¡°You¡¯re keeping it a secret?¡± Cameron chuckled and let out a sigh. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve had this all nned out already. I was worried for nothing.¡± Thinking about it, it made sense. Besides her career, Courtney was still a true youngdy that was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Now that she was back on good terms with her maternal family, she had anotheryer of protection. Why would she worry about not being able to make a living in Melrose City? While Courtney and Cameron were on their shopping spree, it was a dreadful mess at Sunhill Enterprise headquarters. Even though they were able to control the media when the fire broke out initially, the negligence of fire safety had garnered the attention of relevant departments. Additionally, theirpetitors were also trying to sabotage them both tantly and discreetly. The hotels under Sunhill Enterprise already stopped operating for the most part, but discussions were slowly rising in the media again. ¡°Was this the foolproof countermeasure you came up with?¡± Inside the conference room, a chilling voice resounded. Each word pounded on their hearts like a drum, putting them on the edge of their seats. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve all run out of things to do in your positions. Are you thinking of an early retirement?¡± m! A pile of documents was thrown onto the table, scattering white A4 papers all over the space. ¡°Redo everything and be wary of the other departments as well. At this crucial time, whoever gives me trouble can pack their things and leave immediately.¡± They were all at a loss for words. ¡°Dismissed.¡± As soon as he ended the meeting, everyone looked like they had been granted a pardon. With their reports and other materials in their hands, they left the conference room with grim and disheartened expressions. ¡°What has gotten into President Duncantely? He yelled at us in two meetings within three days.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it because of all the things that have been going on? We suffered a big loss at the hotel since the fire broke out, but there haven¡¯t been any follow-up countermeasures. Not to mention, his son was also involved in that fire. He almost lost his one and only son. How could he not be mad?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t people saying that he¡¯s getting married?¡±¡°Getting married?¡± An insider scoffed. ¡°It seems to me that someone is wasting their breath. President Duncan treasures that mute little prince of his more than anything in the world. After an incident like this, he wouldn¡¯t even flirt with anyone, much less get married. I heard that the lobby manager was fired right away.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so cruel.¡± ¡°When have you seen President Duncan show anyone mercy?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Did you see him yell at Mr. Harry¡ªoh, Mr. Langley!¡± Before they finished their conversation, they were both caught off guard by Gale¡¯s appearance. Gale simply yawned. ¡°Good morning to the both of you. I overslept. I thought I could make it in time for the meeting, but I just missed it.¡± ¡°Consider yourself lucky.¡± One of the managers chuckled briefly. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to get yelled at.¡± ¡°President Duncan yelled at you guys again?¡± ¡°Exactly, I¡ª¡± Right as that manager was about to start ranting, his partner nudged him from the side. He came to the realization and let out an awkward cough. ¡°Uh, Mr. Langley, we still have work to do, so we¡¯ll get going now.¡± Gale raised his eyebrows and nodded perceptively, then turned into the conference room. Alexander was sitting alone inside with the projector still on and emitting a blue light on the screen behind him. The room was slightly dark. As the faint blue light fell on him, it gave off a sense of loneliness that came from being in a high ce. Josh, his assistant, saw Galee in. After they exchanged nces, Josh walked out of the room quietly and left the two of them alone. ¡°You seem to be going through some personal issuestely.¡± The moment Gale teased him, it broke the cold and lonely atmosphere.Lifting his head, Alexander shot him a look of annoyance. ¡°Do you have nothing better to do? How is everything going with the proposal?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I have everything nned out perfectly; I know what I need to do when I need to do it. On the other hand, you used to remain calm in any situation, but now, it looks like you¡¯re already panicking when nothing has happened yet.¡± ¡°Panicking?¡± Alexander frowned, but he refused to give an exnation. ¡°Ever since the fire, you¡¯ve been giving the managers from every department an earful at each meeting. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because their work has been less than satisfactory so they deserved it.¡± Gale pulled out a chair and sat down sloppily. ¡°You weren¡¯t like this before. Even when you met Courtney and were madly in love with her, you never went out of control and acted irrationally before because of her. What happened this time?¡± Alexander had assumed that Gale wanted to call him out for spending too much energy on Courtney, but he never imagined that Gale would hit the nail on the head and question him in even more detail. After a long silence, a glum voice rang out inside the conference room. It seemed like he had gone around in one big circle but still came back with an uncertain conclusion that was full of self-doubt. ¡°Perhaps, she¡¯s not the one for me.¡± ¡®Perhaps¡¯, ¡®as if¡¯, ¡®seemingly¡¯¡ªthese ambiguous words rarely made an appearance in Alexander¡¯s vocabry. There were no gray areas in his life. He always had distinct boundaries that even made it hard for friends and rtives to get close to him. Hence, Gale felt conflicted when he heard those words. A whileter, he finally mmed down on the table and scolded, ¡°D*mn it, Alexander. I¡¯ve known you for almost thirty years, and I¡¯ve never seen you hesitate before, much less look this indecisive. When we had a fallout, you told me to leave and that was the end of it; there was absolutely no room for discussion. Looks like only Courtney can heal you!¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 186 Chapter 186 Are They Filming a TV Show? Looks like only Courtney can change you. Gale¡¯s words surged through Alexander¡¯s mind. ¡°Courtney was the only one who broke all your boundaries, changed your principles, and even made you doubt yourself. She¡¯s the first gray area you¡¯ve encountered in your life.¡± When Gale¡¯s emotions slowly stabilized, he sat back down in the chair and stared at Alexander. ¡°Admit it. You can¡¯t leave her anymore. Stop putting up a pointless struggle.¡± The skin between Alexander¡¯s brows crinkled together. It was ufortable to hear someone break down his personality and point out all the hard facts. Staring back at Gale, he muttered, ¡°If you¡¯ve had enough at mypany, then go back to your own nest.¡± With that, he left the conference room without looking back. Gale had a hand on his chin and a sneer on his face. He¡¯s still trying to save his pride. Alexander¡¯s thirty years of life had gone so smoothly that even the ws in his family did not be a major drawback for him. Ever since he was born, he was always more stoic than his peers. The death of his father cut off the only tenderness in his childhood. During the funeral, his mother, who had run off for half a year, seemed to finally turn over a new leaf. She decided to stop chasing her dreams and freedom and said that she would take care of him. But, he was calmer than anyone else as he said to her in front of the whole Duncan Family, ¡°Go to the treasury and ask them to write you a cheque for any amount you want. Once you get the money, don¡¯t ever show up in front of me again.¡± This man who did not even acknowledge his own family continued to break his own boundaries for Courtney. As the third party, Gale had a clearer view than he did. ¡°Hello? Cam.¡± Gale¡¯s warm voice echoed in the conference room. ¡°When do you have time for that camping trip I mentionedst time? I¡¯ve got everything prepared. The weather has been quite goodtely.¡± A woman¡¯s uneasy voice came through the phone.¡°That might have to wait. Courtney might not be in the mood for that right now.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Sensing that something was off, he sat straight up in his chair and pried further. It was quiet for a few seconds, then she replied, ¡°There¡¯s an issue with the Hunter Family.¡± That morning, Courtney¡¯s father, Lucian, fell seriously ill all of a sudden and had to be rushed in for surgery. He was still not out yet. Initially, Cameron and Courtney were both shopping at the mall. When they were about to look for a ce to have lunch, they received a call from the nursing home. Fortunately, Courtney had left her number with the head doctor when she visited the nursing homest time. She told him to call her if anything happened, so that was how she became the first one to hear the news and was able to rush over right away. On the way to the hospital, Courtney¡¯s hands could not stop trembling. Outsiders might have assumed that she did not have a close rtionship with Lucian. Some might have even imed that they were estranged from each other, but she knew that her father was the only one she could rely on all these years. It was just that she long knew that he had something to do with her mother¡¯s death, so she held a grudge against him and distanced herself from him. Lucian loved her. Compared to the love he had for Anna, the love he had for Courtney was far deeper. Aside from the master bedroom, Courtney had the biggest bedroom at the Hunter Residence. The birthday presents she received every year were things that couldn¡¯t even be bought with money within the country. When Anna tricked her into going to the underground boxing ring that eventually led her to her arrest, Lucian did not reprimand her at all. When she wanted to adopt Shay, he agreed without hesitation and even happily remarked that it was the first request she had ever made to him. All of that became Anna and Susan¡¯s source of jealousy, but Courtney understood them. If she were in Anna¡¯s shoes, she would also be jealous of having a younger sister who was at the center of their father¡¯s unconditional and imprable adoration. ¡°Don¡¯t be rmed, Courtney. The doctor says it¡¯s just a temporary shock. They¡¯re still trying to save him now. It¡¯s going to be okay.¡± Cameron sat with Courtney outside the operating room, but she was not quite sure how tofort Courtney.Since they arrived at the hospital, Courtney had not spoken a word. With a pale face, she kept her eyes fixed on the doors of the operating room. The light outside the operating room was still on. As she continued to stare at it, a red halo started to form and made her feel lightheaded. In the corridor, a jumble of footsteps was heard followed by the sound of crying that was befitting of the situation, but that was also rather troubling. Cameron looked off into the distance with an annoyed expression. The mother and daughter staggered over. Susan looked like she was about to faint from sobbing so hard. One of her hands was in the air and shaking uncontrobly as though she was a patient with Parkinson¡¯s disease. ¡°Luke... Luke... How did you end up this way so suddenly?¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Anna, who was holding her up at the side, was also teary-eyed. ¡°Calm down, Mom. Dad will be fine. Don¡¯t be sad. Don¡¯t cry.¡± ¡°I told your father toe to the hospital sooner, but he didn¡¯t listen. It was a good thing that he was in the hospital this time with someone watching over him. What if he had fainted at home? Oh, Luke... You can¡¯t go. What am I going to do alone?¡± ¡°Mom...¡± Oh my god! With a hand supporting her forehead, Cameron felt nauseous from listening to them. She turned to Courtney and whispered, ¡°Your stepmother and stepsister are really something. Are they reading off a script for a TV show? Who is this act for?¡± Courtney looked away from the light outside the operating room and casted a cold nce to the side. ¡°This is the hospital. Compose yourselves.¡± Their voices stopped abruptly as if they had just noticed Courtney¡¯s presence. In an instant, their faces fell. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Anna red at her, no longer weak and pretentious like before. ¡°I¡¯m the eldest daughter of the Hunter Family. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with me being here.¡± The term ¡®eldest daughter¡¯ hit a nerve in them.Susanined, ¡°You can¡¯t do this, Courtney. Your dad has just lost consciousness and you¡¯re already disregarding us? If you im to be the eldest daughter, then where does that put Anna?¡± ¡°You have to ask yourself that.¡± Courtney remained seated in the chair, unmoved. There was an icy chill in her gaze. ¡°When my mother gave birth to me, where did you ce yourself?¡± For more than ten years they spent at the Hunter Residence, Courtney had always despised them. On the surface, she still behaved respectfully and courteously¡ªshe did not wrong others unless they wronged her first. Her past behavior waspletely different from how merciless she was now. Meanwhile, Anna turned hostile and shrieked, ¡°What do you mean by that, Courtney Hunter? Do you think you¡¯ll be king once Dad dies? You¡¯re shameless. When you were fooling around with men and got yourself pregnant with a bastard, you were so afraid that Dad would lose his anger that you ran off without a word. But, now that Dad is unwell, have you decided toe back for good?¡± Her voice rang through the corridor, attracting the attention of a number of patients and nurses who had already gathered around. ¡°Even a fool can see what you¡¯re up to. Don¡¯t bring up affection and morality in front of me. What makes you think you¡¯re so great?¡± Courtney stood up. Her pale face was tainted with an unusual color since she got agitated. Emphasizing each word, she spat, ¡°Say that one more time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane¡ª¡± p! Before Anna finished talking, she received a clear smack to the face. Susan let out a high-pitched scream, then quickly went to assist her daughter who had been beaten off to the side. She cried, ¡°Are you crazy? How dare you hit my daughter?¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 187 Chapter 187 She Went After Him Anna was lightheaded from the p. When she finally came back around, she lifted her head and revealed a bright red handprint on her right cheek. With trembling hands, she cradled her face and red at Courtney in disbelief. ¡°How dare you hit me?¡± ¡°That was a p on behalf of Dad. Dad is still fighting for his life in the operating room, but what did you say? When he wakes upter, you better kneel in front of him and repeat every single word you just said.¡± Anna felt her heart thump in her chest as she bit down on her lower lip. In the heat of the moment, she remembered saying that her father was going to die soon. More importantly, Courtney had caught that and was not letting go. ¡°This is a hospital, and we¡¯re outside the operating room. If you want to cry and make a fuss, please do it somewhere else. You can go anywhere you want. Don¡¯t disgrace yourselves here. If you want to stay, then keep your mouths shut.¡± Courtney did not speak loudly, but every word she uttered left no room for interference. Discontented, Anna wanted to break free from Susan¡¯s arms and continue arguing, but she heard Cameron¡¯s quiet voice from the side. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Was that p not hard enough, Miss Hunter? Before security gets here, in order to prevent any disturbances to the ongoing surgery, I think that even the police wouldn¡¯t have anything to say if I were to take matters into my own hands.¡±? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°You...¡± ¡°Anna.¡± A sharp-witted Susan pulled her daughter back to her side. Despite having an ashen look on her face, she swallowed her pride and apologized, ¡°Anna made a mistake in the heat of the moment earlier. Of course, we want Luke to ovee this more thananyone else. We won¡¯t cause a disturbance anymore. We¡¯ll be waiting over there.¡± At this crucial time when both of their fates were about to be decided, they could not get kicked out of this ce. Even if it brought her shame, Susan had to secure her ce with her daughter at that moment. Courtney casted a sidelong nce at them but did not bother to question them further and simply sat back down. On the other side, the doctors and nurses had also dismissed the onlookers. The front of the operating room returned to its quiet state. Only the psed time of the surgery above the door of the operating room slowly passed by, second by second, slowing their beating hearts. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you, Mom? That b*tch said all those things about us...¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. She won¡¯t be able to get more money anyway,¡± Susan murmured. A deceptive look grew in her eyes. ¡°As long as your father doesn¡¯t wake up, we are the biggest legal inheritors of his assets. The most Courtney will get are those few houses. She doesn¡¯t have a share in thepany.¡± ¡°How do you know he won¡¯t wake up, Mom? What if¡ª¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t a ¡®what if¡¯.¡± Susan smirked. ¡°Besides, even if he manages to live past this day, he doesn¡¯t have much time left.¡± Shuddering, Anna felt rather torn. ¡°But he¡¯s still my father. Are you really going to do this, Mom?¡± ¡°You see him as your father, but he only ever thinks of his own little girl. I¡¯m doing this for the sake of our future. Don¡¯t worry, Anna. There won¡¯t be any mistakes. We just have to get past these two days.¡± ¡°Okay... Mom.¡± The surgery went on for over six hours. When the time on the wall stopped, Courtney balled her hands into fists tightly; she didn¡¯t even realize that her nails had dug into her skin and caused her to bleed. ¡°Doctor, how is my dad?¡± ¡°The surgery went well. The patient is stable for now, but he has to be kept in the ICU under observation.¡± Courtney let out a sigh of relief. Beside her, Cameron quickly held her up for support.After the hospital admission procedures were taken care of, Anna and Susan stubbornly remained at the entrance of the ICU with a concerned and longing look on their faces. Courtney stood at the front of the ICU for a moment. Through the ss door, she could see Lucian attached to numerous tubes. It was an agonizing sight. Lowering her head, she wiped off her tears and headed straight to the doctor¡¯s office to look for Lucian¡¯s head doctor. ¡°There is severe deterioration in Mr. Hunter¡¯s liver function. People in old age are more inclined toward this. It has to do with diet and daily habits. I¡¯ve talked to you about this before. His sudden fainting this time was a warning. I¡¯ll be straightforward with you, Miss Hunter¡ªyou¡¯re going to have to prepare yourself.¡± ¡°Is there no other way?¡± ¡°He can only depend on medication to help maintain his current condition, but it¡¯s not quite possible to recover. You also know that once human organs are damaged, it¡¯s almost impossible to reverse the damage.¡± ¡°I understand. Thank you, doctor.¡± Although she had nned for the worst, her mind was still buzzing with feelings of helplessness after hearing the doctor¡¯s exnation. ¡°One more thing,¡± the doctor called out suddenly. ¡°There was something suspicious in theb test. Mr. Hunter¡¯s blood showed a small amount of clearly abnormal chemical intake. Does he usually take health supplements?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Courtney stood in ce, feeling slightly confused. ¡°Would taking health supplements cause a problem? We have quite a lot at home.¡± She was not too knowledgeable on the matter, but Lucian was old and his body was not in good condition. They had a pile of health supplements at home from salespeople who often showed up at their doors. Lucian must have taken some of it at some point. ¡°Except for the prescription he gets from the hospital, he shouldn¡¯t take anything else. It will also be a good idea to inform the nurse about his diet. I will write up a list to give you an idea of what he can eat. When he wakes upter, any food that he wants to eat has to get a doctor¡¯s approval beforehand.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±When she came out of the doctor¡¯s office, Cameron walked up to her. ¡°How did it go?¡± Courtney shook her head and was in low spirits. After hesitating for a few seconds, Cameron blurted, ¡°Alexander was here.¡± Those words caught Courtney off guard. She looked at the takeaway container in Cameron¡¯s hands and did not say anything. ¡°Since he came and gave this to me, I couldn¡¯t return it out of courtesy. But I told him that you weren¡¯t feeling good and sent him on his way.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Courtney frowned. Currently, she had no intention of seeing Alexander at all. ¡°But, Anna went after him.¡± As soon as Courtney heard that, she lifted her head with a slight change in expression. ¡°Why did she do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Cameron shook her head. She probed further, ¡°Do you want to go take a look?¡± Courtney took a couple of quick steps, then, as though a thought had struck her, she started to slow down. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Forget it. She can do whatever she wants. It¡¯s not important.¡± With that, Courtney turned back around and headed toward the ICU. Letting out a heavy sigh, Cameron held the takeaway in her hand and quickly chased after her. ¡°One cappino, please.¡± Anna was ordering a drink at a caf¨¦ near the hospital. She looked up at Alexander and asked, ¡°What would you like to have?¡± ¡°in water.¡± His attitude was cold. The cup of in water was an implication that he did not want to chat with her for long.Once she made her order, the corner of her mouth curled up into a knowing smile. ¡°President Duncan. I heard you broke up with my sister. It¡¯s normal for rtionships to go on and off. After all, my sister was pampered and spoiled all her life. She¡¯s always had a bad attitude, so it¡¯s hard for anyone to stay with her for long. I don¡¯t think this breakup was your fault.¡± ¡°Really? Did you ask me here just to talk about that?¡± ¡°Certainly not. Even though I don¡¯t know the real reason you two broke up, I feel like there is something you need to know so you don¡¯t feel like you¡¯ve gotten dupedter on. It also involves the rest of us in the Hunter Family.¡± She was looking at him. ¡°Do you know why my sister went abroad all those years ago?¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 188 Chapter 188 She¡¯s Not Divorced Yet ¡°After getting drunk at a nightclub, she slept with someone and got pregnant. She gave birth to the child without even knowing the identity of its father. In order to conceal all of this, she went abroad without telling the family anything. She disappeared for six years without contacting us once. She didn¡¯t have an education or a job, but she was still able to live an exceptional life throughout those six years. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not hard to imagine how she was able to do so.¡± Anna¡¯s words were extremely sharp. A look of annoyance seeped out of Alexander¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why should I believe you?¡± ¡°Of course, you won¡¯t believe what I tell you, but you can definitely look into it yourself. She was a medical student at an esteemed medical school. Her prospects were boundless. What reason did she have to go abroad so abruptly? Not to mention, she was leading a good life overseas, so why did she return? Could it be that she lost her safeguard abroad, so she came back to find a new shelter? She¡¯s not as virtuous as you think.¡± Standing up, he fixed his cuffs then said coldly, ¡°You need to make sure that I¡¯m not backing her up so you can get your hands on more property. Since that is your intention, I won¡¯t believe a single word you say to me. Ten minutes have passed. You¡¯ve wasted more than enough of my time.¡± Watching his back as he left, Anna was both furious and pale. s, she calmed herself down and let out an inward scoff. I just don¡¯t buy that he won¡¯t run a background check on her after hearing this. As soon as he digs deeper into it, he will realize that everything I told him was not fabricated but the truth. It was true that Courtney got pregnant by ident. The child she gave birth to was there with them¡ªa living, breathing five-year- old little girl. It was also true that she left home without a word. The whole Hunter Family was aware of the situation. As for whether she found herself a man overseas, Anna had looked into it before. Even though all the information had been changed before, Anna had her ways. In this age of information, how hard was it to find something out? Money was the only requirement. Elijah. As soon as Alexander discovers this man¡¯s existence, it will be apletely different story. Since Anna was in a tight spot already, she was determined to possess all of the Hunters¡¯ property. Lucian only woke up a week after he fainted.The hospital had transferred him to a regr patient ward. Because Courtney had submitted her resignation, she took this time to rest and kept himpany at the hospital every day. When Tina did not have swimming lessons over the weekend, Courtney also brought her along. ¡°Come and let Grandpa look at you.¡± Lucian patted his side and waved Tina over in a kind manner. Courtney happened to be cutting an apple. Giving a piece to Tina, she urged, ¡°Give a slice to Grandpa.¡± Nodding obediently, Tina lifted the piece of apple and walked over to Lucian. In a sweet voice, she called, ¡°Grandpa, have this slice of apple. It¡¯s really sweet.¡± His smile reached his eyes. ¡°An apple from Tina will surely be sweet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what Mommy says too.¡± Tina blinked. ¡°I have magic in my fingers.¡± Courtney chuckled softly. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Come and eat your own apples. Look at you boasting away with just onepliment. Grandpa needs to rest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Lucian shook his head. ¡°Being able to have a proper conversation with my granddaughter makes me think this surgery was worth it.¡± ¡°Dad.¡± Courtney grew serious. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not talk about this. You probably weren¡¯t able to have a good rest the past few days. I¡¯m okay now. You don¡¯t have to stay at the hospital anymore. Go home and rest at night. You still have work during the day.¡± ¡°I resigned. I haven¡¯t decided on where to go next, so it¡¯s not a problem.¡± Her direct answer took him by surprise. ¡°Why did you resign?¡± A thought quickly popped up in his mind. ¡°Did you have a fight with President Duncan?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have anything to do with him.¡± Drawing in a deep breath, she continued, ¡°Forget it. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. Your health is more important. I will do as I see fit.¡±¡°It¡¯s normal for young people in rtionships to argue and bicker. Don¡¯t fuss over it too much, Courtney.¡± Unlike his usual self, Lucian wanted her to give way as though he was worried about something. Knock! Knock! Knock! Several knocks sounded, cutting him off. ¡°Who is it?¡± Standing up, Courtney saw a middle-aged man dressed in a suit and leather shoes in the doorway of the patient ward. ¡°Mr. Morrison,¡± she greeted. Jeremy Morrison was Lucian¡¯s legal consultant. He had made several trips to the hospital over thest two days seemingly to discuss the ownership ofpany stocks. Even though Lucian never asked Courtney to leave the room, she always stayed away to avoid suspicions. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two to talk; I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± She beckoned Tina with her hand. ¡°Come, Tina. Grandpa has work to do. Come with Mommy for now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m off now, Grandpa. Bye bye.¡± Tina parted ways with Lucian respectfully and waved at Jeremy before she went out with Courtney. In an instant, it became quiet inside the patient ward. Jeremy smiled. ¡°Chairman Duncan, Miss Courtney¡¯s daughter is very polite and looks very much like her.¡± ¡°Quite so. She looks exactly the same as Courtney when Courtney was little.¡± That seemed to stir up memories. Lowering his head, he stayed silent for a few seconds then pressed, ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business. Time waits for no one.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeremy spread out the documents he brought with him on the table. ¡°As you requested, this 500 million in capital has all been invested. The will has also been amended ording to your wishes. Just to confirm, all the estate under your name will be put under Susan Yves¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Yes.¡±He gave a nod. For some reason, that simple movement seemed rather taxing. Despite not being older than fifty, he looked like an elderly in the twilight of his life. His eyes were muddy and bleak like he had lost all desire to live. ¡°That¡¯s all. When I¡¯m gone, read this out in front of them.¡± ¡°Rest assured; I will do my best. You don¡¯t have to lose heart as well. Didn¡¯t the doctor say the illness can be kept under control? You have toply with treatment, and have a better mindset.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Lucian nodded. ¡°I want to spend more time with my granddaughter and daughter, too.¡± After having lived most of his life, the only person that was still by his side was his daughter who had been slightly estranged from him since childhood. As for the other two people, he figured that they were still plotting for a way to acquire the entirepany. Well, they can do as they wish.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Late at night, the neon lights that gradually lit up the whole Melrose City buried the thriving provincial city among thrill and pleasure. On the balcony at the highest floor of a four-story vi, the whistling night breeze lifted up the hem of the man¡¯s silk pajamas as it blew past. A storm was approaching. ¡°We found it, President Duncan.¡± Josh¡¯s voice sounded calm over the phone. ¡°It¡¯s true that all her information had been altered. In reality, she did get married abroad. She married an Otharian expat called Elijah Grant in the second year of her being there; also...¡± ¡°What? Continue,¡± Alexander pressed when he heard Josh¡¯s hesitation over the phone. ¡°The marriage is still in effect today. She didn¡¯t get a divorce. I¡¯ve sent the details to your email. You... should take a look at it yourself, President Duncan.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 189 Chapter 189 Let¡¯s Get Married, Cam In his mailbox, an unopened email from Joshy waiting quietly. It was an electronic scanned copy of a marriage license. There were two signatures on it along with the time when it was certified. The other copy was the current marital status of an American citizen and a few family photos. The attachment also included Elijah¡¯s r¨¦sum¨¦. After graduating from St. York University, he became a self-made entrepreneur and important talent within the design world. Within three years, he made a fortune from an initially unknown clothingpany. s, hispany got listed. Today, he was the head of a listedpany that belonged in the global top 500. His r¨¦sum¨¦ was wless. Alexander could not deny how outstanding he was. One thing he could not ept, however, was how this man had nothing when he and Courtney were together. Seeing that they registered their marriage on Valentine¡¯s Day in America four years ago, he could not find another reason to exin her decision in marrying a man who had nothing¡ªunless it was out of love. Furthermore, they were still not divorced yet. A frightening silence fell in the room; the sound of water dripping from a loose faucet in the bathroom could almost be heard. Some time had passed, then there was a loud crash. The big desktop had caused a hugemotion when it hit the floor. Following that, various colorful file folders and thick, heavy books piled up above it. The ss of red wine was smashed against the wall, leaving a blood-red imprint behind. The shattered pieces fell in the corner of the wall and reflected a cool light.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. In just a split second, the whole study was in ruins. ¡°Sir...¡± The housekeeper that had rushed over upon hearing the noise stared at the scene before her as she stood in the doorway with a horrified expression. ¡°What is¡ª¡±¡°Get out.¡± ¡°Your hand, Sir.¡± ¡°Get out!¡± His raging voice rang clearly in the housekeeper¡¯s ears. Suddenly, thunder roared outside, followed by a heavy thunderstorm. As the rain continued to patter against the window, the sh of lighting made Alexander¡¯s face seem deathly and hollow. Growing pale from being scared out of her wits, Gina closed the door clumsily and left at once. Alexander stood in the middle of the wreckage with a grim look on his face. The ss shards of the broken wine ss were still in his flesh, and blood was trickling down his long fingers, forming a ck pool of blood on the floor. ¡°Courtney¡¯s father is awake now, isn¡¯t he?¡± Gale was holding up an umbre as he sent Cameron to the entrance of the residential area. ¡°Let¡¯s decide on a time for that camping trip we talked about before. We¡¯ve been putting it off for so long.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask Courtney about it tomorrow. It should be fine. The doctor did say that her father¡¯s condition has stabilized now. If he manages to have a good recovery, he will be able to live a few more years.¡± ¡°Live a few more years?¡± He was baffled. ¡°Is that supposed to beforting? Is this how you usually talk to Courtney?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± She rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Good or bad, it will be repaid eventually. When her father was younger, he neglected his family and was constantly causing trouble outside. It resulted in Courtney having to grow up without a mother. If Courtney¡¯s grandfather hadn¡¯t passed away, he wouldn¡¯t have taken her back to raise her.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t her father treat her quite well? You can¡¯t generalize. That all happened in the previous generation.¡± ¡°Shut up. I can¡¯t get used to hearing that.¡± A look of resentment spread across her face. ¡°It only ends when the actions of the previous generation no longer influence future generations. Lucian knew that that woman caused the death of Courtney¡¯s mother, but he still married her. I don¡¯t have much empathy for him.¡± Gale was not taken aback. He knew a bit about the Hunter Family¡¯s affairs. Initially, he had no idea, but since Courtney was Cameron¡¯s friend, he had done some investigating. At the time, the Hunter Family¡¯s affairs had be public news. Information that was published during the print media era was all purely in the form of newspapers or magazines; it was impossible to retract any news once it was printed.Lucian¡¯s mistress showed up at his house with a big belly, causing his first wife to give birth prematurely. Before they were able to get her to the hospital, however, she had stopped breathing. The child was delivered alive through a Caesarean section. This event also stirred up the media. Since the issue grew so big, it was impossible for Lucian to not have known anything or have any suspicions. In the end, however, he still married his mistress. He left his daughter, who was a survivor, with his deceased wife¡¯s maternal family for years before he went to bring her home. ¡°Everything he does for her now is out of remorse. He wants to pay for his wrongdoings through his actions. Even though he has paid it off, he can¡¯t make up for the hurt he caused. Courtney¡¯s childhood and adolescence were like pieces in a chess game.¡± Cameron¡¯s expression was cold as she scoffed. ¡°Nobody¡¯s any good.¡± Courtney¡¯s mother¡¯s eldest brother¡¯s wife, Alicia, was her mother, Cecilia¡¯s, best friend while she was still alive. Cecilia had a tender and weak temperament, and Alicia was headstrong. After Cecilia passed away, everyone thought that Alicia would take Courtney in as her own, but she cold-heartedly left Courtney with her maternal grandfather. When Courtney¡¯s grandfather passed away, she was chased out of the house right away. After all these years, Courtney came to understand that Alicia could not bear to see Lucian lead a carefree life at the time and forget about his wife who suffered a miserable death. She sent Courtney back as a reminder that he did not deserve the days he had. Alicia held a grudge against him for many years, but she was finally able to let go of it now. She did not insist that Courtney remain within Lucian¡¯s sight at all times anymore. It gave Courtney and her mother a bted sense of belonging. Through all of this, Cameron remained an outsider. She had never been involved in the pain and struggle that Courtney went through as a child, but she knew more than anyone and she understood better than anyone. She loved Courtney dearly just as she did herself. Her stubborn appearance entered Gale¡¯s eyes. His heart started to race, and it was hard for him to calm down. She was a kindhearted girl. Believing that he would never meet someone like her again brought him great concern and pushed him to wear his heart on his sleeve. ¡°Let¡¯s get married, Cam.¡± It was still pouring heavily. Gale¡¯s calm and determined voice rang under the umbre.The ring in the pocket of his suit had been kept hidden for half a month as he waited for the right time¡ªwhen his heart did not feel restless and when he could show her how much he loved her without holding back. Taken by surprise, Cameron instinctively took a step back and let the rain fall against her back. Gale quickly stretched the umbre further out behind her while his other hand reached into his pocket. ¡°Don¡¯t take it out.¡± Cameron¡¯s voice made him pause. ¡°Gale, if you take that out, we will not be in each other¡¯s lives from now on.¡± He froze as though he could not believe what he had heard. ¡°Cam, you...¡± ¡°It¡¯ste. We talked too much today, and you¡¯ve also been overthinking. I¡¯m going home now. You should also go home soon.¡± Cameron spoke very hastily like she was in a rush. After she finished speaking, she turned to leave but Gale caught her by the wrist. ¡°Let me go.¡± ¡°Cameron Miller.¡± He was stern with her in a way he had never been before. Holding her wrist tightly, he did not let go. ¡°What are you conflicted about? You clearly know that I love you. I gave up smoking, drinking, picking up girls, and fighting. As long as you told me to do it, regardless of whether I could do it or not, I went and got it done without any objections. I only have one request: marry me.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 190 Chapter 190 Repeat It Again if You Dare A few days of pouring rain washed the whole city clean. After the rain, the air was fresh early in the morning. It was too bad that this moment did notst long. Soon after the sun appeared, it was noon. The city was once again trapped by the endless humidity that came with summer. Even the cicadas sounded hoarse. For days, Gale had been keeping himself at home. Every day, his housemaid came and cleaned his house as scheduled. Yet, on the fifth day, she could no longer stand the stinky smell that came from the bedroom, so she called his sister. ¡°Gale.¡± Giselle straight away unlocked the door and entered the house. The ce where Gale lived was a duplex apartment that connected two floors. The door at the lower story was sealed up, turning the lower floor into an open n bedroom while the upper story was the living room. Giselle was the one who arranged for the renovation. The house looked refreshing with its Scandivanian minimalist design. The housemaid has done her part well, Giselle thought when she came through the door and found the doorway neat and clean. However, just two steps down the stairs, she was overwhelmed by a stinky odor. Covering her nose, she yelled at the lower story, ¡°Gale, don¡¯t you f*cking tell me that you pooped in the room! Are you even in your right mind to live in such a smelly ce?¡± There was no sound heard from downstairs. Hesitating for a while, Giselle took her first step down the stairs after she overcame the nausea in her stomach. At first nce, the lower story was like a dumping ground. Different types of wine bottles, snacks, and misceneous items were scattered across the ground. The coffee table was piled up with trash, and there were boxes of takeaway containers. ¡°You can eat, drink, and even order takeaways. Why are you acting like you¡¯re dead?¡± Giselle was riled up. She grabbed the nket as she touched a takeaway container with her other hand. ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯m going to smash this container on your head! Do you know how busy I am...¡± Before she finished her words, she turned around and observed the takeaway containers¡ªtheir packaging remained intact. Suddenly, her gaze changed.¡°Gale, you haven¡¯t been eating for a few days.¡± None of the takeaway containers piled up on the table had been touched. However, the man under the nket was like a dead man; there was no sound nor movement at all. Panicked, Giselle quickly lifted the nket. Staring at the thing under the nket for a moment, she yanked it out and mmed it on the ground as if she was venting her frustration. ¡°Screw you, b*stard!¡± The husky doll that rolled to the corner of the room was extremely innocent. The bell on its neck jingled for a while before it finally fell silent. Infuriated, Giselle took her purse and left the apartment in her 12cm high heels. You must be kidding me, b*stard! On the ground floor of the inpatient department, Cameron and Courtney were chatting in the pavilion after lunch. ¡°So, you rejected his marriage proposal without giving a reason that day?¡± ¡°What reason?¡± As Cameron ducked her head down, sheughed as if she wasughing at herself. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the reason. Honestly, it¡¯s because of me. He¡¯s a young master who leads a carefree life. If I really entrusted the rest of my life to him, I must not be in my right mind.¡± ¡°But, it¡¯s been so long. You should be fully recovered by now, aren¡¯t you? Besides, didn¡¯t the doctor say that there will be no problem if you keep your emotions stable?¡± ¡°Not recover.¡± Looking up, Cameron stared at Courtney¡¯s eyes with a serious gaze. ¡°There¡¯s no possibility of recovery. It just hasn¡¯t happened yet. Like an irregr time bomb, you¡¯ll never know when it¡¯s going to explode. Moreover, I was in my calmest state when I was enlisted back then. If I didn¡¯t want to experience a different life, why would Ie out? Look at me; nothing can hold me down, much less love.¡± The military was a ce with no emotions. All you had to do was obey the orders. However, she couldn¡¯t lock herself there forever. Since she had chosen to live, she had to live her life to the fullest.¡°I don¡¯t think Gale is trying to trap you. It¡¯s you who doesn¡¯t want to trap him.¡± Courtney got to the heart of the matter in a few words. At first, Cameron was talking with a big smile. Now, her smile suddenly froze at the corners of her mouth. Immediately, Courtney thought that she was too straightforward. Just when she was about to make up for it, she noticed that Cameron¡¯s gaze wasn¡¯t on her. She was looking right past her shoulders. Following her gaze, Courtney turned around and almost didn¡¯t recognize the person. There was a man with an untrimmed stubble standing outside the pavilion. His white shirt was stained with unknown yellow stains. The bright sunlight at noon poured over him, and anyone would have wondered how painful his skin must have felt. It was Gale. It was the same man that usually had to dress neatly, put on exclusive perfume, and have his hair styled up nicely even if he only had to attend a one-hour meeting at a hotel. How did he be so scruffy? ¡°Um, Cameron, I think I should give you guys a moment.¡± Looking at the situation, Courtney stood up on her feet. ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± Cameron¡¯s voice sounded deliberately cold. It sounded that way because Cameron had never been a cold person. Even when she was quarreling with someone, she was always passionate. She was usually like a ball of me that could burst with energy at any time. ¡°I think I made myself clear that day, Gale. Do you think you can win my sympathy and make things right looking like this? Are you trying to act like those men in sad movies?¡± ¡°No.¡± Gale stepped forward. His broad figure blocked the scorching sun, casting a shadow in front of him. Meanwhile, Courtney took two steps to the side. Nheless, she could still sense the depressing vibe between the pair. It was so overwhelming that she couldn¡¯t take another breath. ¡°I¡¯m just here to confirm with you for thest time.¡± ¡°Confirm what?¡±¡°Confirm that what you said to me that day was true. Repeat it if you dare.¡± Gale clenched his jaws; his words squeezed through his gritted teeth. ¡°I thought I was dead for the past two days. Those words you said were like knives cutting my heart over and over again. Repeat it if you dare.¡± Cameron was extremely good at criticizing men. Courtney had learned about that a long time ago; after all, Cameron wasn¡¯t a woman of integrity. She had had a lot of boyfriends over the years and amongst them were men like Gale who were madly in love with her. ¡°Wait a second.¡± Before Cameron could say those words, Courtney braced herself and broke the deadlock between them. She forced a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt. Before you guys quarrel, Gale, I have a question for you. Do you really like Cameron? What do you like about her?¡± ¡°Courtney, why are you asking him this? There¡¯s no way he likes me. He has so many women around him. It doesn¡¯t make any difference without me.¡± Standing by the side, Cameron tried to keep herposure. Upon hearing that, Gale¡¯s brows furrowed. As if he was risking everything, he confessed in a loud voice, ¡°How do I not like you?? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. I¡¯ve never seen a woman who is so passionate about this world. You have a passion like fire, unfettered imagination, and freedom that can¡¯t be held back by anyone. You are much more splendid than fireworks.¡± His voice was loud, and it was full of confidence. However, thest gleam of light behind Courtney¡¯s eyes faded. Letting out a sigh, she turned and looked at Cameron before she uttered the three words, ¡°Just split up.¡± If all the traits you thought you liked about the person you love were fake, and they were even on the opposite extreme, would you still like that person? Cameron was such an existence. ¡°Just go, Gale.¡± The voice in the pavilion sounded restrained and low. ¡°My body count isn¡¯t any less than yours. We¡¯re just trying to have some fun. Take it seriously and you¡¯ll lose. There¡¯s no need to embarrass yourself.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 191 Chapter 191 Cruel and Unscrupulous The breakup scene was cruel. Courtney knew she wasn¡¯t that thick-skinned to watch the drama from the front row. Banking on her flexibility, she leaped out from the pavilion and escaped. Before she left, thest thing she heard was spoken by Gale. He was a yboy that every woman in the city considered a pig. Yet, when he acted sad, even her heart pinched. He said, ¡°Cameron Miller, let¡¯s pretend that nothing happened in the past two days. We... can still go back to how we were before, right?¡± This was something out of Courtney¡¯s expectation. Gale is willing to give in. He¡¯s even willing to return to square one and pretend like the marriage proposal and Cameron¡¯s rejection never existed? ¡°No way. I¡¯ve had enough, Gale,¡± answered Cameron. So it seemed that gender really had nothing to do with being a scumbag. The day was getting darker. Courtney drove Cameron back to her fashion studio. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m fine. You didn¡¯t have to send me all the way back.¡± ¡°Who cares if you¡¯re fine.¡± Courtney threw Cameron a disgusted look. ¡°I¡¯m just craving for the roasted duck neck next to your studio.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll treat you.¡± ¡°Of course, you¡¯re going to buy me that roasted duck neck. How dare you let a loafer like me pay for the food?¡± Since leaving the hospital, Cameron had been down in the dumps. Afraid that she would bottle her feelings up and get herself sick, Courtney tried to talk to her like she was insulting her. Under normal circumstances, Cameron would have flown into a rage and argued with her. But now, she was only leaning against the passenger seat in a sickly manner. After a moment, she sighed. ¡°What a pity.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You think it¡¯s a pity too?¡± Courtney gazed at her, thinking that she had regretted breaking up with Gale. ¡°Such a rare sight.¡±However, Cameron nced at her faintly. ¡°It was a pity that Gale and I were nning a trip with you and Alexander. We wanted to take this opportunity to mend the rtionship between the two of you. But, I¡¯ve already broken up with Gale, so I can¡¯t help you anymore.¡± Speaking of Alexander, Courtney¡¯sforting smile froze at the edges of her mouth. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. ¡°Who needs your help? Just mind your own business.¡± Cameron¡¯s fashion studio was located at East Melrose right next to the Ancient City. Because it was travel season, there was an endless stream of tourists strolling down the street. Courtney and Cameron sat by the window as they gave viciousments about the outfits and demeanors of the passing tourists. In the eyes of a fashion designer, their outfits were local products that were not up to Cameron¡¯s standard. Courtney rolled her eyes at herments. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk! I should give you a mirror, so you can take a good look at yourself. You¡¯re like a panda with your smudged mascara. And your mouth is so greasy. Your image is totally gone.¡± Upon hearing her criticism, Cameron turned around and nced at Courtney nonchntly. She had a duck neck in one hand and a fried chicken wing in the other. With an emotionless face, Cameron retaliated, ¡°Likewise!¡± They were heartbroken because of men, and they stuffed themselves with food in order to shake off their gloomy feelings. Why should women be hard on each other? ¡°If you weren¡¯t sick, you would have agreed to Gale¡¯s proposal without hesitation, right?¡± Courtney asked. However, Cameron casually took a bite from the chicken wing and said vaguely, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for this illness, I would have gotten married a long time ago. He wouldn¡¯t even have stood a chance.¡± She had survived because she lusted after the wonder of this world. Unwilling to be a burden to others, she was always alone. If her life was smooth and perfect, she would have lived the most ordinary life, married a man, and had children. ¡°Stop asking me about this. Let¡¯s talk about your dad. I heard from the conversation between you and the doctor that your dad¡¯s condition is quite stable now. Is he still going to stay at the nursing home?¡± Frowning at the question, Courtney answered, ¡°I¡¯ve asked him before. He wants to go home.¡± When Cameron heard that, her face sank. ¡°What the hell! What¡¯s wrong with this old man? You have been taking care of him for so long, yet he still wants to spend his life with that mistress after he gets better?¡±Although Courtney was ufortable with Cameron¡¯s harsh criticism, she pretended to rx her expression and said, ¡°Forget it. After all, they have been with each other for most of their lives. He feels morefortable around thempared to me. Besides, he¡¯s getting older. He probably doesn¡¯t want to live alone in the nursing home anymore.¡± ¡°This old man is cruel and unscrupulous.¡± Cameron did not hesitate to address Courtney¡¯s father as an ¡®old man¡¯. She wasn¡¯t trying to spare Courtney¡¯s feelings at all. ¡°In my opinion, you did your filial duty after he escaped from the jaws of death. Just leave him alone and live your own life.¡± Yet, Courtney¡¯s expression was nk. ¡°I don¡¯t think he needs me anyway.¡± Recently, Susan and her daughter had been visiting the nursing home very often. They were the ones who suggested Lucian move back home. By the looks of it, the mother-daughter pair had genuine feelings for him. ¡°What aboutter? What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking about your job.¡± While Cameron wiped her greasy hands, she asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you had decided on what you¡¯re going to do? You even said that it¡¯s a secret. You can tell me now, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not much of a secret actually.¡± Courtney let out a chuckle. ¡°It was just that the procedure was notpleted yet. It was only done yesterday.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Wiping her hands clean, Courtney took out a business card from her purse and handed it to Cameron. ¡°Citron Apparel Company Limited; General Manager, Courtney Hunter?¡± Cameron read out the words softly and lifted her head in surprise. ¡°You started apany?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one who started it. Citron Apparel was my mom¡¯spany initially,¡± Courtney exined. ¡°When my mom got married to my dad, my dad had just started his own business. Mom was the one who funded his business in the early stage. After that, she was pregnant with me and Dad¡¯spany became stable. In the end, Citron Apparel was merged into Hunter Group. However, thepany doesn¡¯t really care about this small clothingpany, so it isn¡¯t doing very well now. That¡¯s why I¡¯m taking over.¡±There was something else that Courtney had left out. Nheless, Cameron could figure out what had actually happened. Cecilia stopped working after she was pregnant with Courtney. Citron Apparel was acquired by Hunter Group and became an unremarkable subsidiary. Then, Susan got in between their marriage and Cecilia passed away during childbirth. Susan never treated her daughter well, much less herpany. It had not been easy for such a smallpany to struggle and survive to this day. ¡°When I mentioned this to my dad, he didn¡¯t say anything and agreed with me.¡± ¡°Of course he had to agree with you. This has belonged to you since the beginning. There¡¯s nothing wrong with asking for your own things.¡± Courtneyughed in response. ¡°Okay, fine. I don¡¯t care about the past, so you don¡¯t have to get fed up. I have something important to ask you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Would you like toe and help me at Citron Apparel?¡± Startled, Cameron furrowed her brows and said, ¡°You want me to be a designer at your petty littlepany? Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re cheap.¡± ¡°Damn you! Do you know how much I¡¯m worth in the market now?¡± Cameron¡¯s eyes widened in an instant. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 192 Chapter 192 You¡¯re Good at Making Empty Promises ¡°I don¡¯t care about your market price. I only talk about mates¡¯ rate.¡± As if she was determined to rely on her, Courtney grabbed Cameron¡¯s arm tightly. ¡°At worst, I can treat you to roasted duck neck for a whole year.¡± Even if you treat me for ten years, it won¡¯t be enough for me to make a dress.¡± Cameron rolled her eyes. ¡°This is no different from extortion.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m poor? I¡¯ve been to Citron Apparel. It¡¯s just a small factory; an empty shell. The finances are in a mess and it¡¯s short-staffed. If you don¡¯t help me, which designer is willing toe? No matter how much I offer, people wouldn¡¯t want toe too.¡± ¡°Hey, how dare you say that you¡¯re poor...¡± Cameron looked disgusted. ¡°Show me your bank ount bnce if you dare. Mine would probably only be a fraction of your total.¡± ¡°Are you going to help or not?¡± Courtney let go of her arm. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll find somebody else.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡± Cameron pouted. ¡°Did I say that I won¡¯t help? I¡¯ll help even if you don¡¯t pay me. After all, I¡¯m tired of high fashion, and I want to look into the clothes that peasants like you wear.¡± Finally, Courtney grinned and raised her two fingers. ¡°After thepany is listed, I¡¯ll give you twenty percent of the restricted shares.¡± ¡°You¡¯re good at making empty promises.¡± Courtney was rendered speechless by Cameron¡¯sment. In regards to Courtney¡¯s request, Cameron wasn¡¯t thinking of anything much since the beginning. She had her own studio and she sometimes signed project contracts with other apparelpanies as an outsource. Rtively speaking, she had a pretty leisurely job. Now that her best friend wanted to start a business and it was something within her ability, of course, she had to help her. Early the next morning, Cameron followed Courtney to Citron Apparel¡¯s office.The location was excellent. It was surrounded by the business district, and it was a three-story bungalow hidden among the tall buildings. After passing two alleys, they finally arrived at the location. The one who showed them around was a handsome young man in his early thirties. ¡°This is the former head of Citron Apparel, Meliorn Kyle. This is my friend and our future chief designer, Cameron Miller.¡± ¡°Miss Miller, nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Just call me Cameron.¡± After an exchange of polite remarks, Courtney sent Meliorn away and walked Cameron around the building by herself. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Want to hear the truth?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Absolutely terrible.¡± Unceremoniously, Cameron looked at her with the nitpicky eyes of a designer. ¡°This building probably has never been renovated after your mom handed thepany over to your dad. Everything feels like it was built after the economic reformation. It struck me as a ce that makes prison uniforms the moment I came in. You have to renovate it. This building is too old. You can just refurbish it into an industrial style office.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Anything you say.¡± ¡°Also, change up the staff if you can.¡± Cameron frowned. ¡°They¡¯re trimming their nails and ying games as they please. They¡¯re too undisciplined. Instead of spending more time correcting them, it¡¯s better to get a new group of staff. Neers don¡¯t know what the original atmosphere was, so they will work harder.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ducking her head, Courtney was taking down the points that Cameron just said in a notebook. Looking at the hardworking Courtney, Cameron was suddenly confused. ¡°Wait. Didn¡¯t you ask me to be a designer? Why am I handling so many things for you?¡± With a ttering smile, Courtney took her arm. ¡°An able man is always busy; right Miss Miller?¡±That moment, Cameron felt like she had dug herself into a hole... On Friday, the final body checkup report came out. The doctor informed the inpatient department that Lucian could be discharged to rest at home. Susan and Anna came with a bunch of rtives from Susan¡¯s natal family. Thus, Lucian was now apanied by a group of people. ¡°Lucian, my sister is so worried about you these days that she can¡¯t eat anything.¡± ¡°Aunt Susan¡¯s eyes are swollen from crying.¡± ¡°Anna hasn¡¯t gone out for a long time. Every time I asked her where she was, she was always in the hospital. You finally recovered.¡± The atmosphere was harmonious with the rtives in the ward. Frowning, Courtney stood outside the door like an outsider. After a moment of hesitation, she turned around and left. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going in before you leave?¡± Courtney was stunned when she heard a calm female voice. Looking up, she saw a blue-gray figure. It was Alicia. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°To collect the medicine.¡± Alicia apathetically threw a nce at the lively ward. ¡°Since you¡¯re already here, why don¡¯t you go inside? Is it because the mistress has a lot of rtives? That¡¯s why you dare not go in?¡± Courtney was still standing in a daze, and suddenly, her wrist was caught. The warmth from Alicia¡¯s palm apanied Courtney as Alicia pushed open the door of the ward. Passing through the crowd that stood by the door, they stopped in front of the hospital bed. ¡°Lucian Hunter, how can you let your own daughter stand outside the door and surround yourself with this group of unknown poor rtives?¡± Everyone¡¯s expression changed in an instant. The atmosphere inside the ward froze.Immediately, Anna was not pleased. ¡°Courtney Hunter, what¡¯s wrong with you? Bringing whoever you want anding into the room? What happens if Dad gets shocked¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your ce to speak.¡± Alicia red at Anna; contempt was evident in her eyes. ¡°How dare you talk to me like this. Who do you think you are¡ª¡± ¡°p!¡± Before Anna could finish speaking, a firm p fell on her cheek. This was the second time she was beaten in this month. For a moment, she looked incredulous and could not return to her senses. ¡°Alicia Watson, how dare you p my daughter!¡± Instantly, Susan shoved her daughter behind her, afraid that Alicia would do it again. Yet, Alicia snorted, ¡°Since you still remember that I¡¯m Alicia Watson, then you should also remember how I made you kneel in front of Cecilia¡¯s grave for a whole night twenty years ago. I don¡¯t think you have forgotten the two hundred ps I gave you, right?¡± The moment everyone heard that, they took in a sharp breath. Two hundred ps? Wouldn¡¯t her face be ruined? This was also the first time Courtney heard about this. She looked at Susan in disbelief. Susan¡¯s face was pale, and she was extremely embarrassed. Not being able to say a word, she gritted her teeth and looked away. Meanwhile, Lucian was sitting by the bed. He had changed out from his hospital gown and was dressed in a casual polo shirt and beige trousers. When he saw Courtney and Alicia, thest trace of color faded from his already paleplexion. ¡°Alicia, it¡¯s been so long. You don¡¯t have¡ª¡± ¡°Alicia is not a name for you to use. Please call me Miss Watson, or Mrs. Somerfield.¡± Her expression was cold. ¡°I¡¯m here today just to ask you something. Is there nothing you want to tell Courtney before you leave with Susan and her daughter?¡± In response, Lucian frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve thanked her already.¡±¡°Thanks?¡± she snorted. ¡°A simple motion of your lips is enough to exchange for my niece staying here to take care of you for a month? That¡¯s a good deal. No wonder you¡¯re a businessman. Now that you¡¯ve recovered, you decided to leave and ignore your daughter again?¡± Upon hearing that, Anna, who was covering her face, stomped her foot. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Are you trying to force my dad to give her money? It looks like the fox finally peeped out its tail. Why are you still acting like you¡¯re morally superior?¡± ¡°Stop barking like a mad dog.¡± With just one nce from Alicia, Susan was shedding cold sweat. In a hurry, she grabbed her daughter and stopped her from speaking. After a long moment, Lucian let out a sigh. ¡°This is a matter between the Hunters. It¡¯s none of your business, Mrs. Somerfield.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 193 Chapter 193 I Don¡¯t Want Anything Else Either ¡°The Hunter Family¡¯s business?¡± As if she had expected what Lucian would say, Alicia wasn¡¯t shocked. Instead, her expression went colder. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your Hunter Family¡¯s affairs. What I want to know is that since you don¡¯t have many days left before you die, how do you n to distribute your inheritance? How much do you n to give Courtney? This girl is very sensitive. She wouldn¡¯t dare to ask for anything; she¡¯s just like her mother. As an elder, I can onlye and ask on her behalf.¡± Ever since Cecilia passed away twenty-five years ago, Alicia was utterly disappointed in Lucian. He was a man with no sense of responsibility for abandoning his wife and daughter. However, Courtney was his daughter. She deserved nothing less than what belonged to her. After all, Lucian¡¯s family business started from Cecilia¡¯spany. The room fell silent. The inheritance was something that everyone present was concerned about. It rted to their benefits, especially Susan and her daughter. ¡°I¡¯ve already given Courtney her share,¡± said Lucian; his tone was gruff. ¡°What did you give her, Dad?¡± Anna sted out anxiously. Looking up, Lucian nced at her and his gaze was oddly cold. ¡°Citron Apparel Company Limited. I gave it to Courtney.¡± ¡°Citron Apparel?¡± Anna did not know that there was such apany under the Hunter Group. Just when she was about to inquire more, Susan quickly grabbed her, signaling her to stop talking. Susan was the only one who knew that Citron Apparel was Lucian¡¯s memorial to Cecilia. All these years, thepany was in a financial deficit, and it could only stay afloat because of the support given by the head office. To transfer thispany to Courtney was like tossing away a hot potato that no one wanted. ¡°Aunt Alicia.¡± Courtney caught Alicia¡¯s hand. ¡°Besides Citron Apparel, I don¡¯t need anything else. It¡¯s my mom¡¯spany. We should leave.¡± Upon hearing that, Alicia knitted her brows and finally said, ¡°Fine.¡± Before they left, Courtney gazed at Lucian. ¡°Dad, I wish you a happy and healthy life after you go home.¡±Lucian did not look up. Lowering his head, no one knew what he was thinking about. If one were to take a closer look, one would be able to see how red his eyes were. He was actually very upset. Courtney and Alicia left the hospital together. The both of them kept silent about what had just happened. ¡°Aunt Alicia, what are you doing in the hospital?¡± ¡°Getting my prescription. But, the doctor wasn¡¯t here and I heard that Lucian was admitted. I initially wanted to mock him. Who knew he would be discharged today. Indeed, bad things never die.¡± ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Courtney smiled and asked, ¡°Is there anyone daring enough to mention my dad in front of you?¡± If Aunt Alicia didn¡¯t take the initiative and checked for herself, who would dare to mention the Hunter Family in front of her? There was no such thing as a coincidence, but only encounters carefully arranged by people for someone and something. Alicia red at her. ¡°Look who¡¯s the one talking now! You can ask for anything you want. Why did you only ask for a smallpany?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my mom¡¯spany. Besides, everything else means nothing to me.¡± ¡°How much is sentimentality worth? You didn¡¯t inherit anything good from your parents, but an empty head from your mom.¡± Alicia looked disgusted. ¡°When thepany goes bankrupt, you can just sit there and cry.¡± ¡°How did my mom start thepany? Did it go well from the start?¡± ¡°Go well?¡± Alicia pouted. ¡°Do you think someone like her could start a business? Back then, your grandfather got a lot of people to help her out. She sided with outsiders instead of her own people, as she couldn¡¯t forget that your grandfather was against her marriage. It was only untilter when you were born...¡± At first, the conversation was very rxing. Yet, Alicia couldn¡¯t avoid mentioning the death. To see one¡¯s child die before oneself was a pain no one would understand if they didn¡¯t experience it themselves. After Courtney¡¯s mother gave birth to her prematurely, she had a hemorrhage again not long after leaving the ward. The doctor couldn¡¯t rescue her in time. She fell asleep in the arms of her best friend, Alicia¡ªwho was already her brother¡¯s wife at the time ¡ªforever. She couldn¡¯t even make it to see her father for thest time.This incident had be the greatest pain in her father¡¯s heart. He had three children, and he loved his youngest daughter the most. When she left, she was only in her twenties. It was the very flower of her youth. How could he not feel sad? It was also the same incident that deteriorated her father¡¯s originally healthy body. s, he left the world, no longer able to take care of his young granddaughter. It was a tragedy of three families resulting from the betrayal of one man. Back then, Alicia was already pregnant for more than two months. She took a lot of traditional Chinese medicine to be pregnant. Before she could even inform her family about the good news, she lost her only child while she rushed to the hospital with the ambnce. Her child was stillborn, and she could no longer bear a child. It took so many years for Courtney to finally understand the friendship between her mother and Alicia.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. At noon, the dining room in the Hunter Mansion was overflowing with the savory scent of dishes. A whole table of dishes was prepared to wee Lucian¡¯s return. ¡°Luke,e and take a seat. These are all your favorite dishes.¡± Holding Lucian, Susan helped him sit on the chair. After taking one bite, Lucian put down his spoon. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Dad? It doesn¡¯t suit your taste?¡± Anna was slightly nervous. ¡°I can ask the kitchen to remake it.¡± ¡°No.¡± Lucian coughed and got up. He said, ¡°I¡¯m a little tired and I want to rest for a while. When Mr. Morrison gets here, send him to my study.¡± Seeing that her father¡¯s condition was not as good as before, Anna was a little startled. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The sound of the study¡¯s door closing was clearly heard from the second floor. The living room in the mansion was very quiet. As if nothing had happened, Susan instructed the housemaid to trim the nts in the corners. She then brought out a tray from the kitchen. There was a small bowl, a spoon, and a bowl of soup stewed in a y pot. ¡°Your dad didn¡¯t eat anything just now. Bring this to him.¡± Staring at the dish in front of her, Anna asked her mother, ¡°Mom, is this... soup?¡± ¡°Of course, this is soup. What else would it be?¡± Susan threw her daughter a single nce. Lowering her voice, she continued, ¡°What do you think this ce is? You can¡¯t say anythingCourtney¡¯s apparelpany was still in the middle of a renovation. Although she had not started recruiting staff officially, she had to be prepared in advance. Recently, Cameron had introduced her to a senior whom she knew when she studied design at St. York University. After working for a few years, he found the business world ipatible with design, so he quit his job and went back to his hometown to live like a native. He lived in Lisboa and Courtney heard that he didn¡¯t even have a phone. She had to call the city and wait for someone to inform him before he could walk five kilometers into the city. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve contacted him. You only need to get to the city and ask the owner of the telephone booth to take you to him.¡± Before she left, Cameron reminded her again, ¡°Remember, he has a weird temperament and he¡¯s a drama queen. Don¡¯t get angry with him.¡± ¡°Which one of you in this industry isn¡¯t weird? Some of you even have depression!¡± Pulling open the car door, Courtney said, ¡°Okay. Just go back. It¡¯s still early. Go back to sleep with Tina; I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± From the rear-view mirror, Courtney could see that Cameron was waving at her like a tube man. Laughing helplessly, she silently cursed, ¡°Crazy woman.¡± Then, she sped up her car to drive toward Lisboa. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 194 Chapter 194 I¡¯m Helping Him Not long after Jeremy went upstairs, Susan came down. Sitting on the sofa, Anna was initially flipping through a magazine. The moment she heard the sound, she got up immediately. ¡°Mom.¡± ¡°You scared me,¡± Susan gasped. Seeing that there was nothing in her mother¡¯s hand, Anna¡¯s heart sank. In the study, Jeremy handed the amended will for Lucian to be revised. He then said, ¡°If there¡¯s no problem with the will, we only need the beneficiary to sign it.¡± ¡°Okay. There¡¯s nothing wrong.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll bring it downstairs for Miss Hunter to sign.¡± ¡°No.¡± Lucian nced at the y pot on the side. ¡°Ask her to sign it this weekend.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After Jeremy left, Lucian picked up the small bowl beside him. The chicken soup was greasy. There was Codonopsis, ck chicken, and probably something else inside too. Pulling his mouth into a tight line, he snorted and drank the whole thing. Ever since Courtney left, Jordan had been living with Scott, refusing to return to Alexander¡¯s ce. Alexander worried about his son constantly, yet he didn¡¯t want to hear his grandfather asking him about Courtney. He was very agitated. He couldn¡¯t hide their break-up from his grandpa. When Courtney¡¯s resignation letter took effect, news came from thepany. Soon, Scott learned that Courtney had resigned and also heard about the rumors circting within thepany. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember how that girl from the Lewis Family treated you back then? How can you break up with Courtney for that girl? She¡¯s such a good woman. You must be mad.¡± mming the table, Scott looked distressed. ¡°No wonder Jordan has been so listless for the past month. You guys are keeping it from me, right?¡±Alexander did not say a word. When his grandpa finally finished scolding him, he slowly began, ¡°This is my own business. You don¡¯t have a say in this.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I say something?¡± Scott was infuriated. ¡°You¡¯re my grandson. The only child of the Duncan Family. To mess around with women is to disgrace our family¡¯s name.¡± ¡°What now? Are you trying to threaten me with thepany like how you did back then?¡± Alexander pretended like he was imprable. He didn¡¯t intend to irritate his grandpa, but he just didn¡¯t know how to deal with the rtionship between Courtney and him. He had been worried for a long time. ¡°Threaten you?¡± Scott snorted, ¡°You should be grateful.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander was speechless. ¡°There have been a lot of problems with the seafoodpany in Lisboa recently. Many people haveined about the substandard seafood. Go and take a look. See what¡¯s going on there.¡± ¡°No way,¡± eximed Harry from the side before Alexander could say something. ¡°The climate in Lisboa is hot and humid. Besides, it¡¯s so far away too. Now that it¡¯s so hot, one¡¯s skin would even crack from a stroll by the sea. How can you let Young Master Alexander go? You should just find a reliable manager to go instead; otherwise, I can go too.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the boss here?¡± Scott gave him a dissatisfied look. ¡°Fine.¡± Without saying anything, Alexander got up from his seat and grabbed his coat. ¡°I¡¯ll leave tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Young Master...¡± Harry felt helpless. Since young, Alexander was stubborn and he never gave in. Yet, Scott was even more upromising. It seemed like Alexander was determined to go on this trip. ¡°Old Master, why are you torturing Young Master Alexander like that?¡± He sighed. ¡°He¡¯s already in his thirties. He knows what he¡¯s doing. Why are you always so strict on him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m helping him. You don¡¯t understand.¡± With a triumphant smile in his eyes, Scott waved at the bedroom. ¡°Jordan,e. Come here.¡± Harry looked at the bedroom curiously. He didn¡¯t know when the Little Master had hidden in Scott¡¯s bedroom. Running to his great-grandpa, Jordan lifted his head and looked at him. His big eyes were overwhelmed by joy.¡°You heard what happened, right? I promised that I will let your dad and mom meet each other. I¡¯ve done that, right?¡± Jordan nodded solemnly. With difficulty, he managed to utter, ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Scott was very pleased. After Courtney left, Jordan wilted like a piece of limp lettuce within a few days. He even refused to eat more. It was only until he called Tina and asked her to persuade Jordan through the phone that he finally cheered up a little. Since then, he started to say something too. Although it was usually some simple words, it was undoubtedly the greatest joy for Scott who hadn¡¯t heard his great-grandson speak for several years. Caressing the crown of his head, Scott said gently, ¡°Since I¡¯ve done what I promised, you should eat too, right?¡± ¡°Uh.¡± Jordan nodded again. From the side, Harry instantly understood the situation. Quickly, he asked the housemaid to inform the kitchen to prepare some dishes for the kid. As Jordan gobbled up his meal, everyone breathed a great sigh of relief. ¡°Old Master, what did you promise the Little Master?¡± asked Harry in a low voice. Looking up from his newspaper, Scott frowned at the question. ¡°Of course, it was to help my useless grandson get his fianc¨¦e back. What else could it be?¡± In the meantime, in a high-rise apartment in the city center, Courtney had just finished packing her luggage. She then set her luggage next to the entrance. ¡°Tina, tomorrow I¡¯ll send you to Aunt Cameron¡¯s ce. I¡¯lle back as soon as possible, okay?¡± Tina¡¯s voice rose from the sofa and she sounded quite excited. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m totally fine. You can even stay two more days if you want.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Stay two more days? I¡¯m not there for vacation.¡± pping her hands, she ushered Tina. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s take a shower and go to bed early. We have to get up early tomorrow.¡± Courtney¡¯s apparelpany was still in the middle of a renovation. Although she had not started recruiting staff officially, she had to be prepared in advance.Recently, Cameron had introduced her to a senior whom she knew when she studied design at St. York University. After working for a few years, he found the business world ipatible with design, so he quit his job and went back to his hometown to live like a native. He lived in Lisboa and Courtney heard that he didn¡¯t even have a phone. She had to call the city and wait for someone to inform him before he could walk five kilometers into the city. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve contacted him. You only need to get to the city and ask the owner of the telephone booth to take you to him.¡± Before she left, Cameron reminded her again, ¡°Remember, he has a weird temperament and he¡¯s a drama queen. Don¡¯t get angry with him.¡± ¡°Which one of you in this industry isn¡¯t weird? Some of you even have depression!¡± Pulling open the car door, Courtney said, ¡°Okay. Just go back. It¡¯s still early. Go back to sleep with Tina; I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± From the rear-view mirror, Courtney could see that Cameron was waving at her like a tube man. Laughing helplessly, she silently cursed, ¡°Crazy woman.¡± Then, she sped up her car to drive toward Lisboa. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 195 Chapter 195 Sh*t; Why Does It Have to Be Now? Lisboa was a coastal city 700 kilometers away from Melrose City. Because its people were simple and warmhearted, the fishery products produced there were of high quality. Its demand always exceeded its supply on the market. Funnily enough, the fishermen were content with their life. They didn¡¯t want to develop their business. Instead, after they fished and sold some of the products, they refused to sell the rest. It was also for this reason that the city had remained traditional and conservative. The mountains and seas that stretched hundreds of miles around the city had never been developed. Along the way to the city, one would be able to enjoy the beautiful natural scenery. Courtney was yawning as she drove. Three hours ago, she had her lunch at the rest area and left the highway. If she had known that there would be no rest area after the previous one, she would have bought something to eat in the car. Rumble! As if it was trying to emphasize her hunger, her stomach rumbled cooperatively. ¡°Hey, stop growling, friend.¡± Helplessly, she started talking to herself. ¡°When I get there, I¡¯ll have to ask that weird designer to treat me to a seafood feast.¡± He was a senior that was very close to Cameron, yet Cameron still wanted her to visit him in person, insisting that he couldn¡¯t evaluate whether it was worthy for him to go to herpany without first meeting the boss. And because Courtney was eager for talents, she came. Suddenly, she heard her phone ringing. Taking a nce at the screen, she pressed the answer button on her car¡¯s dashboard. Where are you now, Miss Hunter?¡± Cameron¡¯s mischievous voice echoed in the car, along with the noise of an electric drill. Quickly, Courtney turned the volume down. ¡°Oh my god! Are you at the renovation site? Can¡¯t you find a quieter ce to talk?¡±¡°It¡¯s already quiet enough. The sky is getting darker. They¡¯ll be done for the day soon. How can you despise it when it¡¯s your ownpany?¡± ¡°Is this considered despising? My ears are hurting from your call.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go out and talk to you.¡± Slowly, her voice on the other end became clearer. ¡°I have to keep an eye on this construction team. I camete in the morning and found them chatting in the corner.¡± ¡°Thanks for your hard work, Miss Miller.¡± Courtney kept her hands on the steering wheel. Her car¡¯s headlights had been turned on, illuminating the endless country road. ¡°Where are you now? How is the journey?¡± ¡°I just left the highway half an hour ago. The road condition is extremely worrying. My current speed is no different from the speed of an electric bike... Ahh!¡± A clear scream was heard and there was a harsh sound of mming brakes.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. On the other side of the phone, Cameron knitted her brows immediately and she removed her earphones. ¡°Courtney... Courtney, are you still there? What happened?¡± Her phone returned to its home screen after a ¡®beep¡¯ and the call ended. By the time Cameron called again, Courtney was no longer in the service area. Instantly, her face went pale. If she were not mistaken, based on the sounds she heard, Courtney might have met with an ident. ¡°There can be no more problems with this shipment.¡± Alexander stood at the back of the truck as he studied the invoice with a serious expression. ¡°If this happens again, we¡¯ll look for another supplier. Besides, I¡¯m going to be honest with you. We already purchased another batch of these goods from another supplier. Those are already on their way to Melrose City. So, if there¡¯s anything wrong with these goods, you guys will be reced immediately and we¡¯ll sue thepany.¡± The owner of the fishery products wiped his sweat away. ¡°There will be no problem. Last time, the driver didn¡¯t turn on the refrigerator. He didn¡¯t tell us because he was afraid of taking responsibility and that was why we had to dy the delivery. Don¡¯t worry, President Duncan. That will never happen again.¡±¡°Fine.¡± Alexander closed the invoice and handed it to Josh. ¡°You stay here and make sure this batch of goods is delivered. I¡¯ll go back first.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to stay the night and leave in the morning? It¡¯s not safe to drive in the dark.¡± ¡°No.¡± With an expressionless face, Alexander fixed his cuffs and left in his car. His grandfather wanted nothing more than to torture him and taught him a lesson. There weren¡¯t a lot of problems here, yet Scott insisted he went and solved it in person. Asking Josh to stay was already considered redundant, much less asking him to remain. When the car was driven onto the coastal highway, he heard his phone ring. It interrupted the majestic symphony melody in the car. Knitting his brows, he answered the call. ¡°Alex, where are you now?¡± Alexander nced at the road sign in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m almost at the entrance of the highway. I might be able to reach Melrose City by tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Make a U-turn quickly.¡± Gale sounded a little rushed. ¡°Something happened to Courtney.¡± The brakes made a shrieking sound on the road. Two long tire traces were marked on the dark tar road and white smoke rose over them. Gale then heard Alexander¡¯s cold voice. ¡°What do you mean by something happened to her and I have to make a U-turn?¡± ¡°This is tooplicated. I can¡¯t exin to you clearly at the moment. In short, the call between Courtney and Cam was interrupted and Cam thinks she might have had a car ident. I¡¯ll send you the location where her phone wasst found. Get to her quickly. It shouldn¡¯t be too far away from you. She also went to Lisboa.¡± Alexander¡¯s hands that were holding the steering wheel trembled, yet his tone was terrifyingly calm. ¡°Okay.¡± With a ¡®ding¡¯, the sound of a text message alert tone rose in the car.Not long after that, the Range Rover that was silently parked on the road roared. With a clean U-turn, it rushed toward the mountain road. A full moon hung high in the sky. It was one week before the Mid-Autumn Festival. At a roadside stand somewhere on Bar Street in Melrose City, Gale put down his phone and looked at the woman in front of him. ¡°I called Alexander. He¡¯s on his way to find Courtney. Do you still need anything else?¡± Honestly, Cameron was nervous. Staring at Gale for a moment, she forced out a smile. ¡°No. Thank you. Let me know if you have news from him. I¡¯ll go now.¡± An hour ago, she lost contact with Courtney. When she couldn¡¯t find Alexander¡¯s phone number after flipping through her contact list thoroughly, she dialed Gale¡¯s number in a panic. It was toote for her to end the call. It was connected almost immediately. At the time, she could clearly hear the excitement in his voice. It was as if he had been waiting for that phone call for so long. At that moment, Cameron felt horrible. However, the call was connected. Gale was the only one who had someone in his contact list that could actually contact Courtney. Apart from him, she couldn¡¯t find anyone else. s, she could only be the scumbag she was and bite the bullet. After leaving the roadside stand, she walked along the street for a while; the streetlights shone over her figure. Letting out a sigh, she clutched her Chanel purse and wanted to punch herself. ¡°This girl is hot.¡± There were around three to five drunkards drinking by the street. When they saw her, they whistled to her and said something vulgar. ¡°Big breasts and great ass. It would be nice if I could touch them.¡± Already in a bad mood, Cameron instantly red at them when she heard them. ¡°F*ck you. Did you forget yourst name just from drinking two sips of alcohol? Why don¡¯t you take a look at yourself in the mirror?¡± When the drunkards heard her, they looked at each other in shock. Immediately, they mmed the table and got up angrily. ¡°Who are you scolding?¡± ¡°I¡¯m scolding you, f*cking b*stard.¡± Cameron went on to curse them. When she was cursing to her heart¡¯s content, she felt her temples jump. All of a sudden, she felt dizzy and white light shed before her eyes.Before she fainted, all she could think about was: Sh*t, why did it have to be now? The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 196 Chapter 196 What Are You Doing Here? Under a bright, moonlit sky scattered with stars, a white Range Rover zipped across the coastal path of a remote fishing vige in Lisboa City; its movements were wilder than the sea breeze. ording to the position Gale gave him, she was somewhere nearby. The headlights shone on a car parked at the far corner, and the silver Audi logo with its four circles on the rear caught his eye. Alexander¡¯s heart tightened and he immediately stepped on the brakes. With hurried steps, he walked to the front of the car to check, but it was empty. The hood was open and the bumper was smashed to pieces. Alexander looked around and caught a sudden glimpse of a pool of blood on the ground. In that instant, he felt his heart plunge into an abyss. He could barely stand.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Courtney!¡± He yelled at his surroundings but received no response other than the howling of the chilly mountain breeze. The blood on the ground made him frightful, and Alexander¡¯s legs weakened. Holding onto the hood beside him, he crouched down slowly, knees hitting the cement pavement. His expensive custom-made pants were stained with mottled blood and dust from the ground. Moonlight shone on the pool of blood, reflecting the ashen look on his face. Despite trying to control himself, he couldn¡¯t help but think of all the worst possible oues. Regret washed over him and he clenched his fists, wanting to give himself a couple of punches. If he hadn¡¯t gotten angry with her or hurt her the way he did, she wouldn¡¯t have quit her job in a huff to start her own business. If she hadn¡¯t left Sunhill Hotel, none of this would¡¯ve happened. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Like a ghostly echo, a cold voice sounded overhead, startling Alexander. When he looked up, he saw Courtney standing in front of himpletely unharmed with a look of astonishment on her face.Courtney had walked away to get reception but failed to find any after walking around for half an hour. Her phone was almost out of battery, so she hurried back, as she was afraid that something bad would happen to her. When she returned, she didn¡¯t expect to see Alexander kneeling on the ground looking miserable. What¡¯s going on? She was still in a daze when a cold mountain breeze filled with the smell of a man¡¯s hormones engulfed her. She struggled on instinct, but it was like fighting a hopeless battle. Alexander simply disregarded her squirms and held her tightly as if wishing to meld her body with his own¡ªas if she was a lost treasure that had just been found. ¡°You¡¯re okay.¡± Courtney was puzzled, unsure of whether it was a statement or a question. For a moment, she helplessly went along with him. Wavespped against the rocks as the evening breeze blew on. After a long while, Alexander finally released his grip. Then, he snapped, ¡°Courtney, don¡¯t you know that you could die driving alone at night?¡± He had taken advantage of her for so long, yet this was his only exnation. Disgruntled, Courtney pushed him away. ¡°Alexander, are you out of your mind?¡± A few hours ago, several goats strutted out just as she was making a turn. At that moment, Courtney was on the phone with Cameron, so she wasn¡¯t fully concentrating on the road. Once she saw the goats, she quickly turned the wheel to avoid them but ended up rear-ending a station wagon instead. The ident wasn¡¯t a big deal to her as the most she would have to do was pay for the repairs. The car was insured anyway, so all she had to do was follow the relevant procedures to handle the matter. The owner of the station wagon, on the other hand, was scared out of his wits and afraid that she would extort money from him. With a bitter face, the owner came down to inspect the damages. ¡°Your car¡¯s expensive, and it¡¯s vintage too. I won¡¯t be able to afford the repairs even if I sell my car.¡± ¡°Sir, I was the one who knocked into you. You¡¯re not the one in the wrong, so why should you pay me?¡± Courtney was confused when the man repeatedly apologized to her, only to realize that he didn¡¯t know anything about trafficws. After exining it to him for a while, the man finally understood that Courtney wasn¡¯t holding him ountable for theident, and neither did she want him to pay for the damages. ¡°What happened in the end?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice pulled Courtney back to reality. She was holding a steaming cup of tea that Alexander had poured from a sk in his car, and there was a newly opened packet of biscuits next to her. It made her wonder when his car became so well stocked. ¡°s, I told him that I would get the insurancepany topensate him, but he refused. After talking things over, I gave him five hundred. Turns out there was not a scratch on his car, so he just left after that. My car, however, was left stranded on the road.¡± Thinking of this made Courtney a little indignant. That man¡¯s car was worth barely a fraction of hers, but it was so well built. ¡°What car was he driving?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°A Chevrolet Enjoy.¡± After finishing the tea, Courtney felt considerably warmer. Lisboa was scorching hot during the day but freezing at night. If it wasn¡¯t for Alexander, Courtney reckoned she would probably end up dead on that road. ¡°You haven¡¯t told me why you¡¯re here yet.¡± Courtney looked at Alexander suspiciously. Alexander didn¡¯t say much. In just a few words, he exined that Cameron had asked him toe find her. Since he was nearby handling some matters, he arrived fairly quickly. ¡°It¡¯s that coincidental?¡± Courtney sniffled. When she was out looking for reception just now, she must have caught a cold. She even felt slightly breathless now. ¡°Why else do you think I¡¯m here?¡± Alexander nced at her. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly think that I¡¯m following you?¡± Courtney raised her eyebrows, her face clearly expressing what she thought.Do you really think that I have nothing better to do than to follow you to this d*mn ce?¡± Feeling annoyed, he continued, ¡°Forget it. Do you think I followed you just to watch you get into an ident, struggle to look for reception, and freeze for two hours before I decided to appear? That would make me truly crazy.¡± Looking at Alexander¡¯s irritated expression, Courtney suddenly realized that he wasn¡¯t that obnoxious when he lost his temper, as it all came down to what he was being mad about. ¡°It¡¯s not like I knocked into him on purpose,¡± Courtney muttered, then silently drank her tea. Alexander felt as if he had just punched cotton; his anger lightly bounced off of it andnded on his heart, making him feel like he had just gone through an arduous but fruitless task. At this moment, he felt as if a huge rock was weighing down on his chest. When he found out that she might¡¯ve been involved in an ident, he sped all the way here. His navigation system kept on warning him that he was going over the speed limit, but he didn¡¯t care. All he wanted to do was find her as soon as possible. When he found her car and saw the pool of blood on the ground, his world nearly fell apart. Yet, this woman was now thoughtlessly sitting beside him drinking tea and munching on biscuits as if nothing had happened, leaving him alone to fume and feel righteously indignant. ¡°Alexander.¡± Courtney¡¯s voice rang out uneasily in the silent car Pretending to be cold, Alexander responded, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Can you please lend me your phone? I want to call Cameron.¡± Alexander handed over his phone without saying a word. Courtney took the phone, then promptly grabbed his index finger. Her warm palm left a mark on the back of his hand, leaving Alexander in a trance. He looked down at Courtney¡¯s side profile and saw that she was solemnly studying his finger. A secondter, she pressed his finger to the fingerprint scanner and the phone unlocked with a ¡®ding¡¯. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 197 Chapter 197 You Can Have It Back! Who Cares, Anyway? Alexander¡¯s face sank, and he fiercely shook off her hand. ¡°What are you doing? You startled me!¡± Courtney shot him a discontented look. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s over between us? Do people who have broken up still touch each other like that?¡± Alexander¡¯s tone was cold and distant, but if she listened carefully, she could hear a hint of resentment in his voice. The look on Courtney¡¯s face was matter-of-fact. ¡°How else was I supposed to unlock it? Can you stop fussing over everything?¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve asked for the PIN.¡± There¡¯s more than one way to unlock a phone. Courtney was speechless. Peeved, she turned off his phone, then said, ¡°All right, tell me what¡¯s the PIN.¡± He paused for a second, then two words rang out in the car. ¡°Your birthday.¡± Courtney was shocked. She admitted that both she and Alexander were considerably sensible people, so they weren¡¯t exactly romantics when it came to rtionships. She wasn¡¯t even like the average girl who would look through her boyfriend¡¯s phone and messages. Personal space was a must. Therefore, it was a surprise to find out that Alexander¡¯s PIN was her birthday. The car was silent, and she could hear the sounds of the wavespping against the rocks, as well as the whistling of the mountain breeze. She was skeptical as she lowered her head and keyed in her birthday precisely. A thought struck her all of a sudden. Her birthday this year was spent with Alexander, and after leaving the cemetery where they paid their respects to her mother, he had held her hand in front of Alicia, appearing absolutely certain and confident. What did he tell Aunt Alicia that time?She was doubtful, but the two of them had been so frightening that she dared not ask what they were talking about. ¡°Where were you headed?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice sounded beside her, clear and distinct as if nothing had happened. ¡°Oh, Eldham Town.¡± Returning to her senses, Courtney nced at him, then remembered that she wanted to call Cameron and tell her that she was safe. The sound of the engine drowned out the howling of the wind. After staring at the phone for a long time, Courtney rolled her eyes at Alexander. ¡°Your phone doesn¡¯t have reception either. Why¡¯d you even give it to me?¡± Alexander frowned. ¡°Did I say that there was reception on my phone?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t rich people¡¯s phones supposed to be equipped with a GPS? Unlike us peasants¡¯ phones?¡± Alexander was at aplete loss for words when he heard Courtney¡¯s senselesseback. ¡°Miss Hunter, from your point of view, do you think that rich people need to drive their own cars?¡± Isn¡¯t a rich person driving her to her destination now? While they were bickering, the car sputtered and visibly slowed down. Not long after, Alexander parked the car on the side of the road. They had started driving for less than a minute, and Courtney¡¯s Audi was still fifty meters behind them. ¡°What happened?¡± Sensing Courtney¡¯s uncertainty, Alexander pointed at the fuel gauge and said, ¡°We¡¯re out of gas.¡± The fuel level had long passed the minimum warning line and was now empty. ¡°Oh my God! How could you do this?¡± Courtney simply couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°It was already so low and you didn¡¯t even bother to refuel?¡± Alexander was already in a dark mood, so when he heard her reproval, his expression changed immediately. ¡°Isn¡¯t this all because of you?¡± When he was on the highway, there was a gas station at the rest area. However, when he received Gale¡¯s call, he turned around in an instant. He was speeding the entire way, so how could he be bothered to refuel?Courtney fell silent as soon as she heard Alexander¡¯s retort. Looking at his sour expression, a hint of annoyance shed across her face. How was she supposed to exin the excitement and disbelief she felt when she saw him in the deserted wilderness? How was she supposed to exin that she was pretending to be indifferent and reserved because she didn¡¯t want to bow down and give up on the self-respect that she had tried so hard to recover? And how was she supposed to exin that she had initially thought that his existence was a blessing and a curse, but in the days without him, she finally knew what it was like to have trouble sleeping at night? After a long moment of silence, Alexander seemed to have calmed down. ¡°Let¡¯s stay here first. Trucks wille down this road tomorrow morning; we can ask for help then.¡± After saying that, he shot Courtney another nce. ¡°If you¡¯re tired, you can go to the back and rest.¡± Alexander¡¯s car was a remodeled MPV, so the backseat could be adjusted and turned into a temporary bed that was rather spacious. ¡°Okay,¡± Courtney answered awkwardly before stepping out of the car and getting into the backseat. After adjusting the seats, a suit jacket tinged with the cool scent of his perfume was tossed from the front. For a moment, Courtney was stunned. After clutching his jacket for a long while, she managed to force out the words. ¡°Thank you.¡± Alexander grunted bleakly. Then, in the driver¡¯s seat, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Courtney proceeded to lie down as well. The sunroof overhead was open, and a full moon could be seen through theyer of ss. It looked like a hole had pierced through the night¡ªas if there was an endless unknown beyond the vast universe. ¡°How did Cameron contact you?¡± Courtney asked suddenly. She really just wanted to test if Alexander was asleep.Half of the back of his head poked out from the driver¡¯s seat, and her voice echoed in the car for a while. Just when she thought that Alexander had fallen asleep, she got a response. His voice was a little muffled as he replied, ¡°Gale called me.¡± Gale? Courtney didn¡¯t expect that Cameron would dare to contact him again. Alexander was somewhat dissatisfied as well, so he said bluntly, ¡°It¡¯s one thing to be acting out of urgent expediency, but if Cameron really wanted to break up with Gale, I hope she doesn¡¯t give him any more hope in the future. Doing a sloppy job of ending a rtionship isn¡¯t a good thing.¡± Upon hearing this, Courtney¡¯s brows furrowed. With her elbows propped up on the cushion, the top half of her body was raised as she shifted her gaze to the front. ¡°Cameron isn¡¯t that kind of person. She meant it when she said that they were broken up; she wouldn¡¯t deliberately lead someone on. Don¡¯t nder my friend.¡± ¡°nder?¡± Alexander gave a bitterugh. ¡°From what I know, no quarrels or disputes happened between Gale and your friend. You saw how much Gale has changed. If it wasn¡¯t because she was just on the hunt for rich men, how do you justify her rejection of Gale¡¯s proposal? Leaving after profiting off of others; is that both of your styles?¡± He was obviously pointing an usatory finger at her. A bitter expression appeared on Courtney¡¯s face. ¡°Who are you using of leaving after profiting off of others? You¡¯d better make yourself clear; don¡¯t give me indirect criticisms. That day at the Duncans¡¯, it was obviously you... you...¡± Just thinking about it made her wound ache¡ªboth the physical wound and the one in her heart. After several attempts, Courtney still couldn¡¯t get the words out. She gritted her teeth as tears brimmed her eyes. Hurling his jacket at his head, she snapped, ¡°You can have it back! Who cares, anyway?¡± With that, she pushed open the door and walked into the night without turning back.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, Alexander was silent at first. As he watched her gradually disappear, he gritted his teeth and got out of the car before chasing after her.¡°Courtney.¡± ¡°Let go of me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯re going to get into trouble if you wander around thiste at night?¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°Do you really have to talk to me like that?¡± The man¡¯s irritated voice echoed throughout the wilderness. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 198 Chapter 198 Afraid That I¡¯ll Hit Her? ¡°Before questioning me, think about how you¡¯re speaking to me.¡± The more Courtney thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Everything that had been on her mind during this period came pouring out. ¡°You think that it¡¯s expected of me to put Jordan first. I¡¯ve admitted that Jordan and Tina are both equally important to me, but you didn¡¯t believe me, nor did you acknowledge it. I really want to know; where in my heart do you want me to ce Tina? And have you ever considered Tina as your family before? As your own daughter?¡± ¡°Also, about your childhood sweetheart, Mika a.k.a. Miss Vivian Shepherd. Sure, you said that she¡¯s your sister, and I believed you. But, did you know about the suspicions that arose? The rumors that were spreading? Even your cousin knows that you look down on me. If Vivian is your fianc¨¦e, then what does that make me? A secret lover for you to spend your money on?¡± All the yelling was making Courtney exhausted. She snarled viciously, ¡°I¡¯m not that despicable!¡± After pouring everything out in one breath, she stared at Alexander for several moments. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her head was lowered as if she was being terribly insulted. ¡°Let go of me!¡± Her upset cries drifted in the wind. Alexander was strong, and the hand clutching Courtney¡¯s was stuck firmly like glue. She couldn¡¯t shake him off no matter how hard she tried. After a long time, he began in a hoarse voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the children. I was wrong, but it¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t consider your situation or your mood... That day, I...¡± Whatever he said next was incoherent. He was so upset that he couldn¡¯t form proper words. How could he be so unreasonable as to ask a mother to give up on her own child and ce all her attention on someone else¡¯s child instead? At that time, he had acted preposterously because Jordan¡¯s situation had put him in a bad mood. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±Men rarely exined themselves. Even though the words were on the verge of his lips, all that came out was an apology. Others may have found it superficial, but those two words carried an extremely heavy weight to him.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. He understood now that his reputation wasn¡¯t that important, nor were the trivialities in life. Only when one¡¯s life was at stake would they be able to clearly see what was of utmost importance. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for everything that I did. I¡¯m sorry for hurting you. Courtney, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m always looking for more conventional ways to express my feelings for you, but I don¡¯t think anything can measure up to the words ¡®I love you¡¯.¡± ¡°Courtney, I love you.¡± The night was breezy, but a sudden warmth wrapped around Courtney. She was too weak to struggle, so she cried even louder. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and the heat she felt earlier was vanquished by the mountain breeze. She heard her dull voice yell discontentedly, ¡°You b*stard!¡± But, in the end, she remained peacefully in his arms. She appeared wronged¡ªlike a child who had their candy taken from them. There weren¡¯t that many misunderstandings in the world; everyone just needed to be honest with each other. Only by taking that step would others know what one wanted to do. Acting ording to the unstable changes of one¡¯s heart couldn¡¯tpare to the rity of expressing one¡¯s true feelings. When they got back to the car, Courtney sneezed. Alexander turned off the air-conditioning, then wrapped his jacket around her; his eyes were full of concern. ¡°Have some tea.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Courtney sniffled, then took the cup of tea from him. After calming down, both of them said nothing about what had just transpired. It was shameful¡ªtwo adults yelling and fighting on the road in the middle of the night over a little spat! After a long time, Alexander broke the awkward silence. ¡°About the fire: the matter was investigated before you resigned. Louie was the one that started it. At that time, Jordan had entered the freezer by mistake. Although Louie didn¡¯t admit to this, he must¡¯ve drugged Tina to make her unconscious. I never got the chance to tell you all these.¡±Courtney nodded. ¡°I know.¡± There were two reasons she said those two words. The first was because she had personally gone to Eastbrook to make a thorough investigation of the matter, then had deliberately left her assistant from Sunhill Hotel clues about the night market; otherwise, those good-for-nothings at the police station would¡¯ve ended up with nothing. The second reason was that she knew why Alexander didn¡¯t tell her the truth after the matter had been investigated. At that time, Lucian was hospitalized and in critical condition. Not to mention, she had just cast Alexander¡¯s dignity aside and broke up with him. During such a crucial moment, judging from his temperament, he would definitely not go looking for her. ¡°What about the person behind it?¡± Courtney prompted. Louie was an apprentice from a remote fishing vige. If no one was deliberately guiding him, he wouldn¡¯t have harmed children as it didn¡¯t do him any good. His actions were obviously motivated by personal interests; there was no other exnation. Courtney reckoned that there were too many people cooperating with him in this matter. The two waiters at the hotel were a good example¡ªthey told Courtney that Jordan had gone to the bathroom as if they were temporarily arranged to mislead her. Everything was too much of a coincidence. ¡°It was Mika. I¡¯ll make sure she apologizes to you and Tina.¡± The fact that Alexander was so certain was a surprise to Courtney. ¡°Mika?¡± ¡°Are you that surprised?¡± Alexander looked at her in disbelief. ¡°Did you not doubt her at all?¡± Anyone who pondered over it for a while would find the situation suspicious. At the entrance to the kitchen that day, the fire had clearly started, so why did Mika suddenly rush in when no one knew that Jordan was in there? Besides, judging from her behavior during the few times that Alexander was in contact with her, she was reluctant to discuss the events of that day. Her panic was evident. As Jordan¡¯s savior, it could be considered modesty if she didn¡¯t want to take credit, but any mention of this incident made her appear ufortable. This just showed that there was something wrong with this situation.¡°No,¡± Courtney refuted, ¡°I don¡¯t think that it was entirely her doing. If she had really nned it all by herself, then why did she make such a huge mistake in thest part knowing that it would arouse suspicion?¡± ¡°Maybe she didn¡¯t think that the fire would get so big.¡± ¡°Or maybe... the person who nned to do this with her changed their mind at thest minute, hoping to use this chance to kill two birds with one stone.¡± Courtney turned to Alexander, her face a mask of calmness. ¡°They were hoping to cause a misunderstanding between us, while at the same time, make you suspect her.¡± Alexander stiffened as if he had thought of something. ¡°Who do you suspect?¡± ¡°There may not be thousands of people in Melrose City who want Mika and I gone from your side, but there are still hundreds who do. It would be hard to crack, but I think Mika knows.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression was impassive. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, let me handle this. I¡¯d like to find Mika and ask her some questions.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to question her?¡± ¡°Why? Do you not want me to? Afraid that I¡¯ll hit her?¡± Courtney raised an eyebrow at Alexander while she probed him on purpose. An easy smile spread across his face as he leaned back and said quietly, ¡°You may not know this, but Mika has a ninth- degree ck belt in Taekwondo. She can split bricks with her bare hands.¡± ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes widened in shock. What Alexander said next made her feel as if she had just been doused with a basin of cold water. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? Her ex-husband shoved her when he was drunk, and as a result, she broke his arm.¡± The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 199 Chapter 199 You Don¡¯t Seem Surprised at All Not every decentdy was raised to be delicate. These days, many wealthy families would advocate for both civil and military skills, especially those with daughters at home. After all, which parent wouldn¡¯t want their daughters to protect themselves? Courtney drew a deep breath, secretly wondering if Alexander¡¯s ex was just as menacing as she sounded.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Not only was Mika¡¯s financial background more impressive than Courtney¡¯s, but she was also highly capable in a fight. She was a sweet girl, but she could also defend herself¡ªshe was very versatile. Courtney paled inparison, so how was she supposed to go into battle with her? ¡°Afraid?¡± Alexander nced at her; his expression was casual. ¡°If you¡¯re afraid, don¡¯t go. I¡¯ll handle this. I can guarantee you that she won¡¯t provoke you anymore.¡± ¡°No,¡± Courtney said resolutely. ¡°I will handle this myself.¡± If it were matters of the heart, she would be more than willing to let Alexander handle it. But now, they were talking about Mika¡¯s connection to the fire and whether or not she had an aplice. The mastermind behind this clearly wanted the two children dead, so she wouldn¡¯t be at ease until the matter was resolved. Seeing that she was so insistent, Alexander didn¡¯t say much more. ¡°I keep getting the feeling that this has something to do with the person that¡¯s trying to harm Jordan.¡± Upon hearing this, Alexander¡¯s head swiveled toward her in the dark. ¡°The person that¡¯s trying to harm Jordan?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Courtney gave one solemn nod. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you didn¡¯t know or that you didn¡¯t notice that someone has been actively trying to harm Jordan.¡± They had been spending time together for only half a year, but the things that Jordan had encountered were enough to make Courtney¡¯s blood run cold. After so many years, it was impossible for Alexander to not have suspected anything. Sure enough, he nodded. ¡°I know.¡±The car was dimly lit; moonlight spilled in through the sunroof and shone on the narrow space in the back seat, illuminating the grave look on Alexander¡¯s face. ¡°However, it may not be the same person.¡± Courtney could tell from this sentence alone that something was wrong¡ªsomething that sent chills down her spine. Countless people were out to get Jordan; it wasn¡¯t just one or two people. ¡°I know that many things have happened to Jordan; I¡¯m not that stupid. But, we were never able to catch the culprit. To tell you the truth, I¡¯ve investigated it a number of times and have implicated people of all sorts.¡± The culprit could be the gardener that came over to prune the garden once a week, or it could be the servant that had been taking care of Jordan for two to three years now. It could even be a distant rtive. No exceptions were made¡ªall of these people entered Alexander¡¯s cklist, regardless of whether they were a close family member or a distant rtive. However, this didn¡¯t diminish the fact that someone was targeting his son. ¡°Why?¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°What did these people have to benefit from Jordan? Are they crazy? Why would they do such things to a child who can¡¯t even speak?¡± ¡°Because Jordan is my only child and will be the only heir of Sunhill Enterprise.¡± Alexander looked a little powerless when he answered her questions. He seemed to have sighed, then lowered his head and spoke softly, but it wasn¡¯t obvious. ¡°It could also be because I¡¯ve neglected Jordan too muchst time, and it made people think that as long as Jordan¡¯s not around, Grandpa will lose all hope. Then, Sunhill Enterprise will lose its power and they will be able to get a share of the profits.¡± There have always been many rumors about Alexander¡¯s sexuality. This was mainly because he did not have another kid besides Jordan, and he never showed any interest in marriage, so people started to have ill intentions. ¡°Are you implying that it¡¯s someone rted to your family in some way?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Now, this is troubling. Courtney¡¯s brows knitted together. On the day that they went to the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home for dinner, Old Master Duncan had invited a number of close rtives. There were so many of them that they had taken up nearly tworge round tables. Plus, this wasn¡¯t including those who werecurrently settled elsewhere and the Duncans¡¯ distant rtives. ¡°Grandpa said that if I don¡¯t keep the family line alive, he would hand Sunhill Enterprise over to another outstanding Duncan that had no rtion to me.¡± Alexander sounded somewhat helpless. After hesitating for a couple of seconds, he said in a heavy voice, ¡°So, Jordan was born through surrogacy.¡± Oh.¡± Courtney nodded, absentmindedly thinking about something else. ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised at all.¡± Alexander cast her a suspicious nce. At that, Courtney looked startled. ¡°What? Surrogacy? Was it through in vitro fertilization?¡± Her reaction was quick. The skepticism in Alexander¡¯s eyes disappeared as he shook his head. ¡°Not exactly, but it¡¯s... almost the same.¡± Courtney remained calm, but she was rolling her eyes on the inside. What does he mean by ¡®almost the same¡¯? There¡¯s a huge difference! For IVF, the fertilization is done externally. There¡¯s no physical contact with the woman whatsoever. What you did six years ago was r*pe! D*mn it, you¡¯re really an animal. ¡°Why tell me this all of a sudden?¡± Courtney continued questioning him, restraining theplex feelings in her heart. After all, she had passed that year¡¯s hurdle with great difficulty. If she started asking about it now, it would leave her feeling bad. It was like she was looking down at Alexander from God¡¯s perspective. ¡°I don¡¯t want there to be any more misunderstandings between us. I hope that we can be honest with each other.¡± Alexander fixed her with a serious look. ¡°Jordan doesn¡¯t have a mother, but he acknowledged you as one. So, from now on, you¡¯re the only mother he will ever have. I know that you regard him with as much importance as you do Tina, and I will too.¡± This sentence caused the resentment that had been in her heart to gradually disappear. Instead, it was reced with warmth¡ª warmth that spread throughout her body and warmed her heart. Courtney was moved. To say the least, she had gotten this cold-hearted man to confess so many things in one day. It waspletely different from his usual demeanor; it was as much of a miracle as pigs learning to fly. ¡°You¡¯re also the only father that Tina will ever have.¡±When he heard those words, a mixture of emotions shed across Alexander¡¯s eyes as well as a hint of disappointment that was indiscernible, but s, it was just a brief sh. In terms of her honesty, he wasn¡¯t sure if he didn¡¯t work hard enough to earn it, or perhaps his hard work simply wouldn¡¯t change anything. ¡°Rest early. We¡¯ll figure out a way to leave tomorrow morning.¡± His deep voice echoed in the car. Courtney mumbled a response, then sat on the cushion staring at his back for a long time before asking, ¡°You¡¯re not sleeping?¡± With his back still facing her, he answered, ¡°I¡¯m not sleepy, and there may be wild animals in the mountains. It¡¯s better for me to stay awake.¡± It was a good enough reason. ¡°Okay.¡± Courtney didn¡¯t think much about it. Yawning, shey down on the cushion and murmured, ¡°If you¡¯re sleepy, wake me up. I¡¯ll switch with you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After Courtney fell asleep, Alexander got down from the car and walked to the roadside where it was overgrown with weeds. Looking out at the distant sea, he lit a cigarette. He rarely smoked, but once he did, there was no end to it. In just the blink of an eye, around four to five cigarette butts were scattered on the ground. The misty air put him in an intoxicating trance. He fished out his phone, then flipped to a photo in his gallery. The woman in the photo was holding a child still in its infancy. The space behind her waspletely upied by a man, and she was nestled sweetly in his arms. They looked natural¡ªas if they had been lovers for years. He had been frank, and he had even told her the secret about Jordan¡¯s birth that he had kept for more than six years, but he had failed to garner her honesty in return. She even said that he was the only father Tina would ever have. How could she utter such a wed lie? Standing in the cold breeze, the corners of Alexander¡¯s lips curled up in self-deprecation. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 200 Chapter 200 Death Was Her Only Relief When Courtney woke up the next morning, the sky was already bright. A ray of sunlight poured in from the window and shone on her face. She instinctively raised her hands to cover herself for a while before sitting up. There was a slight scraping sounding from outside the car. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Courtney got down from the car and was astonished to see Alexander standing in front of the car¡¯s fuel tank, fiddling with a stic tube. Alexander spared her a nce. ¡°Refueling.¡± A white tube connected his fuel tank to that of the car behind them, and it gurgled as the fuel was transferred. Courtney¡¯s car couldn¡¯t start, and Alexander¡¯s was out of gas, so they could only use whatever resources they had. ¡°Huh? I guess that works.¡± After understanding the mechanics of the situation, her eyes darted back and forth. ¡°That¡¯s not right. Last night, these two cars were far apart. Why are they so close now?¡± Alexander looked at her once more. ¡°A shepherd passed by this morning and helped me push it over.¡± ¡°Really? The locals here are so nice.¡± ¡°He charged me a thousand.¡± Hearing this shut Courtney up, but she couldn¡¯t help but frown. Why does Alexander seem angry so early in the morning? He was so ill-tempered when he spoke to her. Did I offend him somehow? Alexander lowered his head to adjust the tube, then wiped his hands and straightened his back. ¡°Eldham Town is a thirty- kilometer drive from here. It¡¯s not far, so you can have something to eat first. There are still some mooncakes and water in the car.¡±¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Courtney gave a shake of her head. ¡°Plus, it¡¯s only another thirty kilometers. We can drive thereter and I¡¯ll treat you to breakfast. Apparently, the fish fillet porridge there is particrly delicious.¡± Only then did a small smile find its way onto Alexander¡¯s face. ¡°All right.¡± Somehow, the events of the previous night felt hazy to Courtney. She didn¡¯t even consume any alcohol; perhaps the cold wind had made her mind sluggish. But, she did recall carelessly reconciling with Alexander. The one thing she was certain of was that Alexander had apologized to her. However, since the dignified president could humble himself and apologize, she wasn¡¯t going to make a fuss. After the car was filled with fuel, the two of them got back on the road and headed toward Eldham Town. After driving for about ten kilometers, they were nearing the foot of the mountain, and their phones finally got reception. ¡°D*mn! So many missed calls!¡± Looking at all the missed calls from Cameron, Courtney felt her scalp go numb. I¡¯m screwed. There¡¯s an eighty percent chance that she¡¯ll scold my ears off. Seeing that Gale had contacted her as well, she hesitated for a moment before calling him back. Before she could think of what to say, he had already picked up. ¡°Hello? Courtney?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me...¡± Courtney almost couldn¡¯t make out that the voice on the other end belonged to Gale. His voice was as hoarse as a duck whose neck had been trampled on. ¡°Gale? We¡¯re fine. Alexander¡¯s here with me. Sorry to trouble you¡ª¡± ¡°Does Cam have a history of depression?¡± Gale¡¯s words cut her off mid-sentence. Both ends of the phone remained deathly silent for a moment. ¡°What happened? Why do you ask?¡± Courtney looked serious, but she tried to keep her voice calm. There was a few seconds of silence, then Gale¡¯s sobs sounded. ¡°She passed out in front of mest night. When she woke up, it was like she was a different person. She said that she was a knight, then she took the doctor¡¯s stethoscope and said it was her sword...¡±As she listened to Gale¡¯s sporadic descriptions, Courtney felt as if she had just suffered a heavy blow. Her mind went nk for a while before she came back to her senses. ¡°She¡¯s rpsing again.¡± That one single, concise sentence was enough to answer Gale¡¯s initial question.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Cameron had depression, and it was severe. This was the reason why she fooled around all the time, and it was the same reason why she offered her love genuinely, but nevermitted herself. This was also why she dated so wildly, but never once dared to go one step further. This was the side of her that no one understood or would¡¯ve thought she had. After hanging up, Courtney let out a long sigh. She had been holding this breath for a long time, but now that it was finally released, it didn¡¯t make her feel any morefortable. During the call, she had briefly exined some of the symptoms of her illness. Thest thing she told Gale was, ¡°Please take care of her for two days. I¡¯ll go back immediately after I finish handling things here.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t ask her anything but simply picked up the pace. Thirty kilometers wasn¡¯t a long distance, but it wasn¡¯t short either. Whatever the case, they would not arrive there in an instant. Leaning back in her chair, Courtney stayed silent for a long while. ¡°I thought that I could keep this secret to myself for a long time. Now, it seems that I¡¯ll have to tell you, and you can pass it on to Gale.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Alexander held the steering wheel; his slender fingers were distinctly attractive. His attitude was indifferent¡ªlike an outsider who wasn¡¯t nosy or curious. That was why Courtney felt at ease telling him about this. ¡°Cameron has previously suffered from two episodes of depression. The first was when she was fifteen; she was in her sophomore year then. Her parents had gotten divorced, and she had followed her mother, who remarried a well-groomed university professor...¡± Cameron didn¡¯t have a happy childhood. Her parents were always arguing, and she had spent more than a decade living such a life. So, she was supportive of her parents¡¯ divorce, but she didn¡¯t expect that the divorce would only toss her from a fire pit intoan abyss. Her stepfather, the university professor, was young and clever. He obtained the professional title of ¡®The Grand m¡¯ at the age of forty. Despite all that, this man would sneak into his stepdaughter¡¯s bedroom when his wife wasn¡¯t home. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Cameron during an episode before, but she told me about her condition when it happens. When it got serious, she would imagine herself as a brave knight that hade to save the princess from an evil dragon, and she would imagine having a mighty sword. She would feel frightened of everything that felt strange to her, and she would lose night after night of sleep.¡± While she told the story, Courtney deliberately omitted one part. Nevertheless, judging from Alexander¡¯s intelligence, he must have been able to guess the root of Cameron¡¯s illness, which was the vile experience she had to endure. ¡°During theter stages, the symptom that every person with depression suffered from would show itself¡ªshe was suicidal. She couldn¡¯t bear to continue living because she didn¡¯t think that there was anything left in this world worth living for. She thought that death was her only relief. At this point, she wouldn¡¯t listen to anything anyone had to say, and someone would have to watch her around the clock.¡± Even a tube of toothpaste could be used as a weapon to cut her wrists. ¡°There are quite a few tattoos on Cameron¡¯s body, but before they became tattoos, they were all wounds.¡± Courtney¡¯s voice had turned into sobs now. ¡°How could a girl like her¡ªa girl who had fought so bravely when I was drugged in the bar overseas¡ªhave such a disease?¡± ¡°Is this why she rejected Gale?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± Courtney closed her eyes, then lowered her head and wiped away the tears. ¡°No one can bear the weight of her life.¡± Alexander breathed out a pained sigh, then pulled two tissues from the side and handed them to her. ¡°It¡¯s toote to say anything now.¡± At this moment, he figured that it was impossible to ask Gale to stand aside and let go of this situation. The content is on noveldrama.org! Read thetest chapter there! Chapter 201 One Night Surprise Chapter 201 Chapter 201 I Am Her Bodyguard After driving for more than thirty kilometers, they finally arrived at Eldham Town. Courtney sat in the passenger seat. She had fallen into a deep sleep with dried tears still staining the corners of her eyes. Although Alexander couldn¡¯t bear to wake her up, he knew that they were pressed for time. They needed to finish things here as quickly as possible. Therefore, he shook her by the shoulder to wake her up after parking the car. ¡°Courtney, we¡¯ve arrived.¡± In response, she opened her eyes and stared at him drowsily for a long while before looking out the window dazedly as if she was still dreaming. The sun outside was so strong that it could almost burn one¡¯s skin. She had only taken several steps after getting out of the car when she felt a cool shade above her head. Lifting her head, she saw him holding a ck umbre next to her. He candidly asked her, ¡°Where are we going?¡± She pulled her focus back to the present and pointed to the grocery store in front of them. ¡°There. Cameron told me to contact the owner of the grocery store. This store is the only ce in this town that has a public phone.¡± Lisboa was never a prosperousnd due to its topography, and Eldham Town was all the more so. It was a ce so poor that even the birds did not visit it; it seemed to retain the economic development situation and living standards from thest century. Fishermen squatting by the door basking in the sun and smoking homemade cigarettes could be seen everywhere. Courtney introduced herself to the owner of the grocery store, Mr. McCullough. After her introduction, Mr. McCullough quickly recalled that she was the woman he had spoken to on the phone before. Thus, he asked his wife to watch the store while he led Courtney and Alexander to look for Bill Dawson. ¡°Bill lives by the seaside. He¡¯s a strange fellow; he doesn¡¯t interact much with people in town.¡± ¡°Really? How is he strange?¡± Courtney followed behind the owner and curiously inquired about the designer, Bill Dawson. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to live a good life in the city. Instead, he returned to this poor ce to suffer. Doesn¡¯t that make him strange?¡± Upon hearing those words, she smiled. ¡°Mr. McCullough, there are many people like that. The city is too noisy. I¡¯m sure there are perks toing back to the countryside to live.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but Bill is much weirder than that. Two years ago, the mayor took the lead to develop a resort town by the seaside. However, Bill shocked everybody by ruining everything.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°He imed that too many peopleing here would disturb his peace. He also mentioned something about pollution.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t the mayor do anything to him?¡± ¡°Bill is knowledgeable. He is the only talented person in our town that has ever gone abroad. Therefore, almost everybody in town listens to whatever he says. We didn¡¯t understand what was wrong with the development, so we just left him alone.¡± Eldham Town was rtively remote and highly isted from the outside world. Hence, somebody like Bill, who had left the country and seen the world, was no different from an authoritative figure in this town. Even the mayor respected him. On the other hand, Courtney frowned. Isn¡¯t Bill hindering the people of this town from improving their lives just for his own selfish interests? If the tourism industry flourishes, the entire town will be born anew. Its stunted development will improve at an astounding speed. After walking for nearly two hours, Courtney¡¯s calf was trembling from tiredness when she finally heard Mr. McCullough speak. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Mr. McCullough pointed to a wooden house by the sea that was painted blue and white. ¡°Bill lives there. I won¡¯t be going with you. If you want to find a ce to stay for tonight, you will need to return to the town. If you can¡¯t find the way back, you can call my store. I will ask my daughter toe and lead the way.¡± ¡°Okay, thank you so much.¡± After saying their thanks, Courtney and Alexander walked toward the lonely house by the sea. The coastal area around here had never been developed before as there were no soft, sandy beaches nearby. Moreover, the scenery in the vicinity was not that great, and the wind had a fishy smell to it. The blue and white wooden house was surrounded by a white fence. Three rows of wooden frames stood inside with salted fish and some men¡¯s clothing hanging from them. A shirtless, dark-skinned man was boiling water in the yard. He was using a pot hanging from a frame over an open fire to carry out the simplest distition method. It was certainly very primitive. Courtney and Alexander exchanged nces and shared a knowing smile. ¡°Excuse me, are you Bill Dawson?¡± Courtney stood at the gate of the fence and politely directed a question at the figure. The man turned around and red at her. His gaze was cold and vignt. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I am a friend of Cameron Miller. She told me toe here and meet you. I heard that you and Cameron were schoolmates at St. York University, and you were her senior there.¡± ¡°Cameron Miller?¡± The man stood up and wiped his hands before walking toward the gate. ¡°Are you the boss Cameron mentioned the other day? The one with the surname ¡®Hunter¡¯?¡± She hurriedly nodded, took out her name card, and handed it over. Meanwhile, the man did not reach out to take her name card. His expression remained cold and distant. His tanned face was so dark that it was practically glowing. After studying Courtney for a while, he looked at Alexander. ¡°Then, who is he?¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°I am her bodyguard.¡± Before Courtney could say anything, Alexander replied to the question softly. Unfortunately, his words were utterly outrageous. She red at him fiercely. ¡°What do you mean by bodyguard? Aren¡¯t you¡ªI¡¯m sorry; this is my assistant.¡± Why would anybody bring a bodyguard along when inviting somebody to return to society? Doesn¡¯t that imply that we don¡¯t trust him?! She suddenly felt as if he was merely here to cause trouble for her. The man swept a nce over Alexander and pulled open the gate. ¡°Come in.¡± Courtney heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of the man¡¯s tanned shoulders before following him into the yard. ¡°Mr. Dawson, I know you have lived here alone for quite some time. It¡¯s such a waste to let your designing talent rot here. So, I hope that you can consider returning to society.¡± Bill didn¡¯t even bother to look at her. He ignored her and sat down in front of his simple distition device, his face glowing from the fire. Then, she heard his voice through the crackling mes, ¡°I live here alone, so there is no ce to sit. Make yourselvesfortable.¡± After that, he said nothing more. Then, she secretly groaned. Cameron was not lying when she said that Bill is a strange person. I think it will require a lot of effort to hire him. She did not leave even though he waspletely ignoring her. Rather, she simply stood there awkwardly without moving. We can¡¯t just stand here all day, can we? While she was considering her options, Alexander stepped forward. His deep voice rang out in the courtyard. ¡°Mr. Dawson, in my opinion, it¡¯s not hard to make somebody do something as long as the other party has something that they want. However, this process requiresmunication between both parties. It¡¯s meaningless if you don¡¯t tell us what you want and leave us hanging here.¡± Courtney hurriedly tugged at his arm. Unfortunately, the damage was done¡ªwhat had been said could not be taken back again. In response, Bill turned around and red at Alexander. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Courtney hurriedly apologized. He turned away again, showing his back to the two. ¡°Your assistant is right. Everything starts from the negotiation of terms and conditions. But, there¡¯s nothing I need.¡± ¡°Then, why did you make mee here?¡± Courtney became slightly angry. ¡°I made youe?¡± Bill nced at her, continuing to tinker with the things inside the pot. ¡°I believe what I told Cameron was: Don¡¯te looking for me. Even if you do, I won¡¯t go back.¡± Chapter 202 One Night Surprise Chapter 202 Chapter 202 I Hate Being Threatened the Most ¡°What?!¡± Courtney widened her eyes and stared at Bill. She was so shocked that it took her a long while to return to her senses. ¡°Did you really say that?¡± Bill nced at her. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you were not there at the time.¡± She clenched her fists tightly. D*mn you, Cameron. You deceived me! No wonder she kept repeating that her senior had a bad temper and told me to be mentally prepared before I left toe here. She probably said that because the discussion over the phone didn¡¯t go well. If not for the fact that she is lying unconscious and receiving treatment in the hospital, I would have called her up and given her a tongueshing. Still¡­ ¡°Mr. Dawson, since I¡¯m already here, why don¡¯t you take a few minutes to talk to me about your cooperation intentions? No matter what kind of conditions you ask for, it can be discussed.¡± She forced a smile on her face while imagining herself stabbing Cameron thousands of times with a knife. ¡°No need. As I¡¯ve just told you, I don¡¯t have anything I want. I am satisfied with my current lifestyle.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t force you if you are unwilling.¡± Alexander stopped Courtney and indicated for her to keep quiet. ¡°Mr. Dawson, do you mind if we take a look around?¡± ¡°Sure. There¡¯s nothing of value here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been to a ce like this before, so I¡¯m quite curious. Can I go inside?¡± Before Bill could react, he had already stepped into the house. ¡°Who allowed you to enter my house?!¡± Bill rushed inside in a fluster, chasing after Alexander. In his agitation, he even kicked over the tattered chair by the door. Alexander crossed the threshold of the door and was standing just inside the door. However, Bill blocked his path and spread out his arms on both sides to stop him. He looked like a ck eagle with its wings spread open. Courtney became frightened upon seeing this posture, thinking that the two men might start fighting each other. Thus, she hurriedly stood between the two men and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Dawson. It wasn¡¯t on purpose. We¡¯ll leave¡ª¡± In the dim light inside the house, she swiftly caught sight of several items on the table out of the corner of her eye. Scattered across the table were several design drafts, white or yellow paper, colored pencils, and various clothing design drawings. Although none of the elements were simr to the styles being sold in major stores right now, it only took one nce to form asting impression of the designs. Cameron imed that Bill was a genius, but Courtney had doubted those words. From the looks of it, Cameron was not wrong in her assessment. Living in this remote and isted ce for five years, the designs he created had not been influenced by current consumer trends. Therefore, these design drafts were undoubtedly fresh and unique. ¡°Mr. Dawson, you didn¡¯t stop designing.¡± Courtney lifted her head in surprise. Her gaze was so straightforward that it suppressed Bill¡¯s temper. Frowning, he said solemnly, ¡°It has nothing to do with you. You can leave now.¡± ¡°If you were hurt by the way your previous employer did things, then I can assure you that mypany will never do something like that. We only deal with original creations, not giarism. Moreover, you are free to design whatever you want without being disturbed by anyone.¡± Her tone was sincere when she said those words. She heard from Cameron that Bill¡¯s previous employer had been overly focused on pursuingmercialization. In the end, an issue urred with the clothing, and the entirepany pushed the me on the designer. Therefore, he left the designing industry in disappointment. ¡°No need.¡± Bill¡¯s attitude was cold. ¡°Yourpany is not a charity. Designers are not dreamers either. If there exists a gap between ideals and reality, then it will simply turn into a war between you and me. There¡¯s no need for that.¡± After saying that, he turned around and tidied up the design drafts on the table. ¡°Leave.¡± It seemed like he was unmoved by her words; he was resolute in his decision. Thus, she couldn¡¯t help feeling disappointed. Alexander nced at her sideways and frowned. Then, he directed his words at a tall figure inside the house. ¡°What if I said that you can continue maintaining your current lifestyle aside from handing your design drafts to us from time to time? Your life will hardly be any different from now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to create more trouble in my life.¡± It was an expected answer. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Courtney tugged at Alexander¡¯s sleeve. She was not the kind of person that liked to force a person against their wishes. Bill clearly did not want to be involved in these things anymore. Why bother forcing him? Alexander reflexively grabbed her hand in return. He was like a statue, blocking the doorway and refusing to move. ¡°Of course, if you won¡¯t agree to it¡­ I don¡¯t n to let my trip here be in vain. I will develop Eldham Town into a tourism area.¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. Upon hearing those words, Bill froze in his actions. After confirming that Alexander was not joking around, his expression turned grim. ¡°You came here prepared. Did the owner of the grocery store tell you about that?¡± Courtney¡¯s expression changed drastically. Why is he threatening Bill? We should still maintain friendly rtions even if we fail to reach an agreement! ¡°You sure are going through a lot of trouble just for a nameless guy like myself.¡± Bill gave a coldugh as he mmed the design drafts in his hand down on the table with a ¡®Bam!¡¯. ¡°Unfortunately, I hate being threatened the most.¡± Alexander did not respond. ¡°You can go ahead with the development. Before your development ispleted, I can just move away from this ce. There are many ces for a quiet life; Eldham Town is not the only one.¡± This is turning into a disastrous situation. Courtney felt as if she was being dragged down by Alexander. Hence, she wanted to smile and try to smooth things over. However, Alexander spoke up before she could do anything. ¡°Mypany is currently working on a project on resort towns. Coincidentally, Eldham Town seems to be geographically advantageous. As the president of a company, there is no reason for me not to proceed with my ns with such great benefits in front of me. Make no mistake; this has nothing to do with her. We do not work at the samepany.¡± Alexander nced at Courtney. There was a hint of a barely noticeable smile in his eyes. ¡°My original intention is that if you sign a contract with her as a designer, I will give up on developing thisnd in her honor. It¡¯s too bad that you don¡¯t seem to appreciate my kindness, Mr. Dawson.¡± Bill clenched his fists tightly. ¡°Where does your confidencee from for you to say such words?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve worked at Melrose City before. Even if you¡¯ve never heard of me before, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of Sunhill Enterprise, right?¡± Alexander looked at Bill and smiled faintly. ¡°Allow me to formally introduce myself; my name is Alexander Duncan.¡± Courtney was very unhappy with Alexander¡¯s tant harassment and bullying. She gritted her teeth and endured his behavior for a long time. In the end, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore and kicked him. When he grunted in pain, she scolded, ¡°Alexander Duncan! Are you done?! This is mypany¡¯s affairs. Do you have to ruin everything? Even if you ruin everything, I will never return to Sunhill.¡± Just the night before, Alexander had asked her if she wanted to return to the hotel to work. However, she had refused his offer. I can¡¯t believe this guy is using such offensive methods to hinder me from recruiting talents! What an evil man! Bill looks extremely upset. Even if it were any other man, they would not be happy about being so openly humiliated by another man. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Dawson. Allow me to apologize for the trouble we caused you. I will bring this lunatic away with me immediately,¡± Courtney said as she pulled on Alexander¡¯s sleeve fiercely. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Bill¡¯s voice came from behind them. Chapter 203 One Night Surprise Chapter 203 Chapter 203 It Seems You Know Of Me Bill¡¯s voice sounded like a pool of icy water¡ªit was bitterly cold. ¡°Did you say that you are Alexander Duncan, the president of Sunhill Enterprise?¡± Courtney had just dragged Alexander out the door. When they heard that question, they turned around again. Then, Alexander confirmed his identity unabashedly. ¡°It seems like you know me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more than that!¡± There was a livid, teeth-gnashing expression painted across Bill¡¯s tanned face. Immediately after, Courtney saw white snowkes rushing toward her face. They mmed against both her and Alexander¡¯s bodies. At the same time, a ck figure rushed at Alexander from the front. It was apanied by Bill¡¯s roar. ¡°You brought this on yourself!¡± ¡°Watch out!¡± Courtney¡¯s head was buzzing in shock. She only registered a pair of hands pushing her away. mming against the white, wooden door with a loud ¡®Bang!¡¯, she cried out from the searing pain in her back. By the time she came back to her senses, the two men were already entangled in a brawl. Alexander had the upper hand due to his skills. However, Bill was 1.8 meters tall. Moreover, his muscles were well-built from living by the beach. He hardly felt any pain from where Alexander hit him, but every hit hended on Alexander was heavy. Thus, Alexander was soon ced in a disadvantageous position. Grabbing him by the cor, Bill pressed him down against the ground. He grunted in pain as he took a punch from Bill. The corners of his mouth were stained with blood. ¡°Stop fighting!¡± Courtney finally recovered from her shock and screamed anxiously. Unfortunately, the two men wouldn¡¯t listen to reason. Or rather, Bill refused to stop. Alexander simply fought out of self-defense, refusing to be a sitting duck waiting to be hit. Following their fight, the yard quickly turned into a mess. The dyed cloth and salted fish hanging from the bamboo frames fell to the ground noisily and rolled about in the dirt. Holding her phone, she stomped her foot in anxiety. ¡°Stop fighting! If you continue, I¡¯m going to call the police!¡± Caught up in the mes of their anger, the men couldn¡¯t care less about what she was saying. Bill was fighting like he was carrying out a suicide attack. He fought as if he had a deep hatred for Alexander, punching without stopping. Courtney couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and hurriedly stepped between them to pull them apart. Then, a loud ¡®Crash!¡¯ came from the side, followed by a woman¡¯s scream. Initially, Alexander had already run out of strength. He was being pressed down on the ground and beaten to a pulp. However, his pupils contracted abruptly when he heard that scream. He didn¡¯t know where he got his strength as he suddenly shoved Bill aside and staggered toward Courtney. ¡°Courtney ¡ª¡± The big iron pot in the yard that had been holding a simple distition device had fallen over at some point, and Courtneyy next to the pot. There was a dark brown spot asrge as a bowl that was still emitting white steam on her calf¡ªshe had been scalded badly. The sight distressed Alexander so badly that cold sweat dripped down his back, and he immediately picked her up and ran out of the yard. Bill was dumbfounded too, his face turning pale as he took in the sight in front of him. He was stuck in a daze for a long time before he stood up, chased after Alexander, and stutteringly said, ¡°I-I have an electric tricycle! I¡¯ll send you to the clinic in town.¡± No matter how great Alexander¡¯s resentment was, he could only endure it as he got on the tricycle. He felt extremely heartbroken as he held the unconscious Courtney in his arms throughout the journey. Ever since getting into a rtionship with me, this woman is always in some form of trouble at any one time. She doesn¡¯t even have time to rest. Inside the clinic at Eldham Town, Courtney was rushed into the operating room to treat her wound. The scalded area was notrge, but the wound was deep. During the treatment, heartrending screams rang out from the operation room as she woke up from the pain and fainted again due to the pain. ¡°Didn¡¯t you give her any anesthetics? Why is she in so much pain?!¡± In the middle of treating her wound, the doctor came out. Then, Alexander grabbed the doctor by the cor with a furious expression. The doctor was frightened by his hostility and cowered in fear. ¡°This is a small town. We don¡¯t have an anesthesiologist here, so we can¡¯t administer any anesthetics. Besides, we are just a small health clinic. If you have so many requests, you need to go to the hospital in the city.¡± ¡°The city is 50 or 60 km away from here! If I had the time, do you think I¡¯d still be here?!¡± Alexander roared. His voice was hoarse, and his eyes became bloodshot. Along the way, Courtney had curled up in his arms while trembling. Even though she had lost consciousness, she gritted her teeth and refused to make any sound. The way she looked as she silently endured the pain greatly distressed him. This d*mn ce! ¡°Don¡¯t me the doctor. This is a clinic. There¡¯s really no other way.¡± Bill frowned and grabbed Alexander¡¯s arm. ¡°If you grab the doctor in this manner, there won¡¯t be anybody to treat Miss Hunter¡¯s wound.¡± Alexander was filled with animosity. Even so, he released his grip and punched Bill in the face while cursing viciously. Bill staggered backward several steps and slumped down in a corner. Lifting his head, he wiped away the blood at the corners of his mouth. ¡°I was at fault for causing harm to an innocent bystander. But, you don¡¯t have the right to hit me. If it wasn¡¯t for you, all of this would never have happened.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression was icy. ¡°Speak clearly!¡± ¡°Why? Can¡¯t you even remember what you did?¡± Bill looked contemptuous. The corner of his eyes curved upward in a cold arc. ¡°Wasn¡¯t Sunjoy Fashion a clothing brand under Sunhill? Did you think you can pretend that what happened five years ago never took ce if you changed the name of the company and switched out all the employees?! Sunhill is the most horriblepany I¡¯ve ever seen; even children are not spared from your evil deeds!¡± Sunjoy Fashion? Alexander¡¯s furrowed eyebrows were dyed with a faint trace of doubt. However, Bill had no intention of talking to Alexander. Using the wall as support, he slowly stood up. His gaze was proud and lonely as he grimly said, ¡°I don¡¯t regret beating you up. You can go ahead and report this to the police; send me to jail for eight to ten years. But, I wish to wait until Miss Hunter wakes up before you do that. I need to apologize to her. Harming her was not my intention.¡± I have no idea what he is talking about, but his tone indicates that thispany named ¡®Sunjoy¡¯ is rted to me. While Alexander was deep in thought, a cell phone rang and interrupted his thoughts. He looked at the caller ID then nced at Bill. After that, he walked out of the clinic and answered the call. It was a call from Josh. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°President Duncan, all the seafood has been delivered to Melrose City. Why aren¡¯t you at the company?¡± ¡°I was busy with something. I¡¯m still at Lisboa right now.¡± ¡°Then, about the project development meeting tonight¡­¡± ¡°Proceed as usual but change it to a video conference.¡± ¡°Alright, I will inform them.¡± Before hanging up, Alexander asked, ¡°Was there a clothingpany by the name of ¡®Sunjoy¡¯ under Sunhill Enterprise five years ago?¡± ¡°Sunjoy?¡± Josh seemed to hesitate slightly on the other side of the phone. ¡°Yes, there was. But, I only heard of it four years ago. Sunjoy¡¯s reputation as a clothing brand was extremely negative by then. It no longer held any value, so I applied to deregister it. Afterward, I also dismissed all the original employees at thepany.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I have any recollection of that?¡± Alexander frowned. Chapter 204 One Night Surprise Chapter 204 Chapter 204 You¡¯re Not the Only One ¡°It¡¯s probably because it wasn¡¯t that important at the time. It was a bankrupt and liquidated subsidiary with no value to it. At the time, you were busypeting with Vice President Duncan over the hotel development project at Southprime Resort Town. I handled these smallerpanies on your behalf.¡± ¡°How did it go bankrupt?¡± Alexander questioned. ¡°Why didn¡¯t the group carry out any assistance strategies?¡± ¡°There was no saving it. The brand was ruined by some evil factories, as well as the manager of Sunjoy at the time. They even went so far as to cut corners when producing arge batch of materials for children¡¯s clothing. The materials they chose to use failed the quality inspections; they contained chemicals that were harmful to the human body. That incident was a huge deal back then. Fortunately, Sunjoy did not have much interaction with Sunhill and did not drag the head office into its scandal. By the time I went there, Sunjoy had been abandoned.¡± Five years ago, Sunhill Enterprise had not been under Alexander¡¯s control alone. Scott was worried about handing the entire control of thepany over to him. Moreover, he had a child behind Scott¡¯s back, which left Scott feeling extremely displeased with him. Therefore, the control rights of the group had been divided, and the other half of the authority was held by his cousin, James Duncan. The project at Southprime Resort Town was the decisive battle between them. Theypeted for two long years before Alexander finally took the win. After that, James was forced to leave thepany. During that period, all thepeting real estate investment businesses had no time to be bothered by the trivial matters within theirpanies as everybody had their eyes on Southprime Resort Town. Besides, there was another more important reason behind the bankruptcy. From the other side of the phone, Josh¡¯s voice hinted at something significant. ¡°It was rumored that the manager of Sunjoy at the time was Vice President Duncan¡¯s lover. The rtionship between them was not that simple. There were a lot of undercurrents going on. The performance reported to the headquarters during those years was always mediocre, but the headquarters never sent anybody to inspect it.¡± To put it simply, James had been in charge of Sunjoy at the time. Alexander couldn¡¯t interfere in its matters even if he wanted to ¡°Compile the details of the general situation at the time and send them to me.¡± Alexander pondered for a moment before adding, ¡°Include a list of the designers at Sunjoy at the time too.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Alexander hung up and turned to see Bill standing behind him. Thus, he deliberately insulted Bill without mincing his words. ¡°Eavesdropping is a bad habit.¡± On the other hand, Bill seemed to be stunned. Alexander was about to leave when he turned around and said, ¡°It¡¯s impossible for you to know nothing about what happened back then! It was such a huge deal! Besides, the final decision to force all the me on me was made by the headquarters.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any interest in what happened to you back then. And, I don¡¯t care why you hate me. There are many people out there who hate my guts. You¡¯re not the only one.¡± Alexander spat those words out before entering the clinic without looking back. The ck figure stood at the entrance of the clinic, forming a stark contrast against the white walls of the clinic. He stood there motionlessly like a statue for a long while. After the treatment ended, Courtney remained unconscious for two hours. By the time she woke up, her entire body hurt so much that it felt numb. However, even the slightest movement made her nerves throb in pain, and she couldn¡¯t help gasping from the agony. ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± Alexander held her hand, looking distressed. ¡°The doctor said that your condition is not suitable for long-distance travel right now. He is afraid the blisters might burst. So, we will be observing you for tonight. Tomorrow morning, we will head to the hospital in the city.¡± N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Her throat was a little hoarse. It was probably caused by the excessive screaming from before. It took her a long while to find her voice. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± His originally serious expression changed to a startled expression as he stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go and buy something for you to eat.¡± ¡°No need.¡± She winked at something behind him. ¡°Mr. Dawson, are you here to bring me some food?¡± He turned around and saw Bill standing at the door of the hospital ward. Bill was holding a simple wooden food container in his hand, and the fragrance of fish could vaguely be detected from it. As soon as Alexander saw Bill, he immediately felt his temper rising. His expression turned grim. ¡°Who let you in? Take that and leave.¡± ¡°Give that to me. Is it fish porridge?¡± When he heard what the patient on the hospital bed said, his expression stiffened in embarrassment. On the other hand, the patient did not respect her boyfriend¡¯s feelings at all. She even struggled to sit up on the hospital bed while warmly beckoning Bill over. Her struggles agitated her wound again, and she grinned in pain. Bill quickly walked into the room, looking at a loss for what to do. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Alexander pressed against Courtney¡¯s shoulders to prevent her from moving about. Then, he looked back and red at Bill warningly. ¡°Just stay there without moving and hand me the item.¡± ¡°What are you doing? Mr. Dawson brought me food out of kindness.¡± Courtney endured the pain and squeezed out a smile that looked worse than if she had cried. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Dawson.¡± Bill held the food container in one hand and scratched his head with the other. ¡°No, I wanted to apologize to you. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Before Courtney could reply, Alexander stretched out his hand with a chilly expression. ¡°Stop wasting my time with your nonsense. Just hand that to me.¡± If not for Courtney craving fish porridge, I wouldn¡¯t even touch anything from this crazy b*stard. Contrarily, Courtney acted as if she had happened upon a great opportunity. She abruptly pinched his arm while looking at Bill with a bright smile. ¡°Mr. Dawson, why don¡¯t you take a seat? This is no big deal; you don¡¯t need to worry about it. Besides, it wasn¡¯t intentional. Rather, I¡¯m quite curious as to why you were so furious just now.¡± Upon hearing those words, Bill¡¯s expression became stiff. He didn¡¯t know whether to sit or to stand. Thus, he was left at a greater loss for what to do. Alexander threw a scornful look in Bill¡¯s direction. Then, he blew on a spoonful of porridge to cool it down before feeding it to Courtney. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask me instead of asking him about it?¡± ¡°Do you know about it?¡± Courtney ate a spoonful of porridge and looked at him in surprise. ¡°Eat while we talk.¡± He didn¡¯t like how she seemed to be interested in everything. She is always curious about everything but me. The two men finished exining everything in the time it took for her to finish the bowl of fish porridge. Everybody had their own reasons in the story. At the time, Bill was already a famous designer in the designing industry. He joined Sunjoy under his friend¡¯s invitation. His friend imed that Sunjoy had a powerful supporter, which would allow them more freedom in creating designs there. Not long after Bill joined Sunjoy, he epted an order to produce a batch of uniforms for middle school students. Back then, the fabric he advocated was not directly adopted for use due to the high costs involved. Thus, he lost his temper during the meeting. In a fit of anger, he sarcastically said, ¡°We might as well use inferior fabrics to save cost since nobody can tell anyway.¡± As a result, the factories under the company went rogue and used substandard fabrics to produce shoddy products. This turn of events was what led to the events down the road. Bill had been unaware of these matters. Afterward, thepany¡¯s evil deeds came to light. The top brass decided to dump the me on the designer to protect Sunjoy¡¯s reputation. Forced to bear the me and stigma from the incident, he was kicked out of the designing industry and returned to Eldham Town in a fit of rage When the story ended, Bill¡¯s face was flushed as he anxiously exined, ¡°It was a statement from Sunhill Enterprise which clearly stated that I was to me for the entire incident. At the time, the president of thepany was none other than you, Alexander Duncan.¡± Chapter 205 One Night Surprise Chapter 205 Chapter 205 Never Smiled That Brightly at Me Before Courtney swallowed and looked at the man in front of her as he fed her porridge. Then, she awkwardly said, ¡°Uh¡­ I think the president of thepany at the time really was you.¡± ¡°No need to beat around the bush. It has always been me.¡± Alexander stuffed thest mouthful of fish porridge into her mouth. ng! The spoon ttered against the walls of the porcin bowl. He ced the bowl by the bedside and wiped his hands slowly. ¡°However, the person in charge of the clothing brand was not me.¡± He nced at Bill and continued in a cold voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t you eavesdrop on my phone call this afternoon? Why are you still doubting me? Or, could it be that you just refuse to ept the truth?¡± Bill trembled with anger. ¡°That was caused by the conflict between the senior executives of the company! It¡¯s really disgusting how you treat us designers as sacrificial pawns to shield yourselves from harm!¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you think, then there¡¯s nothing more for me to say.¡± Alexander nced at Bill as he crumpled the tissue in his hands into a ball. The white ball-like object traversed in a smooth arc through the air and uratelynded into the trash can at the foot of the bed. If it wasn¡¯t for Courtney. I wouldn¡¯t have bothered about such trivial matters from the past, let alone the messy business James left behind. ¡°You know, I believe that this is all just a misunderstanding.¡± Courtney looked at the two men. ¡°It¡¯s not fair for Sunhill Enterprise to indiscriminately frame the employees of its subsidiaries back then. Those actions could easily ruin a person¡¯s future.¡± Bill vehemently agreed on this point. ¡°But¡­ even if Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s actions were wrong, you cannot me somebody else for that without understanding the truth behind the incident, Mr. Dawson. How is that any different from what the senior executives at Sunhill Enterprise did back then?¡± Upon hearing those words, his tanned face paled considerably. To be honest, she had seen through his feelings from the way he carefully and stutteringly exined his side of the story. He probably knew that he had wrongly used Alexander and was regretting his actions. Unfortunately, he could not set aside his pride and admit that he was wrong. ¡°Why don¡¯t everybody shake hands and make peace for my sake? Mr. Dawson, I¡¯ve eaten the fish porridge you gave me. It was delicious. Let¡¯s just take that as your apology for identally scalding me. I won¡¯t be paying you for it, okay?¡± Courtney aimed to lighten up the atmosphere, but Bill couldn¡¯t bring himself to smile. On the other hand, the expression on Alexander¡¯s face was so cold that he resembled an iceberg sitting there. Nobody responded to her joke, and the atmosphere became even more awkward than before. He needs to apologize to me.¡± Alexander pointed at the bruise at the corner of his mouth to show Courtney. ¡°I¡¯m letting him off easy with just an apology.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Bill angrily pointed at his ck eye. ¡°You beat me up too!¡± ¡°Self-defense and intentionally causing harm are two different things.¡± Seeing that the situation was turning explosive again, Courtney abruptly fell into a coughing fit. Cough, cough, cough¡ª Both men stopped suddenly and looked at her anxiously. ¡°I traveled all the way out into the boonies to sign a contract with a designer only to receive this burn on my leg. Yet, the two of you keep on quarreling with each other. It¡¯s very annoying!¡± Alexander felt extremely guilty upon hearing those words. If it wasn¡¯t for me, Courtney would not have gotten injured. With nowhere to vent his resentment, he shot a chilly re at Bill again. In response, Bill red right back at Alexander without holding back. Then, he turned to Courtney to confirm something. ¡°Miss Hunter, you mentioned previously that you do not work for Sunhill Enterprise. I would like to confirm that again; is that true?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°I might hold the surname ¡®Hunter¡¯, but there is nothing between me and Sunhill Enterprise whatsoever aside from being a former employee at Sunhill Hotel. Citron Apparel has always been my family¡¯s business, and now, I oversee thepany.¡± She greatly emphasized the words ¡®former employee¡¯ as if deliberately trying to warn Alexander about something. When Alexander heard those words, he silently swallowed the words he had been about to say to Bill. ¡°Good.¡± Bill nodded solemnly. ¡°Then, I will sign a contract with you. Any conditions will be fine. It will be mypensation for harming you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Courtney was stunned. ¡°Are you serious? Can you repeat that?!¡± His expression was serious as he repeated what he just said, word for word. I can¡¯t believe my sudden stroke of fortune! Who could have thought that Bill¡¯s sense of responsibility could be so strong?! I can¡¯t believe he epted my offer because he identally burned my leg! If so, this burn is totally worth it! ¡°Then, I will immediately draw up a contract upon my return. I will send somebody to deliver it to youter.¡± ¡°No need. You can go back first. I will head to Melrose City after packing up my stuff. By the way, I have a condition.¡± ¡°You dare to set conditions?¡± Alexander red at Bill. ¡°What is it?¡± In response, Courtney pinched him as she shed a brilliant smile at Bill. ¡°I¡¯ll ept whatever you ask for.¡± This is unbelievable! Alexander thought furiously. ¡°I don¡¯t have a ce to stay in Melrose City. So, I need a temporary ce to stay. I will move out once I find a house.¡± ¡°Sure. You can leave it to me. I¡¯ll make it so that you can move in as soon as you arrive,¡± she agreed readily. Getting a good designer is equivalent to obtaining a cash cow! What is a housepared to that?! ¡°I look forward to working with you.¡± Courtney struggled to stretch out her arm, intending to shake hands with Bill. However, Alexander caught her hand before she could fully stretch out her hand. He impatiently pushed her back down on the bed. ¡°Your injury is not healed. Did you forget about the pain? So what if you¡¯re working together? Just stay still.¡± Bill nced at him contemptuously and faintly said, ¡°Male chauvinism will kill a marriage. Miss Hunter, I advise you to reconsider this person carefully.¡± ¡°What did you say?!¡± Alexander¡¯s expression was extremely dark. ¡°I¡¯ll go back to pack up so that I can make it to leave with you.¡± Bill acted like he heard nothing. After saying that, he arrogantly walked out of the clinic. ¡°Hey, Mr. Dawson! You forgot your bowl!¡± A melodious voice rang out from the lobby of the clinic. ¡°Just throw it away. I¡¯ll get new ones when I move out.¡± A long time after Bill left, Courtney was still staring in the direction he left with a foolish smile on her face. ¡°Are you done being happy?¡± Alexander stared at her coldly, looking very dangerous. She wiggled her eyebrows at him. ¡°Of course, I¡¯d be happy about signing a contract with a designer.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never smiled at me like that before.¡± ¡°Smile at you?¡± She looked at him in contempt. ¡°People will think I¡¯m crazy if I smiled at you like that.¡± If Cameron saw that, she¡¯ll say that I¡¯ve been deluded by his beauty and turned into a nympho! He felt extremely dissatisfied with the result. Gritting his teeth, he said, ¡°I was still diligently trying to find a way for you to win over that stupid designer when you were being treated for your wounds inside the clinic. But, you only focused on that b*stard the moment you woke up. You didn¡¯t even look at me! Courtney Hunter, don¡¯t you have anything else to say to me?¡± He immediately regretted saying those words. Thus, he scowled deeply and turned to leave. In the past, he would not have said anything. However, he was feeling extremely anxious right now¡ªso much so that he shamelessly said something he did not mean just to take credit for what he secretly did. Courtney grabbed Alexander¡¯s hand abruptly. His hand wasrge and wide. Moreover, it had the warmth that was characteristic of a man. Following her action of leaning forward, her waist gradually arched into a smooth line as she ced a warm kiss on the corner of his mouth. The hospital ward immediately became very quiet. Then, he heard the gentlest voice murmur, ¡°Thank you.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. Chapter 206 One Night Surprise Chapter 206 Chapter 206 Victor¡¯s Justice Bill still had matters to deal with in Eldham Town. Therefore, he promised Courtney that he would finish everything he needed to do and head to Melrose City within a week. After that, Courtney and Alexander left Eldham Town. Inside the car, Courtney suddenly asked, ¡°You mentioned before that a part of the control rights of Sunhill Enterprise was held by another person five years ago. Is that true?¡± Alexander had both hands on the steering wheel as he looked to the front attentively. When he heard her question, he didn¡¯t get distracted and casually responded to her question. ¡°James is one year younger than me. At the time, he was already working in thepany after finishing his undergraduate degree at a local university. It was based on the premise that he gave up the chance to continue his master¡¯s degree at Yale University. Therefore, he was already the vice president of Sunhill Enterprise before I even came back to the country. Grandpa cherished him very much at the time.¡± Speaking of James¡­ James left a deep impression on her when she met him at the Duncan Residence the other day. The man was in his thirties. He looked rather simr to Alexander and was quite effeminate. Moreover, he was always smiling at everybody. However, it was hard to read his true intentions clearly despite how friendly he seemed. ¡°So, your return made James feel threatened.¡± Courtney looked at Alexander unflinchingly. ¡°Yes.¡± Alexander nodded. His gaze was quite cold as he continued, ¡°In the beginning, I only participated in the board of directors¡¯ meetings as a shareholder of thepany after my return. Iter raised some questions about thepany¡¯s financial affairs. After Grandpa investigated the matter, he arranged for me to participate in the management of thepany. At the time, my authority was not as great as that of James.¡± Regardless of whether Alexander had participated in managing thepany, his return, in and of itself, presented the greatest threat to James. After all, the entirety of Sunhill Enterprise belonged to Scott. As thergest shareholder in thepany, Scott held absolute authority over thepany. Furthermore, Alexander was Scott¡¯s one and only grandson. As such, thepany would be handed over to Alexander, sooner orter, so long as nothing major urred. ¡°What did he do?¡± Courtney continued asking. Alexander sneered, ¡°You¡¯ve got the right idea. What did he do? If he had not done anything, he would still be managing thepany up until today. He is part of the Duncan family after all. Besides, the company fared pretty well under his management during those years he was working there. Unfortunately, he is too suspicious for his own good.¡± After Alexander joined Sunhill Enterprise, James orchestrated many things as part of a smear campaign against Alexander. He wanted to make Alexander look bad in front of Scott, even going so far as to spread the rumor about Alexander¡¯s sexual orientation. It was due to that ridiculous rumor that Scottter forced Alexander to marry by threatening him with the inheritance rights to thepany. Listening to the story made Courtney gasp in disbelief. ¡°Then, is Jordan¡¯s inability to speak rted to him?¡± James was so vignt against Alexander. Furthermore, his position in the line of session would be pushed back even more if there was another heir in the line. Therefore, Jordan¡¯s existence was disadvantageous for him. The question came out of nowhere, and Alexander frowned upon hearing it. ¡°Are you really looking into Jordan¡¯s affairs?¡± ¡°Did you think I was joking?¡± She became unhappy, her eyebrows furrowing together slightly. ¡°That wasn¡¯t my intention. I won¡¯t stop you if you want to investigate the matter. Please speak up if you need help. Don¡¯t try to solve it on your own.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Her expression softened. ¡°From what I can tell, your cousin has a usible motive. I will look into it from this direction. In any case, you should be wary of him too. I met him at the Duncan Residence the other day. It seems like he has not gotten over what happened back then.¡± When she said that, she carefully observed his expression. She didn¡¯t want to let any minor changes in his expression go unnoticed. He frowned slightly as if recalling something. A trace of guilt flitted across his dark eyes, but he soon rxed again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Winner takes all.¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org. There were many ways to interpret the saying ¡®winner takes all¡¯. The simplest exnation wasmon knowledge: as long as one won the battle, the end justified the means. It did not matter what nasty means one used to achieve victory. Upon hearing that, she felt her hands go cold. She couldn¡¯t help thinking about the possibility Oliver had mentioned to her previously. It was about the possibility that Jordan¡¯s high fever the other day had been manipted. Thus, she tried to probe him by asking, ¡°He must be quite aplex man. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t need topete with him for so many years.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Even so, he shouldn¡¯t have done those wicked deeds.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression was cold. ¡°No matter how fierce the business rivalry, we should only stick to business approaches. Besides, Grandpa values family harmony above all else. He should never have touched family.¡± ¡°What did he do?¡± Alexander did not reply and fell silent for several seconds. ¡°Grandpa suppressed the incident back then. I can¡¯t say much about it. She squeezed his hand and smiled reluctantly. ¡°I understand.¡± She had always thought of James as nothing more than a despicable good-for-nothing. However, now that things had progressed this far, she couldn¡¯t help feeling suspicious about the incident at the Duncan Residence the other day. She had a feeling that James had known about Alexander¡¯s return in advance and angered Alexander on purpose. Then, heter manipted her into leaving Sunhill Enterprise and orchestrated the falling out between her and Alexander. At the time, thepany¡¯s PR team was in a chaotic mess dealing with the aftermath of the fire at the hotel. Thus, the share prices fluctuated significantly. This entire series of events all started from that incident that urred at the backyard of the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home the other day. Just thinking about it filled her with horror. Even such a shrewd man had been defeated by Alexander. Moreover, he suffered utter defeat from only one blow. Ever since James had been dismissed from the position of the vice president of Sunhill Enterprise, he failed to get involved in any matters involving thepany ever again. James¡¯ conniving nature was detectable, but Alexander¡¯s shrewdness was not. Therefore, it was doubtful as to whether or not Jordan¡¯s high fever had been a decoy in one of their power struggles. Just as the sun was about to set, Alexander¡¯s car got off the highway. Furthermore, the phone messages indicated that they had entered Melrose City. A soft female voice rang out from the navigator, directing them to their destination. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Courtney asked, looking at the road puzzledly. ¡°I¡¯m taking you to the hospital,¡± Alexander casually replied from beside her. She snapped back to the present and said, ¡°Oh, yes¡­ We should go and check on Cameron.¡± Inside the car, he wondered out loud in amusement. ¡°Courtney, do you think that I am omnipotent while you are invulnerable?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± What nonsensical question is this? ¡°How would I know which hospital Cameron is staying at?¡± He red at her. ¡°Did you forget about the injury on your leg?¡± Stunned, she finally remembered the burn wound on her leg. The doctor had advised her to change the dressing frequently for the next two days to avoid any infection due to the hot weather. ¡°Can you please take care of yourself first before you worry about others?¡± Alexander sighed helplessly. ¡°How am I supposed to not worry about you?¡± Courtney felt a sense of warmth filling her heart. She couldn¡¯t help smiling as she teased him, ¡°It won¡¯t be easy. Didn¡¯t you apologize to me? An apology isn¡¯t just about lip service. Let¡¯s see if you dare to put work aside during this period, stay by my side, and take care of me 24/7.¡± ¡°Do you think I won¡¯t dare to do that?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± lexander said nothing in response. Chapter 207 One Night Surprise Chapter 207 Chapter 207 Now There¡¯s Only One Woman Left N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. ¡°Don¡¯t regret it.¡± Alexander raised his eyebrow at her as he dialed Josh¡¯s number. ¡°Cancel everything that was scheduled for this week. Also, find somebody you can trust to oversee the renovation of Courtney¡¯spany. Don¡¯t contact me for the next two days unless it¡¯s for something urgent.¡± Courtney seriously doubted her ears when she heard the sounds inside the car. Did Alexander, the workaholic, just postpone his work for the entire week because of a joke I made? She had been to the president¡¯s office at Sunhill Enterprise before. It was not an exaggeration to say that the documents were sent in continuously. The documents would pile up on his table if he was so much as absent for half a day. If he doesn¡¯t go to work for a week, won¡¯t the entire office be buried under the documents?! ¡°Miss Hunter, how much are you paying for caregiving fees?¡± When she heard that question, she finally recovered from her shock and epted reality calmly. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll pay ording to the market price.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too low. A nurse doesn¡¯t warm your bed for you.¡± The corners of her mouth twitched. ¡°Who asked you to warm my bed?¡± I¡¯m sure he was aiming for this all along! This dirty pervert! Without a change in his expression, he said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll give it to you as a freebie. You¡¯ll get a free bed- warmer along with the caregiving services you paid for.¡± Who asked for that freebie?! Sheughed until her sides hurt. By the time they finished with the physical examination at the best hospital in the city center, the sky had turnedpletely dark. Pressing the cotton swab against her arm, Courtney had a weary expression on her face. All I did was receive emergency treatment for my burns in the countryside. Is there really a need to worry about bacterial infections? He even made me take a full-body examination as well as a blood test. The dressing on the wound was a little crude, but it¡¯s not a problem. You can leave after changing the bandages. You cane back next week for the results of the blood test.¡± ording to the prescription provided by the doctor, they obtained some more medicine before leaving the hospital. ck business cars wove in and out of the heavy traffic. The contrasting differences between the prosperity of Melrose City and the simplicity of Eldham Town seemed to create an illusion of traveling through space and time. They collided with each other in Courtney¡¯s head, rousing subtle emotions in her. ¡°It¡¯s veryte. Do we still go and visit Cameron?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°She told me before that she mostly spent her time sleeping whenever her condition arose. So, it doesn¡¯t make much of a difference to her whether it is daytime or night-time. I¡¯ll go and check on her. You¡­ should have a talk with Gale.¡± If he can¡¯t endure this life-changing event, then there is no need to force himself. Alexander understood the meaning behind her words. Thus, he nodded. ¡°I will talk to him about the reality of the situation. But¡­ it will ultimately be up to him, whatever he chooses. Do you need me to convey anything to him?¡± ¡°No need.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him after you finish your talk. ¡°Okay.¡± When Cameron¡¯s condition rpsed, Gale brought her to the hospital for a physical examination and was given some ointment for minor abrasions. After consulting with a psychiatric expert, they suggested admitting her to the hospital for treatment. However, he refused to do so. Despite only going to a psychiatric hospital to check out the environment once, he simply could not bring himself to allow her to live among those people. Therefore, she was currently living in his apartment. He quit his job at Sunhill Enterprise as a result and was practically watching over her 24/7. When the door opened, Courtney was greeted by an unshaven face. If she had not seen Gale at his sloppiest before, she would have been extremely shocked by the sight of him at this moment. ¡°Sorry.¡± Gale¡¯s condition looked pretty good. When he saw her staring at him, he touched the stubble on his chin in embarrassment and exined, ¡°I got rid of everything sharp in the house, so I couldn¡¯t clean myself up. Come on in.¡± With a patient suffering from depression at home, this level of caution was necessary. After all, nobody knew when the depressed individual would suddenly be suicidal and decide to leave the world without telling anybody. ¡°Is she asleep?¡± She walked into the house and nced in the direction of the master bedroom. He shook his head. ¡°Nope. She¡¯s watching TV in the room. Why don¡¯t you go and see her?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Courtney went straight to the bedroom and left the living room to the two men. She believed that Alexander would consider the worst possible situation and let Gale know that the future ahead was a long and difficult one. Putting aside whether he could stand living with a person suffering from depression, the question of whether or not his parents could ept Cameron¡¯s existence was also a serious problem to be considered. I¡¯m afraid he doesn¡¯t have the ability to convince his parents. Closing the bedroom door behind her, she temporarily cleared her head of those worries. She carefully studied the figure curled up at the head of the bed. In the past, she had never noticed that Cameron was actually rather small and thin. Cameron looked like a weak and helpless animal curled up on the bed, seeming very insecure. The tablet ced on a bracket in front of her was ying a Disney cartoon, and she was watching it attentively. Her gaze had always been sharp, but now it only held innocence and na?vete. Looking at those eyes, Courtney felt her heart melting in response. At the same time, she also felt a sense of panic. Anybody who looked into those eyes would be filled withpassion to love her, especially Gale who was utterly in love with her and was determined to marry her. ¡°Cameron,¡± Courtney called out very softly for fear of startling her. The figure on the bed cowered in response, abruptly pulling up the nkets and burying her entire face in the nkets. A long while passed before a pair of eyes slowly appeared from behind the nkets. They were filled with suspicion and disorientation. Courtney stood still without moving as she tried to exin, ¡°Do you not recognize me? Cameron, it¡¯s Courtney. Courtney Hunter. I¡¯m the mother of Tina, your goddaughter.¡± Cameron¡¯s eyes seemed a little confused. After a while, she finally seemed to recognize Courtney and nodded hesitantly. She slowly said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Court-ney.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Courtney.¡± Courtney nodded happily. After hesitating for a bit, she pointed at the tablet. ¡°Are you watching Snow White? Can I watch it with you?¡± Cameron¡¯s reaction seemed rather slow. She considered it for a long time. Approximately half a minute went by before she nodded and replied with some difficulty, ¡°Okay.¡± In the movie, Snow White had just received the poisoned apple from the witch. It was an exciting moment. ¡°Do you n to continue living like this?¡± In the living room, Alexander¡¯s voice was as cold as ever. Sitting opposite him, Galeughed. ¡°Is there anything wrong with that? Didn¡¯t you always feel that I slept around too much and kept a bunch of strange women around me? Now there¡¯s only one woman left. I got rid of all the others.¡± ¡°I am not against any of the decisions you make. But before that, I need to tell you about what you will experience in the future, as a friend. Will you listen to me?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was overly calm. It instantly dispelled the rxed atmosphere Gale had been trying to create. Thus, Gale understood that he could not avoid the conversation. Scratching his head, he slowly let out a sigh. ¡°Sure. Say what you want. I¡¯ve already made up my mind anyway.¡± ¡°You might believe that you are determined now and that your love is stronger than everything else. Therefore, it is impossible to persuade you to give up from your perspective. So, I¡¯m going to ask you this; have you told your parents about this?¡± Alexander started the discussion by cutting straight to the most realistic aspect. Gale had obviously considered this question before. Even so, he frowned when he heard the question. ¡°I¡¯ll conceal it for now. I¡¯ll let them know when the time is right.¡± ¡°When will the time be right?¡± Alexander¡¯s questioning voice grew colder. ¡°Are you nning to wait until Cameron regains her sanity?¡± Chapter 208 One Night Surprise Chapter 208 Chapter 208 I Have Something to Confess to You Gale felt a little irritated that his thoughts had been seen through. ¡°Is that wrong? Cameron will get better.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± Alexander¡¯s tone was firm. ¡°Your parents will certainly perform a check on the person you wish to marry in the future. If, at that time, they discover that you concealed Cameron¡¯s medical history from them¡­ they will never give you their blessing.¡± He had known Gale¡¯s parents since childhood. They closed an eye toward everything Gale did because he was already an adult. However, they could not condone lies and deception. It was not hard to imagine their resentment toward Cameron if they learned that he had concealed something so important from them. ¡°If you want to risk Cameron being hated by your parents for the rest of her life, then you can do just that.¡± With that one sentence, Alexander, more or less, blocked all the solutions Gale had thought up previously. Gale¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed so deeply that they were nearly knotted together. ¡°To be honest, being open with them is nothing. I¡¯m not worried about my parents being unable to ept this. Right now, Cameron has lost all rationality. I¡¯m worried that when she recovers, she might be angry at me for dering our rtionship on my own while she was in no position to make decisions. After all, we broke up and have not reconciled.¡± I just brought her back because she isn¡¯t herself right now. After saying so much, Alexander felt that there was no need for him to continue trying to persuade Gale. Thus, he patted Gale on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve said what I needed to say. As for the rest¡­ I believe Courtney has something to say to you.¡± ¡°As she should.¡± Gale nodded. Courtney was Cameron¡¯s best friend. It could also be said that Courtney was her only friend. She shared her secrets with Courtney¡ªCourtney was the only person in this world that knew about her mental illness. Now that she is living with me, it¡¯s only natural for Courtney to have something to say to me. C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org. A whileter, Courtney walked out of the bedroom. Then, Alexander tactfully stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll get the car from the garage.¡± After saying that, he gave Courtney a look before leaving. ¡°Have a seat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression was aloof. ¡°It looks like you didn¡¯t listen to anything Alexander said.¡± ¡°I heard it all,¡± Gale exined. ¡°His words were very kind. It was all for my sake. However, it doesn¡¯t consider Cam at all, no matter how I think about it. After all, he doesn¡¯t stand in my shoes.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m speaking from Cameron¡¯s standpoint.¡± Her gaze was as sharp as a de; its sharpness was unconcealed. ¡°What I¡¯m going to say won¡¯t be as nice.¡± ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m ready for it. From the day I learned about Cam¡¯s medical history, I¡¯ve prepared myself for everything.¡± ¡°Among all your preparations, did you consider the possibility that you might not be able to remain committed to her anymore and abandon her one day? Did you prepare for that?¡± Her tone was extremely serious. It was neither a joke nor an insult; she was simply asking a question. If the day comes that you no longer love her, or you be so exhausted with life and cannot bear supporting her anymore¡­ what will happen to her then? He clenched his fists. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± After saying that, he walked to a corner where there was an open reading area, opened the cab door on the bottom of the bookcase, and took out an aluminum portable safe. ¡°These are the certificates of all my non-liquid assets. There are 36 properties under my name. The most valuable asset among them is a property located in Kyoto. Moreover, three out of six properties in Melrose City aremercial properties that have been rented out. The rest are mostly spread out over the tourism areas across the country. Also, this is a car in my name, and this is the proof of share ownership under my name¡ª¡± ¡°Why are you showing these to me?¡± She felt extremely confused when he started telling her all about his assets. She listened to it for a while and noticed that more than half of the items in the safe had yet to be taken out. Thus, she couldn¡¯t help interrupting him. He stopped in the middle of taking out his certificates of assets. Looking up, he solemnly said to her, ¡°If it really is like what you said; if the day reallyes when I can no longer bear to support her anymore¡­ I¡¯ve also considered that. Even though I don¡¯t believe that I will ever stop loving her or be unable to withstand anything, I did consider that I might lose my life due to a disaster or an ident. So, I¡¯ve thought about it.¡± She remained silent. ¡°These are all the current explicit assets that are in my name. I have asked awyer to draft out a contract. If the situation you mentioned were to ever arise, all my assets will be handed over to Cam.¡± ¡°What if she is unable to use them?¡± She said those words with some difficulty. ¡°There will be three parties managing it on her behalf, namely the trust institution, the welfare organization, and the psychiatric hospital. They will supervise each other and take care of Cam for the rest of her life.¡± After listening to his exnation of what he had arranged for the future, she had no choice but to believe that he had done his homework when it came to taking care of Cameron. It might be nothing more than a whim, but this passion had not affected his rationality. Rather, he was overly rational about this. He even considered the possibility that the trust institution and welfare organization might jointly defraud Cameron of her assets. Hence, he requested that Cameron had to live until at least 80 years old, and all her organs and tissues were at least at the same functioning level as others in the same age group. If those conditions were fulfilled, the leftover money would then be donated to the welfare organization. Therefore, Courtney had nothing left to say. When Courtney was about to leave Gale¡¯s house, weeping sounds came from inside the bedroom. Gale seemed to be used to it. ¡°I won¡¯t keep youpany anymore. She is probably crying because of the movie. I need to go andfort her.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Courtney had reason to believe that Cameron was receiving better care at Gale¡¯s ce than anywhere else. However, she was also vaguely worried that being Cameron¡¯s personal caregiver would bring greatplications to his normal life. After getting into the car, Alexander did not talk about the events in Gale¡¯s house today. Instead, he asked about other things. ¡°Do we go back to Grandpa¡¯s ce to visit Tina?¡± When they learned about what happened to Cameron, he had sent Tina over to Scott¡¯s ce to stay for the time being. On the other hand, Courtney seemed reluctant. She sighed and said, ¡°No. If I meet Tina now, she will surely ask me where her godmother went. I haven¡¯t figured out how to answer her question yet.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s not visit her yet. I heard from the butler that Tina is doing very well at the Duncan Residence. Besides, school is about to start. She will need somebody to send her to and from school. So, it won¡¯t affect her too much whether you visit her or not.¡± ¡°Who said that?! I can still send her to and from school even after thepany is up and running.¡± She did not agree with his statement. It made her sound as if she was only sitting around enjoying life without knowing what was good or bad. ¡°Josh can oversee the renovation of yourpany, but the designers¡­¡± Alexander nced at Courtney, seeming to consider how to word his thoughts. ¡°You still need to build up a team of designers aside from Bill. I¡¯ve asked Josh to post up a job offer in Citron Apparel¡¯s name. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± Courtney slowly brought her senses back to the present. ¡°Let¡¯s leave the position of chief designer open for now.¡± ¡°Yes, I left it alone.¡± It was a night where the moon was bright and the stars were few. Even on a night like this, Melrose City was still filled with bustling streets lit up with thousands of neon lights. To what extent can a person love? Cameron was most afraid of being abandoned. Her ego simply did not allow for something like that to happen, and she had unconditionally concealed her mental illness. Even so, Gale found out about it anyway. Courtney leaned back against the seat and carefully observed Alexander, who was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, for a long time. ¡°Alexander, I have something to confess to you.¡± Chapter 209 One Night Surprise Chapter 209 Chapter 209 Is It That Man Named Elijah Grant ¡°Confess?¡± Alexander was driving. ¡°About your medical history? Do you have depression too?¡± Those words stopped Courtney from saying what she was about to say. Thus, she simply half-jokingly and half-seriously asked, ¡°What if I do too? Maybe I met Cameron because we were in the same patient group, right?¡± ¡°What if you have it too?¡± He nced at her, seeming to confirm something. ¡°Do you want to hear the truth?¡± ¡°Aside from the truth, everything else is nonsense.¡± Pondering for a moment, he drove slower. ¡°If you have depression too¡­ I don¡¯t have as many commitments as Gale. I don¡¯t have parents and Grandpa is almost 80 years old¡ª¡± ¡°Touch wood; touch wood¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t continue listening any longer. ¡°Hurry up and say ¡®touch wood¡¯ too! If Grandpa heard you saying such things about him, he would surely be so angry that he would kick you!¡± ¡°Getting old and dying is all part of life.¡± His expression was light. ¡°Forget it; asking you was a waste of time.¡± She seemed slightly annoyed. Did I forget who Alexander is? He is somebody whose expression won¡¯t change even if the world copsed in front of him! He will never be as passionate as Gale. Why did I even ask him that question? ¡°What were you going to tell me?¡± He increased the speed he was driving at. There was still quite some distance to Courtney¡¯s apartment. Looking at the speedometer of the car, she frowned. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s not that important. We can talk about it at home.¡± Aplicated look shed across his eyes and vanished. To be honest, when he heard her saying that she had something to confess, he immediately thought of that man named ¡®Elijah Grant¡¯. If she could confess about everything, then the issues between them would no longer be an issue anymore. Half an hourter, the car parked at the entrance of the apartment. Alexander sighed softly. Courtney was leaning against the passenger seat, sleeping deeply. She didn¡¯t look like she was about to wake up any time soon. As promised, Alexander canceled his work for the entire week and stayed by Courtney¡¯s side 24 hours a day to take care of her. He barely took a single step away from her. By the third day, Courtney began to regret making this request on a whim. Alexander was a boring person. Aside from staying at home and reading all day, he only left the house to bring her to the Duncan Residence to visit the two children. He refused to even go downstairs for a stroll. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you going for a stroll downstairs? Aren¡¯t you bored staying at home with me all day long?¡± She looked at the figure sitting on the sofa across from her. The tone she took with him was quite exasperated. ¡°Alone?¡± He looked up from the book and nced at her. ¡°What else could it be?¡± She pointed at her leg. ¡°You can¡¯t mean for me to be walking about with you with this useless leg, can you? Have mercy on me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not impossible.¡± The other party closed the book he was reading with a ¡®thump¡¯. It was a book written in French that looked very difficult to understand. More than 10 minutester, his assistant, Josh, dropped by to confirm that he was not going to attend the board of director¡¯s meeting. At the same time, he left behind a brand-new wheelchair. ¡°It was originally prepared for Grandpa. But, we might as well use it now.¡± While trying out the wheelchair, Courtney nearly spat out a mouthful of water upon hearing what Alexander said. Just like that, she looked very reluctant as he pushed her out of the house in the wheelchair. It was September. Moreover, it had just rained not long ago. It felt quite cold when the wind blew. Thus, he considerately covered her legs with a nket. Inside the elevator, she couldn¡¯t help ncing at herself. I look like a disabled person with amputated limbs. That thought of hers was instantly confirmed by the nosydies in themunity as they took turns to come and talk to her. ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you Miss Hunter from the 22nd floor? What happened to your legs? Are you okay?¡± ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Throughout their stroll, Courtney had to exin about her injury until her lips were practically worn out from the friction. She fawningly nced at Alexander. ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere else.¡± I must never speak on a whim again; I only wanted him toe out for a stroll. In the end, I am the one who suffers. Why?! ¡°Sure. Where to?¡± Alexander was not very happy about constantly being disturbed during their stroll. Therefore, he wanted to change a ce to continue their ¡®romantic stroll¡¯. ¡°Anywhere. Anywhere is fine. There¡¯s a supermarket there, and a park on that side.¡± ¡°The park won¡¯t be any different from themunity.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to the supermarket then.¡± She covered her face nervously. ¡°Hopefully, nobody will recognize me at the supermarket.¡± ¡°Okay. It just so happens that we are out of eggs. Let¡¯s go and buy some,¡± he said with a straight face. She nced at him. ¡°Can we not buy eggs? What else can you make aside from hard-boiled eggs?¡± Thest time he mentioned that he could cook, he cooked ten eggs. Moreover, all of them were fully cooked hard-boiled eggs. She nearly choked to death trying to finish them. When he heard her contempt for his cooking, he pushed the wheelchair while mulling over it for a while. ¡°I can try cooking something else. I studied some recipesst night. It¡¯s not that difficult.¡± She gave him a withering look. ¡°Is that so? Then, please allow me to experience what you mean by ¡®not that difficult¡¯.¡± You are cooking for the first time; do you even have any idea about how much salt you should add? At the vegetable section, Alexander picked up a packet of potatoes and green peppers that were pre- cut into strips and packed in a stic box. Then, he turned to Courtney for confirmation. ¡°I can use this to make stir-fried shredded potatoes and green peppers, right?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Courtney replied listlessly. The corners of her mouth tugged upward as she added, ¡°Is buying pre-cut and ready-to-cook dishes your idea of cooking?¡± ¡°It saves time. The supermarket¡¯s marketing strategy is quite good.¡± He tossed the packet into the shopping cart without minding her. He was pushing the shopping cart with one hand and pushing her wheelchair with the other. ¡°Just push the shopping cart. I can take care of myself.¡± Before she could grab hold of the wheels on both sides of the wheelchair, she heard the young voice of a little girling from behind her. ¡°I can help you, miss.¡± Courtney looked back to see a little girl around five or six years old with two high ponytails on both sides of her head. The little girl was energetically standing behind Courtney¡¯s wheelchair. She was innocently holding the handles of the wheelchair with both hands, and the two people following behind her were probably her parents. The young mother looked like a very gentle person. She immediately apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Then, she frowned and pretended to be angry at her daughter. ¡°Nana, let go immediately. You cannot do that.¡± ¡°But, she can¡¯t walk! I want to help her.¡± Courtney lowered her head, feeling embarrassed. ¡°Nana, you can¡¯t say that!¡± The young mother turned pale. ¡°Don¡¯t you know you can¡¯t talk about other people¡¯s¡­ Come here quickly.¡± ¡°Um,¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t help interrupting when she saw the little girl looking glum after being scolded. ¡°To be honest, this is only temporary. I will recover.¡± After that, she nced at the little girl warmly. ¡°Do you want to help me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The little girl nodded. ¡°Then, can you please push me to the ce where they sell candy?¡± The little girl looked at her mother hesitantly. The young mother was concerned about being polite to Courtney, so she nodded her head when she heard those words. ¡°Be careful, Nana. Don¡¯t push too fast.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Then, the little girl pushed Courtney away. ¡°This chocte is very tasty.¡± Courtney took a box of imported choctes from the shelf. ¡°Both my son and my daughter like to eat this too.¡± Chapter 210 One Night Surprise Chapter 210 Chapter 210 Diapers for Your Use ¡°Are you called Nana?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± The little girl nodded seriously. ¡°Thank you for pushing me here, Nana.¡± Courtney supported herself with the wheelchair and smiled. Then, she stood up under the shocked gazes of the little girl¡¯s parents. ¡°Look! Because you helped me, I can stand up again, Nana!¡± The little girl widened her eyes in surprise, and she looked amazed. ¡°Wow! Miss, your legs!¡± ¡°As thanks, I¡¯m giving you this chocte, okay?¡± Courtney took the box of choctes and handed it to the little girl. Then, she patted the little girl on the head. ¡°Thank you so much. The next time you see somebody else needing help, don¡¯t forget to be just as brave as you were today, okay?¡± The little girl epted the choctes and solemnly nodded her head. She stared at Courtney¡¯s legs for a long time before she reluctantly followed her parents as they left. Courtney finally sat back down on the wheelchair again after the little family walked away. ¡°You¡¯re good at talking to children.¡± A mischievousugh came from above her head. She rolled her eyes at the person. ¡°It¡¯s all because you forced me toe out with you in a wheelchair! Besides, it would be bad to dampen such a young girl¡¯s enthusiasm for helping others.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Alexander picked up a box of choctes. ¡°But, this is a supermarket. Are you sure it¡¯s okay for you to randomly pick something up and give it to somebody else while calling it a gift?¡± She abruptly realized something and immediately tried to stand up. How embarrassing! That couple doesn¡¯t look particrly well off. However, that brand of chocte is not cheap! Although there are only a few pieces of choctes in that box, it costs hundreds! Before she could stand up, arge and powerful hand pressed down on her shoulder and forced her back into the wheelchair. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I talked to the manager of the supermarket. All the snacks that the little girl buys today will be free of charge.¡± She breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°When did you do that?¡± ¡°During the most exciting moment of your magical act where you were showing her your legs.¡± Upon hearing what he said, she felt her face turning red in embarrassment. Of all the things in the world, why did he have to bring that up?! Blushing furiously, she exined, ¡°You don¡¯t understand; that¡¯s how you should be speaking to children. No wonder you don¡¯t have a good rtionship with Jordan. Do you understand now?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± He smiled nonchntly. ¡°All I need to know tonight is how to make fried codfish.¡± Thedies working at the supermarket were even friendlier than the ones in themunity. When they saw that Courtney had trouble walking, they enthusiastically gave her a lot of freebies and food samples. However, the most embarrassing incident urred when Courtney made Alexander push her to where they sold feminine hygiene products. She wanted to buy several packs of sanitary pads since she was nearing her menstruation. Since she wanted to watch him embarrass himself, she deliberately waited somewhere far away and made him buy them on his own. ¡°Don¡¯t buy the wrong ones, okay? If you don¡¯t know what to buy, you can ask thedy behind the counter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He walked over to the aisle while pushing the supermarket¡¯s shopping cart; he seemed rather calm about what he was doing. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. A short whileter, she watched as he went on a shopping spree and threw a packet of everything into the shopping cart. Then, his actions became clear to her. You think you can be so casual about this just because you¡¯re rich? I won¡¯t let you get away with it! Thus, she hurriedly beckoned for ady working at the tissue section. ¡°Miss, look; that¡¯s my boyfriend there. I asked him to help me grab some sanitary pads, but he doesn¡¯t seem to know what to choose. Can you go over and help him, please? Please tell him that it¡¯s enough to take two packets of day use and night use each. I have trouble moving around so I can¡¯t go over.¡± Thedy readily replied, ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll go now. Don¡¯t move around too much; have a good rest.¡± ¡°Thanks, miss.¡± Courtney held the bottle of water she brought from the house and contentedly took a sip as she prepared to watch the show. Sure enough, as soon as thedy arrived, Alexander became as motionless as a statue. At the same time, the expression on his face became extremely stiff. Meanwhile, Courtney fought against the urge to spit out the water in her mouth fromughing and secretly took a photo of Alexander with her phone. When she was done taking pictures, she suddenly discovered that the two of them seemed to be happily chatting away. Thedy pointed at her, then pointed toward the baby supplies. What are they doing? Are they talking about having children? Five minutester, Alexander returned with a full haul. Despite thedy¡¯s advice, he still bought quite a lot. It was probably enough tost Courtney half a year. Feeling very curious, Courtney lifted her head and asked, ¡°What did you say to thedy? I can understand pointing at me, but why was she pointing at the baby supplies section? Was she asking you to get milk powder?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± He expressionlessly pushed her wheelchair and the shopping cart. ¡°She asked me to buy some diapers.¡± ¡°Buy some diapers? For what?¡± ¡°For you.¡± Those two words were said lightly, but they tore her dignity and intelligence to shreds. She was petrified for several seconds before utter shame and indignation flooded her entire being. This stupid wheelchair! I must have been crazy toe out in this wheelchair! I¡¯m never doing this again. Is this what they mean by ¡®trying to gain an advantage only to end up in a worse situation¡¯? After the incident with the diapers, she resolutely refused to move about the supermarket in a wheelchair again. Fortunately, they had already finished buying what they needed. So, they headed home immediately. On the way back, she forcefully took his coat from him and covered her head with it. She imed that it was to shelter herself from the limelight, but it seemed like she was just drawing more attention to herself. Luckily, it was almost dinnertime. Not many people were hanging around themunity, and the smell of cooking came from most households. The sound of cooking rang out from inside the open kitchen of the apartment. It was the sounds of the cleaned and gutted fish being ced into the pan, followed by the sizzling sound of frying. ¡°You can add water once both sides are fried until golden brown. Then, let it stew after adding some ginger slices and tofu,¡± Courtney instructed loudly from outside the kitchen. To be honest, the sound of the kitchen hood was too loud. She wasn¡¯t sure if Alexander heard anything she said. In any case, the general steps of making the dish were the same whether he followed her instructions or the recipe. She was simply bored out of her mind from resting. It¡¯s just a burn. Do I really have to recuperate as if I was paralyzed? It¡¯s embarrassing. All of a sudden, she heard her phone ringing. Looking down at the caller ID, she saw that it was from America. She hesitated for a moment before tiptoeing into the bedroom to answer the call. ¡°Hello, Elijah.¡± Alexander finished cooking and turned around only to discover that Courtney was missing. He vaguely saw a figure pacing about in the bedroom and frowned in response. The wound won¡¯t heal well if she walks around like that. Walking over to the bedroom door, he was about to remind her about her wound when he heard her voiceing from inside. ¡°When are youing over? Not this week. I injured myself, so I can¡¯t go and pick you up. I won¡¯t be able to amodate you either. Okay, next week it is. Okay, I won¡¯t tell Tina. You want to surprise her, right?¡± From the gaps of the door, he could see the natural and gentle smile on her face. She looked like she was talking to a close friend that she had known for many years or somebody she had a much deeper rtionship with. After hanging up the call, she remained in the room for a while with her phone in her hand. Then, she heard the sound of somebody calling her to dinner from the living room. She quickly responded, ¡°Coming!¡± ¡°Were you on the phone?¡± He pretended to ask nonchntly. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°With whom?¡± ¡°A friend,¡± Courtney answered casually. She used a fork to poke at the middle part of the chicken wing and smilingly said, ¡°It looks pretty good.¡± ¡°What friend?¡± Alexander¡¯s tone was bing slightly grim. Chapter 211 One Night Surprise Chapter 211 Chapter 211 Friends Who Went Through Adversities Together N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Alexander¡¯s expression was unamiable. A trace of coldness gradually seeped into the originally warm atmosphere, invading one¡¯s body and spreading throughout. Courtney¡¯s hand that was holding her fork froze midair. Frowning, she nced at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that it¡¯s just a friend? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°What¡¯s their name? Was it a man or a woman?¡± His expression remained grim, but his tone was gentler than before. ¡°I wish to know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you know them.¡± She looked at him suspiciously. Half-joking and half-serious, she asked, ¡°You can¡¯t be jealous just because I received a phone call from a friend, right?¡± He secretly clenched his fists tightly. Her attitude at this moment made him feel absolutely ridiculous. It was clear that the truth was right in front of them, yet they were both being secretive about it. In the end, he gave in. Pulling out a chair, he sat down and said in a calmer tone, ¡°I just want to know what other friends you have besides Cameron. Can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have many friends. When I was in America, I only had this one other friend aside from Cameron.¡± She smiled as she naturally told him the truth. ¡°His name is Elijah Grant. He was my senior when I was still studying at a local university. However, he is several years older than I am. When I arrived in America, he was starting up a business andcked a certain amount of capital. I was quite wealthy at the time, so when I learned that he was an alumnus at my university, I decided to help him out.¡± Friends who went through adversities together¡­ Alexander felt more and more suffocated the more he listened to her talk. It felt like it was difficult for air to circte in his lungs, causing him to feel as if he wascking oxygen. Courtney finished introducing Elijah to him in several simple sentences, but she left out the most important part¡ªtheir marriage. ¡°The chicken wings are quite delicious. But, there¡¯s room for improvement.¡± She did not hesitate to comment on his cooking as she ced a chicken wing on his te. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a taste? Try and guess what it is that you need to improve on.¡± The chicken wing glistened in a brightly colored sauce; it looked extremely mouthwatering. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t paying attention to it. Under her expectant gaze, he randomly took a bite. He was filled with anger as he bit down, so he took a particrlyrger mouth than usual. ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± He nodded. ¡°Hey¡­¡± She seemed dumbfounded. ¡°A-Are you sure your taste buds are alright?¡± He nced at her suspiciously. ¡°What taste buds?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s raw¡­¡± She pointed at the remaining half of the chicken wing on his te. Her face was scrunched up in horror. The chicken wing was raw and bloody, from the skin down to its bones. How can he take such a huge bite out of it and even swallow it without a change in his expression?! His face turned pale in horror. Then, he went to the restroom with aplicated expression. A long whileter, she leaned against the dining table and hooted withughter. ¡°Hahaha¡­ What on earth were you thinking about just now?!¡± His cooking skills were quite good. In fact, he was very talented. Although he had never cooked before, he made an entire meal for dinner. Moreover, the vegetables he cooked were tasty. Under her guidance, the fish soup also came out well. However, for some inexplicable reason, she could tell that he seemed to be preupied with something during dinner. Hisplexion was rather pale when he finally came out from the restroom. ¡°Are you alright?¡± She dished up a bowl of fish soup and ced it in front of him. When she saw the self-doubt written on his face, she helplessly exined, ¡°I¡¯ve tasted it. This soup is fine. Drink it. It¡¯s good for your stomach.¡± Upon hearing her words, he let out a sigh of relief. Although it was his first try at cooking, he had his pride too¡ªhe wanted to do well. While he was drinking the soup, he nced at her out of the corner of his eye and noticed that she was watching him with concern. Her gaze was soft; it was much gentler compared to when she was working. Comparing her current demeanor to the sharp-tongued appearance she had when he first met her, the differences made her seem like two different people. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? Go on; drink your soup.¡± Courtney winked at him and teasingly said, ¡°Were you drinking the soup while staring at me and thinking that I look good enough to eat?¡± Cough, cough. Alexander choked and started coughing. When he lifted his head again, his face was flushed from coughing. Apart from being much gentler than before, she is also more shameless now! It waste at night in America. After Elijah finished his video conference, he returned to the ce he lived at. Standing on the 60th floor, this height was enough for him to look down on the entirety of the world¡¯s economic center, Manhattan. Touching the ss of his floor-to-ceiling window, streamlined creases appeared in his handmade and well-cut suit. He observed the bustling city with a trace of loneliness reflected in his eyes. When one stands at the top of the world, they¡¯ll surely find that it¡¯s very cold and lonely at the top. ¡°Elijah, this is the market research report for Otharia.¡± Lilian¡¯s voice came from behind him. She was his assistant. Even though she was speaking in Otharian, she spoke with a strong American ent. ¡°Leave it there. Have you cleared the schedule for next week?¡± He returned to his senses. By the time he turned around, the loneliness in his eyes was gone. She stood with her back straight. The contour of her face clearly revealed that she was of mixed race. However, she got the best part of an Otharian¡¯s refined beauty. Looking at the man in front of her, she did not conceal the love and concern she had for him. ¡°I¡¯ve canceled everything. The flight tickets have also been booked. Severalpanies in Otharia have expressed interest in cooperating with us. I have attached the feedback on the schedule in the market research report just now.¡± He merely nodded in response to the meticulous way his assistant handled everything. He had never expressed an opinion on her work attitude before. Ordinary people might find such meticulousness in one¡¯s work to be extremely rare, but it was the basic requirement when working on Wall Street, Manhattan, New York. ¡°When I arrive in Otharia, I will be taking some private time off. You can contact thepanies on your own.¡± She nodded obediently. ¡°No problem.¡± Then, he gestured with his fingers to indicate for her to leave. However, she did not leave. Withdrawing the sharp aura she generally had around her while she was working, she asked a private question in a gentle tone. ¡°Elijah, are you going to meet with Hunter?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As soon as Courtney was mentioned, the look in his eyes became considerably kinder. That woman was the light of his life¡ªshe illuminated the darkest years of his life. Unfortunately, she seemed to have regarded him as a friend for so long that she forgot one thing¡ªhe was an ordinary man that could fall in love with the outstanding woman by his side. Therefore, he had always acted carefully around her for so many years for fear of scaring her away. Disappointment shed across Lilian¡¯s eyes, and she smiled bitterly. ¡°Alright. Rest early, Elijah.¡± When the door closed behind her, the room fell silent again. Elijah took off his gold-rimmed sses and casually ced them on his desk. Massaging his temples, he noticed the family portrait sitting on his desk out of the corner of his eye. He looked startled for a moment before his gaze became gentle. The photo showed a small family of three. Tina was still very young at the time and could only babble the words ¡®Mommy¡¯ and ¡®Daddy¡¯. Due to her lovable looks and the fact that pure Otharian children were rare in America, she would always get her face pinched by passersby whenever they brought her out. She soon became angry after getting pinched several times. From then on, she would shamelessly ride on Elijah¡¯s shoulders whenever they went out. That was because most people could not reach her when she was in that position. Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t seen them for almost a year now. I only get to see them a handful of times each year. Chapter 212 One Night Surprise Chapter 212 Chapter 212 No, He Is My Brother Not much time was needed to heal from a burn, and Courtney could walk without any problems one weekter. The resort development project under Sunhill Enterprise had been dyed for some time. Therefore, Alexander immediately went on non-stop business trips after confirming that Courtney was fine. ¡°The discussion for this project must bepleted within three days. Organize a team meeting as soon as the nends.¡± He issued a strict order to Josh at the airport. ¡°Three days?!¡± Josh was so shocked that his eyes almost fell out of their sockets. ¡°President Duncan, that¡¯s not enough time! They¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any excuses. If the discussions are notpleted within three days, you can lead the team yourself and continue with the discussions. I¡¯m heading back to Melrose City. I have something urgent to deal with.¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°Huh?¡± Josh could barely believe what he was hearing. ¡°That¡¯s a project worth several hundreds of millions! What could be more important than that?!¡± ¡°A private matter.¡± Alexander frowned slightly; his expression was colored with bitter resentment. If I heard it right, that man named Elijah Grant will being back to Melrose City this week. I have no reason not to meet this man. Besides, I have the right to know just what the rtionship between Courtney and him is. ¡°Right now, we¡¯re just waiting for venttion to be installed. The venttion here is quite good, and we have purchased the second-hand office supplies as you instructed. So, it won¡¯t take long before you can start using this ce.¡± The head of the renovation team personally reported to Courtney. After Courtney inspected their work, she paid the remaining fees for the renovation. She nced about the newly renovated two-story building, feeling incredibly excited. The style of the d¨¦cor was based on the industrial style Cameron mentioned before. The walls were painted smoky gray; it was a color that was dirt-proof yet looked good. The first floor was the administrative office while the second floor was the designer¡¯s workshop and the clothing prototype studio. Although the ce was not big, it was created by both Cameron and Courtney themselves. At the thought of Cameron, Courtney couldn¡¯t stop herself from calling. As expected, it was Gale who answered. ¡°How has Cameron been the past two days?¡± ¡°She can recognize people now. Her mental condition seems quite okay, but she is still very lethargic. Yesterday, she stared at the window for quite some time. I was worried about something happening, so I had some people over to install anti-theft grilles on the windows.¡± He was living in an apartment on the 31st floor. The instation team must have thought that he was crazy to install anti-theft grilles on a window when his apartment was located so high up. After all, only Spiderman could climb through his windows to steal anything. ¡°It must have been hard on you,¡± she said helplessly. ¡°I suggest you send her to the hospital if you find it difficult to go on taking care of her. Cameron once told me before that being hospitalized helped her recover better.¡± ¡°No need; I can take care of her.¡± His voice was extremely determined. He probably decided that he would never allow Cameron to be hospitalized. Thus, Courtney did not push the issue. Having somebody take care of her is always better than having no one there for her. Besides, I¡¯ve seen the situation at a psychiatric hospital before. It¡¯s utter mayhem in there. Even an ordinary person like me would probably be driven crazy if I were forced to live there, let alone Cameron who is already in a sensitive state. ¡°She slept a lot less todaypared to yesterday. You shoulde and visit her if you have the time. You¡¯re wee at any time.¡± ¡°Of course. Thepany renovations have beenpleted. At first, I wanted to share this news with her. But, it¡¯s okay. I will go and visit here after I finish up here.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After exchanging a few more words, they hung up. Courtney could not bear to say too much to Gale. If Cameron were still rational, she would never allow Gale to see her in this condition. Unfortunately, it just had to happen when Courtney was not by Cameron¡¯s side. Thus, Courtney always felt that her negligence was what dragged Gale into this whole mess. On the other side, Gale put down the phone and looked in the direction of the bedroom. The curtains were drawn shut, and the lights were dim¡ªCameron had fallen asleep. All of a sudden, the phone beeped. A message notification popped up, and the name of the sender was ¡®Giselle¡¯. ¡®Mom asked me to bring something for you. I¡¯m already downstairs.¡¯ Gale¡¯s hand shook, and he almost dropped the phone. Tina had been ying with an LED sign in the yard of the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home all afternoon. Shay¡¯s concert was being held tonight at Melrose Stadium, and she had obtained two VIP tickets to his concert in advance. As one of Shay¡¯s greatest fans, it was only natural for her to go to his concert to support him. ¡°Jordan, are you really not going?¡± She flipped the LED sign upside down, which had the words ¡®Fly bravely, Shay! Tina will follow you forever!¡¯ written on it, as she simultaneously asked Jordan, who looked to be in a bad mood. ¡°Jordan, I have two tickets! Won¡¯t you go with me?¡± Jordan nced at the LED sign contemptuously. Then, he shook his head resolutely. He wrote some words on his drawing board and pressed the voice button. A robotic AI voice immediately rang out in the yard. ¡°No way. The songs he sings don¡¯t sound good. Besides, the venue is so noisy.¡± She pouted and red at him. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to talk about my brother like that! I¡¯m going to get angry.¡± He became even more upset at those words and swiftly typed out a bunch of words. ¡°I¡¯m your brother. Shay is not your brother; he is clearly your uncle!¡± ¡°No, no, no! He is not my uncle; he is my brother!¡± She was so furious that her face was flushed. At that moment, an excited voice came from the other side of the yard. ¡°It¡¯s Shay¡¯s LED sign!¡± Hannah flew across the yard at full speed and pointed at the LED sign on the stone table. She excitedly said, ¡°This is Shay¡¯s LED sign! Are you going to Shay¡¯s concert too?!¡± Although she just entered junior high school, her stature was no different from that of a primary school student due to the malnutrition she experienced before. Therefore, she looked very thin and weak. ¡°Are you a fan of Shay too?¡± Tina stared wide-eyed at the ¡®grand aunt¡¯ she rarely encountered. ¡°Yup.¡± Hannah nodded very seriously. Then, she regretfully said, ¡°But, the tickets were gone as soon as they came out. I couldn¡¯t get any¡­ So, I can only listen to it from outside.¡± ¡°I have tickets!¡± Tina immediately lifted the two tickets into the air. ¡°Do you want to go with me?¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Hannah epted the two tickets as if she had received a great treasure. She was so emotional that she couldn¡¯t speak properly anymore. ¡°Oh, my God! It¡¯s tickets to the interactive zone! You can see Shay from up close!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just tickets to the interactive zone; we can even go backstage with these tickets! Shay and I have a close rtionship.¡± Tina looked proud of herself. She waspletely oblivious to the fact that the expression of the person sitting behind her had turned extremely dark while the two girls were happily chatting away. That¡¯s my ticket! Didn¡¯t you say you were giving them to me?! Why are you giving them to somebody else now?! ¡°I remember you! I remember you! You are the one who took part in the travel show with Shay!¡± Hannah studied Tina¡¯s face and realized that fact btedly. ¡°Oh, my God! Why have I never noticed?! I was only paying attention to Shay at the time.¡± Tina touched her head embarrassedly. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s all in the past now. Mr. Harry will being to pick me up soon. Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Sure, sure. I brought a lot of snacks. I¡¯ll be right back after I get them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Their two cheerful backs were reflected in Jordan¡¯s eyes as they left. Staring at them nkly, he couldn¡¯t believe that his sister had been taken away by his grand aunt. Chapter 213 One Night Surprise Chapter 213 Chapter 213 Long Time No See Shay¡¯smercial performance this time was a coboration with various other celebrities under the samepany. Therefore, many people attended the concert. At present, the fans of the four most popr singers were gathered in one ce, which resulted in all the tickets selling out on the website almost as soon as it was released. After Shay sent away his two chatty fans, he smiled helplessly. Meanwhile, his manager was beseechingly urging him to finish with his makeup quickly. ¡°Come on, my lordship. Sit down and get your hair done quickly! You¡¯re going on stage soon! How could you take the time to entertain those two little fans?!¡± ¡°Those are not just my fans; one of them is also my niece. Isn¡¯t she cute?¡± Shay was pressed into the chair by his manager, and his makeup artist was busy working. ¡°By the way, the investors for today¡¯spetition are all here too. You better not make any mistakes. Also, you¡¯ll have toe along for the celebration party after the concert. This time around, you¡¯re not allowed to leave no matter what you say.¡± He looked unenthusiastic. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go.¡± ¡°You have to go even if you don¡¯t want to.¡± His manager looked very stern. ¡°Who among all the other celebrities under ourpany do not have more endorsements than you? How do you think they managed to obtain those endorsements? They had to entertain their investors too! So, you better deal with it. You¡¯ll get several tens of millions in endorsements just by drinking and smiling. Why won¡¯t you go?!¡± Shay had heard those words until his ears were about to fall off. ¡°Keith, can¡¯t I take on less of these commercial performances and endorsements in the future? I only want to focus on producing my album.¡± ¡°My lordship¡­ didn¡¯t you hear a single word I just said?! The album market is already a sunset industry. Nobody buys them anymore. Besides, inte piracy is rampant. Even if we sell your songs online, it won¡¯t earn us any money. It¡¯s considered not bad if we can even cover the costs sustained during production. I don¡¯t object if you wish to continue with your artistic pursuits. Aren¡¯t I finding ways for you to earn money and support your dreams? But, you have to be considerate toward me too.¡± lright; alright. I won¡¯t say that again.¡± He raised his hands in defeat. As part of the entertainment industry, it was all but impossible for one to focus on being an artist without engaging in any of the dirty acts going on behind the scenes. Using the money from the endorsements andmercial performances to produce his songs could be considered his determination to maintain thest piece of innocence in his heart. It hadn¡¯t been more than a year since he entered the entertainment industry, but he already felt as if his limbs had been shattered and reshaped again. It felt like a spinning top that was spinning continuously ¡ªit would topple over as soon as it stopped spinning. The audience only sees your brilliance on stage or your pathetic appearance as you fall from grace. Who has the time to care about your emotions and desires? After themercial performance, the venue manager came over to inform them about the ce and time for the celebration party. Shay was being monitored by his manager all the way until they arrived at the hotel where the banquet was taking ce. He couldn¡¯t escape even if he wanted to. ¡°I really won¡¯t escape, alright? Can you please stop staring at me, Keith? It stresses me out.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t stare at you anymore after you greet the president of Warner Bros. By then, you can do whatever you like.¡± ¡°Sh*t! President Pigby whose face is so greasy that it can fill a barrel with oil?! That fat pig is interested in both men and women! If I have to greet him, it will shorten my lifespan by ten years!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t die from smiling a little.¡± While the two were at a stalemate, a figure walked over from afar. That person was wearing a tan suit paired with a dark blue bowtie. Holding a ss of champagne in his hands, he looked extremely aristocratic. ¡°How strange; I heard that Shay never participates in the celebration parties.¡± As soon as that voice entered Shay¡¯s ears, he stiffened in surprise. He had his back to Casey, but his face paled considerably. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s President Lewis.¡± His manager smiled widely. ¡°That¡¯s a misunderstanding. It¡¯s not that Shay doesn¡¯t participate in them; it¡¯s just that he was always feeling unwell. So, he would return to the hotel to rest. Look; he came this time since he was feeling fine.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Casey¡¯s intonation went up at the end of his sentence, conjuring a rather meaningful tone. ¡°Go ahead and talk. I¡¯ll be going there to greet some other people.¡± Shay¡¯s manager tactfully fled the scene. Before he left, he patted Shay on the shoulder for an inexplicable reason. The look in his eyes indicated that Shay should seize the opportunity. He probably was not aware of Casey¡¯s malicious intentions up to this day. Shay¡¯s expression was extremely frustrating. How did I get this kind of manager? All he does is push me into the fire! ¡°Long time no see.¡± Casey¡¯s quiet voice came from behind him. The corners of his mouth twitched as he forced a smile onto his face. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long, right? Didn¡¯t we have a ¡®chance encounter¡¯ three days ago in Tokyo?¡± Calling it a chance encounter is putting it nicely. Who would believe that two people can meet each other all over the world once every three days on average? There¡¯s nothing he cannot do, only what you cannot imagine. I seriously suspect that my manager is selling my itinerary to Casey. ¡°What a pity.¡± Casey held his ss in his hand. The golden champagne swayed gently along the wall of the ss. ¡°If it were March or April, we could have seen some rather beautiful cherry blossoms.¡± ¡°President Duncan, you truly are leisurely and elegant.¡± Shay nced at Casey indifferently. ¡°I went there for work. How could I choose when I wanted to go? I¡¯m not as free as you are.¡± Casey did not deny or confirm anything. He simply smilingly said, ¡°I heard that you had some trouble with President Pigby of Warner Bros?¡± N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. When Shay heard that question, he looked absolutely disgusted and irritably asked, ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡± President Pigby of Warner Bros, who practically everybody in the entertainment industry dreaded, had molested Shay¡¯s butt in front of everybody at the backstage area of the Kyoto Film Festival half a month ago. That incident had made him sick for half a month. Even now, he felt his stomach churning whenever he recalled the incident. If it wasn¡¯t for his manager¡¯s swift actions to stop him, he would have beat President Pigby up on the spot. ¡°It¡¯s none of my business. But, Lewis Enterprise joined hands with Warner Bros recently. I handed some items to Old Master Pigby of the Pigby Family, and now, Warner Bros is no longer under that pig¡¯s control.¡± Shay looked startled. Then, he nced at Casey suspiciously. ¡°What did you give him?¡± It¡¯s nothing more than some pictures of that pig hugging several men at a male brothel. It was truly an elegant sight. Old Master Pigby nearly had a heart attack on the spot and immediately made a phone call to remove that pig from his position.¡± President Pigby was born with a sense of debauchery that was not restrained by themon sense of the world. Therefore, it was not surprising for him to do something like that. Shay tried to hold his laughter in for a while. In the end, he couldn¡¯t control himself and burst outughing. ¡°What do you think? Don¡¯t you n to treat me to a meal as thanks?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to help me.¡± He raised his eyebrows at Casey and put aside his wine ss. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t have to hang around here anymore. I was waiting for that pig to appear so that I could apologize to him. Can you please let my manager know that I left early, President Lewis? I¡¯m leaving.¡± Shay walked away arrogantly. Meanwhile, Casey stood still for a while. Then, he lowered his head with a smile and followed. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Why are you chasing after me and forcing me to treat you to a meal?¡± After walking along the street for a while, Shay finally noticed that Casey had been following behind him. This is maddening! ¡°I am a businessman.¡± Casey¡¯s expression waszy. ¡°A businessman always puts profit first. You have to provide me with an equivalent exchange.¡± ¡°Will you stop following me if I treat you to something to eat?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Upon hearing those two words, the pair of eyes under the sunsses nted sideways. Shay nced at the oden stall by the side of the road that had just opened for business and quietly said, ¡°You said that yourself.¡± Chapter 214 One Night Surprise Chapter 214 Chapter 214 The Dead Can¡¯t Come Back to Life ¡°Eat whatever you want. I¡¯ll treat you to it.¡± Shay waved his hand grandly and reserved the entire oden stall. Thedy selling oden was so happy that she couldn¡¯t stop smiling. ¡°Come;e. Have one cup each. Help yourselves to whatever you want to eat. It¡¯s all made of fresh ingredients.¡± He filled the cup to the brim and asked thedy to drizzle some sauce on it. Then, he handed it over to Casey with great sincerity. ¡°Here; my treat.¡± Get lost after finishing this. He was secretly delighted inside. Casey is a rich young master who was spoiled and coddled all his life. How can he possibly bring himself to eat at this random roadside stall where you can¡¯t even tell what ingredients the food was originally made out of? Casey looked at therge cup of skewers in front of him. He finally epted it after examining it for several seconds. ¡°What is this? What is it called?¡± ¡°Oh my! Mister, how can you not know what oden is?¡± Thedy sounded helpless. He nodded andmented, ¡°It¡¯s a simplified version of hotpot.¡± ¡°You eat hotpot?¡± Shay looked at Casey a little suspiciously. For some reason, he always assumed that Casey was born eating western food. He thought Casey only ate stuff like expensive foie gras and caviar¡ªfood that wouldn¡¯t even fill up the stomach of a cat. ¡°Compared to western food, I prefer Otharian food which has greater variety and is richer in taste.¡± Casey nced at Shay before eating the ¡®simplified hotpot¡¯ skewers in his hands. He ate slowly and elegantly. The skewers of meatballs gradually disappeared one by one, followed by the skewers of the fish cakes. The dried tofu strips, lotus root slices, mushrooms, seaweed, and quail eggs also disappeared one by one¡ª Casey Lewis, are you a pig?! Shay was so shocked that his eyes were about to fall out of their sockets. ¡°You finished everything?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s delicious. Can I get another portion?¡± Casey looked at him and handed him the empty cup with an expectant look. At this point, he believed that Casey truly liked eating oden. Therefore, he began to regret his decision ¡ªhe regretted overestimating himself and bringing this ¡®oden ckhole¡¯ here. ¡°Can you stop eating?¡± ¡°Are you not eating?¡± Casey reached out to Shay with a fish cake in his hand. The special sauce covered the fish cake and made it glisten. ¡°Try it; this is very tasty.¡± ¡°Of course, I know it¡¯s delicious.¡± Shay nearly went mad with frustration. ¡°If I can eat it, why would I need to wait for you to feed it to me?! If I eat any of these, I¡¯ll have to run on the treadmill for two hours tonight! I¡¯m tired; I don¡¯t have the strength to do that.¡± A male boss will never understand the life of a male celebrity! Casey nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so demanding of yourself. I think it doesn¡¯t matter whether you are fat or not. Besides, you might feel even better to the touch if you gain a little more weight.¡± Upon hearing those words, Shay¡¯s face immediately burned in embarrassment. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the expression of thedy selling oden had also changed at those words. Thus, he said through gritted teeth, ¡°Suck your grandfather¡¯s d*ck!¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid my grandfather passed away a long time ago. But, you can feel free to curse at my sister. She deserves it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± He rolled his eyes at Casey before lowering his head to pay for the meal. All of a sudden, he noticed that he had several missed calls on his phone. They were from Mrs. Bell, the old housekeeper at the Hunter Residence. He hurriedly returned her calls. ¡°Hello? What¡¯s the matter, Mrs. Bell?¡± Casey was enjoying thest of his oden. Then, he watched as Shay¡¯splexion turned deathly pale after making the phone call. ¡°Have you informed Courtney about this? Tell me the hospital¡¯s address; I¡¯ll be there immediately.¡± After saying those words, he turned and ran toward the side of the road. Casey was about to chase after him, but thedy grabbed him. ¡°Hey, you haven¡¯t paid!¡± Hence, he threw a stack of cash on the table before running like the wind after the figure in the distance. It waste at night. Weeping sounds mixed with the apologetic voices of all the doctors that had participated in the operation rang out from inside the hospital. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the dead can¡¯te back to life.¡± The doctors did not know how many times they had said these words, and they had long since be numb to them. It was a mess outside the operating room. When Shay arrived, Courtney was standing alone in the corner. Her eyes were red-rimmed as she looked in the direction of the door to the operating room. She had no intention of stopping Susan from harassing the attending doctor. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°Look; you can¡¯t do this. The patient passed away from sudden liver failure. We did our best to save him; we¡¯ve tried our best.¡± ¡°Nonsense! Luke was perfectly fine while he was at the hospital! You said that it was okay to discharge him from the hospital! It hasn¡¯t been long since his discharge. And now, something like this urred! How can you say that you are not responsible for this?!¡± Susan grabbed at the attending doctor¡¯s white lab coat like a madwoman. She pulled so hard that the pockets of theb coat were torn at the seams. To be honest, she did not look sorrowful. Rather, she seemed to be full of resentment. Unfortunately, nobody knew why she held so much hatred for a doctor. Anna and Courtney were separated by the body of their father, which was covered with a piece of white cloth, and Anna¡¯s mother, who was raising hell in the hospital. Anna never expected to be put in such a difficult position one day. Her mother was arbitrarily kicking up a fuss and trying to pin all the me on the doctor. Looking at her mother¡¯s crazy behavior, she felt extremely humiliated. Never in her life had she ever experienced this emotion before¡ªat this moment, it felt as if her hands were covered in blood. ¡°Mom, that¡¯s enough,¡± she suddenly said as she grabbed her mother, who was lying on the ground. ¡°Dad is dead. Can you please be quiet?¡± There were tears at the corners of Susan¡¯s eyes. At the same time, her expression was filled with shock and dissatisfaction as she shook off Anna¡¯s hand. With the help of the surrounding people, she moved to the side. Only then were the doctors allowed to push the body trolley to the morgue. Among the chaotic crowd, Courtney was the only one to quietly follow the body trolley into the morgue. Shay, who arrivedte, moved to follow her too. ¡°Shay,¡± Anna stepped forward and called out to Shay. ¡°What is it?¡± Shay turned back to look at Anna. ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing.¡± The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she could not say them. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with things here. Go andfort her. After all, the dead can¡¯te back to life.¡± He frowned. ¡°I know.¡± After saying those words, Shay chased after Courtney without looking back. Anna watched his back for a long time, watching as his back got further and further away from her. A touch of self-deprecating laughter flitted across her eyes. From the past to the present and even the future, his back will forever be the only thing I see. He has never taken the initiative to look at me before. I wonder why I still hope for something different. ¡°Why don¡¯t you look sad even though Mr. Hunter just passed away, Miss Hunter? Do you have a terrible rtionship with your father?¡± A cold voice entered her ears, bringing her back to her senses. She looked up and saw Casey, who had appeared next to her at some point without her noticing. Stunned, she said, ¡°What do you mean by that, President Lewis?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just found it funny. Your father just passed away; your mother made a huge fuss in the hospital, trying to me his death on the hospital. Does the Hunter Familyck that amount of compensation? Or, do theyck a reason tofort themselves?¡± nna¡¯s expression tensed. ¡°President Lewis, please watch your words.¡± ¡°It just slipped out by ident.¡± Casey smiled. The chilly look in his eyesnded on Anna, making her shudder in response. He had seen many disputes among the wealthy families in his time. Lucian Hunter died of organ failure even though he was only in his fifties. Moreover, even the hospital could not determine what the cause of death was. That was simply inconceivable. Besides, the reactions of this widowed mother and daughter pair of the Hunter Family were quite suspicious too. Chapter 215 One Night Surprise Chapter 215 Chapter 215 Who I Am Is Not Important Lucian¡¯s funeral was scheduled for Saturday. When the morning ceremony ended, family members brought his ashes to bury at the cemetery. His final wish was to be buried next to Cecilia. When Susan found out, she had cried so hard and fainted once during the funeral, but she still agreed in the end. Her agreement was pointless, though, because Courtney did not agree. Moreover, Alicia had also rejected the idea. The Hunter Family had no choice but to find another grave; one that was on the other side of the road from where Cecilia was buried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Luke. I¡¯ll take good care of your daughter when you¡¯re not around anymore. I¡¯ll manage thepany. My brother¡¯s children are all grown up now. They are more than capable. ording to your will, they all have the right to inherit thepany.¡± Susan turned the peaceful funeral into a meeting for the allotment of shares. Courtney was sick of listening to her. After standing in a daze for a while, she snuck away from the rest of the group. In fact, Lucian had built his career from scratch. He had endured hardships all his life but ended up falling into Susan¡¯s schemes. Courtney did not believe that he had left all his inheritance to Susan and her maternal family in his will. Even if they went in order, it was only right that the inheritance went to Courtney first. But his death also brought an end to everything. She no longer wanted anything to do with the current Hunter Family. Before she left, she went to visit her mother¡¯s grave. Bending down to pull out some weeds, she then looked at the picture on the gravestone andmented, ¡°Mom, you can probably see dad on the other side now. I¡¯ve taken the liberty to forgive him, but I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t need me to hate him. Grandpa told me that when you gave birth to me, you named me Courtney with the hope that I would live a dignified life without being gued by worldly troubles¡­¡± After murmuring to herself for a bit, her legs started to get tired. She turned around to leave when she saw a ck silhouette; the white flower on the chest of the ck blouse was an especially harsh sight. Susan red at Courtney and chided, ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you everywhere, but you were all the way on this side. Do you think I have nothing better to do?¡± In the past, she always acted as a dutiful stepmother in front of Courtney¡¯s father. But now that he was gone, there wasn¡¯t a need for her to keep acting that way anymore. Courtney let out a scoff in her mind, but she maintained the same tone of voice on the outside. ¡°The funeral is over. What reason do you still have to look for me?¡± Susan sneered at her and sized her up with a scornful look. That gesture was so smooth as though she had gone over it in her mind countless times. ¡°The funeral is over, but don¡¯t you want to know what¡¯s in your father¡¯s will?¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°Does his will have anything to do with me?¡± ¡°What a pity.¡± Susanughed. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t have anything to do with you. Your name wasn¡¯t even mentioned once. Isn¡¯t that so funny? You were a daughter he cherished all these years, but he didn¡¯t leave a single thing to you in his will.¡± The unabashed look she had on her face made Courtney feel nauseous just by looking at it. ¡°Cecilia, you can see for yourself. You thought of your daughter even as you took yourst breath, but to Lucian, she was nothing. He didn¡¯t leave anything for her. Did you know that?¡± Susan stared at the picture on the gravestone, her eyes almost popping out. The deep hatred in them seemed to have been buried for many years that Courtney felt like she could smell the rotting stench it gave off. Standing in front of the gravestone to block her view, Courtney warned, ¡°Please show some respect to the dead. My mother does not deserve to be humiliated by you.¡± ¡°Humiliated?¡± Susan smirked. ¡°Do you think she humiliated me any less? She always set herself above everyone else and was full of herself. Didn¡¯t she still die in the end? Good fortune doesn¡¯t stay with you forever, Cecilia. Did you think you could beat me by leaving this wretched thing?¡± Courtney was shaking with anger. ¡°Get out¡­¡± ¡°What right do you have to chase me out of here? There is something I¡¯ve wanted to do all along.¡± Susan raised her hand in an instant. It was starting to drizzle. When Courtney looked up, a drop of rain fell on her eyshes, forcing her to blink. She did not have time to avoid the p, and by the time she realized what was happening, it was toote. Before the pain she had anticipated reached her face, she heard Susan yell, ¡°Who are you?¡± Then, her ears caught the sound of a familiar voice. ¡°Who I am isn¡¯t important.¡± The man¡¯s voice was gentle and steady, but it did not allow room for interruption. ¡°You just have to know that if this p ends up on Courtney¡¯s face, I will make you and all the property you think you¡¯re entitled to go up in smoke overnight. I am a man of my word.¡± ¡°Elijah.¡± Courtney stared at the man before her in bewilderment. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I decided to return early. I came as soon as I heard that something had happened to your father,¡± he exined briefly. His eyes were still ring at the woman in front of him. Susan observed the both of them for a moment, then burst intoughter. ¡°Courtney, you¡¯re amazing. As if seducing Alexander wasn¡¯t enough; you have another one here too. Are you only depending on men?¡± Before she could finish, two hefty ck men jumped out from beside Courtney and grabbed a hold of Susan at each arm. Lilian walked out and ordered, ¡°Shut her up.¡± The ck bodyguards did as they were told. Like magic, they presented a rolled-up handkerchief and stuffed it in Susan¡¯s mouth, silencing her nasty cursing. Lilian waved her hand and had the two take Susan away. ¡°Hey!¡± Courtney waved her hand hurriedly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; nothing is going to happen. They¡¯re just going to send her away after giving her a little warning,¡± Elijah reassured while patting her shoulder. She let out a sigh of relief. After Lilian dealt with Susan, she turned around with an umbre in her hand and walked toward Courtney. She hugged Courtney and said sincerely, ¡°I just heard about your father. I¡¯m really sorry, Hunter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Courtney hugged her in return with a slightly bitter smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s great to see you again, Lilian.¡± Lilian was taller than Courtney by a head. Every time Lilian hugged her, it seemed like she was hugging a child. It was clear that Courtney was not short either, but she always looked fragile in Lilian¡¯s embrace. Oh, it must be nice to be mixed. She has good genes. ¡°It¡¯s starting to rain. Is there anything left to do here, Hunter?¡± Lilian let go of her. A major portion of the umbre was over Courtney¡¯s head. Courtney shook her head. ¡°No.¡± The only thing left was deciding who in Susan¡¯s maternal family would gain ownership of the shares. Since I have nothing to do with the will, then this ce has nothing to do with me anymore. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. The rain was getting heavier. Standing under one umbre, Courtney and Elijah slowly walked off in the rain together. She did not notice the ck figure that was standing on the other side of the cemetery that had taken the earliest flight out to make it back in time only to watch her leave in Elijah¡¯s arms. ¡°President Duncan. Aren¡¯t you going to stop Miss Hunter?¡± Josh was feeling rather conflicted as he stood next to Alexander with an opened umbre. During the meeting for the Shanghai resort project, Alexander heard the news about the Hunter Family and had rushed out in the middle of the negotiation. ¡°Get the car now and go after them.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice sounded from under the umbre. Chapter 216 One Night Surprise Chapter 216 Chapter 216 Where Is That Man? The soft patter of rain was heard outside. In front of the French windows at the duplex apartment, Elijah was holding a cup of floral tea that Courtney had made for him. ¡°Things have been so hectictely. I had someone look after Tina for a couple of days. When you have time, I¡¯ll bring her along and treat you to a meal.¡± ¡°I always have time.¡± The man looked especially gentle with a pair of sses on while he sat on the gray fabric couch. He had the stability and confidence befitting his age. The way he spoke and carried himself also gave off a sense of security. ¡°We can¡¯t bring the dead back to life, Elijah. You know I don¡¯t like to worry too much about things that can¡¯t be changed.¡± Courtney looked weary as she massaged her swollen temples. She had not slept properly over those two days. Her father¡¯s passing was questionable. It wasn¡¯t that she did not have any suspicions of her own, but given her identity, it was not appropriate for her to dig any further. Otherwise, it would be hard to avoid criticism from people who would im that she was only trying to find trouble because she was unsatisfied with her father¡¯s unfair division of property. Personally, she did not mind the criticism, but she did not want people to gossip about Tina. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. ¡°Technically, you should have the right to half of the Hunter Family¡¯s inheritance.¡± ¡°This really isn¡¯t important to me.¡± Elijah sighed and had a disheartened expression. ¡°You just can¡¯t be bothered. I¡¯m not forcing you to go all the way with this, but you¡¯re not even thinking about trying to do something.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that. I want to live a more simple life.¡± ¡°Are things simple now?¡± Elijah¡¯s tone sounded profound. ¡°In a big family like the Duncans¡¯, a family feud is never a simple matter.¡± Courtney was taken aback. ¡°You know about that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible not to know.¡± His expression was subtle. ¡°You¡¯re in the spotlight of business news headlines in Asia. Nowhere in the news is your rtionship with him a secret anymore.¡± Resting all her weight against the couch, she chuckled. ¡°Are you that certain? There¡¯s actually another part to it which I believe Cameron told you about previously, didn¡¯t she?¡± He did not answer her. Cameron had always dly passed on various information to him. When Courtney first met Cameron in America, she and Elijah had already registered their marriage. At the time, he had just passed the bottleneck period in his career. Apart from rising steadily, he also provided financial support to Cameron who was still a design student and struggling with financial hardships. Hence, she was in his debt. At the thought of Cameron, Elijah frowned. ¡°Cameron is not in a very good state. I suggest letting her stay at a hospital for treatment. That guy called Gale might not have the ability to look after her properly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s devoted to her.¡± She waved him off, but he still looked concerned. After letting out a long sigh, he pressed, ¡°Being devoted to her is one thing, but being able to care for a person with depression is another. Aside from specialized nurses, no one can keep their eyes on a patient all day long. There will be times when they need to go out. If something happens while they¡¯re out, who is going to take responsibility? The housekeepers at home?¡± His words made her doubt herself. ¡°I will bring up the idea to him then.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve already contacted the best rehabilitation center for treating depression in America. For the sake of her recovery, I rmend sending her there.¡± ¡°America?¡± Courtney was dumbfounded. ¡°I don¡¯t think Gale can ept that.¡± They would be separated by an ocean and time difference. If they really sent Cameron away, he might lose his mind. ¡°Then we will see if he¡¯s only doing this for himself or if he¡¯s genuinely doing this for Cameron¡¯s sake.¡± Elijah¡¯s reasoning was harsh. He did not consider Gale¡¯s feelings one bit. Nheless, Courtney understood. After all, he did not know Gale personally and was only speaking for Cameron. He couldn¡¯t tend to everyone at once. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll talk to him,¡± she agreed with a serious look on her face. It might have been easy to say that but would prove harder to doter. They talkedte into the night. By the time Courtney sent Elijah off, it was already pitch ck outside. Lilian waved at her in the dark, signaling her to go back. Courtney nodded. Tightening the shawl around her, she turned back around and went inside. When the doors opened, a breeze blew past and a storm began all of a sudden. She shrank her shoulders and thought that the weather had gotten cooler. The elevator took her up. With a ¡®ding¡¯, the doors slowly opened. Courtney lowered her head and headed toward her house. When she was putting in her passcode, the beeping sound was exceptionally clear in the corridor. Stepping inside, she noticed the fragrance of the flower tea was still quite strong. She went to the kitchen to boil water for herself again. While she was staring at the kettle, a man¡¯s voice suddenly came up from behind her, scaring her half to death. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± She cried out in rm and turned around with a hand on her chest. A tall and big figure was standing under the incandescent lights in the living room, producing a long shadow on the ground. She could not see his face clearly, but she was able to identify him. It was Alexander. ¡°You scared me to death.¡± She pressed down on her rapidly beating heart. ¡°What the h*ll? When did you get here? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be in Shanghai?¡± With a nk expression, he answered, ¡°The project ended. When I heard about your father, I came back right away.¡± There was a huge storm in Shanghai over thest couple of days. All the flights were dyed, and roads were blocked because of an increase in idents on the highway. It dragged on until this morning when flights began operating again. Courtney had not recovered from the shock she received earlier. Her hands were still shaking as she held onto the marble table for support. Her breaths wereing in a rush. ¡°No, I mean, shouldn¡¯t you have at least called when you came back? You almost scared me to death by showing up at my house without a word. I really regret giving you the passcode now.¡± She was only grumbling from being surprised, but she did not realize that those words left a bitter taste when they reached his ears. ¡°I¡¯m sure that isn¡¯t the only thing you regret.¡± Step after step, he closed in on her while dripping water on the floor. The pool of water was mixed with traces of mud. Only then did she realize that he was drenched from head to toe. ¡°What happened to you? How did you get caught in the rain? Where¡¯s Mr. Reynolds?¡± It was as though he did not hear her. With the big marble countertop in the kitchen between them, he red at her and asked in an icy cold voice, ¡°Where is that man? Did you send him off already?¡± He did not dare to believe that she could still act as if nothing had happened in front of him at this moment. She could still stand tall and face him after sending another man out of her house. His question made her heart sink slightly. What man?¡± she responded automatically, but she already guessed that Alexander had seen Elijah. ¡°Are you asking me?¡± He found it funny. Ridicule and contempt filled his cold gaze as he stared at her in disappointment. ¡°Are you not going to exin your rtionship with that man unless I tell you everything I saw first?¡± ¡°Elijah and I are just friends. You¡¯re mistaken.¡± She cradled her forehead as she finally knew why Alexander was so aggravated all of a sudden. ¡°Friends?¡± His chillyughter rang clearly through the big house. Chapter 217 One Night Surprise Chapter 217 Chapter 217 Someone Tried to Rape Me ¡°A man and a woman alone together at thiste hour. Do you think you can give a clear exnation for what you two did?¡± Alexander had an apathetic gaze. His overbearing demeanor seemed to lower the temperature in the house and make it feel like an icehouse. Courtney frowned as she stood firmly on the ground with the support of the table. ¡°Calm down. Elijah and I really are just friends. I don¡¯t know what misunderstanding you have. He just returned from America and helped me resolve a dispute at my father¡¯s funeral. When he gave me a ride home, I invited him up for a cup of hot tea and a chat. What¡¯s wrong with that? If you don¡¯t believe me, then it would be useless for me to give any exnation, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. She did not think that he was such a petty person. For him to be this angry after simply seeing Elijah seemed like a deliberate provocation. ¡°Just friends. Can you look at me and say that one more time?¡± ¡°We¡¯re really just friends.¡± Clenching his fists with an already sour expression on his face, he pulled out the information on his phone and mmed it down on the table. The collision of the back cover of the phone against the marble countertop produced a loud crash that echoed clearly inside the house. As Courtney looked at the content in the photo, her expression slowly changed. ¡°Did you do a background check on me?¡± All her information in America, including her marriage history, was being presented before her. There was even a family picture with Elijah in it. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t checked, I wouldn¡¯t have known that you had such a deep love you were still holding onto till this day.¡± He had lost his sense of rationality as he ridiculed, ¡°To you, being friends with a man means you can sleep around with him and even have children with him. You are so loyal to your friends.¡± ¡°Alexander Duncan, what are you saying?¡± Her face grew pale. She did not dare to believe the foul words she had just heard. ¡°Can¡¯t you understand what I¡¯m saying? Wasn¡¯t that man the ex-husband you always talked about? No wonder you never told me anything. I thought you were hurt because of your failed marriage, but it turns out I was the one who got fooled by you two!¡± His loud voice reverberated inside the house. ¡°That¡¯s not the case at all!¡± she stressed. ¡°Can¡¯t you hear me out? Even though Elijah and I got married, nothing happened between us. We¡¯re just¡­¡± ¡°Just what?¡± ¡°I only did it to get a green card so Tina and I could settle in America,¡± she pressed. Despite being angry, she tried to exin clearly to stop his misunderstanding from getting any bigger. He let out a scornfulugh and had a look of disdain in his eyes. ¡°You went to that extent for a green card. Is there anything you can¡¯t do?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Seeing the expression on his face, her limbs started to go cold. He took a deep breath as though he was trying to control his rage. ¡°Didn¡¯t you write a draft before you lied to my face? Don¡¯t you think there are too many loopholes here? You¡¯re just friends with Elijah, and you only did it for the green card. Who is Tina¡¯s father then? How many men have you married already?¡± A chill entered her bones and slowly seeped into every part of her body. She shut her eyes. The anger she had tried hard to suppress was now boiling in her chest. Who is Tina¡¯s father? How dare you ask me that question? A raging storm was taking ce inside of her. Alexander never found out, and it only made her more miserable. The frustrations that had built up all these years were let out in seconds as she loosened her clenched fist and raised her hand. That p was supposed tond on his face, but his reaction was much quicker. He grasped her wrist with one hand, gripping her so hard that she yelped in pain. It almost felt as though her wrist was about to shatter. ¡°Are you that angry and ashamed just because this fact was exposed?¡± He scoffed. ¡°Here I thought you were quite capable, but it looks like you don¡¯t know how to talk your way out of your lies anymore.¡± ¡°Alexander, you b*stard!¡± The harder she struggled to free her hand, the tighter his grip became. ¡°Aren¡¯t you able to do anything for your own benefits¡ªeven give birth to a child?¡± He pulled her in. ¡°I¡¯ll help you increase Citron Apparel¡¯s market share. Have my child too. How about that?¡± ¡°Get out of my house!¡± Furious, she used her other hand to hit his chest frantically. But it all seemed like a hopeless battle. Alexander was provoked by her aversion and resistance. Gripping her wrist unsympathetically, he dragged her out of the kitchen like a mop and threw her onto the couch in the living room. ¡°Let me go, Alexander. You b*stard!¡± She yelled out all the curse words she could think of at him. All she did, however, was make him even more infuriated. Sitting on her waist to pin her down on the couch, he used one hand to pull her hands up above her head and put some strength in the other to rip off her blouse. Her buttons popped off and fell all over the ground. During her struggle, she kicked over a standingmp next to the couch, causing themp to shatter. The incandescent light above her head made a few short flickering sounds before the whole living room turned into darkness. Alexander hesitated for a moment then felt a sudden paining from his lower body. ¡°Ah¡­¡± he groaned and fell on the couch. ¡°Courtney, you¡­¡± In a panicked state, she used all her strength to push him off and stumbled her way into the bedroom. She locked the room door and sat paralyzed behind it. After a while, she heard him tap against the door. ¡°Come out, Courtney.¡± A cold shiver rushed down her spine. With all her might, she screamed at the door, ¡°Get out of my house! I don¡¯t ever want to see you again!¡± It became quiet outside. She was not sure whether he had left yet or not. As the rage inside of her had nowhere to go, she started to shake all over. Unable to control her emotions, she reached for the phone next to her bed. ¡°911? I-I want to make a report.¡± She paused, then continued, ¡°I¡¯m at Four Seasons Garden, on the¡­ on the 22nd floor. Someone is trying to rape me.¡± Outside, Alexander had already left. When he saw Courtney run frantically into her bedroom to escape from him, he felt remorseful for showing this horrendous side of him to the woman he loved. But he did not regret losing control of himself. He had never loved a woman as much as he loved her before, but she was keeping him in the dark with poorly made-up lies that failed to convince him. A whileter, the police blocked his Range Rover at a traffic light intersection. ¡°Mr. Duncan, someone alleged that you tried to rape them. Pleasee with us.¡± The police took photos inside the room for evidence while a female officer was spending some time trying to appease Courtney in the bathroom. ¡°Miss Hunter, I need to ask you something. Are you and Mr. Duncan in a romantic rtionship?¡± With her brows furrowed together, Courtney gave a nod. ¡°This¡­¡± The female officer was in a tight spot. ¡°This might not be easy to resolve. We will do our best to help you work this out, but you have to prepare yourself mentally.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to work things out. I won¡¯t see him again,¡± Courtney replied clearly. Chapter 218 One Night Surprise Chapter 218 Chapter 218 I Stand With People, Not With Reason ¡°Are you okay, sis?¡± As soon as Shay got the call, he rushed over without even changing out of his attire. Dressed in a blue- sequin tuxedo, he showed up looking weary and with Casey following behind him. The police already left her ce. With an exhausted look on her face, she opened the door and let them in. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± While the two cups of hot tea on the coffee table were still bubbling, she briefly told them what had happened without going into detail. She simply said that her breakup with Alexander did not go smoothly and needed police intervention when he tried to harm her. ¡°I¡¯ll move in here.¡± Shay pulled his brows in tightly. ¡°I don¡¯t trust him. If he dares to step foot in here again, I will break his legs.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± Beside him, Casey spoke in a deep voice. ¡°Alexander is not the type to stalk. Since he¡¯s already left, he won¡¯te back again. If he really wants to get back at someone, he won¡¯t do it himself.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t he do this himself? Look at my sister¡¯s neck.¡± There was obvious bruising on her neck that Alexander had inflicted during the struggle. It could have been an ident or a moment when he lost control of his temper, but that was the most obvious bruise and evidence of his crime. If Casey did not hold Shay back, Shay would have run to the police station to beat Alexander up. ¡°There is no need for that. I called you over because I had some other things to talk to you about.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Courtney nced at Casey. Ever since he came into her ce, he did not see himself as an outsider. Even now, he was sitting leisurely on the couch without taking a hint. ¡°I know how to keep secrets. I¡¯m also Alexander¡¯s business rival. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for you to keep me in the dark. I might even be able to help you.¡± When it came to having thick skin, no one could beat Casey at it. Shay rolled his eyes at him. ¡°It¡¯s between me and my sister, and not rted to you. You can leave first. I¡¯ll be staying here tonight.¡± ¡°No,¡± Casey refused right away. It was clear that he had no intention of leaving anymore. A frown appeared on Courtney¡¯s forehead. She was not in the mood to get in the middle of their quarrel. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t n on concealing this secret any longer. Taking this chance, I will draw the line with him once and for all, and request for custody over Jordan again.¡± As for how the police were going to deal with Alexander this time, she did not have any demands. She only called the police so he would leave her ce. After the police stopped by, the first thing she did was change the passcode at her front door. It was not the first time. Whether there was a misunderstanding or not, she could not approve of his violent behavior. It did not matter how angry or confused he was; it did not justify forcing her against her wishes. This time, she would not forgive him again. ¡°Yes, you should draw the line with him. But, custody¡­ What custody?¡± Dumbfounded, Shay assumed that Courtney was not thinking straight because of her anger. He started carefully, ¡°Sis, even if you love Alexander¡¯s son, you can¡¯t get custody over someone else¡¯s child.¡± ¡°Jordan is my son.¡± With a grim look on her face, she had her fist clenched so tightly that her nails were almost tearing into her skin. From her expression, it did not look like she was joking. Besides Shay, even Casey who was usually calm andposed was shocked by the news. No one would have imagined that the mother to Alexander¡¯s little prince, that no one in the city could identify, was Courtney. Shay walked out of Courtney¡¯s ce with a serious expression. Getting in the car, he looked at Casey in the driver seat and urged, ¡°You can¡¯t tell anyone about my sister.¡± Casey rested his slender fingers on the steering wheel. Between his fingers, a logo of a galloping horse in a shield reflected on his serious and steady face. ¡°I don¡¯t have that much time to waste. Didn¡¯t she say so herself? This will not be a secret for much longer.¡± At the mention of that, Shay grew even more serious. ¡°Alexander¡¯s son is so important to him. He won¡¯t give him up to my sister that easily. When the timees, he will make use of all his connections. I¡¯m worried my sister will lose Tina in the end, too.¡± ¡°I find it more interesting how Alexander didn¡¯t even know who the woman beside him was before he slept with her six years ago.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Shay rolled his eyes. ¡°I thought you were going to help. Now that you know about it, what do you n to do?¡± ¡°I can help.¡± Casey nced at him. ¡°But you still have to give me a reason. Oh, that¡¯s right. I stand with people, not with reason.¡± Shay furrowed his brows together and fell silent. When he understood what Casey meant, mixed reactions spread across his face. ¡°Do you want to die, Casey?¡± Ever since he got tangled up with Casey, Casey had be impossible to shake off and wanted to intervene in everything. Indeed, he did help Shay straighten out a number of matters, but the price of that was constantly being taken advantage of with words. He said anything he wanted without even thinking through it first. ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for jokes. Just take me home for now.¡± ¡°Sit tight.¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. When Casey stepped on the gas pedal, the engine roared to life, attracting the attention of pedestrians on the streets. The streamlined car looked like a rocket as it quickly made it onto the high-speed beltway. The night was restless with all the secrets that it knew. Currently, the whole city was stuck amid the misty rain. Thunderstorms continued to sweep the streets as if they wanted to erase the traces of the past and start over. At daybreak, sunlight seeped through. Outside the police station, a car screeched to an abrupt stop. A young man in a suit and leather shoes got out of a white sedan swiftly and ran off with a sense of urgency. When he stepped inside the station, he grabbed ahold of a female officer and demanded, ¡°Where¡¯s Alexander?¡± The female officer shot him a nce before sticking her mouth out in the direction of the detention room. She snapped, ¡°There. He¡¯s been waiting all night for his family to pick him up. Why are you only here now?¡± ¡°My apologies. My phone ran out of battery and was switched offst night.¡± Josh was sweating buckets. He had always been cautious and conscientious in his work. Last night, it just so happened that his phone ran out of battery and had been switched off. When he woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, he looked at his phone out of habit and realized that he had gotten a call from the police station when his phone was turned off. He broke out into a cold sweat right away. His boss had spent almost the whole night at the police station and called him several times but he did not pick up. Wasn¡¯t he just asking to be fired? He still had to make money to buy a house in Melrose City and get a wife! After the police asked Josh a few simple questions about his rtionship with Alexander, they let him in to talk to Alexander. ¡°What do you mean? Are you saying I still can¡¯t take him back yet?¡± ¡°Of course not. Do you think he will be let off that easily after a rape allegation?¡± The female officer was quite irritated. ¡°This isn¡¯t so simple. We¡¯ve submitted a report to the higher-ups with all the evidence against the used. He needs to be held in custody for now. We will have to wait until tomorrow morning to see whether the victim is ready to present evidence for awsuit.¡± ¡°How is that possible? Miss Hunter is President Duncan¡¯s girlfriend. They¡¯re going to get married soon. It was just a lovers¡¯ quarrel. It¡¯s not what you think¡­¡± ¡°Really?¡± The female officer closed the record book in her hands and looked at him. ¡°But the used himself has denied being in a rtionship with the victim.¡± Chapter 219 One Night Surprise Chapter 219 Chapter 219 Why Did You Have to Kill Dad? ¡°What?¡± Josh could not believe his ears. ¡°The victim admitted to their rtionship, but strangely, the used denied it. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask him yourself.¡± As she said that, she also had a troubled expression on her face. After working at the police station for so long, though, she had met all kinds of people before and was not surprised by anything unusual anymore. The visitation time was not long. When Josh entered the detention room and saw Alexander, he was filled with anger but he still maintained hisposure. ¡°President Duncan, I will find a way to handle this matter. I¡¯ve contacted yourwyer; he¡¯s on his way here now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Alexander gave a sullen nod. ¡°You and Miss Hunter just had a fight. Why are you holding a grudge? Why on earth did you deny¡ª¡± Before he finished talking, Alexander¡¯s overwhelming gaze fell on him and made him freeze on the spot. A boss would always remain a boss. Talking behind his back already felt disconcerting, let alone to his face. Josh felt like his back was already drenched in cold sweat. But Alexander simply looked at him and instructed, ¡°Make sure mywyer doesn¡¯t say anything. Don¡¯t let Old Master Duncan hear about this. As for my detainment here, look for Gale. He will find a way.¡± It seemed as though Josh had found his savior. He nodded his head hurriedly. ¡°I¡¯ll get right on it.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± ¡°Is there anything else you need me to do?¡± ¡°Do a background check on that man called Elijah and see what he¡¯s been up to since he returned to the country.¡± Josh hesitated. ¡°Will do.¡± Regardless of what he says, isn¡¯t it clear that he still can¡¯t let Miss Hunter go? It felt like troubled times had arrived at Melrose City. That same night, restlessness still took over the minds of people. At the Hunter Mansion, the nanny heard the doorbell and went to open the door impatiently. As soon as she did, a heavy stench of alcohol greeted her, making her pinch her nose. ¡°Miss Hunter¡­¡± Nheless, she was not surprised by the sight before her. She yelled for the housekeepers on duty and had them carry Anna to the couch. The person who sent Anna home was the bartender. It was already the third time this week. Just like before, the nanny gave him two hundred and sent him away. ¡°If Anna goes to the bar again tomorrow, don¡¯t let her drink this much again. What do we do if something happens to her? Our youngdy will be wedded soon.¡± The bartender kept nodding. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if Miss Hunter gets drunk, I will make sure to get her back safely.¡± Wouldn¡¯t he be a fool if he didn¡¯t take advantage of this easy money? As soon as the nanny sent him off, she heard the sound of someone throwing up in the living room followed by the shocked cries of the other housekeepers. It did not take much to figure out the unsightly situation that was taking ce inside. ¡°Why are you shrieking instead of cleaning up this mess? Go get some hot water. You go make some hangover soup, and you go to the storage room to get a new carpet.¡± While they were all busy moving around, an exasperated voice came from upstairs, ¡°Anna! What happened to you? Why did you drink so much again?¡± Susan pattered down the stairs. Seeing the vomit on the couch, she grimaced and became even more agitated. ¡°Aren¡¯t you ashamed of turning yourself into this mess? If your inws ever find out about this, you¡¯re done for. Do you still want to get married?¡± Despite being very drunk, Anna had heard her mother scolding her very clearly. Staggering to stand up from the couch, she looked like she was crying andughing at the same time. ¡°I¡¯m not getting married. You can get married and give me a stepdad. I don¡¯t mind!¡± p! The clear sound resounded in the living room. Susan¡¯s trembling hand was still in the air. ¡°You must be out of your mind to say such absurd things.¡± Cradling her face, Anna was somewhat sober now, but she was even more persistent. ¡°Hit me all you want. I hope you end up killing me too. That way, I won¡¯t be an aplice in murder. I won¡¯t lose sleep at night or see dad whenever I close my eyes.¡± A deathly silence fell inside the living room. The housekeepers were ncing at one another. Susan turned pale from the shock. ring at the housekeepers, she chided, ¡°What are you all looking at? Is it that entertaining to watch Anna have a drunken fit? If word gets out about what happened today, you all better be prepared to pack up and get out of here.¡± After that, she dragged Anna along and staggered up the stairs. Anna was flung onto the bed. Her long hair covered her face messily as shey there motionlessly like a zombie. ¡°Have you lost it?¡± Susan was beside herself with anger. ¡°Do you have any idea what you just said? Will you only be at peace once you send your mother to prison?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one sending you to prison. It¡¯s you, Mom; you¡¯re sending me to hell.¡± She pushed herself to sit up in bed and cried, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see? Dad left all his inheritance to us, but you still doubted him. Because of that unnecessary doubt, you poisoned him and ended up killing him.¡± ¡°Keep your mouth shut!¡± Susan clenched her hands into fists. ¡°All this should have been ours in the first ce. Appointing us in his will just shows that he has a conscience. But if we let him live and ideas start filling his head, how do you know he won¡¯t change his mind?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it!¡± Anna cupped her face in her hands and cried through a muffled voice, ¡°It was your greed. You wanted to have everything, so you killed someone. You killed Dad.¡± As Susan closed her eyes, welled-up tears fell from the corners of her eyes. It was an undeniable sense of remorse. If she had known that Lucian would do that for them, why did she have tomit such a treacherous act? Since things hade to this point, however, she could only live on shamelessly. ¡°Anna, listen to me; that is in the past now. It cannot be undone. You can¡¯t keep thinking about it anymore. Your father passed away from an illness. It has nothing to do with us.¡± She sat down on the edge of the bed and held Anna in her arms. ¡°Tomorrow is the day you take on the role as president of thepany. You should be happy. I¡¯ve been looking forward to this for so many years, and it¡¯s finally happening now. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Anna continued to shake her head helplessly and sob. Ever since she found out that her father had left the majority of his inheritance to her and her mother in his will, she could not turn a blind eye to her mother¡¯s past actions anymore. Every night, whenever she closed her eyes, she would see her father¡¯s loving nce, but he eventually turned into a vicious devil and grabbed her throat. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°My dear daughter, I was so good to you. Why did you have to kill me?¡± ¡°No! No! It wasn¡¯t me, Dad!¡± After having nightmares all night long, she woke up drenched in cold sweat. The time and date were indicated on the electronic calendar by her bedside. She stared at it for a moment, then remembered that it was the day she would seed the role of president at thepany. They were going to announce the shareholding and have the board of directors elect the president through votes. ¡°Anna, are you awake? Hurry up.¡± Her mother was pestering her from outside the door. The unconcealed excitement in her voice made Anna¡¯s stomach churn with an overwhelming feeling of nausea. Chapter 220 One Night Surprise Chapter 220 Chapter 220 The Real Cause Of Death ¡°I¡¯ming,¡± she answered in low spirits, then dragged her tired body into the bathroom to wash up. There was a lot of work to do at thepany. Before she took over this position, she had no idea that her father had to deal with so many things each day. She had only experienced it for a few days and was already at her limit. At the thought of the referendum during the board meeting today, she felt even more disconcerted. It was evident that her father had left that position for her a long time ago. Due to her mother¡¯s intervention, however, it felt like she had stolen it, and it constantly put her on edge. It finally stopped raining. Early in the morning, Courtney invited herte father¡¯s personalwyer, Jeremy, out for a cup of coffee. Jeremy was an old friend of her father¡¯s. He was quite reputable amongwyers in Melrose City. Even though he had always worked in defending businesswsuits, Courtney felt like he was a trustworthy person. Thus, she decided to consult him regarding her custody of Jordan. To her surprise, Jeremy handed her an insurance policy before she even began speaking. ¡°Mr. Hunter bought this insurance in Hong Kong when he was still alive. It has already been paid for five years. You¡¯re the beneficiary, Miss Hunter.¡± She was taken aback to see the huge title at the top of the insurance policy that read, ¡®Critical Illness Insurance¡¯. ¡°Why did my dad¡­¡± What prompted him to buy this insurance policy? After all, who would anticipate their own death from developing a critical illness? Jeremy grew serious. ¡°He bought this insurance very early on. It was probably the year before you went abroad, Miss Hunter. Mr. Hunter was still very healthy at the time and even had a health certificate from the hospital. To be honest, I didn¡¯t exactly know how he thought of buying this insurance back then either, but looking at things now, he was truly a man of foresight.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Previously, while Mr. Hunter was admitted to the hospital, I kept helping him revise his will and sort out the issue with property ownership. After looking into it, I would say that I have a clear understanding of 90%, if not 100%, of the financial situation at Hunter Group. Haven¡¯t you ever wondered why your father did not leave anything for you, Miss Hunter?¡± She seemed to have picked up on something. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with thepany?¡± ¡°There¡¯s not much of it left. Mr. Hunter has gradually been yielding his power over the years. The subsidiarypany had an internal strife that resulted in a huge deficit. On the surface, the Hunter Family has a lot of real estate, but there was not one that wasn¡¯t mortgaged to the bank. Every year, they only fell into more debt. Thepany is already having difficulties operating.¡± ¡°How did this happen?¡± Courtney was astounded. ¡°My dad never told me any of this.¡± ¡°Mr. Hunter knows you have no intention of seeding thepany, and he doesn¡¯t want you to get involved in these muddy waters either. He already made all the arrangements for the session of the company before his passing.¡± ¡°Arrangements?¡± She did notprehend. ¡°What arrangements?¡± In the middle of their conversation, the LCD television hanging on the wall of the caf¨¦ suddenly broadcasted thetest social news. ¡°It¡¯s ten in the morning in Kyoto. Twenty minutes ago, the city headquarters of a family business corporation was suddenly shut down by the court and is undergoing a police investigation. The board members of thepany are in a dispute. Miss Hunter, the newly appointed female president of the company, unfortunately, fell off the building and was pronounced dead on the spot. Amid this chaos, the Vice President, Madam Yves, has gone missing.¡± Crash! Courtney¡¯s hand trembled and lost grip of the coffee mug, spilling coffee all over herself. The waitress quickly rushed over to clean up, but Courtney was still fixated on the television screen. She was shocked, bewildered, and perplexed. A whileter, she heard the waitress apologize to her, and slowly pulled her focus back. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll clean this up myself.¡± Sitting back down in a befuddled state, she asked, ¡°What is going on with thepany, Mr. Morrison?¡± Jeremy did not spare a nce at the television and had a calm expression. ¡°If my guess is right, someone reported the Hunter Group for tax evasion. They are facing a huge fine and need someone to step up to take responsibility. With that amount of money, it¡¯s not possible to avoid jail time.¡± ¡°Someone reported them?¡± Courtney looked dazed. ¡°Who?¡± Jeremy looked at her meaningfully then revealed, ¡°Your father.¡± Everything was nned from the start; everything was nned perfectly. After spending so many years in business, Lucian¡¯s brain was not just for show. He knew exactly how each person in his life treated him. Even toward the end of his life, he still feigned ignorance just for this Speaking about being ruthless, his tactics were still the worst. He did not give any leeway. Courtney thought it was funny. In a marriage where they both only schemed against each other, Lucian had even left a big trap for her in his will after death. He did not show mercy to his own wife and daughter. In contrast, Courtney once believed that her father was a kind-hearted man. Among people who do business, none of them actually invest all their feelings into it. It¡¯s only for show. At noon, Jeremy left the caf¨¦ and walked a few hundred meters along the street before he swiftly got into a ck Ferrari that was at the side of the road. The rearview mirror reflected the warm gaze of the man sitting in the backseat. His tailored suit made him overflow with charisma. ¡°Did you talk to her?¡± Jeremy nodded. ¡°Following your orders, I only told Miss Hunter about the problems at thepany, and the plot behind the will. I did not tell her that Mr. Hunter knew about Susan and Anna poisoning him.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The man let out a sigh. ¡°My assistant will work out the remuneration with you ordingly.¡± Jeremy grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ve received my remuneration from Mr. Hunter. He doesn¡¯t want Miss Hunter to know too much, either. He only hopes that once she gets the insurance money, she¡¯ll be able to live a smooth and steady life. In a way, he¡¯s making up for what he owes her. In any case, my job ends here.¡± With a nod, the car slowly pulled up to the side. After Jeremy got off, the car went back into the flow of traffic. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Eli. Why can¡¯t we tell Hunter the truth? Doesn¡¯t she have the right to know about her father¡¯s real cause of death?¡± ¡°Courtney isn¡¯t someone who likes to dig into the cause and effect of an issue that can¡¯t be changed. Telling her about this will only add to her stress. Seeing that Lucian deliberately hid it from her, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not for the sole reason of keeping her out of misery.¡± The way he spoke poured out naturally like the spring water in the mountains that aren¡¯t too rushed or too slow; it was easy on the ears. ¡°What else could there be?¡± Lilian could not understand. ¡°Thepany.¡± He shot her a nce. ¡°Lucian is using this method to tell Courtney that he knows about everything and that she doesn¡¯t need to do anything else. He even misled her to think that he had intentionally left apany in ruins as a ticking time bomb to get back at Susan and Anna. He doesn¡¯t want her to be trapped by family bonds and be tied up inpany matters.¡± Moreover, the truth was that the Hunter Group had gone past the point of recovery a long time ago; it could not be saved anymore. The tax evasion issue was thest straw. ¡°Keeping her in the dark would be for the best. She¡¯s been too stressed outtely. I will handle these misceneous things for her.¡± Gazing out the window, Elijah¡¯s usually gentle eyes grew more profound.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Chapter 221 One Night Surprise Chapter 221 Chapter 221 Why Are You Blushing? ¡°Sis, it¡¯s been quite chaotictely. I don¡¯t think you should go to Anna¡¯s funeral.¡± Shay¡¯s voice, fused with a voice tuner, came through the phone. ¡°Maybe if I didn¡¯t know about it. But, since I¡¯m aware, I don¡¯t have a reason not to go. I have to pay my respects. She¡¯s dead. It¡¯s not something to argue about.¡± She straightened out her ck blouse and ck wide-leg pants in front of the mirror, then tied her hair up at the back of her head. Through her wireless earphone, she heard Shay sigh. ¡°You be careful. I still have work to do here so I can¡¯t leave yet, but I might be able to make it. I¡¯ll just be a bitte.¡± ¡°Okay. Be careful on your way here,¡± she exhorted and hung up the phone. Even outsiders imed that Anna¡¯s suicide was unexpected. After asking a few directors who were present at the time, however, they found out she did jump off herself. ording to the statements, it was very chaotic at the scene. Not to mention, the source of that chaos was Susan. Anna was already gone. At least, her uncle had taken it upon himself to arrange her funeral and contact anyone who could be reached, including Courtney. Aside from the flower wreath, the only two colors left at the funeral were ck and white. So few people had attended that Courtney almost thought she came at the wrong time. Well, after such a big scandal at Hunter Group, who would want to forge connections with them? After bowing in front of the grave, she walked up in front of Anna¡¯s uncle. ¡°My condolences.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± He nodded his head, his eyes slightly red. ¡°Anna might have had a bad temper, but she was a sweet girl.¡± Courtney could not agree to thatpletely, but since she had to show respect to the dead, she did not say anything else and simply nodded. With that, she turned around and started to leave. ¡°Wait,¡± Anna¡¯s uncle called out abruptly. ¡°Anna jumped because she could not bear the pressure of dealing with thepany¡¯s problems. Now that thepany has turned out this way, shouldn¡¯t his children be responsible for it?¡± Courtney frowned. Taking the ce they were in into consideration, she suppressed her temper and exined, ¡°I don¡¯t own any shares at Hunter Group. My father didn¡¯t put my name under any of his inheritance in his will. The situation thepany is in has nothing to do with me. If you don¡¯t get it, you can ask Mr. Morrison.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to look for somewyer; I¡¯m just looking for you.¡± The middle-aged man was slowly getting angry. ¡°Lucian left us with such a big mess. You¡¯re his daughter. You can¡¯t just turn a blind eye to everything.¡± Finding it rather amusing on the inside, she retorted, ¡°When the will was read, I don¡¯t remember you people being this outspoken about injustice.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a different matter.¡± His face sank. ¡°You have toe clean in front of Anna today, and give us an exnation. This is your family¡¯spany. If you don¡¯t manage it, then who will?¡± ¡°Whoever wants to!¡± Shay¡¯s voice traveled across the crowd andnded clearly in everyone¡¯s ears. Courtney was still in a daze when a hand pulled her back. Looking up, she saw Casey who was following closely behind Shay. ¡°Get my sister out of here first,¡± Shay instructed. Taking off his sunsses, his eyes swept across everyone with an unpleasant expression on his face.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. After Casey took Courtney away, she heard Shay¡¯s voice in the distance. ¡°Birds of a feather flock together. I should¡¯ve known you people didn¡¯t notify my sister of the funeral for any good reason. Why? Are you picking on her because she doesn¡¯t have anyone around her? Are you nning on dumping this huge mess on her? During the allocation of property, why didn¡¯t any of you remember that Lucian also had another daughter? Since this problem broke out, you¡¯re suddenly aware now. How could something so miraculous happen? You¡¯re all just taking advantage of her.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t leave Shay alone in there. Those people¡ª¡± Courtney was in a slight panic. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Casey did not even look back as he shoved her into the MPV. ¡°He has people with him.¡± She followed his gaze into the distance where she saw a group of people crowded together. ¡°How dare you speak to me like that?¡± At that moment, Anna¡¯s uncle¡¯s shameless attitude shone through. In a harsh voice, he sneered, ¡°Shay Spencer, was it? You¡¯re just a mutt the Hunter Family picked up and brought home. What right do you have to be here and meddle in the Hunters¡¯ affairs?¡± Those words got Courtney worked up, but she only saw Casey lean against the car door outside. His formal attire made him look smart. Without a clear expression, he said, ¡°The one who ridiculed Shay earlier. His mouth is too foul.¡± As soon as he said that, a sharp scream sounded from among the crowd. Despite not being close, the indistinct sound of bones crushing could also be heard in the middle of the scream. ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate. I¡¯ll take responsibility for everything. Beat him up.¡± Among the crowd of people in the distance, shrieks wereing in one after the other. When Anna looked at Casey in astonishment, she realized that he was wearing a ck wireless earphone in his right ear. The few hefty men in ck on the other side were men Casey left behind to protect Shay. No wonder they were so ruthless. As she looked at the man being beaten into a lump, she let out a sigh, thinking it was sad but also funny at the same time. Susan and Anna spent their entire lives scheming. They brought all the good- for-nothing children from their maternal family into the Hunter Group. Now that Anna was dead, and Susan was missing, they were still desperate to bring the Hunter Group back up instead of looking for Susan. They wanted to continue to sit idly and enjoy the fruits of someone else¡¯sbor. From the cemetery, Casey drove Courtney back to her ce. ¡°It¡¯s better not to associate with those people in the future. They¡¯re all crazy.¡± Sitting on the couch, Shay continued to urge her softly, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t made it in time today, it would have been a catastrophe.¡± The ability to tell right from wrong and weigh the pros and cons were within her. She admitted that she had not reached the brain-damaging level of ¡®who else would go to hell if not me¡¯ yet. Nodding lightly, her gaze shifted onto Casey. ¡°I¡¯ve been seeing Mr. Lewis with you a lottely. Are you two¡­¡± Shay¡¯s expression shifted. He almost spat out water from his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. We¡¯re just¡­ regr friends.¡± ¡°Really?¡± She eyed Casey curiously. Shay was always the bashful one. If she wanted to hear the truth, she had to get Casey to speak. ncing over at Shay, Casey answered, ¡°Yes. You can say that.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Courtney pestered. ¡°Everyone defines a friend differently. We¡¯re friends if he says we are.¡± She was slightly confused, ¡°Can you borate?¡± ¡°He¡¯s my only friend.¡± Oh, so that¡¯s it. Courtney smiled vaguely at Shay. She watched as his face went from a pale pink to bright red. She had a mischievous thought and deliberately asked, ¡°Why are you blushing, Shay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Sulking, he insisted, ¡°I just feel hot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost fall now. How can you still feel hot?¡± she teased. ¡°I just feel hot, alright? Your house is too hot. I don¡¯t want to be here anymore. I¡¯m leaving¡­¡± Shay just got up from the couch, but Casey looked like he was already prepared. Standing up, he straightened his suit and said nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯ll drive you.¡± From Courtney¡¯s perspective, she could clearly see Shay¡¯s face turn even redder. Chapter 222 One Night Surprise Chapter 222 Chapter 222 Daughters Should Be Raised in Abundance After Shay and Casey left, Courtney called Alicia. ¡°Aunt Alicia, where¡¯s Tina?¡± ¡°She just had her lunch. Your uncle put her down for a nap.¡± Alicia¡¯s voice was heard from the other side of the phone. Her voice was much gentler than before. ¡°Uncle William is with her? Is he not working today?¡± ¡°Oh, we haven¡¯t told you yet. He officially retiredst week. At first, he went to Mayberry to attend an event held by the Calligraphy Association. But, when he heard that Tina wasing, he came back as soon as the event was finished. I told him he couldn¡¯t take care of kids, but he insisted that he was good. Look at this man.¡± Upon hearing Alicia¡¯sint, Courtney let out a chuckle. ¡°Uncle William has just retired. He¡¯s probably just trying to keep himself busy.¡± ¡°That could be true.¡± Alicia grinned in response. ¡°By the way, there¡¯ll be a gathering this Friday night. The whole family will be having dinner together. No outsiders; just us and Stephen¡¯s family. You should come too.¡± Courtney hesitated for a moment. ¡°We haven¡¯t met for so many years. I don¡¯t think I should go.¡± ¡°Why? You don¡¯t want to get close with your grandpa¡¯s family anymore?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Aunt Alicia.¡± ¡°Come, then. I¡¯ll pick you up at your ce this Friday.¡± Since Alicia insisted, Courtney couldn¡¯t reject her again. Besides, the only family she had nowadays were the uncles from her maternal side. She could actually understand Alicia¡¯s effort. On Friday night, Alicia came on time to pick Courtney up to bring her to the hotel for dinner. A low-key ck Rolls-Royce came to a stop in front of the apartment. The moment Courtney got into the car, Tina plunged into her arms. ¡°Mom, why did you take so long toe down? I¡¯m hungry.¡± Helplessly, Courtney caressed her little head. ¡°Okay, okay. Sit down properly. The car is going to move.¡± After Courtney took her seat, she looked up and greeted her uncle who was sitting in the passenger seat. ¡°Mom, what do you think about my new dress? Is it nice?¡± Although Tina had already sat down, she couldn¡¯t stay still. Lifting the hem of her veiled dress, she showed it to Courtney. ¡°There are stars on it.¡± She was dressed in a small powder-blue veiled dress, a small leather jacket, and a pair of brown leather shoes. She also had a pair of white socks with their hemsced. Because of thepany, Courtney had been researching a lot on the fashion shows held during spring and autumn. If she were not mistaken, the outfit was from thetest line of children¡¯s clothing released by BV this year. Although she might not be able to estimate the price of the outfit, she still noticed the double-G logo on Tina¡¯s crossbody bag. ¡°Aunt Alicia, you can just buy anything for Tina to wear. There¡¯s no need to dress her up so fancily.¡± However, Alicia disagreed with her. ¡°This is your only daughter. How can we not doll her up? Daughters should be raised in abundance. Otherwise, they would be snatched by boys very easily in the future.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± William¡¯s voice was heard from the passenger seat. ¡°Girls should be raised rich. Even so, we¡¯re not pampering her. We¡¯re merely trying to train her to be strong.¡± Courtney felt a little headache. Alicia and William had no children, so they were very fond of Tina. Tina is so young, yet she wears branded items all over her body. How is this not pampering? They might even promise her the stars and the moon. ¡°Aunt Alicia, I¡­ I don¡¯t think you should extol her to the skies. You should be more strict¡­¡± ¡°If you want me to bring her up under pressure, you can stop talking now. I grew up under pressure, so I know that it¡¯s not good to be too temperamental.¡± After listening to her, Courtney was stunned. This was the first time she heard Alicia saying that she was bad-tempered. From the rear-view mirror, she could see that her uncle was surprised too. Vaguely, he said, ¡°What a rare sight.¡± Nevertheless, Alicia had sharp ears. Immediately, she turned around and red at him. ¡°There are so many rare things in this world. Isn¡¯t it rarer for someone to abandon their wife and child and end up with a broken familypared to my honesty?¡± Her words touched something inside Courtney¡¯s heart. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Tina was probably the only one in the car who didn¡¯t understand what Alicia was trying to say. ¡°Enough. How can you say something like that in front of a kid?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t say.¡± Alicia¡¯s expression was cold. ¡°Although Tina is still young, children have their own ability to distinguish the bad and the good. There is no need to create the illusion that everything in this world is beautiful.¡± ¡°Enough, Alicia¡­¡± William sounded helpless. Obviously, Alicia wasn¡¯t content with his attitude. Frowning, she was about to explode, but Courtney quickly stopped her. ¡°Aunt Alicia, the past is in the past. We don¡¯t have to keep on mentioning it. Tina is all grown up. She understands everything. Am I right?¡± As she said that, she gave Tina a nce. Cooperatively, Tina nodded. ¡°Yeah. Mom, Great-Aunt Alicia, Great-Uncle William, I know everything.¡± Finally, Alicia¡¯s expression softened. Staring at Courtney, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t involve yourself in the Hunter Group¡¯s mess. Hide as far as you can. Don¡¯t go looking for trouble.¡± Nodding, Courtney held back the faint trace of bitterness behind her eyes. Ever since Anna fell to her death, the internal financial shortfalls of the Hunter Group were quickly spread amongst the public. It even made it to the headlines in various media. People had different opinions. Soon, the Tax Bureau and Bureau of Commerce intervened to carry out further investigations. All projects of thepany were temporarily suspended. Nheless, the suspension of estate development projects meant that hundreds of migrant workers lost their jobs. The route to Melrose Hotel¡ªthe ce where Courtney was heading for dinner¡ªhad to pass by the head office of the Hunter Group. Anyone could easily guess what the entrance of the head office would look like without looking out the window. Migrant workers had put up an enormous banner written with clich¨¦d lines of ¡®Give Us Back Our Money, Unscrupulous Developer¡¯. The entrance was drenched in the smell of lunch boxes that only cost five dors each. One could also see social news reporters at every corner. Even though the police had intervened to control the situation, it was of little effect. ¡°Stop staring,¡± Alicia yelled at William. ¡°The owner isn¡¯t a good person. How can you expect his company to be good too? How bold of them to evade taxes.¡± ¡°No one knows what exactly happened yet. We cannot draw a conclusion so easily.¡± William¡¯s gentleness was his usual personality. His many years of experience in the political world had nurtured him into someone who liked to look at things from an objective point of view. He was also very tender even in private. At first, Courtney didn¡¯t want to check on thepany. Yet, the traffic slowed down the moment they entered the city center. The noise from outside became louder and louder. As soon as she saw the fire trucking from a distance, she knew something was wrong. From the window of the car, she could see that the entrance of the Hunter Group¡¯s head office was crowded. Everyone was staring with their heads inclined. Through the bustling crowd, a path was created. The cordon was quickly pulled up, and firefighters in amber outfits were setting up a safety air cushion urgently. All of a sudden, Courtney realized something. At that very moment, she heard someone outside saying what she was thinking right now. ¡°Someone is going to jump down from the building¡­¡± Immediately, her expression changed. Her heartbeat skipped almost instantly. For some reason, she recalled seeing the scene of Anna falling from the building on the television at the cafe that day. Without thinking, she sted, ¡°Stop the car.¡± Chapter 223 One Night Surprise Chapter 223 Chapter 223 You¡¯ll Get the Money if You Catch Her The car was already stuck in the traffic, crawling slowly like a bug on a crowded street. However, when the traffic was gradually clearing up at the front and vehicles could finally move faster, the driver, Liam, was puzzled when he heard Courtney. ¡°Huh?¡± Whether it was Liam, William, Alicia, or Tina, everyone was startled. Alicia was the first to return to her senses. Immediately, she grabbed Courtney by her arms. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t forget that you just promised me that you won¡¯t get yourself into this mess.¡± Frowning at her aunt¡¯s words, Courtney tried to observe the situation outside the window through the corners of her eyes. Anxiously, she said, ¡°Aunt Alicia, someone¡¯s life is at stake.¡± She was not a saint, but it was her empathy that drove her reaction. She felt that no one¡¯s life should be treated so lightly. The red light in the front was counting down. Liam was a little lost. When he noticed William¡¯s gaze, he understood the situation and pulled over slowly by the road. Yet, Alicia grimaced. ¡°Courtney, do you think that the kid from the Duncan Family has your back and that¡¯s why you have nothing to fear? This is apany. Do you understand that if there is a loophole in their finances, it is basically a bottomless pit? How are you going to fill it up?¡± When Courtney heard the word ¡®Duncan¡¯, she was lost in her thoughts for a moment. Alicia still didn¡¯t know that she had broken up with Alexander. She never had the chance to tell them. ¡°Aunt Alicia, do you really think that it is a good thing to let the Hunter Group go bankrupt?¡± Calming down, Courtney stared at her aunt solemnly. ¡°This isn¡¯t just my dad¡¯s career. It¡¯s a result of my mom¡¯s hard work too.¡± Instantly, Alicia¡¯s grip on Courtney¡¯s arm froze. It had been so long that Alicia had almost forgotten that thepany that was named after the Hunter Family was actually inextricably linked to her best friend. Instead of saying that she had forgotten, she was actually trying to deny it. Back then, when Lucian was just starting his business, hispany was funded by his first wife, Cecilia. Even the ideas to promote thepany came from her too. It could be said that Cecilia had half of the credit for the rise of the Hunter Group. Initially, Cecilia was also one of the biggest shareholders and a major member of the board of directors. After she died in childbirth, the Somerfields hated Lucian to the core. Even the shares of thepany were considered a stain to the family. Therefore, they sold it out at a low price. ¡°I paid two hundred thousand down payment for the new property developed by the Hunter Group. It was the money I borrowed from my friends and rtives. How can they simply abandon a project like this? Now, even my girlfriend ran away with someone else. My dad suffered a stroke and he needs money every month for hospital bills. Yet, it has been six months since I wasst paid.¡± On the roof on the 35th floor, the autumn wind was rustling. The man was dressed in a worn-out ck leather jacket. His lips were dry and cracked. Because he was very stirred up, his face was flushing. Angrily, he was ming the Hunter Group for every unfortunate event he had encountered. He shouted, ¡°If you don¡¯t pay me my money, I¡¯m going to jump down from here and end everything. I won¡¯t let anyone working in this building off the hook even after I die.¡± As if being encouraged by his words, the migrant workers downstairs were agitated. At this moment, a thin figure passed through that group of people. After exining the situation to the firefighters, the figure entered the building. ¡°The bosses of the Hunter Group are b*stards. After everything that happened, how can they note out and say something? I know I won¡¯t be able to get my money back. I¡¯ll jump down from here now.¡± ¡°Please calm down! We¡¯ve sent someone to contact the directors of the Hunter Group.¡± The firefighters on the roof were still five to six meters away from the man in a leather jacket. Staring at the shaky figure on the roof, all of them were nervously trying to figure out countermeasures. ¡°You can earn more money even after you¡¯ve lost it, but if you lose your life, everything is over.¡± ¡°Without money, why should I live?¡± Apparently, their advice wasn¡¯t effective enough to persuade the man. He was so infuriated that one could see his blue veins bulging out on his temples. ¡°Don¡¯te closer. I¡¯m counting down to three. If the Hunter Group still hasn¡¯t given me an answer, I¡¯ll jump immediately.¡± ¡°They are on the way.¡± ¡°One.¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°You have to calm down.¡± ¡°Two.¡± ¡°Team 2, please be prepared. Position the safety air cushion¡­¡± ¡°Three.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t jump.¡± Just when the man shouted the number ¡®three¡¯, Courtney came out from the stairs. Panting at the entrance of the roof, she waved at the man that was facing the rustling wind. ¡°Please don¡¯t jump. I¡­ I¡¯ll give you the money.¡± The man was obviously stunned. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you looking for the person in charge of the Hunter Group? That¡¯s me.¡± ¡°You must be kidding me. Do you guys think I will believe it if you simply got someone here? We¡¯ve met the bosses of the Hunter Group. You weren¡¯t there.¡± The man looked irritated. ¡°You should have gotten someone that looks like them. Who are you trying to lie to by getting this little girl here?¡± After Courtney got her breath back, her heart calmed down too. Calmly, she looked at the man. ¡°My name is Courtney Hunter. Indeed, you¡¯ve never seen me. In fact, most people in thepany have never seen me. But, this does not change the fact that I¡¯m Lucian Hunter¡¯s daughter. As his daughter, I have the responsibility and duty to handle thepany. Didn¡¯t you say that you want your money? I¡¯ll pay you.¡± Instantly, the man¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Are you being serious?¡± ¡°This is my ID card. If you don¡¯t believe me,e and take a look for yourself.¡± Courtney took out her ID card and held it in the air. ¡°If what I said earlier is false, I¡¯ll be struck by lightning.¡± Standing by the tuyere, the man hesitated for a moment. He stared at the ID card in Courtney¡¯s hand, and slowly, he walked down. In an instant, the firefighters, who had been prepared for a long time, lunged toward him. The man was pressed onto the ground as he screamed in horror. ¡°Let go of me. Let me go¡­¡± He struggled and yelled furiously, ¡°You cheated me. You lied to me.¡± Not far away, Courtney breathed out a sigh of relief. When the man, who was held tightly by the firefighters as if they were escorting a prisoner, walked past Courtney, his gaze was so vicious as if he was going to swallow her alive. Yet, when his gaze swept across her hand, he froze and his expression becameplicated. Noticing his reaction, Courtney was puzzled and she wanted to ask him. However, a clear voice was heard from behind. ¡°Thank you so much. Which police district are you from? Why haven¡¯t I seen you before?¡± As soon as Courtney turned around, her eyes met with a young firefighter. Does he think I¡¯m a inclothes police officer? Quickly, she shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I was just passing by and saw what happened. So, ¡­¡± ¡°Really? Then, you act really fast.¡± ¡°My reaction wasn¡¯t fast. I was telling the truth.¡± When Courtney went down the building with the firefighters, the entrance was already crowded and blocked by migrant workers and spectators. Apparently, the police officers were afraid that the man in the leather jacket would do something out of their expectations. Therefore, they put him into the ambnce without loosening their grips on him. They were probably trying to send him to a psychological counseling session. Judging from his incoherent speech earlier, he might have been mentally ill. When they were going down the stairs, one of the firefighters told Courtney that the man didn¡¯t have a girlfriend and he didn¡¯t even pay the two hundred thousand down payment. The second before the man was sent into the ambnce, he suddenly turned around and shouted at the crowd, ¡°She¡¯s Lucian Hunter¡¯s daughter! Catch her and you¡¯ll get the money.¡± Chapter 224 One Night Surprise Chapter 224 Chapter 224 You¡¯re the One With a Useless Brain This sudden move was out of everyone¡¯s expectations. Even the police officers who were holding him didn¡¯t know how to handle the situation. After all, he neither wounded anyone with violence normitted suicide; all he did was merely say something. Nheless, the crowd went into an uproar. They started rushing toward Courtney like maniacs. ¡°I saw her ID card earlier. She¡¯s Courtney Hunter, the second daughter of Lucian Hunter. Catch her and get her to pay us the money,¡± added the man desperately. He was trying to add fuel to the fire. Things started to go haywire. In the meantime, Courtney was standing in the middle of the crowd. Subconsciously, the young firefighter beside her quickly protected her with his arms. Yet, he couldn¡¯t keep her away from the pulling, cursing, and kicks that came from every direction. ¡°Get her. Pay back the money.¡± ¡°Give me back my money¡­¡± Demands and insults were the only things that were audible. Just when the head of the police team was trying to get reinforcement, a row of ck Porsche came to a halt by the side of the street in a neat fashion. Even the sound of their brakes was surprisingly consistent. Dozens of muscr men got out of the cars. Before the police officers could return to their senses, those men separated the crowd, creating a pathway. A young man in a suit and leather shoes walked down the pathway at a fast pace. When he emerged once again, he was carrying the woman, who was being attacked by the crowd, in his arms. Courtney did not have the chance to witness the miraculous arrival of her savior. Before she was rescued by him, she was hit by a blunt object thrown by someone and fainted. By the time she woke up, it was alreadyte at night. The decoration of the room was veryid-back, yet there were luxurious details. On the bedside table, someone lit up a sandalwood candle that had a soothing effect, calming whoever was there. Courtney sat herself up with her elbows on the pillow. The nket slipped off her body, revealing the pink silk pajamas she was wearing. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± She heard a familiar voice. Looking up, she saw Elijah¡¯s broad figure standing by the door of the bedroom. He was holding a brown wooden tray in his hands. There was meat porridge and pickles on the tray. It was a simple meal. For someone who had slept for a long time, that was no doubt the most delicious thing they could eat. ¡°Why are you so stingy? You live in a big vi located in such an expensive ce, yet you can only give me porridge?¡± While Courtney sat on the bed and drank the porridge, Elijah was sitting on the chair opposite her, flipping through a travel magazine. Upon hearing herint, he said helplessly, ¡°If I were to give you bird¡¯s nest and shark fin soup, could you even eat them?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Quite honest, aren¡¯t you?¡± He shook his head. As if he was coaxing a child, he persuaded, ¡°Finish up the porridge first. After you warm up your stomach, I¡¯ll treat you to something delicious. But, the doctor said you need to avoid irritating food because of the injury on your head.¡± When Courtney heard what he said, she looked up and saw herself in the full-length mirror opposite her. Her head was gauzed up and she looked like an iplete mummy. Instantly, she wasn¡¯t pleased. ¡°Why am I wrapped like this? I wouldn¡¯t know if you didn¡¯t say something.¡± Helplessly, Elijah answered, ¡°You can only stop the criticism by posting a picture of you wrapped up like that on the Inte.¡± Sadfishing was the most useful thing one could do these days. Pouting, Courtney began fiddling with the gauze on her head. She had identally poked on her wound, so she was now groaning in pain. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Immediately, Elijah¡¯s brows furrowed, looking distressed. Looking at his solemn expression, which was rare, Courtney was startled. Pursing her lips, she hummed in response to his warning. Then, she remembered that she wanted to confirm whether it was him who saved her. ¡°Did you save me?¡± Fixing his serious expression, Elijah stared at her curiously, ¡°Are you disappointed because it wasn¡¯t Alexander Duncan?¡± The moment Courtney heard the name, the porridge in her mouth went tasteless and she said irritably, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re bringing this up. You¡¯re so well informed, so don¡¯t you know that I¡¯ve broken up with him?¡± This time, Elijah¡¯s gaze finally moved away from the magazinepletely. He stared at her face and said with a profound tone, ¡°If I didn¡¯t know, I wouldn¡¯t have arrived there on time today.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°Can you please go straight to the point? It¡¯s hard to understand.¡± Instead of exining the meaning behind what he just said, Elijah changed the subject of the conversation. ¡°Everything was so well-organized and nned. Don¡¯t you think that they were waiting for you to show up?¡± Courtney frowned deeper at his words. Puzzled, she said, ¡°How is that possible? Waiting for me to show up for what? I have nothing to do with the Hunter Group.¡± However, Elijah did not agree with her. ¡°Someone is worried that they couldn¡¯t get rid of the hot potato. You are the second youngdy of the Hunter Group. Although you might think that thepany has nothing to do with you, in the eyes of the others, this might not be the case.¡± That¡¯s reasonable. Courtney suddenly recalled the incident back at Anna¡¯s funeral. Tentatively, she asked, ¡°Is this rted to Anna¡¯s uncle?¡± ¡°It seems like your brain is still pretty useful.¡± Though his words were harsh, he sounded gentle. Therefore, Courtney couldn¡¯t get fed up with him. Discontented, Courtney rolled her eyes at him. In the end, she could only retaliate weakly, ¡°You¡¯re the one with a useless brain.¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. After the meal, Courtney changed into a new outfit and left the house as she followed Elijah. When they were walking around the vi area, she finally knew what happened before and after she fainted. When Elijah brought his men over and saved her, he was afraid that the migrant workers woulde looking for trouble at the hospital. Therefore, he had to bring her back to his vi for treatment. ¡°What about Tina? Did you see her?¡± Many things had happened these days and she didn¡¯t even have the time to arrange for Tina to meet up with Elijah. Although the marriage between them was fake, to Tina, Elijah was supposed to be her biological father. ¡°I saw her from afar, but the scene was too chaotic. So, I only sent Lilian to inform your aunt that I was taking you with me.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Courtney nodded, signaling that she understood his action. Under that kind of situation, how would he be able to take care of other things? ¡°Then, I shall arrange for Tina to have a meal with you another day.¡± ¡°You said that before.¡± ncing at her, Elijah said helplessly, ¡°If you¡¯re the one making the arrangements, I¡¯m afraid that my holiday will be ending soon and I¡¯ll have to return to America. You¡¯re so tied up; you won¡¯t find the time to do that. You¡¯re definitely much busier than the President of America.¡± ¡°What I¡¯m saying this time is true. Otherwise, you can decide the time. I won¡¯t disagree.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± ¡°Yes, you have my word.¡± In the small garden, Elijah¡¯s gentle voice was heard. There was a hint of wickedness in his tone. ¡°Let¡¯s make it this afternoon then.¡± ¡°President Duncan, just like what you thought, this man, Elijah Grant, is in contact with many companies in Melrose City. It seems like he¡¯s looking for a partner to develop and promote an artificial intelligence product.¡± ¡°What are thepanies he has been in contact with?¡± ¡°They are all here.¡± Josh ced the materials on Alexander¡¯s desk. Seeing that Alexander was studying them so seriously, he hesitated for a while before adding, ¡°President Duncan, did you read today¡¯s news?¡± ¡°No. What happened?¡± ¡°Someone wanted to jump off from the Hunter Group¡¯s head office building.¡± Alexander¡¯s fingers that were flipping the pages stopped for a second, yet his expression was normal. ¡°Then?¡± ¡°Then, Miss Hunter showed up midway. Her identity was exposed and the crowd went into an uproar. I heard that she was attacked by the migrant workers and was injured.¡± Inexplicably, Alexander¡¯s fingers that were holding the folder tightened and his gaze darkened. Chapter 225 One Night Surprise Chapter 225 Chapter 225 Ungrateful ¡°Luckily, she¡¯s safe,¡± exined Josh when he noticed that his boss¡¯ expression was off. Frowning at his words, Alexander coldlymented, ¡°She overestimated herself.¡± A few secondster, he closed the folder and stood up. As he put on his coat, he asked, ¡°Which hospital?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Josh was puzzled. His mind went nk. Instantly, he wished he could go back in time and p himself before he said all that. Am I looking for death? ¡°Which hospital is she in?¡± Alexander stared at Josh and repeated his question impatiently. Hesitating for a long moment, Josh muttered, ¡°Miss Hunter isn¡¯t hospitalized.¡± ¡°Not hospitalized? Where did she go?¡± ¡°S-She was taken away by Elijah Grant.¡± As soon as he said that, Alexander¡¯s face sank after he digested the information. ¡°President Duncan¡­¡± Josh observed his expression cautiously, ¡°are we still going?¡± Clenching his fist, Alexander answered, ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°But, where?¡± Josh couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Miss Hunter isn¡¯t in the hospital. Are we going to Elijah¡¯s house? I don¡¯t think this is appropriate, President Duncan. Why not give Miss Hunter a call first?¡± ¡°Do you think I have nothing else to do when I go out except to look for her?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was cold and his gaze was murderous. It was as if he wanted to chop Josh up. Quickly, Josh shed him a ttering smile. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, President Duncan. Your beauty is obvious to every woman in Melrose City. How is it possible that you can only look for Miss Hunter? Where are you going, then?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow. Just stay here,¡± said Alexander angrily as he left the room. In a famous French restaurant in Melrose City, the well-known Blue Danube was heard in the lobby. Before Courtney left the vi, she had already removed the gauze on her head and reced it with a waterproof bandage. Her hair happened to cover up most of the bandage, so the wound was not obvious. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to buy her too many expensive gifts? She already has enough toys.¡± Nheless, Elijah grinned gently. He reached out and pinched Tina¡¯s cheek. The girl was unwrapping her gifts. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s expensive or not. All I know is that if I don¡¯t treat my princess better, she will run away with someone else.¡± Hissing in response to his words, Tina heartlessly said, ¡°We meet so rarely because you¡¯re always out. If you do this again, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad if Mom decides to find me another dad.¡± ¡°What an ungrateful kid.¡± Pretending to be annoyed, Elijah shot her a single nce. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s my Elsa!¡± Tina jumped around as she held the newly unwrapped gift in her arms. She was so overjoyed that she did not take Elijah¡¯s words to heart. ¡°Why are you saying that? She¡¯s very big-hearted.¡± Speechless at her daughter¡¯s action, Courtney rolled her eyes. Turning around, she said to Elijah, ¡°Don¡¯t you know? When we just came back, she actually registered an ount on a blind date website with my picture. I was utterly speechless. I really don¡¯t understand how she figured out the registration process on the website. She can¡¯t even recognize words.¡± ¡°Blind date?¡± Elijah frowned in response. ¡°Do you even need that?¡± ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t,¡± Courtney answered with certainty. Nevertheless, Elijah¡¯s expression was iprehensible. What he meant was totally different from what Courtney thought. It looked like it would take him a lot of effort for her to get his message. During the meal, the pair reminisced about their time spent together in America. When they talked about their awkwardness at the first meeting, bothughed heartily. It had been such a long time since Courtneyst smiled so much. However, on the other side of the restaurant¡ªat a blind spot where Courtney couldn¡¯t see¡ªAlexander and Mika were having their lunch too. The two tables were separated by a huge lobby and a pianist ying the piano. None of them had noticed the other. Mika was dressed decently. Her ck Audrey dressplimented the French restaurant that was full of crystal chandeliers. After she took her seat, she hesitated for a long time before she began, ¡°Alex, how is Jordan doingtely?¡± ¡°Pretty good.¡± His reply was paltering and indifferent. Instantly, the atmosphere fell silent again. Seeming to realize what had happened, Alexander quickly added, ¡°Since Jordan was discharged, he has been staying at Grandpa¡¯s. There are nannies and housemaids looking after him, so he¡¯s having a good time.¡± In fact, it was far more than good. Thest time Alexander went there to visit Jordan, he could already manage to say two sentences. Yet, the two sentences were the most he would say and he never opened his mouth again. At that time, it was Tina who had pulled Jordan to him. As if she was iming credit for her sess, she said, ¡°Mr. Alexander, I have a surprise for you. But, you must first think about what rewards you¡¯re going to give me in return.¡± She then showed him a Jordan who could speak. It was very touching. Even after such a long time, the scene was fresh in his mind. ¡°Jordan is adorable and I adore him very much. Still, I think he prefers Courtney better.¡± The mention of Courtney¡¯s name pulled Alexander back to reality. Subsequently, his brows furrowed. If Jordan didn¡¯t like her back then, there was no way she would be able to get close to me. ¡°Alex, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve always wanted to tell you. I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a very long time, but I didn¡¯t have the courage. Yet, I don¡¯t think I can drag it any longer.¡± Mika sounded muffled. As if she had gathered a lot of courage, she didn¡¯t even dare to look into Alexander¡¯s eyes. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± He looked back at her and remembered the purpose of this meal. After he left thepany in wrath, he wanted to find Gale. However, the moment he got into his car, he received a call from Mika. She asked him out for lunch and said that she had something important to tell him. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Mika hesitated for a while. ¡°The fire at the hotel back then¡­ was rted to me. But, I didn¡¯t mean to do it. I¡­¡± When she was saying that, she didn¡¯t notice that Alexander¡¯s attention wasn¡¯t on her. His gaze passed through the pianist¡ªwho stood up in the middle of the lobby and thanked the audience¡ªand fell on the dining table on the other side. From afar, it looked like a family of three. He saw a constant bright smile on the face of the woman he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. The smile on her face was also something he hadn¡¯t had the chance to see a lot. It was a pleasant smile that was completely rxed. ¡°Alex, I¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the fire anymore. I know what happened back then.¡± Before Mika could finish her words, she was interrupted by Alexander. The figure in front of her moved and disappeared in a blink of an eye. Quickly, she looked up in the distance in disbelief. ¡°Alex, where are you going?¡± Alexander¡¯s long legs strode across the performing area in the middle of the lobby. He pushed past the waiter, who was in his way, unceremoniously. With a look of hostility, he marched toward the table, leaving Mika an aloof, yet arrogant back. It was as if her existence was just a foil. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± The sudden and familiar voice froze the trace of a smile on Courtney¡¯s face. Looking up, she saw Alexander who was trying his best to contain his anger. Even though he was questioning her, he sounded justified and bold. Chapter 226 One Night Surprise Chapter 226 Chapter 226 Touch Him if You Dare The piano performance did not stop. Its volume was just enough to cover up Alexander¡¯s voice. Thus, they didn¡¯t attract too much attention. Nheless, the guests on the surrounding tables were casting strange nces at them. Elijah was the first toe back to his senses. Immediately, he got someone to send Tina out. After Courtney recovered from the shock, she saw the woman behind Alexander through the corner of her eye. Instantly, her gaze turned cold and she said apathetically, ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡± With a gloomy expression, Alexander¡¯s cold gaze swept across Elijah and he demanded, ¡°So, this is the ¡®friend¡¯ you keep talking about? Having fun with a ¡®friend¡¯ with your daughter by your side?¡± When he saw Elijah leave Courtney¡¯s house that day, she also quarreled with such confidence. Even though he had witnessed the scene, she insisted that Elijah was just a friend. In the end, he even doubted his own investigation and judgment. Yet, at this very moment, he finally met Elijah. Based on his intuition, he could clearly sense that this man definitely had feelings for Courtney¡ªElijah didn¡¯t see her as a mere friend. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that you owe me an exnation?¡± Facing Alexander¡¯s aggressive tone, Courtney only felt disheartened. She then took a deep breath. ¡°Alexander Duncan, I have nothing to say to you. Please leave.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander clenched his fists. Snorting, he said, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll leave.¡± His eyes were shing cold lights, and all of a sudden, he grabbed Courtney¡¯s wrist and pulled her up from her seat. ¡°But, you¡¯ll have toe with me.¡± She had been cheating on him since the beginning. No matter what, he was determined to demand an exnation from her. However, a big hand pressed on his arm at the same time. The powerful arm stopped him from pulling Courtney up. Frowning, Alexander nced at the side and he met Elijah¡¯s calm and collected gaze. Elijah¡¯s gentle voice then rose. ¡°Mr. Duncan, I¡¯m afraid that what you¡¯re doing is inappropriate.¡± ¡°This has nothing to do with you.¡± Alexander put on a grimace. Without giving Elijah face, he said in a cold voice that made anyone feel like they were trapped in an ice cer, ¡°This is our problem. You better leave us alone.¡± Elijah stood up from his seat. Nevertheless, his force on Alexander¡¯s arm did not subside. His expression was as gentle as always, and he said faintly, ¡°Courtney is an independent individual, and she has her own thoughts. It has nothing to do with whether I should leave you guys alone. The point is whether she is willing to go with you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if she¡¯s willing, or not. After all, this is still a matter between us.¡± Impatient, Alexander increased his force, trying to tug Courtney up from her seat. ¡°It¡¯s too bad, then.¡± Elijah¡¯s grip on Alexander¡¯s arm increased. It was sufficient to keep his arm from moving away from its original position. His voice was not loud, but it was full of certainty. ¡°It is my priority to respect and protect Courtney¡¯s will.¡± A cold light shed before Alexander¡¯s eyes. If one could kill another with their gaze, right now, there would be two flying knives piercing through Elijah¡¯s face. With a warning in his cold voice, he said, ¡°Mr. Grant, we¡¯re in Melrose City, not Manhattan.¡± A powerful dragon couldn¡¯t crush a snake in its old haunts. No matter how respectable Elijah was in Wall Street and the financial world, if he wanted to do business here in Melrose City, he had to follow the custom. In Melrose City, the Duncan Family was the snake. The melody of the piano stopped abruptly. Although the two men were merely staring at each other, the restaurant seemed to be overwhelmed by a strong smell of gunpowder. It was as if a war was about to start. Everyone had noticed the situation between them. Some even secretly took their phones out and tried to take pictures of them. Yet, as soon as they turned on the cameras, men dressed like bodyguards came forward and warned them to switch off their phones. Amongst these men were people from Alexander¡¯s and Elijah¡¯s sides. ¡°A home game or an away game makes no difference to me in order to win a match.¡± As if he was the winner, who had already predicted the ending, Elijah looked calm. He continued to stare at Alexander with an imposing charm. ¡°After all, I made it to this day without relying on my family.¡± Instantly, the spectators gasped at his words. Who was Alexander Duncan? He was the young master of the Duncan Family from Melrose City. Even if he didn¡¯t have the capabilities, the fact that he had inherited the Sunhill Enterprise was sufficient to scare off anyone. No one would dare to criticize him to his face, especially since his capabilities were recognized by the public. However, what he had was not a big deal to Elijah. With the word ¡®family¡¯, he had simply dismissed Alexander¡¯s reputation. Alexander¡¯s expression hardened. Subconsciously, his grip on Courtney¡¯s wrist tightened. Even he had not realized how horrible his expression was at the moment. What Elijah said just now was something he had never really cared about. Everyone was born with their own starting point and this was an indisputable truth. Because, even if it was the same starting point, the result might be different depending on the person. Whether one¡¯s life was sessful couldn¡¯t be determined only by their family background. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Nevertheless, at this moment, he felt that Elijah was deliberately letting Courtney hear that. He was using theparison between them to show off his achievements. ¡°Family?¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes were as cold as the night sky. ¡°Listening to your disdainful tone, you probably don¡¯t know what it means to have a strong family background.¡± With just one nce, Alexander¡¯s bodyguards, who were standing afar, understood his order. Quickly, they found someone to send the guests out. In just a few minutes, all guests were sent out gradually. Courtney and the others were the only guests left in the originally crowded restaurant. ¡°Alexander, what are you doing?¡± Courtney panicked. She struggled and tried to break free from his control. ¡°Let me go.¡± Still, Alexander had no intention of letting her go. His cold gaze remained fixated on Elijah. ¡°Family background means that if you don¡¯t walk out of here alone now, you won¡¯t ever walk out of here again.¡± His purpose was obvious. It was impossible for the Duncan Family to stand strong in Melrose City for so many years just by relying on their legal business. The root of their sess was that they were equally invested in the underworld. To make someone vanish into thin air was not something difficult for him. Nevertheless, Elijah remained undisturbed. His eyes under the gold-framed sses did not stir. ¡°It seems like the young master of the Duncan Family always handles things with such simplicity and crudity. Apparently, I¡¯ve overestimated you.¡± His ridicule ignited the anger that had long umted in Alexander¡¯s chest. With a grimace, he turned and red at Courtney. ¡°I¡¯m giving you onest chance to leave with me; otherwise, he will never get out of here.¡± For a very long time, Courtney had been silent. When Alexander finally acknowledged her presence, she could hardly make an expression. Her face was frozen and her words came squeezing out from her teeth. ¡°Alexander, I never knew you were so childish.¡± Her woeful and farcical tone was like cold water sshing over Alexander¡¯s head. Traces of coolness soaked through his nerves that were about to burn up. ¡°See if you dare to touch him.¡± Not knowing where she found the strength, Courtney shrugged off Alexander¡¯s arm. There was a clear bruise surrounding her fair wrist. Vaguely, one could see traces of fingerprints. Her voice was extremely cold, and with certainty, she said, ¡°If you¡¯re so capable, make me stay here forever too.¡± Chapter 227 One Night Surprise Chapter 227 Chapter 227 A Friend That I¡¯m Ready to Risk My Life For A chill prated Alexander¡¯s limbs from all directions. Thest hint of warm light in his eyes went out. Staring coldly at Courtney¡¯s expressionless face, word by word, he said, ¡°Say that again.¡± ¡°Even if I were to repeat it ten times, it¡¯s going to be the same thing. If you dare to make a move on Elijah, you¡¯ll have to do the same thing to me.¡± Courtney¡¯s tone was decisive. From her gaze, it was obvious that she waspletely disappointed in Alexander. She was even starting to wonder how blind she was to fall in love with a petty, bourgeois ideologist; a pretentious and selfish man who had little regard for human life. Alexander cracked his joints. His words squeezed through his clenched teeth. ¡°It looks like he¡¯s a friend whom you¡¯re ready to risk your life for. How touching! So, this is what you call an ordinary friend. Courtney, you¡¯re really good at acting in front of me.¡± Frowning at his words, Courtney did not try to exin herself. Noticing her silence, Alexander thought she was speechless and he snorted, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s ridiculous to threaten me with your own fate? Who do you think you are to me?¡± Although Courtney knew he was pissed off, she couldn¡¯t restrain herself. Meeting his gaze, she asked hopelessly, ¡°I¡¯m curious too. Who am I to you?¡± ¡°Just a temporary bed partner to warm my bed.¡± The reality was always crueler than imagined. Alexander¡¯s harsh words were like a knife piercing through Courtney¡¯s eardrums fiercely. Clenching her fists, she wanted to punch him in his face. Yet, she found herself to be too weak. The man, whom she had poured her heart into, said that she was just a mere ¡®bed partner¡¯. The self-esteem that she had always been so proud of was stepped on and rubbed against the ground by him. She didn¡¯t even have a fig leaf to conceal her uneasiness that was now being disclosed to everyone present at the scene. ¡°Alexander Duncan, except for overestimating you, I might also have misunderstood your personality.¡± Elijah¡¯s voice rose at the right moment, breaking the deadlock between the pair. He unbuttoned his suit naturally, and all of a sudden, his expression changed. As sudden as lightning, his punch fell on Alexander¡¯s face. Groaning in pain, Alexander fell onto the floor, knocking over the table and the chair beside him. Immediately, his bodyguards wanted toe forward and help. Yet, Elijah¡¯s men weren¡¯t slouching. Soon, both parties, who were well-matched in strength, got into a fight. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Amongst the sound of smashing tables and chairs, someone howled and rolled on the ground. For a moment, the scene was chaotic. Before Courtney could even return to her senses, Elijah and Alexander started hitting each other. Elijah was an extreme sports enthusiast. With his excellentbat skills and extraordinary endurance, he quickly gained the upper hand. Being hit once again, Alexander knocked down a floormp that was waist-high. He sat on the ground awkwardly. ¡°Alex!¡± screamed Mika as she came and stood in front of him. Facing Elijah, she yelled, ¡°I¡¯ve called the police. My brother and the police will be here in a second.¡± As soon as Elijah saw her, his already raised fist came to a halt. His gaze darted between Mika and Alexander. In the end, he snorted, ¡°I¡¯ll never hit a woman.¡± Clutching his chest, Alexander couldn¡¯t say a word. Is he mocking me because of what I did to Courtney? If he even knows about that, they really keep no secrets from each other. Picking up the towel on the table to wipe his hand, Elijah turned and looked at Courtney¡¯s pale face. There was a sh of regret before his eyes. She¡¯s probably frightened. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Courtney,¡± he said with concern as he held her shoulders. Courtney nced at Alexander through the corner of her eye. Her gaze then moved to Mika, whose face was painted with anxiety. Her crying expression was a tenderness Courtney could never pick up. At first, Courtney wanted to check on Alexander¡¯s injuries. Yet, when she saw the scene before her eyes, she gritted her teeth and didn¡¯t look back. A French restaurant that looked totally fine at the beginning now looked like a Shura field with tables and chairs falling apart. It was impossible for Elijah to go out without bodyguards and this was something Courtney was not surprised about. Without asking anything further, she got into his car after leaving the restaurant. In the car, Tina was eating her pudding and watching a cartoon quietly. Children were always children. No matter what was happening on the outside, they always managed to live in their own world without being disturbed by the outside world. ¡°We didn¡¯t even finish our lunch. Let¡¯s go somewhere else and get you something to eat.¡± As if he had not been affected by the earlier incident, the unfinished meal seemed to be the only thing upying his mind. However, how could Courtney still eat at this moment? Shaking her head, she rejected, ¡°No, I¡¯m full. Send Tina back to my aunt¡¯s ce. I have to meet the designer at thepany for the samples tonight.¡± Instead of saying anything, Elijah replied with a ¡®yes¡¯ and instructed the driver to set off. From that day on, Courtney and Alexander hadn¡¯t met or contacted one another for two weeks. Courtney was busy with the production of samples for the opening day of Citron Apparel. After switching between almost a dozen types of fabrics and clothing factories, none of them had reached her expectations. However, she was someone who had a one-track mind. Both fabric and craftsmanship were indispensable. Therefore, even though the due date was approaching, she had not come up with a conclusion yet. In the end, it was Elijah who contacted an Italian fabric manufacturer. They agreed to work with Citron Apparel for the first phase of the project and provide them with the fabric. Regarding the craftsmanship, with Bill¡¯s hard work, the machines in the factories were improvised. Two weekster, Citron Apparel¡¯s first gship store started its business as scheduled. The store was located at the Sawgrass Mills Mall, which was an excellent location. To celebrate the opening, many people had sent flower baskets and they were ced at the entrance of the shop. Most of them came from Courtney¡¯s former colleagues back at Sunhill Hotel. Her break-up with Alexander was no longer a secret these days. Therefore, her former colleagues couldn¡¯t show up in person. To send her a flower basket here was a sign of sincerity, which she appreciated. Elijah was the first one who came. He came with a bouquet of sunflowers, congratting the opening of her new store. Lilian had been ushering him to leave from the side. In the end, Courtney couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. Elijah finally left when she urged him to leave to deal with his own affairs. As soon as she sent Elijah off, she saw a dark blue figure standing by the door. Focusing to check on the figure, she was shocked. Holding a navy blue gift box that was wrapped in a very low-key yet luxurious packaging, the figure entered the store before handing the gift box to her. The figure had a pair of smiling and gleaming peach blossom eyes. ¡°Miss Hunter, congrattions on the opening of your new store.¡± Courtney took the gift box. ¡°Thanks for your best wishes.¡± Looking at her as he grinned, Gale teased, ¡°You didn¡¯t expect me to be here, right? You looked somewhat awkward just now.¡± However, Courtney frowned and denied, ¡°I just thought that you wouldn¡¯t have the time toe because you need to look after Cameron. Please don¡¯t overthink too much.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t overthink.¡± Walking around with Courtney in the store, Gale asked indifferently, ¡°By the way, I¡¯m curious. Who is Tina¡¯s father?¡± Chapter 228 One Night Surprise Chapter 228 Chapter 228 I Did It for the Green Card Courtney¡¯s heart flinched at Gale¡¯s words. ¡°Why are you asking this suddenly?¡± She turned and looked at him with wary eyes. Gale looked rxed. ¡°Actually, I really don¡¯t know much about what happened recently. Even the break-up between you and Alex was something I found out just a few days ago. If Alex was right, you really haven¡¯t gotten a divorce, right?¡± Upon hearing his words, Courtney breathed a sigh of relief, yet she frowned at the same time. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Awesome.¡± His reaction was unexpected. He was actually giving her a thumbs up. ¡°You¡¯re the only one that Alex has been willing to let be the mistress of someone else. I really admire you.¡± Is he really praising me? Courtney could no longer listen to what he was about to say. Irritated, she said, ¡°Mistress? There¡¯s no such thing. I only married Elijah because I needed the green card in order to stay in America with Tina legally. Elijah needed money, and I needed an identity. It was only a deal struck between us.¡± ¡°So¡­ Tina¡¯s father isn¡¯t Elijah?¡± Stroking his chin, Gale suddenly came back to his senses. ¡°A deal? You said the marriage between Elijah and you was just a deal? Why didn¡¯t you tell Alex?¡± ¡°He said I didn¡¯t tell him that?¡± This time, Courtney got even more fed up. ¡°Some people only have nasty things in their mind and they think that everyone else is the same. What more can I say?¡± The marriage between Elijah and her was mainly because she needed the green card. She was pretty sure that she had told Alexander about it. Yet, he had his own way of thinking and insisted that she was a cunning egoist. So, what else could she say? In secret, Gale was stunned. As a bystander, he knew none of them had made a big mistake. However, they were still holding a grudge against each other. Because they couldn¡¯t let it go, they ended up in a conflict, which spiraled out of control. ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t get it. Can you please exin in detail?¡± He stared at Courtney curiously. ¡°Why is the marriage between Elijah and you a deal? I¡¯m curious about that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± Courtney fell deep into her memories. Everything started five years ago. When she had just given birth to Tina, she escaped to America with her. Because Tina wasn¡¯t born there, her visa expired after a short stay. Therefore, there were only two paths in front of Courtney: one, she had toe back to renew her visa; two, she had toe back and tell the Hunter Family the truth. No matter which path she took, she had to go home. Back then, Courtney was afraid. She was afraid that as soon as she set foot in that heartrending ce, the man¡ªwho threatened her to have a child¡ªwould target her. For that reason, she would rather remain in America illegally instead of going back home. ¡°I was a cleaner in Elijah¡¯spany.¡± ¡°A cleaner?¡± Gale was shocked. Who would have thought that a youngdy would be a cleaner? Nevertheless, Courtney did not bother to exin why she chose the job. ¡°Elijah encountered a bottleneck in his business. He needed ten million and I had it. So, I went to his office to talk. At first, he didn¡¯t believe me when I said I could lend him the money. He thought I was mad because no one would have lent out their money without asking for interest.¡± Until today, Courtney could still remember herself rushing into Elijah¡¯s office in her brown cleaner¡¯s uniform. At that time, Elijah wasn¡¯t as calm and imposing as he was now. Random items were scattered across his desk. He was the general manager of thepany, yet his office was so messy that there was nowhere to get a foothold. ¡°After I proposed a fake marriage with him so that I could stay in America legally with Tina, he believed me.¡± Without any questions, Elijah eded to her request. Regardless of what brought him to make that decision, looking back now, he had done what he promised her back then. ¡°Then, what happened after the marriage?¡± Gale continued to ask. ¡°You guys didn¡¯t live together?¡± ¡°Of course, we didn¡¯t.¡± Courtney shook her head. ¡°Later, he took my money and moved his office to a new address. He was in the north and I was in the south. The two ces were separated by a strait. It was only during holidays that he would fly over to spend time with Tina so that Tina would see him as her father.¡± Now that every doubt had been cleared up, Gale breathed a sigh of relief. It was a breath of relief he took on behalf of Alexander. However, he still couldn¡¯t stop worrying about him. It was such a big mistake and Courtney, who was clearly innocent, was wronged. Perhaps, Alexander had hurt her with the words he said. It might not be easy for him to get her back. He still had to take measures ording to the situation. ¡°Then, I think this is a situation where the yer sees less clearly than the bystander.¡± Gale studied Courtney¡¯s expression. ¡°I¡¯m a bystander. But, even I can¡¯t judge what happened from an objective perspective. There will be more or less some subjective elements, especially for Alex who is the party involved. He is closely connected to you.¡± ¡°Just say what you want to say.¡± Courtney rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Stop beating around the bush. I don¡¯t have the time.¡± Nodding, Gale tried his best to exin, ¡°Look; the fake marriage between you and Elijah is something you didn¡¯t give Alex a heads up about previously. After all, marriage is a huge life event. Even if it was just a formality, you can¡¯t just pretend like nothing ever happened, right? So, I apologize to you on behalf of Alex and we should just let bygones be bygones. You two should make up.¡± Gale¡¯s advice was reasonable. Courtney had tried to reflect on whether her ignorance was what led to the subsequent suspicions and conflicts. However, when she found that those negligible suspicions and conflicts were enough for Alexander to insult her with so many unkind words, she was extremely annoyed. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°If he wanted to make up with me, why didn¡¯t hee personally?¡± Courtney threw him a vicious re. ¡°How can he ask you to apologize for him? Did he feed his sincerity to the dogs?¡± ¡°Alex is innocent.¡± Gale looked helpless. ¡°He was admitted to the hospital with two broken ribs. He can¡¯t go out at all temporarily. So, please don¡¯t make things hard for him.¡± ¡°Admitted?¡± Courtney¡¯s expression changed in an instant. ¡°Why is he hospitalized?¡± ¡°Huh? You didn¡¯t know?¡± Gale pretended to be surprised. ¡°Alex was injured when he got into a fight with someone at a restaurant. He was admitted on that same day and hasn¡¯t recovered yet. ording to the doctor, he might need to stay there a little longer. After all, it takes a hundred days for the bone to knit and the tendons to heal.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression sank immediately and she became pale. The moment Gale mentioned the fight, she knew what happened. Honestly, she didn¡¯t know Alexander was hurt so badly that day. Elijah always had a good temperament and he never fought. ¡°For the past two weeks, he has been calling and disturbing me almost every day. I was so annoyed, so I had toe and find out what exactly is wrong between the both of you. And look; apparently, there¡¯s no problem at all.¡± Gale thought he could persuade Courtney with soft soup. He could even persuade her that ck was white. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that Elijah is the problem? Both of you are just a fake couple. What problems can there be? If two people are in love and there¡¯s nothing that can stop them from being together, then why can¡¯t they?¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney frowned. ¡°Which hospital is he at?¡± Chapter 229 One Night Surprise Chapter 229 Chapter 229 He Just Left In the huge VIP ward of the hospital, Josh¡¯s voice that was mixed with concern could be heard. ¡°I didn¡¯t mention anything else during the meeting. But, most of the members on the board wanted an exnation in regard to the loss of the project in Elmsbury. Mr. Lightwood said a few words on behalf of you, but Mr. Bane shut him up.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Alexander had already changed out from his hospital gown. The custom-made ck suit fit the curve of his streamlined body and it concealed the bandage on his back. When he got up on his feet, he no longer looked morbid. ¡°Go and take care of the discharge procedures.¡± ¡°But, President Duncan, the doctor said that with your injury you can¡¯t be discharged yet.¡± However, Alexander seemed to have not heard him. Buttoning up his suit, he marched out of the ward, leaving behind one sentence: ¡°You know what to say to the hospital staff when you go through the procedures.¡± Staring at his back, Josh could only sigh and run after him. ording to the doctor, Alexander had to stay at the hospital for at least one month. Two of the ribs on his chest were broken,pressing the nerves around his heart. His condition was very serious. Nheless, Alexander was casual about his injury. Secretly, Josh thought, Even my boss is so hardworking. There¡¯s no reason for me not to work as hard as him. With a ¡®ding¡¯, the elevator came to a stop as it reached its destination. Josh followed Alexander into the elevator. At the same time, the elevator on the other side had also arrived. A nurse came out pushing an operating bed. Behind her were a bunch of family members and amongst them was a thin figure, who had no strength to resist the push, and came out helplessly with the flow. The hospital was noisy. It only took a turn for the both of them to miss each other. ¡°Discharged?¡± After Courtney asked the nurse on duty at the inpatient department¡¯s nurse station, she was told that Alexander had been discharged. Shocked, she asked, ¡°How could it be? I came right after I heard that he was admitted. Are you sure you didn¡¯t check it wrongly?¡± ¡°No.¡± The nurse exined patiently, ¡°The patient just went through the discharge procedures. Didn¡¯t you juste out from the first elevator over there? He just left.¡± Courtney was puzzled once again. ¡°Just left?¡± ¡°Yeah. The one next to him, who took care of the procedures for him, is probably his assistant. Both of them just¡ª¡± Before the nurse could finish her words, an older nurse from the side cut her off. ¡°They just left. Miss, if you¡¯re really worried, you might be able to catch up to them. But, the patient¡¯s injury isn¡¯t really serious. It¡¯s just that rich people like to make a fuss. ording to the doctor, there was no need to stay in the hospital for so long, but he was very worried. So, he ended up remaining under observation for the past few days.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney came back to her senses. Staring at the nurse¡ªwho just spoke¡ªin puzzlement, she then confirmed with them again that what she heard was correct. Soon, the anxiety in her eyes faded. This was reced by a smirk at the corners of her mouth. She wasughing at her own foolishness. How can I believe that Alexander¡¯s injury was so serious and run over like that? If he hadn¡¯t just been discharged and left, he would probably mock me for visiting him. Staring at Courtney, who had just left in disappointment, the young nurse at the nurse station patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief. ¡°May, luckily you were fast to stop me. I almost told her before I knew it. If the head nurse finds out, she¡¯ll probably scold me to death.¡± ¡°The head nurse said that Mr. Duncan¡¯s assistant had specifically told her that if anyone was asking about his condition, we are not allowed to disclose it. You were probably ying with your phone, right?¡± The young nurse stuck her tongue out. ¡°I heard what the head nurse said. But, I didn¡¯t expect there would be someone asking so soon. I was careless. But, it¡¯s strange. His condition isn¡¯t something extraordinary. Why can¡¯t we tell anyone?¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± The older nurse frowned. ¡°Those admitted into the VIP wards are worth hundreds of millions. Things change rapidly in the business world. When one person is down, there are thousands of people who are waiting to take over their ce. How can they simply expose their health condition?¡± ¡°Is it so scary?¡± The young nurse was shocked. ¡°Then, I just¡­¡± ¡°Enough. The past is in the past. Besides, nothing happened. Please be more careful in the future. It¡¯s time to begin patient rounds. I won¡¯t tell the head nurse about what happened.¡± ¡°Thank you, May. I¡¯ll go now.¡± Looking at the reckless young nurse, the older nurse shook her head helplessly. The worst thing one could do when working in the hospital was to be careless. One had to be on guard at all times. This was especially so for people like them who worked in the special wards at the inpatient department. If they couldn¡¯t keep their mouths sealed, they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep their jobs too. After leaving the hospital, Courtney went back to the store first. The business was pretty good and there were a lot of people who came to show support. As the designer, Bill came personally. Like a sales promoter, he introduced the material of the clothes and theirfort levels to the customers. He was even listening to the opinions given by the customers humbly. ¡°This batch of clothes designed by Mr. Dawson has been sold out both online and offline. Several customers failed to buy them and they told us to reserve them when we release the next batch.¡± The staff reported the sales to Courtney with respect and went on to ask, ¡°President Hunter, we should inform the factory to increase the production of this batch of clothes, right?¡± ncing at Bill, who was busy at the moment, Courtney shook her head. ¡°No. After they¡¯re sold out, we continue to hang up the samples, but we also have to put on abel saying that they¡¯re out of stock.¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Truth be told, before Courtney began her business, she had talked about the same thing with Bill. Bill participated as the chief designer for this series of autumn clothing and his designs weren¡¯t produced in mass quantities. Every size was only made in a limited number of pieces. That way, the clothes would definitely go out of stock. However, it was Bill¡¯s intention from the beginning to sell them until they were out of stock. Citron Apparel established itself as an affordable luxury brand. They couldn¡¯tpete with the international first and second-tier brands. Yet, topete with high fashion brands from the third-tier, they weren¡¯t as fast and as cheap as them. Thus, they could only focus on making their products in limited quantities. People like to see themselves as a special existence in this world and the limited sale would undoubtedly bank on that mentality. Bill was indeed a great designer. He could grasp the hearts of consumers with such uracy and maximize themercial value of every piece of clothing in the market. After the customers followed the sales promoter to settle their bills, Courtney only came over to greet Bill. ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°Not bad. It¡¯s almost like what I had expected. But, after this series is sold out, there are going to be many imitations on the market. By then, you will be very busy.¡± Upon hearing hisment, Courtney shed him an indifferent smile. ¡°Then, I can just sue them. The compensation we can get from the infringement will be enough for us to open up more gship stores.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about these things.¡± Bill was as cold as usual. ¡°I¡¯ll go visit Cameron in a while. Do you want to follow?¡± ¡°Nah. I don¡¯t want to see her ghostly face.¡± He frowned. ¡°Wait a minute. I have something to give you. You can pass it to her.¡± After he said that, he went to the warehouse and came back with a bag in his hand. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Courtney was curious when she saw some white yarn peeping out the corner of the bag. With a disgusted look, Bill said, ¡°Her graduation project.¡± Chapter 230 One Night Surprise Chapter 230 Chapter 230 Her Graduation Product Is Called ¡®Dream¡¯ Cameron and Bill had graduated from St York University in the same year, but when they graduated, Bill received a doctorate, while Cameron received a master¡¯s degree. They were fellow students in the same course, and they made a great team in terms of fashion designing. The graduation project that Courtney had brought for Cameron was the one that she and Bill had designed together. When Courtney went to visit Cameron, Cameron¡¯s mental state was much better than before and her mind was clear. She was aware of who she was, and she knew who Courtney was too. Her emotional state was no different from the average person¡¯s, and she even went to the kitchen with great enthusiasm to make a sd. However, her excitement made Courtney distressed. This was by no means a sign of improvement, but rather an indication of deterioration. Cameron mentioned in her notes that if she was overly friendly or enthusiastic after her rpse, it was definitely not a good thing. That kind of ttery was a product of suppressing her emotions, and it stemmed from herst will to survive. It forced her to please everyone around her as if she was holding on to herst anchor in life. ¡°You don¡¯t seem well,¡± Courtney hinted while looking at Gale, who was opposite from her. ¡°Why do you say that? I feel rather great.¡± Gale had just returned from her shop not long ago, so he was still wearing the same outfit from before. He had taken his jacket off, revealing a clean white shirt underneath. There were obvious dark circles under his eyes, and the lights shining down entuated them. Whenever he was with Cameron, Gale would appear energetic. Conversely, once he was out of her sight, he wouldn¡¯t be able to mask the exhaustion that emanated off him. In fact, Courtney reckoned that it was a miracle that this pampered young master could persist for so long. ¡°Both you and Cameron don¡¯t seem to be in very good states,¡± Courtney said truthfully. ¡°I still think that we should send Cameron to a professional institution to receive treatment.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not happening. I¡¯ve checked out all sorts of mental institutions and rehabilitation centers in Melrose City, and none of those ces are suitable for a patient¡¯s recovery. Any sane person who goes in there would walk out a psychopath.¡± Gale refused tly, giving her suggestion zero consideration. Courtney remainedposed. ¡°All of the local institutions are like that, but I¡¯m not talking about those. I¡¯m talking about those in America. As Cameron¡¯s best friend, I think that it¡¯s best for her to receive treatment there.¡± ¡°Is this Elijah¡¯s arrangement?¡± Courtney frowned, but she didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Is he crazy?¡± Gale turned emotional all of a sudden. ¡°Are there no other women in America? Does he have too much time on his hands? Why did he have toe to Melrose City? First, he stirred up trouble between you and Alexander, and now he wants to separate Cam and me?¡± ¡°Gale.¡± Courtney¡¯s tone was sharp, and she looked rather upset. ¡°Be mindful of what you say. Elijah is one of the few friends Cameron has. He doesn¡¯t have any other intentions toward her; I can guarantee this. He¡¯s just kindly helping out a friend. He¡¯s not as nasty as you say he is.¡± Gale¡¯s face darkened, and a tinge of hostility appeared in his eyes. ¡°Consider me nasty, then. I will never agree to let anyone take Cam away from me.¡± Courtney clenched her fists. ¡°You¡¯re selfish.¡± Those two simple words encapsted his behavior right now. He was being in selfish. For the sake of his personalfort, he was refusing Cameron a chance at recovery. This wasn¡¯t love. Courtney red at Gale, discarding all sense of civility. ¡°Cameron¡¯s not an object. In terms of closeness, I have more power than you in deciding how she should be treated now. I¡¯m not here to discuss with you; I¡¯m just here to inform you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Gale¡¯s face fell. ¡°Do you think that you can do as you please in Melrose City just because you have Elijah¡¯s backing?¡± He had clearly overstepped her limits. The anger that Courtney had suppressed all morning rushed to her head. She snarled, ¡°Do you think that everyone is like you? Besides finding someone to back you up so you can have power in Melrose City, is there nothing else to do? You¡¯re the same as Alexander¡ª you¡¯re both trash. Do you think I want to take Cameron away? You¡¯re the one forcibly keeping her here, letting her mind go astray with no means of distraction. If something happens to her one day, you¡¯ll regret it for the rest of your life.¡± As he was being berated, his expression was extremely sour, especially when he heard the words ¡®something happens to her¡¯. In a sh, he thought of the ident that urred two days ago, and his heart twisted. ¡°Do you know what I brought with me today?¡± Courtney poured out the contents of the enormous paper bag, then spread out a white silky fabric iid with gold thread on the sofa. Under the light, it was modest and radiant as if it was woven from clouds and the starry night sky. The dress fluttered; it was soft and puffy. It was nothing less of a dreamy wedding gown. ¡°This is Cameron¡¯s graduation project. It¡¯s called ¡®Dream¡¯.¡± Cameron regarded her marriage as a dream because to her, it was something that was out of reach. She figured that going back to leading a normal life and getting married was an impossible reality. It wasn¡¯t so much as looking forward to marriage than looking forward to going back to her normal self. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll think this through.¡± Throwing down the paper bag, Courtney grabbed her bag and was about to leave. Before she walked out, she darted a look at Gale and said brusquely, ¡°Your little ruse this morning was too clumsy. You may want to intervene in the situation, but you¡¯ve got to see if people actually need your help. Don¡¯t be so nosy next time.¡± Gale was baffled by the scolding he just got from her. If this was any other time, he would¡¯ve jumped up from his seat and demanded exnations, but now he had seemingly turned mute. He stared nkly at the wedding gown on the sofa, lost in thought. All along, he had thought that Cameron didn¡¯t care for marriage, and he even suspected that she feared it. It was simr to how he had always thought that she was only seeking freedom with no ce for family in her heart. He had thought wrong, and he realized that he had yet to fully understand Cameron. As soon as Courtney left, Cameron walked out of the kitchen holding a sd. When she saw that only Gale was in the living room, she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Courtney?¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°She left,¡± Gale answered bleakly. ¡°Huh? Why did she leave?¡± Cameron had a look of confusion on her face. After cing the te of fruit sd on the coffee table, she looked up, only to see a flurry of white on the sofa. She froze. ¡°Why is this here?¡± Watching the change of expressions on Cameron¡¯s face, Gale¡¯s emotions felt even moreplicated. ¡°Is this your graduation project?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Cameron answered weakly. Touching the bottom of the gown, she sat down slowly to one side. ¡°I¡¯ve not seen it once since I graduated. I started to forget what it looks like. Back then, this gown even won me the award for the best creation.¡± Judging from the look in Cameron¡¯s eyes as she gazed at the dress, Gale could tell what she truly desired. She wasn¡¯t willing to be a patient that never saw the light of day. She had dreams, and she had things in this world to look forward to. She wouldn¡¯t stay with him forever in this tiny house. Courtney was right¡ªhe might be careless one day and cause an ident that couldn¡¯t be fixed. ¡°Cam, do you want to get treated in a hospital in America?¡± The man¡¯s heavy voice rang out in the house. Chapter 231 One Night Surprise Chapter 231 Chapter 231 Remove Him From His Position as President After being angered by Gale, Courtney returned to the office to work an extra night shift. The next morning, she was still tired when Elijah invited her out for breakfast. At half-past seven in the morning, the breakfast stall was not yet at its rush hour. Still, when the time came, no one sat there leisurely eating their food like Elijah and Courtney. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Taking in her washed-up appearance, Elijah ced a peeled egg on the small te in front of her. ¡°Why are you so tired? Didn¡¯t sleep wellst night?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep.¡± Courtney gave a dismissive wave of her hand, then yawned. ¡°I slept for a while at five in the morning, but the office environment is too shabby, and the sofa isn¡¯tfortable. I was already awake before you called me.¡± ¡°You have to take your time while starting a business. Don¡¯t overexert yourself from the beginning,¡± Elijah advised earnestly, having experienced it himself. However, Courtney didn¡¯t appreciate hisments. ¡°Oh, give me a break. When I was a cleaner at yourpany five years ago, I saw you work overtime all the time, or rather, I rarely saw you not working overtime. The lights in the boss¡¯s office stayed on all night. At that time, we all thought you might be a robot.¡± ¡°Robots need to be recharged too.¡± Elijahughed, not minding the mention of the past. ¡°Besides, you¡¯ve seen a living negative example, haven¡¯t you? After all the hard work, thepany still suffered a shortage of funds, and we almost went bankrupt. If you didn¡¯t save me in time, I¡¯m afraid I would be sleeping in a subway station in America now.¡± ¡°Then, America must be harboring many talents.¡± Courtney sipped on her soy milk. Despite being in a bad mood, she still had the strength to joke around. ¡°How about we go there and see if we can dig up a few hidden talents?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re still capable of cracking jokes, it means that your morale isn¡¯t totally wrecked yet.¡± Elijah studied her, then gave her a warm smile. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me why I called you out so early in the morning?¡± ¡°Why did you?¡± Courtney askedzily, not concealing her perfunctory behavior. Elijah didn¡¯t mind it, so he carried on lightly, ¡°I think that you should spend more time with Cameron during this period. After all, in a couple of days, she¡¯s going to America with me. It won¡¯t be as easy for you to see her then as it is now.¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney was shocked. ¡°You¡¯re bringing Cameron to America? Who agreed to this?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t so much as agreeing. Ultimately, it was her boyfriend who came to me and asked if I could help.¡± This surprised Courtney even more. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Gale contacted you on his own and told you that he decided to let Cameron go to America to receive treatment?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± His affirmative answer left her speechless. Isn¡¯t this masochism? He didn¡¯t take me seriously when I spoke nicely to him, but after I got all emotional and upset with him, even going so far as to scold him, he finally decided to take the initiative and ask for help. Is he asking for a beating? ¡°When are you leaving?¡± Courtney asked grimly afterposing herself. ¡°Before the end of the month,¡± said Elijah. ¡°So that you and Cameron can have some time to say your farewells.¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m afraid a certain someone doesn¡¯t intend on leaving any time for me to interact with her.¡± Courtney bit into her egg; her expression was faint. ¡°Who? Gale?¡± Elijah gave a yful chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. He ns to go with Cameron.¡± ¡°What?¡± This time, Courtney was truly astounded. Her mouth was opened so wide that an entire egg could fit in it. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Of course. Otherwise, why would hee find me personally? His main reason was to ask me if the mental health facility that I arranged for her would allow family members to stay together.¡± ¡°He ns to stay with her in the hospital?¡± Back when she was at Gale¡¯s house, she personally saw him raging about how mental institutions and rehabilitation centers weren¡¯t fit for living, and that any sane person woulde out a psychopath. Yet, he was now willing to endure it all for Cameron. Elijah was going back to America at the end of the month, so the date for Cameron¡¯s hospitalization was set during that period as well. Although she didn¡¯t properly reconcile with Gale, during the days after she met with Elijah, Courtney still brought bag after bag of things to his house. When she was free, she would go over to help them with the cooking. With Cameron around to smooth things over, Courtney and Gale weren¡¯t that awkward with each other anymore. During dinner that day, Gale got a phone call, and the usuallyid-back man returned with a serious look on his face. ¡°What happened?¡± Cameron asked worriedly. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Gale nced at Courtney. ¡°Something happened with Sunhill¡¯s board of directors. They want me to go back and vote.¡± ¡°Vote?¡± Surprised looks appeared on Cameron and Courtney¡¯s faces. Sunhill Enterprise was a family business, and Alexander was a man of his word. No decision ever necessitated the votes of others. Only a handful of matters would require everyone on the board to vote. ¡°They want to remove Alex from his position as president.¡± Gale¡¯s face was contorted. He looked like he was about to speak, then shot Courtney onest nce before leaving in a hurry. For a family business, the most important deciding factor for who held the leading position of the business was the shareholders meeting. The fivergest shareholders would be ranked ording to the shares they owned, and the board of directors would vote to make the decision. The same went for the removal of a board member. At the board meeting at Sunhill Enterprise, Gale was the only one to arrivete, and his was thest remaining vote. It was currently a tie between those who agreed to his removal and those who didn¡¯t. Gale voted for the opposition without hesitation. When the results were revealed in the conference room, some people were happy while some were upset. After it was over, Alexander announced that the meeting was dismissed and left the office without another word. He didn¡¯t even stay behind to have a word with Gale. Gale acted fast and grabbed Josh, who was trailing after his boss. ¡°What happened? Why the sudden no-confidence vote?¡± Josh sighed. ¡°Previously, the Elmsbury project failed, and it made Old Master Duncan unhappy. The board of directors then added salt to the wound by saying that a professional manager would be better for thepany, and they wanted to change the business model of the family business. That¡¯s why they suggested his removal.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Alex going now?¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s going to his ancestral home.¡± Clutching the documents in his hand, Josh said, ¡°Mr. Langley, I have to drive President Duncan, so I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± With that, he turned and hurried away. In the blink of an eye, the car had stopped in front of the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. Alexander felt chilly. As soon as he walked into Scott¡¯s study, he increased the temperature of the air-conditioning by several degrees. ¡°Grandpa, did you agree to the n for a professional manager?¡± ¡°Yes. Is there a problem?¡± Scott was practicing his calligraphy, so his entire demeanor was tranquil. ¡°Not at all.¡± Alexander¡¯s face took on an unpleasant expression. ¡°But, why would you appoint James as the professional manager? What¡¯s the meaning of that? Have you already forgotten what happened three years ago?¡± At the mention of the incident three years ago, Scott¡¯s face suddenly paled. At this moment, the sounds of chasing and yful shrieks came from outside. ¡°Jordan, wait for me! Don¡¯t run so fast!¡± Jordan, however, had no voice to respond. Chapter 232 One Night Surprise Chapter 232 Chapter 232 Why Can¡¯t I Suspect You? Alexander¡¯s question silenced Scott, who was still holding onto his brush. As he spoke, Alexander¡¯s powerful voice resounded through the study. ¡°Three years ago, if you didn¡¯t ce so much trust in James, his mind wouldn¡¯t have strayed and he wouldn¡¯t have harmed Jordan. Back then, you said that you wouldn¡¯t pursue the matter for the sake of family. But, now that I know what happened, I didn¡¯t think that you would use him again.¡± His tone obviously showed how disappointed he was in Scott. Essentially, Scott was a force to be reckoned with, and he was always fair with his awards and punishments. He wasn¡¯t the kind of person to neglect wrongdoings for the sake of family. In fact, the person who was behind Jordan¡¯s almost-murder was nearly uncovered. If it wasn¡¯t because Scott didn¡¯t allow Alexander to continue investigating, James would be in prison by now. ¡°What happened three years ago may not have been James¡¯ doing, and there wasn¡¯t any tangible evidence in the first ce.¡± Scott frowned, his eyebrows knitting together in anger. ¡°What do you mean no tangible evidence? Grandpa, I¡¯ve shown you the evidence, but you told me not to pursue it anymore. You taught me to distinguish right from wrong. Deep down, you know the truth of the matter. Otherwise, why would you say such a thing?¡± Alexander¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Perhaps your mind is muddled because you¡¯re getting older.¡± Thest few letters of a quote that he was writing turned into a giant stain. The old man¡¯s deep voice, thick with fury, rang out in the room. ¡°I may be old, but my mind isn¡¯t muddled. Alexander, do you really want me to make it clear to you? Do you really think that I don¡¯t know who nearly caused Jordan¡¯s death?¡± Alexander¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Scott¡¯s face was cold, and the majestic aura that he exuded was so oppressive that it left Alexander breathless. ¡°Back when I wanted you to get married and have children, you refused. You wanted to infuriate me, so you came back with Jordan. Tell me; have you ever carried out your responsibilities as Jordan¡¯s father? There are many questionable points in the incident that happened three years ago. During that period, James wasn¡¯t the only person that Jordan¡¯s nanny was in frequent contact with.¡± Anyone would have suspicions about this unsettled matter, but Alexander didn¡¯t expect that his grandfather would doubt him. ¡°Are you suspecting me?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I suspect you? At that time, did you really consider Jordan as your own son? For you, is there anyone or anything that can¡¯t be used?¡± Scott¡¯s face was extremely gloomy. Alexander clenched his fists. After a brief silent stand-off, a voice that was colder than thest sounded in the room. ¡°From tomorrow onward, Sunhill Enterprise will be handed over to James. You don¡¯t have to remove me; I quit.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the clear sound of the study¡¯s door opening and closing could be heard, the sharpness of his actions leaving no room for anyone to react. The next instant, Alexander¡¯s figure was gone from view. The butler chased after him and tried to say a few kind words, but Alexander remained indifferent and simply walked away. ¡°Young Master Alexander.¡± ¡°Harry,e back here.¡± Harry wanted to go after him, but a voice from the study halted his footsteps. In the end, he sighed helplessly as he watched Alexander¡¯s figure slowly retreat, then he turned and walked into the study. ¡°Master, why did you make such a fuss with Young Master Alexander? He¡¯s already an adult.¡± When Harry entered, Scott was wiping his hands; the piece of paper with the ruined characters was strewn across the floor. The brush made from weasel hair that was broken in half clearly showed its owner¡¯s rage from earlier. ¡°Is he an adult? He doesn¡¯t even have basic feelings and emotions.¡± Scott was frowning, still looking furious. ¡°I really don¡¯t know who he took after. He sees nothing but benefits and conditions.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. He really respects you, and he takes good care of Little Master. Not to mention, isn¡¯t he progressing well with Miss Hunter? Isn¡¯t that what you wanted?¡± Everything was fine before he mentioned Courtney, but once he did, Scott¡¯s scowl deepened even further. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any mention of this matter anymore. This time, my misjudgment is to me.¡± Harry was taken aback for a moment. ¡°Old Master, are you mindful of the fact that Miss Hunter has yet to divorce her ex-husband? After all the investigations we¡¯ve made, we found that they have been separated for a long time, and their marriage has long only existed in name.¡± Although Scott was no longer involved in the business world, all of the changes in Melrose City¡¯s business circle didn¡¯t escape his sight. Naturally, the news of Elijah looking for partners in Melrose City to expand his business got to him as well.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. After a simple investigation, it was discovered that he had a close rtionship with Courtney. Scott found out that Elijah was actually her ex-husband, and the two of them were not divorced, just separated. But this was not the root cause of the old man¡¯s sudden opposition. He cast a nce at Harry, then asked, ¡°About the failure of the Elmsbury project, what was the exnation Alexander gave to the board of directors?¡± ¡°The young master said that he made a mistake during the negotiations.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an excuse.¡± Scott¡¯s voice wasced with anger. ¡°I¡¯ve asked the people at the Elmsbury branch, and they said that he left before the negotiations were over. Do you know why? He left because something happened to the Hunters. Courtney¡¯s father, Lucian, died of illness, so Alexander went straight to the airport.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ human nature,¡± Harry exined helpfully. ¡°After all, Miss Hunter and the young master are in a rtionship.¡± ¡°Nheless, he shouldn¡¯t have been so impulsive. The weather was bad that day, and he ended up staying at the airport for two whole days, waiting to catch the first flight back.¡± The more he thought about it, the more furious Scott got. All of a sudden, he pped the table. ¡°It¡¯s in nonsense.¡± Alexander was cold-natured, and his actions were usually on the extreme side. Even though Scott always hoped that he would get married and have children like everyone else, he was more worried about Alexander getting involved inplicated rtionships, which would cause unmanageable consequences. Courtney¡¯s presence had undoubtedly derailed Alexander¡¯s originally monotonous life toward a disastrous direction. Harry wanted to say something more to persuade him, but upon seeing that the old man was still boiling with rage, he figured that anything he said now would be adding fuel to the fire, so he gave up. Meanwhile, Alexander had gone to the courtyard where Jordan was ying. A servant had packed up a few of his personal belongings and was taking him away. Jordan was ying with Hannah, but when he heard that Alexander was bringing him home, he immediately fished out his little board and scribbled a few words. ¡°What about Mommy and Tina? Are they going back too?¡± Upon seeing this, Alexander¡¯s face turned somber. ¡°There¡¯s no Mommy, and there¡¯s no Tina; there¡¯s only you and me. In the future, our life will be the same as before.¡± ¡°No,¡± Jordan blurted. His hoarse, childlike voice echoed throughout the courtyard. Alexander froze for a moment, feeling surprised because Jordan rarely spoke. Then, his expression softened and he persuaded patiently, ¡°Come back with Daddy. You¡¯ve been staying here for too long.¡± Jordan¡¯s head shook like a rattle drum. He hurriedly wrote down another line of words. ¡°Tina told me to wait here for her. She said that she will be back soon to y with me.¡± Seeing how determined Jordan was only enraged Alexander. Without another word, he picked Jordan up and strode toward the entrance of the courtyard. Chapter 233 One Night Surprise Chapter 233 Chapter 233 He¡¯s Getting Engaged to Someone Else? As he struggled, Jordan¡¯s drawing board dropped to the ground with a loud crash. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Leaning on Alexander¡¯s shoulder, the little boy let out huge sobs, attracting the sympathy of the servants in the courtyard. As she couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, Hannah plucked up her courage and quickly ran over to block Alexander¡¯s path. ¡°Where are you bringing Jordan?¡± The crisp voice sounded from the mouth of a thirteen-year-old girl. Her bravery was certainly praise- worthy. Alexander shot her a look. ¡°Move aside.¡± Hannah gritted her teeth. ¡°I¡¯m your aunt.¡± Things turned for the worse as soon as she mentioned this. Alexander¡¯s expression turned as ck as coal. ¡°Are you looking for trouble, Hannah?¡± Upon hearing this, Hannah immediately lost her courage and stepped aside while mumbling, ¡°I was just joking. You can carry on your way. I was joking.¡± Not bothering to spare her another nce, Alexander strode away. Looking at the cracked drawing board on the floor, Hannah felt a little glum. When she bent down to pick it up, she heard the servants whispering in the corridor. ¡°I heard that Old Master Duncan intends to get Young Master Alexander engaged to Miss Lewis.¡± ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t they introduce Miss Hunter to their friends and family already?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t a lot of bad things befall the Hunters recently? Besides, it seems like the young master has broken up with Miss Hunter. Also, didn¡¯t you hear? Old Master Duncan has handed thepany over to Young Master James. If Young Master Alexander doesn¡¯t marry Miss Lewis, what would happen to his career?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Men value their careers, and this is Young Master Alexander we¡¯re talking about.¡± Hannah heard the servants¡¯ gossip word for word. She picked up the drawing board, then disappeared into her room. Taking out her notebook, she dialed a number and made a phone call. ¡°Hello? Tina, it¡¯s me. Is your mom there?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not looking for her. I¡¯ll just tell you. Ask your mother to give Alexander a chance; otherwise, she¡¯ll lose him really soon.¡± After hanging up the phone, mncholy overcame her. She was a nobody among the Duncans. Although on paper she was Scott¡¯s daughter, she was still just an adopted child. After the age of eighteen, she would no longer be under his care. She may be young, but she had previously stayed at an orphanage, so she knew how to assess the risks in her surroundings. Scott was old, which meant that he didn¡¯t have much time left to look after her. In the future, Alexander was bound to be the patriarch of the Duncan family. She was incapable of getting close to him, so in times like this, her futurey in the hands of thedy of the Duncan household. She liked Courtney¡¯s gentle temper, and she got along especially well with her daughter. Compared to the youngdy of the Lewis family who only knew how to act spoiled, Courtney marrying into the Duncan family was obviously the better choice for Hannah. Therefore, she stood on the same side as Tina. However, Tina¡¯s behavior on the phone just now was unlike what she had anticipated. Has that little girl really just changed like that? It was now noon. For the past two days, Tina didn¡¯t go to school because she had caught a cold. After she was done cooking, Courtney called her out to eat, only to see her walk out with a sullen expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling ufortable?¡± Courtney touched her forehead on instinct. ¡°There¡¯s no fever.¡± Stretching out her arms, Tina spoke in a childish voice that was made stuffy by the cold. ¡°Hug me.¡± This made Courtneyugh. ¡°Are you pouting? Are you being like this because you¡¯re sick? Or is it because I haven¡¯t spent time with you for too long? Tina sniffled, looking as if she was sulking. After Courtney picked her up, sheid her head on her mother¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Mommy, if you don¡¯t marry Mr. Alexander, will Jordan still be able toe and be with us?¡± Patting her back, Courtney said, ¡°Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Mommy will think of a way.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t we fine without Jordan? Mommy, I don¡¯t want to stay here anymore. Can we go back to America?¡± Tina¡¯s words caused Courtney to fall silent for a brief moment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, sweetheart?¡± She frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t it good here?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± Tina sniffled once more. ¡°The people here aren¡¯t nice at all; they all bully Mommy. You finally found someone, but he turned out to be a big baddie.¡± Courtney froze. Releasing Tina from her embrace, she looked at her daughter and asked, ¡°What do you mean ¡®big baddie¡¯?¡± Talking in low mutters, Tina recounted the details of Hannah¡¯s phone call. ¡°He said that he was going to marry you, so why is he suddenly engaged to someone else? He¡¯s so rotten, Mommy. The people here aren¡¯t nice. Let¡¯s go back to America. It¡¯s better for you to be with Daddy.¡± ¡°Did you say that he¡¯s engaged to someone else?¡± Courtney was a little baffled. ¡°With whom?¡± ¡°Thatdy, Miss Lewis.¡± Tina then began to rant angrily, ¡°She isn¡¯t even as pretty as you. She¡¯s all grown up, but all she does is act spoiled. Jordan and I don¡¯t like her.¡± She had described it in vivid detail, and the phone call was from Hannah, so Courtney believed that it was all true. Mika and Alexander were childhood sweethearts. If Alexander didn¡¯t lie to her and truly regarded her as just a sister, then there must be no other person in this world that Alexander would be willing to marry. Mika was considered a potential spouse, and Courtney was unsure if she was too. Even if she was, it was a thing of the past. The situation had already turned into the mess that it was today. The way they could get closure in their rtionship was already a problem, let alone restarting her rtionship with him and trying to properly develop it. She couldn¡¯t ept his distrust, but she couldn¡¯t get herself to bepletely honest with him. It was truly a dilemma. Whatever the case, the rtionship shouldn¡¯t have started in the first ce. Aplex expression was painted on Courtney¡¯s face. ¡°When Mommy gets custody of Jordan, I¡¯ll bring you both to America, okay?¡± Tina nodded dully, still immersed in the tragic news that the Mr. Alexander that she respected and loved was going to marry someone else. She was so sad that she couldn¡¯t extract herself from those thoughts. She was angry as well, and she had the urge to tell Jordan that he should get himself a new father too, just like she did. Courtney¡¯spany, Citron Apparel, was operating well, garnering both online and offline sales at the same time. Since its opening, a total of three series of clothing had been introduced, and they were sold out each time. As the saying went, ¡®the bird that takes the lead, takes the bullet¡¯. When apany was progressing well, they were bound to facepetition from people of the same industry as well as brand infringement issues. When Courtney¡¯s assistant delivered thetest batch of clothing samples from Ivory Apparel and Designs to her, she was discussing with Bill about attending a fashion magazine reception in Shanghai. ¡°President Hunter, everything about this dress from Ivory Apparel and Designs¡ªfrom the colors to the design¡ªis nearly identical to the ¡®Spring and Autumn¡¯ set from our second release. The only change they made was giving it a boat neck. It¡¯s just a in copycat of our product.¡± Taking theparison chart from her, Courtney frowned. ¡°Where¡¯s ourwyer? We should get our lawyer to handle this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no use.¡± Bill didn¡¯t even look at the chart, but his voice was calm. ¡°Imitation in fashion has always been a problem. This is just how the industry works. When apanyes up with a new product that sells well, there will soon be countless imitations. Filingwsuits won¡¯t work, and it¡¯ll just be a waste of time.¡± ¡°But, we can¡¯t just ignore it, right?¡± Courtney¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Do we just let them copy us?¡± ¡°Unless you¡¯re willing to make things ugly and offend them.¡± Bill shot her a knowing nce. ¡°Ivory Apparel and Designs belongs to Sunhill Enterprise.¡± Chapter 234 One Night Surprise Chapter 234 Chapter 234 Two Rivals See Red the Moment They Meet Courtney was taken by surprise. ¡°They belong to Sunhill?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bill turned around and began to sketch down some designs on the ckboard. ¡°In the early years, Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s clothingpany was involved in a scandal. After suffering damage to its reputation, the entire clothingpany went bankrupt and was liquidated. Later, they wanted to join the clothing industry again, but the impact of the previous damage was still fresh, so they could only give thepany a name that seemed to have nothing to do with Sunhill.¡± If they thought about it, it was just a way to clear the air and confuse the public. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Usually, most people wouldn¡¯t think to find out whichpany was the main source of the product they were buying. Sunhill Enterprise had used this practice to their advantage and managed to form a new clothingpany. This thought didn¡¯t even cross Courtney¡¯s mind. If it wasn¡¯t for Bill, she would have thought that the company called Ivory Apparel and Designs was just another ipetent business. ¡°Even if they¡¯re under Sunhill, we still have to report them. At the very least, we must let them know that we¡¯re not someone to be messed with,¡± Courtney said with a frown. So what if the matter was rted to Alexander? She found it ridiculous that apany as dignified as Sunhill Enterprise would profit off such an unseemly clothingpany. Bill gave a nomittal raise of his eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s up to you. We won¡¯t be producing the clothes from the previous season anymore anyway. If they want to copy, they can only copy the outdated outfits.¡± Obviously, Bill didn¡¯t bother with these imitations. After all, elites didn¡¯t busy themselves with mundane affairs. It was normal for him to be unwilling to argue with others about such trivialities. Courtney, on the other hand, could never turn a blind eye to misconduct, so she ordered her assistant to arrange for amercialwyer to send a letter of demand to thepanies that imitated their creations, including Ivory Apparel and Designs. On Friday night, Courtney flew to Shanghai to attend a business banquet. Her purpose was clear. Among those who attended the reception, the general manager of Sakura Group¡¯s eastern branch was one of them. Sakura Group wanted to order a batch of staff uniforms, and this man was responsible for this matter. If her efforts were sessful, she would be walking away with an order worth one hundred million. It would be a great help to Citron Apparel¡¯s early stages in the market. At the cocktail party, the elites of Shanghai and Melrose City¡¯s clothingpanies could be seen at every corner. Courtney got to know about the party through Le Marshall, the chief editor of Shanghai¡¯s beauty and fashion magazine, VV. Elijah had introduced her to Courtney before he left Melrose City. Le was an utterly straightforwarddy. The manner in which she spoke and acted was as swift as the wind. ¡°Mr. Graham has helped me multiple times in the past. I knew that he was married, but I didn¡¯t expect his wife to be so young.¡± Courtney smiled and went along with her, not borating on her rtionship with Elijah. There was no need to exin much about her and Elijah¡¯s situation to irrelevant parties, and it was hard to rify anyway. Le brought her around the party and got her acquainted with a number of other guests before bringing her to Dominic Willis, the general manager of Sakura Group. ¡°President Willis, this is President Hunter of Citron Apparel that I told you about on the phone.¡± Courtney stretched out her hand. ¡°Nice to meet you, President Willis.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡± Dominic politely shook her hand, appearingpletely at ease. Evidently, Le had given him a brief introduction of Courtney¡¯spany prior to the banquet; otherwise, he would have been asking about why he had never heard of Citron Apparel before. ¡°President Willis, it¡¯s a little noisy here. Why don¡¯t we go over there to have a chat?¡± Courtney took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Dominic. She was a businesswoman after all, and no one came to the reception looking to rx. They were all here to engage in business interactions, so she might as well be more direct. Dominic briskly agreed. With Le tagging along, the three of them moved to the lounge of the banquet hall. At a corner in the banquet hall, a lithe figure holding a champagne ss was watching Courtney, seemingly lost in thought. Her eyes were sparkling with a dark gleam. ¡°Hey there, prettydy. What are you doing here all alone? Don¡¯t you have anyone to apany you?¡± A man¡¯s voice sounded from beside her. Britney cast the man a sideways nce. The voice belonged to Tobias Crane, Shanghai¡¯s famous yboy. He had been pursuing her for more than two years now, and he was extremely willing to spend money on her. But, he always had women around him, and she was still pining for Alexander, so she never really gave him a second thought. If anything, he was just a diversion for when she was bored. As a matter of fact, she was just feeling bored when he approached her. He was the one who invited her to tonight¡¯s reception, and it just so happened that she was in Shanghai shooting an advertisement. She had some spare time, and she was bored, so she agreed to attend. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Britneyughed. ¡°Someone invited me to be his guest but ditched me as soon as the party started to flirt with other girls. Doesn¡¯t that leave me without apanion?¡± ¡°Whoever it is, he must be blind. How could there be anyone at this party more attractive than you?¡± Tobias was a true sweet talker; he didn¡¯t even hesitate to insult himself. ying along, Britney chuckled, then pointed with her delicate finger. ¡°There; that woman over there is rather good-looking. Her beauty isparable to mine.¡± ¡°How could that be?¡± Tobias said while casually looking in the direction she was pointing at. When he caught sight of Courtney, he couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away from her. If Britney was an ice cube, then the woman standing in the distance dressed in a burgundy halter neck evening gown was a ball of fire. Her long, wavy hair hung loosely across her shoulders, and the young woman¡¯s mature charm carried with it a rare sense of purity. Who¡¯s this rare beauty? Tobias figured that there was an eighty percent chance this woman was one of the boss¡¯ mistress. ¡°Can¡¯t take your eyes off of her, can you, Mr. Crane?¡± Britney teased from beside him, but her eyes glinted darker. ¡°If you like her, judging from your charm, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to take her to bed tonight, right?¡± Coming back to his senses, Tobias shook his head. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m not walking into the lion¡¯s den; I¡¯m not looking for trouble. That¡¯s Sakura Group¡¯s general manager, Dominic Willis. I don¡¯t have the guts to mess with his girl.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case,¡± Britney said, acting doubtful. ¡°That woman is Courtney Hunter. I know her. She came with Le Marshall, the chief editor of VV. It looks like Le is making business introductions. I don¡¯t think Courtney has ever met President Willis prior to this.¡± ¡°Really? Business? What business?¡± ¡°A clothingpany that she just started. Courtney is Alexander¡¯s ex-girlfriend. She started her business after they broke up. It seems like she has rather good connections; she¡¯ll be a good match for a nobleman like you.¡± Tobias liked the sound of this, and he couldn¡¯t help but look at Courtney a couple more times. ¡°You said that she¡¯s Alexander¡¯s ex-girlfriend, right? Aren¡¯t you his ex as well? It¡¯s normal for rivals to see red the moment they meet. Do you want me to take revenge for you?¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s out of the question.¡± Britney took azy sip of her champagne. ¡°Alexander and I haven¡¯t had any contact in a long time. As for Courtney, I had some grudges against herst time. But, rather than taking revenge, I¡¯m just hoping that you can have a good time tonight.¡± Tobias enjoyed being ttered, and Britney¡¯s words were particrly pleasant to his ears. He was bursting with joy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Britney. Since you¡¯re being so thoughtful of me, while I enjoy myself tonight, I¡¯ll also punish her on your behalf.¡± Chapter 235 One Night Surprise Chapter 235 Chapter 235 After Being Gone for Three Years, I¡¯m Rising Again Looking at Tobias¡¯ perverted smile, Britney felt utterly revolted and cursed him inwardly, but she kept a warm smile on her face, appearing highly respectful. ¡°Mr. Crane, from what I know about Courtney, you can¡¯t approach her too directly. You have to¡­¡± After listening to Britney¡¯s suggestion, Tobias nodded thoughtfully. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea. If this works out, I¡¯ll get you whatever you want, Britney. Just say the word.¡± Britneyughed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you¡¯ve always been doing?¡± Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. As she watched Tobias leave, she emptied her champagne ss in one gulp, a sinister gleam shining in her eyes. She had been feeling a little dejectedtely, so it was entertaining to finally have something to do. Just as she was setting down her champagne ss, a familiar voice spoke from behind her. ¡°Miss Price, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Britney¡¯s back stiffened. As soon as she turned around and saw the man in the suit behind her, her expression changed. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Should I not be here?¡± As usual, the man¡¯s gentle expression was mixed with a hint of malice. ¡°It seems that your schedule has been so fulltely that you¡¯re not even aware of Melrose City¡¯s current affairs, Miss Price. The tides have turned, didn¡¯t you hear?¡± Britney¡¯s face hardened. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°My new name card. Keep in touch?¡± A golden card was handed to Britney; the gilded words on it were particrly eye-catching. She couldn¡¯t help but read the words aloud. ¡°CEO of Sunhill Enterprise, James Duncan¡­ You¡­¡± ¡°I may not be talented, but after being gone for three years, I¡¯m rising again.¡± James¡¯ eyes twinkled coldly. ¡°I must say; you seem quite desperate now, Miss Price. Even an unworthy yboy like Tobias has caught your eye?¡± Britney paled visibly upon hearing this. ¡°He¡¯s just a pastime.¡± ¡°Are you free to talk somewhere else?¡± The corners of James¡¯ lips curled up into a smile, but there was a certain sharpness hidden beneath his tenderness that made it hard for Britney to refuse his offer. Her fists were clenched, but she managed to force out a smile. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s been a long time, after all.¡± Meanwhile, under the moonlit sky, a silver MPV came to a stop in front of the hotel entrance. Josh got out of the car and opened the door. ¡°President Duncan, you don¡¯t usually attend small business parties like these, so why did you decide to come this time?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t James here?¡± Alexander tidied his cuffs; his expression was frosty. ¡°He has already gotten the position of his dreams, and yet he¡¯s here attending this small-scale cocktail party. Why do you think that is?¡± Josh was puzzled. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The scale of thepany¡¯s development is toorge. The more distantly rted the subsidiary, the easier it is to be overlooked and not be controlled by the headquarters. Why do you think James got the position of CEO so easily this time?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it because he has Old Master Duncan¡¯s support?¡± ¡°Grandpa gave him the position, but he has to have the capabilities to perform.¡± With Alexander giving his mind a little nudge, Josh finally understood his meaning. His eyes widened as if he had just been enlightened. ¡°Are you saying that James has always been in contact with the company¡¯s subsidiaries?¡± No response came from Alexander as the two of them arrived at the banquet hall. Although it was just a cocktail party for Shanghai and Melrose City¡¯s clothingpanies, it wasn¡¯t just a simple gathering, as the attendees consisted of a variety of people. As soon as they entered, they bumped into several acquaintances. While Alexander exchanged pleasantries with the other guests, his eyes signaled for Josh to look for James. ¡°President Duncan, I didn¡¯t expect you to attend our small reception. It¡¯s truly a great honor.¡± The head of the organizing team came over to greet him with a fake smile stered on his face. Everyone in the industry knew that Alexander was no longer the president of Sunhill Enterprise. If it wasn¡¯t because he received the invitation one month before he left thepany, he might not be able to attend the party now. With a cold expression, he sipped his wine and was done with the greetings. He began to wander aimlessly around the banquet hall, and he barely took two steps before he caught sight of a familiar figure. The figure dressed in burgundy stood out like a delicate rose at the reception, and she was currently chatting with someone at the lounge not far from where he was. Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened. After giving it some thought, he figured that it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine why she was present. Courtney, however, waspletely unaware that a few people had their eyes on her. With great enthusiasm, she introduced Dominic to Citron Apparel¡¯s team of designers and talked about their performance since theyunched. With Le facilitating the interaction, their conversation went smoothly. Although Citron Apparel wasn¡¯t very well-known in the industry, they were still a decades-old enterprise, so their roots ran deep. They may have once been a subsidiary of the Hunter Group, but now, they had nothing to do with them whatsoever. Le was clever, and she knew how to y to Citron Apparel¡¯s strengths. Judging from the look on Dominic¡¯s face, there was an eighty to ny percent chance that they had secured the deal. ¡°President Willis, if you have time, doe and check out Citron Apparel. You can consider it an on- site inspection to see if what I said is true.¡± Courtney¡¯s generosity brought a smile to Dominic¡¯s face. ¡°President Hunter, you don¡¯t seem like someone who¡¯s just starting out in business. My daughter has been training with me for several years, but she¡¯s still a little timid. You¡¯re much better at talking and doing things than my daughter is.¡± You tter me, President Willis,¡± Courtney said with a modest smile. ¡°We¡¯ll end it here, then. I¡¯m sure you have many other businesses to attend to tonight, so we won¡¯t bother you any longer.¡± After exchanging a few polite remarks, Dominic left. Courtney breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you, Le.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± ncing at the time, Le said, ¡°I still have some matters to handle. After this, you can arrange for someone tomunicate with President Willis. Come find me if you have any questions.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Standing up to see Le off, Courtney took a ss of juice from a waiter¡¯s tray. After taking a sip, she looked up, and her eyes met with a familiar gaze. She couldn¡¯t believe that she actually ran into Alexander here. From somewhere not far away, someone was walking toward her with a ss of wine in hand. Alexander¡¯s gaze was fixed on her, showing no intention of looking away. Yet, she couldn¡¯t see any emotion in those eyes; he was just watching her. Courtney felt her legs disobeying hermands as she couldn¡¯t help but take a step forward. ¡°President Hunter of Citron Apparel?¡± A figure came to stand in front of her, blocking her way and obstructing her view. Courtney was taken by surprise. When she recovered, she saw that a young man wearing a royal blue suit was blocking her; the gaudy color of his suit was so piercing that it made her feel restless. For a moment, she couldn¡¯t recall who he was. ¡°You are?¡± ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. I¡¯m Tobias Crane, vice president of Amethyst Group.¡± Tobias took a shiny golden card out from his business card holder and handed it to her. ¡°I noticed you as soon as you walked in just now. You seem to be well acquainted with President Willis of Sakura Group. Do you two know each other?¡± Courtney did not wish to deal with this young man who was clearly a good-for-nothing. She gave a brief nod. ¡°I don¡¯t know him well; we just met. Please excuse me; I have something to do over there.¡± Tobias smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You may not be familiar with President Willis, but my father is close with him. If you¡¯re looking for a coboration, I can help you pull some strings. I¡¯m sure Mr. Willis would do me this favor.¡± Chapter 236 One Night Surprise Chapter 236 Chapter 236 An Unscrupulous Man ¡°No, thank you. But, I appreciate your kindness, President Crane,¡± Courtney declined politely because she could sense the underlying threat in his words. I can help you, but that means you have to do something for me in return. Whatever it was, Courtney wasn¡¯t interested. Tobias ced his hands in his pockets. He wasn¡¯t angry at Courtney for being ungrateful, but he didn¡¯t intend on moving aside. ¡°Those who know me usually call me Mr. Crane or Toby; President Crane sounds strange. Miss Hunter, if you don¡¯t mind, how about going out for a drink with me? There are too many people here.¡± Courtney frowned. The provocative implication of his words was barely disguised. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Courtney shot him a nce, restraining herself from rolling her eyes at him. ¡°I¡¯m busy tonight. Maybe next time.¡± With that, she turned around and was ready to walk in the other direction. However, Tobias was faster than her as he moved to stand in front of her. ¡°Miss Hunter, now you¡¯re just humiliating me. Personally, I don¡¯t mind much, but I value my reputation. If you don¡¯t show me respect, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to get what you want.¡± Courtney found the situation getting increasingly absurd. How did she end up meeting such an oddball? ¡°What I want doesn¡¯t seem to have anything to do with you, President Crane. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ve offended you, but if you¡¯re here to find fault with me, you might as well make yourself clear.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t offend me,¡± Tobias said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve taken a fancy to you. Aren¡¯t you trying to score Sakura Group¡¯s order? As long as you go out and have a drink with me, I¡¯ll just need to have a word with Mr. Willis and the order will be yours. Tell you what; I¡¯ll even ce an order for Amethyst Group¡¯s staff uniforms for the next season. What do you say?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve taken a fancy to me?¡± Courtney nearly burst outughing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not desperate to the point where I would prostitute myself to get business.¡± Almost instantly, Courtney¡¯s expression turned cold. She went straight past Tobias and headed in the opposite direction. Behind her, Tobias sneered, ¡°Miss Hunter, you have one night to consider my offer. If you regret your decision,e find me in room 419 at White Moon Hotel.¡± Courtney did not turn back. In her mind, she was giving this disgustingly wretched man a million ps. It¡¯s sickening that such shameless men exist in this world. On the other side of the room, a pair of stony eyes had witnessed the entire scene. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Just as he was about to step forward, the wireless earbuds in his ears gave a buzz, and Josh¡¯s clear voice sounded. ¡°President Duncan, James is on the rooftop talking to a woman. Judging from her figure, she looks like Miss Price.¡± Alexander¡¯s brows furrowed. When he saw that Courtney, who was in the near distance, had gotten rid of Tobias, his expression rxed slightly. ¡°Got it.¡± There were many people in the banquet hall, so he knew without a doubt that nothing serious would happen, but when he thought of what that scoundrel said to Courtney, a thickyer of frost instantly gathered in Alexander¡¯s eyes. After getting rid of Tobias, Courtney subconsciously looked around the banquet hall in search of Alexander. After walking a whole round, she glimpsed him heading toward the rooftop from a distance, and the hand that was lifting the edge of her gown stiffened. She figured that she was just being sentimental by clinging to thoughts of him. After all, he seemed to be moving on just fine. Halfway through the banquet, the sound of a microphone being tested came from the direction of the champagne tower, and everyone began to gather around. Swept forward by the tide of people, Courtney followed. ¡°Today, we would like to make a grand introduction of President Willis from Sakura Group. We are greatly honored by your gracious presence.¡± The head of the organizing team, a young man in his thirties, introduced Dominic to the crowd. Finding the action a bit strange, Courtney felt puzzled and found Le in the crowd. To her surprise, upon seeing her confused expression, Le exchanged a look with her and shook her head. Dominic took the microphone and greeted the crowd with a smile. ¡°Today, I¡¯m here on behalf of Sakura Group to attend the cocktail party held for Shanghai and Melrose City¡¯s clothingpanies. I¡¯m mainly here because an old friend invited me, so I came to join in on the fun. Nevertheless, I am also here because I have some good news to deliver. Sakura Group would like to ce an order for a batch of staff uniforms, and we hope that a majority of thepanies here will bid¡­¡± The moment these words left his mouth, the entire room was in an uproar. Le managed to squeeze her way through the crowd and was standing beside Courtney with a frown on her face. ¡°Didn¡¯t Dominic say that he will work with Citron Apparel? Why is he starting a bid all of a sudden? That old fox. This is uneptable.¡± Courtney mirrored her frown. ¡°I might know why.¡± Her response caught Le by surprise. ¡°Why?¡± Following Courtney¡¯s gaze, Le saw a figure standingzily in the near distance, appearing out of ce among the other guests. At this moment, he was away from the crowd, leaning against the sofa as he raised his wine ss in Courtney¡¯s direction. ¡°Tobias Crane?¡± Le¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°You know him?¡± Courtney looked at her. ¡°He asked me to have a drink with him just now. I refused, then he said something that I didn¡¯t understand at that time. But now, it seems that the sudden change in President Willis¡¯ arrangements has something to do with him.¡± Le¡¯s face turned bitter. ¡°That pervert. There¡¯s no one in Shanghai who doesn¡¯t know him. He acts wildly just because his father is a well-known man. God knows how many young girls he¡¯s provoked. In a way, he is sort of acquainted with Dominic. His father is well-connected, and everyone in Shanghai respects him. I think you¡¯ve offended Tobias.¡± Courtney looked perplexed. ¡°Looks like he¡¯s messing with me on purpose. Is there any room for redemption? Should I approach him now and tell him that I¡¯ll have a drink with him?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Le immediately rejected her proposal. ¡°If Elijah knows that I let you go off to have a drink with someone, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be the one to me. This matter still has to be given careful thought and consideration. Even though Dominic is showing Amethyst Group respect, at the end of the day, he¡¯s just a professional manager. He has to make practical considerations for thepany and would only go with the bids if the situation necessitates it.¡± At that point, Le nced at Courtney. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that Tobias will create more trouble. He¡¯s an unscrupulous man who would do anything to achieve his goal.¡± Upon hearing this, Courtney¡¯s heart sank. How could she be so unlucky? It wasn¡¯t easy for her tond this order, but because a spoiled son had taken a fancy to her, the opportunity was going to slip through her fingers. What bad luck! Room 419 at White Moon Hotel. Tobias¡¯ voice echoed in her mind. What an awful person! Was he afraid that I didn¡¯t understand his intentions? He had to go and choose this room number? As she looked at the nasty figure in the distance, Courtney¡¯s fists clenched. So what if I go with him? She wanted to know who the hell Tobias was and how capable he actually was. When the reception ended, Alexander left the banquet hall with a graceful figure chasing after him in a hurry. ¡°Alex, wait for me! It isn¡¯t what you think it is!¡± Britney ran with such urgency that her high heels were making loud clicking sounds on the ground. Josh had already opened the back door of the car. As if he didn¡¯t hear the sound of someone calling after him, Alexander got into the car without turning back. After the door closed with a sharp m, Britney finally reached the car. To her dismay, Josh stopped her before she could go any further. Chapter 237 One Night Surprise Chapter 237 Chapter 237 How Rough Was It? Josh stood by the car door and perfunctorily gestured for Britney to take her leave. ¡°Miss Price, please leave.¡± Britney protested, ¡°I need to talk to Alex¡ª¡± ¡°President Duncan is currently upied,¡± he interrupted as politely as he could. There were others who were passing by the hotel and since she did not want to cause a scene in front of everyone, she stepped aside. She watched as the silver-grey sedan sped off without any further dy, leaving only dust in its wake. Just then, a man dressed in a suit and leather shoes approached Britney from behind. ¡°Like I said, my cousin has little regard for anyone else when he¡¯s working on something important. If he could cast his own mother out of the Duncan Family when he was thirteen, what made you think he¡¯ll treat you any differently? After all, you were only his fake girlfriend for the past couple of years and he saw you as nothing more than a shield.¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± she snapped with an icy expression. ¡°You knew he¡¯d be here today, didn¡¯t you? Did you deliberately set me up so that he¡¯d catch me talking to you?¡± ¡°Do you take me for a psychic?¡± James Duncan asked with a glint of amusement in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself. As far as I¡¯m concerned, you can¡¯t even begin topete with Alexander. Scheming was the only way for you to get to where you are now,¡± Britney countered without any reservation. Upon hearing that, his eyes darkened as a thought seized him. He scoffed and gave her an unreadable look before he drawled, ¡°Just you watch. Duncan Group is now under my control and it would thrive under my leadership more than it ever did under Alexander¡¯s. I couldn¡¯t be much worse off than him and should I fall, it would be much harder for him to rise again.¡± Britney¡¯s face nched at his words. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything. Let¡¯s just say that I¡¯m nning ahead.¡± The fallen leaves that were scattered by the hotel entrance rustled as the night breeze swept them along the pavement. She looked at James and she could not help but shudder at the deadly calmness in his eyes. Courtney went around several times in a secluded bar district in Shanghai before she finally saw the elusive sign which read ¡®White Moon Hotel¡¯. The building was tucked behind a dive bar and upon entering, she was met with an odd look from the receptionist at the front desk. She frowned and went upstairs to discover that one of the room doors was left open while the room service attendants were cleaning inside. Courtney then nced into the room without much thought, but when she caught sight of whaty within, her face paled. The room was basked in a strange purplish-red glow and a red-and-ck contraption¡ªwhich measured up to the waist and resembled body-building equipment¡ªstood right in the foyer. There were leather whips and candles littered all over the floor; all of them were used and stained with unknown liquid substances. Courtney felt a shiver down her spine at the grotesque scene before her as she began to understand why the hotel operated in such a seedy neighborhood. In retrospect, the receptionist at the front desk was dressed up in a provocative manner and appraised with what could only be described as a habitual sultry gaze. It made her cringe. After all, Tobias was from a wealthy family. Who could have thought that he has a fetish for something as distasteful as this? She circled the entire fourth floor of the hotel, but failed to look for Room 419. She started to think that he had made a fool out of her when she heard the loud wail of sirens resonating throughout the hallway. The hotel seemed to erupt into chaos and before she could react in time, a couple of people who resembled managers were running past her. ¡°Something happened on the top floor! Quickly call the boss!¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s about to die! There is blood everywhere upstairs!¡± ¡°Call the police!¡± ¡°Are you stupid? We can¡¯t call the police over to this ce! Quickly get security and call the ambnce!¡± The panicked voices died down as the people went further down the hallway. No one noticed Courtney in the midst of the chaos; she looked too in for anyone to take a second nce at her. Just to be on the safe side, she had deliberately chosen to wear a suit that made her look like an insurance agent beforeing over to the ce. When she heard that somebody was dying upstairs, a chill of fear swept over her. How rough did they have to be to cause someone to get hurt? Are these people really not going to call the police? With that thought in mind, Courtney felt for her phone and called 911. ¡°Hi, is this the police? I¡¯m calling from the White Moon Hotel. Somebody¡¯s injured.¡± She paused as she listened to the response to the other line. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Please hurry! It¡¯d be great if you could get an ambnce toe over as well.¡± After she hung up on the call, she went around the fourth floor once more to ensure that there was nobody around before heading over to the stairway. She made her way up the stairs on her own, hoping that she could take photos to use as evidence for when the police questioned herter. The shady establishment was obviously a brothel operating in the guise of a love hotel that was undoubtedly run by hical groups who profited from the sex trade. Now that Courtney had arrived, how could she be expected to ignore something as grant as that? The incident took ce on the top floor. The building was well-hidden despite its size; there were fifteen floors in total, thest of which being where the incident was. When she arrived on the fifteenth floor, she saw that a crowd¡ªmostly made up of members of the hotel staff¡ªhad gathered outside the room at the end of the hallway. Arge man stood among them with his hands on his hips. When he spoke, it was with a gruff Northeast Otharian ent. ¡°Oh, for goodness¡¯ sake, what are you all standing here for? Go and pull them apart!¡± ¡°Sir, we¡¯re not going in there while they are fighting like this. We¡¯ll wait for security.¡± ¡°Can somebody tell me what the hell is going on? I was trying to sleep when the ruckus broke out. Why should they fight in a ce like this when they can sit down and work things out like adults?¡± By the time Courtney reached the room, the entrance was entirely blocked off from view and there was no way for her to see what was going on in the room. In exasperation, she turned to look at therge man, who was watching the fight with keen interest. ¡°Excuse me, sir, but what¡¯s going on in there?¡± she asked. The man from Northeast Ortharia was a friendly character. He gave Courtney a bemused look as he answered, ¡°Apparently one of them was caught sleeping with the other man¡¯s wife and now they¡¯re fighting it out. What are you doing here, miss?¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes widened and she waved her hand dismissively while sputtering, ¡°Oh, no, don¡¯t take this the wrong way, sir. I¡¯m here to look for someone!¡± The man chuckled lightly. ¡°I think you¡¯re the one who has taken this the wrong way. My wife and I couldn¡¯t find a hotel nearby and since it was gettingte, we decided to crash here for the night instead.¡± She raised a brow. Of all ces, this is where you decide to crash for the night? She pressed her lips into a thin line since she did not have time to indulge in polite conversation with him. She swiped on her phone disy screen and turned on the video-recording feature on her camera before tiptoeing as she tried to record the footage in the room. ¡°Oh, no, you¡¯re far too short to do that, miss! Here, let me help you.¡± After he said that, therge man plucked Courtney¡¯s phone out of her hand. She looked up to see him pushing his way into the room with the phone in his grip, ready to record the fight. When they saw his actions, the hotel staff grew frantic. ¡°Sir, you can¡¯t take photos here.¡± The man let out an impatient huff. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my phone. The miss over there wants to take a video of the fight, but she can¡¯t see because she¡¯s tiny! I¡¯m just helping her out,¡± he retorted and ignored the staff as he turned his bulky physique toward the room to begin filming in earnest. The employees were all far too skinny to barricade him, so all they could do was make a fuss on the other side of the threshold. Courtney felt awkward as she stood to the side. This man is something else altogether, she thought. While the hotel staff argued with the man, the crowd at the door began to disperse. She managed to catch a glimpse of what was going on inside¡ªto say that the room was trashed would be an understatement; the appliances were all smashed and fragments from brokenmps were littered all over the floor. Meanwhile, through theyers of sheer purple drapes, she could see that there were two men wrestling on the bed as both of them were engaged in a violent fist-fight. She could hear herself gasping at the dull thudding sound of fists pummeling mercilessly against soft flesh. Courtney¡¯s mouth felt dry as she kept her eyes on the man who was delivering the punches. She suddenly realized that there was something familiar about him. Wait! Isn¡¯t that¡­ ¡°Alexander,¡± she gasped before she hurriedly pushed her way through the crowd to enter the room. She pulled the sheer drapes that obscured her view and her eyes widened when she saw the man on the bed. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked in astonishment. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. At the sound of her voice, Alexander froze with his fist in mid-air. The man beneath him seized the opportunity and forcefully punched him. Alexander grunted as he fell off the bed and the dynamics of the fight changed almost instantly. ¡°I¡¯m going to f*cking kill you!¡± Tobias flipped over and grabbed themp by the headboard before he swung it toward the back of Alexander¡¯s head. Chapter 238 One Night Surprise Chapter 238 Chapter 238 I Killed Someone Tobias wondered whether the universe had a bone to pick with him. He had not even managed to have the one night stand he wanted before he was beaten up out of the blue. He was blinded by fury and the weapon in his hand felt like an extension of him. He knew he could not afford to offend Alexander, but by that point, he couldn¡¯t care less. He was sure that the back of Alexander¡¯s head would crack open if he struck him hard enough. He was already thinking about the glorious moment when Alexander¡¯s head would split open. He would then boast to others about how he had defeated the almighty Alexander Duncan by beating him into a pulp in an act of self-defense. However, reality was often far less merciful than one would imagine. Before Tobias could even strike Alexander on the head with themp, he heard a resounding crack and felt the back of his own head caving in. It was then followed by the sensation of warm liquid trickling down his nape, which caused his body to turn cold. Courtney was standing behind him with a steel pole in her grip; her face was a ghastly shade of white. Tobias was startled at the impact and he mechanically turned to look at her in disbelief. The pole ttered to the floor noisily and rolled over to the corner of the room, joining the pile of destroyed s*x toys. Tobias opened his mouth to speak, but before the words coulde out, he cked out and fell from the bed. ¡°I-I killed someone¡­¡± Courtney stuttered, staring at her own hands as her face was drained of color. She could not so much as move an inch forward; her legs felt as though they had turned into lead. ¡°There¡¯s so much blood¡­¡± There was an intense ringing in her ears and her vision was also blurring. She was trembling all over and she could not stop murmuring the word ¡®blood¡¯. However, before she could regain her senses, her whole body was pressed against the warmth of someone¡¯s chest. A strong pair of arms encircled her and held her tight; it nearly suffocated her. Alexander held her in a tight embrace, as if she was something precious that he had lost and found. He buried his face into her shoulder until he was convinced that she was real and only then did the panic in his eyes fade away. Up until the moment she showed up, he had thought that he would never see her again. Tobias had made it sound as though something terrible was about to happen to the woman he loved the most. The police siren was wailing outside the window. It did not take long before the police came up the stairs to seal the crime scene. As they brought out all the witnesses, Courtney exited the room with Alexander holding her in his arms. She was shaken, but before she could get a word in with him, she was brought away by the police for questioning. ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Courtney Hunter.¡± ¡°Your age?¡± ¡°Twenty five.¡± The police officer continued to ask her questions and when he was done, he pulled up her profile from the database. Upon scanning the information, he looked up at her in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re not Otharian?¡± Courtney nodded and exined, ¡°I grew up in Otharia, but I migrated to America five years ago. The incident has little to do with me, so it won¡¯t trigger the embassy¡¯s involvement. Ask me anything that you need to.¡± If there was a serious infraction on her part throughout the incident, the police in Otharia had no jurisdiction to deal with her due to the fact that she held an American citizenship. Upon hearing that, the police nodded somberly. ¡°Please proceed with your side of the story.¡± ¡°It went like this¡­¡± Courtney began to speak and told the police officer everything that led to her being involved in the incident¡ªdown to the veryst detail. ¡°I don¡¯t know why he asked me to meet at the hotel and I¡¯ve never heard of this hotel before. Oh, right¡ªI was also the one who called the police,¡± she concluded. ¡°So, how are you rted to the man who beat the victim up?¡± Courtney paused as she was slightly caught off guard by the question. ¡°He¡¯s¡­¡± Just as she trailed off in hesitation, a knock came from the other side of the door and one of the more senior police officers opened the door. ¡°Courtney Hunter can leave now,¡± he informed with an air of authority. The police officer who was in charge of the questioning was taken aback by his senior¡¯s statement. ¡°But, Officer Andrew, I haven¡¯t taken her statement.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. The investigation is over. She can leave now.¡± The officer had an unreadable expression on his face and the officer who was in charge of the questioning was not a fool. He immediately understood what his senior was trying to say and turned to look at her. ¡°You can go now, Miss Hunter,¡± he said as he stood up from his seat. The intervention did not surprise her. She knew that she would not be here for long. After all, Alexander was also around and a man of his stature would not be in a police station for an extended amount of time. As Courtney walked out of the station, she saw Alexander standing in the lobby. His face was injured and there was a ck-and-blue bruise at the corner of his mouth. It was probably where Tobias had punched him after she had distracted him by calling out his name during the fight. She gritted her teeth as she crossed over to Alexander. As she felt so small and awkward, she did not know what to say to him. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Now that she thought about it, she had not seen him for a while. They maintained their distance since the break-up and religiously avoided each other even during cocktail and dinner parties in Melrose City. Who would have thought that we would meet again under such disastrous circumstances? ¡°Come on. Josh will send you back to the hotel. He¡¯s already at the entrance,¡± Alexander said in a gravelly voice before he turned to stride toward the exit. Courtney blinked and she fell in step behind him after hesitating for a few seconds. The car drove away from the police station and steered into the busy Shanghai traffic. The urban scene in Melrose could not even begin topete with the congestion there. ¡°Where are you staying?¡± Alexander asked the moment they entered the car. Courtney was reluctant to answer and her eyes fell on the dry blood on the corner of his mouth. ¡°We should get you to the hospital.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Alexander frowned. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal¡ª¡± He broke off into a violent coughing fit before he could finish his sentence, as if his body decided to contradict him at that very moment. Josh kept his eyes on the road as he drove, but upon hearing the coughs, he nced into the rearview mirror and pointed out hastily, ¡°It is a big deal. Miss Hunter, President Duncan got into a brawl with Elijah a while ago and he ended up with two broken ribs. He was supposed to be recovering in the hospital, but being the brilliant man that he is, he decided to pick a fight with someone before his injuries could heal.¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney raised her brows in shock. ¡°Was he badly injured thest time?¡± ¡°Of course he was. President Duncan¡ª¡± ¡°Josh,¡± Alexander coldly interrupted him and the air in the vehicle grew still. ¡°Less talk, more driving.¡± Josh mped his mouth shut and dutifully set the GPS to locate the nearest hospital. He then stepped on the elerator as he began to weave through the traffic to head there. Alexander¡¯s brows furrowed at that, but he was too exhausted to argue with Josh. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s bold enough to ignore what I said, he thought grimly while he glowered at the back of his assistant¡¯s head. The silence in the car stretched out for what seemed like a long moment. Courtney dipped her head and rubbed her knee absentmindedly before she took a deep breath and asked, ¡°By the way, how did you end up picking a fight with Tobias at the hotel?¡± She did not think that Alexander even knew Tobias in the first ce. After all, Tobias¡¯ family had its powers confined only within Shanghai while Alexander¡¯s extended far beyond that. Alexander¡¯s frown then deepened. He did not look like he would offer an exnation. ¡°Were you following me?¡± She looked at him imploringly, trying to get an answer out of him. ¡°You went into the hotel around the same time as I did. If I hadn¡¯t gone up to the wrong floor, then I might have arrived at the room first.¡± She could not help but be thick-skinned about her suggestion. After all, the Northeast Otharian man who had blocked off the doorway back in the hotel mentioned that Alexander was in a fist fight with Tobias over an alleged dispute concerning his ¡®fianc¨¦e¡¯. If she was the so-called ¡®fianc¨¦e¡¯ in that scenario and had been the one to arrive at the room first, then the fight between Alexander and Tobias would make a lot of sense. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking this.¡± Alexander looked stubborn. Courtney nced over at him and felt mischief rising within her. She then mused with mock pensiveness, ¡°Well, President Duncan, if you weren¡¯t following me, then I wonder what on earth you could be doing in the love hotel in the first ce.¡± Chapter 239 One Night Surprise Chapter 239 Chapter 239 Save Yourself Before It¡¯s Too Late Alexander¡¯s face turned a shade of green, but he remained adamant on not answering. Further emboldened by his reaction, Courtney continued to tease, ¡°I understand if you have certain fetishes and your sexual preferences have always been a mystery to the entire Melrose City. There¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of, you know. I¡¯m just curious as to what could have caused two grown men to wrestle in bed in the first ce.¡± His expression darkened as he tried to show some restraint. ¡°Could it be that the first round wasn¡¯t rough enough for you? Or was it because neither of you could decide who would be on the top? Was that why you guys fought?¡± Her theories were getting more ridiculous by the minute. He glowered at Josh¡¯s reflection in the rearview mirror; the man was trying so hard to suppress hisughter that his face reddened with the effort. At that point, Alexander¡¯s face was thunderous. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know my sexual preferences and fetishes more than anyone else.¡± The bass in his voice reverberated throughout the car, swiftly putting an end to her mischief. Upon hearing that, Courtney felt as though her face was on fire. She was rendered speechless and she did not dare to lift her head to meet his gaze. What a shameless rogue! She appeared to have shrunk into herself after Alexander¡¯s retort. The look in his eyes softened as he cast a sidelong nce toward her; he was amused at how she could be so thick-skinned and forthright at one moment before mping her mouth shut in the next minute. No one was speaking and the air in the car grew stifling. The silence was suffocating. Alexander seemed to have realized that he had been too tant for Courtney¡¯sfort and he began to regret his choice of words. He also realized that it did not matter how upset or angry he was with her actions, because at the end of the day, she held a special ce in her heart that could never be reced by anyone else. When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor efficiently treated the wounds on his face and made arrangements for him to undergo chest radiography in order to make sure that his ribs were still intact. After that, the doctor headed out to attend to other patients while Josh went to collect the prescription from the dispensary, leaving both Courtney and Alexander to keep each other in silent, awkward company. Courtney clutched her bag closer to herself and pursed her lips. She hesitated for a moment and finally said, ¡°Since you¡¯re alright, I¡¯m going to make a move.¡± She had barely taken a step when Alexander¡ªwho wore a stoic front as he stood next to her¡ª demanded icily, ¡°Are you not going to exin yourself for what happened today?¡± She paused. ¡°What do I have to exin myself for?¡± ¡°For the fact that you actually intended to join Tobias at the hotel after he asked you to do so. Don¡¯t tell me that you showed up there solely for business purposes.¡± There was suspicion in Alexander¡¯s tone and it pricked Courtney¡¯s heart with an aching familiarity. She was initially moved by his act of showing up at the hotel to defend her honor and virtue despite his stubborn refusal to admit it. However, whatever sentiment she had for him now came crashing down by his sharp line of questioning. There was hurt in her eyes as she gazed at him. What else did he think I showed up at the hotel for if it was not for business? Both of them knew exactly what he was trying to imply. ¡°That¡¯s my business,¡± she coldly answered while she red at him. She hated herself for always being moved by him. ¡°You never told me why you showed up at the hotel either. Why should I be frank with you when you clearly don¡¯t intend to reciprocate the favor? I have things to attend to, so I¡¯ll head off now.¡± Upon having said that, she turned on her heels and stormed toward the exit. ¡°Do you really not know why I was at the hotel in the first ce? Are you that ignorant, Courtney?¡± Alexander questioned incredulously from behind her. His voice echoed from the walls of the emergency unit. Courtney stopped in her tracks but she did not turn to face him. She sarcastically answered, ¡°Thank you for being so thoughtful, but seeing that I saved you from getting your head cracked open by Tobias, I¡¯d like to think that we¡¯re even now, President Duncan.¡± ¡°What if I wasn¡¯t there? What would you do then?¡± ¡°I would have done what I needed to, but you already know that, don¡¯t you?¡± she answered in cold defiance as she turned her head so that he could see her side profile. Her back was facing him, but from where he stood, he could tell that her gaze was distant. The rage that was burning within Alexander was further stoked by her indifference. Without a second thought, he reached out for her wrist and pulled so that she spun toward him. She let out a yelp of surprise and struggled to pull away from him, but he ignored her efforts as he roughly pinned her down onto the surgical bed in the treatment room. ¡°What are you doing? Let me go!¡± She snapped as she struggled against him, although she was discreet in her effort to escape, fearing that someone would hear her. His strong arms were braced on both sides of her shoulders, trapping her between himself and the bed as he hovered above her like a broad shadow that barricaded her. She swallowed convulsively; she could not move at all. Alexander stared at her, feeling a sense of helplessness coursing through him despite their current physical dynamics. ¡°You keep pushing my limits like this, Courtney. I must have been blind to have ever fallen for you,¡± he spoke forcefully through gritted teeth. Upon hearing that, Courtney could feel her heart racing, but she put up a tough front as she retorted, ¡°You won¡¯t stay blind forever. You could do yourself a favor and save yourself before it¡¯s toote.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already toote.¡± Alexander now gazed at her with his dark orbs and grabbed her shoulder. He tightened his grip and heard the air pop in her joints with the strength in his fist threatening to crush her bones. She winced in pain, but he ignored her as he snarled above her, ¡°It hurts, doesn¡¯t it? It hurts a thousand times more for me whenever you say things like these. It¡¯s hard to imagine that I can feel this much pain over a woman, but tell me what you were doing when I was hurting so badly? Were you screwing around with that guy who gave you a green card? Building a new and happy family-of-three?¡± Courtney bit on her lip to keep herself from crying out in pain, but she was tearing up with the effort. She hated him with a burning passion. The man was clearly too stubborn to realize that he was the cause of all his misfortune and instead convinced himself that he was a victim. He continuously dwelled in self-pity and he was oblivious to the pain that everyone else was feeling. ¡°Are you done humiliating me? If you are, you can let me go now,¡± she hissed through her teeth. Cold beads of sweat were rolling down past her temples and it fell on the snow-white pillow behind her head; they sank into the fabric and evaporated just as quickly. Alexander, on the other hand, did not appear to want to let her go. He wanted her to retaliate against him and struggle. He longed for her to curse at him. However, she did none of those and instead remained as indifferent as she had been before he pinned her down into that vulnerable position. He was infuriated; fighting with her was like throwing a forceful punch against cotton, but the person who was hurt was still himself. ¡°Does this humiliate you?¡± he asked menacingly. His eyes were cold as he regarded her. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen after I let you go? Are you going to call the police? Are you going to charge me for assault?¡± Reliving the past after a painful break-up was like peeling a scab off a wound, leaving little space for reminiscence. All that would be left was an open, bloody gash¡ªone that made the both of them miserable. Presently, Courtney stiffened beneath his weight, afraid that he would do something terrible out of spite as genuine fear shed in her eyes. The fluorescent lighting above her brought out the look of fear in her eyes. Upon seeing that, Alexander snapped out of his rage. He was instantly seized with regret and he began to sit up as his grip on her shoulders loosened. He once thought that he was the only person who could keep his emotions in check and that no one else could make him feel anything that he did not want to. However, ever since he met her, the life that he had intricately woven for himself waspletely turned upside down. Alexander was at the dinner party when he heard that Tobias had asked to meet Courtney at the White Moon Hotel. After that, it was as though the party had melted away and he spent the rest of the night wondering whether she would be crazy enough to actually oblige with Tobias¡¯ request for the sake of the project. After all, it was a woman who was once crazy enough to marry anyone for a green card. The more Alexander thought about it, the angrier he was at himself. How could he ever allow a woman like that¡ªa woman who would do anything to achieve her goals¡ªto take up so much of his headspace? ¡°Get out,¡± he said suddenly. His voice was hoarse and there was a painful loneliness that coated his tone. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Courtney sat next to him. She had been tightly clutching her bag, but upon hearing what he said, her eyes softened and she began to calm down. Chapter 240 One Night Surprise Chapter 240 Chapter 240 Am I Interrupting? Something seemed to click into ce in Alexander¡¯s mind at thest moment and he restrained himself before he could hurt her any further. With that in mind, Courtney calmed down and she began to think about their continuous friction. She then realized that there was an immense need for the both of them to talk things out before they could start the healing process. After all, there was no rule that required break-ups to be ugly. ¡°The only reason why I agreed to meet Tobias in the first ce was because I wanted to see what he was up to. Even if you hadn¡¯t shown up, I wouldn¡¯t have just waltzed into his room without a second thought. It wouldn¡¯t make sense for him toe after me for something so trivial; someone must have misled him on purpose, which is why he went to such lengths to ruin my partnership with Sakura Group.¡± Thinking that her exnation was clear enough, she turned to carefully appraise Alexander, but saw that he was frowning. She could not tell whether he heard anything she said. Nheless, she continued speaking, ¡°So, you could have just told me that you followed me to the hotel because you were worried about my safety. It would have been easy enough for me to thank you for it. There¡¯s no need for us to fight like this.¡± She paused before she added. ¡°Break-ups don¡¯t have to be ugly, you know. We can still be friends the next time we meet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Alexander barked coldly as impatience tainted his tone. ¡°Seeing that you have so much to say, does this mean that you¡¯re not leaving?¡± Courtney¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that we haven¡¯t been able to talk things out after thest time. We haven¡¯t beenmunicating like two calm and proper adults.¡± She felt her heart wrench when she said ¡®thest time¡¯. The memory was something too painful for her to revisit, as though she had not quite mastered the courage to peel the band-aid off a serious wound. Upon hearing her words, his expression shifted and his eyebrows slightly twitched before he resumed his grim fa?ade. ¡°I admit I have kept things from you in the past, but that was because I didn¡¯t feel the need to disclose my marriage to Elijah, seeing that no real emotion was ever involved in the first ce. I brought Tina over to the States without a green card, which would make me a smuggler. I would have to hide from the Census Bureau all the time because that makes me an illegal immigrant,¡± she further borated, imploring for him to understand the dilemma that gued her at that time. However, Alexander seemed less than inclined to sympathize with her. ¡°Are you saying that you would have married any man just to get a green card?¡± he asked pointedly, though he could feel himself relenting now that she had voluntarily offered an exnation. ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t have married just any random guy for the sake of getting a green card,¡± Courtney denied before she borated. ¡°Elijah does not believe in marriage and he¡¯s a chronic workaholic. He lacked money and I needed citizenship. I didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong if we married for convenience. Plus, there was no stiption that we must live together after marriage. Tina and I barely see him other than on Christmas and certain bank holidays.¡± She was perceptive; she knew exactly what set Alexander off and it was not hard to empathize with how he felt. Any man would have resented his other half¡¯s past rtionships and they would have been equally hostile if they were in his shoes. As far as he was concerned, he had every right to be angered about it because she was still legally married to Elijah. On the other hand, if Alexander was not hurtful and demanding, she would have told him the truth at the moment when he asked about Elijah. Alexander currently regarded her with an unreadable expression and he clenched his fist as he tried to ovee the shock that washed over him. ¡°Was it really just a marriage of convenience?¡± he asked to seek confirmation. Courtney nodded solemnly in response. It was a massive misunderstanding and things could have gotten out of hand because they had refused topromise with each other, but if the incident was anything to go by, she could not deny that a myriad of differences existed between the both of them. Alexander thoughtfully gazed at Courtney, as if he was trying to process the sudden turn of events and the mishap that caused it. After what seemed like an eternity, there appeared to be a defeated look in his eyes. He slowly bent over and raked his fingers through his hair. His fingertips poked out from beneath his locks as he lowered his head and he kept quiet for a long time. Upon seeing him like that, Courtney was confused as she remarked, ¡°I¡¯m sure Gale knows about this because I was the one who exined it to him. Did he not tell you about it?¡± Alexander lifted his head; his face was pinched as he tried to suppress the anger he felt. He sounded certain as he answered, ¡°No, he didn¡¯t.¡± He made the words sound as though they were a curse and she felt a chill run down her spine at the tone of his voice. She cringed inwardly, wondering if she hadnded Gale into big trouble. Now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, Alexander regained hisposure and he seemed to be in better spirits. The both of them sat next to each other on the surgical bed as they engaged in a pleasant conversation; it was something that they had not done in the longest of time. Toward the end, Alexander felt that there was no need to beat around the bush any longer. He told her about everything that led to the incident tonight and kept it brief. ¡°I overheard him giving you the address to the White Moon Hotel during the party. I asked Josh to stop the car when I saw you on Bar Street and I followed you all the way to the hotel. I told myself that I wouldn¡¯t barge in if you came out after ten minutes.¡± He sounded surprisingly sheepish as he said that. ¡°So, you thought something happened to me when I didn¡¯te out after ten minutes?¡± Courtney guessed. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied. She cleared her throat. She figured she should exin why she had not been in the room in the first ce. ¡°I was lost. Tobias kept saying that he would be waiting in Room 419 and I thought that would be on the fourth floor. I went around the entire floor looking for the room, but I couldn¡¯t find it. I didn¡¯t think that the White Moon Hotel would be so twisted as to name thergest suite on the top floor as Room 419¡ªI mean, doesn¡¯t that just sound ridiculous to you?¡± After a series of mishaps, the both of them ended in their predicament at the police station. Talk about a twist of fate, she mused dryly. Josh returned from the dispensary and was surprised to see the both of them in a friendly conversation. He was more surprised to learn that they had not ripped each other¡¯s throats out. Pausing by the doorway, he suddenly felt self-conscious as he asked hesitantly, ¡°Sorry, am I interrupting?¡± Alexander shot Josh an icy gaze, causing thetter to feel the hair on the back of his neck standing to attention. It caused Josh to stammer. ¡°I-I think I left something out from the prescription. I¡¯ll go and get it now. You may continue¡ª¡± Courtney called out for him and stopped him in his tracks. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ve known each other for a while now, so there¡¯s no need for this. I really do have to leave¡ªthere are some things that I need to attend to.¡± Alexander immediately rose to his full height. ¡°I¡¯ll drop you off.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± she said quickly while she looked at his chest. ¡°You should rest; the doctor said that you didn¡¯t recover well enough fromst time. My hotel is just around the corner, so I can make my way back. I guess¡­ I¡¯ll see you when we meet again.¡± This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. As she said that, she tightened her grip on her bag and gave him a polite smile. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave, then.¡± Alexander remained in the same spot as he watched her leave and the warmth in his eyes was slowly dissipating with every step she took. When she was out of view, he reached for his phone and made a call. ¡°Gale, why didn¡¯t you tell me that Courtney only married Elijah for convenience?¡± he yelled into the phone as soon as the line was picked up. It was as if a loud thunderp resounded throughout the ward. Even Josh¡ªwho thought he had seen every one of Alexander¡¯s tantrums¡ªwas shocked. His hands trembled and the box of medication would have ttered onto the floor if he did not catch it in time. Seeing Alexander lose his temper over the phone, Josh snapped into action and quickly closed the door to the treatment room before the other patients took notice of it. After that, he shrunk into the corner behind the door as he quickly fired a text message to Courtney. How angry does he have to be to abandon his image altogether? How much stimtion did he receive? he thought with a wince. Meanwhile, Courtney had only just walked out of the hospital and was standing beneath the starlit sky when she heard her phone ¡®ding¡¯ with a new text message. Pulling her phone out from her pocket, she opened the text message from Josh, which read, ¡®What did you say to President Duncan? He¡¯s on the phone with Mr. Langley right now and let¡¯s just say that things are not looking good for thetter. Drop me a hint before I be the next victim of his tantrum!¡¯ Chapter 241 One Night Surprise Chapter 241 Chapter 241 The Heart That Forever Beats For You After reading the message, Courtneyughed and swiftly replied, ¡®Gale deserves it. You, on the other hand, should probably gird your loins.¡¯ Gale had a tendency to skip on the important details whenever he gave out secondhand information. It seemed as if nothing good could ever emerge from giving him the information in the first ce¡ªhe was a born troublemaker. As amused as she was by that thought, she knew that whatever happened today had nothing to do with his ineptitude and Alexander was aware of it as well. He had never encountered a situation in which he was forced to admit his mistakes and he simply needed an outlet for the resentment that he felt. At the end of the day, Courtney knew better than to expect an apology from him. The next day, she returned to Melrose City with the tender notice for Sakura Group in hand. Tobias¡¯ intervention had led her to abandon all prospects of a private partnership, so she could only hope to coborate with Sakura Group through normal means hence her attendance at the tender. She showed Bill the requirements that they would need toply with in order to submit a valid tender and he nodded after he read through them. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be hard toe up with a design for the uniforms and we are able to meet all the other requirements,¡± he responded. ¡°As long as no one tries to mess things up for us, we should be able to seed in the tender.¡± ¡°Then, I shall thank you in advance,¡± Courtney said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He gave her a dismissive wave before he put the measuring tape that he was holding away. He appeared to have recalled something. ¡°Oh, right. When is Cameron leaving?¡± ¡°The day after tomorrow,¡± she answered after counting the days in her head. ¡°She said she would leave at the end of the month, which would be the day after tomorrow. Are you going to see her off?¡± ¡°No,¡± Bill replied with an air of finality. ¡°Tell her toe back as soon as she recovers from her illness. She might even make it in time topete against me for the position of chief designer. If she can¡¯t make it back before that, then I guess she¡¯ll just have to settle as my assistant when she returns.¡± Courtney smiled and shook her head in mock exasperation before curiously eyeing Bill with a mischievous grin. ¡°Bill, is it true that you used to pine for Cameron when the both of you were studying in St York University?¡± ¡°What? Who said that?¡± he sputtered as his face turned crimson and he red at her while denying vehemently. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Why would I pine for someone as crazy as her?¡± She nodded, pretending to be in thought. ¡°You¡¯re right. I mean, I also heard that she was pining for you for the longest time before you finally agreed to date her, but you broke up with her three dayster. I guess she really wasn¡¯t your type after all.¡± Upon hearing that, Bill stiffened. ¡°Did she tell you that?¡± ¡°Yes, she did. She said that getting you to date her was one of the hardest things she ever had to do, but at the end of the day, you told her that her designs weren¡¯t good enough. You broke up with her after the both of you got into a huge fight.¡± There was a long pause. When he did not respond, Courtney nced up at him and saw that his gaze was lowered as he pretended to be busy with the measuring tape. He looked like he was in a trance. ¡°Bill?¡± He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her. ¡°Huh? Oh. I broke up with her because she was temperamental. It just didn¡¯t work out for me.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Courtney answered breezily, smiling as she walked away. She knew that men rarely meant what they said. If Bill did not have the hots for Cameron, he would not have given his contact to her when he left Melrose City back in the day. Why would a loner like him try so hard to keep in touch with Cameron despite moving somece far away? To say that he had never loved her would be a tant lie. However, there was no way for Courtney to find out about the misunderstandings and slip-ups that unfolded throughout Bill and Cameron¡¯s rtionship, so she gave up pestering him on that matter. Two dayster, Cameron was flying off to America to undergo medical treatment and Gale was apanying her throughout the trip. Courtney dropped them off at the airport. ¡°Cameron, remember to keep in touch when you get there,¡± Courtney said gently as she threw her arms around Cameron and she was surprised at how much weight thetter had lost. She could not help but panic, but she put on a brave front nheless for her friend¡¯s sake. Meanwhile, Cameron was tearing up at Courtney¡¯s words. She was no longer as tough as she used to be, making her more susceptible to sentimental thoughts. Courtney could not bear to see her cry, so she turned to look at Gale with a somber expression. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, Gale¡ªif you so much as make her cry, I¡¯m going to fly over and kick your butt. You still owe me for what happened thest time, in case you¡¯ve forgotten about it.¡± Gale swallowed and dutifully nodded. He cast a curious nce toward Elijah¡ªwho was standing next to him¡ªand grumbled, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream about hurting Cameron when he¡¯s with us. Didn¡¯t you say that he owns half of Wall Street or something?¡± Courtney rolled her eyes at him. ¡°No one¡¯s forcing you to get along with Elijah, so you don¡¯t have to sound so annoyingly perplexed by him. You¡¯re going to lead Cameron astray with your ridiculous thoughts.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not just yours. She¡¯s ours,¡± Gale retorted sharply and red at her. ¡°Do you have any proof to support your argument? All you have are empty words, you punk. It¡¯s not as if you could just im her as your own because you¡¯re dating her; nobody agreed to it. Besides, Elijah, Bill and I are Cameron¡¯s family. We won¡¯t just let you get away with this so easily.¡± Cameron stood between the both of them and watched their rapid-fire exchange with amusement. There was something familiar about the scene; it used to be her who bantered with Gale and now the peace-loving Courtney was taking over her ce instead. How the tables had indeed turned. Thinking about that made Cameron¡¯s heart wrench and she choked as she interjected, ¡°Okay, it¡¯s gettingte. We should be heading through security by now.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait out here for a while longer.¡± Gale tugged on her arm to hold her back. ¡°Alexander¡¯s not here yet.¡± At the mention of Alexander¡¯s name, Courtney stiffened. He ought to be here to see Gale off. After all, there was no telling when he would return from America, but they had been at the airport for nearly half an hour now and Alexander was still nowhere to be seen. She wondered whether he was avoiding her. Cameron lowered her head and nced at her watch. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s preupied. We shouldn¡¯t wait around anymore or we wouldn¡¯t be able to make it for the flight.¡± ¡°Just a little while longer,¡± Gale pleaded insistently. Five minutester, a familiar figure sauntered across the airport¡¯s international departure hall. Upon seeing that person, Gale took off like a rocket and tore through the crowd. ¡°We¡¯re over here!¡± he cried out excitedly. Courtney exchanged an exasperated look with Cameron, but before they could make good-natured remarks about the public disy of bromance, Gale ditched Alexander and came running back toward them. He was out of breath by the time he reached them; he clearly overexerted himself. Cameron was about to pull him toward the gate when he suddenly got down on one knee before her. It drew the attention of the many passers-by in the lobby. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked with widened eyes. ¡°Stop fooling around. People are watching.¡± ¡°Cameron, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to say to you before we go through the gates and it has to be now ¡ªright here in front of everybody.¡± Gale brought his hand up¡ªand nestled within his palm was a ck velvet box in the shape of a heart. The box snapped open to reveal the brilliant diamond ring tucked within. The cut and rity of the rare diamond were astounding to behold. Under the lights, the diamond looked as though it had an ember pulsating from within, gently encircled by the delicate band of the ring. ¡°I know this isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯m saying this to you and I know that you¡¯ve turned me down multiple times in the past, but please know that I¡¯m not trying to force you into saying yes. You can still turn me down today, but I promise you that it will be different this time. I won¡¯t give up on you and hide away just because you¡¯ve turned me down. I¡¯ll stay by your side forever, even if you never say yes.¡± Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. Gale¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the hall and all the onlookers were moved by the sincerity of his deration. Cameron, on the other hand, was already tearing up as she gazed at the man kneeling before her. Words could not describe the emotions that were rushing through her. ¡°I had this diamond custom-made for you. It¡¯s called ¡®The Heart That Forever Beats For You.¡¯ Cameron Miller, will you marry me?¡± Cameron swayed slightly at the proposal. Courtney gazed at her and reached out to sp her hand in hers. She understood better than anyone else the joy and conflict that Cameron was feeling. Chapter 242 One Night Surprise Chapter 242 Chapter 242 I¡¯m His Wife All the onlookers were holding their breath after listening to Gale¡¯s sentimental proposal. For a long time, Courtney had her doubts on his rtionship with Cameron, but she conceded after what he had done. He had been taking care of Cameron for the past couple of months and in light of her uing treatment in America, he was willing to leave his carefree life behind in order to go with her. Hismitment extended far beyond that of his role as a boyfriend and that alone deserved praise. Courtney did not think she would be able to refuse him if she was in Cameron¡¯s shoes. However, Cameron stayed true to her nature. She did not waver at the sugarcoated, heartfelt proposal and instead turned him down with tears in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t marry you.¡± Upon hearing that, Gale¡¯s face fell and the hand that carried the ring awkwardly hung in mid-air. He looked torn, as though he could not decide whether he should give her the ring anyway or if he should tuck it back into his coat pocket. Even Courtney cringed at the sight of his conflicted expression. Cameron drew in a deep breath and appeared deadly calm as she exined, ¡°Look at me, Gale. It means a lot to me that you¡¯re willing to go with me to America, but honestly, I would never have asked that of you. This is my whole life now¡ªunpredictable and always spiraling out of control. No one knows how I might be tomorrow. You, on the other hand, are nothing like me. You aren¡¯t obligated to take care of me, so why would you drag yourself into this mess?¡± It was hard to refute her when she was being sensible like that, but Courtney felt bad for him nheless. After all that he had done for Cameron, she still could not trust him enough to walk with him for the rest of her life. If Courtney was that upset, she could not imagine how terrible he was feeling. ¡°I-I understand,¡± Gale kept the ring as he said before he added softly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can wait. I can wait until after you¡¯ve recovered.¡± The air grew heavy and everyone could feel their hearts tugging with sympathy for him. Elijah appeared to be the only sensible one as he looked at the time and pointed out, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. We have to go through security now.¡± There was a soothing undertone to his voice and his calm demeanor was juxtaposed with the forlorn one that was shared between the star-crossed lovers next to him. Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Courtney reached out and took Cameron¡¯s hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. ¡°I¡¯ll stand by your decisions, no matter what they may be, but remember how you once told me you wanted to experience and take on everything this world has to offer? All I ask is for you to live your best life. There are ces you haven¡¯t seen and food that you haven¡¯t tried.¡± Cameron nodded. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Take good care of her,¡± Courtney said as she took Cameron¡¯s hand and ced it in Gale¡¯s before looking at him meaningfully. ¡°Time can change everything and maybe one day¡­¡± She trailed off, but she knew that Gale understood what she meant. Time could change everything and as long as he kept trying, there would be a day where his wish would be realized. ¡°I know,¡± he murmured with a smile, taking Cameron¡¯s hand and sping it in his. He nced at Elijah. ¡°We¡¯ll head over to the security and let you guys talk.¡± Having said that, he walked toward the airport security with Cameron in tow. Elijah, on the other hand, turned his attention back to Courtney and took out a bluish-grey velvet box from his pocket. He then handed it over to her. ¡°This is for you.¡± Courtney graciously beamed and took the box. Standing at one side, Alexander grew grim as he watched the exchange. Elijah looked at her. ¡°There are a lot of things to attend to in America, so I won¡¯t be seeing you for a while. Take good care of yourself until then, okay?¡± ¡°I will,¡± Courtney promised as she nodded her head. ¡°I would have brought Tina along to see you off, but she has to attend school.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. There are still plenty of chances for us to meet in the future,¡± he replied kindly. His eyes darkened and he added after a pause. ¡°Give me a call immediately if Tina feels unwell. I have a friend back in America who knows a doctor specializing in this particr field. I can bring Tina over for a check-up the next time I return.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± she answered. The both of them were still talking when Alexander¡¯s voice drawled, ¡°The ne¡¯s about to take off.¡± She turned to see that Alexander was standing a couple of steps away from them; his towering figure looking as stoic and stiff as amp-post. He was ncing at the watch on his wrist and when he lifted his head to look at Elijah, his face was impassive. ¡°Weren¡¯t you asking Gale and Cameron to hurry into the boarding hall earlier? Do the normal rules of catching a flight not apply to you?¡± Courtney¡¯s brows furrowed at his words. He doesn¡¯t usually talk this much. ¡°Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Duncan, but I didn¡¯t ask Mr. Langley and Cameron to enter the boarding hall because I was worried that they might miss the flight. I was worried that they might miss the best time to check into the ward upon their arrival; there is a limited number of beds at the rehabilitation center and any dy on their part would be problematic if it means Cameron missing out on a private room. My dy, on the other hand, would be of no concern at all.¡± Elijah was unfazed as he spoke and his patience was a stark contrast against Alexander¡¯s irritable countenance. Upon hearing his words, Alexander¡¯s eyes dangerously narrowed. ¡°Does this mean that you don¡¯t actually n on leaving?¡± Is he really trying to pick a fight right now? Courtney¡¯s frown deepened as she hissed, ¡°Alexander, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I was only asking,¡± he retorted lightly as he shot her a look. Past events had taught him a lesson¡ªalbeit a painful one¡ªand he was more than inclined to stick to it, which was why he was now trying hard to suppress his anger. The corners of Elijah¡¯s eyes crinkled as he smiled affably. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to leave. This trip hasn¡¯t been long enough. I haven¡¯t been able to spend much time with Tina because of all the time spent on work and I couldn¡¯t help Courtney with what happened at work either. However, I¡¯m sure you would compensate for my absence by taking care of Courtney on behalf of Mr. Langley and Cameron¡ªright, Mr. Duncan?¡± There was a deeper meaning behind Elijah¡¯s words¡ªone that Alexander dreaded to dissect. Courtney saw him as a gentleman who was making polite conversation with Alexander. Alexander, on the other hand, took it as an outright challenge. Elijah made his stance perfectly clear on the matter when he asked him to take care of Courtney¡ªnot on behalf of their past rtionship, but on behalf of Gale and Cameron. The more Alexander thought about it, the more he was convinced that Elijah was being deliberately evasive of his past rtionship with Courtney. More to the point, one look was often all it took for one man to size up another in order to determine whether they were friend or foe. It was almost always the case when it came to women. As far as Alexander was concerned, Elijah did note with friendly intentions. ¡°Of course,¡± he answered nheless, although his eyes were burning with a dark fire as he regarded Elijah with a hostile gaze. ¡°While our past alone would have been a sufficient reason, I would have taken care of Courtney anyway even if it wasn¡¯t on behalf of Gale and Cameron. After all, Jordan and Tina get along really well.¡± He was not nning on bringing that up, but the male ego was a funny thing and it was now toote to back down. See if you can one-up that! However, Elijah was impervious and his voice was light as he remarked, ¡°Children tend to get along easily. Jordan happens to be the same age as Tina and she always had a pleasant personality. So, she¡¯s able to get along with anyone.¡± ¡°Well, yes, but it¡¯s mainly because Jordan is really fond of Courtney.¡± It seemed as though their conversation was taking a turn and Courtney was losing track of what they were saying. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, is this a parent-child conference? Why are you both talking about the kids all of a sudden? Elijah, you don¡¯t have to keep up with the small talk¡ªjust go and get through the security check before you¡¯rete!¡± Elijah smiled. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll head off then.¡± Courtney waved as she watched him leave. ¡°Text me when you get down from the ne.¡± He said nothing, but he lifted his hand and waved goodbye without turning to look at her. There was a ditch between Alexander¡¯s brows as he mumbled unhappily, ¡°Are you his mother? Why does he have to give you a text when he gets off the ne?¡± She turned to nce at him in amusement before breezily responding, ¡°I¡¯m his wife.¡± Chapter 243 One Night Surprise Chapter 243 Chapter 243 I Never Broke Up With You Her words rang in his ears; it felt as though a thousand little needles were poking his eardrums. ¡°What did you just say?¡± he demanded as he grew flustered. She turned to look at him with a raised brow while feeling emboldened. ¡°A marriage of convenience is still a marriage nheless. I am legally acknowledged as his wife.¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± Alexander asked through gritted teeth. She¡¯s saying this to deliberately provoke me. ¡°Doing what on purpose?¡± Courtney looked at him with curiosity while feigning confusion about what he meant by those words. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. Is there anything wrong with what I said?¡± He frowned. ¡°Then, what about us?¡± ¡°Us?¡± She crossed her arms as she appraised him from head to toe. Then, she shrugged casually. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? We¡¯ve broken up and now, we¡¯re nothing more than former lovers.¡± Alexander¡¯s icy demeanor had shifted after returning from Shanghai; he had requested for flowers and food to be continuously delivered to the Citron studio for the past couple of days. However, Courtney knew better than to fall for his sugar-coated tactics. After all, he was in the wrong¡ª he had yet to apologize to her and it did not look like he would do so anytime soon. Even if he did, she was not sure whether it would be enough for her to reconcile with him. In the absence of an apology on his part, they would remain as nothing more than former lovers. Alexander, on the other hand, seemed to disagree as he argued, ¡°You appear to have forgotten that I never broke up with you in the first ce.¡± ¡°Is that so? I seem to recall hearing that you told the cops that night that we were not a couple.¡± On the night they broke up, she had called the cops out of anger and he denied that he had any rtionship with her when he was hauled into the police station. If it was not for his background, he would have been charged for attempted rape and be taken into custody. While that was in the past, Courtney could not help but hold a grudge against him. ¡°Be a man and own up to your words. You can¡¯t just take something back like that, you know,¡± she sneered. Alexander simply gaped. He clenched his fists and grumbled, ¡°I¡¯m going to kill Josh.¡± She sighed. ¡°You can¡¯t me Josh for everything. He wasn¡¯t the one who told me about this,¡± she rified. Then, she gave him a withering look as she mocked. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder that you¡¯ve been usurped ¡ªyou don¡¯t even know who told me about what you said at the police station. I guess you¡¯re not that brilliant after all.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander¡¯s expression soured. Is she going to hold that against me for the rest of her life? Seeing as he had nothing to say in response, Courtney stopped mocking him and instead briskly said, ¡°There¡¯s something that I need to attend to, so I¡¯ll be going off now.¡± ¡°I can drop you off,¡± he offered in a heartbeat. ¡°No need,¡± she answered in polite dismissal and gave a perfunctory smile as she exined. ¡°I drove here. Besides, it wouldn¡¯t be convenient for you to drop me off.¡± Courtney knew that they needed to calm down before they could decide if they were trulypatible with each other. Between the both of them, it seemed as if she had a lot more to figure out than he did. The few arguments they had were either triggered by the topic of the kids or the secret of her past and it was thetter that she needed to sort out before she could make up her mind about Alexander. Meanwhile, Alexander was rooted in the same spot and his brows were drawn together as he watched her leave. He was beginning to understand what Gale had said before he left, ¡°Women hold grudges and they will bring up your past mistakes during your fights. If she hasn¡¯t done that, it means she¡¯s waiting for the right moment to use them against you. You¡¯ll be rendered speechless by the end of the day.¡± So that¡¯s what it feels like, Alexander mused bitterly. He had said those things out of anger when he was at the police station. He certainly did not expect Courtney to use his own words against him. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. He brought it upon himself and he knew he deserved it, even if it killed him to admit it. After a week¡¯s worth of hard work, Bill and his team of designers managed to brainstorm with the final design for the workers¡¯ uniform. Prior to officially submitting their tender, Citron Apparel held another meeting about the project. As the executive manager for Citron Apparel, Martin had already analyzed all aspects of the project. ¡°All the tenders submitted will be internally reviewed by Sakura Group. The votes from the executives will ount for thirty percent of the final decision whereas employee votes will ount for the remaining seventy percent,¡± he informed dutifully. ¡°So, the main decision makers would still be the employees in Sakura Group?¡± ¡°If all is fair during the tender, yes,¡± he answered with a knowing look shing across his face. While it was known that the employees in Sakura Group would ount for seventy percent of the decision making, there was no guarantee that there would not be any schemes or attempts to rig the votes prior to the review. After all, the employees would probably think of the design of their uniform as the most important aspect of their work, but for fashion enterprises who were submitting their tenders to Sakura Group, the workers¡¯ opinions mattered more than anything else. As such, one could not discount the possibility that someone would try to bribe the employees to steer to odds in their favor. Martin continued grimly, ¡°We need someone to keep an eye on whatever happens within Sakura Group during this crucial time. The moment anyone starts rigging the votes, we need to be ready to deal with it¡ªswiftly and effectively.¡± As soon as Martin was done speaking, the whole room burst into an uproar as everyone began to discuss in earnest. ¡°Why do we need to keep an eye on the votes? Do we really have to go to the extent of spying?¡± ¡°Who would be able to pull off something like this?¡± ¡°I hear you can hire a professional for this.¡± Just as the room descended into a frenzy, Courtney¡¯s phone rang. She nced briefly at the caller ID and rose from her seat, saying, ¡°I have to take this call, but the rest of you may continue with the discussion.¡± When the door to the conference room was closed behind her, she was once again enveloped with silence. She picked up the call and pressed the phone to her ear. The crisp voice on the other end was that of a young man, who said, ¡°Courtney, I¡¯m done with the investigation. I¡¯ll arrive in Melrose City in the afternoon.¡± ¡°That was quick,¡± she remarked, taken aback by the report. Oliver had went to nearly half of Otharia just to look into Jordan¡¯s ident. He tracked down all the nannies who worked for the Duncans during that specific period of time and his investigation was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. He thought that it would be New Year¡¯s Day before he actually found anything interesting, but he ended up getting all the information he needed within two months. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the details when I¡¯m back, but for now, all I can tell you is that Jordan¡¯s ident was deliberately set up, and¡­¡± Oliver trailed off hesitantly before he continued. ¡°And Alexander probably knows all about it too.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney felt her heart drop to her stomach and she asked in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up from the airport. What time is your flight?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯ll see you at your ce.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± With that, she hung up on the call. She was not quite sure how to feel about any of that, but she knew one thing for sure¡ªif what happened that year had anything to do with Alexander, then there was no way she could let Jordan stay with him any longer. Meanwhile, at the Duncans¡¯ vi, the nanny reminded Alexander to pick up Jordan from school. Upon hearing that, he looked at the time and closed the newspaper that he was reading before standing up to head toward the garage. However, before he could leave, the chef came out from the kitchen and called for him, stopping him in his tracks. ¡°Mr. Duncan, Little Master hasn¡¯t been eating well. Does he dislike my cooking? What does he like to eat?¡± Alexander frowned and shook his head. ¡°Trust me, you can¡¯t make what he likes.¡± The chef grew exasperated by what she heard. To say she was frustrated would be an understatement¡ªafter all, she was a certified nutritionist who had turned down many lucrative job offers. However, from the very moment she started working for the Duncans, her cooking could not appease the two masters of the home. The streamlined sports car emerged from the garage; its sapphire-blue coating looked all the more majestic as it glimmered under the brilliant sun. Alexander stepped on the elerator and drove out of Royal Park. Jordan¡¯s picky eating habits were a continuous problem. The worst part of it all was that Courtney had indulged him. Now, he refused to eat anything other than what she made. The only meals he ate were the ones that Tina packed for him for lunchtime at school. He would not even so much as look at the food that the chef whipped up at home. Chapter 244 One Night Surprise Chapter 244 Chapter 244 I¡¯m Not Hiding From You; I¡¯m Just Avoiding Any Suspicions After leaving themunity, Alexander stepped on the elerator while his usual cold face looked annoyed. That woman was quick enough to break up with me and swiftly leave the house, but she still left me a huge mess for me to deal with. God damn it. It was almost 5:00 PM in the fall and the sky became dark earlier as the temperature slowly dipped. Since the kindergarten had dismissed the students half an hour earlier, there was no vacant parking bay for him to park his car by the time he arrived at the gate at 4:30PM. Just as he drove around the school to look for a ce to park, he saw a red car that was parked on the right under a huge tree in front of him and a familiar figure was alighting from the car. Honk! Honk! Thinking about what the chef told him, he angrily honked at her twice. As soon as the light purple figure turned her head and saw Alexander¡¯s face from the car window, she furrowed her brows. ¡°This is a school. Please don¡¯t press on your car horn.¡± They were still a car¡¯s distance apart, so she had to raise her voice to show her imposing manner. However, Alexander remained calm as he uttered unhurriedly, ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any ce left for me to park here. I¡¯ll park my car at a ce further away, so please help me to pick up Jordan first if he comes out.¡± Naturally, Courtney was obliged to pick up Jordan, so she immediately agreed to do it. 10 minutester, Alexander returned after parking his car. Then, he found her at the end of the line at the school gate. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She nced at him vigntly. ¡°What is it?¡± If he wants to be together with me again, I¡¯m not negotiating with him. ¡°Jordan hasn¡¯t been eating muchtely.¡± He went straight to the point. ¡°Other than the lunch you ask Tina to bring over in the afternoon, he wouldn¡¯t eat anything else. What do you think I should do?¡± Courtney suddenly looked a little anxious. ¡°Is he really refusing to eat at home?¡± Her reaction actually surprised Alexander. Come to think of it, after breaking up with me, she doesn¡¯t need to hold any responsibility toward Jordan and she could have ignored all of this. I can¡¯t believe that she really is concerned about him. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve already changed three chefs, but he still won¡¯t eat.¡± Initially, he did not n to mention that to her because he did not want her to think that he was asking for pity, but there was no other way now. If this continues, it¡¯ll be bad for the kid¡¯s health. I can¡¯t allow that to happen. ¡°I can ask Tina to bring his breakfast and lunch to school. As for dinner, why don¡¯t I bring it here every day so that you can bring the meal home and reheat it for him?¡± Seeing that she was open to talk, Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°We can do that during school days, but what about the weekends? We can¡¯t starve him for two days, right?¡± Courtney¡¯s brow tightened even more. While staring at the side of her face, he murmured, ¡°Why don¡¯t youe to my ce during the weekends to cook for him like before?¡± ¡°No.¡± She instantly refused. Back then, all of this started with me cooking at his house. If I go there again, am I not sending myself into the lion¡¯s den? I can¡¯t keep on being entangled with him. ¡°Then, are you going to watch him starve for two days?¡± Alexander insisted. ¡°What about this?¡± Courtney thought of a way that satisfied everyone. ¡°You can send Jordan to your grandpa¡¯s ce and I¡¯ll go there to cook for him. It¡¯s not far away from my house and there¡¯s a lot of people there, which helps to avoid any suspicions.¡± She knew that Scott had a lot ofints toward her recently. With that suggestion, she actually felt that it was more appropriate for her to take care of Jordan under Scott¡¯s watch. However, Alexander frowned his brows as he looked impatient. ¡°Why are you hiding from me?¡± I¡¯ve been living for more than 30 years and it¡¯s always others who are pursuing me. But, why does it seem like I suddenly have a soft spot now after meeting Courtney? Now, I¡¯m the one who tries to get along with her even though she always ignores me. ¡°I¡¯m not hiding from you. I¡¯m merely avoiding suspicions.¡± Courtney reiterated her words. ¡°We are now exes and your grandpa dislikes the idea of us being together. Mr. Harry told me about it. If your grandpa learns that I¡¯m still hanging around with you, he may try to retaliate against me. I¡¯m just protecting myself.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯ve been watching too many television series.¡± Again, he furrowed his brows. ¡°Do you really think my grandpa has the free time to mess around with you?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be too sure.¡± Courtney rolled her eyes. ¡°Some people are worse than the television series.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°For example, your childhood sweetheart. When asking me to leave you, she left immediately the moment we came into conflict and she didn¡¯t even pay for her drink. I can see that everyone around you are all unreasonable and deceiving people.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Again, he was rendered speechless by what happened with Mika as he grew frustrated. In a rtionship, it¡¯s always the serious ones who lose out in the end. By the looks of it, she ispletely unconcerned about our rtionship, which is why shees up with all these excuses. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll pick you up this Saturday¡ª¡± ¡°No need for that. I¡¯ll directly head to your grandpa¡¯s ce.¡± When Courtney saw the line of children walking out of the school, she waved her hand. ¡°Over here.¡± Jordan and Tina ran out while holding each other¡¯s hands. Her face was flushed as she waved goodbye to her teacher, but when she turned and saw Alexander, she angrily pouted her lips and released Jordan¡¯s hands. ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s go.¡± Alexander instantly furrowed his brows. At first, he wanted to greet Tina, but his words were now stuck in his throat. As for Courtney, she went on to caress Jordan¡¯s head. ¡°Jordan, your dad told me that you are not eating welltely. Why are you doing this?¡± Jordan exerted his strength to say, ¡°It¡­ doesn¡¯t taste good.¡± Upon listening to his response, she sighed. ¡°Do you like to eat the meals I cooked?¡± He nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ve discussed this with your dad and we decided that I¡¯ll cook for you in your great-grandpa¡¯s house every weekend.¡± After listening to what she said, he lifted his head while the light in his eyes flickered, as if he was asking her whether it was true. ¡°However, I have a condition¡ªif I¡¯m unable to cook for you because I¡¯m busy, you¡¯ll need to be a good boy and eat at home. Can you do that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He immediately nodded his head. ¡°Then, let¡¯s make a pinky promise.¡± Courtney stretched out her pinky finger. Then, their two fingers were hooked together before it was pulled. ¡°Our pinky promise shall not change after a hundred years as it is sealed. See you on Saturday.¡± After that, she left with Tina. Jordan¡¯s eyes, which initially shone with light, darkened as they walked further and further away. Alexander wanted to hold Jordan¡¯s hand, but his son refused him out of anger. Instead, he angrily went into the car by himself. ¡°Jordan.¡± Alexander caught up to him and helplessly adjusted his seatbelt at the back seat. Every time Jordan returned from school, he would always show an unhappy face toward Alexander. He was smiling happily when talking to Courtney earlier. After she left, his face immediately darkened the moment he turned his head. It changes even faster than the weather. ¡®When will you make peace with Mommy?¡¯ Jordan raised his drawing board containing those words while his tender face revealed a pushy expression. Chapter 245 One Night Surprise Chapter 245 Chapter 245 She Isn¡¯t Even Your Biological Mother ¡°You little brat¡­¡± Alexander wore a gloomy face. ¡°Have you forgotten that you are my son? I¡¯m your dad. She isn¡¯t even your biological mother.¡± Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡®She is.¡¯ Jordan quickly wrote those two words on his drawing board. Alexander felt as though he was going insane just by exining the basic facts to a kid, so he did not want to argue any longer. ¡°Sit tight. Tonight, we are having dinner at your great-grandpa¡¯s home.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll call your mommy and tell her ordingly. You just promised her, so if you don¡¯t eat your food, she won¡¯te this Saturday. You can choose to starve.¡± After listening to him, Jordan was immediately frustrated as he stomped his feet with a red face. ¡°Y- You¡­ are bad.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m bad.¡± Alexander nced at Jordan. ¡°You can just treat me as the bad guy. On the way there, think about whether you want to eat or not.¡± After that, he closed the back door of the car and started the engine before driving toward the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. He suddenly had a lot of free time since James took control of Sunhill Enterprise. Not only would he stay at home every day to read books and newspapers, he even took over the task of picking up Jordan from Mr. Harry as he tried to be the best father possible. However, Jordan did not seem to appreciate Alexander¡¯s effort. Every day, the most frequent question he would receive from his son was when he would make peace with Courtney. In Jordan¡¯s innocent eyes, both adults were merely arguing with each other. On the other side, Tina sat on the back seat of the car while growling like a tiny adult, ¡°Mommy, didn¡¯t you already break up with Mr. Alexander? If that¡¯s the case, the two of you shouldn¡¯t always be together.¡± After listening to her, Courtneyughed. ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Didn¡¯t you used to like Mr. Alexander?¡± ¡°That is in the past. He is now marrying someone else and he doesn¡¯t even treat you as well as Daddy, so it¡¯s better for you not to be together with him. Mommy, if you don¡¯t like Daddy, we can find somebody else. You don¡¯t need to lock yourself to a tree.¡± ¡°Oh my, how does a little kid like you know that saying? Who told you that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Hugo. Hugo told me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Hugo again?¡± Courtney was startled. The boy named Hugo was Tina¡¯s ssmate who recently transferred to her school. Lately, the number of times in which the name ¡®Hugo¡¯ came out from her mouth far surpassed the times that she mentioned Jordan¡¯s name. Just when Courtney was thinking about it, Tina reminded in a serious manner, ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t go too close to Mr. Alexander or else, it will affect your luck with love.¡± ¡°Is it Hugo who told you that?¡± Tina nodded her head seriously. ¡°Yes, Hugo knows everything.¡± Instantly, Courtney felt a little gloomy. At first, I thought a little girl like her, who has seen the world, won¡¯t be deceived by others that easily, but not long after we returned to the country, she¡¯s already fooled by some boy in ss. She resisted fromughing and asked, ¡°But, what should I do if your brother won¡¯t eat at home? I¡¯ve already promised Mr. Alexander that I¡¯ll head to your great-grandpa¡¯s house every weekend to cook for Jordan.¡± ¡°Huh?¡¯ Tina furrowed her brows as her tender face frowned, looking as though she was in a difficult situation. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see Mr. Alexander, then don¡¯t go. I¡¯ll send you to thepany on weekends and you can stay there with Mr. Bill. He can make clothes for your dolls.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°I want to go.¡± ¡°Why? I thought you don¡¯t want to see Mr. Alexander?¡± Courtney continued to ask while holding the steering wheel. ¡°I want to keep an eye on him. If he dares to bully you again, I¡¯ll call Daddy and ask him to fly back to protect you.¡± Upon seeing the little girl¡¯s imposing manner imprinted on the rear view mirror, she was first startled before she smiled warmly. ¡°Alright.¡± Adults always thought that kids did not know anything, but actually, children were more sensitive than adults toward emotions. Even Courtney did not know when Tina started to feel upset toward Alexander. Maybe it started when I first told her that Jordan is her biological brother. Even though I never mentioned it before, her tiny brain probably already figured out that Alexander is actually her biological father. Or, maybe it¡¯s because I took her away from Mr. Duncan¡¯s house a few times before, so that sadness has deeply imprinted in her mind, causing her to have a bad impression toward Alexander from that time onward. There were many possibilities, but the changes were too insignificant, so she could not notice in time. By the time she realized that Tina was extremely hostile toward him, it had already been a long time since they argued and cleared their misunderstanding. When Courtney brought her daughter home, Oliver was already waiting for them at the entrance for a while. As soon as Tina saw him, she felt really excited. Immediately, she forgot about her gloomy thoughts and buried herself into his arms. ¡°Mr. Oliver, you are finally back.¡± He carried the little girl and weighed her. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten heavier. Do you miss me?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Her childish voice was so sweet that it almost melted his ears. Seeing Oliver¡¯s luggage, Courtney opened the door. ¡°Come in first. I¡¯ll go and buy some ingredients from the supermarketter to cook.¡± ¡°No need to trouble yourself. I¡¯m fine with anything. I¡¯m just tired, so I want to have a sleep on your couch.¡± ¡°The couch isn¡¯t big enough for you. You can use my guest room.¡± Courtney smiled as she weed him inside. After that, Tina ran eagerly back to her room to open his gift while Courtney took out some noodles in the kitchen to cook. ¡°Please wait for a while. It¡¯ll be done in a minute.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Olivery down on the couch and snored quietly after a while. She then came out with a bowl after the noodles were done and saw his sleeping body on the couch, but she could not bear to wake him up. As the dim light shone on his youthful face, his messy bangs covered half of his eyes. I wonder how long it has been since he cut his hair. Courtney felt a little guilty. He had been recovering ever since she identally knocked into him with her car, but when he finally recovered some of his memories, she asked him to help investigate Jordan instead. Actually, Oliver is still a kid who is younger than 20 years old. Although he is quite mature, I still don¡¯t know how I was relieved to let him go that far back then. Looks like I won¡¯t be able to repay this debt. Courtney sighed. ¡°Huh?¡± Oliver was suddenly woken up as he sat up on the couch with sleepy eyes. ¡°Are the noodles ready?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± She quickly pushed the bowl to him. The bowl contained shredded pork noodles with pickled vegetables and two golden fried eggs on top. Oliver smiled, revealing his back teeth. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about eating this for a long time. Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± With that, he picked up the bowl and loudly sucked the noodles. After his ¡®destruction¡¯, the bowl waspletely empty. ¡°Is it not enough? I¡¯ll go and make you another bowl.¡± ¡°It¡¯s enough,¡± Oliver replied while wiping his mouth. ¡°Courtney, I¡¯m full. Let¡¯s talk business.¡± He ced the chopsticks on the bowl, making a crisp sound, as if to indicate that it was an opening to some story. ¡°Three years ago, there were two maids who mainly took care of Jordan. One of them is Sarah Jones, who was responsible for his diet. The other is Maria Connor, who is responsible for his daily chores. The Duncans called them Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Connor.¡± Chapter 246 One Night Surprise Chapter 246 Chapter 246 You Still Have Me ¡°Have you found those two people?¡± Oliver nodded. ¡°The two of them have opened a restaurant in Elmsbury called Sisters¡¯ Fast Food Restaurant. They are now living a good life.¡± Sarah and Maria were both cousins who came from the remote mountainous areas. Since the two of them had left their vige in the middle of nowhere, they never nned to return there. From the information that Oliver had gathered, they only worked in the Duncan Family for two years. One year was used by the Duncans to specifically train them and it did not include the evaluation period before they were officially hired. Naturally, a maid who went through many difficult stages of evaluation would not have a low ie, so logically, she would not do anything to harm her master¡¯s family for a small profit. ¡°I¡¯ve also checked their bank ounts, but there¡¯s nothing out of the ordinary. Other than the ie they received for being the Duncans¡¯ maid back then, their highest transfer was the severance payment that the Duncans gave them three years ago.¡± ¡°So, they weren¡¯t bribed?¡± ¡°No.¡± Oliver shook his head before flipping a page of the document, revealing the picture of a street with a skinny man in the middle. ¡°This is Maria¡¯s ex-husband. The two of them were married in her old house. In the early years, he followed Maria all the way to Melrose City and asked her for a lot of money. In the end, he became addicted to drugs and ended up with a huge debt. However, three years ago, all his debt collectors suddenly stopped appearing and the man was sent into a rehabilitation center.¡± At that moment, Courtney furrowed her brows as she nkly stared at the man in the photo. Vaguely, she could guess the interest that everyone could gain from the situation at hand. ¡°Then, I went to Aston County to search for this man. He just came out of the rehabilitation center six months ago and has kicked his drug addiction. He admitted that the man behind the scenes found him and promised to clear all his debt by giving him a huge amount of money. However, the man wanted him to urge Maria to administer some drugs into the milk powder of her master¡¯s child.¡± Oliver was straightforward with his words because it was not his assumption. Instead, they were facts based on evidence. ¡°Did Maria do it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± He shook his head again. ¡°This man is quite smart. Maria¡¯s ex-husband told me that she didn¡¯t agree to do it back then and she even wanted to divorce him. Because of this, the two of them fought and were apprehended by the Melrose City police department. I¡¯ve checked the records and it¡¯s real.¡± However, Courtney seemed to realize something. ¡°You just mentioned that there were two sisters who opened the restaurant in Elmsbury, right? One of them is Sarah Jones. Does this have anything to do with her?¡± Oliver nodded. ¡°Yes, it has something to do with her.¡± What happened was simple. After Maria had a fight with her ex-husband, he stubbornly refused to divorce her, but the debt collectors naturally found their way to her when they could not locate him. As her cousin, Sarah could not bear seeing her in that situation, she drugged the child behind the married couple¡¯s back. ¡°At first, Maria didn¡¯t know about this, but after Jordan had the ident, she forced Sarah to tell the truth. However, at that time, it was already toote and there was someone to cover the incident for them, so they resigned from their jobs in the Duncan Family and left Melrose City before fleeing to Elmsbury.¡± During the whole incident, there was no transaction of money, so the Duncan Family could not figure out what happened at that time because no one believed that someone would do such a thing for nothing. ¡°Then, how did you find out?¡± Courtney was confused. No one could find any evidence back then and even if Oliver found the sisters, the two of them would definitely keep their mouths shut and refuse to admit to it. He looked to have mixed feelings. ¡°Sarah has cancer and she won¡¯t be living for much longer, so she confessed everything to me.¡± No one could tell whether there was really karma in the world. Back then, when Sarah drugged Jordan, even though she was not caught, she remained in a nervous state because she was always worried that the Duncans would somehow get to her. Over the years, she fell ill and was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer six months ago. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Courtney also had mixed feelings toward the situation. As Jordan¡¯s mother, she should feel that Sarah deserved it and show no sympathy toward her. However, at that time, Sarah did not do it for money. Instead, she merelymitted the act to help her cousin escape a bad situation, which was admirable. ¡°Who is the man behind the scenes? Have you found that out?¡± Upon that being mentioned, Oliver slowly sighed. ¡°Sarah said that the man who contacted her then was the Young Master of the Duncan Family.¡± Suddenly, Courtney felt a thump in her heart as she clenched her fists. ¡°There are a few young masters in the Duncan Family.¡± ¡°She was certain that it was Jordan¡¯s father. Although she rarely saw him, he would always visit the ancestral home every New Year. Also, he was always on the news, so she couldn¡¯t mistake someone else for him.¡± The fingers of Courtney¡¯s clenching fists were now icy cold as coldness flowed through her stiff limbs to the point where even her rationality was frozen. Did Alexander really do it? Did he use a two-year-old child? Looking at her pale face, Oliver felt a pain in his heart. ¡°Courtney, try not to look at this in a bad way. Maybe Alexander didn¡¯t expect this to have such a huge impact on Jordan. I¡¯ve asked Sarah what medicine she used for Jordan and she said that it helps to heat up the body. Also, she was afraid that the child couldn¡¯t bear it, so she only used a small dosage. That is why he only had a fever afterward. As for the damage to his vocal cords, I think that¡¯s a bit weird. Didn¡¯t the doctor say that Jordan¡¯s vocal cords are actually fine, but he doesn¡¯t want to speak for fear of being frightened?¡± However, his words did notfort Courtney at all as she still felt upset. How cold-blooded does Alexander have to be for using a two-year-old child, who can¡¯t speak, as a weapon for thepetition in his business? This is terrible. ¡°You don¡¯t need tofort me. I know what to do.¡± When Oliver first reminded her, she was already mentally prepared for the worst case scenario. At night, the lights in the living room were switched off. After having run around for so long, he slept in the guest room immediately after taking a shower. As for her, she stayed in Tina¡¯s room because she just could not fall asleep. As she gazed at the innocent looks of her daughter, who was sleeping soundly on the bed, she felt extremely guilty inside. If I was stronger back then, would I be able to stop Jordan from falling into the hands of the sinister wealthy family like the Duncans and getting involved in this kind of dispute? In the dark night, her phone rang as a message popped up. ¡®Cameron has fully recovered. Everything is fine here. What about you? From Elijah.¡¯ While reading the contents of the message, Courtney took a deep breath and sat on the carpet with her legs crossed. Then, she typed a series of words on her phone screen before sending it. ¡®I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve considered the situation with Jordan. Do you still have the contact of thewyer you mentioned to me before? I need to ask him about the issue with child custody.¡¯ At the beginning, she did not think about fighting Alexander for custody of Jordan. After all, he had been raising him for many years, so she did not have the right to just take Jordan away. However, by the looks of it now, if Alexander would do something as horrible as that in the past, he may do it to Jordan the second time. Besides, it is indeed dangerous for Jordan to stay by his side. Soon after, Elijah replied and attached the contact information of thewyer in his message. ¡®If you have any questions, you can ask him first. I¡¯ll being to Melrose City next month. Try to maintain a good mood and we¡¯ll talk about it when we meet again. You still have me.¡¯ Chapter 247 One Night Surprise Chapter 247 Chapter 247 Why Should I Believe You? Since the next day was Friday, Oliver took the initiative to send Tina to school during breakfast. ¡°Just treat it as me paying the rent,¡± he exined. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll be staying here for a while.¡± Courtney served a bowl of porridge in front of him. ¡°It isn¡¯t a problem even if you stay here forever. After all, I¡¯m the one who knocked you down and you¡¯re helping me a lot. You can stay in peace here. If you have the free time, you can continue to investigate your identity.¡± Upon mentioning that, she continued to ask, ¡°By the way, how is your investigation in Campus City? How many schools have you not looked at?¡± For a moment, he was startled, so he lowered his head to conceal the serenity in his eyes. ¡°There aren¡¯t many left. I think there are still about 5 or 6 schools that I haven¡¯t looked at. Two of them are teachers¡¯ colleges, so it¡¯ll be easy.¡± Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll apany you this weekend.¡± ¡°No need for that. You are busy. I can just go there myself.¡± He lifted his head when his expression returned to normal. Upon seeing Oliver being insistent, Courtney had nothing else to say, but she was still a little concerned. Actually, she wanted to ask Alexander to help investigate Oliver¡¯s identity. Logically speaking, as long as they had Oliver¡¯s picture and fingerprints, they could search for his identity in the public security bureau¡¯s database. However, as she had broken up with Alexander afterward, she never mentioned her request to him. After breakfast, Oliver sent Tina to school. At that moment, the bidding was imminent since the Sakura Group had set the deadline at today evening, so Courtney could not spend more time with them as she went straight to thepany. ¡°President Hunter, this is the revised tender. Please take a look at it.¡± Inside her office, the manager of the administration department, Martin, gave Courtney the tender¡¯s revised version for her to peruse and sign. After carefully scanning the document to ensure that there was no problem, she signed her name before handing it back to him. ¡°Alright. That¡¯ll be enough. You can send this tender straight to the Sakura Group in a short while.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± he quickly replied. ¡°By the way, we mentioned before that we should ask someone to keep an eye on the Sakura Group. Have you found a suitable candidate?¡± ¡°Yes, I have.¡± Courtney nodded. Martin looked at her expression and asked cautiously, ¡°Who is it? Is it someone from ourpany?¡± ¡°No. It is someone professional.¡± Courtney wrote on a document while simply giving Martin a nce. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about this. You only need to settle the tender and deal with any feedback from Sakura Group in due course.¡± He withdrew his gaze and awkwardly replied, ¡°Yes. I understand.¡± After he left, she nced at the door. I¡¯m not being overly suspicious. Citron is now in a critical stage of development and we are just one step away from getting through all of this. If I trust the wrong person at this point, all of this will be for nothing. At Sapphire Kindergarten, Alexander sent Jordan to the school gate, but he refused to enter alone. Alexander had no choice but to wait with him for Tina at the school gate. Tina finally showed up when it was close to 9:00AM. ¡°Why are you here? Where¡¯s Courtney?¡± After seeing the person who sent her to school, Alexander¡¯s face immediately changed. ¡°By the sound of it, am I not supposed to send Tina here?¡± Oliver looked at him with a faint smile. ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t you already break up with Courtney? Please don¡¯t call her intimately to prevent any misunderstanding since it won¡¯t be good for the kids¡¯ school life.¡± ¡°Does that have anything to do with you?¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Ever since you disappeared from the hotel without a trace, I thought I needed to make a police report to see whether you were taken to the neurological hospital for a consultation. By the looks of it now, do you need me to help you check into a hospital again?¡± ¡°No need for that.¡± Oliver looked at him while his youthful face had an imposing smile. ¡°I¡¯m now living quite well in Courtney¡¯s house, so you don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± When Alexander heard Oliver¡¯s words, his face grew even gloomier. After watching Tina entering the school, Oliver did not wish to talk to Alexander anymore. Just as he was about to leave, Alexander¡¯s deep voice was heard from behind. ¡°Oliver Ford, a level-17 investigative and counter-reconnaissance major in Public Security University. That¡¯s you, right?¡± Oliver was startled as he slowly turned to meet Alexander¡¯s cold gaze. ¡°Judging from your reaction, I can tell that you know your identity. If that¡¯s the case, why did you lie to everyone and pretend to be an amnesia patient to gain sympathy by staying beside Courtney? What is your goal?¡± ¡°Goal?¡± Oliver smirked disdainfully. ¡°Unlike you, not everything I do is for a goal. What if I tell you that I simply like Courtney and I¡¯m happy to stay by her side?¡± ¡°By lying about your identity?¡± Alexander¡¯s face grew colder. ¡°I think the police station is more suited for you to stay in.¡± ¡°Now that you are being spied on all the time by someone, what good will it give you for sending me to the police?¡± Oliver remained calm as he exined unhurriedly. ¡°If I were you, I will continue to allow me to stay by Courtney¡¯s side. Firstly, I can protect her safety. Secondly, I can help you find out what the hell is going on behind James¡¯s back since he just robbed you of your position as president. How is he able to double thepany¡¯s performance after taking the position for less than half a month?¡± After listening to him, Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened even more. He had long known that Oliver was not an ordinary character. When he first looked into Oliver¡¯s student profile in Public Security University, he could tell that thetter was a meticulous person who was unheard of afterparing his rmendation letter with his school project. Josh went to the university to inquire about Oliver and the professor at the schoolmented, ¡°Oliver is an investigative and counter-connaissance genius that only shows up once in a century. If he uses his mind on the right path, he will be the jewel of the criminal investigation world. Vice versa, he will leave the whole criminal investigation world at a loss.¡± Such high praise did note from nowhere as it was all based on evidence. In a crime-solving contest organized by the Public Security University and the special criminal investigation unit, Oliver was the first person to apprehend the suspect while simultaneously creating another perfect crime to get away scot free. During the crime simtion, he received a punishment, but it also directly allowed him to receive qualifications for undergraduate, master and doctorate studies in the university. ¡°Why should I believe you?¡± Alexander stared into Oliver¡¯s eyes to search for the slightest look that he was dying time or fooling himself. Instead, Oliver gently smiled. ¡°You can choose not to trust me, but you should know that hiding my identity from Courtney won¡¯t be enough to send me to prison. Instead, she might feel that you are making a big scene and causing trouble.¡± At this, Alexander¡¯s face darkened for the umpteenth time. After a while of silence, he asked with a gloomy face, ¡°You just said that Courtney will be in danger. Why is that?¡± ¡°I can find out what kind of a person James is, but I¡¯m afraid as his cousin, you would know him more than me, right? He is the kind of person that will do anything to achieve his goals. If you make him really desperate, no one will know what he is capable of doing.¡± Oliver¡¯s voice deepened. ¡°I have no control over your family¡¯s internal fights, but if it involves Courtney, I won¡¯t turn a blind eye to it.¡± Chapter 248 One Night Surprise Chapter 248 Chapter 248 I Only ept 20 Million Oliver¡¯s words make sense. If he doesn¡¯t have any definite evidence to support his statement, he wouldn¡¯t say something like that. ¡°If your goal is to protect Courtney, I will take my words back, but the premise is that I need to know what you found.¡± Oliver chuckled. ¡°Information like this is usually sold for 100,000 when I worked in this line, but now, you are staring at me menacingly without even treating me to a drink. Are you nning to scam me?¡± After looking at him thoroughly and weighing the benefit of the oue, Alexander softened his hostile look. ¡°Are you free? Let¡¯s go and have a drink then.¡± Businessmen are always the same when ites to adapting to current circumstances. Inside a quaint teahouse in the city, the atmosphere was aromatic and bamboo was used to separate the rooms. There was adequate distance between the private rooms to prevent any disturbance to the nearby guests. With just a few words, Oliver recalled what he had investigated. ¡°This is all that I know. If you think that it won¡¯t affect Courtney at all, you can call the cops and use your family¡¯s connections to throw me behind bars for 8 to 10 days.¡± While ying with a delicate purple sand cup in his hand, Alexander gazed at Oliver¡¯s face as he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. ¡°Even if what you are saying is real, how can I be sure that you don¡¯t have other motives toward Courtney?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Oliver seemed fearless. ¡°Because I do have other motives toward her. Don¡¯t forget that she is now single, so I have the right to pursue her.¡± Immediately, Alexander¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Are you really going to be that fearless?¡± Oliver casually looked at the orchid pattern on the purple sand cup while simply answering, ¡°Your threats are useless to me. Rather than wondering what my motives are toward Courtney, you should think of a way to snatch your position as president soon so that you don¡¯t have to look over your shoulder all the time.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± Alexander red at him. ¡°You¡¯ve thoroughly investigated my family¡¯s affairs, so I can¡¯t help but feel suspicious of you. What do you have to say about that?¡± ¡°Is it that hard to exin? The Duncan Family is a huge family with arge enterprise. Is it strange to assume that you¡¯ll have lots of distant rtives far away?¡± ¡°Distant rtives?¡± Alexander stared at Oliver with suspicion. ¡°Don¡¯t we look alike?¡± Oliver opened his arms wide to allow Alexander to have a clearer look of him. ¡°I feel that the two of us look quite alike. Some may even believe that we are brothers.¡± Alexander gave him a cold look. ¡°Is that so? Why can¡¯t I see it?¡± Instantly, Oliver felt embarrassed when his joke was met with Alexander¡¯s indifferent attitude, so he smiled awkwardly and snorted. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. How could I assume myself to be part of a wealthy family like the Duncans?¡± ¡°After all of this, you still haven¡¯t told me what your motives are.¡± ¡°A straightforward person doesn¡¯t resort to insinuations. Since you¡¯ve sincerely asked me many times, I won¡¯t lie to you.¡± Then, Oliver casually leaned against the chair behind him. ¡°I¡¯m not fond of many things, but if you¡¯ve heard about me in Melrose City, you should know that I love money. Courtney is now the only heir to the Hunter Family. No matter how beaten up theirpany is, they are still a huge enterprise. Moreover, she has a close rtionship with you, so¡­ It¡¯s that simple.¡± ¡°Say it. How much do you want?¡± Oliver then stretched out two fingers from his left hand. ¡°2 million. That isn¡¯t much.¡± When Alexander heard the answer, he coldly looked at him. However, Oliver chuckled. ¡°In your eyes, is Courtney¡¯s safety only worth 2 million? What¡¯s more, I¡¯m now selling you a massive information about yourpetitor. I only want one price, which is 20 million.¡± ¡°Just remember your words. Deal.¡± Although the price had now been increased ten times, Alexander¡¯s face remainedposed and even his tone was very casual. It made Oliver suspect that Alexander initially thought that the price would already be 20 million, but due to his shrewdness as a businessman, he intentionally offered a low price. After their talk, Alexander picked up the tab and immediately left the teahouse, leaving Oliver to peacefully drink his tea. Looking at the check bearing the 2 million deposit on the table, Oliver chuckled while his eyes were full of disdain. Just as I¡¯ve imagined¡ªhe is just a businessman who only talks about the terms. If I don¡¯t ask him for anything, he won¡¯t believe any word that I¡¯ve said at all. This is Alexander Duncan, the man who the person at home has been thinking about for almost two decades. After leaving the teahouse, Alexander went to the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. Ever since he quarreled with Scott thest time, he did not return for a while. The moment the maids saw him entering through the door, they were all surprised. However, Scott felt excited, but he maintained a stoic face. Instead, he grunted and pretended to be indifferent toward Alexander. ¡°Where¡¯s Jordan? Why didn¡¯t you bring him along with you? Are you intending to forbid him from seeing his great-grandpa?¡± Beside him was Harry, who tried to be the peacemaker. ¡°Master, have you forgotten? Today is Friday, so Little Master has to attend school.¡± Scott immediately red at him, as if gesturing to him to keep his mouth shut. Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll send Jordan here this evening after school.¡± Alexander opened his mouth, breaking the tension in the house. Even though his tone was as cold as Scott¡¯s, the gloomy atmosphere in the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home finally watered down. ¡°He¡¯ll be staying here tonight. I¡¯ll pick him up after the weekend.¡± After listening to his words, Scott finally calmed himself down. ¡°This is more like it. I¡¯m old and I don¡¯t have much time left. Are you really going to separate me from my great-grandson?¡± ¡°Courtney will be here to cook for Jordan this weekend.¡± ¡°What?¡± Just as Scott calmed himself down, his face immediately darkened as he rose to his full height by pressing the armrest of his armchair. ¡°What did you just say? Why is sheing here?¡± However, Alexander remained unfazed as he exined unhurriedly, ¡°Jordan doesn¡¯t want to eat the meals that are cooked by my chefs at home. He only wants to eat the meals cooked by her. If you don¡¯t want to see her, I¡¯ll just ask her toe to my house and Jordan won¡¯t be here to trouble you either.¡± ¡°Your house?¡± Scott asked in a solemn tone. ¡°Don¡¯t forget what I¡¯ve told you¡ªI will never agree to you continuing your rtionship with her. She is a married woman, so what does that make you? A male lover.¡± ¡°Hehe!¡± The moment Scott finished speaking, the sound of a young girl giggling while trying to hold back her laughter came from the living room door. Obviously, she failed in her attempt, so sheughed out loud. ¡°Who is that sneakily hiding at the door?¡± He red at the door in displeasure. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Harry quickly exined, ¡°It¡¯s Miss Hannah. Miss Hannah, pleasee in.¡± Then, a tiny figure slowly walked in the door with a sullen face while trying her best to resistughing. After walking past Alexander, she came to Scott¡¯s side and said solemnly, ¡°Dad, you can¡¯t me me for laughing because it is quite funny. My nephew is great at everything, but as a male lover¡­¡± The moment the words ¡®nephew¡¯ and ¡®male lover¡¯ came out of a 13-year-old girl¡¯s mouth, the sense of contradiction was so satisfying that Scott was amused. Immediately, he rxed before deliberately pointing at Alexander and asked, ¡°Your nephew even ns to bring a woman, who treats him as her escort, home. What do you think about that?¡± Chapter 249 One Night Surprise Chapter 249 Chapter 249 I Was the One Who Suggested Us to Break Up Everyone in the Duncan Family knew that Alexander had disliked people to joke about his rtionship with Hannah. After all, it was indeed ridiculous that a legitimate young master like him had to address a 13-year-old young girl as his aunt. Scott, of course, knew about it, which was the reason why he intentionally teased Alexander about it. After appraising Alexander¡¯s face, which was as dark as night, Hannah gulped before carefully uttering, ¡°Truth be told, I don¡¯t mind preparing meals for Jordan. Jordan is your only great-grandson and he doesn¡¯t have perfect health to begin with, so it would be bad if his health worsens due to hunger.¡± ¡°So, you mean to say that you agree to allow Courtney to stay in our house?¡± ¡°Dad, I thought that you used to like her a lot?¡± Upon hearing that, Scott frowned and exined in displeasure, ¡°That was before I found out that she isn¡¯t divorced.¡± Noticing that he was about to get mad, Hannah did not dare to continue discussing the matter. ¡°Then, you just pretend that we hired a new chef. Our house is gigantic anyway, so it would be easy if you don¡¯t wish to see her.¡± After saying that, she cast a nce at Alexander before she continued in a small voice. ¡°Besides, from what I heard earlier, if you don¡¯t allow her toe over, there is nothing much you can do if she goes to my nephew¡¯s house.¡± When Scott heard that, his body tensed. Her words reminded him that stopping Courtney froming to his ce would only push her to Alexander¡¯s ce and things would be beyond his control by then. ¡°Alright, then. Ask her toe over to cook this weekend.¡± He immediately changed his mind and agreed. Scott was a man of his words. Upon hearing his agreement, Hannah heaved a sigh of relief before raising her head to raise her brows at Alexander with acent look on her face. The ungrateful Alexander, however, darted a cold look at her, giving her a fright that made her hair stand on end. She then gave an excuse to flee the scene. Since the next day was Saturday, Courtney and Tina came over for a visit again and the maids were polite to them. After taking Courtney to the kitchen, the maid looked at Tina and said, ¡°Miss Hunter, I¡¯ll take Tina to y with Little Master.¡± Before Courtney could reply, Tina snorted, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go. I want to stay here and apany Mommy.¡± ¡°Little Master has been waiting for you for a long time, though. He even prepared a gift for you.¡± She pouted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go.¡± Seeing that the maid was going to continue to persuade Tina, Courtney chimed in to ease the situation, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Preparing a meal won¡¯t take me a long time and I will take her home right after that. So, let¡¯s save the trouble.¡± She had no ns on staying for long due to her awkward identity. In fact, if it was not for Jordan¡¯s sake, she would not have shown up. When Courtney was cooking, Tina carried a little stool to the side and sat on it. She washed a tomato before handing it to her daughter. Tina ate the tomato in a carefree manner until her face was covered in pink juice as she slurred her words, ¡°Mommy, hurry up. Can we have fried chicken after you finish cooking?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Courtney helplessly replied. The cooking process did not take her long as the ingredients were ready for her to use. The Duncan Family¡¯s chef had already prepared the meat for all the chicken, duck, fish, and pork, so all Courtney had to do was to throw them into the pot. Soon, the aroma from her cooking filled the entire kitchen and one could smell the scent even from outside the kitchen. Scott¡¯s room was separated by two courtyards from the kitchen and the butler reported to him at the door. ¡°Sir, the chef has arrived.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Scott was practicing calligraphy¡ªhis penmanship was sharp and powerful, resembling a dragon¡¯s aura. ¡°Has she arrived?¡± The chef immediately replied, ¡°Yes, Miss Hunter came with her daughter. I initially asked her to hand her daughter to me so that I can bring thetter to Little Master¡¯s room to y with him, but her daughter refused. The mother and daughter are in the kitchen now.¡± He snorted. ¡°She thinks she is smart, huh? Does she think this would make Alexander and Jordan take the initiative to see her? When we have lunchter, take the two of them to the dining room at the side wing. We are not eating with them.¡± The chef carefully nced at Scott. ¡°However, Miss Hunter said that she will leave right after she has finished preparing the meal. Since she came to cook before lunch, I think that she may not have any ns to stay for the day.¡± He furrowed his brows at her words, inexplicably feeling annoyed. The butler nced at him before asking the chef to leave. ¡°Sir, I think Miss Hunter is not a promiscuous woman. Perhaps there is a misunderstanding in this?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a fact that she is a married woman?¡± Scott was displeased. ¡°Why are you starting to take her side? Did Alexander tell you something?¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± The butler shook his head. ¡°Sir, if you are not sure about it, perhaps you can check her out.¡± ¡°Check her out?¡± Scott raised his head and looked at the butler with puzzlement. After a while, he put his pen down before walking out from his desk with his hands behind his back. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go and check her out.¡± It was burning hot in the kitchen. After Courtney finished preparing three dishes and a soup, she covered the dishes with an insted food cover before wiping her hands and removing the apron. ¡°Tina, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tina jumped from her little stool and pounced into Courtney¡¯s embrace. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you mind that I smell like smoke now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind as long as it is you, Mommy.¡± After that, she nuzzled in her mother¡¯s arms and uttered. ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s go. I want to eat honey fried chicken.¡± ¡°You can eat to your heart¡¯s content.¡± Then, Courtney held Tina¡¯s hand and exited the kitchen. Before they could arrive at the entrance, they saw Scott¡¯s familiar figure walking toward them. He seemed to be full of vim and vigor as he strode toward them inrge steps. ¡°Grand¡ªOld Master Duncan.¡± Courtney suddenly changed the way she addressed him with a calm expression. He hummed in acknowledgement before ncing in the direction behind her and asking, ¡°Have you finished preparing lunch?¡± ¡°Yes. Three dishes and a soup. They are all Jordan¡¯s favorites.¡± ¡°As a matter of a fact, you are not the first one to use Jordan to approach Alexander, but you are indeed the first one whom Jordan is relying on so much. However, don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m still the one in charge of the Duncan Family. I won¡¯t allow something inappropriate to happen to my only grandson.¡± His words were straightforward and tant. However, Courtney calmly replied while holding her daughter¡¯s hand, ¡°Old Master Duncan, I¡¯m afraid that you have misunderstood something. I¡¯ve broken up with Alexander and I have no intention to reconcile with him. I am merely close to Jordan and he is also Tina¡¯s good friend. So, making two meals for him is not a big deal.¡± Scott frowned. ¡°Are you really done with Alexander?¡± ¡°Did you have some kind of misunderstanding?¡± She furrowed her brows. ¡°Something that most people desire does not necessarily be something that everybody desires. Alexander and I are really ipatible. Therefore, I won¡¯t even consider getting back with him even if you try to set us up. Perhaps you don¡¯t know this, but I was the one who suggested we break up.¡± Chapter 250 One Night Surprise Chapter 250 Chapter 250 Let¡¯s Settle This Courtney felt as if she had swallowed a fly. Am I being suspected of pestering him? Upon hearing her words, Scott¡¯s expression fell. ¡°You are the one who suggested breaking up? Tell me then, why do you think Alexander is not a good match for you?¡± She was stunned. The butler, Harry, immediately reminded him, ¡°Sir¡­¡± Only then did Scott return to his senses; he coughed and instead said, ¡°At least you know your ce.¡± She returned to her usual self. ¡°It¡¯s time for Tina to have lunch, so please allow me to take my leave with my daughter.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± He called after her. ¡°Since you¡¯re here to help prepare lunch, you shouldn¡¯t just leave right away. It¡¯s not in the Duncan Family¡¯s style to kick out the person who has just helped us. Besides, since you would being again at night, it would be too much of a hassle toe and go multiple times a day.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Courtney felt that staying back was instead the real hassle. ¡°If you don¡¯t have any other intentions, what¡¯s the matter with staying for a meal as a guest of the Duncan Family?¡± Scott¡¯s voice was cold and intimidating, as if her refusal to stay for a meal meant that she harbored other intentions. Courtney frowned for a moment. However, when she thought that she would be able to meet Jordan during the meal, she agreed. ¡°Since you insisted, it won¡¯t be nice for me to continue rejecting your kind offer.¡± She did not know his true intention when she agreed to his offer. It was only when she arrived at the dining room and saw Mika sitting opposite her that she realized it. It was a demonstration¡ªhe intended toy out the truth in front of Courtney to show that Alexander had been taken to stop her from having any fantasies. Courtney found the situation ridiculous. Looking at Mika, who was opposite her, she courteously smiled at thetter as a greeting. ¡°You two should know each other. Thepany that Mika is working in has coborated with Sunhill Hotel before this.¡± Scott¡¯s gaze flicked from the left to the right at Courtney and Mika. However, when he gazed at Mika, his expression was obviously gentler and more loving. Such a clear disy of the saying that every dog has its day. A few months ago, Courtney was the granddaughter-inw that Scott himself acknowledged while he coldly treated Mika. However, under the presence of a negative example like her, even Mika seemed to be a better choice. Before she immersed herself deeper into her thoughts with her head bowed, Alexander and Jordan entered the room. As Courtney was sitting with her back facing the door of the dining hall, she was only able to guess what went on behind her by listening to the sound of their footsteps. Alexander¡¯s footsteps did not stop when the maids greeted him, but they came to a halt when he arrived at a spot behind her. ¡°Grandpa¡­ Why is she here?¡± As a matter of fact, he was asking about Mika. However, Scott replied, ¡°Miss Hunter insisted on leaving, but I think it would be impolite of us to treat a guest this way as she was, after all, here to cook for Jordan, so I asked her to stay for a meal. Alex, Courtney clenched her fist tightly as her heart sank. I know that Alexander is getting engaged with Mika, yet I am still here to join in the fun. I must have gone insane when I agreed to Old Master Duncan¡¯s request to stay back. When she was hoping that the ground would swallow her up, she did not notice the furrowed brows on Alexander¡¯s face as he asked, ¡°Were you nning to leave right after you prepared the meal?¡± Courtney turned and she replied in a low voice, ¡°My initial n was solely toe and cook for Jordan, so it won¡¯t be appropriate for me to stay.¡± ¡°Great.¡± His expression fell. ¡°That¡¯s just great.¡± She was not sure what Alexander meant by ¡®great¡¯, but he sounded upset. Maybe he is upset because I don¡¯t know my ce. ¡°Jordan,e over and sit next to me.¡± Scott lovingly waved at Jordan. ¡°No,¡± Jordan adamantly rejected. Then, he broke away from Alexander¡¯s grip and walked to Courtney before climbing up with his hands and legs onto the chair next to her. He and Tina sat beside Courtney with one on the right and the other on the left¡ªjust like how they had always done. Scott frowned. ¡°Jordan¡­¡± ¡°Let him be,¡± Alexander interrupted. After that, he walked past Courtney and sat next to Mika, which was the seat directly opposite hers. There were only a handful of dishes creating a distance between them and Courtney. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. The seating arrangement had made things look rather awkward. Courtney had no choice but to keep her head bowed throughout the meal. She either served the two children or ate with her head lowered since shecked the courage to even raise her head. Of course, she was able to persuade herself to let go of the past and stay away from Alexander, but it was still rather difficult for her to look at him acting lovey-dovey with another woman. ¡°Mika, here, try this.¡± Scott gestured for Mika to try one of the dishes. She was rather quiet today and continued to appraise Alexander and Courtney, as if she had something to say. However, Mika remained reticent since it was not a suitable time to talk about it. ¡°Mika, when your father came to y chess with mest time, he mentioned about the engagement. I think that the 23rd of next month is an auspicious day. I will ask the butler to check the weather on that day. If the weather is perfect, let¡¯s confirm the engagement date so that both our families can have a peace of mind.¡± Scott¡¯s voice echoed in the dining hall and the atmosphere instantly made Courtney feel like she was being suffocated. ¡°That¡¯s a little hasty.¡± Mika¡¯s voice reflected her nervousness. ¡°I think that there isn¡¯t a need to rush things. Alexander and I have just started to get to know each other. In fact, we¡ª¡± ¡°What do you mean by starting to get to know each other? You two have known each other for more than 10 years,¡± Scott interrupted with an adamant voice. ¡°It¡¯s been decided as such.¡± ¡°Old Master Duncan, Alex has yet to agree on it. I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°He¡ª¡± His words stopped halfway before he nced at Courtney with aplicated expression. He then asked Alexander, ¡°Alex, what do you think?¡± She seemed to be nonchntly serving some dishes to Jordan, but if one carefully observed her, they would notice that her movements were as stiff as a robot when she served the dishes. ¡°Jordan, eat this.¡± Alexander stared at her for a while. When he saw that she seemed unperturbed by the incident, his expression instantly turned cold. His thin lips parted and his clear voice loudly and adamantly resounded in the dining hall. ¡°Noment.¡± The moment his words were heard, Courtney felt as if she could not exhale the breath she held in her chest. It was a sensation so ufortable that it resembled a thousand-pound boulder suffocating her and pinning her down. He said that he has noment, which means that he has acquiesced in his marriage with Mika. I wonder who was the one adamantly assured that Mika is like a sister to him and he has no other feelings for her. All those words sound ridiculous when I think about them now. ¡°Tina, are you full?¡± she gently asked in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯m full. Mommy, let¡¯s go home.¡± Tina nodded as she felt upset. As a matter of fact, she did not eat much since she was pissed off to see Alexander sitting next to Mika. Grandpa Scott has gone overboard. He has broken his promise. I hate adults. Courtney stroked Jordan¡¯s head and smiled, as if the earlier incident had nothing to do with her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry; my daughter is tired, so I have to take her home for a nap. Please continue to enjoy your lunch.¡± Chapter 251 One Night Surprise Chapter 251 Chapter 251 No Room For Others Between Them Scott nced at her. ¡°Is that so? In that case, I won¡¯t insist on you staying. Are you stilling over tonight?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Courtney nodded, concealing the sorrow in her eyes as she lowered her head. ¡°Tina, let¡¯s go.¡± When they were about to leave, Jordan suddenly tugged at the corner of her clothes and cried with much difficulty, ¡°Mommy¡­¡± The atmosphere at the dining table instantly froze, but Alexander seemed indifferent. It was not the first time that Jordan called her ¡®Mommy¡¯ although he seldom addressed her as such in front of others. Alexander, who seemed unfazed by the incident, hoped to see how she dealt with the situation. Nevertheless, Scott¡¯s expression became cold. ¡°Jordan, you shouldn¡¯t address a random person as ¡®Mommy¡¯.¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Jordan, who suddenly felt aggrieved, tightly held onto Courtney¡¯s clothes without any intention to release it¡ªeven if his little hand was reddened. He sobbed, ¡°Great-Grandpa is bad. I want Mommy¡­¡± At that moment, the entire atmosphere in the dining room was indescribable as the maids looked at one another withplex expressions. ¡°Jordan.¡± Courtney¡¯s tone revealed that she was caught between a rock and a hard ce. In fact, she hoped that she was able to just take Jordan away from there at that point of time. Why are we putting a 5-year-old child through all theseplicated situations? ¡°If it is possible, I would like to take Jordan to my ce for two days.¡± She forced herself to ask for something that even she herself thought was impossible. ¡°No. Do you think that it will be appropriate for Jordan to just leave with an outsider?¡± Scott¡¯s expression was cold. Upon hearing that, Jordan cried even louder. Scott snapped at Alexander. ¡°Alex, take Jordan away and calm him down!¡± Alexander sat firmly on his seat without budging. There was an impassive expression on his face even after he was scolded by Scott. He shrugged his shoulders and calmly replied, ¡°I can¡¯t calm him down. Nobody is able to calm him down when he starts crying.¡± ¡°You are trying to piss me off, aren¡¯t you?¡± Scott¡¯s body trembled in fury. He immediately rose to his full height, approached Courtney and grabbed Jordan¡¯s arm before tearing the young child away from her embrace. With a cold expression, he instructed, ¡°Miss Hunter, you may leave now.¡± No matter how reluctant she felt, she had to force herself to leave. Her heart ached when she saw Jordan crying his eyes out until he had breathing difficulties. After leaving the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home, Courtney buckled up her seat belt and drove away from their house. Tina¡¯s sobs were heard from the backseat. ¡°Mommy, Jordan cried so badly. Are we really not going to care about him?¡± Courtney fixed her gaze in front, but her fingers were clutching the steering wheel for dear life. ¡°It is not that I don¡¯t care about him; it¡¯s just that I am not in the ce to care for him now. Once thewyer hired by your daddy returns to the country, I will find a way to bring Jordan home.¡± Tina snuffled and her red eyes made her look like a little rabbit. ¡°Mommy, why did I was with you when Jordan followed Mr. Alexander? Did Daddy and Mommy give Jordan away when he was still a baby?¡± A child¡¯s mind was simple and it had a rather fixed way of thinking. Without much life experience, they did not know that there could be one too many coincidences in life. Tina had always thought that she and Jordan were both Elijah and Courtney¡¯s children, but for some reason, he had left them when he was still a baby. Courtney did not know how to exin the situation to her. After keeping quiet for a long time, she exined in a small voice, ¡°That was because I wasn¡¯t careful enough when I gave birth to you two. I identally lost Jordan.¡± Tina did not reply. After Courtney left, the dining room in the Duncans¡¯ home was in a state of mess. Alexander seemed to have decided not to care about everything around him and he had no intention to calm his own son down. The maids around them were flustered. Jordan bawled even louder; it did not matter who came close to him and it stopped everyone from having the courage to get near him. ¡°You guys are useless.¡± Scott mmed the table. As he also felt disconcerted, he bent over and tried to coax Jordan. ¡°Jordan, you are a good boy. Please stop crying¡­ Okay?¡± Jordan snuffled and his cries came to a sudden halt. Just when everyone thought that Scott had miraculously seeded in calming the boy down, his little hand gave the older man¡¯s face a p while he stomped his foot in fury. ¡°Bad guy!¡± Everyone in the room was aghast as their eyes widened. Even the butler, Harry, was shocked as he watched the scene before his eyes in disbelief. Scott had been thriving in the business world all his life and he gained respect from everyone wherever he went. Now that he was an extremely old person, he was now embarrassed by his great-grandson when thetter gave him a p. It was obvious to everyone that Scott¡¯s expression had darkened. ¡°Old Master Duncan, Jordan is still young.¡± Mika immediately stood up and tried to console him. Alexander remained calm. He took a sip of water and ced the ss on the table while he watched everything that happened before his eyes indifferently. Scott took a deep breath with his brows furrowed. After a moment, he bent over again and forced a smile on his face. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the bad guy. Jordan, you can whack me as much you like if you are able to calm down after hitting me. I will not be angry at you and I won¡¯t cry as well. Therefore, Jordan, please stop crying and you have to finish your meal.¡± Everyone in the house was astounded. Even Harry¡¯s eyes widened at his reaction. As expected, Scott was practically unprincipled when it came to pampering his great-grandson. It was not obvious in the past because they had not spent much time together and they never had to experience such a peculiar moment. ¡°I want Mommy¡­¡± Jordan sobbed. His little hands hit Scott and pushed him away in resistance while he himself took two steps back. The boy¡¯s tear-stained face seemed to have made him look extremely pitiful. Scott sighed. He finally understood what Alexander meant by ¡®nobody is able to calm him down when he starts to cry¡¯. Nobody except Courtney is really able to calm the child down. The maid took Jordan away. Although he continued to cry, at least the people in the dining hall had a peace of mind without him crying in front of them. However, everyone had lost their appetite to eat by then. Now that the atmosphere in the dining hall regained its silence, the aura seemed to be stiffer. The tactful Mika cast a nce at everyone and rose to her full height. ¡°Old Master Duncan, Alex, I¡¯m full and I have something else to attend to. I shall take my leave now.¡± Scott politely uttered, ¡°You are full after eating so little? There are still some dishes in the kitchen that haven¡¯t been served.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have a small appetite and I¡¯m on a diet now. Let¡¯s chat again some other time.¡± She politely smiled. ¡°By the way, I have something else to do tonight, so I won¡¯t being overter.¡± With that, Scott nodded and Mika left the Duncan Residence. After getting into the car, she tapped open the call log on her phone and stared at the number for some time before mustering the courage to make a call. ¡°Hello, it¡¯s me¡ªMika.¡± Before the person on the other end of the phone could even respond, Mika continued speaking, ¡°Are you free? I noticed that you didn¡¯t have a proper meal earlier. Let¡¯s have lunch together. I don¡¯t mean anything; I just have something I wish to discuss with you.¡± The callsted for a short while. After hanging up on the call, she picked a kraft paper bag from the passenger seat and took out a parentage testing report. Her initially cold eyes were tainted with shreds of darkness. Life was full of uncertainties. She initially thought that Britney had lied to her, but when the evidence was presented in front of her, she had no choice but to believe in the existence of fate in the world. The two people, who had been brought together by fate, had no room for a third person between them. Chapter 252 One Night Surprise Chapter 252 Chapter 252 I Was Being Taken Advantage Of Courtney handed Tina over to Oliver. ¡°Tina hasn¡¯t had lunch yet; do take her out for a meal. I have an appointment with someone for a discussion. I will be backter.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He nodded. ¡°Courtney, who are you meeting with?¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Mika Lewis.¡± In an open-air caf¨¦ on Kyoto Road, the metal tables and chairs emanated rich French vibes and the maple leaves of the early autumn hung high above them, indicating that the weather in Melrose City had be cooler. Mika was drinking coffee in her beige coat, looking as exquisite as when Courtney first saw her. Anyone whoid eyes on Mika would get the distinct impression that she was raised and pampered like a little princess from a young age. Courtney looked around when she arrived at the ce. ¡°Over here.¡± Mika¡¯s voice came from a spot near the wall. Courtney raised her head and saw Mika waving at her, so she went over and took a seat. ¡°I¡¯ve ordered a caramel mhiato, a ck forest cake, and a sd for you. Is that alright?¡± Courtney nodded slightly. ¡°Thank you. You told me on the phone that you have something to discuss; let¡¯s just get straight to the point.¡± She did not find her rtionship with Mika close enough to the point of having lunch together. On top of that, the two of them had just left from an incredibly awkward lunch without even greeting each other. Mika pursed her lips. ¡°Please don¡¯t get me wrong. The reason I asked you out this time is different than before. I apologize for my previous impoliteness.¡± Mika seemed sincere but Courtney still thought that she was provoking her. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. You have now gotten what you want, so apologizing at this point only sounds sarcastic to me.¡± ¡°You have misunderstood me.¡± Mika immediately exined, ¡°I¡¯ve really given up on Alex and he is just like a big brother to me. I really hope that both of you can make up and get back together, just like how you guys were in the past. I hope that my presence did not affect your rtionship with him.¡± The more Mika talked, the more ridiculous things sounded. Courtney frowned as she muttered, ¡°Miss Lewis, are you pulling my leg? I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have that much time to joke around with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m being serious. I will be transferred back to the headquarters in France after some time and my parents will migrate there together with me, so I don¡¯t think I wille back often after that.¡± Mika¡¯s expression did not seem like she was lying. However, Courtney was puzzled. ¡°You are going to France? How about your marriage?¡± Old Master Duncan would never allow Alexander to go to France with Mika. However, if thetter would not be going, were they nning to have a long-distance rtionship after marriage? ¡°The marriage is a lie.¡± Mika smiled. ¡°Alex asked for my help because he wanted to use me as an excuse to deal with Old Master Duncan. If my guess is correct, Alex is going to tell him the truth since Old Master Duncan has mentioned the official engagement date today.¡± Courtney was stunned to hear that. Is Alexander and Mika¡¯s marriage actually a lie? ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Based on her understanding, Alexander was not someone who would use such childish means to lie to Old Master Duncan. ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡± Mika fished out a kraft paper bag from her handbag before cing it on the table. Pushing it toward Courtney, she murmured, ¡°Also, I found out about something and I think that it would be quite impossible for me toe between the two of you. However, I¡¯m a little curious so I wish to figure it out.¡± Puzzled, Courtney took out the documents from the bag under Mika¡¯s gaze. When she saw the title ¡®parentage test report¡¯, her expression changed. ¡°Before this, I did not understand why you are somitted to taking care of Alex¡¯s son, but now I understand.¡± Mika¡¯s voice came from opposite her. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. At that instant, Courtney felt her blood run cold. idents tended to happen when one least expected them. She initially thought that the secret could be kept hidden forever¡ªnobody would know about it as long as she did not tell anyone. ¡°I still want you to tell me in person. You, your daughter, Alex, and Alex¡¯s son¡ªwhat¡¯s the rtionship between the four of you and what happened?¡± Courtney was so nervous that her fingers, which were clutching the documents, turned pale. When she finally calmed down, she asked, ¡°Does Alexander know about this?¡± Mika shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell him because I¡¯m not sure what the consequences will be if I do so.¡± ¡°What else do you know?¡± ¡°I only know how it happened. Someone told me that Alex found a surrogate mother to give birth to his child many years ago, in order to fulfil his grandfather¡¯s request to get married and have a child. Jordan is the child that the surrogate mother gave birth to. However, I am curious as to how you¡ªthe young lady of the Hunter Family¡ªended up as a surrogate mother.¡± Since it hase to this¡­ Courtney furrowed her brows with a thoughtful look on her face. She realized that Mika had discovered almost the entire truth but since she did not tell Alexander anything, she must have her own concerns and Courtney was able to guess what it was. Courtney kept the parentage testing report into the paper bag and sealed it before replying, ¡°Mika, I can satisfy your curiosity but I need to make sure that you can keep it a secret if I tell you about it.¡± ¡°Keep it a secret?¡± Mika was stunned. ¡°You are not nning to tell Alex about this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my business.¡± Courtney seemed distant. ¡°If you are not going to tell Alexander, I can also make sure that your secret will continue to remain a secret.¡± Upon hearing that, Mika frowned. ¡°What secret?¡± ¡°The truth about the fire.¡± Hearing that, Mika¡¯s face paled. ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°I found out about everything within one week from the fire but I kept it a secret.¡± ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± ¡°This is not a threat but an exchange of secrets. I don¡¯t think that we are close enough for you to meet me in person just to pass me this document and understand my rtionship issues.¡± Courtney poked the paper bag with an impassive expression. ¡°However, since you have brought this up, you should have your reasons; just tell me what you want.¡± ¡°I only¡ª¡± Mika furrowed her brows and after a while, she sighed. ¡°Alright; I admit that I have my reasons but they bring no harm to you. I came to find you because I think that we share amon interest. Otherwise, I would have sought Alex out instead.¡± Courtney looked at Mika impassively without saying anything. ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way. I didn¡¯t know anything initially. I thought that you and Alex were merely dating each other like an ordinary couple, but someone specifically told me about theplicated rtionship between you two.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Courtney frowned. Other than the butler back then, she did not believe anyone else knew about this. ¡°Britney.¡± Hearing that, Courtney¡¯s expression fell. ¡°Britney Price?¡± Ever since her rtionship with Alexander had been confirmed, Britney had disappeared from their world and they had not seen her for close to six months; it was as if she had never existed. Thest time Courtney saw her was during a cocktail party in Shanghai, where she saw Britney from a far distance away. Britney actually knows about the incident that happened six years ago and she even told Mika about it? ¡°Also, the fire was actually all her idea. It was only after everything happened that I realized I was used by her.¡± Chapter 253 One Night Surprise Chapter 253 Chapter 253 You Must Get Married ¡°In the beginning, I honestly did not mean to hurt the two children. She merely told me to make it look like an ident with some smoke. Then, I would just have to carry Jordan out. However, I didn¡¯t expect a true fire, let alone such a big one that burned down the kitchen. Just thinking of it makes me scared now. If I hadn¡¯t charged into the fire to carry Jordan out, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.¡± Mika appeared especially fearful at the mention of the incident. Courtney regarded her with a thoughtful expression. ¡°In that case, Britney was just trying tomit a crime by using you at the time. On one hand, she can me me for not rescuing Jordan and on the other, she could have murdered him. In the end, if Alexander were to investigate, you would be the culprit. Furthermore, you do not have any evidence to prove that it¡¯s Britney¡¯s doing because she would have been attending the Ivory Bear Awards at that time.¡± Mika nodded and she wore aplicated expression. ¡°I was careless.¡± Courtney inhaled deeply as she felt a chill run down her spine. There is no reason for Mika to lie, whereas Britney has a motive to frame her for the crime. Well, if it¡¯s true that Britney nned and instigated Mika to start the fire, it means that my doubts from before are founded. For instance, why would a young miss with high social status stoop so low to hurt two children by working with a pastry chef? Furthermore, she didn¡¯t care if others might suspect her odd behavior and she ran into the fire at thest minute to rescue Jordan. Courtney didn¡¯t need to think twice to believe Mika¡¯s story. Britney has the courage because she¡¯s different from Mika. She has been involved in the entertainment industry from the tender age of 16 or 17. She has witnessed all kinds of shady businesses and she is acquainted with all sorts of people. She is, no doubt, capable ofmitting such a crime. ¡°Well, do you believe me now?¡± Mika asked. ¡°I have been feeling unsettledtely and I have the constant feeling that Alexander knows about these things, but he hasn¡¯t exposed me. I honestly can¡¯t go on living feeling this way anymore, which is why I will not endure it any longer. I want to do something to make things right.¡± ¡°Which is why you want Alexander and I to reconcile and get back together, just like before you came along?¡± Courtney chimed in. Mika hummed in response. However, Courtney let out a helpless sigh. ¡°That¡¯s not quite possible.¡± Her initially tensed and guarded emotions rxed gradually, whereas her stiff back eased back against the chair. ¡°I believe what you said earlier but that¡¯s not the only issue between Alexander and me. Since you are aware of Jordan and Tina¡¯s identities, you should know that this is aplicated issue¡ª it¡¯s not as simple as one might assume.¡± ¡°You just have to inform Alex. I can tell that he really likes you and if you were to tell him that you are Jordan¡¯s biological mother and that he has a daughter too, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be a happily ever after for everybody! When that happens, someone like Britney won¡¯t have the chance to take advantage of the situation.¡± Mika¡¯s thoughts were simple and straightforward, and she seemed keen to address the issue as soon as possible. ¡°I haven¡¯t figured it out yet but he will know about it. Before that happens, I hope you¡¯ll keep this a secret for me.¡± Courtney forced a smile which looked especially awkward. When I first started dating Alexander in the beginning, I didn¡¯t know that he was the man from before. Later, I¡¯ve imagined the situation countless times. However, how could I possibly fall for him if I¡¯d known in advance? Mika hesitated before she answered Courtney with conviction, ¡°I will not say anything. Previously, I¡¯ve honestly had second thoughts whether I should have told him. However, as I continued to dy things, I no longer had the courage to inform him. Well, you are well aware that talking about it would involve speaking about Britney and me. I feel that Alex knows that I am involved in the fire but our friendship might not survive it if we were to talk about it openly.¡± Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org. Her answer was well within Courtney¡¯s expectations. Everybody wishes to have a perfect image in the eye of the person they once loved. ¡°Well, I¡¯m keeping this. Thank you for asking me out today to chat about this matter.¡± Courtney let out a sigh of relief while pointing at the paper bag. ¡°I owe you an apology. In all honesty, I¡¯m just too used to relying on Alex. I have a clearer mind after I¡¯ve thought about things upon returning here. Besides, my brother has been counseling me many times. Please don¡¯t take my actions in the past to heart.¡± Mika pressed her lips together in embarrassment. Her slim and fair fingers were interlocked on the table as she exined this to Courtney in a rush. Courtney smiled lightly. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± Mika¡¯s actions are nothingpared to what Britney has done. To be honest, she¡¯s merely a spoiled princess. She might be doing great in her career and she might look pretty, but she¡¯s rather na?ve when ites to rtionship issues. Otherwise, I guess she wouldn¡¯t have failed in her previous marriage. The two of them shook hands and made peace; it was an unexpectedly peaceful lunch. ¡°In that case, when are you headed to France?¡± ¡°Why? Are you in such a hurry for me to leave? Are you afraid I might go back on my word?¡± Mika smiled cheekily as she teased. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that somebody might expose what you did in the past.¡± Courtney rolled her eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention that Britney expects you to obey her?¡± ¡°She¡¯s just a small-time artist; all I need to do is to ask my brother to make life difficult for her. It¡¯s not an easy feat to survive in the entertainment industry. Do you see her having the time to chat with me about working together?¡± Mika smirked and she seemed to hold Britney in contempt. ¡°I¡¯m leaving by the end of this month. You should see me off when the timees; I¡¯m sure Alex will be shocked.¡± Courtney shook her head. ¡°Will he be shocked? I¡¯ve never seen more than three expressions disyed across his face.¡± ¡°Just give it a try.¡± Courtney was rendered speechless by her insistence. The board game had been set up in the living room of the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. Scott and Alexander sat facing each other with their respective ck and white pieces. ¡°After this round, you should drop by the Lewis Residence to invite Mika¡¯s parents over. I¡¯ll discuss the engagement issue with them.¡± Alexander straightened this back. ¡°I do not n to get engaged with Mika. You are overthinking things.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you been together with Mika for a very long time? What do you have in mind if you aren¡¯t nning to get engaged with her? I¡¯m telling you¡ªthe Lewis Family are well aware about you and Courtney. You need to get engaged with her to put them at ease.¡± ¡°In that case, forget about it because I do not n to get engaged with Mika.¡± Alexander moved his white piece to block Scott¡¯s attack. ¡°I merely said that during lunch so that I wouldn¡¯t embarrass you in front of the crowd; I didn¡¯t want you to feel humiliated. Besides, she¡¯s just like a younger sister to me.¡± ¡°Younger sister? But that¡¯s not what you said to me in the past.¡± Scott frowned deeply while looking up at Alexander. ¡°What did I tell you?¡± Alexander asked seriously. ¡°Well, you¡ª¡± After racking his brain, Scott realized with a start that Alexander had never confirmed his and Mika¡¯s rtionship status despite often hanging out together. Scott mmed the table hard and the pieces on the chessboard bounced up. ¡°You¡¯re being absurd! Do you think that you are able to fool me just because I¡¯m old? You have to get married by the end of this year!¡± Chapter 254 One Night Surprise Chapter 254 Chapter 254 The Person Who Ran Away From Home Alexander looked particrly calm. ¡°In that case, are you trying to embarrass me or Mika?¡± ¡°How am I embarrassing Mika? Furthermore, her mother has brought it to my attention several times ¡ªas long as we get the greenlight from you, we can even have the wedding tomorrow. Please do not pass the buck.¡± Scott looked especially livid. ¡°Mika is returning to France at the end of the month. In fact, apart from her older brother, the whole family is migrating. I think it¡¯ll work if you wish for me to migrate with them; France isn¡¯t too bad, after all.¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°What?¡± Scott¡¯s expression fell and he stood up abruptly from the chair. After pacing around, he turned around to m his palm against the table. ¡°I don¡¯t care if Mika leaves but you will have to get married by the end of this year. You are already in your thirties yet you have not settled down. What does it look like to the public especially when you are off gallivanting with a married woman?¡± ¡°Are you saying that I can get married to anybody?¡± ¡°Yes! Anybody but Courtney!¡± Alexander folded his arms while ncing at his surroundings. In the end, he dragged Hannah out, who had been eavesdropping at the entrance. ¡°In that case, I choose her. You know her background thoroughly; she can just be my live-in child-bride.¡± ¡°What?¡± The color drained from Hannah¡¯s face. Scott¡¯s expression soured when he caught sight of Hannah. ¡°You brat¡ª¡± Harry looked frightened but he tried to smooth things over. ¡°Young Master, please stop joking around. Miss Hannah is your aunt¡ªyou¡¯d bemitting incest while breaking thew in terms of her age.¡± Alexander answered indifferently, ¡°She¡¯s Grandpa¡¯s adoptive daughter, so I am not rted to her by blood. As for her age¡­ Well, Grandpa requested me to be married by the end of this year. If he doesn¡¯t mind, I am happy to wait. How old are you this year?¡± Hannah was at a loss for words and she seemed to be in a daze. She looked like a damsel in distress when Alexander grabbed onto her frail arm. ¡°I¡¯m t-thirteen,¡± she stuttered. ¡°She is thirteen this year, which means I¡¯ll have to wait five years for her; that¡¯s not too long,¡± Alexander commented and looked at Scott calmly. Scott, on the other hand, was fuming at that point and he almost smashed the scented rosewood table into pieces. ¡°You must be mad! Are you insane? Do you think you¡¯re making any sense?¡± Alexander adjusted his suit after releasing Hannah. ¡°You im that everything I do doesn¡¯t make sense. In that case, what else can I do?¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± Scott mmed his fist on the table loudly and nobody in the house dared make a sound. His booming voice reverberated throughout therge house as he roared, ¡°From today onward, you shall not set foot within the Duncan Residence if you aren¡¯t aware of your mistakes.¡± Scott was truly furious this time. No one had the courage to stop Alexander when he was leaving. Initially, Harry wanted to advise him against it but Scott barked loudly, ¡°Whoever has the courage to stop him shall get lost with him.¡± Harry turned around and he saw Scott sitting on the old-fashioned wooden chair while staring daggers at them. ¡°Who did the brat take after? His father used to be so good-natured. Why does he have such a horrible son?¡± Harry and Hannah exchanged nces before finally turning to Scott. Well, I suppose the trait has skipped a generation. After taking Hannah¡ªwho had been scared witless¡ªaway, the servants served some chrysanthemum tea to ease Scott¡¯s anger, whereas Harry tidied up the board game at the side. ¡°Young Master is just young and reckless. You don¡¯t have to take him seriously, Master.¡± ¡°Is he still young? He is already in his thirties but he is so unsure about marriage. Is it wrong for me to want him to get married? With his identity and status, are you aware of the gossip and scandal which surround him since he isn¡¯t married? Does he treat the idents happening to Jordan as a joke?¡± Scott¡¯s expression turned frosty at that point. ¡°That brat has always had a cold and distant personality ever since he was a child. I¡¯m not even sure what he will do in the future if he doesn¡¯t get married sooner to have a wife to keep an eye on him.¡± ¡°In all honesty, it¡¯s not a bad thing to keep a distance. When Mr. Jeffrey was alive, you always thought that he was indecisive and soft, didn¡¯t you? Later, it was also due to these factors that¡­¡± At the mention of his only son who had passed away many years ago, a trace of pain shed through Scott¡¯s eyes. There was a visible change in his gaze too. The originally vigorous old man suddenly looked utterly dejected. ¡°Jeffrey was such an outstanding child. Previously, I was overjoyed when he told me that he¡¯d be getting married to Mindy. Who would have thought such a thing would have happenedter on? It was a sin.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have brought up the sad past,¡± Harry murmured regretfully. ¡°Master, stop thinking about it. You haven¡¯tpleted the game; please continue.¡± ¡°No. I am tired and I want to take a nap.¡± With that, Scott stood up slowly. Harry sighed quietly as he watched Scott make his way to his bedroom. Mr. Duncan has been through h*ll and back. He lost his father when he was a child and his son passed away when Mr. Duncan was in his middle age; now, his grandson doesn¡¯t get along with him. The family has yet to have a warm and peaceful time all these years. In hindsight, I recall it used to feel like a home just a few months ago when Mr. Alexander and Miss Hunter were dating. I even thought that things would take a turn for the better. Later on, Courtney returned home after buying some ingredients from the supermarket. She started speaking as she opened the door, ¡°Oliver, I need to head to the Duncan Residence to cook for Jordan so I¡¯ve bought some ingredients back. If you¡¯re hungry, cook some noodles for Tina and yourself. I¡¯ll be back soon¡ª¡± Before she couldplete her sentence, she noticed that there were more than two pairs of shoes scattered in the hallway, two of which were obviously men¡¯s leather shoes. Just as she froze, a tiny figure charged toward her leg and held onto her tightly. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± the figure greeted her weakly. ¡°Jordan?¡± Courtney was dumbfounded and bewildered. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Well, I said they came over uninvited but he ims that you invited them both,¡± Oliver answered from the living room. Courtney looked up to see his exasperated expression as he red at Alexander in frustration. ¡°Do you have anything to say for yourself? Pack up right now and leave.¡± ¡°What happened? Hannah, why are you here?¡± Courtney noticed a row of people sitting on the couch when she carried Jordan into the living room. From left to right, in descending height, were Oliver, Hannah and Tina. They were all ring at Alexander, who was sitting on the single seater. They looked as though they bore a deep grudge against him. This is truly confusing. Just as she was trying to figure things out, Jordan pried her hands away to run to the couch. He squeezed onto the seat of the couch to re at Alexander too. What¡¯s happening? ¡°Spill the beans¡ªwhat¡¯s going on?¡± Courtney returned after washing her hands. She stood in front of the coffee table and blocked their view of the television. ¡°Who will go first?¡± ¡°Me!¡± Oliver raised his hand while maintaining a righteous expression. ¡°I brought Tina back after a meal and I saw this little girl squatting in front of our house.¡± He pointed at Hannah who sat beside him. ¡°She imed that she¡¯s Tina¡¯s friend so I let her in but in the end, she refused to leave. After trying to rify the situation, I realized that she had run away from home. I was just about to call the police but before I managed to do that¡ª¡± Oliver shot an icy look at Alexander. ¡°¡ªhe brought that little one over while iming that they have your permission. He says that from now on, dinner will be at our home. Did you agree to it, Courtney?¡± ¡°Your home?¡± Alexander¡¯s deep voice rumbled and he squinted at Oliver with a menacing and cold expression. He was obviously unhappy with Oliver¡¯s choice of words¡ª¡®our home¡¯. Chapter 255 One Night Surprise Chapter 255 Chapter 255 Has He Gone Mad? Oliver frowned deeply as he deliberately made a jeering remark. ¡°That¡¯s right; our home.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression darkened straight away. ¡°Oliver, have you forgotten about something?¡± Before Oliver could answer, Courtney red at Alexander warningly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking you; kindly shut your mouth.¡± With that, she looked at Hannah. ¡°One at a time now¡ªtell me, Hannah; why are you here?¡± Hannah pouted while looking sorry for herself. She pointed at Alexander, who was sitting across from her. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all thanks to him. He has gone mad; I cannot believe he actually told Dad that he wants to marry me. I¡¯m underage, for God¡¯s sake.¡± Pfft! Oliver spewed out the water he was drinking while he stared at Alexander in disbelief. ¡°I knew that you were a pervert, but I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯ve lost your mind!¡± Alexander scowled while looking at the sshes of water across his sleeve. He red at Oliver threateningly. ¡°Go on,¡± Courtney encouraged as she regarded Hannah. Truth was, Courtney was surprised but she had to allow the young girl to finish her story. ¡°Dad asked him to get married to Mika. Alexander was reluctant so they argued. Dad says that it doesn¡¯t matter who it is but he has to get married by the end of this year. Then, Alexander dragged me from the entrance while announcing that he wants to get married to me. He¡¯s obviously gone mad, hasn¡¯t he?¡± Upon hearing that, the two little ones, who were seated beside each other on the couch, regarded Alexander like he was indeed an insane person. Tina looked scornful whereas Jordan wore a contemptuous expression. Alexander cleared his throat before exining, ¡°It was just a randomment.¡± ¡°You randomly imed that you want to marry a 13-year-old teenager? It is no wonder you scared her so badly that she ran away from home.¡± Courtney rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. She looked at Jordan without waiting for an exnation from Alexander. ¡°What about Jordan? Why is he here?¡± Jordan might be able to utter some simple words but he could rarelyplete a sentence. Therefore, he wrote on his drawing board after he heard her. ¡®Daddy got into an argument with Great-Grandpa and he got kicked out of the house.¡± ¡°Serves you right!¡± Hannah muttered furiously after reading that sentence. Alexander red at Hannah and she immediately ducked behind Oliver, afraid to utter another word. After a round of questioning, Courtney finally got a better picture of what was going on. Well, it all stems from the fact that Alexander has lied to Mr. Duncan by iming that he is dating Mika. In the end, Alexander spilled the beans when Mr. Duncan was about to set a wedding date in excitement. After angering Mr. Duncan, Alexander vented his frustration by dragging poor Hannah into his mess, which is why we have this situation right here. ¡°Why are you here after having a fight with Mr. Duncan?¡± Courtney gave Alexander a sideways nce. ¡°I¡¯ll honor my promise to prepare dinner for Jordan but you¡¯ll have to leave after that.¡± Alexander leaned against the couch, as if he was expecting nothing less from Courtney. ¡°Sure, but Jordan and I do not have a ce to stay tonight. It doesn¡¯t matter to an adult, but a child might fall ill and get admitted to the hospital the next day after being in the cold the whole night. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to send your meals to the hospital tomorrow,¡± he answered calmly. ¡°You¡ª¡± Courtney stared at Alexander in disbelief. ¡°Your grandfather merely kicked you out of the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. How can you possibly not have a ce to stay?¡± Isn¡¯t it ridiculous for the richest man in Melrose City toin of being hard up? ¡°I didn¡¯t take my phone and wallet along, so I am left with nothing but a car.¡± Alexander cocked an eyebrow at her, as if unfazed whether she believed him or not. Then, he ced the car keys on the table, its shield logo shining brightly. ¡°Stop pretending.¡± Oliver red at him. ¡°You¡¯d be able to afford a condominium for a bachelor with that car of yours.¡± ¡°If you are able to sell me an apartment, I¡¯ll pay you a 20%mission. My requirements are basic¡ª no less than 200 square meters, a balcony that is connected to the living room and the bedroom has to have an en suite bathroom.¡± ¡°What is wrong with you? Courtney, will you just look at him?¡± Oliver threw Alexander a disdainful look. ¡°Anybody who takes in such a spoiled brat is a fool.¡± Courtney pressed her lips together. ¡°Oliver, tidy up your room tonight because he¡¯ll be sleeping with you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hearing that, Oliver almost blew his top. ¡°Why though? I don¡¯t want that.¡± ¡°Nor I,¡± Alexander chirped. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°In that case, you can stay at the subway station if you¡¯re not happy with the arrangements. The house only has three bedrooms¡ªJordan and Tina will be taking one, whereas I am upying the other one. That leaves thest room for you two, so the both of you will have to figure it out.¡± Oliver pointed at Alexander. ¡°Well, let him sleep on the couch. Isn¡¯t the couch empty?¡± Courtney¡¯s tone was icy when she red at Alexander. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be scared to death by a stranger when I¡¯m up for a cup of water in the middle of the night.¡± She efficiently blocked suggestions involving the couch. After dividing the rooms, Hannah looked upset because she was left out. ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°You need to go home,¡± Courtney answered while looking at her. ¡°Are you waiting for Harry to call the police if you don¡¯t? I don¡¯t want the police knocking on my door in the middle of the night.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back.¡± Hannah held Tina tightly; she looked as if she was holding onto her lifeline. ¡°I¡¯ll end up as a child-bride if I were to go home. I am willing to sustain bodily injuries but I can¡¯t abandon my dignity.¡± Courtney wasn¡¯t sure how to exin to a 13-year-old girl that Alexander was merely using her as an excuse. Nevertheless, with Hannah¡¯s unreasonable outburst, Courtney vented her frustrations on Alexander. ¡°Mr. Duncan, kindly attend to the issue that you¡¯ve stirred up.¡± Therefore, Alexander nced at Hannah while analyzing the situation in a concise manner. ¡°If you think that interacting with me is dangerous, don¡¯t you think that living with me here would pose an even larger threat?¡± He sounded especially eerie and it sent shivers down Courtney¡¯s spine. True enough, Hannah was scared witless as she cried and sobbed openly. ¡°What happened to logic? I am your aunt. Mr. Harry says that you aremitting incest!¡± ¡°You should go back once you¡¯re done crying. Besides, Harry will be arriving soon if you wait any longer. Being dragged back home and going back on your own will are two vastly different things,¡± reminded Alexander in annoyance. Hannah stopped crying immediately. ¡°Fine; I¡¯ll leave.¡± She sniffed loudly while picking up her bag. Then, she waved at everybody while ring furiously at Alexander. In the end, she opened the door and left under everybody¡¯s scrutiny. Does the little girl have a ir for the dramatic? The door shut with a loud thud and there wasplete silence in the house. Courtney stared at the four of them, feeling utterly annoyed. ¡°I¡¯ll go prepare dinner,¡± she murmured, finding an excuse to lock herself in the kitchen. I know very well what Alexander is trying to achieve. Mr. Duncan would never leave his grandson without a ce to live no matter how angry he is. I want to look after Jordan, so I don¡¯t mind having an extra person in the house. I just have to suck it up and ept that Alexanderes with Jordan as a package. Besides, I have a feeling that Alexander won¡¯t be staying long. Just as Courtney was preparing the vegetables for cooking, she heard the kitchen door open. A tall figure walked into the kitchen and he closed the door behind him. Alexander¡¯s voice then came from behind her, ¡°Did Mika tell you everything?¡± Courtney¡¯s heart skipped a beat and her half-peeled carrot fell into the basin of water, resulting in a ssh of water. Chapter 256 One Night Surprise Chapter 256 Chapter 256 Looking Like a Hooligan ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Courtney was slightly anxious. ¡°Stop asking the obvious.¡± Alexander scowled. ¡°Mika and I never nned to get engaged. We are merely together because Grandpa has been keeping an eye on us. Besides, I said that during lunch because I was worried that he would make things difficult for you.¡± Courtney let out a sigh of relief and she picked up the carrot from the basin to continue peeling it. ¡°That¡¯s none of my business; it¡¯s between you two.¡± Upon witnessing her cold and distant attitude, Alexander¡¯s gaze turned dark. ¡°I have now exined the misunderstanding from before, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary for us to act like strangers.¡± Agitated, Courtney tossed the vegetables in her hands when she heard that. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d allow a stranger to stay the night in my home for no good reason?¡± She turned around to ask him and her reaction was slightly intense, likely due to the excessive psychological pressure she had been experiencingtely. Hence, she lost her temper when he questioned her. Alexander was stunned into silence for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Courtney frowned and she turned around to pick up the carrot. ¡°You should go back to the living room and have a seat. Dinner will be ready soon.¡± Alexander stared at her back as he asked persistently, ¡°Why are you so forgiving toward Jordan but not me?¡± Courtney tightened her grip around the carrot while answering vaguely, ¡°Jordan is just a child. Are you comparing yourself to your own son?¡± Alexander was rendered speechless by her response. Since Courtney ignored him, he insisted on staying in the kitchen to wash the vegetables. After he hung around shamelessly in the kitchen for the longest time, Courtney finally lost her patience. ¡°You don¡¯t have to wash every stalk of the enoki mushroom. Can you please go out if you haven¡¯t a clue what to do?¡± After dinner, Courtney urged the two children to shower in her bathroom, whereas the other two men were assigned to the bathroom outside. After bathing the two little ones and carrying them to her room, she saw Alexander standing tall at the entrance of her room when she returned. ¡°I don¡¯t have any clothes with me.¡± Courtney pressed her palm to her forehead when she heard that. Apart from him, I don¡¯t think that I would ever meet another person who would make such a righteous im when they don¡¯t even have their own clothes. ¡°Borrow a set of clothes from Oliver.¡± ¡°I do not wear clothes that have been worn by others,¡± Alexander announced calmly and naturally. At that moment, Oliver¡¯s voice rang out from behind him as well. ¡°I do not have the habit of lending my clothes to other people too.¡± ¡°Well then; what should I do?¡± Courtney stared at Alexander and shemented, ¡°You can¡¯t be nning on buying a set of clothes now, can you? What time is it? There is a supermarket downstairs but they only sell T-shirts that go for 30. Do you wear those?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a look,¡± Alexander answered simply. ¡°It¡¯s ten o¡¯clock now and I believe the supermarket is still open.¡± ¡°Oh¡ªit seems like you know what time a supermarket closes.¡± Courtney shot him a surprised look as she teased, ¡°I assumed that the mighty Mr. Alexander Duncan wouldn¡¯t be aware of such trivial matters.¡± Alexander stared at her. ¡°Sunhill is a shareholder of the supermarket downstairs.¡± Courtney was at a loss for words when she heard that. She couldn¡¯te up with a response, so she only red at him. ¡°Come on; let¡¯s visit the supermarket where yourpany is a shareholder.¡± The supermarket within the residential area was a national chain store; it was rtively huge, upying three floors. Courtney would usually buy vegetables from this supermarket too. They had a separate area on the third floor for the clothing section. Clothes sold here were at reduced prices with year-round discounts, with most of the tags missing. ¡°Well, this is it.¡± Courtney pointed at the men¡¯s clothing section. There was a clearance sale of 30 on clothes with yellow tags. ¡°Pick one. They are all the same price.¡± Alexander stood rooted to the spot. ¡°You should pick one for me. I am not particr about clothes.¡± ¡°Are you sure? Will you wear anything I pick for you?¡± Courtney gave him a meaningful sideways nce. Alexander hummed and nodded without even looking at the pile of clothes. Courtney cocked an eyebrow and she made her way swiftly toward the packed and narrow clothing section. She selected five to six colorful shirts and T-shirts without even looking at them closely. Then, she returned to brandish them triumphantly in front of Alexander. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try these on?¡± Alexander nced at the pile of shirts which had exceptionally vibrant colors. He nodded despite the shop assistant¡¯s astonished gaze. ¡°Sure. Where is the fitting room?¡± ¡°Here.¡± The shop assistant snapped back to her senses and she led him to the fitting room. She stared in a trance when Courtney shoved the pile of clothes at Alexander for him to try on. ¡°Miss, are you vacationing at Southern Bay? Why are you buying such garish shirts?¡± ¡°No, we aren¡¯t. He likes this type of clothes.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The shop assistant looked shocked. ¡°Only hooligans wear clothes like this. They usually look tacky while wearing thick gold chains around their necks¡ªsuch poor taste! Your boyfriend doesn¡¯t look like that at all!¡± ¡°He truly likes them. Why don¡¯t you ask himter if you don¡¯t believe me?¡± Courtney held back a giggle but she was ready with her camera phone. She couldn¡¯t wait to see Alexander making a fool of himself in those colorful shirts. Just as they were chatting, the fitting room door opened with a creak and Alexander stepped out. Courtney started snapping away frantically with her phone and shemented, ¡°This time, I have to send these photos to Cameron and Gale. They will¡ª¡± Nevertheless, before she couldplete her sentence, Courtney swallowed silently when she saw the man on her phone screen. What was the shop assistant¡¯sment earlier? She mentioned that everybody looks like a hooligan wearing those shirts, right? What a load of nonsense! With Alexander standing at over six feet, the colorful shirt clings loosely onto his body. The unbuttoned shirt exposes his corbones and the centerline of his chest muscles. Besides, his tanned chest is partly hidden, whereas his long legs look especially long and strong like pirs. This looks more like a modeling photoshoot; what happened to being a hooligan? ¡°Whoa¡ªyou look so good! Young man, you sure are looking very elegant in that shirt; you look just like a model that stepped out from a fashion magazine! I am sure the shirts will start flying off the racks if our supermarket¡¯s boss ced some pictures of you right here.¡± Excuse me Miss, but that¡¯s not what you said earlier. Courtney put her phone away while giving Alexander a once-over. But I can¡¯t deny that what she said is true. ¡°What do you think?¡± Alexander took a couple steps toward Courtney. He raised his arms while asking, ¡°How is the fit?¡± Courtney grunted and nodded reluctantly. It isn¡¯t just fitted. In fact, it looks like a tailored shirt. If he were to go out on the streets now, he¡¯d be like a butterfly and girls would most probably chase after him, asking for his phone number. ¡°Should I try on the rest of the shirts?¡± he asked. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Courtney stopped him. She nced at the shop assistant and murmured while sounding especially generous, ¡°Miss, please pack the rest of those. We¡¯ll take them all.¡± After buying the shirts, Courtney picked two pairs of casual, loose-fitting long pants for Alexander. This time, she did not make fun of him; instead, she selected two pairs of cream-colored pants which were suitable both as pajamas and for going out. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. After paying the bill and walking out of the supermarket, they noticed a stage at the entrance; it turned out they were having a promotional activity there. Alexander nced at the tform whilementing, ¡°Jordan and Tina like those choctes.¡± Initially, Courtney wasn¡¯t paying attention but she realized what he was referring to when she looked up. ¡®A couples game. The person with the highest score is eligible for a free box¡¯. The rules of the game were printed across the blue roll-up banner. Courtney was staring at the words ¡®free box¡¯, whereas Alexander was staring at the word ¡®couples¡¯. Chapter 257 One Night Surprise Chapter 257 Chapter 257 Which Prize Do You Want? It so happened to be the busiest time of the night. Residents nearby had just had their dinner and they were out for a stroll. Soon, arge crowd surrounded the stage at the entrance of the supermarket. ¡°Our supermarket is having an activity today. The first prize is a Giante bicycle; the second prize is a box of choctes and the third prize is a huge teddy plush toy! There are also various kinds of participation awards. Thepetition is open to everyone as long as you are teamed up with the opposite gender¡ªit doesn¡¯t matter whether you are a couple or not, all are eligible to take part in this activity! Ladies and gentlemen, doe and join the fun!¡± The host, who had heavy makeup on, held a megaphone as he announced to the crowd. He was wearing a suit with chicken feathers sticking out, which made him look like ast minute option whom thepany hired on a whim for a vige fair. ¡°We are short of a pair here. Is there anyone else?¡± ¡°Should we go?¡± Alexander lowered his head and asked Courtney. After weighing her options, she shook her head. ¡°No, we should head home now. We can buy the choctes on our own.¡± The supermarket has strange activities for participants each time they have certain activities. I can¡¯t even begin to imagine what they have in mind this time. It¡¯s best to dodge it to decrease the risk of embarrassing ourselves. However, before they could turn around, a light voice rang out from behind them. ¡°Handsome, are you alone? Me too! Why not partner up and take part in the activity with me? We¡¯ll split the prize!¡± Courtney¡¯s heart sank. She turned around toe face-to-face with a girl, whose hair was tied up in a bun. She looked like she was in her early twenties and she was staring at Alexander in anticipation. If he were to help her, the passion and sparks of love in her eyes would most probablye gushing out. ¡°I¡­¡± Alexander scowled because he seemed unsure of how to reject her. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Handsome, you look especially friendly and helpful, soe on, help a girl out! Please, I really want the bicycle; I¡¯m attending sses at Campus City nearby. If I were to receive the first prize, I¡¯ll transfer half of the bicycle money to you.¡± The young girl was very persuasive. She was pouting while swinging her hips, looking much like a vixen. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m afraid we are taking part too. We were just putting our things down.¡± Courtney shoved herself between the two of them unabashedly. She then handed Alexander the bags from the supermarket whilementing deliberately, ¡°Please take these. I can¡¯t carry them anymore.¡± The young woman¡¯s smile froze on her face and she cleared her throat to hide her humiliation. ¡°I see. In that case, I¡¯m sorry; I didn¡¯t see you, madam. I¡¯ll go look for someone else.¡± Madam? Courtney felt anger burning within her. She addressed Alexander, who is in his thirties, ¡®handsome¡¯ but she¡¯s addressing me as ¡®madam¡¯? Girl, are you insane? Courtney was about to give her a piece of her mind but the young woman vanished into the crowd in the blink of an eye. Soon, they heard the host asking again, ¡°We are short of a pair. Is there anyone else?¡± ¡°Here!¡± Alexander raised his hand. It was easy to spot him, with him being more than six feet tall. And so, Courtney was dragged onto the stage before she could respond. While they were waiting for the activity to start, she asked him quietly, ¡°How old do you think I look?¡± Alexander turned to her. ¡°Twenty-five.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you about my age. I am asking how old you think I look.¡± Courtney seemed annoyed. ¡°Why did that young woman call you ¡®handsome¡¯ but address me as ¡®madam¡¯? Does she look much younger than me?¡± ¡°She attends university nearby, so she must be younger than you.¡± ¡°Alexander, how dare you¡ª¡± Courtney almost fainted out of anger. I feel like I can¡¯t continue this conversation with him. Was I blinded by love in the past? Why did I even date him? ¡°Here we go.¡± The host interrupted their conversation between two people who weren¡¯t on the same page. The speakers on both sides of the stage were especially loud and it was almost deafening. ¡°Here are the rules¡ªeach pair will begin by standing next to each other, but thedies aren¡¯t allowed to touch the ground. All five pairs will then take turns to strike a pose without repeating the same pose as the groups before you. The group who fails toe up with a new pose will be eliminated and the pair making it to the end will receive the first prize.¡± Once they heard the announcement of the game rules, Courtney¡¯s expression changed drastically and she turned to look at Alexander. He appeared calm when he regarded her. ¡°What is it?¡± Courtney cleared her throat and said to him softly, ¡°I think we should give up.¡± Before Alexander could ask her for a reason, the host had approached them. ¡°Right; let¡¯s start with the first group¡ªHandsome and Beautiful.¡± Courtney didn¡¯t have the chance to run because she was whisked off the ground by Alexander, who had lifted her into his arms. At the sight, the crowd roared below the stage. Courtney struggled instinctively but realized that Alexander held her securely. In fact, it urred to her that she might look like a flopping fish in his arms when she struggled. Hence, she could only re at him angrily. Alexander looked down at her, his eyes shining brilliantly with an alluring and subdued light. Courtney immediately turned away her blushing face. She highly suspected Alexander had known about the rules of the game early on because he was exceptionally calm. Soon, the other four couples did the same thing swiftly. One of them carried their partner on their back, whereas another carried their partner over their shoulder, while one of the especially short female participants sat on her boyfriend¡¯s shoulder. Thest pair looked especially ridiculous. They must have run out of ideas for their position because the man picked the woman up from behind by the back of her knees, carrying her up face down. The crowd erupted into a roar ofughter. ¡°That¡¯s the way one coaxes a child to pee¡ª¡± The woman was utterly embarrassed and she struggled to get down. She then hit her boyfriend hard before running away while covering her face. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a voluntary forfeit,¡± the hostmented. He chuckled loudly and added, ¡°Alright. We will maintain this position for one minute. Then, there will be a change in the pose. There¡¯s 40 seconds left.¡± The host started counting down, whereas Courtney looked up at Alexander¡¯s chin. ¡°Whates after? I can¡¯t think of a new pose. Why don¡¯t we forfeit?¡± On the other hand, the host hadpleted the countdown. Courtney was still in a daze when Alexander put her down. However, before she could snap back to reality, he held her by her waist to lift her up directly. She instinctively reached out to wrap her hands around his neck and her legs squeezed his waist to prevent herself from sliding downward. Their position caused an uproar among the crowd. Courtney blushed furiously and she hissed menacingly at him, ¡°Alexander Duncan, let go of me.¡± ¡°Which prize do you want?¡± Alexander asked without answering her question. ¡°I don¡¯t want any of the prizes¡­ Let go of me! I don¡¯t want anything anymore. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°In that case, let¡¯s get the first prize.¡± He smirked openly but his smile was hidden from the crowd, thanks to the shadows. Courtney was embarrassed and annoyed, but she waspletely helpless. Later on, another group was eliminated, which left three pairs topete for the three prizes. Initially, Courtney assumed that they would have to change to a different pose but the host announced in a booming voice, ¡°Alright; there¡¯s a change in the rules now. Next, our three pairs have to strike a kissing pose. It¡¯s going to be apetition of perseverance to maintain the pose for the longest time.¡± The crowd below the stage cheered loudly. ¡°Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss¡­¡± Immediately, Courtney paled. ¡°Alexander, put me down. I don¡¯t want the prize anymore.¡± ¡°Now, I will start the countdown and the three pairs of couples will have to start the challenge.¡± The host¡¯s voice reverberated through the night. ¡°Alexander Duncan, let go of me!¡± Courtney started struggling against his grip. ¡°Three!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want the prize anymore. If you dare do it, you¡¯ll end up sleeping on the streets tonight¡ª¡± ¡°Two!¡± ¡°One!¡± Chapter 258 One Night Surprise Chapter 258 Chapter 258 Haven¡¯t You Two Kissed Enough? ¡°Start!¡± the host thundered. The crowd was already buzzing in excitement. Aside from Courtney and Alexander, the other two pairs already started kissing long ago. Courtney stared at Alexander, who was keeping a respectful distance from her, and she felt relieved. ¡°At least you¡¯re sensi¡ª¡± Before she could evenplete the word ¡®sensible¡¯, Alexander sealed her lips firmly with his. She stared at him wide-eyed, not believing that he was actually kissing her. It was useless to struggle because he was holding onto her waist tightly. The two of them were stuck together and she was struggling in vain. In fact, she exhausted all her strength as he kissed her deeply. The host¡¯s voice was like the night breeze as he did the countdown¡ªhe did not register in Courtney¡¯s mind; instead, his voice vanished into nothing. Her mind was focused on the sound they made while kissing and the stubbornness in Alexander¡¯s gaze. Aside from feeling shy, a ray of light seemed to have finally pierced through the fort which she had put up over time. It shone through the wall and a sweet feeling bubbled in her heart, spreading all over her body. Courtney closed her eyes slowly while throwing rationality out of the window; she couldn¡¯t help but enjoy the sweet kiss. It felt like a long century had passed and the two of them were breathing rather heavily. They seemed to be sweating too when the host finally yelled, ¡°Stop! Well, it seems like these two are not done kissing. I¡¯ve recorded it for you¡ª13 minutes and 14 seconds non-stop.¡± Courtney opened her eyes abruptly and she realized with a start that the other two couples were already on their feet. They were standing together with the host to observe her and Alexander. Upon seeing that, Courtney really wished the ground would open up and swallow her. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. This is so embarrassing¡­ ¡°Congrattions to the both of you! You won the first prize today¡ªa bicycle.¡± Amidst the cheering from the crowd, Courtney buried her face in her jacket. She then followed Alexander to retrieve the pink bicycle. When they received the bicycle, she mumbled softly, ¡°I thought we wanted choctes.¡± Alexander turned around to look at her. ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll exchange it with the couple who received the second prize.¡± ¡°No.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes shone underneath the hoodie of her jacket. ¡°A bicycle is worth much more.¡± I¡¯vepletely embarrassed myself. I¡¯d be taking the hit if I were to take two boxes of choctes home! I have to take the bicycle! Alexander regarded her while smiling at her lovingly. ¡°Sure.¡± The two of them pushed the bicycle home together. Upon entering the house, they saw Oliver, who was wearing dark green pyjamas, snuggled on the couch as he watched television. ¡°Where did you guys get the bicycle from?¡± Oliver put down the box of chips and he stared suspiciously at the two of them. ¡°It¡¯s a free gift that came with a purchase.¡± Courtney answered before Alexander could respond, avoiding Oliver¡¯s gaze. ¡°How much did you have to spend?¡± Oliver frowned deeply as he focused on her lips and questioned, ¡°Courtney, why are your lips swollen?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Courtney immediately covered her lips. ¡°Nothing; my lipstick is smeared because I was eating just now.¡± ¡°What were you eating? What did you two have outside?¡± Courtney couldn¡¯te up with an answer, so she covered her mouth as she made her way back into her bedroom. ¡°It¡¯ste; I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± And so, Oliver and Alexander were the only ones left in the living room. Alexander ced the bicycle at the corner of therge hallway. After that, he took the bags from the supermarket out from the bicycle basket, seemingly calm as he walked toward the bathroom. Oliver dropped his expression as a na?ve and wide-eyed boy. Instead, he squinted at Alexander menacingly. ¡°Can you please restrain yourself? I am staying here with two other children as well.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t bother to turn to look at him. ¡°Feel free to move out if you don¡¯t like what you see.¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Oliver was leaning against the couch while ring at Alexander coldly. ¡°Firste, first served¡ªI stayed here before you did. Sharing half of my bedroom is already considered a special offer for my customer.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind sleeping on the couch.¡± Alexander was standing at the entrance of the bathroom. He stared meaningfully at the couch that Oliver was seated on. ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know what you have in mind? No way.¡± Oliver burst outughing. He changed positionszily andy on the pillow. ¡°Courtney is well aware about it too, which is why you should drop that idea and behave by sleeping in my bedroom tonight.¡± As Alexander observed Oliver¡¯s rxed expression, it was clear that thetter was well-adapted to the situation here. Hence, Alexander scowled unhappily. Suddenly, the master bedroom door opened with a whoosh and Courtney poked her head out. ¡°Oliver, come here for a moment! I need to talk to you.¡± Oliver leaped up from the couch and responded immediately, ¡°Sure! I¡¯ming.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you speak in the living room?¡± Alexander countered, expression dark. Courtney gave him a onceover before enunciating, ¡°It. Is. Inconvenient.¡± Well, as for what¡¯s inconvenient, feel free to figure it out yourself. Oliver shot Alexander a scornful look. Then, he vanished into Courtney¡¯s bedroom swiftly while closing the door behind him. Alexander¡¯s expression soured and he stood rooted to the spot, staring at the closed bedroom door for the longest time. Courtney summoned Oliver because she wanted to discuss Britney with him. ¡°Previously, you mentioned that Alexander was behind the incident three years ago where Jordan was drugged. However, Jordan has been through all sorts in the past three years too; I havee across such incidents three times in the past few months alone. Theoretically, Alexander would have gotten what he wanted, which means the idents in thest three years can¡¯t possibly be associated with him.¡± This is all very confusing. Even if Alexander did that three years ago for the sake of power, it would mean that he doesn¡¯t have a motive anymore after James left Sunhill Enterprise. ¡°Hypothetically speaking, whatever happened after should not be associated with him. Courtney, what have you found out?¡± ¡°Britney Pierce.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression darkened at this point. ¡°Vivienne told me that Britney was behind the fire ident. That is why I suspect most of Jordan¡¯s idents for the past three years stem from her.¡± ¡°However, she wouldn¡¯t benefit at all from Jordan¡¯s ident.¡± Oliver analyzed carefully. ¡°Everybody knows that Alexander loves Jordan dearly. He most probably allowed Britney to hang around him over the years because Jordan listens to her sometimes. If Jordan were to be in an ident, it wouldn¡¯t help her case to be the Duncan Family¡¯s daughter-inw.¡± ¡°Well, how would you exin the fire?¡± This is not my first time suspecting Britney. It is simr to when I met Jordan for the first time and the crystal chandelier from the hotel came crashing down. It so happened that Britney had just checked into the hotel when that ident happened. That¡¯s too much of a coincidence. Oliver wore aplicated expression and he hesitated for a moment. He then answered Courtney seriously, ¡°Britney wouldn¡¯t be bold enough to harm Alexander¡¯s son. If it¡¯s true that she¡¯s the culprit, I would suspect that these idents, or at least somebody else, is instigating her to do so.¡± ¡°Who could it be?¡± ¡°Somebody from the Duncan Family,¡± Oliver announced firmly. ¡°The whole Duncan Family wants Mr. Duncan to lose his heir so that they¡¯d have a chance to take over thepany. They all have that motive and the prime suspect is none other than James.¡± ¡°Do you think that Britney and James are working together?¡± Courtney looked anxious instantly as this theory was way out of her expectations. Chapter 259 One Night Surprise Chapter 259 Chapter 259 Who Can¡¯t Forget You? ¡°It¡¯s just a guess but the probability is very high,¡± Oliver spoke carefully. In Melrose City, Alexander was known for beingpletely uninterested in women. However, the fact that Britney stayed beside him for around six years showed that apart from being smart, someone else must have given her some pointers. Otherwise, based on her position as a celebrity, Scott would not have allowed her to enter the Duncan Family as she liked. After thinking this through, a chill ran down Courtney¡¯s spine. I¡¯m afraid that even Alexander doesn¡¯t know about this. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Oliver smiled rxedly after seeing Courtney¡¯s worried expression. ¡°Stop brooding about it. I¡¯ll look into it when I¡¯m free. If something like this has really happened, you just have to remind him to be careful of Britney.¡± Courtney returned to her senses and her expression changed slightly. ¡°Why should I remind him?¡± Oliver ignored herment and looked at the bedroom door meaningfully. Then, his gaze traveled down to the slit between the door and the floor; there seemed to be a shadow there. ¡°It¡¯s getting prettyte. Courtney, I believe I should get going. If it gets anyter, I¡¯m afraid someone might destroy the door.¡± Courtney froze upon hearing Oliver¡¯s reply, not understanding what he was referring to. ¡°Sure; see youter.¡± After he left, Courtney was thinking about this incident in her room. If Britney really hooked up with James, does she really like Alexander? As for James¡¯ return to the Sunhill Enterprise this time, how much does she y a part in it? As Courtney was deep in her thoughts, she did not realize a figure had entered the room. It was only when she heard the sound of the door closing that she returned to her senses and lifted her head nkly. She then noticed Alexander standing in the bedroom with his newly-bought flowery T- shirt and beige pants; his hair was still wet and he smelled of jasmine. Without waiting for Courtney to say anything, he started the conversation first. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find a hairdryer.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Courtney froze for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s right next to my bed; I¡¯ll go get it for you. Give me a moment.¡± ¡°Not to worry; I¡¯ll get it. You just stay seated.¡± With that, Alexander walked to her bed. When he walked past her, the slight breeze that blew past him made the jasmine aroma stronger. Courtney¡¯s mind seemed to stop functioning at that instant. If he¡¯s just here for the hairdryer, why did he close the door? ¡°It¡¯s in the drawer on top of the bed,¡± Courtney reminded him. Sitting by the bed, Alexander pulled the drawer open. Instead of taking the hairdryer out, he looked at the drawer for a long time without moving. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Isn¡¯t it there?¡± Courtney walked over, feeling perplexed. ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Themp by the bed lit the drawer up. As she reached the edge of the bed, she froze when she saw the blue box that was opened. Then, her entire face promptly flushed red. The blue rectangle box clearly showed the words ¡®Durex¡¯. What the f*ck? Why didn¡¯t I throw this? Alexander raised his head to look at her calmly. ¡°This is the box that we didn¡¯t finishst time?¡± What kind of question is that? Courtney¡¯s lips twitched slightly as her expression became even more cold. ¡°Or else? What are you trying to imply?¡± You thought I used this with another man after breaking up with you? Alexander stopped looking confused. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± he murmured. ¡°I just remembered that we could finish the entire box every time, so this is rather odd.¡± At that moment, Courtney¡¯s face was as red as a tomato. As she took out the hairdryer, she said flusteredly, ¡°Can you stop talking and get out as soon as you take the hairdryer?¡± The more she panicked, the more mishaps she seemed to make. When she took the hairdryer, the cord moved the Durex box and it fell out of the drawer onto the ground. Courtney¡¯s expression changed and she did not know whether to pick it up or not. She quietly appraised Alexander from the corner of her eyes. Without any particr reason, she suddenly remembered the deep kiss in front of the supermarket. Something within her itched, as if a thousand ants were crawling all over her. How is it possible that he doesn¡¯t even flush, nor does his heart beat speed up after kissing me for more than ten minutes? Then, he even came to my room and asked for a hairdryer from me. On top of that, he¡¯s so calm after seeing the condoms that we didn¡¯t finish! Is he crazy? Compared to Courtney¡¯s panic, Alexander¡¯s calm had reached its peak. He crouched naturally and picked the box of Durex up. Then, he passed it to Courtney while stretching his other hand out. ¡°What do you want?¡± Courtney took a step back as though she was facing her arch enemy. Without any change in his expression, Alexander replied curtly, ¡°The hairdryer.¡± The air between them froze for a few seconds. Feeling beyond embarrassed, Courtney quickly handed the hairdryer to him. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about this.¡± Alexander seemed to be teasing her by insisting on giving the box of Durex to her stubbornly. ¡°This is yours, after all.¡± At that instant, Courtney felt that it was a miracle that she did not break down. Initially, she nned to just relent and take the box from him. However, when her fingertips touched it, she suddenly could not suppress her emotions and she grabbed the box and threw it at Alexander. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s fun to toy with me like this? Are you nuts?¡± Courtney¡¯s temper suddenly red up fiercely. As anger bubbled up within her, she roared out all the frustrations she had faced over the past few days. In fact, she was so angry that her body was trembling. ¡°You y the pity card using Jordan so that I will go to your ce to cook for you. Fine! Seeing as it was him, I went over. Then, you kept showing off your love with your dear fianc¨¦e while mocking me, saying that I¡¯m not good enough for your family. You see, I can¡¯t afford to keep in touch with you but I can avoid you. Now, however, you directlye over to my ce. Even after I allowed you to stay here, you humiliated me again and again! Aren¡¯t you just trying to prove how capable you are and how all women can¡¯t seem to forget you after you leave them?¡± Alexander looked at her coldly with an expression of disagreement, but he did not object to her allegations. Seeing his demeanour, Courtney thought that he had acquiesced to her statements and became even angrier. She directly took the pillow beside her and threw it at him. ¡°You psychopath! Get out!¡± The pillows and nket hit Alexander but it did not bring him any pain at all. After everything around her had been thrown at him, Courtney panted heavily and pointed at Alexander with trembling fingers. While still sitting on the edge of the bed, Alexander pushed the pillows and nkets away from him and looked at her seriously. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that you still can¡¯t forget me?¡± He was not affected by her fury at all, yet Courtney hated his calmposure when she saw him. ¡°No! Those who can¡¯t forget you are idiots!¡± Courtney denied loudly. ¡°Then what are you doing now?¡± Alexander asked. Courtney was still wearing the casual clothes that she went out in¡ªa pair of baggy trousers and a light blue sweater with flimsy sleeves. As she was too agitated just now, the sweater revealed half her shoulder and when she panted, her chest also heaved along as she took in quick breaths. If I can¡¯t forget him and if I don¡¯t care about what he says to me, what am I doing right now? Courtney had been deceiving herself for too long, so she thought that she was rational enough. However, to an outsider¡ªor even to Alexander himself¡ªeverything was clear as day. Chapter 260 One Night Surprise Chapter 260 Chapter 260 You Psychopath ¡°Get out.¡± Courtney lowered her head and stepped aside so that Alexander could leave through the small passage between the bed and the wall. However, Alexander remained immobile while he kept his cold gaze on her. ¡°Fine. If you don¡¯t leave, I will.¡± Courtney took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. Then, she walked to the door. However, before she could take a few more steps, a strong force grabbed her wrist and pulled her backward, causing her to lose her bnce andnd on the bed face-up. Before Courtney could return to her senses, her body was pinned by Alexander. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Courtney tried to push his chest back. ¡°Let me go! Have you forgotten about what happened before? If you do this, I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll call the police.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Alexander looked at her firmly. ¡°If you need awyer, I can find one for you. You can sue me until I go to jail; no matter what you say, I¡¯ll work with you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re nuts!¡± Courtney hit him as she struggled against him. ¡°You¡¯re a psychopath!¡± Alexander grabbed both her wrists and pinned them beside her. The distance between them was separated only by the tips of their noses, and his low voice and shallow breaths prated Courtney¡¯s eardrums and her rationality. ¡°After falling in love with you, I¡¯ve gone nuts.¡± With shock in her eyes, Courtney looked at him incredulously. Alexander had always been a person of few words, especially romantic ones. He would flirt and tease but he rarely confessed his feelings in such a direct way. On top of that, this was Courtney¡¯s first time witnessing his loving and adoring expression. She could not control her thoughts and actions rationally anymore. With her mouth open, Courtney seemed to have lost her voice, so she could only look at Alexander helplessly. Unbeknownst to her, her innocent eyes aroused Alexander even more. When he kissed her, her eyes flickered. Even though she resisted him slightly, she decided to follow his pace docilely. In fact, she yearned for him; even though she rejected the pain that this would bring her in the future, she yearned for Alexander¡¯s warmth. Although she knew that it was temporary, she could not bring herself to reject his short-lived love right now. Undeniably, apart from blood rtives, the man in front of her was an important existence that she simply could not tear herself away from. To Alexander, her slight resistance aroused him even more. His breathing quickened as his kisses went from her lips to her slender neck. With a harsh tug, her loose sweater slid off her, revealing her fair shoulders. Courtney yelped, unable to help herself. As his kisses fell all over her body, they seemed to light a fire within her. Alexander could not wait to unite with her as a whole. Under the flowery T-shirt, his tanned chest had an alluring shine to it. His beige pants were on the ground and his ck underwear soony on top of it. Courtney¡¯s light blue sweater chafed her chin as it was removed. The tingling sensation slowly permeated her skin, making her entire body be even more heated. ¡°Ah¡­ No¡­¡± Courtney could not help hugging Alexander¡¯s head as she yelped in embarrassment. As the teasing of his tongue became even more intense, Courtney¡¯s logic waspletely overpowered. Having no intention of stopping, Alexander ventured even deeper, as if he had decided to show her that there was no barrier in his love for her and that they could unite as one. It was like the poem ¡®How Does Love Speak¡¯: How does Love speak? In the wild words that uttered seem so weak They shrink ashamed in silence; in the fire nce strikes with nce, swift shing high and higher, Like lightnings that precede the mighty storm, And in the convulsive rapture of a kiss¡ª Thus doth Love speak. As shey on the bed, Courtney¡¯s slender waist was arched, like a tensed spring about to be released. Alexander¡¯s passionate attacks made her delirious, as if she had entered into a heavenly realm. Her hands gripped the bed beneath as she felt the waves of arousal rising¡ªsomething of the likes that she had never felt before. However, this was clearly not enough for her. She wanted more. Alexander raised his head and parted her legs with his hands, revealing herpletely under the dim, yellow lights from the ceiling. Her allure and attractiveness almost made Alexander see stars. As his lower abdomen tensed, his manhood proudly stood at attention. ¡°Courtney.¡± His voice, full of yearning, came from above her. Courtney squinted her eyes. As soon as she opened her mouth, she moaned immediately. ¡°Give it to me.¡± He needed her to be at least as proactive as him to confirm that she treated him as importantly as he treated her. Biting her lips, Courtney blushed shyly. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she nodded gently. A few momentster, Alexander¡¯s low grunts could be heard in the room and he was not holding himself back anymore. It was the sound of pleasure that had been suppressed for a long time, yet he had not reached the climax. Back when she was together with him, Courtney seldom did anything like this, so she did not have much technique. However, this aroused him even more. Alexander¡¯s face was also flushed red and in no time, he could not hold himself back any longer. He pulled Courtney up to flip her around and entered her from behind. Courtney yelped immediately. After the initial pain wore off, waves of pleasure rolled within her. Alexander¡¯s actions became increasingly rough with their current position and his frequency had definitely increased. Meanwhile, the bed creaked continuously, as though it was about to break any moment. Courtney buried her face into the pillow. Before she reached the climax, she was still thinking, I didn¡¯t drink anything tonight, but why do I feel drunk? Alexander had his way with her for the entire night, using the entire box of Durex. It was only when the first ray of sunlight entered the room that he finally parted with her body. Courtney was so tired that she immediately fell unconscious. Alexander hugged her in his arms tightly and continued kissing her as if she was an invaluable treasure. Finally, he had confirmed Courtney¡¯s feelings toward him. Hence, no matter for what reason she rejected him, or if it was because of some grudges, Alexander was confident they could ovee it. He had already filled the bathtub with warm water. After cing Courtney in it, he came out to look for a new set of pyjamas. The rm clock by the bed showed that it was half past seven right now¡ªmorning had arrived. Suddenly, the phone rang. Alexander turned around from the wardrobe and looked to the bed. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Mr. Duncan?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good morning, I¡¯m the branch manager of DAY Jewelry Store of the Melrose Branch. You and your friend Mr. Langley ordered a diamond ring at our store. Do you still remember?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Thing is, we¡¯ve found the relevant records about the ne you asked about back then. Around six months ago, ady brought the ne over and asked about it.¡± ¡°Have you found out who she is?¡± ¡°She only left her phone number. Herst name is Hunter.¡± Chapter 261 One Night Surprise Chapter 261 Chapter 261 Mommy, What¡¯s Wrong With Your Lips? ¡°ording to the previous branch manager, thedy is in her early twenties and very beautiful. She brought the ne over to ask for the identity of the person who ordered it in our store.¡± The branch manager¡¯s voice came clearly over the line. It was like a jolt of shock to Alexander, waking him up immediately. He had a woman named Hunter right next to him, so he could not help thinking about her. However, he quickly eliminated the possibility. Six years ago, I had no interaction with Courtney whatsoever. How could the ne end up with her? As he denied his guess, some memories flickered in his mind. All this while, he suspected that the ne was lost by the surrogate woman during that night six years ago. However, his previous butler, Louis vehemently denied it. ording to him, he already asked the woman but it was not with her. After Louis returned from the hospital with Jordan, he resigned immediately. When Alexander asked Josh to investigate this matter, they found out that Louis died in an ident. Apart from that, from the obstacles they faced when they looked into the surrogate woman, he knew that Louis must be hiding something about the surrogacy back then. Flocks of birds flew past the window and the cerulean blue sky of Melrose City looked alive on this day. Looking out the window, Alexander was deep in thought. Then, he tapped his slender fingers on the phone. ¡°Head over to the ancestral home and ask Harry for the list of employees who worked with Louis back then. Look them up one by one and ask them about the surrogacy; you can pressure, force, or coerce them¡ªdo whatever to get the job done.¡± On the other end of the line, Josh was stunned for a moment before returning to his senses. ¡°Understood; consider it done.¡± ¡°Good.¡± After he hung up the phone, Alexander took his pajamas and walked into the bathroom. If there was something up with surrogate, what would it take to make Louis¡ªan experienced butler in our family¡ªsuddenly resign? Seeing Courtney, who was fast asleep in the bathtub, Alexander suddenly had a wild thought. It only lasted for a moment before he warded it off simply because of the sheer absurdity. Courtney slept until noon before waking up. When she woke up, it was rtively lively outside. Jordan and Tina were both watching the television in the living room. Tina wanted to watch Shay¡¯s live concert rey but Jordan did not allow it and switched channels when she was distracted. Hence, the both of them quarreled and fought in the living room. Oliver was nowhere to be seen, but Alexander was cooking in the kitchen. Did the sun rise from the west today? Courtney ruffled her messy hair as she stood by the bedroom door for a while, still looking quite sleepy. ¡°Mommy, why did you just wake up? You sleepyhead!¡± Tina ran to her and appraised her curiously. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your lips, Mommy?¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney froze for a moment before covering her lips with her hands right after she returned to her senses. In a muffled voice, she said, ¡°Uh¡­ I identally knocked the cab yesterday, so it¡¯s swollen.¡± ¡°What? Does it hurt? Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡± Tina grabbed Courtney¡¯s pants, wanting to leave then and there. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Courtney looked extremely embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯ll just rest and drink more water. You guys continue to have fun among yourselves.¡± With that, Courtney avoided both kids and entered the kitchen. Initially, she was just nning to have a ss of water. However, right after she entered, Alexander looked at her meaningfully. ¡°Your lips have be swollen due to the knock? Let me see if it¡¯s serious.¡± With that, he took a few steps closer to Courtney, who quickly retreated while blushing. Face flushed, she mumbled in a low voice, ¡°Stay away from me.¡± ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Alexander wrapped his huge hands around her waist and pulled her to his chest. ¡°What kind of cab can make your lips swell to this extent? Why don¡¯t we remove it?¡± ¡°Are you done?¡± Furious, Courtney struggled to get out of his embrace and punched him hard. ¡°Stop taking further advantage of me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the only one who took advantage, am I?¡± ¡°Hey¡ª¡± Courtney raised her voice. Tina¡¯s voice immediately rang from the living room. ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°N-Nothing.¡± Courtney quickly exined. ¡°I¡¯m pouring some tea.¡± When she turned around, she red at Alexander and warned him, ¡°You better pretend as though nothing happenedst night.¡± Just as Alexander was about to speak, she cut him off, ¡°Don¡¯t ask me anything. I haven¡¯t sorted out my thoughts and I need some time to digest what happenedst night. If you still want to stay here, you¡¯d better shut it.¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Alexander stayed silent for a moment, looking as though he wanted to say something. ¡°What¡¯s with that expression?¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m being unreasonable?¡± Alexander arched his eyebrows slightly as he said in a low voice, ¡°I just wanted to ask you¡ªdo you want a sunny side-up?¡± As soon as she heard that, Courtney¡¯s expression immediately changed and she felt as though the air was closing in on her. ¡°Ahem¡­ A-Anything goes.¡± With that, she poured a ss of water before quickly leaving. As Alexander watched her leave hastily, the amused expression in his eyes deepened. If she wants to take it slow and think it through, so be it. I have all the time in the world to wait for her. Since the interaction between them was about the same as before, it was only a matter of confirming their rtionship. Hence, he did not care about that. Sometimes, Alexander even suspected Courtney liked the feeling of a secretive rtionship. If so, he did not mind indulging her for a while. But only for a while. After lunch, Bill requested Courtney to attend a meeting at thepany. Hence, she had to leave both the kids in Alexander¡¯s care. Before she left, she put her card and some cash on the coffee table. ¡°You can bring them along to buy anything else that¡¯s needed.¡± Alexander froze when he saw what she was doing. However, after a short moment, he let it slide. After all, he was the one who said that he was brokest night., so he could only ept this momentarily. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°The pin number for the card is Tina¡¯s birthday.¡± After she finished speaking, Courtney suddenly froze. Then, she told him the number directly, avoiding his eyes the whole time. Truth was, she was quite nervous because when Alexander once asked when Tina¡¯s birthday was, the date she told him was two months in advance. Perhaps he doesn¡¯t remember it anymore. I can only hope for that. ¡°Oh, and Bill probably has some urgent matters to discuss with me, so I¡¯ll have to make a move.¡± With that, Courtney quickly took her bag and walked to the door to put on her shoes. After staring at the money on the table for a while, when Alexander saw the card, he quietly repeated the pin that Courtney told him just now. However, he immediately frowned and raised his head to look at her back after she hastily turned around. ¡°Tina¡¯s birthday is in March? I remember you told me it¡¯s in January,¡± he asked, feeling perplexed. Courtney¡¯s body slightly froze as blood drained from her face. ¡°Really? Didn¡¯t I say it¡¯s in March?¡± With her back to Alexander, Courtney tried to conceal her difort. ¡°No. You said it was January.¡± Then, she heard Alexander walking toward her. ¡°I-Is that so?¡± Courtney could hear her own voice trembling. ¡°Why don¡¯t I remember that? When did that happen? You probably remembered it wrong.¡± Alexander was already standing right behind her. ¡°Impossible. You clearly told me it was January. Jordan¡¯s birthday is also in March, so if you told me that Tina¡¯s birthday is in March, I would surely remember because the date you just mentioned is the same day as Jordan¡¯s birthday.¡± Chapter 262 One Night Surprise Chapter 262 Chapter 262 Malicious Rumors Once Alexander¡¯s question reached her ears, Courtney clenched her fists tightly. As her fingernails sank into her palms, she tried to calm herself down. However, she knew that once she opened her mouth, her trembling voice would betray her. ¡°I¡¯m relieved.¡± Alexander suddenly chuckled. ¡°Seems like you have always been very vignt toward outsiders.¡± Courtney froze and looked at him without thinking. After seeing the teasing look on his face, she finally heaved a sigh of relief. She avoided his gaze and spoke in a low voice. ¡°Yeah. Back then, I still didn¡¯t know you well; of course I couldn¡¯t tell you everything.¡± ¡°It might rain today. Remember to bring an umbre along.¡± With that, Alexander took an umbre from the umbre stand and passed it to her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Courtney lowered her head and pursed her lips. She still felt the lingering fear left behind from their encounter just now. After walking out of her house, her heart continued to thump non-stop. She had a feeling that if she did note clean with Alexander, based on his intelligence, he would quickly find out the truth. What might happen by then, she simply could not predict. The reason Bill suddenly rang Courtney up was because of Sakura Group¡¯s bid. During the past two days, there was a sudden surge of rumors online about Courtney being the sole legal inheritor of the Hunter Group. They also said that she received a huge amount of inheritance from Lucian and a huge part of it came from the loopholes of the Hunter Group¡¯s finances. Hence, it was equivalent to Lucian using a legal yet hical method to transfer the inheritance to her. The Hunter Group was an immense corporation that had thousands of employees. When it suddenly stopped all its operations, many people had to sit around and wait. Because of the auditing process, not a single cent of the wages was paid even after two months. The blue cor workers were not alone in creating a scene at the building site¡ªeven the white cor workers who were in the office could not hold it in anymore. Once the rumor spread, everyone followed the trend and bashed Courtney alone. Fortunately, Citron Apparel had not been affected yet. In the conference room on the second floor of Citron Apparel, Courtney zoned out as she looked at the maple leaves outside the window. The voices that rang beside her simply blew past her ears like a gust of wind. ¡°Based on the recent rumors online, we need to discuss with the relevant social media tform to immediately block the content. Otherwise, at this critical time, it might easily affect Sakura Group¡¯s vote for us. We have to take immediate action now.¡± As thepany had been formed not long ago, the PR manager, Lionel Greenwood seemed to be waiting for a long time for an opportunity for him to shine. Fortunately for him, it had now arrived. He looked quite excited and pumped up at this moment, and he was the first person to discover the malicious rumors about Courtney online. ¡°What do you think, Miss Hunter?¡± After Kai¡¯s voice rang in the conference room, Courtney finally returned to her senses. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What?¡± She looked slightly confused. After all, she had been brooding on the incident that just happened at her house, so she had not been listening to the meeting attentively. Bill, who was seated to her left, reminded her about their discussion when he saw her nk look. ¡°Mr. Greenwood¡¯s suggestion was to quickly suppress the rumors before theizens could look it up, so that it won¡¯t affect the bid of Sakura Group. However, I think that if we use social media tforms to censor rted topics, it might cause a rebound and show that we are guilty.¡± Bill had spoken just in time, effectively reminding all of them about the incident. But all in all, it merely seemed as though Bill added some of his thoughts into it. Courtney understood what he meant and focused on the issue right at hand. ¡°That¡¯s right. We can¡¯t just solve this problem using social media alone; we need standard operating procedures of our own. It¡¯s impossible to block the current tsunami, so we have to think of ways to divert it.¡± With that, they brainstormed for the next five minutes. Since Lionel Greenwood was quite young, he was quite quick in offering a suggestion. ¡°Miss Hunter, how about this¡ªlet social media block some vague rumors that seemed likely and leave the most outrageous and ridiculous parts be?¡± When he said that, everyone was confused at first. However, they quickly understood what he meant. Lionel¡¯s ns were to achieve the opposite effect by over-exaggerating the current situation. Most of the stories thatizens would believe would be average stories that seemed very likely to be true, even though the exnation seemed ridiculous and did not bring upon a huge impact. It would be better if they would just release a huge ¡®bomb¡¯ online to catch people¡¯s attention for them to discuss. When the malicious rumors went too far, the average person who could think straight would not believe them anymore. Lionel¡¯s n was approved unanimously by everyone in the meeting. After the meeting ended, Courtney went back to her office. Her newly hired assistant, Natasha, followed behind her to send some documents that required her signature to her office. Then, she also put an invitation card on Courtney¡¯s desk. ¡°Miss Hunter, we just received it this morning¡ªit¡¯s an invitation from AW Group for the beer-tasting session at the end of the month.¡± The light blue invitation card had the characters ¡®AW¡¯ printed on it in cursive. If Natasha did not rify that this was an invitation for a beer-tasting session, Courtney might have mistaken it for a wedding invitation. ¡°Who sent it?¡± ¡°President Lewis¡¯ assistant.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney froze. Casey is pretty free, huh? He even asked his assistant to personally send the invitation card over. Seems like his life has been pretty good. After she opened the invitation, she saw a few brief words written elegantly with a fountain-pen. ¡®The more Shay wants you toe, the more I don¡¯t want you to appear. ¡ªCasey¡¯ Courtneyughed out loud. Perplexed by Courtney¡¯s reaction, Natasha looked confused. ¡°Will you be attending, Miss Hunter?¡± ¡°Of course I will.¡± Courtney closed the card and ced it aside with her eyebrows arched. ¡°Since he has already invited me so earnestly, it would reflect badly on me if I don¡¯t attend.¡± Even if I don¡¯t make friends with the elites from our industry, it¡¯s interesting enough to annoy Casey. Since Citrus Apparel had just been formed, she had to personally close the sales and coboration with otherpanies. Apart from the orders from Sakura Group, Courtney also nned to have a discussion with Casey. After all, he had plenty of resources in the business. After her assistant left, Bill knocked on the door and entered immediately. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°About the malicious rumors online¡ªdon¡¯t you think that it¡¯s too much of a coincidence?¡± Bill ced a stack of newly printed designs on Courtney¡¯s table. ¡°Look at this. Oliver just sent it to my email.¡± After looking at them, Courtney immediately frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t this your earlier design? Wait¡­ Isn¡¯t this ¡ª?¡± ¡°It¡¯s 70% simr to the designs we sent to the Sakura Group. If they made their samples ording to the designs, their samples would be pretty much the same as the ones we just sent over.¡± ¡°Whichpany is this?¡± Courtney took a deep breath with a grave expression on her face. ¡°This is giarism.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have any evidence and they seemed to have sent it to the Sakura Group earlier than us. It¡¯s Ivory Apparel,¡± Bill exined darkly. Ivory Apparel and Designs was one of the top three clothing stores in Melrose City that specialized in online marketing. This time around, they also joined the bid for Sakura Group. Their mostmon tactic was to hire talented people from smallpanies and copy their ideas. Since the small companies could not afford to offend them, they could only stay quiet and suck it up. ¡°They have their eyes on us this time around?¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°You were introduced to Sakura Group by the chief editor of Vivi Magazine. Citrus Apparel is only an unknown small business. Strictly speaking, we are no more than a workshop, yet we have the capabilities to join the bid this time. Hence, they are quite defensive of us.¡± Chapter 263 One Night Surprise Chapter 263 Chapter 263 Betrayer ¡°From Ivory Apparel¡¯s perspective, they want to nip all uprising and potentialpetitors in the bud. Once those small businesses make it big, they will hinder Ivory Apparel¡¯s progress,¡± Bill said with a grave expression on his face. This was the harsh reality of the business industry. ¡°How long can Mr. Greenwood¡¯s PR solutionst?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Bill would never give vague answers. If he was unsure about something, he would say ¡®no idea¡¯ directly. Before they could think of the next steps to solve this incident, someone from the PR department arrived. ¡°Miss Hunter, there¡¯s bad news. We are in trouble now¡ªsomeone published a long article online that has gone viral. They even found out that you are the boss of Citrus Apparel.¡± Courtney immediately stood up. This happened right after our meeting. Just like what Bill said¡ªit¡¯s too much of a coincidence. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Hence, they held an emergency meeting immediately. The headline of the article was ¡®All you need to know about the inheritor of Hunter Group, Courtney Hunter¡¯s new business¡¯. It was published on Facebook by a famous page with millions of followers. Within one afternoon, the article appeared on the trending page. It revolved around three points, the first being the most ostentatious one¡ªthe suicide of the employee who jumped from the top floor of the Hunter Group headquarters. The second was the massive retrenchment and temporary unemployment of thousands of employees because of some finance loopholes in the Hunter Group. The third was the conclusion drawn from the two points above with rtively harsh and rude descriptions. The me was pushed entirely to Courtney; as she was Lucian¡¯s daughter, she got the most amount of private inheritance from him that was built on others¡¯ misfortunes. Even though the article seemed logical and urate, it did not even touch on the key points. It just combined all the rumors online and formed an evenrger rumor. On top of that, it even fabricated a false rumor of Lucian transferring all his money and assets to Citrus Apparel, thepany that Courtney was managing right now. It clearly discussed Citrus Apparel and Courtney¡¯s rtion with it. ¡°Found it.¡± Summers, who was in the IT department, raised his head and reported solemnly, ¡°The article¡¯s IP address is not far from us. It¡¯s Ivory Apparel indeed.¡± Courtney and Bill exchanged nces. Sure enough, it¡¯s them. The PR Manager, Lionel, had obviously realized how serious this matter was. He nched as he said, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. I didn¡¯t resolve this incident earlier even though I said I will get the facts out before them. In the end, they still took the lead.¡± Courtney nced at him profoundly. ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself¡ªit¡¯s not your fault. Right now we should think about how to resolve this. I¡¯m afraid everyone has to stay back tonight to think of the way out.¡± In this era where information and data dominated everything, it was more than easy to make a small company go bankrupt. Hence, when they first started thepany, Courtney immediately set up a public rtions department. Even though Lionel did not have the required experience and capability, she believed that the incidents they faced would quickly shape him. She did not mind spending money and effort in training talents. However, she was worried about internal betrayers. Courtney¡¯s gaze fell on the person next to Lionel¡ªthe administrative manager, Martin Brooks. ¡°Mr. Greenwood, first you should write a proper document that rifies the entire situation. Get it stamped and published online. Then, control the direction of the online conversations. Notify all reporters from different newspanies that we are nning to hold a public press conference to rify everything that has been going on recently.¡± Courtney gave a few orders about the emergency measures to Lionel, who nodded profusely, not daring to neglect any of them. When everyone was treating this incident seriously, only Martin looked like he was in a daze. ¡°Everyone, stop everything you are doing right now and think about how to resolve this incident. Those whoe up with a good idea will be rewarded.¡± It was a long meeting and everyone involved thought long and hard about the adequate measures. However, Martin was the only person who looked nervous. Half an hour into the meeting, he could not stay seated anymore and stood up. ¡°Mr. Brooks, where are you going?¡± ¡°To the washroom. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Martin looked slightly off. Seeing his leaving figure, Courtney tapped on the keyboard on her phone and sent a message. ¡®Martin is going out now. Keep an eye on him.¡¯ The other person replied immediately, ¡®Got it.¡¯ Within the headquarters of Life Entertainment Media, in the office of the chief editor, a woman was apologizing profusely on the phone. Even though she was already in her fifties, she took good care of her appearance and only looked like she was in her mid-thirties. ¡°Yes; I got it. I¡¯ll ask them to take it down immediately. Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Somerfield. This incident originates from the entertainment department. I really didn¡¯t notice it. You have to keep in mind that we have hundreds of news going on every day.¡± She heard the voice at the other end replying to her. ¡°No, no; I¡¯m not trying to shirk my responsibility. Don¡¯t worry; we will definitely check the fake news strictly and we will take the news down immediately.¡± Nevertheless, the voice on the other end continued speaking. After she hung up the phone, the chief editor¡¯s face darkened. When she raised her head and saw her assistant standing like a statue in front of her, anger suddenly surged within her. ¡°Who the hell is this Courtney Hunter? It¡¯s just some small news, yet so many people called in rtion to this. Do you know how many calls I¡¯ve picked up this morning?¡± Ever since Courtney¡¯s news made the headlines, as the biggest news media in the country, Life Entertainment Media had been receiving calls non-stop. Usually, the chief editor need not entertain these calls, but the people who called today were so important that she had to answer their calls personally. The former president of Sunhill Enterprise and the only son of the Duncan Family, Alexander Duncan, immediately called the mediapany to question them. Right after him was Casey Lewis, the president of AW Group and the chief editor of the famous fashion magazine, Vivi Magazine. Apart from that, even the wife of the former chief of Tax Bureau rang her up with an unfriendly tone. Her male assistant looked uneasy as he reported in a low voice, ¡°Based on the documents, she¡¯s the youngdy of the Hunter Group but she¡¯s not popr. For many years, she has been living abroad alone. Apart from that, the Hunter Group is facing bankruptcy now, so where does she have all these connections? Even President Duncan from Sunhill Enterprise also stood up for her.¡± ¡°Stood up for her?¡± The chief editor¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Would you call Alexander Duncan¡¯s actions ¡®standing up for her¡¯? If there wasn¡¯t a phone between us, he would be stepping on my face! Apart from that, how did she have connections with people from the Tax Bureau? She even knows Mr. Somerfield, who just returned to Kyoto!¡± The chief editor¡¯s assistant also did not understand what was going on. ¡°Do we still take the news down?¡± he asked tentatively. ¡°Take it down?¡± The chief editorughed coldly. ¡°Of course we are taking it down, but we are only doing that tonight, when it has reached the peak of its poprity. When that timees, even after we take it down, we would have achieved the greatest publicity; the rest can only pick up our remnants. Also, send some people to follow Courtney Hunter and find out more about her. What exactly is her background that makes her so powerful?¡± ¡°Noted.¡± Her assistant could sense a huge gossip pieceing up. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange for some reporters to follow up on this.¡± The entertainment department of Life Entertainment Media was famous for not sumbing to power. Every time when people called toin, they would oblige through the phone but it did not affect the way they handled things. No matter what, the higher-ups of the mediapany would protect them if anything happened. Chapter 264 One Night Surprise Chapter 264 Chapter 264 Are We Sharing a Room Tonight? After an entire night of discussion about the PR measures to be taken, the rumors online seemed to take a turn for the better after thepany posted the public disimer online. They worked overtime right till midnight before everyone from Citrus Apparel finally called it a day. Courtney walked down the stairs with Bill, only to find that Oliver had been waiting for her for a long time. When Bill saw Oliver, he nodded as a form of greeting. Then, he told Courtney, ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave now. Take care.¡± ¡°Okay. Thanks for all the hard work.¡± ¡°No worries. I would suggest you to be more careful these few days. Ask people to apany you when you go out, because cyberbullying is not something trivial.¡± After all, Bill had experienced these personally, so he felt worried for Courtney, as though he was the victim as well. Courtney nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± When she reached home, the lights in the living room were still on but the entire house was quiet. After she opened the door, Alexander walked out of the kids bedroom. ¡°They¡¯re both asleep?¡± Courtney asked without thinking. ¡°Yes.¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°Has everything been resolved?¡± ¡°You knew what happened?¡± Courtney put her bag down and took off her shoes before going to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of tea. Even Alexander¡ªwho never goes online¡ªknows about this, which means that it¡¯s quite a big incident. ¡°Truth is, it¡¯s hard to not know about it. I heard that the blue cor workers of the Hunter Group are making a fuss again. The Hunter Group is only a street away from Sunhill Enterprise, so of course he knows about it,¡± Oliver replied for Alexander as he sat on the couch. After shooting Oliver a nce, Alexander followed Courtney into the kitchen to help her out. They poured three cups of tea and ced them on the coffee table before they all sat down. ¡°How did your investigation go?¡± Alexander asked as he looked straight at Oliver. Upon seeing that, Oliver immediately frowned. ¡°What investigation? How did you know that I¡¯m looking into it?¡± ¡°Right after you guys submitted the documents for the bid for Sakura Group, someone unleashed malicious rumors about Courtney immediately. After you controlled the direction of the conversation, someone else immediately revealed the rtionship between Courtney, Citrus Apparel, and Hunter Group. It¡¯s too far-fetched to say that this is a coincidence.¡± Alexander was a smart person¡ªof course he could deduce this. ¡°Since you are so smart and you thought about all this, why didn¡¯t you remind Courtney beforehand?¡± Oliver looked at him sideways, waiting to see how Alexander would defend himself. ¡°Even if you stop them from making a scene out of this incident, you won¡¯t be able to prevent everything else. It¡¯s better to take the swift blow and get into incidents like these at the start of the businesspared to encountering them after you have already stabilized.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just say that we will win when we have nothing else to lose?¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Rather than wasting time ying word games, why don¡¯t you just tell us what you found out?¡± Sure enough, Alexander had the power to bring them back to his main focus in just a few words. Even though Oliver was not happy about it, he knew that it was not the time to throw a fit. Hence, he announced seriously, ¡°When Courtney sent the message to me, I was already at the door of the conference room and I already bugged the washroom. This is the recording of Martin¡¯s end of the conversation.¡± With that, Oliver ced an USB drive on the table. ¡°Based on the signals, we pieced together what the other person said to Martin and the match is more than 90%.¡± ¡°Just tell us directly¡ªwhat is the problem?¡± Courtney did not bother to listen to the recording as they were short on time. She did not have the luxury topare and deduce the conversation, and she trusted Oliver¡¯s professional capabilities in this field. ¡°It is confirmed that Martin is someone from Ivory Apparel. If my guess is correct, he revealed Bill¡¯s designs to Ivory Apparel right from the beginning. I guess he wanted to leave for a long time but there are two possibilities as to why he is still staying with us.¡± ¡°Which are?¡± Oliver cleared his throat. Just as he was about to unt his professional capabilities of making deductions, Alexander¡¯s low voice rang out beside him. ¡°Either Ivory Apparel asked him to stay at Citrus Apparel to continue to spy on you, or those from Ivory Apparel regretted their promise to him and do not want to honor their initial agreement anymore.¡± ¡°Hey, stop snatching my lines!¡± Oliver red at Alexander angrily. ¡°Are you done yet?¡± ¡°Which is more likely?¡± Courtney ignored Oliver and asked Alexander directly. ¡°Thetter,¡± Alexander exined calmly and clearly. ¡°If Ivory Apparel wants him now, they wouldn¡¯t take such a great risk by asking him to stay on in Citrus Apparel. After all, once you find out about his betrayal, it would be a stain on his professional career and he will have a hard time getting around in this industry.¡± ¡°There¡¯s another possibility,¡± Oliver interjected. ¡°The people at Ivory Apparel are dying the entire process. This shows that he still has value to them, mainly because they still want to use him to spy on Citrus Apparel and they don¡¯t want a person like him to work for them. After all, whichpany wants someone who might betray them at any time?¡± Courtney nodded in agreement. ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°So what are you nning to do next?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°We¡¯ll let Martin be. Since we already know about his identity and Ivory Apparel ns to leave him here, let¡¯s just go with their ns.¡± A sly glint flickered in Courtney¡¯s eyes. ¡°But I need your help on this.¡± Later that night, after Oliver took a shower, he suddenly stopped on his way back to his room. Then, he turned around to look at Alexander, who was still sipping his tea in the living room. With a frown, Oliver asked, ¡°Are we sharing a room tonight?¡± Alexander shot him a look in response. Oliver continued to frown and raised his chin haughtily. ¡°In that case, I¡¯m going to lock the door. When you have nowhere to sleep, don¡¯t even bother knocking. I¡¯m a sound sleeper.¡± With that, he closed the door and locked it with a crack. Alexander continued looking calm and finished his tea before he walked to the master bedroom. Ever since Alexander arrived here, he had no ns to share the same room as Oliver. In the master bedroom, Courtney had already finished showering. Wrapping herself in a white towel, she sat in front of the vanity to put on her skincare. When she heard footsteps approaching, she nced at the door with a mischievous glint in her clear eyes. The round door knob was turned, but it could only move slightly before stopping. The person outside did not seem to believe this and attempted to turn it again. However, the door knob could not be moved. After a while, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Courtney, please open the door.¡± Courtney was happy to hear this. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I want to take the hairdryer.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already ced a new one in the bathroom outside.¡± Then, she deliberately yawned. ¡°I¡¯m tired now so I¡¯ll go ahead and sleep. Goodnight.¡± Without waiting for Alexander¡¯s reply, she turned the lights off by pressing the switch next to her. The room was only illuminated by the yellowmp at the side of her bed, making the room look cosy. Standing outside the door of the master bedroom, Alexander turned his head around mechanically to look at the other room that was also tightly shut. Even if it was not shut, he had no ns to ask Oliver to open the door. After all, it was a huge embarrassment to him. The next morning, Tina¡¯s biological clock woke her up at half-past six. Yawning, she climbed down her bunker bed with her eyes closed. Halfway through, she suddenly realized that something was wrong. Looking at the huge figure sleeping on the bed, she eximed with wide eyes, ¡°Mr. Alexander, why are you sleeping here?¡± Chapter 265 One Night Surprise Chapter 265 Chapter 265 The Anonymous Woman When they were having breakfast, Tina was speaking non-stop. ¡°The bed in our room is very small. Mr. Alexander is so tall that his legs cannot even extendpletely. Plus, Jordan had to squeeze himself into a small ball.¡± Oliver almost choked to death on the porridge in his mouth. Afterughing for a long time, parts of it even came flying out of his nose. Upon seeing this, Tina shied away from him ¡°Eww¡­ Gross, Mr. Oliver!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tina. I didn¡¯t mean to do that. Ha!¡± Courtney also lowered her head as she tried to hold in herughter. She swore that she did not know Oliver would lock Alexander out of the room, and that thetter would sleep in the kids room. After all, the bunker bed was specifically designed for children; at most, it could only hold a twelve or thirteen-year-old. With Alexander¡¯s long limbs, he must have had a hard time sleeping! ¡°Is it that funny?¡± Alexander looked at her darkly. ¡°Last night¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ve finished eating.¡± Worried that he might reveal some inappropriate scenes in front of the kids, Courtney quickly pushed her cutlery aside and took her bag after standing up, finishing the entire action in one go. ¡°I have to head to the office to deal with the incident. After a night of not watching the news, I bet something must be up.¡± With that, she left without a backward look. The door closed with a loud thud and silence resumed in the house once again. After Tina finished her breakfast, she also went back to her room, leaving only Alexander and Oliver at the dining table, looking at each other awkwardly. ¡°You can¡¯t me me. Last night, you yourself said that you would not be sharing a room with me. Hence, I thought you would rather sleep on the couch than to share a room with me. How would I know that you went to sleep with the kids?¡± With an innocent expression on his face, Oliver even winked at Alexander. A vein bulged and twitched at the corner of Alexander¡¯s eyes as he held back his urge of wanting to punch Oliver. After Courtney reached the office, Lionel immediately went to her office to report about the discussion and change in data that happenedst night. ¡°Everything seems to have stabilized now. However, there¡¯s a pause in online data from midnight to five in the morning, so we can¡¯t really analyze this set of data. I¡¯m afraid it will reboundter on. President Hunter, would you like to discuss a backup n?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Courtney looked calm. ¡°We don¡¯t have to hold any meetings anymore. Just get busy with your respective tasks and be well-prepared for the press conferenceter. Before that, do continue with your work.¡± As she was speaking, Bill entered the room. When Courtney saw him, she waved and said, ¡°You came at just the right time. Bill, please close the door behind you¡ªI have something to discuss with both of you.¡± Bill shot a nce behind him and saw a figure quickly hide behind the door. With a cold expression on his face, he frowned as he retracted his gaze and closed the door. ¡°Courtney is nning to tell the media that she has broken off all ties with Lucian Hunter early in the days. Apart from that, she ns to take her father¡¯s will out to clear the air and rify that she has nothing to do with the Hunter Group.¡± In the washroom, Martin locked the door and reported the PR solution he secretly overheard just now to the person on the other end of the line. ¡°Alright; understood. Good job.¡± ¡°Vice-president Greene, I¡¯ve even gotten their final trump card; can I leave here now?¡± ¡°Be patient.¡± The tone on the other end was quite indifferent. ¡°This is only the beginning. Let¡¯s wait until the press conference in the afternoon is over.¡± Upon hearing that, Martin panicked. ¡°No, Vice-president Greene! I can¡¯t wait until the press conference is over. You surely won¡¯t let the press conference be carried out smoothly, will you? If I leave after Citrus Apparel is over, what would others think of me?¡± ¡°Since they are going bankrupt soon, it¡¯s only appropriate that you leave after that.¡± ¡°No; it¡¯s not like that at all. Hear me out, Vice-president Greene¡ª¡± ¡°Alright; that¡¯s all for now. I have other things to do.¡± ¡°Hello? Vice-president Greene¡ª¡± Without waiting for Martin¡¯s reply, the other person had already hung up. Looking at the screen that showed the details of their call, Martin scratched his head anxiously and he had the sudden urge to break the mirror in front of him. After all, he was not a fool. Based on the attitude of Vice-president Greene of Ivory Apparel, he highly suspected that they were not nning to uphold the initial promise. In the afternoon, Josh took some time off from the office to go to a restaurant. When he saw Alexander eating with the two kids, he did a double take. ¡°President Duncan, you can just give me orders through the phone. Why do you need toe here personally?¡± ¡°The kids want to try out this restaurant. Since this is near your ce, I asked you toe over.¡± Josh was stunned by Alexander¡¯s reply. It seems like he isn¡¯t here for me at all. He¡¯s just here for a meal and merely asked me toe over. ¡°About the press conference in the afternoon¡ªhow¡¯s the manpower arrangementsing along?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already made the relevant arrangements.¡± Josh patted his chest. ¡°They are all professional boxers who will be able to manage the situation well. If someone dares to start a fight, they are definitely going to be seriously injured.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°By the way, about the incident you asked me to look up, we are making some good progress.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Six years ago, there were only a few fighters working with Louis. I found two of them who are working as gym instructors at the moment. They said that on the night of June 18 that year, they were looking for someone at the bar.¡± ¡°Looking for someone?¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze deepened. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°A woman.¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. Josh lowered his voice. However, he did not notice Tina, who was biting on a drumstick, slow down as she listened attentively. ¡°They said that Louis asked them to look for this woman. Then, they drugged her and blindfolded her before they sent her to a suite at Sunhill Hotel, Golden City Road branch. Alexander clearly recalled the night six years ago. He had had a little alcohol that night and he did not switch on the lights at all. He did not bother to see what the surrogate woman looked like and the woman seemed to be blindfolded as well. From her enthusiasm, it was clear that she was drugged. ¡°But they said that they did not find the woman after looking for her for the entire night.¡± Josh¡¯s voice pulled Alexander back to reality. ¡°What?¡± A shocked expression appeared in his eyes. During that night six years ago, Louis did not send the surrogate woman to the arranged hotel room. However, Alexander did sleep with a woman that night. Not long after that, Louis reported that the woman was indeed pregnant and eight monthster, he brought a baby boy back. Looking at Alexander, Josh continued, ¡°I asked them several times¡ªboth the bodyguards were sure that they did not find the girl that day. In fact, everyone was looking for her. They looked through the entire street the bar was at and when dawn arrived, Louis suddenly told them they didn¡¯t have to look anymore.What is even more odd is that a monthter, he asked them to kidnap a youngdy who was about to abort her baby.¡± After putting the clues together, Alexander could guess what had exactly happened back then. The real surrogate woman did not appear that night for some reason. The woman who appeared in his room, however, was an anonymous woman mistakenly sent in by someone else. No wonder¡­ Chapter 266 One Night Surprise Chapter 266 Chapter 266 Unreasonable No wonder the woman that night kept calling another person¡¯s name. Because of Louis¡¯ mistake, the woman that night had been changed to another person. After that, he did not want to make a big fuss out of this, so he forced the woman who slept with me to give birth to the child, recing the surrogate woman. Worried that this might be exposed, he changed all the bodyguards around him before he announced that he was going to retire and return to his hometown. After thinking about it, everything became clear at once. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Louis was nning to bring this secret along with him to the grave,¡± Josh said in a heavy tone. ¡°However, I¡¯m not sure who we have offended because of this. Someone found out and went to find out the truth from Louis. Apart from that, they also know that we are suspicious of the incident, so they decided to attack first and kill Louis. It wasn¡¯t an ident.¡± ¡°In simple terms, someone doesn¡¯t want me to know that the surrogate woman has been changed.¡± ¡°The woman back then¡­¡± ¡°Look into it.¡± Alexander frowned and nced at Jordan, who was focused on eating his food, using the corner of his eyes. Then, he lowered his volume as he said, ¡°If necessary, take Jordan¡¯s genes andpare them with the gic bank of Melrose City.¡± The whole incident was not that simple. Initially, Alexander had no interest in Jordan¡¯s biological mother at all and he did not want the woman to appear in front of him ever. However, looking back at the incident now, there were many problems with the surrogate woman being switched. Alexander had to know the entire picture. Josh also realized how serious this issue was, so he quickly nodded. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll look into it immediately.¡± At two in the afternoon, many reporters had already arrived at the press conference held by Citrus Apparel in the Hibiscus Hotel located at the city center. Since many knew about the rtionship between Courtney and Alexander, they came here to dig for more gossip about the both of them. Backstage, Courtney nced through the script that Lionel had prepared for her. There were five minutes left until she would appear on stage. ¡°Madam, I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t enter.¡± ¡°What are you doing? Call the police!¡± A suddenmotion happened at the door of the preparation room. Just when Courtney thought someone was here to ruin the press conference, a familiar woman¡¯s voice rang authoritatively. ¡°I¡¯m here to see President Hunter.¡± Courtney froze before the door was opened the very next second. ¡°Aunt Alicia.¡± In an army green coat, Alicia stood at the door with a scarf elegantly tied around her neck. Even though she was already in her fifties, she looked like she was in her early forties. There were three bodyguards behind her who blocked others so that they would not get closer to her. Obviously angry, she said right after she entered, ¡°Courtney, you don¡¯t have to attend the press conferenceter.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± The script that she had been holding was taken by Alicia immediately. After ncing at it, Alicia threw it into the trash. ¡°It¡¯s useless for you to speak out. The bunch of reporters are shameless fellows. After Lucian died, he can¡¯t even rest in peace knowing that he left such a huge mess for you to clean up. You have to listen to me, Courtney.¡± ¡°Aunt Alicia, this won¡¯t work.¡± Courtney looked at her sullenly. Everything is already well-arranged. Why did she suddenly appear? Is she nning to destroy all my ns? ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you saying that what you say has more weight than mine?¡± As they were arguing, Alexander¡¯s voice rang from outside. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Courtney suddenly felt someone hugging her thighs. When she lowered her head, she saw Tina and Jordan clinging onto her as though they were essories on her leg. hen, Tina raised her head and said sweetly, ¡°Mommy!¡± This is getting even messier. Courtney looked at Alexander helplessly before saying, ¡°Why did you bring them here? I¡¯m not holding a partyter, you know. Why are you guys here?¡± ¡°You silly kid¡ªlet me tell the reporters that Lucian is a useless man who cannot even be considered as your father. You have no rtions with the Hunter Group whatsoever. Don¡¯t you want that?¡± Alicia was a short-tempered person. Seeing her furious demeanour right now, even Courtney did not know how tomunicate with her. ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Aunt Alicia.¡± Courtney felt that she could not exin herself clearly anymore. Alexander motioned for the security guards to clear out the unrted people around them before he closed the door. ¡°Alicia, how about this?¡± Alexander then spoke to Alicia. At the press conference, the reporters sat below the stage. On Citrus Apparel¡¯s side, Courtney sat in the middle, with the PR manager, Lionel and her aunt, Alicia, nking her. Obviously, the reporters were up to no good. Their first question was quite sharp indeed. ¡°Miss Hunter, are you the eldest daughter of Lucian Hunter and the Hunter Group?¡± Courtney nodded in response. ¡°In that case, since you are Lucian¡¯s daughter, no one in the Hunter Family can get away from the incident this time. How could you retreatpletely and even start anotherpany? Is it like the rumors say that Lucian moved his assets to you and your newpany?¡± ¡°Of course not. Not a single cent in my father¡¯s will belongs to me. As for the Hunter Group, I don¡¯t even own any shares. To be honest with you, I have never even entered the offices of the Hunter Group. I¡¯m not rted to them at all.¡± Everyone below the stage was shocked to hear that. The reporter obviously did not believe her, so he continued to ask, ¡°Miss Hunter, you said that you are Lucian¡¯s daughter, yet you have never even entered your father¡¯spany. This is impossible! ording to our understanding, you have plenty of assets under your name. For example, the mansion on Lotus Road is already worth 100 million by now.¡± ¡°Based on insider¡¯s information, that house is aing-of-age present to you.¡± ¡°Since he already gave you a mansion for youring-of-age present, it does not make sense to say that you are not included in his inheritance.¡± ¡°Lucian put the money he invested in properties into his own pocket, resulting in the blue cor workers not able to get their pay right now. Is it because after he knew that he had cancer, he could escape the legal responsibilities by secretly transferring the money to you?¡± Without waiting for Courtney¡¯s reply, the reporters below the stage started to make wild spections that soon spun out of control. ¡°Enough!¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. A sharp and stern voice reverberated throughout the entire conference hall. Next to Courtney, a figure rose, casting a shadow on her. In her peripheral vision, she saw that Alicia mmed her fists on the table as she stood up. ¡°This is a pile of bullsh*t!¡± There was a moment of silence before someone asked, ¡°Who is this?¡± ¡°How can she be so rude?¡± However, the voices soon died down, as Alicia¡¯s voice was powerful enough to stop the discussion. ¡°What do you guys know? As reporters, you don¡¯t even have basic legal knowledge? If you don¡¯t have to take responsibility for illegal transfers of money after you die, the world would be full of people trying to kill their bosses, their parents, and their siblings!¡± Her cold voice pounded through everyone¡¯s eardrums. Once Alicia opened her mouth, she took control of the entire situation. ¡°Let me tell you why Lucian Hunter did not leave even a single cent to his daughter, Courtney. Before this, you have to know that although Courtney is the youngdy of the Hunter Group, she is Lucian¡¯s second daughter. The one who jumped off the building was her step-sister from a different mother, and the one who ran away was her stepmother, not her biological mother.¡± The gossip of a rich family captivated the reporters even more and everyone was silently pumped to hear this news. Chapter 267 One Night Surprise Chapter 267 Chapter 267 A Perfect n? ¡°In your eyes, not only is Courtney Lucian¡¯s daughter, but she is also the Young Lady of the Hunter Family and the legal beneficiary of Hunter Group. However, the prerequisite for enjoying all these titles is the opportunity for her to be treated fairly by the Hunter Family.¡± Alicia¡¯s strong and powerful voice silenced the rest of the reporters at once. ¡°How do you think the Hunter Group was founded? Do you think Lucian built it from scratch? He merely depended on his ex-wife¡¯s family. After his business became sessful, he dumped his wife who stuck with him through thick and thin. On the day that Courtney was born, her mother passed away as she lost a lot of blood during delivery. Use your brains for a moment¡ªhow would a mistress who finally chased the wife away treat Courtney? Courtney has shares in Hunter Group? Just how great do you think humanity is?¡± Hurt and pain were apparent in her voice as she spoke about Courtney¡¯s miserable life, which she had witnessed all those years. From a young age, Courtney was with her grandfather. When he died, she was callously sent to Lucian¡¯s family because Alicia did not want her to be pampered. The harsher the environment, the more her will could be trained. Alicia¡¯s worst fear for Courtney¡ªCecilia¡¯s daughter¡ª was for her to follow in her mother¡¯s footsteps. Hence, she did not want to raise Courtney as a young lady who did not know the harsh realities of the world. Alicia would rather Courtney hate her in the future as long as she knew how to protect herself. After ten years in the Hunter Family, Courtney did not disappoint Alicia at all. She had great achievements¡ªshe managed to enroll in the best medical university in Melrose City. ¡°Apart from having the title as the Second Young Lady of the Hunter Family, she did not experience any treatment that matched the title. Ask yourselves¡ªwhy would you expect a young woman like Courtney, who¡¯s in her twenties, to take responsibility for apany that¡¯s going bankrupt for the people who were never kind to her at all?¡± Upon listening to Alicia¡¯s words, the reporters below the stage awkwardly looked at each other as they were unable to answer the question. Truth be told, not many among them knew about Courtney¡¯s complicated rtionship with the Hunter Family. In fact, they even thought she was Lucian and Susan¡¯s daughter¡ªbased on the pictures that were exposed and her appearance at Anna¡¯s funeral. Everyone took it for granted that Courtney was a pampered youngdy raised in the Hunter Family, which was why everyone thought she had to take responsibility for the Hunter Group. After all, they discovered that she had many assets under her name. Alicia was so furious that her body could not stop trembling. Courtney shot a nce at Alicia¡¯s assistant, who understood what she meant before she helped Alicia down the stage to take a rest. I guess that¡¯s the most Aunt Alicia can help. The rest depends on myself. ¡°You might not know this, but the person who just spoke up for me is Aunt Alicia, my mother¡¯s closest friend and sister-inw. She¡¯s my family.¡± Courtney stood up and looked at the group of reporters below the stage. ¡°Initially, I didn¡¯t even invite her to the press conference today, but you know how much coverage this incident has been receiving, so it alerted her. Well, this is actually a good thing, so I won¡¯t have to exin everything again.¡± ¡°So, are you really unrted to the Hunter Group?¡± a reporter asked amidst the pressure. ¡°However, we heard that Citron Apparel used to be a subsidiary of the Hunter Group.¡± ¡°I guess everyone has investigated the assets under my name. I don¡¯t have any shares in the Hunter Group. As for Citron Apparel, it originally belonged to my mother. Before my father died, he asked me what I wanted from him, so I merely took what belonged to my mother. This isn¡¯t too much, is it?¡± ¡°Miss Hunter, what about the incident when the blue cor workermitted suicide by jumping from the building that housed the Hunter Group? Didn¡¯t you help by saying that you will take responsibility for this incident? If you are really unrted to the Hunter Group, why did you rush over there to save him?¡± Courtney froze before looking to the source of the voice. After all, criticisms can never be easily stopped. When the rest of the reporters were talking among themselves, a man wearing a face mask looked at her fiercely with a hint of slyness in his eyes. ¡°President Hunter¡ª¡± The PR Manager, Lionel, wanted to stand up and reply on her behalf. However, Courtney pressed him back. She then looked at the reporter as she replied in a low voice, ¡°Saving a human¡¯s life is more important than anything else. If I don¡¯t try to save him, are you expecting me to watch him fall to his death and happily p after that?¡± Upon hearing her reply, the reporter who questioned her was momentarily stunned. After he heard the people around him agreeing with her, he panicked for a few seconds before regaining hisposure to continue asking the next question. ¡°Since you are such a kind person, Miss Hunter, why don¡¯t you take care of Hunter Group and the blue cor workers? Even though the temperature has been dipping these few days, they have been sitting outside the headquarters of Hunter Group for an entire day while waiting for a reasonable exnation.¡± ¡°Did I say that I¡¯m going to ignore them?¡± Courtney shot a nce at him. ¡°I don¡¯t think I said that, right?¡± The facial expression of the reporter who questioned her immediately changed. Suddenly, everyone around her started to enthusiastically discuss the trending articles. Meanwhile, an article that a popr page posted on Facebook had already been shared millions of times. The news about Courtney helping a blue cor¡¯s daughter who suffered from leukemia swept Facebook like a tide. Because of that, the Hunter Group¡¯s official website announced that the property project, which had previously been suspended, would be resumed once again. The reporters present at the scene started to receive calls from their headquarters¡ªone after another ¡ªwith the news that there was a change in the interview ns. In mere moments, the entire direction of the press conference had changed. ¡°Miss Hunter, are you implying that you are going to deal with the mess left by the Hunter Group? Aren¡¯t you worried that this ck hole will drain all of your money?¡± ¡°Miss Hunter, since the rtionship between you and your father is not that great, why are you still willing to inherit the Hunter Group? Are you doing this purely because of business or kinship¡­¡± Questions after questions were being directed at Courtney. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. In the Ivory Apparel¡¯s vice-president¡¯s office situated at the Melrose City business district, a middle- aged man dressed in a business suit angrily barged into the office. With a loud thud, he threw a newspaper on the vice-president¡¯s desk. ¡°Look at this! This is your so-called ¡®perfect n¡¯!¡± His roar immediately rang in the entire area. The young man wearing a coffee-colored checkered suit and seated behind the office table froze. After reading the contents of the newspaper, his expression immediately changed. ¡°Why is this happening?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be asking you this question?¡± With a dark look on his face, the middle-aged man continued yelling, ¡°What did I tell you? Once we receive the bid from Sakura Group, do not think about taking those illegal routes! If you do it often, you will be caught one day!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± The young man looked anxious. ¡°This is impossible! Martin from Citron Apparel told me that it¡¯s impossible for Courtney to agree to settle the mess left behind by the Hunter Group. Even if he doesn¡¯t tell me that, it¡¯s impossible. Is she crazy? That is¡ª¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look at the people behind her?¡± As his entire body trembled in fury, the middle- aged man pointed his finger at the newspaper. ¡°Clearly have a look at them. Who¡¯s this person sitting next to her? How about that one? Have you really looked into her background? Yet, you dare to y tricks on her! Are you nning to bring the entirepany down?¡± As the young man was still stunned, the middle-aged man¡¯s anxious voice reverberated throughout the entire room. ¡°Alexander Duncan from Sunhill Enterprise, Mrs. Somerfield, President Lewis of AW Group, and the chief editor of Vivi Magazine¡ªthese are the people who are backing her! Apart from that, she has connections abroad that even I myself can¡¯t investigate! Andy Greene, you are digging your own grave!¡± Chapter 268 One Night Surprise Chapter 268 Chapter 268 Willing to Suffer for Her While looking at the picture on the newspaper that a reporter took, Andy recognized a few big shots as his face paled. ¡°What the f*ck is wrong with you? How many times have I told you that a smallpany like theirs is not a threat to us? You don¡¯t have to waste your timeying traps on them!¡± Amidst his brother¡¯s scoldings, Andy looked embarrassed. ¡°I really didn¡¯t know that Courtney has such a powerful background. Britney only told me that she¡¯s Alexander¡¯s ex-girlfriend. I thought that there¡¯s nothing special about Courtney¡ª¡± ¡°Britney?¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s expression immediately changed. ¡°Are you still hooking up with the celebrity? I think you must be out of your mind.¡± Without waiting for Andy¡¯s exnation, he mmed the door and left after saying, ¡°You better take the next two days off to reflect on your wrongdoings at home.¡± With a loud thud, silence fell on the office once again. Andy tore the newspaper on the table into pieces and threw it into the trash. His phone suddenly rang at that moment. After seeing the caller, his face darkened as he immediately epted the call. ¡°You still have the nerve to call me? Haven¡¯t you seen the news?¡± The other end paused for a moment, but her soft and gentle voice soon rang. ¡°Vice-president Greene, you don¡¯t have to be furious. Isn¡¯t it a good thing that you know more about your futurepetitor¡¯s background through this incident?¡± ¡°Good?¡± Andy snorted coldly. ¡°Do I look like an idiot to you? Do you know how my brother yelled at me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if he merely yelled at you. It doesn¡¯t hurt you at all, right? Look at me now¡ªI¡¯m also being scolded by you, but I¡¯m still trying to gently appease you.¡± Upon hearing that, he froze for a moment before his fury slowly subsided. ¡°I¡¯m in a bad mood now. Where are you? I¡¯ll go and pick you up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared everything for you. Let¡¯s meet up at the pub outside Melrose City. I¡¯ll wait for you there.¡± After he hung up on the phone, he lookedpletely different from the moment he answered the call. Grabbing his jacket, he happily left the office without any trace of his sullen look after being yelled at. No matter what, Britney is the number one celebrity in the entertainment industry. In just a few words, she¡¯s able to appease me. Even if I have suffered because of her this time, I¡¯m willing to do so. After the press conference was over, Oliver helped Courtney to fire a few employees who betrayed them; one of them was Martin. Oliver was saving their reputation by asking them to tender their resignation. The incident had caused a fiasco all over Melrose City, yet it was only the beginning. Later in the evening, Courtney invited the people who had helped her out at the press conference for dinner at a nearby restaurant. After the event was over, she personally sent Alicia home. ¡°Courtney, if you want to handle the Hunter Group, I won¡¯t stop you. I know very well that I can¡¯t stop you, but I have to warn you that the Hunter Group is like an empty tree that has been eaten up by termites. The old fellows in the group are all up to no good. After you are there, the first thing you have to do is to throw them out.¡± Alicia gave some advice in the car. From her expression, it was clear that she did not want Courtney to be involved in the messy affairs of the Hunter Group. However, since everything had arrived to that stage, there was no other option to win the people¡¯s hearts back. ¡°I know. I¡¯m not a kid anymore. Don¡¯t worry, Aunt Alicia.¡± Courtney held Alicia¡¯s hands with warmth. ¡°Thanks for helping me out today. Actually, I used to hate you before. I¡¯m very sorry about that.¡± Back then, when her grandfather passed away, Alicia was the person who chased Courtney out of the hospital and dumped all her belongings at the Hunter Family. The harsh look on her face was Courtney¡¯s worst nightmare for years. However, when she recalled the past incidents many yearster, she realized that the person who suffered from the most pain was Alicia herself. Susan¡¯s involvement with Courtney¡¯s parents¡¯ marriage had caused many tragedies¡ªCecilia died from excessive blood loss, Alicia lost her first and only child as well as her chances to have children, and her grandfather died from depression. Even though the culprit behind all that mess was already dead, she still could not forgive the person. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You have nothing to be sorry about.¡± Alicia frowned. ¡°The only people who should be sorry are Lucian and that shameless b*tch. If your mother is as tough as you, perhaps the subsequent incidents might not have happened.¡± The impression that Courtney had was that people would use the adjectives ¡®gentle¡¯ and ¡®kind¡¯ each time they mentioned her mother. However, someone who was gentle and kind was also soft and weak. That was also the reason why her mother could not even handle a single blow. ¡°By the way, have you found that woman?¡± Alicia asked. Courtney shook her face. ¡°Since there aren¡¯t any issues with the Hunter Group¡¯s taxes, the cops are not going to arrest her. Perhaps after some time, when she realizes that the Hunter Group does not have any issues, she might return on her own ord.¡± ¡°That woman is a disaster.¡± At the mention of Susan¡¯s name, Alicia¡¯s face darkened once again. ¡°Aunt Alicia, don¡¯t think too much about her. It¡¯s not worth it to let someone irrelevant affect your mood.¡± The car slowly came to a stop in front of the gates at the vintage mansion built with red bricks. Then, a man¡¯s low voice rang from the driver seat. ¡°We have arrived.¡± Alicia nced outside the window and looked at the back of the driver¡¯s head. She was half-smirking as she said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. Drive carefully on your way home.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Courtney waved to Alicia while watching her aunt leave. After the door was closed, the car started to move again as it left the mansion. All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. Once they arrived home, Oliver stood right at the entrance as soon as the door was opened. He stretched out his hands while hungrily looking at them. ¡°Where¡¯s my food?¡± Courtney and Alexander exchanged looks with each other before she asked in confusion, ¡°What food?¡± Upon hearing that, Oliver immediately red up and answered with a dark face, ¡°My dinner! After the press conference ended, you did not allow me to join the dinner and insisted that I return here to look after the two kids. Where is the dinner that you promised me? I¡¯m starving to death, so please don¡¯t tell me that you have nothing for me!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me that Oliver himself refused to join the dinner?¡± Courtney looked at Alexander. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°I knew that you were up to no good!¡± Oliver immediately turned to re at Alexander angrily. ¡°Alexander Duncan, with me here, I forbid you to enter this house! You don¡¯t even allow me to eat! If you enter, I wonder what might happen in the future!¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Alexander looked at Oliver. ¡°During dinner, Josh found a penultimate university student from the Public Security University in Campus City who¡¯s helping with the security tasks. He also invited students who are studying Data Mining and Countersurveince¡ª¡± Upon hearing that, Oliver¡¯s expression immediately changed as he interrupted, ¡°I¡¯m just joking. I myself didn¡¯t want to join the dinner.¡± With that, Courtney looked at him in confusion. ¡°Why did you change your expression so quickly?¡± In embarrassment, he replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just cracking a joke because I¡¯m dying from boredom.¡± While they were speaking, Alexander had already changed his shoes at the entrance. When he walked past both of them, he threw a bag into Oliver¡¯s arms before he headed to the living room. Oliver froze before he lowered his head to look at the bag¡ªit contained takeaways of various dishes. Chapter 269 One Night Surprise Chapter 269 Chapter 269 You Seduced Me First He has clearly brought food home for me, but he chooses not to clearly express himself. I¡¯ve had enough of him. Oliver slightly pouted andined in his heart, but there was a warm look in his eyes as he saw the scrumptious food in front of him. As night had already fallen in Melrose City, the cityscape wlessly merged with dusk as various lights shone in the background. After Courtney took a shower, she froze when she saw the uninvited guest after she walked out of her bathroom. Damn, how can I forget to lock the door? As there were many matters to deal with during the day, her brain and body had been working tirelessly. Hence, right after she returned home, she immediately entered the bathroom to take a shower whilepletely forgetting about guarding against Alexander. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Sitting on the couch near the French windows by the balcony, Alexander had ¡®The Brief History of Time¡¯ in his hands; the book was Courtney¡¯s bedtime reading material. He raised his head and closed the book. Without replying to her question, he stated, ¡°Nice choice of bedtime books.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not what you thought. I chose this book because I¡¯m able to fall asleep while reading it.¡± Courtney crossed her arms as she kept a safe distance¡ªthe equivalent of almost the length of a bed¡ª from Alexander. ¡°In my opinion, instead of looking at my bedtime books, you should knock on Oliver¡¯s door while he¡¯s still awake. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have to sleep with Jordan again.¡± He raised his eyebrows. ¡°I haven¡¯t even showered yet.¡± ¡°Then, go ahead. There¡¯s a bathroom outside.¡± ¡°The shower head is broken. There¡¯s no water.¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± Courtney red at him. ¡°Well, see it for yourself if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Without arguing with her, he ced the book back on the shelf and stood up. ¡°Fine.¡± I don¡¯t believe that the showerhead breaks down just like this. Oliver has been staying here for so long and he often uses the bathroom outside. Nothing has ever broken down there. Five minutester, Courtney looked at the water dripping from the shower head with a frown on her face. ¡°See, I¡¯m not lying to you.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice rang from behind her. ¡°I-I-In that case, you can take a shower in my room. But after that, get your *ss out of there immediately.¡± Without any other option, Courtney closed the tap and returned the shower head to its original position. ¡°If you are home tomorrow, remember to call the property agent to ask them to fix it.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Alexander decisively agreed with a nce at the tap on the edge of the wall from the corner of his eyes. A trace of glee and slyness flickered in his eyes. The master bedroom was serene. As she sat on the couch, she flipped through ¡®A Brief History of Time¡¯ in boredom. Apart from the sound of water sshing around from the bathroom, there were no other sounds in the bedroom. The physics knowledge in the book was rather dry, so she became even more bored after looking at it for a while. Then, she simply took a medicinal book from the shelf to revise what she had studied in university. After opening the book, she wistfully looked at the notes she made in the past. If it weren¡¯t for that ident, I would have be a doctor in a hospital by now. A slight glint of light peeked through from the slit of the door as a small hand quietly opened the door. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Courtney raised her head from the book and saw Tina looking at her with a pair of bright eyes. She was in her pink strawberry pajamas. ¡°Tina?¡± Courtney was shocked to see her. ¡°Why are you still awake?¡± Tina ran to her with fluttering eyelids. ¡°I¡¯m so tired, but I have something to tell you, Mommy.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Courtney felt slightly amused. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you dreamed of me promising to bring you to the yground again? Are youing to hoodwink me again?¡± A pouting Tina said, ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s a serious matter this time.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°When I went out for lunch with Mr. Alexander, he asked Josh to look for Jordan¡¯s mom. Is that you, Mommy?¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney¡¯s expression immediately changed. ¡°What did you say?¡± After all, Tina was still a child. Even though she tried her best to attentively listen to the conversation, she could not remember all of it. She only remembered the gist that was rted to Courtney as she knew that it was an important incident. As such, she kept reminding herself to tell Courtney once they arrived home. However, as Courtney was busy with herpany matters, she arrived home ratherte. Tina had already fallen asleep by then, but she woke up after hearing themotion in the living room. Based on Tina¡¯s vague recollection, Courtney deduced what Alexander had asked Josh to investigate. Her fingers tightly grabbed the book as she nched. Based on Alexander¡¯s resources and intelligence, he would discover the truth soon. After a few pieces of rted evidence, he would probably figure out that the woman back then is me. What should I do when that happens? The sound of water had stopped in the bathroom. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. He wiped the water vapor from the mirror, which revealed his handsome and perfect facial features. After simply drying his wet hair, he opened the bathroom door and walked outside. The bedroom was quiet and only a yellow nightmp was lit by the bed, making the room look cozy that could make one easily fall asleep. Alexander had been suffering from insomnia for many years. If he did not sleep next to Courtney, he could not have a good night¡¯s sleep at all. It was the reason why he insisted on sleeping in her room. There was a bulge in the nket where she was fast asleep. Her steady breaths had irregrly blown the hair on her nose tip. Alexander flipped open the other end of the nket andy down on the bed while taking her into his arms. Now, she can¡¯t ask me to sleep outside anymore. Courtney moved in his arms, as if she had woken up. He lowered his head and saw her squinting her eyes in drowsiness and confusion that looked innocent. He kissed her forehead and said in a low voice, ¡°Continue sleeping. I can¡¯t sleep outside.¡± She slowly stretched her hands out to wrap them around his waist. Then, her knees slightly rubbed on his thighs. ¡°Alright.¡± Alexander froze before he spoke with a hoarse voice that suddenly seemed to have overpowered him, ¡°Courtney, don¡¯t move.¡± However, Courtney seemed to be unaware of what went on as she moved around in his embrace while she muttered, ¡°What? It¡¯s notfortable for me this way. Let me change my position.¡± Her sleepy,zy voice had melted his heart, making him unable to hold himself back. In the next instant, he rolled over and pinned her below him. Her eyes widened as the drowsiness faded, as if she was shocked by his actions. However, she immediately regained her usual alertness and gulped. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Stop pretending.¡± After saying that in a hoarse voice, Alexander bent down to Courtney and breathed on her neck with his voice vibrating in her ears. ¡°You are the one who seduced me first.¡± Courtney froze before pushing his chest away with her hands. ¡°I-I-I did not.¡± She had a conflicted and flustered expression on her face, as if someone had exposed her. However, when Alexander saw that, he merely thought that she was embarrassed and shy. In addition to that, he liked her to be shy. No longer being able to stop his inner beast, his long kiss sealed all her attempts to exin the situation. His huge hands controlled her entire body and her soul, as he sank deeper into her. Chapter 270 One Night Surprise Chapter 270 Chapter 270 Taking a Bet ¡°So, you guys have reconciled.¡± In the video call across the Pacific Ocean, Cameron looked quite healthy and energetic. Her ck iris turned as she was eager to hear thetest gossip. After that night, Alexander officially moved into Courtney¡¯s bedroom and they became even closer than the time that they started dating. Since he did not have to handle hispany, he had much more free time than before, so he sent her to and from the office. However, she still had worries that she could not deal with. She needed to tell someone about it and since there were not many people who knew about the matter, Cameron was the only person whom she could tell. ¡°Actually, I think this is pretty good. When you are together with Alexander, you don¡¯t have to think about many problems. Your daughter is still yours and his son is also yours now¡ªone less trouble to worry about.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Courtney looked conflicted. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m lying to him.¡± As the days passed, she could clearly feel Alexander¡¯s feelings toward her. He was definitely loyal and genuine toward her while only wanting her to be happy. On top of that, he also loved Tina a lot. However, if Courney did not hear from Tina that Alexander was searching for the surrogate woman, she would not have been impulsive that night. However, her advance was merely a safeguard that she created for herself before the storm arrived. If he ever discovered that she was the surrogate woman, she could feign that she knew nothing about it. Since she was already his girlfriend, he probably would not even bring up the incident back then. She was merely gambling with the fact that he cared for her enough to prevent any pain from hurting her. ¡°You just think too much.¡± On the other side of the call, Cameron snorted. ¡°Actually, as an outsider, I think you can tell him the truth before he finds out about this huge incident. If you are really worried, you can send Tina to Eljiah¡¯s ce. With her being there, I don¡¯t think Alexander can take her away.¡± ¡°Let me think about it.¡± Courtney frowned. Even if I¡¯ming clean to Alexander, it¡¯s definitely not the right timing now. ¡°Alright. Do you even have the time to deal with this? I heard that you took over the Hunter Group¡¯s mess. Will the old fellows work with you?¡± Upon the mention of that, Courtney returned to her senses. ¡°Work with me? My *ss! You don¡¯t know that for thest two meetings involving the board of directors, only half the people arrived. I have to go now¡ªsince I have arranged another meeting that ispulsory for everyone to attend.¡± After hanging up on the video call, Courtney leaned against the chair and she pinched her nose, feeling ominous about the storm that was about to happen. In fact, news about the money being siphoned from the Hunter Group was not as much as the rumors had made it out to be. It was just a temporary break in their chain of ie. She volunteered to join thepany as they reallocated the shares. After pouring all the money left from Lucian¡¯s insurance, she was now the main shareholder of Hunter Group as she held 36% of the total shares. Even though Courtney¡¯s shares were lower than the ones held by Susan and Annabined, her sister was already dead. Anna¡¯s shares now belonged to Susan, but thetter was nowhere to be seen. Hence, after following thepany constitution, it was only reasonable for Courtney to be appointed as the interim director.Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. However, the board of directors was not satisfied with the decision at all. Together with Susan, who was missing, there were 17 people on the board of directors; half of whom were her rtives, nephews and nieces. The person who loved to go against Courtney was the daughter of Susan¡¯s third brother and Anna¡¯s cousin¡ªKelly Yves. Courtney had ns to change the three supervisors of the finance department this time. Without even thinking about it, she was sure that an imminent fight was waiting ahead of her. In the meeting, right after Courtney informed them about her ns, Kelly mmed her fists on the table and immediately stood up. ¡°What do you mean? What is the problem that the finance department is facing? How can you just change the employees as you wish? Are you nning to change everyone in thepany until they are all your allies? Don¡¯t forget that you are only the interim director here. The official director is still Aunt Susan!¡± As the youngdy of the Yves Family, Kelly knew nothing about finances and economy. Apart from throwing tantrums whenever things did not go her way, she only had a beautiful face. However, people like her were the most difficult to deal with because they werepletely illogical. Courtney merely shot her a cold stare before replying, ¡°Sure. Now that I¡¯m the director, even if it¡¯s interim and as long as I¡¯m here, you guys have to take my orders. The three supervisors in the finance department are seniors and they have an interconnected rtionship with each other. I don¡¯t see any good in people like them staying in the finance department, so they need to be immediately changed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t agree.¡± Kelly raised her chin haughtily. ¡°All my uncles and my dad will not agree too.¡± ¡°I am not discussing this with you. I am merely notifying you.¡± Courtney closed the folder on the table. ¡°If you don¡¯t agree, wait until you are in my position.¡± With that, she rose to her full height and left the conference room without taking another look at them. Natasha, her assistant, quickly announced to everyone as she followed Courtney out, ¡°The meeting is now over.¡± The entire meeting onlysted for five minutes due to Kelly¡¯s outburst and the rest of the elders could not even say a single word. It was no wonder that the Hunter Groupcked talents and was at the verge of bankruptcy just because of a tiny disturbance in their ie chain. Courtney proudly and confidently walked out of the conference room. ¡°Courtney Hunter, stop!¡± Kelly yelled anxiously as fury was apparent in her voice. ¡°Yes?¡± Courtney¡¯s high heels came to a stop after she turned. With a look of indifference, she faced Kelly, who was flushed red. ¡°You are not helping Hunter Group at all. I bet you can¡¯t wait for Hunter Group to be bankrupt!¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? I¡¯m now the main shareholder. Why would I wish for thepany to go bankrupt? I would lose all my money.¡± ¡°Who knows what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Kelly¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Don¡¯t think that everyone has to take orders from you. Sure, you are one of the shareholders. If my shares arebined with both my dad and my uncle¡¯s, our total shares are not less than yours. Why does thepany have to listen to you? Who do you think you are? Don¡¯t forget that the Sunhill Enterprise is not backing you anymore. Alexander Duncan is now a good-for-nothing who has been chased out of the family.¡± Courtney¡¯s rtionship with Alexander was not a secret¡ªeveryone in the industry knew that he fell out with his family because of her. It soon became the hot topic that people talk about whenever they run out of topics for conversations. As the former prince charming and former president of Sunhill Enterprise, Alexander was usually arrogant and lofty. However, he had to rely on a woman for his livelihood. The people who used to suffer under him took the opportunity to take revenge on him. Just as Courtney was about to retaliate, she felt a pressure on her shoulders. Then, a familiar low voice rang coldly. ¡°Before you say that another person is a good-for-nothing, think about the miserable shares that you have in your hands.¡± With one arm around her, Alexander icily red at Kelly. Even at such moments, he still had the air of a proud leader. ¡°Alexander Duncan?¡± She panicked for a while, but she quickly calmed herself down. ¡°This is an internal matter of the Hunter Group. It¡¯s none of your business!¡± His cold and sharp gaze swept past her face and stared straight into her eyes. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not rted to an outsider, but it¡¯s certainly rted to the newly appointed head of finance.¡± Chapter 271 One Night Surprise Chapter 271 Chapter 271 Making Fun of Him What did you say?¡± Kelly could notprehend what Alexander meant. He nced at Courtney, who understood his meaning. While looking at Kelly, she announced, ¡°Alexander is now the supervisor of the Hunter Group¡¯s head of finance.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kelly incredulously red with widened eyes. ¡°How is that possible? He¡¯s from the Sunhill Enterprise! How can he be the head of finance here? Apart from that, how can you just appoint someone to take the position like this? Do you still respect the board of directors?¡± ¡°I do respect them, but I¡¯m not sure whether they have the same amount of respect for me.¡± Courtney lowered her voice. ¡°Apart from that, I never nned to appoint the recement without notifying anyone. Is it because someone threw a tantrum during the meeting? If that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any point in having the meeting anyway.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Kelly was so angry that her face flushed red. She stomped her foot on the ground as she continued with her words. ¡°My mom was right about you all along! You are a jinxer! Whoever keeps in touch with you will be doomed! You killed your parents and your step-sister who¡¯s only half-rted to you!¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Upon hearing that, Courtney clenched her fists as blood drained from her face. The words that Kelly spoke were exactly the ones that Courtney had been hearing since young. At that instant, they reappeared like an ancient curse. Even though she knew that she should not believe them, the trauma from her childhood had left her deeply shaken. ¡°She¡¯s someone who brings misfortunes. As soon as she was born, she jinxed her mother until she died. After a few years, her grandfather followed suit.¡± ¡°Now that she¡¯s sent to our ce, who else is she going to jinx?¡± ¡°Stay away from here!¡± Suchments and remarks weremon as she was growing up. ¡°So, you mean to say that if you encounter any idents now, the cops won¡¯t need to investigate it because Courtney has jinxed you?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice suddenly rang as it yanked Courtney out of her traumatic memories. As he spoke in a low voice, he took two steps toward Kelly. ¡°However, jinxing people to death does not seem to constitute a crime in the eyes of thew.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± She took a step back in trepidation. ¡°We are at the office now. You dare¡ª¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing that I won¡¯t dare to do.¡± Alexander stood rooted to the ground, but the cold and harsh vibe he radiated had also scared Courtney. ¡°If you say something like this in front of Courtney again, I will ensure that you won¡¯t be able to utter another word in the future. Then, you will know how much power a good-for-nothing who has been chased out of the Duncan Family wields.¡± Kelly was taken aback by his words that her face immediately paled. After almost losing her footing, she ran away after realizing that there was nobody around. After she left, he walked to Courtney and held her hands as he stood in front of her. ¡°You are usually quick-witted. Why are you suddenly quiet in front of an uneducated swine like her?¡± ourtney lowered her head as she answered sullenly, ¡°I just have no words to retaliate because I¡¯ve heard many simr statements since I was young. Sometimes I even think that they are right after all.¡± If fate really exists in this world, I really suspect that I have the fate of the most unlucky person alive. Alexander tightened his grip on his hands. As his warmth spread to the back of her hands, his voice rang above her head. ¡°If you are the unluckiest person alive, then what am I? Everyone has their own time in staying alive and dying¡ªno one can force anything like this. If you want to im the title of the unluckiest person alive, you¡¯ll have to wait for me to own it first.¡± At the age of 13, Alexander¡¯s father died and he chased his biological mother out of the family. Then, he spent the next two decades alone; he did not even visit his only grandfather often. Hence,pared to Courtney, he thought that he was more suited for the title. However, Courtney snorted exasperatedly. ¡°Who would console another person like that? Why don¡¯t you just say that both of us are unlucky people who have found each other?¡± ¡°If you want to describe it in that way, it¡¯s not wrong either.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Courtney pretended to whack him. As she did not exercise much force into her movement, she looked more like she was flirting with him. At that moment, two employees passed by and one of them opened his mouth. ¡°Hello, President Hunt ¡ª¡± Before he could finish his greeting, the other person dragged him away. However, Courtney and Alexander could still hear what they said. ¡°Can¡¯t you see that President Hunter is flirting with her boyfriend?¡± the employee asked. ¡°What are you doing by interrupting them?¡± In an instant, the atmosphere between them suddenly became awkward. Even after they walked away, her head was still lowered as she awkwardly touched her face. ¡°Why are you blushing?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s blushing?¡± Courtney red at Alexander. ¡°I¡¯m furious at Kelly.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Precisely!¡± Courtney cleared her throat. ¡°Head of finance, why aren¡¯t you reporting to HR? You don¡¯t call the shots around here. The procedures have to be followed.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even adhere to the procedures when you hired me.¡± Alexander looked indignant. ¡°Even if I follow the procedures, everyone else will still think that I¡¯m here because of connections.¡± ¡°They are not blind, you know.¡± She rolled her eyes at him and pushed his shoulders in the opposite direction. ¡°The entire Melrose City knows that you are the young master of the Duncan Family. For you to work for our small business as the head of finance is already tough on you. Cut the crap and get going.¡± It was only a temporary n for him to work at Hunter Group as the head of finance. After all, they both knew that he could not possibly stay there for long since he was Scott¡¯s only grandson and the sole inheritor of the Sunhill Enterprise. Once Scott¡¯s anger had abated, he would have to return. However, it was Alexander¡¯s idea to work for the Hunter Group. The first reason was that the finances of Hunter Group were in a mess¡ªit was also the reason why the Tax Bureau decided to investigate them. Using the opportunity, he offered to clean the mess and give thepany¡¯s finance system a breath of fresh air. The second reason was that he nned to return to Sunhill Enterprise. He was the young master of the Duncan Family, yet he went to work for his girlfriend¡¯s small enterprise. If Scott heard about that, he probably could not sit still anymore. At the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home, Scott broke the fountain pen on the table after he learned about it. ¡°This rascal is deliberately making me angry! How dare he be the head of finance at the Hunter Group? He¡¯d rather humiliate me in front of everyone than apologize to me!¡± ¡°Sir.¡± Harry ordered the other maids to clean the house up while he put in some good words for Alexander. ¡°You¡¯ve wrongly med Alexander this time. Since you already asked him to get out, surely he has to figure out a way to survive? If he¡¯s lying around all day doing nothing, that would really ruin your reputation. Do you know what others have been saying about Alexander?¡± ¡°What?¡± Scott arched his eyebrows. ¡°They said that you don¡¯t like him and you¡¯d rather give the family business to an outsider than to let Alexander inherit it. Think about Alexander¡¯s temper in the past¡ªhe has offended many people. Now that he¡¯s not as glorious as before, many people are making fun of him.¡± Those bunch of scums!¡± Scott mmed his fist on the table and walked around the room before speaking in a low voice. ¡°Harry, look for Alexander and have a chat with him.¡± Chapter 272 One Night Surprise Chapter 272 Chapter 272 The Lost Naivety It was five in the evening¡ªthe usual hour for employees to knock off at the Hunter Group. Courtney would also leave around that timing as well, but Alexander had to work overtime since there were many problems with the finances. ¡°You really don¡¯t need me to wait for you?¡± She knocked on the door with a smile on her face. He raised his head to look at her from behind theputer. Even though he was tired, he immediately felt more energetic the moment he looked at her. ¡°No need. After I¡¯m almost done with looking at the ounts, I¡¯ll head back home.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯m quite embarrassed about this. Do you want me to increase your pay?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re embarrassed at all. Alexander coldly squinted his eyes at her. Then, he curled his finger before gesturing at her. ¡°Come here.¡± ¡°Are you regretting it now?¡± Courtney released her grip on the door knob and naturally walked into the office to his table. Then, she slightly bent down to look at him. ¡°If you regret what you¡¯ve just said, it¡¯s not toote¡ªI can apany you here.¡± With that, Alexander raised his huge hand and ced it behind her head. Then, he pressed her down to him and kissed her soft lips before she could react. Courtney struggled against his hold and anxiously looked behind her while muttering, ¡°Um¡­ The door is still open. What are you doing?¡± Initially, it had caused a huge reaction after she hired Alexander to manage thepany¡¯s finances. If someone saw them behaving inappropriately in the living room and reported it to the board of directors, it would be difficult for her to exin. With a calm look on his face, he arched his eyebrows and answered nonchntly, ¡°That¡¯s it. You can leave now.¡± ¡°Why? Are you mad?¡± He shot a nce at her and gave a dry smile. ¡°This is enough to replenish my energy. Or¡­ Do you want to do something else?¡± She quickly understood what he meant by ¡®replenishing his energy¡¯ and she blushed slightly. ¡°Nothing. You are the one who¡¯s thinking too much. I¡¯m leaving now, bye.¡± With that, she walked out of the office without another nce at him. While looking at her leaving figure, the smile in his eyes deepened. After she exited the elevator, she walked around the basement before she found her car. Just as she unlocked it, a familiar old figure walked to her steadily. ¡°Miss Hunter.¡± ¡°Mr. Harry?¡± Courtney froze after she turned to see Scott¡¯s butler, Harry. ¡°Why are you here? Are you looking for Alexander?¡± Harry nodded kindly. ¡°Yes, Mr. Duncan has asked me to discuss some matters with Alexander.¡± ¡°He¡¯s upstairs. If you take this elevator and head to the tenth floor, you will be able to find him there.¡± Courtney respectfully pointed to an elevator afar. ¡°Okay, but before that, I have something to discuss with you. Are you free?¡± She could not gauge what he wanted from his attitude, but since he worked for Scott, he would not harbor any ill-intentions toward her. Hence, without thinking about it, she replied, ¡°Sure. You probably haven¡¯t had dinner, have you? There¡¯s a nice restaurant nearby.¡± Since it was the beginning of November, winter had already arrived in Melrose City. The meteorologist announced that there would be an extremely cold season on its way. Only a few leaves hung on the maple trees on the side of the roads, waiting topletely fall off. In a restaurant at the city center, they were seated near the windows, so they could enjoy the view of the city as the night fell. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Mr. Harry, just say what is on your mind.¡± Looking at Harry, who was seated opposite her, Courtney started the conversation. ¡°You are a straightforward person, Miss Hunter.¡± He nodded. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll cut to the chase. Actually, this doesn¡¯t have a lot to do with you, but because of your rtionship with Alexander, I¡¯m taking the liberty to tell you this. In my opinion, this is the better way out.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Because of your rtionship with Alexander, his rtionship with Mr. Duncan is quite tense. I¡¯m sure you are well aware of this.¡± ¡°Are you suggesting that I break up with Alexander?¡± ¡°No.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Once Alexander has made his decision, even Mr. Duncan can¡¯t do anything about it, let alone me. If he didn¡¯t insist on this, based on your character, I¡¯m sure you are not willing to make enemies with the Duncan Family and tolerate the snidements from other people to be with him.¡± Harry was straightforward indeed. Without revealing her stance, Courtney took another sip of the tea. ¡°So, Mr. Harry, what you are saying is¡­¡± ¡°The biggest problem between Alexander and Mr. Duncan is not you. In fact, after many years of watching Alexander grow up, Mr. Duncan has also thought that Alexander is a cold person by nature. Be it his rtives, friends, and even his own son¡ªhe has always been quite indifferent¡­¡± ¡°What are you trying to imply?¡± ¡°Miss Hunter, you only saw Alexander pampering Jordan and showering him with love right now. However, you didn¡¯t see the moment when Jordan arrived at the Duncan Family. In the first few years, Alexander did not even enter the ancestral residence¡ªnot even once. To him, Jordan¡¯s existence was a mission that he hadpleted. Since the mission has beenpleted, he has nothing to do with it anymore.¡± zpon hearing that, Courtney immediately frowned. She knew about the incident that Harry mentioned and she oncemented harshly about Alexander¡¯s past actions as well. However, after she heard those words being spoken aloud by someone else, she had no idea why she found them difficult to stomach. ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± She heard herself defending him. ¡°Alexander is not someone like this. He cares about Jordan a lot and he even treats Tina well. He¡¯s not like what you said.¡± ¡°Jordan is probably an ident in Alexander¡¯s life.¡± Harry patiently exined to Courtney. ¡°Their rtionship only started to change for the better three years ago. If it wasn¡¯t for the ident, Jordan probably doesn¡¯t even know who his biological father is.¡± ¡°Three years ago?¡± Courtney sensed something familiar. Sure enough, Harry continued to speak. ¡°Three years ago, Jordan almost died from a disease and in the same year, Sunhill Enterprise had also changed their president. An outsider might not see the corrtion between these two incidents, but since you are so close to Alexander now, I think you have the right to know about this.¡± Tightly holding the tea cup, Courtney pretended to calmly take a sip. As she forgot to add some sugar in her tea, it tasted slightly bitter. Everything that Harry had told her was the same as the investigative results that Oliver reported. Hence, she was not surprised to hear that. However, she was more surprised that many more people knew about Jordan¡¯s incident back then; it was more than her expectations. Even Scott himself knew about it, yet he simply allowed Alexander to do whatever he liked to obtain his power and his position. From the beginning until now, no one had spoken up for Jordan. His love and care for Jordan over the past three years¡ªis he trying to make it up to Jordan? He¡¯s just a five-year-old. To him, how could those materialisticpensations match the loss of his naivety during the internal family fight? After Courtney finished hearing Harry¡¯s exnation, she could only feel sorrow and disgust sweeping over her like waves. While suppressing her difort, she forced herself to ask, ¡°So, Mr. Harry, what are you trying to tell me?¡± Chapter 273 One Night Surprise Chapter 273 Chapter 273 I¡¯m Never Wrong In My Profession Harry looked at Courtney; it was evident in his wise eyes that he had experienced many vicissitudes of life. ¡°Since Mr. Alexander will insist on this, I believe it will only be a matter of time before you¡¯ll marry into the Duncan Family. However, these arguments between Alexander and Mr. Duncan have umted for many years. You are a smart person, Miss Hunter. If you are able to resolve their grudge, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult for Mr. Duncan to ept you.¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°Mr. Harry, you¡¯re thinking highly of me. How sure are you that I can resolve their feud?¡± ¡°Because I believe that Alexander is not the person who is responsible for the incident three years ago ¡ªeven though he might seem callous. The problem between him and Mr. Duncan is due to a communication breakdown. If you can advise Alexander to clearly exin that incident, that would be enough to resolve their feud.¡± By that point, it looked like she was the only person who could voice out her opinion in front of Alexander. Harry did not bear any negative intentions, but he did not know that Courtney had already looked into the incident that happened three years ago and that she shared the same thought as Scott. In fact, she did not trust Alexander as much as Harry thought she would. Humans are always capable of changing. Alexander himself had also changed quite a bit since they first met. His current self would not have done that, but based on his personality in the past, he was completely capable of doing such a thing to protect himself. ¡°Mr. Harry, how are you so sure that he is unrted to the incident three years ago?¡± ¡°I watched that kid grow up and we spent more time together than anyone else. Everyone knows that he chased his biological mother out of the family when he was 13, but do you know the truth behind this?¡± Courtney froze in confusion. ¡°When Alexander chased his mother out, she was already five months pregnant. Since young, his parents had seldom spent time together. She only returned to attend his father¡¯s funeral after he passed away from a car ident. Hence, how likely do you think that the baby belongs to the Duncan Family?¡± Seeing that she was unsure whether she understood his meaning, Harry cut to the chase. ¡°His mother is Mr. Duncan¡¯s favorite adopted daughter. If she had done such a thing, Mr. Duncan would definitely have taken things into his own hands¡ªfor the sake of the family¡¯s reputation and his own son. The baby definitely won¡¯t be alive.¡± Upon hearing that, her expression froze again. ¡°So, Alexander chased his mother away to protect the child that she was carrying?¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Harry heaved a sigh. ¡°Actually, Alexander isn¡¯t as callous and cold-blooded as people think he is. It¡¯s just that he is not used to expressing himself. I hope you can help to ease the tense rtionship that Alexander and Mr. Duncan have.¡± Courtney had mixed feelings after hearing that. True enough, the truth that Harry had revealed changed her perception of Alexander, but that incident three years ago was discovered by Oliver and her. If this is not the truth, then what was? She did not agree to Harry¡¯s request. Instead, she replied that she would think about it. When she arrived home, night hadpletely fallen. Meanwhile, Oliver became a full-time nanny. His head fell lopsidedly on the couch as he was fast asleep with Tina hugging his left arm and Jordan under his right arm. All three were fast asleep; their snores could have shaken the house. Courtney ced the desserts that she bought on the table. After looking at them for a while, she decided to nudge Oliver to wake him up. ¡°Courtney.¡± Oliver yawned and rubbed his eyes before he could see the woman in front of him clearly. ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you. You can head to your room to rest now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He forcefully blinked his eyes before he suddenly sniffed the air. ¡°What did you bring back?¡± ¡°Some cakes and pastries. Haven¡¯t you eaten?¡± Oliver immediately perked up as he furiously shook his head. ¡°Not yet! These two fellows are terribly annoying! After I finally made them eat their dinner, they insisted on watching cartoons. Before you leave, you asked me not to let them watch too much television, didn¡¯t you? No matter how I tried to coax them, they were close to being mad with me.¡± ¡°I see. Let¡¯s send both of them to their room first. Then, I¡¯ll cook a bowl of noodles for you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Courtney heated up some oil in the pan and ced some garlic as well as onions in it. She then sauteed it until it was fragrant before she mixed some soy sauce and eggs in a bowl to make mayonnaise. Then, she cooked a bowl of in noodles and poured the sauce on top of the seasoning before she served it on a te. The aromatic scent of food permeated the entire kitchen. Oliver gobbled down the food hungrily to the point where his mouth was stained with the sauce. ¡°Where¡¯s Alexander? Why didn¡¯t hee home with you? If he sees this, he¡¯ll definitely snatch it from me.¡± ¡°He would fight for food with you?¡± Courtney found it hard to imagine it. ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing impossible.¡± After he ced the bowl down and cleaned his mouth, he opened the packaging of the bun before he started eating it. ¡°Alexander is a childish and overly confident person. He definitely has problems with self-expression. Even though he cares about you, he will harshly insult you first. Even though his words are quite sharp, it¡¯s actually not that difficult to get along with him.¡± ¡°Is this your impression of him?¡± She frowned. Courtney always thought that Alexander was a difficult person to get along with. After all, he only had a loyal friend after so many years¡ªGale. Other people were frightened away before he could even get closer to them. ¡°Yeah.¡± Oliver nodded. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why do you suddenly look troubled?¡± She thought for a while before seriously asking, ¡°Hey, do you think that we might have overlooked something about the incident that happened three years ago? Perhaps, our search results are not complete?¡± He stopped eating immediately and frowned. ¡°For example?¡± ¡°Why was Sarah so sure that Alexander was the person who drugged her? We shouldn¡¯t just listen to her side of the story.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a cancer patient. I don¡¯t think she is lying.¡± As Oliver was quite confident in his professionalism, he could not ept Courtney¡¯s sudden suspicions. However, Courtney suspiciously frowned. ¡°Is that so?¡± Initially, she wholeheartedly believed the results from their investigation. However, after the chat with Harry, she started to doubt them. After all, they did not have any evidence to back their suspicions. Hence, her sixth sense was starting to doubt the facts that she confirmed with Oliver beforehand. ¡°If you really don¡¯t believe me, I can head over to Elmsbury again.¡± After wiping his mouth clean, Oliver continued solemnly. ¡°I can film a video with Sarah and Maria confessing about everything that happened back then. But, I can guarantee you with my professionalism that they are not lying. They are telling the truth.¡± ¡°Professionalism?¡± Courtney froze for a moment as she looked at him in confusion. ¡°The professional opinion of a penultimate year student in Public Security University, who majors in Surveince and Countersurveince.¡± Oliver looked at her, finally revealing his identity that he hid for a long time to her. After a while, Courtney still had not processed what he said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Courtney, I¡¯m a penultimate year student majoring in Surveince and Countersurveince at Public Security University. My full name is Oliver Ford. Actually, I wanted to let you know about this a while ago, but the timing was never perfect. So, I dyed it until now. Since you are questioning the truth that I have discovered for you, I have no other choice but to reveal my identity. Plus, I have never disclosed any false information throughout my professional life.¡± The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense. Chapter 274 One Night Surprise Chapter 274 Chapter 274 I Don¡¯t Want to See You Lose Everything Oliver¡¯s sudden confession had shocked Courtney. Courtney was stunned to the point where she lowered her head. Then, she bit on her lips as she thought about it. ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to tell me about it so soon.¡± Oliver froze slightly when he saw her smiling at him after she lifted her head¡ªit was her usual warm smile and she looked as caring as before. ¡°You knew about it?¡± he asked. She shook her head. ¡°Not as precise as what you have mentioned, but I only knew your memories have roughly returned.¡± ¡°Then, why did you¡ª¡± ¡°Pretend that I know nothing?¡± She sighed. ¡°It¡¯s because I hurt you in the ident. When I sent you to the hospital back then, I suspected that you were a homeless man based on your disheveled look. Apart from that, even if you wanted to leave, you probably would have left sooner, so I guess you had some difficulties.¡± Even though he felt touched by her gesture, he was also amused at the same time. After all, it was not a good feeling to be mistaken as a homeless man by another person. ¡°Courtney, I¡¯m really not a homeless person.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Courtney winked. ¡°You are a student of Public Security University. You should have told me earlier before I decided to bring you up forever!¡± Oliver¡¯s heart fluttered as he grabbed her hand after a moment. ¡°You are such a good person, Courtney.¡± ¡°Of course I am. You don¡¯t have to remind me about it.¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Why don¡¯t you break up with Alexander? His family matters are tooplicated. Date me instead. I can provide for you and Tina for the rest of your lives.¡± ¡°You?¡± Courtney rolled her eyes and withdrew her hands before she gently pped the back of his hands. ¡°You are only a penultimate year student at the Public Security University. I bet that you still ask for money from your parents. How can you simply say something like that?¡± ¡°Who told you that I¡¯m receiving money from my parents? I¡¯m earning my own money!¡± ¡°You are already working? Then, why do you stay at my ce, use my things, and eat the food that I prepare?¡± Her eyebrows slightly arched as she crossed her arms in front of her chest while demanding an exnation from him. Oliver quickly gave an excuse. ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m poor; it¡¯s just that I am¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. If you like to stay here, then stay for as long as you like. No one is chasing you away.¡± She gentlyughed. ¡°Do you want more noodles? There are still some left in the pot.¡± Oliver finally heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. ¡°Of course.¡± After he had finally told Courtney about the secret he was hiding, he felt less burdened than usual. He also could not understand why he felt ufortable lying to her, even though he often lied to other people. After the drama about Courtney¡¯s family background had subsided, Ivory Apparel¡¯s deliberate attempt to suppress Citron Apparel also appeared on the trending pages online. Courtney never arranged for it, but looking at how it trended for more than a week, she immediately knew who was behind it. After all, even though it was a huge incident, Elijah had never even called her. It did not seem like him not to help her. When she received the news that they had received the tender from Sakura Group, she called him to personally thank him. ¡°We have gotten the bid from Sakura Group. Thank you, Elijah.¡± On the other end of the phone, Elijah¡¯s cheerful voice rang as he teased, ¡°The tender should have been yours in the first ce. It¡¯s just that someone popped up midway. I¡¯ve helped you before in many matters, but since when have you called over such a trivial matter to thank me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to be thankful for huge favors. However, for small favors like these, I definitely need to convey my thanks.¡± Courtney sounded that she was entitled for the past favors. ¡°But, I can¡¯t hide from you indeed¡ªI actually have something else to discuss with you in this call.¡± ¡°About thewyer?¡± ¡°How did you know about it?¡± She froze. ¡°I heard that you have reconciled with Alexander.¡± She could not hear any emotions in Elijah¡¯s voice. ¡°So, I guess we can temporarily dismiss thewsuit again.¡± Courtney sounded slightly embarrassed. ¡°I really can¡¯t hide anything from you, but I have no other options this time around. I don¡¯t want him to learn about my rtionship with Jordan so soon. Let¡¯s just continue with this and see how everything goes in the future.¡± ¡°Not this time.¡± Elijah sounded serious. ¡°You guys have already broken up and reconciled so many times. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a stable rtionship. You need to have a backup n for yourself. If you can¡¯t be with him in the future, you¡¯re willing to forgo your parental rights for Jordan?¡± ¡°Of course I want his parental rights.¡± ¡°Then, listen to me. Thewyer is already in Melrose City, as per our ns. Take some time to meet him and briefly discuss Jordan¡¯s matters. As for thewsuit, you can decide whether you still want to continue with that in the future. There¡¯s no harm in making preparations in advance.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°No buts. This is all that I can do for you. If you are blissful with him and you guys can live happily ever after, that¡¯s great. If not, I don¡¯t want to see you lose everything,¡± Elijah advised with worries. ¡°If it¡¯s possible, I even wish that you could send Tina over to me, just in case there are any changes in the future. If you can¡¯t make the arrangements in time, I can¡¯t help you because I¡¯m too far away.¡± ¡°Let me think about it.¡± Courtney knew that Elijah was not being paranoid. After all, he was trying to help her out with the meticulous nning. After ncing at her wristwatch, she eximed, ¡°Oh no! Elijah, it should be evening at your side. I hope you have a good night¡¯s sleep. I¡¯m rushing to sign the contract with the Sakura Group.¡± Without waiting for his reply, she hung up after saying ¡®goodnight¡¯. Across the Pacific Ocean, in Manhattan, which had a time difference of 14 hours away, Elijah looked at his dimmed phone screen while he was in the middle of the city¡¯s nightscape. Then, he heaved an exasperated sigh. When you love someone else more than yourself, her happiness and joy is more important than anything else. I can watch her being with another man and I can tolerate being alone for the rest of my life. I just simply can¡¯t ept the man whom she chose because he could give her both short-lived happiness and lifelong threats. I have to arrange a backup n for her. Adhering to the time of their appointment, Courtney and Natasha went to the headquarters of Sakura Group to sign the contract with Mr. Vinsmoke, who was the person in charge of the group in the east region. Even though there were many incidents caused by Ivory Appeal, it actually was a blessing in disguise for Citron Apparel. Everyone now knew that Citron Appeal had a strong background in addition to the invisible support of the Hunter Group¡¯s revival. The signing of the contract proceeded smoothly. After that, Courtney shook hands with Mr. Vinsmoke. ¡°I hope we have a good time in our coboration.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± It was the first batch of huge orders that she hadpleted since she founded thepany. Even though she was emotional, she remained calm and collected on the surface. After she gently rejected his invitation for lunch, she went downstairs to wait for Natasha to collect the car from the garage. At the main hall of the Sakura Group headquarters, the moment she walked out of the elevator, she ran into one of the top three people on her list of ¡®people I don¡¯t want to ever meet again¡¯¡ªJames Duncan. ¡°Miss Hunter.¡± However, James was quite nonchnt and he did not forget to change his salutation. ¡°I should probably call you President Hunter now. Are you here at Sakura Group to sign the contract?¡± Courtney maintained her manners on the surface. ¡°Indeed, President Duncan. Citron Apparel won the bid.¡± ¡°In that case, congrattions, President Hunter! By the way, I¡¯m having lunch with Mr. Vinsmoketer. Would you like to join us? You can treat it as a celebratory meal for your coboration.¡± Chapter 275 One Night Surprise Chapter 275 Chapter 275 Losing Is Not Part of My Vocabry Dressed in a crisp ck suit, James bore a strong resemnce to Alexander¡ªbe it in his physique or his features. However, the way with which James carried himself waspletely different to Alexander. From a nce, he was far more approachable than Alexander. However, upon Courtney¡¯s appraisal of him, she had a strong feeling that his affability was merely a show. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, President Duncan. I must get going if I want to hand over these order sheets to the factory. The sooner I do that, the less chance I have of disappointing Sakura Group.¡± ¡°You have a keen sense of duty, Miss Hunter.¡± James smiled as he spoke in a pleasant voice. ¡°I heard that my cousin is here at the Hunter Group as well. You know, it takes a lot for a proud man like Alexander to ept a job as the head of finance in a medium-sized enterprise. I guess you¡¯re the only person who has the power of persuasion over him.¡± Courtney hated it when men spoke with snide implications and she immediately bristled at the tone of his voice. ¡°You won¡¯t get anything out of me,¡± she snapped irritably. ¡°I suggest that you mind your own business, President Duncan. We wouldn¡¯t want a repeat of what happened thest time, would we? Remember that fateful slip-up? Don¡¯t forget that the higher you are, the harder you will fall.¡± Upon hearing that, James narrowed his eyes and remarked pointedly, ¡°It seems that my cousin tells you everything.¡± ¡°I would have discovered it anyway even if he didn¡¯t tell me about it. I used to work at Sunhill, so I know a thing or two about thepany¡¯s evolution.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± He scoffed. ¡°Everything that you think you know about Sunhill is just the tip of the iceberg. They don¡¯t publish the truth in the papers, so don¡¯t kid yourself into thinking that you know what¡¯s really going on behind the scenes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to know the whole truth to understand that you can always fall a second or third time.¡± ¡°What if I say that I have never lost?¡± James challenged. He lifted his chin as a smug look passed over his face as he retorted. ¡°What if I simply spent thest three years fortifying my foundation¡ªdo you really think that constitutes me being the loser? Losing is not part of my vocabry.¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± However, he raised a brow in disdain and appeared to have lost interest in their conversation. ¡°I can see that you refuse to extend any form of courtesy toward me, so I won¡¯t force your hand any longer. Until we meet again, Miss Hunter.¡± With that, he turned on his heels and made his way into the elevator. Courtney, on the other hand, remained standing in the same spot. She could still hear his voice in her head. ¡®Losing is not part of my vocabry.¡¯ What does he even mean by that? She could not help but feel that there was something iffy about the way he said those words. Also, what does he mean by ¡®fortifying my foundation¡¯? Even as Courtney left the Sakura Group, the words that James said still echoed in her mind. She had not even realized that a car had pulled in the garage at Hunter Group until Natasha pointed it out. Courtney snapped out of her reverie and looked dazed as she blinked at her assistant. ¡°Miss Hunter, we¡¯ve arrived. Aren¡¯t you getting down?¡± Natasha asked. Courtney finally registered her words. ¡°Here, take these order sheets and documents over to Bill. I have to take care of some things, so I won¡¯t being down.¡± Natasha hesitated for a moment before she took the paperwork and replied, ¡°Okay.¡± After that, Courtney drove out of the garage and sped down the route toward Public Security University. By the time she arrived, the sses were already ongoing. The university had strict management policies that were different from other institutions and as a result, only bicycles were allowed to enter the campus. She waited at the campus entrance for close to ten minutes before Oliver cycled out. ¡°What¡¯s up, Courtney? You sounded anxious over the phone.¡± ¡°The incident from three years ago¡ªI think James may have something to do with it.¡± Courtney did not waste any time as she cut straight to the point. The both of them stood by the entrance while she shared about her encounter with James. Oliver¡¯s brows were knitted together as he pondered on what James had said. After a while, he lifted his head and patted the backseat of his bicycle. ¡°This isn¡¯t the ce to talk,¡± he said in a low voice. ¡°Get on the bike. You can tell me the details after we find a suitable ce on campus.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Courtney eximed as she warily eyed the back of Oliver¡¯s bicycle. He teased, ¡°What? Is my bicycle not good enough for you? I would have asked you to drive your car, but the school won¡¯t allow it. Not even our headmaster can drive on campus.¡± ¡°No, the bicycle is fine. I¡¯ll get on,¡± she reluctantly replied and perched as gracefully as she could behind him. She was not offended by the idea of riding around on a bicycle, but she was simply not dressed for the asion. d in a beige-colored woollen long coat which was draped over a bodycon vintage teal dress withce embellishments, she was decidedly ufortable and she tried her best to keep the hem of her dress from riding up past her calves. Along the way, Courtney tightly held her coat to avoid it from being entangled in the wheels. When they arrived outside the milk tea shop on campus, she heard the sound of tearing fabric as she descended the bicycle. She looked down and saw that her dress was caught by the metal wire on the bicycle, causing a huge rip over the hem. ¡°Oh, no,¡± Oliver groaned as he looked apologetic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Courtney. I didn¡¯t think this through.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Courtney answered with a resigned smile. ¡°I knew this dress would be ruined when I agreed to get on your bicycle.¡± ¡°I promise I¡¯ll buy you another one.¡± ¡°Do you know how much the dress cost?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll still get you another one.¡± They bantered in good humor as she followed him into the only milk tea bar on campus, thereafter staking out a quiet corner. He called out while craning his neck, ¡°Hi, can we get two hot caramel mhiatos here, please?¡± Oliver had only just ced his order when a snarky female voice came from the counter, ¡°Do I look stupid to you? No one would drink cold beverages in this kind of weather.¡± He bristled before he rolled his eyes at the girl manning the counter. ¡°Are you that narrow-minded? There are plenty of people who drink cold beverages throughout the year, regardless of the season. Why would you discriminate against others and their preferences? I¡¯m going to lodge aint to your boss!¡± ¡°Go ahead! Let¡¯s see how you like it when I spit in your drink!¡± Oliver clicked his tongue impatiently. ¡°Is this how you talk to your customers, Tessa? At this rate, no one¡¯s going to drink anything you make. You better watch your tongue before your mom teaches you a lesson.¡± Courtney turned to cast a curious nce at the girl he was bantering with; she looked to be around the same age as Oliver. She looked intelligent with clear skin that acted as a canvas for her delicately- chiseled features and her eyes sparkled with wit. The dark green checkered sweater and the burgundy beret she wore entuated her femininity. Upon hearing what he said, the girl red in their direction. She went still after her gaze fell on Courtney. She blinked and quickly turned away without saying another word. ¡°Ignore her. She¡¯s so grumpy that it¡¯s going to take forever to marry her off.¡± Courtney snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at Oliver before she narrated the incident. ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling as though there¡¯s something amiss since my meeting with Harry, the Duncans¡¯ butler. When I bumped into James today, he brought up the incident from three years ago. I started thinking about it on my way here. Then, it clicked.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°Well, Harry mentioned that Alexander never made a trip back home during the years when Jordan stayed at the Duncans¡¯ residence¡ªnot even for New Year¡¯s. It was only after Jordan¡¯s ident that Alexander returned there, so that he could take the child away from there. If that was the case, how could Sarah be so sure that it was Alexander who asked her to poison the kid when she logically never met him in the first ce? Even if a vige woman had the time to watch news on TV, it would be unlikely for her to pay attention to the financial news. Sarah mentioned that she frequently saw Alexander on TV and she was certain that it was him because she had seen him in the Duncans¡¯ residence on several asions. However, at that point of time, Alexander was not in charge of the entire Sunhill Enterprise, so he could not have appeared in interviews. Given the timeline of events, Sarah¡¯s narrative simply did not make sense. ¡°At that point of time, only the Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s director would appear with such frequency on TV interviews.¡± Upon hearing that, Oliver was silent and his eyes were fixed on the table as he muttered, ¡°It¡¯s James.¡± He lifted his head as his gaze met with Courtney¡¯s. She did not nod, but the look in her eyes told him everything that he needed to know. Chapter 276 One Night Surprise Chapter 276 Chapter 276 Too Aggressive for My Taste Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Oliver took a breath, seemingly uneasy with the turn of events. After a long pause, he said firmly, ¡°I¡¯ll make another trip to Elmsbury and get to the bottom of this.¡± ¡°Take it slowly,¡± Courtney answered as she gazed at him. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to miss out on any details this time, so we have to deal with it step by step.¡± ¡°I know.¡± He was embarrassed and looked sheepish as he muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can live with myself if I don¡¯t get to the bottom of this.¡± She raised her brow and teased, ¡°Why? Is it because you¡¯re the Sherlock Holmes on campus?¡± Upon hearing that, his eyes widened and he gaped at her as blood rushed to his face. ¡°H-how did you find out about this?¡± he asked in awkwardness. His peers had called him Sherlock Holmes for the fun of it, but he thought it was embarrassing. He then ordered all of the juniors in his faculty to stop addressing him by that nickname. However, it only made it worse¡ªoppression was often met with resistance and the more he fought against it, the more his juniors took pleasure in torturing him. Even the teachers in school jumped on the bandwagon toward the end. How did Courtney find out about it, though? Courtney grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not a big secret. Didn¡¯t you hear someone calling you that when we were on our way here? I¡¯m pretty sure there were people who pointed at you when we cycled past them.¡± Oliver buried his face in his hands, wishing that a hole would appear on the ground and swallow him up. He was sure that he would die of embarrassment. She had always treated him like he was a kid and she probably thought he was all the more childish after learning about his ridiculous nickname. ¡°Here you go. Two hot caramel mhiatos.¡± The awkward silence was interrupted by the sound of the tray hitting the table. The girl who bantered with him was serving their orders and as she straightened her posture, she irritably snapped at him, ¡°Why are you acting shy? It¡¯s disgusting.¡± With that, she retrieved the tray and moved to step away from their table. ¡°Hey! Who are you calling shy?¡± Oliver barked, causing her to stop in her tracks. He then added disgruntledly. ¡°Are you blind? I wasn¡¯t acting shy at all!¡± ¡°Me? Blind? I think the only person who¡¯s blind around here is her!¡± The girl retorted and turned to address Courtney angrily. ¡°Miss, you probably don¡¯t know this, but Oliver is aplete Lothario on campus. Heaven knows how many women he¡¯s brought here¡ªboth young and old¡ªand he always gets two caramel mhiatos on every date!¡± Oliver¡¯s face grew thunderous. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spewing about?¡± Courtney, on the other hand, was nonchnt. She shifted in her seat and looked up at the girl while smiling and asking, ¡°Is that so? You mean to say that he¡¯s pursued older women too? He must be a lunatic then!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a pervert and a lunatic!¡± The girl nodded with conviction. ¡°So, don¡¯t trust anything thates out of his mouth. He¡¯s nothing but a womanizer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡± Oliver¡¯s lips twitched as he stared at the girl in utter disbelief. ¡°You know what, Tessa? If you were to promote your menu in the same way that you make up all those ridiculous stories about me, your milk tea would be selling like hotcakes!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not making anything up,¡± the girl countered primly. Courtney blinked and although she was thoroughly amused, she felt the need to introduce herself anyway. ¡°I appreciate the warning, but I¡¯m just an older sister to him.¡± Upon hearing that, the girl stiffened with shock. ¡°An older sister? As in, you¡¯re rted to him by blood?¡± Oliver rolled his eyes at her. ¡°No, we¡¯re not rted by blood, but she means a lot more to me than I imagine an older sister would.¡± ¡°Really??¡± The girl grew flustered at the unexpected revtion. She felt like she was just thrown a curveball. ¡°Of course. I have a five-year-old kid at home,¡± Courtney answered pleasantly with a yful glint in her eyes. ¡°So, is it true that Oliver is really as notorious as you say when he¡¯s on campus? He¡¯s going around breaking girls¡¯ hearts? You should keep an eye on him on my behalf then.¡± The girl blushed furiously. ¡°W-Why should I keep an eye on him? I won¡¯t do it. I¡ª¡± She broke off nervously and ducked her head. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the pizza over for you right now, Miss. Just give me a moment!¡± As she dashed off, he yelled, ¡°Hey! We didn¡¯t order a pizza!¡± ¡°It¡¯s for your sister! My treat!¡± Tessa answered hastily and disappeared into the kitchen. ¡°What a freak,¡± he scoffed, but when he turned his gaze to Courtney, he saw that she was eyeing him with a meaningful look. He frowned. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?¡± Courtney shook her head. ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing on your face, but I think that girl just now may ave a thing for you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Seeing the confusion that was written all over his face, she pursed her lips. After a thoughtful pause, she leaned forward like she was about to divulge a dirty secret or two and asked curiously, ¡°Oliver, can¡¯t you tell that she likes you?¡± ¡°What?¡± Oliver eximed with widened eyes and lowered his voice as he hissed. ¡°Courtney, you can¡¯t go around making jokes like this. It¡¯s not funny at all!¡± She did not understand why he was making a big deal out of it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with what I said? She¡¯s a really cute girl¡ªis she not good enough for you?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not a matter of how cute she looks; it¡¯s the fact that she¡¯s a total psychopath!¡± Upon having said that, he groaned in protest and looked incredulous as he asked. ¡°Do you know what course she¡¯s in?¡± ¡°What is it? Nursing? Information Science?¡± Courtney knew that the courses that Oliver¡¯s school provided were limited when it came to a female-friendly curriculum, but there were still a couple of courses that were more suited for girls. However, he drew in a shaky breath, as though the answer had intimidated him. ¡°Courtney, have you ever heard of the school¡¯s Blue Eagles Program?¡± ¡°Blue Eagles?¡± She frowned in thought before she said hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it. Isn¡¯t that the military training program for gifted folks?¡± Oliver nodded solemnly. ¡°Yes. Once these gifted studentsplete the program, they are immediately recruited and recognized as part of the army¡¯s special forces. These are the same people who will be dispatched to secure our borders and fight in our wars. The school keeps a close eye on all of them and they have strict rules to follow¡ªdating is absolutely forbidden. She knew this when she signed up for and passed the entrance exam for the Blue Eagles Program. How could she be interested in dating anybody when she knows that she will be punished?¡± ¡°Wait¡ªare you telling me that the girl is a member of the Blue Eagles?¡± Courtney found it hard to believe what she heard despite his nod of confirmation. Tessa was not that tall; she barely surpassed five feet three. She was fair-skinned and slender. On top of that, there was something adorable about her that did not go hand-in-hand with being a trainee for the military¡¯s special forces. ¡°No one else has broken her record in the shooting range¡ªa record that she set in her first year in the program. She can take up to ten grown men in closebat and these are men who have all been trained! It¡¯s like she turns into aplete maniac when she¡¯s on the training field; she has injured hundreds of her opponents, if not thousands. I¡¯ve never met anyone who takes training as seriously as she does. Trust me, Courtney, she¡¯s not as delicate as she looks. She¡¯s too aggressive for my taste.¡± Courtney watched Oliver¡¯s face twist into a grimace, which piqued her curiosity even more. ¡°Tell me about the so-called taste of yours. What kind of girl would pique your interest? I could set you up on a date. You were rather popr with thedies back at the hotel; there are plenty of women with wonderful personalities out there¡ªonly if you have nothing against dating older women.¡± ¡°Age doesn¡¯t matter to me,¡± Oliver replied. He leaned back in his chair and stared thoughtfully into space, avoiding Courtney¡¯s imploring gaze. His voice grew smaller as he said. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a girl who is gentle with her loved ones and courteous with others, but she won¡¯t hesitate to take a stand against her enemies. She¡¯s kind and she won¡¯t back down just because life gets in her way. She¡¯s someone who is strong-willed and soft-hearted¡ªthat¡¯s the kind of girl I¡¯m looking for.¡± he raised her brows. ¡°Does a girl like that even exist?¡± ¡°Yes and she takes good care of me. She slices apples for me and she buys me snacks. Every now and then, she checks in on me to make sure I¡¯m doing okay.¡± Courtney assessed him and after a while, she drawled, ¡°Does this woman happen to be your mom?¡± Chapter 277 One Night Surprise Chapter 277 Chapter 277 Alexander¡¯s Fall From Grace Upon hearing Courtney¡¯s words, Oliver swallowed what he was about to say and looked into her imploring eyes. He could do nothing else but nod in resignation. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m talking about my mom.¡± ¡°Better sort it out before it turns into an Oedipusplex or something; girls take it personally when you startparing them to your mother,¡± Courtney reminded gently and took her purse as she stood up to leave. ¡°I have to go now. There are some things I need to take care of at the office.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you off,¡± he offered and promptly rose from his seat. ¡°No need.¡± She brushed him off with a dismissive wave of her hand before jerking her head toward the kitchen. ¡°Didn¡¯t Tessa say she¡¯ll bring out a pizza? Stay here and make sure you thank her for her kind gesture. I can see myself out.¡± With that, she slung her purse over her shoulder and headed toward the door of the milk tea shop. ¡°Where did your sister go?¡± Tessa came out of the kitchen with the piping-hot pizza. The sound of the pizza tray ttering against the table made Oliver jump and he red at her. ¡°What did you do that for? Can¡¯t you act in a feminine manner like you¡¯re supposed to and be gentle in everything you do? You scared the living daylights out of me!¡± The smile that was on her face was quickly melted by his snide remark. She shot him a murderous look and snapped, ¡°Good graces are lost on you. Don¡¯t eat the pizza if you don¡¯t want to¡ªI can always feed it to the dogs around campus.¡± ¡°Be careful; this attitude will be the reason why you¡¯re never going to find a husband.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I wouldn¡¯t dream of marrying you even if you¡¯re thest man on the.¡± Oliver blinked. He thought about what Courtney had said earlier and retracted his head as he smiled to himself. ¡°What are you smiling at?¡± Tessa demanded in an incredulous manner. He did not reply and kept smiling instead. He bent his head to bite into a slice of pizza, oblivious of how delicate he looked as he did so. She blushed at the sight before her. She boldly appraised him, wondering how anyone could look that good. He¡¯s better-looking than most of the buffed-up hooligans in the Blue Eagles. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. The moment Courtney returned to the office, she immediately looked for Bill. ¡°How¡¯s the ordering along?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve asked the manufacturer to hurry up on the process, but the deadline given to us by Sakura Group is rather tight¡ªeverything must be ready to go within a month. However, I¡¯m concerned about the quality of the finished work. We have to send someone to keep an eye on the manufacturing process¡ªday in and day out.¡± ¡°It has to be someone who works in fashion, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked. He nodded. ¡°Designers will be arranged for the task.¡± She grew worried. ¡°Would you be able to make the necessary arrangements? There is still work to be done within these couple of days for the designpetition.¡± In order for Citron¡¯s designing team to make a strongeback under Bill¡¯s leadership, Citron Apparel had decided to take part in the uing nationwide fashion designpetition. As a result, Bill and the team spent thest two days busy brainstorming for designs for thepetition. He currently appeared to be nonchnt as he answered, ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem. The work that we¡¯re doing for thepetition isn¡¯t as difficult as it seems. Not to mention, we don¡¯t have to keep an eye on the manufacturer 24/7. All we need is to send a couple of designers over to check things out once or twice a day.¡± Seeing that he was confident about the whole process, Courtney did not protest further and simply nodded in agreement. ¡°In that case, you have free rein on the matter¡ªmake any decision you deem suitable.¡± Upon hearing that, Bill nodded firmly and he began to make a roster for the designers to visit the manufacturer¡¯s factory to check the work in progress. There was no one in Citron Apparel¡ªnot even Courtney¡ªwho could top Bill when it came to being a workaholic. After she left the design department, Natasha caught up with her and reminded her about the AW Business and Trade Cocktail Party that would be held the next evening. ¡°Miss Hunter, will you be attending the party alone or¡­¡± Natasha trailed off with implication. Courtney eyed her assistant with amusement. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m incapable of finding a date?¡± Natasha pursed her lips before she slowly responded, ¡°Miss Hunter, perhaps you are nning to bring President Duncan as your date for tomorrow evening?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°This may be inappropriate of me to say and please don¡¯t be angry with me, but I don¡¯t think you should bring President Duncan along.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Natasha in surprise. A flustered Natasha quickly exined, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Miss Hunter. I¡¯m just saying that the commercial world is filled with those who won¡¯t hesitate to bring you down and there aren¡¯t many good folks out who would stand by your side. Given President Duncan¡¯s past business maneuvers and his questionable temper, I¡¯m afraid he may have more foes than friends.¡± ¡°Go on,¡± Courtney responded as she wanted to hear more of Natasha¡¯s thoughts on the matter. Natasha paused as she carefully chose her words. ¡°President Duncan is no longer the director of Sunhill Enterprise, but the head of finance for Hunter Group instead. If he attends an upper-ss social event like the cocktail party tomorrow, he might run into somebody he knows, like the Radson brothers who are in charge of AW Group. I heard that they used to be rivals with President Duncan. On one hand, he might have a hard time facing these people and on the other, I¡¯m worried that if you show up with President Duncan, you might be the victim of vicious gossip. I¡¯m just saying that all of this can be easily avoided if you go alone, or if you choose to go with somebody else instead.¡± It was apparent that Natasha had given some thought to it and was polite in the way she said it as well. If Courtney were in her shoes, she would have been brutally honest¡ªAlexander¡¯s attendance at the event would be his downfall. His fall from grace would make him the butt of everyone¡¯s joke. It was not hard for Courtney to imagine the sneers and jests of those who ran in the business and trade circle. For a proud man like Alexander, who never experienced a downfall in his entire life, it would be difficult for him to brace against the taunting crowd at the cocktail event. With all those in mind, she looked at Natasha with admiration. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°As long as you aren¡¯t angry about it,¡± Natasha replied as she let out a breath of relief. They were heading toward the office when Courtney asked, ¡°How long have you been working in Hunter Group?¡± ¡°Five years.¡± ¡°That long?¡± Courtney appeared shocked. ¡°But, why are you¡­¡± She trailed off in hesitation. She could not finish her question without sounding rude, but seeing that she could not think of another way to ask it, the unspoken words hung in the air. Natasha, on the other hand, did not seem to mind at all as she let out a smallugh before she asked, ¡°Do you mean to ask why I am still a secretary despite having worked here for so long?¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t have excellent academics,¡± Natasha exined with a sheepish look on her face. ¡°I only graduated from middle school and I got a job here because my uncle pulled some strings with Mr. Hunter. While my grandmother is part of the Hunter Family, she is only a distant rtive of Mr. Hunter¡¯s. It was good enough for them to arrange a secretarial job for me.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney softened. ¡°You know what they say¡ªyou reap what you sow. Good things come to those who work hard enough for them.¡± When she first started working in Hunter Group, she was given a list of candidates from which she would select her personal assistant. An assistant¡¯s job was never easy and the pay was disproportionate to the workload. Furthermore, she needed someone who was well-rounded, paid attention to detail and had unwavering loyalty. It was a challenge to find somebody who could fit that description. The group¡¯s board of directors were worried that Courtney would have immense power over the company. In an attempt to rein her in, they decided to add a couple of candidates who were rted to the board members to the list and Natasha Golding happened to be one of them. ¡°Thank you, Miss Hunter.¡± Natasha bowed her head. Regardless of what Courtney said to her, she was always calm and collected, giving off the impression that she was far older than she looked. For that reason, and many others, Courtney had picked her out of all the other candidates. That afternoon, Courtney and Bill made a trip to the manufacturer¡¯s factory. As predicted by Bill, the manufacturing process was less than ideal. The workers were not meticulous and their skills were subpar at best. As a result, there was a need to rework on the first batch of fabric and he lost his temper on the spot. It wasn¡¯t long before the director of the manufacturingpany rushed back to handle the situation at hand. ¡°What in the world is going on here?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Bill red at the director before he threw the scraps of fabric onto the floor. As they landed before the director¡¯s feet, he pointed at them in disdain and gave the older man an incredulous look. ¡°See for yourself! Is this the kind of quality that you promised us?¡± Chapter 278 One Night Surprise Chapter 278 Chapter 278 Can I Be Your Apprentice? The atmosphere grew heavy almost instantly. Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org. The director of the manufacturingpany was a middle-aged man who wore a pair of little round spectacles. He looked bright and capable, but his expression was now stony as he pointed out, ¡°Mr. Dawson, there¡¯s nothing wrong with these.¡± ¡°Nothing wrong?¡± Bill repeated incredulously as his hand swept down to pick up one of the discarded shirts and waved it in front of the director¡¯s face. ¡°The shirt cket is all messed up and look at the stitching! As soon as this batch goes out the door, it carries with it the pride and dignity of the entire Hunter Group! With a quality like this, you¡¯re going to cost us our reputation!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The director looked uneasy at the confrontation. Upon seeing that, Courtney stepped up and assumed the role of a mediator; she tugged at Bill¡¯s sleeve as she said, ¡°Stop talking for a bit and let me have a word with the director.¡± ¡°And you are¡­¡± The director adjusted his spectacles and appraised Courtney curiously. Most of the work that required trips to the manufacturingpany were all previously done by the designers. As such, she had never officially met the director. Standing at one side, Natasha promptly made the necessary introductions. ¡°This is Courtney Hunter¡ª President Hunter, the director of Hunter Group. ¡°President Hunter?¡± The older man blinked. ¡°I beg your pardon, Miss. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be so young!¡± ¡°That¡¯s all right,¡± Courtney answered pleasantly. She looked at Bill and silently indicated for him to step aside. She then went over to the director to have a private word with him. ¡°Mr. Finch, please excuse Mr. Dawson. He¡¯s actually great at everything except keeping his temper in check,¡± Courtney began. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing¡ªwe need this batch to be ready within a month. With a deadline like this, you¡¯ll understand why we can¡¯t afford even the slightest of mistakes. We¡¯re terribly sorry if we offended you in any way.¡± Mr. Finch replied sheepishly, ¡°Please don¡¯t apologize. After all, it was our fault in the first ce. I just returned from Elmsbury and I was just about to supervise the production for your batch. I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d run into problems so soon.¡± ¡°You seem like a reasonable man, Mr. Finch. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have to tell you how important this is to us. If you could work a little overtime just to keep an eye on the process, reworking the products won¡¯t be necessary, don¡¯t you think?¡± Upon having said that, she lifted a slender finger like she was drawing an idea out of thin air. ¡°How about this? If you can finish the production earlier, then we¡¯ll incentivize you on a contractual basis. If quality is ensured and you finish the work a day earlier than the deadline, you will receive a five percent incentive on top of the agreed sum¡ªten percent if you finish the work two days earlier.¡± ¡°If we finish the work ten days before, then that would be¡­¡± Mr. Finch continued as his mind worked out the calctions as he grinned at Courtney. He did not have to say anything to let her know that he was more than agreeable with the proposition. Courtney was well-acquainted with the way businessmen worked¡ªshe drove a hard bargain, but she needed to make it worth his while too. On their way there, she and Bill had settled on the good cop, bad cop strategy in order to make sure that things turned out the way they wanted. After all, they did not want toe off as gullible to Mr. Finch. It was nightfall by the time she made her way home after tying up all the loose ends at the manufacturingpany. She offered to drop Bill and Natasha off along the way. The vi on Lotus Road had been vacant for a while, so she let him move in and make it his home for the time being. They were pulling up outside the vi when Natasha asked suddenly, ¡°Bill, I was wondering¡ªcan I be your apprentice and learn fashion designing from you?¡± Courtney nced into the rearview mirror and saw that Bill¡¯s eyebrows were drawn together. He asked in reply, ¡°Why do you want to learn fashion designing?¡± ¡°Because I like it.¡± ¡°Just because you like it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll be good at it. That¡¯s just how the world works. Have you dabbled in fashion designing before this?¡± ¡°I¡­ I have not.¡± From the rearview mirror, Courtney could see Natasha shrinking into herself, as though she wanted to curve around the inferiority that she experienced. In all the time that she knew Natasha, it was the first time that she saw a sheepish look pass across the girl¡¯s face¡ªa stark contrast from her usually composed disposition. Judging from the way that Bill closed the door after getting down from the car, it was clear that he had no idea about the effect his words had on Natasha. Like most men, he was oblivious to the many aspects of chivalry and he had a mind that was straighter than steel. It was no wonder that he was single even though he was nearly forty years old; he practically doomed himself to perpetual bachelorhood. As the car roared to life, Courtney teased lightly, ¡°You know, it¡¯s pretty clever of you toe up with the strategy of learning fashion designing from Bill. I mean, designing is all he ever thinks about. There¡¯s nothing much else going on in his brain.¡± Natasha looked confused for a moment, but when she finally made sense of what Courtney said, she quickly exined, ¡°Miss Hunter, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve taken this the wrong way. I really want to learn fashion designing from Bill.¡± ¡°Well, this is going to be harder than the other thing I meant,¡± Courtney mused, her hands on the steering wheel as she kept her eyes on the road beyond the windscreen. ¡°You know how proud these artistic types are and they show little mercy to those who are weaker than them in the industry. If you really be his apprentice¡ªand that¡¯s on the basis that he¡¯s even willing to take you in¡ªhe¡¯s going to destroy your self-esteem. Would you be able to live with that?¡± Natasha sighed. ¡°As long as Bill is willing to take me in, I¡¯ll be grateful anyhow.¡± ¡°You seem dedicated.¡± Courtney was beginning to believe that Natasha was really interested in fashion designing. She raised a brow as she asked. ¡°Are you really that interested in fashion design? Let me have a word with Bill to see whether he¡¯s willing to take you in as an apprentice.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to,¡± Natasha answered hastily. ¡°I¡¯ll figure a way out on my own. He wouldn¡¯t turn you down if you asked, but I really want him to teach me because he wants to do it¡ªand not because he¡¯s doing you a favor.¡± She seemed so determined that Courtney had no choice but to relent. She did not pursue the matter any further. After all, even she could not be certain that she could persuade the ever-entric Bill to do her such a favor. When Courtney arrived home that night, she was carrying a bag of potatoes. A nearby grocery store was offering discounts for potatoes and they were being sold in two giant heaps right at the entrance. She had bought arge bag of them after seeing how fresh the produce was. She was greeted with darkness the moment she arrived home. Her fingers felt blindly along the wall as she looked for the light switch, which usually was not hard to locate¡ªgiven its proximity to the door. However, instead of stumbling across the switch, her fingers came across something cold and soft before the door suddenly mmed shut behind her. A startled Courtney screamed as she withdrew her hand, letting the bag of potatoes to drop to the floor. The sound of her screams coupled with the thudding sound of the potatoes hitting the ground, seemed to reverberate throughout the house like a prelude to a horror film. She trembled as she reached for her phone while calling out, ¡°Alexander! Alexander!¡± Alexander ought to be here at this hour, but it seems like there is no one at home at all. The floor was cast in the weak silver moonlight that filtered through the curtains and her ears pricked up at the sound of footstepsing from the children¡¯s room. Courtney could hear the blood pounding in her ears as she yelled, ¡°Alexander, is that you?¡± However, as she said that, she saw the long shadow of a figure hiding behind the doorway. He appeared to be holding a chainsaw and from where she stood, she could see that there was red liquid dripping from the jagged edges of the weapon. What she saw made it all the more horrific under the ethereal moonlight. All the scenes from the horror films that she watched shed through her mind and she suddenly remembered the notice that was pinned up on themunity bulletin board two days ago. The notice warned that there was a serial killer on the loose and since he was recently spotted in Melrose City, the authorities wanted everyone to take precautions. Courtney¡¯s eyes widened as she mumbled, ¡°Tina, Jordan¡­¡± Meanwhile, the figure was slowlying out from behind the door. She reached for a potato and with her free hand, she felt along behind her until her fingers touched the cold steel of the doorknob. She was trembling while her heart raced, but she tried her best to stay calm. Perhaps Alexander and the kids are not home at all. Perhaps nothing happened and this man is just a burr. As soon as the figure emerged, Courtney threw the potato toward him and she quickly opened the door behind her so that she could escape. She thought she heard a male grunting from within the room before it was drowned by the loud crash of his murder weaponnding on the floor. It was as though the crash was a deadly, demonic w that aimed for her, threatening to pull her down into the depths of hell. Chapter 279 One Night Surprise Chapter 279 Chapter 279 You Let Them Get Away With It A bright light greeted Courtney¡¯s escape and before she could react, she heard someone yell, ¡°Surprise!¡± It was followed by a loud burst of colorful confetti. Her breath hitched when she saw the elevator lobby was filled with people wearing odd masks and costumes. Among them were two small figures dressed up like jack-o¡¯nterns as their heads bobbed under the weight of the pumpkin prop. Courtney let out a scream at the sight of the motley crew before her, but she slightly calmed down as she figured out why the voices sounded familiar. She hesitantly called out, ¡°Jordan? Tina?¡± The smaller of the two jack-o¡¯ntern figures lifted the pumpkin costume to reveal a mischievous grin. ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s me!¡± Tina announced happily. ¡°What are you¡­¡± Courtney trailed off as her eyes widened with bewilderment. Happy Halloween, Miss Hunter!¡± Someone cried from among the crowd as everyone began to remove their masks and headpieces to reveal their identities¡ªthey were all residents within the building. Halloween? Courtney buried her head in her hands. ¡°For goodness¡¯s sake, all of you¡­¡± Lisa, the woman who stayed at the apartment across the hall from theirs, was dressed as the Corpse Bride. She picked up a fraction of her dress while she sauntered to where Courtney stood,ughing as she said, ¡°Did we scare you? The whole building is celebrating Halloween. You aren¡¯t the first one to be frightened by the rest of us¡ªthose who came home after dark pretty much ended up with the same treatment too.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney froze and it took a while before she regainedposure. ¡°I thought the serial killer infiltrated my home! You guys scared the living daylights out of me!¡± As she surveyed the somewhat familiar faces who grinned at her in the elevator lobby, she could feel a surge of warmth spread through her. The apartment building was always lively withmunity events, but due to her busy work schedule, she was often far too busy to participate. Nevertheless, the residents made sure she received the goody bags from all the events she missed out on. Alicia was the one who bought the apartment for her. Now that Courtney thought about it, her aunt probably had her best intentions at heart. Lisa asked, ¡°By the way, where¡¯s your husband?¡± Courtney blinked. ¡°My husband?¡± ¡°The children¡¯s father,¡± Lisa pointed out before pressing on. ¡°Did you not see him? He was supposed to be in your apartment!¡± When Courtney regained herposure, she gaped at Lisa and gestured toward the front door of her apartment. ¡°You mean, that person inside was¡ª¡± She broke off and she turned to open the door under the curious gaze of the crowd. She felt around in the dark and found the light switch before realizing that it was covered with ayer of y-like substance. She then peeled it off and turned on the lights. As the room brightened, she saw Alexander sitting at the entrance to the children¡¯s room. The beige pants he wore were stained with the unidentified red liquid on the floor. There was a quail egg-sized bump on his forehead and he looked dazed as he stared at the doorway. The silence was broken when someone sputtered behind her and soon, everyone burst intoughter as they were unable to contain themselves any longer. Courtney was willing to bet that it was his most embarrassing moment in his thirty something years of existence. Meanwhile, he grimaced. He had wanted to save himself from the embarrassment of dressing up for Halloween, but instead, he ended up humiliating himself in front of all the residents in the building. ¡°Pfft!¡± She sputtered as she gently pressed a hardboiled egg against the bump on his head. ¡°Sorry, but you looked so ridiculous back there that I couldn¡¯t help butugh.¡± Alexander was indignant, but he did not want to snap at her while Courtney was being gentle with him, so he forced his words down instead. ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡ªyou said you didn¡¯t want to join them for Halloween, so why were you holding a chainsaw like a murderous maniac? I was almost scared to death! Just be thankful that I was holding a potato instead of a knife; otherwise, who knows how badly I might have injured you?¡± Upon the mention of the godforsaken chainsaw, he grew grim and glowered. ¡°That was ketchup on the chainsaw and don¡¯t ask me how I got into this mess. You should ask the kids!¡± Tina and Jordan were still hanging out with the rest of the residents and joined their forces as they went around to scare other unsuspecting upants of the building. The kids would not be returning home soon. However, judging from the way she sneakily took the ketchup-stained chainsaw with her, Courtney strongly suspected that the little girl yed a part in Alexander¡¯s predicament. Both kids had probably nned to assume terrifying roles tonight. However, seeing as they could not locate the perfect prop, they decided to make one of their own instead. In an attempt to give the prop a test run, they had somehow convinced Alexander to retrieve the chainsaw for them around the same time that Courtney came home from work. Tina could not have thought of such an borate scheme, so it was more than likely that it was Jordan¡¯s handiwork. Courtney scoffed in disbelief at the audacity of those children. ¡°You allowed them to get away with it,¡± she pointed out usingly, rolling her eyes at him as she flicked his forehead. Alexander made an irritated noise; he frowned like he was about to retort, but when he saw the mock exasperation on her face, he slightly drew back and stared. He was quiet for a moment as he recalled something. When he was younger, he liked to visit the Lewis Family. Mika¡¯s parents argued all the time and that was even far warmer than the ambience at his own home. He remembered how good it felt to be around them and now, he began to realize that there was a familiarity in the way Courtney treated him. He felt as though someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him, causing him to snap him out of his reverie. How did I not realize that the warmth I had been pining for all these years is right next to me? The asional humorous banter that kept me on my toes, the way I allowed Courtney to me me for the small, insignificant things that I would have otherwise mercilessly refuted¡ªthese are the little changes that are leading me toward a life I always longed for. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Alexander remembered what his father told him when he was a child¡ªthe world was a wonderful ce, but he just needed to find someone who could illustrate all the awesome things about it to him. It waste at night by the time the kids returned home with a triumphant haul of sweets, having gone on a robust round of trick-and-treating in the entire apartment building. Courtney brought the two children into the bath and gave them a good scrub-down. She then watched as they fell asleep before they could even get past the beginning of the bedtime story. When she returned to her bedroom, she saw that Alexander was reading in bed. He looked up at her as she came in and he said, ¡°Drink the milk while it¡¯s still warm.¡± She nced at the ss of milk on the nightstand, smiling as she took notice of the mug. The mug came in a his-and-hers set¡ªhers happened to be pastel pink with a minimalist design and a tiny heart engraved on it. Courtney lifted a corner of the duvet and slithered into bed before finishing the milk. Alexander, on the other hand, watched her. When he saw that she was done with the milk, he closed his book and reached out to switch off the reading light attached to the headboard. ¡°Get some sleep,¡± he said gently. She did as she was told, but as shey on the bed, she found herself unable to sleep. She muttered softly, ¡°Would you be able to stand living like this for the rest of your life?¡± His chin was propped on the top of her head, so when he spoke, it was as though his voice vibrated against her scalp. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with living like this.¡± ¡°However, what if you bump into your old friends and acquaintances? Won¡¯t you feel awkward then?¡± ¡°I think they would be the ones feeling awkward,¡± Alexander mumbled thoughtfully. ¡°Let them be smug all they want¡ªI don¡¯t see the need to be bothered by them.¡± He sounded rather cavalier about it, as if he couldn¡¯t care less about those old acquaintances of his. Courtney pressed on further, ¡°How about if I ask you to be my date for the AW Business and Trade Cocktail Party? Casey sent me an invite and I have ns on attending, but you might run into more than a few familiar faces if we go together. Would you¡­¡± Even as she trailed off, Alexander did not say anything. In the dead silence of the night, she was beginning to regret bringing up the topic in the first ce. She knew that men had their pride¡ªthere could have been a glitch in her brain for her to even mention anything about it. After what seemed like ages, the arms around her tightened before Alexander¡¯s deep voice resounded next to her ear, ¡°If I¡¯m not going, who do you have in mind as a date?¡± Courtney stiffened and answered slowly, ¡°Seeing as Bill is our designer, it would be ideal for him to come with me and receive some publicity out of this, but he¡¯s been busy recently. Shay¡¯s definitely going with Casey, which leaves me with no one other than Oliver.¡± She was so preupied with her words that she was oblivious as to how his face was growing darker by the second. Chapter 280 One Night Surprise Chapter 280 Chapter 280 Not Bothered to Put Up a Front ¡°If that doesn¡¯t work, Addie from thepany would be fine too.¡± Are you actually considering Addie from thepany?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°What is on your mind when you bring up other men in front of me to attend the cocktail party?¡± Courtney¡¯s heart sank when she heard his husky and gloomy voice. She felt a sudden movement and the next thing she knew, Alexander, who was lying on the pillow beside her, shifted above her. ¡°That is not what I meant.¡± She pushed against his chest. ¡°I was afraid that you would be in an embarrassing situation. Besides, am I not asking for your opinion right now?¡± ¡°Are you asking me to pick a date for you?¡± His voice sounded even more menacing now. Courtney felt as though the situation was worsening, but she braced herself when she retorted, ¡°Well, since you¡¯re noting with me, I have to attend the event with somebody, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Did I say that I¡¯m not going?¡± Alexander stared at her from above. The nket covered his shoulders like a massive mountain while Courtney was rendered motionless underneath the pressure. It is clearly for his sake, but he is ming me now. She felt wronged. ¡°I was just taking you into consideration. How would I know if you¡¯d¡­¡± She was speaking halfway when she noticed Alexander¡¯s intense gaze. She felt her chest tightening and she did not feel like speaking anymore. ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s useless to speak with you. Do as you please!¡± She turned her head away. Alexander was astounded, so he slowly turned sideways to lie beside her. Just when he was about to hold her in his arms, she wriggled away to sleep at the edge of the bed. In fact, shepletely ignored him. After reflecting on his behavior earlier, he regretted not speaking nicely. ¡°I know that you are concerned for me, but I care more about our lives together than others adding insult to my injury. If we aren¡¯t together, it doesn¡¯t matter who you attend the event with because I wouldn¡¯t have the right to speak up. However, now that we are together, there shouldn¡¯t be anybody else attending the cocktail party as your date apart from myself.¡± Courtney was still motionless at that point. Hence, he scooted closer to her while speaking in a rumbling voice. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that your heart isn¡¯t with me. However, the cocktail party of the business and trade industry isn¡¯t as simple as you might imagine. I will be worried if I¡¯m not by your side.¡± She remained silent and just when Alexander was running out of ideas, she suddenly answered with a hoarse voice, ¡°In any case, I can¡¯t possibly take Jordan and Tina along, can I?¡± His knitted eyebrows significantly rxed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention that Oliver has a lot of time on his hands?¡± Courtney turned to face him when she heard that. ¡°Are you truly treating Oliver as your personal nanny?¡± she asked in shock. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t he?¡± Alexander raised his eyebrows, as if taking the situation for granted. Oliver has been following Courtney around everywhere. He ims that he¡¯s keeping her safe while investigating certain matters. In reality, as a man, I can tell that he has selfish motives. Everybody sees through him. Since Oliver has epted the money, he should be responsible for the safety of the two children too. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with that. At 7.30 PM the next evening, the Business and Trade Cocktail Party, organized by the AW Group, was at the top floor of the most luxurious hotel in Melrose City¡ªthe Emerald Gem Hotel. The red carpet extended from the entrance of the hotel, weing the attendees who consisted of social elites and celebrities. Since the AW Group was mainly involved in the media industry, it was only natural for many celebrities to show up. Reporters were proud to receive an invitation for the event whereas those who did not loitered outside the entrance for some pictures. Courtney and Alexander walked the red carpet while holding hands. Despite their stered smiles, they were both chatting with each other in hushed tones. ¡°Casey deliberately turned a cocktail party into a film festival. He didn¡¯t need to make it so obvious even if he¡¯s trying to win Shay over, did he?¡± He observed the surroundings thoughtfully for a while. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not just for Shay. By doing this, the AW Group has more exposure too. The film and television entertainment industry has been gaining poprity for the past few years, so he is right to grab this opportunity to gain traction from the public.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s trying to gain attention, why isn¡¯t heing out to the public with Shay?¡± She pouted unhappily. I have nothing to say about the secret love affair between Casey and Shay. After all, the locals aren¡¯t very receptive to rtionships such as theirs. Besides, if Shay were toe out to the public, he would lose his career and he might be forced to retire from the industry. Nevertheless, I do not appreciate the rumors circting about Casey recently. He has had scandals with countless female celebrities one after another and the news has been all over the media. Despite understanding where Courtney wasing from, Alexander did not exin on Casey¡¯s behalf even though he was aware of certain facts. I havepeted with Casey since our childhood. It¡¯s only fair for me to throw him under the bus right now. Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Shay approached them the moment they entered the hall. ¡°Courtney, I¡¯ve waited a long time for you to arrive. Why are you sote?¡± ¡°The traffic was terrible. Besides, with the parade of extravagance out there, we had to line up since we had to walk the red carpet.¡± Courtney shot a pointed look behind Shay. Casey was like a shadow as he followed Shay closely from behind. ¡°Who knows what¡¯s going on in his mind? It¡¯s quite a lot of messing around for no good reason.¡± Shay was even harsher than her with hisments. He rolled his eyes impatiently at Casey, who was standing behind him. ¡°Courtney, stay with meter and please don¡¯t go about as you wish, so as to avoid running into some unpleasant people.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Courtney was bewildered. Shay nced at Casey when he heard that. ¡°Courtney is speaking with you.¡± Well, judging by his tone, he sounds like he¡¯s lecturing me. Courtney felt rather helpless. I wasn¡¯t asking about Casey when it¡¯s Shay whom I¡¯m clearly addressing! Casey did not seem angry; he kept his hands behind his back when he casually answered, ¡°There are many people within the business and trading industry. It¡¯s better to make a friend than an enemy. I am sure that Miss Hunter understands that point.¡± ¡°Stop trying to praise Courtney. Why don¡¯t youe clean and say that you¡¯ve invited the wretched couple, Isaac and Vanessa?¡± Both Courtney and Alexander scowled at those two names being mentioned. They both wore the same expression¡ªannoyance. ¡°Are they here too?¡± she asked while frowning deeply. Casey nodded. He checked the surroundings to make sure that those two were not within earshot before exining, ¡°It is true that they are both here, but Shay isn¡¯t right. It seems like the two of them didn¡¯te together.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯te together? What do you mean by that?¡± Courtney was confused. Isaac has been invited as a courtesy of Graham Enterprise. AW Group is on par with Sunhill Enterprise as arge corporation in Melrose City. Hence, it is Graham Enterprise¡¯s honor to be invited to this event since they are a small business. Vanessa¡¯s family isn¡¯t doing well, so I just can¡¯t figure out how she can attend the event apart from showing up as Isaac¡¯s date. The three of them stared at Casey, who adjusted his spectacles, when he answered pointedly, ¡°Well, it is true that Mr. Graham did not show up with his wife. Unless I have been mistaken, he attended the event with a female anchor from ourpany. His wife¡¯s situation is even more intriguing because she showed up together with Mr. Isaac¡¯s brother.¡± Courtney was stunned into silence and her frown deepened. After Isaac and Vanessa¡¯s engagement party, we never met each other again. Later, I heard that they weren¡¯t on good terms, but I didn¡¯t expect them not to bother to even put up a front. Chapter 281 One Night Surprise Chapter 281 Chapter 281 Are You Done? While listening to Casey, Courtney saw a figure from the corner of her eyes. The once familiar figure looks so foreign now. Isaac was standing at the corner of the banquet hall. His arm was wrapped around the waist of a petite young woman¡ªshe was most probably the female anchor whom Casey was talking about. Shay saw the two of them as well, but he scowled deeply. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Eva Reed?¡± ¡°Do you know her?¡± Courtney asked. ¡°She is working in the samepany as I am, but she is an online streamer. Thepany doesn¡¯t seem to value her since they do not intend to provide her with any targeted training. Usually, employees like that will not have their contract renewed.¡± ¡°How long is her contract?¡± She asked out of curiosity. ¡°Ten years.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t she be wasting ten years of her youth?¡± Courtney was in shock. ¡°Even if they refuse to renew her contract after ten years, she can¡¯t possibly continue in the same industry, can she? They are clearly exploiting her!¡± ¡°The bully exploiting her is right here.¡± Shay pouted at Casey. ¡°Artist contracts within the AW Group start at a minimum of ten years. The money that one has topensate is exorbitant if they were to break the contract. Those who are underappreciated, like Eva Reed, would have no choice but to do everything they can to look for a patron. Otherwise, with the measly sry from thepany and commission through online streaming, it is impossible for her to afford two purses.¡± Courtney nced at Casey when she heard that. Then, she turned to ask Shay, ¡°Well, in that case, do you have to look for a patron if you are being underappreciated?¡± Casey¡¯s gaze immediately darkened. She acted as though she had not noticed it. In fact, she shoved Alexander forward. ¡°I¡¯ll lend him to you when the timees. He can be your patron¡ªwhat do you think?¡± ¡°You are so considerate toward me.¡± Shay blinked his eyes a few times. ¡°Courtney, you are too selfless.¡± Before he could finish speaking, Casey dragged him away. ¡°Come with me.¡± ¡°Ouch! What are you doing? I am chatting with Courtney!¡± Courtney burst into a fit of giggles as she saw the two of them walking away. ¡°Oh, my! I have a feeling that Casey is even worse than you are when he¡¯s jealous.¡± Alexander stared at her. ¡°I, on the other hand, feel that Shay is worse than you are in regards to being a scatterbrain.¡± Courtney did not have aeback for that. ¡°Isaac, there are too many people here. I don¡¯t feel so good. Can you please apany me to the washroom?¡± Eva held onto Isaac¡¯s arm and she appeared weak. He tightened his arm around her waist. ¡°Are you afraid of bumping into Vanessater?¡± ¡°Why would I be afraid of her? I just don¡¯t want to embarrass you. That mad woman of yours doesn¡¯t care about your dignity when she loses her mind. It is bad for your reputation.¡± ¡°Well, you are always the mature one. Do you truly need to use the washroom?¡± ¡°Yeah, I need to go.¡± Isaac seemed to be in a trance as he stared at the woman in front of him acting coyly. ¡°Sure! Let¡¯s go.¡± I was nning to live a peaceful life after experiencing so much with Vanessa, especially after being married to her for half a year. However, she has been filled with suspicions ever since she had a miscarriage. She keeps tabs on my work¡ªday and night; it is almost giving me a nervous breakdown. I met Eva in a bar when I was having a business meeting with a friend. I wasn¡¯t in awe of her when I met her for the first time. In fact, she is nowhere as pretty as Vanessa. However, her eyes have entranced me. When Eva locked the bathroom door from inside with a click, he snapped back to reality when he heard the door shut. He observed his surroundings while frowning deeply. ¡°What are you doing? This is a female¡¯s bathroom. I will wait for you outside.¡± Content is property of N?velDrama.Org. Nevertheless, Eva wrapped her arms around his neck while dragging him into one of the cubicles. She whispered seductively, ¡°Isaac, don¡¯t you find it exciting to be here?¡± Isaac was astounded when he heard that, but his first reaction was to shove her away. ¡°Stop fooling around. This is a cocktail party by the AW Group. How would it look to the public if somebody were to walk in on us?¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t worry. Nobody will see us because I¡¯ve locked the door.¡± With that, Eva pushed him to sit on the toilet seat before impatiently unzipping her evening gown. She was not wearing anything underneath. After tossing her gown aside, she sat on top of him. ¡°Isaac¡­¡± Isaac was burning with desire at that point. He seemed to have lost himself once he looked up into her eyes. The toilet cubicle was filled with the heavy panting sounds of the couple as the passionate sound of their skin pping against each other reverberated throughout the washroom. None of them realized the figure standing outside the cubicle. Her pink evening gown was dragging on the floor and the originally beautiful woman wore a frosty expression. She asked in a faint voice, ¡°Are you done?¡± ¡°Aaah!¡± Eva screamed as she shrunk against Isaac¡¯s arms almost instantly. The color drained from Isaac¡¯s face as well. However, his expression darkened when he caught sight of the woman standing in front of them. He wore his pants before blocking Eva by standing in front of her. ¡°Vanessa, what are you doing?¡± he asked unhappily. ¡°I think I should be the one asking the both of you that question, don¡¯t you agree?¡± Vanessa ferociously red at them. She looked extremely upset and her tone was especially somber. ¡°Do you know where this is? I can¡¯t believe you two are doing this right here. Are you two animals? Don¡¯t you feel ashamed?¡± ¡°Vanessa, that¡¯s enough!¡± Isaac nced at the entrance of the bathroom. ¡°You are screaming at the top of your voice because you want to be heard, is it?¡± ¡°Are you finally ashamed of yourself?¡± Vanessa asked coldly. ¡°Why weren¡¯t you shameful when she was on top of you earlier?¡± Isaac looked upset, but he did not have aeback. Eva was hiding behind him and revealed her beautiful face while staring at Vanessa with fear. Then, she spoke in a soft and girlish voice, ¡°Vanessa, please stop this. We shouldn¡¯t air our dirtyundry to the public. Aren¡¯t you humiliating Isaac by having an outburst?¡± ¡°You are a shameless b*tch! You do not have a right to speak here!¡± With that, Vanessa took a step forward to grab her hair. Eva shrieked in fear while hiding behind Isaac. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Isaac pushed Vanessa away. ¡°Are you done with your nonsense? No matter what happens, you shouldn¡¯t air our dirtyundry to the public. You act as if you are taking the moral high ground as the daughter-inw of the Graham Family, but you didn¡¯t seem to have any principles when you seduced me to sleep with you in the past. What gives you the right to control me?¡± Vanessa lost her bnce after he shoved against her. His harshments were like knives being stabbed into her heart. She could not believe what she heard, but she had no choice; she had to swallow the bitterness in silence. ¡°Isaac, you told me that you wanted to live happily ever after with me and I believed you, but why? I can look away when you are gallivanting with other women outside. However, did you ever consider my feelings when you brought her here in front of the public¡¯s eye?¡± She sat on the floor. ¡°I can no longer be a mother because of you and I don¡¯t have anyone else to rely on apart from you.¡± Her confession was moving and shocking, but Isaac had heard that countless times. He was already sick of it and his expression immediately soured. The eyes of the woman, who was standing behind Isaac, twinkled with a smile and she interrupted Vanessa. ¡°Well, Vanessa, you are truly something to be able to talk about not having children so casually. I am willing to give birth to Isaac¡¯s children, no matter how many he wants, without demanding for a legal status. How about you? You do not even have a child. So, why are you stopping Isaac from keeping his bloodline alive?¡± ¡°Shut the f*ck up!¡± Vanessa lost her cool. ¡°You should be the one shutting up.¡± Eva chuckled softly. She pulled the strap, which was sliding down, back up to her shoulder. ¡°I am now two months pregnant.¡± Chapter 282 One Night Surprise Chapter 282 Chapter 282 Defective Substitute Thatment felt like a lightning strike on Vanessa¡¯s body as she could not believe Eva. ¡°How is that possible¡­¡± I have been with Isaac for six years, so I know his personality very well. No matter how much he fools around outside, he would never do such a thing! For one, the Grahams are extremely strict with their rules. Hence, the Graham Family would never acknowledge a child whom he shares with an artist at the bottom tier. On the other hand, I know that he doesn¡¯t love the women he fools around with. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± She scrambled from the floor, as though she was ready to tussle with Eva. ¡°Nothing is impossible.¡± Isaac stood in front of Eva. ¡°Eva is right¡ªshe is pregnant with my child. I am taking her home to the Graham Residence.¡± Vanessa had heard a lot of hurtfulments from him in the past, but she was unprepared for something like that. She was stunned into silence because she could not believe her ears. ¡°Are you insane? Mom and Dad would never agree for you to marry a woman like her.¡± ¡°Nothing is impossible as long as I insist.¡± Isaac¡¯s determined andposed expression shook Vanessa. He wasn¡¯t even so certain when I previously wanted to be married to him. In fact, I had to figure out ways to make Isaac¡¯s parents like me. Does he know how much effort I put in to join the Grahams? How can this woman obtain everything by relying only on her charms and seductive methods? I don¡¯t believe it. She looked up at the woman who was standing behind Isaac. She has a petite figure¡ªshe isn¡¯t shapy or voluptuous. She is just much youngerpared to me. I can¡¯t help butpare her with me. Nevertheless, she realized the truth with a start when she saw Eva¡¯s eyes before bursting inughter. ¡°Haha! Haha!¡± He was confused and he scowled. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Vanessa pointed at the woman behind him and she cackled maniacally. She questioned him insistently, ¡°Are you actually in love with her? Or, you can¡¯t forget the person whom you can¡¯t have? Is that why you¡¯ll be happy even if she¡¯s just a defective substitute?¡± ¡°Who are you referring to as a defective substitute?¡± Eva was bewildered, so she frowned at Vanessa while waiting for an exnation. Nevertheless, Isaac immediately understood what Vanessa meant and his gaze turned icy-cold. ¡°Vanessa, I am warning you. Nobody thinks you are dumb if you don¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°The mouth is mine. I will say whatever I want. Why are you afraid of what I have to say if you have the audacity to cheat?¡± She supported herself against the marble top of the basin as her face twisted into an ugly expression. ¡°Do you think highly of yourself? Previously, you were the one who betrayed Courtney, but now, you¡¯ve found a woman who resembles her. Are you trying to pretend to be devoted to her?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± He looked livid. ¡°Who is Courtney?¡± Eva appeared lost. ¡°Courtney?¡± Vanessa guffawed. ¡°She is a¡ª¡± Smack! There was a loud smack across her face and the crisp sound rang loudly in the bathroom. She lost her bnce due to the impact and she fell onto the ground. Isaac spat coldly, ¡°You are unworthy of mentioning her name. You better shut up if you want to retain your position as Mrs. Graham.¡± After saying those words, he strode away. Despite her curiosity, Eva did not want to be alone with Vanessa. In the end, Eva went after him hastily. ¡°Isaac, wait up!¡± Vanessa was left alone in the bathroom¡ªshe was a mess as she sat on the washroom floor. She held a trembling hand over her reddened cheek. I have worked hard for so long. It has been so many years now. Am I not on par with Courtney? I don¡¯t believe that. In the banquet hall, Courtney was chatting with the guests at the cocktail party. She turned to look when she heard the word ¡®Isaac¡¯. From afar, she saw him walking down the stairs while wearing a gloomy expression and the young artist was holding onto her gown as she chased after him from behind. Courtney frowned, but just as she was about to look away, he looked up and their gazes met. Isaac stopped dead in his tracks from walking down the stairs. I haven¡¯t seen Courtney for half a year, but I have heard a lot about her in the past six months. In fact, her life has been more interesting and vibrant ever since she left me. Out of all the independent and confident women in my life, Courtney takes the lead and she will always be the one who got away. They locked eyes for a few seconds and she gently nodded as a greeting. Then, she turned naturally to continue chatting with the person beside her. Isaac was in a daze, but Eva was already clinging onto his arm. ¡°Isaac, please don¡¯t be mad. It is entirely my fault. Why don¡¯t youe to my ce tonight and I will make it up to you?¡± He suddenly felt uneasy, so he retrieved his arm. ¡°I want to be alone for a bit. Stop following me.¡± With that, he walked down the stairs alone. After greeting her close friends, Courtney felt slightly tipsy, so she wanted to look for a ce to rest. She scanned her surroundings, but she could not find Alexander. He must have left to use the washroom. Hence, she put her wine ss down before making her way to a conspicuous spot to wait for him. Just as she looked down, she saw the hem of a pink flowy gown swishing in front of her. She heard Vanessa¡¯s voice before she could look up. ¡°Courtney, it has been ages since west met.¡± Courtney saw Vanessa the moment she looked up. The right side of her face is red and swollen, for some reason. Then, she immediately recalled the rumors about her and Isaac. She frowned and looked at Vanessa with pity in her eyes. ¡°It has been such a long time. How have you been?¡± ¡°I am great.¡± Vanessa¡¯s gaze significantly darkened. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°You are overthinking it. I don¡¯t mean anything at all.¡± Courtney no longer felt sorry for Vanessa. Well, with me attending the cocktail party with my status, she must have misinterpreted my pity as gloating at her. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Vanessa looked rather upset, but she gave Courtney a thorough once-over. Her tant stare obviously made Courtney uneasy, so she scowled deeply. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°I am guessing you weren¡¯t aware that the small-time online streamer somehow resembles you. Isaac is now dating a female online streamer and she looks a lot like you.¡± Vanessa seemed to be waiting for a reaction from Courtney. However, Courtney looked distant and avoided her gaze while advising, ¡°Vanessa, why are you telling me this? In all honesty, this has nothing to do with me at all if you truly want to live a happy life with Isaac.¡± ¡°Are you saying that the problems in my marriage with Isaac are caused by me?¡± ¡°I never said that.¡± She felt that Vanessacked basicprehensive ability. ¡°That is exactly what you said.¡± Vanessa stubbornly barked. After that, she burst intoughter all of a sudden while giving Courtney an evil stare. ¡°Are you pleased with yourself? You have many men hanging around you. In fact, it has been that way since you were in school. They treat you like the unattainable Ice Queen. However, do they know that your own older sister once sold you off? Do they know that four to five men took your virginity away?¡± Courtney felt as though lightning had struck her; everything exploded suddenly and she was left with pieces of ruins everywhere. The surrounding guests started to gather around them. She noticed that Vanessa¡¯s lips were moving in slow motion. ¡°That is why Anna deserves to die¡ªshe harmed her own younger sister. I can¡¯t believe she sent you off to those people to rape you. Don¡¯t you think she deserves to die?¡± Chapter 283 One Night Surprise Chapter 283 Chapter 283 Nothing Happened That Night Vanessa¡¯s announcement had attracted the majority of the guests to gather around them in the banquet hall. Courtney was standing in the middle of the crowd and she had to endure stares of pity or contempt at her from all directions. Her ears buzzed as Vanessa¡¯s voice resembled a drum that constantly thumped and amplified her past without any consent. ¡°Anna more than deserves to die. My guess is that she didn¡¯t even bother to apologize to you when she was dying. Besides, you are affectionate and loyal enough to have attended her funeral. I admire you, Courtney.¡± Courtney tightened her fists in an attempt to force herself to calm down. ¡°Vanessa, I do not know what you are talking about.¡± Vanessa folded her arms while regarding Courtney, as though she expected thetter¡¯s denial. She cackled sinisterly when she said, ¡°How could you possibly not remember what happened six years ago? It was on your eighteenth birthday. Mr. Hunter gave you a house as a gift, but a jealous Anna arranged for those men toe. Later, you left the country and I suppose that¡¯s because the Hunters didn¡¯t want to expose themselves to such a scandal.¡± She was giving a detailed ount of what happened whereas Courtney turned as pale as a white sheet. ¡°Vanessa, what are you doing?¡± Isaac marched through the crowd to block Courtney from view. ¡°Are you insane? Do you know what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°I¡¯m merely rifying the truth. Previously, outsiders have always felt that Courtney hasn¡¯t been loyal and responsible to the Hunter Group. Well, I should at least let them know how horrible the Hunter Family has treated Courtney. The public shouldn¡¯t simply judge others by assuming the moral high ground,¡± Vanessa asserted eloquently. On the other side, his expression soured significantly as he hissed angrily at her. ¡°Mad woman!¡± Then, he turned to face Courtney. ¡°I am sorry. Courtney, please leave first and I will handle the situation here.¡± ¡°Isaac, please do not forget that Courtney is no longer associated with you since I am your wife.¡± Vanessa lost her cool when she saw how considerate he was toward Courtney, rendering her blinded by jealousy and rage at that point. Isaac had been unhappy with Vanessa for a long time. Now that she humiliated him in front of the crowd, he was livid and shouted at her angrily, ¡°You no longer are my wife!¡± ¡°What do you mean? If you are doing this over such a small matter¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Courtney interrupted Vanessa¡¯s tearful howl. She coldly stared at the husband and wife who had fallen out with each other. She had to calm down as well and after careful analysis of the situation, she inhaled deeply while observing her surroundings. ¡°Vanessa, I know that you hold a grudge against me, but you have gone overboard by ndering me. Besides, Anna has passed away for some time now; you shouldn¡¯t casually joke about the deceased. Six years ago, when you came between Isaac and me, you spread rumors among our ssmates by iming that I cheated on him. How dare you use the same trick now! At that time, we were still young and na?ve. Shouldn¡¯t you at least look around to see who is present? Do you truly believe that they will believe the nonsense you¡¯re spouting?¡± Not only did Courtney deny Vanessa¡¯s ims, but she simultaneously managed to bolster everybody¡¯s self-esteem. Vanessa¡¯s ims had sounded absurd to begin with, so the crowd present merely took it as an exciting distraction. After considering Courtney¡¯s exnation, they disregarded the truth of Vanessa¡¯s ims. True enough, the guests started to discuss animatedly among themselves after Courtney¡¯s statement. Vanessa fumed. ¡°What do you mean by me spouting nonsense? You are clearly the one spouting nonsense here. Six years ago, I clearly heard what Anna said. She drugged your liquor to allow somebody to send you to the hotel. There were four to five men waiting for you in the room at that time, and¡­¡± Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. When the crowd heard Vanessa¡¯s words, they erupted and Isaac¡¯s expression also changed drastically. I don¡¯t know much about what happened that night six years ago. I only know that Courtney had an ident, but I didn¡¯t expect Vanessa to know everything about that incident. The guests were not fools and they started to discuss in hushed tones. Courtney chuckled in amusement. ¡°Vanessa, you seem to know every detail about that incident. You im that you know about everything that happened beforehand; well, in that case, as my best friend at that time, why didn¡¯t you warn me that somebody was about to harm me? It has been more than six years now, so why are you talking about it now?¡± The color drained from Vanessa¡¯s face. ¡°Well¡­ T-That is because Anna threatened me to keep quiet about it¡­¡± ¡°The deceased can¡¯t speak for themselves. You can obviously me everything on Anna.¡± Courtney wore an intimidating expression. ¡°Do you truly believe that you were the only one who learned about the incident beforehand? Did you assume that I was being manipted and fooled by others without knowing better?¡± ¡°What are you referring to?¡± Vanessa¡¯s facial features twisted into an unsightly expression. ¡°Nothing happened that night. I caught you doing something disgusting with Isaac and yes, I also consumedrge amounts of alcohol. However, Anna¡¯s men did not take me away after that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡­¡± ¡°Nothing is impossible.¡± Shay¡¯s voice attracted everybody¡¯s attention when he spoke from the crowd. Courtney turned and she saw the crowd making way for Shay and Casey. They approached her one by one. Shay stood beside her and he was much taller than she was. His usual warm and friendly demeanor was reced with an eerily cold and distant expression as hemented frostily, ¡°I was the one who personally took Courtney away that night. Vanessa, I¡¯ll ept that you are ignorant for what you said earlier since it¡¯s the first time, but if I were to hear it again, I would not be as polite as today.¡± ¡°You took Courtney away?¡± Vanessa obviously did not believe him. However, Casey interrupted her thoughts before she could refute Shay. ¡°Mr. Isaac, the AW Group is the organizer for the Business and Trade Cocktail Party today. Most of us within the industry have not met for a long time, so we are here to reconnect and make new friends. Therefore, I think it is inappropriate for you to air your family¡¯s dirty laundry here.¡± Casey¡¯sments had carried a lot of weight since he was the president of AW Group. Isaac immediately understood as he answered hastily, ¡°My apologies for being a wet nket. We had a fight before leaving our home, which is why she is making a scene now because she¡¯s unhappy with me. I am sorry that you all have to witness this. I will handle this at home.¡± Vanessa was about to say something, but he fiercely red at her. ¡°I will meet you at the Civil Affairs Bureau if you dare to utter another word.¡± In the end, she had no choice, but to shut up. Away from the crowd, a figure in a light yellow evening gown observed everything. After scanning the surroundings and confirming that the person she was looking for was nowhere to be seen, she lifted her skirt while making her way to the second floor. The figure seemed to have made up their mind that themotion hade to an end. Casey looked around and he saw people bustling around. He found it especially agitating, so he announced loudly, ¡°Adjourned! There¡¯s nothing more to see here. Those were merely trivial family matters.¡± The crowd dispersed slowly as Shay held onto Courtney¡¯s hand. He sounded worried when he felt that her hand was icy cold and asked, ¡°Courtney, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She let out a slow sigh of relief. Casey focused on their hands and he reminded, ¡°Let¡¯s look for a ce to rest.¡± Shay agreed straight away. ¡°That¡¯s right. Courtney, there¡¯s a ce to rest upstairs. Let me take you there.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Courtney pulled her hand away. ¡°I can go up alone. Please inform Alexander if you two bump into himter.¡± Shay scowled at Alexander¡¯s name being mentioned. ¡°Alexander has be a scared cat at such a critical moment. He is nowhere to be seen,¡± he unhappilymented. Casey looked up the stairs thoughtfully. ¡°I suppose he¡¯s left to use the washroom. He most probably has no idea what¡¯s going on here.¡± ¡°Does he need to use the washroom for such a long time?¡± Shay rolled his eyes disapprovingly. ¡°My guess is that there¡¯s something wrong with his prostate!¡± Chapter 284 One Night Surprise Chapter 284 Chapter 284 Don¡¯t You Have Anything to Say? Alexander had just exited the washroom when a cold breeze blew from the balcony. He sneezed twice consecutively while feeling a chill at the back of his neck. I answered a phone call from my family¡¯s butler, Mr. Harry. He was nagging me over the phone for quite some time and urged me to return to the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home to make peace with Grandpa. Mr. Harry has been giving me the same speech every other day. In fact, he has been rather loquacioustely. I respect him as an elderly in the Duncan Residence, which is why I listen when he nags. However, I have yet to return home even once. ¡°President Duncan.¡± Alexander barely took a couple steps forward when a figure blocked his way. She was wearing a bright yellow, knee-length dress; her hair was tied in a bun and there was a silver, crown-shaped hairpin inserted into her brown hair. As far as my tastes are concerned, I find her rather childish. I wouldn¡¯t usually notice such details, but Courtney has a simr hairpin, which is why I¡¯ve noticed it. Besides, the clothes that Courtney pairs with the hairpin look so much more elegant than whatever the girl standing in front of me is wearing. ¡°Can I help you?¡± he asked. ¡°President Duncan, you couldn¡¯t possibly have forgotten me, can you?¡± The girl, who was wearing the bright yellow evening gown, stared at him unblinkingly. She looked like she was controlling her temper when he did not seem to recognize her. ¡°Should I remember you?¡± ¡°I am Kelly, Anna¡¯s cousin sister.¡± Alexander wore an indifferent expression while giving her a once-over. I have a vague impression of her. It is not much of an impression and it¡¯s not even a good one. I believe I ran into her the day I arrived at the Hunter Group to assume my position. It happened that she was embarrassing Courtney. He frowned slightly and repeated his initial question. ¡°How may I help you?¡± Kelly¡¯s cheeks flushed red, but she could not lose her temper. ¡°Well, of course I have something to discuss with you¡ªit is about Courtney. I think you¡¯ll be very interested in this, President Duncan.¡± He arrogantly nced at her. ¡°I do not feel like I need to listen to somebody else about Courtney.¡± ¡°Well, what if it¡¯s something about her sleeping with another man?¡± Kelly called out for Alexander. ¡°Do you think that she would tell you such a thing? President Duncan, you can¡¯t possibly be such a na?ve person, can you?¡± He stopped dead in his tracks; he turned to stare at her with an eerie gaze. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°The night that Courtney celebrated her 18th birthday, she went to bed with a group of men. I personally heard Vanessa saying that. I can¡¯t believe you treasure such a disgusting and promiscuous woman. Aren¡¯t you afraid that others mightment that you are dating a loose woman behind your back?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression fell. He grabbed her arm before she could respond and he dragged her into the adjacent lounge. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What are you doing??¡± Kelly struggled in fear, but she tripped over the ribbon on her skirt. In the end, she lost her bnce and fell onto the couch. He leaned down to put his hands on the sides of the single sofa. At that moment, he had a face like thunder. The scent of his cologne was refreshing and intoxicating, causing her to blush. Her heart was racing when she started to stutter, ¡°Y-You b-better not do anything rash.¡± Alexanderughed mirthlessly, but his eyes zed over with ayer of frost. ¡°Do you believe that you¡¯ll be the so-called promiscuous woman if I were to ever hear you say those things again?¡± Kelly felt as if her heart had instantly stopped beating. Those wonderful thoughts that she had completely vanished before it was reced by a suffocating chill that spread all over her bones. It was her first time experiencing his cruelty and ruthlessness, which others had described in the rumors. Nevertheless, she had been spoiled as a youngdy from a wealthy family. Hence, despite being afraid of his threat, she held onto herst shred of dignity to defend herself. ¡°I am speaking the truth. If you don¡¯t believe me, why don¡¯t you ask¡ª¡± ¡°Do you truly want to experience the sensation of not being able to open your mouth to speak?¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes were pitch-ck at that point and he shot her an icy look. ¡°I find women who carry tales sickening.¡± She was rendered speechless when she heard that. Following what Casey had said, Courtney was looking for a ce to rest. She saw the te, which indicated the direction of the VIP lounge, from afar. She then lifted her gown to make her way forward. Suddenly, she heard the door open with a thud just as she took a few steps forward. After that, she saw Kelly running out while holding a hand to her chest. Her hair was disheveled and she seemed to be scared witless. Despite the animosity between the two of them, they were working in the samepany. Furthermore, Courtney was older than Kelly by two years, so she felt responsible if thetter was bullied there. In the end, she kindly asked, ¡°What happened to you?¡± However, before she could ask further, Kelly severely red at her. Then, she ran away with the hem of her gown in her hands. When Courtney looked up again, she saw Alexander walking out of the lounge. There were obvious creases across his straight and dark suit. Her heart sank when she recalled how Kelly ran out from the lounge in a hurry. ¡°Why are you here?¡± she blurted out. ¡°I came out of the washroom and I dropped by to have a rest here.¡± ¡°What about Kelly?¡± Courtney pointed in the direction that Kelly left with a suspicious look. ¡°Did you take her back to the lounge to rest with you?¡± Alexander maintained a nk expression. ¡°The lounge is a public lounge. It is essible to everyone. Please do not misunderstand the situation.¡± She inhaled deeply when she heard that. ¡°Fine. I will not misunderstand the situation. However, as far as I know, you will never be alone in the lounge with her. There must be a reason since it happened. What were you two talking about? I believe I have the right to know, don¡¯t you agree?¡± Alexander has had very little gossip over the years and it is mainly thanks to the fact that he never hangs around a woman alone. It¡¯s his habit to avoid a scandal. I do not believe that Kelly has the ability to change his habit which hassted for more than ten years. Initially, this is just a simple matter; maybe he walked into the lounge a second before she left the room. That might exin why Kelly was heading out from the lounge earlier. With that in mind, Courtney requested Alexander to exin the situation to her. ¡°There¡¯s nothing for me to say because nothing happened. You are thinking too much,¡± he calmly replied. ¡°Are you telling me that nothing happened even though Kelly ran out from the lounge looking like that?¡± She felt a looming disappointment deep in her heart. ¡°Have you considered the possibility that I wasn¡¯t the only one who saw her running out in that state? You wouldn¡¯t even exin to me. What about others? What would others say about this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care what others think.¡± ¡°Alexander!¡± Courtney stopped him. She was on the verge of breaking down as she was still shaken after Vanessa¡¯s public humiliation earlier, but she now had to face another challenge. ¡°Please imagine yourself in my shoes¡ªyou can¡¯t even handle it when I stare at another man for a moment longer. A pretty girl, who wasn¡¯t properly dressed, has just run out of the room whereas you are right behind her. Do you truly feel that you do not have to exin yourself?¡± Alexander remained silent. It is not that I can¡¯t exin myself. I just do not want to talk about the horrible things Kelly mentioned about Courtney earlier under those circumstances. I do not want to speak with her about it in this manner. Simrly, I do not want to lie, why I choose to keep quiet. ¡°Fine. You have nothing to say, have you?¡± She tightened her grip around the hem of her skirt and she hissed coldly. ¡°In that case, I have nothing to say either.¡± Chapter 285 One Night Surprise Chapter 285 Chapter 285 I Do Not Hate You Courtney turned to leave after speaking her mind. Where are you going?¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± she sounded livid. With that, she held onto her skirt to walk down the stairs¡ªshe was preparing to leave the cocktail party and the hotel straight away. Just as she was about to enter the elevator, Alexander caught up with her. However, she was quick to close the elevator doors and he was left standing outside. He had no choice, but to stare helplessly as the elevator descended swiftly. Soon, it stopped on the first floor. By the time he descended to the hotel entrance via another elevator to chase after her, she had already entered the car. Through the car window, he could vaguely make out a man¡¯s side profile before he clenched his fists tightly in anger and he took out his phone to call her. The car drove away from the downtown area, which was crowded with people, when Courtney¡¯s phone would not stop ringing in the car. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to answer that?¡± the man sitting beside her asked. She immediately declined the call while turning sideways to look at Isaac. ¡°No worries. Just drop me at the intersection in front. I¡¯ll grab a cab to head home.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send you home.¡± He looked uneasy. ¡°It¡¯ste and it is not safe out here.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Courtney tly refused. ¡°You know why I entered your car earlier. We do not have to be polite with each other.¡± ¡°I am not being polite.¡± She shot him a look and he could see the invisible barrier between them. Isaac was trying to exin himself, but the words disappeared from the tip of his tongue when he saw her gaze. ¡°Courtney, I need to tell you something.¡± She frowned at him. ¡°If it¡¯s about the past, I don¡¯t want to talk about it anymore. It is already in the past, so there¡¯s nothing to talk about.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Isaac looked up and he stared at Courtney. ¡°I know that I deserve it. Previously, I was blinded when I hooked up with Vanessa. However, in the years that you have left me, I realized that you are the one whom I truly love all long. I can¡¯t be faithful to any woman apart from you.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°I know that this sounds out of the blue, but if it¡¯s possible, I just hope that you won¡¯t hate me.¡± He has been beating around the bush for so long and I was wondering what he was nning to say. In the end, he¡¯s humbly asking me not to hate him. Courtney regarded Isaac and she realized that time and life had caused the once warm and confident boy from school to fade away. In fact, she could not sense the high spirits that he used to have. I suddenly can¡¯t even recall why I fell for him all those years ago. ¡°I do not hate you.¡± She broke the silence after a long pause. ¡°I have never resented anyone when it comes to love and rtionships. Getting together and splitting up only involves two people. It is impossible to me only one person. In theter few years when I was abroad, I was busy with work and life for ages. Therefore, to be honest, I wouldn¡¯t have had time for a rtionship. As for your im of not being able to be faithful to any woman, you should take it back.¡± Isaac looked as though he was in a daze. ¡°Life is a long process. Who knows what you might encounter in the future? Even if the person suited for you is not Vanessa, there might be someone else out there.¡± After Courtney¡¯s speech, the car fell intoplete silence. No matter what happened throughout the years, we once gave each other the best parts of our youths. Isaac still insisted on sending Courtney home. She did not tell him where she lived, but his chauffeur seemed to be well informed about her address. He drove in a familiar manner to the entrance of her residential area. ¡°We are here.¡± Courtney nodded and she opened the door. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said softly. ¡°I should be the one thanking you.¡± He smiled faintly to hide the bitterness in his expression. His gaze was focused at a distance away from the windshield. ¡°Do you need me to help you exin?¡± She followed the direction of Isaac¡¯s gaze¡ªit was Alexander¡¯s figure standing as straight as a pole at the entrance of the residential area. ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± she rejected before closing the car door. Isaac did not linger around. The car engine roared to life before it disappeared in the continuous traffic moving through the entrance of the residential area, resembling the rtionship she and him shared throughout the years. In the end, their love melted into the crowd; it was never to be seen again. Alexander walked toward Courtney without asking anything. He merely removed his coat to wrap it around her shoulders. ¡°It is cold outside. Let¡¯s head home first.¡± Well, I thought that he would fly into a rage of jealousy as usual. In any case, his calm demeanor is unexpected. Therefore, she decided not to temporarily throw tantrums. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± It was getting dark and most of the buildings within the residential area had their lights switched on. The street lights reflected on the greenery along the road as the two of them walked along the passageway. If it weren¡¯t for the cumbersome evening gown, I can almost feel a sense of serenity right now. ¡°It is nice to have an evening stroll.¡± Courtney was trying to take the initiative to make amends to ease the tension from the earlier incident. Alexander kept quiet for a moment, but he suddenly blurted out, ¡°What did you say to Isaac? Even if you areshing out at me, you must not get into somebody else¡¯s car in the future¡­¡± The smile wavered and stiffened on her face as she made a sudden movement to throw his coat back to him. She hissed in anger, ¡°Then, you better exin about the situation with Kelly beforementing about me!¡± With that, she aggressively lifted her gown as she made her way to enter the building. How can he be such a hypocrite? He refuses to exin himself, but he expects me to exin myself! This is frustrating! The door mmed with such force that Oliver thought that it was an earthquake. N?velDrama.Org (C) content. ¡°Court¡ª¡± He could not even manage to greet her when he saw her storming into her bedroom. There was another loud m as she closed her room door. He shivered involuntarily as he spilled half a cup of his tea. Alexander marched into the house soon enough. He saw Oliver taking a sharp breath while stomping his own foot in the kitchen. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up with Courtney?¡± Oliver asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°What do you mean by nothing?¡± Oliver gave him a sideway nce. He was tugging against his pants where the tea had spilled. ¡°The words ¡®I am pissed¡¯ are branded across her face. Please do not tell me that you have no idea what¡¯s going on.¡± Alexander stared at Oliver pointedly, as if asking, Will you die if you were to stop talking? ¡°Got it.¡± Oliver immediately understood what he meant. ¡°It is definitely rted to you then.¡± ¡°What if I say that it¡¯s not?¡± Oliver seemed unfazed. ¡°I will surrender if you are able to make Courtney open her door right now.¡± Alexander scowled deeply while staring at the master bedroom door. He then walked to the couch to have a seat. Courtney usually does not lose her temper. In fact, she seems to be throwing her tantrum for nothing today. He lowered his head while counting the days that she snapped, but he shook his head in the end. Oliver brought the tea cups and sat across from Alexander. He pushed one of them toward Alexander while masking an offhandment. ¡°Sigh, I heard from Shay that Vanessa humiliated Courtney at the cocktail party tonight. The husband and wife are rather shameless, if you ask me. They are cheap, as always. I can¡¯t believe she has the audacity to bring up the past.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Alexander abruptly looked up. ¡°Vanessa and Isaac are a b*tchy couple¡­¡± Oliver was astounded as he gazed at Alexander in confusion. ¡°Didn¡¯t they mention Courtney¡¯s past at the cocktail party? They humiliated her openly in public. D-Didn¡¯t you know about it?¡± Chapter 286 One Night Surprise Chapter 286 Chapter 286 I Have Met Him I received a phone call from Shay half an hour ago. Shay mentioned that Courtney left the banquet hall and that her phone was engaged. That¡¯s why he¡¯s calling to ask whether she has returned home. Then, he repeated what had happened in the cocktail party to me. ¡°Fortunately Shay and Casey were present to smooth things over. They didn¡¯t let things get overly embarrassing for Courtney.¡± Oliver wore a complicated expression as he stared at Alexander and probed, ¡°Are you telling me that you believe what they said?¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze darkened. He seemed to be deep in his thoughts and he did not hear what Oliver said. ¡°In any case, I do not think it¡¯s true.¡± Oliver answered his own question. He held his tea cup as he stood up from the couch. Then, he made his way to his room while speaking to Alexander meaningfully. ¡°Sometimes, you may not witness the strangebination of coincidences in person, but you can¡¯t be sure when fate unknowingly binds you with somebody else¡¯s path.¡± Alexander did not pay attention to Oliver¡¯s words. Once the living room fell silent again, he walked to the master bedroom entrance. He was about to knock on the door, but he froze halfway as his hand hung mid-air for the longest time. Although I do not know what happened in the banquet hall, it is not difficult to guess. When the farce was taking ce, I was answering a call from Mr. Harry in the washroom. Then, I bumped into Kelly when I was stepping out of the facilities. That exins why she said those things. I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t even bother to ask where she heard that story from. He felt utterly upset and remorseful, especially when he recalled the vow he made to Courtneyst night¡ªhe had promised to protect her well under thoseplex and horrible circumstances. He could not help but feel ashamed of himself. After her shower, she stared at her room door as she dried her hair with a towel. Nevertheless, it was exceptionally quiet. She could not sleep for the entire night; instead, she tossed and turned on the bed. The moonlight shone through the gap between the curtains from outside, making the air seem cold. The temperature has steadily decreased now that the month of October hase and gone. In reality, Courtney already felt the chill during the walk to the building after leaving Isaac¡¯s car. In any case, compared to how cold my body feels, a human¡¯s heart is even colder. I think a person¡¯s heart is a scary thing. It doesn¡¯t matter how much time has passed because those people from the past don¡¯t seem to change. If I think I¡¯ve changed, it might be because I haven¡¯t known them well enough in the past. Isaac is timid whereas Vanessa is evil. Therefore, they are still involved in those matters, which includes the little-known ident that happened six years ago. I try to use time to bury the secret, but it remains there in silence. In fact, it is almost as if it is waiting for the right time to destroy me. I am not sure whether Alexander knows about what happened at tonight¡¯s cocktail party. If I have a choice, I hope that he stays oblivious to this incident. Once it involves the incident six years ago, it will cause the most sensitive issue I currently face to arise. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. The early winter rainsted all night. It was still dark when Courtney woke up the next morning. The temperature had dropped drastically by 10 degrees, causing her to wrap herself with a thicker woolen coat. The minute she was done with her shower, she walked out of her room. She had originally nned to avoid Alexander by leaving the house earlier than usual, but she unexpectedly saw a figure on the couch. Truth to be told, it was a sorry sight to see him asleep on a two-seater couch in his six-foot frame. His legs were dangling off the armrest of the couch and he only covered himself with a woolen nket. He did not even change the clothes that he worest night. In fact, she felt chills just by looking at him. After a moment of hesitation, she approached him to shake his shoulder. ¡°Go back into the room to sleep.¡± However, Alexander remained motionless, as though he was sound asleep. ¡°Alexander.¡± Courtney frowned and she jabbed at his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to fool around with you. I need to leave now. You have to get up and sleep in the room.¡± He still did not react to her words. She was stumped for a while before she suddenly reached out to check his forehead and her heart clenched painfully. He¡¯s burning up. The temperature dropped 10 degreesst night. How could he not freeze in his sleep since he¡¯s barely wearing anything warm? She woke Oliver up and the two of them managed to drag Alexander into the master bedroom. Once they were done, Oliver sat on the carpet to catch his breath. ¡°Hang on, I did not lock the doorst night. I have to give it to him¡ªhe refuses to sleep on a bed and instead, he chose to sleep on a couch. Besides, why didn¡¯t he switch on the heater?¡± He swung his arms whileining loudly since he barely did any physical activity to start with. He almost spent all of his energy after dragging Alexander, who was almost as tall as he was, from the living room to the bedroom. In fact, he felt as though his bones were about to break into pieces. Courtney nced at him while tucking Alexander underneath the nket. ¡°That¡¯s enough. He might not even know where the heater is if you were to ask him. I need to head to thepanyter. Give him this medication when he¡¯s awaketer. Please help me to keep an eye on him.¡± Oliver nodded while mumbling to himself, ¡°I am really a nanny now.¡± ¡°What do you mean by being a nanny? Can¡¯t you treat him like an older brother?¡± She was merely making a casualment, so she did not notice the sudden strained expression across Oliver¡¯s face. He was staring at Alexander with aplex expression. After the door in the living room was closed, the house fell into silence once again. Oliver stood up from the carpet. After straightening himself, he stood tall while looking down at Alexander from above. He seemed as if he was trying to figure something out from Alexander¡¯s face. The vibration from Oliver¡¯s pocket pulled him back from his thoughts. ¡°Hello? Mom,¡± he lowered his voice. After that, he walked out of the room before closing the door behind him. ¡°I am busy with school. I¡¯ll head home when the winter break starts.¡± The gentle voice of a woman answered him over the phone, ¡°You haven¡¯t been home for six months now. I can¡¯t even contact you through your phone in thest two months. What have you been up to? I asked your teacher and she ims that you are often not at school.¡± ¡°I have been conducting an investigation and survey off campus,¡± he lied without missing a beat. ¡°Although I am doing my Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctorate in one go, I still have to write my thesis. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to graduate. Furthermore, I will have to study abroad next year. I can¡¯t possibly leave at ease withoutpleting my thesis.¡± ¡°Each time I ask you toe home, you will use your thesis as an excuse to silence me. Fine, I will stop asking you. If you are happy to stay on your own, it¡¯s fine by me then. I can¡¯t be bothered about you.¡± ¡°Mom, do you miss me?¡± Oliver softened his tone. He reassured her with a rare childish and loving attitude. ¡°If you miss me, I¡¯ll head home tomorrow.¡± ¡°That is not necessary. Who wants you home? Didn¡¯t you mention about falling for a girl previously? I am fine as long as you take her home for an introduction during your winter break.¡± At the mention of that, Oliver answered bitterly, ¡°That might pose a challenge because she doesn¡¯t fancy me. She already has a boyfriend now.¡± There was a pause over the line. ¡°Well, I suppose that is expected. You are sloppy and you can¡¯t even coax a girl. It would be strange if she falls for you.¡± ¡°Mom, am I your biological son?¡± He had mixed feelings at that point. ¡°You are adopted.¡± He was at a loss of words at her response. After chatting about mundane daily stuff, Oliver turned to look at the master bedroom door and asked tentatively, ¡°Mom, do you want to celebrate the New Year¡¯s in Melrose City?¡± ¡°Why are you asking this out of the blue? I do not want to go there. Haven¡¯t I told you that in the past?¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t you want to meet him?¡± There was silence on the other end of the line before the voice answered, ¡°I have already met him.¡± Chapter 287 One Night Surprise Chapter 287 Chapter 287 I Can¡¯t Force the Child The other end of the phone went silent for a long while. Oliver was suddenly a little anxious. ¡°Mom, please say something. I didn¡¯t do anything and he doesn¡¯t know about my identity either. I¡¯m just wondering whether you would like to meet him. I feel that he doesn¡¯t seem like a cold-hearted person.¡± ¡°No need for that.¡± A sorrowful and gentle voice was eventually heard on the other end. ¡°I¡¯ve already met him during the summer.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already met him?¡± Oliver was startled. ¡°When did that happen?¡± ¡°My soup is still brewing in the pot and I have guests in the inn waiting to drink it. I can¡¯t talk to you now.¡± After that, the call ended. Upon looking at the name ¡®pretty mom¡¯ on the top of the contact list of his phone, he took a deep breath as he was panicking. Everyone has a past that they selfishly hide deep inside their hearts. However, the moment the past shows up in front of our eyes, most people will usually panic and feel at a loss. Oliver could not clearly remember why he chose Melrose City in every selection without hesitation when he was filling his university application back then. However, he still remembered that when he arrived in Melrose City, there was always a force pulling him toward a person. Yet, he never expected to be by the person¡¯s side in such a manner. After that day, the news in Melrose City for the entire week was on reminding the citizens about the recent flu infection. At first, Alexander ran a temperature before catching a cold after that. The flu had arrived so suddenly that even Oliver was immediately infected after taking care of Alexander for two days. Just like that, the only manpower left in the house had fallen. As Courtney disinfected the house with a mask on her face, Oliver continued to cough while being wrapped under a nket on the couch. ¡°I have a lecture to listen to tomorrow,¡± he said. ¡°There is a professor who ising from abroad.¡± ¡°You need to stop for a while.¡± She nced at him. ¡°If you identally infect the professor, it¡¯ll be your fault. You should stay at home for the next two days and not go anywhere. Stop infecting others with the flu.¡± ¡°What about Tina and Jordan?¡± On the other side of the couch, there was Alexander¡¯s voice. Due to the severity of his cold, his voice was now particrly hoarse and deep. ¡°I¡¯ll send them to Aunt Alicia¡¯s houseter.¡± Courtney helplessly sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just that I received a call from Uncle William saying that his two maids at home are also down with a cold. They have stopped working and the whole house is now being disinfected.¡± ¡°The flu might have already spread,¡± Oliver interrupted. ¡°Why don¡¯t you change to another ce?¡± ¡°Where else can they go?¡± She straightened her posture while holding onto a mop. ¡°Cameron and Gale have both gone to America. As for Bill, he has been working on his designs every day in thepany. Besides, he doesn¡¯t know how to take care of children. Don¡¯t even mention Shay and Casey.¡± ¡°Why not? Aren¡¯t the two of them quite suitable? They even have maids in their house.¡± ¡°The two of them went to Bali.¡± He tutted twice. ¡°They went on a honeymoon?¡± Then, Courtney ced the mop in the washroom before she removed her apron and gloves. After wearing her jacket, she shouted at the bedroom. ¡°Jordan, Tina, it¡¯s time to go.¡± Immediately, the two children ran out the moment they heard her voice. For the fear of them being infected, she had already asked them to wear their medical masks. After donning their tiny yellow hats, only two pairs of huge eyes were left on their faces. ¡°I¡¯ve already mentioned in the morning that you¡¯ll be living in Aunt Alicia¡¯s house for the next two days. Once everyone in the house has recovered from the flu, I¡¯ll bring you two home.¡± The two children were obedient as they held her hands on each side while they dragged their tiny luggage. The moment they entered the elevator, her phone rang. As soon as she saw the name on the phone screen, she was startled before she answered the call. ¡°Mr. Harry, what is it?¡± Three minutester, she brought the two kids downstairs. There was a ck Rolls-Royce parked on the side of the entrance to the building. Due to the cold weather and the contagious flu, not many people were walking around themunity. Even though it was not dark in the evening, the ce was already as quiet as a graveyard. Harry was standing in front of the car. When he saw Courtneying out with the kids, he quickly walked up to her. ¡°The flu has been spreading around Melrose City for the past few days, so Master is really worried. He has asked me to bring the Little Master back home.¡± The moment he opened his mouth, she could feel something tightening around her leg¡ªit was no doubt that Jordan hugged her leg again as he refused to let go. ¡°Mr. Harry, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not allowing you to bring Jordan away, but you can see that he isn¡¯t willing to follow you back. I n to send both of them to Aunt Alicia¡¯s house. They won¡¯t be infected there.¡± ¡°I heard that two of Mr. Somerfield¡¯s maids have fallen ill in his house.¡± Upon hearing him, Courtney furrowed her brows. Mr. Duncan really has eyes everywhere. He even knows who is infected with the flu in Aunt Alicia¡¯s house. However, at that point, it showed that Scott was determined to bring Jordan back with him. Since she could not force Jordan to stay with her, she pulled his hands away and tried to persuade him. ¡°Jordan, do you hear that? Someone in Aunt Alicia¡¯s house is sick, so why don¡¯t you head back with Mr. Harry?¡± Upon listening to her, he was shocked as he immediately shook his head and spat out a clear word from his mouth. ¡°No.¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. With an aggrieved face, Courtney responded, ¡°Mr. Harry, I can¡¯t force him to do something that he doesn¡¯t want. I know that Mr. Duncan dislikes me, but on this matter, I really can¡¯t force the child.¡± ¡°Miss Hunter, Master won¡¯t trouble you on purpose for this matter.¡± Harry hesitated for a few seconds. ¡°If he wanted to do so, he wouldn¡¯t have personallye here. On the subject of Young Master Alexander, he doesn¡¯t actually me you much for it. After all, you did nothing wrong. He is just upset with Young Master Alexander.¡± ¡°Is Mr. Duncan here?¡± She was surprised as she looked toward the Rolls-Royce by the entrance. Sure enough, she could faintly see a familiar face through the car window. It was a cold face that experienced the vicissitudes of life, but it was still warm and caring when he gazed at the two children with an indescribable kindness in his looks. After a moment of hesitation, Courtney lifted her head and said, ¡°Mr. Harry, please tell Mr. Duncan that I have something to say about his dissatisfaction with Alexander. As long as he hears me out, I¡¯ll think of a way about Jordan.¡± Harry was slightly startled for a moment. ¡°Miss Hunter, have you talked to Young Master Alexander?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I know what has actually happened.¡± After listening to her words, he quickly nodded before turning around and running toward the car. Then, he opened the car door and said something to Scott before trodding toward her a whileter. ¡°Miss Hunter, it¡¯s freezing outside. Let¡¯s bring the two children into the car first. Then, we¡¯ll find a warm ce to talk.¡± Courtney nodded and caressed the hats on the two children¡¯s heads while taking a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± They found a Japanese-styled teahouse near themunity where she lived¡ªthere were not many diners there and the ce had a children¡¯s yground area. She and Scott sat opposite each other on the tatami floor with a pinewood tea table between them as the room was filled with the fragrance of tea. ¡°Although I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much credibility in your words, Harry told me that if I don¡¯t listen to what you have to say, you won¡¯t allow me to bring Jordan back. Is that true?¡± Scott¡¯s tone showed that he was obviously displeased. Chapter 288 One Night Surprise Chapter 288 Chapter 288 Do You Want to Know the Truth About Three Years Ago? Courtney drank her tea with her head down and smiled faintly after listening to Scott¡¯s question. ¡°Jordan is your great-grandson. I believe I do not have a say in it.¡± ¡°Good that you know.¡± Scott harrumphed. ¡°But I feel that if we don¡¯t settle the problem between you and Alexander sooner, the kids will have a hard time getting stuck between the two of you. They don¡¯t need to suffer. Harry has told you everything, right?¡± He then nced at Harry, who stood off to one side. Although Harry remained silent, Courtney¡¯s calm demeanor had said it all. ¡°Mr. Harry only hopes that I can be the peacemaker of all this. After all, Alexander and you are a family.¡± ¡°Do you think you are capable?¡± ¡°No,¡± she answered him openly. ¡°That is why I refused.¡± Scott furrowed his brows and his face calmed down a lot more aspared to before. ¡°I also feel that there¡¯s nothing to talk about. For the past few years, I¡¯ve said nothing because I only wanted peace but now, he has really crossed the line.¡± ¡°Are you talking about him being together with me against your will?¡± Courtney went straight to the point. ¡°If I remember correctly, you were the one who was constantly pushing us to be together at the start.¡± Scott made himself clear as he stared at her. ¡°If I knew you weren¡¯t divorced, I wouldn¡¯t have brought you and Alexander together.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll exin that to you in a while.¡± Courtney still remainedposed as she asked him unhurriedly, ¡°What¡¯s most important now is your rtionship with Alexander. Do you want to know the truth about what happened three years ago?¡± Scott focused on her. ¡°What did Alexander tell you?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me anything. I found it out myself.¡± She then opened the file saved on her phone before pushing it on the coffee table toward Scott. ¡°You can take a look yourself. This is the text version of a recording I asked someone to obtain from Jordan¡¯s two maids back then in Elmsbury. I have the actual recording if you want to listen to it but it isn¡¯t here with me.¡± As Scott read the content on her phone, his expression gradually became tense. ¡°Initially, Sarah and Maria used a young master of instigating them to use the drug. I also thought that it was Alexander. I guess you obtained the same confession at first but I would like to ask you something.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Scott¡¯s brows frowned. ¡°From the time Jordan was born until the ident three years ago, did Alexander visit your house often?¡± Suddenly, Scott¡¯s expression darkened, as if he wasn¡¯t willing to answer her. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Beside him, Harry murmured, ¡°Young Master Alexander didn¡¯t return home. During those two years, he was angry with Master.¡± Due to the ambiguity of Jordan¡¯s birth, Scott refused to fulfil his promise of handing over the enterprise to Alexander directly. Because of that, the two of them were angry at each other for almost two years. ¡°Then, how could the young master that Sarah and Maria mentioned be Alexander?¡± Courtney pointed out the most crucial point straight away. ¡°Also, they said that they¡¯ve met the young master a few times in the ancestral home. Although they didn¡¯t see him frequently, he still left asting impression on them. The servants who worked in the house for a long time called him Young Master.¡± Immediately, both Scott and Harry¡¯s expressions changed. ¡°Master¡­¡± ¡°Do you need me to continue?¡± Courtney asked. ¡°I¡¯ve asked someone to show Sarah and Maria two pictures for them to identify, but their memories from before are blurred.¡± In the entire Duncan Family, the person who looked the most simr to Alexander was James. If one were to remove their sses, the two of them would have been almost identical. After three years, who would have remembered clearly which young master was the one who instigated them to ce the drug? The truth is often right beside us. Scott¡¯s expression visibly darkened. ¡°That b*stard.¡± A moment of silenceter, Courtney spoke in an attitude that was neither humble nor overbearing. ¡°It¡¯s not appropriate of me to ask about the Duncan Family¡¯s affairs, so I didn¡¯t inform you of this even though I¡¯d found out about it a while ago. Today, you came here to pick Jordan up, which means that you still care for him and Alexander, so I don¡¯t want you to be kept in the dark.¡± Naturally, it was embarrassing for the family to have its affairs exposed by an outsider. For a while, Scott did not utter anything and his expression remained dark. Reading the situation, Courtney changed the subject. ¡°It¡¯s going to be difficult to convince Jordan to go back with you but if you are willing, you can take Tina as well. With her tagging along, Jordan will surely be willing to follow you back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even better,¡± Harry said. ¡°Everyone in the ancestral home loves Tina very much and even Miss Hannah misses her every day. If Tina goes back with Little Master, the house won¡¯t be that quiet.¡± Scott stared at him. ¡°Harry, you have been quite talkativetely.¡± Courtney smiled silently while lowering her head to take a sip of her tea. After leaving their seats, Courtney apanied Scott outside the safety as they watched the two children y on the slides in a colorful ocean of balls. Suddenly, he asked, ¡°Just now, you mentioned that you¡¯ll exin why you aren¡¯t divorced. Why didn¡¯t you continue with your exnation?¡± Courtney was slightly startled. ¡°I thought that you wouldn¡¯t want to hear it.¡± ¡°Why would I not want to hear about what kind of a person the woman my grandson is with?¡± Scott furrowed his brows, looking displeased. ¡°Are you now trying to be too clever after following that little brat for so long?¡± Of course, that little brat Scott referred to was none other than Alexander. For a moment, Courtney felt a bit resigned. I have been held as a business genius by the outside world but in front of him, I¡¯m being seen as acting too clever. ¡°The marriage between me and my current legal husband is only a formality. We are actually just friends. Tina is my daughter and she has nothing to do with him.¡± However, Courtney only exined half of it and she kept the other half to herself. She knew that Scott didn¡¯t hate her that much anymore when he asked her this question. Maybe he is starting to believe that I¡¯m in this marriage for a personal reason and he is using the question to give me a chance to exin myself while giving himself a chance to back down. Scott looked at her thoughtfully and asked, ¡°Does Alexander know about this?¡± ¡°Of course he does.¡± Courtney felt surprised. ¡°Do you really think your grandson would get together with a married woman given that he is such an arrogant man?¡± For a moment, Scott was startled but momentster, he reverted back to his serious expression as he grunted. ¡°Who knows? There may be times when he is muddled in the head.¡± Far away from them, Tina went down the slide, her bell-likeughter ringing the whole way. After diving straight into the sea of balls, she rolled around to the edge of the safety. Scott smiled and reminded her, ¡°Be careful, little girl.¡± Upon hearing his voice, Tina sprouted out of the balls and red at him. ¡°I don¡¯t need your concern, bad Grandpa! Hmph!¡± Scott was dumbfounded as he was given the cold shoulder by the kid that loved him the most. ¡°How did I be a bad grandpa?¡± Tina stood amidst the colorful sea of balls with her arms akimbo. ¡°You are bad and you don¡¯t like my mommy. My mommy has lots of people pursuing her and we don¡¯t want your family anyway. You have forgotten about our agreement where you said that you¡¯ll find your own granddaughter-inw and I¡¯ll find my own daddy. You¡¯re a liar; a big liar!¡± ¡°What agreement?¡± Standing off to one side, Courtney looked confused. Chapter 289 One Night Surprise Chapter 289 Chapter 289 How Can a Man Stay at Home Every Day Facing Courtney¡¯s question, Scott and Tina looked at each other for a while across the safety. Just as the child was about to say something, Scott started coughing intensely. Cough! Cough! Cough! Beside him, Harry immediately understood his intentions, so he quickly went up and asked concernedly, ¡°Master, are you alright?¡± Courtney also asked about his condition, automatically forgetting the query she had just now. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a bit cold outside. It¡¯ll be dark soon so let¡¯s go home.¡± After all, Scott was old now so it was reasonable for him to have such a request. Courtney then called the two children out of the yground and gave them some advice before letting Harry and Scott take them away. When leaving, Tina still looked reluctant to leave but through the car window, Courtney could see Scott conjuring a box of choctes that the two of them loved, much like a magician. Almost instantly, the little girl was smiling again. What a greedy little kitten. Resigned, Courtney shook her head before hailing a cab at the side of the road. ¡°Sir, please head to Greenville.¡± After Courtney left, only the two sick patients¡ªAlexander and Oliver¡ªwere left in the apartment. Compared to Oliver¡¯s nonsensical talk, Alexander was much easier to take care of. ¡°I feel that Courtney is still reluctant to talk to you.¡± On the couch in the living room, Oliver poked his head out of the nket and blew his nose before throwing the tissue paper into the trash can. ¡°Don¡¯t you n to do something? After all, you are at fault for this. Don¡¯t think that it¡¯ll all go away just because you are sick. Courtney won¡¯t want to argue with a sick person.¡± However, Alexander didn¡¯t look like someone who was sick. Instead, he was now standing behind the kitchen¡¯s marble table in full spirits while serving himself a cup of tea. Upon listening to Oliver¡¯s words, he replied without even lifting his head, ¡°Mind your own business.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t fake your illness forever, can you?¡± Hearing that, Alexander red at Oliver while taking two sses of water out of the kitchen. Then, he ced one of the sses in front of Oliver, along with the medicine. ¡°It¡¯s time for my medicine again?¡± Oliver sighed. ¡°Why do I feel worse after eating the medicine you give me?¡± ¡°You should have this before your meal. If you don¡¯t want to eat your meal, you can take the medicine later on,¡± Alexander said tly. ¡°Also, I¡¯m not the one who gave you these medicines; it¡¯s the doctor who prescribed it to you.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t the doctor prescribe some to you?¡± ¡°He did.¡± Alexander looked at him profoundly. Due to the flu, Oliver¡¯s brain couldn¡¯t quite function properly but when he saw Alexander¡¯s expression, he finally understood. Then, he reached out into his nket and grabbed a bottle of pills before popping them down his throat. After taking a gulp of water, he muttered, ¡°Pretend I didn¡¯t ask.¡± Actually, Alexander¡¯s cold was cured long ago. Even if he stopped taking the medicines, the period of his flu infection was already long gone. Moreover, he even took the medicines for a few days. If Oliver didn¡¯t find out afterward that Alexander threw the pills into the trash can, no one would know that he was faking his illness. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. As a form of returning the favor for not telling Courtney immediately about Oliver regaining his memories, Oliver pretended as though nothing was off. Suddenly, the sound of the door opening came, causing Alexander¡¯s initially straight posture to bend over as hey down on the couch. All of these happened before Oliver even had the chance to realize it. Alexander even snatched away Oliver¡¯s nket and covered himself. ¡°You really are something!¡± Oliver gave him a look. The next second, Courtney opened the door and came in with two huge grocery bags from the supermarket. ¡°We are having hot pot tonight.¡± Oliver sniffed and he raised his hand slightly. ¡°No objections.¡± As Courtney changed her shoes, she could see the sick duo lying on the couch. ¡°Oliver, you aren¡¯t wearing enough clothes. Why don¡¯t you cover yourself in a nket?¡± Listening to her, Oliver nced at the person on the opposite end. I was covering myself in that warm nket but someone took it by force to fake his illness. Just as he was about to say something, an intense cough was heard on the opposite side. Cough! Cough! If Courtney weren¡¯t here, Oliver would have given Alexander a big thumbs up. What great acting skills; breathtaking, to say the very least. ¡°What is it? Are you alright?¡± Immediately, Courtney went over to ask Alexander while reaching out her hand to his forehead, checking his temperature. ¡°It has been a week but your cold isn¡¯t getting better. Shall we go to the hospital?¡± Alexander shook his head while deepening his voice. ¡°No need for that. I can just rest at home.¡± When saying these words, he nced at Oliver with the corner of his eyes, warning him not to say anything. Oliver pouted his lips and crossed his arms as he went back to his room. I¡¯m not having any of this. ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Courtney withdrew her hand and carried the two bags into the kitchen. ¡°Your grandfather picked up Jordan just now and I can see that he wants you to return to Sunhill Enterprise.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going back there.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice came from behind. Then, Courtney ced the two bags on the kitchen counter before taking the items out one by one. ¡°Why not? Are you still angry at your grandfather? It¡¯s normal for an elderly to be stubborn. Since he has given you a chance to back down, you should do so quickly.¡± ¡°I feel that this is quite a nice life.¡± While covering himself with the nket, Alexander¡¯s floral shirt cor was revealed¡ªCourtney had bought it for him in bulk¡ªas he turned around to look in the direction of the kitchen, his eyes gentle. ¡°How can a man stay at home every day?¡± Courtney mumbled. ¡°You know what? Do whatever you want; it¡¯s your business anyway.¡± Listening to her words, Alexander¡¯s expression changed slightly as his once gentle eyes started to harden. ¡°Are you still angry about the party that day?¡± Courtney stopped washing the vegetables and answered him without raising her head, ¡°No; it was such a long time ago; you are thinking too much. You¡¯d better get some rest.¡± However, Alexander mistook the restlessness in her eyes as her still being angry at him, so he quickly exined, ¡°I¡¯ve told you that what Kelly said to me that day was what Vanessa told you in front of those people. I only wanted her to shut up. At that time, I didn¡¯t know that it had already happened at the party. I just didn¡¯t want you to hear those words.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already told me that.¡± Courtney continued washing the vegetables with her head down. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed that Alexander had stood up from the couch. The flowery shirt and casual beige shorts weren¡¯t enough to conceal his perfect body as he walked toward her. Truth be told, Courtney didn¡¯t care much that Alexander and Kelly came out of the lounge together at the party. However, she was in a bad mood that day at the party, so she made a huge fuss out of it. She didn¡¯t take it seriously but Alexander seemed to be worried about it the whole time. ¡°Why do I get the feeling that you still seem to be upset?¡± He walked to the kitchen door and gazed at the side of her face in concern. ¡°Ever since you came back from the party, you always look troubled inside. Is there anything that you want to tell me?¡± ¡°Can you not mention what happened that day? I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± Courtney took a deep breath while feeling nervous inside. ¡°They framed me.¡± ¡°But what if they didn¡¯t?¡± Chapter 290 One Night Surprise Chapter 290 Chapter 290 I Like You as You Are Courtney¡¯s words were enough to make Alexander¡¯s eyes focus as he cast an inquiring gaze at her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really. I just don¡¯t want to hear about what happened that day. You don¡¯t need to keep on reminding me about irrelevant things that irrelevant people said.¡± She kept her head low as she exined, her tone light. She wasn¡¯t afraid that he would believe what Vanessa said about her being sent to sleep with four or five men by Anna six years ago. Instead, when trying to refute Vanessa, Courtney was afraid that she herself would identally slip up and reveal that she went into the wrong room and bed six years ago. If Alexander connects the dots of what happened that night six years ago, the consequences will be devastating. That was why she wanted this incident to be over quickly. It¡¯s best not to mention this ever again. However, Alexander misunderstood her. As his brows furrowed together, he stared at Courtney, who was still washing the vegetables, for a long time while his expression grew darker. After dinner, Courtney went to clean herself up in her room while Alexander made a call on the balcony. On the other side of the line, Josh¡¯s aggrieved voice could be heard. ¡°President Duncan, it happened six years ago. Also, Anna is already dead so I can¡¯t even find the mastermind behind all this. Where will I find her men?¡± With a dark expression, Alexander remained unfazed as he said coldly, ¡°I will only give you three days. No matter what you do, I want you to find all the five people without missing out any one of them. You know what to do afterward.¡± As soon as the call ended, Josh copsed on the couch while letting out a long sigh. Back when Alex was working in the enterprise, he didn¡¯t have this much private matters to deal with but now that he isn¡¯t in the enterprise, he will ask me to handle some matters for him quietly from time to time. Not only that, the tasks also get more difficult one after another. Before I get the time to finish one, there¡¯ll be another oneing. I¡¯m pretty sure my hair will be white before long. At night, Courtney was held in someone¡¯s arms the moment she went to bed. For a moment, her back stiffened as she reminded him, ¡°You have a cold. Are you nning to infect me as well?¡± ¡°I was cured a long time ago.¡± A deep voice came from behind her as its owner nuzzled her neck, sending a tingling feeling through her. ¡°You lied to me?¡± Immediately, Courtney came back to her senses. No wonder; and here I was being puzzled as to why can¡¯t he recover from a small cold even after so many days. His fever is gone and he looks quite energetic, yet he is still sick. Before she could turn her head around, he tightened his arms around her waist. ¡°It¡¯s because I miss it.¡± ¡°What do you miss?¡± ¡°I miss the times when you were always thinking about me.¡± ¡°Have you had a spoonful of honey today?¡± Courtney tried to look behind her but Alexander¡¯s chin blocked her forehead, preventing her from seeing his eyes. ¡°Courtney.¡± Today, he was extremely gentle to a point where even his cold voice had some traces of warmth. ¡°I like you as you are. No matter what you experienced or encountered, it will never affect my love toward you.¡± For a moment, Courtney was dumbfounded. However, she wasn¡¯t stupid; she could hear the many implications in his words. When she connected it with what was happening recently, she could easily guess which incident he was talking about. With little thought, she knew that he might have misunderstood something but she couldn¡¯t exin it to him. After a moment of silence, she asked, ¡°Have you ever thought that everyone in this world is actually wearing a mask? What if the me that you face every day is just my mask?¡± ¡°What is it? Are you hiding something from me?¡± Alexander said in a casual tone, as if he was making a joke. However, Courtney knew that he was thest person on earth to crack a joke. ¡°Most people can¡¯t ept the truth. What if I¡¯m not the person you think I am?¡± ¡°There is no doubt that I¡¯m looking at you in your truest form.¡± ¡°Are you that confident?¡± Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Honesty is your biggest strength; other than that, you are nothing in my eyes.¡± Before Courtney got the chance to feel happy, her face immediately darkened after hearing what he said. As expected, a person like him will never have a silver tongue. If one were to mistakenly think otherwise, there¡¯ll definitely be poison underneath thatyer of honey. After lowering her head to endure his scorn for a while, she bent her knee slightly before suddenly mming it upward. Bang! Someone fell from the bed to the floor while moaning in pain. ¡°Courtney, what are you doing?¡± As Alexander held onto his waist, he took a deep breath and gazed at the bed. With her back facing him, she wrapped the nket tightly around herself and growled, ¡°Basically, I¡¯m nothing. That¡¯s the truth.¡± Upon listening to her words, Alexander was startled for a moment. As he sat below the bed and gazed at that angry figure, the corners of his eyes crinkled and he revealed a loving smile, all the while feeling resigned. Early in the morning, Courtney arrived at the Citron factory with Bill to check on the progress. After checking a batch of goods, Bill patted the thread in his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve checked all of these carefully. Basically, there aren¡¯t any problems. Most of the defective ones have been removed for reworks. When thest batch is finished tonight, we can finally send all of it to Sakura Group¡¯s warehouse.¡± ¡°I can see that there¡¯s quite a lot here. You can send the finished goods over first.¡± Courtney looked at the pile of products at the corner. ¡°If we wait till tonight, I¡¯m afraid there won¡¯t be enough space here.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we send those to our warehouse for the time being?¡± Bill had a serious expression as he commented, ¡°I want to confirm everything with my team first before sending out the products. If a problem crops up, it won¡¯t be good for us. Besides, the transportation and warehouse fee doesn¡¯t cost much.¡± However, Courtney still hesitated for a moment as she was inexplicably worried but in the end, she still nodded her head. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s safer to check it a few more times. We¡¯ll do it your way.¡± ¡°By the way¡ª¡± Bill lifted his head from the product list. ¡°¡ªNatasha called me just now. She wants me to remind you about the dinner with the Sakura Group tonight. Based on her tone, I assume you¡¯re not going?¡± ¡°James will be there.¡± Courtney felt angry the moment she mentioned him. ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Ever since we epted the order from Sakura Group, I keep on seeing him during business meals. It is obvious that he is showing me how popr he is in Melrose City.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did he harass you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Courtney furrowed her brows. ¡°If he dares to harass me, I¡¯ll call the cops. He is just trying to talk me into an acquisition.¡± ¡°He wants to buy Citron?¡± He wants the whole Hunter Group.¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°He really is greedy. By the looks of it, he is nning to do something big to impress Mr. Duncan, so he is now targeting the Hunter Group.¡± ¡°There are many medium-sized enterprises in Melrose City that are much easier to negotiate to than the Hunter Group, so why has he got his eyes on it?¡± Bill was confused. ¡°It probably has something to do with Alexander.¡± Courtney¡¯s frown deepened as she murmured, ¡°You also know that Alexander is now the head of finance. James is trying to hit him when he is down¡ªif he can kick Alexander out of Sunhill Enterprise and buy out thepany he works for, it shows that James really is capable. He just wants to humiliate Alexander so that he can boast to Mr. Duncan on how much better he is.¡± Her words made the situation sound dangerous and Bill was initially worried about her, but seeing how calm she looked, he let out a sigh of relief. ¡°You don¡¯t look worried at all,¡± hemented with a smile. ¡°Do you already have a n?¡± ¡°Of course. I have something up my sleeve too.¡± Chapter 291 One Night Surprise Chapter 291 Chapter 291 Nobody¡¯s Getting Away It wasn¡¯t the first time that James wanted to acquire the Hunter Group. Ever since he became the president of Sunhill Enterprise, he had been constantly thinking about this. Since he was a kid, he had been rivals with Alexander and had always wanted to defeat him. For the past three years, although James endured a lot of humiliation just to make aeback, he couldn¡¯t help but admire Alexander¡¯s capabilities. The core of Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s culture was essentially due to Alexander¡¯s achievements, so if he really wanted his roots in thepany, there was still a long way to go. This was why the acquisition of an up-anding middle-sized enterprise could be an important springboard for his career. One of the reasons he had his eyes on the Hunter Group was because Alexander was working for them. Another reason was because there had not been a worthy sessor ever since Lucian¡¯s death. James did not believe that Courtney alone could bring thepany back to life. ¡°President Duncan, the location and the time for tonight¡¯s dinner has been set. It¡¯ll start at seven.¡± The secretary with a nice figure spoke in a sweet voice as she stood next to James¡¯ desk. At the moment, James was rxed in his chair while his right hand turned the wedding ring on his left. The corners of his eyes tilted and a gentle yet menacing smile appeared on his face. ¡°Also, I¡¯ve informed Miss Price about it. She said that she¡¯ll be there tonight.¡± James nodded his head in satisfaction. ¡°Good.¡± Tonight¡¯s dinner was hosted by Mr. Vinsmoke of the Sakura Group. Alexander was called back to the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home by Scott, so Courtney attended the dinner alone. ¡°Long time no see, President Hunter. You¡¯ve be even more beautiful.¡± Listening to Mr. Vinsmoke¡¯s polite remarks, Courtney nodded her head in response. From the corner of her eye, she saw two familiar figures sitting in the private room. ¡°To make things more lively, President Duncan also brought a friend along. You don¡¯t mind that, do you?¡± ¡°Of course not. After all, we are all friends.¡± Courtney smiled faintly as she looked at the ¡®friend¡¯. ¡°President Duncan really is popr; even the famous Miss Price is willing to apany him here.¡± Suddenly, Britney¡¯s expression changed slightly but she regained herposure quickly. ¡°President Hunter, if you are still discontented with me because of the past, then I¡¯ll just leave so as to avoid everyone from feeling uneasy during the meal,¡± she murmured. ¡°What¡¯s going on? President Hunter, have you met Miss Price before?¡± Mr. Vinsmoke seemed lost. Courtney smiled. ¡°We know each other, but not that well. I don¡¯t quite understand what Miss Price is referring to. There has been so much going on that I can¡¯t really remember things that happened in the past.¡± Anyone knew what words to say at this sort of asion but deep inside, it was a whole other story. Everyone in the same circle knew that James and Britney¡¯s rtionship was not ordinary but because James had a wife, everyone was being subtle about it. However, Courtney was surprised to see that James would bring Britney out for a meal so openly without fearing that it would backfire on him. Besides James, there were also representatives from the Sakura Group and the Hunter Group. On the surface, they were here as a premature celebration of their coboration but the truth was, Mr. Vinsmoke was obviously introducing them to James. Even after a few rounds of wine, no one mentioned the acquisition. Alexander called, so Courtney went to the washroom as an excuse to avoid drinking more alcohol. Everyone teased her, especially Mr. Vinsmoke. ¡°Is it from Young Master Alexander? I can see that something good is headed your way, President Hunter. I assume that we¡¯ll all be receiving an invitation very soon, yes?¡± Courtney smiled as she walked away. ¡°Of course.¡± The moment she answered the call in the washroom, Alexander¡¯s voice came from the other end. ¡°Did they trouble you?¡± ¡°No; they don¡¯t dare to. I¡¯m not some junior salesperson out to talk business.¡± Courtney leaned on the side of the wash basin. ¡°James brought someone along with him though. Can you guess who it is?¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Your old partner,¡± Courtney deliberately said, a sly look on her face. There was silence on the other end. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°How many old partners do you have? Who else can it be?¡± Failing to tease him, Courtney felt angry instead. ¡°It¡¯s Britney. They came here openly while holding hands. Is this how you men behave after getting married, having one woman at home and another outside?¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Alexander seemed a little confused. ¡°Most seem to have more than one outside.¡± Suddenly, Courtney¡¯s voice deepened. ¡°What?¡± There wasughter on the other end. ¡°I, on the other hand, only have one.¡± His words finally extinguished the tiny rage that was burning inside her. Just as they were chatting, she could hear footstepsing from outside. ¡°I can¡¯t talk to you right now. I think someone ising. We can talkter on once I get home.¡± ¡°Alright. Tonight, I¡¯lle pick¡ª¡± Before he could utter the word ¡®you¡¯, Courtney hung up the phone. The footstepsing from outside was the crisp sound of high heels cking on the floor. Courtney lifted her head while washing her hands and she could see a familiar figure behind her. The reason Courtney was familiar with this woman was because she constantly followed Alexander everywhere in the past and recently, she was always seen at cocktail parties. As a celebrity in the entertainment industry, she must have had a really broadwork for her to have such a good rtionship with these elite talents, which exined why she was able to attend this many business parties. The moment their eyes met through the mirror, Courtney smiled faintly while nodding her head slightly in greeting. Then, she minded her own business and took a piece of tissue paper to wipe her hands. ¡°You don¡¯t seem happy to see me.¡± Britney¡¯s voice that came from behind her seemed a bit bitter. Courtney turned around and threw the tissue paper into the trash can. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be unhappy about. You are not that important to me.¡± Britney chuckled as she lowered her head to look at her bright red nails. Courtney had already taken a step and was nning to leave but the moment she heard Britney¡¯s laughter, she turned around and frowned. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± ¡°Looks like it hase full circle.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Stop asking the obvious. Do you really want me to make myself clear?¡± Britney¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Did you realize that ever since you and Alexander were together, his life has been going downhill? When you first approached him with purpose, you didn¡¯t expect all of this to happen, right?¡± Courtney could understand the sarcasm in Britney¡¯s words but she was confused by the meaning of the phrase ¡®with purpose¡¯. Hence, Courtney simply assumed that Britney was unting herself after climbing the socialdder. ¡°No one is certain how this will end, so don¡¯t speak too early,¡± Courtneymented. ¡°You think that you achieved all of this fairly? You are only using others to get what you want.¡± She nced at Britney coldly, not bothering to hide the disdain in her eyes. When Britney pursued Alexander back then, she didn¡¯t think that she was doing anything wrong, but being someone else¡¯s mistress was downright hical. ¡°What right do you have to say that I¡­¡± Britney¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, Alexander and I would have been married long ago and I could have be the official Mrs. Duncan.¡± However, Courtney wasn¡¯t in the mood to exin things to Britney, so she left the washroom straight away. When I confirmed my rtionship with Alexander, the two of them had already broken up. Then, a sharp voice was heard from behind. ¡°Just you wait and see¡ªwhat you owe me, I¡¯ll take it all back one way or another. Nobody¡¯s getting off the hook so easily.¡± Chapter 292 One Night Surprise Chapter 292 Chapter 292 I Didn¡¯t Promise Him Britney¡¯s voice sounded like a high pitch screech to Courtney¡¯s ears. The moment she heard it, she furrowed her eyes and kept on walking without arguing with her. In Courtney¡¯s eyes, a person like Britney who pushed the me right after a break up would only end up hurting herself and others. Tonight¡¯s dinner was surprisingly sessful and James didn¡¯t use the chance to discuss the acquisition. At around nine o¡¯clock, everyone at the table proposed to change the venue. Looking at the eyes of the men when their wine sses clinked, Courtney could easily guess where they were headed to, so she said casually, ¡°I won¡¯t be following you all. It¡¯ste now; I still need to go home and put the kids to sleep.¡± I¡¯ll send President Hunter home,¡± James immediately offered. Tonight, everyone at the table were all drunk but James¡¯ mind seemed to be quite clear byparison. Courtney looked at the wine ss in front of him suspiciously but she couldn¡¯t find anything wrong. ¡°No need for that.¡± She nced at him. ¡°President Duncan, it¡¯s more important for you to send Miss Price home safely. I have my own driver.¡± ¡°President Hunter, didn¡¯t your driver just ask for leave because he has something to deal with?¡± James stared at her. Even though he said it with a smile, Courtney still felt ufortable. ¡°Are you worried because of me? I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re overthinking it because I¡¯m not going with you; I¡¯ll let my driver send you back. I still need to apany Mr. Vinsmoke and others for the next round.¡± He even knows that my driver has left for tonight. Courtney furrowed her brows as she looked at everyone around the table. If I show that I¡¯m on bad terms with James, I¡¯ll definitely lose a lot of potential clients here. After weighing the pros and cons, she finally agreed with him. Immediately, James smiled as he pushed his sses up his nose and he announced, ¡°Mr. Vinsmoke, why don¡¯t we send President Hunter to the entrance? After all, she is the only woman here tonight so we need to make sure that she leaves safely, yes?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Everyone quickly agreed. At the moment, they were all a bunch of drunks and even the two middle- level managers that Courtney brought along were now nodding their heads in confusion. As for Natasha, she was furious at the situation and she kept on winking at Courtney. Although James was letting his driver send her home, who knew where the driver would send her seeing that the rtionship between the twopanies was so awkward at the moment? This isn¡¯t safe; he can¡¯t be trusted at all. And so, James and Courtney arrived at the hotel¡¯s entrance surrounded by a bunch of drunks. James¡¯ driver had already driven the deep blue Porsche over. In a very gentlemanly manner, James went up to open the car door for Courtney. ¡°President Hunter, time to get in the car.¡± While carrying her bag, Courtney suddenly smiled faintly when she saw the person sitting in the car. ¡°I think you should be the one getting in, President Duncan.¡± ¡°President Hunter, don¡¯t tell me you are suddenly backing out. In business, we can¡¯t have people whose words are unreliable¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think what you say is reliable either.¡± A high pitched voice came from the car, cutting James off. Instantly, Britney¡¯s face turned pale as she stood behind Courtney. A pair of burgundy high heels with ck soles appeared, followed by a well-maintained woman who got out of the car. Immediately, she mmed the Hermes bag in her hand right at James¡¯ face before yelling, ¡°James, do you have no shame? How many times have I warned you to stay away from this sl*t? Do you think you are very smart? How dare you bring her to parties with you? Do you still see me as your wife?¡± James¡¯ face turned pale and embarrassed as he grabbed hold of his wife¡¯s Hermes bag. ¡°Why are you here?¡± he asked in a panic. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter why I¡¯m here. What matters the most is why this sl*t is here.¡± The woman pointed her fingers at the person beside Courtney. The moment sheid eyes on Britney, her eyes were suddenly raging with mes as she pounced right at her. Throughout the night, only Britney¡¯s scream was heard as she was pulled by her hair. ¡°You sl*t! If I don¡¯t tear your face off today, are you going to seduce my man again? Looks like I¡¯ll have to tear off all your clothes so that you can seduce everyone on the street!¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Britney shouted as she struggled hard. ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything. Let me go!¡± ¡°You think I believe you?¡±N?velDrama.Org (C) content. Amidst the chaos, Courtney stood among the crowd. Naturally, the drunks surrounding them couldn¡¯t help butugh out because they drank too much just now; at the moment, they kept onughing as if they were watching a show. What a huge embarrassment this is, James thought to himself. Meanwhile, he ordered his driver and assistant with a dark expression, ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and stop my wife immediately!¡± Just when Courtney was enjoying the show, a hand reached out from the side and grabbed her wrist. Before she even got the chance to scream, she was pulled away from the crowd. ¡°Who are¡ªAlexander?¡± Courtney took a few steps before she could make out that it was Alexander pulling her along. Before the panicked expression on her face disappearedpletely, happiness started to shine through. After standing still, sheughed. ¡°When did you arrive? Why did you pull me and run?¡± At the moment, Alexander was dressed casually in a camel coat, which looked really refreshing. With a joyful spark in his eyes, he gazed at her before approaching her to take a whiff. ¡°How much did you drink?¡± ¡°Only half a ss.¡± The light in Courtney¡¯s eyes flickered as she whispered, ¡°Natasha took care of the rest for me. That girl can really drink; she can even walk straight after so many rounds.¡± Alexander removed the grey wool scarf from his neck and wrapped it around her. ¡°You need to give her a raise after you go back,¡± he said in an indulgent tone. After that, he took Courtney¡¯s hand and put it into his pocket naturally before walking with her on the side of the road. ¡°Let¡¯s walk back home. It¡¯ll sober you up.¡± Courtney followed along and she smiled. ¡°I only drank half a ss; there¡¯s no need for me to sober up. As for you, did you call James¡¯ wife toe over here?¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know in advance that Britney wasing and James definitely wouldn¡¯t tell others about it. He must have been very secretive about it but suddenly, his wife appeared. Come to think of it, I guess you heard me bringing it up when I called you in the washroom.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t deny her statement but the sudden yfulness in his eyes exined everything. He didn¡¯t like to butt into other people¡¯s business and he didn¡¯t care how many women James had outside, but he felt that James wouldn¡¯t allow Courtney to leave safely from today¡¯s dinner. Lately, Sunhill Enterprise has been pushing the Hunter Group tightly to a corner, which is pretty obvious from the financial aspect. It¡¯s better to take a pre-emptive strike than to stand in the enemy¡¯s way. ¡°What did you talk about with your grandfather?¡± Courtney changed the subject. ¡°The same old thing. He asked me toe back to the enterprise.¡± ¡°What about James?¡± ¡°Grandpa said that as long as I decide to go back, he¡¯ll kick him out and this time, he won¡¯t let him return ever again.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± From Alexander¡¯s calm expression, she could tell that he didn¡¯t promise his grandfather. Truth was, she was always curious as to why. ¡°I didn¡¯t promise him.¡± As expected. Alexander squeezed her hand as he put it deeper in his pocket. Only his deep voice could be heard in the night. ¡°Since we are letting him go, we need to eliminate himpletely.¡± Chapter 293 One Night Surprise Chapter 293 Chapter 293 Subtle Looking at the side of Alexander¡¯s face, Courtney felt assured for some reason. ¡°No matter what you decide, I¡¯ll always support you.¡± Alexander turned his head and gazed at her before reaching out to adjust her scarf. Seeing the once thin figure¡ªwho was a head shorter than him¡ªgetting more plump in recent days, the corners of his eyes crinkled slightly. Courtney didn¡¯t know what he was smiling at, so she asked, ¡°Is it because I look good in this scarf?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Alexander went against his will and nodded obediently. Compared to lying about such trivial matters, he was more worried about her crying to lose weight after realizing that she had gotten chubby. By then, she may lose her touch. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a look around?¡± Courtney blinked while the electronice screen of the mall behind her broadcasted an advertisement for a Christmas limited-edition skin care product. The hotel, where they had dinner that night, was located in the liveliest ce at the city center. In just a few steps, the two of them reached the streets of the shopping square. Christmas was still a month away but the shops had already hung up all their decorations. Looking at the lively atmosphere, Alexander had never felt so excited as he held tight to Courtney¡¯s hands. Then, they went through the crowd of white-cor men and women, most of whom only had time toe out at night, before entering the building. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°It¡¯s been so cold recently. I want to buy a hat but once I wear it, I can¡¯t take it off because my hair will be disastrous,¡± Courtney kept on rambling while they strolled around. Before they reached the fashion section, she was suddenly distracted by the kids¡¯ section. She pulled Alexander along to help pick out things and very soon, the shopping cart was filled with lots of items. ¡°This yellow hat will look good on Jordan. I¡¯ll buy another red one for Tina.¡± While pushing the shopping cart, Alexander chimed in, ¡°Should you get another green one to make a traffic light?¡± Courtney stared at him and asked confusedly, ¡°Are you going to wear it?¡± For a moment, Alexander was startled and a kaleidoscope of expressions shed across his face. In the end, he reluctantly said, ¡°Forget it.¡± Although he liked the things that Courtney bought for him, he really didn¡¯t have the courage to go out wearing a green hat. ¡°There really is a green one; do you want to try it?¡± Courtney eximed. She pulled out a traditionally green woolen hat from a pile of parent-child hats and she tried to put it on his head. However, Alexander had a height advantage, so he straightened his back slightly and pushed her hand away. There was nothing she could do. Later on in the middle of the night, the sound of a woman smashing things could be heard from the first floor living room of a three-story vi hidden in the woods, which was located in the middle of General Mountain at the west of Melrose City. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Britney sat on the couch with a furious expression as she held an ice pack to her face with one hand. Beside her, pieces of broken porcin were scattered all around the floor. The ancient stamp was still intact on the bottom of the bowl, which showed that this piece of porcin alone was really valuable. ¡°Alright. I won¡¯t touch you.¡± James stood a certain distance away from the couch but the two obvious nails scratches on his face were exceptionally frightening. ¡°No one could have expected this today. I¡¯ll change my assistant tomorrow; it¡¯ll stop these talkative people from telling everyone about us.¡± Britney grunted. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it isn¡¯t their fault. The moment you asked the driver to send Courtney home, that crazy woman of yours suddenly jumped out of the car and started biting like a mad dog. If you can¡¯t see through this situation clearly, do you really think you are a match against Alexander?¡± James furrowed his brows as he suddenly realized. ¡°Courtney tricked me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you that she isn¡¯t the same as those silly girls you met before. During dinner, sheughed a lot but she only drank a little wine, and she did it quite subtly too.¡± ¡°That b*tch!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you that if you want to acquire the Hunter Group to strengthen your position, it¡¯s basically impossible for you to woo her over to your side. She is an obstacle¡ªif she no longer exists, you may have the chance to acquire thepany.¡± ¡°Are you saying¡ª¡± James looked toward the couch as he made a cut throat gesture. ¡°¡ªthat I should kill her first?¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be too kind to her.¡± Britney grunted coldly as she flung the ice bag at the coffee table. ¡°Courtney is a very proud person. Since she doesn¡¯t want to admit to that incident six years ago, we¡¯ll just have to use the same tricks. By the time we expose her, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll dare to show her face in Melrose City ever again. Even if she has thick skin, I don¡¯t believe that Alexander would still want her.¡± At this point, James finally understood what Britney was implying. ¡°So you n to use me to remove this thorn in your side?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t deny my selfish motives but it won¡¯t do any harm to you at all.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± James sneered. ¡°Pray tell.¡± Britney stood up from the couch and stepped barefoot on the carpet. Her burgundy satin pajamas were extraordinarily morous. Swinging her hips as she took two steps, the ribbons on her shoulder slided down. Although she had already applied an ice pack to her face, half of it was still covered in bruises. However, it couldn¡¯t conceal her seductive look one bit. Just by standing there, it was enough to turn James¡¯ legs into jelly. ¡°The Hunter Group is now growing at a steady pace. Do you really think this is all down to Courtney alone? If she really is this capable, how could she not have a ce in the Hunter Family since the beginning? It¡¯s all because of Alexander¡¯swork helping her. If you do things ording to my n, Alexander will break up with her and by then, she¡¯ll be all yours.¡± There was a malicious light flickering in her eyes but James loved her this way. Usually, he would have pounced on her long ago but this time, he was making her wait instead. ¡°That sounds great. However, do you know how much risk I have to take to do this for nothing? What if Old Master Duncan finds out about this? Not only will I lose my hold on my position, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll be kicked out of thepany straight away.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t gain anything without taking a little risk.¡± Seeing that he was still hesitant, Britney¡¯s eyes rolled as she took a step forward. ¡°Ouch!¡± After a scream, she suddenly fell onto the couch. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± James furrowed his brow and focused all his attention on her. Turned out her snowy white foot was pierced by bits and pieces of porcin, causing streaks of blood to flow out. While biting her lips painfully, shey down on the couch and resisted the pain with all her strength. She looked like a damsel in distress to James. After taking a few steps toward her, he held her foot and looked at it for a while before saying in distress, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Then, he turned around and shouted, ¡°Where¡¯s the maid? Tell her to bring some medicine over.¡± ¡°What medicine?¡± Britney suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, her hot breath fanning his face as she murmured, ¡°You are my medicine.¡± With the beauty in his arms, James was already restless inside. Seeing that she was interested, he immediately carried her up and walked toward the second floor. When the maid arrived with the medicine, there wasn¡¯t anyone left in the living room. Following the ambiguous voice of a man and womaning from the second floor, she could see a bunch of clothes scattered across the stairs. From head to toe, not a scrap of clothing was left on their bodies. One could still hear the sweet faint gasps of a womaning from the bedroom on the second floor. ¡°Ah¡­ James. Now¡­ Ah¡­ Do you believe that what I said is for your own good?¡± he hoarse voice of a man could be heard. ¡°You are right, but now, let¡¯s see how Courtney deals with the troubleing her way.¡± Chapter 294 One Night Surprise Chapter 294 Chapter 294 How Is a Week Possible? The night faded as dawn approached. The rm beside the bed kept on ringing but even after Courtney reached her hand out from the nket to turn it off, it just didn¡¯t seem to stop. She squinted and realized that it was still dark outside. Then, she turned toward the clock and realized that it was just past three in the morning. Finally, she realized that it wasn¡¯t her rm clock going off¡ªit was her phone. ¡°President Hunter, something has happened to the warehouse.¡± Bill¡¯s voice echoed in her ears as Alexander drove her straight to the warehouse. The moment they arrived, all they saw was an ocean of mes in front of them. After the two fire trucks arrived, a huge hose with high water pressure was used to suppress the fire but it didn¡¯t work. How can this happen?¡± Courtney saw Bill as soon as she got out of the car. Seeing the ashes on his face, it seemed as though he just escaped from the fire. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°At eight o¡¯clock, I left after checking all the products. I asked Bobby and a few others to check the products again tonight. An hour ago, I received a call from Bobby saying the warehouse was on fire so I rushed over here. Right now, we can¡¯t figure out the cause of the fire but we are definitely not the ones responsible for it.¡± ¡°Does it matter who is responsible for this?¡± Courtney held her forehead, feeling out of breath. Under the pressure, she started to speak carelessly. ¡°There¡¯s only one week until the deadline to hand in the products. At first, I wanted to hand in the products today so that we won¡¯t have anymore problems, but you insisted on sending it to the warehouse first! I¡¯m afraid it makes you look really suspicious.¡± Meanwhile, Bill¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. After getting embarrassingly yelled at in the face, he remained silent with his head down. Even Alexander couldn¡¯t stand it anymore so he tugged at Courtney¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Stay calm. The fire hasn¡¯t been put out yet so we still don¡¯t know what happened. It¡¯s useless to me anyone. Now, we need to think of a solution.¡± ¡°What solution do we have?¡± She roared at Alexander in frustration before angrily kicking at a cardboard box beside her. This is Citron¡¯s first order but there have been twists and turns from the very start. Finally, we managed to reach the end with just a small step away frompleting it but then, the fire started. It¡¯s hard for me to believe that this isn¡¯t caused by someone. At first, Courtney was worried that more problems might arise so she proposed to send out the finished products to the Sakura Group first, but Bill insisted on sending it all out at once, which ended in this mess. After hearing the news, Natasha rushed over and exchanged looks with Alexander before splitting Courtney and Bill far apart so that they would have some space to calm down. Although Bill remained silent, his current mood wouldn¡¯t be much better than Courtney¡¯s. In his previous job, he quit the job in anger because the leaders didn¡¯t trust him and tried to put all the me on him. Now, he was facing an almost simr situation, so no one could understand how complicated his emotions were right now. ¡°You need to calm down.¡± Alexander pulled Courtney back to the car. Then, he took off his jacket to cover her shoulder. ¡°The situation isn¡¯t as bad as you think.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it bad enough?¡± She was now in a sorrowful state as she buried her head between her knees and murmured, ¡°I think the situation is awful. I simply don¡¯t have the capabilities to run an entire enterprise. I should have just managed Citron properly in the first ce instead of leaving everything to Bill. After all, he isn¡¯t some superhuman who can handle everything.¡± Looking at her right now, Alexander took a deep breath and said seriously, ¡°Listen to me. There are now two solutions for this. One, we can spend some money to buy another¡¯s trust. We¡¯ll try to negotiate with the Sakura Group to extend the deadline for half a month but for this, we need to pay them a 50% compensation fee at the very least. Compared to this order, we still lose money.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that even if we lose money, we still can¡¯t buy back their trust.¡± Courtney clenched her fists. ¡°James is just waiting for me to lose my money and credit so that he can acquire thepany when it can¡¯t continue to operate.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a second solution,¡± Alexander exined to her unhurriedly with a calm expression. ¡°We can use money to buy their trust. There¡¯s still a week left and Bill said that he only ced half the products here, which means that there is another half in the factory. We can think of a way to hire all the factories in Melrose City with a high price so that they can finish the rest of the products in one week.¡± ¡°How can they finish it all in one week?¡± ¡°How can they not? It all depends on our effort.¡± The moment Courtney saw Alexander¡¯s determined eyes, the frustration she originally had inside her gradually calmed down. The fire went on for a whole night and when it was finally put out, dawn had arrived. Alexander took charge and stationed two people from the technical department at the scene to wait for more news while everyone one else left. Early in the morning, Courtney held an emergency meeting in thepany. After that, she was so busy with sending people to Melrose City¡¯s major factories to talk about the order that she couldn¡¯t find the chance to speak to Bill even though she saw him a few times. ¡°Bill, President Hunter is just anxious. She doesn¡¯t actually me you for this. You don¡¯t need to take it to heart.¡± In the pantry, Natasha stood by Bill¡¯s side as she tried tofort him carefully. At the moment, his expression was so dark that there weren¡¯t any clear signs of emotions. Just as he was about to leave, he could hear a conversation outside. ¡°I think that the fire is probably caused by someone in thepany. Isn¡¯t there a rumortely saying that ourpany is being acquired by Sunhill Enterprise? President Hunter refused to sell, so they are now going against her.¡± ¡°Someone in thepany? Who is it? You better not talk nonsense.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s the first person who showed up at the scenest night.¡± As soon as the person finished his words, Natasha looked toward Bill nervously but she was held back by him when she tried to walk out. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. Can it really be Mr. Dawson?¡± Sounds of a loud discussion came from outside. ¡°How is it not possible? Don¡¯t you guys know his background? In the past, he did a simr betrayal before so he quit his previous job. Otherwise, why didn¡¯t President Hunter treat him better even though he has been living in thepany every day while working hard? She didn¡¯t even arrange a ce for him to stay.¡± The person speaking looked excited, as if he knew everything. ¡°Don¡¯t you know about this? Bill sleeps in thepany every day. The lounge in the design room is actually his home and it is no bigger than a matchbox. With this kind of treatment, he¡¯ll definitely run away if Sunhill Enterprise gives him a little more benefit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Sunhill Enterprise can¡¯t even provide me with the treatment I want.¡± Bill¡¯s voice was loud and filled with disdain as it came from the pantry. Suddenly, everyone felt a thump in their hearts and they flinched. ¡°I¡¯m staying in thepany because I¡¯m working on a designpetitiontely. As for President Hunter¡¯s bad treatment toward me, I¡¯m quite curious about the treatment of all top designers in Melrose City at the moment.¡± He then looked at everyone one by one with his sharp eyes and said loudly, ¡°Peony Mansion on Lotus Road is a vi given to me by President Hunter. You all can check out the price per square meter of the house by yourselves. I believe that Sunhill Enterprise can afford that, but I¡¯m afraid that the current new president doesn¡¯t have the right to approve such a huge sum of money.¡± Suddenly, everyone went silent. They all knew that Lotus Road was now a ce in Melrose City where housing prices were off the roof because it housed many mansions that couldn¡¯t even be bought by money. ¡°Why are you all surrounding Bill?¡± A clear voice was heard from behind everyone. Courtney was wearing a dark green suede trench coat along with a white blouse and wide leg-pants, making her look imposing. As she stood straight, she said casually, ¡°In mypany, no one gets to live in a vi just by doing nothing and gossiping.¡± Chapter 295 One Night Surprise Chapter 295 Chapter 295 The Person in Charge Is Gone No one knew when Courtney appeared behind them. As soon as they heard her voice, everyone¡¯s faces turned pale in unison. For a moment, the atmosphere came to a deadlock but suddenly, someone quickly returned to their working position. ¡°Miss Lilly, I can give you the semi-annual n for the second half of the year before getting off from work. I can also prepare the annual n for next year before that.¡± Thinking about Bill¡¯s expensive vi, everyone dispersed and returned to their respective work stations quickly. Just like a spring, they sprung back to their usual work as fast as possible. Standing beside Bill, Natasha looked at them in a daze. This is probably the power of money! If your workers aren¡¯t working hard enough, it means that you haven¡¯t given them enough money. After everyone was gone, Courtney and Bill were the only ones left as they stood not more than two meters away from each other. Therefore, it was inevitable for their eyes to meet. ¡°Are you free? I¡¯ve made a new scented tea in my office. Do you want to try it?¡± Courtney looked at Bill calmly, as if she had forgotten her frustrations fromst night. Bill¡¯s dark expression finally had traces of joy as he murmured, ¡°Alright.¡± Inside her office, the whole ce was filled with the warm aroma of jasmine tea. Courtney pushed the porcin cup to Bill while she lowered her head down embarrassedly. ¡°I apologize for what happenedst night.¡± For a moment, Bill was startled and his voice became gloomy. ¡°No need for that. You were right, actually. It was my idea to ship the products to the warehouse first. If it weren¡¯t for my insistence, we would have decreased the loss by half at the very least.¡± ¡°Someone is keeping an eye on us as they attack us. Even if you are able to protect one ce, there¡¯ll always be another ce out of your reach.¡± Courtney¡¯s words were filled with many implications. Bill furrowed his brows as he knew what was going on without asking much. ¡°This morning, the fire brigade told me that the fire was caused by the old electrical appliances in the warehouse, and the staff were away drinking at night.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have the time to investigate whether this was really a coincidence or not, but that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll just leave it be. At the moment, we must contact as many factories as we can so that they can redo the entire order within half a month.¡± The original deadline for the previous batch of products was a month. The factory headpleted it about a week in advance by asking his staff to work day and night. After checking the shortage of products on hand, Courtney estimated the time forpletion and realized that it would be difficult for them to finish it within a week; they needed half a month at the very least. ¡°But the deadline is next week.¡± Bill looked worried. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Mr. Vinsmoke about the dy andpensation.¡± Bill pondered for a moment before announcing seriously, ¡°No need for that. I¡¯ll think of a way and I¡¯ll complete the shipment in time.¡± Courtney¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Bill, the possibility is too small. Even if we ask all of the factories in Melrose City to stop what they are doing toplete our shipment, the possibility of them finishing everything within a week is almost zero.¡± ¡°Even so, there¡¯s still a possibility that it will work.¡± Bill stood up. ¡°Leave this to me. I¡¯ll take full responsibility for this shipment.¡± With that, Bill left. Courtney could see that he didn¡¯t touch the cup of tea in front of him at all, which made her frown even harder. I can see that he is really anxious about this deep down but we can¡¯t afford to lose our cool, especially on this matter. He does not have any experience in this profit-driven world, so what ns does he have? In the evening before the deadline of the shipment, Courtney brought her assistant, Natasha, to the Sakura Group to talk to Mr. Vinsmoke about the order. However, the moment they arrived at the entrance of the group, they were blocked by a blue Porsche. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Just like lightning, the car swerved and parked between the entrance of the Sakura Group and Courtney¡¯s car. If Natasha wasn¡¯t quick enough to stop Courtney just in time, the consequences would be devastating. ¡°President Hunter, are you alright?¡± Natasha held onto Courtney¡¯s hand in fear. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± As soon as Courtney lifted her head and saw the familiar car, she instantly knew who had arrived. This is probably what they mean by enemies always crossing paths. James got out of his car while wearing a ck suit and coat, his eyes behind his sses as hypocritical as usual. ¡°Long time no see, President Hunter.¡± Courtney grabbed Natasha¡¯s hand to stop her from arguing with him. Meanwhile, Courtney put on a faint smile as she looked at him. ¡°President Duncan, your nose really is better than a bloodhound¡¯s. You showed up the moment I arrived. How extraordinary.¡± Listening to her, James¡¯ expression darkened slightly as he sneered, ¡°President Hunter, rather than spending your time mocking me, why don¡¯t you focus on how to exin to Mr. Vinsmoke about the shipment¡¯s dy?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me, President Duncan.¡± After that, Courtney let go of Natasha¡¯s hand and straightened her clothes before walking into Sakura Group without a serious expression. Standing at the entrance, James asked from behind Courtney, ¡°If I were you, I would lower my pride at this moment. With my friendship with Mr. Vinsmoke, you can dy the shipment as long as you want.¡± Without looking back, Courtney walked straight into the elevator, as if she didn¡¯t hear what he said. Natasha followed close behind. After the elevator door closed, Natasha asked, ¡°President Hunter, even though we don¡¯t want to be involved with a person like James, shouldn¡¯t we adopt a more rxed attitude at this time? The backstabbers are usually the hardest to deal with. What if he does one of his tricks behind our backs?¡± ¡°Do you really think he won¡¯t do that just because we show him a good attitude?¡± Courtney remained composed. ¡°Otherwise, how do you think this fire started?¡± Citron had just started operating so they didn¡¯t have their own warehouse, and Courtney didn¡¯t want Citron to have any rtions with the Hunter Group. After all, it was her mother¡¯spany, so when Bill proposed to ce the products in a warehouse for the time being, they temporarily rented a warehouse space at the west suburbs of Melrose City. After the fire, the person in charge of the warehouse faced hugepensation because the space that Courtney rented wasn¡¯t the only ce that caught fire. There were many other products nearby from otherpanies that were also destroyed too, so the person in charge turned tail. During this period, Natasha had been following Bill to deal with the other factories, so she didn¡¯t know what Courtney was up to. After listening to Courtney¡¯s words, Natasha¡¯s expression turned to one of shock. ¡°He ran away? Then who will be responsible for this matter now?¡± ¡°The person in charge ran away, so the owner of the warehouse pushed the me and chose to ignore it. James really has this nned meticulously.¡± Hearing that, Natasha was dumbfounded and she frowned. She was a clever person. Since Courtney had already made her words clear, it would be stupid for Natasha to not understand. That¡¯s why seeing James here today definitely won¡¯t lead to something good. No wonder the two of them were so tense at the entrance. When they arrived at the door of Mr. Vinsmoke¡¯s office, his assistant knocked on the door and went in to inform him of their presence before letting Courtney inside. ¡°Mr. Vinsmoke.¡± Courtney sat down on the other side of his office desk. Across the huge desk, Mr. Vinsmoke had just put down his pen and a pile of processed documents. ¡°Today is the day you hand in the shipment, right? Thanks for taking the trouble toe here personally, President Hunter.¡± Before Courtney had the chance to speak, the door behind her opened and the assistant¡¯s reluctant voice was heard. ¡°President Duncan, Mr. Vinsmoke is now discussing business with President Hunter. You can¡¯t go in¡ª¡± Chapter 296 One Night Surprise Chapter 296 Chapter 296 Taking Care of This First Immediately, Courtney furrowed her brows and she didn¡¯t even bother to turn her head around. It isn¡¯t difficult to guess why James is here. Behind her, James¡¯ voice could be heard. ¡°Since I¡¯m going to talk about the same thing as President Hunter, there is nothing wrong with us discussing it together so as to not waste Mr. Vinsmoke¡¯s time. Am I right, Mr. Vinsmoke?¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Sitting opposite Courtney, Mr. Vinsmoke frowned his brows slightly as he revealed an intriguing expression. Logically, there isn¡¯t a business rtionship between the Sakura Group and Sunhill Enterprise. Even if Mr. Vinsmoke and James are friends with simr interests, Mr. Vinsmoke is still his senior so James should show more respect toward him. However, listening to James¡¯ tone, he seems to be a level higher than Mr. Vinsmoke. Courtney was confused deep down but she didn¡¯t have the time to ponder about it. Behind her, James¡¯ voice came again. ¡°If my guess is correct, President Hunter is here to talk about the order that the Sakura Group gave the Hunter Group previously, right?¡± ¡°President Duncan, did youe here because of this?¡± Courtney turned around and nced at him casually. ¡°On a smaller scale, this is between Mr. Vinsmoke and me and on arger scale, this is between Citron and the Sakura Group. President Duncan, I don¡¯t seem to recall that it has anything to do with you, am I right?¡± James walked right up to them and stood half a meter away from her as he looked at Mr. Vinsmoke. ¡°Seeing how desperate President Hunter wants me to leave, I guess she hasn¡¯t gotten around to telling her main point, Mr. Vinsmoke.¡± Hearing that, Mr. Vinsmoke was startled for a moment. ¡°What do you mean, President Duncan?¡± ¡°She really hasn¡¯t mentioned it?¡± James pretended to be surprised as he looked at Courtney with his eyes full of mockery. ¡°President Hunter, are you too embarrassed to say it? I happen have a good rtionship with Mr. Vinsmoke, so he will make an exception to you for my sake.¡± However, Courtney remained silent while she frowned. ¡°Mr. Vinsmoke, don¡¯t you know? A week ago, a fire took ce in a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. It was all over the news.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard about that.¡± Mr. Vinsmoke nodded but he was still confused. ¡°But what does this have to do with what you¡¯re going to tell me?¡± ¡°It has everything to do with that.¡± James then nced at Courtney profoundly. ¡°President Hunter, do you want me to exin the situation to him or will you do it?¡± With cold eyes, Courtney clenched her fists. ¡°President Duncan, if you have something to say, just say it. How do I know what you are going to say?¡± James chuckled. ¡°President Hunter, are you still trying to be stubborn at this point?¡± Meanwhile, Mr. Vinsmoke was confused and he was dissatisfied with James¡¯ attitude, but he had to suppress his temper as he asked, ¡°What happened?¡± James looked at him and exined, ¡°The warehouse that was burned down a week ago contained your shipment. If my sources are correct, more than half of Sakura Group¡¯s staff uniforms were destroyed by the fire. I¡¯m afraid that President Hunter came to see you today because she wants to discuss the dy of the shipment.¡± Listening to him, Mr. Vinsmoke was startled as he turned to Courtney. ¡°Is he telling the truth?¡± At the moment, Courtney remained silent while clenching her fists but when he heard Mr. Vinsmoke, she nced at him and nodded. ¡°President Duncan is right. The fire a week ago burned down the warehouse containing your shipment and it¡¯s true that half of the shipment was destroyed. It is a huge loss. President Duncan, your sources are quite urate.¡± Mr Vinsmoke¡¯s expression changed as James looked at her with contempt. ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve asked your staff to find all the factories in Melrose City so that they can finish the order for you with a high price. I wonder how that ising along?¡± ¡°President Duncan, how can you not know about that since you are so well-informed?¡± Courtney nced at him. ¡°All of the factories in Melrose City that are capable of epting huge orders are now upied by someone. Therefore, they can¡¯t ept any other offers for the next two months. At first, I wondered which fashionpany would make so many orders and I was surprised to find out that it was your Sunhill Enterprise. What¡¯s going on? Are you now nning to give up your hotels and take over the fashion industry?¡± ¡°I have my own ns and I think you should worry about yourself for the moment.¡± Then, James pulled the conversation back on track by asking, ¡°Mr. Vinsmoke, what do you think about the dy?¡± Looking at the two of them arguing for a while, Mr. Vinsmoke connected the situation to the rumors he heard in his social circle recently. It¡¯s not hard to guess that James is doing all he can to bring down the Hunter Group from the inside. It¡¯s inhumane for me to help him at this moment but if I choose to help Courtney, it will put me in trouble. Right now, the best way is to protect myself and do what¡¯s necessary. ¡°If that¡¯s true, we can only follow the contract.¡± He looked at Courtney seriously. ¡°If there is a dy, Citron is required to pay thepensation fee and ording to the contract, the fee is 50%.¡± The order was worth 200 million, which meant that thepensation would cost 100 million. Not only that, Courtney¡¯spany still had to bear the production, material andbor costs, as well as the extra losses from the fire. After adding it all up, not only would this be a non-profitable order, thepany still needed to bear a 100 million loss. Even the Hunter Group, which had just recovered, wouldn¡¯t have such a huge amount of liquid assets to pay for thepensation fee, let alone a small enterprise like Citron. They couldn¡¯t afford to withstand such a huge blow. Just like that, it all went along James¡¯ n. Looking at the disdain in James¡¯ eyes, Courtney suddenly chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Vinsmoke. If we don¡¯t hand in the shipment in time, we will pay as muchpensation as required. However, we haven¡¯t reached the deadline yet, have we?¡± ¡°Even if the deadline is midnight, you still won¡¯t be able to hand in the shipment.¡± James smiled coldly. ¡°You really think you are a fairy who can magically finish the products all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a fairy but I have a good designer under me. He might be a fairy, so we can hand in the shipment.¡± Courtney¡¯s words immediately shut James¡¯ mouth. ¡°Mr. Vinsmoke, this is the shipment list.¡± She then handed the document over to Mr. Vinsmoke. ¡°I came here just now to tell you this but someone has been interrupting me up till now. The production of this batch of products was a bit hurried, so I need you to inspect it personally just to make sure it¡¯s all fine. That is why I personally came here to see you.¡± Not only was James and Mr. Vinsmoke shocked, even Courtney herself was astonished when Bill told her this morning that all the shipment had beenpleted. At first, she thought that it was all an illusion. There wasn¡¯t a single factory in the entire Melrose City that was able to ept the Sakura Group¡¯s order because they were all rented by James in advance. He was willing to pay a high price for these factories to do nothing just so he could cut off Citron¡¯s only solution. In short, he was determined to make Courtney beg him. However, Bill had the capability to finish the job. Looking at the type and quantity of products on the list, Mr. Vinsmoke inexplicably let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Is that so? Then, let¡¯s go. I just so happen to have the time right now to go to the warehouse to have a look. If there isn¡¯t a problem with the shipment, I¡¯ll ask the finance department to transfer the rest of the payment to you.¡± He knew that Courtney had the backing of a member of the Duncans, who was also the only son of the Duncan Family. In fact, he couldn¡¯t afford to offend the two people in front of him, so the best way was to secure the shipment so that he could back away from this safely. ¡°How is this possible?¡± James suddenly came to his senses and asked, ¡°It is practically impossible for you to produce this many clothes in a week. There aren¡¯t any factories in Melrose City that will ept your order¡ª¡± Chapter 297 One Night Surprise Chapter 297 Chapter 297 Why Don¡¯t You Report Him? Courtney looked calm as she stood up from the chair unhurriedly and straightened her clothes. As she looked at James, she lifted her chin slightly, showing a little arrogance. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can follow me and Mr. Vinsmoke to the Sakura Group¡¯s warehouse for the inspection. Once you see it for yourself, you¡¯ll believe it. By that time, I¡¯m afraid that the factories you rented for a high price will all go to waste.¡± The warehouse of the Sakura Group was located in the southern suburbs but James obviously did not believe her, so he actually followed her from behind. At the scene, Bill was now personally instructing the workers to move the shipment. ¡°This goes here and that goes over there. We need to separate the women¡¯s clothes from the men¡¯s clothes so that it¡¯ll be easier for them to pick up the goodster on. Don¡¯t mix it up.¡± A few designers under Bill¡¯smand¡ªwhom he was close with¡ªalso came here to help personally. After inspecting the shipment, Mr. Vinsmoke handed the list over to his secretary, who stood beside him. In front of Courtney, he smiled. ¡°There aren¡¯t any problems. Give this to the finance department and ask them to transfer the rest of the payment to Citron quickly.¡± Courtney gave him a faint smile as she shook his hand. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Vinsmoke. I hope we will have a chance to work together in future.¡± ¡°President Hunter, you are a very trustworthy person, so there¡¯ll definitely be a lot of opportunities for us to coborate.¡± Mr. Vinsmoke stopped smiling and he nced at James from the corner of his eye before changing the subject. ¡°President Hunter, I still have matters to attend to in mypany so I can¡¯t stay much longer. Next time, let¡¯s have dinner together as a celebration.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ttered, Mr. Vinsmoke.¡± Meanwhile, James was speechless. After Mr. Vinsmoke left, he was still standing at the entrance of the warehouse as though he was glued to the spot. With a dark expression, he questioned her, ¡°How did you do it? Which factory did you find to produce the rest of the shipment?¡± ¡°What? Should I tell you so that you¡¯ll rent the ceter on?¡± Courtney crossed her arms as she stared at James, trying to provoke him with her smile. ¡°However, it seems useless for you to rent it now, so why don¡¯t you save the money?¡± James clenched his fists so hard that the sound of bones cracking could be heard. As he held back his rage, he growled, ¡°Courtney, it¡¯s only a matter of time before the Hunter Group is acquired by Sunhill Enterprise, so why are you feeling so happy just because of a lucky escape?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never thought of escaping. You are wee to bring it on, President Duncan.¡± At the moment, James¡¯ eyes were filled with hatred as he looked at her carefree expression. Clenching his fists, he strode out of the warehouse. Britney was right. This woman really has much more to her than meets the eye. It won¡¯t be easy to deal with her, let alone with Alexandering up with the ns for her. I was too careless this time. After he left, Courtney turned around and called out to Bill. ¡°Alright. You should stop working. Don¡¯t we have enough staff for that? Tonight, take the whole team out for dinner. Everyone has worked especially hard during this period.¡± Bill pped his hands but then, his expression turned dark as he looked toward James¡¯ direction. ¡°Since we have found evidence of him causing the fire on purpose, who don¡¯t we report him?¡± Following his gaze, Courtney looked and saw that James had already gone into his car before leaving. Slowly, the car became a ck dot that disappeared into the skyline. N?velDrama.Org (C) content. ¡°Alexander said that we¡¯ll even the score in the end. No need to worry.¡± The fire broke out in the warehouse at a coincidental time. Even though many sources confirmed that it was caused by aging eclectic circuits and the hot weather, Courtney didn¡¯t believe it at all¡ªher instinct told her that it had something to do with James. Oliver had found a few ssmates in school that specialized inwork data, and they found the hotel address of the person in charge of the warehouse who escaped, so they captured him right away. Not only did they obtain the video and audio evidence, they also confiscated the cash that James gave to him as evidence. Just as the two of them were talking, arge truck suddenly stopped in front of the transporter. The driver, whose hat was pulled down, popped his head out from the window. With a cigarette in his mouth, he asked in a displeased tone, ¡°What are you doing? Who opened the warehouse door?¡± The workers responsible for moving the products simply replied, ¡°How do we know who opened the warehouse door? We only know that we need to move these inside.¡± That drew Courtney and Bill¡¯s attention. And so, Bill went over to ask him a few questions. Just like that, the two of them, one in the truck and other on the ground, talked for a long while before the driver decided to drive the truck away. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Courtney asked. ¡°He came to the wrong warehouse,¡± Bill exined. ¡°He came here to deliver some shipment, but he remembered the location of the warehouse incorrectly. The ce he is going is a few rows away from us. It¡¯s not here.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Courtney nodded understandably. However, it was difficult for the driver to back the truck and his driving skills didn¡¯t seem to be good. With a bang, Courtney could see the back of that truck collide with her own transporter. ¡°Goodness; what kind of driving skills does he have?¡± Herpany¡¯s driver was standing off to one side and as soon as he heard themotion, his face immediately darkened as he turned around, wanting to go argue with the other driver. Courtney was afraid that this might cause a ruckus so she tried to block him while Bill brought two men with him to take a look. The ident wasn¡¯t that serious. The truck driver wasn¡¯t that good at backing the truck, so it rammed against the surface of the transporter. Luckily, the transporter was much bigger than the truck and it only caused a dent on the outer shell, so it wasn¡¯t a big deal. However, the truck was in a worse situation as it seemed to have been overloaded with cargo. With just a shake, a cardboard box fell off the truck and hit the concrete floor. Before the driver coulde down, Courtney and Bill went over to help but just as they were about to touch the box, someone shouted, ¡°Hey! Who told you to touch my stuff?¡± Both Courtney and Bill, who were about to squat down, were startled and paused in the act. The driver rushed over and quickly carried the box up before giving Courtney a vicious re. Soon after, he drove the truck away without even giving an apology. It was only after a few beats that Courtney came back to her senses and said resignedly, ¡°There are so many strange people these days.¡± However, beside her, Bill remained motionless, so she asked curiously, ¡°Bill, what are you looking at?¡± ¡°What do you think this is?¡± Following his gaze, Courtney saw a pile of white powder on the concrete floor. At first, she was startled but when she connected the situation with the driver¡¯s nervousness just now, her eyes suddenly focused. At night in the living room of Courtney¡¯s apartment, Alexander and Courtney sat side by side on the two-seater while Oliver and Bill sat on a sofa each, which were on two ends of the coffee table. On said table, there was a piece of A4 paper with white powder on it. However, the powder wasn¡¯t clean as it was mixed with some gray particles. After staring at the paper for a while, Oliver said, ¡°I¡¯ll take this back for my ssmate to examine in the laboratory so we can identify it. We don¡¯t know what it is just by looking at it but from your description, it¡¯s probably that.¡± Courtney furrowed her brows. Even though it was a long time since she first discovered the powder, she was still in disbelief. ¡°If it really is, how much of it has to do with the Sakura Group? Bill and I asked their staff and they said that the warehouses are not rented out, so they are only used by the Sakura Group.¡± Chapter 298 One Night Surprise Chapter 298 Chapter 298 Puppies and Wolves ¡°The Sakura Group wouldn¡¯t take such a risk to do this kind of thing in their own warehouse.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was firm. ¡°The annual profit of an airlinepany far exceeds selling these things. If it really has something to do with them, it must be the actions of someone under them.¡± ¡°Are you saying that someone is using their warehouse to smuggle drugs?¡± Courtney frowned even harder. ¡°This is crazy!¡± ¡°You said just now that the driver went to the wrong warehouse,¡± Oliver suddenly interrupted them. ¡°Is this his first time?¡± Courtney was startled for a moment. ¡°I think so.¡± Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I still need to take this back for examination. Maybe it isn¡¯t what you think it is.¡± Oliver put away the paper on the coffee table. ¡°If it really is, they wouldn¡¯t do it so openly and they didn¡¯t even ask someone to guide the driver even though it¡¯s his first time. It¡¯s too risky for them.¡± This really is strange. Courtney and Bill thought about it in the warehouse but they weren¡¯t sure if it was the real thing, so they didn¡¯t dare to follow the driver and see what the shipment really was. They discussed it for a while but they couldn¡¯te up with any answers. After Bill left, Oliver said that he had sses the next morning, so he went back to sleep in the school. Suddenly, the apartment became deserted. Courtney took away the cups on the coffee table and just as she was about to clean them, Alexander said to her, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± With that, the beige rubber gloves in her hands went to him. With someone helping her, she didn¡¯t refuse and she leaned on the marble table instead. Courtney then started to y with her phone while casually talking with Alexander. ¡°It seems like Oliver is about to take his final exam in the next two days, so he¡¯s always away from home. Suddenly, the whole ce feels pretty lonely to me.¡± Listening to her, Alexander stopped washing the cups. He looked at her and asked, ¡°You want the ce to be more lively?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Courtney nodded absently and answered simply, ¡°Who doesn¡¯t like a lively ce? A home is warm when it¡¯s lively.¡± Alexander nodded, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. ¡°We can have a few more children after we get married.¡± Then, he kept on washing the cups. Courtney was busy ying with her phone but upon hearing his words, she was stunned and she even though she had heard him wrongly. Her hands were still swiping on the phone screen instinctively as she asked, ¡°What did you just say?¡± After washing the cups, Alexander ced them upside down on the rack to dry. Taking off the rubber gloves, he repeated, ¡°I¡¯m asking you if you like a lively ce.¡± ¡°I do,¡± she replied to him, feeling slightly confused. Why does this question feel familiar to me? I¡¯m sure that I answered him just now. She was too invested in the game so basically, she was answering Alexander¡¯s questions instinctively. The moment his words went into her left ear, it immediately came out the other end. Alexander had already cleaned up everything so he gently pinched her cheeks with his cool fingers. Lowering his head, he nted a kiss on her forehead and murmured, ¡°It¡¯ste. Time to go to sleep.¡± Courtney¡¯s face couldn¡¯t help but flush as she followed him from behind to her room. In her mind, she somehow felt that she had heard him mention something about marriage just now. ¡°Alright; I understand. All¡¯s good as the shipment is fine.¡± Deep in the valley, the voice speaking into the phone was particrly clear on the balcony of a three- story vi. After hanging up, James went back to the room. Britney had juste out from her bath and she was now sitting on the dressing table, applying a mud mask on her face. ¡°Who called?¡± she asked simply. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± James stared at her tender neck while feeling restless inside. ¡°You only need to know that I¡¯ve decided to follow your n to deal with that thorn in your side.¡± ¡°Have you thought about it?¡± She turned around and looked at him in surprise. ¡°Yes; I¡¯ve thought about it and you¡¯re right. Courtney has Alexander helping her from behind the scenes and she isn¡¯t that stupid. The possibility of defeating her with ordinary means is too low, so I¡¯m now forced to use extreme measures.¡± ¡°What do you n to do?¡± Britney seemed to be worried, so she asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t I¡ª¡± ¡°I know what you mean. I¡¯ve already arranged everything.¡± James cut her off and he seemed to be really confident about it. ¡°Isn¡¯t the n to separate her and Alexander? How hard is it to deal with a rtionship between a man and a woman?¡± In the night, James¡¯ tone was a little more menacing. His belittling attitude toward women was a bit disgusting to Britney but in front of him, she didn¡¯t even furrow her brows in the slightest. Instead, she revealed a smile and agreed with him. The next day, everyone was discussing the matter about the brand spokesperson at the morning The director of the advertisement department gave Courtney a long list of names. ¡°In this list, we¡¯ve ranked all the celebrities based on cost-effectiveness, poprity, reliability and image suitability. The top three are basically the same but they have some small advantages and disadvantages respectively. President Hunter, the final decision is in your hands.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll follow the list. Didn¡¯t you already rank all of them? We¡¯ll just go with the first one.¡± She nced at it and yawned. To be honest, she wasn¡¯t familiar with the current celebrities. If Shay didn¡¯t tag along with Casey to Bali for a holiday, she didn¡¯t even think that they needed a spokesperson because she felt that Shay would be the most reliable. The main product of the Hunter Group was tourism products. Lucian first started a travelpany with only one bus during the early years. With the bus, he started a tourismpany, whichter developed into the tourism enterprise today. Three dayster, Natasha dragged Courtney to the shooting scene to have a look around; truth was, a sleepy Courtney was reluctant toe. ¡°Natasha, this is the advertisement department¡¯s business; we¡¯ll just leave it to them. Why do you have to drag me here?¡± ¡°Your work requires you to do this. You have to know what kind of a person ourpany¡¯s spokesperson is, right? Otherwise, there¡¯ll be problems when we realize that the advertisement is not suitable for ourpany.¡± ¡°When did you start paying attention to these trivial things?¡± Courtney nced at her. ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡± Hearing that, Natasha pursed her lips awkwardly. ¡°The spokesperson that the advertisement department chose this time is a mixed-race male model. He is handsome and is internationally famous, so my colleagues asked me to get two signed photographs.¡± ¡°Is he really that handsome?¡± Courtney muttered and she disagreed. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in the young hunks that have made their debut recently. Their looks are fine but they are not as good as my¡­¡± ¡°Not as good as who?¡± Natasha pressed but Courtney shut her mouth and refused to say a thing. ¡°They are not as good as your boyfriend, right?¡± Natasha finished for her. ¡°You¡¯re right. No one can compare to Mr. Duncan. A few years ago, the cold and handsome type was all the rage but his type has be less popr recently.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Courtney felt that her beauty standards were different from the current trend, so she enquired, ¡°Then what is popr recently?¡± ¡°It¡¯s either puppies or wolves.¡± Chapter 299 One Night Surprise Chapter 299 Chapter 299 He¡¯s Quite the Follower ¡°What?¡± Courtney thought she had misheard. ¡°What dogs?¡± ¡°Oh my¡ªnot dogs.¡± Natasha quickly exined, ¡°It¡¯s a metaphor for young men.¡± Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Young men?¡± Courtney was still at loss. ¡°It means men that are younger than you.¡± Natasha then spent a lot of time exining the current beauty standards and the personality characteristics of puppies and wolves. Hearing her exnation, Courtney¡¯s eyes were wide. ¡°Overall, puppies are more considerate and obedient to you. They will often pleasantly surprise you and give you warmth. As for wolves, they are more dominant and masculine but they won¡¯t let you do any work, which shows that they care for you.¡± ¡°ording to your exnation, it really sounds quite nice,¡± Courtney said thoughtfully. ¡°No wonder these types are so popr recently.¡± ¡°This time, the spokesperson that thepany hired is very young.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t imagine what a 20-year-old man would look like. A whileter, they arrived at the booth where the advertisement was shot. Although Natasha acted like a fangirl on the way, she didn¡¯t forget her professionalism when they arrived at the scene. She asked the two assistants, who came to help, to give everyone the cake and Starbucks coffee that they bought. Then, she looked at Courtney, seeking permission before she went to ask for a signed photograph. As for Courtney, she didn¡¯t follow Natasha as she wasn¡¯t interested in the entertainment industry. Every day, Shay would call her toin what an awful mess the industry was, so she always tried to avoid it. Seeing Natasha taking photos with the male model from afar, she could see that the model was roughly two heads taller than Natasha. The lighting was too bright so she couldn¡¯t see his face clearly. After a quick nce, she withdrew her gaze and talked to the producer next to her while holding her coffee. A whileter, Natasha came back. ¡°President Hunter, this is the model for themercial¡ªLeon.¡± ¡°Leon?¡± Courtney lifted her head in surprise. This was the first time she saw the male model, who had millions of fans. He stood behind Natasha and she saw that he had prominent facial features; his brown eyes were very deep, much like clear spring water. He had fair skin, bright eyes and white teeth. Along with his brown curly hair, Courtney felt that he looked like a real life teddy bear. In her mind, she just couldn¡¯t connect the feminine-looking young hunk in front of her with the killer in the movie ¡®The Professional¡¯. ¡°Hello.¡± She reluctantly quirked up the corners of her lips and revealed a smile that she thought was polite enough. Lean shook her hand and immediately smiled, revealing his teeth. ¡°You look much younger than me. You are so pretty.¡± The voice of the young man was clear and youthful, giving others a sense of rity. For a moment, Courtney was startled but she quickly came back around. ¡°Thank you. Are young people usually so sweet now?¡± ¡°You look like you are 20 years old, Miss.¡± Leon blinked as he corrected her. ¡°You are also one of us young people too.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± As Courtneyughed, she couldn¡¯t help but nce at Natasha. I finally understand what she meant by puppies. His mouth is really sweet. ¡°I brought some cakes and coffee. Have a rest and eat some before the next shoot,¡± Courtney politely reminded him. ¡°I have something else to attend to, so I¡¯ll make a move first. See you next time.¡± Just as she was about to leave, Leon grabbed her sleeve. She turned around and met his serious eyes. ¡°When will the next time be?¡± Courtney¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. It was only a turn of phrase. If the shooting of themercial goes smoothly, it will be wrapped up today. How can there be a next time? However, upon facing Leon¡¯s question, she could only reluctantly continue, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a meal after the shooting.¡± eon immediately revealed a smile. ¡°The shooting will be finished today evening. It¡¯s settled then¡ªwe¡¯ll have dinner together tonight.¡± He really is quite the follower. Courtney was startled for a moment but when she came back to her senses, Leon had already turned around and went back to the shoot. From a distance away, he even looked back and raised his brows at her. ¡°Natasha, is this the puppy you mentioned? Why does he feel so cheesy to me?¡± However, Natasha didn¡¯t feel this way at all as she secretly took a lot of photos on her phone. Listening to her, she refuted, ¡°President Hunter, you are quite young but why do you sound so old? This is the current trend. How is it cheesy? Don¡¯t you think Leon¡¯s words make others really happy?¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to be happy about?¡± ¡°He praised you for being pretty, young and nice. Men these days basically won¡¯t even open their mouths.¡± Come to think of it, it¡¯s true. Courtney sorted through her memories and realized that Alexander never seemed to have praised her beauty or personality before. Then, she asked Natasha, ¡°What do you usually call these men who don¡¯t praise others?¡± ¡°He¡¯s in his thirties.¡± Without lifting her head, Natasha said, ¡°We call them old dogs.¡± Courtney smirked. That¡¯s quite urate. At this moment, someone in the Hunter Group sneezed twice in a row while looking through the financial ount. Achoo! Alexander frowned as he held a cup of hot tea in his hand, taking a sip. Then, he turned on his phone to take a look at the weather report. It must be because of the cold weather. While thinking about it, his phone rang and a message appeared. ¡®I¡¯m busy so I¡¯ll be backte.¡¯ After staring at the name ¡®Courtney Hunter¡¯ for a while, he went back to change her name on his phone before replying to her text. ¡®Alright.¡¯ It feels much better looking at the name ¡®Courtney¡¯ instead. When the finance assistant knocked on the door and came in, she was shocked to see him smiling while holding his phone. Carefully, she knocked on the door again. ¡°What is it?¡± Alexander looked toward the source of the sound. ¡°Mr. Duncan, President Hunter¡¯s brother is here.¡± When the finance assistant mentioned Courtney¡¯s little brother, Alexander didn¡¯t give much reaction because he thought it was Shay. When Oliver came in instead, Alexander finally came back to his senses and sneered, ¡°Looks like everyone is your rtive these days.¡± Oliver was wearing a pair of jeans and a ck sweater, and he even put on a white baseball jacket. Setting aside his backpack, he sat on the couch casually. ¡°I¡¯ve already taken a step back. If someone didn¡¯t get to her first, I might introduce myself as something other than a brother.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Alexander red at him. ¡°If you aren¡¯t her brother, who do you n to be?¡± His quick nce was filled with murderous intent and Oliver could feel the atmosphere of the room getting cold, so he awkwardly changed the subject. ¡°I took the package back to school for inspection Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Positive.¡± Oliver had a firm expression while his tone became serious. ¡°It is usually used in nightclubs. Lately, several bars in Melrose City were found to have these things, but the dealer behind the scenes has not been found. I suspect that they are the same person.¡± ¡°We can start the investigation from the Sakura Group.¡± Alexander suggested. ¡°No; I suspect that this has something to do with James.¡± Chapter 300 One Night Surprise Chapter 300 Chapter 300 Miss, Do You Think I¡¯m Cute? ¡°Do you still remember what I said to you before?¡± There was a sense of maturity exuding from Oliver. Back then, he held it back in front of Courtney but now, it was all revealed for all to see. The 20-year-old young man was now looking very stern, like a well-groomed statue. ¡°James has about 20 various nightclubs in Melrose City operating under him. Even though the two nightclubs found in the investigation have nothing to do with him, after my research on the police¡¯s checklist, none of his nightclubs were chosen for inspection.¡± Oliver then turned toward Alexander. Although he was vague with his words, thetter could already understand where he was going. There is no such coincidence. How could none of James¡¯ 20 nightclubs be chosen during an inspection of the entire Melrose City? There¡¯s surely some higher-ups protecting him. ¡°What do you n to do?¡± Alexander furrowed his brows. Although he didn¡¯t say it out loud, he was still worried about Oliver. After all, Oliver was just a 20-year-old kid, and the situation was too overwhelming for him. If that really is a whole warehouse of K Powder, the severity of this situation is enough to put us all in trouble. ¡°I don¡¯t n to report this to the anti-narcotics team. Next month, our school will have actualbat training at the eighth military camp and the base of the Blue Eagle Program is located in Melrose City. It¡¯s more reliable to leave this in their hands than the anti-narcotics team. Now, I¡¯m only worried about one thing¡ªthe truck driver Courtney met that day.¡± At this point, Oliver paused for a beat. ¡°Most people in this line of work are very suspicious of everyone.¡± I¡¯m afraid that they¡¯ll suspect her of finding out something that day and try to kill her. Listening to him, Alexander¡¯s face slowly darkened. From Oliver¡¯s expression, he could see the severity of what he was worried about. At night, just as Courtney was done signing a contract with her client, her phone kept on vibrating in her pocket. With a nce, she noticed that she had received hundreds of messages. All of it was sent by Leon. As soon as she left themercial booth, there was already a friend request notification on her Messenger ount. Where the hell did Leon get my Messenger ount handle? The moment she opened his messages, there were countless emojis without any words and most of them were of the adorable kind. The most annoying part was that all the emojis were actually pictures of Leon himself, and every picture came with pink text. ¡®Miss, what are you doing?¡¯ ¡®Miss, do you think I¡¯m adorable?¡¯ ¡®If you ignore me, I¡¯m going to be angry.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m hungry.¡¯ Courtney was rendered speechless. She quickly read through all of it and in the end, she didn¡¯t have the patience, so she scrolled right to the very bottom. Finally, she saw a text. ¡®Don¡¯t forget about our dinner tonight. I¡¯m waiting for you in themercial booth.¡± It was only then that Courtney remembered she promised to treat him to a meal. ¡°Natasha, what time is it?¡± In the passenger seat, Natasha turned her head around and took a look at her watch. ¡°It¡¯s seven thirty, President Hunter. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Has themercial shooting finished?¡± ¡°Oh¡ªI¡¯ve asked them just now. I received news from the producer saying that it ended not long ago. They are now clearing out everything in the booth and preparing to leave.¡± ¡°Ask them not to leave first. Tell them that I¡¯m treating them to dinner tonight. You can choose the ce.¡± ¡°Alright. Are you going?¡± ¡°No.¡± Courtney waved her hand. ¡°You can attend the dinner for me.¡± ¡°Hello?¡± After making the call to inform the people at themercial booth, Natasha ordered the driver. ¡°Mr. Morgan, can you please drop me off at that traffic light in front? I¡¯ll call a cab for myself. Please send President Hunter home.¡± At night, Melrose City was a lively sight. When passing by the Pinnacle Shopping Center, Courtney could see the electronic screen projecting Sunhill Enterprise¡¯smercial and their new spokesperson¡ªBritney Price. In themercial, her innocent eyes werepletely different from the woman Courtney knew. She is responsible for Jordan¡¯s constant suffering all these years. Time reveals every person¡¯s true colors; now, she and James are finally showing their real selves. If it weren¡¯t for Alexander holding me back, I would have sued the two of them in court right away. In the car, a rapid ringtone suddenly rang, pulling her back from her rage. With a nce, she noticed that it was a stranger¡¯s number. Hesitating, she answered the call. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Miss, why aren¡¯t you here yet?¡± Listening to the voice of an aggrieved young man, Courtney was startled. ¡°Leon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± The young man sniffed very loudly, as if he was about to cry. ¡°It¡¯s very cold outside and I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t my assistant inform the people at themercial booth? She booked a ce for a meal; did no one tell you?¡± ¡°No,¡± he said aggrievedly. ¡°I left the moment the shooting was over. I¡¯m now waiting for you at the fountain square of Swallow Street.¡± ¡°Why are you waiting for me?¡± Courtney furrowed her brows. ¡°Natasha already informed everyone to have dinner together. Why don¡¯t I give your number to her and I¡¯ll ask her to contact you?¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Before Courtney could hang up the phone, Leon¡¯s anxious voice came from the other end. ¡°Miss, are you saying that there are other peopleing for dinner tonight?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Courtney didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°Of course I¡¯m inviting the whole production crew over.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯ting?¡± ¡°No; I¡¯m not. There are many of you and it¡¯s lively enough. Plus, my assistant will be there on my behalf.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not what you said this evening.¡± Leon was suddenly nervous. ¡°I¡¯ve waited for you for so long. I didn¡¯t n to eat with them.¡± At the moment, Courtney felt a headachee on as she was now having an illusion that she was communicating with a child. Leon isn¡¯t even that much younger than me. ¡°I really am busy.¡± On the other end, he sounded as though he was about to cry. ¡°It¡¯s too cold here in Melrose City. Did you know that I flew here from Melbourne? It is still summer there so I didn¡¯t bring a jacket along. Achoo!¡± Hearing the word ¡®miss¡¯, Courtney felt as though she was seeing Shay back then in the underground boxing arena while he was holding her hand. At that time, Shay was still a young boy who wasn¡¯t as lively as he was now. Even after surviving in a ce like that, he still had a pair of clear eyes. Back then, she was just 15 years old and she said to him, ¡°If you call me ¡®miss¡¯, I¡¯ll get you out of here.¡± Half an hourter, the driver arrived at Swallow Street. As soon as Courtney got down from the car, she went to the fountain square. From far away, she could see a skinny and tall figure curled up beside the fountain. In the cold weather, he didn¡¯t have a jacket on and he was only wearing a knitted pullover. With half of his face covered, he squatted on the ground pitifully while drawing circles with his finger. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Oh my goodness, are you nning to be on the news by freezing to death here?¡± The moment Courtney saw Leon, she felt inexplicably distressed, so she took off her jacket to wrap him in it. ¡°Even if you were waiting to have dinner with me, you could¡¯ve just gone to a mall to warm yourself up while you waited.¡± Leon sniffed. ¡°There are too many people in the mall. I don¡¯t want them to recognize me.¡± There were many worries about being a celebrity. Although Courtney could understand, she was still baffled about him squatting here and waiting for her in the cold. ¡°You told me on the phone that you want to eat here but at the same time, you are also afraid of being recognized by your fans?¡± she asked. Is this kid an imbecile? Chapter 301 One Night Surprise Chapter 301 Chapter 301 A Sub Took My Coat Leon thoroughly froze at Courtney¡¯s questioning. After dwelling in bafflement for a while, as he was gritting his teeth while noises pierced his ears, he blurted, ¡°Right.¡± Right, he said? Perturbed, Courtney stated, ¡°Never mind. You¡¯re freezing, so let¡¯s just put the dinner on hold. Tell me, where do you live? I¡¯ll send you home.¡± Without any resistance, Leon quietly followed Courtney into her car. Since the hotel Leon lived in wasn¡¯t that far away, Courtney sent him right to the doorsteps of the hotel. ¡°Keep the clothes, or you might catch a cold.¡± After all, Leon was an ambassador for the Hunter Group. If he were to get sick after his promotional shoot in Melrose City, it would definitely stir up a severe outrage in his devoted online fan base. Somehow, Leon seemed delighted. ¡°I¡¯ll return them after I have them washed.¡± ¡°Whenever you¡¯re in Melrose City again.¡± Courtney smiled as she waved him goodbye. She heaved a sigh of relief right as the vehicle door was shut. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Let¡¯s head home, Mr. Morgan.¡± Thanks to the fact that exposure and engagement yed a crucial role in businesses, it was no easy task to satisfy celebrities who were hired to represent thepany. Soon, as the vehicle entered the neighborhood, Courtney saw a hazy figure at the entrance of the apartment. Thrilled, she hopped out of the vehicle right when it stopped and ran into Alexander¡¯s arms. She raised her head. ¡°How did you know that I¡¯m back?¡± Seeing she didn¡¯t have her coat on, Alexander frowned as he pulled her into his giant coat, replying, ¡°Natasha told me.¡± ¡°Ah, so now you¡¯d even nt a mole on me. What did she say?¡± ¡°That you should¡¯vee home half an hour ago.¡± He was visibly moody. ¡°In other words, I¡¯ve been waiting for you for over forty minutes. Seems like my insider¡¯s info wasn¡¯t dependable at all.¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Courtney burst outughing. ¡°Do you think she actually locks her eyes on me twenty-four seven? She¡¯s helping me to tend to the guests. So, next time, instead of troubling her, you can just ask me yourself.¡± Seeing her continuously sniffling, Alexander wrapped his arm around her as they walked into the apartment. ¡°As if you have the time.¡± Courtney countered, ¡°You were much busier than I am before. At least I stille home every day, whereas you, mister, would disappear for months every time you left for a business trip.¡± Once they entered the apartment, Alexander pressed the elevator button. However, since the elevator was taking its time, he took off his coat and covered Courtney with it, rebuking, ¡°Is your coat invisible now?¡± ¡°Forget it.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s a pain in the *ss.¡± ¡°Howe?¡± ¡°Do you know about ¡®dom¡¯ and ¡®sub¡¯ males?¡± Courtney suddenly quizzed, to which the man revealed a skeptical look. ¡°It¡¯s kind of a trend where the women would ssify men into the two. ¡®Dom¡¯ would mean a dominant man while ¡®sub¡¯¡ªa submissive man.¡± Seemingly uninterested, Alexander questioned the relevance. ¡°What has it got to do with you wearing your coat?¡± ¡°A sub took my coat.¡± Courtney curled up in his huge coat. Thanks to its enormous size, and the fact that its shoulders were tailored with a firm material, it appeared as if she was hiding in a wardrobe. It was a fascinating sight. As she nestled in the coat, she attempted to read his expression, and was ready to be entertained by his jealous face. But it wasn¡¯t until after a while that he replied with a question, ¡°Who¡¯s the sub?¡± Immediately, Courtney helplessly ranted, ¡°Did you not hear what I said? When I say ¡®sub,¡¯ I¡¯m referring to Leon¡ªHunter Group¡¯s ambassador. Everyone at work calls him a pretty boy now, and I lost my jacket to him.¡± Alexander was stunned. When the elevator finally arrived, Courtney walked into it without turning back, as if she had no intention to speak any further. The man, too, entered the elevator, scowling. ¡°Leon¡¯s a man?¡± ¡°You know any woman named ¡®Leon¡¯?¡± She nced at his face from the corner of her eyes and continued to tease him. ¡°Leon¡¯s my fav.¡± Instantly, Alexander¡¯s face turned gloomy, and so did his tone. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said Leon¡¯s my fav! Well, you know I¡¯m not into celebs, but Leon¡¯s my bias.¡± She could see his expression getting more fascinating from the reflection of the mirror as he responded in dissatisfaction. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard you talk about liking any celebrities.¡± ¡°Who¡¯d actually tell everyone whom they love? It¡¯s all kept in the heart.¡± Courtney frowned. Seeing that the elevator was almost reaching their floor, she was getting ready to get out. Ding! Right as the elevator door opened, her wrist was gripped and her entire body was pulled back by tremendous strength. She let out a shocked yell, and by the time she regained her senses, she realized she had been pressed against the elevator wall. Pinning one of her arms against the wall, Alexander lowered his head to look at her, angrily questioning, ¡°So you went to see Leon?¡± ¡°Why are you this worked up?¡± Despite her struggle, she couldn¡¯t shake him off. Thus, she chuckled. ¡°Ah, someone¡¯s getting jealous¡­¡± ¡°Quitughing. Answer me.¡± Alexander grew even angrier. Since she couldn¡¯t do a thing, she simply leaned against the elevator wall as she stared at him with a victimized look. ¡°Yes, I went to look for Leon. He invited me to dinner at Swallow Street. He was dressed rather lightly, so I took my coat off and lent it to him.¡± Hearing that, he gazed at his own coat that Courtney was wearing and became absolutely vexed, grasping her wrist even tighter. In response, she tensed her brows. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re hurting me!¡± Right when she blurted those words, she felt a freezing breeze brushing against her body. Before she realized it, Alexander had pulled his coat off her, unwilling to give it back to her. Ambushed by the cold, she grabbed his arm. ¡°Hey, what are you doing? I¡¯m freezing here!¡± ¡°Well, you gave your coat to Leon, so go take it back from him.¡± Of course, Alexander knew very clearly that Courtney would never betray him, and being star-struck wasn¡¯t actually iprehensible. Sadly, he was taken over by jealousy and felt the need to vent, and the coat allowed him the opportunity for sweet revenge. Seeing his jealous, angry face, Courtney felt exhrated. If it weren¡¯t for the cold, she would have pushed him even further to see what his limit was. Nheless, she was done with teasing him, so she rified, ¡°I meant Leon from my favorite movie, not Leon the model from work. You¡¯re overthinking it!¡± At once, he turned around and looked at her face, only to find out that he had been fooled. Immediately, he seized her arms and pushed her back against the wall. ¡°Ah, stop tickling me! Hahaha! I¡¯m sorry. I said I¡¯m sorry!¡± Alexander attacked exactly the parts of her body that she felt ticklish the most. Her face reddened from all theughing as she begged for him to stop. Seeing her panting and her face reddening, he stopped tickling her. All at once, he started breathing heavily. Chapter 302 One Night Surprise Chapter 302 Chapter 302 You Said You Weren¡¯t ying, Great-Grandpa As the lights across the hallway flickered, figures of a couple were snuggling against each other, affectionately embracing each other. After several times of inputting the wrong password, countless beeps echoed in the empty elevator lobby. Eventually, the password was entered correctly, and the couple barged into the darkness of their unit. Currently, Jordan and Tina were staying at the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home while Oliver stayed in the school dorm to prepare for his finals as well as his military training at school. Meanwhile, Alexander and Courtney kissed from the door to the couch. Before they even returned to their room, the woman¡¯s skirt was tugged off, leaving her underwear hanging on her ankle. Then, a clear, metallic sound sourced from the frame of a belt disrupted the air. He held her shoulder and let out a moan before going into her. Soon, treble pants filled the entire house. Underneath the moonlight, a cloudy shadow of osciting movements was cast on the wall. Ultimately, Alexander didn¡¯t get to discover the identity of Leon, and didn¡¯t care to do so as long as it wasn¡¯t the sub model she mentioned or he¡¯d get ridiculed by his partner once again. Under the passionate sensation wafting in the air, Courtney, exhausted, cuddled in his arms as the couple shut their eyes lying on the couch with a sheet covering their intimate parts. ¡°So it was your assistant that told you about doms and subs?¡± Courtney perfunctorily nodded. ¡°If those two are for young men, what about older men?¡± At his questions, she was stupefied as her drowsiness suddenly dispersed. She peered at him and asked, ¡°You sure you wanna know?¡± Alexander nodded, bearing an intuition that nothing good would result from his curiosity. ¡°Natasha said that young boys are ssified into doms and subs. Older men, on the other hand, are more uptight, especially those with bad tempers and those that neverpliment others.¡± Hearing that, he scowled in disagreement. ¡°Notplimenting others is uptight?¡± ¡°Of course, just like how you¡¯ve neverplimented me.¡± After gawking at him for a while, she felt that he would still behave the same, so she decided to close off the discussion. ¡°Well, whatever. Words don¡¯t mean much anyway.¡± However, Alexander grew interested. ¡°So what did she say about their nickname?¡± Seeing him thirsting for knowledge, Courtney pursed her lips before blurting her answer, which reverberated across the spacious house for quite some time. Alexander¡¯s face gradually fell. ¡°Time for a new assistant.¡± Holding back herugh, Courtney replied, ¡°You just allowed her a raise two days ago. You, the head of finance, approved it yourself.¡± The man was speechless. She felt Natasha deserved another raise for allowing her a glimpse at his rare, speechless face. Perhaps some asional web-surfing for fads can be quite important after all. ¡ª¡ª ¡­ During the weekend, Courtney went to visit her kids at the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. Although Alexander told her that she could bring them back, after considering that she wouldn¡¯t have the time to look after them, and that their absence at the ancestral home would leave Scott alone, she did not agree to it. When they reached the ancestral home, they saw Harry and two maids awaiting their arrival. ¡°Wee back, Young Master, Miss Hunter.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Grandpa?¡± Alexander held Courtney¡¯s hand as they alighted the vehicle. ¡°Two days ago, Little Master said that he wanted to build a snowman, so Master had someone construct a snowmaker at the back of the hill. Since it was rather coldst night, the snowmaker was able to make some snow, and Master is now bringing the kids to some snowman-building.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d he ask for that out of nowhere?¡± Alexander frowned in confusion. After remaining silent for some time, Courtney answered, ¡°It might have been Tina¡¯s idea. Girl always wanted to y with snow whenever it was winter, and I¡¯d bring her to ski during this time. Oh, this little girl! It¡¯s just a matter of days from now until the news¡¯ report of snowfall in Melrose.¡± Typically, it always snowed at the beginning of December in Melrose City. Strangely, this year, snow was nowhere to be seen despite it being mid-December already. Since Scott and the kids weren¡¯t at home, Courtney and Alexander could only head to the back of the hill to look for them. The snowmaker had been turned off since some time ago, and the back of the hill was beautifully covered in white. Evidently, two kids donning meatball costumes¡ªone in red; one in yellow¡ªwere dashing on the snowfield, forcefully throwing snowballs at a person hiding behind a tree. Judging from the person¡¯s shout, it was most definitely Hannah. Far away was another person squatting on the ground. Although he was getting on in years, he was still full of spirit. He wasn¡¯t on the battlefield, but he had a lot of snowy, weighty ammunition prepared by his feet. As if Courtney had made a discovery, she dragged Alexander¡¯s arm, signaling him to see the old man. When he turned to look at the target, he was instantly dumbfounded. N?velDrama.Org (C) content. In his impression, his grandfather was an ever-stern man who would never involve himself in snowball fights. ¡°I bet I can make Grandpa y with us.¡± ¡°Not a chance,¡± Alexander replied faintly. ¡°He never liked these things.¡± ¡°And what if I did?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do the dishes for one whole month.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Having said that, Courtney started walking toward the snowfield, only to stop all of a sudden. ¡°Wait a second. But you¡¯ve always been doing them!¡± Alexander subtly beamed as he calmly looked at her with his arms crossed. Since the gamble no longer had any meaning, she glowered at him before jogging to the old man. ¡°Grandpa.¡± Surprised by her presence, Scott awkwardly stood up and attempted to hide the snowballs by his feet. ¡°You¡¯re here, Courtney.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t step on them, Grandpa! They look great!¡± Courtney hastily grabbed a pair of snowballs before pressing them firm. ¡°Now, these are perfect balls.¡± As she said so, she aimed at the frenzied red meatball and threw the snowball. ¡°Ah! Who hit me!¡± Tina¡¯s soprano voice sounded from the snowfield as she fell to the ground upon the strike on her head. When she turned around, there was only her great-grandfather standing still outside the snowfield. ¡°You said you weren¡¯t ying, Great-Grandpa!¡± Stupefied, Scott replied, ¡°N-No, it wasn¡¯t me¡­¡± At that moment, Courtney was hiding her petite body behind Scott. Since thetter had a big ck coat on, the woman sessfully concealed her entire body behind him. While Tina was still distracted, she tossed another snowball at her¡ªa direct hit on the back of her head! ¡°Jordan, Great-Grandpa¡¯s hitting me!¡± Tilted, Tina pulled Jordan as she screamed. And so, the two little ones started charging toward the old man with snowballs in their hands. Meanwhile, Hannah, who was behind the giant tree, sensed the end of the danger upon her and immediately joined in. ¡°I¡¯ming to save you, Dad!¡± Dragged into the rumble, Scott couldn¡¯t dodge in time and got attacked by a relentless assault of snowballs. In that instant, Courtney sneaked a snowball into his hand and encouraged, ¡°Go, Grandpa! Fight back!¡± A snowball as big as a fist traveled in a graceful arc after Scott¡¯s toss. And so, the war grew even more intense as battle cries thundered across the snowfield. There was nothing but merriness! Chapter 303 One Night Surprise Chapter 303 Chapter 303 Destined to Oppose As the battlefield got intense, Alexander, who stood very far away and became a casualty, eventually joined in and became a force in the field. With snowballs flying in the sky, it ultimately turned into a mess of a brawl. When it was finally afternoon, Harry shouted numerous times for them toe for lunch before they, at longst, reluctantly ended their fight. With the brightest smiles on their faces, they held Scott as they headed back home. ¡°Harry said that Tina loved skiing. Is that right?¡± When they were dining, Scott suddenly brought up skiing. ¡°Perhaps we could invest in building a ski site somewhere near Melrose City.¡± Hearing that, Courtney almost spit out the soup in her mouth. A ski site just because the girl likes skiing? Is he going to build a space station if she likes stargazing? Man, is his wealth really endless? Meanwhile, Alexander, who was unaffected at all, nodded. ¡°Sure, you decide.¡± Although Melrose City had snow every year, it was located in the southern part of the country, so it had less snowpared to the northern cities. Thus, there could only be man-made ski sites. Since a ski site was unprecedented in Melrose City, building one appeared to be quite an excellent idea. Though, Scott was only using the topic as a segue to another. ¡°My decision means nothing. You¡¯re still the one investing and controlling. I¡¯m already this old. Do you expect me to travel all over the world for the business¡¯ developments?¡± That was when Courtney realized that Scott was only taking advantage of the investment discussions to persuade Alexander back into Sunhill Enterprise. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°I don¡¯t have the timetely, Grandpa.¡± Without establishing eye contact with his grandfather, Alexander put a piece of meat onto Courtney¡¯s te as he perfunctorily replied, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it when I¡¯m done with everything on my te.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s on your te?¡± Scott was visibly annoyed. ¡°Heck, you¡¯d pick being the head of finance of some medium-sized enterprise over the president of Sunhill?¡± His words left Courtney somewhat embarrassed. After all, Hunter Group belonged to her, so none could me her for feeling ashamed when her company was looked down on right in front of her. She turned to Alexander, who was silently pondering. He then revealed a scowl. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being the head of finance? It¡¯s much more stable than being a president who could get sacked any time.¡± His counter rendered the old man speechless. Initially, Scott had misunderstood that Alexander might have some personality issues, and that led to conflicts. Although thetter called it quits, it was technically the former who fired him. It was fine for anyone to take up the mantle of president. However, out of all capable men in the world, it just had to be James, who Alexander disdained the most. And that was certainly a sting in the eye. Seeing the old man¡¯s re, Courtney hastily interrupted, ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s not that Alexander doesn¡¯t want to go back. It¡¯s just that our preparation has yet to be finished. Just treat it as doing me a favor, okay? I promise you that he¡¯ll surely return once he¡¯s done bncing the books by the end of this year.¡± At the very least, her words saved the old man some pride. ¡°Ahem.¡± Scott let out a dry cough. ¡°Well, there shouldn¡¯t be any loose ends. Fine then, we¡¯ll talk about it again next year when he¡¯s done helping you.¡± In fact, it was quite obvious to Courtney that Scott felt insecure handing the fate of Sunhill Enterprise to James. After all, James¡¯ traits were nothing but questionable, so none could tell what would happen soon if he were to remain the president of Sunhill Enterprise. The calmer Alexander appeared, the uneasier Scott grew. It was as if they were destined to oppose each other. In order to soothe the mood, Courtney racked her brain and came up with something else to talk about. ¡°Anyway, Grandpa, it¡¯s your birthday next week. Actually, not only is Alexander busy with work in my company, but he¡¯s also preparing for your birthday celebration.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really mind it.¡± Scott waved his hand, adding, ¡°I¡¯ve never liked things to be merrier than it should be.¡± ¡°How could you not? It¡¯s your eightieth birthday! Mr. Harry said that the house phone¡¯s been bombarded by calls from people asking about your birthday. Besides, the reservation at the hotel is already done, so all you need to do is attend it!¡± At Courtney¡¯s persuasion, Scott forcefully nodded his head. Despite iming that he didn¡¯t like merriness, he was actually gleeful. And Courtney was made aware of that thanks to Alicia. As a person grew older, they tended to find themselves craving forpany. In Scott¡¯s case, that meant great-grandchildren! After wondering for a while, Scott suddenly quizzed, ¡°Is the guest list finalized for the celebration?¡± At that, Courtney turned to Alexander, knowing she had no rights in deciding who¡ªfamily, rtives, or friends¡ªgot to be invited to the party. Hence, it should all be referred to Alexander. ¡°Not yet.¡± Thetter raised his head. ¡°I was going to ask Mr. Harry about it. Perhaps I¡¯ll have to trouble him with the guest list and invitation cards.¡± Since the Duncans¡¯ circle ofpany was gigantic, he could barely recognize a few of them. Hearing his answer, Scott nodded his head before turning to Courtney, questioning, ¡°Courtney, what do you think? Should I send an invitation to your uncle and aunt?¡± Courtney was taken aback by the sudden question. Before she could regain her senses, the old man added, ¡°Besides, it¡¯s time we discuss your marriage with Alexander. From what I can tell, there aren¡¯t many people in your family, but Tina told me that you¡¯re closest with your uncle and aunt.¡± At once, Scott¡¯s messages overwhelmed Courtney, who swiftly turned to Alexander, wordlessly requesting for help. Why¡¯d he suddenly bring up marriage? ¡°It¡¯s still kinda early for that, Grandpa. Plus, Courtney¡¯s uncle and aunt aren¡¯t that amiable.¡± Hearing that, Scott glowered and turned to Courtney. ¡°Courtney, they don¡¯t really like businesspeople, do they?¡± In fact, Courtney¡¯s uncle was a member of politics. Although he had originally resigned, he was rehired and delegated to Kyoto for a crucial position. Furthermore, after having witnessed Courtney¡¯s mother being dumped by her father, indeed, William and Alicia no longer had the stomach to ept any kind of businessman as their own. Thus, Scott¡¯s concern wasn¡¯t baseless. After all, Courtney once tested her aunt, which thetter seemed to bear some dislike against Alexander. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about that, but I wouldn¡¯t think so. What year is it already? I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s that uptight.¡± Courtneyughed, attempting to steer away from the topic. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of opportunities to talk ahead of us.¡± Nevertheless, the old man frowned as uneasiness filled his eyes. Perhaps it isn¡¯t a very good idea for a granddaughter-inw to possess such a deep family background. It shouldn¡¯t take this much effort to see my own grandson get married. How many years have I been waiting for this? Bearing that, he helplessly let out a sigh. ¡°When I was Alexander¡¯s age, both my children were almost graduating elementary school.¡± ¡°Both?¡± Courtney mindlessly inquired. Scott was momentarily stunned. As if he was thinking about something, his eyes appeared darkened. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s dig in.¡± Sneakily, she pinched herself, regretting speaking without thinking beforehand. Back when she was in Hostel D¡¯Amour in Ancient City, she heard about it from Fiona. However, so much time had passed that she had forgotten about the fact that Alexander¡¯s mother was adopted by Scott. In other words, the two kids Scott mentioned were referring to both Alexander¡¯s parents. Unfortunately, her witless question triggered some saddening memories within the old man¡¯s mind. Chapter 304 One Night Surprise Chapter 304 Chapter 304 Complications Warily, Courtney read Alexander¡¯s face from the corner of her eyes. Despite her insensitiveness, he remained uninfluenced as if he heard nothing, to which she felt relieved. After lunch, the kids requested to go to the snowfield once again, but Scott seemed rather indifferent. Seeing that, Courtney felt somewhat guilty, wondering whether it was her words that offended him. As such, she persuaded Tina and Jordan to apany their great-grandfather in the study room. ¡°Great-Grandpa¡¯s not feeling so good. Why don¡¯t the two of you be a good kid and gofort him?¡± Confused, Tina loudly interrogated, ¡°Why is he sad? Is it because you didn¡¯t agree to marry Mr. Alexander?¡± Courtney then gave her head a knock. ¡°Nonsense! Do you remember what I just said?¡± ¡°Ugh, fine.¡± Rubbing her head, Tina unhappily pouted her tiny lips. ¡°Stop hitting my head, Mommy, or I¡¯ll grow stupid.¡± ordingly, Courtney caressed the little girl¡¯s head. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll stop. Now, with your brother, go.¡± Although the little girl could sometimes be cunning and slothful, she was always optimistic when it came to cheering up others. At the order of her mother, she immediately dragged Jordan up the staircase. As she was running away, she mischievously pulled a funny face at Courtney. ¡°The mission shall bepleted!¡± Meanwhile, Alexander was reading on the couch. Having heard the little girl¡¯s clear timbre, he couldn¡¯t help but turn around, only to see Courtney standing at the staircase, telling the kids not to dash too recklessly. At that moment, a ray of sunlight shone through the window,nding on her back. It was a sight for sore eyes. In that instant, everything felt radiant. Even the ancient, stationary furnishings he grew up with seemed to have been instilled with life. ¡°It¡¯s about time you set a date.¡± Scott¡¯s words echoed in his mind. Although they carried some kind of pressure within them, they appeared to be somewhat of a musical tune to his ears. A married life, huh¡­ There¡¯ll always be apany¡ªsomeone to miss and someone that¡¯ll miss me. It¡¯s so, so much more wonderful than living life alone. How have I only realized it now? ¡ª¡ª This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡­ Over at Hunter Group, after shooting the advertisement, the board of directors decided to hold a conference to discuss the statistics before and after the broadcast of the advertisement. Thanks to Leon¡¯s great influence, thepany was able to double their previous figures. ¡°It was a one-year contract. We¡¯ll review it once a year has passed. If the result proves to be beneficial, perhaps we can consider extending the contract. But if¡­¡± While Courtney was discussing the matters of ambassadorship with the advertising manager, someone knocked on the door. Knock, knock¡ª ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°President Hunter.¡± Natasha pushed the door open. ¡°Leon¡¯s assistant just sent something over. Where should I put them?¡± Courtney was baffled. ¡°What did he send?¡± ¡°He said he stained the coat you lent him during dinner that day, so he bought you a new one.¡± When Natasha said that, she seemed somewhat perturbed. Swiftly, the advertising manager chimed in, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were that close with Leon, President Hunter.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not.¡± Courtney nced at him before turning to Natasha. ¡°Just ce it on the couch. It¡¯s just a coat. Couldn¡¯t you have handled it?¡± Natasha anxiously replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think I could have, President Hunter.¡± While Courtney was still confused, Natasha went and opened the other door, revealing two young men carrying bags of items and stuffing the corner of the office with them. At once, Courtney red at her. ¡°You said a coat. What the hell are all these?¡± Natasha then grabbed one of the young men. ¡°Wait. Please exin yourself to our president.¡± The young man scratched his head. ¡°Mr. Leon said that the coat you owned is no longer attainable. In order to express his apology, he purchased every new release the brand made¡ªessories included ¡ªbased on your measurements and sent them over.¡± At the side, Natasha and the advertising manager were peering at each other, shocked. In fact, the brand was no cheap brand. And it was too generous of Leon to acquire every new piece the brand released. He might¡¯ve even spent his ambassador revenue on those items. Frowning, Courtney stated, ¡°There¡¯s no need for so many things. Here, take all these back and have Leon return them. I¡¯ll take only the coat.¡± Hastily, the young man waved his hands. ¡°We were ordered to only deliver stuff over, and not to take them back. If you do not wish to ept them, please talk it over with Mr. Leon. We¡¯re only doing this as instructed.¡± Having said that, the young man, along with his partner, dashed away before anyone could stop them. ¡°So, President Hunter¡­¡± Natasha gawked at Courtney with a troubled face. ¡°We¡¯ll keep them for now.¡± Courtney glowered as she was getting irritated. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Leon after work.¡± As such, Natasha felt relieved as she feared that her president might send her to return those items. For the past couple of days, Leon had been interrogating her about Courtney¡¯s likes and hobbies. Although she was originally excited about cooperating, as time went on, she was quickly overwhelmed by his enthusiasm. For the sub to force his submission upon others¡­ With the items cramping up the room, Courtney couldn¡¯t help but feel distraught and failed to reach a result from her discussion with the advertising manager. Therefore, she let him off early. Staring at the bags of goods in the corner, she summoned Natasha. ¡°Calcte how much all of these cost.¡± Natasha was stunned. ¡°What? Now?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Courtney then pulled a tag out of one of the bags and had a brief read. ¡°The price tags are still intact. Just add them up based on the price.¡± Although Natasha was slightly perplexed, she didn¡¯t question her president. And so, she obediently grabbed a calctor, squatted before the goods, and started doing the math. After about ten minutes, she finally gave Courtney an answer. ¡°Around this much.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Courtney nodded and took a look at the time. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Why don¡¯t you get off first?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After Natasha left, Courtney pulled out the financial records and looked for Leon¡¯s bank ount details. ordingly, she transferred a tremendous sum to his ount based on Natasha¡¯s calction. After making the transfer, she heaved a sigh of relief as she sat down. What a drag! If she had known this would happen, she wouldn¡¯t have lent him her coat. For some reason, the transfer was experiencing some dys, but Courtney didn¡¯t read too much into it and collected her things before going home. The next morning, Courtney was having breakfast. As Alexander was fetching her some food, her phone suddenly rang. ¡°Excuse me.¡± She lowered her head and took a peek and found that it was a call from Natasha. Natasha? But it¡¯s not even close to work time. She epted the call. ¡°Hello, Natasha.¡± ¡°President Hunter, are you out yet?¡± Natasha sounded rather hasty. ¡°Not yet. Why?¡± Sitting by the dining table, she was slowly putting food into her mouth. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°You should take the underground route when youe. There are some¡­plications online.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Courtney was bewildered. Through the phone, Natasha helplessly replied, ¡°Someone took a photo of the items Leon sent to the company yesterday, and they uploaded it online. Right now, his fans are expressing their rage on the inte.¡± Chapter 305 One Night Surprise Chapter 305 Chapter 305 Treat You to Dinner ¡°Are they nuts?¡± Courtney put down her cutlery and red at Alexander angrily. ¡°Do I look like I can afford to be someone¡¯s sugar mommy? My heart is still aching after transferring 600,000 to Leon yesterday.¡± Alexander¡¯s nonchnt expression slowly took a darker turn when he heard her mention the money. He put down his cutlery as well. ¡°You transferred 600,000 to Leon¡¯s bank ount?¡± Ifizens found out about this, it would definitely confirm the rumors at once! Courtney realized that her words had given him the wrong idea. She hastily exined herself, ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. Leon sent me a pile of clothes yesterday. I had Natasha calcte how much they cost in total so I could return the money to him.¡± ¡°He sent you a pile of clothes?¡± The look on his face wasn¡¯t getting any better. Courtney took a deep breath and grabbed her coat as she prepared to leave. ¡°I¡¯ve only met Leon twice. It¡¯s on you to believe it or not.¡± Alexander calmly ced another pancake onto her te. ¡°Finish your breakfast first. Then we¡¯ll head over to thepany together.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Courtney looked down toward him. When she locked eyes with him and saw the warmth in his eyes which were filled with affection and unbending trust, her troubles from earlier disappeared without a trace. She sat down at the table without a second thought. ¡°Is this funny to you? Were you teasing me?¡± ¡°It is pretty amusing, actually.¡± Courtney lowered her head and finished the bowl of oats in a few gulps. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry now. We still don¡¯t know if thepany¡¯s stocks will be affected by this issue. Those old geezers on the board will start nagging again if there¡¯s a fluctuation.¡± On the way to thepany, Courtney went online just to get herself updated on what was going on. It all started when a Facebook fan page called Leon¡¯s Harbor posted a photo of him shopping at the mall. The caption read, ¡®An unexpected encounter with Leon in Pinnacle. It seems like he¡¯s in a rtionship¡ªhe¡¯s buying his girlfriend gifts! He booked the entire store and bought everything from the winter collection. What avish spender! It makes me want to marry him.¡¯ The post proceeded to go viral online. Subsequently, someonemented with a photo that was taken in front of Courtney¡¯s office, which showed Leon¡¯s assistants carrying shopping bags of all sizes into her office. The caption read, ¡®It¡¯s canon¡ªLeon¡¯s girlfriend is ourpany¡¯s boss. But she already has a boyfriend, so Leon¡¯s probably just one of our boss¡¯ boyfriends.¡¯ It was that particrment that stirred up the drama online Various fake ounts startedmenting threats, and soon, ¡®Leon Got Himself a Sugar Mommy¡¯ became a popr subject of discussion on the inte. Since the Hunter Group had be viral in the past due to the migrant worker suicide incident, netizens quickly picked up on the familiar location in the photo. Before long, Courtney became the spotlight of this issue, and there were all sorts of opinions online. ¡®Isn¡¯t this the Hunter Group?¡¯ ¡®The boss is the second youngdy of the Hunter Family, isn¡¯t it? She¡¯s been viral on Facebook before.¡¯ ¡®I knew this young man was up to no good.¡¯ ¡®Is the Hunter Group a premium member of viral topics or what? They¡¯re really something, huh?¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s nothing to say about this. I¡¯d be his sugar mommy too if I were rich.¡¯ Thements went on and on. After scrolling on Facebook, Courtney was surprised to find that not many people were pointing fingers at her. Aside from a few of Leon¡¯s fans roasting her for breaking the unspoken rule of celebrities, the inte was more focused on criticizing the young celebrity. It seemed like this matter wasn¡¯t as serious as she thought. However, the Hunter Group¡¯s stocks had indeed experienced a minor fluctuation, but it was all within a normal range. ¡°Natasha, tell the PR department toe up with a solution to resolve this at once.¡± Courtney put down her phone and said with a serious tone, ¡°One more thing¡ªget in touch with Leon¡¯s manager. It¡¯s better if we work together on this problem.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Natasha nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll let them know right away.¡± However, it hadn¡¯t been two minutes since she left when she returned again. ¡°President Hunter, it seems like we don¡¯t have to worry about it anymore.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Leon¡¯s managementpany has already issued an official statement.¡± As Natasha spoke, she showed Courtney her phone. Leon had just made a statement on his Facebook page. The attached photo was a bank statement in which the personal information had been blurred out. There was a red line underneath the time of the transfer, which was way before the topic had gone viral. ¡®I would like to clear up the confusion regarding some false rumors on the inte today. Back when I¡¯d just returned from Melbourne for an advertisement shoot, I forgot to take any winter attire with me. The lady in question, who¡¯d unintentionally gotten involved with this rumor, lent me all her winter jackets on a short notice. I simply helped her to purchase those clothes yesterday, and she¡¯s already returned me the money. She¡¯s a great person, so please believe me. I hope you guys will stop talking about this. Don¡¯t argue with people who stir up unnecessary trouble, okay?¡¯ In the meantime, Leon¡¯s managementpany had also put out an announcement, stating that they had already taken legal action against the people who took the lead in ndering Leon for being a sugar baby. The moment these statements were released, the fans online immediately quietened down and stopped firing insults. Courtney passed Natasha¡¯s phone back to her after taking a look at thetest news. ¡°Tell the PR department to take theirpany as an example. Take a look at how efficient they are and think about ourselves. Isn¡¯t it too much of a difference?¡± Natasha let out a breath of relief as well. ¡°At least all is well now. I was so scared; this probably wouldn¡¯t have happened if I hadn¡¯t dragged you to the advertising booth the other day.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Courtney waved a dismissive hand. ¡°They weren¡¯t exactlying for me anyway. This was obviously a feud within the entertainment industry and has nothing to do with me.¡± ¡°Should I still get in contact with Leon¡¯s manager, then?¡± ¡°No need.¡± Courtney flipped open a document on her desk and continued calmly, ¡°Let¡¯s avoid unnecessary trouble. Since they¡¯re able to maintain the image of their people, we have nothing else to say.¡± Even though she¡¯d put it that way, Courtney¡¯s decision was due to another personal reason in mind. She thought that it was best if she interacted with Leon as little as possible. Leon and his one-track mind. Who knows if he¡¯s gonna pull something like this again in the future? By noon, the inappropriate viral topics had died down. Once the matter was thoroughly settled, Courtney took the initiative to give Alexander a call. ¡°Do you want to eat out tonight? I¡¯m craving Japanese food.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice sounded quite helpless on the phone. ¡°I¡¯m still not done looking through the financial reports, though. There are problems with some of the dividends. But if you allow me to ignore these, I¡¯ll be able to have dinner with you.¡± ¡°Keep looking at your reports, then.¡± She sighed before continuing, ¡°If you don¡¯t put my finance department back in order soon, I¡¯d be too worried to let you return to Grandpa¡¯s side. I¡¯ll just go home and order some takeout. Should I leave some for you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll bete tonight.¡± ¡°Wow, what a busy man.¡± As chairman, Courtney suddenly felt like she wasn¡¯t even as busy as the head of finance. After hanging up, she silently tapped into the takeout app. If I order now, my food should arrive by the time I reach home. Just as she entered the page of a Japanese restaurant, her screen flickered. An iing call popped up and her phone rang with a melodious ringtone. Courtney nced at the caller ID. She only answered the call after a brief hesitation. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Leon.¡± ¡°Is anything the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to apologize about what happened on Facebook earlier. It¡¯s my fault for not thinking it through and causing you trouble in the end. I didn¡¯t think buying you clothes would trigger such a huge issue. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I didn¡¯t take it personally.¡± ¡°To apologize, I¡¯d like to treat you to dinner. I¡¯m right in front of your office now, Miss.¡± Chapter 306 One Night Surprise Chapter 306 Chapter 306 They Looked Quite Simr As Courtney wasing down from her office, she saw Leon surrounded by a group of female receptionists who were asking for autographs. She stood there with her bag in her hand, feeling absolutely annoyed inside. It didn¡¯t seem right to keep walking or go back up. At that moment, she was almost certain that the Facebook post on his official page wasn¡¯t even written by himself; it was probably scripted by hispany. How could he show up at my office when the issue had just been resolved? What¡¯s he up to? ¡°Hey, Miss!¡± Leon looked up and spotted Courtney through the gaps between the women in front of him. He waved his hand and made his way through the crowd to get to her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°With so many of your crazed fans around, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll go viral again if I interrupt you.¡± ¡°Nah, that won¡¯t happen. I¡¯ve already cleared it up with them,¡± Leon replied innocently. He was wearing a white puffer jacket, and the fur around its hood was big and fluffy. The light color made his skin look even fairer, and his face was as small and delicate as a woman¡¯s. ¡°I found a ce we can eat at. It¡¯s just gonna be the two of us, so don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll definitely not get caught on camera this time.¡± Courtney was a little regretful foring down from her office. She should¡¯ve just told him that she wasn¡¯t in. However, it was difficult to reject him face-to-face like this. ¡°You see, Leon¡­ I still have something to do tonight, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯re busy too. Why don¡¯t we have a meal together next time? I¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already made a booking, though. That Japanese restaurant is pretty good¡ªmy assistant told me so.¡± ¡°Japanese restaurant?¡± Courtney jolted when she heard that. She couldn¡¯t help but swallow at the thought of the food. Half an hourter, Courtney sat in a private room of a Japanese restaurant in East Melrose City. She couldn¡¯t stop singing praises of the te of fresh sea urchin in front of her. ¡°This is really not bad. It¡¯s very fresh indeed.¡± ¡°It was my assistant who¡¯d strongly rmended this ce. Look, I¡¯m really sorry about the commotion earlier.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± Courtney drank a sip of water before she continued, ¡°Aren¡¯t you already treating me to dinner? Besides, it wasn¡¯t your fault anyway. You celebrities have it quite hard; every little thing you do is bound to be exaggerated by the public.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not so bad,¡± Leon said with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten used to things like that. I would¡¯ve starved to death a long time ago if I hadn¡¯t entered the entertainment field.¡± ¡°Really? You can¡¯t be serious.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been running around on my own since I was 10 and I¡¯ve worked every job you can think of. If I hadn¡¯t been scouted by chance and became an idol trainee at 13, I probably would¡¯ve frozen to death in that very winter.¡± Courtney jolted momentarily. She¡¯d always assumed that Leon grew up in a well-off family without experiencing any hardships in life. She thought that he¡¯d be a celebrity purely for the fun of it, but she didn¡¯t expect his past to be something as depressing as this. When he noticed the doubt on her face, Leon rubbed his nose awkwardly. ¡°Everything you see online is fake. ording to my managementpany, people don¡¯t like celebrities with a miserable past anymore. They prefer the persona of a rich young master, so they made up a nice family background for me. In truth, I don¡¯t even know who my parents are.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Courtney frowned apologetically. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about unhappy times.¡± Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s all in the past anyway.¡± Leon took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The young and naive face of his was extremely pitiful to look at. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not too sad that I¡¯ve never seen my parents. I was adopted from the welfare center at 5 years old, and back then, I thought I was finally going to have a mom and dad. Not too long after, though, my adopted mother died in a car crash, and my adopted father started to rely excessively on alcohol since then. He¡¯d beat me up when he had too much to drink, so I ran away when I was 10¡ªI just couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Then, I started working at various ces, doing all sorts of odd jobs.¡± He paused and sniffed before carrying on, ¡°I heard that you took in a little brother who¡¯s about my age. Is it Shay?¡± Courtney nodded without denying it. Quite a number of people knew about this, and it was even reported on the news before. ¡°It¡¯d be great if I met someone like you back then.¡± Leon pursed his lips; he seemed to be a little sad. His eyes were fixed on Courtney for a few moments before he picked up the cup of sake and gulped it all down. He immediately choked from the burn. ¡°Cough¡­ It tastes so bad¡­¡± Courtney quickly passed him the ss of water in front of him. ¡°Here, have some water.¡± It was pitiful to watch Leon act this way. He almost reminded her of how Shay was back then. Years ago when she saw Shay in the underground boxing ring, he was only 12 or 13 years old. Boys usually reached puberty at ater age, so he was tiny and skinny. Even though she was only 15 at the time, she was a lot taller than him. It wasn¡¯t an overstatement to say that Shay¡¯s life had changedpletely after Courtney brought him home. They weren¡¯t exactly living and eating the best, but it was definitely a lot better than what he went through in the underground boxing ring. ¡°Though you didn¡¯t meet me, you¡¯re not all that bad now, are you?¡± ¡°I actually met someone who¡¯s quite like you back then, you know.¡± Leon let out a bitter chuckle. ¡°But I feel like anyone who showed me kindness was destined to suffer.¡± As he spoke, he retrieved his phone from his pocket, and his slender fingers swiped on the screen for a bit before he passed it to Courtney to show her a photo. ¡°Look at her. Isn¡¯t she pretty?¡± The screen showed a youngdy in herte teens and a boy around 15 or 16 years of age. It was obvious that the boy was Leon who hadn¡¯t fully grown into his features. Courtney didn¡¯t need to ask to know that this was an old photo of Leon. As for the youngdy, she was innocent and sweet, and Courtney even felt like she looked a little familiar. Surprisingly, Leon was right¡ªthe girl in the photo looked quite simr to herself. Something instantly clicked in Courtney. It was no wonder Leon acted so enthusiastic the first time they met. No doubt, this was why he was willing to wait for her in the freezing cold just so he could have dinner with her. ¡°I do see the resemnce.¡± Courtney nodded and asked, ¡°Is she your girlfriend?¡± ¡°Yeah, her name¡¯s Kirsten Ivanov. She¡¯s Otharian, and she¡¯s from a wealthy family,¡± Leon admitted. His eyes no longer looked pure and naive like a boy¡¯s. Instead, they were now filled with deep emotions and nostalgia. ¡°Something came up two years after I became a trainee in my managementpany. I left the company, but I was saddled with a huge debt for viting the contract. She cleared my entire debt and helped me out a lot in those two years. She¡¯s the only reason I was able to enter the modeling industry later as well. We were nning to get married once I reached the legal age.¡± ¡°What happened after that?¡± Courtney knew that she wouldn¡¯t be hearing a happy ending the moment she asked the question. As expected, Leon chuckled self-deprecatingly. ¡°Anyone who treats me kindly tends to be quite unlucky. She had congenital leukemia; she didn¡¯t survive and passed away two years ago. She left me all her assets that she¡¯d inherited from her father, and her family background became mine that everyone publicly celebrates. It seems like this is the only way for me to feel like she¡¯s still alive and has never left.¡± Leon downed both sks of sake as he told Courtney about him and Kirsten in incoherent words. Courtney was ovee with mixed feelings at once. This young man who she assumed to have always lived a carefree life in a perfectly harmonious family turned out to have such a troubling past. It was truly a sad story that could put tears in one¡¯s eyes. Chapter 307 One Night Surprise Chapter 307 Chapter 307 He Lied ¡°You need to stop drinking.¡± Courtney grabbed the sk of alcohol and ced it aside. When she tried to pay the bill after that, she was even stopped by Leon who¡¯d insisted on paying with his card. ¡°I have to do this¡­ I can¡¯t let a woman pay¡­¡± Courtney felt both troubled and amused. She had the waiter help Leon into the car before she personally drove him back to his hotel. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ncing at the red-faced young man through the rearview mirror, who was leaning against the back seat groggily and still rambling on under his breath, Courtney shook her head. ¡°My goodness, you really can¡¯t hold your liquor, can you? You didn¡¯t even drink that much.¡± Leon hugged the cushion on the back seat and mumbled, ¡°I promise¡­ I won¡¯t drink anymore¡­ Kirsten¡­¡± Courtney let out another sigh. A short whileter, the car came to a stop in front of the hotel. A few lobby attendants helped take Leon upstairs while Courtney took his room card from the pocket of his jacket and opened the door. ¡°Just put him on the bed.¡± Courtney turned on the lights and instructed the attendants on where to put him down. Then, she walked around the room and pulled the curtains together before turning on the air conditioner to 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Before she left, she even put a ss of warm water by his bed. The entertainment industry was aplicated ce that was filled with people from all walks of life. No one knew for sure how their lives were before fame. What Leon told her was indeed a little twisted; it sounded as if life was simply ying tricks on him. However, it wasn¡¯tpletely unbelievable either. After all, why would anyone make up such a story for no reason? After leaving the hotel, Courtney stood by the roadside to hail a cab. She wasn¡¯t nning to expose anything that Leon had just told her. Just then, she noticed a familiar figure quite a distance away, but she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes even after taking a long look. Alexander was wearing the ck long coat that she¡¯d picked out for him in the morning. He¡¯d just gotten down from a cab, and she couldn¡¯t see him clearly since she was a street away. Courtney immediately ran to the zebra crossing. Just as she was about to cross the road, the traffic police blew his whistle¡ªthe light was still red. So, she could only stand and wait. In the meantime, she picked up her phone and prepared to give Alexander a call. The moment she called his number and looked up, she saw a woman getting down from the cab opposite. She was heading toward a shopping mall with Alexander right by her side. The dial tone rang in her ear as she waited for her call to be picked up. Even a street away, Courtney could clearly see Alexander taking his phone out of his pocket and looking down at the screen. The woman beside him even leaned in slightly to take a look at who was calling. Beep¡ª Before long, her call was answered. Courtney couldn¡¯t recover from what she saw even when Alexander spoke into the phone. She only responded after a long while. ¡°Where are you, Alexander?¡± On the phone, Alexander¡¯s voice was as calm as ever. ¡°I¡¯m working overtime in the office. Why?¡± Courtney¡¯s grip around her phone tightened at the sound of that. ¡°Ah, is that so? But why do I hear traffic noises in the background?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± His voice remained its casual tone. ¡°I came downstairs to get dinner.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t had dinner?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I pick you up from the office? It¡¯s gettingte; you should get some rest.¡± Her other hand clenched into a fist as she racked her brains to find a good reason for his behavior. However, she couldn¡¯t think of any. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You should go to sleep first. I¡¯ll be a littlete tonight. I¡¯m still busy, so let¡¯s talk tomorrow, alright?¡± With those words, he hung up without a sliver of hesitation. Courtney held her phone in her hand as she watched the two figures on the street, her expression going stiff. She didn¡¯t want to assume the worst of things, but Alexander had indeed lied to her today. People only lied when they wanted to hide the truth, but she couldn¡¯t think of anything he would want to hide from her. Just then, the traffic police blew his whistle again, and the crowd started to cross the road at once. Courtney rushed through the crowd and quickly made her way to the shopping mall that Alexander had just entered. The Pinnacle Shopping Center was huge. After going through the entrance, Courtney didn¡¯t know where to go from there. She stood by the door and stared at the esctor, feeling flustered and confused inside. Her phone buzzed endlessly in her pocket. She stood stunned for a moment until she realized that the people around her were all staring in her direction. Only then did she hastily pick up the call. ¡°Courtney, where are you? Are you in Melrose City?¡± ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Courtney looked around with a frown, trying to find the familiar figure in the mall. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking for some time, and there¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡± Cameron¡¯s voice sounded rushed at the other end of the line. ¡°I heard from Gale that Alexander found Jordan¡¯s biological mother.¡± Courtney¡¯s face darkened at once. She couldn¡¯t believe her ears, and her voice even went an octave higher. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it too. Didn¡¯t you tell me that Jordan¡¯s your son? But Gale told mest night that Alexander has found Jordan¡¯s biological mother. He even said that he¡¯s already met her. Apparently, the woman hade to him herself because she wanted to see Jordan.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Courtney¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°She must be an imposter.¡± ¡°What if she¡¯s not?¡± Cameron sounded a little perplexed. ¡°Can you confirm that the man from all those years ago really was Alexander just because of a pendant? Didn¡¯t you tell me that he¡¯d lost the pendant a long time ago? Even he doesn¡¯t know when exactly he lost it.¡± Courtney rubbed her forehead. At that moment, she felt like her mind was in a mess. ¡°That can¡¯t be right. Let me think¡­ Jordan should be my son¡ªI¡¯m sure of it.¡± Back then, the salesgirl from the jewelry store had told her that the pendant belonged to Alexander, so she was certain that Jordan was her son who had been taken away all those years ago. Furthermore, Alexander had indeed found a surrogate mother to deliver his baby. But what if Alexander had lost the pendant long before that night? She didn¡¯t seem to have more evidence to prove that the man back then was indeed Alexander. ¡°Don¡¯t panic, Courtney. What about your paternity testing report? Have you and Jordan done a paternity test?¡± ¡°A paternity test?¡± Courtney slowly calmed down. ¡°Yeah, we have. I have a copy of the report with me.¡± The test wasn¡¯t done on her own will, though. Mika had secretly got it done behind their backs to confirm Courtney¡¯s rtionship with Alexander back then. The results proved that Alexander and Tina were father and daughter. Overwhelmed with immense panic, Courtney had almost forgotten about this. ¡°That woman must be an imposter, then.¡± Cameron gasped. ¡°You need to be careful, Courtney. I¡¯ve been having heart palpitationstely for no reason. I just knew something wasn¡¯t right when Gale told me about this. He said that Alexander had told his assistant to look for Jordan¡¯s biological mother, and his assistant ended up discovering a problem with the surrogacy from back then.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°That¡¯s where it gets weird. Gale wouldn¡¯t tell me anything else after that. He said that it¡¯d ruin your rtionship with Alexander.¡± Courtney gave it a thought for a moment. She could feel her hands and legs slowly getting colder. If Alexander had really found a problem with the surrogacy from all those years ago, perhaps what he discovered was that his child¡¯s surrogate mother wasn¡¯t who he thought it was. Then, when he was just a step from the truth, a woman who imed to be Jordan¡¯s biological mother appeared all of a sudden. It was as if there was an invisible hand behind the scenes that was pushing them toward a direction that was filled with chaos and danger, as if someone who knew the truth was watching them from above, toying with them just for fun. Chapter 308 One Night Surprise Chapter 308 Chapter 308 Why Did He Never Once Mention Her? The heat inside the shopping center had been turned up, but Courtney¡¯s hands and feet were still cold. A familiar figure finally showed up on the esctor. And yet, she hesitated, taking advantage of the promotional standee outside a store to hide herself away from Alexander¡¯s line of sight. Courtney could clearly see the woman next to Alexander. The woman looked young. She was d in a white fur coat and a pair of pale blue jeans, her outfitpleted with a pair of tan boots. The woman¡¯s long hair brushed past her shoulders. A gray coat hung over her arm as well. She surprisingly seemed very refreshing and put-together. If what Cameron said was true, then this girl was probably the one she was talking about. The pair came up from the first floor, each of them carrying a paper bag from a baby shop. Courtney didn¡¯t even need to give it much thought; she could already tell what was inside those bags. She had no idea what the girl said, but Alexander actually lowered his head andughed. After they walked out of the shopping center, they hailed a taxi and left. Courtney saw all of this from the entrance to the Pinnacle Shopping Center. She couldn¡¯t hear anything from the rush of people passing her; all she could hear was the cold wind whistling past her ears. When she returned home, Courtney took a shower as usual and got into bed. She attempted to regte her emotions, hoping she could pretend that she didn¡¯t know anything when Alexander came backter. This woman that had popped up out of the blue had to be a liar, but Courtney couldn¡¯t just tell Alexander directly that the woman was lying and that she couldn¡¯t have given birth to the child. Unless she could prove everything, Alexander would simply think that Courtney shouldn¡¯t have said something like that. Should she be honest, or use a bigger lie to correct an earlier lie? All Courtney felt was conflict. Meanwhile, a young man sat by the bed inside a suite at Melrose Hotel. The drunkenness on his face from an hour ago hadpletely vanished now, and his eyes were absolutely clear. A little sharp and cold, even. A phone rang then. He looked down to nce at the iing call before he picked it up with a nk face. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Are you done yet?¡± The voice of a man came over the phone, questioning him. ¡°How many days has it been already? How did you even convince me in the first ce that you¡¯ll be sure to finish this little job?¡± ¡°These things take time. She¡¯s different from all the women I¡¯ve encountered before.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you before that Courtney is no ordinary woman. I don¡¯t need you to actually seduce her; just getting a few videos is enough. As for how, that¡¯s up to you. Didn¡¯t I give you the drugs already?¡± At the mention of the drugs, Leon¡¯s expression darkened a little. His gaze shifted over to the little paper packet on top of the bedside cab. ¡°I did use the drugs, but she didn¡¯t drink them.¡± ¡°Then what in the world have you been doing tonight? You at least have a video of her sending you back to the hotel, right?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Leon paused for a few seconds. ¡°I got a taxi myself. I¡¯ll look for another opportunity next time.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have much time. Don¡¯te crying saying that I didn¡¯t give you a reminder: if you don¡¯t give me what I want soon, then you won¡¯t be able to get the money to pay back your remaining gambling debts.¡± At that, Leon gradually paled. The call was cut off, and the room once again fell into silence. The room was still filled with the scent of alcohol. When he took a deep breath, he could seemingly still smell a hint of a light fragrance, and when he lifted his head, he saw the white jacket hanging on the clothes rack. His cold, sharp gaze softened a little at the sight. The next morning, the sky was aglow with the rays of the rising sun. Sunlight streamed in through the curtains, scattering across Courtney¡¯s face. It was a little blinding, so she raised a hand to block the rays. Instantly, the signs of sleepiness on her face dissipated greatly. When she sat up, her nket still in her arms, she was still a little lost and confused. When did she fall asleepst night? The house was quiet. Judging from the perfectly smooth, undisturbed pillow on the other side of the double bed, Alexander never came homest night. Gripping the corner of the nket, Courtney thought ofst night¡¯s events. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Suddenly, beeping sounds came from outside the bedroom, signaling the door being unlocked. Her expression froze. She quickly tossed her nket aside, got out of bed, and pulled open the bedroom door. ¡°Alex¡ª¡± Oliver had two bags filled with breakfast food hanging off his arms as he took off his shoes. At the sound of the door opening, he looked up to see Courtney standing by the bedroom door, still d in her pajamas. He stiffened a little when he saw her, swallowing what he was about to say. ¡°Hey Courtney, what¡¯s with that expression?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Courtney returned to her senses. ¡°Why are you here? It¡¯s still early.¡± ¡°Oh, I came here to get something. The school¡¯s going to have a drill at the end of this month, so I probably won¡¯t be able toe back for the time being. I got breakfast for you since I was on the way here anyway.¡± Oliver had brought a lot of food. Clearly, he had also bought breakfast for Alexander. ¡°Have some food first. I don¡¯t know what you like, so I ended up buying a little of everything.¡± However, Oliver had always been quick to pick up on others¡¯ feelings. Although Courtney hadn¡¯t voiced it, he could already sense her unease. It seemed that Alexander hadn¡¯te backst night. Oliver was about 80 to 90 percent sure that something had cropped up between them. Courtney sat down at the dining table. Although she had snapped back to her senses, her mind still wandered a little. Oliver stuck a straw in the packet of soy milk he had brought and pushed it over to her. ¡°Drink up while it¡¯s still fresh,¡± he advised. ¡°Thanks,¡± Courtney answered, her tone dull and troubled. Oliver watched her, noticing how she barely made a dent in the soy milk even though she had been sipping away for a long time. Atst, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Something on your mind?¡± ¡°No,¡± Courtney denied with emphasis. ¡°It¡¯s because of Alexander, isn¡¯t it?¡± Courtney furrowed her brows at that. ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± ¡°Yep, pretty obvious.¡± Oliver sighed. ¡°Ever since I got to know you, most of the time, the reason behind your mood swings can be boiled down to Alexander. So, I didn¡¯t even need to second guess myself. What has he done again this time?¡± Again, huh¡­ His words weighed on Courtney¡¯s heart for some reason. Instantly, a suffocating feeling crashed over her. ¡°Nothing.¡± It involved Jordan¡¯s identity. Courney couldn¡¯t talk much about it. ¡°Feelings aren¡¯t really something that can be exined properly. Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯re here to get something? You should do that.¡± Seeing how she had no intention of spilling the truth, Oliver didn¡¯t press the issue. After he had eaten breakfast and gotten what he needed from his room, he returned to school to prepare for the drill that was supposed to be carried out at the end of the month. Courtney arrived at the Hunter Group. There was still over an hour to go until she was actually expected at work. The security guard by the entrance of the building yawned as he opened the door, but he immediately froze when he saw Courtney. Instantly, his eyes snapped wide open as he made himself look like he was wide awake and alert. ¡°Good morning, President Hunter.¡± Courtney gave a simple nod in greeting before walking in and entering the elevator. The elevator then pulled up to the tenth floor. The secretaries and assistants weren¡¯t in yet, so the entire floor was pitch- dark. Just as she was about to switch on the lights, Courtney noticed a weak light in the distance through the corner of her eyes. It wasing from the CFO¡¯s office. She paused, and in the end, she didn¡¯t turn on the lights. Instead, she made her way over to the CFO¡¯s office with light steps. The door to the office was ajar, a yellow light streaming through the crack. A familiar figure was behind the desk inside, havingid his head down to sleep. Courtney stopped by the door, her emotionsplicated when she remembered the events ofst night. She couldn¡¯t figure out why Alexander didn¡¯t return homest night, but she figured that he had returned to his office and spent the entire night here after he had sent the woman off. He has nothing to do with the Hunter Group in the first ce; he only helped me because of my own carelessness. But if he¡¯s willing to offer his unconditional help with such a task, why isn¡¯t he mentioning a word about that woman? Chapter 309 One Night Surprise Chapter 309 Chapter 309 He Can¡¯t Change His Picky Ways Courtney stood outside by the office door for a while. Atst, she picked up a nket from the couch and draped it over Alexander. ¡°Courtney¡­¡± Alexander opened his eyes. They were only half-open, still hazy with sleep. Upon seeing Courtney though, he sat up and nced at his watch. ¡°Why are you so early? You didn¡¯t sleep wellst night?¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°Yeah, I had too much to eat and got a stomach ache.¡± Alexander pulled her hand over and ced it within his palm, frowning. ¡°Your hand is so cold. You haven¡¯t dressed warmly enough,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s fine; we have heaters at work.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s cold outside.¡± Suddenly, Alexander thought of something, and he let go of Courtney¡¯s hand, bending over to dig out a hot pack from the drawer of his desk. After pressing the button on the hot pack, he shoved it into Courtney¡¯s arms. ¡°Here, hold this. It¡¯ll heat up in a bit.¡± The hot pack heated up gradually after Courtney held it for a while. She scrutinized the cartoon character on its exterior before she asked out of curiosity, ¡°Did you buy this?¡± Alexander lookedposed. ¡°It¡¯s a gift from my secretary. She said that it¡¯s a Christmas gift for Jordan.¡± When Jordan and Tina came to their workce to y some time ago, an intern was in charge of showing them around. She was a girl in her early twenties, just fresh out of university. She waster retained to work as Alexander¡¯s secretary. At that, Courtney¡¯s expression turned meaningful. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you can¡¯t tell why a youngdy would do that?¡± A Christmas gift for Jordan? More like she¡¯s trying to get in Alexander¡¯s good books. The secretary could ask Alexander if Jordan liked the hot pack that she had gifted, and if Jordan did, she could also give the boy hats, scarves, or gloves. Alexander¡¯s forehead creased slightly. ¡°Why would she do that?¡± ¡°Developing a romantic rtionship with her superior and all that. Did she not ask you how Jordan liked the hot pack?¡± ¡°She did, actually.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡± ¡°I told her I haven¡¯t given the hot pack to Jordan because it said that it¡¯s not suitable for children aged five or younger.¡± When Courtney heard that, she could totally imagine how unamused he had looked then. Her expression froze for a bit, but her lips promptly curved up into a smile. ¡°It must be mentally tiring to be your secretary. You can consider giving her a raise.¡± Ordinary people would typically say that they liked the gift they were given and call it a day, whether they liked the present or not. A present was a token of appreciation, after all. Alexander, though, was different; he couldn¡¯t change his picky ways. Courtney didn¡¯t even need to make a guess. That secretary must¡¯ve stopped giving him any presents after that. ¡°It¡¯s almost time. I¡¯m going to start working now.¡± Courtney nced at her watch. ¡°I have a meeting with the board of directors this morning.¡± ¡°Another board meeting?¡± Alexander frowned. ¡°It¡¯s already an amazing feat to gather everyone for the meeting when it¡¯s normally only held every six months. Even though the Hunter Group has been gued with a slew of problems recently, there¡¯s no need to discuss everything with the board of directors.¡± Courtney frowned as well at the mention of that topic. ¡°Kelly was the one who called for the meeting this time.¡± The youngdy of the Yves Family was the kind of person toe whinging and grousing for no reason every few days or so. After returning from her studies overseas, she turned pompous and thought she was all that, constantly eyeing on the position of creative director of the Hunter Group¡¯s advertising department. Back when Lucian was still alive, he never arranged for her to work at the Hunter Group, probably because he knew Kelly would not go far. Lucian¡¯s word had always carried weight; no one dared to go against his orders. But now that Courtney was in charge, Kelly¡¯s ambitions started to rear its head again. Just as Courtney had expected, the board meeting was about the contract for the second advertising campaign. ¡°KPIs have indeed risen after the first advertising campaign. I have to admit that it wasn¡¯t a small rise across the board either. However, I think that there¡¯s been too many articles about that guy Leon. The risks are too huge. So, I think there¡¯s no need for us to keep signing him for the second campaign. We can get someone else instead. And besides, we can find an even better candidate for the same price.¡± Somehow, Kelly¡¯s rousing breakdown seemingly made sense. Courtney sat in the chairman¡¯s seat, waiting for Kelly to finish before she said, ¡°Leon¡¯s contract renewal is up to the advertising department. I¡¯m not well-versed in this. I think that there is nothing wrong with what advertising has told me. As for what you just said, the risks are certainly great. The advertising department has also suggested another n: if we don¡¯t renew Leon¡¯s contract, we can sign a new spokesperson.¡± ¡°A new spokesperson? Who is it?¡± ¡°Shay Spencer.¡± Courtney had just said Shay¡¯s name when Kelly burst intoughter. ¡°President Hunter, or rather, Chairman Hunter, are you kidding me right now? Or are you taking everyone here for an idiot? Everyone knows that Shay is your younger brother.¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t have anything to do with our familial rtionship, does it now?¡± Courtney said evenly. ¡°The advertising department picked a suitable candidate. Shay¡¯s reputation is clean, and those negative news articles you were talking about earlier? He has none.¡± ¡°Courtney, you really think that we don¡¯t know your ns when you¡¯ve been doing all you can to bring your cronies into thepany to run the show?¡± Kelly stood up, her cold eyes staring at Courtney. ¡°How many people have you fired or transferred since you became the acting chairman? You ended up sending my two cousins to work at another foreign branch. I know you¡¯re nning to take control and dominate thepany before my aunt¡¯s return.¡± It wasn¡¯t hard to understand why restrictions were constantly ced on Kelly at work, since she was brave enough to have this attitude in front of the entire board of directors. Courtney took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Then, she lifted her head to look at Kelly with a frigid gaze. ¡°So, you called everyone on the board of directors here today just to point your finger at me? Kelly Yves, did you think that you can do whatever you want just because you have somepany stocks in hand? This isn¡¯t your home. This is a workce, and there are rules at a workce. Did you actually think that I wasn¡¯t aware how your two cousins misappropriatedpany funds for their private use?¡± Kelly¡¯s two cousins used to call the shots at the Hunter Group. They would embezzle thepany¡¯s funds for risky investments, and in the end, they racked up such huge losses that they could barely keep the clothes on their backs. When they couldn¡¯t pay the staff who had been working on their projects, someone reported them to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. One could say that the source of all the Hunter Group¡¯s financial troubles was Kelly¡¯s cousins. ¡°That was just a momentarypse of judgment on their part.¡± Kelly tried her best to justify her cousins. ¡°What right do you have to discipline them? You¡¯re just the acting chairman.¡± ¡°I am the chairman as long as I remain as acting chairman.¡± Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°And what happens when my auntes back?¡± Kelly lifted her chin, her haughty expression already revealing her thoughts. ¡°She¡¯s the biggest stakeholder in the entirepany. When shees back, don¡¯t you have to give up your position as chairman?¡± Before Courtney could answer, the secretary opened the door at the side of the meeting room. Susan was dressed in a mauve suit. An assistant by her side held her bag and jacket. When she walked over and caught sight of Courtney, rage and hatred filled her eyes. Then, her dark voice reverberated throughout the room. ¡°You¡¯ve done a good job until now, Chairman Hunter. Now that I¡¯m back, you no longer have to work yourself to the bone.¡± Chapter 310 One Night Surprise Chapter 310 Chapter 310 I¡¯m Going To Take You To See Someone Else First The moment she saw Susan, Courtney finally realized why Kelly had gone through all that trouble to organize this board meeting: if there was going to be a change in chairmen, then naturally everyone had to be there. ording to their share ratios, Susan¡¯s shares were greater than Courtney¡¯s by three percent. Without a doubt, Susan was thergest shareholder within thepany, and ording to her qualifications, she was also the executive director of the Hunter Group. ¡°Now that I¡¯m back, I¡¯ll take the burden that is the Hunter Group off your shoulders, if no one here objects. So, Courtney, shouldn¡¯t you give up your seat?¡± Susan had dropped her kind and gentle veneer. Now, she looked absolutely murderous, as though she had condensed all her rage and hatred and directed it at Courtney. Courtney frowned and stepped aside. ¡°Of course. This seat was yours in the first ce.¡± Thus, Susan sat down in the seat unceremoniously. Natasha hastily pulled a chair over for Courtney by the side. Only then did the awkward atmosphere ease. However, Natasha¡¯s actions seemed to have earned an eye roll from Susan, as though she was berating Natasha for meddling. ¡°So, since I¡¯ve made my return, thepany should run like how it did before. Weren¡¯t you busy with your fashionpany, Courtney? You can focus on that now. The Hunter Group has me.¡± Immediately after that, the board of directors started talking and discussing among themselves. Regardless of everything, the Hunter Group managed to weather their earlier crisis because of Courtney¡¯s work. Thepany was now able to operate normally. In fact, it ran even better than before. Courtney¡¯s efforts could not be dismissed in bringing thepany to where it was today. Why would anyone kill the gooseying the golden eggs and then trample on its corpse? Courtney didn¡¯t feel anything as she listened to the din. She didn¡¯t hold much expectations for the Hunter Group in the first ce. She was merely forced to take up the responsibility and resolve the crisis. ¡°I¡¯ve got no opinions about this.¡± During this time, she had been so busy that she didn¡¯t even have time to care for the children. Now that someone was willing to take the Hunter Group off her hands, she couldn¡¯t be any more happier. There were people who would chase after power and money, and then there were also people who didn¡¯t care for things like that. After the meeting ended, Courtney returned to her office to pack up her things, emptying the entire room for Susan¡¯s use. Not long after, Susan came over. The smug look on her face was enough to make people wonder if she wasn¡¯t really as troubled and concerned as she had seemed during the earlier board meeting. To Courtney, however, it wasn¡¯t important, and she couldn¡¯t be bothered to question Susan. ¡°I¡¯ve packed my things already. You can just move in right away, Chairman Yves.¡± Courtney stood off to the side. Natasha had already helped her to cart away the cardboard box containing her belongings. The only ones left in this office were Courtney and Susan. Susan eyed Courtney with a cold gaze. ¡°You agreed very quickly to leave when I told you to show yourself out. Are you really that unsentimental toward thepany, or have you already plotted out a path for retreat?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got no interest in managing thepany; my father already mentioned that back when he was still alive. And anyway, I¡¯m not listed in line for the inheritance. If you¡¯re still worried about that, I can sell off my shares, and thepany will finally fully belong to the Yves Family. It won¡¯t have any ties to me.¡± ¡°Stop pretending to be a saint.¡± Susan¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know this? Lucian didn¡¯t even mention your name once in his will, but he left you an insurance policy. The insured amount for that policyes up to one whole billion. He pretended to not care about you in front of me, but in reality, you¡¯re actually the daughter he cares for the most. All he gave me and Anna is the trainwreck that is the Hunter Group.¡± The temperature in the office suddenly dropped several degrees, bing as cold as an icehouse. Courtney abruptly found thingsughable as she took in Susan¡¯s frustrated and furious look. After a few seconds of silence, she looked at Susan with cold eyes. ¡°Whatever we do, God is watching. Susan Yves, do you know why my father died? Do you truly have a clear conscience?¡± ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Susan frowned, an obvious look of nervousness shing across her face as quickly as it disappeared. ¡°You only know that the insured amount for the policy is one billion. But do you know what the policy is for?¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes darkened, as though she was staring at Susan from an abyss. ¡°If my father dies in an ident, I will receive one billion.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression turned stormy. ¡°The money I invested into the Hunter Group was part of the inheritance my mother left for me years ago. Aunt Alicia has been helping me to look after it for years. When thepany was being investigated for issues with its capital flow, you ran and hid yourself, even though it was all mere suspicions then. It¡¯s because deep down, you know that you have skeletons in your closet. You also don¡¯t know what your elder brothers have been hiding from you for the past few years.¡± As of now, Courtney hadn¡¯t imed a single penny of that insurance policy yet, simply because she hadn¡¯t officially gotten proof that her father¡¯s death was due to an ¡®ident.¡¯ ¡®idental death,¡¯ of course, referred to death by unnatural causes. Susan¡¯s expression gradually changed. ¡°You know very well what I mean. You also know very well why Anna died.¡± Courtney adjusted the bag strap hanging on her shoulder. ¡°I can leave, but don¡¯t get any twisted ideas in your head.¡± Susan¡¯s life wasn¡¯t all smooth sailing. She lost both her husband and her daughter during midlife. As long as she stays in herne, I have no intentions of pursuing the truth. Courtney was simply worried that Susan would not recognize her fortune. When Courtney stepped out of the office, she found Alexander waiting for her by the door. For a moment, she was stunned. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re about to leave, there¡¯s no point in me staying here anymore.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression was calm. ¡°But if you continue to stay, I¡¯ll be by your side.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to.¡± Courtney gripped his hand. ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± Alexander rubbed his nose before he continued in an unhurried manner, ¡°After all, I¡¯ve already handed in my letter of resignation. It¡¯ll be kinda awkward if I run over to HR to stop my letter from being processed if you end up staying.¡± Courtney instantly let out a giggle. When they left thepany building, Natasha came chasing after her. ¡°President Hunter, are you really leaving? Are you nevering back?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Courtney smiled at Natasha. ¡°Keep working hard.¡± ¡°No.¡± Natasha couldn¡¯t quite catch her breath. ¡°Can I go with you? Even working as an assistant for you at Citron Apparel is fine with me.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Instantly, Courtney understood the situation. All this while, Natasha had been her right-hand woman. Once she left, Natasha would most likely be alienated by the rest of the workers. Susan would definitely not treat her kindly just because she had just the slimmest of ties with the Yves Family. Staying here at the Hunter Group would just put Natasha in a very awkward situation. ¡°Citron Apparel doesn¡¯t pay as well as the Hunter Group. If you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing to take a pay cut,¡± Natasha quickly answered. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to study fashion design. I¡¯m willing to work at Citron Apparel even without pay as long as you will take me.¡± Courtney and Alexander exchanged looks. Then, Courtney turned back to Natasha and smiled. ¡°Go report to Bill then. I noticed that he¡¯s beencking a handy assistant recently.¡± Natasha¡¯s eyes were as wide as dinner tes, a surprised delight on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll go over immediately!¡± Courtney watched as Natasha zoomed off like a quick gust of wind, and she smiled a meaningful smile. ¡°Bill¡¯s rather lucky.¡± Alexander took Courtney¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯ve always been sensitive when ites to others¡¯ needs. When will you be sensitive toward mine?¡± ¡°Are you getting jealous over Natasha?¡± Courtney rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I¡¯m considered unemployed now. Take me out for a meal.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already made a booking at a restaurant.¡± Alexander lowered his head to look at her with a complicated expression. ¡°But first, I¡¯m going to take you to see someone else.¡± Chapter 311 One Night Surprise Chapter 311 Chapter 311 Will This Work? Meanwhile, a woman in a white fur coat had been waiting for a long while inside a booth at a Japanese restaurant. The restaurant¡¯s interior was carefully designed to evoke a certain atmosphere. Courtney¡¯s smile slowly froze over the moment the waiter opened the door to the booth. ¡°This is Belle Smith.¡± Alexander introduced the woman before ncing at her. ¡°And this is my fiancee, Courtney Hunter.¡± Belle got up from the tatami she had been sitting on and smiled at Courtney. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Courtney squeezed out a smile that was even uglier than a crying face. ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡± Nevertheless, Alexander didn¡¯t notice the look on Courtney¡¯s face as he pulled her over to take a seat. Courtney took in Belle¡¯s appearance. Compared to her view from a distancest night, she found it far easier to survey Belle up close. Belle was a pretty woman. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and tiny little strawberries were printed on her white fur coat. She looked at Courtney with a somewhat bashful smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing from Mr. Duncan about how beautiful his fiancee is. Now that I¡¯m meeting you in person, I¡¯m truly in awe.¡± Courtney wasn¡¯t swayed by this. In fact, she felt a little repulsed. She simply sized Belle up, waiting for Alexander or Belle to speak. Anyone would feel awkward after several seconds of silence, so atst, Alexander spoke up. ¡°Belle is a child psychologist. I wanted to ask her a few things about Jordan.¡± Courtney rolled the hem of her blouse between her fingers under the table. ¡°Really? A child psychologist? Didn¡¯t you say before that you got in touch with a German psychologist? Are you from Germany, Miss Smith?¡± Her tone had an aggressive touch to it. Both Alexander and Belle tensed up at that. After a moment of contemtion, Alexander seemingly came to a realization, his forehead wrinkling up almost imperceptibly. ¡°Then, have you taken a look at Jordan yet? What¡¯s your opinion?¡± Courtney spoke up, breaking up the frozen atmosphere. Belle seemed relieved. ¡°Not yet, actually. I¡¯m just going over the details with Mr. Duncan first. He said that Jordan typically spends more time with you, so I¡¯d like to know how Jordan typically behaves.¡± Courtney had plenty of experience when it came to doctor consultations because of Jordan¡¯s mental problems. After a few simple questions, she realized that Belle was actually a professional. From the looks of things, she¡¯s the real deal. Could I have been mistaken? At this point, she started doubting herself. Cameron had said that Alexander was in touch with Jordan¡¯s ¡®birth mother,¡¯ but it was also true that she had never mentioned how the woman looked, or what her name was. Courtney had ended up jumping to conclusions because she saw Alexander and Belle standing togetherst night. ¡°Jordan¡¯s condition probably doesn¡¯t have much to do with his illness when he was younger. The most likely possibility is that he suffered a severe fright, or he might have seen news about babysitters abusing the children under their care or something simr. Adults always assume that children aren¡¯t really aware of things because of their age, but that¡¯s not the case in reality.¡± Belle had a serious look on her face as she delved into her expertise. ¡°Newborns are like nk canvases. Everything after that depends on the adults around them. If you paint them with a myriad of colors, that¡¯s how they¡¯ll be. And if all you paint on them is ck, that¡¯s how they¡¯ll be too. Jordan cutting himself off from everyone is most likely because someone had once threatened him by forbidding him to open his mouth.¡± With just a simple exnation, Belle had cut right to the heart of the matter. Courtney balled her fists up. This was more or less in line with what she and Oliver had uncovered. Back then, Britney had been free toe and go from the Duncan Residence. The babysitter in charge of Jordan¡¯s care, Sarah Jones, had said that she often saw Britney go to the yard to see Jordan. Even stranger still, Jordan rarely kicked up a fuss whenever Britney was around while no one else could coax him to behave. Initially, the Duncans thought that it was because Britney knew how to cajole Jordan. And it was also because of this that Scott frequently turned a blind eye to Britney¡¯s frequenting and goings. Later on, when Courtney talked about this detail with Oliver, she suddenly felt great fear. Back then, probably no one would have thought that a C-list celebrity like Britney would have the guts to do anything to the young heir of the Duncan Family. But, what if she did? And the reality today told them that not only did Britney actually dare to do what she did, but she even had someone else behind her helping to cover it up. ¡°So, are there any ways to help solve this?¡± Courtney looked at Belle, reining in her earlier enmity. ¡°Slowly try to get him toe out of his shell. If you can, try not to treat him with medicine. But if you know what happened to him in the past and can bear a moment of cruelty, you can also choose to reenact the scene and change Jordan¡¯s perception of the past.¡± ¡°Reenact the scene?¡± Courtney was caught by surprise. ¡°Will it work?¡± ¡°There¡¯s data backing this up. And the younger the child, the better the effects.¡± Alexander¡¯s brow furrowed, guilt showing in his eyes. ¡°But no one knows what happened then.¡±N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. All at once, the booth fell silent. Alexander hadn¡¯t been by Jordan¡¯s side three years ago. By the time Jordan came to live with him, the boy had already stopped talking. After a long silence, Courtney looked up and said, ¡°I know what happened back then.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression stiffened, and he looked at Courtney with an inquisitive gaze. This is something that even I couldn¡¯t find out despite my investigations. How did Courtney find out? ¡°Jordan told me before,¡± Courtney lied. She had to lie to cover up certain details so that Jordan could get treatment. ¡°From the few fragments he said and the drawings he made, we can draw the conclusion that someone used to forbid him from speaking, and they threatened him.¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze chilled. ¡°Who was it?¡± Courtney¡¯s frown deepened. After a moment of hesitation, she shook her head in the end. She shouldn¡¯t know so much about this in the first ce. If she revealed too much, she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape others¡¯ suspicions as to why she was so knowledgeable. ¡°Then we can assume that¡¯s the case for now,¡± Belle continued. ¡°If so, then it won¡¯t be difficult reenacting the scene, but I¡¯d like to know your opinions.¡± Alexander and Courtney exchanged looks. Courtney was hesitant. As of now, she couldn¡¯t confirm the credibility of Belle¡¯s identity. ¡°We¡¯ll consider it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Belle had a look of understanding on her face. ¡°All right, then. If you decide to go through with it, you can get in touch with me any time.¡± She then got up and picked up her coat and bag. ¡°I still have other matters to attend to, so I¡¯ll be going now. You can take your time with your meal.¡± ¡°Why not eat together? The food should being soon.¡± Courtney was stunned. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Belle¡¯s lips pulled up into a smile, one that was a little wry. ¡°I still have to go back to the hospital. The nurse aide will only stay until eight tonight. I still have to return when the shift ends.¡± At the mention of ¡®hospital¡¯ and ¡®nurse aide,¡¯ Courtney didn¡¯t know what to say. After Belle left, she looked at Alexander. ¡°Hospital?¡± ¡°Belle¡¯s husband haste-stage stomach cancer. The doctors said that he has only half a year left; they don¡¯t n to operate on him because of that. But still, he has to stay in the hospital,¡± Alexander exined briefly. ¡°She has to go over every night to watch over him.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression tensed up. While she was regretting her earlier attitude toward Belle, she didn¡¯t notice theplicated look in Alexander¡¯s eyes. It looked as though he was mulling over his words. Chapter 312 One Night Surprise Chapter 312 Chapter 312 You Think I¡¯m Being Unreasonable? ¡°Is Miss Smith an expert in child psychology? I still think we should consult a few other doctors.¡± Courtney was troubled by the problems in Jordan¡¯s treatment proposal. Belle was too young, which made Courtney feel that she was not too reliable. ¡°She won¡¯t harm Jordan.¡± Alexander wore a mysterious look and added, ¡°So, please don¡¯t worry about that.¡± ¡°Why? Have you known her for a very long time?¡± Courtney lifted her head and looked at Alexander in puzzlement. After pondering for a while, Alexander mumbled in a deep voice, ¡°I have something to tell you¡­ regarding Belle.¡± Courtney¡¯s heart jolted. ¡°What is it?¡± Alexander paused for a few seconds before he answered, ¡°Belle is Jordan¡¯s biological mother.¡± After saying that, Alexander stared into Courtney¡¯s eyes to observe any subtle change in her emotion. Truth was, Courtney had already spected this when she first met Belle, and she had imagined the truth of it being revealed a lot of times in her heart. However, when she actually heard it from Alexander, she felt like her eardrum was vibrating as if a swarm of insects was buzzing beside her. Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org. Perceiving Courtney¡¯s silence, Alexander continued to exin, ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you before this because I didn¡¯t want you to get the wrong idea. Back then when I looked for a surrogate mother, I never thought that I would meet her again. This time, I actually discovered her current whereabouts by ident. You¡¯ve seen it just now too.¡± Hearing that, Courtney forced herself to respond, ¡°You mean the matter about her husband being diagnosed with cancer?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Alexander frowned. ¡°Initially, I¡¯ve left this matter for Josh to settle, but her husband is already at the terminal stage and she doesn¡¯t want any assistance. Besides that, she has already made up her mind to go study abroad a yearter, and her only wish is to see Jordan.¡± Courtney inhaled slowly as she felt a chill down her spine. If this was a trap, the mastermind had set it up very delicately to use such a tragic story to capture Alexander¡¯s sympathy toward the surrogate mother back then. No man would be able to reject such a request¡ªthe husband of the woman who had borne Alexander a child through surrogacy back then was now diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. The woman didn¡¯t want any money from Alexander but her only wish before leaving thisnd of sorrow was to meet the only person who had blood rtions with her. ¡°Did you agree?¡± she asked. Alexander couldn¡¯t really fathom Courtney¡¯s emotion at this moment. ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth because I don¡¯t want to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings. Jordan will not have any rtionship with his biological mother even in the future.¡± Courtney looked at Alexander. ¡°Actually, you can just tell me what you want me to do.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes darkened as he became slightly frustrated. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to do anything.¡± However, Courtney was irritated by his frustration and clenched her fists so hard that even her knuckles turned pale. ¡°Sure. You don¡¯t want me to do anything. You want me to do nothing and unconditionally trust that this woman who came out of nowhere is the biological mother of your son. You even want to allow Jordan to get along with her for some time? What you want from me is to support you and this woman unconditionally and blindly!¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes were filled with perplexity toward Courtney¡¯s huge reaction at this moment. ¡°Stop being unreasonable.¡± Alexander furrowed his brows. ¡°Courtney, regarding this surrogacy matter, we¡¯ve already discussed it many times. If you¡¯re disturbed by this matter, then there¡¯s nothing I can say.¡± ¡°Unreasonable?¡± Courtney felt likeughing. ¡°You think I¡¯m being unreasonable? Let me ask you¡ªhow did you prove Belle¡¯s identity? Have you investigated her background? Is she really Jordan¡¯s biological mother?¡± Alexander was startled. At first, Courtney thought she had made a point, but her inner defense completely broke down when Alexander showed her a picture of a paternity testing report from his phone. ¡°Josh personally took Belle for a paternity test, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯s true.¡± Right. The mastermind wouldn¡¯t possibly make this trap so simple. The paternity test report was completely uncredible to Courtney, but to Alexander, that was enough. What other ways could she use to make Alexander doubt the credibility of the report? If it wasn¡¯t that Jordan was her son, she wouldn¡¯t possibly doubt the credibility of the report. Courtney¡¯s face turned pale gradually. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Alexander sensed Courtney¡¯s strange expression. ¡°Nothing.¡± Courtney dodged Alexander¡¯s gaze and tried to make herself look calm. ¡°Actually, a paternity test might not be a hundred percent urate. There could be mistakes too. Please consider it again. After all, it¡¯s about Jordan, so please don¡¯t make rash decisions. There are many other capable doctors. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to let her treat Jordan.¡± Alexander stared at Courtney with a profound look. After a while, he frowned and said, ¡°You¡¯re still bothered by Belle.¡± Courtney¡¯s nails sank into her palm, but she couldn¡¯t feel much pain. Staring at Alexander, she said, ¡°Whatever. I only have one thought¡ªI feel that something is not right with Belle, so we shouldn¡¯t simply hand Jordan over to her.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± Alexander¡¯s frown deepened as he questioned Courtney, who had already walked to the entrance of the private room. ¡°I¡¯m going home. You can eat alone.¡± After taking a deep breath, Courtney grabbed her jacket and left the room resolutely. She knew it was understandable for Alexander to make this decision. Of course, there wouldn¡¯t be an issue if Belle was really Jordan¡¯s biological mother. However, Courtney clearly knew that the woman was a liar, so how could she possibly remain calm under this situation? The night had fallen in Melrose City as Courtney walked down the street. Just then, the phone in her pocket started ringing non-stop. Initially, she thought it was Alexander, but when she took out her phone, she realized it was Elijah, so she answered the call. ¡°Why did you take so long to pick up the call?¡± Elijah¡¯s gentle voice came forth from the other end. Kicking the pebbles on the street absent-mindedly, Courtney mumbled, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear it just now. What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯ve heard some stuff about Jordan from Cameron. How are you now?¡± Courtney¡¯s heart squeezed when she heard that. ¡°She¡¯s indeed a bbermouth. Why does she have to tell you everything?¡± ¡°She¡¯s just worried about you since she¡¯s not able to go back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t youe back too.¡± Courtney quickly interrupted Elijah. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can handle my own problems.¡± ¡°What about thatwyer?¡± Elijah paused. ¡°He has been waiting for you in Melrose City for almost half a month. Do you really not n to meet up with him?¡± Being reminded of thewyer, Courtney frowned deeply but was at a loss for words. Initially, she had already given up on the idea of awsuit and just wanted to live a peaceful life with Alexander. However, the current situation made her feel extremely insecure. After contemting for a moment, she mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll go meet him tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± There was no change in Elijah¡¯s tone. It was calm as usual which gave the others ease of mind. ¡°Courtney, remember that I¡¯ll forever be your support no matter what happens.¡± Chapter 313 One Night Surprise Chapter 313 Chapter 313 Did You Invite Her? Late at night, at Duncan Residence¡­ Scott had just finished dinner when a servant told him Josh had arrived. The living room was filled with the aroma of tea. Scott gazed at Josh with his piercing eyes and asked straightforwardly, ¡°You were constantly away from thepany previously. Are you running some errands for Alexander?¡± Josh was slightly startled. ¡°You¡¯ve found out about it?¡± Since Scott had asked as such, it showed that he had already investigated the matter thoroughly and was merely seeking verification from Josh. It had always been like this throughout the years whenever Scott summoned him. ¡°Tell me. What¡¯s the matter with the woman named Belle Smith?¡± Scott had a sip of tea with his brows slightly furrowed, which gave off an intimidating aura. Josh gulped and also took a sip of tea before speaking up as he felt his throat was a little dry. ¡°Six years ago, President Duncan asked the ex-butler, Louis, to find him a surrogate mother. The original n was to send the surrogate mother abroad after the child is born. However, the initial surrogate disappeared on the arranged night and Belle was sent to the hotel instead. At first, we wanted to pretend like this situation never happened at all, but Louis had some people to keep an eye on Belle for some time and found outter on that she got pregnant. Since what¡¯s done is done, they decided to allow her to deliver the child.¡± Josh exined the strange incident in a few simple sentences. When Scott heard that, his expression becameplicated and was even tinged with anger. ¡°Absurd! This is totally absurd!¡± In Scott¡¯s opinion, it was already absurd enough that Alexander did such a thing to please him back then, but the worst of it was¨C¨Che mistook a person to be the surrogate! ¡°He¡¯s simply ruining the innocent girl¡¯s life.¡± Carefully, Josh put in a word for Alexander. ¡°I believe Louis haspensated Belle too at that time.¡± ¡°Compensate?¡± Scott¡¯s face became even more sullen. ¡°He really thinks he can do as he pleases because he¡¯s rich?¡± The atmosphere in the house gradually became tense. At that moment, Josh quickly lowered his head and kept sipping his tea until he was almost full. The butler standing at the side felt sorry for Josh, so he mumbled, ¡°Master, Mr. Reynolds has not finished speaking yet. Please don¡¯t be angry first and continue listening to the reason why thisdy has reappeared.¡± It was only then did Scott nod. Josh secretly heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Actually, President Duncan realized something was wrong with the incident at that time, so he asked me to investigate it. After gathering a lot of information, I found a woman named Belle Smith. She is already married now but has no children all this while. Besides that, her husband was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer and can only live for half a year more.¡± Hearing that, Scott sighed. ¡°Since we know that now, we should help her out.¡± However, Josh shook his head. ¡°Before this, President Duncan asked me to transfer some money to Belle, but she refused to ept it no matter what. She said that her husband can¡¯t be cured anymore, so it is meaningless to have the money anyway. She ns to study in Ennd half a yearter after she settles her husband¡¯s funeral. She has no children all this while after marrying her husband, so her only wish is to see the Little Master before she leaves.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Scott croaked, ¡°Definitely.¡± ¡°Master, please think over this matter again,¡± the butler reminded Scott. ¡°If we really allowed the Little Master to meet his biological mother, how would Miss Hunter feel?¡± Scott furrowed his brows deeply upon hearing that. This matter was indeed tricky. ¡­ The next few days after meeting Belle at the Japanese restaurant, Courtney spent most of her time attending business meetings and all kinds of dinner events. She even stayed overnight in a hotel most of the days. Truth was, business in Citron Apparel was not that busy, but she just did not want to see Alexander. Meanwhile, Scott¡¯s birthday banquet was set to be held before Christmas. The invitation letter was sent directly to thepany, which was also a gesture from the Duncan Family toward Citron Apparel so as to facilitate the business partnership in the future. ¡°President Hunter, please don¡¯t be angry at President Duncan anymore. You should attend Old Master Duncan¡¯s birthday banquet.¡± Natasha passed the invitation letter to Courtney and carefully observed her expression. Courtney stared at the golden design on the red invitation card, which appeared extraordinarily eye- catching as the rays of dawn shone through the window and reflected on the card. In fact, she was sulking at herself rather than at Alexander for the past few days. Nevertheless, avoiding Alexander would not solve the problem. ¡°Did hee again this afternoon?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Natasha quickly answered. ¡°Same goes for the past few days. President Duncan would send us afternoon tea, but since you said you don¡¯t want it, he did not send yours.¡± ¡°Okay. I see.¡± Courtney waved her hands. For the past two days. Courtney had not gone home and Alexander had beening to Citron Apparel every day with his assistant to send food and drinks to the staff. After these few days, Courtney actually felt helpless as if all her staff had betrayed her and that she was the one who was being unreasonable. She couldn¡¯t be absent at the birthday banquet, so she rather took this opportunity toy things out with Alexander. Since things had already developed to this point, she couldn¡¯t allow the imposter to take Jordan away from her. The next night, the top floor of Purple Peak Hotel¨C¨Cthe grandest hotel in Melrose City¨C¨Chad been entirely booked by the Duncan Family. Because Scott was a man of tradition, the banquet this time adopted a more traditional style. The entire banquet hall was arranged with big, round tables and the main table was closer to the stage. Today, Scott was dressed in a ck tuxedo and looked extremely spirited. The moment Courtney arrived at the hall, Harry invited her to be seated at the main table right next to Alexander. By right, she was not married into the family yet, so she should not be seated at the main table. However, such an arrangement showed that her position in the Duncan Family was already ascertained. The other guests had figured it out too upon seeing the scene which made them look up to this future granddaughter-inw of the Duncan Family even more. ¡°Hey Courtney, you¡¯re here.¡± Scott, who looked stern usually, wore an amiable expression. Courtney nodded and looked past Alexander, who was sitting beside her, to gaze at Scott. ¡°Where¡¯s Jordan and Tina?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice came forth from beside her before Scott could answer. ¡°The nanny brought them to the washroom.¡± Frowning subtly, Courtney did not answer but turned to look toward the direction of the washroom. Initially, Courtney averted her gaze to avoid meeting Alexander¡¯s eyes in awkwardness, but she ended up catching sight of an unexpected guest. There was a table situated at the southeast corner of the hall, which was also the most remote corner. The guests at that table were people who seldom interacted with the Duncan Family but somehow managed to get an invitation to attend the banquet. At that table, some of those people were reporters. Among that table of guests, Courtney spotted Belle. Dressed in a beige dress, Belle looked gentle and quiet, and she was also staring in the direction of the washroom. Courtney felt her heart jolt all of a sudden as if a hand seized her heart out of the blue and squeezed it. Then, she instantly turned to look at Alexander and questioned him, ¡°Did you invite her?¡± Startled, Alexander followed Courtney¡¯s gaze to see Belle. Just then, voices of children could be heard from the washroom as Tina and Jordan skipped out of the washroom one after another, followed by two nannies at the back. ¡°Mommy!¡± The two kids ran toward Courtney immediately when they saw her. While passing by Belle, Jordan identally dropped something he was holding. At that moment, Belle bent down to pick it up and passed it to Jordan. Seeing that, Courtney clenched her fists as her face darkenedpletely. Chapter 314 One Night Surprise Chapter 314 Chapter 314 What Exactly Do You Want to Do? Fortunately, Jordan did not stay at that spot and darted toward Courtney after receiving the stuff from Belle. He then threw himself into Courtney¡¯s arms but still did not speak up because there were too many guests at the scene. Courtney bent down to caress the two children¡¯s heads, but her eyes remained fixed at that table. While eating, Scott blurted in a profound manner, ¡°Courtney, stay back after the banquet. I have some stuff to talk to you about Jordan.¡± Hearing that, Courtney darted a nce at Alexander. Although she remained calm on the surface, her nails sank so deep into her palm that she could feel the pain. Perceiving this situation, she reckoned Scott was already made known to the incident, which exined Belle¡¯s presence at this banquet. Not long after the banquet started, Courtney caught Belle heading to the washroom, so she stood up too. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Alexander asked while feeding Jordan. Courtney hummed with a calm look, ¡°To the washroom. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Alexander and Scott were not aware of the truth, but she and Belle, on the other hand, knew exactly what was going on. As such, she wanted to know what on earth that woman¡¯s intention was. The washroom was rather far from the banquet hall as it was a few corridors away. When Courtney arrived at the washroom, Belle was washing her hands. She had a thin body, and the reflection of her pale, delicate face in the mirror looked rathernguish. ¡°Miss Hunter.¡± Belle was startled when she saw Courtney standing behind her in the mirror. Then, she put on a smile and said, ¡°There were too many guests earlier, so I didn¡¯t get to greet you. Sorry about that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one else here, so you can drop the act.¡± Courtney walked in and red at Belle with her cold eyes. ¡°What exactly are you up to?¡± Belle frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t get what you mean, Miss Hunter.¡± ¡°Are you Jordan¡¯s biological mother? The one who conceived Jordan via surrogacy six years ago?¡± Courtney asked straightforwardly with enmity in her eyes. Belle¡¯s eyes glistened as she took a few steps back upon being questioned by Courtney. ¡°Miss Hunter, I don¡¯t have any intention to be your enemy. I¡¯ll be heading to Ennd a yearter and only wish to see my son before that. I can¡¯t possibly pose a threat to you.¡± ¡°Stop acting.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes were as cold as ice. ¡°You¡¯re not Jordan¡¯s biological mother. Who on earth sent you? What¡¯s your motive?¡± Belle stared at Courtney¡¯s frustrated look and snorted. ¡°Miss Hunter, I¡¯m already being very courteous toward you. I don¡¯t know what you are being suspicious about. If I¡¯m not Jordan¡¯s biological mother, who else do you think that can be? Could it be you?¡± There was a sudden change in Courtney¡¯s expression as she felt her temples twitching. She had an instinct that this woman had already known everything, including the fact that she was Jordan¡¯s biological mother. However, she deliberately acted as Jordan¡¯s biological mother with some unknown intention. ¡°What exactly do you want?¡± Courtney lowered her voice, which signaled a warning. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I won¡¯t do for the sake of Jordan.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want anything.¡± Belle lowered her head to look at her nails, which were covered with a thinyer of nail polish. Her gentleness was shown through details like her pale pink nails. However, the moment she spoke up, the gentle appearance shattered at once. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s an issue for a mother to reunite with her biological son.¡± Toward the end, Belle still refused to admit that she was a liar. Her statement sounded so reasonable that Courtney actually couldn¡¯t refute her and could only tremble in anger. On the other hand, at the banquet, Scott was puzzled as Courtney had note back after leaving for quite some time. ¡°Go check on Courtney, Alexander. She has been away for quite some time.¡± Alexander nced toward the direction of the hall¡¯s entrance and caught sight of the table at the southeast corner of the hall. When he realized that Belle¡¯s seat was empty, his eyes dted immediately. After urging the nannies to take care of the children, Alexander left the hall and headed to the washroom. The moment he reached the washroom door, he could hear the voice of a woman eximing from the inside. ¡°Courtney!¡± He flung the female washroom¡¯s door open at once, and his expression changed the moment he saw the scene. Slumped onto the floor, Belle covered her face with one hand as tears welled up in her eyes. She was shocked and was at a loss for words. ¡°How could you hit me?¡± Courtney¡¯s hand was still stopping mid-air, and her face was extremely gloomy. She instinctively turned around upon hearing the sound of the door being opened and saw Alexander staring at her with a bizarre look. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes gradually turned frosty. Courtney wanted to exin initially but was disheartened when she perceived his fierce attitude. ¡°Will you believe it if I say I¡¯ve done nothing?¡± Alexander did not respond but brushed past her without sparing a nce and helped Belle to get up from the floor. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Belle stood up staggeringly and quickly pulled her arm out from Alexander¡¯s hand as if she did not want to cause a misunderstanding. ¡°It¡¯s just a small misunderstanding. It¡¯s nothing serious. I¡¯m fine.¡± While saying that, Belle continued covering her face with one hand. Seeing Belle¡¯s weak and pitiful look, Courtney thought it was extremely ridiculous. Truth was, she had not touched her at all just now, yet she looked as if she had been bullied terribly. Courtney had seen so many women lingering around Alexander but this was the most shameless and pretentious one. ¡°Did you hit her?¡± Alexander stared at Courtney and hissed in a low voice. ¡°Yeah, I did,¡± Courtney blurted out of frustration. ¡°If only you didn¡¯t show up, I would have torn her into pieces.¡± ¡°Just because she wants to see Jordan? Courtney, can you calm down?¡± ¡°I¡¯m very calm. In fact, you should take a close look at her.¡± Courtney pointed at Belle and said, ¡°Alexander, can you be more responsible toward your own son? Mind you¡ªit¡¯ll be toote to regret it if something happens after she brings Jordan away.¡± ¡°Courtney Hunter.¡± Alexander raised his voice as obvious displeasure was written on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t yet at me.¡± Courtney raised her voice even more and directly interrupted Alexander¡¯s sentence. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you think I¡¯m being unreasonable or petty. I do not n to be generous with this ridiculous woman at all. Bye.¡± With that, she left the washroom without turning back. Alexander¡¯s face became sullen as the blood vessels on his clenched fists bulged. Belle¡¯s voice emerged from the side. ¡°I must have caused you trouble. I¡¯ll exin to her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Alexander called upon Belle and questioned her when she turned around to look at him. ¡°Did Courtney really hit you just now?¡± Belle shuddered upon being stared at by Alexander. Nevertheless, she bit the bullet and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking if she really did hit you just now.¡± Alexander¡¯s emphasized voice echoed in the washroom while Belle felt her scalp tingling. Chapter 315 One Night Surprise Chapter 315 Chapter 315 This Is the Last Time You¡¯ll See Him ¡°N-No.¡± Looking panicked, Belle stuttered, ¡°I was afraid, so I lost my bnce and fell. A-Actually this has got nothing to do with Miss Hunter.¡± Alexander¡¯s face darkened as he red at Belle. ¡°I remember I¡¯ve already told you before this. The prerequisite of allowing you to meet Jordan is that Courtney agrees to it, but what¡¯s going on today?¡± Alexander had never expected that Belle would show up at the birthday banquet. He did not know what was going on, but when he saw Scott¡¯s expression and what Scott said to Courtney out of the blue, he reckoned that Scott had made known of something. ¡°It¡¯s Old Master Duncan who invited me,¡± Belle quickly exined. ¡°I did note uninvited. Old Master Duncan arranged this so that I can see Jordan from a distance.¡± ¡°This is thest time you¡¯ll see him.¡± After saying that, Alexander walked out of the washroom, leaving Belle behind. At first, he felt sorry toward Belle for bing the surrogate mother back then as he had caused trouble to her life. Since she was so keen to meet Jordan, he thought it was understandable too. But given all that had happened thus far, Alexander thought this woman was not as simple as she seemed. After leaving the washroom, Alexander went back to the banquet hall and summoned Josh. ¡°Go and confirm Belle¡¯s background and identity again.¡± ¡°What happened? Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°Just do as you¡¯re told.¡± Looking cold, Alexander shot a re at Josh. ¡°You¡¯re being more and more of a bbermouth recently. How did Grandpa find out about Belle?¡± Hearing that, Josh shuddered and replied nervously, ¡°President Duncan, I¡­¡± ¡°Cut the crap and quickly go investigate. I want results by tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Josh didn¡¯t dare to say anything more and quickly escaped. Due to the fact that Josh had been by Alexander¡¯s side all these years, Alexander had never doubted his capability and neither did Josh mess up any tasks before. As such, when Josh presented to him the paternity test report and all other legit evidence to prove that Belle was Jordan¡¯s biological mother, he simply believed it. After that, due to Courtney¡¯s resistance toward this matter, he did not bother to get in touch with Belle again. He barely had any impression toward the woman from six years ago, so he could not confirm merely by his memory whether Belle was indeed the person. Nevertheless, the incident at the washroom today made him doubt Belle¡¯s identity. He was certain that Courtney would not rough up for no reason at all, so he reckoned Belle was lying. As much as she had put up a good act, she still let the cat out of the bag in the end. After the banquet was over, Alexander sent the two kids and Scott home. After the nannies put the kids to bed, there were only Alexander and Scott left in the living room of Duncan Residence. ¡°Why did Courtney leave halfway?¡± Scott took a sip of tea while wearing a puzzled look. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Alexander looked nonchnt. ¡°She wasn¡¯t feeling well, so I asked her to go back and rest.¡± ¡°Is it because of the matter about Jordan¡¯s biological mother?¡± Scott did not buy Alexander¡¯s words and immediately pointed it out. ¡°Courtney is a little too petty on this matter. Jordan¡¯s biological mother just wishes to see him. Doesn¡¯t she n to leave for Ennd a year later? Besides, I heard she¡¯s a psychologist. So, she might be able to treat Jordan. This child is more introverted than those of his age as if he was a girl.¡± Hearing that, Alexander frowned. ¡°Grandpa, I still need to think about this matter, so please don¡¯t take it upon yourself.¡± ¡°You think I¡¯m being a busybody?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t n to let Belle meet Jordan.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes were tinged with hostility when he mentioned Belle. Hearing that, Scott red at him. ¡°Her husband is currently hospitalized because he was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. Her only wish is to meet Jordan. Moreover, you¡¯re the one who caused this absurd incident back then, yet you¡¯re nning to turn against her now?¡± ¡°Please, just stay out of this matter.¡± Alexander was very firm and did not intend to continue arguing with Scott. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte¡ªI shall head back first. Have a goodnight, Grandpa.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Seeing Alexander leaving resolutely, Scott could feel his blood boil. ¡°There, there. Please simmer down, Master.¡± Harry sighed at the side. ¡°I feel that your arrangement for this matter today is not too appropriate either. How could you allow Miss Smith to attend the banquet? Without a doubt, Miss Hunter would be frustrated to see that. After all, Belle is Jordan¡¯s biological mother¨C¨Chis birth mother. As such, do you wish for Jordan to go back to his biological mother or stay with Miss Hunter?¡± ¡°Of course I want him to stay with Courtney. Courtney is going to marry Alexander in the future. I can discern this matter well.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s just it!¡± Harry said in a serious manner, ¡°Since you hope that Miss Hunter will treat the Little Master like her own son, which mother would allow their son to have another mother?¡± Hearing that, Scott was startled. ¡°Then Jordan¡¯s biological mother¡­¡± ¡°Just leave this matter to the Young Master. He¡¯s an adult already so he can handle these matters well. Let¡¯s not mess things up for him.¡± Scott nodded in deep thoughts. A momentter, he regained hisposure and red at Harry. ¡°Wait, who exactly do you think is messing things up?!¡± Harry¡¯s expression changed immediately. ¡°I-I¡¯m saying I messed things up for not reminding you earlier. Aren¡¯t I to be med?¡± It was only then did Scott¡¯s expression ease up. Meanwhile, it was alreadyte at night. In a bungalow at the mid-hill at the outskirts of town, a woman¡¯s sharp, scolding voice could be clearly heard. Following that, a sound of a p echoed in the house. ¡°What on earth is going on in your head? I¡¯ve already warned you to not y tricks with Alexander. Just obediently follow my instructions. That¡¯s all I¡¯ve asked. But look at what you did! Who asked you to frame Courtney for hitting you?¡± Covering her face, Belle was biting her bottom lip until it was so red that it had be swollen. ¡°Britney, I just wanted to help you get your revenge. Moreover, Alexander trusts me a lot before this, and he didn¡¯t say much this time either. He merely asked me a few questions.¡± ¡°Do you think he¡¯s an idiot?¡± Britney was so furious that she really wanted to give Belle another p. ¡°He¡¯s definitely asking his assistant to reinvestigate the previous evidence. If there¡¯s even the slightest mistake, you¡¯ll be exposed. Do you know that?!¡± Belle¡¯s face gradually turned pale as it was only then did she realize the seriousness of this incident. ¡°Britney, what should we do now?¡± ¡°What else?!¡± Britney pped the table and snarled in anger, ¡°Quickly, pack your stuff, go back to your hometown and don¡¯te back anymore in the next three years! The Duncan Family¡¯s power is so strong in Melrose City that if they discover any mistakes, there¡¯ll be no way you can escape. By then, you¡¯ll even implicate me!¡± Finger marks could be clearly seen on Belle¡¯s face. Scared stiff, she sobbed softly with her head lowered. ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t implicate you, Britney. But I don¡¯t want to go back to my hometown as it took me some great effort to get out of there.¡± ¡°Serves you right!¡± Britney said while ring at her. ¡°You should bear your own consequences!¡± Seeing Britney¡¯s countenance, Belle knew there was no way to turn the tables anymore. Herst hope gradually extinguished too as it was toote to regret it. Britney was totally driven up the wall. ¡°Get lost immediately! The sight of you angers me!¡± Never had she thought that the trap that she had diligently designed using the trump card to sow discord between Courtney and Alexander would be ruined due to this insensible woman who acted recklessly on her own. Chapter 316 One Night Surprise Chapter 316 Chapter 316 Let Me Treat You to a Smoothie The bright lights were still on inside the Citron Apparel designer¡¯s workshop. Bill was busy with his draft and he usually carried out his work during the night. As for Natasha, who was next to him, not only did she have to work as an assistant during the day, she also had to follow him as his apprentice during the night, so she couldn¡¯t stop yawning. Then, a series of footsteps were heard outside, sounding especially clear in the silent night. ¡°Who is it?¡± Bill nced at the door and asked quietly. Beside him, Natasha was woken up by the sound as she rubbed her eyes. ¡°President Hunter?¡± Since she was closer to the door, Natasha could immediately see Courtney walking in. Replying with a nod, Courtney came in, her figure bing clearer when the lights shone on her. Ever since the birthday party, she never went back home because she knew that Alexander would definitely return home that night. Due to the situation with Belle, Courtney couldn¡¯t bring herself to talk to him at the moment. After entering the workshop, she sat on the couch while Natasha poured her a cup of tea. ¡°Did you just leave the party?¡± Bill left aside his work and came over to sit opposite to her. ¡°Yes.¡± Courtney weakly nodded her head. ¡°What happened?¡± He frowned and looked at her. ¡°Are you angry?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Courtney received the tea from Natasha and took a sip before regaining some energy to ask Bill, ¡°I wonder what goes on inside a man¡¯s head¡ªdo all of you fall head over heels when a girl acts a little weaker?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use a few examples to generalize every man in the world, alright?¡± He could immediately tell what she meant. ¡°I don¡¯t know about anybody else, but I¡¯ve never seen Alexander fall head over heels for someone even though he has all kinds of women jumping on him for his appearance and money.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney frowned and muttered, ¡°Are you sure? By the looks of it, not only is he falling head over heels for someone, he is also starting to believe everything she says.¡± He is so stupid to believe every word she says! ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Bill instantly gestured as he countered, ¡°Alexander is an unmeltable iceberg. Other than you, I have never seen him put on a smile for any woman before.¡± ¡°Why are you speaking for him?¡± Courtney was infuriated as she took her bag and stood up. ¡°Can¡¯t I find a ce to be quiet for a moment?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not speaking for him. I¡¯m just stating the facts¡ª¡± Bill tried to exin himself, not noticing that Natasha was winking at him constantly. Before he could finish his words, Courtney had already left with her bag. I would much rather sleep in a hotel than listen to such bullsh*t from someone who is the same as Alexander! Upon seeing that, Bill scratched his head in confusion. ¡°What did I do?¡± After cing the tea cup in front of him, Natasha exined, ¡°Mr. Dawson, you did nothing, but when a woman wants to talk to you about her thoughts, you don¡¯t have to analyze everything rationally for her.¡± ¡°Then what do I have to do?¡± She nced at him and answered, ¡°You just need to stand by her side unconditionally and help her condemn the other person.¡± ¡­ On that night, Courtney felt as though she was a lonely soul. Not only could she not return home, she was also angered by Bill when she went to thepany. As she walked around in her coat, she stamped her feet to keep herself warm. The Christmas decorations around her seemed to have nothing to do with her, which made her even more miserable. ¡°Courtney.¡± Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard behind her when she was stamping her feet. Startled, she turned around and saw a strange man that covered his face with a hat, scarf, mask and sunsses. By the looks of his simple sports attire, she assumed that he came out for a run at night. If it weren¡¯t for his distinctive voice, she would not have recognized Leon. ¡°Is it really you?¡± He stepped forward and took off the protective clothing on his face. ¡°I saw you all away from there, but what are you doing outside on such a cold day, Courtney?¡± For a moment, she was still in shock. ¡°I just had a meal, so I came out for a stroll. What about you?¡± ¡°I came out for a run,¡± Leon answered with a smile. ¡°There were too many people in the hotel¡¯s gym and the venttion there isn¡¯t that great, so I decided toe out.¡± He was staying in a hotel not far away from here, so it wasn¡¯t strange for him toe out for a night run. However, after looking at him carefully, Courtney pointed at his protective gear and asked curiously, ¡°I understand that the venttion in the gym isn¡¯t that great, but is it really that much better to come out and cover yourself in all these? Can you even breathe in these?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any other choice.¡± He chuckled and grabbed her arm affectionately. ¡°Let me treat you to a smoothie.¡± Since I don¡¯t have anywhere to go and I probably won¡¯t be able to fall asleep even if I find a hotel, I should follow him to pass the time. In the end, she giggled and answered, ¡°Alright.¡± There was a smoothie shop nearby. While queuing in a line, Leon was stared at by the store clerk for a long time. Courtney felt that the clerk might have already recognized him, but since his entire face was tightly concealed, no one dared to call him out. ¡°Sir, do you want to drink it now orter?¡± ¡°Now,¡± he replied. Instantly, the store clerk blushed as she whispered when handing him the smoothie, ¡°Are you Leon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± He shook his head vigorously. ¡°You are!¡± She wasn¡¯t giving up. ¡°Can I please have your autograph?¡± If he gives her his autograph, we probably won¡¯t leave here anytime soon. Quickly, Courtney pulled Leon behind her and smiled. ¡°You also think that he sounds a lot like Leon, right? Sorry, but he¡¯s just my little brother and he hurt his face recently.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. After that, the two of them took their smoothies and left. However, the store clerk was probably a fan of his, so she quickly came back around and screamed, ¡°It¡¯s Leon!¡± Since it was the weekend, many people were out at night. Listening to her scream, everyone immediately turned toward the man in question. ¡°Leon! It¡¯s Leon¡­¡± For a moment, Courtney was left startled, but Leon was quite experienced in dealing with this sort of situation, so he quickly grabbed her hand and said, ¡°Courtney, what are you doing standing there for? Run!¡± After that, he dragged her and ran down the street. Before she could evene back to her senses, she was already dragged far away, leaving the smoothie shop behind. It was possible that the information of which hotel Leon was staying in was already leaked to the public, which was why many of his fans were wandering around the ce. As soon as they heard his name, all of them began to chase after him to a point where he couldn¡¯t get rid of anyone after running down several streets. Courtney could no longer keep up with his speed, so she hurriedly pulled him into a nearby shop. ¡°Courtney¡ª¡± ¡°Hush!¡± She covered his mouth as they leaned against the wall. After the chasing fans were all gone, she finally let go of her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s wait here for a while.¡± She bent down and held her knees while panting. However, she was confused as to why Leon wasn¡¯t saying anything to her, so she lifted her head and saw the dazzling array of adult products disyed in a cupboard in front of her. Her expression changed in the blink of an eye. Initially, she saw that the shop was quite hidden, so she entered in a hurry. Unexpectedly, it was a shop that sold adult products. Just then, the greasy voice of the shop owner came from behind the counter. ¡°How may I help you two?¡± Chapter 317 One Night Surprise Chapter 317 Chapter 317 Everyone Has to Live For Themselves There was a ambiguous and erotic aura lingering in the cramped space. Looking at the shop owner¡¯s scrutinizing eyes, Courtney immediately blushed as she opened the curtains and ran away embarrassedly. ¡°Why is she running away? We are all adults here. Hey, don¡¯t you think your girlfriend is a bit¡ª¡± Before he finished his words, he was instantly rendered speechless by Leon, who had his entire face concealed like a mummy. It seems like this guy is even more sensitive. It¡¯s ridiculous to cover his entire face like that! Leon¡¯s face waspletely concealed by his mask and sunsses, so the shop owner couldn¡¯t see his expression underneath. After giving the owner a gentle nod, the former opened the curtains and caught up with the woman who had run far away, while his eyes behind the sunsses were filled with joy. They were different from the charming and innocent eyes he used to deal with all kinds of women in the past. Even though no one could see them at the moment, only Leon knew that this was his most sincere gaze for so many years. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± When he caught up to Courtney, she awkwardly apologized to him. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what shop it was when I ran into it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Leon said with a smile on his face. ¡°But can you not talk as if you are leading a bad example for a child? I¡¯m an adult too, you know?¡± It¡¯s because you are an adult that makes this situation even more awkward! To prevent being surrounded by his fans again, Courtney decided to follow him to his hotel. Since she needed a room to stay in for the rest of the night, she simply decided to stay in the hotel he was staying in. ¡°There you go, miss. This is the card for your room.¡± After receiving the room card at the front desk, Courtney entered the elevator by herself. Even though the hotel had rules stating that the guests¡¯ information shouldn¡¯t be revealed, it was impossible to keep everyone from talking about it, so in order to avoid any unnecessary trouble, Leon had already gone upstairs first. Since it was winter, the public balconies on each floor of the hotel were empty. When Courtney reached that ce, Leon wasn¡¯t there yet. When she felt the chilling breeze, she instantly regretted agreeing to meet him outside. ¡°Courtney!¡± Then, his voice was heard from behind. Perhaps due to his upbringing abroad, Leon¡¯s English wasn¡¯t that great but for some reason, the name ¡®Courtney¡¯ came off his tongue very comfortably. As she turned around to look at him, she could see that he had changed to a thick coat with a scarf in his hand. It seemed that he went back to his room first beforeing here, which exined why he waste to meet her. ¡°It¡¯s too windy outside. You should put this on.¡± After that, he wrapped the brown cashmere scarf around her shoulders. The unique woody perfume on the young man¡¯s body was especially clear and pleasant while she felt the warmth of the scarf wrapped around her. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Leon said with a smile. Without the mask and sunsses, he could no longer hide his youthful face, and it made him look rather boyish when he smiled that way. Courtney always felt that Shay already had a very youthful aura, but whenpared with Leon, he seemed to be more mature. The way Shay pronounced her name was more simple and mboyant, but since Leon¡¯s English wasn¡¯t that great, thetter would usually pronounce her name with more stress, giving his voice an innocent feeling, as if he was her son. When realizing this small detail, Courtney coughed awkwardly while avoiding Leon¡¯s gaze. However, he didn¡¯t seem to notice anything wrong, so he handed her the smoothie. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°You still have it?¡± She looked at him in surprise. ¡°Did you keep it in your arms all this time? You didn¡¯t spill it?¡± He nodded his head and winked. ¡°Luckily, the store clerk didn¡¯t have time to open the bottle for me.¡± As the stars shone brightly, the two of them leaned on the lounge chairs side by side, a wrought iron round table between them while they kept on chatting. ¡°Leon, it doesn¡¯t matter whether you can let go of your past or not because life always moves on. Time does not stop and if your heart lingers in the past for too long, it will be difficult for you to face the present or the future one day.¡± Courtney looked at the sky and her eyes slowly grew tired. Meanwhile, Leon secretly nced at the half-empty cup of smoothie on the table that she had drunk from. At that moment, the particte matter precipitated on the bottom as the balcony light shone on it. ¡°Courtney, I can see that the people around you must all be nice.¡± He slowly lifted his head and stared at the sleepy body next to him with eyes filled with mixed emotions. ¡°Why do you trust others so easily?¡± Meanwhile, Courtney felt her head getting dizzier and in the end, she gradually became unconscious while leaning on the chair. It waste at night and the bedroom of the hotel suite was dimly lit, which was why the murmurs from the balcony outside the bedroom felt especially clear in the silent night. ¡°It¡¯s all done. I¡¯ll send you the photos tomorrow morning. After this, I won¡¯t owe you anything, and I hope that you don¡¯t forget what you promised me.¡± After hanging up the phone, Leon took a huge puff of his cigarette. When the cigarette was burnt out, he simply threw it into the trash can outside before re-entering the room. The moment he came in, the sudden breeze caused the person on the bed to shiver. The naked shoulders that were exposed in the air dazzled Leon, so he went over and pulled the nket to cover everything under her chin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Courtney. Everyone has to live for themselves.¡± The next morning, Courtney felt her head hurting when she finally regained consciousness. It felt as though her body was weighed down by a thousand-pound stone, so she didn¡¯t even bother to move. As soon as she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the white ceiling with it¡¯s European-style skirting on the corners. The room was a little dark, but from the lighting in through the gaps in the curtains, she could tell that it was daylight outside. Bang! The sound of the door mming against the wall was heard and a series of heavy footsteps slowly approached her. Then, a pair of shiny leather shoes appeared at the bedroom door that wasn¡¯t closed tightly. Before Courtney could react to it, the door was pushed open by a big hand, and the light outside lit up the entire bedroom. ¡°Alexander?¡± She furrowed her brows and instinctively raised her arm to block the sunlight. However, as soon as she removed her hand from the nket, she felt a sudden breeze and instantly realized that something was wrong. And so, she turned her stiff neck, only to stare at her bare arm in a daze. She wasn¡¯t wearing any clothes. Alexander stood at the door and the anxiousness in his eyes disappearedpletely when he saw her. Shock, anger, and other intolerable emotions started piling up in his eyes. He strode into the bedroom and quickly opened the bathroom door, checking behind the curtains, as if he was looking for something. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Courtney held onto the nket and sat up with difficulty. Her brain couldn¡¯t function properly at the moment, so she asked him out of instinct. Not long after, Alexander came out of the bathroom with heavy footsteps and held an expensive men¡¯s watch in front of her. ¡°Tell me what this is.¡± Chapter 318 One Night Surprise Chapter 318 Chapter 318 You Don¡¯t Get To Decide As Courtney looked at the mechanical watch in Alexander¡¯s hand, she felt her face gradually turn pale. She lowered her head and wanted to lift the nket to make sense of what was going on, but she didn¡¯t have the courage to do so. What happenedst night? Last night¡­ ¡°Tell me who this belongs to.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes were raging with mes as he fiercely threw the watch onto the bed. Courtney had a nket protecting her, but the impact of the watch still hurt her ankle. And so, she grunted and gritted her teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± As for what happenedst night, she couldn¡¯t remember any of it at all, and she didn¡¯t even know when she came back to her room. She only remembered chatting with Leon on the public balcony while drinking a smoothie. Smoothie? Her expression changed at that thought. ¡°Leon.¡± With a thunderous expression, Alexander brushed her forehead with his huge hand and buried his fingers into her dark hair. While grabbing her, he growled in a chilling tone with eyes filled with rage, ¡°Where is he?!¡± Courtney was so frightened by him that her shoulders trembled while she looked at him in fear. ¡°I¡¯m asking you where he is!¡± At that point, Alexander was staring at her with almost bloodshot eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She held onto the nket tightly and stuttered, ¡°Last night¡­ But that¡¯s impossible! You need to calm down. There is definitely a misunderstanding. I¡¯ll ask the attendant.¡± Just as Courtney was about to lift the nket and get out of the bed, she suddenly realized that she waspletely naked, so she clenched the corners of the nket tightly. Meanwhile, Alexander looked at her emotionlessly before leaning forward slightly to grab a corner of the nket with one hand. Her eyes instantly widened as she held the nket tightly to cover her chest. ¡°No!¡± she shouted, her eyes full of reluctance. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to ask the attendant? You have to get out of bed to ask,¡± he uttered coldly before lifting the entire nket with a little force. This caused Courtney to scream and in a panic, she pulled up the rest of the bed sheet to cover her body. ¡°Alexander Duncan, you b*stard!¡± Meanwhile, Alexander stood beside the bed, his eyes full of disgust as he threw the nket aside. The lightsing from the bathroom behind him elongated his shadow to a point where itpletely engulfed her. ¡°Before asking others, why not ask yourself what exactly have you done?¡± ¡°I told you that I don¡¯t know anything!¡± Courtney roared as her eyes turned red. After taking a deep breath, he looked at her with his cold eyes and said, ¡°As long as you can look me in the eye and tell me that nothing happened in this roomst night, I will believe you.¡± Looking at the coldness in his aggressive eyes that felt as though they would sweep her away, she slowly calmed herself down. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you believe me,¡± she countered. ¡°How did you know I¡¯m here? How did you manage to get in? Don¡¯t you think this is all a bit too perfectly timed? I can¡¯t believe I jumped straight into this obvious trap!¡± Sheughed at herself and continued, ¡°What else do you want me to say? By the looks of it, you¡¯ve already made your mind up on what¡¯s going on. I don¡¯t want to lie to you either, but I don¡¯t even know how I got herest night. You can me me for all this, but who else can I me?¡± If I didn¡¯t see Belle at the party and argue with Alexander, I would not need to wander around homeless in the middle of the night, never mind meeting Leon on the way and staying in this hotel. In the end, who can I me? While covering herself with the bed sheet, Courtney got off the bed and picked up her clothes one by one before going into the bathroom. However, Alexander immediately grabbed her arm and asked, ¡°What are you saying?¡± Since he was now filled with rage, he wasn¡¯t able to think carefully about the vague things she just mentioned. All he had in mind at the moment was her bare shoulders and the naked body he just saw after lifting the nket. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°You won¡¯t understand!¡± She took a deep breath and pretended to be calm. ¡°At this point, what else can you do?¡± The eyes that were staring at him directly were starting to be watery and he could see the grievance in her gaze. Yet, Courtney refused to lower her head given the embarrassing situation she was in because she was still determined to hold onto the remaining dignity she had left. Suddenly, all their joy and sorrow came up in his mind. Alexander¡¯s expression was cold as he clenched his fists to a point where his fingers had turned pale. ¡°Courtney, how dare you ask me what to do after the mess you¡¯ve gotten yourself into?!¡± With her reddened eyes, she murmured, ¡°Let¡¯s break up, then. It isn¡¯t the first time anyway.¡± In all honesty, Courtney felt numb when uttering these words. There were so many things happening recently that the insignificant pain of a break up could hardly cause any damage to her heart. The impact of her bringing up the break-up was iparable to the fear of not knowing what happened in this roomst night. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Alexander¡¯s eyebrows ticked fiercely as he questioned. ¡°Let¡¯s break up.¡± She kept her head down as she mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ve made myself clear. You can go find Jordan¡¯s biological mother. I believe that she isn¡¯t as much of a mess as I am, and her words are definitely more convincing than mine.¡± After that, Courtney forcefully withdrew her arm from his hand. However, the next second, she could feel pain surging from her arm as she staggered. Quickly, her gaze moved away from the bathroom lights and reached the ceiling before her whole body fell back onto the bed. Then, Alexander put one hand on her shoulder and the other by her waist as he looked at her condescendingly. Upon seeing that, she clutched the only cover on her chest and asked in panic. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s easier for you to break up with me than to exin what happenedst night, is it?¡± His thunderous voice echoed inside her ears. As his eyes widened, he gritted his teeth tightly and said, ¡°No matter what happens, breaking up is always your first solution to solving everything, right?¡± Of course, Alexander didn¡¯t believe that Courtney would do anything to betray him, but there were always times when people lost control of their emotions. The moment he received that anonymous call in the morning, the first thing he thought of wasn¡¯t Courtney betraying him but whether something had happened to her, causing her to not return homest night. Therefore, he rushed all the way to the hotel, breaking all the traffic lights. As soon as he opened the bedroom door and confirmed that she was safe, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Before he could calm down, however, what he saw made him lose control. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this after I look into everything. You don¡¯t get to decide.¡± His firm words echoed within the room. Then, Courtney felt a weight lifted from her body and she came back to her senses. Thereafter, she could only hear the door mming shut, causing the entire room to shake. Looking at the closed door, she was filled with mixed feelings inside her heart. As she slowly got up from the bed with her fingers holding onto the bed sheet, she felt the tears that she held back for a long while finally slid down the corners of her eyes, much like a bursting dam. It felt as though her life had been derailed ever since she was born, and she could never predict which direction she would be heading the next second. Chapter 319 One Night Surprise Chapter 319 Chapter 319 That¡¯s the Only Thing I Can Do When Courtney was taking a bath, she checked her body before looking at herself in the foggy bathroom mirror. She exhaled a heavy sigh. Although she didn¡¯t have any impression aboutst night, she knew that her body wouldn¡¯t lie to her¡ª all the signs showed that nothing happenedst night. After bathing and putting on her clothes, she started searching for clues that would exin what happenedst night. The first thing that she found was an expensive branded watch, Vacheron Constantin to be exact. It belonged to Leon if she wasn¡¯t mistaken. Seems like it was Leon who sent me back to the roomst night, but what about my clothes? That¡¯s strange. Without much hesitation, she gave Leon a call. The ringtone yed for a long time before the call was picked up, but the first thing that she heard was the announcement in an airport. ¡°Leon, where are you?¡± Courtney asked with a frown. ¡°At the airport.¡± Leon¡¯s voice was way colder than usual and his tone was low, as if he had turned into a different person. ¡°I¡¯m waiting to board the ne. We will be allowed to board in five minutes. I¡¯ve been waiting for your call.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney froze. ¡°What do you mean? What happenedst night?¡± ¡°Nothing happened. This is the only thing I could do.¡± From his tone, she could tell that it was tough for him to say this. ¡°Courtney, I can¡¯t tell you much, but you will know soon. All I can say is that I¡¯m really sorry.¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney intended to ask further but Leon had hung up, and all she heard was a busy tone when she tried to call back. At the airport gate, Leon nced at his phone. There was a notification that showed that a sum of money had been transferred to his bank ount. He let out a bitterugh of self-mockery before his assistant reminded him that he should queue up to prepare for boarding. In the end, he exhaled a heavy breath and switched off his phone, thereafter removing his SIM card and throwing it into a trash can. He supposed that he wouldn¡¯te to Melrose City ever again. The ne cut through the sky of Melrose City. Some people impatiently fled, while those who were left behind had no choice but to face the situation head on. ¡ª¡ª ¡­ After Courtney checked out of the hotel, she received Natasha¡¯s call. Thetter told Courtney that there was a signing of a contract of a business deal, which she had finally managed to close after a long negotiation, happening in the afternoon. Courtney had to head straight to the golf course located at the outskirts of Melrose City, where the signing of the agreement would be held. Hence, she directly went home to shower again and changed into another set of clothes. When she was carefully applying makeup in front of a mirror, looking at her own face that was exquisitely adorned with makeup made her realize that she had be stronger as time passed; she was able to remain calm even after something like that had happened. Truth was, her thoughts were simple¡ªit was no big deal since nothing had happened. At 2.00 PM, Courtney arrived at the entrance of the Greenville Golf and Country Club when she saw Natasha surveying her surroundings. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Courtney rolled down her car window and waved at Natasha. Thetter jogged over and got into the car. All the vehicles that entered and exited the golf course had to be registered, so Natasha wasn¡¯t able to enter on her own and had to wait for Courtney¡¯s arrival. From the entrance, there was still quite a long drive to their destination. ¡°Have you waited for a long time?¡± Natasha buckled up her seatbelt and replied, ¡°No. I¡¯ve just arrived too. Thepany had been trying to close this deal with Herm¨¨s for a long time to the point that even the sales team was a little discouraged. This morning, though, I suddenly received a call from them. They said that they have reviewed ourtest quotation and they agreed to sign the contract.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Did they mention anything else? I heard that Herm¨¨s is a tough nut to crack when ites to doing business with them, especially with their evaluation team. Did they request to visit our office?¡± Courtney asked in puzzlement, to which Natasha shook her head. ¡°No, which is what surprised me as well. If they send an evaluation team to inspect thepany, it will take a long time before all the documents go through their different management levels until they finally agree to work with us and arrange for the factory production to begin. By then, I¡¯m afraid that the whole process would dy the contract signing until next year.¡± Courtney darted her a look. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you afraid that you won¡¯t get any leave? That you have to stay back and work over time even during the New Year holidays?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Natasha chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but if nobody works in the factory during the New Year holidays and it results in the dy of delivery of goods, who shall bear the consequences?¡± As they chatted, the vehicle arrived at the entrance of the club in the golf course. ¡°Who is the person in charge from Herm¨¨s this time?¡± Courtney asked. As she wasn¡¯t involved in the case, she wasn¡¯t clear about the details. ¡°It¡¯s the assistant manager of their product development department, Adam Hyde.¡± After looking around and finding that nobody was near them, Natasha whispered, ¡°He is rather strict and I find him hard to communicate with. I was surprised that he decided to sign the contract here.¡± Courtney inspected her surroundings. Being the most luxurious golf course in the entire Melrose City, the Greenville Golf and Country Club wasn¡¯t a ce that anybody could enter. As the assistant manager of the product development department, it was rather bizarre that Adam would organize the contract signing to take ce at a golf course instead of their own office. However, although it was strange, it was not the only strange event in the whole world, so Courtney didn¡¯t give it much thought and entered the club together with Natasha. As soon as they entered the ce, they spotted Adam at a lounge area not far away. Thetter had a square face with a tall build and simr to what Natasha had described, he appeared strict. Natasha introduced Courtney to him. ¡°Mr. Hyde, this is our president, President Hunter.¡± ¡°President Hunter, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡± Adam held out his hand. Meanwhile, Courtney shook his hand and murmured, ¡°Mr. Hyde, it¡¯s nice to meet you. Natasha has been leading the team andmunicating with you, but I haven¡¯t met you in person. How about this¡ª let¡¯s have dinner tonight to make up for the loss. The dinner will be on me.¡± ¡°Thank you for your kind offer, President Hunter¡ª¡± Adam smiled. ¡°¡ªbut I have a friend who is here with me at the moment to y golf, so I¡¯m afraid that it will be inconvenient.¡± ¡°No worries, he can join us if he doesn¡¯t mind.¡± Since they were going to sign a contract, treating the contracting party to a meal was no big deal. If there were a whole bunch of people here, Courtney still had to treat all of them to a meal, let alone when Adam had only a friend. Sure enough, Adam nodded. ¡°Thank you, President Hunter.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no rush.¡± Adam waved his hand. ¡°The weather today is pleasant. Would you like to take a stroll around, President Hunter? Golfing in this facility is quite a nice experience.¡± Before the contract was signed, she had to tolerate the contracting party. Hence, unable to reject his invitation, she had no choice but to go to the changing room with Natasha to change into a suitable outfit. When they were ready, they exited the changing room and headed to the golf course with Adam. ¡°Mr. Hyde, do you enjoy ying golf?¡± Courtney asked casually, trying to make small talk. ¡°My skills are average, but this friend of mine loves golfing and he is excellent at it. He taught me everything that I know, so he is considered my teacher in golfing.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Natasha smiled. ¡°He couldpete with President Hunter, then. President Hunter is quite skillful in ying golf too.¡± Courtney had previously brought Natasha over here for some discussion and thetter had witnessed her ying. Although Natasha couldn¡¯t y, she could tell from the amazed looks on the onlookers¡¯ faces that Courtney was well-versed in golfing. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. My friend had beenining that he couldn¡¯t find anyone topete with lately.¡± Adam suddenly looked into the distance and waved. ¡°President Duncan, over here!¡± The name ¡®Duncan¡¯ echoed in Courtney¡¯s ears for a while, making her heart skip a beat. Chapter 320 One Night Surprise Chapter 320 Chapter 320 There Are Plenty of Scapegoats Not far away from them stood a familiar figure in a white golf shirt. However, the moment that person turned to face them, Courtney heaved a sigh of relief¡ªit was James. Before Adam could introduce them to each other, James walked up to them and looked at Courtney. ¡°Long time no see, wife-to-be of my cousin.¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°Why are you here?¡± she asked with unconcealed disgust in her tone. With one end of the golf club ced on the ground, James propped himself on it and leaned into her. ¡°Courtney, you seem unhappy to see me. Adam, didn¡¯t you tell her about it?¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney turned to Adam in puzzlement. ¡°I thought that you knew, President Hunter. President Duncan is the main reason we are coborating with Citron Apparel this time. To bepletely frank, this would not happen if it wasn¡¯t for President Duncan, since Citron Apparel is nowhere near the level ofpanies that we usually coborate with.¡± Courtney was stunned. ¡°You pulled this off?¡± ¡°Is that surprising?¡± James adjusted his sses, a shadow of a smile ying by his lips as he gazed at Courtney. ¡°Since we will soon be family, it¡¯s only natural that I give you a hand. You can take this as a token of apology for the previous incident, Courtney.¡± As if I¡¯d believe what he says! She didn¡¯t buy his seemingly truthful words at all. Upon thinking that they hadn¡¯t signed the contract, she sneered. ¡°You put it in such a nice way, as if I¡¯d owe you a huge debt of gratitude. Now that the contract has yet to be signed, you won¡¯t pull the same trick by using the contract to ask me to do something for you, will you?¡± ¡°Well, I do have one condition, but I believe it won¡¯t make you suffer any loss.¡± He picked up the golf club and appraised it. ¡°However, the weather today is nice and I wish to find someone to y golf with. The condition is simple¡ªif you make fewer shots than me, the contract will be signed immediately.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. She looked at him in suspicion with her brows knitted. ¡°For real?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m a man of my words.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Courtney cast a nce at Natasha and took the golf club from her. ¡°You promised you will guarantee the contract will be signed as long as I take fewer strokes than you. I don¡¯t wish to see you finding me another coborative partner after you embarrassed yourself in the match.¡± ¡°Of course I won¡¯t.¡± James wiped the golf club in his hand and a cryptic smile appeared by his lips. Courtney had been practicing golf since she was little because her grandfather loved the sport. When she was little and her grandfather had been healthy, he used to bring her to the golf course and their coaches were professional golfers. The course that they were going to y was a 18-hole course, whereby the total par score was 72. Courtney¡¯s best record was 61 strokes, while the best record in the Guinness World Records was 55 strokes. Back when she barely started learning to y golf when she had been younger, the coach that taught her had always praised her as a genius in golfing. Their match began at 2.30 PM. They yed until the sky became dim and the outdoor temperature gradually became cooler. Currently, Courtney had taken 61 strokes and she was left with thest hole, while James¡¯ score was 63 strokes. Their scores suggested that both of their skills were on par with that of a professional golfer. As the straight-line distance of the ball from the hole was not far, she estimated that she could end the match with 62 strokes if nothing went wrong. Just then, James approached her. ¡°Courtney, you are certainly well-versed in golfing. I reckon that you have learned it professionally.¡± ¡°You asked too much. All you have to remember is that if I manage to get the ball in the hole with this stroke, the contract has to be signed.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± James chuckled, then continued in a low voice, ¡°You seem energetic today; looks like Leon didn¡¯t treat you wellst night.¡± The moment she heard that, Courtney instantly paled and she turned to James in shock. However, he took a step back to stay a fairly safe distance from her. ¡°Carry on, Courtney; I won¡¯t interfere with your ying. I¡¯m afraid that you may me me for affecting your performance if I stand too close to you.¡± Courtney¡¯s hand that was holding the golf club trembled. She had never expected that Leon was actually rted to James. What did Leon mean when he said that he was sorry? Did he really not do anythingst night? The golf club in her hand slipped a little and the white golf ball rolled toward the hole but stopped right before it. Natasha heaved a heavy sigh as she stood off at one side. ¡°It was so close!¡± After she said that, she suddenly realized that she had said something she shouldn¡¯t have, so she quickly covered her mouth. When she raised her head, she was stunned to see Courtney¡¯s nched face. ¡°President Hunter, why is your face so pale?¡± James casually asked. ¡°You must be tired, Courtney. The golf match is just a joke and we can always revisit the contract. Why don¡¯t we head over to the club to take a rest?¡± He sounded friendly and polite, but coupled with what he had said earlier, it was no different from making an invisible threat. It was only at this moment did Courtney realize the true purpose of today¡¯s meeting¡ªJames had colluded with Adam to lure her here using the excuse of signing the contract, whereby their true intention was to talk about the incidentst night. They headed into a private lounge within the golf club while Adam and Natasha waited outside. ¡°I wonder if you will be able to continue to stay in Melrose City if these photos were published?¡± James produced a stack of photos and gently ced them on the coffee table in front of him before smoothly spreading the photos out. Each and every photo revealed before her was incredibly sensual. Although the bathrobe concealed the important parts, she looked even more arousing that way. At that moment, it felt as if something exploded in Courtney¡¯s head. In a panic, she grabbed all the photos and crumpled them and tore them into pieces. ¡°What do you want, James?¡± she questioned, her voice trembling. ¡°You may tear as many as you want.¡± James leaned back on the couch leisurely as he added, ¡°I¡¯m being serious. You are free to tear them since I have made many copies. Leon must have treated you wellst night. Don¡¯t you think that you should thank me?¡± Courtney¡¯s head was buzzing when she heard that, and she couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen if the photos got out. It was true that Leon had told her that nothing had happened, but he had taken the photos and sent them to James. If these photos were to be exposed to the media, who would believe that nothing had happened? ¡°This is against thew!¡± She tried to calm herself down, but the flustered look on her face betrayed her real emotions. ¡°If you dare to expose this to the media, I¡¯ll make sure to take you to court.¡± Upon hearing that, James chuckled. ¡°There are plenty of scapegoats. Courtney, don¡¯t be na?ve. Do you really think that I¡¯ll personally expose the photos when I can easily get anyone to share the photos to the public?¡± His words caused her limbs to freeze and her head to stop functioning. She then clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug into her palms. At that point, only pain could make her head clear and allow her to regain a moment¡¯s reason. ¡°The reason you did all these is for the Hunter Group, but don¡¯t you forget that thepany is not under me now. I can¡¯t transfer it to you.¡± ¡°I only need you to sell the shares you own to me.¡± James looked at her, his lips curved into a sinister smile. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that your stepmother¡¯s brothers aren¡¯t exactly righteous people? They are willing to sell anything at the right price. I¡¯ll be thergest shareholder of the Hunter Group by then. Merger and acquisition is inevitable.¡± Looking pale, Courtney tightened her fists while James¡¯ cold voice continued to echo in the room. ¡°I¡¯ll give you some time to think about it, but I can assure you that if the answer is not what I want, the photos will be all over the Inte when you step out of the door and the first person who will receive them will be Old Master Duncan.¡± Chapter 321 One Night Surprise Chapter 321 Chapter 321 Believe and Protect Her The contract for the transfer of the shares had been drafted, and James ced the two documents in front of her. ¡°As long as you sign the documents, I¡¯ll pretend that I¡¯ve never seen the photos and all of these never happened today.¡± The lounge fell into a long silence. James had been wearing a slight smile the whole time as he looked at Courtney with contempt and sarcasm in his eyes, as if he had full control over the entire situation. This woman is nothing special after all. After a long while, Courtney picked up the pen and put her signature at the signing page. She had to use the other hand to hold her wrist to stop her hand from trembling, as if the pen was as heavy as lead. James took the two documents from her hands and quickly put down his own signature. After cing one of the documents on the table, he tapped on it twice. ¡°I¡¯ll transfer the money to your ount after I sort out the cash flow. You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡± In other words, she wouldn¡¯t get even a single cent. Upon hearing that, Courtney gritted her teeth so hard that they were nearly crushed to pieces. ¡°Do as you please.¡± With the indecent photos in his hands, she was no different from a sitting duck. There was nothing she could do other thanplying to his demands. ¡°It was a pleasure working with you.¡± The corner of James¡¯ lips etched upward into his usual wicked smile as he said that. ¡ª¡ª ¡­ In the evening, at the Duncans¡¯ vi in Westpark, Josh ced a stack of documents on the desk in the study. ¡°President Duncan, I¡¯ve investigated the entire incident. Thedy named Belle Smith is not a child psychologist. Her credentials belong to someone else and that person does not go with this name.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression fell. ¡°Carry on.¡± ¡°Her name is Poppy Wace. She was a factory worker for a clothing factory in Melrose City. Two months ago, she suddenly quit her job. The other factory workers said that she seemed to have found herself a rich man. After that, when I found her, she was taking care of her husband in a hospital.¡± ¡°And her husband?¡± ¡°Fake as well.¡± As Josh spoke, his confidence diminished and his face paled. ¡°Now, both Poppy and the man in the hospital who pretended to be her husband have fled. I don¡¯t know how they did it but it¡¯s as if they disappeared from the face of the Earth.¡± With a thunderous expression, Alexander questioned, ¡°How did she know about Jordan¡¯s background?¡± ¡°This¡­ uh¡­ maybe¡­¡± Large droplets of sweat appeared on Josh¡¯s forehead as he fumbled for the words. ¡°Maybe Louis revealed it at Oreusst time and he was killed because of this as well. I thought that it was an ident since Louis didn¡¯t have many enemies, but¡ª¡± Thud! All the documents on the desk fell on the floor. One of the files flew out and hit Josh¡¯s calf, but he dared not make any sound; he endured the pain with his teeth gritted. ¡°Put down all the ongoing tasks that you have and focus all your attention on investigating what happened years ago, Louis¡¯ death, as well as the identity of the person who set all this up. Say that you are doing this under my instruction if anybody questions. How could you not notice anything when someone set up something asrge as this?¡± Alexander, who was usually taciturn, seldom lost his temper although he was cold in character. On this day, however, he was enraged. Upon hearing that, Josh nodded his head repeatedly. ¡°I¡¯ll investigate the matter. I¡¯ll definitely get to the bottom of it.¡± ¡°One more thing¡ªhave you looked into that man named Leon?¡± Alexander balled his fists tightly at that. ¡°Yes, he boarded the ne this morning and returned to Melbourne.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes were filled with darkness that resembled a bottomless abyss when he coldly instructed, ¡°I¡¯ll give you three days to bring him to me.¡± Josh had no choice but to nod and agree to that; he dared not plead for more time although three days was barely sufficient for a return trip to Melbourne. ¡°Get lost,¡± Alexander uttered two simple and concise words that sent chills down Josh¡¯s spine. Josh immediately left the study, leaving Alexander sitting alone behind the desk. Staring at his email inbox, thetter had a terrifyingly dark expression. It turned out there was an anonymous email with a few sentences. ¡®I know that I did something unforgivable on the night of 24th December, but I assure you that nothing happened between her and I at Melrose Hotel. You should trust her and protect her.¡¯ The words ¡®protect her¡¯ were like an eye-sore to Alexander, resembling two sharp thorns that pierced his eyes. Truth was, he had a gut feeling that the incidentst night wasn¡¯t as simple as it seemed and it might be rted to everything that had happened around himtely. At that thought, he furrowed his brows. Ever since the idental death of Louis at Oreus, many strange urrences had happened one after another. The incidents were obviously targeted at both Courtney and Alexander, and this time was no exception. Suddenly, an urgent ringtone rang. ¡°Alexander, are you able to get in touch with President Hunter?¡± Bill¡¯s flustered voice was heard from the other end of the line. ¡°When I was on a call with Natasha just now, I heard a loud collision sound and the call ended. The news reported that an ident happened at the elevated bridge, which is the road that President Hunter and Natasha took to head to the location to sign the papers.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be sure, but I can¡¯t reach both Natasha and President Hunter.¡± Without a moment of hesitation, Alexander instantly rose up from his seat and ran out without even wearing his coat. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Josh had barely gotten into the car outside the entrance of the vi and was about to start the car when the door of the back seat was suddenly opened, and he saw Alexander¡¯s face with a horrifying expression appear in the rear mirror. ¡°Drive!¡± ¡­ The hospital emergency unit was packed like sardines. Due to the snow, the serial car idents that happened on the elevated bridge had resulted in severe casualties. ¡°This is a real-time broadcast at Melrose City. Due to the rain and snow falling in the city, a serial car ident happened at the elevated bridge that connects the outskirts to the city. The cause of the ident was a faulty handbrake of a truck. At present, the list of casualties has yet to be tabted, but there are three confirmed deaths¡­ At this moment, all the hospitals nearby are continuously sending ambnces to the scene.¡± The car drove past almost all the red lights on the way to the hospital. Meanwhile, all the entrances of the hospitals nearby were in a mess. Even before the vehicle stopped, Josh heard the sound of the car door being opened from behind him, which scared the hell out of him. It turned out that Alexander ran out of the car before the former could say anything. ¡°Sorry, the person you are trying to reach is not avable.¡± Both Natasha and Courtney¡¯s phone were not picked up. And so, an anxious Alexander surveyed his surroundings, only to see stretcher after stretcher being pushed in and out of the emergency treatment rooms. ¡°Make way! Make way!¡± ¡°Dr. Reid, his pulse. Quickly¡ª¡± ¡°Contact the family members to mentally prepare for the worst. There¡¯s no need for any resuscitation. Let¡¯s check out the other patient.¡± It was bustling with people in the hospital but Alexander¡¯s loud voice was especially attention grabbing at the reception. ¡°I¡¯m here to look for Courtney Hunter.¡± The nurse flipped through the name list. ¡°The name¡¯s not here. Names that are not on the list are those heavily injured patients whose identity we couldn¡¯t identify. Sir, you may look for the person at the operating theaters.¡± At that moment, a surgical trolley happened to be pushed past him, the crimson blood stain on the white garment particrly appalling. With a hand holding onto his forehead, Alexander felt as if his strength was draining away and he was on the verge of breaking down emotionally. Grave horror swept over him at that instant, causing him to run toward the operation theater with his fists clenched. ¡°The patient is bleeding heavily. Is her family here? Is anybody here a family member of Courtney Hunter?¡± The name ¡®Courtney Hunter¡¯ echoed in Alexander¡¯s ears, and he abruptly pushed away the few people standing in front of him and dashed over like a madman. Chapter 322 One Night Surprise Chapter 322 Chapter 322 She Is My Life ¡°Anyone here is a family member of Courtney Hunter?¡± The nurse¡¯s voice resonated in the hallway. An unprecedented weight that felt as heavy as lead bound Alexander¡¯s feet, making it hard for him to even lift a foot. After a while, he finally returned to his senses. ¡°Over here! I¡¯m here!¡± He cut through the crowd and muttered in a trembling voice, ¡°I¡¯m Courtney¡¯s family member.¡± Holding an operation consent form in her hand, the nurse was rather indifferent as she was used to witnessing death. ¡°The patient¡¯s left part of the chest was punctured by rebars. It¡¯s very near her heart, so it will be a high- risk operation. At the moment, the doctors are giving her emergency treatment in order to save her life. Please put your signature here.¡± Upon hearing her exnation, Alexander felt as if a bomb had exploded in his head. He froze on the spot as he couldn¡¯t begin to imagine how it was like to have rebars in a person¡¯s chest. ¡°Sir? Sir, are you alright?¡± Alexander¡¯s signature on the papers seemed stiff, and the noise around him seemed to fade into the background as if he was no longer part of everything. He stared at the gap of the operation theater¡¯s doors with reddened eyes, as if staring would enable him to see the situation inside. Ten minutes after the nurse had entered the operation theater, there was some noiseing from around the corner of the hallway. It turned out that Bill, Shay and Casey had all rushed to the scene. ¡°How is my sister?¡± Shay asked in a panic. With pursed lips and slightly trembling brows, Alexander stood still like a statue. After a moment, he repeated what the nurse had told him earlier. ¡°How could this happen?!¡± Shay¡¯s eyes reddened and he suddenly grabbed Alexander by the cor. ¡°Alexander, you were supposed to take care of my sister!¡± he yelled. ¡°Maybe the situation is not that terrible.¡± Casey held Shay¡¯s arm and frowned as he looked at the timer above the operation theater that showed the duration of the surgery. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, nothing is certain yet. She is now undergoing emergency treatment.¡± Shay, however, tightened his grip around Alexander¡¯s cor, as if he didn¡¯t hear a word that Casey said. ¡°Alexander, remember your promise to me back then? That¡¯s my sister inside!¡± Alexander slowly raised his head and looked into Shay¡¯s eyes. The former¡¯s usual cold and indifferent eyes were nowpletely bloodshot. If it wasn¡¯t for Shay who was causing a ruckus, Alexander didn¡¯t even have the intention to speak. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°She is your sister but to me, she is my life.¡± Everyone was stunned at his words. Casey then pulled Shay¡¯s hand back and consoled, ¡°Calm down. The operation is still going on inside. Stop causing a ruckus. Let¡¯s wait until the operation is over.¡± Thirty minutester, the light of the operation theater extinguished and the attending doctor was the first person who exited the room. Upon seeing therge crowd at the entrance, he removed his face mask and bowed at them. ¡°Sorry, but we¡¯ve tried our best.¡± Shay¡¯s feet gave in. If Casey didn¡¯t support him, he would have slumped on the floor. ¡°Sis!¡± The surgical bed was then pushed out from behind the attending doctor. Shay pounced at the bed and clutched the white cloth tightly in his hand, but hecked the strength to lift the cloth. Tears rolled down his face uncontrobly. Bill¡¯s eyes reddened as well and Casey, who had always been cold and indifferent, had tears brimming in his eyes. On the other hand, Alexander stood nkly at one side like a lost child. He dared not get close to the surgical bed as he was unwilling to believe that the person under the white cloth was Courtney. At that moment, he was filled with regret. He regretted arguing with her that morning, regretted for being unable to control his temper and med her although he knew that she couldn¡¯t possibly betray him, and even regretted hiding his deep feelings from her and never having the chance to confess his love. ¡°Why are you all here?¡± A crisp voice came from the right side of the hallway. Carrying two bags of food, Natasha was shocked to see the five men that had been swallowed by grief. Puzzled, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you all?¡± Bill, who stood the nearest to her, frowned and answered in a hoarse voice, ¡°Don¡¯t ask. We lost her.¡± Natasha was stunned when she heard that. Her gazended on the surgical bed that was covered with a white cloth. With her eyes lowered, she sighed. ¡°President Hunter and I tried our best to send her to the hospital as soon as possible. We really tried our very best.¡± Bill nodded as well, but he suddenly realized that something was off. He abruptly turned to her and asked, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Natasha was stunned. ¡°I said, President Hunter and I tried our best¡ª¡± When Bill was questioning her, Alexander finally came to his senses. With arge stride, he went over to the surgical bed and lifted the white cloth¡ªlying on the bed was a plump middle-aged woman whose face was as pale as a sheet. Shay took a step back in horror and even tripped and fell into Casey¡¯s arms. ¡°She¡¯s not my sister!¡± Alexander¡¯s hand that clutched the white cloth trembled slightly and the storm that had been raging inside him gradually calmed. After covering the white cloth on the dead body, he went up to Natasha and asked as calmly as he could, ¡°Where¡¯s Courtney?¡± ¡°I wanted to ask the same question. I¡¯ve just returned from buying supper. We haven¡¯t had our dinner.¡± At that, Natasha scratched her head and looked around. ¡°The hospital is short-staffed. Since President Hunter used to study medicine, she volunteered to help for the time being.¡± As soon as Natasha said that, a gust of cold wind swept past her and the very next second, Alexander was nowhere to be seen. Bill nced at his leaving figure before asking the nurse to send the patient who didn¡¯t survive to the morgue. Then, he bowed at the woman to apologize for the disturbance. A confused Natasha raised her head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± As Josh had been around the whole time, he was the most suitable candidate to exin the entire misunderstanding. Upon seeing that everyone was looking at him, Josh gave it some thought and hesitantly replied, ¡°The nurse came out and said that the name of the patient inside is Courtney Hunter. She even asked for the family member of the patient to sign the consent form. So, President Duncan thought that¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡ªI see.¡± Natasha finally understood the situation and exined, ¡°It was President Hunter and I who sent the patient here. In case the hospital personnel couldn¡¯t find us, President Hunter asked the nurse to call for her name if they needed to look for the patient¡¯s family member. I reckoned that the doctors and nurses must have been so busy that they got them mixed up.¡± ¡°Then, what do we do now?¡± Josh¡¯s brows were tightly knitted. ¡°Let¡¯s go home and do whatever we need to do.¡± Natasha seemed helpless. ¡°The car that President Hunter and I were in had hit the guardrail, so it has been sent to the workshop to be repaired, but we are totally fine.¡± Everyone heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing that, especially Shay, whose face had been pale the whole time. At that moment, he felt as if he was finally able to breathe. Taking a deep breath, he leaned against Casey while rubbing his eyes hard. ¡°Alexander¡¯s gone mad!¡± he mumbled. Casey stroked his tousled bangs at his forehead and asked, ¡°Do you still want to meet your sister?¡± ¡°No.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯ste. Let¡¯s head back. I have to rush for an appointment tomorrow morning.¡± After Shay and Casey had left, Josh went about his business as well, leaving Natasha behind. Carrying the supper in her hands, she was left standing in the hallway in an awkward situation. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I reckon that Courtney now has someone to get her dinner.¡± Bill cast her a nce. ¡°I need your help to look at some designs back in the studio. Would you like to check it out?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Natasha¡¯s eyes lit up at that. He nced at the meal boxes in her hands and said, ¡°It just so happened that I haven¡¯t had my dinner as well.¡± Alexander searched high and low in the entire hospital and finally spotted Courtney at the entrance where the ambnces were parked. At that moment, she was helping the doctors and nurses to receive a patient. Her pink coat was stained with crimson blood, but she seemedposed among the messy crowd, calmly keeping the situation under control. The tightness in his chest gradually eased and his heartbeat returned to normal when he saw that. ¡°You don¡¯t need to put in too much strength. Save your strength as this will be a long night,¡± a doctor uttered with a smile as he looked at Courtney. He squatted in the ambnce while wiping his sweat. ¡°Speaking of which, are you a new intern? I¡¯ve never seen you around.¡± Chapter 323 One Night Surprise Chapter 323 Chapter 323 There Are Some Things That I Can¡¯t Find Out As the male doctor spoke, he handed Courtney a white handkerchief. ¡°This is clean; it hasn¡¯t been used.¡± Courtney thanked him and took the handkerchief to wipe her face before she exined, ¡°No, I just sent an injured person over, so I thought to stay and help.¡± ¡°But you seem rather skillful at it. Are you a medical student?¡± Courtney looked young, but her pink coat and her hair that was put up when she was helping around made her seem especially like a student today. Upon hearing that, she shook her head and denied, ¡°I¡¯m not a medical student.¡± The light in her eyes dimmed when she said that. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± On the contrary, the male doctor had a gleam in his gaze. ¡°You must have studied medicine. Judging from your skills and the way you assessed the patient¡¯s injuries, I¡¯m a hundred percent positive that you studied medicine. Which hospital are you working in? We are in the industry where we save lives, so any hospital makes no difference.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really not a medical student,¡± Courtney repeated helplessly. ¡°I supposed that those who got injured in the ident at the elevated bridge are all here. I should leave. You should head in to assist them.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Only then did the doctor return to his senses and hop off the ambnce. After taking two steps, he suddenly turned and asked, ¡°Do you mind giving me your number?¡± Before Courtney could even answer, a deep male voice was heard from behind the doctor. ¡°Courtney, I¡¯ve been looking for you for some time. Let¡¯s head home.¡± Stunned, the male doctor looked back and found a slender figure that was taller than him by at least half a head. Although the man was half a meter away, he exuded an imposing aura. Well, this is not surprising. A beautiful and kind woman like her must have been taken! The dispirited male doctor then sighed and left the scene. Meanwhile, Courtney, who was standing at the back door of the ambnce, felt a tightness in her chest the moment sheid her eyes on Alexander and she instantly straightened her back. She had a shocked look in her eyes as she didn¡¯t expect him to show up here. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Alexander stepped forward and didn¡¯t exin much. ¡°Let¡¯s go home. We can talk after you get changed and eat.¡± Courtney lowered her head and saw the blood stains on her clothes, so she nodded. The two of them avoided bringing up the disagreement that had happened in the hotel that morning, keeping quiet throughout their way home in the cab. As soon as they arrived home, Courtney took a set of clean clothes and entered the bathroom. The smell of hospital disinfectants and blood on her coat was gradually reced by the fragrance of the shower gel in the bathroom. Warm water rinsed away the foam on her back, and she seemed to fall in a daze. She suspected that Alexander might want to talk to her about breaking up, since he had mentioned before he left the hotel in the morning that whether they break up or not would be his decision to make. When Courtney opened the door to exit the bathroom after showering, she was greeted by the smell of food. She was stunned for a second before she headed out of the room while wiping her hair. There were many dishes on the dining table. ¡°Sit down and eat.¡± Alexander took two bowls from the kitchen and served her a bowl of soup. Bemused, she raised her head and nced at the clock that had both hands at the number twelve. ¡°It¡¯s 12.00 AM. Are we having supper?¡± ¡°It¡¯s dinner.¡± He handed her a fork and a spoon as he asked, ¡°Have you eaten dinner?¡± She shook her head, quietly sipping her soup with her head bowed before she mumbled, ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Natasha told me.¡± ¡°That girl is quite loquacious, isn¡¯t she?¡± Courtney frowned and added, ¡°What else did she tell you?¡± ¡°She said that the patient who died in the operating room after the doctors failed to save her isn¡¯t you.¡± Courtney froze. She slowly lifted her head. The ceiling lights were not switched on, so the only light source was the standing light beside the dining table. The dim lighting, coupled with the fact that Alexander had been keeping his head bowed the whole time, caused her to not realize that his eyes were bloodshot, resembling someone who had been staying up for a long time without resting. ¡°What happened?¡± She was confused, but she could roughly gauge the reason he had shown up at the hospital. Alexander drew a deep breath. ¡°Eat first. We¡¯ll talk after you eat.¡± ¡°Talk about what?¡± Courtney was anxious as she thought, About us breaking up? ¡°About all the problems we have had between us ever since we met. We¡¯ll talk things out and everything will be fine.¡± ¡°What if things don¡¯t work out between us?¡± She sat up straight, looking at him with her brows furrowed. After a moment of hesitation, she blurted the question. ¡°Are you going to break up with me?¡± Her gut instincts told her that Alexander was acting way too calm at the moment, and his extreme calmness made her feel scared. The words ¡®break-up¡¯ were uttered in a loud and clear manner, causing an obvious crease to appear between Alexander¡¯s brows as he tried to conceal the hint of rage in his eyes. ¡°Eat first.¡± He wanted to talk to her about everything but breaking up. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± She frowned, insisting on listening to what he had to say first. However, the moment she said that, Courtney could hear her stomach uncooperatively making a weird sound. It sounded particrly clear in the empty room, so she coughed once awkwardly. Alexander darted her a nce and turned to serve her a bowl of rice. ¡°Eat.¡± Screw him and whatever he has to say! Courtney sighed inwardly. Let¡¯s break up, then. I¡¯m tired of exining. Filling my stomach is my top priority now. Her body was so honest that it exposed everything. She had skipped her lunch at noon and James had pissed her offter in the afternoon, so she had been starving for quite some time now. Hence, she gobbled down the food on the table and almost cleared all the food and even the soup. Burping, she looked down and rubbed her tummy in satisfaction. ¡°I¡¯m full. You can say whatever you want to say.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander looked at her. ¡°You should know that if I wish to know anything, I don¡¯t have to ask you directly, because I can find out anything I want.¡± His attitude made Courtney frown and a hint of displeasure bubbled inside her. He had always been arrogant and opinionated ever since she first knew him. The concept of ¡®respect¡¯ was insignificant to him as he seemed to not have the term in his dictionary. ¡°However, I don¡¯t wish to find out about you from others.¡± The twist in this conversation was rather unexpected. Feeling rather surprised, she looked at him. ¡°To be honest, when ites to things that involve you, I¡¯d prefer that you personally tell me and share everything with me. I won¡¯t investigate the matter even if you¡¯re unwilling to tell me, although there are certain things that I won¡¯t be able to find out even if I do so.¡± Courtney balled her fists, suddenly feeling anxious. ¡°Whether you have ever loved any man other than me, how much you care about me, or why the first thing you consider whenever something happens is to give up on our rtionship¡ªthese are questions that I couldn¡¯t find out the answers to.¡± At that moment, Alexander was sitting opposite her. He had always maintained a cold expression that made him seem perfectly calm andposed. Nheless, tiny cracks appeared in his gaze at the moment. The cracks signified the love of his life, and they were his only weakness that he willingly revealed to the world. ¡°You asked me what I want to talk to you about. I think that the answer that you considered the most is breaking up, but this topic that keeps lingering in your head is the only thing that I¡¯ve never considered.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression tensed when she heard that. Staring nkly at Alexander, she was unable to say even a word. Chapter 324 One Night Surprise Chapter 324 Chapter 324 I Don¡¯t Know Anything It was only after a long time that Courtney found her voice. ¡°Why are you suddenly telling me this?¡± She did not know about Alexander¡¯s drastic mood changes before he met her in the hospital. Though he was usually a man of few words, he used up his entire reservoir of patience when it came to her to try to stabilize their already rocky rtionship. Looking at her, he asked, ¡°If I didn¡¯t tell you this, what would you say to me? That we should break up?¡± Courtney was at a loss of words yet again. He¡¯s right. Every time when both of us encounter any issues, my first reaction is to retreat. The golden principle of her life was to cut her losses as early as possible, and she had been doing that for the past two decades. She wanted to weigh the pros and cons, and between Alexander and her two children, she chose the latter. Between her career and him, she chose the former. In the future, if she would need to make such a decision between him or family and friends, she would choose the former without any hesitations. Alexander was her love life, but to her, love was the least prioritized. What is the cause of this? After pondering this for a long time, Courtney finally replied, ¡°The truth always hurts and reality is always ugly. Sometimes, lying to ourselves is also something good. But if you really mind this, I¡¯m sorry to tell you that be it Tina or my friends and family, to me they are more important than lovers. It¡¯s the same for you when you can¡¯tpare Jordan with me. Please don¡¯t take such matters to force me to make a choice. There¡¯s no meaning to this.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t mind?¡± Alexander looked at her, but his expression had never changed from the beginning. Ever since he prepared himself for this conversation, he was already mentally prepared. After all, he knew very well what Courtney was like. All the rules that he would not break, he had broken all of them when it came to her. Courtney froze, and she was even slightly flustered and uneasy. ¡°W-What did you say?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind that I¡¯m the least prioritized, but you must have me in your life.¡± He looked arrogant and haughty, the same way he had looked when he first helped her out in the elevator, but Courtney did not understand what he just told her. Staying still, Alexander looked at her and waited for her reply. When it came to love, the rules that he once thought were rigid turned out to be breakable for her, apart from one¡ªhe must be present in her life. He could notpromise on this. ¡°I got it.¡± Courtney¡¯s initial cold limbs slowly became warmer and warmth filled her eyes as she looked back at this man in front of her. No matter how many misunderstandings and problems they had, she knew one thing for sure¡ªshe was really important to him. ¡°Are you certain?¡± Alexander looked at her. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t youe closer?¡± His low voice reverberated in the room. Courtney froze for a moment before the chair slid across the ground and she walked to him. Alexander then pulled her into his arms. It feels really nice to be pulled into a warm embrace by surprise in this cold winter. Three dayster, after Alexander sent Courtney to the office, he received a call from Josh. ¡°President Duncan, I brought him back.¡± In three days, Josh went to Melbourne without any breaks and used up all his connections. Finally, he found Leon and ignored all of the other man¡¯s protests, sessfully bringing him back to the country. ¡°Bring him to the warehouse to the west of the city,¡± Alexander instructed coldly. After hanging up the call, he mmed his feet onto the elerator and entered the highway to go to the west side of the city. Even though Courtney had not told him what happened that night, the surveince cameras from the hotel showed Leon sending her into a room. Not long after that, he was the only one walking out of the room. Hence, no matter what he did or what he was about to do, Leon definitely knew something. The west warehouse was a deserted warehouse used to ce some unwanted stuff from Sunhill Enterprise. There was a deep basement underneath the warehouse which was damp and dark. Under the flickering light, a man with chestnut colored hair found himself being sshed with cold water. He jolted and came to his senses. ¡°Who are you guys?¡± He cowered backward in trepidation as his entire body shivered. Two men, who looked like fighters, were wearing ck jackets. One of them had a bucket in his hand while the other had an electric baton. They blocked most of the light. ¡°Who are we?¡± The man who was holding the bucketughed coldly and maniacally. ¡°The devil.¡± ¡°No matter how much money you want, I¡¯ll give it to you. Did Mr. Corbyn instruct you to do this? Was he the one? But I already returned all the money.¡± ¡°Mr. Corbyn?¡± The man holding the electric baton stared at him and crouched as he poked his waist with it. ¡°Who is Mr. Corbyn?¡± Leon was so startled that he let out a scream. ¡°If you guys are not sent by Mr. Corbyn, what grudges do we have with each other?¡± ¡°You know how to return money to the people you owe, but some things can¡¯t be settled by money. You are extremely unlucky.¡± The burly man threw the bucket aside and itnded with a loud thud. As the dust rose from the ground, the door of the basement was opened with a click. A brightly polished shoe then stepped on the concrete staircase. Panicked, Leon quickly looked in that direction. When he saw thetest arrival, he looked utterly defeated. ¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡± Alexander stood in front of Leon, looking down at thetter as if he was as insignificant as an ant. ¡°It seems like you know me.¡± Leon shivered when he heard that. ¡°You¡¯re Alexander Duncan, the ex-president of the Sunhill Enterprise and the young master of the Duncan Family. Who doesn¡¯t know you?¡± The burly man next to him took a clean chair over, but Alexander raised his hand to indicate that there was no need for this. And so, he stood aside silently. Josh then walked over from behind Alexander and shot a nce at the two burly men. ¡°You guys can leave now. I¡¯ll handle this from here.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± They nodded. ¡°Call us if you need anything.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The door of the basement was closed again. Under the dim lights, shadows were moving on the ground. ¡°Do you know why you are here?¡± Josh squatted in front of Leon and pulled the strings that tied him up firmly. Leon gritted his teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s illegal for you to kidnap me.¡± ¡°In Melrose City, everything that the Duncan Family says is thew.¡± Josh looked at him coldly. ¡°Since I can get you here from Melbourne, do you think I¡¯ll be afraid of this? You bettere clean to us and answer our questions honestly.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I did nothing.¡± Leon was so cold that his face looked grayish. It was winter in December, but he only wore a T-shirt and shorts. It was obvious that he was brought here in a rucksack from the sunny Melbourne, and he was already numb from the cold. ¡°Didn¡¯t you send the email?¡± Josh continued to stare at him fixedly. ¡°What happened that night?¡± Leon¡¯s heart sank and his gaze became nervous. Thinking back to what James had warned him, he gritted his teeth and denied vehemently, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything.¡± Upon seeing his stubbornness, Josh stood up with indifference and pointed at the chair. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± Leon remained silent. ¡°I can answer that question for you. You are going to sit on the chair with your lower body firmly on the ground. Then, you are going to be showered in cold water and electrified. How long do you think your legs canst below the freezing point?¡± Chapter 325 One Night Surprise Chapter 325 Chapter 325 Settle the Old and New Grudges Together Leon arduously raised his head to look at the chair that was only a meter away from him. He could not see what material the chair was made of, although he noticed that it was silver with colorful wires. On its right were two pipes that were connected to a bucket of water. Almost instantaneously, his facial expression changed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°You are a model who has to walk on stage. If you lose your legs, what else can you do for the rest of your life?¡± Josh¡¯s face was dark as he grabbed Leon by the cor and dragged the man to the chair. ¡°Let me go!¡± Leon screamed and thrashed violently. However, he was wrapped like a cocoon with a rucksack and some ropes. As he could not move an inch, he could only allow Josh to drag him for around half a meter. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll say¡­¡± Leon yelled in panic as his voice echoed in the entire basement. ¡°It was James who asked me to go to Courtney¡¯s ce and take a few pictures to illustrate that she slept with me. Nothing happened between both of us, though. I only drugged her so that she would fall asleep and took the pictures thereafter to send them to James.¡± Josh frowned and turned to look at Alexander. There was no need to question James¡¯ motive for such an action¡ªhe clearly wanted to snatch the shares of the Hunter Group from Courtney. Alexander¡¯s expression was extremely cold in the dim lights as he took a few steps forward to step on Leon¡¯s face. ¡°If you did something to her, you won¡¯t even be here to speak.¡± ¡°Let me go. I¡¯m also being forced to do this.¡± ¡°President Duncan.¡± If Leon was killed, Josh was worried that it could spell more trouble for them, so he tried to warn Alexander. ¡°Since we already have our answer, let¡¯s forget it.¡± After withdrawing his foot, Alexander coldly answered, ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything. Just hand him over to the two guys outside. They¡¯ll know what to do.¡± Josh heaved a sigh of relief. As long as he didn¡¯t have to do it with his own hands, it was fine. After all, Leon was not a good person either. Moments after they walked out of the basement, they instructed the two fighters inside on the next course of action. A tragic scream was heard shortly after before the ce quickly became silent again. As to what the two fighters had done to Leon, it was something Josh didn¡¯t even dare to imagine. ¡°President Duncan, what should we do now?¡± Alexander was seated in the backseat of the vehicle. The rearview mirror reflected his indifferent expression as he slowly expressed, ¡°We¡¯ll settle the old and new grudges together.¡± In the past, he was doing Scott a favor by feigning that he was unaware of the things that James had done. Apart from that, Alexander didn¡¯t have the time to manage thepany, hence he didn¡¯t have any problem handing the business to James. However, now that James had touched someone whom he shouldn¡¯t have, the situation was different ¡ª¡ª ¡­ Now that New Year¡¯s Eve was around the corner, the Public Security University within the Campus City of Melrose had officially started their training. After Oliver obtained his badge number, he sewed it on the inside of his uniform solemnly. In case of any idents during the training, it was the only way to confirm his identity. ¡°Hey, weakling.¡± Tessa¡¯s voice rang from behind him. Before he could even return to his senses, a strong hand patted on his shoulder and the force was so strong that he almost spat out some blood. Cough¡­ She acted as though she didn¡¯t hear it and continued with her words seriously, ¡°Once we are out of the military region, just follow behind me.¡± It took Oliver a lot of strength to push her aside. ¡°Who will be following behind you? And what did you call me? Do you even remember my code name? I¡¯m Phoenix.¡± Tessa looked at him in disdain as she slung a practice gun over her shoulder. ¡°Oh, forget it. Just ept that you are a weakling. Even when I¡¯m on my menses, my record of doing a cross country run with weights is still better than your best record. The information from your intel group is pretty much useless for training like these. I mean, Melrose City is such a small ce¡ªwe can just conduct a full search by brute force.¡± He was annoyed upon hearing that. ¡°Sure, you can do that in Melrose City, but when ites to war, try searching the entire world without our intel!¡± As she arched her eyebrow, she responded, ¡°I don¡¯t disagree with that, but this time around, you can just follow me.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Oliver shook her off. ¡°I have something else to do this time. Since you guys don¡¯t need the intel group, I¡¯ll just do my own thing then.¡± ¡°Oh, no. This can¡¯t work.¡± Tessa chased after him. ¡°You can¡¯t leave the team like this.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to conduct a manual search? I¡¯ll take East Melrose. You can arrange for others to head somewhere else.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to look for in East Melrose. There are too many people there, so you won¡¯t locate anything. Go to Westpark.¡± ¡°I insist on going to East Melrose.¡± Upon seeing Oliver¡¯s insistence, Tessa looked puzzled. ¡°Why do you insist on going there? Is there something going on in East Melrose?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°There is a drug cartel hiding there. Do you believe me?¡± ¡°Nonsense. If there really is, why didn¡¯t you report it?¡± ¡°I suspect they have rtions with the narcotics, so I n to attack them myself and ambush all of them.¡± When Tessa first heard his words, she thought Oliver was pulling her leg. However, as he provided her with more details, her expression slowly changed. ¡°You are fooling around.¡± ¡°No one¡¯s doing that with you.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll have to report this.¡± ¡°Hey, you are not allowed to do that.¡± He pulled her back. ¡°I already told you that you can¡¯t do that. I have to do it myself.¡± ¡°Are you nuts?¡± Tessa¡¯s face darkened. ¡°This is only a training and the few spots that they have arranged are fake. We don¡¯t even have real bullets in our guns. What if something happens? Don¡¯t forget that we still have other team members apart from you. What if they attack the real hiding spot of the drug cartel and think that it was a part of the training?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I asked you to let me handle East Melrose,¡± Oliver said seriously. ¡°Once we are assigned to each district, they won¡¯t simply enter other people¡¯s districts. Apart from that, I have confidence that we are about to catch the head of the drug cartel. I¡¯m not looking for credits; I just want to catch them once and for all.¡± Upon hearing his words, she froze. When he spoke, she couldn¡¯t help following his train of thoughts each time. When they had asked the outstanding students to give a speech at the beginning of the semester, it was his speech that made her notice him. To her, even though Oliver was quite weak and couldn¡¯t even win a fight against a woman, he was a real man. ¡°Sure.¡± Tessa frowned. ¡°I have a request, though.¡± ¡°Say it.¡± As she was their teammander, his n could be considered half a sess if he gained her approval. His eyes immediately brightened as he never expected that it¡¯d be a piece of cake to convince her. ¡°I¡¯ll head to East Melrose with you.¡± With that, Oliver¡¯s expression froze. N?velDrama.Org content. Tessa continued, ¡°After we have arrived at East Melrose, you¡¯ll need approval for all of the actions that you want to take. You have to take my orders. You know the nature of the army¡ªyou must follow all orders, no questions asked.¡± He frowned. Even though he didn¡¯t like this, he unwillingly nodded in agreement. After the pep rally, the students involved in the current training went their separate ways. She arranged the different areas for her teammates and selected two more people to follow her and Oliver to East Melrose. Chapter 326 One Night Surprise Chapter 326 Chapter 326 Mom Will Be Happy for Me ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can count on me. No matter what James has done or what he¡¯s nning to do, all his ns will be ruined once the newspaper reports about the drug cartel.¡± Oliver¡¯s confident voice rang from the phone. Alexander nodded thoughtfully. ¡°In that case, be careful.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. What could go wrong anyway? I have the future special troops with me¡ªthey are the strongest in school. I¡¯m sure we can catch them this time.¡± After hanging up the call, Alexander looked at the huge pile of documents in front of him with a cold expression. Over the years, even though James never had a formal position in Sunhill Enterprise, all the evil deeds that he hadmitted were done here. ¡°Young Master.¡± A maid knocked on his door. ¡°Miss Hunter and her family have arrived and they¡¯re chatting with Old Master Duncan at the forecourt. Would you like to have dinner soon, or shall we wait for a while?¡± Alexander nodded. ¡°You may start preparing now.¡± With that, he rose to leave the kitchen and walked toward the yard. He could even hear them chatting before he arrived at the door. ¡°Courtney grew up in the Somerfield Family before leaving for the Hunter Family. To me and my wife, she is as good as my daughter.¡± The speaker was, without a doubt, Courtney¡¯s uncle, William Somerfield. After Alexander had an honest discussion with Courtney thest time, she finally treated this matter with all seriousness. Hence, when Scott wanted to meet her family, she no longer rejected him and agreed to his request. As William had a rather unique identity, making it inconvenient for him to show up in public, they had arranged for him to have a meal in the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home instead. The n was only agreed after they discussed it with him and Alicia. Scott spoke in a loud and cheerful voice, ¡°That¡¯s right. Both of them have simr experiences as kids. Since young, Alexander didn¡¯t grow up with his parents as well. Instead, he grew up with me, which turned him into a cold and indifferent person. After so many years, I have never seen him fall in love with other women except for Courtney. He has fallen for her and I have taken a liking to her myself. Don¡¯t you think that fate has brought us together?¡± Courtney sat next to her aunt, Alicia. As there was no opportunity for her to join the conversation at moments like this, she merely watched William and Alicia have small talk with Scott as the three elders tried to gauge what the other family was like. Alicia was obviously quite dissatisfied with the Duncan Family. Ever since she arrived, she looked stony and didn¡¯t speak much to Scott. Just as Courtney started panicking, she saw a familiar figure by the door and quickly stood up. ¡°Alexander.¡± Everyone looked toward the direction of the door as well. ¡°Alexander¡¯s here. Come here, Alex.¡± Scott waved to Alexander in displeasure. ¡°Why did you only arrive after so long? It¡¯s been a while since Courtney¡¯s uncle and aunt have arrived.¡± Alexander did not bother to provide an exnation as he sat next to Scott. His seating position was directly across Courtney with a long tray of teapots and teacups between them. Upon noticing the message she was trying to send with her facial expression, he frowned. ¡°The kitchen is preparing the meal now. I¡¯m sure we can eat soon. Should I ask the kids toe down first?¡± As he wasn¡¯t used to breaking the silence, it took a lot out of him to say such words. Alicia shot a nce at Alexander before responding coldly, ¡°There¡¯s no need to hurry. It¡¯s as clear as day that you don¡¯t usually take care of the children. If the kids are here when the food is not ready, they won¡¯t be able to wait long. They¡¯ll make a mess when it¡¯s really time to dig in.¡± He was immediately at a loss of words as the atmosphere tensed up. Courtney cleared her throat. ¡°Aunt Alicia, Tina and Jordan are obedient kids and seldom throw tantrums.¡± ¡°How can that be?¡± Alicia looked at her. ¡°Kids who throw tantrums when they are younger are smarter. I see that both of them are quite lively at my ce. Why are they so well behaved here? Don¡¯t tell me that the rules here are too strict and so many that they have to dumbly follow them.¡± When Scott heard this, he was exceptionally displeased. ¡°Without rules, they will not be sessful. Alexander was raised with rules as well. On top of that, the kids are no longer young¡ªthey are almost six years old. How could we allow them to behave in a coltish manner?¡± ¡°Mr. Duncan, I think you might be wrong this time,¡± Alicia spoke steadily as she looked at Scott. ¡°You just mentioned that you were the one who brought Alexander up and he is quite cold and indifferent. You can¡¯t implement your set of rules on Tina since she grew up abroad. So, I think it¡¯s better if she comes back to my ce after the meal so that she can rx afterward.¡± If what she said in the beginning tested his limits, her current words obviously taunted the old man. Fortunately, he was someone with lots of life experiences. Even though there was displeasure on his face, he chose to remain silent. As if to relieve the tense situation and prevent the conversation from turning awkward, it was at this moment when someone from the kitchen told them that the meal was ready. Before the meal, Courtney pulled Alicia into the yard. ¡°Aunt Alicia, what are you doing? Why are you suddenly saying these things? You made the atmosphere quite awkward. And why do you want to bring Tina away?¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± Alicia knocked on Courtney¡¯s forehead. ¡°You better keep a distance from the Duncan Family before marriage, especially the kids. Let me advise you¡ªbefore marrying Alexander, you better take care of Tina yourself. If you don¡¯t have the time, you can bring her over to me. Don¡¯t let them think that you have brought a burden with you.¡± Courtney was delighted to hear that. ¡°You¡¯re worried that they might look down on me because I¡¯m bringing a child along?¡± ¡°If they dare to do so, I¡¯ll teach them a lesson! They should look at themselves¡ªAlexander has a kid himself too!¡± When Alicia stood up for Courtney, thetter felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She hugged Alicia¡¯s arm and affectionately leaned toward her aunt. ¡°Well, since he also has a kid, it makes things fair for both parties. Hence, you don¡¯t have toin about this anymore.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s true; when a daughter gets married, she¡¯ll forget her own family indeed. You haven¡¯t even married him, yet you are already taking his side,¡± an exasperated Alicia noted as she lovingly pinched Courtney¡¯s cheek. ¡°If I don¡¯t do this, they will think that you are easily bullied. If your mom in Heaven knows this, she won¡¯t be happy.¡± Courtney subconsciously looked to the sky and saw the countless stars. ¡°I¡¯m sure that won¡¯t happen. If Mom knows this, she will be happy for me.¡± It wasn¡¯t easy for her and Alexander to be where they were today; it was as if they were fated to endure many tribtions over the course of six years to be finally together. She even decided that she would eventuallye clean with the truth. When it was time for dinner, Alicia¡¯s tense expression had noticeably calmed down a lot, mostly because of what Courtney had said earlier. Apart from that, it was probably the result of the two kids around who continued to make the adultsugh. Since it was a peaceful and happy atmosphere, there was nothing for Alicia toin about. N?velDrama.Org content. After dinner, Tina came to the table while the rest of them chatted with each other. Then, she suddenly asked, ¡°Great-Aunt Alicia, is Mommy going to marry Mr. Alexander?¡± Alicia looked at Tina and asked gently, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you think it¡¯s not good?¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s fine.¡± Tina deliberately gave Alexander a sideway nce. ¡°The number of people who want to marry my mommy will reach France if they line up. It all depends on how Mr. Alexander¡¯s performance is if he wants to marry her.¡± Alexander immediately shot a nce at Jordan, hoping that the boy would save the situation for him. Looking as if he understood what Alexander meant, Jordan pulled Courtney¡¯s hand and seriously advised, ¡°That¡¯s right, Mommy. You should¡­ seriously consider it.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression immediately changed as he felt that he had raised an ungrateful b*stard. Chapter 327 One Night Surprise Chapter 327 Chapter 327 It¡¯s Snowing With a smile on her face, Courtney touched the tip of Jordan¡¯s nose. ¡°What if I don¡¯t consider marrying your father? Then, you won¡¯t be able to see me in the future.¡± Upon hearing that, his expression instantly changed whereby he yanked her arms and climbed on her. ¡°Mommy, you can¡¯t do this.¡± She hugged him and patted his back in helplessness. ¡°I was just joking.¡± As Courtney originally thought that Jordan would say something, he leaned against her shoulder instead and replied in a muffled voice, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want Daddy, but you can¡¯t abandon me.¡± When William and Alicia heard that, they bothughed out loud. Alicia meaningfully looked at Alexander and joked, ¡°Even though you¡¯re the one who brought Jordan up, he¡¯s much closer to Courtney in these six months. To be downright honest, if you treat Courtney badly in the future, it¡¯s highly likely that your son will take her side instead of yours.¡± Scott could tell that her words were said in jest, so he didn¡¯t treat it seriously and chuckled. ¡°In the future, if Alexander wrongs Courtney, she will stay in the Duncan Family while we chase him out. I don¡¯t have such an embarrassing grandson.¡± Since he was the butt of everyone¡¯s jokes, Alexander¡¯s face darkened as he stared at Jordan and insisted, ¡°Come here, Jordan.¡± However, Jordan continued to remain in Courtney¡¯s embrace and returned his father¡¯s re. ¡°You are fierce, Daddy. Mommy won¡¯t like you like this,¡± he said with a snort. Everyone else exchanged nces before they burst outughing in unison. Now that she was surrounded by the family¡¯s warmth, she clearly noticed the morose cloud in Alicia¡¯s eyes dispersing as Alicia seemed to have epted the Duncan Family. Once dinner was done, Scott had personally seen William and Alicia off at the door. His attitude was clearly indicative of how much the Duncan Family valued Courtney. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can go inside now since the wind is quite strong out here.¡± Alicia waved to them from the car and asked them to head back, but a stubborn Courtney stood by the door until the vehicle turned into a ck dot and vanished into the night. Only then did she go back inside the house. As it was quitete, she stayed the night at the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. It was without a doubt that the two kids were the happiest and even wanted to sleep in the same room as her. She and the kids had entirely upied the bed while Alexander discussed business matters with Scott in the study. Courtney held each of them in her arms as she told them bedtime stories before they slept. ¡°There was a white rabbit and a ck bunny in the past who met in a forest¡­¡± Scott had finished reading the documents in front of himte into the night. Apart from being furious, there was also a solemn expression on his face. ¡°Since you have already shown me this, I bet you have already done something, haven¡¯t you?¡± As soon as he heard the question, Alexander straightened his posture on the other end of the study table and nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already taken action. If I¡¯m not mistaken, the reason why his evil deeds have not been exposed is because someone is protecting him from behind the scenes. I¡¯ve kept it a secret for the time being while I asked Josh to look into the matter.¡± ¡°Have you discovered who that person is?¡± ¡°Nelson Abott from the police force.¡± As soon as Scott heard that, he took a deep breath and mmed his fist into the table as he swore, ¡°That b*stard.¡± Back when Nelson was still working in the Criminal Investigation Department, he had carried a lot of favors for the Duncan Family. It was Scott who used his connections to get Nelson promoted some timeter. Now that he had made a name for himself, no one expected him to have the nerve to be involved in drug cartels and keep the crime a secret. Alexander added solemnly, ¡°He is now the biggest drug lord in Melrose City. Hence, once the case in East Melrose is reported by the media, he will be notified of it. Even though he might not be able to suppress it by then, I¡¯m worried that he will deliberately release some news to allow those pivotal people involved to escape.¡± Knowing how serious the matter was, Scott frowned deeply. Even though he wanted to help James as a family member, he knew that it would not work out. After a while, he said in a low voice, ¡°When that happens, try to keep his rtionship with our family as distant as possible. Don¡¯t let someone like him destroy the good reputation of Sunhill Enterprise.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Alexander firmly replied. Since he had already passed the matter to Oliver to handle, he had already meant to resolve it privately. This was one of the main reasons why he didn¡¯t want to officially report the incident. Once that happened, the police would have no choice but to release James¡¯ name. As the current president of the Sunhill Enterprise, he would definitely drag thepany with him, thereafter causing the share prices to fluctuate. However, if Oliver manages this incident, it would be much easier as they could avoid reporting James¡¯ name. Alexander left the study to return to his room when the discussion with Scott ended. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Courtney and the two children in bed sound asleep. Tina cuddled her sheep plushie as shey on Courtney¡¯s left arm and had also kicked her nket away whereas Jordan was on Courtney¡¯s right arm and in a deep sleep. In the short moment that I¡¯m away, these two kids have already taken my ce. When Alexander recalled the dinner earlier, he felt aggrieved upon the thought that the two kids didn¡¯t take his side at all. As he watched them asleep like pieces of dead wood, his eyes flickered. Although Courtney was also sound asleep, she vaguely felt someone taking the weight off her arms. Then, she quickly snuggled into the nket. She turned and scooted into a familiar embrace. Initially, she was having a good dream, but she heard a low voice saying, ¡°It¡¯s snowing outside.¡± ¡°Let it be¡­¡± she responded with a pout since she was toozy to move. The sentence took some time to sink in before she suddenly opened her eyes and asked in shock, ¡°It¡¯s snowing?!¡± When she suddenly lifted her head, she knocked into Alexander¡¯s chin. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from grunting because of the impact. Then, he touched his chin and nodded. ¡°Yeah, it just started snowing.¡± Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Courtney didn¡¯t care about hisplicated expression of trying to suppress the pain; she quickly pushed the nket aside to run to the windows while in her pajamas. With a loud sound, the sound of the curtains being yanked to the side rang clearly in the room. There was a heavy snowfall outside the window thatnded on the spot below the dimmppost, in between the dried branches, and on the stone pavement. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen since she returned to Melrose City. ¡°Where¡¯s my phone?¡± Just as Courtney was about to dive into the bed to search for her phone, she found herself diving into a warm nnel nket instead. Alexander held the edges of the nket and as a result, he hadpletely wrapped her up. As he hugged her, he chastised, ¡°Your clothes are so thin. Are you nning to catch a cold?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not cold at all.¡± Courtney blinked. ¡°The heater is switched on, anyway. Let me take my phone now. I want to take a picture to show Cameron.¡± ¡°Why do you always want to show her everything? If you are able to escape from my embrace, go ahead.¡± Alexander looked jealous. ¡°You said so yourself.¡± With that, she gave a mischievous smile. From beneath the nket, she stretched her arms toward his waist. Of all the ces on the lower part of his body, the only ticklish area was his waist. This was something that she had discovered after repeated practical experiments whereby she would always manage to tickle him. Before Courtney could even stretch her hand out, the nket suddenly tightened around her. She raised her head and saw Alexander¡¯s vindictive expression¡ªhe was clearly prepared this time. She panicked and said, ¡°You can¡¯t do this. I dare you to loosen your grip on the nket.¡± Chapter 328 One Night Surprise Chapter 328 Chapter 328 Hero Syndrome In the midst of her struggle, Courtney identally stepped on the carpet and lost her footing before she stumbled into Alexander. As a result, both of them fell onto the bed. As the snow fell heavily outside, his eyes became ssy as he felt her soft body pressing on him. However, she knew nothing of this. After escaping from his trap, she inserted her hands into his pajamas and eagerly tickled his waist. While doing that, sheined, ¡°Who asked you to mess with me?¡± A huge hand suddenly grabbed her shoulders and turned her over as he pinned her to the bedsheet. ¡°You can¡¯t y dirty like this, Alexander¡­¡± Courtney eximed. However, she realized that there was something off in Alexander¡¯s expression and it distracted her for a moment. As his gentle breath spread over her ears andnded in her eardrums bit by bit, her breathing fastened as well. Without any hesitation, she pulled him toward her. Amidst the entanglement, both their pants reverberated in the room. The snow outsidended on the thick branches of plum blossom trees. As some of the flowers started to bloom, it made one feel like they could smell the lovely fragrance. After a night of snowfall, the entire Melrose City was nketed in thick snow, which had happened during the earlier part of the night.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Somewhere around the warehouses in East Melrose that belonged to the Sakura Group, a group of young people in in clothes had set up an ambush for the entire night. In a public washroom opposite the warehouse¡¯s entrance, a woman asked in a low voice amidst the darkness, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Oliver stared at the door of the warehouse intently. ¡°I have already checked this ce before. Someone will transfer the drugs out at this hour every week and sell them at the dozens of entertainment clubs in Melrose.¡± ¡°It¡¯s 2:10 AM now and everyone is still in in clothes. It won¡¯t suffice to continue waiting.¡± ¡°Give it more time.¡± He frowned. ¡°They will definitelye.¡± Tessa squatted even lower. The thermometer in her hand read that tonight¡¯s temperature was currently 5 Fahrenheit. Under such circumstances, if they continued their ambush mission without moving at all, they would all be in deep trouble. ¡°This can¡¯t be.¡± Then, she spoke into her earpiece, ¡°Hey, John.¡± After a few beeps, John¡¯s voice rang in her earpiece. ¡°Roger. Please give instructions, Tessa.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you bring the rest of them to retreat first? The temperature will only drop even further and we didn¡¯t wear our warm clothes either. In order to prevent any idents from urring, bring them back first.¡± ¡°What about you, Tessa?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait for them here. If there¡¯s anything, I¡¯ll inform you.¡± Tessa knew what John¡¯s response would be, so she immediately added, ¡°Cut the crap. Just take my orders and retreat. Quickly leave.¡± He could only reply to her, ¡°Roger.¡± Now that it was nightfall, they couldn¡¯t see anyone around. However, the rest of their team from the Blue Eagles Program retreated five minutester, leaving only Tessa¡ªtheir leader¡ªand Oliver waiting in the washroom. ¡°Are you cold?¡± She shot a nce at him. ¡°If you are freezing, you can head back to take a rest. I¡¯ll wait around here. Since the morning is arriving soon, I guess no one will being.¡± ¡°No.¡± Oliver sounded as though he was in denial. ¡°You can just leave with the rest of the team. I have already told you that it¡¯s enough for me to stand guard alone.¡± ¡°Are you done?¡± Tessa looked annoyed as she chastised him in a low voice, ¡°I can take the risk with you, but I have to be responsible toward my team. They can¡¯t bet on their lives based on your decision. Oliver, don¡¯t you think you just want to be a hero? After this case, I¡¯ll report you to the higher-ups.¡± ¡°Suit yourself. No matter what, I won¡¯t be in the same team as you for the next training.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± She was so enraged that she could not speak clearly. After a while, she kept her gun away and huffed, ¡°Fine. Since you don¡¯t want to be in the same team as me, I¡¯ll return now to apply for your transfer. You can go to Kyoto as I¡¯ve had enough of your games. I must be out of my mind to suffer with you here in the cold.¡± With that, she really gathered all of her items and left without a second nce. Oliver gritted his teeth. His face was so cold that he had turned slightly purple. After waiting for another half an hour, he couldn¡¯t withstand both the cold and hunger, so he reached into his pocket and felt something hard. He took it out and realized that it was a packet of hardtack. Upon that sight, he froze and subconsciously looked with a conflicted feeling at the direction in which Tessa left. It was easy to understand why she had arrived at such a decision. After all, they were merely undergoing training as students. Both the university and the military had already done a good job on the safety precautions, so it was impossible for anyone to be injured. However, since they found an opportunity to catch the real drug dealers, they decided to take advantage of the loopholes. While Oliver was deep in his thoughts, he heard the sirens ring and its noise was especially loud in the night. The area outside the warehouse was full of snow whereby the street lights had brightly lit up the entire area. A white van stopped at the entrance before two burly men emerged from the driver and front passenger seats. Then, three more people alighted from the backseats to open the retractable door of the warehouse. ¡°Guys, after this deal, we can all prepare to head home and celebrate the new year.¡± ¡°Hey, the amount of our bonuses depends on this. If we are doing this line of work, I would like to work with Alfie since he is the most trustworthy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind following Alfie. He is reporting to other people too, so the exact amount of our bonus actually depends on them.¡± ¡°Who is Alfie reporting to?¡± As the group of burly men chatted with each other, another figure emerged from the van in a ck raincoat and had shielded his identity by wearing a pair of sunsses and a mask. ¡°Alright. Stop chatting and quickly move the stocks out. This is thest batch,¡± the man said coldly. ¡°Hey, are you afraid now?¡± One of the burly men scoffed. ¡°In our industry, we work with courage. Why are you doing this when you are so timid? If you are really afraid, you can quit.¡± ¡°If any one of you says any more rubbish, all of you can just leave.¡± ¡°Hey, what are youining about?¡± Upon seeing that they were about to start a fight among themselves, Oliver frowned as he wondered when he should attack. If they were to fight, he wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain a punch from them. However, he was already well prepared with the opportunity to strike for this mission. The man in the ck raincoast was eventually chased out by the group of burly men, so he walked toward the washroom. Oliver crouched against the corner of the wall as he prepared his dagger and bandage soaked with medication. As soon as the man entered, Oliver grabbed hold of his neck and covered his mouth with the bandage. He fell limp after struggling for about five seconds. ¡°Trash.¡± Oliver clicked his tongue and pulled the mask from the man¡¯s face. However, he froze when he saw who the man was. He was Mr. Vinsmoke from the Sakura Group. Oliver had previously discovered that Mr. Vinsmoke was dealing drugs with James, but never expected that Mr. Vinsmoke would be personally involved in the cartel. I guess he is being really careful. After changing into Mr. Vinsmoke¡¯s clothes, Oliver tied the man and hid him in the storeroom of the washroom. Then, he walked out alone in the ck raincoat and tantly approached the opposite warehouse. It was still snowing outside, and when the snow fell on Oliver, he looked like he was about to seek his revenge in the snow. Chapter 329 One Night Surprise Chapter 329 Chapter 329 What If I Die? Now that he stood at the door of the warehouse, Oliver clearly saw the faces of the five men. The strongest one out of them was known as Tiger, who wore a ck jacket and looked like he was the group leader. He never helped with anything, yet he instructed his men to work. The rest of the group were emaciated, which made them look like drug addicts. ¡°Why did it take so long for you to head to the washroom? Come and help them.¡± Tiger shot a nce at Oliver. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want the warehouse to be cleared? Get moving now.¡± Oliver nodded and walked inside. However, Tiger¡¯s doubtful voice rang behind him. ¡°What the hell? He¡¯s willing to help us tonight. Did the sun rise from the west this morning?¡± After moving a carton of stocks, Oliver stood at the end of the van and looked at the rest of the goods. This amount of drugs is enough for them to be imprisoned for the rest of their lives. ¡°Mr. Corbyn said that we should clear all of the stocks before the new year. Then, we will manufacture another batch for the beginning of next year to start off the year well.¡± Tiger¡¯s voice rang again from the front of the car. His words caused the rest of his men to be hyped up. From the corner of his eyes, Oliver noticed the tools used to manufacture drugs located at the cranny of the warehouse. The cartel was well-equipped, especially with the measuring cups and other equipment. Since they had also manufactured the drugs themselves, they would¡¯ve earned a lot of profit. Just as he was thinking about it, a familiar voice rang in his ears. ¡°Where are you?¡± Five minutes ago, he had sent a distress signal to Tessa, but it had been dyed. As a result, he wondered whether they had used signal blockers, but was only now receiving a signal. Oliver lowered his voice. ¡°Warehouse. They¡¯re here.¡± ¡°We will be right there.¡± Before he finished speaking, someone suddenly pressed on his shoulders. Then, Tiger¡¯s voice rang from behind him. ¡°Who are you speaking to?¡± At this instant, Oliver quickly ransacked his brain to think of an excuse, but he heard someone yelling from the washroom just as he was about to say something. ¡°Tiger, bad news. Mr. Vinsmoke has been tied up in the washroom.¡± Oliver quickly shook Tiger¡¯s hand away moments before the man returned to his senses and thereafter stabbed Tiger¡¯s ribs sharply and urately with a military dagger. ¡°Aaaahhh!¡± Tiger screamed and clutched his stomach as he copsed to the ground. Upon hearing him shrieking, the remaining four burly men rushed out. As soon as they understood the situation, they immediately understood what had happened. ¡°Attack! Don¡¯t let this brat live!¡± The five of them¡ªincluding the one who went to the washroom¡ªpounced on Oliver. Even though he was one of the top students in the Public Security University, he was exactly what Tessa had described him to be¡ªextremely weak inbat. Upon seeing them rushing toward him, he quickly grabbed the powder that he brought with him. Before Oliver came, he had obtained from theboratory a bag of powder that would cause itch. Even though it would take some time for the powder to take effect, it could still cause injuries to their eyes. However, after what seemed like eternity, he still couldn¡¯t locate anything and it was only at this moment when he remembered that the bag was in his coat, which he had removed to cover Mr. Vinsmoke. In the moment of emergency, a few gunshots rang from south-east of the warehouse. Oliver covered his head and squatted on the ground, but the impact that he had expected didn¡¯tnd on him. The burly man who charged toward him copsed on the ground and grabbed his elbow as he groaned in pain after being kicked. The moment Oliver raised his head, he saw Tessa stepping on the man¡¯s face. She looked as cool as a heroine when she turned to ask, ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He shook his head and slowly rose to his feet as he held the car for support. The five burly men and Mr. Vinsmoke had been ordered to face the wall and squat three minutester. Her teammates stood on each side of the line and nked the suspects with a fierce re as they trained their guns on them. In fact, they were the only ones who knew that the guns used in the training were fake. Apart from making loud noises, the most the weapon could do was hit someone like a brick. ¡°Is everything here?¡± Tessa looked at the boxes that were at the back of the van. Oliver nodded. ¡°Yeah, they are all here. These are the same boxes that I sawst time.¡± Upon hearing his reply, she used her military knife to open one of the boxes. However, she froze when she saw the contents. ¡°This is¡­¡± It was a box of Peppa Pig watches. He immediately frowned and quickly opened other boxes. After he poured out all the contents of the boxes, he could only locate Peppa Pig watches. Meanwhile, she looked at him with confusion. Oliver paled before he threw the paper boxes away. Then, he approached the few burly men with a military knife in his hand before grabbing the cor of their leader, Tiger. ¡°Where¡¯s the stuff?¡± Tiger gave a nk look. ¡°What stuff?¡± ¡°Stop feigning innocence with me.¡± Oliver pped him without considering anything. ¡°Where¡¯s the K powder?¡± ¡°What?¡± A confused Tiger blinked. ¡°K Powder? How would we dare to deal with that? We are just selling toys. You have misunderstood us.¡± ¡°F*ck you¡ª¡± Tessa held Oliver back just as he was about tond another blow on Tiger ¡°Forget it.¡± She frowned and asked Tiger, ¡°Since you guys are selling toys, why did you run away when you saw us? Apart from that, how could you even afford to rent the warehouse here if you only sell toys?¡± The Sakura Group¡¯s warehouse was located at East Melrose, which was the closest central warehouse of the city. The rental was quite exorbitant and its ess was sealed off to the public, so without the help from Mr. Vinsmoke, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to rent the ce. With those prerequisites, it was impossible for the burly men to rent this warehouse just to store some worthless toys. ¡°They are just toys. If you don¡¯t believe me, I can open them for you.¡± With that, Tiger carefully appraised Tessa¡¯s face. ¡°Sure.¡± She looked at him. ¡°Here, open them one by one in front of me.¡± Something is definitely wrong with the toy watches. He walked to the van in hesitation and opened the nearest box. After taking out a watch, he opened the lid of the watch in front of Tessa and Oliver. ¡°See, this is just a normal watch.¡± As soon as Oliver scooted closer to have a look, he saw a glimmer of light. ¡°Be careful!¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Before he could even avoid the object, Tessa had already pushed him aside. He only heard her grunting before he saw her face distorted in pain. However, she snatched the dagger from Tiger¡¯s clutch and brought him to his feet. Upon seeing this, the rest of her team also came to her support and helped to ce the handcuffs on him. ¡°Are you fine, Captain?¡± Tessa nodded even though beads of sweat swam down her forehead. Oliver¡¯s eyes were sharp; he saw blood oozing from the crack of her fingers as she clutched her abdomen. As the blood dripped to the ground and sank into the snow, he immediately nched. ¡°You are injured, Tess.¡± ¡°Captain¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hand this ce over to you guys. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something wrong with the stocks here, so bring them back for an examination while I¡¯ll send Tess to the hospital,¡± he announced hastily and quickly carried Tessa in his arms to run to the infirmary. In the snowy night, Tessa, who had been strong and fierce for the past 19 years, leaned against Oliver¡¯s shoulders. Sheughed out loud while he was still running. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t freak out. I¡¯m really alright. It¡¯s just a superficial wound; it¡¯s not even as serious as the injuries I¡¯ve received during training.¡± He panted as he increased his speed. ¡°Shut up. Your injuries were sustained during your training, but this time, it¡¯s because of me. It¡¯s two different stories.¡± ¡°What if I die?¡± Oliver¡¯s face immediately paled as hemented in a fluster, ¡°You just said that you are fine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a hypothetical question.¡± Tessa¡¯s voice became weaker and what she said wasn¡¯t making much sense either. ¡°Oliver, you just called my nickname¡­¡± Upon hearing that, he remained silent. Chapter 330 One Night Surprise Chapter 330 Chapter 330 I Don¡¯t Bite ¡°Tessa! Tessa! Stay with me! Don¡¯t sleep!¡± Oliver continuously called out Tessa¡¯s name throughout their entire journey to the hospital. By the time he finally arrived on foot, it was close to dawn. ¡°Doctor! She was stabbed on the left side of her chest about twenty minutes ago.¡± After Oliver urately described the size of Tessa¡¯s wound, the type of weapon used, and her condition, the emergency room physician hastily rushed Tessa into the operating theater. Meanwhile, Oliver sat frozen like a statue in front of the theater for the entire two hours of surgery in which he did not move from his spot at all. At nine o¡¯clock in the morning, Courtney finally arrived at the hospital. She overheard from the conversation between Harry and Scott earlier in the morning that James was taken into police custody. Furthermore, she had also heard about it on the morning news and realized something terrible happened at the storage center. Meanwhile, Alexander had gone to Sunhill Enterprise early in the morning. She called him, only to discover that it was a n secretly concocted by him and Oliver. Instantly, she fumed and unleashed a tirade at him over the phone. ¡°Oliver can be forgiven because he¡¯s still young, but how could you have gone along with his nonsensical decision?! How could you not inform the authorities on such a major issue but instead allowed him to take matters into his own hands? What would you do if there were major consequences because of this?¡± Meanwhile, Alexander remained silent and allowed her to vent her anger. Then, he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll head to the hospital once everything is settled at thepany. Could you go over and take a look first? Oliver¡¯s unharmed but the team leader in his group has suffered some injuries.¡± As soon as Courtney arrived at the hospital and heard that Tessa was only stabbed because she wanted to shield Oliver from harm, Courtney¡¯s anger simmered. ¡°Can¡¯t the two of you use your brains before taking any action?! This is such a major issue! Tessa¡¯s only neen years old! What if things end up badly?! If something goes wrong, how are you going to exin this to her parents?!¡± He stood at the entrance to the ward and while she raged at him, he hung his head low and listened to the lecture without a single rebuttal. ¡°Are you imitating Alexander?!¡± Then, she pinched him on the arm. ¡°Men are all the same! All you do is keep silent and act dumb when you¡¯ve made a mistake!¡± As soon as she said that, Courtney pped him with her bag. ¡°Why are you still standing here?! Go and get some food! Buy something that¡¯s suitable for a patient.¡± It was only at that moment when Oliver came to his senses and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll do that right away!¡± Meanwhile, Courtney heaved a sigh in helplessness as she looked at the back of the awkward teenager sprinting off. He usually analyzes problems in a logical manner with a clear thought process. Besides, he is as mature as an adult. Why is he so clueless when ites to rtionship matters, though? He¡¯s been standing guard by her side the whole night and it¡¯s fine that he doesn¡¯t feel the need to eat or drink, but he should at least get something for the poor girl! Gosh! He¡¯s slow in his learning indeed! Inside the ward, the whole room was white. She already knew when she arrived that the operation had ended and Tessa was hitherto transferred to the normal ward, which was why she wasn¡¯t too worried. She even bought a bouquet of flowers while on her way to Tessa¡¯s ward. As soon as Courtney entered the room, she saw the young girl reading a book on military weaponry lifting her head and staring at her for quite some time. Then, the young girl broke into a smile. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Oliver¡¯s sister.¡± ¡°Yes. Do you still remember me?¡± Courtney smiled and ced the bouquet of flowers by Tessa¡¯s bed. ¡°My name is Courtney and I¡¯m only older than you by a few years, so you can address me by my name like how Oliver does.¡± She didn¡¯t mean anything much by saying those words, but Tessa somehow had a wild imagination and suddenly blushed in the color of beetroot. Subsequently, Tessa lowered her head and tightly gripped the bedsheet. ¡°I-I¡¯m just Oliver¡¯srade and ssmate. We¡¯re n-not¡­¡± Courtney was caught by surprise, but she didn¡¯t make things awkward for Tessa either. She merely smiled and responded, ¡°You can address me directly by my name. We¡¯re quite close in age anyway.¡± ¡°Oh?!¡± Tessa hesitated for a moment. ¡°I think I should still address you in a more respectful manner.¡± ¡°Is your name Tessa?¡± Courtney asked. Tessa nodded. ¡°Yup, everyone addresses me as Tess. My given name is Tessa Reid, though.¡± ¡°I heard that you were injured this time because you shielded Oliver from harm?¡± ¡°No.¡± She shook her head and corrected Courtney, ¡°He¡¯s a member of my team, so it¡¯s my duty to protect him.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Courtney raised her eyebrow quizzically. ¡°I guess I must be mistaken then. My friend previously wanted to introduce a girl to Oliver, but I thought that the two of you were dating each other, so I rejected her. I should give my friend a call as soon as possible and make arrangements.¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± As soon as Tessa heard that, she panicked and nearly leaped out of bed. N?velDrama.Org content. However, Courtney had reacted quickly enough and grabbed Tessa by her arm. ¡°Don¡¯t move! Be careful of your injury.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make any arrangements!¡± Tessa was frantic. ¡°Oliver isn¡¯t allowed to date anyone.¡± At this moment, Courtney teased, ¡°Why is that so?¡± Meanwhile, upon hearing Courtney poking fun at her, Tessa blushed redder and admitted with a flourish, ¡°It¡¯s because I like him.¡± As soon as she finished her words, the door was pushed open from the outside with a resounding bang ¡ªit was Oliver entering with a bag of food. However, it was likely he never eavesdropped on the conversation because he strolled in nonchntly and ced the food by her bedside before asking, ¡°What do you like?¡± Then, Tessa bit her lower lip and stared at him for a few seconds. ¡°You.¡± Oliver was about to lean forward when he suddenly froze; it was a position he remained in for quite some time. Meanwhile, Courtney teased him from the side, ¡°Give a response, Oliver.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± He seemed to be in a stupor as he slowly stood up. Then, he gave an answer that didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°There¡¯s no soup. I¡¯ll go and get you some soup.¡± As soon as he said that, he hastily ran out of the room. Tessa yelled at his back, ¡°Stop pretending! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve known this for quite some time now. If I didn¡¯t like you, why would I even shield you from being stabbed?¡± Her voice boomed as she yelled with passion. She didn¡¯t sound like an injured girl who had just endured six stitches to her wound. It was only then when Courtney finally realized why Tessa was described as a valiant cub. She found herself thinking about Oliver and Tessa¡ªone was less agile but brainy whereas the other was adept at fighting but overly simple-minded, which made them a perfect match for each other. Courtney could even envision a campus love story between them whereby the domineering cute girl wooing the cool brainiac. ¡°Courtney, why did he flee at such speed? I don¡¯t bite.¡± Tessa frowned as she was significantly unhappy. ¡°You looked like you were about to devour someone.¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t helpughing out loud, although she gave Tessa a thumbs up. ¡°I still think that you did great, though!¡± ¡°Well, even so, he¡¯s not interested in me.¡± Tessa seemed slightly dejected as she lowered her head and tightly gripped the bedsheet, after which she heaved a sigh. ¡°Courtney, what sort of girl do you think Oliver prefers?¡± Upon being asked this question, Courtney was momentarily silent. Suddenly, something shed across her mind and her eyes brightened. ¡°I¡¯ve heard him mentioning this before, so I have some insight.¡± ¡°Really?! What is it?¡± She couldn¡¯t fully recall the exact details, but she distinctly remembered asking him about this when they met up for tea at the Public Security University earlier. That was the reason why she remembered what he said that day. ¡°He said that he prefers someone like his mom,¡± she repeated with confidence. ¡°Huh?!¡± Tessa couldn¡¯t quite believe her ears and her surprise was evidently portrayed. She stammered, ¡°H-His mom?!¡± What?! I couldn¡¯t tell all this while that he has an Oedipusplex! This seems kind of perverted. Meanwhile, after running out of the hospital, Oliver suddenly sneezed twice. He somehow felt a cold breeze on the nape of his neck and quickly zipped up his hoodie. Hemented in his heart, The weather¡¯s much colder after a bout of snowfall. As it had just snowed the night before, the bitter cold made him feel like his bones were frozen. Chapter 331 One Night Surprise Chapter 331 Chapter 331 They¡¯re Brothers Since Tessa was injured because of Oliver, Courtney felt indebted and came to the hospital with nutritious soup every afternoon for the next two days as she had nothing scheduled. ¡°He¡¯s not here again?¡± Courtney frowned as she scanned her surroundings. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that he hasn¡¯t visited you again after I left the other day? That¡¯s way too cold-hearted of him!¡± Meanwhile, Tessa shook her head. ¡°He has, but he usuallyes at night. Our current training session is still ongoing. Although our group was exempted from it halfway through because of our involvement in the drug raid, the school has requested for Oliver to return and participate in the case. He has the difficult job of reporting the information back to them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just creating excuses for him.¡± Courtney resignedly shook her head. Subsequently, she twisted open the Thermos sk and poured out some chicken soup into a bowl before handing it to Tessa. ¡°Try it while it¡¯s piping hot.¡± Then, Tessa took it in her hands with a beaming smile. ¡°Courtney, your boyfriend must be a lucky man.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Why do you say so all of a sudden?¡± A slightly surprised Courtney asked. ¡°You¡¯re such a good cook. All of the food that you have prepared is really tasty. If I was a guy, I would definitely court you.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re purely after a good meal, you should marry a chef then.¡± Tessa was quite stunned upon hearing that and she scratched her head after further consideration. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± When she noticed Tessa¡¯s slightly clueless reaction, Courtney remained silent and switched on the TV out of habit. The afternoon news report was coincidentally on air whereby the announcer read, ¡°ording to our latest update on the drug case that urred at the warehouse of Sakura Group several days ago, the total amount of K powder seized is worth¡­¡¯ The drug case that involved the Sakura Group had created quite a stir in Melrose City. After all, it was thergest bust with the most amount of drugs seized in thest decade. On top of that, the team in charge of conducting the raid consisted of merely a group of students from the Public Security University, which resulted in the piece of news being repeatedly broadcasted multiple times a day for thest three days. Meanwhile, the list of entertainment centers involved in this case grew with each passing day and it came to the point where all the owners of entertainment centers were rather frantic with worry. ¡°By the way, I heard that during the initial search, you found a bunch of Peppa Pig watches. So, where did you manage to locate the K powder? Was it inside the dial of the watch?¡± Courtney asked out of curiosity. Tessa had coincidentally taken a sip of the soup and gulped it at the same time she heard Courtney¡¯s question. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there, but I heard the other team members sharing that it was eventually found in the strap of the watches. The stic straps were hollow inside when they sliced it open and each strap contained the quantity sufficient for a person¡¯s single use.¡± As the drug had been well-concealed, no one would¡¯ve realized that there was concealed ketamine in the pile of toys¡ªif it hadn¡¯t been for Courtney and Bill¡¯s idental discovery of some spilled powder. As the two of them chatted with each other, there was a sudden loud sounding from the door. Bang. Bang. Bang. ¡°Excuse me. Is this Miss Tessa Reid¡¯s room?¡± Courtney and Tessa instantly turned their heads in unison to notice an elegant figure standing by the door. She was dressed in an azure-colored coat that was paired with a tan cashmere scarf while her hair was pulled into a chic bun on the back of her head. Although she was more than fifty years old, she looked like she was merely in her forties. Meanwhile, Tessa looked at the person with a confused expression. However, Courtney was stunned because she instantly recognized who the stranger was. Then, she piped up, ¡°Madam?¡± The person was the owner of Hostel D¡¯ Amour in Oreus as well as Alexander¡¯s mom¡ªFiona Duncan. As soon as Fiona noticed Courtney, she was also caught by surprise. The atmosphere suddenly became rather tense. Luckily, Tessa was not a perceptive person and she turned toward Fiona while tilting her head. ¡°How can I help you? I¡¯m Tessa.¡± Then, Fiona walked into the room and ced the fruit basket in her hands by the side table. Then, she nced at Courtney and hesitantly introduced, ¡°I¡¯m Oliver¡¯s mom. I heard that you were injured during training because of Oliver, so I came over to visit.¡± As soon as Courtney heard Fiona¡¯s words, it was as if something had suddenly erupted in Courtney¡¯s mind. Oliver is Fiona¡¯s son?! Then, that would make Alexander and Oliver siblings! Did Fiona conceive Oliver with another man? So, that means Oliver is Alexander¡¯s half-brother, right? Her mind was frazzled as she stared at Fiona in disbelief. Meanwhile, Tessa was seemingly oblivious to Courtney¡¯s tumultuous emotions and she looked at Fiona with wide eyes. ¡°Are you actually Oliver¡¯s mom?¡± Fiona nodded. ¡°Yup. Oliver mentioned that he¡¯ll be busy with school matters for the time being and can¡¯t spare the time to visit you. That¡¯s why he arranged for me toe over and apany you. I can stay here with you if you¡¯re fine with this arrangement. If you¡¯re not, then I¡¯ll make arrangements on your behalf and search for a suitable caregiver.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to have you around. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine with this arrangement.¡± Tessa nodded earnestly. This is such a sudden blessing! Gosh! Oliver has actually made arrangements for his mom toe and take care of me! Does this mean that things could work out between us?! As Tessa and Fiona chatted with each other, Courtney found an excuse to leave the ward. However, she didn¡¯t leave immediately and stayed close to the door instead. Since what Fiona mentioned earlier was something important, Courtney wasn¡¯t sure whether to feign ignorance or to inform Alexander. She wasn¡¯t familiar with the incident that happened to the Duncans in the past, but he mentioned several times before that his mom had something to do with the car ident that resulted in his father¡¯s demise. The reason why he kicked his mother out of the Duncan Residence was because she had an affair. Therefore, if one were to work backward and calcte the timing, Oliver was neen this year, which meant that Fiona was pregnant with a child when she left the Duncan Family. Now that Courtney had confirmed this information, she suddenly thought of another more serious issue. Would Oliver have approached us without knowing anything? Could there be such a coincidence in this world? Suddenly, the room door creaked open as a pair of slender fingers turned the door knob. It was at this moment when Fiona turned to instruct Tessa to take a rest. As soon as the door shut behind her, Fiona¡¯s expression turned solemn. Then, her gaze fell on Courtney before she asked, ¡°Were you waiting for me?¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney frowned. ¡°Actually, I know that there are some things in which I shouldn¡¯t ask, but I want to confirm whether Oliver and Alexander are¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re brothers,¡± Fiona answered as she stared at Courtney with a neutral expression. ¡°If you have the time, let¡¯s find somewhere to sit down and have a chat. This ce is too disruptive and there¡¯s no way we can talk here.¡± Fiona was someone who spoke eloquently and gave those around her a calm feeling. She didn¡¯t fit the characteristics of a selfish woman that Alexander described in the past. Since Courtney had a lot of doubts and questions, it was likely that only the parties involved would be able to resolve it. They made their way to a serene little cafe that was within walking distance to the hospital. After taking a seat, Fiona noted the cafe¡¯s embellishments and smiled softly after that. ¡°I haven¡¯t stepped foot into town for several years now. The design of the buildings are so different from back then. Is this the kind of style that youngsters prefer nowadays? I¡¯m thinking that maybe I might need to change my hostel¡¯s decorations.¡± Courtney took a look at the surroundings and found that the cafe had a minimalistic design and ss windows, both of which were worthy enough to be uploaded to Instagram. Compared to the warm and homely environment of Hostel D¡¯Amour, the cafe had apletely different vibe. ¡°Some people prefer this, I suppose. I reckon your hostel¡¯s already awesome as it is, so there¡¯s no need to make any changes.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Fiona smiled abashedly before taking a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re wee toe and pay a visit anytime. Oliver must have been quite a handful for you all this while.¡± As soon as she said this, Courtney hesitated slightly before rifying, ¡°So, you¡¯ve known that Oliver has been in contact with Alexander all this while, right? He must have intentionally approached Alexander.¡± It seemed to be too much of a coincidence, which was why Courtney couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy. After all, it was because of that car ident which could have been intentionally caused that led her to introducing Oliver to Alexander. Chapter 332 One Night Surprise Chapter 332 Chapter 332 What Did She Instruct You to Do? Then, Fiona frowned. Even though Fiona was a senior citizen, Courney suddenly realized that a beauty like Fiona was still exceptionally elegant with a frown. Fiona gradually raised her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have allowed him toe if I knew about it.¡± After hearing Fiona¡¯s words, Courtney was caught by surprise. ¡°That means he did it behind your back?¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± Fiona heaved a sigh and exined, ¡°Initially, he kept it a secret from me, but when he applied to enroll in the Public Security University, I suspected that he was still fixated on this matter. The thing is, he has been behaving well all these years and never made any irrational move, which is why I never asked him for sure. However, not long ago, he told me that he had met Alexander.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Then, Courtney sighed in relief. Everything would be fine as long as it wasn¡¯t Fiona¡¯s suggestion for Oliver to approach Alexander. In the future, no matter what happens, I can still exin this to Alexander. In fact, Courtney¡¯s impression of Fiona was that Fiona was a kind woman who wasn¡¯t as bad as Alexander had described. Perhaps the rift in their rtionship could be mended as well. ¡°Oliver doesn¡¯t have any ill intentions.¡± Fiona seemed to be able to gauge Courtney¡¯s concern and she exined, ¡°Actually, I have always kept the fact that he has a brother hidden from him. However, he has always been a sensitive kid since young and somehow he found out about this. I¡¯m not too sure how he did so. When he was in junior high, he suddenly asked for a reason why I abandoned his brother and grandpa to move to Oreus for a new life. It was then when I realized he had peeked at my diary and discovered some old photos.¡± Although Fiona had never mentioned a thing about the past and the reasons for her departure from the Duncans to Oliver, he had never given up and merely continued to investigate the incident from the past. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much he has found out, but despite everything he knows, he would never every a hand on Alexander.¡± Her assurance sounded convincing, so Courtney couldn¡¯t help but to trust her words. ¡°Then, will you visit Alexander since you¡¯re already here?¡± Upon hearing Courtney¡¯s words, Fiona was taken aback. She then withdrew her hand that held the coffee cup before replying sadly, ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡± At that point, Courtney felt a burst of emotions rising within her. ¡°Madam, I hope you won¡¯t take offense, but can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Oliver and Alexander¡¯s fathers are not the same person, right?¡± Ultimately, this was the main reason for the conflict between Alexander and his mother. His father had passed away from a car ident whereas she subsequently fell pregnant with a child. If that unborn child came from his father, it was evident that Alexander wouldn¡¯t have kicked his mother out of the house. She doesn¡¯t look like a person who would have an extramarital affair, though. Courtney arrived at that judgment after observing Fiona¡¯s speech and behavior. Besides, she had raised her child by herself and never remarried all these years. Was there a misunderstanding back then? Fiona remained silent for a few seconds before finally nodding her head. Her response eventually caused Courtney¡¯s heart to sink. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sorry for being rude then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Fiona smiled. ¡°It¡¯s all in the past. Since Alexander has been living well all these years without me, I wouldn¡¯t want to disrupt his life then. Oliver will be moving abroad next year, so I¡¯ll exin everything to him and get him to stop intentionally reaching out to Alexander.¡± Meanwhile, Courtney didn¡¯t have anything to say. When they came out of the cafe, she offered to send Fiona back to the hospital out of courtesy. They arrived at the entrance of the hospital and saw Oliver ncing around his surroundings. As soon as he saw Courtney and Fiona walking together toward him, his expression was rather awkward. ¡°Courtney¡­¡± Meanwhile, Fiona was stoic. ¡°I¡¯ll be upstairs in Miss Reid¡¯s ward. You guys can continue with your conversation.¡± It was bitterly cold at the hospital entrance with mounds of snow gathered at the side of the doors, which caused the ground to be muddy as well. Now that she had been standing in the cold for the longest time, Courtney could no longer suppress her impatience. ¡°Are you going to say something? If not, I¡¯m heading home now.¡± ¡°Hang on!¡± Oliver grabbed hold of her sleeve before hesitantly asking, ¡°Courtney, are you aware of everything?¡± ¡°Do you mean the fact that you feigned your illness and lied to me? Or, the fact that your mom owns Hostel D¡¯Amour? Or, the truth that you and Alexander are half-brothers?¡± She was beyond furious. She had treated him like her own brother over the course of time to the point where she even provided him with a spare key to her house. She even regarded him as her own family member, but he kept so many secrets from her. If she hadn¡¯t discovered the truth for herself, there was no knowing how much longer he would have maintained the facade. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Courtney.¡± Oliver¡¯s brows were furrowed while his face was scrunched up. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to keep this a secret from you.¡± ¡°Oh? Then, why don¡¯t you start exining yourself?¡± Courtney sniffled. ¡°You have five minutes to talk. I need to pick Tina up from school.¡± He was nervous and after some hesitation, he tightly formed a fist with his hands and spoke up, ¡°If I had any ill intentions, then I would¡¯ve informed Alexander from the beginning that Jordan¡¯s your biological child. I wouldn¡¯t have kept this a secret for such a long time and pretended not to know anything.¡± When she heard Oliver¡¯s words, her expression changed as she looked at him in shock. ¡°How did you know this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± He had an awkward expression. ¡°I brainstormed a lot of ways to approach the Duncan Family previously. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re aware of what I specialize in and I¡¯m skilled at helping people uncover inconvenient matters that might not be suitable to be made public. As for your matter, it was Britney who requested me to investigate it.¡± ¡°Britney?¡± Courtney¡¯s expression darkened.N?velDrama.Org content. She connected his revtion to the incident involving Belle not long ago and the truth dawned upon her soon enough. It¡¯s her. ¡°What did she instruct you to do? Did you orchestrate the incident involving Belle?¡± Courtney coldly interrogated and the distant look in her eyes made him anxious. ¡°No.¡± Oliver hurriedly exined, ¡°It has nothing to do with me. After investigating the matter, Britney was worried about Alexander discovering your association with him, so she tried to kill me off. I was also dragged into this and I haven¡¯t even settled the scores with her on this yet, so how could I possibly help her to orchestrate the incident with Belle? Besides, I was busy on campus preparing for training during that period of time. You¡¯ll have to trust me!¡± At the moment, Oliver¡¯s nervousness resembled a kid who had justmitted a mistake. The vibe around them suddenly became tense. The numerous cars on the road drove past them and Melrose City maintained its bustling, busy atmosphere while the city was brightly illuminated. However, no one spoke a single word as they stood by the hospital entrance. Courtney suddenly clenched her fist after some time. ¡°If you want me to trust you, you¡¯ll have to tell me everything in detail about what you¡¯ve done for the past two years to approach Alexander. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to trust that you had no other intentions for approaching the two of us. By then, I might consider whether to temporarily keep your identity a secret from Alexander or not.¡± After all, it would be quite bothersome if Alexander discovered Oliver and Fiona¡¯s rtionship. As Alexander was generally suspicious of others and already displeased with Fiona, if he learned of Oliver¡¯s true identity and realized that Oliver had kept their association a secret from them, he would most likely react in the strongest manner. Chapter 333 One Night Surprise Chapter 333 Chapter 333 My Mom Would Never Have an Affair The distant look in Courtney¡¯s eyes made Oliver wriggle in difort. Then, he tightly clenched his fist and decided to reveal everything after hesitating for a while. ¡°Okay. Courtney, if you trust me, can you follow me somewhere?¡± ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± ¡°Once you arrive there, you¡¯ll understand what I¡¯ve done all these years to approach the Duncans. You¡¯ll have all your answers there.¡± As a result of the snowfall, it caused the roads in Melrose City to be muddy. She drove carefully and entered a housing estate that was close to the Public Security University campus. Then, she alighted from the car and trailed behind him, after which they took the stairs and entered a unit on the fourth floor. It was a studio unit that came with bare furnishings. Apart from the bed and a study table, the room was filled with stacks of books, which were scattered all over the floor. However, there was a shelf on the wall that contained files and journals withbels on them. ¡°This was my home when I previously worked as a private investigator.¡± Oliver yanked off the nket that covered the bed and instantly, there was dust all over the ce. ¡°I haven¡¯t been back here in ages, though.¡± Then, Courtney looked around the ce. Indeed, there was a thickyer of dust in the room and it looked like it had been empty for at least half a year. Furthermore, it was also likely that no one had set foot inside for the longest time ever. ¡°That bookshelf there contains all the information that I collected on the Duncans. If you go by sequence from the left to right, you¡¯ll see everything that I have gathered since I was thirteen. My mom has never mentioned a word about the Duncans, so this came from my own investigation.¡± Upon hearing those words, she was significantly stunned and hesitantly walked toward the bookshelf. Then, she randomly selected a hardback journal from the shelf. The date on the journal itself showed that it had been recorded three years ago when he enrolled in university as a freshman. The first page of the journal was a newspaper clipping where it read, ¡®The chief executive officer of Sunhill Enterprise¡ªJames Duncan¡ªhas stepped down from his position, paving the way for the only son of the Duncan Family¡ªAlexander Duncan¡ªto be his sessor.¡¯ There was also an exmation mark highlighted in red next to the news heading with the words ¡ª¡®Family feud of the upper echelons¡¯. This particr tabloid newspaper seemed to have adopted the bad habit of sensationalizing each piece of news. Courtney continued to flick through the pages and found that most of them contained articles with interviews of Alexander. On some of the pages, Oliver made his own annotations and also included some of his own analyses on Alexander¡¯s character. His initial analyses were mainly confined to words such as, ¡®callous¡¯, ¡®shrewd¡¯, ¡®a ir for business¡¯. However, over time, it gradually included terms like, ¡®protective¡¯, ¡®not too unfeeling after all¡¯ and ¡®can be annoying¡¯. All these came from a teenager¡¯s murmurs over time as he had no one else to share this secret with. He had silently focused his attention on his elder brother, who had the same blood coursing through his veins, on his own all these years. In fact, Courtney was quite moved by what she read as she finally flipped to thest page. She returned the journal to its original position on the bookshelf and turned to look at Oliver. She maintained her gaze on him before asking, ¡°What was your initial purpose of doing all these? There must be a reason. You¡¯ve never met Alexander before, so why did you suddenly think of getting to know him?¡± ¡°Because of my mom,¡± he replied without hesitation. ¡°When I was young, my mom kept crying whenever she looked at a specific photo and she would often call out his name in her dreams. Initially, I didn¡¯t know what was going on and I wasn¡¯t sure what she said either. However, I slowly realized that there was such a person called Alexander Duncan. He was her son and he had kicked her out of her home when he was thirteen.¡± Each individual had their own different perspectives for every matter that they handled. Courtney could ept Oliver¡¯s stance of standing up for his mom. However, she also had to observe things from Alexander¡¯s perspective and acknowledge the pain he had suffered as a result of Fiona¡¯s actions in the past. It is an unresolvable matter. ¡°Do you n to help your mom and Alexander reconcile?¡± ¡°Yea.¡± ¡°That would be quite difficult to achieve,¡± Courtney immediately responded. ¡°There are some matters that you might not be aware of, so that¡¯s why you have such a notion. However¡­¡± ¡°My mom would never have an affair,¡± Oliver suddenly interjected. Meanwhile, her expression took a turn as her eyes met his confident expression. ¡°I know what you¡¯re about to say. My mom would never ever have anything to do with another man.¡± Then, she frowned. ¡°Oliver, your mother has admitted that you and Alexander aren¡¯t from the same father, though.¡± Those words were something that she found arduous to say, but he was overly stubborn and didn¡¯t seem to be easily convinced. If Courtney didn¡¯t manage to discourage him from the notion of reconciling Alexander and Fiona, she was worried of the consequences that could arise. In short, the boy¡¯s actions might lead to a catastrophe. After all, in an attempt to approach Alexander, Oliver even resorted to bing a private investigator and learned so much information about the Duncans, which made him a ticking time bomb. ¡°Courtney, do you think that I¡¯m an illegitimate child too?¡± Oliver¡¯s expression gradually darkened as he tightly clenched his fist. ¡°Since I was a kid, my mom said that my father¡¯s name was Jeffrey Duncan.¡± Courtney was taken aback by the sudden revtion. Jeffrey Duncan was Old Master Duncan¡¯s only son and Alexander¡¯s dad. When Alexander was thirteen, Jeffrey had died in that car ident, which also caused Fiona to be kicked out of the house as a result. From then on, Fiona and Alexander had never crossed paths with each other for the next twenty years or so. Yet, Oliver was iming that Jeffrey was his biological father? ¡°Courtney, do you know why I was given thest name of Ford?¡± Oliver gradually calmed down as he stared at Courtney. ¡°My mom was told by the Duncans as she left the house that she was no longer part of the family, so her unborn child wasn¡¯t allowed to bear the family name. As she was an orphan adopted by the Duncan Family, herst name was also Duncan. Besides, she didn¡¯t know of any living biological rtives, so what otherst name could she give me? In the end, she chose Oliver Ford. It doesn¡¯t sound that great, but when I asked her for the reason behind such a name, she said that she got the idea from her favorite hang-out spot when she was a kid: the ford of the river.¡± Oliver Ford. That¡¯s a very meaningful name. She suddenly had mixed emotions. There was no way for Courtney to validate everything that urred in the past. Besides, Fiona clearly refused to divulge anything too. However, she felt that there was something else that they were unaware of. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why did Madam leave back then?¡± As soon as Courtney brought this question, Oliver frowned. ¡°I¡¯m still investigating this matter, but I¡¯m confident that it wasn¡¯t because of an affair. The allegation of an affair was fabricated.¡± She was tempted to trust his words, but she also felt a strong obligation to stand by Alexander¡¯s side. After pausing for a moment, she nced at Oliver. ¡°Oliver, have you ever thought that maybe your mom has a reason for adamantly refusing to say a word about the past? Perhaps it was a difficult decision that she was forced to make and she had no choice but to leave the Duncan Family.¡± He was slightly shocked. ¡°A decision that was forced?¡± ¡°I trust your words that there are no issues with your parentage, but do you realize that this is such an easy thing to validate? However, she chose to leave with you, deny you the Duncan Family name, and never set foot in Melrose City all these years either. Why is that so?¡± Courtney was quite confident that he would not lie to her since the situation was already at this stage. Her first instinct was that Fiona was telling the truth and based on all of the information she had on hand, she made a bold assumption, yet she couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to mention it aloud. As he was clueless about what was going on, Oliver stared at her with a confused expression. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at this for now. There¡¯s nothing much we can do about this for the time being. Anyway, at this point of time, don¡¯t let Alexander know about you and your connection to Madam. That¡¯s the safest option right now.¡± She couldn¡¯t bring herself to exin further, so she could only advise him as much as possible while fervently hoping that the adverse situation would take longer to manifest. Chapter 334 One Night Surprise Chapter 334 Chapter 334 I Hope You¡¯ll Always Be by My Side After leaving Oliver¡¯s ce, Courtney dropped him off at his school. On one hand, the school wanted him to follow up and write a report about the topic of anti-narcotics after the military exercise. On the other hand, she felt a little awkward if he followed her home after the truth had been revealed. Thank God there¡¯s the military exercise as the excuse, Courtney thought in relief. While she was on the way to the kindergarten to pick up the kids after dropping off Oliver, she received a call from Alexander. ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°On my way to the kindergarten. I¡¯m halfway there now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡± He intentionally softened his tone, sounding very gentle as he said, ¡°Mr. Harry is on his way to pick up the kids. Let¡¯s go out for dinner tonight.¡± ¡°We¡¯re having dinner outside? With Grandpa?¡± Pausing for a moment, Courtney realized that it was New Year¡¯s Eve tonight. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go back to change first.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one else but us.¡± His voice was especially husky and attractive, which made the blood rush to her face before she spoke. ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯m going back to change.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to change. Juste infortable clothes.¡± ¡°No, this is a date!¡± During one of the busiest times of Sunhill Enterprise, Courtney felt as though the sun was rising from the West when Alexander actually took the time out to spend New Year¡¯s Eve with her. But now that it turned out to be a date, she felt a stronger need to treat it respectfully by dressing up in her prettiest clothes so that she was the most stunning woman within his sight. After she got home, she opened up her closet and tried on almost all of her clothes from each season. She even video-called Cameron on the other side of the globe to help her pick out an outfit. Right now, it was morning in America, and Cameron was seated next to the bed with the sunlight pouring over her face. Looking into the camera, she waved her hand. ¡°This is too in. There are only five days apart between Christmas and New Year¡¯s Eve, and the streets are still full of festivities. It¡¯s weird if you dress up so inly.¡± ¡°This one is too shy. Dressed in red like the others, you¡¯ll just blend into the crowd.¡± ¡°This is not bad, but it¡¯s winter over there now, isn¡¯t it? Forget it. You might freeze yourself to death.¡± It took her almost an hour before she finally decided on the outfit: a red and white checkered coat¡ª which was very fitting with the festivity¡ªpaired with a beige A-line dress and a pair of knee-high boots. The whole look was very suitable for this time of the year. The meeting spot set up by Alexander was the busiest ce in Melrose, the Skylight za. The ce was named such because it had a ceiling LED disy walkway which spanned over three hundred feet. As it was New Year¡¯s Eve tonight, the starry night LED disy was changing dramatically, and the surrounding was filled with joyous music. ¡°Where are you?¡± Courtney asked Alexander over the phone. It had just snowed, and the weather report predicted more snowfall for the next couple of days, so it was very cold outside. ¡°Walk into the ceiling LED disy,¡± Alexander answered in the call. ¡°I¡¯m at the end of it.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± It was so cold that she shivered, then she sniffled as she mumbled, ¡°Why are we meeting outside when it¡¯s so warm in the mall?¡± Despite her grumbling, she followed his instruction and walked into the disy. Following the path, she stepped down from a tform, surrounded by the sparkling night sky on the LED disy the whole time. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve never paid attention to it before, but this disy is actually quite nice. Let¡¯s hang out here for a while after dinner. I think it¡¯s a rather suitable spot for the countdown,¡± she said into the phone. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°The night sky filled with stars is so pretty. I don¡¯t think there are many stars in the sky tonight.¡± As she trod along the path, she kept speaking into the phone, and when she was almost at the end of the LED disy walkway, she looked out and uttered, ¡°I¡¯m here. Where are you?¡± When she finished speaking, she had just stepped out of the LED disy walkway at the same time, and a two-story high Christmas tree entered her view. Bright decorative lights circled around the tree, together with hanging decorations such as gingerbread man, tiny bells, and presents. It was no surprise at all for a decoration like this to appear in a za during the Christmas season, but what surprised her was the fact that there wasn¡¯t a single person around this gigantic tree. It was still bustling with life when she walked into the LED disy walkway, but the people had all disappeared without her realizing. ¡°Alex.¡± All of a sudden, she was a little panic-stricken, and she asked, ¡°Where are you?¡± The call ended abruptly, and she heard a dead dial tone. Astonished, she lowered her head to look at her cell phone subconsciously. The lights danced, and a familiar scene appeared on the LED disy across her on the second floor suddenly, recing the skincaremercial which was ying on loop. The first thing she heard was a baby voice saying, ¡°Mr. Alexander, I¡¯ve turned it on. You can speak now.¡± Tina? Surprised, Courtney turned to the source of the voice. The background on the LED disy was the living room at Alexander¡¯s house, and it looked like this video was recorded recently because a decorated Christmas tree stood in the corner of the room. Facing the camera, Alexander seemed a little stiff despite his usualposed self, and he rubbed his slender fingers on his knees a few times. ¡°Courtney¡­¡± The edges of his lips twitched, and it seemed as if he wanted to put on a gentle smile. Perhaps it was due to his nervousness, he simply looked a little awkward, and Courtney giggled with a hand over her mouth as she saw it. ¡°There are many things I can¡¯t say in front of you. After several considerations, I decided to record a video like this for you. In March this year, we first met in the elevator of thepany. Before meeting you, I was sure that I would be happy to live my life alone and not have anyone affect my life. However, after I met you, my life took on a dramatic turn.¡± Slowly, the smile on his face disappeared, and his expression turned even more warm and soft. ¡°Maybe it was that first time when you came over to my ce to cook for Jordan. I suddenly felt that it wouldn¡¯t be that bad to get married when I looked at you. That thought shocked even myself, and we¡¯d known each other for barely a month at that time. So, it really turns out that time has nothing to do with the love for a person.¡± While Courtney was unaware, people slowly started to appear in the quiet za. ¡°After that, I would think about you all the time: when the sun rises or when I look at the moon, when the day is sunny or raining, and even now when it¡¯s snowing.¡± At this point, Courney felt a chill on the tip of her nose. Lifting her head, she saw snowkes drifting down, and they fell on her shoulders, arms, and her open palms. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll always be by my side.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. The video stopped ying, and a song which many people had heard before¡ª¡®Can¡¯t Help Falling in Love¡¯¡ªsuddenly started ying from the Christmas tree. Without her realizing, children dressed up as the seven dwarfs ran toward her from somewhere. The children dressed in different colored costumes each held a present, all different in size, and they shoved the gifts into her hands. Before she even had the time to react as she was holding a pile of presents, Snow White, Rapunzel, Elsa, and almost all the characters from Disney appeared before cing a rose and present into her arms. In the blink of an eye, a small hill made up of piled-up presents stood next to her. Stunned, she held a huge bouquet of deep-red roses in her arms without any idea what was happening nor what would happen next. Chapter 335 One Night Surprise Chapter 335 Chapter 335 Only a Kid Will Make a Choice More and more people gathered at the za, and the scene turned lively as they held hands and started dancing. Courtney was feeling a little dizzy, and she didn¡¯t know how long it had passed when a man dressed in a white suit finally walked out from behind the Christmas tree. ¡°What are you doing? Did you prepare this?¡± She trotted over and punched him yfully on his chest, laughing uncontrobly. ¡°Do you have to make such a big fuss over a new year countdown?¡± ¡°This is our first New Year¡¯s Eve together, and I hope that you¡¯ll be the one by my side for every New Year¡¯s Eve in the future.¡± ¡°That¡¯s for sure!¡± Raising her brows, Courtney looked very proud as she added, ¡°Whom else would you like to spend New Year¡¯s Eve with besides me? You must be dreaming!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t regret what you just said.¡± Smiling gently, Alexander grabbed her hand, which had punched him earlier, and went down on one knee while everyone was watching. All of a sudden, Courtney froze. The light blue, rectangr box looked very expensive, and it popped open with a light snap in his hands. It turned out that there were ten diamond rings of different designsid out in a row within the box, and they were sparkling so brightly under the lights that it almost blinded Courtney. Staring unblinking at it, she was dumbfounded although she had already guessed what was happening and was a little moved. ¡°Is this a proposal?¡± she asked. Raising his brow, Alexander said with a matter-of-fact expression, ¡°To prevent you from using the excuse that you don¡¯t like the ring which I bought, I had ten pieces custom-made. There must be one which will be to your liking.¡± She ced a hand over her mouth as sheughed, whereupon tears of joy welled up in her eyes. ¡°Pick one.¡± Alexander gazed at her with affectionate, tender eyes. Sniffling, she turned away from him deliberately and extended her right hand. ¡°Only a kid will make a choice. I will take all of it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± With a smirk, he put a ring on each of her fingers, and soon, all five of her fingers on her right hand had a diamond ring on it. Initially, she was merely kidding with him, but she didn¡¯t expect that he would put a ring on each of her fingers. She shrunk backward. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Spreading his palms, he shed her a smile. ¡°There¡¯s still another hand.¡± When all ten of her fingers had a ring on it, she pursed her lips. For some unknown reason, it should have been a very moving event, but it turned out to be a littleical instead. Her tear-filled eyes glimmered like stars as she opened up her hands and couldn¡¯t stop herself fromughing. ¡°This is so tacky. I look like a country bumpkin who had just struck it rich!¡± ¡°You¡¯re mine now that you¡¯re wearing my rings.¡± ¡°Yes, yes,¡± she mumbled. ¡°I¡¯ve been yours since a long time ago.¡± It hadn¡¯t been a smooth ride for her and Alexander along the way, and it was also a fate bestowed by God. Even though she struggled within herself before, she had straightened out her thinking; if she had to choose a person as her partner for the rest of her life, she couldn¡¯t think of a person other than Alexander. To her, he was no longer one of the options in a multiple-choice question, but the standard answer. The new year¡¯s bell was about to ring, and the people dancing in the za danced even more merrily. Then, Alexander brought her to a western restaurant on the higher floors, overlooking the entire night view of Melrose as it glimmered with prosperity. ¡°I thought you¡¯d bring Tina and the others with you. Isn¡¯t that how everyone else proposes, with their friends and family as witnesses and source of encouragement on the side?¡± With a soft look in his eyes, he said calmly, ¡°That¡¯s because I wish that you¡¯ll say yes solely because of me.¡± Not because of the children or because your aunt and uncle have epted me; neither should it be because of other reasons nor anyone¡¯s influence when you make a decision, but simply because I¡¯m the person you love. Dumbfounded, Courtney¡¯s cheeks turned hot, and she felt her face with her palms, muttering, ¡°Did you swallow honey before leaving the house today?¡± Since the proposal earlier, everything he said was oozing with sweetness and didn¡¯t sound like him at all. N?velDrama.Org content. The waiter came over to deliver the dessert, and he cast a confused look at Courtney. ¡°Uh, Madam, Sir, this is your dessert.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After he ced down the dessert, he stole a nce every time he took a step away until he finally whispered something to his colleague. Puzzled, Courtney asked Alexander, ¡°Is my makeup running from the tears? Do I look weird?¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s your makeup which he finds weird,¡± he answered, looking at her hands thoughtfully. Following his gaze, she came to the sudden realization that she was still wearing all the rings on her hands. Almost blinded when she took a look at them, she then hurriedly hid them under the table. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you remind me about it?¡± ¡°Why would I do that? You¡¯ll have to eat, after all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all your fault,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Why did you buy ten rings?¡± With a yful glint in his eyes, he said, ¡°Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d wear all ten of them.¡± Peeved, she uttered, ¡°Are youughing at me? I¡¯ll take them off now.¡± ¡°No,¡± he warned sternly. ¡°Hey, can you be a reasonable person?¡± She gave him a kick in frustration under the table. ¡°It¡¯s really heavy, and I can¡¯t even lift my hands to eat.¡± Despite what she said, she actually couldn¡¯t bring herself to take them off. Who would be willing to take off their engagement ring on the day of their proposal? Instead, she stole a peek at it every second just to be sure that this happiness was real. Ding-dong, ding-dong. The sounds of bells marking the beginning of the new year chimed, and outside the full-length windows of the restaurant, the New Year¡¯s Eve fireworks show in the distance flourished in the air, creating a colorful blooming flower in the sky. Mixed with the pleasant sounds of the bells, it ushered in the biggest carnival of the year in the city. ¡°Quick, make a wish,¡± Courtney urged. ¡°Make a wish before the bell ends.¡± Upon hearing the sounds of the bells, she instantly closed her eyes and sped her hands together, making a wish as she would in previous years. ¡°I wish for Tina to be cured of her asthma soon, Jordan to recoverpletely from his antisocial syndrome, and Cameron to end her treatment for depression as soon as possible and return to a normal life. May there be someone by Elijah¡¯s side to keep himpany, and I wish that Grandpa, Uncle William, and Aunt Alicia will all be healthy¡­¡± She had so many wishes, and she muttered them under her breath until the bells stopped ringing. Without missing out anyone, she managed to make all her wishes the second the bells stopped. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that Alexander didn¡¯t move an inch from his position earlier, whereupon she frowned. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you make a wish? Don¡¯t doubt this; it will reallye true.¡± Chuckling lightly, he gazed at her affectionately. ¡°But my wish has alreadye true. I don¡¯t need to make more.¡± ¡°It came true? What is it?¡± Stunned, Courtney didn¡¯t realize what was happening at first. After a while when he kept staring at her, it slowly dawned upon her that his wish was to be sessful at his proposal! The second she realized this point, her face, which was already flushing from the heating of the restaurant, turned bright scarlet all the way to her neck. This man didn¡¯t only have a whole jar of honey before leaving the house today, she thought. He literally bathed himself in honey before going out and is now oozing with sweetness. Chapter 336 One Night Surprise Chapter 336 Chapter 336 Who¡¯s Your Baby? While the country was celebrating the new year, someone was bored to tears in a therapy center in America. It was a sunny day, and she leaned against the windowsillzily while snacking and casually swiping through Facebook. Besides celebrities posting warm wishes about the new year, there was no other bigger news on the Inte, and it bored her to no end while reading this. ¡®Baby, do you like this? I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡¯ A text from Gale popped up on her screen, attached with the picture of a dessert. Glowering at the picture in annoyance, she typed in furiously, ¡®Who¡¯s your baby? Get lost!¡¯ Early in the morning, Gale had gone out to buy food and would send her a picture of anything he saw. In fact, he was using this live-stream shopping method to let her have a sense of involvement so that she would feel as though she was shopping in the supermarket, jewelry stores, malls, and dessert bars. To this, Cameron merely wanted to tell him to get lost. Not only did she not have any sense of involvement, she simply felt that he was showing off to her that he was a free man. And this was sparked by her attempt a week ago to break out of the center to spend Christmas outside, but s, she was caught by Jameson, a doctor in the center. Because of this, she had been depressed until now, fantasizing about the sun outside every day. As the therapy center was an enclosed area, she couldn¡¯te and go as she pleased before she was fully recovered. For almost a month, she had been pestering the blue-eyed, strict psychiatrist just so she could make a trip outside for Christmas. In the end, the old man refused to give her the green light no matter what. While browsing Facebook, she saw a trending topic¡ª¡®Wealthy Businessman From Melrose Booked Out the Entire Commercial Circle for a Proposal¡¯. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. The word ¡®Melrose¡¯ attracted Cameron¡¯s attention, and she tapped on the link. When she saw the pictures posted by theizens, the potato chips broke into pieces in her hand. ¡°What the¡­¡± Infuriated, her anger almost brought the roof down, and after staring at the screen for a long while and making sure that she hadn¡¯t seen it wrongly, she made a call. Her best friend had been proposed to, and she only found out about it through some stupidizens. This was simply too much! Am I not her best friend? Alexander hasn¡¯t even impressed me yet, but he has already made that little lass, Courtney, his! she thought, fuming mad and unable to think rationally. ¡°Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavable.¡± The robotic voice of the operator tapped on Cameron¡¯s eardrums, and she remembered that it was midnight now in Melrose; nobody would pick up her call at this time. Courtney must be in the man¡¯s arms now, enjoying some tender loving, she thought, and blood rushed to her head in anger. Why do I feel like I¡¯ve been betrayed? I want to have some tender loving as well! While she was thinking about that, her cell phone dinged lightly as she received another text from Gale. ¡®Baby, does this top look good? I¡¯ll buy it for you. Which color do you prefer?¡¯ She stared at it for a couple of seconds before replying, ¡®I don¡¯t like any of it. Come back quickly. I¡¯m tired.¡¯ ¡®Take a nap if you¡¯re tired. Don¡¯t wait for me.¡¯ There must be a hole in an honest man¡¯s head. Jerking the therapy center pajamas she was wearing, she exposed her left shoulder, tilted her phone upward at a forty-five degrees angle, bit her lip, and snapped a selfie. When she saw that it was sent, she added, ¡®Okay. I¡¯m going to take a nap, then.¡¯ After hitting ¡®Send¡¯, she tossed her phone aside and went to the bathroom while humming,pletely ignoring her phone, which was bombarded with texts and ringing like crazy on the windowsill. She bet that Gale would definitely make it back within half an hour. ¡ª¡ª ¡­ The news that Alexander, the CEO of Sunhill Enterprise, spent a huge amount of money to book out themercial za for a marriage proposal was trending for almost a week. ording to thepany¡¯s usual low-key style, the PR department would have taken this topic off the trending news a long time ago, but the instruction they received was merely three words¡ªleave it alone. ¡°Are we really leaving it alone?¡± The manager of the PR department confirmed it again with Josh, who hade to deliver the instruction. ¡°Ourpany name has been on the trending topic for almost a week, and it seems like there¡¯s no signs of dying down. Is this appropriate?¡± Shrugging, Josh said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask President Duncan yourself? These three words were the only thing he told me.¡± Hearing that, the manager hurriedly waved his hands. ¡°Please, no. I don¡¯t want to seek trouble for myself. President Duncan must have his reasons for doing this.¡± As Josh happened to have some free time, his words sparked his interest. ¡°What reasons, then?¡± ¡°I studied ourpany¡¯s stocks on the market recently, and ever since President Duncan¡¯s proposal was on the trending topic, our stocks have been on the rise. The people on the Inteplimented him for being loyal, and thepany¡¯s reputation shot up. I must really hand it to President Duncan. Even his marriage proposal is so in line with the needs of business development.¡± Josh sighed. ¡°They say that the people in the PR department have a glib tongue, but I think you¡¯re overthinking things. President Duncan¡¯s proposal isn¡¯t as profound as you think.¡± ¡°No? Then why did he buy so many diamond rings? Girls all over the world are dying of jealousy because of this.¡± Casting a look at him from the corner of his eyes, Josh uttered, ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s rich.¡± An awkward silence clung in the air, and the PR manager let out a sigh of defeat silently. Okay, so that¡¯s the truth. It¡¯s all because he¡¯s rich. After leaving the PR department, Josh went to Alexander¡¯s office with some documents. ¡°President Duncan.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Alexander was in the midst of reading the annual summary report of each department. Every department was at their busiest this time of year, especially the finance department, which had been working over time the past couple of days. In turn, Alexander became busy as well, and for every day the past week, he had been leaving the house early and returningte. Seeing it was Josh who hade in, he lifted his head. ¡°How are the preparations going for the merger? Have you set up a team for that?¡± Previously, Courtney had transferred the shares in her name to James, but now that he was locked up in jail and there were some obvious unreasonable terms in the agreement, the contract thus became invalid. In fact, this matter had already passed, but recently, Courtney heard from an experienced employee in Hunter Group that Susan wanted to sell thepany, which prompted her to tell Alexander about this. Since it would be sold anyway and it was her father¡¯s lifetime work, she felt more at ease to sell it to Sunhill Enterprise. ¡°It¡¯s almost done,¡± Josh answered with a nod. ¡°But the person who can lead this project is busy at this time of year, so this matter has to be postponed for a while. I think it can only begin around the mid- winter break.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Also, there¡¯s something you have to take a look at.¡± Wearing a serious look on his face, Josh continued, ¡°We got someone to recover the surveince tapes from Louis¡¯ house in Oreus. It captured the customers who were staying at his hostel during that period of time.¡± The screenshot of the surveince had been printed out by him, and Alexander took it from him. With his head lowered as he flipped through the file, the expression on his face gradually turned solemn. There was a young man wearing a ck baseball cap in the screenshot; the entire side profile of his face was visible, and he looked very familiar to Alexander. ¡°I thought he was someone who looked alike,¡± Josh said, his brows knitted tightly together. ¡°But I checked Oliver Ford¡¯s tracks during that time, and he did purchase a bus ticket from Melrose to Oreus before that. Before you told me to look for Louis, he had already stayed at Louis¡¯ ce for a month.¡± Slowly, Alexander lifted his head. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°I also found out that when I went to look for Louis, which was the night before his house caught fire, Oliver was also staying there, but nobody knew where he went after that night.¡± Chapter 337 One Night Surprise Chapter 337 Chapter 337 He¡¯s Especially Nice When the surveince tapes from Louis¡¯ ce hadn¡¯t been recovered, a part of it could be viewed, and Oliver appeared in the tapes. However, Courtney had just brought him home at that time and his identity was unknown, so they couldn¡¯t find any problem with him. In addition, almost every house in Oreus was a hostel, so it wouldn¡¯t be odd if Oliver was a university student spending his time in Oreus at that time. Therefore, Alexander wasn¡¯t suspicious of him at the beginning. Nevertheless, now that more and more truth had been unearthed, plus the timing when Oliver appeared in Louis¡¯ ce was simply too strange, he reckoned that this matter definitely had something to do with him. ¡°President Duncan, this matter is getting serious. If Oliver is really involved in this, I suggest we hand this over to the police,¡± Josh said, his voice echoing in the office. Keeping away the iciness in his eyes, Alexander said, ¡°Not yet. Continue with the other leads and set aside Oliver for a while.¡± ¡°Are you concerned about Miss Hunter?¡± Furrowing his brows, Alexander didn¡¯t answer him and asked instead, ¡°What¡¯s the progress on the other matter?¡± He was speaking about Poppy Walker, the woman who previously posed as Jordan¡¯s biological mother. The main reason he wanted to find her was to know of Jordan¡¯s background. Somebody must be instigating all this behind the scenes, and more trouble woulde if he didn¡¯t get to the bottom of this. ¡°I¡¯ve already found her. She¡¯s a guest rtion officer in a bar and would sometimes leave with customers. Previously, she found herself a wealthy businessman and didn¡¯t show up at the bar for a while. But I¡¯ve sent someone to keep an eye out, and she¡¯ll probably show up again within these few days.¡± It didn¡¯t take too much of Josh¡¯s efforts to find Poppy. Based on this woman¡¯s bravado, he reckoned that she must be someone who spent a lot of time in bars and clubs. After offending the Duncans, he figured that she must be afraid to hangout anywhere, and because of drug issues, more than half of the entertainment centers in Melrose were closed down recently. Hence, he easily found her after going to a couple of clubs. Alexander nodded, his eyes stony. ¡°Interrogate her thoroughly after you find her. You know how to deal with this.¡± It had been a while since Alexander had such a grim expression, and Josh shuddered at the sight of it. When he gathered himself again, he nodded hurriedly. ¡°I got it.¡± After he left the room, Alexander looked at the information in his hand with an inexplicablyplicated feeling. It wasn¡¯t entirely for Courtney¡¯s sake that he told Josh to suppress this matter. Another reason was that he felt Oliver wasn¡¯t a person who was capable of murder. As a student of Public Security University, he was under the strict management of the school. Once this matter was reported to the police, they would definitely ask the school for assistance in investigations. Then, the fact that he privately picked up cases outside as a detective and checked up on others illegally would be found out, and he might get expelled from the school. As for the matter with Louis, he figured there shouldn¡¯t be a problem if he asked him about it directly. After he was finished with work, Alexander checked the time and saw that it was exactly 3.00PM. The timing would be just perfect if he asked Oliver about the matter before going to the kindergarten to pick up the kids. In the hospital of the fourth military division of Melrose, Tessay on the hospital bed and said in a friendly tone, ¡°Mrs. Ford, the mandarins you bought me are so delicious!¡± Seated next to her, Fiona was peeling an apple for her, and she smiled gently at her words. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you some more if you like it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re buying more?¡± Oliver raised his head from behind theputer at the dining table. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the ulcers in her mouth, Mom? That¡¯s because she¡¯s had too many mandarins. I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll be constipated if you feed her more.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s constipated!¡± She threw him a dirty look. ¡°You¡¯re just jealous that Mrs. Ford bought me mandarins. I¡¯m not sharing a single piece with you.¡± ¡°Fine. Buy her more then, Mom. I¡¯m not going to stop you, and you can continue to attend by her bedside when she¡¯s transferred to anorectal division after her injuries recover.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°You rascal,¡± Fiona said, casting an angry stare at Oliver. ¡°How can you speak to Miss Reid in that way? She¡¯s ady, and you should watch your words when you speak to her.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Lifting her nose, Tessa nced at him with indifference. ¡°You found yourself a good backup.¡± With a snarl, he mmed hisptop shut. ¡°There¡¯s no room here for me anymore. I¡¯ll go where I¡¯m epted.¡± ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± Tessa cried out, stopping him. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business. My mother has be yours now, and I¡¯m just being an eyesore by staying here. I¡¯m noting over anymore. Bye.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that¡­¡± Anxious, she uttered, ¡°I was just kidding with you¡­¡± Seeing how unbearable she was to see Oliver go, Fiona couldn¡¯t express in words just how adorable she was, so she chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s enough, you rascal. Why are you pulling her leg? Don¡¯t you know that she¡¯s a person with a one-track mind after three years in university together?¡± While Tessa was taken aback by herment, a cunning look washed over Oliver¡¯s face, and he raised his chin deliberately, looking very smug. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a one-track mind; she just has no brains.¡± Then, he turned to Tessa. ¡°There will be a seminar in the school this evening discussing the new batch of investigation equipment, so I have to return now. Send me a text in advance about what you would like to eat tomorrow morning.¡± Only then did Tessa understand that she had been fooled, and she pouted her lips in disgruntlement. Despite that, her eyes couldn¡¯t help but crinkle along with her smile when she heard hisst sentence. Even after Oliver had left the room, she was still smiling, whereupon Fiona looked at her helplessly. ¡°Do you like that rascal so much?¡± Startled, she then twisted the sheets in embarrassment. ¡°He¡¯s especially nice.¡± ¡°Only in your eyes, I guess.¡± Handing her the apple, Fiona added, ¡°Alright, now. Stop dreaming. Have an apple. I¡¯m not getting you more mandarins this evening. I¡¯ll get you some chrysanthemum tea instead.¡± ¡°I like everything you buy for me.¡± At her words, Fiona merely shook her head helplessly. Oliver had just walked out of the hospital when he saw Alexander walking in his direction from the parking lot. The moment he saw him, he froze for a second, but it was already toote to avoid him, so he could only brace himself to face him. ¡°What brought you here? Courtney isn¡¯t here today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here to look for her.¡± Giving him a once-over, he said, ¡°I have some things to ask you.¡± ¡°What is it about?¡± Oliver said, tightening his grip on the strap of hisptop carrier. ¡°Six months ago¡ª¡± He started speaking, but almost immediately, he saw someoneing over, and he frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s talk in a quiet ce because it¡¯s not suitable to talk here. Where are you heading? I¡¯ll give you a lift.¡± Regaining hisposure, Oliver answered quickly, ¡°Back to the university.¡± Judging from Alexander¡¯s tone, Oliver reckoned that he wasn¡¯t talking about the matter he was thinking about. If he had found out about Mom, I don¡¯t think he¡¯d be as calm as he is now, he thought. ¡°Okay.¡± Alexander acknowledged with a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s go. My car is in the parking lot.¡± Side by side, they spun around and paced toward the parking lot. Barely a few stepster, the automated doors of the hospital behind them slid open, and a figure dressed in azure color while carrying a simple gray canvas bag walked out. With one look, Fiona saw her son, and something came into her mind, so she shouted from behind him, ¡°Oliver!¡± Not far from her, two figures stopped simultaneously and looked back. Chapter 338 One Night Surprise Chapter 338 Chapter 338 Mom, Don¡¯t Beg Him Unconsciously, Alexander turned around when he heard the voice. Initially, he wasn¡¯t sure what he had heard, and the voice was unfamiliar. However, an unfamiliar¡ªyet somehow familiar¡ªfigure appeared before his eyes as soon as he turned around. Immediately, Oliver¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Meanwhile, Fiona¡¯s footsteps halted the moment she saw him, and the gentle smile she usually had on her face disappeared. Speechless, she simply stared at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you have something to discuss with me? Let¡¯s go.¡± A tense expression was pasted on Oliver¡¯s face as he looked at Alexander anxiously. Making out what was happening, Alexander questioned coldly, ¡°She just called your name. What¡¯s the rtionship between you two?¡± I guess I can¡¯t hide it anymore. Oliver took a deep breath and frowned heavily. ¡°She¡¯s my mother.¡± It became awfully silent as soon as Oliver said that, and Alexander kept quiet for quite a while. ¡°Alex, don¡¯t take this the wrong way¡­¡± Fiona wanted to exin, but it seemed to have backfired. ¡°Heh.¡± Alexander scoffed and interrupted her. As he lifted his head, disdain glinted in his eyes. ¡°Why did you think I would take this the wrong way when I haven¡¯t even said anything? Tell me: What did I misunderstand?¡± At that moment, she was at a loss for words.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll speak if you won¡¯t.¡± Alexander¡¯s face was ice-cold, and his eyes were filled with indifference and estrangement. When he turned to Oliver, it was as though he was staring at a stranger whom he had no regard for. ¡°When you left the Duncans twenty years ago, you promised Grandpa that you would never step foot into Melrose. We lived in peace all this while when you were living your own life elsewhere, but I never thought that you would go to great lengths to send your son to Melrose. You even had the guts to nt him close to me. I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t realize it all this while. I guess I¡¯d underestimated you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± She panicked. ¡°Oliver came to Melrose to study. And he tried to get close to you because he wanted to get to know his brother. He has no ill intentions.¡± ¡°Brother?¡± Alexander¡¯s face turned grim. ¡°How could you have the cheek to say that? What does he have to do with me? Does the Duncans¡¯ family tree have his name? You¡¯ve had nothing to do with me the moment you left the Duncans twenty years ago, let alone the b*stard you had with someone else!¡± He had never been so angry with anyone. He even called Oliver a b*stard. From a distance, Courtney was walking over from the parking lot with dinner in her hand. She trembled and almost dropped the thermal container when she heard Alexander saying that. Before she could get closer, Oliver threw a punch at Alexander¡¯s face. Alexander was defenseless and didn¡¯t manage to dodge. With that, he tilted to the side and stumbled. When he lifted his head, the corner of his mouth was swollen, and blood was oozing out. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Fiona cried and tried to help Alexander up. ¡°Mom, leave him be. Who did you call a b*stard?¡± Oliver looked daggers at Alexander. ¡°What kind of wrong did my mom do to you that you had to hurt her with such words?¡± Alexander shook off Fiona¡¯s hand that was holding him. Right then, his face was cold as ever. ¡°Aren¡¯t you capable of finding out anything? She didn¡¯t wrong me, but she wronged my father gravely.¡± ¡°Rubbish!¡± Oliver strode closer. ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense. My mom isn¡¯t the kind of person you say she is.¡± ¡°I thought so too.¡± Alexander gazed at Oliver coldly. ¡°But not anymore. She wouldn¡¯t have returned to Melrose if she had any sense of shame. Don¡¯t tell me it was just a coincidence that you tried to get close to Courtney and my family. There¡¯s no such coincidence.¡± ¡°Alexander.¡± Courtney quickly made her way over and tugged Alexander¡¯s arm as she couldn¡¯t bear to watch anymore. ¡°Things aren¡¯t asplicated as you think. Some things are simply coincidences. There are so many people involved¡­¡± Noticing that she was obviously on Fiona and Oliver¡¯s side, Alexander frowned even more deeply. ¡°You knew?¡± Upon hearing this, she frowned without denying it. It was true that she already knew about this, but it was better to keep it from him for everyone¡¯s sake. ¡°This has nothing to do with Courtney or my mom,¡± Oliver stated sullenly. ¡°It¡¯s me who wanted to find out what kind of an a*shole brother I have who cut ties and drove my mom out of her home twenty years ago!¡± ¡°Oliver.¡± Fiona kept pulling his arm nervously. Afraid that Alexander might do something, Courtney also held on to him tightly. ¡°Alexander.¡± Instantaneously, the atmosphere grew tense. Momentster, Alexander recalled something. With a chilly stare, he sneered, ¡°You should go to a drama school instead of Public Security University since your acting skills are so convincing. You and your mother should go back to Oreus. There are other rtives even if I don¡¯t inherit the family fortune. B*stards who have nothing to do with the Duncans¡¯ bloodline should stop deluding themselves.¡± As a result, Oliver¡¯s face turned pale. It was as if he had gone mad. He wanted to pounce on Alexander and grab his cor, but Fiona hugged his waist tightly to stop him. As they struggled, Fiona shrieked all of a sudden, ¡°Enough!¡± Everyone was shocked. Then, Fiona let go of Oliver¡¯s waist. Though her hair was in a mess and her scarf was sloppily draped over her shoulders, she looked neither supercilious nor obsequious. Straightening her back, she uttered shakily, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you think. I came to Melrose to visit Oliver, not to scheme like what you think. I won¡¯te back again since you don¡¯t want to see me. He¡¯s only got half a year left before finishing his studies and going abroad. Just think of it as a request from the person who gave birth to you. It¡¯s only half a year. Please don¡¯t make things difficult for him.¡± ¡°Mom, don¡¯t beg him.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± She lifted her hand. With that, a loud pnded on Oliver¡¯s face. Seeing this, both Alexander and Courtney were stunned because none of them expected Fiona to do so. ¡°If you still think of me as your mother, finish thest six months of studies quietly and go abroad after that. Nevere back to Melrose and just abandon any ns you have in your mind.¡± Then, she nced at Alexander sorrowfully. ¡°Alexander is not your brother. You don¡¯t have one.¡± As soon as she finished, she turned and left hastily in the cold wind. As for Oliver, there was a red patch on his face. ring at Alexander, Oliver gritted through his teeth, ¡°One day, you¡¯ll regret what happened today.¡± After saying that, he caught up with Fiona and left. Soon, only Alexander and Courtney were left at the hospital entrance. Carefully, she touched his hand. His usually warm hands were now cold. ¡°Alexander.¡± ¡°You can save your breath if you intend to persuade me.¡± He was clearly still furious at her for keeping the truth from him. Feeling bad for him, she frowned and sighed silently. ¡°Why would I persuade you? I have no intention of doing so. I just wanted to tell you that you can only be free if you don¡¯t hold on to resentments.¡± Chapter 339 One Night Surprise Chapter 339 Chapter 339 They¡¯re Just Thinking of Taking Advantage Hearing this, the coldness in Alexander¡¯s eyes slowly disappeared. His hands gradually became warm, and the resentment in his heart dissipated. A momentter, he held Courtney¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± As she shook her head, she said thoughtfully, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I know you didn¡¯t mean to take it out on me.¡± With that, he took her into his arms. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve thought of how she woulde back to see me many times. After all, I¡¯m her son. Yet, she never came back for the past twenty years.¡± Who would ever understand the myriad of emotions that overwhelmed me when I saw her in Oreus before? Courtney wanted to tell him something, but it didn¡¯t seem to be the right time to do so because it might backfire if she stood on Fiona and Oliver¡¯s side now. Hence, she didn¡¯t mention anything. Besides, she was still troubled with some questions, so she had to make things clear with them first. In the evening, they picked up the children before going to the hotel for dinner. Stephen and his family were invited too as they wanted to go over some details about the wedding. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Seated at one end of the table was Scott. As soon as he saw Alexander and Courtney arrive, the imposing look he had on melted away at once, and he beckoned them to take a seat. ¡°Hey, we¡¯ve been waiting for you. What took you so long?¡± Maryse, who was nearly 50 years old, spoke. Her sable fur coat hung on the chair. There was a judgemental look in her eyes as Courtney entered through the door. ¡°We went to pick up the kids,¡± Courtney exined drily. In truth, Courtney wasn¡¯t exactly close with Maryse because she was usually with her grandfather during those years when she stayed with the Somerfields. asionally, she would meet Alicia¡¯s family. As for Stephen and Maryse, she would only meet them once every year on New Year. This time, Stephen and Maryse were invited to dinner simply because Scott thought that Courtney had no one else from her side of the family and was afraid that people might think she had no one to count on. Besides, ording to Melrose¡¯s tradition, Stephen was considered the head of the family. Hence, he would have a seat at the bridal table during the wedding. That was why Scott asked Courtney to invite Stephen. ¡°I heard that the kids are studying at Sapphire Kindergarten, right?¡± Maryse smiled warmly. ¡°Henry and Brandon have also reached the age where they¡¯re supposed to attend kindergarten, so Cindy and Joshua have been visiting many schools. They visited nearly all that¡¯s in Melrose, but they couldn¡¯t find a suitable one. Then, I heard that Tina attends Sapphire Kindergarten, so I went and took a look yesterday. It seems like a really good school. Why don¡¯t you arrange for Henry and Brandon to study there as well? The kids could apany each other.¡± Upon hearing this, Courtney furrowed her brows. ¡°Aunt Maryse, you can just give them a call to register.¡± Speechless, Courtney couldn¡¯t believe that Maryse had the nerve to ask her to help arrange the children¡¯s kindergarten enrolment after only speaking to each other for a while on their first meeting. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have asked for your help if I could just register. It¡¯s not too much trouble anyway.¡± Right then, Alicia couldn¡¯t bear to watch anymore. ¡°Not too much trouble?¡± she scoffed. ¡°We¡¯re not here to discuss your grandchildren¡¯s kindergarten enrollment, are we?¡± In the Somerfield Family, she had rtively high standing. Thus, even if people didn¡¯t listen to her, they still respected her. With that, Maryse closed her mouth as she sulked. Then, Alicia turned to Scott and apologized softly. ¡°Sorry about that, Mr. Duncan.¡± The old man seemed as if nothing had happened. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Alexander, let Courtney take a seat. We¡¯re just having dinner together as a family, so there¡¯s no need to be so cautious about everything. Just say whatever you want to.¡± Courtney nced at Alexander, who sat beside Scott, and took a seat beside Alicia. The room wasrge enough to amodate all twelve of them sitting at the table. From the Duncans¡¯ side, there were only Scott and Alexander. The rest were from the Somerfield Family. It was obvious why Maryse and her family hade. Throughout the dinner, she never once took an interest in the wedding and kept asking about Alexander¡¯s business as soon as she had the chance. In the meantime, her daughter, Courtney¡¯s cousin, kept thinking of ways to talk about her children¡¯s kindergarten enrollment. They were all thinking of taking advantage of them. Fortunately, William and Alicia were of much help. Ignoring the others, both of them discussed the wedding date and arrangements with Scott. Just then, Tina lifted her head to look at Courtney with a bored expression. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m full.¡± ¡°Do you want to go and y?¡± Courtney smiled and touched Tina¡¯s nose. ¡°Tee-hee¡­¡± Tina giggled, showing her white teeth. ¡°You¡¯re so smart, Mommy.¡± ¡°Oh, stop with the ttery. Go ahead and take Jordan with you. Just don¡¯t be too crazy.¡± After that, she rubbed Jordan¡¯s forehead. ¡°Watch over your sister, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jordan nodded with a serious expression on his face. He hardly spoke when there were strangers around. Hence, he caught up with Tina after acknowledging Courtney. As soon as Cindy saw this, she urged her two sons to join them. ¡°Henry, Brandon, go and y with Tina and Jordan. Go ahead.¡± The children were always happy to see the yground, so the boys ran over immediately when they heard this. Suddenly, the table was much quieter. Gazing at Courtney, Cindy hinted, ¡°Look at them. They¡¯re roughly the same age. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice for them to y together in school?¡± With a faint smile, Courtney noted, ¡°They¡¯re a year apart. They¡¯d be in different sses even if they¡¯re in the same school.¡± In actual fact, helping the two boys with their kindergarten enrollment wasn¡¯t hard, and she knew that Alexander would say yes as long as she asked; it was a piece of cake. However, she refused to let Stephen and his family take advantage of them because some people would take a mile after giving them an inch. Slowly, Cindy became impatient after trying to convince Courtney for quite some time but to no avail. Cindy¡¯s face turned grim, and she sneered scornfully, ¡°True. I guess I¡¯d better do it myself.¡± In response, Courtney pretended that she didn¡¯t notice the obvious resentment in Cindy¡¯s remark and turned to look at Alicia. From time to time, she would even talk to Scott and William. Meanwhile, Stephen and Maryse seemed to have hit a wall with Alexander. Together with Cindy and Joshua, all of their faces turned embarrassingly dark. That night, a normal family dinner had turned into an unpleasant one. Courtney had hoped that they would at least get to dine together in peace, but sadly, one couldn¡¯t always get what they wanted. All of a sudden, a boy¡¯s loud wail erupted from the children¡¯s section. ¡°What happened?¡± Cindy turned around and took a look before rushing over. Then, she screamed, ¡°Henry!¡± Under the children¡¯s slide, the four-year-old Henry was lying face down with blood all over his mouth. At one nce, one could conclude that he must have fallen to the ground and cut his lips. Meanwhile, Tina was sitting at the top of the slide, preparing to slide down. At that moment, she was staring nkly at the bottom of the slide. ¡°What happened?¡± Cindy was so terrified that she didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°She pushed me, Mommy¡­¡± He sobbed. Chapter 340 One Night Surprise Chapter 340 Chapter 340 Won¡¯t Let Anyone Bully You Anymore Henry pointed at Tina, who was sitting on the slide, and sobbed until he was out of breath. ¡°She pushed me.¡± Stunned, Tina hurriedly retorted, ¡°I didn¡¯t. You¡¯re lying.¡± Cindy was the sweetheart of the Somerfield Family, and she had been showered with love since she was young. After she had her two children, she spoiled them even more, raising them with the utmost care. So, when she heard her son¡¯s cries, her expression changed immediately as she got up and walked toward Tina. The slide was less than a meter high, so adults could easily carry children down. But, before she could do anything, Cindy¡¯s knees buckled and she was pushed hard, causing her to take a few staggering steps back. Jordan opened his arms wide to protect the slide, his eyes as cold as ice. ¡°Hey, you little mute, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Cindy was so angry that, for a moment, she spoke out of turn, revealing her actual thoughts. At this moment, everyone hurried over. Courtney was walking in front, and her face changed upon hearing her insult. She hurried over and pulled Jordan behind her, then carried Tina down from the slide before fixing Cindy with a cold re. ¡°What did you just call Jordan?¡± Cindy¡¯s face turned gloomy. ¡°You can¡¯t me me for saying that. If your daughter was pushed down the slide, I believe you¡¯d lose your temper as well.¡± Many people were surrounding them as Courtney shot Henry a nce. ¡°If my daughter fell, I wouldn¡¯t me others first; I¡¯d check if my child was okay instead.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. At this moment, Maryse was holding Henry and wiping his tears while saying anxiously, ¡°We need to send him to the hospital. What are you all doing just standing around? If something happens to Henry, I-I¡¯ll give up on life.¡± The crowd frowned when they saw how rudely she was acting. Courtney¡¯s face darkened. What could¡¯ve been a nice meal was ruined by Stephen¡¯s family. If she had known this would happen, she would¡¯ve heeded Alicia¡¯s advice and not notified them. Back then, Stephen had fought with William over the family property. When her grandfather was still alive, their whole family was in the hospital, disgracing the Somerfield Family. Their family was simply unreasonable to the core. ¡°The doctor¡¯s here.¡± While everyone was surrounding them, Alexander had already ordered a waiter to call the hotel¡¯s private doctor. When the doctor went to check on Henry, the boy¡¯s nose was no longer bleeding. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. He just injured his nose. The bleeding has stopped, so you don¡¯t need to worry much.¡± Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Cindy nced at Courtney and said enigmatically, ¡°Luckily, Henry¡¯s fine. Courtney, you should discipline your daughter. If you marry into the Duncan Family in the future and something happens, they¡¯d think that you aren¡¯t a good mother.¡± Normally, Courtney would¡¯ve argued with her, but it was a special asion today because Scott was around. She didn¡¯t want to cause a scene, so she clenched her fists and didn¡¯t fight back. Alicia was livid, but William held her back. ¡°Whether or not Courtney is a good mother, we Duncans know it deep down.¡± An elderly voice sounded from behind everyone, and even Courtney was momentarily stunned when she heard it. Since the moment Henry was injured, Scott hadn¡¯t said anything. Now that he had suddenly spoken, the Somerfields looked back at him, only to see the cold expression on his face. He no longer looked like the kind-hearted old man from earlier. ¡°In the past, I¡¯ve only heard about families protecting their own children. But today, all I see is a family humiliating their own. In all my many years of living, this is my first time seeing someone so ill-bred, and there¡¯s even more than one.¡± Scott¡¯s remarks were loud, and it was like a p across the faces of Scott and his family. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that you¡¯re the few remaining members of Courtney¡¯s family, you wouldn¡¯t even be qualified to enter this room. What did you call Jordan just now?¡± When Cindy heard this, her face turned pale. ¡°Little mute?¡± The old man snorted coldly. ¡°Because of those two words, you can get the hell out of here.¡± The atmosphere in the room turned stiff at once. For a moment, Cindy was stunned. Before she could regain her senses, two bodyguards had already dragged her out unceremoniously. Even from a distance away, they could still hear her shrill screams. Cindy¡¯s husband chased after her, and Stephen probably felt ashamed too as he hurried after them, leaving Maryse sitting on the sofa while holding Henry, her face ashen. Courtney didn¡¯t look too good either. After all, Stephen¡¯s family was her family. Scott might¡¯ve been protecting her from the injustice by berating them, but at the end of the day, she was still the one who was humiliated. Who would want their family to make a fool of themselves when they were meeting with their partner¡¯s family? ¡°Do you Duncans think you can bully people just because you have money?¡± Maryse¡¯s shrill voice sounded abruptly in the private room. Courtney closed her eyes, not wanting to see what would happen next. ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± Alicia broke free from William and coldly chided Maryse. ¡°Do you think you haven¡¯t embarrassed Courtney enough?¡± After saying that, Alicia took a deep breath, then looked at Scott and said slowly, ¡°Mr. Duncan, I apologize for what happened. We¡¯ll choose another time to meet. William and I will be the hosts, and we¡¯ll invite your family again. Let¡¯s end it here today.¡± With that, she walked to Courtney¡¯s side, gave her a light pat on the shoulder, then left the room. Seeing this, Maryse didn¡¯t dare to stay any longer and hurried out with Henry in her arms. What had originally been a good time to discuss the wedding affairs had turned into a farce. Courtney cupped her forehead, then said to Scott in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to see all that, Grandpa.¡± The room was quiet. Alexander knew that Courtney felt utterly embarrassed, so he spoke for her. ¡°Grandpa, Courtney was never close with Stephen¡¯s family, so they can¡¯t be regarded as her family. About today¡ª¡± ¡°What did Courtney do wrong today?¡± Scott interrupted Alexander. His old but dignified voice wasced with an elder¡¯s affection for the younger generation, causing Courtney to slowly raise her head and look at the old man in astonishment. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t insisted on asking for all of Courtney¡¯s remaining family to be present, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. So, what does it have to do with her?¡± ¡°Grandpa.¡± Courtney felt a warm current flowing in her heart, gradually dispelling the chill inside her. ¡°Courtney, with such an uncle, you must¡¯ve suffered a lot of grievances when you were young.¡± Scott¡¯s eyes contained a trace of warmth. ¡°When you be part of the Duncan Family in the future, rest assured knowing that we won¡¯t let anyone bully you anymore. You¡¯ll officially and legally be Alexander¡¯s wife, as well as my granddaughter-inw. We¡¯ll see who has the guts to nder you like they did today.¡± It felt like deja vu, as it was simr to when her grandfather held her hand during New Year¡¯s Day many years ago and said, ¡°You¡¯re my most precious granddaughter and the Young Lady of the Somerfield Family. I¡¯d like to see who would dare to bully you.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes watered, and she sniffed as she gave a heavy nod. ¡°Thank you, Grandpa.¡± Chapter 341 One Night Surprise Chapter 341 Chapter 341 Owe Her an Apology Ever since she was a child, besides her grandfather, no other family member had shown Courtney love and care. When she was young, Alicia would always treat her coldly, so her only sense of familial affection was from her grandfather. Scott was an indifferent and serious person¡ªwhich waspletely different from the loving person that Courtney¡¯s grandfather was¡ªbut deep down, he was an elder who deeply cared for the younger generation. Although the meal didn¡¯t end on a good note, Scott didn¡¯t have many unspoken worries, and when he left with the kids, he even told Courtney not to take it to heart. She didn¡¯t want to take it to heart, but she was afraid that the strong-willed Alicia had already taken it personally. Late at night, the bedroom was filled with the fragrance of shower gel. Alexander got into bed after taking a shower and had casually picked up the financial magazine beside his bed to pass the time. A sigh sounded from beside him. Still looking at the magazine, Alexander chuckled and said, ¡°You¡¯re not still brooding about dinner, are you? In fact, you¡¯re not close with your Uncle Stephen and his family, so it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t keep in touch with them in the future.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be a pig if I have any more contact with them.¡± Courtney turned over and looked up at Alexander. ¡°I¡¯m worried about Aunt Alicia. She must be furious now, and I don¡¯t know what thoughts she would have after going back. She¡¯s already suffering from high blood pressure.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. If you¡¯re really worried, just go visit her tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll definitely go back to check on her.¡± Courtney let out another sigh. ¡°I still have a bad feeling, though.¡± At this point, Alexander couldn¡¯t continue reading the magazine anymore, so he simply put the book back on the bedside table and hugged Courtney beforeying under the nket together. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it anymore. Get some sleep.¡± However, Courtney couldn¡¯t sleep. In fact, she knew that Alicia didn¡¯t want her to marry into the Duncan Family, but her aunt didn¡¯t know about her rtionship with Alexander. She always felt that it wouldn¡¯t be good for her to be a stepmother, and that a partner who had his own child wouldn¡¯t be able to treat Tina wholeheartedly. She nned to confess this matter to Alicia before they got married, which didn¡¯t call for much concern. Instead, the thing that was bothering her the most now was for her to confess to Alexander first. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡± After hesitating for a long time, she finally spoke. Hugging her from behind, Alexander rested his chin on her shoulder and replied lightly, ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°About Jordan¡¯s birth¡­¡± At the mention of this, Courtney felt the embrace around her tighten a little, which made her nervous and stop talking. After a long while, Alexander¡¯s low voice sounded from behind. ¡°I didn¡¯t do the proper thing in the past. You don¡¯t have to think about Jordan¡¯s birth. I don¡¯t n to find that person anymore. Jordan only has one mother, which is you, and that¡¯s enough.¡± He thought that Courtney still cared about what happened with Bellest time. Everything had happened consecutively, and he didn¡¯t have time to exin to her, so he truly owed her an apology. Now that she had mentioned it, he had a chance to say it. Courtney, on the other hand, had mixed feelings. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Alexander saying this made it hard for her to continue. She asked softly, ¡°What happened to Belle after that? What did she say after being exposed?¡± ¡°I never found her.¡± Alexander rubbed his chin on the back of her head and spoke casually. ¡°I left it to Josh to handle.¡± Courtney¡¯s heart tightened. ¡°What are you going to do with her?¡± ¡°Why do you care so much about that woman?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice contained a hint of suspicion. ¡°N-Nothing.¡± Courtney held her breath. ¡°I was just wondering.¡± Alexander wanted to ask something else, but she hurriedly pulled the nket up. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy. Let¡¯s sleep. I¡¯ll go to Aunt Alicia¡¯s house tomorrow morning.¡± Upon hearing this, Alexander turned off the light and said nothing more. Courtney heard the steady breathing sound around her and felt the steady beating of a heart on her back. She could also feel Alexander¡¯s satisfaction with the current circumstances. If it weren¡¯t because her lies were snowballing, she wouldn¡¯t be so torn. It was a story that spanned six years, so she couldn¡¯t just exin it with a casual remark. It was getting dark, but the bars in Melrose Center were still buzzing like it would during the day, with men and women shaking their heads and swaying wildly to the music amidst the lights. In the luxurious private room of the bar, Britney stood in front of the electronic screen wearing a gaudy fis garter while singing a song by a Korean girl group. She sang and danced, looking extremely sexy. Before the song was over, a thin man on the sofa in the private room apuded. When the track stopped, the man¡¯s eyes were a little sinister. ¡°You dance well. You¡¯re very suitable to be the female lead of this movie.¡± ¡°Thank you, Director Braun.¡± Britney hurriedly straightened up and bowed to the man, a smile stered on her face. After James was imprisoned, herwork resources had plummeted. If she wanted to make money, she had to film, and if she wanted to film, she had to participate in various social activities. Usually, she never participated in this kind of wine parties, but now, she had to do it for a role that paid ten million. ¡°But, you¡¯re stillcking something.¡± The man studied her. ¡°Do you know what it is?¡± Britney was stunned for a moment. ¡°What is it, Director Braun?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not bold enough.¡± The man blew out a puff of smoke, looking extremely chill. ¡°The protagonist of the movie is a prostitute, so she has no sense of shame about her body. What you just did wasn¡¯t ambitious enough.¡± Having been involved in the entertainment circle for so many years, Britney had long understood these people¡¯s characters. His remarks sounded like artistic guidance, but in fact, what he meant was for her to take it all off. She slowly raised her head. Her red lips were alluring, and her eyebrows were raised while she had on a charming smile. Slowly pulling the straps off her shoulders to expose her fair shoulders, she said softly, ¡°Then, Director Braun, I¡¯ll try again.¡± In the early morning, the bar gradually became quiet. Outside the private room, the bottle girl dressed in a yboy Bunny costume was dozing off against the wall. When the door opened, she jolted awake, then yawned sleepily. ¡°Britney, you¡¯re done?¡± When Britney heard this, her face turned pale, and she gave the girl a fierce re. The bottle girl immediately covered her mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way, Britney¡­¡± There was a chill in Britney¡¯s eyes. ¡°Keep in mind that I¡¯m here today thanks to Alexander and Courtney, that wretched couple. One day, I¡¯ll get back everything I lost.¡± The bottle girl shuddered and followed cautiously behind her. ¡°I didn¡¯t dare to go out today. Alexander¡¯s people are nearby, and it¡¯s been going on every day for a long time. It looks like they want to catch me. Britney, what should I do? I can¡¯t spend my entire life selling wine here.¡± ¡°What are you panicking about?¡± Britney threw her an impatient nce, and a cold gleam shed across her eyes as she sneered, ¡°So what if he catches you? Can he kill you? He wants to catch you, doesn¡¯t he? Then, let him. After he catches you, let him hear what he wants to hear. I¡¯d like to see how he would react when he finds out the woman he loves has been lying to him.¡± Chapter 342 One Night Surprise Chapter 342 Chapter 342 Jordan¡¯s Birth Early the next morning, Courtney went to Alicia¡¯s house with fruits and flowers. Because William had to go work in Kyoto, he left during the night. When Courtney went over, only Alicia was in the living room trimming a pot of bonsai. ¡°Miss Hunter is here.¡± The servant opened the door and led Courtney in. ¡°Oh, Miss Hunter, how nice of you. You always bring so many things when you visit.¡± Before Courtney could speak, Alicia¡¯s voice sounded from the living room. ¡°You bring fruits and flowers every time you visit. Anyone who doesn¡¯t know better would think that you were visiting a patient.¡± Hearing this, Courtney hurriedly gave a dismissive wave of her hand, then walked over and huffed, ¡°Aunt Alicia, you really have no sense of taboos when you speak. You¡¯re going to jinx yourself.¡± Alicia grimaced. ¡°Although you went to the United States before finishing college, you were still a medical student. How are you still so superstitious?¡± Courtney chuckled and sat down on the sofa. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to be superstitious? I just want you to be healthy and live a long life.¡± ¡°You not angering me to death is already good enough.¡± As soon as Courtney entered the house, Alicia hadn¡¯t been in a good mood. Her pot of bonsai, which initially looked to be in good condition, had been trimmed bald. Looking at the wrecked nt, Courtney silently mourned it for a few seconds. ¡°Are you still angry about what happenedst night?¡± Courtney squatted beside the coffee table and watched Alicia mess with the horrific-looking pot of bonsai. ¡°It¡¯s not worth it getting angry over such a trivial matter, Aunt Alicia.¡± ¡°Is it a trivial matter?¡± Alicia¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°It was the first time our two families were meeting, and the Hunter Family doesn¡¯t have a good reputation in the first ce. I was afraid that you would be scorned by the Duncans after you get married. Everyone from your Uncle Stephen¡¯s family really doesn¡¯t know better. I was already ashamed of them, and now, we¡¯repletely humiliated.¡± Alicia was only behaving like this because she was concerned for her, which made Courtney feel moved. She took Alicia¡¯s arm and leaned on her shoulder affectionately. ¡°Aunt Alicia, you¡¯re so impressive, so how can you be humiliated so easily? And don¡¯t you already know what kind of people Uncle Stephen and his family are? If Old Master Duncan were to run a check on them, he¡¯d probably find out about their personality too. But, Alexander and Grandpa aren¡¯t such people, and they already know that I¡¯m not close with Uncle Stephen¡¯s famIly.¡± ¡°Look at how they behavedst night. Did it look like they wanted nothing to do with you?¡± When Alicia spoke of this, she got angry. ¡°Before even greeting anyone, they were in such a hurry to ask you to do errands for their family. They¡¯re simply terrible.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I say no?¡± ¡°Even if you said yes, I wouldn¡¯t allow it.¡± Alicia raised her eyebrows. ¡°Who do they think they are? If your grandfather didn¡¯t adopt him because he pitied him, he would¡¯ve been farming in the countryside now. He¡¯s just a b*stard who has nothing better to do in life.¡± As Courtney listened to Alicia rant, she found that her tone was the same as when she was a child. She was fluent when sheined, and she never repeated the same thing twice. When she was young, she used to be afraid to hear her aunt chew someone off, but now, it feltforting. ¡°Aunt Alicia.¡± Courtney held back herughter. ¡°If you continue trimming, your nt will be bald. It¡¯s looking less and less like a nt.¡± Alicia looked down at her nt, then red at Courtney. ¡°Foolish girl, I realize that you actually have a big heart. I really can¡¯t be bothered anymore.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Courtney leaned on Alicia¡¯s arm and shook it, acting like a spoiled child, which was something she rarely did. ¡°You have to n my wedding. If you don¡¯t bother about me, then what about the wedding?¡± After being shaken by her, Alicia¡¯s anger dissipated. ¡°Why is it that you¡¯re turning into more of a child now that you¡¯re getting married? You¡¯re not asposed as when you were young.¡± She wasining, but deep down, she was filled with warmth. One could tell whether a woman was doing well from her state. A happy woman would tend to behave more like a child, as she didn¡¯t have to worry about anything. ¡°It would be great if Alexander didn¡¯t already have a son. I really don¡¯t want you to be someone¡¯s stepmother. Anything you do would be wrong, and since they¡¯re a wealthy family, you¡¯ll be held responsible for anything disastrous that happens in the future.¡± At this point, a small portion of the joy in Courtney¡¯s eyes dimmed while she said solemnly, ¡°Aunt Alicia, there¡¯s something I want to tell you. Don¡¯t be shocked.¡± Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about Jordan.¡± Courtney pursed her lips. ¡°Jordan¡¯s birth.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡­ It was already evening in Oreus, and Oliver was helping the worker tidy up the tables, chairs, and benches of the inn. During winter vacation, more tourists hade to Oreus for a holiday, so the ce was easily turned into a mess. ¡°Mr. Oliver, has the madam not recovered from her cold yet?¡± The worker chatted with Oliver while wiping the table, a worried look on her face. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her for several days. Even if you have a cold, you can¡¯t stay in the room all day, right?¡± Oliver frowned and nced toward the second floor. A locked wooden door could be seen through the gap between the wooden stair railings. It was the door to his mother¡¯s room. ¡°The weather¡¯s gotten too cold again, so we¡¯re keeping it like this so her condition doesn¡¯t get worse from the wind. Ask the chef to cook some nd dishester. I¡¯ll send it up.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The worker nodded, then asked, ¡°Wait, Mr. Oliver. Why did youe back with the madam? I didn¡¯t ask you then. Didn¡¯t you say that you were busy with school and could onlye back around the mid-winter holidays?¡± Oliver simply answered, ¡°I¡¯m not busy anymore.¡± ¡°Then¡ª¡± ¡°Mia, why do you have so many questions today?¡± Having grown impatient with her questioning, Oliver grabbed the rag from her. ¡°Just go and clean up the reception desk. I can handle it here. My ears hurt from your constant chatter.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be bothered to ask either.¡± Mia wasn¡¯t angered by this. She just sighed and rolled her eyes before going to the front desk. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder the madam is always worried that you won¡¯t be able to find a girlfriend. With your temper, only a daft girl would fall for you.¡± At the moment, Oliver wasn¡¯t in the mood to argue with her. Since returning from Melrose City a week ago, Fiona had locked herself in the room and had never once stepped out. He or a waiter would deliver all three meals to her, but she didn¡¯t eat much either. When he went to visit her at noon, he noticed she had lost a lot of weight. The sky was getting darker. Today was Oreus¡¯ Folk Festival, so most of the guests had gone out to release lotusnterns by theke, which was why the inn was deserted. Mia, who was working the front desk, was dozing off with her head propped up on her chin when she suddenly heard the ringing of the wind chimes on the curtain at the door. ¡°Is this Hostel D¡¯Amour?¡± A male voice sounded, causing Mia to wake up abruptly. ¡°Yes. Are you checking in?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Have you made a reservation?¡± The man, who was wearing a ck wide-brimmed hat and had a DSLR with him, shook his head. ¡°No. I¡¯m in a hurry. Do you still have a room?¡± ¡°Hold on for a second. I¡¯ll check.¡± Mia tapped away on theputer for a while. When she looked up again, she showed her signature smile. ¡°It just so happened that one room checked out at noon, but since it¡¯s close to the holidays, the room hasn¡¯t been cleaned yet because the cleaners have all left. Please wait for a moment.¡± The man nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Chapter 343 One Night Surprise Chapter 343 Chapter 343 Kept It Locked up for Twenty Years The man found a seat by the window and sat down, then ced his backpack with the DSLR on the table. As he assessed the interior of the entire inn with interest, there was aplicated gleam in his eyes. ¡°Have some water to warm up first. I¡¯ll be done in ten minutes.¡± Mia gave the man a cup of tea. ¡°By the way, may I know what yourst name is?¡± ¡°Foster.¡± ¡°All right. Please wait a moment, Mr. Foster.¡± With that, Mia went upstairs to tidy up the empty room. After taking a sip of tea, the man took the DSLR out of the bag, then pointed it around the lobby of the inn before extending the lens and pointing it in the direction of the second floor. He slowly moved his camera around until it was pointed at the end of the corridor on the second floor. A wooden sign embellished with dried flowers hung on the door, and after zooming in, he could clearly see the words on the wooden sign¡ª¡¯Boss¡¯ room. Please knock before entering.¡¯ The man¡¯s lips suddenly curled up into a smile. Inside, the room was dimly lit. Fiona sat by the bay window reading a book. She was wrapped in a brown nket, and her long hair draped over it, cascading like a dark waterfall. Despite being in her fifties, she still had the aura of a young maiden. Oliver stood straight with a dinner tray, and he had already been standing for about ten minutes. ¡°Mom, if you me me, then hit me and scold me. Don¡¯t just stay mad. You still have to eat proper meals.¡± ¡°Just leave it,¡± Fiona responded faintly, her eyes not leaving the book. Oliver was a little anxious. ¡°Ever since you came back from Melrose City, you¡¯ve been eating only a little bit every day. Even Mia can see that you¡¯re not in a good mood. What do you want me to do?¡± At that, Fiona frowned, then she closed the book and looked up before saying, ¡°When you went behind my back and investigated the Duncans, why didn¡¯t you think about what would happen to me?¡± Dumbfounded, Oliver was rendered speechless. Fiona stared at him for a long time. He bore such a resemnce to him, and he had a slight bookishness about him as well. Oliver was basically the same as him. Shemented why she enrolled him into the Public Security University, thinking that he wouldn¡¯t bump into the Duncans because Melrose City was huge enough. Now, Alexander just didn¡¯t sense anything after seeing him. But if Scott saw Oliver, she wouldn¡¯t be able to hide what happened years ago. After a long while of studying him, Fiona sighed and reopened the book. ¡°Just leave it there. I¡¯ll eat itter.¡± Oliver studied his mother as well. Despite how gentle and kind she looked, she was firm. There was no point in trying to persuade her, so he ced the dinner tray on the side of the coffee table before saying, ¡°Then, you must make sure you¡¯ll eat. If the food gets cold, call me and I¡¯ll heat it up for you.¡± Fiona murmured assent, but no longer looked at him. In fact, Oliver wasn¡¯t deliberately trying to hide the fact that he was attempting to approach the Duncans in Melrose City. Several times when he called her, he even asked if she wanted to try meeting Alexander, but at that time, she probably thought he was just spewing childish nonsense. With mixed feelings, Oliver turned and walked out of the room, not staying any longer. Once he stepped out of the room, he heard the clicking sound of a camera shutter, so he subconsciously covered his face and eximed displeasedly, ¡°What are you doing?¡± He dropped his hand and stood behind the wooden railing on the second floor, then saw the man in the lobby on the first floor. ¡°Who are you?¡± Oliver was in a bad mood, so although he knew that most of the people in the inn were guests, he couldn¡¯t suppress his anger at this moment and reprimanded the man. ¡°Who said that you can take pictures as you like?¡± N?velDrama.Org content. The man downstairs was in his fifties, and he was quite tall, seemingly around six feet. Wearing a ck sweater and holding a DSLR, he looked up at Oliver with some confusion. ¡°Am I not allowed to take pictures here? No one told me that.¡± Having been reprimanded by Oliver, the man wasn¡¯t angry, but said nicely, ¡°If it¡¯s not allowed, then I¡¯ll delete the pictures.¡± Mia happened to finish tidying up the room, so when she saw Oliver, she nced at the room door behind him. ¡°The madam still wouldn¡¯t eat?¡± Oliver frowned. ¡°Yeah.¡± Mia knew not to pursue it. Catching sight of the man in the lobby out of the corner of her eye, she introduced him. ¡°By the way, Mr. Oliver, that¡¯s Mr. Foster, our new guest. Mr. Foster, this is our sub-boss.¡± The man gave a slight nod, then cast a probing nce at Oliver. ¡°Why is he called the sub-boss?¡± ¡°Oh, the inn is owned by our main boss, and Oliver is her son. He can¡¯t be considered the main boss, so we call him the sub-boss.¡± Mia had always had a loose tongue, and Hostel D¡¯Amour didn¡¯t have many restrictions about what could be said, so she was allowed to just talk. ¡°You entertain him. I¡¯m going to my room. There¡¯s something I need to deal with,¡± Oliver interjected, looking displeased, then turned around and went back to his room. The man stared thoughtfully at his retreating back, his gaze lingering on him for a long time. ¡°Mr. Foster, you can check in now. Please give me your ID card.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As Mia entered the check-in information on theputer based on his ID card, she murmured the guest¡¯s name¡ªFelipe Foster. ¡°Mr. Foster, your room is the second room to the left on the second floor. If you need anything, just tell the front desk. There¡¯ll be someone here twenty-four hours a day.¡± ¡°All right.¡± When it was approaching midnight, the guests who had gone out to y with the lotusnterns began to return amidst the gathering dusk. For a while, the inn was bustling with activity before the guests went back to their rooms. On the right side of the end of the second-floor corridor was Fiona¡¯s room. The old record yer was still squeaking and ying a folk tune; the light voice of the female singer gave off a sense of mncholy. Under the glow of the tablemp, Fiona took out the dusty photo album that had been kept in the safe for many years. Even Oliver had never seen it before. In order to bid farewell to the past so that she could draw a clear line with the Duncans, she destroyed everything twenty years ago. This photo album was the only thing she couldn¡¯t give up, so she kept it locked up for twenty years. The first page was an old-fashioned ck-and-white photo of a boy who was almost at the knees of the young man beside him, while a woman was carrying a swaddling cloth. The woman was smiling and appeared kind, but the young man had little to no expression. That year, the Duncan Family¡¯s only son, Jeffrey, had just turned a week old, while she had just been born and was abandoned at the entrance of the church. If thedy of the Duncan Family hadn¡¯t found her, she might¡¯ve frozen to death in the winter cold. The Duncans¡¯ had saved her life and nurtured her, and everyone treated her as if she were a proper youngdy, so she grew up with the best life she could possibly have. The Duncans even gave her a husband like Jeffrey, who loved her even till death. Fiona¡¯s eyes watered. She flipped to a random page of the photo album. A boy and girl who had already turned eighteen years old stood side by side, smiling with the same natural intimacy as before. A caption was written at the bottom of the photo¡ª¡®Fify¡¯sing-of-age ceremony¡¯. The ink-blue fountain pen handwriting was clear and firm; it was his handwriting. The name ¡®Fify¡¯pletely awakened a memory that had long been kept in the dust, and thousands of memories rushed back to her like a tidal wave. All of a sudden, knocks sounded on her door. Chapter 344 One Night Surprise Chapter 344 Chapter 344 He¡¯s My Son Coming back to her senses, Fiona wiped her tears away and asked in a muffled voice, ¡°Who is it?¡± After a long while, there was still no response. Fiona froze for a moment before repeating, ¡°Who is it?¡± It was already 1:30AM. At this hour, even if the guests had any problems, they would go directly to the front desk. They would onlye to her when the front desk couldn¡¯t solve it. No one answered the door, so she was just thinking she had misheard when the knocks sounded again. ¡°Who is it?¡± She got up and walked toward the door. The inn received all sorts of guests daily, and every room was built with a peephole, so she took a nce, but found that there was no one outside. She was just feeling suspicious when a dark shadow covered the door. Fiona¡¯s expression changed, and she stumbled backward. The knocks on the door turned into loud raps. A piece of paper slid under the door and rested against her toes. That feeling almost made her scream. On the paper was a sentence written inrge letters, ¡®Fiona, is our son doing all right?¡¯ Fiona¡¯s face paled abruptly, and she was in a daze for a long time. Her legs grew weak, and she fell to the ground. Oliver was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of knocking on the door. He was a light sleeper, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep if there was any activity at night. When he heard the continuous knocking in the corridor, he became somewhat uneasy and rolled out of bed, then opened the door while still in his pajamas. However, there was no one in the corridor. Downstairs, the receptionist on duty had dozed off. The door was closed, and the doorbell was quiet, so it seemed like no one hade in. Oliver hesitated for a while before walking to his mother¡¯s room and knocking on the door. ¡°Mom, are you asleep?¡± After a moment of silence, from inside the room came Fiona¡¯s somewhat muffled voice. ¡°It¡¯s sote. Is anything wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing¡¯s wrong.¡± Oliver breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s just that I just heard someone knocking on the door in the hallway, but no one answered. Did you hear it?¡± ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t hear it. You must¡¯ve misheard.¡± ¡°Okay. Get some rest, then.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Then, the sound of Oliver¡¯s footsteps gradually faded away. In the bedroom, Fiona stood by the door under the dim light. Two meters away from her was the sofa by the window, and the man in his fifties was sitting on the sofa, a cold smile on his face. ¡°What are you afraid of? I¡¯ve already met him. All these years, it must¡¯ve been hard for you to raise our son alone, right? Why didn¡¯t youe to me?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Fiona interrupted him, a cold expression on her face. For fear of being heard, she lowered her voice. ¡°Felipe, listen to me carefully. Oliver is not your son and has nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Felipe raised his eyebrows, causing the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes to move, and the look in his eyes was extremely malicious. ¡°That boy doesn¡¯t look like he was born around that year; he¡¯s a little too young. So, I guess the one from the Duncan Family is my son, right?¡± ¡°You wish.¡± Fiona gritted her teeth. ¡°My sons have nothing to do with you whatsoever. Didn¡¯t you go abroad? Why¡¯d youe back? Why¡¯d youe to find me?¡± ¡°Your temper is still the same as it was back then.¡± The man sighed and seemed a little regretful. ¡°You¡¯re too direct. You don¡¯t even give people the chance to exchange pleasantries with you. It¡¯s kind of hurting my feelings.¡± ¡°Feelings? What feelings are there between you and me to talk about? You only wanted to be with me in the first ce because you want the Duncans¡¯ family fortune. How many years have you lied to me? You¡¯re a scumbag.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t say that. If it weren¡¯t for me, how would you have found out that Jeffrey actually loved you so much? Didn¡¯t you always want the kind of romantic love where the man would be willing to die for you? Although I didn¡¯t do it, I inspired another man to do it, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°You b*stard.¡± At the mention of the incident back then, Fiona¡¯s face was ashen, and her body was trembling. ¡°You were the one who plotted the scheme back then, and Jeffrey¡¯s death was also your fault, yet you still dare toe back.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare toe back?¡± Felipe sneered. ¡°It¡¯s been twenty years, and the litigation period of the case has long passed. Besides, I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯d actually have the guts to sue me.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯ll really do it, huh?¡± ¡°Do it, then. It¡¯ll be best if it bes so high-profile that the whole world knows that the high and mighty Young Master of the Duncan Family actually has no blood rtion with the Duncans whatsoever, but is my son instead¡­¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Before Fiona could retort, the room door was violently pushed open, and the spare key that was inserted in the cylindrical door lock gleamed. Oliver strode in and rushed toward the man on the sofa while demanding in his deep voice, ¡°Repeat what you just said.¡± Fiona¡¯s face was as pale as a sheet. She had forgotten that her son was a person with extremely sharp senses. She figured that she exposed herself when she coaxed him to leave just now, and she was certain that Oliver had heard her entire argument with Felipe. Felipe stood up from the sofa, and there was a hint of contempt on his slightly wrinkled face. ¡°Oh, you know how to eavesdrop. Quite capable, I¡¯d say. Didn¡¯t you already hear everything? What do I need to repeat?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Fiona was extremely troubled, and she wanted Felipe to leave, so she shouted angrily, ¡°Get out, or I¡¯ll call the police!¡± ¡°Call the police?¡± Felipe took a deep breath, and when he raised his head, he slowly exhaled and snorted, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t have the guts to do that. You¡¯d rather leave the Duncan Family with this little b*stard than ruin their reputation, wouldn¡¯t you? Now, you¡¯re trying to use the police to frighten me?¡± Once Oliver heard his remarks, his expression changed abruptly. ¡°My mother may care about the Duncan Family¡¯s reputation, but I don¡¯t. Where did youe from, you rascal? Do you think there are no police stations in Oreus?¡± With that, he reached for his phone and was about to dial 911. However, Fiona stopped him. ¡°Mom¡ª¡± ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Fiona snatched his phone, and she was almost out of breath from her anger. Barely calming down, she looked at Felipe and hissed, ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± At this point, Felipe¡¯s lips curled up, revealing a grim smile. ¡°So, you¡¯re not stupid after all. This would be over if you had started off by asking that. Did you really think I was here to catch up with you?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Oliver wanted nothing more than to rush forward and give him a punch, but Fiona held him back in a death grip. From behind him came his mother¡¯s gloomy voice. ¡°Spit it out. What exactly do you want? But, let me remind you that I have nothing besides this inn, and I¡¯m no longer a member of the Duncan Family.¡± ¡°20 million.¡± Felipe¡¯s equally gloomy voice rang out. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re still in contact with the Duncan Family. Within one week, I want to see 20 million.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Fiona stared at him incredulously, almost wanting to eat him alive. ¡°Where am I going to find so much money?¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem.¡± Felipe lit a cigarette, then squinted at her through the smoke. ¡°If you can¡¯t get the money, I¡¯ll go to the Duncans and tell my son that his old man has been short of money recently and that he should take the initiative to be filial to me.¡± Chapter 345 One Night Surprise Chapter 345 Chapter 345 I¡¯ll Bring It to My Grave As soon as Felipe said that, Oliver responded first without waiting for Fiona to react. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°In your dreams!¡± Oliver picked up the chair next to him and threw it at the man in front of him. A loud crash sounded in the room, awakening the guests in the entire inn. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡± ¡°Do they have no concern for others?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± At the entrance of the inn, the ss door was smashed by burly men holding steel pipes from outside. The girl at the front desk was so frightened that she got under the counter, and all the guests who came out screamed and fled back to their rooms. ¡°Let go of Oliver!¡± Fiona was nearly screaming her lungs out, and she refused to let go of Felipe¡¯s clothes. With one hand, Felipe covered the bleeding spot on his head with a towel and shoved her away with the other, then said gloomily, ¡°Originally, I nned to have a peaceful discussion with you, but now, it seems like that¡¯s unnecessary. This kid will stay with me for a few days. If you bring me the 20 million after a week, I¡¯ll return you to him in one piece. If you don¡¯t, then don¡¯t me me for being hostile.¡± Fiona gritted her teeth. ¡°Felipe, you¡¯re a monster.¡± Felipe seemed to have gotten used to hearing such things, as he simplyughed coldly and replied, ¡°You¡¯ve just realized that now?¡± With that, he left with the group of fierce burly men as they carried a weak Oliver away. The group of people smashed everything in their path, leaving the entire inn in a mess as they left. ¡ª¡ª ¡­ It snowed again early the next morning, so the roads weren¡¯t in a good condition. It was almost noon when Courtney arrived at Citron Studio. The studio had just opened, so she didn¡¯t have much financial matters to handle at the beginning of the year. She just came over to take a look and announce the news about the mid-winter holiday. ¡°Everyone, you¡¯ve only got another half month of hard work before you can all go on vacation.¡± As soon as Courtney said this, all the employees buzzed with excitement and disbelief. ¡°President Hunter, you¡¯re not kidding, right? Doesn¡¯t the mid-winter holiday startter?¡± Courtney gave a bright grin. ¡°If I only let you guys off then, would you really have time to go back to your hometown? Half of your time would be wasted on the road. If you leave work without enough energy, you¡¯ll be even more drained when youe back for work. It¡¯s better to give you twenty days for your break and let you avoid the heavy traffic. Afterward,e back and perform well for me. ¡° ¡°Well, of course we will.¡± Someone took the lead to speak up, and the sound of assurances sprang up one after another like mushrooms after a rain, making the atmosphere in the whole studio lively. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get back to work. That¡¯s enough ttery. It¡¯s not the holidays yet, so hurry up and carry on with your work.¡± Bill¡¯s expression was as nasty as usual, and as soon as he spoke, everyone seemed to have lost their voices as they hurriedly avoided him and returned to their respective workstations. On the way back to the office, Courtney teased Bill. ¡°Bill, I think you¡¯re more like the boss of this company than I am. How about I sell thepany to you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± Bill remained calm. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do anything besides designing. Even if you give it to me for free, I don¡¯t want it.¡± ¡°Dream on.¡± Courtney nced at him. ¡°Why would I give you thepany?¡± Bill looked at her with an indiscernible expression. ¡°Then, why did you give the Hunter Group to Sunhill?¡± Hearing this, Courtney was stunned, and she frowned. ¡°You already know about that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not hard to find out, is it? Who doesn¡¯t know about Sunhill¡¯s acquisition of the Hunter Group?¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any opinions.¡± Bill¡¯s expression was in and emotionless as usual. ¡°I just think that, if you want Citron Studio to develop well, you might as well take over the Hunter Group. You¡¯re a major shareholder, so if you really want it, it¡¯s far easier than letting Alexander acquire it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Sitting down behind the desk, Courtney smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s easy. The Hunter Group is full of corruption. I¡¯ve worked there for a period of time, and even though Alexander helped me, I often felt powerless. So, we must always take our time when handling anything. Nothing happens overnight.¡± Seeing that she had made up her mind, Bill didn¡¯t continue persuading her and simply handed her documents to sign. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you¡¯ve already made up your mind. You should have nothing else to handle until the holiday after signing this, so you can prepare for the wedding with peace of mind.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to prepare for the wedding.¡± Courtney had aplicated look on her face. ¡°I want to go to Oreus these two days; can you help me hide it from Alexander?¡± Bill had never dealt with Alexander before, so he readily agreed. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll bring it to my grave.¡± Fiona was speechless upon his reaction. After Fiona and Oliver left the hospital, Courtney¡¯s phone calls to Oliver had gone unanswered. When she asked his school, she found out that he had already handed in his final paper, which meant that he was all right, but she was still a little worried. Fiona was definitely hiding something about what happened 20 years ago, and Oliver must¡¯ve had his reasons for his firm attitude. At the entrance of the hospital the other day, she heard what Oliver had said to Alexander, and even until today, she still got the jitters. ¡°One day, you¡¯ll regret what happened today.¡± That wasn¡¯t a warning; it was more like a reminder. When she opened the door upon getting home in the evening, Courtney was taken aback by the scene before her. In the corridor of the bedroom, Alexander seemed to have gotten a foldingdder from somewhere, and he was standing on it. The ceiling above his head was covered with small pink wind chimes, which looked beautiful. ¡°I only asked you to put a ¡®Newly Married¡¯ sticker on the wall.¡± Courtney walked over and looked up helplessly. ¡°What are you doing with these decorations?¡± Alexander was already done, so he got down from thedder and pped his hands, then said sternly, ¡°Gale sent me a lot of videos of people picking up their brides from their homes. I saw that when other people got married, the bride¡¯s house would have all these things. Besides these decorations, there are also balloons, but it seems like that one should be der because the air will leak.¡± ¡°Where did I get the good fortune to have such an attentive boyfriend?¡± Courtney had on such a wide grin that her eyes had turned into slits. She grabbed Alexander¡¯s waist like a ko, then followed him from the bedroom door to the kitchen, not letting go even when he washed his hands. ¡°I only hung that piece because I was afraid you¡¯d fall if you did it,¡± Alexander suddenly said after washing his hands. ¡°You can do the rest yourself since you can reach them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡± Courtney blinked. ¡°Can you do it for me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re busy? Busy with work?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Courtney avoided his gaze, then said guiltily, ¡°I¡¯m super busy. Thepany¡¯s going to be liquidated at the end of the year, isn¡¯t it? I have to work overtime too, so I don¡¯t have time to apany you during the day.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you at home every night.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t work either.¡± Courtney hurriedly refused. ¡°My aunt said that you can¡¯t live with me before marriage. You should go back to your own house.¡± Alexander frowned. ¡°I can just go back the night before the wedding.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not good.¡± Courtney suddenly held his hand. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m very reluctant to part with you too, but those are the rules, so you should just agree.¡± Alexander remained unmoved. Courtney pursed her lips and used her trump card. Twisting her waist slightly, she shook his hand and dragged her voice. ¡°Hubby¡­¡± Chapter 346 One Night Surprise Chapter 346 Chapter 346 Do You Have 20 Million Dors? At that moment, anyone who heard Courtney calling Alexander ¡®hubby¡¯ so flirtatiously would get goosebumps. Yet, she batted her eyes at him with an innocent look on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t make things difficult for me, okay?¡± All of a sudden, he froze. As he turned to look at her, his eyes were burning with desire. ¡°What did you call me? Say it one more time,¡± he uttered a husky voice. ¡°First, promise me that you¡¯ll move out for the time being.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± he replied without hesitation because he knew that stalling worked on her every time; he was already familiar with such situations. Just when he thought it was over, she changed the topic. ¡°I want ice cream.¡± ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Yes. Could you get some for me, hubby?¡± She batted her eyes again. His heart stirred after hearing her call him ¡®hubby¡¯ twice. Right then, he was dying to devour her after seeing how she had learned to torment him this way. ¡°Go get me some ice cream. I¡¯ll take a bath and wait for you toe back.¡± As he thought of her beautiful face after she had taken a bath, his eyes gleamed lustfully. Without demur, he turned and headed to the door. ¡°Wait for me.¡± Watching as he left, she smiledcently before changing the password of the digital door lock. Then, she sent him a text and thought to herself, Dear hubby, I guess you won¡¯t being back home tonight. After that, she turned off her phone. She had to pack her things that night as she would be going to Oreus early in the morning the next day. He would be a nuisance if he stayed. Meanwhile, he received a text message just as he reached the ground floor. ¡®Hubby, I was thinking, why don¡¯t we start today since you promised that we would live separately before our wedding? I just changed the door lock¡¯s password just in case you give in. I guess you¡¯ll have to drive home tonight. Sorry. I love you!¡¯ Then, a gust of cold wind brushed the back of his neck. The enthusiasm he had just a moment ago was gone. Then, it dawned upon him that she was up to no good every time she called him ¡®hubby¡¯. Yet, he would forget and fall for her tricks again and again. After grumbling about it for a moment, he sighed and walked toward his car. I chose her to be my wife. What else can I do? I guess I¡¯ll just have to love her as she is. ¡ª¡ª ¡­ The next day, Courtney drove to Oreus early in the morning. As soon as Courtney reached Oreus, she bumped into the receptionist of Hostel D¡¯Amour, Mia, who was taking the trash out. There were clinking sounds as Mia threw the broken ss from the dustpan into the bin. Seeing this, Courtney walked over to Mia. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re Miss Hunter! You came to our hostel before.¡± Mia¡¯s eyes brightened up when she saw Courtney. Nodding, Courtney asked casually, ¡°Why are you throwing so many shattered ss pieces? Did something break?¡± Mia¡¯s face turned grim when she heard this. ¡°Don¡¯t even get me started. The hostel¡¯s like an empty shell right now. Almost everything is broken.¡± Hearing this, Courtney was stunned. ¡°What happened?¡± As Mia brought Courtney into the hostel, Courtney noticed that all the windows and ss on the door were gone before she even entered. All the tables and chairs were not where they were supposed to be and were piled up in one corner with missing legs. The once vibrantmon area had be empty. ¡°A group of gangsters turned our shop upside down and took Mr. Oliver away three days ago.¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Did you call the police?¡± ¡°No,¡± Mia shook her head and whispered. ¡°Madam won¡¯t let us. Besides, she asked me to go home early after cleaning up. But I feel uneasy about all this. Did Mr. Oliver offend someone? Or do they have something on him? Why did they break into our shop and smash our things?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Madam?¡± Courtney nced at the second floor. ¡°Is she upstairs?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go check on her.¡± With that, Courtney ran upstairs to Fiona¡¯s room. Considering how she refused to call the police even when her son was taken away, I wonder how much leverage they have on her. In the meantime, Fiona was busy packing her things in her room. All of her jewelry was on the desk. She was wearing a mauve knitted dress, and her eyes were still red from crying. Just then, she froze when she saw Courtney and quickly wiped her tears. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Courtney closed the door and went straight to the point. ¡°Who took Oliver away?¡± Frowning, Fiona muttered, ¡°Stop asking. It has nothing to do with you. Aren¡¯t you getting married to Alexander soon? Go back.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°You¡¯re Alexander¡¯s mother, and Oliver¡¯s his brother. Do you think I could act as if nothing had happened and go back?¡± Though Fiona had a mild temper, she was stubborn. After Courtney said this, Fiona kept quiet, as if hoping this could force Courtney to leave. After calming down, Courtney tried to get Fiona to loosen up. ¡°Madam, how about this? I won¡¯t ask what happened. I¡¯ll do anything to help Oliver. Anything. Just tell me. You have to. He¡¯s like a brother to me.¡± Slowly, Fiona lifted her head and stared at Courtney for a long time. Then, Fiona¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. Momentster, Fiona finally asked, ¡°Can I borrow some money? I¡¯ll use the hostel as a mortgage, and I¡¯ll think of a way to pay you back. I really don¡¯t know what to do right now.¡± Upon hearing this, Courtney sighed in relief. ¡°Is this something that can be solved with money? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll think of a way. How much do you need?¡± Finding it difficult to reply, Fiona clenched her teeth. Finally, she gritted, ¡°He asked for 20 million, but I only have a million or so, and it¡¯s toote even if I sell the hostel.¡± To Courtney, 20 million was not a small amount. Courtney furrowed her brows and squeezed her hands, forcing herself not to ask further, then said, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll think of something. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Courtney didn¡¯t have 20 million dors, but Alexander did. She trusted that he wouldn¡¯t refuse to help in such a dire situation. Knowing that Fiona did not want to get involved with him, Courtneyforted her before going downstairs to give him a call. ¡°Hey, I have something to ask you. Are you free?¡± ¡°Yup. What is it?¡± ¡°Do you have 20 million?¡± she asked. Then, there was silence at the other end of the phone. ¡°Yes.¡± Immediately, she let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Let me tell you something. I¡¯m at Hostel D¡¯Amour in Oreus, Oliver¡¯s family¡¯s hostel. Something happened here, and they need money urgently. Can you help?¡± After a few seconds of silence, he questioned, ¡°Did you make me leavest night so you could go there today?¡± ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s not important right now. Just help them first, okay?¡± After a long silence, a cold voice sounded. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Josh to pick you up tonight. Their business is none of our business.¡± Chapter 347 One Night Surprise Chapter 347 Chapter 347 He Won¡¯t Let Anyone Off On the other end of the phone, Alexander¡¯s voice was extraordinarily calm, which made it hard for Courtney to make out any emotion from him through the phone. Courtney was stunned for a moment. ¡°Look, Alex, I know I shouldn¡¯t even put my nose into this matter, but she is your mother after all, and our friendship with Oliver¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to say any more.¡± Courtney was interrupted before she could even finish her sentence. Alexander¡¯s weirdly indifferent and calm voice that came from the phone made Courtney feel as if this matter really had nothing to do with him, and that he really couldn¡¯t care less about this. ¡°There¡¯s nothing left to say about this. Since she left the Duncan family twenty years ago, whatever ties she had with us ended. There is no need for me to spend all this effort to help someone who has no rtions with me. You shoulde back as well.¡± Alexander¡¯s words were spoken so easily, as if he was determined not to help. ¡°I see Oliver as my brother, and yet you are still not willing to help?¡± ¡°I only recognize Shay as your brother.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Courtney was so livid that she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say anything further. After a while, she finally managed to continue, ¡°Okay, fine. If you don¡¯t help him, I will. I mean, isn¡¯t it just 20 million? I¡¯ll find a way somehow. I¡¯ll solve this without your help.¡± After speaking, she hung up the phone. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Looking back at the facade of Hostel D¡¯Amour, the anger in her heart began to boil even more. She had always felt that Alexander was someone with a prickly exterior but a mushy interior. Although his biological mother did do him wrong back then, it was mostly the grievances from a time long passed. Fiona gave birth to him, after all, and she was pregnant with him for ten months. Since there was no real animosity between the two, why couldn¡¯t he just do her a favor? The more Courtney thought about it, the angrier she became. ¡°Hello? Bill, can you help me check how much working capital there is that I can cash out in the finance department?¡± Their conversation went on. After the call with Bill, she made a few more calls and calcted all the funds she could withdraw. It was almost impossible for the real estate under her name to be cashed out so quickly, so no matter how she calcted, she couldn¡¯t fill the crater that was 20 million. Feeling defeated, Courtney sat downstairs in the lobby of the hostel with a frown on her face. In the evening, the sound of a car engine came from behind the door of the hostel, and a car with a Melrose license te stopped right outside. It was Josh who stepped out of the car. ¡°Miss Hunter, President Duncan said that it is not easy to drive on the road here at night, and he was worried, so he ordered that I pick you up.¡± In the hostel, no matter how Josh persuaded Courtney, she continued to ignore him. ¡°Miss Hunter, please don¡¯t make it difficult for me. If you don¡¯te with me, I won¡¯t get to go back as well.¡± Irritated, Courtney red at him impatiently. ¡°Then don¡¯t. There are so many rooms in the hostel now. But make sure you pay the standard room rate. After all, they don¡¯t keep tabs in this establishment.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Josh was embarrassed. ¡°Miss Hunter, President Duncan is only doing this for your own good, so I suggest that you work with him too. He didn¡¯t want to say some things as they might hurt your feelings, but he mentioned that if you are willing to go back, he will spare the other party some face.¡± ¡°Spare face?¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°Why? What did he want to say?¡± Josh hesitated for a while, then said cautiously, ¡°President Duncan said that they had not been in contact for 20 years, and the moment they met, a kidnapping just so conveniently happened. He also mentioned that the Duncan Family couldn¡¯t care less about the 20 million, but to think that they thought they were able to get the money by using tricks like this was simply disgusting.¡± Courtney¡¯s face darkened as she heard what Josh said. Secondster, she pped the table and stood up. ¡°Is he crazy? Do you think they have nothing else better to do than to deceive people and go through the trouble of kidnapping? Oliver is a student of Public Security University and has a bright future. Does he even need to use this means to deceive anyone?¡± Josh didn¡¯t dare to say even half a word while he was being scolded by Courtney. Instead, he only lowered his head and let Courtney ramble on. President Duncan is too much. Did he really think this extreme method of goading was going to make Miss Huntere back with me? How did he think it was even possible? While Josh was just thinking about it, Courtney said solemnly all of a sudden, ¡°I won¡¯t have this. I have to go back and give him a piece of my mind.¡± Josh raised his head abruptly¡ªhis face was painted with an obvious look of astonishment and bewilderment. No wonder he is my boss. His trick actually worked! ¡°The car is at the door. I¡¯ll drive fast. Do you have any luggage? I¡¯ll take it for you.¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t¡­¡± As Courtney was speaking, out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a person¡¯s figure on the second floor. When she turned her head, it had already disappeared into the room. Her heart tightened upon that. She was afraid that someone might have heard their conversation just now. In the bedroom on the second floor, Fiona was sitting by the desk with the album on it. She had never been superstitious, but now she regretted it and wondered if her action of taking out her things from the past had caused such misfortune. Knocking sounds rang on the door, which resounded distinctly in the silent room. ¡°Fiona, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Fiona lowered her head and wiped away her tears. After the door opened, Courtney walked in lightly. As if she was afraid of scaring her, Courtney walked with extra caution. ¡°Fiona, are you crying?¡± ¡°No.¡± The corners of Fiona¡¯s mouth trembled as a reluctant smile was put on. ¡°I cried a lot thest two days. My eyes are all swollen now.¡± ¡°You heard it, didn¡¯t you?¡± Courtney asked hesitantly. Looking at Fiona¡¯s paleplexion, she actually knew the answer without her needing to say anything, and she immediately exined, ¡°Don¡¯t get him wrong. Alexander said this on purpose to provoke me to go back. It was definitely not something he meant.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to exin.¡± Fiona¡¯s tone was light. ¡°It¡¯s natural for Alexander to hate me. If it wasn¡¯t for me, Jeffrey wouldn¡¯t have died. It¡¯s me who has brought misfortune to the Duncan family, so it¡¯s my own business to save Oliver¡ªeven if he were willing to help me, I wouldn¡¯t allow him.¡± Courtney frowned, then changed the conversation. ¡°Fiona, can you tell me who Oliver offended? And why can¡¯t you call the police?¡± At the mention of this, Fiona¡¯s expression froze, as if she had some difficulties in answering Courtney. ¡°If we really can¡¯t find 20 million, we can only call the police, Fiona.¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°And since Oliver is a top student at the Public Security University, the relevant departments will pay extra attention to this. Compared to us waiting around trying to get the money, I still feel like it¡¯s better for us to report this to the cops.¡± ¡°No.¡± Fiona suddenly became anxious and grabbed Courtney¡¯s sleeve. ¡°We can¡¯t report this.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Courtney¡¯s brows and eyes were full of doubts. ¡°You have to give me a valid reason not to ¡ªthis is a matter of life and death!¡± Fiona looked as if she were wrestling with herself in her mind, and her heavy past was suffocating her; fine beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. ¡°What could be more important than human life, Fiona? He¡¯s Oliver, your son!¡± Courtney added, trying to persuade Fiona. She watched as the entanglements in Fiona¡¯s eyes gradually turned into intense sadness, and a fountain of tears gushed out. ¡°Fiona¡­¡± She was at a loss for a moment. ¡°Come, take a seat.¡± Fiona let go of her hand while chokingly telling her to sit down to talk while wiping away her tears. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying, and I¡¯ve also thought about it. If I can¡¯t get the 20 million in the end, I will really have no choice but to call the police, but the person who caught Oliver is a madman. Should he catch wind of this, he won¡¯t let Oliver go¡­ I know that for a fact.¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± Courtney frowned, feeling as if she was able to smell a rotten breath of the old past. ¡°Felipe Foster.¡± Fiona almost gritted her teeth when she said his name. ¡°He was the one who had been haunting me like a wretched ghost for more than 30 years. If it wasn¡¯t for him, Alexander¡¯s father would not have died.¡± Courtney¡¯s face changed. Chapter 348 One Night Surprise Chapter 348 Chapter 348 Later On, I Got Pregnant As night fell, only a smallmp on the desk was turned on in the room. The light was very dim, as if it was in response to the atmosphere of this meeting, fading in and out of the distant past. Fiona put the photo album on the coffee table and pointed to Courtney a ck-and-white photo on the first page. In the photo, a young man and woman were standing side by side. In front of the man was a child that was not even as tall as his knees, and the woman was holding a baby girl in her arms. The baby girl looked as if she had just turned a-month old¡ªshe looked almost newly born. ¡°I was abandoned by my parents as soon as I was born. At that time, Alexander¡¯s grandfather and grandmother coincidentally went up the mountain to pray and ended up rescuing me at the entrance of the mountain. After that day, I became the Second Young Lady of the Duncan family and Jeffrey¡¯s younger sister. That year, Jeffrey had just turned one year old, which means he was one year older than me.¡± Scott looked dashing back then¡ªhe was also verypatible with his wife. The only regret was that the two never had children, especially since his wife was older than him. Eventually, they finally got a son. The couple was so happy that they went to the mountain to offer a prayer to thank the heavens, but little did they know that they would end up saving a baby on the way there. They were both precious to the couple; they named them Jeffrey and Fiona Duncan respectively. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I wasn¡¯t a child of the Duncan family until I was 17, and no one in the family ever told me.¡± Looking at the photos of the two growing up page-by-page, Courtney was surprised. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s only because they couldn¡¯t tell, Fiona. You and Mr. Duncan looked so much alike.¡± When she saw the photo, Fiona¡¯s cold face looked like it had regained some life, and her pale fingertips gently rubbed against the corner of the photo, as if she were trying to touch the past. No one really knew if it was because they grew up together and were raised in the same family, but though they weren¡¯t brother and sister, Fiona and Jeffrey looked very much alike¡ªso much so that after they had turned five, people would often ask if they were twins since they looked so alike. Scott and his wife only regarded this as a kind of fate and never exined anything to outsiders. So, until Fiona was almost an adult, she never found out about her history. At the time, she was like a child who grew up far from any troubles and hardships. Her days were spent with much love and kindness, which was exactly the reason why she wasn¡¯t prepared for the cold harshness of the real world. Subsequently, she fell in love while she was in college, and it was as if the love and kindness that she had always felt was multiplied manyfold; those times were the happiest moments of her life. She was spoiled by her parents at home; she had her elder brother taking care of her outside; and she had a lover who filled her days with surprises. ¡°When I was young at that time, I always thought that no one in this world would lie to me. I felt that what I had with him was love, so I gave my everything. He also said that we would get married as soon as we graduated. I really believed him, and I was never afraid that he would go back on his words¡­¡± Speaking of this, Fiona seemed to remember something painful, and her face became even paler. ¡°Later on, I got pregnant.¡± When she heard this sentence, Courtney¡¯s expression froze, and her face was full of astonishment. ¡°And that child is¡­¡± Fiona looked at her and nodded solemnly. She had tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time and gotten pregnant unexpectedly. When faced with such an insurmountable mountain of pressure, even if she believed that her man would definitely marry her, she was still anxious and terrified. So, at that time, Fiona told her brother, Jeffrey, about this. Jeffrey, who had always treated others like a modest gentleman, actually hit Felipe. The two of them scuffled together, and finally Fiona stopped them by standing in front of Felipe in tears. Jeffrey immediately dragged her out of the school and told her all about Felipe on the way home. That man was a total liar, and definitely not a graduate student at the school at all. He was just a hooligan who came to hook up with female college students in the name of taking sses. And the reason why he even chose Fiona in the first ce was because he had long known about her identity. In order to be with her, he even broke up with his pregnant fianc¨¦e, forcing her to have an abortion. ¡°Jeffrey had juste back from an exchange abroad at that time. It took some time for him to check Felipe¡¯s background, and when he wanted to tell me, the mistake had already been made.¡± On the way home, Jeffrey gave her two solutions to this matter. The first way was to have an abortion. He would find a way to hide it from his family, get rid of the scumbag, and let her live in the house he rented outside until the whole thing blew over. ¡°I refused. The silly and naive me still thought Felipe was a good person at that time. I believed that even though he was wrong in the past, he was at least sincere to me. Jeffrey couldn¡¯t do anything about me, so he personally set up a test. If Felipe could pass his test, everything would be fine. He would let everything go, and even plead on our behalf to our parents.¡± Jeffrey told Felipe that Fiona was only an adopted daughter of the Duncan family, and she would not be able to get a penny of the family¡¯s fortune in the future, but when they did get married in the future, the family would subsidize their living so that he could treat her well. As Fiona spoke of this, Courtney saw a self-deprecating smile on her face. It was extremely ironic. ¡°I thought it was nothing at all at that time, and that he would definitely not mind it. I waited for him with joy. All the while, I waited for him toe home with me to meet my parents. To my dismay, three monthster, he had disappeared off the surface of Earth.¡± However, three monthster, Fiona had received news that Felipe hooked up with the dean¡¯s daughter, and the two went abroad together. At that time, Fiona was already four months pregnant. Since the pregnancy had stabilized, it was impossible for her to think about an abortion. But she was so heartbroken that she didn¡¯t want to have this child anymore, and she tried her best to get rid of it. ¡°I went to the hospital, but the hospital said they would not perform the surgery on me if no one would sign the documents for me. Soon after that, I went to a smaller clinic, but Jeffrey broke in and almost tore the entire ce down. I told him that my life was over, and that pregnancy out of wedlock was a sin fit to be burned at the cross.¡± Fiona lowered her head, her voice dull. ¡°But Jeffrey hugged me and said that he would marry me. Only then did I know that what Jeffrey said to Felipe was not entirely false.¡± She was the adopted daughter of the Duncan family and had no blood rtionship with Jeffrey. Jeffrey took her hand and brought her home that night; he kneeled in front of their parents and told them that he was going to marry her. Their parents were baffled. After all, they had raised this pair of children for nearly 20 years, and now, they said that they wanted to get married¡ªhow did any of this make any sense? ¡°Dad obviously disagreed. He wouldn¡¯t agree no matter what. He lost his temper and was dragged into the bedroom by my mother. I didn¡¯t answer anything when they asked, and did nothing but cry because it was all too embarrassing.¡± Fiona¡¯s voice was almost floating in the drowsy room, like a dubbing from an old movie. ¡°Jeffrey said that I was pregnant with his child, and that he had loved me for many years¡­¡± Scott was in the army. He only returned home to inherit the family¡¯s hotel business after changing his career. He still retained the majestic aura from when he was in the military, and he couldn¡¯t ept the words of his son back then. He was so angry that he whipped Jeffrey with a cane the entire night. Jeffrey was in bed for a month, and a monthter, the two got their marriage certificate and hurriedly held the wedding. ¡°In order to avoid other people¡¯s gossiping, Jeffrey brought me to travel the world for a full year and a half beforeing back. We only told the outside world that the child could grow better when I was well-nourished.¡± Courtney clenched her fists, unable to imagine the story behind it. Chapter 349 One Night Surprise Chapter 349 Chapter 349 There Will Be a Way This story uncovered Alexander¡¯s unknown background¡ªand the only people in the entire world who knew about his background were his biological parents. Fiona was still talking about the past, her expression filled with regret. ¡°In the first few years after giving birth to Alexander, I would think of the unbearable past every time I saw him, and I felt sorry for Jeffrey. So in those years, I had been running around outside by myself and rarely came home, so Alexander had always been distant to me; we were alienated. But that was not the reason why I left.¡± In fact, her original intention was not to hinder Jeffrey¡¯s bright future, so she waited for a suitable time, and if he met a suitable person, she would take the initiative to file for divorce. But soon, ten years went by, and he still stood by her side. Jeffrey didn¡¯t change his mind, as if he didn¡¯t care about his own love life at all. ¡°He loved you,¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t help but blurt out. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you tell at all?¡± Even if they had the status of brother and sister, there was no way he would keep being with her like this for more than ten years just because he couldn¡¯t bear to see her virtue being defiled. Besides true love, there wouldn¡¯t be other reasons. ¡°How could I possibly not tell?¡± Fiona¡¯s eyes showed a faint self-mocking look. ¡°When you love someone, you can¡¯t hide it. Every time I went home, no matter how busy he was, he would always pick me up at the airport or station. My favorite meal was always cooked at home, and even if Alex was not close to me at all, he would still always address me as Mommy.¡± ¡°Then why?¡± Courtney was puzzled. ¡°At first, it was because I despised myself. Jeffrey was the best man in the world. His temperament, character, and family background were first-ss. While me, on the other hand, I gave birth to someone else¡¯s child, so I don¡¯t deserve him.¡± Looking sad, Fiona slowly let out a sigh of regret. ¡°When I finally figured it outter, it was toote.¡± Both of them fell quiet. Though the story seemed to be over, Courtney was very ufortable hearing it, and she didn¡¯t dare to ask any more questions and just sat there quietly while looking at the photos in the album. As Fiona was telling her story, they had finally turned to the end of the album. Sitting on thest page was a picture of Fiona holding Jeffrey¡¯s arm as they stood at the top of the mountain. Both of them were smiling very happily, while Jeffrey only kept looking at her with nothing but tenderness in his eyes. In the lower right corner, there was a gold-imprinted date. Seeing that, Courtney was stunned for a moment. If she remembered correctly, Jeffrey died unexpectedly not long after that day. As it turned out, it was really as Fiona said¡ªit was toote when she finally figured everything out. Fiona stroked the old photo and said with a bitter tone, ¡°I remember when this photo was taken. He told me that when Oliver was born, he would take Alex with him when he went back and take a family portrait with Dad.¡± But it seemed that the heavens wouldn¡¯t allow even this for our family. N?velDrama.Org content. After a long silence, Courtney suddenly thought of something Fiona said when the story began. ¡°Fiona, do you think Felipe killed Mr. Duncan?¡± Hearing this, Fiona clenched her fists. Her clear eyes were instantly blood shot. ¡°It was him. One year, he got divorced and came back to look for me, but I didn¡¯t go with him. In order to avoid him, I even made up excuses to go up to Mount May. I didn¡¯t know then, but he followed me up the mountain. If Jeffrey hadn¡¯t arrived in time, I would have tried kill myself along with Felipe, but he managed to run away. Unfortunately for Jeffrey, though, his car failed to brake on the way down the mountain; it hit the guardrail and rolled down the cliff¡ªthe police report identified that someone had done something to the brakes. I know that nobody other than Felipe would¡¯ve done that.¡± ¡°Did you tell the police what happened?¡± ¡°Of course I did, but there was no evidence. Besides, Felipe ran away again at that time, and the police couldn¡¯t even find out where he was, so it became a cold case just like that.¡± Courtney knew what happened next. Alexander told Courtney that he was thirteen years old that year. During the summer vacation, he saw a mane to talk to his mother. Later, his mother left with the man, and he followed. He overheard something about someone being pregnant in their conversation. He didn¡¯t understand it at the time, but after his father died and the police checked it, he finally made sense of it all¡ªor so he thought. Thirteen-year-old Alexander contacted the hospital and found out the fact that his mother was pregnant. He was indignant, so at his father¡¯s funeral, he kicked his biological mother out of the house. After hearing the whole story, all the puzzles were solved. However, at this point, Courtney didn¡¯t know what to say. She originally knew that Fiona had her reasons, but no matter how big it was, she thought it could not compare to the pain Alexander felt from being shunned and ignored by his own mother since he was a child. In fact, she used to stand on Alexander¡¯s side and felt that his mother was wrong. But now, she was feeling sorry for Fiona. Her life had been too unfortunate. She was just a fairdy who was spoiled and pampered like a protected flower. She was deceived and gave birth to a baby, but after two days of happiness, her love was gone, and she was misunderstood by her own son and kicked out of the house by him, leaving her to survive with a child on her own. Courtney couldn¡¯t imagine how much suffering she had endured all the while. ¡°So that man used Alexander¡¯s background to threaten you, didn¡¯t he?¡± Fiona nodded and muttered, ¡°I know you are a good person. I don¡¯t want Alexander to know about all these. He has not had a mother by his side and was brought up by his father since he was a child. He had a deep rtionship with Jeffrey, so if you let him know that Jeffrey was not his biological father, I don¡¯t know how he would take the news. And as for my dad, he is too old, and this information will only do him more harm than good.¡± ¡°You think so much about others, but what about yourself, or Oliver?¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°If there is really nothing you can do in the end, would you still not ask them for help? After all, Oliver is the child of you and Mr. Duncan.¡± Now, Oliver was actually the only bloodline of the Duncan family¡¯s generation. But Courtney felt that in the minds of Fiona and Jeffrey, Alexander¡¯s status was no less than that of Oliver. They were two people with very pure hearts, and the contention of the rich and powerful was probably nothing to them; she bet they had never even thought about it before. Otherwise, Jeffrey wouldn¡¯t have taken Alexander in as his son in the first ce. ¡°There must be a way.¡± Fiona pursed her lips, as if she suddenly remembered something. ¡°Yes, indeed. There is a way.¡± Her eyes lit up immediately as she thought of something, and she took Courtney¡¯s hand. ¡°Courtney, do me a favor. Go to The Rune Pawnshop at Melrose tomorrow. I have something for Mr. Quinn for valuation.¡± ¡°The Rune Pawnshop?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fiona quickly walked to the closet at the end of the bed. She opened the hiddenpartment in the closet to bring out an ebony box and opened it in front of Courtney, revealing a pair of jade bangles inside. ¡°This was given to me by Alex¡¯s grandma. Originally, I wanted to give one to you and another to Oliver¡¯s future wife, but now, I can only give it to you, and you have to sell the other. The market value of this bracelet was 10 million decades ago, and I¡¯m sure it will not be worth less than 15 million now.¡± Courtney looked at the transparent bracelets and took them into her hands carefully. ¡°This was what Alex¡¯s grandma left to you; are you willing to let it go just like this?¡± ¡°This is a small price to pay to save a life. I¡¯m sure Alex¡¯s grandma will understand.¡± Fiona was obviously reluctant to give it up, and instead only pretended not to care. ¡°It¡¯s been in that secret compartment for many years now. If I hadn¡¯t suddenly remembered about it, I would probably forget to bring it with me after I sold the hostel.¡± Chapter 350 One Night Surprise Chapter 350 Chapter 350 This Is a Fine Emerald ¡°Find Mr. Harvey Quinn of The Rune Pawnshop and give him one of these. As long as he sees this jade bracelet, he will definitely be willing to buy it.¡± Fiona¡¯s tone was extraordinarily confident. ¡°Is this Mr. Quinn your friend?¡± Fiona shook her head. ¡°He was Jeffrey¡¯s friend, and I¡¯ve only met him a few times. I wore this pair of bracelets when I got married. He came to the wedding and saw it. He borrowed it for valuation andter joked that if we didn¡¯t want it anymore in the future, we could just sell it to him.¡± Upon that, Fiona¡¯s tone was full of helplessness and bitterness. Who would have thought that such a day woulde? Courtney couldn¡¯t refuse, so she epted the pair of jade bracelets. As the money-raising was urgent, she had to rush back to Melrose overnight. Fiona told her that Felipe called and said that 20 million must be handed over to the designated location within a week. It had been three days, so she had to make haste to get the money. When they finally arrived at Melrose, it was already dawn. Courtney rummaged through the room before she pulled out a safe that was piled up in the innermost utility room. She then took a deep breath and seemed to have finally mustered up her courage before pressing the password to open it. The crisp beeping sounds were particrly clear in the twilight of the morning sun. In addition to some deposits and real estate certificates in the safe, there was a ne ced on these documents. Courtney took out the ne and stared at it under the morning light for a long time. The emerald gemstone shone in the sunlight, and the diamonds surrounding the gem were extremely dazzling. No matter how one looked at it, this ne was worth more than the pair of bangles Fiona gave her. And this ne was also the only token that guided her to find Alexander in the first ce. It was held in Courtney¡¯s hand like a newborn baby. She originally wanted to confess everything before getting married, but now, she had to use the ne for another purpose. The Rune Pawnshop was located on Lotus Road, among the two rows of ancient buildings built by the Europeans in thest century. It was formerly thergest pawnshop in the area before it was transformed to an antique auction house. ¡°Miss Hunter, please wait a moment. I just took a picture of what you brought and showed it to Mr. Quinn¡ªhe said he would be with you in a while.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Courtney nodded and sat while drinking tea. She didn¡¯t wait for too long; after about ten minutes, a man about 50 years old with a head of graying hair walked in. He was wearing a ck coat and a pair of ck canvas shoes. He gave out a simple vibe with a face filled with smiles. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°Miss Hunter, right? What is your rtionship with the owner of this pair of jade bangles?¡± Harvey and Courtney were separated by a high coffee table. The staff quickly hurried over to serve them tea. Courtney looked calm. ¡°She¡¯s my fianc¨¦¡¯s biological mother.¡± Harvey was stunned for a moment, and looked at Courtney in surprise. ¡°Are you the fianc¨¦e of the eldest Young Master of the Duncan family?¡± Harvey¡¯s reaction made Courtney a little surprised. The rtionship between Courtney and the Duncan family was almost widespread all over Melrose, and no one in the circle didn¡¯t know about their rtionship. In addition, there was a lot of news circling her, so even if he wasn¡¯t from the circle, there were not many people in the business circle that didn¡¯t know her ¡°Please don¡¯t be surprised.¡± Harvey seemed to have seen through Courtney¡¯s thoughts as he smiled lightly. ¡°I like to practice meditation, and I¡¯m often not in the city, so I¡¯m not that sensitive about what happens here. But I didn¡¯t expect that the eldest Young Master of the Duncan family would get married so soon.¡± Recently, all the old wealthy people had been getting into entric meditation practices. Most of them were just trying to pick up sophisticated hobbies and make themselves seem more impressive, but in fact, only few could really avoid the pleasures of the material world¡ªthere were simply too many temptations in the world. After all, who could really let them all go? In the end, they were only just trying to avoid their problems for a while. Courtney saw through it but still nodded in agreement. After all, she had to ask him for a favor. ¡°I really fancied this bracelet back then, and the market price is of course higher now after 20 years. Miss Hunter, how about you name your price?¡± ¡°Well, Mr. Quinn, don¡¯t take offense to what I said, but in fact, I¡¯m not here to sell the bangles.¡± Courtney carefully studied Harvey¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s just that I know that if I didn¡¯t bring out the possession of your old friend, you, a person who is cultivating outside, may not be willing toe to see me¡ªit¡¯s really myst resort.¡± As expected, Harvey¡¯s expression changed, and a bit of displeasure floated between his eyebrows. ¡°But I do have something else that I would like you to take a look at.¡± Courtney took the box containing the ne out of the bag and put it on the coffee table between the two of them. ¡°Can you see how much this is worth?¡± Harvey nced at the ne and couldn¡¯t move his eyes away since. ¡°This is a fine emerald¡­¡± Courtney drank her tea with her head down. Although she didn¡¯t understand a thing about gems, she had indeed brought this ne with her to many jewelry shops at home and abroad while looking for Jordan in the past few years. The design of this ne itself was custom-made. Therefore, it was a one-of-a-kind design on the market, and there was no way to estimate the design price, but the gems and diamonds iid in it were already expensive as they were. In the middle of the ney a rare emerald, and the tinum ne was iid with eight diamonds, four of which were very rare pink diamonds. Even if they were taken out and sold separately, they would be of high value. ¡°How much would you like to list this for, Miss Hunter?¡± ¡°20 million.¡± Courtney looked at Harvey. ¡°What do you think of this price?¡± Harvey was taken aback for a moment. ¡°The price¡­¡± ¡°Do you think that it¡¯s too low, Mr. Quinn?¡± A ne that had so many precious stones would never be worth only 20 million. Courtney didn¡¯t look like someone who didn¡¯t know the goods, so even though Harvey had doubts in his heart, he didn¡¯t want to ask further; he didn¡¯t expect that she would say it out herself. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s quite low indeed.¡± He nodded. ¡°Miss Hunter, what exactly are you trying to do?¡± ¡°I know that The Rune was a pawnshop before, so I wanted to ask if I could use the original method to let me temporarily pawn this ne to you. I don¡¯t want much¡ªjust 20 million for a period of one year.¡± Harvey looked at Courtney, and his gaze gradually became calm. ¡°What if you can¡¯t pay it back within a year?¡± ¡°Of course, ording to the rules, this ne will belong to you.¡± Neither humble nor arrogant, Courtney smiled slightly. After a long time, Mr. Quinn slowly spat out, ¡°Okay.¡± Pawning this ne with a one-year period was the best way Courtney could think of at present. In fact, Fiona had a lot of unspoken grievances in the past, but she was unable to tell anyone. Since Alexander was a hot-blooded young man, he could not understand her. So using his things to do this could be regarded as making up for his past mistakes. However, she knew she still had to pay it back. After all, it was so valuable and was not her own. In fact, she had also figured out a way out. After the matter was settled, she would have time to sell the vi on Lotus Road for 20 million. By then, she would be able to make the money back. At the president¡¯s office of Sunhill Enterprise at noon, Alexander had just returned from a meeting. ¡°President Duncan, it looks like there will be no problem with the team formation of the acquisition case, and the project can be officiallyunched after the mid-winter holidays.¡± Alexander flipped through the documents behind his desk, but he had stayed on the same page for a long time. ¡°President Duncan?¡± All of a sudden, Alexander regained his senses and stood up out of the blue. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the military hospital.¡± Chapter 351 One Night Surprise Chapter 351 Chapter 351 Recognized by Her Future Mother-In-Law After receiving the check, Courtney immediately rushed back to Oreus without a single moment of dy, and it was alreadyte at night when she arrived. She hadn¡¯t slept for almost a day, and she had a few cups of coffee consecutively because she was afraid that she might fall asleep while driving there. When Fiona saw the check, she breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you, Courtney.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Courtney replied with a smile. She was worried that Fiona would be stressed out, so she didn¡¯t tell her that the bracelet was still with her. ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about it. Once this is over, I¡¯ll send Oliver to study abroad while I go on a vacation. That way, it will be difficult for Felipe to find me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. A person like him will get just his retribution sooner orter. He can¡¯t escape from the law.¡± ¡°Hopefully.¡± Lowering her head, Fiona checked the time and said anxiously, ¡°It¡¯ste. You should go and sleep in the room which I already cleaned up. I¡¯ve caused so much trouble for you for the past couple of days.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m not sleepy.¡± Right after she said that, a yawn escaped her mouth, and she was immediately embarrassed. ¡°Alright, now. You¡¯ve already done me such a huge favor, and there¡¯s nothing left for you to do. Go and catch some sleep.¡± Her face was kind and warm as she patted Courtney¡¯s hand. ¡°Alex is so fortunate to have met a woman like you.¡± Just one statement from her was enough to make Courtney blush. So, does this mean I¡¯m acknowledged by my future mother-inw now? Finally, she didn¡¯t turn her down anymore and went upstairs by herself. After a simple washup, she climbed into the bed. Then, a knock came on the door and Fiona¡¯s soft voice rang. ¡°Are you asleep, Courtney?¡± ¡°Not yet. The door isn¡¯t locked. Pleasee in.¡± After that, Fiona opened the door and came in while holding a tray in one hand. ¡°The weather is cold, so I made some meat stew. It¡¯s from my private recipe and the meat is really tender. Give it a try.¡± ¡°It smells delicious!¡± Courtney said, getting up from the bed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just sit in the bed.¡± After cing the stew on the nightstand, she sat next to the bed and passed the stew to her. ¡°It¡¯s quite cold. You don¡¯t have to be so uptight with me. Try it.¡± A warm, fuzzy feeling swarmed around Courtney¡¯s chest, and she ate while staring at the woman in front of her who was beautiful, virtuous, generous, gentle, and mature yet simple. It was as if all the wonderful words in the world could be used to describe her; it wasn¡¯t surprising that Oliver had previously said that he wanted a woman like his mother. ¡°Madam, it will be amazing if the misunderstanding between you and Alex can be resolved,¡± Courtney uttered tentatively, worried that she might startle her. ¡°It has always bothered him that he didn¡¯t have a mother when he was young, and even though he mes you, he still yearns for you.¡± When Fiona heard that, her face froze, and she looked unbearable as she said, ¡°I know. Alex is a kind person.¡± But for everyone living in this world, they couldn¡¯t always do as their hearts wanted because of all the different misgivings they had and the concern over the opinions of others about themselves. ¡°Have you considered telling Alex exactly what happened back then? I think he¡¯ll understand it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± Fiona shot down the idea firmly, as though she had decided on this a long time ago, and nothing could change her mind. ¡°Why not? It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s the opinions of others that you¡¯re worried about. Just tell it to Alex alone. Isn¡¯t it enough if he understands you?¡± ¡°But how do you expect him to ept the fact that the father whom he had respected for decades was actually not his real father?¡± Fiona chuckled in a self-deprecating manner, trying her best to mask how much she cared. ¡°He has never been close with me since he was young. So, his impression of me in his heart is not so important, but not his father. Even if he could ept it, how do you expect him to continue living with the Duncans?¡± Unwittingly, Courtney felt her heart tighten in anxiety. For a proud person like Alexander, it was very likely that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to care about Sunhill Enterprise or the Duncan Family anymore if he found out that he was not rted to the Duncans in any way. At that time, Scott might not be able to bear this oue. ¡°In this world, you can¡¯t have your cake and eat it too. One shouldn¡¯t be too greedy.¡± With a gentle expression, she added, ¡°In fact, I¡¯ve been very happy with my life for the past years, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± Then, she gathered the bowl and spoon. ¡°Get some early rest.¡± Watching her back as she walked away, Courtney hesitated for a long while. Suddenly, just before Fiona closed the door, she said, ¡°But the dead are already gone. No matter how much respect Alex has for his father, he was a person who had already passed on and could no longer answer him anything. Only the ones who are alive have more possibilities.¡± For a second, Fiona froze halfway while closing the door. ¡°Please reconsider.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. A few moments passed in silence before Fiona closed the door, saying, ¡°Go to bed now.¡± Despite the uneasiness in her chest, Courtney drifted off to sleep almost immediately after resting her head on the pillow because she had been running around all day. She fell so deeply asleep that she didn¡¯t even hear that her cell phone was ringing the whole time. The next day, it was alreadyte morning when Courtney woke up. After washing up, she went downstairs and greeted Mia at the reception. ¡°Morning. Is Madam Fiona not awake yet?¡± ¡°She went out early in the morning,¡± she answered, blinking. ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°Where did she go?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she went out pulling a luggage bag with her.¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney¡¯s face changed, and she fished out her phone quickly to make a call. However, she saw that she had a bunch of unread text messages. At about 1.00AM, Fiona had sent her a text. ¡®I¡¯ve contacted Felipe, and it¡¯s enough that I go alone for the transaction that¡¯s happening in three days. You¡¯ve helped me so much, which is why I shouldn¡¯t let you take any more risks. Thank you, Courtney.¡¯ This only made Courtney perturbed. Naturally, the kidnappers would only allow Fiona to go alone, but at the same time, she also mentioned that those people were fearless ouws. Once they got the money, they might not let Fiona and Oliver go. Just money alone wouldn¡¯t guarantee safety in this matter. At the thought of this, Courtney asked Mia anxiously, ¡°Then, do you know where she went? And did she mention anything in the past couple of days, especially when she¡¯s picking up a call?¡± Startled, Mia looked as though she was trying her best to search through her memory. After a while, something came into her mind, and her eyes lit up. ¡°Theputer at the reception is signed in with Madam¡¯s ount; we can find out her schedule from there.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s check it quickly.¡± Hurriedly, they rushed to the reception, and Mia turned on theputer after fiddling around. Then, her fingers danced across the keyboard until she finally found the flight ticket Fiona boughtst night. ¡°It¡¯s the 8.00AM flight to Shanghai.¡± Grabbing her bag, Courtney then dashed out. Just as Fiona had said it herself, this matter was too risky, and the possibility that she could rescue Oliver with this money was very low. Therefore, she had to think of a n B. In the car, she stared ahead while making an overseas call. ¡°Please do me a favor, Elijah. Has the tracking system developed by yourpany that you mentioned before been tested? Can it be used now?¡± Chapter 352 One Night Surprise Chapter 352 Chapter 352 I¡¯m Quite Skilled ¡°From the two numbers you gave me, one is a virtual number which changes its location every five minutes. It will take a while to track that one, but I¡¯ve already found out the address of the other number and sent it to you,¡± Elijah said over the phone. ¡°Alright. Hang on and let me see,¡± Courtney said before she hurriedly checked her phone. Sure enough, it was a hotel in Shanghai. After walking out of the airport, she beckoned for a cab. ¡°Sir, to this hotel, please.¡± When the car started moving, she ced her cell phone next to her ear again. ¡°Hello, Elijah. I¡¯m in the cab now.¡± ¡°Okay, inform me once you reach the ce. I¡¯ve already asked someone to track the virtual number, and the results will most probably be out this evening.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Just when she was about to hang up, Elijah suddenly asked, ¡°Courtney, does this have something to do with Alexander again?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Yeah, and it¡¯s quite serious this time.¡± ¡°Where is he? Why is he always putting you into such dangerous situations?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story, and I can¡¯t exin it now. I¡¯ll tell you about it once I have settled everything.¡± Hearing that, Elijah was silent for a while before hanging up, as though he was angry. Courtney nced at her phone helplessly without caring too much. To her, Elijah was like a brother¡ª he had been kind to her for so long that she found it normal and took it for granted. Of course, an older brother wouldn¡¯t stay mad at his younger sister for long, so she sent another text to rush him. ¡®Please be quick about that virtual number.¡¯ Unbeknownst to her, Elijah was in a rather bad mood across the ocean, wondering why the woman whom he had held so carefully in his hands for almost five years started to live a worrywart life after she was by Alexander¡¯s side. The hotel was a little out of the way, but it was close to the airport, which was within a thirty minutes¡¯ drive. It was already midnight by the time Courtney reached Fiona¡¯s room. Fiona was worn-out and tired; the shock she had received over the past few days was written all over her face, and she was astonished when she saw Courtney at her door. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried that something might happen to you. Don¡¯t even think about shaking me off. It¡¯s better to have an extra person around to help out.¡± Marching into the room, Courtney set aside herints and said, ¡°Madam, you left without a word this morning. What happened?¡± Seeing that Courtney had traveled miles to be here, Fiona had mixed feelings and was embarrassed to hide anything from her anymore. ¡°Felipe called me and said that I should go alone to hand over the money. I¡¯m afraid that something unexpected might happen, so I don¡¯t want to bring anyone along.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re waiting obediently to take the bait, knowing that there might be unexpected situations?¡± Courtney felt that she had a newfound understanding of the simplicity of her future mother-inw¡¯s mind. ¡°Madam, what were you thinking? If the situation really turned out bad and Oliver couldn¡¯te home, you may not be able to return as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m prepared for this. No matter what, I can¡¯t drag you guys into this anymore.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not just anyone.¡± Courtney took a deep breath as she needed to gather some courage to say such boastful words. ¡°I¡¯m practically your daughter-inw. Even though I¡¯m not married into the family yet, do you not n to acknowledge me?¡± Her words stunned Fiona, who looked at her in disbelief. After a long while, she finally returned to her senses and said sadly, ¡°No, of course I acknowledge you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, then.¡± Aforting smile spread across Courtney¡¯s face. ¡°Just rx. I¡¯ve already arranged everything.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Anyway, I¡¯m going with you tomorrow. I¡¯m quite skillful, and I can help you win a bit of time when the timees. When it¡¯s time to run, then we will run.¡± Although Fiona wanted to turn her down, Courtney sounded so certain that she couldn¡¯t refuse. It was a sleepless night. The agreed time on the next day was supposed to be 2.00PM but it waster changed to 3.00PM; every time Courtney and Fiona reached a spot, they would receive a call saying that the transaction would be dyed for another hour at a new spot. In the end, it dragged on until 7.00PM, and since it was winter, the sky was alreadypletely dark at that time. Felipe¡¯s voice sounded even more grim over the phone. ¡°After leaving the city, go 50 kilometers north. There¡¯s a power nt right next to the river. I¡¯m waiting for you here. If you call the police, I assure you that you¡¯ll never get to see your son again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch him!¡± Gritting her teeth, Fiona hissed, ¡°I already prepared the money. If he loses even one strand of hair, I¡¯ll perish with you, and nobody will have anything to gain.¡± Felipe snorted. ¡°Cut your crap ande over quickly. One minutete, and I¡¯ll cut off a finger from him to feed it to the fishes in the river. Your son wants to be a police officer, right? I would like to see which criminal investigation team would ept a disabled person.¡± The things he said were so terrifying to Fiona that she almost broke down. Along the way, Courtney watched as color gradually faded from Fiona¡¯s face, and now, even her lips were pale, and there was no trace of blood left on her face after being tortured so much. Actually, Felipe was ying around with them in a test to find out if they had really called the police. If they really did, it would be impossible for the police to redeploy to the spot he had just informed in such a short notice. In addition, he had changed the spots so many times, and it would be difficult to hide the police if such a big batch of them were moving from ce to ce. On the way to the north of the city, Courtney tried to distract the jittery feelings in Fiona by speaking with her while driving. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me that Felipe already married a rich woman? Why is he still doing this?¡± Fiona¡¯s face turned solemn at the mention of this. ¡°He was born to be a curse to people. Back then, his ex-wife divorced him because he owed too much in gambling debts, and I¡¯m afraid he didn¡¯t change this bad habit of his until now. No matter how rich the woman he finds is, it¡¯s impossible for her to fill up such a big hole for him her whole life.¡± Courtney was speechless. In the abandoned power nt in the north of the city, a dim yellow light bulb swung from the wire on the second floor. The two men who were in charge of guarding the ce stomped back and forth on the concrete floor as they shivered from the cold. ¡°It¡¯s f*cking cold. There will be snow in Shanghai tonight, and the temperature will drop to below freezing point. Felipe couldn¡¯t have chosen a better time to do this; now, we have to freeze ourselves in the cold.¡± ¡°The nerve of you to speak about timing. Think about it¡ªit will be a major holiday soon, and if Felipe is unable toe up with the money for his gambling debt, do you think his wife will forgive him when he returns?¡± One of the men quickly covered his mouth and whispered, ¡°Shah! Do you want to die? If he hears you saying something like this so loudly, he¡¯ll kill you first for sure!¡± ¡°Uh! Are you f*cking¡ª¡± Finally, the man broke free and spat, ¡°Are you f*cking trying to suffocate me? Felipe is making a call on the top floor, trying to please his wife now. He doesn¡¯t have the time to be bothered about us.¡± Speaking of Felipe on a phone call with his wife, both men exchanged nces andughed sarcastically. Felipe joined the underworld gang after taking his wife¡¯s family name during marriage; they wouldn¡¯t have listened to any of hismands if it wasn¡¯t because of his wife. The winds were strong on the balcony as Felipe breathed out a puff of vapor. Despite the fact that he was shaking from the cold, he said pleasingly into the phone, ¡°Darling, I¡¯m not having fun outside, and I¡¯ll be back in a couple of days. I¡¯ve already collected all the debts people owed me. Don¡¯t worry. Not a single penny will be missing from that ten million.¡± Chapter 353 One Night Surprise Chapter 353 Chapter 353 Dead or Alive At night, an orange cab with a Shanghai registered number te drove near to the entrance of the Beijing-Shanghai expressway. In order to avoid any idents, Courtney and Fiona got out of the car when they were about five kilometers away from the meet-up point. The driver gave them a weird look, and several times, he stopped himself from saying something. ¡°Keep the change, sir.¡± Passing a 100-dor note to him, Courtney stopped him from staring at them judgingly. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Thank you.¡± Taking the note, he advised in a kind voice, ¡°Please watch out,dies. It¡¯s not so safe in the northern part of the city. Do you live here?¡± Hurriedly, Courtney nodded. ¡°Yeah, we live not far from here. The roads ahead are a little tricky for cars. Thank you.¡± Only then did the driver leave. Under the nket of the night, the streemps on the road in the wilderness lit up, but there was no one to be seen ahead or behind them. Turning on her navigation app, Courtney held Fiona¡¯s hand and found their way to the old, abandoned power nt by the river. ¡°They¡¯re here, boss,¡± a subordinate reported, his voice echoing through the huge building. Soon, the sounds of footstepsing downstairs could be heard, and a man walked downstairs onto the concrete floor of the old factory. Every step he took caused a big stir in the dust, and it swirled around under the dim light. The moment Felipe came downstairs, he saw Courtney standing next to Fiona, and his face immediately turned sour. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already make it clear that you shoulde alone?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the way.¡± Staring at him righteously, Fiona added, ¡°She¡¯s just here to apany me. Stop your nonsense. I¡¯ve already brought the money; where¡¯s Oliver?¡± ¡°He¡¯s at a ce where he should be.¡± With an icy stare in his eyes, he swept his gaze past behind Fiona. ¡°Where¡¯s the money?¡± From the pocket of her jacket, Fiona took out the check for twenty million. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± At the sight of the check, Felipe looked angry. ¡°Are you ying me, Fiona Duncan?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s ying you?¡± The look in Fiona¡¯s eyes became sharp. ¡°Twenty million is right here. On the other hand, are you trying to go back on your word? If you do that, I¡¯ll perish together with you and tear this check to pieces. You¡¯ll get nothing then.¡± ¡°Do you take me for a fool?¡± His face was stony and furious at the same time. ¡°If I take the check now, you¡¯ll alert the bank after you bring the boy away. Not only will I not get any money at the counter, I¡¯ll even be arrested on the spot by the police in an ambush. You guys really nned it out beautifully, huh?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Fiona asked, not understanding what he meant yet. ¡°I want twenty million in cash,¡± he answered firmly, his voice echoing back and forth in the empty building. Hearing that, Fiona shook with anger. ¡°You didn¡¯t mention that in the beginning. Plus, how am I supposed to bring you twenty million in cash? Are you crazy?¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy.¡± The iciness in his eyes deepened, and heid his eyes on Courtney. ¡°One of you will stay here while the other will cash out the money once the bank is open tomorrow morning. If I don¡¯t see the money, you guys can forget about seeing that boy as well.¡± ¡°You¡¯re an a*shole, Felipe Foster!¡± Fiona was so mad that she almost lunged forward to fight it out with him, but Courtney held her back firmly. ¡°Okay.¡± Courtney agreed in her stead. ¡°I¡¯m staying here, and she¡¯s going to cash out the money. But I have a request. We need to know if Oliver is dead or alive.¡± Not knowing who she was, Felipe gave her a once-over. ¡°Who do you think you are to speak terms with me?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes were indifferent as she concealed her identity, saying, ¡°I¡¯m an employee at the hostel and just as good as Oliver¡¯s half-sister. If you don¡¯t show us how he¡¯s doing, how will we know if our twenty million will be exchanged for a corpse or a live person?¡± The rationale in her statement was a little terrifying, making Fiona¡¯s heart shudder. Tightening her jaw, she red at Felipe while shouting in anger, ¡°If there¡¯s so much as a scratch on Oliver, I won¡¯t give you a single penny from this twenty million.¡± Meanwhile, Felipe was flustered and at a loss because of these two women. In addition, he couldn¡¯t get the money at the moment, and that added to his frustrations. After walking around in a circle, he kicked a subordinate next to him. ¡°Go and bring that boy here.¡± Upon that, the skinny blondie scrambled to his feet to bring Oliver downstairs. A few minutester, Oliver was brought from upstairs. Very roughly, the blondie threw Oliver on the floor. Oliver stumbled, plopping on his butt on the floor before swaying around a little and slumping forward. From Courtney and Fiona¡¯s angle, they could see that there was ayer of white frost on his brows as he shivered from the cold and didn¡¯t appear to be conscious either. ¡°Oliver!¡± Both of them called out to him a few times, but received no reply. Anxious, Fiona asked, ¡°What did you do to him?¡± ¡°You can only me his body for being too weak. He became like this because he can¡¯t take the cold. This has nothing to do with me,¡± Felipe answered impatiently. From the very beginning, Courtney felt that there was something amiss. Both of them were already here, and in order to get the money, there was no need for Felipe to hide or cover Oliver. From the looks of it now, something must have happened to Oliver. ¡°What happened to him?¡± Courtney asked persistently. ¡°Watch your tone when you speak to our boss, b*tch,¡± the blondie interjected. ¡°This boy can¡¯t take the cold and started running a fever after a night in the cold. Are you going to me us for this?¡± he said loudly. ¡°Shut up.¡± Felipe gave him a fierce stare. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you send him to the hospital?¡± Because of her panic, Fiona actually asked such a dumb question. Usually, the kidnappers would be considered kind for not killing the hostage, so of course they wouldn¡¯t go to the extent of attending to the hostage¡¯s fever. As expected, Felipe looked solemn. ¡°Cut your crap. If I don¡¯t see that twenty million before noon tomorrow, he can forget about his trip to the hospital; I¡¯ll send him into the river so he can have an early start in his next life!¡± Even Fiona knew that this was no time to negotiate because the other party was extremely ruthless, and the fact that Oliver was lying on the cold ground now made her heart wrench. Hence, she could only agree to his request and head into the city to withdraw the money with one of his men. The night was long. It was shortly after midnight when Fiona left, so there was still quite a long time to wait. The walls of the factory were ventted on all four sides, and Courtney stood about twenty feet away from where Felipe and his men were. As she really couldn¡¯t bear that they let Olivery on the ground, she said, ¡°Help Oliver up and let him sit on a chair.¡± The blondie who interjected earlier nced at her. ¡°Is he the prime minister or something? Why should I bring him a chair?¡± With a stony face, Courtney replied, ¡°It¡¯s so cold, and you¡¯re leaving him to lie on the ground. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll say something like this should anything really happen to him and you guys can¡¯t get the money.¡± Hearing that, Felipe, who had been silent the whole time, peered over. ¡°Shut up and just get the chair.¡± A look of dismay washed over the blondie¡¯s face, and he reluctantly went to bring a broken chair over. Propping it on the load-bearing wall, he then helped Oliver up and put him in the chair, leaning him against the load-bearing wall. Maybe they were worried that he might fall off, so they simply used some rope and bound him to the wall. Eyeing Courtney, Felipe couldn¡¯t help but doubt her identity from the moment they met as she appeared so calm andposed. ¡°You said you¡¯re an employee at the hostel, but why have I never seen you before?¡± Chapter 354 One Night Surprise Chapter 354 Chapter 354 A Discontented Man Without even flinching, Courtney answered, ¡°I was on vacation when you were there.¡± Frowning, Felipe didn¡¯t ask anymore because he assumed that a woman Fiona brought with her wasn¡¯t worth his attention. What he was after was money, and Fiona simply wanted her son. However, he didn¡¯t imagine that Fiona had managed to save up so much over the years and could easilye up with twenty million within such a short period of time. Thinking of this, he felt a wave of regret. If I had known this earlier, I would have asked for more money. A discontented man was akin to a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Seeing how greedy Felipe appeared, Courtney felt a crushing sense of disgust in her stomach. If it wasn¡¯t for this man, Fiona wouldn¡¯t have lived such a miserable life, and Alexander wouldn¡¯t have developed such an aloof personality from growing up in a broken familycking in love and attention. The source of all evil came from this man, who was like a blood-sucking vampire. It was a dark night. Courtney lowered her head to check the time. From the corner of her eye, she could see that the blondie was almost falling asleep while guarding Oliver nearby, yawning the whole time as he leaned against the wall. Even Felipe was at his limit; he took a smoke once about every ten minutes to keep himself alert. ¡°Ahem, ahem.¡± Courtney coughed lightly a couple of times, and a voice came out of the tiny headset next to her ear. ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll prepare for action.¡± Two squads of special forces soldiers wearing camouged riot suits crawled on the ground in the wilderness, surrounding the entire power nt so that even a fly couldn¡¯t escape the building. The squad captain signaled with his hand, whereupon an athletic woman from the squad pressed herself between the wall and water pipe, climbing her way up. ¡°Ugh!¡± Before the man on guard duty on the second floor even had the chance to realize it, someone had already climbed over the wall, locked his neck, and injected him with anesthesia, then he fell limply to the floor. Under the shady lighting, a face covered in camouge makeup could be seen, and only the people who knew her could tell that it was Tessa. She was very uptight because she had never been so emotional on a hostage rescue mission like today despite participating in actualbat exercises so many times before. Right now, her light footsteps werepletely concealed by the rustling wind in the dark night. Tiny dust particles floated around her boots, and after rolling around a few times, she sessfully hid herself in a corner. It was quite empty on the first floor, and there was an open space of about five hundred square feet in the middle. Besides the load-bearing wall, there was nothing she could use as shelter at all. If she got closer, she would inevitably be discovered by the ruthless kidnappers. Therefore, she shouldn¡¯t act impulsively. The sky outside was already bright. ¡°Call Yogi and ask him how things are going.¡± Felipe had juste back from a smoke, and he put out the cigarette under his foot with an impatient look. ¡°This ce is freezing like hell. Tell that woman that I¡¯ve changed my mind. We¡¯ll kill the hostages right away and dump her son and this woman she brought along into the river to feed the fishes if I don¡¯t receive the money before 10.00AM.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The blondie hurriedly shuddered and woke up. Then, he yawned as he made a call. ¡°Sh*t.¡± All of a sudden, Courtney heard a soft but anxious voice from her headset, and her heart skipped, fearing that the special forces who came to rescue the hostages had already detained the people close to the bank. It took a long while before the blondie¡¯s call was picked up, and he shouted rudely into the phone, ¡°Yogi, why didn¡¯t you give us a call after you were gone the whole night? How did it go? Is the bank open?¡± After that, he put the phone on loudspeaker mode, and everyone in the building could hear Yogi¡¯s voice. ¡°We¡¯re here, but the bank only opens at 9.00AM. So, we¡¯re still waiting.¡± Courtney breathed a sigh of relief, but she didn¡¯t know whether it was the police who threatened Yogi to say those things, or they hadn¡¯t acted on that side yet. ¡°Tell that woman that our boss has changed his mind. We¡¯re only waiting until 10.00AM, and we don¡¯t care how, but she has toe back with the money as soon as possible. We¡¯re really going to die from the cold here.¡± ¡°I got it,¡± Yogi answered curtly. On the other end, the blondie hung up and turned to Felipe. ¡°Boss.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Felipe nodded, but when he spun around, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡± As he turned around to look at Courtney, his eyes turned solemn out of the blue. ¡°Blondie, tie up this boy and that woman. Something happened to Yogi.¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Courtney¡¯s face fell, and she took a step backward subconsciously. ¡°What are you guys going to do?¡± Only God knows what Felipe realized from the call earlier, she thought. As though realizing what happened, Blondie strode toward Courtney immediately with fury written all over his face. ¡°How dare you call the police!¡± he said as he and another man grabbed her by her shoulders on both sides. While she screamed and struggled, they dragged her all the way in front of Felipe. ¡°What are we going to do, Boss?¡± After he said that, Courtney felt her scalp turning numb, and someone grabbed her hair before lifting her head. Although she shrieked in pain, she didn¡¯t dare to struggle too hard. With one hand, Felipe grabbed her hair as he scrutinized her from the left and right. In the end, he pulled out a tiny, round headset the size of a thumbnail from her ear, and his face turned livid. ¡°I remember mentioning that I¡¯ll kill this boy if you guys call the police.¡± The ck barrel of a gun was already pointed at Oliver, who was still unconscious on the side. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot!¡± Courtney shouted in panic, and another voice echoed along with hers at the same time when she shouted. Standing about sixty feet behind her, Tessa was holding a submachine gun and aiming it at the subordinate who was holding the gun. In a split second, the two squads of special forces on the first and second floor appeared at the same time and already had the entire abandoned power ntpletely surrounded, leaving only Felipe and his three subordinates in the middle space on the first floor; all his other subordinates had already been taken care of. By now, Felipe¡¯s face hadpletely changed. ¡°Don¡¯te over, or I¡¯ll kill this boy!¡± ¡°Do you have the guts to do that?¡± All of a sudden, Courtney had recollected herself. ¡°If you guys dare to even touch us, there¡¯s no chance that you can make it out of here alive.¡± Just then, Tessa took hold of a loudspeaker in the distance and her voice boomed. ¡°Listen here. Release the hostages and we can negotiate.¡± ¡°What are we going to do, Boss?¡± Clearly, the subordinates Felipe brought with him were panic- stricken. ¡°What are you panicking about?¡± After spitting on the floor, Felipe grabbed Courtney and shouted back at Tessa in the distance, ¡°Save me your acts. I want nothing less than twenty million. Also, prepare a car to send me to the pier. Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill her right now.¡± A shiver ran down Courtney¡¯s spine. If they really did as Felipe wanted, she was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t release her and Oliver even when he reached the pier. Including the fact that they had called the police, plus other disputes, he might really end her and Oliver¡¯s life on the spot. Fiona¡¯s right, she thought. He is a ruthless ouw. ¡°Calm down,¡± Tessa appeared a little nervous as she replied anxiously. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll get it prepared now.¡± While she was speaking, the loud sound of a car engine came from outside, and the blinding headlights shone into the factory like a rising sun, making it impossible for them to open their eyes. Amidst the dust, the white Porsche drifted in beautifully, and with the sound of the sharp brakes, it left curved tire tracks on the ground before the rear of the car pointed at Courtney and the rest. Then, a tall, dark figure stepped out. ¡°I brought the twenty million here.¡± Chapter 355 One Night Surprise Chapter 355 Chapter 355 I¡¯m Your Real Father ¡°Alexander,¡± Courtney called out subconsciously. However, Felipe heard it very clearly and grabbed her around her throat. ¡°What did you call him?¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°If you continue to do that, you won¡¯t get a single penny from this twenty million.¡± A grim and cold look was on Alexander¡¯s face, and his eyes were glistening with a terrifying icy stare. Behind him, the trunk slowly opened up, and two huge suitcases made of aluminum were opened, revealing four hundred gold bars arranged neatly together. Felipe¡¯s eyes almost fell out of his sockets from staring. ¡°There¡¯s twenty million here?¡± ¡°Thirty million.¡± Alexander said the figureposedly. ¡°As long as you release her and that boy next to you, then you can leave with this money now.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to negotiate with me.¡± Felipe snorted. ¡°Tell the police to back up and leave the car key there. Once I¡¯ve reached the pier, this woman and that boy would be useless to me, and I¡¯ll return them to you by then.¡± With knitted brows, Alexander nced at Tessa. Usually, the kidnappers would have the upper hand during negotiations at times like this. Tessa signaled with her hand, and the special forces with shields slowly retreated backward, leaving Alexander¡¯s Porsche in its original space as they formed arger encirclement using it as the center. Clutching Courtney¡¯s shoulder, Felipe held an army knife in another hand while his three subordinates behind him dragged Oliver, then the four of them moved toward the Porsche cautiously. At the same time, Courtney could feel that Felipe was very nervous, and from the corners of her eyes, she could see small beads of sweat forming and sliding down his face. How could a person like him, who has a greed for wealth and materialistic things of the world, possibly allow himself to die? Gradually, her eyes became firm and she said, ¡°Let Oliver go. He¡¯s unconscious and will only be a burden to you if you bring him along. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± Felipe sneered. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that you¡¯re just a worthless substitute? That boy is the one who¡¯s worth the money.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Her brows were tightly locked together, and she was about to say something when she realized that Tessa was trying her best to give her a look. That was when she sensed something and closed her mouth. The few of them had now moved to the trunk of the car, and the sight of the two suitcases of shimmering gold bars made the eyes of these ruthless kidnappers gleam with greed. Despite that, they were aware that any amount of gold would be a waste if they couldn¡¯t leave this ce. ¡°Bring the suitcases to the front seats and then straight onto the boat once we reach the portter,¡± Felipe instructed. Hurriedly, Blondie closed the aluminum suitcases and looked dismayed after trying to move it for a while. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s too heavy. We need at least two men to lift it.¡± Two cases filled with four hundred gold bars amounts to hundreds of pounds, Felipe thought. One needs to be very strong to carry it alone! His brows furrowed, and his grip on Courtney¡¯s shoulder loosened a little. ¡°It¡¯s easier to control that boy because he¡¯s unconscious. Get him in the car, and we¡¯ll drop this woman.¡± The moment she was released, Courtney finally understood why Tessa gave her a look earlier. It must have been within Alexander¡¯s expectations that it would be inconvenient for them to bring two cases of gold bars. Furthermore, including Oliver, there were five people, and the car couldn¡¯t fit all of them. Therefore, she had to be left behind. As long as Felipe didn¡¯t know who she was, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem at all. After the car drove away, Courtney stood rooted on the spot, unable to move her legs. All her composure was just a pretense. When a thin line stood between life and death, nobody could really stay calm. Striding to her, Alexander then pulled her into his arms. ¡°It¡¯s alright now,¡± he said shakily,pletely void of theposure he had earlier. A long whileter, Courtney finally came to her senses. Gripping the sleeve of Alexander¡¯s coat, she asked anxiously, ¡°What about Oliver?¡± His eyes turned stony as he answered, ¡°They won¡¯t get away.¡± On a small road near the expressway leading to an undeveloped area of the riverside, the white Porsche flew past speedily as the wind whistled outside the car windows. Seated on the passenger seat, Felipe forcibly put up a calm voice as he made a call. ¡°Yes, pick us up at the port in twenty minutes. We¡¯ll be there soon.¡± After he hung up, a worried voice suddenly rang in the car. ¡°Boss, we¡¯re out of gas.¡± A red warning light was showing on the gas gauge, and the car had slowed down significantly. A few minutes after they spoke, the car came to aplete stop on the side of the road. All color drained from Felipe¡¯s face as he banged hard on the car door. ¡°Damn it. He tricked me!¡± Several ck-colored private cars were already chasing after the Porsche, and after they came to a stop, a dozen well-built men armed with guns and steel pipes got off and surrounded Felipe and his men. ¡°Don¡¯te over.¡± Felipe got out of the car and dragged Oliver out of the backseat. Clutching Oliver¡¯s neck with one hand, he pointed a gun at his temple with his other hand. ¡°If you dare to take a step closer, I¡¯ll kill him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you have the guts to do that.¡± In the spacious wilderness, Alexander¡¯s voice sounded especially crisp and clear. Walking out amidst the well-built men, he appeared particrly tall and slender in his tailored coat. ¡°I¡¯ll kill him right now.¡± ¡°Do as you like.¡± Standing with his back straight, Alexander disyed a nonchnt look. ¡°I¡¯ve already saved the person I wanted to save, and I¡¯m not the police, so it has nothing to do with me who you want to kill.¡± ¡°The person you wanted to save?¡± Felipe¡¯s face fell. ¡°How¡¯s that woman rted to you?¡± Smirking, he answered, ¡°She¡¯s my fianc¨¦e.¡± Upon hearing that, Felipe recalled that when this man appeared, the woman in his hand suddenly called him Alexander, and his face froze. Staring at Alexander, he studied him for a moment and snorted outughing suddenly. ¡°So, you¡¯re Alexander Griffith?¡± Without even flinching, Alexander said, ¡°If you know who I am, you should have heard about how I usually deal with things. I don¡¯t care at all if I can save the person in your hands, but if he really dies by your hands, in order to console my fianc¨¦e, you guys may really forget about making an escape.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Suddenly, Felipe appeared relieved. ¡°You¡¯re so devoted.¡± Fixing his eyes on Alexander, as though he could see something else from his handsome features, he suddenly said thoughtfully, ¡°Alexander Griffith, you should let me go, or else you¡¯ll suffer the retribution. Do you know who I am?¡± Ever so slightly, Alexander knitted his brows and didn¡¯t answer. Just then, a car stopped behind all the cars, then Fiona jumped out hurriedly. She bolted forward but was held back and stopped from moving forward by the bodyguards behind her. It was then when she happened to hear Felipe, and she struggled to lunge forward as she shouted at Alexander¡¯s back, ¡°Alexander, don¡¯t listen to him. Don¡¯t listen to anything he says. He¡¯s a madman!¡± Seeing that Fiona was here, Felipe smirked cruelly, and it turned sinister with every passing second. In an almost freaky tone, he spoke, and his voice echoed in the wilderness. ¡°You¡¯ll love this secret, Griffith. I¡¯m your real father.¡± Chapter 356 One Night Surprise Chapter 356 Chapter 356 I¡¯m Afraid You Have No Such Luck Gradually, the expression on Alexander¡¯s face changed. The open space in the wilderness was too wide, and thest word Felipe said kept echoing in the air. However, the bodyguards and hitmen on the scene were very professional, and there were no changes on their faces at all. In contrast, when Fiona heard what Felipe said, her face turned ashen, and she used all of her might to lunge at Felipe in the distance. ¡°You b*stard, you¡¯ll die a terrible death!¡± she cursed furiously. ¡°How can you tell a lie like this!¡± Felipe merely sneered and continued to stare at Alexander. ¡°More than thirty years ago, your mother should have married me, but she lied to me. She¡¯s not the youngdy of the Duncans at all but an adopted child of the family. To put it bluntly, she was just a child bride the Duncans prepared for your old man, who¡¯s dead now; that wasted more than one year of my efforts.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t say a thing, and Felipe continued, ¡°After that, we had you, and Jeffrey even gave me a good beating for that. But later, he still decided to take her in, and I left the ce while he raised my son for me.¡± Chuckling smugly, he thenplimented, ¡°He even did a good job raising you. You sure have my blood flowing in you!¡± The look he had was so proud that it was almost unbelievable. ¡°Are you done?¡± Alexander had seemingly recovered the calm and self-control he had earlier¡ªor perhaps there wasn¡¯t much change in his facial expression since the beginning. It was as if he didn¡¯t believe a single word Felipe said and even had a hint of mockery in his eyes. ¡°You should give me these four hundred gold bars because I gave you your life.¡± ncing at him, Felipe was looking outrightly proud. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t given you up in time, you wouldn¡¯t have inherited the Duncans¡¯ fortunes at all!¡± Sneering, Alexander said, ¡°So, these four hundred gold bars are too little, and it will only be fair if you get half of my assets, huh?¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°It¡¯s great that you think so¡­¡± The nerve of him to answer back! Standing next to Fiona, Courtney held her icy hands and furrowed her brows deeply. How can such a jerk exist in this world? Like an unmovable mountain, Alexander stood there firmly with his back facing them. Only his voice could be heard in the open space as he said each word loudly and clearly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you have no such luck.¡± Right after, two figures appeared from behind the Porsche, which was behind Felipe. One of them started fighting with his three subordinates while another swung a fist toward Felipe,nding it directly on his face. Bang! The sound of gunshot sted into the air, and Felipe¡¯s shot brushed past the car, narrowly missing Tessa, who dodged it. With a single hand, she sped and twisted his wrist effortlessly. A cry of pain escaped Felipe¡¯s lips before she gave him a hard kick and stepped on him, sprawling him out on the floor and immobilizing him. Lifelessly, Oliver slumped into Tessa¡¯s arms, and her fury fueled when she saw that he was out cold. Stepping on Felipe¡¯s face furiously, she said, ¡°Damn it. How dare you touch my man! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, Tessa.¡± A powerful voice rang out, and a burly man next to Alexander came over. ¡°Cuff him quickly and dismiss the squads. Don¡¯t you know that lynching is strictly prohibited? Do you want to be punished?¡± Tessa frowned and retracted her foot reluctantly. With a wave of hand from the burly man, two men from the special forces dressed up as bodyguards behind him came forward and handcuffed Felipe before cing him in a car at the back. All of this was a trapid by Alexander, and Courtney only found out about it afterward. From the very beginning, he never nned to let Felipe escape because once he boarded the boat at the pier and sneaked into other ces, there was nothing the forces could do anymore. Using diversion as the technique, Alexander gave Felipe and his men the gold bars. Their survival instincts as well as their greed would then force them to escape as quickly as possible, so they had to leave either Courtney or Oliver behind. As Felipe thought that Oliver worked better as a bargaining chip, he abandoned Courtney, whom he thought was just a hostel employee. After that came the second part of Alexander¡¯s n¡ªspecial forces disguised as his bodyguards. After years of being an ouw, Felipe knew that the police were constrained in their work and couldn¡¯t kill the kidnappers unless it was a critical moment. Hence, he had to be afraid that Alexander couldn¡¯t care less about Oliver¡¯s life and would really kill him. However, Alexander¡¯s identity was a surprise fuel to the fire. Compared to the impact on Felipe by making Oliver into an insignificant person, Alexander¡¯s identity obviously distracted his attention even more, which gave Tessa and her team the chance to attack. Later, Oliver was rushed onto an ambnce by paramedics with Tessa tagging along, and everyone else involved with the case went to the police station for their statements. It took a long time before Alexander finally turned around, standing about thirty feet away from Fiona and Courtney while staring from afar without a word. With mixed andplicated emotions in her eyes, Fiona gazed at him. Several times, the words reached her lips, but she didn¡¯t say it out loud. In the end, she uttered, ¡°Alex, don¡¯t believe the things he said. He¡¯s just a madman.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Alexander¡¯s face was stony as he paced over. ¡°Why should I believe him?¡± His words only made Fiona look even more miserable; mothers knew their children the best. Brushing past her side, Alexander said indifferently, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Courtney.¡± His back was just as cold as his tone of voice, as though nothing had happened earlier; it was as though he had never helped her out with anything, and they remained unconnected to each other in the future just as they had been in the past. However, Courtney suddenly cried out in surprise, ¡°Madam, are you okay?¡± Stopping in his tracks, Alexander spun his head around and saw that Fiona had copsed in Courtney¡¯s arms. Worried, he marched over in big strides. Three dayster. The time had just passed noon, and people wereing in and out of the inpatient department of Shanghai Surgical Hospital. Sitting next to Fiona¡¯s bed, Courtney peeled an apple while saying, ¡°Madam, the doctor said that you were too worked up. In addition, you hardly slept the week before, and that¡¯s why your blood pressure was unstable. You should rx more after this and stay in the hospital for a couple more days for observation. After that, you can be discharged.¡± After being in aa for two days, Fiona finally woke up. ording to the doctor, it was nothing serious, but she was simply too tired. For two whole days, she didn¡¯t eat anything and only relied on infusion to maintain her vital organs. ¡°I¡¯m fine. In fact, I can even be discharged now.¡± Fiona still looked a little weak, and it was as though her hair had grayed overnight. She gazed at Courtney with gratitude, but there was more helplessness. Such a kinddy is more than enough for my son, but sadly, I can¡¯t do anything for him, Fiona thought. ¡°Well, you shouldn¡¯t.¡± Passing the apple to her, Courtney added, ¡°I already called Alex, and he said he¡¯ll come and visit you after his morning work.¡± When she heard that, her face fell, and she flipped the nket away, trying to jump out of bed. ¡°Hey, Madam! What are you doing?¡± Hurriedly, Courtney tried to stop her, but she was holding a fruit knife in one hand, and it was quite inconvenient. ¡°Please watch out.¡± On the other hand, Fiona was a little impatient. ¡°Courtney, let me go now. He doesn¡¯t want to see me, and I¡¯m ashamed to see him as well.¡± ¡°Madam, calm down and take a seat.¡± ¡°No.¡± While both of them were in a struggle, a pair of hands pushed the door open, revealing a tall figure. In his usual aloof voice, but sounding a little unnatural this time, Alexander asked, ¡°What are the both of you doing?¡± Chapter 357 One Night Surprise Chapter 357 Chapter 357 Unfilial Descendant Alexander¡¯s sudden appearance made Fiona forget to struggle, then Courtney ced her back on the bed. ¡°Have a chat, both of you.¡± Then, she ced the apple and fruit knife on the nightstand in a corner and shed a soft smile at Alexander when she was walking past him, giving him an encouraging look. It wasn¡¯t easy to resolve a misunderstanding of twenty years. So much resentment and obsessions were interspersed in between, and it couldn¡¯t be solved with the truth alone. Much more mutual understanding would be needed instead. After Alexander left, Fiona appeared even more uneasy. ¡°Alex, I¡¯ll leave in the afternoon and won¡¯t cause any trouble for you.¡± Looking at her, Alexander knitted his brows. ¡°The doctor wants you to stay a week for observation, but you¡¯re saying now that you want to leave in the afternoon. Don¡¯t you think that you¡¯ll be causing trouble for me when the timees and the doctor asks me where you are?¡± The muscles on Fiona¡¯s face froze at his words, and she had no idea how to reply to that. Meanwhile, Alexander furrowed his brows, looking very unnatural, and the room slipped into silence for a long while. ¡°Felipe is currently being held in custody. As he has quite a few cases against him, he would be given the death sentence. Do you have anything to say to him before the trial?¡± When Alexander mentioned Felipe, he didn¡¯t mean to avoid it or hold back at all. However, Fiona¡¯s hands, which were fidgeting with the nket, rxed, and she said calmly, ¡°No.¡± Nothing remained as a secret, and since Alexander already knew the entire truth, it would look even more embarrassing if she pretended that she didn¡¯t know anything and avoided the topic. So, she might as well just talk about it openly. Alexander nodded. ¡°Okay. Olly¡¯s injuries aren¡¯t serious, but he¡¯s still unconscious because he¡¯s running a high fever. Yesterday, he was transferred back to Melrose, and he¡¯s now in the military hospital. If you don¡¯t wish to stay here, you can also ask for a transfer and stay at the same hospital as him.¡± Lifting her head up in surprise, she uttered, ¡°W-What did you call him?¡± She had never thought that Alexander would be willing to acknowledge Oliver as his brother and thought that it would be a blessing from Heaven if he was willing to regard him as merely a stranger. Avoiding her gaze, he said, ¡°No matter what, he¡¯s Dad¡¯s only son and Grandpa¡¯s only grandson. In addition, he¡¯ll inherit the Duncan Family in the future and be the sessor of Sunhill Enterprise. I¡¯ll be responsible for his life from now on.¡± All Fiona felt was a crushing pain on her chest. The thing she was most afraid of¡ªAlexander doubting himself after finding out the truth¡ªhad finally happened. ¡°That¡¯s nonsense.¡± An old man¡¯s voice echoed along with the sound of the door swinging open, shattering the heavy atmosphere in the room. ¡°Grandpa?¡± ¡°Dad?¡± Almost simultaneously, both Alexander and Fiona gasped in surprise. Walking into the room with a serious and angry expression, Scott said, ¡°Your father raised you for thirteen years while I did the same for twenty, and now you¡¯re no longer my grandson just because you said so, and you¡¯re not your father¡¯s son anymore as well? What an unfilial child!¡± Although there was a knot between Alexander¡¯s brows, there was a tinge of warmth in his indifferent eyes. ¡°I found out about everything.¡± Staring in the direction of the bed, Scott gazed at the daughter he hadn¡¯t seen for twenty years with mixed feelings, and tears welled-up in his eyes instantly. However, he didn¡¯t want anyone to see it and quickly turned his head to wipe his tears away. Getting out of bed in a rush, Fiona called out, ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t move around.¡± Scott waved his hand, and his voice choked, which was hardly usual. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t move around when you¡¯re unwell. Let¡¯s have a good catch-up as a family. Tell me how your life has been all these years with Oliver.¡± Fiona cast a nervous look at Alexander, unsure how she should begin. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ll go out¡ª¡± ¡°Stay here,¡± Scott cut him off before he could finish. ¡°You¡¯re always busy and barely have time to care about the things happening at home. Earlier, you even said that you want to pass thepany to Oliver, so you¡¯re abandoning thepany? If you¡¯re still thinking that you¡¯re not your father¡¯s child, then I¡¯m telling you now that you¡¯re still your mother¡¯s son, and she was also my daughter back then. No matter what, you¡¯re still my grandson.¡± A look of surprise shed past Alexander¡¯s eyes. Outside the ward, Courtney sat on a bench with her son leaning on her left and daughter on her right. Scott had brought the children along with him this time, and they kept pestering her to tell them the story. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Mommy! There were so many baddies. Weren¡¯t you afraid at all?¡± Tina asked, blinking. In the meantime, Jordan had more concerns than her. Besides curiosity, he even showed a concerned look just as an adult would. N?velDrama.Org content. Hugging both of them close to herself, Courtney said gently, ¡°Of course I was, but when you want to protect your friends and family, you won¡¯t be afraid anymore.¡± Nodding, Tina said firmly, ¡°I won¡¯t be afraid at all if I have to protect Mommy.¡± On her other side, Jordan hugged Courtney¡¯s arm. Even though he didn¡¯t utter a single word, he was wearing a serious expression. After Fiona stayed through the observation period and submitted the discharge papers, Alexander personally came from Melrose to pick her up and bring her home to recuperate because Scott had instructed to bring her back directly. On the day she arrived, Fiona stood at the front doors of the Duncan Residence and didn¡¯t take a step in for a long time. Twenty years ago, she had walked out of this ce, and on top of being devastated for losing the love of her life, she was truly alone. Now that she was back, all sorts of emotions were gushing in her heart. They had a reunion dinner at night, and since Oliver had recovered quite well, the hospital had agreed to let him out temporarily to stay out for a night. In addition, Alicia had reorganized a gathering dinner which was messed up thest time, so this dinner was more heart-warming than the previous one. Also, it was Fiona who prepared the food personally, and even Alicia, who was usually a picky eater, couldn¡¯t help but praise her, saying that she would like to learn a thing or two from her when she was free. After dinner, Fiona went for a walk with Alicia in the garden while Scott and Alexander discussed the takeover project in the study, leaving Oliver alone to pester Courtney to show him around the manor. ¡°It¡¯s very dark now. Why don¡¯t you take a look during the daytime?¡± ¡°The hospital wouldn¡¯t allow me out during the daytime, and I have to leave tomorrow morning.¡± Hence, Courtney helped him through rows of corridors, holding a torchlight in her hand as she shone it around with an inexplicable freaky feeling in her stomach. The Duncan Residence was massive, and only the buildings which were usually used the most often had electricity installed. The other ces would be inplete darkness at night if a torchlight was not used. ¡°Let¡¯s go back after looking at this courtyard. Once you¡¯re fully recovered, you can just move in here if you want.¡± ¡°I kind of want to, actually, but my application for going abroad has been approved and I have to leave after the winter holidays.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quick!¡± Surprised, Courtney stopped walking. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I hear about this before?¡± Chuckling sheepishly, he then said, ¡°You don¡¯t wish for me to go, right? If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll tell my school that I¡¯m giving up this spot.¡± Just as Courtney was about to say something, a nonchnt voice came from behind her, saying, ¡°It¡¯s not very smart of you to use this as an excuse to stay here.¡± Alexander had learned from the servants that Courtney was here, and he came looking for her because he was worried that she might run into a mishap in the darkness. He had just arrived when he happened to hear his half-brother harassing his future sister-inw, and he was immediately angry. While he was fuming, Oliver suddenly shouted, ¡°Alex, what are you doing here?¡± The courtyard fell silent all of a sudden. In the foggy night, Alexander¡¯s stiff lips twitched, but no words came out. This kid actually called me Alex¡­ Chapter 358 One Night Surprise Chapter 358 Chapter 358 Would You Like to Know Who She Is? ¡°So, tell me: Why did you appear in the surveince tapes of Louis¡¯ house?¡± After they returned to the side hall from the courtyard, Alexander flipped out an old score immediately without giving Oliver any chance to guard against him. Just two weeks ago, he had specially gone to the military hospital to look for him because of this issue as well. If it wasn¡¯t because of that, he wouldn¡¯t have found out the rtionship between himself, Oliver, and Fiona. Even though the misunderstanding from back then had been resolved, the investigation regarding Louis was stuck at the surveince tapes. Courtney paused for a second while drinking her tea and nced at Oliver out of reflex, feeling nervous for no reason. ¡°Are you suspecting me of killing Louis?¡± Oliver asked instead. Composedly, Alexander said, ¡°The innocent have nothing to fear. If you didn¡¯t do it, just exin why you were at Oreus instead of returning home. Furthermore, you so happened to appear in Louis¡¯ ce.¡± The air felt still for a second. Even though Alexander had just acknowledged him as his younger brother, it wasn¡¯t enough to earn his respect. Because of Oliver¡¯s identity, he was even more anxious to know whether he was connected to Louis¡¯ case. ¡°Okay, I admit that it was Britney who sent me there to find out something,¡± Oliver said; his voice was ringing in the living room, breaking the silence and making Courtney¡¯s heart drop at the same time. Is he going to tell the truth? she wondered. Including the truth about Jordan and what happened back then? ¡°Britney Price?¡± The look on Alexander¡¯s face changed, and a trace of anger appeared. ¡°What did she ask you to investigate?¡± ¡°Jordan¡¯s birth.¡± Maintaining the calmness in his voice, Oliver kept his face straight as he borated, ¡°Britney wanted to know who Jordan¡¯s birth mother is and asked me to investigate it. Judging from all the various signs when Louis left back then, I guessed that it had something to do with you looking for a surrogate mother, and that led me to Oreus.¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Gripping the cup tightly, Courtney gradually turned pale. From the corners of his eyes, Alexander noticed the abnormal look on her face, and he furrowed his brows ever so slightly. ¡°Back then, something went wrong with the surrogate mother who was in charge, and I found out the entire truth. I even found out who was the woman who gave birth to your child by mistake. Alex, would you like to know who she is?¡± Oliver asked suddenly. An inexplicable silence fell over the living room, and Alexander turned to steal a look at Courtney. After seeing her uneasiness, he was quiet for a while and turned Oliver down. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just tell me how Louis died.¡± Stunned, Courtney gawked at Alexander¡¯s face from the side with an indescribable feeling in her heart. He probably doesn¡¯t want to hear it because he¡¯s worried about my feelings, she thought. At the same time, Oliver nced at Courtney, and aplicated look shed across his eyes. The truth is right in front of our eyes. Whether it started as a mistake and continued on as a mistake or whatever, this can be considered as a godsent rtionship. However, it will produce a different result if I say it out now, so I might as well wait for them to announce it themselves officially. ¡°Britney knew that you were also looking into this matter, and she was afraid that you¡¯d look for Jordan¡¯s birth mother because of his condition. So, she wanted to seal Louis¡¯ mouth and sent me to take care of him. I pretended to agree, but not only did she not trust me, she evenid out a trap for me by sending a few men and nned to burn me and Louis alive in the house.¡± Both Alexander and Courtney already knew what happened afterward: Oliver fortunately escaped from the fire but suffered from temporary memory loss because of the fall. Of all people, he ran into Courtney, who happened to be there for work, and she brought him back to Melrose by a twist of fate. ¡°Later, I already recovered my memory when I checked into Sunhill Hotel, but I couldn¡¯t reveal myself. I had to find out if it was really Britney who tried to frame and kill me, so I kept pretending that I didn¡¯t recover my memory.¡± Then, Oliver mentioned everything that happened when he ran into Britney at the hotel. ¡°In fact, I tested her out with an incident. From that, I can be sure that the idents Jordan kept encountering time and again were mostly nned by her.¡± ¡°The incident of the kitchen fire?¡± Alexander asked next with a frown. Oliver nodded. ¡°I was the one who asked her to do it. From the whole process of how she contacted the hotel staff until the way she threatened Mika to be the scapegoat to take care of that matter, it seemed that she was very familiar with Sunhill Hotel and was very well-versed in her modus operandi. Therefore, I deduced that it was definitely not her first timemitting a crime.¡± Actually, he regretted asking Britney to do such a thing. Back then, he merely wanted to test her out. Even if anything happened, he would be there to ensure that the two children wouldn¡¯t be hurt, but he didn¡¯t think that he would be in another ce helping Courtney to investigate the truth behind Jordan¡¯s speech loss three years ago when Britney wasmitting the crime. If it wasn¡¯t for Mika, who came to her senses and saved Jordan, he couldn¡¯t imagine what would be the oue then. While he was bringing up this matter, he lowered his head and avoided Alexander¡¯s eyes as his own eyes filled with guilt. All the dots had been connected into a clear timeline. All these years, there were times when Alexander suspected Britney, but she was so good at covering her tracks that he couldn¡¯t find out anything. Now that he knew the connection between Britney and James, and putting in together with the facts that Oliver found out, everything became clear to him now. When he thought of everything Jordan went through because of this woman, Alexander scowled and clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on his arms were visible, showing just how high his mes of fury were burning. ¡°Let¡¯s just hand this matter over to the police,¡± Oliver suggested, reading Alexander¡¯s mind. ¡°It won¡¯t work well for you if you settle this in private. Quite a few issues have cropped up with Sunhill Enterprise recently, and the journalists are keeping an eye out for you.¡± Given Alexander¡¯s temper, it would be possible that he might send someone to drop Britney off on an uninhabited ind. However, Oliver had a point. Times were different now, and since the Duncans already made it public that they had found the missing Fiona Duncan and her son, many eyes were now fixed on Sunhill Enterprise, waiting for thetest scoop. So, Britney¡¯s case could only be handed over to the police. The night was waning, and since Oliver hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet, they returned to their own rooms after chatting a little longer. Seated in front of her makeup mirror while applying cream on her hands, Courtney appeared worried and didn¡¯t even realize it when Alexander was standing behind her. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Jumping in shock, she popped her eyes wide and turned to him. A few secondster, she recollected herself and stammered, ¡°N-Nothing. I was I just thinking about some things from the past.¡± ¡°Does it have something to do with what Oliver mentioned earlier?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Courtney rubbed her fingers awkwardly. ¡°Alex, are you really not interested in Jordan¡¯s birth?¡± ¡°No.¡± Grabbing her hand, he exined, ¡°She¡¯s a woman I don¡¯t know, so what can I do even if I found out? Rather than making you feel awkward, it¡¯s better that I don¡¯t know anything at all and take it as this woman didn¡¯t exist. Since Jordan is still young now and thinks that you¡¯re his mother, just let it be, then. I consider you his birth mother.¡± In fact, Alexander¡¯s idea was very simple. Previously, when he found the woman who posed as Belle, it had already created a rift between them. It just goes to show that it¡¯s not the best thing to find out who Jordan¡¯s birth mother is, lest there be more misunderstandings. It¡¯s better to just give up the investigation, he thought. Meanwhile, Courtney appeared to be in a daze. Many things had been hidden in her heart for too long, and she didn¡¯t know where to start. Chapter 359 One Night Surprise Chapter 359 Chapter 359 Who¡¯s the Homewrecker? The next morning, Alexander instructed Josh to hand over the matter to the police. Coincidentally, Josh also caught the woman who impersonated Belle at a bar in Melrose. ¡°She wanted to run, but we had people guarding all the entrances. So, we seized her and took her to the police station for fraud. We managed to identify her as Britney¡¯s cousin after the police checked the files. But Britney fled. The vi she stayed in was empty, and all the valuables were gone when we got there.¡± Josh reported every single detail to Alexander on the phone. ¡°Tell the police to ask her where Britney went.¡± ¡°I did, but she wouldn¡¯t say anything. It looks like it¡¯s going to take some time to make her break.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take our time and see who¡¯s more patient, then.¡± Through the phone, Alexander¡¯s voice sounded so cold that Josh shivered when he heard it. ¡­ After Alicia had dinner with the Duncans, they finally settled on the details and date of the couple¡¯s wedding, which was set to be on 8th of February. That date was chosen because Courtney had not settled her divorce with Elijah. Besides, she was a foreigner, so it would take more than a month to get her marriage application reviewed after the divorce. Hence, after some discussion, the two families decided to proceed with the wedding first. All the while, Alicia and Scott were the ones discussing the wedding. Meanwhile, Fiona sat in on the discussion and was stunned that Courtney was married. ¡°What? Courtney was married before?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not important.¡± Scott waved his hand and dismissed the issue lightly. After that, he continued his discussion with Alicia. ¡°What I meant was that we should have an Otharian style wedding in Melrose. If they prefer Western-style, we could have the wedding abroad. It would be weird if we had a Western wedding here. It wouldn¡¯t be presentable.¡± ¡°I was thinking of the same thing. Youngsters love going to Bali and Tahiti. Let¡¯s ask them for their opinions.¡± ¡°Just ask Courtney and let her decide.¡± Then, there was a serious expression on Scott¡¯s face. ¡°The most important thing is when her divorce will be finalized.¡± Meanwhile, Fionaforted herself by telling herself that times had changed, and it didn¡¯t matter if one was divorced. Yet, she gasped in disbelief upon hearing what Scott mentioned. ¡°Huh? She¡¯s not divorced yet?¡± Interrupted halfway, Scott waved his hand lightly again. ¡°Why are you making a big fuss out of this? It¡¯s unimportant.¡± ¡°Unimportant?¡± Fiona froze. What¡¯s going on? Am I behind the times? Have the Duncans always been so open? Perhaps he was annoyed by how Fiona constantly interrupted his conversation with Alicia about the wedding, so Scott asked Fiona to work on the decorations for the couple¡¯s new house. ¡°Alexander¡¯s using the ce where he used to stay alone as their house. Didn¡¯t you study design? Go and help them with the renovation.¡± With her doubts suppressed, she got the house¡¯s blueprint from Harry before going to the garden to discuss the renovation with Courtney. ¡°Courtney, I drafted several styles. Which one do you like?¡± Fiona showed Courtney her sketches of different designs. ¡°These are some I found online. Just take a look at the overall style, and I¡¯ll redesign it ording to the house¡¯syout after we¡¯ve settled on a style.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You choose.¡± Courtney touched her nose. Studying the dazzling array of styles, she had no idea which one to pick. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with this. I think you should choose since you¡¯re a professional in this field.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Fiona didn¡¯t press on. Then, she picked out two designs. ¡°What do you think of these?¡± ¡°Looks good.¡± Courtney simply nodded because the two designs Fiona showed her looked pretty simr and had almost the same color tone. Yet, Fiona still didn¡¯t leave after asking a bunch of questions. She seemed hesitant to speak. ¡°Is there something else?¡± Courtney questioned hesitantly. Embarrassed, Fiona replied, ¡°There is. Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Is society that open-minded nowadays? I mean regarding rtionships between youngsters.¡± Courtney was surprised to hear Fiona¡¯s question. Misunderstanding the situation, Courtney avoided Fiona¡¯s gaze in embarrassment. ¡°Maybe, ifpared to before.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Fiona¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Do people have a high tolerance for homewreckers these days?¡± Courtney lifted her head in curiosity. ¡°Huh? Homewrecker?¡± Puzzled, she asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the homewrecker? Oliver?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Fiona¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. I¡­¡± After hesitating for a long time, she gritted her teeth and finally asked, ¡°Are you still married? I heard Dad and Alicia talking about it earlier. I don¡¯t understand.¡± At that moment, Courtney finally understood what was going on. So, that¡¯s what she wanted to ask! ¡°You misunderstood. I got married while I was in America because I needed a valid reason to stay there. It was a marriage of convenience with my friend,¡± she exined quickly. After Courtney exined what was going on between her and Elijah, Fiona finally sighed in relief. ¡°You scared me! I thought the world had changed so much in just 20 years!¡± Awkwardly, Courtney scratched the back of her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not telling you this earlier. It¡¯s normal that it¡¯s bothering you. Old Master Duncan was very troubled by it at first too. After all, I¡¯m not divorced yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Fiona patted Courtney¡¯s hand. Then, she went on with an understanding expression, ¡°I know it¡¯s not easy being a single mom. You must have suffered a lot to stay in America. It must have been hard for you to raise your child.¡± The Duncans¡¯ ability to empathize with others was what Courtney liked most about them. Though Scott seemed cold outside, he actually had a kind heart. Meanwhile, Fiona was pure, kind, and gentle. As for Oliver, Courtney treated him like a younger brother since they first met. They were all warm and weing even though they were wealthy. The only concern right then was when Courtney should tell Alexander about Jordan. Half a month before the mid-winter holiday, Courtney made a trip back to America. Just as Courtney got off the ne, she saw Lilian. In a well-ironed suit, Lilian had her long chestnut- brown hair tied up in a high ponytail while holding a briefcase that had a Hermes silk scarf on it. Right then, Lilian looked neat and smart. ¡°Hi, Courtney!¡± Lilian saw Courtney from afar, so she smiled and waved as she made her way over. Then, she took the suitcase from Courtney and handed it to a male assistant beside her. ¡°President Grant wanted toe here himself, but he had an important meeting to attend, so I stopped him froming. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Courtney expressed that she understood. This time, she had returned to America to go over her divorce with Elijah. Chapter 360 One Night Surprise Chapter 360 Chapter 360 Are You Taking Her Hostage? When Courtney got out of the car, she was slightly surprised to see the familiar courtyard in front of her. ¡°Lilian, didn¡¯t I sell this house?¡± At that time, Lilian was asking her assistant to bring the luggage into the house. ¡°President Grant was afraid that you might not be used to staying in other ces when youe back, so he asked me to repurchase the house after you left,¡± Lilian exined, giving Courtney mixed emotions. The furnishings inside the house were almost the same as before. The only difference was probably the Christmas tree by the firece. It was decorated with colorful decorations, filling the ce with Christmas vibes. ¡°He decorated this ce himself before Christmas.¡± ¡°Did he invite any friends over?¡± Courtney touched the bell decoration hanging on the Christmas tree. Then, she went on, ¡°He used to love having parties every year. The garden used to be crowded with guests.¡± ¡°No.¡± Lilian¡¯s voice sounded from behind. ¡°He stayed here all night alone on Christmas Eve.¡± Hearing this, Courtney froze and slowly turned to look at Lilian in astonishment. ¡°Alone?¡± Those few years when Courtney was in America, Elijah would prepare a month in advance for every festival, selecting and roasting the turkey for Thanksgiving, picking and wrapping gifts, and nning games for Christmas. Hence, it gave Courtney the impression that he liked to celebrate festivities. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Lilian nodded with a subtle hint of sadness in her eyes. ¡°President Grant doesn¡¯t have many friends in America. Most of them are just acquaintances from work. All festivals were just like any other day of the year to him after you left.¡± Unlike Courtney, Lilian had apanied Elijah for many years and noticed that he was frowning most of the time. Yet, he smiled every time he saw Courtney, even though he was overwhelmed with troubles. Even when hispany was facing a forced merger crisis, he would spare some time to help Courtney and Tina decorate the Christmas tree and go Christmas shopping. He even refused when Lilian offered to do them for him. In the past, Lilian always thought that Elijah and Courtney would stay together forever; no matter where Courtney went, she would never find another man who treated her so well. Feeling ufortable with the way Lilian was staring at her, Courtney said, ¡°I think I¡¯ll just stay at a hotel. It¡¯s more convenient.¡± Then, Courtney stopped Lilian¡¯s assistant, who was about to carry her luggage to the bedroom on the second floor. ¡°You don¡¯t have to bring it upstairs. Just give it to me.¡± ¡°Staying here is more convenient than the hotel. Everything¡¯s the same as before,¡± Lilian told Courtney. As Courtney pulled the luggage to her side, she turned slowly and replied, ¡°It¡¯s not the same. We all have our own lives.¡± Immediately, Lilian¡¯s gaze turned cold. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too cruel? Why didn¡¯t you say anything like that during those five years? You let him open up his heart to you, took whatever you please from him, used him, and then dumped him. How could you do this?¡± ¡°So, that¡¯s what you really wanted to say.¡± Sighing in relief, Courtney deduced, ¡°Elijah didn¡¯t ask you to bring me here. It was all you.¡± With a frown, Lilian answered displeasedly, ¡°So what? I had to let you know how he felt about you. You know that he treated you so well all these years, but do you know the things he did for you and why he did them? Have you ever thought about it?¡± ¡°So, what do you think I should do?¡± Courtney¡¯s question surprised Lilian. ¡°Should I run to him now and tell him that we should get married for real and that I wouldn¡¯t leave? Should I say that I know that he treated me so well because he had feelings for me and that I felt the same way too? Do you want me to respond this way?¡± Courtney asked tly. Then, she nced at Lilian. ¡°You keep thinking that he treats me so well and gives me whatever I ask for, but have you ever wondered why he still keeps a friendly distance between us even though we¡¯re married? He never asked for an answer. Do you think it¡¯s because he was afraid that I might reject him?¡± ¡°Why else?¡± Lilian stared at Courtney. ¡°If you dare not approach someone because you¡¯re afraid of losing them, then you¡¯ll feel the same way even if they¡¯re yours. It will only make you even more insecure. His heart is troubled, and he doesn¡¯t believe in love. What he ced on me is hope which he can¡¯t lose¡ªnot love, as you had thought. As for what¡¯s troubling him, you should know better since you¡¯ve known him longer than me.¡± Courtney looked straight at Lilian. Stunned, Lilian didn¡¯t know how to respond. ¡°I¡¯m going to look for a hotel. Tell him that I¡¯m too tired to see him today. We¡¯ll have dinner together tomorrow.¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. As Lilian watched Courtney leave, she felt for the first time that Courtney understood Elijah more than she did. Courtney reminded Lilian of his stumbling block. I thought that Courtney had resolved his troubles when they met; I didn¡¯t expect that it had scarred him so deeply. He became defensive and buried his past because he had suffered too much already. After all, it wouldn¡¯t hurt if nobody raked it up. However, things took a turn for the worse because he tried to run away from it for years. In truth, it was his ex-lover¡¯s abandonment that was hurting him. It had nothing to do with Courtney. As soon as Courtney reached the hotel, she took a shower before lyingfortably on the bed to video call Alexander on herptop. ¡°I¡¯m okay. Why? Are you afraid that I might not go back?¡± At the other end of the video call, Alexander curled his lips into a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d abandon Tina and stay there yourself.¡± Upon hearing this, Courtney sat up from the bed abruptly, feeling sober all of a sudden. ¡°No wonder you told me that you signed her up for a winter camp in d when I said I wanted to bring her along. Are you taking her hostage?¡± ¡°Hostage? You¡¯re making me sound like a bad guy.¡± With a wily expression, he continued, ¡°I¡¯m not worried about you, but that kiddocks willpower. I was afraid she might not want toe back after seeing how sweet Elijah is. I¡¯d rather she be my hostage than his.¡± ¡°How cunning!¡± Courtney rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re measuring other people¡¯s corn by your own bushel.¡± Halfway through their conversation, her phone rang. ¡°I¡¯m going to take this call, okay?¡± With that, she put herptop aside. However, she was taken aback when she saw the caller ID. Then, she answered the call, ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Elijah¡¯s deep voice sounded on the phone. Chapter 361 One Night Surprise Chapter 361 Chapter 361 Feeling Sad When You Lose Someone From the sound of it, Elijah seemed to be in low spirits. Hence, Courtney teased him on purpose to liven up the mood. ¡°Duh, I know it¡¯s you. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s no caller ID. We still have to end this nicely even though we¡¯re divorcing, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s end this nicely.¡± He chuckled. After a moment of silence, he said softly, ¡°I know Lilian brought you to the ce where you used to stay. Please don¡¯t take it to heart. She¡¯s never done something so outrageous before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. She probably thought it would be more convenient for me to stay there. I¡¯m more curious to know if you penalized her for doing so. You didn¡¯t, right?¡± ¡°I did. I suspended her for a month.¡± ¡°Dude, can¡¯t you be more forgiving?¡± She put her palm on her head. ¡°She¡¯s been with you for almost eight years. Why are you being so harsh over such a small matter?¡± ¡°She requested it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She gave up. ¡°How stubborn. She¡¯s really something, isn¡¯t she?¡± After chatting for a while, she finally hung up the phone. As she recalled her conversation while sitting at the side of the bed, she sighed. Meanwhile, Alexander was staring at her from theptop screen. Seeing this, he questioned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling guilty after taking your ex-husband¡¯s call?¡± Stunned, she realized that the video call was still on. ¡°Were you listening to us the whole time?¡± ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± He nodded. ¡°End this nicely?¡± he said unhappily through gritted teeth. ¡°How else should we end this?¡± Grabbing her neck, she joked, ¡°Should I pick a fight with him all the way to the notary office?¡± Hearing this, he was at a loss for words. Noticing his silence, sheughed. ¡°You¡¯re speechless, huh? You must be really free since you¡¯re picking on me. Aren¡¯t you busy with thepany nowadays?¡± ¡°We¡¯re preparing for our annual dinner.¡± Every year, Sunhill Enterprise would have an annual dinner in January, and they would book the entire top floor of the Purple Peak Hotel, Melrose¡¯srgest hotel. The most fascinating item of the event was that they would invite numerous artists every year as a form of marketing for thepany. This time of the year should be the busiest for thepany. Hence, she couldn¡¯t believe that he still had time to be jealous. ¡°I sighed because of Lilian. She¡¯s been with Elijah for nearly eight years and started working for him right after graduating from Yale together. Everyone except him knows how she feels about him,¡± she exined tofort him. ¡°Men are not as observant as you think they are. We don¡¯t notice things like that.¡± Upon hearing this, she frowned at him. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right. I think he really doesn¡¯t know. Lilian¡¯s been his sidekick for too long. It never urred to him because she¡¯s always there for him. Would you develop feelings for someone you¡¯ve gotten used to having around?¡± After keeping quiet for a moment, he replied, ¡°Maybe when I lose her.¡± Dumbfounded, she realized something. ¡°That¡¯s true. When you lose someone¡­¡± she mumbled after regaining her senses. No wonder she requested a one-month leave. How smart of her to use this trick! Across the screen, Alexander, who was far away in Melrose, felt his heart ache as he saw the worried look on her face. She went all the way there to finalize her divorce, yet she¡¯s still so worried about him. After he hung up the video callte at night, he phoned Josh. ¡°Reschedule everything for the next two days and book me a flight ticket for tomorrow.¡± ¡°To where?¡± ¡°New York.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Hearing this, Josh was speechless. As for Courtney, she had trouble sleeping the whole night. Though she didn¡¯t want to admit it, she couldn¡¯t deny that she couldn¡¯t sleep without Alexander beside her. The next morning, she carried her bags and went to the therapy center. As soon as Cameron saw Courtney, she let out a shout of joy before jumping out of bed and rushing toward Courtney. ¡°Chef Keller¡¯s mac and cheese! United¡¯s ramen cup noodles! Herdez¡¯s salsa dip!¡± ¡°My gosh!¡± Cameron hugged Courtney so tightly that she couldn¡¯t breathe. ¡°Do you miss me or the junk food back at home?¡± ¡°How dare you call them junk food! Be careful. Chef Keller might sue you for defamation.¡± Enthusiastically, Cameron took the bags of treats that Courtney brought all the way here. Then, she pulled Courtney to sit by the bay window, where the sun was shining brightly. ¡°You¡¯re the best.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Gale buy them for you if you asked?¡± Courtney blinked and looked at Cameron knowingly. ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t ask him to buy these things because you wanted to seem virtuous to your future mother- inw.¡± ¡°Nah.¡± Cameron denied. ¡°I¡¯m just worried he wouldn¡¯t know what I want since he¡¯s used to having exotic delicacies.¡± Toozy to argue with Cameron, Courtney changed the subject. ¡°Fine, then. Stopining after hitting the jackpot with Gale. So, what did the doctor say?¡± Cameron grinned when Courtney brought this up. ¡°The doctor said I¡¯m in a stable condition. If my illness doesn¡¯t rpse, I¡¯ll be discharged home after the mid-winter holiday. Then, I¡¯ll be able to make it to your wedding.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Then, Cameron took out a sketchbook from the drawer under the bay window. ¡°Look. I designed the wedding dress and bridesmaids¡¯ dress.¡± ¡°Really? Let me see.¡± Courtney took the sketchbook excitedly. A perfect wedding was every girl¡¯s dream. Naturally, the wedding dress would be the highlight of that dream. After flipping through a few pages, Courtney lifted her head slowly and red at Cameron. ¡°Are these my wedding dresses?¡± There were different styles of dresses with long and short designs, different shades of colors, and various fabrics. However, they were all the bridesmaids¡¯ dresses. There was not a single wedding dress. ¡°Aren¡¯t all wedding dresses the same?¡± Cameron batted her eyes innocently. ¡°I can draw one for you now. It¡¯s not easy to make a bridesmaid¡¯s dress stand out!¡± ¡°Why do you need to stand out when you¡¯re just a bridesmaid at the wedding? Are you trying to steal my spotlight?¡± Courtney grabbed Cameron¡¯s face and squeezed it hard. ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I was wrong¡­¡± Cameron uttered. Finally, Cameron broke free from Courtney and pulled out another thick sketchbook from under the cushion she was sitting on before handing it to Courtney. ¡°Here.¡± Suspiciously, Courtney opened the book and warned, ¡°I¡¯m going to tear your mouth off your face if you¡¯re letting me see more bridesmaids¡¯ dresses.¡± ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Cameron pouted. ¡°How dare you forget about your friend after getting engaged! Do you know how much my design costs? Pay up now!¡± As Cameron was speaking, Courtney was already flipping through the pages. Gazing at the first page, Courtney was in awe of the glittering design and couldn¡¯t take her eyes off it. Cameron had designed a total of six wedding dresses and twelve evening dresses. ¡°I thought you might need at least four wedding dresses if you were to hold a wedding here and back home. It¡¯d also be convenient to have a few backups if anything happens. So, choose four from the six designs. As for the evening dresses, you can choose a few more sets since you¡¯ll need them for the dance anyway.¡± All this while, Cameron had always loved to joke and rarely spoke so seriously, so Courtney was not used to it. At that moment, there was a tingly sensation in Courtney¡¯s nose as her eyes welled up with tears. Chapter 362 One Night Surprise Chapter 362 Chapter 362 Getting Spoiled by You ¡°Oh, my God! You¡¯re not going to cry, are you?¡± Noticing that Courtney was acting strangely, Cameron poked Courtney¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Why are you getting emotional over such a trivial matter? If so, you¡¯ll have to bow down before me after I finish making the wedding dress and ce it in front of you.¡± ¡°Dream on!¡± Courtney red at Cameron. ¡°I¡¯ll never bow down before you.¡± The feelings Courtney had when she was deeply moved by Cameron¡¯s gesture were now gone. As Cameron touched her nose, she smiled. ¡°Anyway, I only have one request: You have to make me the maid of honor. Then, you can¡¯t get mad at me for bullying the groom.¡± ¡°I only have two bridesmaids. If you¡¯re the maid of honor, then Natasha will be the deputy. What¡¯s the point?¡± ¡°Even so, I¡¯m still the maid of honor, so my bridesmaid dress has to look different. I¡¯ll design my own dress. As for hers, you can buy it from wherever. I don¡¯t care. How else will I be able to show off my status?¡± Cameron stated arrogantly. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. As Cameron mentioned Natasha, Courtney couldn¡¯t help but notice the bitterness in her tone. With that, Courtney chuckled and teased, ¡°Do you hate her that much? Because of Bill?¡± ¡°Bah!¡± Cameron rolled her eyes. ¡°So he epted her as his apprentice. So what? It has nothing to do with me.¡± ¡°So, are you bothered by her rtionship with me? That we¡¯re close like sisters?¡± ¡°Rubbish!¡± ¡°Then, are you bothered by the fact that Jordan and Tina like her?¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Infuriated, Cameron shot daggers at Courtney. ¡°Are you done yet? I¡¯m getting out of here right now!¡± Hearing this, Courtney burst out withughter. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t mind? Did you think that things would change after your hospitalization? Is that why you suddenly cooperated with the doctor to go for treatment?¡± ¡°No.¡± Cameron denied. Seeing how Cameron was trying to cover it up, Courtney didn¡¯t refute, but she knew the truth. Cameron was a restless person. Though she promised to cooperate and get hospitalized for treatment, she was always tight-lipped about her past and never told the doctor the truth. Hence, after two months, Gale had no choice but to call Courtney for help. After that, Courtney paid little attention to Cameron every time she called her. Courtney would always mention Natasha and tell Cameron how great Natasha was. Natasha had basically reced her, and this caused her to feel threatened. Compared to all the pain Cameron buried in her heart, she cared more about her friends and lover. Hence, she was willing to talk about her past even if it caused her agony. Once she told the truth, she would be treated and not be troubled by it again. In the afternoon, Gale came back. So, the three of them had a nutritious yet nd meal in the therapy center¡¯s ward. Once the nurse walked away, Courtney took out the salsa dip from the first drawer. ¡°I finally understand why you insisted on the phone that I bring some salsa dip. What kind of food is this?¡± ¡°Give it to me.¡± Cameron¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Hey, leave some for me. I¡¯ll be staying here for another half a month!¡± ¡°Are you sure you can have this?¡± Courtney asked suspiciously. ¡°No.¡± Just as Gale said so, he took the bottle from Courtney and kept it. Then, he went on with a straight face, ¡°The therapy center prepared the meals specifically to your condition. You can¡¯t have any junk food until you get discharged.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t junk food.¡± ¡°You still can¡¯t have it.¡± With that, he wrapped his arms around the bottle and refused to take it out. Poor Courtney barely managed to dip her spoon into the bottle. Before she could get a spoonful of the dip, he had already snatched it away. Silently, she licked the spoon and swore that she would never come back during mealtime. ¡°Gale!¡± Cameron fumed. ¡°Are you out of your mind? Courtney brought it for me!¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t know you can¡¯t have stuff like this. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have brought anything for you.¡± Gale was always goofing around, so Courtney didn¡¯t expect him to be this scary when he was serious. When he mentioned her all of a sudden, it put her in a difficult position. Momentster, ncing at Cameron¡¯s nervous gaze, Courtney pointed to the cupboard by the bed and said to him through gritted teeth, ¡°There¡¯s another bottle in there. There are also some snacks under the bed and lemon curd under the pillow. Oh, there are instant noodles in the toilet¡¯s locker too.¡± After taking a deep breath, he searched for those snacks. He then locked them in a cab specially prepared to keep snacks that she smuggled into the therapy center as Cameron watched. At that moment, Cameron¡¯s face turned dark and looked like a deted balloon. Staring at Courtney and Gale, Cameron said, ¡°Unfriend. Break up.¡± Pushing the te of food to Cameron, he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll never break up with you. Not in this lifetime.¡± ¡°No one could ever eat this,¡± Cameron stared at the food in front of her as if she was looking at a pile of sh*t. Just as Cameron said so, Courtney watched as Gale held the spoon and took several mouthfuls of the food. The whole time, his face was so emotionless that no one could tell if the food tasted good or otherwise. Soon, he had finished nearly half the te of food. Hence, Cameron finally ate the food out of spite. She gobbled down the food as if she waspeting with him. As Courtney watched the both of them gobbling down the food, she wondered if she had lost her sense of taste. Is it possible that the food would taste nicer after having a few mouthfuls? Hesitantly, Courtney put a spoonful into her mouth. After a long while, she swallowed it reluctantly as she watched Gale trying to coax and threaten Cameron to eat the food. How sweet! I can¡¯t believe that a pampered young master woulde all the way here just to apany her and eat such unappetizing food with her. He must truly love her. After eating, Courtney figured that Cameron was still mad at her and Gale; she covered her head with theforter and ignored both of them. Smiling helplessly, Gale walked Courtney out. ¡°It seems to me that you¡¯ve spoiled her. I can¡¯t believe that she¡¯d get so mad at you for doing things for her sake.¡± Even Courtney couldn¡¯t stand it. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He shrugged. ¡°She just likes the feeling of being tolerated without a bottom line. In fact, she¡¯d always make a big fuss but end up eating her food obediently.¡± ¡°You¡¯re hopeless.¡± Clicking her tongue, she eyed him and teased, ¡°Since when did you go crazy?¡± ¡°You seem to be in a good mood. Your divorce must be going well.¡± Galeughed. ¡°Yup. I¡¯m having dinner with Elijah tonight. We¡¯ll chat, and then we¡¯ll go to the notary office to apply for divorce tomorrow.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Watching her beckon a taxi, he dropped his smile. Then, he stepped forward quickly and called after her. ¡°Courtney, don¡¯t worry about Cam and I if you get into any trouble. Just remember that Alexander¡¯s waiting for you to go home.¡± Chapter 363 One Night Surprise Chapter 363 Chapter 363 Still So Cheeky For a moment, Courtney was stunned, then she looked at Gale, feeling puzzled. The car just happened to arrive, so before she could ask what he meant, Gale opened the car door for her. ¡°Get in. I wish you all the best.¡± She smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± As the taxi disappeared around the corner, the faint smile on Gale¡¯s face gradually disappeared, and the remaining bit of shimmer in his eyes grew cold. Alexander was his best friend. Of course, he hoped that his friend could find the greatest happiness in life, but he still had to think for his sake. N?velDrama.Org content. Elijah was so enthusiastic about arranging Cameron¡¯s treatment, so Gale didn¡¯t suspect anything until he overheard the conversation between Cameron¡¯s deputy attending doctor and the nurse on Christmas Eve. ¡°Let¡¯s reduce the dosage of the medicine for the time being. Mr. Grant said that he hopes that Miss Miller¡¯s treatment can be extended as much as possible so that she can stay in the hospital for a longer period of time.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask any more questions. Since it¡¯s harmless to the patient, we¡¯ll just do it ordingly.¡± When Gale heard this, he pondered for a long time. He could only think of one reason why Elijah would deliberately lengthen the treatment process and dy Cameron from being discharged from the hospital¡ªit was for Courtney. Courtney had nothing to worry about when she returned to Melrose City, and she now had a new life there, almostpletely disconnected from the years she spent in America. So, Elijah was using Cameron¡¯s illness to help him hold onto thest connection between them. As long as Cameron stayed in America, Courtney would certainly ask him about her situation. He¡¯s so cunning. Gale worried about Alexander for several days, and he even urged Cameron to cooperate with the treatment and strive to meet the standards of the indicators in the future physical examination so that she could be discharged early and not trouble Alexander. But despite his considerations, he didn¡¯t expect that Elijah would have this trick up his sleeves. His marriage with Courtney was still considered legitimate. In America, the divorce procedures were quite cumbersome as they must go through court proceedings, and the divorce would only be approved within a minimum of six months after the application date. If any marital problems weren¡¯t resolved within this period, it would be dyed. The divorcewsuit couldst up to three to five years for many people. Who would¡¯ve thought that Elijah isn¡¯t as much of a gentleman as he appears to be! When night fell, Courtney took a taxi to the French restaurant where Gale had reserved a table. The interior was decorated in French-style decor, and as soon as she entered, she could feel the elegant atmosphere. Elijah waved to her from the window. When she reached their table, he pulled out a chair for her like a gentleman. Handing her jacket to the waiter, Courtney whispered, ¡°Why did you choose this ce? When I first entered, I thought the waiter was going to stop me froming in. I¡¯m a little too underdressed. I¡¯m not embarrassing you, am I?¡± Elijah gave a slight smile. ¡°What, now? Are you still traumatized by your first time here?¡± A few years ago, Elijah had invited her to dine at this restaurant too. At that time, Courtney didn¡¯t know that there was a dress etiquette for this restaurant. She went there right after work and was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, so the waiter stopped her, utterly humiliating her. At the mention of that embarrassing incident, Courtney sneered, ¡°Let¡¯s not bring up the past. Don¡¯t you see that they¡¯ve been keeping up with the times? I didn¡¯t wear a dress today, but they still let me in.¡± Elijah looked at the wine menu and said casually, ¡°Of course. Who would dare to stop a friend of the restaurant owner?¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney was stunned for a few seconds before she understood, then she asked in astonishment, ¡°You bought this restaurant?¡± Elijah didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Tsk, tsk.¡± Courtney looked wistful. ¡°This century-old authentic restaurant is going to be wrecked by you. What a shame.¡± ¡°Regardless of whether or not it would be wrecked, let¡¯s talk about that after you order your food.¡± Elijah called for a waiter, then handed him his menu and ordered the usual. Courtney opened the menu and pretended to look through it. It was all in French; there wasn¡¯t even a single English sentence. It filled her with anger, just as it did back then. After a long time, she saw Elijah staring at her from the corner of her eye, appearing as if he was waiting to see her make a joke of herself. Enraged, she immediately closed the menu and stopped looking. ¡°Since you¡¯ve bought this restaurant, that means I can order anything I want, right?¡± Elijah¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°What would you like?¡± ¡°Spicy beef soup.¡± Upon hearing this, the waiter next to her was stunned. Even though Courtney¡¯s exnation was quite urate, how could a proper French restaurant possibly sell spicy beef soup? Courtney leaned against the chair, looking slightly derisive. ¡°Mr. Grant, your restaurant isn¡¯t that good after all! You don¡¯t even have spicy beef soup!¡± Elijah nced at the waiter, then mumbled fluently in French. Courtney only understood two words ¡ª¡®slightly spicy¡¯. The waiter nodded and solemnly walked away. Judging from the waiter¡¯s expression, Courtney reckoned he wasn¡¯t going to the kitchen to ce an order, but rather, he looked like he was going to the pillbox, as he had the face of a brave man about to fight for his life. Amused, Courtneyughed. ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about. He might just bring me a bowl of sd with meat.¡± Elijah looked helpless. ¡°You¡¯re about to get married, yet you¡¯re still so cheeky. When you go out to eat with him, are you this shameless too?¡± ¡°He¡¯s all right. We¡¯ve even eaten at roadside stalls before. He¡¯s actually not as pretentious as he seems. He¡¯s quite open-minded, so it¡¯s pointless for me to pull such shenanigans with him. It just makes him think I¡¯m an idiot.¡± Courtney lowered her head and drank her water, not noticing theplex look in Elijah¡¯s eyes. When Courtney first met him back then, he was still a poor boy trying to make it as an entrepreneur. Later, he became financially sessful, and hispany managed to survive the toughest times. His pride grew, and the ces he brought her for meals became increasingly prestigious. Every time, it made her feel like she was sitting on needles. At some point after that, she couldn¡¯t understand the menu and asked the waiter if they had any fried rice, which confused the waiter. In the end, Elijah asked for the manager of the restaurant and forced them to cook her a te of fried rice. It was from that time onward that teasing Elijah at high-end restaurants became one of Courtney¡¯s greatest pleasures. She simply felt that Elijah lived life too seriously. Every detail of life was rigidly stitched in ordance with his rules, so she figured he had to have such experiences to bring some excitement to his life. ¡°Are you used to not having Lilian around?¡± Courtney suddenly asked. Elijah concealed hisplex emotions and said faintly, ¡°It¡¯s still all right. The new secretary she found is quite efficient. Although she¡¯s a newbie, she¡¯s not much different.¡± ¡°If you teach your disciple well, they¡¯ll overtake you someday. Why doesn¡¯t Lilian have a sense of vignce?¡± Courtney was trying to signal Elijah, but he didn¡¯t understand at all. ¡°I¡¯ll be d if she has her own goals, since she has the ability to achieve them.¡± After a moment of silence, Courtney couldn¡¯t bear it, so she made her message clear. ¡°If she leaves, you¡¯ll have no one around you anymore.¡± Chapter 364 One Night Surprise Chapter 364 Chapter 364 Afraid You¡¯ll Be Kidnapped When he heard this, Elijah raised his head. After a few seconds of silence, he asked, ¡°If I asked you to stay, would you consider staying?¡± Courtney froze. ¡°You can¡¯t keep a person who wants to leave from leaving.¡± Elijah narrowed his eyes. ¡°Since I already know the oue, there¡¯s no point to keep trying.¡± His remark left Courtney at a loss for words. Having been ced in an unusual position, she could no longer speak for Lilian. This was Elijah¡¯s character. He always spoke and did things in a straightforward manner, never dawdling. ¡°You¡¯re making me feel very pressured. I feel as if I had cheated on my marriage.¡± Courtney looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re not going to say that I cheated in court, right?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you?¡± Elijah stared at her, inexplicably seeming innocent. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Courtney sucked in a breath of cold air. ¡°Don¡¯t joke about this¡­¡± ¡°Miss, your dish.¡± The waiter brought her the spicy beef soup in a deep dish te. Looking at the deep porcin te in front of her, which was bigger than her face, Courtney nced at Elijah, then both of them burst out laughing. ¡°After submitting the divorce application, there will be a six-month review period. If there are no problems, you¡¯ll have toe back for the court hearing.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Okay.¡± While Courtney and Elijah were at the restaurant having a friendly talk about their divorce, Gale was in the therapy center, looking worried because of his concern for his good friend¡¯s rtionship. Cameron only needed to ask a few questions to pry all the thoughts in his mind. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been acting so suspiciously the past two days because you¡¯ve been thinking of this? You think Elijah is using my illness and the divorce to hold Courtney back so that she wouldn¡¯t leave so easily?¡± ¡°That is indeed what he¡¯s doing. Otherwise, why would he ask the doctor to extend your treatment time?¡± Cameron fell silent as she stared unblinkingly at Gale. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°I think that something¡¯s seriously wrong with your brain.¡± Cameron suddenly threw the pillow in her hands at his face. As Gale was unprepared, he fell off the bed after suffering the impact of the pillow being thrown at him so suddenly. Cameron dragged him by the cor to the ward of the deputy attending doctor, then asked him about what he told the nurse that day. The deputy attending doctor was shocked, but he answered, ¡°Extending the duration of the treatment was one of the two treatment options given to Mr. Grant by the attending doctor. The quicker treatment would produce more side effects, while the slow treatment would lead to lesser side effects. Mr. Grant chose the long-term treatment. The difference between the two methods isn¡¯t very obvious, so most patients would choose the faster treatment to save manpower and money.¡± Gale was stunned when the deputy attending doctor exined this. Cameron pped his head in a huff and said disdainfully, ¡°You judged a noble person with your despicable mind, and you¡¯re still here making a fool of yourself. Let¡¯s go back.¡± With his mind in a haze, he trailed after Cameron as they went back to the ward. When they were halfway there, he suddenly pped his own forehead. ¡°Then, it seems like I caused trouble again.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I told Alex about it¡­¡± Gale grimaced. ¡°He may being in two days.¡± After hearing this, Cameron frowned slightly as she stared at Gale, looking disappointed. ¡°You¡¯re useless. You¡¯re always ruining everything¡­¡± ¡°What should we do now?¡± Gale was truly panicking. ¡°He still hasn¡¯t settled scores with me when I caused troublest time. This time, I¡¯m doomed. I¡¯m really doomed¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help you. Just prepare for the worst.¡± Cameron rolled her eyes at him, then mmed the door in his face with a bang, shutting him out. Great. Now I¡¯ve offended everyone. The following afternoon, Courtney and Elijah filed a divorce application at the divorce notary office in New York. The basic paperwork wasplete, so if there were no hups, the process could be completed within six months. ¡°Is there anywhere you want to go? I¡¯m free these two days, so I have time to rx with you and talk about both of you.¡± After leaving the notary office, Courtney and Elijah walked down the steps side by side. Just as she was about to answer Elijah, she suddenly saw a tall figure standing against the wind on the road under the steps. His eyes were filled with gentleness as he stared at her. ¡°Alex?¡± Courtney eximed before she rushed over and crashed into his arms. Alexander stumbled after being knocked into, barely able to stand upright. He helplessly stroked the back of her head. ¡°Are you that happy?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy.¡± Courtney raised her head. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I was afraid you¡¯d be kidnapped.¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t trust me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m the one he doesn¡¯t trust.¡± Elijah¡¯s voice sounded from the side, and only then did Courtney realize that there was someone else there. Blushing, she freed herself from Alexander and gave a sheepish smile. ¡°President Duncan must be worried that I won¡¯t let you go. That¡¯s why he came all the way here to keep an eye on me.¡± Elijah spoke with a sting in his words, and Alexander wasn¡¯t any better, because he retorted, ¡°You can never be too careful. Mr. Grant, although you¡¯re American-Otharian, you grew up in Otharia, so you must¡¯ve heard the old saying too.¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯ve said that, I wouldn¡¯t be living up to your expectations of me if I don¡¯t do something, would I?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s toote.¡± The two of them continued to wage a tit for tat, as if they were in a war zone. Courtney couldn¡¯t bear to listen anymore, so she nudged Alexander with her elbow. ¡°That¡¯s enough. What are you talking about? Elijah¡¯s not that kind of person.¡± With that, she smiled at Elijah. ¡°He¡¯s just joking.¡± Elijah¡¯s expression was gloomy. ¡°It¡¯s not very funny.¡± Alexander was blunt too. ¡°I never joke around with anyone.¡± When Courtney heard this, her face darkened, and she let out an inward sigh. It isn¡¯t easy being the peacemaker. Because of Alexander¡¯s arrival, he had to be added to the afternoon¡¯s itinerary. Originally, Elijah had nned the day¡¯s activities, and Courtney had also promised him early on. It wouldn¡¯t be right to not go, but Courtney dared not even think about the scenario of the three of them walking together. It was simply too scary. ¡°I¡¯m not going. You guys can go ahead if you want to.¡± Before she said this, she figured that if she didn¡¯t go, then these two men would likely go back to their own ces. As long as they were separated, everything would be settled. However, the unexpected happened. Elijah didn¡¯t say anything to her. Instead, his gazended on Alexander. ¡°If Courtney¡¯s not going, then what about you, Mr. Duncan? Would you like to join me for a drink?¡± A drink? Courtney¡¯s heart dropped. She watched as Alexander gave him a slight nod. ¡°Sure.¡± Courtney¡¯s heart was pounding as she asked weakly, ¡°Then, how about I go too?¡± Elijah nced at her. ¡°You¡¯d better not go. I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to take care of you.¡± Without waiting for Courtney to refute, Alexander nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Go back to the hotel and get some rest.¡± Courtney was stunned. She looked at Elijah, then at Alexander. Both of them had serious expressions on their faces, instantly making her perplexed. What are the two of them up to? Chapter 365 One Night Surprise Chapter 365 Chapter 365 Who Did She Have Tina With Just like that, Alexander and Elijah left her at the entrance of the notary office. As Courtney stared at the sedan that was disappearing into the distance, the corners of her lips twitched, and her expression was filled withplex emotions. Alexander actually isn¡¯t here to look for me but Elijah, right? Since it was still early, she went to the therapy center to visit Cameron. ¡°What do you think they¡¯re up to? They don¡¯t even know each other well. I think they¡¯ve only met each other a couple of times in Melrose City.¡± Cameron was extremely quiet today. Sitting by the bay window looking through a magazine, she didn¡¯t even raise her head as she said, ¡°ording to my understanding of Elijah, there¡¯s a high chance he¡¯s trying to see how sincere Alexander is about you. As for Alexander, you should know him better than I do.¡± Courtney truly didn¡¯t understand him that well, so she felt a little embarrassed. After a long time of not getting a response, Cameron looked up. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? You don¡¯t know what he¡¯s trying to do?¡± Courtney looked ashamed, but she mustered the courage and exined, ¡°Alexander is the kind of person who you¡¯ll never know what he¡¯ll do next even if you spend your whole life with him. He goes against conventions, and he has an irregr style of conduct. He runs his business the same way too, so it¡¯s not that easy to guess.¡± Cameron clicked her tongue. ¡°I kind of get it now. You don¡¯t like someone like Elijah, who¡¯s stereotypical and easy to understand, but you like someone like Alexander, who can always give you a sense of freshness with how unpredictable he is?¡± ¡°Damn you. How did you steer the conversation to that topic?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just curious. Elijah is definitely ranked in the top three for the most excellent men I know, but you don¡¯t like him. How good is Alexander that you¡¯re so dead set on being with him?¡± Cameron closed the magazine, then inched closer to Courtney. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you to be happy, but I recently read a book that says that if you can think of a possible reason for divorce before getting married, then there¡¯s basically a 99 percent chance that it¡¯ll be the reason that leads to your divorce. This is the intuition of a woman.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What I mean is, if you get divorced from Alexander in the future, what do you think would be the reason?¡± Courtney was slightly stunned. She felt as if Cameron had dug a hole for her to jump in. ¡°If I answered, would it mean that we would definitely get divorced?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a gossip column. How could it possibly be urate? I¡¯m just casually bringing it up. Just tell me what you think.¡± Under Cameron¡¯s constant urges, Courtney pondered for a while before thinking of a possible reason. ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t feel genuine.¡± ¡°Can you be more specific?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the rtionship of an ordinary couple like? Or what¡¯s your rtionship with Gale like? You go on dates, go shopping, and you squabble and make up. It all feels very genuine.¡± Upon hearing this, Cameron nodded pensively, then asked curiously, ¡°So, you and Alexander haven¡¯t gone on a proper date before?¡± This poked a sore spot, so Courtney red at her with dissatisfaction. ¡°Don¡¯t open another can of worms, okay?¡± Alexander was always busy working and never had any free time, so asking him to think about what usual couples did would basically be forcing him to do something against his will. Courtney never expected him to, but it didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t want it. It would be a shame to not even do the simple things that couples usually would do. Courtney and Cameron talked without any scruples, and they said whatever was on their minds. However, someone was outside the ward listening through the door crack, feeling as if they finally had the opportunity to redeem themselves. Meanwhile, the night life enveloped New York with soothing music at a jazz bar in Queens, where Elijah and Alexander were sitting, each with a ss of whiskey in front of them. ¡°I wonder if I¡¯m going to get an invitation to the wedding.¡± As soon as Elijah spoke, he started off with a somewhat sensitive topic. Alexander nced at him and answered calmly, ¡°Courtney doesn¡¯t have many friends. The guest list was drawn up the other day, but I didn¡¯t look at it. You¡¯ll have to ask her about this. After all, you¡¯re her friend.¡± ¡°How would you introduce me if I went?¡± His tone was slightly provocative. As Courtney¡¯s friend, it was only reasonable for Elijah to be invited. Not to mention, Courtney had always introduced him as a friend, so his intentions for asking this question were obvious. Alexander¡¯s eyebrows furrowed slightly, then he took his time saying, ¡°Mr. Grant, you may not know much about Otharian weddings, but there¡¯s no need to introduce guests at the wedding.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Elijah smiled nonchntly. ¡°When Courtney and I got married, we still did the introductions.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression changed slightly ¡°If you still have any intentions toward Courtney, I advise you to put them aside before it¡¯s toote. Don¡¯t betray her trust in you.¡± ¡°You know that she trusts me?¡± All of Elijah¡¯s remarks were intertwined. He had pretty much set up a trap that one couldn¡¯t get out of, and he easily steered the conversation in the direction he wanted to go in. ¡°As a man from a traditional family, do you really not mind Courtney¡¯s past with me?¡± ¡°It was just a marriage of convenience, and it was a decision she had to make to continue staying in America.¡± ¡°In a marriage, men¡¯s doubts aren¡¯t any less than women¡¯s.¡± Elijah cast him a profound nce, and his tone was gloomy. ¡°Courtney was the one who said that it was a marriage of convenience, and you chose to believe it. But, for someone like you who only ever trusts your own eyes and evidence, will you really believe that it was just a marriage of convenience? Even if you believe it, do you dare to say that you¡¯ve never been curious that before I came into the picture, who did she actually have Tina with?¡± The main point of his remarks was in thest sentence. Indeed, Courtney had never told Alexander who Tina¡¯s biological father was. Her rtionship history was growing richer by the second. The young master of the Graham Family in Melrose City was her first love; the upstart of the financial industry was her legal husband; and there was an unknown person in the middle, whom she had a child with. Alexander¡¯s grip on the whiskey cup tightened, causing his knuckles to protrude. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Elijah¡¯s eyes grew cold. ¡°If you have a hint of doubt about Courtney, or are trying to explore her past, then I advise you to let her go.¡± ¡°This is between me and her. It¡¯s not your concern, is it?¡± ¡°The moment you do something to hurt Courtney, you¡¯ll know whether or not it¡¯s my concern.¡± Elijah¡¯s tone was cold and contained a strong sense of caution. His usual humble persona seemed to have changed in an instant. Alexander looked tense, and the words he said echoed in his mind for a long while. What is it that she can¡¯t tell me about Tina¡¯s birth? He believed that he had been honest enough with her, but she seemed to have been hiding something from him. Alexander¡¯s phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket, breaking the rigid atmosphere between him and Elijah. When he saw the caller ID, he answered the call. ¡°Hello?¡± Chapter 366 One Night Surprise Chapter 366 Chapter 366 You¡¯re My Wife Even Without a Certificate Courtney stayed in the therapy center until it was dark. During dinner, the nurse came over to ask if she wanted to stay for dinner, but she hurriedly refused and gave a random excuse before leaving. After trying the food that tasted like cardboard once, she didn¡¯t want to eat it a second time. On the way back to the hotel, she walked around a supermarket and bought a bunch of snacks. Sitting at the desk, she started a video call with the two little ones. ¡°Mommy, do I look good?¡± On screen, Tina was wearing a pink tulle dress with a crown hairpin on her head, looking just like a lively flower girl. Jordan, on the other hand, was wearing a white suit, and he had on the same look as Alexander. He was simply a miniature version of his father. Courtney was amused. ¡°You both look really good.¡± ¡°Mommy, have you seen Daddy?¡± Tina looked curious. ¡°Has Daddy promised to divorce you?¡± ¡°He has.¡± Courtney chuckled helplessly. ¡°Why are you so nosey?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s about your lifelong happiness, Mommy!¡± Tina¡¯s tone was naive, and she smiled her innocent smile. ¡°We only meet Daddy a few times a year. Every time he left, I almost couldn¡¯t recognize him when he came back. So, don¡¯t force yourself to stay together with him.¡± Courtney didn¡¯t want to exin too much about what happened back then, so she went with her line of thought and teased, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t agree, what can you do?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t. I¡¯ve already settled it with Daddy.¡± Upon hearing this, Courtney was stunned. ¡°You¡¯ve already settled it with him?¡± Tina then told her about the phone call she had with Elijah before she left for America. ¡°Daddy promised me that he wouldn¡¯t make things difficult for you. He¡¯ll give you his blessings, as long as I can go back to see him often.¡± It was only then that Courtney understood everything. No wonder Elijah wasn¡¯t surprised when she mentioned the divorce to him earlier and had agreed without asking anything. Courtney¡¯s heart was filled with unspeakable emotions. Elijah always looked after her and had done everything in her best interests. Although she didn¡¯t do anything wrong, she felt a little ashamed for some reason. It wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing for a person to be good to another. After searching all over and realizing that there was no way to repay their kindness, their goodwill would be a burden. Just as she was pondering it, the doorbell rang in a hurried manner, so Courtney didn¡¯t have time to turn off theputer before she rushed over. The moment she opened the door, the strong scent of alcohol wafted over. Alexander hugged her and ced a random kiss on her forehead as he muttered, ¡°You smell nice.¡± ¡°How much did you drink?¡± Courtney pushed him away, not knowing whether tough or cry. ¡°Do you still know who I am?¡± ¡°My wife.¡± His husky voice painted those two words with a thick sense of ambiguity, causing Courtney¡¯s face to turn red in an instant. ¡°W-Who¡¯s your wife? We aren¡¯t officially married yet!¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°You¡¯re my wife even without it being official.¡± Alexander trapped her in a bear hug once more. Courtney almost toppled over from his grip, and she exerted a lot of strength to hold him up before finally bringing him to the sofa. ¡°My God, how much did you drink? Sit down first.¡± Alexander sat down, but he grabbed Courtney¡¯s arm and refused to let go. His usually cold face was now heated and flushed. It was like he was apletely different person. ¡°I¡¯ll pour you a cup of tea. Let go of me.¡± ¡°No.¡± That one word was spoken in a strong nasally voice, and his extremely coquettish tone made Courtney tremble and look at Alexander in surprise. Is this still him? She held herself up on the sofa and settled down before sitting down and asking, ¡°Did you be like this after drinking with Elijah?¡± Alexander nodded, indicating his admittance. ¡°What about Elijah?¡± She was well aware of Elijah¡¯s alcohol tolerance. In America, Lillian would be the one drinking at social events, while he simply couldn¡¯t drink at all. However, Alexander misunderstood her. His head snapped up, and blood vessels were clear in his eyes. ¡°Are you worried about him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that. What exactly did you two talk about?¡± Courtney felt that it was truly a hassle to talk to a drunk person as she would easily trigger him. Still bothered about her concern for Elijah, Alexander suddenly got up. Before Courtney could recover, she was pushed onto the sofa. He used quite a lot of strength, causing her to grunt in pain. Alexander leaned over and peered at her face. Seeing her pained expression, he suddenly felt guilty. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Courtney. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Courtney sighed inwardly. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ask about anything you don¡¯t want to say.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was a little muffled, and his breathing was heavy, so his reply wasn¡¯t clear, and Courtney only heard fragments of what he said. He muttered something rather long, but only thest few sentences were audible. ¡°No one loves you more than I do.¡± Courtney was stunned for a moment. She figured Elijah must¡¯ve said something for Alexander to be acting like this. She ced her hand on Alexander¡¯s back and patted him consolingly. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much.¡± The air was filled with the scent of alcohol, and it seemed to be intoxicating Courtney as well. The atmosphere between the two of them was steamy, and Alexander¡¯s eyes lost its usual calmness; all that was left was a rich sense of desire. Lust was part of human nature. At this moment, he wanted to possess her body and mind. The moonlight outside the hotel was dim; the neon lights were still glowing, and the bustling world made human emotions seem like a drop in the ocean. After everything was settled, Courtney and Alexander returned to Melrose City. Before they left, Courtney handed Lilian a wedding invitation. ¡°I hope you cane with Elijah.¡± Lilian didn¡¯t understand what she meant. After Courtney and Alexander walked through the airport security gate, Lilian opened the invitation and saw her and Elijah¡¯s names written side by side. Her eyes narrowed, and she closed the invitation in a panic, afraid that it would be seen. After a while, sheughed at herself. Initially, she thought she had hidden her feelings well, but it turned out that others could clearly see it. After returning to Melrose City, Courtney was fully immersed in the wedding preparations. Because their wedding would begin from Alicia¡¯s house, Alicia let Courtney move in right after she came back from America. Courtney was about to dawdle and ask to move in a littleter, but Alicia started to talk about that night in New York. ¡°You guys could at least turn off the video. The two children were still waiting to talk to you on the computer. I only turned around and saw Jordan covering his sister¡¯s eyes because I heard him suddenly shouting for me. You two¡­ Sigh¡­¡± Courtney suddenly remembered that she didn¡¯t turn off herputer that night. When she thought of the fact that the two kids might have seen what she and Alexander did on the sofa that night, her face turned as red as a tomato, and her heart nearly jumped out of her throat. She wanted nothing more than to find a hole to hide in. How could I have let that happen! Chapter 367 One Night Surprise Chapter 367 Chapter 367 Are You Scared Alexander realized that Courtney was cold and indifferent toward him for the past two days. Initially, he didn¡¯t take Gale¡¯s phone call to heart, but judging from her behaviortely, it seemed like there was some sense in what he said. Before getting off work, Josh was called to the office by Alexander. ¡°President Duncan, you were looking for me?¡± Alexander studied him. ¡°Are you married?¡± Josh froze, and his face turned pale. ¡°N-No.¡± ¡°Then, have you ever dated anyone?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Josh broke into a cold sweat. Looking at the profound gaze Alexander was giving him, he instantly panicked and lifted three fingers on his right hand. ¡°President Duncan, I came to work for you at Sunhill Enterprise as soon as I graduated. Back then, I promised you that I would not consider marriage before I turned thirty-five, so I won¡¯t break my promise. I swear I really didn¡¯t get married.¡± Alexander was momentarily stunned. ¡°You made such a promise before?¡± Josh froze. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t remember?¡± Alexander frowned. ¡°Why would I want you to promise me something like that?¡± Josh looked shocked, and even a bit sad. After he graduated, he returned to Melrose City to work in Sunhill Group with Alexander, and he dedicated his whole heart to working there. Later on, for a period of time, Alexander reckoned the internal strife was tooplicated, and he knew that Josh¡¯s family was arranging blind dates for him, so Alexander suggested for him to find another way out. At that time, he was young and vigorous, so he said, ¡°I won¡¯t leave Sunhill, and I won¡¯t consider marriage until I¡¯m thirty-five years old. If I break my promise, I¡¯ll return all these years of sry.¡± Alexander only allowed him to stay after he gave such guarantees. He had worked so hard all these years, yet Alexander had forgotten it all! It made Josh rather angry. When he got married two years ago, he didn¡¯t even have a banquet, but had secretly invited his rtives to have a meal in his house instead. Because of this, he never won when he quarreled with his wife; he had suffered a lot of grievances for this matter. ¡°There was such a thing?¡± Alexander asked after Josh remained silent for a long time. Josh clenched his teeth and forced a smile. ¡°No, I¡¯m kidding. That didn¡¯t happen. Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?¡± When the topic of the conversation was pulled back on track, Alexander pondered for a moment before asking, ¡°What do ordinary couples do in a rtionship? Do you know?¡± Josh gave it some thought. ¡°Just go on the usual dates.¡± ¡°Be more specific.¡± ¡°For example, buying breakfast for the girl in the morning and waiting downstairs, going to the amusement park together, having fun and going for dinner at night, going to the movies after dinner, then sending her home afterward.¡± Rubbing his chin, Alexander was deep in thought. ¡°I¡¯ve done most of this.¡± He often bought her breakfast, and he would regrly bring her and the two little ones to the amusement park. Having dinner was a sure thing, and they often watched movies together as well. They all lived together, so there was no need to send her home. Josh saw the problem at once; he hesitated before he spoke. ¡°Breakfast must be special; for example, writing something like, ¡®Good morning. It¡¯s so nice to see you early in the morning¡¯ on the milk carton.¡± Alexander was stunned. ¡°Carry on.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bring the children with you to the amusement park. Couples don¡¯t bring children along on dates. You must also take pictures of her. You must hold her hand on roller coaster rides, and you must go to the haunted house together.¡± When he mentioned the roller coaster, Alexander¡¯s face stiffened a little. He rode it with Courtney once, and it was a feeling he didn¡¯t want to experience a second time. However, they could give the haunted house a try. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°You must go for dinner at a ce that¡¯s trending, the kind that¡¯s beautiful enough to take pictures at so she can post it on social media. Girls like that feeling. Then, go for a movie.¡± Josh let out an awkward dry cough. ¡°I don¡¯t mean reserving the whole cinema. I mean buying popcorn and Coke together, then watching it with many other people in the cinema.¡± Alexander frowned. Do ordinary couples do such excessive things? ¡°Anymore?¡± ¡°Also, when you send her home at night, you must prepare a gift. It¡¯s best if it was something that she saw that day which she liked. It can be a doll, a snack, or an essory. In short, you should show that you¡¯ve been paying attention to her all day.¡± Filled with excitement, Josh said, ¡°When I first started dating my wife, I gave her a Peter Rabbit doll that she had her eyes on, and she married me because of that.¡± Alexander nodded, then his head snapped up after a while. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t married?¡± Josh stiffened, and the smile on his face instantly froze. Sh*t! N?velDrama.Org content. ¡­ On Tuesday morning, Courtney received a call from Alexander right after breakfast. After informing her aunt, she went out to see Alexander standing in front of the yard, dressed in casual attire. ¡°You could¡¯ve juste in. Why did you want me toe out?¡± Alexander handed over the paper bag in his hand. ¡°This is for you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Courtney took a look at it. ¡°A sandwich? I¡¯ve already had breakfast.¡± Alexander paused for a moment. ¡°Then, go somewhere with me.¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°The amusement park.¡± Courtney was stunned at first, then her eyes brightened. ¡°Oh, it just so happened thatst night, Jordan and Tina asked me when I¡¯ll be taking them there. I¡¯ll go call them.¡± Just when she was about to turn around, Alexander held her in ce. ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Courtney looked confused. Alexander said solemnly, ¡°Today, it¡¯ll just be the two of us.¡± ¡°The two of us?¡± Courtney stared at him in confusion, then reconfirmed, ¡°The two of us are going to the amusement park?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Like a magic trick, Alexander brought out a Mickey Mouse headband from behind. ¡°Will you go?¡± Courtney cast him a surprised nce. After epting the headband, she stared at it for a while, then smiled. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Still skeptical, she followed Alexander to the amusement park. It was a working day, and it was cold as the temperature had dropped from the snow, so there weren¡¯t many people at the amusement park. As soon as they entered, Alexander dragged Courtney somewhere deep into the amusement park. Before long, the two were standing in front of the empty haunted house. The cold winter wind brushed past their ears, inexplicably making them shiver. Courtney coughed. ¡°Are you sure? You just came to the park to go in here?¡± She had never seen anyone entering the amusement park just to go straight to the haunted house. She looked doubtfully at Alexander, but she didn¡¯t know where to start with her questions. Did something happen with thepany that triggered him? ¡°Yes.¡± Alexander held her hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t be afraid. I heard this is fun.¡± The corners of Courtney¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°Let¡¯s go in, then.¡± After passing through the double heavy curtains, they got to the real entrance of the haunted house, which was flooded with an eerie green light. Courtney felt the grip around her hand tighten, so she turned and saw the nervous look on Alexander¡¯s face. He was staring unblinkingly at the door, and he looked like he was about to fall apart. She hesitated, then asked, ¡°Are you scared?¡± Chapter 368 One Night Surprise Chapter 368 Chapter 368 Not Suited to Everyone ¡°No.¡± Alexander tly denied. However, Courtney clearly felt her hand on the verge of being crushed. ¡°Are you sure you really want to go in? Why don¡¯t we just forget about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Alexander grabbed her shoulders. ¡°You have me. Let¡¯s go.¡± Courtney was skeptical, but it wouldn¡¯t be good to refute him, so she nodded after a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°All right, then. Let¡¯s go in. ¡° The haunted house wasn¡¯t huge; when the two of them exited ten minutester and saw the light of day again, both of their faces were pale. Alexander was propped against a garbage can, looking as if he was going to throw up. Meanwhile, Courtney stood behind him, rubbing her ears in shock because Alexander had frightened her with his screams. ¡°Are you okay?¡± After she recovered herself, Courtney stepped forward and patted Alexander on the shoulder. The moment she touched his shoulder, he shot upright, then he looked at Courtney with a trace of fear in his eyes. Courtney couldn¡¯t hold back herughter. ¡°Why are you so scared?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not scared.¡± Alexander braced himself and withdrew the fearful look in his eyes, then said stiffly, ¡°I¡¯m disgusted.¡± It was a reasonable excuse, because the zombies did indeed look disgusting. The special effects makeup was utterly realistic, but Alexander¡¯s yelling in the haunted house clearly scared the zombies away. How is this considered being disgusted? He was so scared that it nearly drove him insane. Courtney concealed her smile and didn¡¯t expose him. ¡°Okay. It was disgusting. Where are we going next?¡± Upon hearing this, Alexander was silent for a while. ¡°The roller coaster¡­¡± As soon as he said this, Courtney widened her eyes and even touched his forehead. ¡°What¡¯s up with you today? Are you okay?¡± It wasn¡¯t as if she hadn¡¯t ridden a roller coaster with him before. He could throw up for an entire day, and it was a situation she didn¡¯t want to go through again. What triggered him today? ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± Alexander frowned. The look in his eyes was much more gentle than usual, probably because of the lingering fear he felt. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I like it or not. You can¡¯t get on that again, so don¡¯t force yourself. There are so many other things to enjoy. Let¡¯s go to that one over there. When I came with Tinast time, we queued up for a long time but still didn¡¯t get to try it. Since there¡¯s no crowd today, let¡¯s go y it!¡± With that, Courtney grabbed his hand and joyfully pulled him in that direction. As Alexander trailed behind her, his gaze fell on her hand. His eyes became iparably gentle and bright, and he couldn¡¯t conceal the smile on his face. Besides all the exciting aerial rides, there were a number of enjoyable programs at the amusement park. Thest one was the 5D movie experience, where both of their faces were sprayed with water. When they came out, Courtneymented, ¡°We should bring a raincoat next time.¡± As it was a working day, the queueing time was shorter than they expected. After ying every possible attraction, it was only around 3.00PM when they came out, and the sky was still bright. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Courtney nced at the time. ¡°We can make it in time for dinner.¡± Alexander held her back. ¡°Let¡¯s not go home for dinner today. Let¡¯s eat outside.¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney looked back at him, feeling a little confused. She suspected that he must have been busy with the acquisition of the Hunter Grouptely, and since Susan wasn¡¯t willing to let go, the project was a little tricky. Perhaps he was too stressed out during this period and wanted to get out and rx. She had nothing to do these couple of days, so she figured she should spend time with him. At this thought, she happily agreed. ¡°Where are we going to eat?¡± After nearly two hours of driving from the amusement park, they got caught up in Tuesday¡¯s rush hour when they were close to the city center, so they were stuck in the traffic jam for half an hour before they arrived. When Courtney saw the crowded entrance of the popr Korean restaurant, she drew a breath of cold air. ¡°Are we going to eat here today? Have you made a reservation?¡± Looking at Alexander¡¯s puzzled expression, Courtney could clearly tell he wasn¡¯t aware that most of these trending stores required them to queue for two hours. ¡°Hello, a table for two, please.¡± After Courtney squeezed her way to the entrance, she asked the waiter for a number, then she came back to Alexander and waved the ticket about. ¡°There are fifty tables in front of us. We¡¯ll have to wait.¡± ¡°Fifty tables?¡± Alexander nced at the small shop that could only amodate twenty tables, and his frown deepened. Meanwhile, Courtney had already found two chairs and was pulling him to take a seat. Alexander looked slightly impatient. ¡°How long do we have to wait?¡± ¡°I guess an hour or two. I can¡¯t be sure.¡± Appearing calm and at ease, Courtney drank the soup the waiter had just served them, then looked back at the bustling store. ¡°Is the food here really good? I¡¯ve seen a lot of people from Citron Apparel posting about ittely.¡± Alexander didn¡¯t seem to hear what she said, as he was frowning and constantly looking down at the time. ¡°Is there something you need to do?¡± ¡°No.¡± Alexander turned to look at her. ¡°If we wait for too long, we might not be able to make it to the movie at 7.00PM.¡± Courtney grew excited. ¡°Are you in the mood to privately experience public sentiment today? Going to an amusement park, lining up at a popr store, and even watching a movie ording to the cinema¡¯s schedule. Have you given up on your principle of efficiency?¡± Alexander was silent for a few seconds, then he asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to experience life as an ordinary couple? Although I can¡¯t waste my time like this every day, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a problem to do this once in a while.¡± Upon hearing this, Courtney was stunned. ¡°You¡¯re doing this because of me?¡± Before she came back to her senses, she continued, ¡°Where did you¡­ Did you hear this from Gale again?¡± That damned Gale really has a loudspeaker as a mouth. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°But I still think this is really inefficient.¡± Alexander had a serious look on his face, leaving Courtney between tears andughter. ¡°So, who gave you the idea of going to the haunted house at the amusement park and queueing at a famous restaurant for dinner?¡± ¡°Josh.¡± ¡°I think you can cut his sry.¡± Courtney criticized Josh without reservations for giving apletely unrealistic idea that simply wasn¡¯t suited for everyone. ¡°Who says that everyone¡¯s dates have to be the same? You don¡¯t like haunted houses, and I don¡¯t like famous restaurants. So, what are we doing here?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± Alexander frowned. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Pulling him up, Courtney couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°And here I thought you enjoyed it, so I¡¯ve been cooperating with you for half a day. Turns out it was all for me. I know of a small scale Otharian restaurant here. It¡¯s not very crowded, but the food is delicious. Let¡¯s go.¡± After figuring out what was going on today, Courtney brought Alexander to the barbecue shop next to an office building nearby. The shop was smoky, and the sound of the meat being barbecued on the fire was particrly crisp. ¡°You scared me to death. You¡¯ve been acting weird today, and you¡¯ve been keeping an eye on the time the whole day. I thought you were triggered by something!¡± Courtney muttered as she grilled the meat, going through the events of the day from beginning to end. Alexander felt a little downcast. He had spent nearly half a day nning their itinerary but had made a fool of himself in the end. As he thought about what happened today, he felt indignant and decided to deduct Josh¡¯s year-end bonus. Chapter 369 One Night Surprise Chapter 369 Chapter 369 Don¡¯t Go Back Tonight Because she knew what had been on Alexander¡¯s mind that day, after their meal, Courtney asked him to return the movie tickets before dragging him to the riverbank for a walk. It was bitterly cold, and the wind along the river was particrly harsh. Alexander held her hand and stuffed it into his coat pocket. ¡°If I had known you didn¡¯t like all that, I wouldn¡¯t have wasted my time. I should have stayed home with you today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± Courtney spoke in a gentle tone. ¡°At least I know that you think about me and will think of ways to treat me well. If Aunt Alicia knows about this, she would be happy.¡± Alexander fell silent for a second. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this.¡± Courtneyughed. ¡°What else did you have arranged besides watching a movie today? Honestly, I¡¯m quite curious.¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze fell on the trunk of his car in the distance. Taking a nce at him, she jogged over. The trunk opened slowly, revealing a huge purple gift box. ¡°This is for me?¡± Courtney pointed to herself and asked Alexander, who gave a slight nod, looking slightly embarrassed. After she undid the bow, she saw that inside was a brown stuffed bear. ¡°It¡¯s cute!¡±¡± She took the bear out of the box and had just squeezed it when the bear suddenly burst outughing. It frightened her, and with a shake of her hand, the bear was thrown onto the ground. The fat doll twisted around on the ground, looking like it was suffering a cramp as it continued tough. Courtney was stunned for a long time. Then, unable to hold it back, she held the car andughed louder than the bear, nearly bursting into tears. ¡°Is it so funny?¡± Alexander felt even more miserable now. He bent down and picked up the twitching bear. ¡°When we left the amusement park today, you stared at the bear a few times, so I thought you liked it.¡± Courtney clutched her face, which was aching fromughing so hard. ¡°If I had known it had such a strange sound effect, I would have looked at it for a longer time.¡± Looking ashamed, Alexander hurriedly threw the bear back into the box before eximing angrily, ¡°Josh can forget about his bonus this year. His advice is really useless!¡± When Courtney saw how enraged he was, her heart suddenly filled with warmth. She passed her arms under his armpits so that she was in his embrace, then tilted her head up and blinked. ¡°Actually, I quite like it. I like the feeling of you being with me all day.¡± Usually, Courtney had the appearance of a sessful career woman in the workce, and it was rare to see her showing weakness. Even in Alexander¡¯s impression, she rarely took the initiative to be so dainty and delicate, so his heart melted at once. He held her tightly, then leaned forward to ce a kiss on her forehead. ¡°If I had known you didn¡¯t like it, we would¡¯ve done something else.¡± ¡°What else can we do?¡± Courtney pouted. ¡°I can tell that you don¡¯t have an ounce of romance in you, so you must¡¯ve used up all your capacity to be romantic on the day of the proposal.¡± The proposal that day was extremely sincere, and it was a wonder that he managed to think about buying ten rings. Alexander lowered his head to her ear and said in his deep voice, ¡°We can do what we both like to do.¡± His remark was so ambiguous that Courtney was stunned at first, then her ears turned red as she hammered his chest in a huff. ¡°I should¡¯ve left you in the haunted house!¡± The corners of Alexander¡¯s lips curled up into a warm smile. Across the river was the bustling Melrose City, which was lit with neon lights. The sky was foggy, and neither the sun nor moon were in sight as the busy world washed away the loneliness of the night. As Alexander embraced the woman in his arms, he was ovee with emotions and couldn¡¯t help but kiss her. It was a cold winter night, so there was no one by the riverbank. They grew increasingly intimate, and their breaths gradually became heavier. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Courtney stopped Alexander¡¯s roaming hands. ¡°I have to go hometer.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go back tonight.¡± Without waiting for Courtney toe to her senses, he pulled her into the back seat of the car. ¡­ Nearing the mid-winter holiday, the renovation of Alexander and Courtney¡¯s house were nearing completion. Fiona was efficient, and the renovation team was extremely reliable too. After countless sleepless nights, they finished the renovation of the house in half a month. ¡°The curtains looked strange and dull because the color was too dark, so I changed them for you. I didn¡¯t move the furniture much. There¡¯s a passage in the bedroom leading to the walk-in closet next door, which is more convenient. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t like, you can change it.¡± ¡°I think everything¡¯s good. There¡¯s no need to change it.¡± Courtney led Fiona to the sofa. ¡°Get some rest. You haven¡¯t had a good rest in half a month. I told you before that I would ask the housekeeper to send someone to keep an eye on the project, but you didn¡¯t feelfortable with it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Since I¡¯ve been put in charge of this, I have to do it well.¡± Fiona gave her a warm smile. ¡°It¡¯s good as long as you¡¯re satisfied. By the way, have you told Alicia to come here for dinner at night?¡± Now that the house had been renovated, Fina invited Scott as well as Courtney¡¯s family toe over for dinner at night as a housewarming activity. ¡°I¡¯ve informed them, but they¡¯ll be a littlete. Alexander should be arriving early. Sunhill Enterprise is having their mid-winter holiday, and quite a lot of people in thepany have to prepare for the annual dinner tomorrow, so he shoulde back in a while.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Fiona was suddenly in a hurry. ¡°Then I¡¯d better go check on the food for tonight first.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be here with you.¡± Courtney knew that Fiona was nervous. After all, they had never lived together for the past years. Although the rtionship between the mother and son had eased, she was still unfamiliar with his life, so it was inevitable that she would find it strange. N?velDrama.Org content. Shortly after the two of them entered the kitchen, an engine sounded in the courtyard, signaling that Alexander had returned. Then, Courtney heard him asking the servant in the living room, ¡°Where¡¯s Courtney?¡± ¡°The young mistress and Madam Fiona are cooking in the kitchen.¡± Right after the servant finished speaking, Courtney poked her head out of the kitchen. ¡°Alex,e and help me bread the fried chicken.¡± Behind her, Fiona hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s all right. I can do it myself. How could he possibly know how to do this?¡± ¡°He does.¡± Courtney giggled, then raised her eyebrows at Alexander. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Smiling, Alexander took off his coat, then rolled up his sleeves before walking over. When he entered the kitchen, he avoided his mother¡¯s gaze in an unnatural manner and only asked Courtney, ¡°So, what should I do?¡± Courtney pulled him to Fiona¡¯s side. ¡°Madam, why don¡¯t you teach him? I¡¯ll call Aunt Alicia to see if they¡¯ve left.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Before she could stop Courtney, Fiona turned around and saw Alexander standing in front of her. She looked unnatural at once, and she stumbled over her words as she said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t need to help. You can¡­ go get some rest.¡± After she said this, the kitchen fell silent. The atmosphere was turning tense when Alexander¡¯s voice suddenly rang out. ¡°Should I bread the marinated chicken wings?¡± Chapter 370 One Night Surprise Chapter 370 Chapter 370 Want to Take a Bet? Fiona had a nk look on her face, then surprise shed through her eyes. She stared at Alexander briefly before regaining her senses and said hurriedly, ¡°No. Coat it with egg liquid first, then bread crumbs.¡± ¡°Let me try.¡± ¡°The disposable gloves are over there. It¡¯ll be easier if you put them on.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Courtney was lying on the sofa, but she still picked up on the conversation in the kitchen. Although Alexander spoke very little, it was good enough for it wasn¡¯t easy for him to take the initiative to speak. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. By dinner time, both families had arrived. Although it wasn¡¯t the eve of the mid-winter holiday yet, it was no less lively right then in the house. As Courtney and Alexander hadn¡¯t had their wedding yet, Alicia proposed that Courtney celebrate the eve of mid-winter holiday at Alicia¡¯s house, and once they got married, they could make their own decisions on where to celebrate it. ¡°Courney isn¡¯t a fussy one. I¡¯m sure that after they get married, they¡¯ll be able to live a good life¡ªas long as they trust and support each other, there is nothing else I¡¯d wish for them.¡± Alicia had always been frank and straightforward in her speech¡ªshe didn¡¯t mince her words. ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Fiona nodded. ¡°Courtney is a good child, and I have heard from Oliver that it was not easy for the two to havee together like this¡ªI have always felt guilty that I was never able to take care of Alex well these years, so I¡¯m really relieved and happy that he met Courtney.¡± ¡°Okay, now. We¡¯re supposed to have a happy evening, so there¡¯s no need to be so wistful.¡± Scott couldn¡¯t bear to see such an emotional scene any longer, so he interrupted. ¡°I mean, who could have an easy life in this world? Aren¡¯t we all alright now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Courtney took over the conversation. She looked at Fiona and said, ¡°When Alex and I get married, you will move in with us and help us take care of our children.¡± Fiona was stunned for a moment. ¡°No need. I¡¯ll just live with Dad.¡± Scott snorted. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m used to my peace and quiet. You didn¡¯t evene back to visit me thesest few years, and as a result, I¡¯ve gotten used to the peace. Enough of that; you just live with them and help look after their children. You can alwayse back asionally to visit for a couple of days in the future.¡± Due to the fact that his adopted daughter had never once visited him in the past years, the old man still held a little grudge in his heart and felt the need to take stabs at her from time to time. Of course, he was the only one who could say that about her; if other people even dared to badmouth Fiona, they¡¯d be ripped to pieces by him. From this, Courtney could see that the men in the Duncan family were all protective in nature. On the eve of mid-winter holiday, Cameron and Gale would return from America. In fact, Courtney was going to pick them up, but Gale stopped her through the call, saying that the Langley Family wanted them to go home for the holidays. ¡°Has your family epted Cameron?¡± ¡°I told you about this a long time ago¡ªmy mother is very understanding, and so is my sister.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to your family, though. There¡¯s a chance Cameron¡¯s condition might recur.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Gale still sounded extremely excited on the other end of the phone. One would even think by the tone of his voice that he was jumping about in excitement. ¡°My parents are very open-minded; as long as I make it clear to them, they would ept it once they understand. If I lied to them and they found out about itter, they would never forgive me¡ªat least not in this life¡ªso I wouldn¡¯t dare lie to them! This time, they¡¯ve really recognized Cameron as their daughter-inw.¡± ¡°Hey, when did I say I¡¯d marry you?¡± Cameron¡¯s scolding voice spread from the other end of the phone, and in a split second, she seemingly snatched the phone from Gale. ¡°I¡¯ll go over to yours for dinnerter. Who said that I¡¯ll be at their house for the holiday? I¡¯ll stay with you.¡± ¡°Okay. My door will always be wide open for you, but I am looking forward to seeing if you are willing to come back and be separated from Gale.¡± No matter what, Courtney was sincerely happy for Cameron. After hanging up the phone, Courtney felt that the heaviness that had been weighing down on her for years had finally been lifted. She looked up to see Oliver sitting on the sofa watching TV, so she called out to him. ¡°Stop watching the TV. I¡¯m going out tonight to buy things for the wedding;e with me!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask my brother to go instead? You two are the ones getting married. Wouldn¡¯t it be weird when I apany you instead of your fianc¨¦?¡± Oliver was smooth to address Alex as his brother, as if he had secretly practiced to call him this way for the past 20 years. Courtney sat down beside him. ¡°He drank a lot at the Sunhill Enterprise annual dinnerst night and only came back in the early morning. How can he have the energy toe with me?¡± ¡°Want to take a bet?¡± Oliver turned his head to the side and looked at Courtney mysteriously. ¡°I bet if I shout right now, Alex wille down immediately¡ªfull of energy, even.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Courtney looked doubtful. ¡°He didn¡¯t even have lunch¡ªI¡¯m sure he¡¯s really tired.¡± Oliver smiled meaningfully, then rolled up the magazine on the coffee table to make a simple make- shift loudspeaker and shouted at the second floor master bedroom, ¡°Alex! Courtney is going to buy wedding supplies. If you don¡¯t feel like going, I will apany her instead!¡± There was no response from upstairs. Courtney folded her arms. ¡°I told you. He¡¯s probably sleeping like a log¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t wake up even if there was a fire.¡± Oliver raised his hand and folded his fingers one by one. ¡°5, 4, 3, 2¡­¡± Before he could say ¡®1¡¯, they could hear the sound of a door opening on the second floor. Alexander was standing at the door in home clothes; his hair was messy, but his eyes were clear while he said calmly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to go.¡± Courtney was stunned. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned¡­¡± Oliver smiled and leaned on the sofa. Themunication between men never relied on words. He figured that Alexander knew what would happen if he apanied Courtney to the bridal supply store¡ªthe clerk would definitely think that it was the two of them who were getting married. Although it would be just a misunderstanding that could be exined in a few words, knowing how petty Alexander was, he would have never let this happen, especially when it came to anything rted to Courtney. So it was a given that he¡¯d go with her. Since Alexander had decided to go, Courtney went upstairs to apany him to get a change of clothes. While Oliver watched the news on TV, his expression gradually turned tense. ¡°Arge amount of ketamine was found in an abandoned warehouse at the foot of Mount Zeke a few days ago. This case may be rted to the cracked drug case in Melrose city center two months ago. The police arrested the three culprits that participated in the drug production. ording to an oral statement, the leader of the gang¡¯s main drug lord and the main culprit of the Melrose drug case are allegedly the same person, but his real name is unknown, and he is called Dragon among the industry¡­¡± Oliver only watched the news quietly. Then, he took out his mobile phone and found a murder case in the suburbs of Melrose half a month ago. In order to avoid social panic, the police suppressed the incident, but he was notified to participate in the case investigation that time. Dragon was the boss of a famous drug gang, the Red Scorpions. He had been in the industry for over 20 years, and no one knew his whereabouts. His own brother was among the group of people that had been arrestedst time, and he was sentenced to death. As a matter of fact, his brother would be executed tomorrow; in revenge and to intimidate the police, he had killed two people. Both of the victims were students of the Public Security University who participated in the cracking of the drug case in Melrose at the time. When Oliver thought of this, he felt a pain shoot through his heart, and his eyes welled up with tears. Those two people were hisrades-in-arms and ssmates whom he fought side by side with, and now, they¡¯d died tragically at the hands of Dragon. In order to avoid causing panic, even the news of their deaths was concealed. Before Courtney went out, Oliver stopped them. ¡°I heard that a murderer is wanted recently. Be careful when you¡¯re out.¡± Courtney nced at him confusingly. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be so unlucky! It¡¯s almost the mid-winter holiday, so watch your mouth! Grandpa is an old man¡ªit¡¯s considered a taboo for him.¡± Chapter 371 One Night Surprise Chapter 371 Chapter 371 Are They the Children You Had With Me? As soon as Courtney and Alexander went out, there was a downpour. The cold rain in the frigid winter was extremely cold, and though the shopping mall was full of heaters, Courtney still felt unreasonably chilly. ¡°What¡¯s left to buy?¡± ¡°Looks like there¡¯s nothing left.¡± Courtney shook her head. ¡°Then wait for me here; I¡¯ll go get something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Our wedding rings.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°Alright, off you go. I¡¯ll just wait for you here.¡± Alexander bought custom-made rings for the proposal. There were 10 different designs of bride¡¯s rings custom-made, but the groom¡¯s ring could not be made in time, so it had been dyed until today. After Alexander left, Courtney sat down on one of the public sofas in the shopping mall with shopping bags piled at her feet. Right as she sat down, she received a call from Alicia. ¡°Are youing back soon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at the shopping mall. Alexander will send me back after shopping. Don¡¯t worry. I promised you that I will be at your house for the eve of the mid-winter holiday, so I won¡¯t run away all of a sudden, okay?¡± ¡°Well, a married daughter is just like water that has been poured¡ªshe doesn¡¯t belong to her family any more. So who knows if Alex will use his sweet talking to get you to stay with him.¡± Courtney was obviously amused by what Alicia said. She got up andughed while leaning on the railing. ¡°Do you really think Alexander is capable of sweet talking?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Well¡­¡± On the other side, Alexander entered the jewelry store and exined his intention to the store clerk. Soon, the store manager came out with the ring. ¡°Oh, Mr. Duncan, you didn¡¯t have to make this trip in person. I could have sent someone over with this!¡± Alexander nced at the ring. He didn¡¯t care much about the design, but he was in a good mood, so he replied casually, ¡°I happened to apany my wife here for some shopping, so I figured I should pick it up on the way, lest I forget about it.¡± ¡°Your wife sure is a luckydy.¡± The store manager followed Alexander¡¯s gaze and nced into the distance before smiling. ¡°I saw the video on the Inte. I thought I was mistaken, but you and Miss Hunter are a match made in heaven. Who would have thought that the both of you would end up in such a good marriage because of one ne!¡± ¡°Ne?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression changed slightly. ¡°What ne?¡± The store manager was stunned for a moment. ¡°Didn¡¯t youe to the store before to ask about the ne? Miss Hunter was the one who came with that ne to enquire, and we told her it was yours¡­¡± Seeing that Alexander¡¯s expression had changed, the store manager seemed to realize that he had said something wrong, and his voice gradually weakened. ¡°You¡­ didn¡¯t know about this? I saw the wedding video on the Inte and thought you knew, so I didn¡¯t call to tell you about this.¡± Alexander frowned. He stared nkly at the woman with her back to him in the distance. Clenching the ring box in his hand, he strode over. ¡°Okay, I know. Alexander is collecting the ring, and we¡¯ll leave after that.¡± Out of the corner of Courtney¡¯s eyes, she caught a glimpse of Alexander¡¯s figure and said with a smile, ¡°There he is. I¡¯ll hang up first. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be home in a while.¡± Once Courtney hung up the phone, she stretched out her hand toward Alexander very naturally. ¡°I want to see what they look like.¡± Alexander handed over the ring box and was still in shock when he thought back to what the store manager said just now. Courtney looked at the ring. ¡°The design is very minimalistic. That¡¯s great! I¡¯ll keep it for you first¡ªwe don¡¯t want you losing things this important.¡± Looking up and seeing Alexander staring at her strangely, Courtney was a little puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± It took a long time for Alexander to regain his senses, and his brows frowned slightly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡ªlet¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Oh, let me go to the washroom first!¡± Courtney smiled at him. ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll be out soon.¡± Seeing Courtney trotting away, Alexander felt his heart gradually sinking. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding. If the ne is in Courtney¡¯s hands, and she knew that the ne was mine, why didn¡¯t she give it back to me? 6 years ago, when did I lose the ne, and how did it end up in her hands? N?velDrama.Org content. What happened then was too long ago for him to remember, just as he couldn¡¯t remember how the ne was lost all these years. In the next second, the phone vibrated in his pocket, and after looking at the caller ID, he pressed the answer button. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°President Duncan, Poppy Waller opened up at the police station.¡± ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°She said¡­¡± Josh¡¯s voice was very hesitant, but after a while, he finally mustered the courage to speak. ¡°She said that Britney found out that Little Master Jordan¡¯s biological mother was Miss Hunter, and that there was a mistake regarding the girl who was set to be the surrogate mother six years ago. At that time, Miss Hunter just happened to be drugged and sent to the wrong room by her sister, and the children she gave birth to were not one, but two¡ªthey were twins¡­¡± Alexander¡¯s hand that was holding the phone suddenly tightened¡ªeven his knuckles turned white from how tightly he was clenching his phone. Right then, he felt as if his heart had sunk to the depths of the ocean. ¡°She said that before James¡¯ ident, Britney had already found out that Miss Hunter was approaching you on purpose. Miss Hunter had met awyer from America who specialized in custody At this point, all he could hear were muffled words with a constant ringing in his ears, but he still managed to maintain his reasoning and asked, ¡°Did she have any evidence for what she said?¡± There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment, then came Josh¡¯s heavy voice. ¡°I¡¯ve checked it, and there¡¯s nothing suspicious about what Britney said. Miss Hunter found out your identity shortly after returning, and she even has a paternity test certificate in her hand. The Americanwyer was arranged by Elijah Grant, and there are various hospital records where Jordan has been injured over the years in thewyer¡¯s hand. If¡­ If she fights for custody, they would probably build the case on child abuse¡­¡± After Josh finished talking about everything, Alexander hung up the phone. He received a document from Josh, which clearly recorded everything he had investigated over the past six months. The veins in Alexander¡¯s hands popped out, and he almost crushed the phone with his bare hands. Without a second thought, he left behind the pile of festive wedding gift bags and strode toward the bathroom. Courtney had just finished washing her hands and was tidying up her messy hair in front of the mirror. In the next second, the sound of the door opening came from behind, and at the same time came the voice of a woman eximing, ¡°Excuse me, sir! This is the women¡¯s washroom!¡± Hearing that, Courtney looked back subconsciously. When she turned around, the man had already pushed the woman out of the washroom and locked the door. ¡°Alex?¡± Courtney looked astonished. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression was sullen, and his eyes seemed to hold back a sea of fire. He kept staring at her intensely, as if he wanted to burn a hole right through her soul. After a long time, there was a low voice in the bathroom. ¡°Jordan and Tina¡ªare they the children you had with me 6 years ago?¡± In the huge washroom, the man¡¯s voice reverberated like a roar from hell, and it was as if Courtney¡¯s mind had shattered into millions of pieces. She was stunned for a moment. ¡°How did you¡ª¡± ¡°Are they?¡± Alexander took a step closer. ¡°I¡¯m asking you: Are they?¡± It was untrue to say that she had never expected such a situation to unfold. Courtney would even think about this in her sleep¡ªthat if she didn¡¯t confess soon, maybe one day, Alexander would find out the truth ande to question herself, just like what he was doing right now. She had actually imagined and reyed this scene countless times in her mind. Chapter 372 One Night Surprise Chapter 372 Chapter 372 We¡¯ll Bring This to Court, Then After what seemed like forever, Courtney finally calmed down and slowly raised her head to meet Alexander¡¯s intense gaze. ¡°Yes.¡± She clenched her fist and frowned. ¡°Since you know it all now, then I don¡¯t see the need to hide it from you any more.¡± She was honest. She knew very well that what happened 6 years ago was not her fault but Alexander¡¯s. And now, they had fallen in love, so she chose to forgive and see it as a surprise¡ªit wasn¡¯t the case in the start, but it was now. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Seeing her calm appearance, Alexander grew even angrier, and the mes in his cold eyes gradually burned even more vigorously as he continued to ask, ¡°You found out about this soon after you returned?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When she saw his angered face, Courtney frowned and exined, ¡°If you want to me me for not telling you. I¡¯ll have you know that I was just worried that you¡¯d try to take custody over Tina. I mean, we weren¡¯t getting married at the time, after all. Maybe it was because I didn¡¯t trust you enough then, but I was also worried¡ªI had to look out for myself too¡­¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Alexander raised the corners of his lips mockingly. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, since we have already set a date to get married, why did you still go to see awyer?¡± When Courtney heard that, her expression froze immediately. ¡°H-How did you know?¡± ¡°If I hadn¡¯t found out, when were you nning to tell me all these?¡± Alexander looked at her with extremely cold eyes. ¡°On one hand, you want to marry me so that you can be Jordan¡¯s mother and at the same time not lose your daughter, while on the other hand, you left a way out for yourself. If things go south, what reason are you going to use to fabricate evidence of my abuse of Jordan and topete with me for his custody?¡± Courtney¡¯s face gradually turned pale. ¡°I didn¡¯t n on doing that.¡± ¡°Do you dare to swear on your children¡¯s wellbeing?¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes were full of contempt. He grabbed Courtney¡¯s arm and forced her to look into his eyes. ¡°Swear that you have never thought of this¡ªthat you have never thought about snatching Jordan away from me.¡± ¡°Alexander Duncan!¡± Courtney was in pain, and her facial features were almost twisted together from the pain on her wrist. ¡°Let me go!¡± ¡°Let you go?¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes were full of contempt and disappointment, and he roared, ¡°Courtney Hunter, you approached me from the very beginning all for the child¡¯s custody. You were meticulously nning it every step of the way, from the beginning to the end. You¡¯ve obviously never had me in your heart¡ªnot even for a moment!¡± It was only now that he figured out why she would always be submissive every time Jordan was mentioned in a quarrel, but she would always only treat him coldly. It was because she had never put him in her heart from the beginning. As for their marriage, she only chose the next best option. To her, it was just a price she had to pay temporarily for the custody of her children! Such a woman was sleeping in the same bed beside him everyday, yet he couldn¡¯t see it clearly until today. ¡°You really think I¡¯m such a person?¡± Courtney looked at him in disbelief. ¡°Someone who nned things out from the start¡ªfrom approaching you to even marrying you¡ªjust for custody over my children?¡± ¡°Are you not?¡± Alexander asked with a frown. ¡°If you didn¡¯t have these two children in the first ce, would you have still married me?¡± The air became stagnant and heavy. Courtney looked at him nkly with a deep self-deprecating look in her eyes. ¡°Assumptions about the past are pointless¡ªyou¡¯re just being unreasonable right now.¡± The assumption of what ifs was meaningless. Life was a straight path, and no one could turn back, so Courtney would never make such assumptions. However, Alexander misinterpreted the meaning of her words. He then pushed her to the sink and continued interrogating her. ¡°Fine. That question was meaningless, so what about this: If from today onward, you would never see Jordan again, would you still marry me?¡± His aggressiveness was full of icy thorns in Courtney¡¯s eyes. One by one, they were stabbing into her heart, rebutting all the stories of the past that she wanted to tell him. The man who had said that he would always trust and understand her still chose to stand on the opposite side when push came to shove. After a long time, she felt disheartened and spit out a sentence with determination. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t.¡± Surprised, Alexander never thought that she would be so decisive. The fire in his eyes faded a little, and he was filled with shock. Looking at her in a daze, he actually felt a little flustered and anxious. Courtney broke free from his hand and said coldly, ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to get married, then don¡¯t. That¡¯s fine. ording to my original idea, we¡¯ll take this to court andpete fairly for Jordan¡¯s custodian rights. No matter what the court decides, after everything ends, I will take my child back to America and nevere back.¡± After saying this, she tried to walk toward the door. ¡°Over my dead body.¡± The moment these words rang out, Courtney was pulled back by a strong force. Alexander sped her two wrists and nailed them to the door with monstrous anger in his eyes. ¡°After you get custody, you will take your two children to America to continue your life with Elijah, right? Courtney Hunter, let me make it clear to you: Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Her back mmed against the door panel, and there was a sharp pain spreading from her back. Seeing him being unreasonable, she also roared in anger, ¡°That¡¯s my business, and it has nothing to do with you!¡± This sentence ignited all the anger in Alexander¡¯s heart. He really thought that Courtney¡¯s ns all these while were all for the children. As soon as she got custody, she would take the children back to America to be with Elijah. Elijah had always been a thorn in his heart, but this thorn had finally pierced hisst line of defense, and his anger flooded out like a broken dam, destroying everything in his path. He looked down at Courtney condescendingly. With a cold tone that she had never heard before, he said, ¡°Are children what you want? I¡¯ll give them to you, and I¡¯ll give you however many you want! But Jordan? Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Before Courtney could react, hisrge hand reached under her skirt, and he violently tore off the stockings and panties inside. In the next second, Courtney felt a cool breeze on her lower body. Courtney¡¯s pupils shrank while her whole body trembled. Her eyes were instantly filled with horror, and she screamed, ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Alexander was already consumed by anger and hadpletely lost his mind. Even in Courtney¡¯s struggle and screaming, his mind was flooded with images of her going away to live happily with her children and Elijah. He pushed Courtney down onto the sink and lifted the hem of her ck dress. The crisp sound of his belt buckle being unfastened rang in Courtney¡¯s ears and left a buzzing sound in her ears. ¡°Alexander, no, don¡¯t! Let me go! Let me go!¡± Courtney screamed. Her voice was hoarse, and there was only a broken cry for mercy. She was afraid of Alexander¡¯s impulse¡ªafraid of what he would do next that would push their rtionship past the point of no return. ¡°I will hate you!¡± Her shrill voice echoed in the bathroom. She was shouting over and over again, ¡°Alexander Duncan! I will hate you!¡± ¡°Then hate me. Hate me fiercely for the rest of your life.¡± Alexander¡¯s red eyes were like stares from the abyss; he lifted her waist with his big hand and prated her fiercely. The screams converged into one syble at this moment, which echoed for a long time. At that point, Courtney had only one thought left in her mind¡ªthat she and Alexander were really over. Chapter 373 One Night Surprise Chapter 373 Chapter 373 What Grounds Do You Have to Negotiate With Me? The stagnant air in the bathroom became extremely humid. The faint musk of sweat apanied with Courtney¡¯s broken and painful moans created a sorrowful ambience in the small space. The sounds of security guards banging on the door, as well as the sound of passersby stopping and whispering from the other side of the thin bathroom door, was frantically stabbing into Courtney¡¯s eardrums. Her consciousness began to fade; with the man¡¯s hoarse grunts, a new, sharper pain¡ªone that exceeded the countless previous ones¡ªstabbed into her already numb lower body. Her pupils contracted, and she raised her neck high up as a scream tried to escape her throat. ¡°I will give you whatever you want, but you will never see Jordan again. As for your daughter, since you¡¯ve signed the contract at the beginning, it doesn¡¯t matter how many children you have¡ªthey won¡¯t have anything to do with you.¡± Alexander fastened his belt and stared at her coldly, letting her slip off the sink like a broken, lifeless toy. ¡°No.¡± Her voice was low, and she gritted her teeth before making the final broken sound. ¡°Don¡¯t you darey a finger on Tina.¡± She used her remaining strength to pull up her clothes as she staggered against the wall and stood up, albeit shakily, while looking at Alexander with an ashen face; it was as pale as dying embers. ¡°Alexander, I¡¯m begging you. I don¡¯t want Jordan anymore. I¡¯ll take Tina with me, and I¡¯ll never appear in front of you again.¡± ¡°What right could you possibly have to even think of negotiating with me?¡± As they spoke, a loud bang bounced off the walls of the bathroom as the door was smashed open by the security guards. Immediately, a group of people rushed in, and when they entered, they were surprised to see Courtney and Alexander standing about and talking civilly. ¡­ ¡°On today¡¯s news, a customer at Pinnacle Shopping Center had called the police, iming that a man had broken into the women¡¯s restroom. The security personnel arrived soon after and realized the restroom was locked¡­¡± Back at the Duncan Residence, Oliver was answering the phone, and the live news broadcast on the TV was ying in the background. As he was facing away from the TV, he did not see the mosaic of the familiar figure on the screen. ¡°She¡¯s not back yet. There could be traffic on the road, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Whoever was on the other end of the line did not buy what Oliver said and continued to express their worries. ¡°I¡¯m going to Grandpa¡¯s ce, so I¡¯ll drive out and have a look while I¡¯m at it. If I manage to contact them, I¡¯ll call you back immediately.¡± After hearing what Oliver said, the person on the other end of line finally seemed to be more at ease. After hanging up the phone, Oliver took the jacket from the servant and identally overheard the two servants cleaning the house talking. ¡°Oh, I heard it was all a misunderstanding¡ªit was a couple quarreling in the washroom of the mall. The security guard thought something was wrong, but when they finally smashed the door down, only then did they realize it was a misunderstanding. When everyone dispersed, the woman came out to run after the man, but after taking just two steps, she fainted¡­¡± Oliver¡¯s expression froze when he heard what they said. For some reason, even though he had already walked to the door, he had a nagging feeling to turn around and look at the TV. Coincidentally, he did it just in time to see the picture of the paramedics wheeling an unconscious person into the ambnce. The moment he saw the familiar beige coat on the stretcher, his eyes immediately narrowed, and his face turned into a scowl. At the Emergency Department. When Cameron and Gale arrived, the doctor had already dealt with Courtney¡¯s injuries and had arranged for her to be hospitalized, while Oliver was guarding the hospital bed. ¡°What happened?¡± Oliver shook his head. His expression froze, but he managed to say with difficulty, ¡°The doctor said it¡¯s nothing major. It was just that¡­¡± ¡°Just what? Where is Alexander?¡± Cameron looked anxious. ¡°Gosh, Oliver. You¡¯re killing me here!¡± When she received Oliver¡¯s call, she was having a reunion dinner with the Langley family. The dishes had just arrived on the table when she heard Oliver say that Courtney had been wheeled into the operating room, but he didn¡¯t exin the reason. ¡°U-Uh¡­ you should ask the doctor. I-I can¡¯t exin it clearly to you.¡± Oliver¡¯s voice was a little dull. When Cameron saw him like this, she knew that he couldn¡¯t tell her anything, so she turned around and tried to go out. Gale originally wanted to chase after her but was stopped by Oliver instead. ¡°Gale, don¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Gale turned around in confusion. Oliver didn¡¯t exin why, but only lowered his head and took a deep breath while running his hands through his hair irritably. ¡°Just listen to me. Don¡¯t go.¡± Gale was floored when he heard the news abroad about Oliver being Alexander¡¯s younger brother. He had met Oliver in Melrose many times before, but this was the first time they met after Gale found out about their rtionship. Oliver, in Gale¡¯s opinion, had always looked like a young adult, but he didn¡¯t have Alexander¡¯s dull personality. Instead, he felt like the sun¡ªwarm, and always ying with the waiters of Sunhill Hotel all day long. While he was there, the hotel would always be filled withughter. His dejected look now waspletely different from his usual appearance. Seeing that, Gale felt a little uneasy in his heart. 10 minutester, Cameron came back and walked in with bloodshot eyes, as if she had cried, which startled Gale. ¡°Cameron, what¡¯s the matter? What did the doctor say?¡± ¡°Where the hell is Alexander Duncan?¡± Cameron asked as soon as she came in¡ªher eyes were blistering from the anger. Oliver frowned and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I came to the hospital immediately after seeing the news. I-I can¡¯t reach Alex¡­¡± ¡°What exactly is the matter here?¡± Gale looked puzzled. ¡°What happened?¡± Cameron pushed him away after shaking his hand off. ¡°You stay away from me. All of you men are pigs.¡± Gale was stunned. ¡°What does this have to do with me?¡± ¡°Get out.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Cameron red at him angrily, then looked at Oliver. ¡°You too. Get out.¡± Gale wanted to say more, but Oliver immediately stood up, pushed Gale out with him together, and closed the door to the ward behind them. There was only Cameron and Courtney left in the room; Cameron walked to the side of the bed and held Courtney¡¯s hand. ¡°I used to think that my life was sh*t. I used to think that I probably chose the wrong life when I was reincarnated in my past life¡ªthe first half of my life was filled with bad memories and traumas, but why you too? You were obviously born a daughter of a rich family, so why did you have to go through all this bad luck?¡± Courtneyy on the pillow pallidly¡ªher delicate face was devoid of color, and even her lips were white as paper. After what seemed like forever, Courtney¡¯s hand that was held in Cameron¡¯s palm moved. Following that, she slowly opened her eyes and stared nkly at the ceiling for a while. What she saw was blinding whiteness. She frowned, and when she moved her body ever so slightly, she felt a sharp pain in her lower body¡ªone so painful that it hadpletely woken her up¡ªand that was when she could hear the faint sounds of her name being called. ¡°Courtney, you¡¯re awake! Are you feeling ufortable anywhere?¡± She turned her head slowly and saw that it was Cameron. ¡°Who brought me to the hospital?¡± Cameron was stunned for a moment as she heard her. She then bit her lip and said hesitantly, ¡°It should be the ambnce called by the manager of the mall. When I arrived, Oliver was already with you in the ward.¡± Whatever little anticipation she had faded away as soon as she heard those words, and her eyes turned a little hollow. How could she forget that it was totally Alexander¡¯s style to just disappear whenever he was enraged? She thought that after going through hell and high water with him, something like this would no longer be an issue. However, Alexander thought of her as a woman who was scheming and deceitful¡ªthat she had only approached him with the ns to gain custody over her children and to get back at him for what he had done to her in the past. The deep affection and trust that she finally mustered up to be with him were all in vain from the very beginning. Chapter 374 One Night Surprise Chapter 374 Chapter 374 Don¡¯t Let Anyone In Cameron learned about Courtney¡¯s injury from the doctor in charge. Her lower body had been torn, and she needed two stitches¡ªshe didn¡¯t even have to think twice to know what had happened. ¡°So what if he found out everything? You¡¯re the victim here.¡± In the ward, Cameron was livid, so much so that she was turning blue from the anger. ¡°Let me find him.¡± ¡°Cameron.¡± Courtney fought through the pain and grabbed Cameron. ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± Seeing Courtney¡¯s sickly face, Cameron¡¯s anger grew even more, and her expression became even more unsightly, but she finally sat down in a snit. ¡°So are you just going to let this go? If he doesn¡¯t apologize to you properly this time, why would you still marry him? No matter how rich and powerful he or his family is, he can¡¯t just trample over people like this. If Aunt Alicia finds out about this, she would feel super bad for you; you know that, right?¡± Courtney was silent for a moment, then she continued to say, ¡°Don¡¯t tell Aunt Alicia about this.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Cameron raised her brows. ¡°What makes you think you can hide this from her? Today is the eve of the mid-winter holiday, and your aunt is going crazy looking for you. I don¡¯t know how many calls she¡¯s made so far.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not getting married,¡± Courtney said all of a sudden. Cameron¡¯s expression was deadpan for a long time, then she sighed deeply. ¡°I don¡¯t think the marriage will work out now, but even if you don¡¯t tell your aunt, I don¡¯t think you should marry Alexander¡ªhe is just too stubborn and extreme. Why couldn¡¯t he put himself in your shoes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± Courtney didn¡¯t seem to want to hear anything about Alexander anymore and rested her head on the pillow with an exhausted look. When Cameron saw her like this, she knew it was her cue to stop talking about him or anything rted to him now. ¡°Then take a rest and don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll find a way to handle the rest. As for your aunt¡­ I¡¯ll figure something out too.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Courtney nodded weakly. She then pulled the quilt up and covered it all the way to her face, only revealing a pair of tired eyes, which she slowly closed. After closing the door behind her, Cameron stood at the door with her brows furrowed. After standing there for a while, she pulled out her phone and made a call. The call was quickly connected, and a man¡¯s low voice came from the other end. Cameron took a deep breath; her tone was upset. ¡°Something happened to Courtney. Come back when you can. I feel like this won¡¯t be the end of it; something else is going to happen.¡± The call continued for a while. After hanging up the phone, Cameron nced at Gale, who had been standing by the door. ¡°Courtney won¡¯t marry Alexander anymore. I¡¯m going to Courtney¡¯s aunt¡¯s house to rify this matter. You don¡¯t need to apany me. Go home first, alright?¡± Gale left with her during the Langley family¡¯s reunion dinner, and she was afraid that everyone in the family was still waiting for them to return. ¡°No. I¡¯lle with you.¡± Gale frowned. Although he wasn¡¯t any clearer on what had happened, from the moment he was abruptly kicked out and ignored by Cameron, he could roughly guess that it was all rted to Alexander. ¡°No.¡± Cameron looked at him with aplicated expression. ¡°If you really want to help, just stay here, and don¡¯t let anyone in until Ie back. Should anything happen to Courtney, let me know as soon as possible. ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone in?¡± Gale hesitated. N?velDrama.Org content. Cameron gave him a deep look. ¡°Including Alexander.¡± ¡­ At the Detention Center of East Side of Melrose City. It was alreadyte at night. The dim light in the interrogation room shone on the woman¡¯s bony face, and her sunken eye looked particrly hollow. The interrogation hadsted for half a month. The people in the detention center did not let her sleep and only gave her small amounts of water and food every day. It was only a matter of time before the constant interrogation reduced her into a husk of her former self. She could barely survive the time she promised Britney, but fortunately, it was all over now. ¡°Poppy Waller, your detention period is up. Someone hase to bail you out; let¡¯s get moving.¡± All of a sudden, the woman¡¯s eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope, and she forced her already weakened body to stand up. After going through all the paperwork, she followed the man dressed in ck and left the detention center until she got into the car. Once the car left the detention center, she asked, ¡°Did my sister tell you to pick me up?¡± The man had his hands nted firmly on the steering wheel¡ªthe ck hoodie over his head hid his sinister expression. Poppy¡¯s heart started racing, and she started feeling agitated as soon as she saw him. ¡°Where is my sister? Where are you taking me?¡± ¡°Shut up if you don¡¯t want to die.¡± The man coldly spoke. His eyes under the cap were particrly gloomy, and he nced at her impatiently. After driving for more than 5 hours, they arrived at the riverside far away from the suburbs of Melrose City. At first nce, it was an undeveloped tidal t area; their feet were covered in mud after walking merely a few steps. Poppy followed behind the man obediently and didn¡¯t dare to say much. From a distance, she saw a covered fishing boat parked on the edge of the river. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Oh, are you afraid?¡± The man turned his head and nced at her. ¡°My boss told me that if you refuse toe with me, then I¡¯ll have to take care of you on the spot, just to make sure we have no loose ends.¡± When Poppy heard what the man had said, she immediately felt nervous, and her expression turned timid. Almost immediately, she climbed onto the fishing boat without any resistance. ¡°Who said that I didn¡¯t want to go?¡± The man snickered and got on the boat as well. The fishing boat stocked, and with the rowing of the oar, the two of them headed toward the middle of the foggy river. On the deserted Riverark Ind surrounded by green trees, there were several wooden houses in a row in the woods, and there were several sentry towers in the nearby areas which provided the best views. There were even a few men standing guard equipped with guns. ¡°The boss must be happy to have brought back such a fine woman. Every night, my heart is itching from her moans, yet he wouldn¡¯t let anyone touch her. Damn it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare. She¡¯s the boss¡¯ woman. Don¡¯t you even think about it.¡± ¡°Hey, where did Buffy go? I haven¡¯t seen him all night.¡± ¡°The boss told him to go out and pick someone up.¡± ¡°Who is it, though? Didn¡¯t they say that we¡¯re all wanted recently, and that no one was allowed to go out before the mid-winter holiday?¡± ¡°I heard that Britney was the one who told him to pick the person up. Don¡¯t you know? The boss listens to everything she says now.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Both men exchanged a wretched look. ¡°Well, they say that even if his body should perish, girls he¡¯ll still cherish. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± The two of them subconsciously nced at the second floor of the cabin below in unison and both had ambiguous expressions on their faces. The second floor of the log cabin was different from the ice and snow outside the house. There was charcoal fire inside, and the bed was covered with fine mink fur. The house was simple, but the furnishings inside were all very valuable. A mighty man leaned over a woman¡¯s body and thrusted with all his might. He kept pushing and wishing he could melt into this person under him. The bed was creaking from their intense session. ¡°Ah, ah! Dragon, please spare me. I-I can¡¯t hold it in anymore. You¡¯re amazing!¡± The louder the woman moaned, the harder the man thrusted. Seeming that he wanted to hold on longer, he panted and shouted, ¡°You little b*tch. I¡¯ll make you scream till you lose your voice today!¡± After a while, the man let out a low growl and finally stopped. He thenid his exhausted body down on his side. The woman was panting from their love-making session as well. Her face was crimson, and she seemed to have lost all her strength. Her snow-white chest was exposed in the air, and they were rising and falling from her heavy breathing. When he saw that, his passion grew once more, but as he was about to crawl atop her, there was a knock on the door. ¡°Boss, Buffy is back with a woman.¡± Chapter 375 One Night Surprise Chapter 375 Chapter 375 I Want to at Least Try Dragon frowned and said with absolute displeasure, ¡°Can¡¯t you tell I¡¯m busy? Why are you telling me every little f*cking thing?¡± Outside the door, his subordinate didn¡¯t dare to speak. The woman on the side carefully studied the man¡¯s expression and said cautiously, ¡°Dragon, did you forget that it was you who asked Buffy to pick this person up? With Buffy¡¯s stubborn temper, if you don¡¯t see him today, he will definitely stand outside all night with that person he brought¡ªthey will freeze to death.¡± The man called Dragon was originally displeased, but his expression softened when he heard what Britney had to say, and he pinched the woman¡¯s cheek. ¡°Why did you ask me to send someone to pick up your sister? Are you not afraid that I will want her when she¡¯s here?¡± The woman¡¯s eyes were calm, and her face was docile. ¡°This is your territory. Since we have decided to take her in, she is all yours. And not to mention, I brought my sister over just to serve you in the first ce.¡± Hearing this, the man was overjoyed. Afterughing twice, he rubbed the woman¡¯s body hard again with his hand. ¡°Well said. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not interested in your sister¡ªI¡¯m just taking her in for your sake. As for how she¡¯ll live here in the future, I¡¯ll leave it to her to decide.¡± The woman lowered her eyebrows and smiled. ¡°Of course.¡± Riverark Ind was deserted, and there was no woman on it except her. Once Dragon left, she would be at an absolute disadvantage facing this group of men alone, so although Poppy was of little use or value, she would be able to help her with this here. The man yelled at the door, ¡°Buffy can deal with it himself. Don¡¯t bother me again.¡± As soon as he said what he said, he pressed his body against the woman¡¯s again. She cried out, and their bodies began to move with the bed frame once again. Within the ecstasy of her screams, the woman¡¯s dark and vicious eyesy hidden. She was patient. She had been forced to the point where she was now, and she was not afraid of anything. Since she was already going to hell, she would bring those two people to be buried along with her when she died. Right now, the two families are probably in a mess! She thought. ¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry about your aunt. I¡¯ve hidden the truth from her. I only told her that you had a quarrel with Alexander and realized that you both are no longer a match, so you canceled the wedding.¡± ¡°Did she ask about anything?¡± Courtney¡¯s face was pale. Although she had rested all night, she still looked weak and fragile, as if the wind could send her tumbling at any moment. ¡°No, she didn¡¯t.¡± Cameron frowned. ¡°But she seemed to have sensed something, so she only kept asking me where you are now. I said you were in a bad mood, so you went to travel. She didn¡¯t ask any more questions after that.¡± Courtney nodded with a light expression. Before setting the wedding date, she had confessed to Alicia about Jordan¡¯s background and said that if she didn¡¯t handle it well in the future, she might have a certain disagreement with Alexander. Perhaps at that time, Alicia had already made such mental preparations for this probability. It was just that Alicia still didn¡¯t know that the situation was this serious. She probably believed what Cameron said, that it was just a quarrel between the two, and that she went abroad for a trip. As for the Duncan family, she thought that Alexander must have said something when he went back. But that was fine by her too¡ªit was likely for the best that the two families didn¡¯t have to meet again, so the wedding would be canceled by default. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Cameron asked. Courtney leaned against the bed and nced out the window. Because of the mid-winter holiday, it was very lively outside. The streets and alleys were full of decorations; there was an ancient church not too far from the hospital, and the sound of its bell ringing could be heard asionally. ¡°After leaving the hospital, I n to take Tina directly back to America with no ns on returning here. Citron Apparel will be handed over to you and Bill in the future.¡± ¡°What about Jordan? You don¡¯t care about him anymore?¡± ¡°He seems to be doing fine with the Duncans. No one would dare toy a finger on him again, and even if I wanted to do something, I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s out of the equation because Alexander won¡¯t let me.¡± ¡°When are you going to leave, then?¡± ¡°Within these two days, I guess.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes were dark; there was no light in them, as if she had beenpletely and utterly disappointed. A man had made her lose all hope in a city. Cameron didn¡¯t know how to persuade her to stay, so she could only sit silently and apany her. She was sighing even more than Courtney, who was the victim. At the door of the ward, a hand with well-defined joints had just withdrawn from the door handle. When he heard what Courtney said, his hands slowly clenched into fists, and the blue veins on the back of his hands throbbed, indicating that he could no longer hide his anger. Just because her ns were exposed now, she nned to leave the mess behind her and walk away? Alexander squeezed his hands together, and his fingers cracked¡ªhis heart was full of anger and could not be quelled. In the end, he didn¡¯t open the door or enter; he simply turned around and left the hospital inpatient department without looking back. Two dayster, Elijah came back and went straight to the hospital after getting off the ne. On the phone, Cameron didn¡¯t tell him about Courtney¡¯s injuries in detail. She only said that Courtney and Alexander had a fight, and they resorted to violence. Courtney was too frightened and was hospitalized. Despite this, Elijah still dropped all of his ns and rushed back as soon as he could. ¡°Courtney told me everything. I¡¯ve already arranged everything for you if you want to go back to America. You can go back whenever you want, okay?¡± Elijah stood beside the hospital bed and spoke with concern hidden in his eyes. ¡°How are you feeling now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Cameron is just making a big fuss out of this.¡± Courtney was already able to get out of bed. Seeing that Elijah came back all of a sudden, she didn¡¯t respond for a while. ¡°I will go back no matter what, but I still have some things to deal with.¡± ¡°Is it about Jordan?¡± Courtney nodded as she looked at Elijah. ¡°Well, I want to end things nicely and peacefully. I want to talk to him. Although I¡¯m sure he will definitely refuse to give me custody of Jordan, I don¡¯t want to make things ugly. I won¡¯t file awsuit, but I do want to ask him if he can let me see Jordan regrly.¡± Elijah frowned. ¡°Do you think he will agree?¡± ¡°I-I just¡­ I want to at least try.¡± Courtney smiled bleakly¡ªher voice did not carry even an ounce of confidence. Alexander¡¯s paranoia far exceeded her expectations. She just wanted to try it onest time. Even if he didn¡¯t care about the rtionship they had built recently, taking into consideration that she was Jordan¡¯s biological mother, letting her meet Jordan regrly wasn¡¯t too much to ask. Elijah sighed deeply, and there was a hint of hostility between his brows, but he still agreed in the end. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll make arrangements.¡± That afternoon, Courtney was discharged from the hospital. Elijah had a manor on the hillside of Purple Peak Mountain to the west of Melrose City; it was far away from the urban area and was suitable for recuperating. It was also to prevent Alicia from running into them identally, so he arranged for Courtney to live there instead. Even well after nightfall, the study in the Duncan family vi was still lit. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Alexander sat in front of the desk and passed the whole afternoon without turning over a single page of the financial magazine in his hand. The phone rang for a while before he nced at the caller ID. It was then that his expression turned stone cold. After tapping on the answer button, a man¡¯s icy voice came from the other end. ¡°Let¡¯s have a conversation at 2.00PM tomorrow, shall we, Mr. Duncan?¡± Alexander clenched the phone tightly and said coldly, ¡°It¡¯s time to talk indeed, but I want to know: What identity are you going to use to talk to me?¡± Chapter 376 One Night Surprise Chapter 376 Chapter 376 How Long Will You See Him Once ¡°Her ex, or her current husband?¡± Alexander asked menacingly. He recognized that his and Courtney¡¯s wedding was a sham from the start. It all started with Elijah and ended with him too. There was no space in her heart for him all along. Speaking with hints of anger, Elijah said, ¡°I don¡¯t care about the status as long as she¡¯s happy. But I¡¯m afraid that this problem has nothing to do with you now. You should know very well what we want to discuss with you.¡± The word ¡®we¡¯ stabbed Alexander¡¯s heart, making his face darken with anger. ¡°Ok, then. I¡¯m curious to see what terms you will offer when discussing my son¡¯s custody.¡± After hanging up, Alexander simply stood at his desk for quite some time. Just then, his servant knocked on his door to tell him his meal was ready. Raising his head, he had a devilish look with extremely bloodshot eyes. With a deep voice, he bellowed, ¡°Get out!¡± Petrified with fear, the servant only closed the door after a while before going away. N?velDrama.Org content. With a swoosh, all the things on the table were pushed onto the ground; along with it were expensive porcin pieces that were smashed into pieces. Just a few minutester, the whole study was left in a state of chaos. Then, the usually calm man sat on the sofa with his long slender arms grabbing his hair in frustration. It wasn¡¯t until a long time had passed that he suddenly remembered something. His seething anger calmed down as a cold sneer began forming at his mouth. Let¡¯s see who will have thestugh for the custody case! The next day, at 2.00PM, Courtney had arrived early for the meeting at a private club with Elijah. Only after waiting for more than one hour did Alexander arrive. After sitting down, he nced at Elijah. ¡°If you want to talk about Jordan¡¯s custody rights with me, then I don¡¯t want any outsiders present.¡± Just as Elijah was about to act up due to his words, Courtney interrupted. ¡°Wait for me outside.¡± Seeing Courtney so determined, Elijah decided to hold his tongue. ¡°Call me if anything happens.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Replying faintly to Elijah, Courtney watched as he stepped outside the private room. Left inside the teahouse¡¯s enormous private room then was only Courtney and Alexander. This was the first time they met after the eve of mid-winter holidays. Regarding the issue of Alexander¡¯s tardiness, Courtney chose to not bring it up. Whether it was intentional, or just that he was upied, she didn¡¯t have a lick of interest in knowing about it. She only wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible and settle the things regarding Jordan. Before going out, she had purposely applied light makeup, which made her look radiant, to cover up her pale visage. But in the eyes of Alexander, Courtney¡¯s look only annoyed him. Observing Courtney loosely, he mocked, ¡°You look very radiant after not meeting for a few days. You¡¯ve been anticipating this day to arrive, haven¡¯t you?¡± Calmly, Courtney set down her teacup and said, ¡°I¡¯m not here to argue with you. Since you seem to think that I approached you with ulterior motives, I won¡¯t bother to exin anything. But know that I always do things with a clear conscience.¡± ¡°A clear conscience?¡± Alexander sneered hearing this. ¡°Women like you really can say anything, huh?¡± Besides foreseeing that the talk this time wouldn¡¯t go smoothly, Courtney also guessed that Alexander would mock her. After staying silent for a short while from his words, she cut straight to the chase. ¡°I know you will not hand over Jordan¡¯s custody to me, so I did not n for that. But if possible, I still wish to see him periodically.¡± ¡°Periodically?¡± With his gaze easing up, he asked, ¡°How often will you see him?¡± Seeing him loosening up, Courtney breathed a sigh of relief; she thought they could still smooth things over, so she said, ¡°Once every three or six months. As long as you agree, I can fly back from America anytime.¡± When Alexander heard this, his face darkened suddenly. ¡°America? You¡¯re going back?¡± She¡¯s just going to drop everything here to go back to America? Is her aim only to visit Jordan even if she doese back? Not knowing what Alexander was thinking, Courtney just simply exined her standpoint. ¡°Since we have fallen out, I¡¯ll still be bringing Tina back to America with me. You don¡¯t have to worry about me affecting your and Jordan¡¯s life; seeing him periodically will be enough for me.¡± After Courtney stated her piece, Alexander fell silent without a reply. Casting her gaze on him, she asked carefully, ¡°What do you think?¡± After a while, a mockingugh came from Alexander in the opposite seat. ¡°You¡¯re going back to America anding back to see Jordan once in a while?¡± Alexanderughed as if he had just heard a joke. With his voice deepening, he uttered, ¡°Who do you think you are? Do you think you are qualified to make such demands?¡± Going pale, Courtney rebuked, ¡°Jordan is my own flesh and blood; I am his biological mother. In the first ce, I wasn¡¯t even the one you chose for surrogacy.¡± ¡°Nevertheless, you signed the contract.¡± Alexander stared icily at her. ¡°Since the contract was signed, whether it¡¯s a son or daughter, they all belong to the Duncans. Also, besides Jordan, you should return my daughter to me too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s out of the question!¡± Suddenly, Courtney stood up, her calmness from just now nowhere to be seen. Instead, she said hurriedly, ¡°Tina is my daughter. She doesn¡¯t have anything to do with you.¡± ¡°Nothing to do with me?¡± Looking upward at Courtney with contempt, Alexander spoke with a deep tone. ¡°Then did you get pregnant all by yourself six years ago? Did you have such a great ability that you could conceive a child alone?¡± ¡°Alexander Duncan!¡± After slightly collecting herself, Courtney was going to grab her bag and leave huffily. ¡°Alright. Since you don¡¯t want to talk it out with me, then nevermind. Jordan was raised by you, so I have no say nor custody over him. But don¡¯t you dare touch Tina. I¡¯ll be bringing her back to America tomorrow, and we can pretend that I never came back.¡± ¡°Toote.¡± Courtney, who already reached the door, heard Alexander¡¯s cold voiceing from behind her. ¡°Do you know why I didn¡¯t show up and was one hourte?¡± As Courtney¡¯s heart skipped a beat, she also stopped in her stride. ¡°I was out looking for you and Elijah¡¯s nest. You left your daughter all alone in the apartment for your crazy best friend to watch over her. If the court really did give a judgment, I don¡¯t think they would even consider giving you custody.¡± With her face bing pasty white, Courtney asked, ¡°What have you done to Tina?¡± ¡°She is, after all, my daughter and the esteemed princess of the Duncan Family. What do you think I would do to her?¡± Alexander then stood up slowly. ¡°Of course I brought her back to the Duncans¡¯ to let her regain her rightful status.¡± ¡°No, this can¡¯t be. I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Courtney felt her world turning upside down. She even called Cameron before going out. Through the phone, she said that everything was fine and that Tina was napping at her ce. ¡°Then, by all means, feel free to find out.¡± With eyes full of hostility, Alexander walked to her side and slightly lowered his head. ¡°You are free toe find me anytime after you¡¯re done investigating. Since you wanted to discuss with me about our son¡¯s custody issues, it¡¯s only polite of me to return the favor to you. Now, it¡¯s time for me to discuss with you the issue of our daughter¡¯s custody.¡± Chapter 377 One Night Surprise Chapter 377 Chapter 377 I Beg of You Please Return Tina Once Alexander left the club, Courtney called Cameron, but nobody picked up. While ordering the driver to drive faster, Elijahforted her by saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Courtney. We are going to Cameron¡¯s house right now to take a look. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s that unreliable¡­¡± ¡°Alexander never says things that he isn¡¯t sure of.¡± Courtney was really in a state of panic now. Half an hourter, the taxi arrived at Cameron¡¯s apartment. Then, after knocking on the door for half a day, Cameron finally opened it, with her face still looking sleepy. ¡°What are you guys doing here?¡± Seeing Courtney surprised Cameron. ¡°Why are you here, Courtney? Are you not afraid of bumping into your aunt?¡± Not wanting to waste words answering her, Courtney asked in a rush, ¡°Where¡¯s Tina?¡± Yawning, Cameron replied, ¡°In her own bedroom, napping. Didn¡¯t I tell you that just this afternoon?¡± After hearing her words, Courtney rushed inside. Opening the door, she saw that the nket had a little hump, which made her breath a sigh of relief. ¡°What is up with you?¡± Not making sense of anything, Cameron slowly walked over and looked at Elijah and Courtney. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to meet Alexander for the negotiation this afternoon? How did it go?¡± The mention of the negotiation made Courtney frown. Then, she proceeded to recount what happened that afternoon. Right then, Cameron¡¯s facial expression changed before she mmed the table and said, ¡°Is he insane? He even wants Tina¡¯s custody? On what grounds? You should have sued him for the the sexual assault plus ckmail he did back then. What a shameless man.¡± ¡°I will not hand over Tina¡¯s custody to him. I will be bringing Tina back to America tomorrow.¡± Since Melrose City was the territory of the Duncan Family, Courtney was afraid of staying in it for even one more day. After all, it had always been difficult for even outside powerful organizations to deal with local strongholds, not to mention them, who were practically nobodies. ¡°The girl is very obedient. After lunch, she went to sleep on her own, and she didn¡¯t even make a scene about wanting to see you like thest two days. It feels like she¡¯s all grown up now.¡± Cameron said thisfortingly while patting Courtney¡¯s shoulder. Hearing this, Courtney nodded. But suddenly, she thought of something, and the look in her eyes changed. ¡°You said that Tina went to sleep after lunch?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Startled by the look of panic in Courtney¡¯s eyes, Cameron asked, ¡°What is it??¡± Not replying, Courtney instead rushed to Tina¡¯s bedroom and directly lifted the nket from the bed. Following her, Cameron and Elijah only saw that beneath the nket was a small pillow. Nobody was sure when this happened, but Tina was already long gone. Going pale, Cameron said shockingly, ¡°Where is she? I saw her go to sleep with my own eyes!¡± Feeling her chest suddenly undte rapidly, Courtney stumbled after clutching her heart. Fortunately, Elijah and Cameron¡¯s quick reactions saved her from falling. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Courtney?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Courtney squeezed out a sentence from her clenched teeth. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she ran out all on her own.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Ever since she was young, Tina always had a lot of tricks up her sleeve. As this incident was kept secret from her, she must have devised her own n. If she couldn¡¯t see Courtney, she would simply go out and find her. The only destination she could go then would be obvious. As the sun slowly set, the glow of the sunset made Melrose City look like it was covered in gold. Standing outside the Duncan Residence¡¯s door like a statue was Courtney. Both Elijah and Cameron had been dismissed by her. One went to Gale for help while the other went to awyer for a solution. Now that the child was in the Duncan Family¡¯s hands, everything just got more complicated. ¡°Master, Miss Hunter has been standing outside for an hour.¡± The servant told Alexander this as she served him a cup of tea. Since Courtney came, he had been sitting in his study, reading. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see her.¡± The indifferent tone came from behind the book. Because Alexander treated her well, the servant hesitated for a bit, then picked up her courage and reminded him, ¡°The weather forecast said it would rain tonight. Are you going to let Miss Hunter just stand outside like this? What if she gets drenched?¡± As Alexander raised his head from behind the book, his cold icy stare sent chills down the servant¡¯s spine. ¡°That is of her own doing. Everyone is to ignore her.¡± Since she can easily leave the city for the kids, then I could just as easily make her beg me for their sake. Did she really think I would make it easy for her to simply leave as she pleased? As night slowly fell, the cold winter rain started to hit the window. The sound was more akin to hail hitting ss, as it sounded extra heavy. Illuminated by the yellowish light inside the study, Alexander was still reading an old book with a steaming cup of tea in front of him. Whatever happened outside the window did not interest him at all. The servant, who couldn¡¯t bear to see this anymore, ran outside with an umbre. ¡°Miss Hunter, please go back. The Young Master isn¡¯t in a good mood right now and doesn¡¯t want to see you. You shouldn¡¯t torture your own body like this.¡± Almost freezing, Courtney turned her head like a robot to look at the servant. Recognizing that she was May, one of the servants within the Duncan Family¡¯s vi, she squeezed her fingers hard to let the pain ovee the freezing sensation. Then, she uttered chatteringly, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Go inside and tell Alexander that he can demand whatever he wants¡ªI just want Tina back. So long as h-he returns her to me, I will leave Melrose City with Tina. I won¡¯t wish to see Jordan anymore¡ªeven till my death, I will not appear in front of him.¡± Clueless about what happened between them, the servant was struck dazed by her words. After regaining herposure, she said, ¡°I-I¡¯ll convey your words. Just hold onto this umbre for now.¡± As Courtney¡¯s hands were frozen stiff, she couldn¡¯t no longer hold anything. As the umbre was pushed into her hands, it slipped right off. May, who was using her hands to cover her head, ran out of ideas upon seeing this. Picking up the umbre, she ran back inside. Ignoring her drenched body, she climbed upstairs in a hurry in the midst of other servants¡¯ints. ¡°Young Master.¡± May¡¯s pressing voice rang inside the study. ¡°Miss Hunter still hasn¡¯t left yet. It¡¯s raining cats and dogs outside¡ªshe can¡¯t even stand properly in that weather.¡± As if he had foreseen everything, Alexander still sat there motionlessly. Calmly, he only asked, ¡°What did she say?¡± Slightly stunned, May nced at Alexander dumbfoundedly. ¡°S-She wanted me to convey a message to you.¡± Alexander remained silent. ¡°Miss Hunter said, as long as you return Tina to her, she would agree to any of your demands. She is willing to leave Melrose City for good and never appear in front of you again. Also, she is willing to give up on seeing Little Master Jordan.¡± Although May felt that this didn¡¯t sound pleasant, she wasn¡¯t aware of the happenings, so she could only pass it on like how Courtney said it. As expected, Alexander¡¯s gaze suddenly turned icy, with him slowly enunciating, ¡°She really said that?¡± Feeling a bit intimidated, May replied carefully, ¡°Yes.¡± The book was mmed shut by Alexander. Standing up quickly, he turned his body around and pulled open the curtain that was behind the desk. One could easily see outside the courtyard that there was still a woman being pelted by the rain, looking like a mess. ¡°Just leave her be. Nobody is to care for her.¡± Turning around, Alexander angrily left that order before closing the curtains with a forceful tug. Frightened, May responded with a squeak while her body trembled. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Chapter 378 One Night Surprise Chapter 378 Chapter 378 She Cannot Leave Me After spending a whole night under the cold rain, thest of Courtney¡¯s strength left her body. She was struggling to see even the first floor¡¯s window, and everything suddenly turned into a blur. Before Courtney fainted, she thought she saw the Duncan Family¡¯s servant, May, running toward her with an umbre in her hand. She didn¡¯t know what the future held as she fell unconscious. It was as if she was trapped in an eternal dream. Inside her dream, there was a huge ze that made her feel hot all over. She struggled in earnest to escape, but the fiery tongue kept chasing her and scalded her all over¡­ When she opened her eyes, she saw the big red paper decoration on the window that was extremely dazzling. The sunlight shone through the window, shing the word ¡®Newly Married¡¯ that was on the paper decor onto the bed sheets, like a shadow that floated erratically. After she stared at the paper decor for a long time, her eyes began to redden. ¡°Miss Hunter, you¡¯re awake.¡± From the door came May¡¯s voice, then she proceeded to quickly walk inside the room. ¡°Are you still feeling unwell anywhere? The doctor said you had a fever and should rest more.¡± As Courtney sat up, she hugged the nket close to her and looked around nkly. ¡°Why am I here?¡± ¡°Do you not remember, Miss Hunter?¡± May looked at her. ¡°Yesterday, you stood outside the door throughout the night, but you couldn¡¯t withstand the pouring rain and fainted. It was Young Master Alexander who carried you inside.¡± ¡°He did?¡± Struck with surprise, Courtney asked, ¡°He carried me inside?¡± Didn¡¯t Alexander hate me so much he¡¯d rather not see me? Didn¡¯t he leave me there to die? Why did he do that, then? Nodding, May continued, ¡°Young Master Alexander still has you in his heart, you know. Although I¡¯m not sure what happened, Miss Hunter, please don¡¯t go against him. Even though he has a bad temper, he¡¯s still a kind man nevertheless.¡± Just as they were talking, a shrill woman¡¯s voice came from the door. ¡°Enough with your nonsense. He has her in his heart? I think you forgot all about what Young Master Alexander saidst night. Stop trying to y the good samaritan. Wait until hees back, and I¡¯ll tell him what you said. Then, we¡¯ll see what punishment awaits you.¡± Going pale, May said timidly, ¡°Miss Rouge.¡± Raising her head slightly, Courtney saw a maid she had never seen before bring in a tray. The maid set the bowl of ginger soup on the bedside table carelessly, spilling some soup. ¡°What Young Master Alexander said was, it would bring misfortune to let someone die at his doorstep. So, he asked us to kick her out after she feels better. You hear that, Miss Hunter?¡± Facing the maid¡¯s gaze of contempt, Courtney turned from pale to ghostly white. After all, she knew that Alexander hated her guts, so much so that he would never believe a word she said, nor would he believe that she genuinely did love him. As such, why would he care if she died right there and then? ¡°Miss Rouge, you can¡¯t say that. After all, Young Master Alexander¡­¡± ¡°If you know him so well, why don¡¯t you go sleep with him tonight?¡± Lana Rouge spoke harshly. Since May was still young, her face flushed with embarrassment as she heard this. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. I¡ª¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± Just then, Courtney interrupted their argument. Part of the reason was because she felt a headache coming on after listening to them, and the other part was because her original aim all along was to find Alexander to get back her daughter. Crossing her arms, Lana looked at her condescendingly and said rudely, ¡°Young Master Alexander is out. I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll be back. Just go away now if you¡¯re already fine. We¡¯ll all be dragged into the mud if hees back and gets upset by the sight of you.¡± May, who couldn¡¯t stand this anymore, rebuked, ¡°Miss Rouge, Miss Hunter still has a fever. Young Master Alexander said that Miss Hunter could only leave if she had fully recovered.¡± ¡°Who told you to butt in? There¡¯s loads of hospitals out there that can treat her.¡± Being used to seeing people being bullied by others when they fell from grace, Courtney often saw bootlickers but not many who would help others in their hour of need. ¡°I¡¯ll wait right here until Alexanderes back. I need to talk to him.¡± Hearing this, Lana frowned at her. ¡°Miss Hunter, I don¡¯t suppose you think you¡¯re the madam of the house, right? Humility is a cherished trait.¡± ¡°I could say the same to you.¡± Staring back icily, Courtney spat, ¡°I don¡¯t know how the Duncan Family trains their servants, but I do know that all servants are not to interfere lightly with the owner¡¯s decisions. Even if I¡¯m not one of the Duncan Family¡¯s people, I¡¯m also a guest of Alexander¡¯s. Who are you to lecture me?¡± Courtney¡¯s words made Lana flush slightly. ¡°What does this have to do with you? You¡¯re not even a guest!¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? How about I call Old Master Duncan and ask him whether I¡¯m considered a guest or not?¡± Hearing this made Lana panic slightly. As she was just transferred from the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home, she of course knew that Scott viewed Courtney highly. If this incident was known by him, she would most likely lose her job. ¡°I-I-I didn¡¯t mean anything like that.¡± She tried to exin, but Courtney wasn¡¯t in the mood to listen. Waving her hand, she chased the servant out. ¡°Just get out.¡± The room quietened down upon her absence. As May was thinking offorting her, she saw Courtney¡¯s unhappy face and simply said, ¡°Rest well.¡± Then, she left. Getting down from her bed, Courtney moved her still unwell body to the window, her fingers slowly touching the paper decor¡¯s edges. This paper decor was pasted on the window personally by Fiona, who wished them a happy marriage. As the afternoon sunlight shone on Courtney¡¯s face through the holes of the paper decor, the red shadow swayed as her tears fell. She knew that there was now an uncrossable line between herself and Alexander. Not only couldn¡¯t Alexander understand the hardship she had suffered all those years, she also couldn¡¯t forgive him for pushing all the mistakes on her indiscriminately. Although it was said that ¡®all good things muste to an end¡¯, how could they end when there was never anything good that happened in the first ce? Later, as night fell, the sound of a car engine could be heard from the courtyard. Shortly after, the servants downstairs could be heard saying, ¡°Wee back, Young Master.¡± Opening the door, Courtney walked out briskly and looked downstairs from the staircase. Taking off his coat, Alexander subconsciously raised his head as he heard the noise from above, and he happened to meet Courtney¡¯s gaze. As the two pairs of eyes met, the surrounding air slowly became heavier. Content ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± With a darkened face, Alexander asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you leave as soon as you woke up?¡± Seeing that he humiliated her in front of the servants, Courtney held on to the staircase railing apanied by a pale face, then she squeezed out a sentence after some time. ¡°I have something to talk to you about.¡± With a face full of ridicule, Alexander mockingly said, ¡°If it¡¯s about Tina, then I suggest you save your breath. Since she is my daughter, that means that she is the darling child of the Duncan Family and has no business running out and about with others.¡± ¡°She cannot leave me,¡± Courtney said with unbearable grief. ¡°She grew up by my side. She cannot leave me.¡± Chapter 379 One Night Surprise Chapter 379 Chapter 379 ying the Victim Card Alexander looked at her closely. ¡°In this world, there¡¯s none who one cannot leave.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. This sentence carried slight resolution, as if it was meant for himself. Full of anger, Courtney ran downstairs. ¡°Is it not enough that I don¡¯t want custody of your son anymore? I won¡¯t wish to see Jordan anymore; he will belong to you and the Duncan Family. I just want my daughter back.¡± The words stabbed Alexander as his face darkened even further. ¡°Don¡¯t you think your words are laughable? Who are you to say that Jordan is yours when he¡¯s been my son all along? Since you¡¯ve signed the contract, forget the two kids¡ªeven any child you give birth to in the future would belong to the Duncan Family. Now that you¡¯ve received the money, you want to call off the deal? What farce is this?¡± Under extreme anger, Courtney raised her voice. ¡°That was because I was forced! Now that Tina¡¯s custody is with me, you can¡¯t just take her as you please.¡± ¡°But you can take Jordan away as you please?¡± Looking at her without any pity in his eyes, Alexander continued, ¡°From the moment that you went to Sunhill for a job, to the time you fed Jordan at the hotel, then toing to my house to cook for Jordan ¡ªevery step was just so you could get closer to me and Jordan, to make up evidence of me supposedly abusing my child. Do you think this makes you qualified to take Jordan away using these dirty methods? ¡± Dirty? Courtney couldn¡¯t believe that she was such a person in Alexander¡¯s eyes. ¡°It was thewyer¡¯s advice. I never went through with it.¡± She vehemently defended herself. Doubting her, Alexander sneered. ¡°Is it?¡± If she hadn¡¯t gotten exposed, she might¡¯ve gone through with it. Then I would¡¯ve yed the fool who was caught off guard and sued for child abuse unknowingly. ¡°It¡¯ste, so leave. I won¡¯t be seeing you off.¡± Passing by her, Alexander walked upstairs, as he didn¡¯t want to deal with her anymore. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± Turning her body around, Courtney faced his back and said, ¡°Unless you tell me where you sent Tina to, I will stay here and I will not budge at all.¡± Hearing this, Alexander stopped his advance, leaving a simple sentence. ¡°Do as you please.¡± With a bang, the whole house shook as the study¡¯s door was mmed shut. Courtney clenched her teeth, followed him upstairs, and stood right outside the study. Originally wanting to persuade her, May was instead dismissed to handle the trash by Lana. After a short while, Lana climbed the stairs while holding a cup of tea. While passing by Courtney, she looked at her with disdain and scoffed loudly. ¡°Miss Hunter, please get out of the way. I¡¯m here to serve tea to the young master.¡± Frowning, Courtney moved to the side, but Lana still bumped into her on purpose, which made her stumble. Fortunately, she was able to hold on to the wall, saving herself from falling. ¡°Oh, my. You should be more careful, Miss Hunter. Don¡¯t me it on us if something were to happen when you¡¯re standing here with your weak body.¡± The cynicism by Lana was ignored by Courtney as she clenched her teeth. After all, her goal wasn¡¯t to create more trouble, but to let Alexander know that if he did not return Tina, she would not leave. Thinking she felt guilty, Lana sneered and entered the study. ¡°Young Master, your tea.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Humming a faint reply, Alexander didn¡¯t bother looking up and continued to look through the project¡¯s details. Hisplexion looked somewhat pallid under the yellowish lighting. However, Lana thought that he was feeling troubled due to Courtney not leaving. So, she said, ¡°Miss Hunter is still standing outside the door.¡± When Alexander heard this, hisplexion got worse. ¡°Then let her continue standing there. Just treat her as if she¡¯s invisible.¡± Nodding, Lana replied, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I told the others too. Young Master, you were already being too kind with how you treated her so well back then. Now that the wedding is off, she is still sticking to you like a leech. How shameless of her.¡± Tilting his head, Alexander scrutinized the middle-aged maid in front of him. ¡°You really think so?¡± ¡°Yes. In fact, when she woke up earlier this afternoon, I had already urged her to leave. Yet, she kept insisting on staying here and would not leave at all.¡± Expecting praise from this, Lana looked extremely full of herself. ¡°When did youe to work here?¡± ¡°During the eve of mid-winter holidays. The butler at the ancestral home was afraid that your residence might be short-staffed, so he sent some of us over.¡± Nodding thoughtfully, Alexander said, ¡°Looks like the standards for hiring servants are slipping back at the ancestral home.¡± Lana¡¯s face paled when she heard this, her smile stiffening up. Standing up calmly, Alexander looked at the cup of tea by his side. Suddenly, with a straight face, he flung the teacup toward Lana¡¯s face. With a ng, the porcin shattered when it made contact with the floor beside Lana. As the boiling tea sshed her, her knees gave out due to her fear, making her fall to the ground. ¡°Young Master¡­¡± ¡°Who are you to interfere in my own personal issues? Get out, and never appear in front of me again.¡± Scared out of her wits, Lana shut her mouth and stumbled out running. Courtney, who stood outside, couldn¡¯t hear a peep of what went on as the study was soundproofed. Just as she was curious as to why Lana was inside for so long, the door opened. The person who came out was Lana, who had a pale face with teary eyes. When she saw Courtney, she looked horrified and left without a word. Peeping through the door that was left ajar, Courtney saw the spilled tea that was on the floor, alongside the shattered cup. Just then, Alexander, who stood at the center of the study, cast his gaze outside the door, whereupon he coincidentally met with her gaze. At the sight of Courtney, the man got angry once again. ¡°Come in.¡± Slightly stunned, Courtney walked inside hesitatingly. Just as she stepped through the door, Alexander asked her coldly, ¡°Why are you doing this? Are you trying to gain pity from me by ying the victim card?¡± Failing to understand his words, Courtney asked, ¡°What do you mean by this?¡± ¡°The servants treated you badly, and you chose not to retort? No matter what, you¡¯re the Hunter Family¡¯s youngdy. Would you also not speak a word if you were treated like this by your servants? Is that how you were taught by the Hunter Family?¡± Blinded by anger, Alexander had already forgotten that Courtney was the most neglected girl within the Hunter Family. Besides Mrs. Bell, who cared for her, the remaining servants all served her stepmother. As such, how would anyone be nice to her? But Courtney thought that he said that to make her feel bad, so she got angry too. ¡°I¡¯ve never been some pampered princess all along. I also don¡¯t have such a temper like you, the spoiled young master. If I had such a great background, I wouldn¡¯t have been tricked to perform surrogacy forcefully, would I?¡± ¡°Are you ming me for this?¡± ¡°Oh, how would I dare do so!¡± Her face was full of animosity while her anger hadn¡¯t subsided yet. ¡°I should me myself. I shouldn¡¯t have gotten drunk during my 18th birthday, and I shouldn¡¯t have been tricked. Also, I shouldn¡¯t have given birth or returned from America after that.¡± Her barrage of ¡®shouldn¡¯t haves¡¯ rang loudly as it reached Alexander¡¯s eardrums. Chapter 380 One Night Surprise Chapter 380 Chapter 380 Does He Still Have a Heart As a raging fire was lit in Alexander¡¯s eyes, he clenched his fist so hard it cracked. ¡°You don¡¯t need to trick me now. After all, what happened six years ago has happened, so don¡¯t y the victim here and try to crucify me. All I want to know is, have you been deceiving me all along ever since you came back?¡± While saying this, he was trying hard to suppress his anger. From the start, he was only furious because of one thing: If it weren¡¯t for the kids, how genuine would she still be to him? Not wanting to give the other an inch in this argument, the two stared at each other. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. As her clear eyes slowly reddened, she found Alexander¡¯s words utterly ridiculous. After arguing for so long, their rtionship was in tatters. If he really believed her words, he would have asked her this as soon as he found out the truth. Instead, he med everything on her unreasonably. What is there left to be asked when things have already progressed to this point? ¡°Even if I said that¡¯s not true, it would be a waste of words since you wouldn¡¯t believe me.¡± Calming down, Courtney looked defeated and tired. ¡°We are all adults, Alexander. We¡¯ve already argued so much. Please, for the sake of the kids, calm down and talk with me. What do you really want?¡± The words made the burning gaze in Alexander¡¯s eyes slowly cool down. After a while, heughed with a hint of self deprecation in his words. ¡°Really? You¡¯d give me whatever I demand as long as I don¡¯t fight for our daughter¡¯s custody?¡± Frowning, Courtney said, ¡°State your terms.¡± Then, Alexander stepped on the broken porcin, making a piercing sound that rang across the quiet study. ¡°I¡¯m a man who wants to be treated fairly. After I¡¯ve been deceived for so long, I should be compensated in kind. After that, you can have your daughter back.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Do you really not understand?¡± With eyes full of belittlement, Alexander observed her from head to toe. ¡°What else is there to be demanded between a man and a woman? Except for our body¡¯s compatibility¡ªwhich makes me quite satisfied, by the way¡ªdo you think you have anything else of value that I want?¡± When she heard this, Courtney could only feel her body going cold. She only thought that his anger was temporary. Anyone would know that she had her reason for lying to him for so long if they had just thought rationally. But time and time again, he humiliated her, and he even said such words now. ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck, Alexander.¡± In a state of shame and anger, she stepped back. Stopping in his steps, Alexander had a face full of disgust. ¡°When you were deceiving me, you also went to bed with me a number of times. Why didn¡¯t you say that I was pushing my luck then?¡± His words made Courtney¡¯s heart bleed as she stared at the man in front of her with hopeless eyes. If it weren¡¯t for the kids, she would have already left this ce a long time ago, for she did not want to see this person ever again. But thinking of Tina and her illness, she could only steel herself, saying, ¡°Ok, you can do whatever you want to me. Just return my daughter to me.¡± Caught off guard by her straightforward answer, Alexander grew even angrier in a state of astonishment. This woman really could do just about anything for her children. After that, the night sky dyed the silent Melrose City ck. Stepping out of the bathroom, the freshly showered Alexander nced at his bed while drying his hair. At the end of his gaze was Courtney, who was lying on the bed motionlessly in her pajamas. After he threw the wet towel to the side, Alexander loosened his bathrobe and climbed onto the bed. When Alexander climbed on top of her, Courtney quickly shut her eyes. The scene made her look like a pig that was about to be butchered, with her face devoid of emotion. Pressing down on her shoulders, he said coldly, ¡°You don¡¯t need to direct such hatred toward me. After all, it was you who deceived me first. Remember that it¡¯s you who owe me.¡± Slowly opening her eyes, she had a cold, distant look in her gaze. ¡°You¡¯re right. So am I not doing what you demanded? Or do you want me to act like I¡¯m happy to do this with you? Well, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m no actress, nor do I have such great acting skills.¡± Her words made Alexander livid. ¡°Just do whatever you want to me.¡± After saying this emotionlessly, Courtney shut her eyes once again. At that time, Alexander wanted to choke her out of sheer anger. It was not until a long time had passed that the weight on Courtney was removed. By the time she opened her eyes, Alexander was already sitting at the bedside, wearing his clothes. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood now. We¡¯ll do it when I want to.¡± After saying his piece, Alexander left the bedroom without even looking back. In the end, Courtney sat alone on the bed under the dim lights. After holding it in for so long, she finally let her tears fall and cried a river. Following this incident, Alexander would return homete every night. Even if he did return, he was always holed up in his study. Failing to catch even his shadow, Courtney could not hold it in anymore, as this was repeated for a few days. She needed to know where Tina was, and whether she was safe. One afternoon, Courtney was preparing to leave the Duncan Family¡¯s vi when she was blocked by two servants. ¡°Miss Hunter, the young master had stated that you are not to leave the ce.¡± ¡°What?¡± Feeling surprised, Courtney said, ¡°He¡¯s not letting me leave? That¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t believe our words, you can ask the young master yourself.¡± The sure look on the servants¡¯ faces made them seem like they were really telling the truth. Just to confirm, Courtney called Alexander while standing in the living room. After a long time, the call finally went through. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Your servants won¡¯t let me go; they¡¯re saying it was your orders.¡± ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡± ¡°Alexander, I have my own personal freedom. Since you won¡¯t let me see my daughter, I¡¯m going to employ my own methods outside. I¡¯m done begging you.¡± Just as she finished saying that, Alexander sneered on the other end. ¡°What kind of ce do you think the Duncan Residence is? You think you can juste and go as you please? I¡¯m telling you now that the rules have changed. Just keep staying there and don¡¯t try to leave. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee that I won¡¯t send your daughter somewhere further.¡± ¡°You are insane!¡± Courtney shouted with an almost cracking voice. ¡°Alexander, what you¡¯re doing is kidnapping! You¡¯re¡ª¡± Before Courtney could even finish her sentence, the call was disconnected, and the line went dead. Hanging up, Courtney looked at the two maids blocking her with a very sour look. ¡°See, Miss Hunter, we weren¡¯t lying to you. This really was the young master¡¯s orders. If you forcefully try to go out, we would be the ones taking the me. As you¡¯re the young master¡¯s sweetheart, I believe he won¡¯t ce you in too much trouble. Please don¡¯t make things difficult for us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m his sweetheart?¡± When Courtney heard this, she almostughed. ¡°Does a person like him still have a heart?¡± Not daring to simplyment on this, the servants looked at each other instead. The previous incident with Lana made them understand that, no matter how Alexander treated Courtney, she was still not a person that they could offend. Feeling a sudden shortness of breath, Courtney then mumbled to herself and proceeded to spew blood. As her vision went dark, her body flopped onto the floor. ¡°Miss Hunter!¡± Her condition immediately made the situation in the living room descend into chaos. Chapter 381 One Night Surprise Chapter 381 Chapter 381 I Will, if You Want Me To When Alexander rushed back from thepany, Courtney had already been treated by a doctor. ¡°How is she? Why wasn¡¯t she admitted into a hospital?¡± As soon as he entered the house, he scolded all the servants at once. Frightened by his demeanor, the servants said stutteringly, ¡°You ordered us to not let her out, so we didn¡¯t dare to send her to a hospital. Instead, the doctor came for a house visit. He diagnosed that it was a blood clot, and that she would be fine after puking it out.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s already fine, then why is she still unconscious?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ because of fatigue.¡± Under extreme frustration, Alexander smashed all the bowls and tes into pieces. These two days had been a wreckfest, as all the things in the vi were either smashed or destroyed by Alexander. The servants had grown used to this, but seeing him being this furious was a first. All of them kept their mouths shut, and they didn¡¯t dare to utter a single word. After scolding everybody, Alexander turned around and entered his bedroom, barring anyone from entering. In the living room, May slowly sighed. ¡°See? I told you all to prioritize Miss Hunter¡¯s health. If anything happened, we couldn¡¯t bear the responsibility, yet you all chose to ignore my warning.¡± ¡°It was the young master who forbade her from going out.¡± ¡°Do you guys not see why the young master gave that order?¡± May spoke angrily. ¡°It¡¯s all because he was afraid Miss Hunter wouldn¡¯t return anymore after leaving. Thank God she¡¯s fine even after not being admitted to a hospital. If her condition was any worse, we would all be on the chopping block.¡± Hearing this, the servants all looked at each other with lingering fear in their hearts. At first, the servants transferred over from the ancestral house because of the wedding, paired with the rumor that the young mistress had a kind temperament. Who knew that they would face this kind of situation when they had just arrived. They truly were stuck between a rock and a hard ce. Inside the master bedroom, the curtains were shut tightly, with the sole light source being an incense burner. Sitting by the bedside, Alexander tugged the nket all the way up to Courtney¡¯s chin. Earlier, the instant Alexander heard what happened, an unknown fear overwhelmed him. Immediately, he dropped whatever he was doing and rushed back home. These few days had been a rollercoaster of emotions for him. Except for work, he did not dare to stop and think about other things because once he did, he would remember how Courtney deceived him for half a year, and that would make his heart ache greatly. Looking at Courtney¡¯s face, one could barely see a hint of color. Together with her scrunched up eyebrows, it was as if she was being enveloped in a nightmare. Seeing this made Alexander feel a bit guilty. ¡°Don¡¯t leave¡­¡± Suddenly, Courtney reached out and yanked on his cor. Although she said this softly in her sleep, the voice still echoed gently in the gigantic room. Slightly stunned by her actions, Alexander then grabbed her hands. It was then when he felt that her hands were ice cold. ¡°It was you who wanted to leave from the start, not me.¡± His voice was soft, as if he was afraid of waking her, and his sincere gaze held inexplicable emotions within it. As Courtney¡¯s palms were slowly warmed up, she started to sweat a little. Yet, it was as if she had been muddled by the heat, and she started to speak deliriously. N?velDrama.Org content. Closing in, Alexander could vaguely hear some words out of her mouth. ¡°Elijah¡­¡± ¡°Take Tina away, Elijah¡­¡± Just like being doused with cold water, Alexander felt a chill run through his body in a sh. As his face turned pale, even his tired, fatigue-looking eyes became bloodshot. Staring at Courtney, he possessed a frightening visage at that moment. Even in her sleep, she wants Elijah to take her and her daughter away? Just then, the noise from multiple revving engines outside the courtyard broke the silence inside the house. Frowning, Alexander was going to see what themotion was about. However, a series of knocks on his door interrupted him, followed by a pressing voice from a servant. ¡°Young Master, bad news! A lot of people have surrounded our courtyard and are saying that they are here to pick Miss Hunter up.¡± Then, a dark-expressioned Alexander looked at Courtney with squinted eyes. She really did have her wishe true! Just uttering a word made him rush over this instant! At the Duncan Residences front gate were six ck cars lined up facing the vi, blocking the entryway to it. Standing outside the gate, Elijah, in his ck coat, was apanied by twenty strong men, all of whom wore fierce expressions. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Standing behind the gate with a face full of panic was May. ¡°Miss Hunter is the young master¡¯s fianc¨¦e; how dare you show up here and try to take her away!¡± With a stoic face, Eljiah said, ¡°The wedding has been canceled, so it¡¯s clear that she¡¯s no longer engaged to him. Also, she has been here for almost a week. That¡¯s long enough, and I¡¯m here to bring her back home.¡± ¡°Back to whose home?¡± A chilling voice came from inside the vi. Turning around, May saw Alexander walk out of the vi, his face extremely dark. ¡°And what is your rtionship with her, Mr. Grant? Even her family didn¡¯t say a word about her being here, so what makes you have the right to take her away?¡± Separated by a fence, Elijah replied leisurely, ¡°But we are still husband and wife byw.¡± This sentence pissed Alexander off, to the point where his eyebrows started twitching. Staring fiercely at Elijah, he retorted, ¡°So what? Your divorce is still ongoing. Don¡¯t tell me you two aren¡¯t going through with it anymore. I¡¯m afraid in Melrose City, nobody can trick the Duncan Family and get away with it.¡± ¡°Mr. Duncan, I advise you to cool down and think things through.¡± While maintaining his manners, Elijah, too, spoke with a threatening tone. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you keeping Courtney captive in the Duncan Family¡¯s vi, I wouldn¡¯t have had to bring reinforcements. This is already your second kidnapping, including Tina¡¯s incident. I can sue you, but I didn¡¯t. It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t want the Duncan Family to be humiliated.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to make yourself sound so high and mighty,¡± said Alexander with a deep tone. ¡°This isn¡¯t Wall Street. This is Melrose City. Feel free to sue me if you want; you can also try to break into the Duncan Residence if you dare.¡± ¡°Since you want me to try so badly, I shallply.¡± Remaining at his spot, Elijah stood motionlessly. Meanwhile, eight strong men with tools in their hands started to take the gate apart. Without much effort, the metal gate¡¯s screws were all removed. What ensued after a loud bang was the metal gate falling to the ground. Strangely, Alexander just stood by and watched it happen, wearing a still expression without batting an eye. Curious, Elijah sized him up and quickly knew why he was so calm. Just as the gate fell down, Josh arrived, bringing with him reinforcements, whose amount rivaled Elijah¡¯s men. They then proceeded to form a line, standing at the spot where the metal gate was. ¡°Are you alright, President Duncan?¡± Sneering, Elijah said mockingly, ¡°So, President Duncan, all these bullsh*t that you were pulling was because you were waiting for reinforcements to arrive.¡± ¡°You brought so many people to dismantle my front gate. So in turn, I called a few people to defend myself. That¡¯s not too much, is it?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not too much. I hope, for your sake, that these men can block me.¡± With a straight face, Elijah raised his voice slightly to a car parked at the side. ¡°How long are you nning to sit in the car, Mr. Duncan? Are you nning to intervene only when you see me and your grandson¡¯s fight end up on tomorrow¡¯s news?¡± Chapter 382 One Night Surprise Chapter 382 Chapter 382 Get Out of My Way, All of You The scene made Alexander¡¯s expression change. At the same time, the car that Elijah was looking at opened its door, and out came Scott. Besides giving off a frosty aura, his face was absolutely livid. After he stood in front of his car for a moment, he marched toward the Duncan Residence¡¯s gate. ¡°Get out of my way, all of you!¡± Seeing who it was, Josh became as white as a sheet and turned back to look at Alexander. ¡°Grandpa?¡± Alexander frowned. ¡°This is my own personal problem, so why are you here?¡± ¡°So you still see me as your grandfather, eh?¡± Speaking furiously, Scott continued, ¡°The whole Duncan Family has been shamed by you! Where¡¯s Courtney?¡± Frowning, Alexander chose to keep his silence. ¡°Alright. You don¡¯t want to tell me, huh? I know where she is even without you telling me.¡± With a deep breath, Scott pointed at Josh. ¡°Dismiss these people now. Otherwise, consider your position at our enterprise redundant by tomorrow.¡± The threat immediately made Josh disperse the people he brought, and the gate¡¯s pathway was cleared up. ¡°The cancetion of the wedding was your idea. You said you didn¡¯t want to go through the wedding without giving me a reason, then fine. I just treated it as you two fell out and I agreed. But look what you¡¯ve done now!¡± As his face reddened with anger, Scott said, ¡°You actually did such a stupid thing as imprisoning a person in your own home. If this incident spread, how can the Duncan Family continue staying in Melrose City? Also, my dignity would be shredded to pieces!¡± When Scott was scolding Alexander, Elijah ignored them as he ran inside the house alone and found Courtney. Seeing her full of sweat and speaking deliriously due to the fever, he felt his heart ache terribly. After that, he carried her outside the house. ¡°You cannot take her.¡± As if he didn¡¯t hear the old man¡¯s words, Alexander wanted to go and take her back there and then. Avoiding him, the usually warm and gentle Elijah turned around with a face full of rage. ¡°Remember this, Alexander. What happened today was only the beginning.¡± In the past, he was too easy on Courtney. He let her do as she pleased, yet she got hurt in the end. If he had known how stubborn Alexander was, he would have done everything in his power to make her leave him so that something like this would not have happened. The line of ck cars left after one another, then the Duncans¡¯ courtyard regained its silence. In the living room, all the servants had been dismissed by the butler, leaving only the grandfather and grandson all alone. ¡°What happened between you two? You have to provide an exnation based on what happened today.¡± Scott¡¯s tired voice echoed in the living room. With a sunken face, Alexander replied, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to say. This is between me and her.¡± ¡°What?¡± Scottughed in anger. ¡°Do you still think of me as your grandfather? The confirmed wedding was canceled on a whim, and now, I can¡¯t even get a single word from you about what happened? You b*stard!¡± Immediately, the butler by his side chimed in. ¡°I think the young master is still in a state of shock about the incident with Miss Hunter. Please talk it out with him patiently, Master.¡± ¡°Am I not being patient enough? If it were in the past, I would¡¯ve¡­¡± Feeling a slight shortness of breath, Scott could only stare at Alexander for a while. ¡°Did you know your mother has fallen sick because of this incident? She has no idea what is going on, and she didn¡¯t dare to ask you. Because of this, she went out yesterday morning to the Somerfields¡¯ to ask for more information, and she got sick when she came back home.¡± Hearing this, Alexander was stunned into silence. Observing his expression, the butler then persuaded Alexander again. ¡°Excluding the rumors spreading in the public, even the whole family is gossiping about you two. You may not care, Young Master, but the Duncan Family still has a reputation to maintain. You have to tell the Master what happened so that we can prepare for any people that are waiting for us to slip up.¡± There was a constant ringing in Alexander¡¯s ears; the problem he had been avoiding all along still reared its ugly head. It was not until a long while had passed did Alexander sit on the sofa defeatedly. ¡°What if I said that I found Jordan¡¯s biological mother? What do you think about this, Grandpa?¡± Slightly stunned by the revtion, Scott then said after a pause, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you fell out with Courtney because of this. Have you forgotten about the lessonst time? What were you thinking?¡± ¡°Master, please wait for the young master to finish,¡± the butler reminded. Slowly raising his gaze, Alexander wore aplicated expression. ¡°Courtney was the one who mistakenly performed surrogacy under Louis¡¯ blunder back then. Both Jordan and Tina were born to her. She left one child behind and brought the other away.¡± The living room once again fell silent. After an unknown amount of time had passed, Scott came around from this huge shock. ¡°What? C- Courtney is Jordan¡¯s biological mother? And Tina is also the Duncan Family¡¯s child?¡± The whole situation seemed almost unbelievable to him. ¡°Then why?¡± Scott asked curiously. ¡°What did you two fell out about if this was the truth? Isn¡¯t this good news? It¡¯s a coincidence blessed by the gods!¡± Disagreeing with his words, Alexander was visibly gloomy once again. Noticing something strange about this, the butlermented, ¡°I¡¯m afraid things aren¡¯t what they seem to be, Master. Looking at the young master¡¯s expression, I think that Miss Hunter knew about the kids¡¯ true identity all along. Perhaps, she hid this fact from him, and it broke his heart.¡± Frowning, Scott stayed silent for a moment. ¡°Of course she hid the truth. Otherwise, did you think she was just going to tell you straight that she was Jordan¡¯s biological mother? If she really did say that from the start, how would you have chased her away? By giving her money?¡± This sentence from Scott cleared Alexander¡¯s thoughts. Looking at the old man startledly, he began to turn pale in the face.N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°You fool!¡± Fuming, Scott hit the table. ¡°You made such a fuss just because of this? What were you thinking? As a mother, of course Courtney woulde back to find her lost son. Was she wrong in doing so? Who told you about all the ¡®schemes¡¯ that she had been nning?¡± In the Duncan Family, Scott had the final say and control in everything, so he was one of the selected few that Alexander looked up to and respected in his life. Upon hearing Scott say this, he actually felt a bit perplexed. ¡°But she contacted awyer and was preparing to fight for Jordan¡¯s custody behind my back! She never nned to marry me all along!¡± ¡°You f*cking idiot!¡± Scott was so livid that he even cursed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with leaving a way out for herself? Did she go through with thewsuit? Did the court summon you? Just because of all these things that didn¡¯t even happen, you made a mess of a wedding that was supposed to go smoothly? I¡¯m starting to think that you¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t want to marry!¡± As the living room echoed Scott¡¯s reprimands, Alexander¡¯s mind was in aplete mess. With the contents of the message, the evidence obtained by Josh, and the words spoken out of anger by Courtney mixed together all at once, he had already lost his ability to think straight anymore. ¡°I¡¯m asking you now: What exactly do you want?¡± Calming down, Scott asked Alexander sternly, pulling him out of his own messed up thoughts. Looking at his grandfather with a daze, Alexander repeated, ¡°What do I want?¡± ¡°Think about what you really want, and not just push the me on others. You¡¯ve always had a clear mind. Yet, when ites to love, you¡¯re like a headless chicken,¡± Scott said as he stared at him, hoping he would rise above this slump. But it was toote, for things had already spiraled out of Alexander¡¯s control. Chapter 383 One Night Surprise Chapter 383 Chapter 383 Secret Base In the Twin Peaks Manor in Melrose City, Elijah was settling Courtney down in the room, letting the doctor in to take a look at her. ¡°Torture? Alexander¡¯s a freaking maniac! Had I not informed Old Master Duncan about him forbidding Courtney from going out, who knows what would¡¯ve happened today!¡± Cameron was stomping her feet out of anger in the living room. Beside her was Gale, who was on pins and needles. ¡°He¡¯s not that kind of guy, Cameron. There must be some kind of misunderstanding.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ring at him, she rebuked, ¡°Defend him once more and I¡¯ll send you back to where you belong. Hadn¡¯t you seen how Courtney came back? If it weren¡¯t for Elijah, the poor girl would¡¯ve died from that psychopath¡¯s torture!¡± Gale scowled. Although he disagreed with her perspective, he couldn¡¯t voice his argument as he was currently in her territory. Shortly after, the doctor came out of the bedroom. Elijah, who was waiting at the door, inquired, ¡°How is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± Walking into the living room, the doctor answered, ¡°There¡¯s no physical injury, but she¡¯s very weak right now, and is having a fever, so she¡¯s currently in a deep sleep. Once the fever goes away and she has gotten enough rest, she¡¯ll wake up.¡± Elijah and Gale heaved a sigh of relief in unison, a weight seemingly being lifted off their shoulders. After seeing the doctor out, Cameron went to check on Courtney in the bedroom, leaving the two men awkwardly sitting in the living room. As Alexander¡¯s friend, Gale felt as if he was in a tight spot, so the best thing for him to do was keep silent the entire time. Though, he couldn¡¯t resist. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Hearing that, Elijah nced at him. ¡°What, are you Alexander¡¯s spy?¡± ¡°No.¡± Gale rified, ¡°I just think there must be a misunderstanding amidst this incident. Cameron said that, back then, Courtney had no choice but to deliver the two children, and that Alexander should be considerate about it. But as to why he would suddenly get so pissed off about it is totally questionable. I think it¡¯s best if we really look into this.¡± ¡°So you, too, think that his behavior is questionable?¡± Elijah was visibly resentful when it came to Alexander. ¡°So what do you think it is that caused him to cruelly treat a woman, who gave birth to his own children, and also had to wander for years on the streets solely because of him?¡± Gale was instantly rendered speechless. Just as Elijah said, there was no reason that could exin the sudden change in Alexander¡¯s behavior toward Courtney. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him.¡± ¡°Not that I care whether you do.¡± Elijah then nced at Gale. ¡°I have made my preparations to file a lawsuit against Alexander, so perhaps you could talk to him about how he should handle that.¡± ¡°Awsuit?¡± Gale sprung up from his seat. ¡°Whatwsuit?¡± ¡°The domestic violence that took ce six years ago, and the kidnapping now.¡± ¡°Are you insane?¡± Gale perturbedly continued, ¡°Is that necessary? Think about it. That¡¯ll only draw undesirable attention to Courtney. What¡¯ll that do to her future? I highly doubt she¡¯ll be wanting that.¡± ¡°She will. For her children¡¯s sake.¡± Elijah had always been a calm, reasonable man, but he was more than willing to charge at Alexander for this incident. Before he saw Courtney, he was still hesitating whether to take action against Alexander, but now that he had seen how low Courtney was willing to go for the sake of her children, he felt the urgency for him to take charge. ¡°Everyone¡¯s so concerned about one another¡¯s feelings and decided to let Alexander off. But have you ever stopped and considered how Courtney¡¯s been living all these years? She doesn¡¯t need a future in Melrose City. I will be her future.¡± Frowning, Gale couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy at Elijah¡¯s intimidation. Oh, hell¡¯s breaking loose. Three dayster, The People¡¯s Court of Melrose City sent a summons to the Duncans¡¯ household. The summons listed Alexander¡¯s association with rape, kidnapping, and ckmail, and that he was to attend the court to plead for his case in fifteen days. On the day when the case was filed, the police ran a search in various properties of Alexander in Melrose City. Eventually, they found Tina in the yet-to-operate hilltop theme park that was registered under Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s name. Elijah then brought Tina back to Twin Peaks Manor and arranged impable security measures around the manor to prevent any setbacks from urring. ¡°The court is in the process of investigating our evidence. After this case, it is possible for us to take custody of Jordan from Alexander. Since the boy¡¯s father was bold enough to perform a kidnapping, I¡¯m sure the court will consider it.¡± Elijah revealed the news to Courtney. Courtney had been weeping with Tina just moments ago. Now that the child had fallen asleep, her eyes were still quite red. ¡°I don¡¯t have to take custody of Jordan.¡± She lowered her head, muttering, ¡°I just wanna know whether I¡¯ll still get to see him.¡± ¡°Mr. Morrison said you¡¯ll get to do that.¡± Softly, Elijahforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll fight for custody of Jordan. Worsees to worst, you¡¯ll still get to see him whenever you want.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org. Courtney took a deep breath, seemingly anxious. Even to this day, she couldn¡¯t figure out how things ended up this disastrously. Late at night, under the silence in the manor, Tina just finished showering and was carried to bed by her mother. Assuming she had just gone on an adventure with a squad of policemen, the little girl was now happily ying with the new toy Elijah bought for her. ¡°y time¡¯s over, Tina. Come get your milk.¡± Courtney fetched a ss of fresh milk for her. Obediently, Tina grabbed the ss of milk and chugged it down before letting out a burp, giggling about it. Delighted by her daughter, Courtney caressed the little girl¡¯s head. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen Mommy for so many days. Are you not afraid at all?¡± ¡°What for? Hasn¡¯t Mommy been letting me stay with Great-Grandpa?¡± Tina was obviously talking about Scott. ¡°Well, that¡¯s in the past. But now that you¡¯re not with Great-Grandpa, there¡¯s nobody you know there. How did you live there the past two days?¡± ¡°Daddy visited me every day!¡± ¡°Daddy?¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°Which daddy?¡± ¡°Mr. Alexander, of course!¡± Tina pouted her lips. ¡°I already know, Mommy, that you¡¯ve been looking for Jordan. I also know that Jordan¡¯s my real brother and Mr. Alexander¡¯s my real father.¡± ¡°Did he tell you that?¡± Courtney was surprised. ¡°Yup.¡± Tina smiled at her. ¡°Daddy¡¯s been ying with me at the hilltop theme park, and we¡¯ve been having fun these days! Daddy¡¯s even promised me that the theme park will be our secret base, and he¡¯ll bring you and Jordan there too someday.¡± Courtney clenched her fists, not knowing how to feel. All these days, the reason Alexander was nowhere to be seen was because he¡¯d been ying with Tina in the theme park? ¡°But Mommy¡­¡± As if something popped up in Tina¡¯s mind, she looked at Courtney, confused. ¡°Why did Mr. Policeman bring me back here?¡± Chapter 384 One Night Surprise Chapter 384 Chapter 384 That¡¯ll Be Best Courtney was at a loss for words. How was she supposed to exin to her daughter that her own parents were in the worst of terms, and that the reason Daddy brought her to the theme park wasn¡¯t to y with her but to threaten her mother? ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should sleep, Tina.¡± She fondled her head as she switched the topic. Although Tina could be mischievous, there were often times where she would be Mommy¡¯s good girl. At her mother¡¯s instruction, she nodded and obediently went to bed. Courtney apanied her to sleep, though she didn¡¯t feel a tinge of drowsiness as she tossed and turned in bed the entire night. Three dayster, in the afternoon¡­ In the VIP room of the Melrose Peridot Golf Club, a waitress in an emerald dress served some tea to a couple of customers before tacitly leaving the room. ¡°So you¡¯re the boss behind the golf club all this time.¡± Alexander remained a straight face, though a trace of self-scorn could be seen on his face when he remembered Courtney¡¯s free entrance into the club. Opposite him was Elijah, who drank his tea before refilling his cup as he calmly uttered, ¡°Just a couple of investments I made in Melrose. Nothing odd about it, is there?¡± ¡°A couple, you say?¡± Alexander¡¯s face grew slightly tense. ¡°Many properties under Sunhill Enterprise including hotels and theaters have been receiving various attacks for the past few days. Are you going to deny that it has nothing to do with you?¡± Ever since Elijah brought Courtney to his manor, the Duncan Family received a court summons, followed by a tremendous amount of damage that mmed Sunhill Enterprise, and all the damage was deliberately targeted at thepany¡¯s three main sources of ie, in which all the traces of attack pointed toward Elijah. No one would have expected Elijah to have such domination in his entrepreneurship in the market within such a short time after his return to the country. Nheless, Alexander knew that Elijah didn¡¯t achieve such sess so easily. After all, it took every competitor of Sunhill Enterprise many years to build up to where they were now. Therefore, Elijah must have made his ns very early on. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to deny it.¡± With a dull face, Elijah continued, ¡°It¡¯s just marketpetition. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve had your share ofpetitors after so many years. Even if I have taken years strategizing how to take a slice from the country¡¯s market, I¡¯ve never expected myself to resort to this.¡± Alexander was visibly gloomier. ¡°Could¡¯ve just said you¡¯re doing it for her, and I wouldn¡¯t even feel weird about it.¡± The attack that was drawn upon Sunhill Enterprise was no mere healthypetition, where even the figures of market stock were obviously manipted. Due to fund leverages, Sunhill¡¯s shares plummeted. And both of them knew who caused it. ¡°Honestly, we could have talked it over. But if I hadn¡¯t done so, you, Mr. Duncan, would have continued thinking that Courtney is a woman you can take for granted.¡± Alexander glowered, disagreeing with Elijah¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought of her that way.¡± ¡°But your actions speak otherwise.¡± Elijah¡¯s expression grew colder. ¡°Now that it hase to this, all that¡¯s left are the kids. You¡¯ll never get custody of Tina. As for the boy, you¡¯d be wise if you listen to what I have to offer.¡± Alexander clenched his fists. All his life, never had he faced such a formidable opponent like Elijah, who was now grasping Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s fate in his hand. One move of his finger could easily bring thepany down, and none could tell how much effort the solution would require. ¡°Hand Jordan over to Courtney.¡± It was as Alexander expected. Although he had predicted what Elijah was about to say, actually hearing it was extremely nerve-wracking. In that instant, freezing silence filled the room as the two men gazed into each other¡¯s eyes, unwilling to step down. ¡°Did she ask for this?¡± Alexander coldly interrogated, ¡°Is taking custody of Jordan her intention, or is it yours?¡± Elijah withdrew his gaze. His freezing aura was inexplicably intimidating. ¡°You should know why Courtney suddenly chose to return despite living well in America¡ªto look for her son, and that¡¯s her initial wish.¡± Alexander felt even more perturbed. ¡°As long as you agree to hand Jordan over to Courtney, I will bring her back to America. It¡¯s just one kid anyway. Since you were willing to have a child in order to seed Sunhill Enterprise back then, I¡¯m sure you can let go of him for the survival of thepany. It¡¯s not too much to ask from you, is it?¡± Having said that, Elijah lowered his head as he toyed with the tea cup without even taking a nce at Alexander. It was utterly condescending. Although Alexander kept trying to keep his grandfather¡¯s advice to talk peacefully in mind, he couldn¡¯t help but get tilted by Elijah¡¯s words. Annoyed, he sprung up from his seat, seemingly getting aggressive. ¡°What kind of person I am, what I¡¯d do for the legacy of mypany¡ªwhy do you assume you know them so well? There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll hand Jordan over. As for mypany, it¡¯s still too early for you to imply its downfall.¡± Hearing that, Elijah put down his tea cup and raised his head to look at him. ¡°You¡¯re an intelligent man. No matter howpetitive you get, it¡¯ll eventually end up to be a war of attrition. At the end of day, it¡¯s a matter of guts. Merely in this year, Sunhill Enterprise took part in hundreds of investments. Do you think you have the guts to exhaust its resources?¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern.¡± Alexander leered at him. ¡°You might have underestimated Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s position in Melrose City.¡± Elijah revealed a smirk and a pair of glistening eyes filled with deep ambitions. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Bang! The room¡¯s door was mmed shut. Instead of hurrying off, Elijah casually stayed in his seat, sipping on his tea as his assistant Lilian entered the room with a troubled face. ¡°President Grant, Alexander seems to have the intention to resolve this peacefully. Perhaps it¡¯s time to tell him that Courtney simply wishes to see the boy every once in a while. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll agree to it.¡± Even a blind man could see that Elijah¡¯s words were excessive for an egoistic man like Alexander¡ª insulting, even. In this case, no matter what he said, Alexander would never agree to it. And Lilian couldn¡¯t figure out as to why Elijah, despite knowing the consequences, decided to provoke Alexander.N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for him to give up his boy.¡± He toyed with his cup as a surge of coldness shed across his eyes. ¡°Perhaps Courtney thinks that seeing Jordan from time to time is enough, but it¡¯s not a good choice as it will surely eat her up in the long run. She still has decades left to live. There¡¯s no need for her to burden herself with Alexander.¡± ¡°What if ourwyer fails to seize custody of the boy?¡± After remaining silent for a second, he rxingly answered, ¡°That¡¯ll be best. The boy is the biggest connection between Courtney and Alexander. Failing to acquire him allows Courtney to finally move on in America.¡± Upon those words, Lilian frowned in confusion. Elijah was right. He wanted the best for Courtney, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel something wascking. Chapter 385 One Night Surprise Chapter 385 Chapter 385 I Just Want My Mommy Late at night in the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home, a child was heard crying nonstop in the room. All the servants in the residence were experiencing a mental breakdown. ¡°Little Master is still not willing to eat.¡± Harry was panicking. ¡°Sir, Little Master has been shouting, wanting her mother for days now. He only had some soup, which we even had to feed into his mouth when he¡¯s asleep. How long can we keep this on?¡± Scott knitted his brow, frowning. ¡°I thought the kid only liked Courtney by chance at first. Now, it seems like their biological connection is nothing to underestimate. He¡¯s the closest with Courtney and wouldn¡¯t listen to anyone else. What can we do?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we¡­¡± Harry assiduously suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we give Miss Hunter a call? Since she¡¯s the mother of Little Master, she¡¯ll definitelyfort him, right?¡± ¡°No,¡± Scott downright refuted. ¡°Don¡¯t you know about the summons the court sent to Alexander? The woman wants to take the kid¡ªmy only great-grandson¡ªfrom me! It doesn¡¯t seem like Alexander will remarry, so the kid must stay.¡± ¡°But Little Master¡¯s not eating, and it¡¯s getting worse!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to him.¡± Scott took a slow, deep breath. His body seemed to have deteriorated due to the recent happenings. His back used to be straight, but he seemed to have started slouching after the new year. Both Jordan and Scott lived in the same yard, but Scott stayed in the main building while Jordan stayed in the building to the east. Jordan had been crying every single minute for the past two days. And because of that, everyone in the yard couldn¡¯t live a restful life. When Scott walked to the east building, he heard a loud crash as a y bowl was tossed before him. Along with it was some stted porridge, and he barely managed to dodge it, causing stains of food on his leather shoes. ¡°Careful, Sir!¡± Unfortunately, Harry¡¯s warning came toote as Scott gave him the side-eye. Sitting by the bed was one of the servants, who looked anxious upon the old master¡¯s arrival and hastily stood up. ¡°Sir¡­¡± ¡°Leave.¡± Scott let out a sigh, beckoning for the servant to leave. In the room, Jordan had been crying to the point where his voice was getting hoarse. If this persisted any longer, he would surely hurt his voice box. With his sternness dispersed, leaving only pampering love, Scott walked over and held Jordan¡¯s hand, trying hard to keep his words benign. ¡°Can Jordan tell Great-Grandpa why he¡¯s crying?¡± Jordan, who could almost pass out crying, muttered, ¡°I-I want M-Mommy!¡± Although Scott already knew the reason, he couldn¡¯t help but feel pained at his great-grandson¡¯s crying utterance. ¡°Jordan, Courtney will not be marrying your daddy anymore, and your daddy¡¯s gonna find a new mommy for you. Anyone that you like. Isn¡¯t that great?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jordan burst out wailing. ¡°I-I just want my¡­ my mommy!¡± Seeing him cry so pettily, Scott had no choice but to carry him into his arms. ¡°Okay, okay¡­ You just want your mommy. Don¡¯t cry anymore, okay? Great-Grandpa will have somebody bring you to look for Mommy tomorrow, sounds good?¡± Jordan was gasping as he snuggled in Scott¡¯s arms and forced himself out when he heard his great- grandfather¡¯s question. With his reddened eyes, he looked at Scott, skeptically asking, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, really.¡± Scott caressed the boy¡¯s head,forting, ¡°As long as you promise to finish your dinner, I¡¯ll have Harry send you first thing tomorrow.¡± Jordan hesitantly nodded. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll eat.¡± As he spoke, he withdrew his hands and wiped the tears off his face. He warily rolled out of bed and walked toward the table. Harry, who was watching by the side, carried Jordan to the chair. The little boy then grabbed a spoon and started drinking his soup as he brushed the tears off his cheeks, the sight pitiful. Seeing that, Scott quietly sighed. What did I get myself into this time? If he had expected this, he wouldn¡¯t have forced Alexander to marry solely to have a child, who would end up suffering this way. While Jordan was unrestful, Tina, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t exactly calm either. After having returned from the theme park, she was always staying in Elijah¡¯s Twin Peaks Manor. Although the first two days were fun, after having ventured around the entire manor, she started to get bored. ¡°Mommy, why do we keep staying here? Are you fighting with Daddy?¡± Taking her medicines, Courtney was surprised to hear Tina¡¯s question as she deliberately avoided eye contact with the little girl. ¡°Do you not like it here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that. But this isn¡¯t our home, Mommy, and I miss Jordan. And I miss Daddy too!¡± At Tina¡¯s interrogation, Courtney knew she could no longer hide things from her daughter, so she decided to briefly tell her the truth. ¡°Mommy¡¯s not marrying Mr. Alexander. And you may not be able to see your brother again. It¡¯s dangerous outside, so you can¡¯t go out yet.¡± Hearing that, Tina was shocked for a while before recovering her senses. ¡°But why?¡± Although Courtney understood her daughter was a smart girl, not every matter in the world could be comprehensible for a girl at such an age. Thus, she attempted to exin, ¡°Rtionships can be complicated. Mr. Alexander and Mommy no longer fit each other. It¡¯s as you said, we fought, and there¡¯s nothing we can do to fix it, so we can no longer be together. As for your brother, Mommy will try her best so you can still get to see him, but no promises yet.¡± Vaguely understanding the situation, Tina stared at her. ¡°But doesn¡¯t Mommy love Mr. Alexander? Mr. Alexander told me that he loves Mommy too!¡± ¡°But that¡¯s no longer the case.¡± ¡°What? No, Mommy.¡± Tina rapidly shook her head. ¡°Back in the theme park, Mr. Alexander told me that he loves Mommy very, very much, and he wants to marry you! He even said that it won¡¯t be just me and Jordan. We¡¯ll have little sisters and brothers as well!¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Courtney was stunned, having noeback. All those times she was in Alexander¡¯s manor, he would always leave so early and return sote that they could never meet each other. She had always assumed that he was avoiding her on purpose, not willing to speak with her. Never had she expected him to be ying with Tina in the hilltop theme park. But is what Tina said true? If that¡¯s the case, why didn¡¯t he tell me that himself? Thoughts started storming in her head. When she remembered the court hearing in ten days, she felt even more overwhelmed as if tornadoes of regrets wereing her way. ¡°How long are we gonna stay here, Mommy?¡± Tina pulled on her arm. ¡°I wanna go home. Can you please bring me home?¡± When she came to her senses and saw her daughter¡¯s pitiful look, she felt a surging sympathy in her heart. But when she recalled Alexander¡¯s actions, she couldn¡¯t help but fear what would happen to Tina, and she couldn¡¯t afford to take the risk. Chapter 386 One Night Surprise Chapter 386 Chapter 386 Nuts Courtney then fondled her daughter¡¯s head,forting, ¡°Wait a little longer, Tina. Once the court hearing in ten days is finished, Mommy will bring you back to America, and you¡¯ll get to go wherever you wanna go.¡± Tina was dumbfounded. Mommy¡¯s going to bring me back to America? If she does, I won¡¯t get to see Jordan and Daddy anymore! I can¡¯t let that happen! The next morning, the security guard in the security room in front of Twin Peaks Manor was yawning. All of a sudden, he caught a ¡°giant carrot¡± tipping its toe, trying to reach the room¡¯s door knob. Seeing that, he opened the door, leaving no support to the ¡°giant carrot¡± that eventually tripped into the room. Luckily, the guard was swift enough and grabbed it. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you, Mister.¡± Turned out, it was Tina sporting her tangerine Sapphire Kindergarten uniform and a matching hat with a logo of a green bean sprout. With her backpack strapped behind her, she looked at the guard with her big, shining eyes. ¡°I¡¯m gettingte for school, Mister. Can you open the gates for me, please?¡± The guard smilingly looked at the little girl, thinking how good-looking must her parents be to give birth to a girl with such a dolly look. He then nodded. ¡°Sure I can!¡± As such, Tina was thrilled. That was easy. The guard turned around and started pressing buttons on theputer. As he was working the device, he suddenly frowned, turning around to ask, ¡°Are you going to school alone? That¡¯s very brave of you, but don¡¯t your parents get worried?¡± Tina confidently replied, ¡°My parents get busy with work, Mister, so I always go to school by myself. Don¡¯t you also have no time to send your daughter off to school, Mister? We¡¯ve grown up, and it¡¯s time we knew how to take care of ourselves.¡± Hearing that, the guard thoughtfully nodded and couldn¡¯t help but agree to her words. As the security guard of Twin Peaks Manor, he had to manage the entire security of the manor all year long, and could only get to see his family when it was shift holiday. ¡°What a smart girl,¡± he praised, beaming. Then, he pressed on a button, opening the gates before escorting Tina to the bus stop. ¡°Be careful, girl.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Mister.¡± The guard nodded and happily headed back to the security room, which was when another guard of another shift arrived. ¡°Why did you leave? I saw you talking to a little girl.¡± ¡°Ah, must be a daughter of one of us. She wanted me to open the gates for her so she can go to school. I was worried so I apanied her to the bus stop. She¡¯s pretty smart for a five-year-old.¡± ¡°Really? Why haven¡¯t I heard about anyone bringing their children in?¡± The second guard suspiciously scratched his head. ¡°Is anyone even allowed to bring their children to stay here?¡± ¡°Why not? Except for us guards, though. All the butlers and maids are living with their family here, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Touch¨¦.¡± The guards said nothing more after that. Under the thick fog in the morning, the bus moved rather slowly as Tina was staring out the window. When the bus reached its destination, she could see the signboard of Sapphire Kindergarten. She took a deep breath before walking toward it. All I have to do is look for Jordan and ask about what happened. Daddy and Mommy love each other. There must be some kind of misunderstanding that made them fight. Since it wasn¡¯t time yet, the school gates were still shut. Even though Tina was still a child, she knew how to defend herself from evil strangers. As the intelligent girl she was, she headed to the convenience store opposite her school. When it was close to nine o¡¯clock, a familiar ck sedan stopped in front of the convenience store. Hastily, Tina swallowed her bun and grabbed her backpack, storming out the store. Harry crossed the road. The pedestrian lights were shing red, and Tina attempted to shout at him from the other side, but her voice was engulfed by noises from the surrounding vehicles. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Nheless, she was stunned by the fact there was only Harry who walked into the school. Is Jordan¡­ noting? ¡­ In Sunhill Enterprise, the board of directors was holding a contingency conference due to the fluctuation in market shares. Alexander mmed a file onto the table. ¡°This is what you¡¯vee up with in one whole night?¡± Everyone was too terrified to make a response. Ever since the mid-winter holiday, their boss had been consistently irked. Every day, there were always people who were reprimanded by the president. And just within two weeks, the manager of the nning Department had been reced three times. Basically, anyone who dared to approach him would quickly get booted out. ¡°Anyone who wants to stop working, pack your stuff at once. I don¡¯t need scrap in mypany.¡± His speech, although not loud and heavy, was overbearing. Every single word of his was of utmost coldness, and every single soul in the room couldn¡¯t help but shiver at it. Out of nowhere, his assistant Josh entered the office and interrupted the conference. ¡°A call for you, President Duncan.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m busy here?¡± Alexander red at him. ¡°I¡¯ll get it when I¡¯m finished with this crap.¡± As Josh was about to add something, Alexander was already reading his documents and listing out the issues within, obviously having no intention to hear about anything else. To be fair, Sunhill Enterprise was in an utterly turbulent situation. One hourter, the conference was still ongoing. All of a sudden, noises were heard from outside the room. ¡°Miss Hunter, please. The president¡¯s having a meeting. You¡¯re not allowed to enter.¡± ¡°Let go of me!¡± A familiar voice entered Alexander¡¯s ears. Baffled, he swiftly walked out of his office. Before he could reach for the door, the conference room door was mmed open, followed by Courtney¡¯s rageous approach. Before anyone realized it, a loud smack thundered through the room. Everyone else gasped, unable to take in what they just saw. Instantly, Alexander¡¯s right cheek reddened. Staring at Courtney, he was left stunned, and it took him some time to regain his senses. ¡°Where¡¯s my daughter? Where did you take her?¡± With her eyes reddened, Courtney clutched his necktie, seemingly about to copse. ¡°I¡¯ve never asked much from you, Duncan. All I wish is for my kids to grow up safely and healthily, but why do you have to force my hands? You know very clearly that Tina has asthma! She¡¯ll lose her life if it acts up and she¡¯s not sent to the hospital right away! She is all I have!¡± Glowering, Alexander dully questioned, ¡°What on earth are you on about?¡± As Courtney was about tond another p, she was stopped by Alexander. ¡°Are you nuts?¡± Red veins surged in her glittering eyes. ¡°Yes, I am nuts! Tell me where you sent Tina to! Give her back to me! You took her away once, and now you¡¯re trying to take her away again!¡± Courtney was tantly pointing fingers, raging about Alexander¡¯s unreasonable actions, but he couldn¡¯t comprehend why she would say such things with such a genuine expression. He ignored the sting on his cheek and revealed his stupefaction. ¡°You¡¯re saying you lost Tina?¡± Courtney, about to faint from her wails, was shocked upon his clueless behavior, stuttering, ¡°You¡­ You don¡¯t know?¡± Chapter 387 One Night Surprise Chapter 387 Chapter 387 Hanging On ¡°President Duncan has been in meetings sincest night. He never left thepany.¡± Josh¡¯s voice was heard from the door. While the two were arguing, he had already instructed the others to leave the room, requesting them to turn a blind eye as he did so. Sadly, only God would know whether they would. At that moment, Courtney slowly loosened her grip on Alexander¡¯s tie. As her face nched, she muttered, ¡°Impossible¡­ Who else could it be other than you¡­¡± Vexed, Alexander rebuked, ¡°You can¡¯t even take care of your own daughter and you want to seize custody of my son? Youe charging at me whenever shit goes down. You¡¯re quite the mastermind, aren¡¯t you?¡± Courtney gritted her teeth, trying to hold back her tears. ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t take Tina away, you don¡¯t seem to be concerned at all, jabbering about custody and all.¡± Irritated, Alexander turned to Josh. ¡°What are you waiting for? Get her out of my sight. And stop allowing nobodies into the conference room. What are you, sick of your job?¡± Having said that, he left Courtney and exited the conference room. ¡°Miss Hunter¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± She wiped her tears off. ¡°I can walk just fine by myself. I¡¯m only here for my daughter. Since she¡¯s not here, I don¡¯t have to waste my time here any longer.¡± As such, she left, leaving Josh standing alone in the room. Nobody¡¯s sane in this building, huh. After walking out of Sunhill Enterprise, Courtney received a call from Elijah. ¡°Courtney, I¡¯ve checked the cams. This has nothing to do with Alexander.¡± Frustrated, she scowled. ¡°Then where is Tina?¡± ¡°She seemed to have left home by herself. The security guard thought it was a kid of his coworker and let her out. She took the bus herself, but don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re following the bus route to look for her.¡± A few sentences from Elijah alone relieved her anxiety. Remembering how Tina would frequently go out by herself, she heaved a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn¡¯t another ¡°kidnapping¡± done by Alexander, it shouldn¡¯t be an issue. She only found out that Tina was missing after she had her breakfast. Initially, she assumed the little girl was only ying in the manor¡¯s yground, only to realize something went wrong when Tina never came back. In the meantime, Alexander was changing to another coat in his office, getting ready to head out before bumping into Josh. ¡°Where are you heading to, President Duncan? Are you not going to the meeting?¡± ¡°There¡¯s someone I need to look for.¡± Alexander gazed at Josh with his panicking eyes. ¡°Get some men to follow me.¡± ¡°President.¡± Josh stopped him. ¡°Are you going just like that? How are you going to find her in such a big city?¡± Alexander frowned. ¡°What idea do you have, then?¡± ¡°How about this, let me give Mr. Langley a call and have him ask his contact in the police force. Let them check the surveince records of Miss Hunter¡¯s ce and see where the girl has gone. As long as she¡¯s still in the city, every camera in every district is essible.¡± Josh sighed inwardly. Boss has always been a reasonable, level-headed man, but it¡¯s like he became another person whenever it¡¯s about Courtney. And now he¡¯s trying to hide the fact that he¡¯s looking for the girl! After twenty minutes, Alexander received a call from Gale. ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°Hurry up, give your butler Harry a call. The girl¡¯s in the trunk of one of your cars.¡± ¡°What?¡± Alexander instantly glowered as he ended the call to phone Harry. The reason Harry went to the kindergarten half an hour ago was to manage Jordan¡¯s school leaving procedure. Due to Jordan¡¯s current physical and mental condition, the doctor said it was not suitable for him to continue going to school. The procedure was rather simple as all it needed was a signature from a guardian and a reason to leave. Done with the procedure, Harry entered the car and ordered the driver to head back home. ¡°Right, Mr. Harry. Miss Hunter¡¯s daughter was here.¡± ¡°She¡¯s still attending school?¡± Harry was baffled. By right, with all the incidents going on, Courtney wouldn¡¯t allow her daughter to wander off the streets. ¡°Beats me.¡± The driver shook his head. ¡°Probably, with her uniform and backpack. She asked me why Little Master didn¡¯te to school.¡± ¡°And what did you say?¡± ¡°I just told her that Little Master won¡¯t being anymore. That¡¯s fine, right?¡± Harry seemed conflicted. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Then what? What did she say?¡± ¡°Nothing. She just left.¡± She just left, huh¡­ Now, the car reached a viaduct, and a ringtone sounded in the car. Harry took a look at his phone and quickly epted the call. ¡°Young Mast¡ª¡± On the phone, Alexander¡¯s nervous voice interjected, ¡°Where are you right now, Harry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m on the viaduct and heading back home. What¡¯s wrong, Young Master?¡± ¡°Stop the car, but slowly. Then check the trunk.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Now!¡± Alexander sounded anxious. Despite not knowing his intentions, Harry could only obey his order. ¡°Pull over, Brock.¡± When the car stopped, Harry quickly alighted and suspiciously opened the car trunk, only to be shocked by what he saw. ¡°Young Master, why¡¯s Tina here?¡± ¡°How is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s panting hard. This child¡­¡± ¡°Hospital, now.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Harry uttered not another word and did as told. At an emergency room in the hospital, when Courtney received a call and rushed here, the operation had already been going on for half an hour. Alexander, in his big ck coat, was sitting on the couch by the emergency room door, looking tense. Despite his emotionlessness, whenever a hospital staff exited the room, he would hastily spring up from his seat. ¡°How is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s hanging on.¡± A nurse blurted three words and immediately shut the emergency room door. Alexander clenched his fists, trembling out of fear in spite of his calm facade. Compared to him, Courtney was notably calmer as it wasn¡¯t her first time experiencing such a situation. Tina was born with inherited asthma. When they were in America, although Courtney brought enough money with her, countless trips to the hospital cost her quite the sum. In order to sustain their lives, she had to work an extra job. Even so, five years of money and effort could never thoroughly treat Tina¡¯s asthma. Seeing Alexander so uneasy reminded her of her first time sending Tina into the emergency room. Despite her hesitation, she eventually uttered, ¡°Come sit. Even misfortune knows its limits.¡± Alexander nervously turned around and looked at her. After hesitating for a few seconds, he joined Courtney on the couch, inquiring, ¡°Has this happened many times all these years?¡± He knew about Tina¡¯s asthma and made it a condition to trick Courtney into submitting Tina into the same kindergarten as Jordan. Back then, he didn¡¯t put much consideration into Tina¡¯s asthma, nor did he know about the mischievous little girl being his biological daughter. ¡°Very frequently before she was three, but not so much afterward.¡± After Courtney said that, her tone grew heavier. ¡°After she was three, she understood not to get involved with extreme sports and visit crowded ces, not to go out too much when it¡¯s summer, and always to bring her medicines with her. After all, she¡¯s a kid, and it¡¯s only normal for her to make mistakes. Even so, her asthma acts up at most twice a year.¡± Chapter 388 One Night Surprise Chapter 388 Chapter 388 Cut Ties Courtney spoke rather calmly, as if she was telling a story of another. However, Alexander, despite being the listener, couldn¡¯t put himself at ease. Although he didn¡¯t spend much time with Tina, the little girl had brought him massive warmth¡ªone that even Jordan couldn¡¯t give him. A little girl so persistent and optimistic yet was going through so much suffering. Both of his kids¡ªone cursed with a disease while another doomed with mental issues¡ªweren¡¯t born with the best health. He couldn¡¯t help but question what mistake he made in the past that led him to opt for surrogacy. ¡°Had Elijah always been by your side whenever Tina¡¯s asthma happened?¡± Alexander was attempting tofort himself by asking the question. At that moment, he no longer had the desire to fight with Elijah. All he wanted was someone to be by Courtney¡¯s side whenever the child copsed. And if Elijah had indeed been by Courtney¡¯s side during such critical times, he would admit that his connection with Courtney was far inferior to that of Elijah¡¯s and hers. Nheless, Courtney shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t know him yet when I arrived in America. That was when Tina¡¯s body was at its worst. Every single day, I could hardly sleep, fearing that her breath might stop when I woke up the next day.¡± Alexander frowned, not knowing what he should say. ¡°It¡¯s quite problematic as a new parent, not knowing the do¡¯s and don¡¯ts. I had nobody to guide me as well. Eventually, I learned them all by myself, and that¡¯s how Tina grew into how she is now. Sometimes, I can¡¯t help but think that it¡¯s a bad thing for a child to be so mature.¡± She herself was too mature for her age when she was little. Due to that, she would never fight and was always forgiving. Sadly, that also meant forgoing the pampering and spoiling she could have possibly received. Hearing that, Alexander felt the urge to hug Courtney. Suddenly, the light of the emergency room went out as a bunch of noises interrupted their conversation. ¡°How is she?¡± Courtney hastily questioned. The doctor took off his mask and answered, ¡°She¡¯s fine. We managed to save her. The child¡¯s safe, but for now, she¡¯ll have to be transferred to the ICU for some time. Will one of you head to the reception to manage her hospitalization procedure?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Both Courtney and Alexander blurted in unison. ¡°Allow me.¡± Harry, who had been waiting anxiously at the side, said, ¡°I would have felt extremely guilty had the operation failed. Let me do it. I¡¯ll leave you two to have a proper chat.¡± When they were on the way to the hospital, Harry was panicking, wondering how Tina crawled into the car trunk. If that cost her her life, he couldn¡¯t even imagine how he should exin himself to Scott, as well as Alexander and Courtney. After watching Tina get transferred to the ICU, Courtney and Alexander headed to a nearby coffee shop. It was already afternoon, yet the two had yet to have their meal thanks to the emergency. After cing their orders, they remained silent. Courtney took a sip of her coffee and softly stated, ¡°I know how important Jordan is to you. It¡¯s the same as how important Tina is to me. Thus, as much as I want to take custody of Jordan, I¡¯ve never decided to do so. That, and I know Jordan wouldn¡¯t be willing to leave you.¡± Stunned, Alexander suspiciously tensed his brows. This isn¡¯t what Elijah said back at the golf club. Instead of questioning her, he decided to listen to what she had to say next. ¡°Back then, you guys mistook me for the surrogacy partner. When I knew I was pregnant, my first thought was to abort the kid. I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to afford raising a child alone as a mere sophomore.¡± When she brought up the past, the environment turned somewhat strange, and Alexander couldn¡¯t help but feel awkward. ¡°But you threatened me using yourpany.¡± Courtney took a deep breath. She was visibly still upset by the incident. ¡°What could I do? The closer I got to delivering the child, the greater the remorse I felt. I didn¡¯t want to hand the child over anymore. A child¡¯s life is not as simple as an item¡¯s, and my child¡¯s life at that. Hence, when the doctor told me there was another, I bribed him not to reveal it. And so, I brought Tina out of the country.¡± She lifted her head to observe Alexander¡¯s behavior, only to find a weird, indescribable expression on his face. He then stated, ¡°Believe it or not, but I never knew about the threat. It was the butler who made the mistake with the surrogacy and decided to hide it from me.¡± Surprised by the revtion, Courtney lowered her head and stirred her coffee. ¡°That¡¯s no longer important. What¡¯s happened has happened, and I gave birth to a pair of twins. You got one, and I respect that. But Tina doesn¡¯t have a healthy body, and I wish to keep her by my side.¡± Alexander was visibly perturbed. He had never once mentioned not letting Tina be with her. ¡°So that¡¯s all you wanted to say to me?¡± Courtney hesitantly nodded. ¡°The court hearing that¡¯ll take ce in 10 days, I¡¯ve decided not to attend it. It¡¯s no good for anyone blowing things out of proportion. I don¡¯t want the children to grow up with people pointing fingers at them. Thus, I offer a peaceful resolve.¡± ¡°A peaceful resolve?¡± Alexander¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Sensing the relief on his face, Courtney continued, ¡°I¡¯ll bring Tina to America with me, and we¡¯lle back every six months to see Jordan. I won¡¯t meet you nor will I mention anything bad about you in front of him. All you have to do is send him over to Aunt Alicia. What do you think?¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. At those words, the sympathy in Alexander¡¯s heart waned as it was reced by a burning rage. After everything, all the concerns she had was for the kids, and none for him. A long whileter, he coldly red at her. ¡°Since you¡¯ve signed the agreement with Louis in the first ce, the kids, including Tina, should belong to the Duncans and not you. But given her health condition and how attached she is to you, I don¡¯t mind handing her over to you. However, I won¡¯t allow a meeting between you and Jordan. Sorry for troubling you all this while. I¡¯llpensate you for any loss caused.¡± ¡°Compensate?¡± Baffled, Courtney¡¯s face stiffened. ¡°Since you¡¯re not attending the hearing for the children¡¯s sake, it¡¯s only right that Ipensate you.¡± ¡°Who asked forpensation?¡± Courtney¡¯s face paled as she realized his implication. ¡°Alex, you¡¯re not hearing me. I wanted¡ª¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Alexander interjected. ¡°Isn¡¯t that your intention, to cut ties with me? After everything that has happened, what do you still have left to say? Now tell me, how much did it cost to have you pretending around me for thest six months?¡± Chapter 389 One Night Surprise Chapter 389 Chapter 389 Nothing to Discuss Courtney didn¡¯t expect Alexander¡¯s attitude to remain unchanged after she had told him the whole truth about everything and talked to him calmly and patiently. ¡°Alexander.¡± Her hands clenched into fists as her eyebrows furrowed in pique. ¡°Can¡¯t you put your prejudices aside? How many more prejudices are you gonna hold against me because I didn¡¯t tell you the truth? Do you honestly think I¡¯d hurt my own child? I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going too far in asking for this.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes were stony. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re not going too far. It¡¯s totally reasonable for a mother to ask to see her own child. But didn¡¯t Louis make everything clear to you back when you signed the contract? What I wanted was a mother who would never show up in Melrose City¡ªa mother who is nothing but a tool for procreation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said I¡¯m leaving!¡± Courtney¡¯s voice went up a few pitches all at once. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to discuss it with you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to discuss.¡± ¡°Okay, fine.¡± Seeing that there was no way the conversation could go on, Courtney had no choice but to meet Alexander halfway. ¡°Just think of this as me being unfair to you by not telling you at once after learning about the truth. I¡¯m not gonna fight for Jordan¡¯s custody anymore. After all, I don¡¯t want him to feel bad in case he learns about this when he grows up. I¡¯ll drop thewsuit for the sake of the two kids,¡± she said. Then, she picked up her handbag and got up. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the hospital first.¡± Alexander stood up as well. Then, seeing that she was leaving for real without a backward nce, he ran out after her. A cool wind whistled past the front of the cafe. Alexander yelled at Courtney from behind, ¡°What makes you think you¡¯re so wronged?¡± His question stumped Courtney for a moment. Then, she heard the man ask, ¡°You¡¯ve never thought about anything other than the kids. What am I to you, then?¡± Courtney frowned. As she turned around to look at Alexander, she found herself at a loss for a reply. Alexander looked really exasperated. ¡°You insist you didn¡¯t mean to hurt anyone, making everyone think that I owed you for making your life a misery. But you came back at will, and you¡¯re willing to do anything to look for your son and to seek medical treatment for your daughter. So what does that make of the six months you spent with me, huh? A springboard?¡± Alexander was always taciturn, and he rarely defended himself when something happened. However, he could no longer restrain himself today after being driven up the wall by Courtney. If he kept on saying nothing, Courtney would seriously believe that he was keeping on at her about the kids, and it might be only a matter of time before she went back to America with Elijah. Courtney looked dumbfounded. ¡°That¡¯s never what I meant!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you meant that or not. Think about what you¡¯ve done.¡± Alexander¡¯s face grew frosty little by little. His voice was cold, but it carried a note ofpromise. ¡°Just figure it out before you talk to me about the future.¡± With that, he turned around and walked away, looking a little lonely in the bleak winter scenery. Courtney was stunned for quite a while as she felt a bunch of mixed emotions all at once. Her mind had been preupied with Jordan and Tina these days, and it wasn¡¯t until Alexander said so at this moment that she realized what kind of an insignificant but fatal mistake she had made. Alexander was a proud man, so the most uneptable thing for him was perhaps to be shrugged off by those he valued the most. At the thought of this, Courtney sniffled, her feelingsplicated. It wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault alone that their rtionship hade to this point. Alexander was stubborn and arrogant, but it wasn¡¯t like she was without me for being indecisive. She was walking to the hospital when a homeless vagrant with a crooked back approached her with an enamel bowl in his hand. ¡°Please have pity on me and give me some money, youngdy. I¡¯ve not eaten for days.¡± Having seen a lot of such frauds, Courtney replied right away, ¡°If you haven¡¯t eaten, let me buy you something to eat.¡± Usually, other beggars would¡¯ve made off on their own initiative when Courtney said so, but the old man today was unlike them. He nodded repeatedly, saying, ¡°Thank you so much, youngdy. You¡¯re such a kind person.¡± A real beggar, eh? Startled, Courtney looked around and said, ¡°Well then,e with me. There¡¯s a convenience store over there. Just wait for me while I buy you something to eat.¡± The vagrant followed Courtney¡¯s gaze and saw the convenience store. Then, he shifted his gaze to the alley next to the convenience store with a hint of malice in his eyes concealed by his ragged felt cap. Courtney went to the convenience store and bought tworge bags of bread, two bottles of milk, and a microwaved boxed meal. After carrying them out of the store, she saw the vagrant crouching in the alley around the corner of the store. ¡°I thought you left already.¡± She hurriedly walked up to him while waving the bags in her hand. ¡°I bought you some food. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem for these tost you a few days.¡± The vagrant took the bags from her. Then, he immediately opened the boxed meal and wolfed it down. Taking pity on the vagrant, Courtney thought for a moment and lowered her head to take out her wallet from her handbag. Just as she was searching for cash, a dark silhouette slowly emerged from the alley and approached her from behind. Then, he suddenly covered her mouth and nose, dragging her into the dark alley almost at the same time. Her eyes wide open, Courtney struggled while looking at the homeless vagrant to ask for help, but the vagrant merely responded with a look of indifference. After she waspletely dragged into the depths of the alley, he finished thest mouthful of the food, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and threw the emptied boxed meal into the garbage bin. Then, he picked up what was left and followed her into the depths of the alley. ¡­ Meanwhile, Josh was saying to Alexander, ¡°President Duncan, the Hunter Group¡¯s showing signs of eding to the acquisition, but we¡¯re now forced to halt some of our projects, so we have trouble with the funding¡­¡± Josh was already tactful enough in saying so. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of several projects being forced to a halt: Elijah purposely made Sunhill Enterprise start construction on all of its projects, then dealt a heavy blow to thepany by doing everything possible to force the projects to a halt when they were at their most critical stage. Every day wasted at each construction site would lead to tens of thousands in losses, and no one could afford such losses if this situation dragged on. Over the past few days, many had proposed during meetings that some of these projects be sold at low prices, but such proposals were all vetoed by Alexander. Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s share prices were unstable, and they would plummet even further if the projects in operation were sold at this point. Naturally, Alexander wouldn¡¯t let such a situation continue to deteriorate, so he had to find a way to make all the projects run normally. ¡°No matter what is put into the domestic market right now, it¡¯d be subject to too many restrictions.¡± Alexander furrowed his brow. ¡°I¡¯ll be away on a business trip next month.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°France.¡± Sunhill Enterprise had intended to expand its market abroad in recent years. However, its traditionalist board of directors thought that the current domestic market was huge enough. Everyone was greedy for a slice of the huge profits, so they had always been reluctant to expand the market, fearing that their market share would decrease. But now that things were looking bad for thepany, Alexander had no choice but to make such a move. Josh was inwardly on tenterhooks. To think that my boss¡¯s love rival is so powerful that my boss is forced into ying his trump card! he thought. ¡°In that case, who¡¯s gonna run thepany during this period of time?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to Oliver.¡± Chapter 390 One Night Surprise Chapter 390 Chapter 390 Do You Think You¡¯re in as Much Trouble as I Am? Oliver had been staying with Fiona at the Duncan Residence since leaving the hospital. However, Fiona took pity on Jordan, who kept squalling for his mother every single day. Seeing that Scott was unable to calm the boy down, she put him up in her yard so that Scott could get some rest. As a result, though, Oliver felt slighted. One day, Jordan once again refused to eat dinner. After he sobbed himself to sleep, Fiona made a cup of steaming hot banana oatmeal porridge by blending milk, oatmeal, and bananas together. Then, she popped the baby bottle containing the porridge in Jordan¡¯s mouth while he was asleep. It wasn¡¯t until she had watched him finish half of the porridge that she closed the door with her mind at ease and let him sleep. Oliver was jealous when he saw Fiona centering her life around Jordan all day long. ¡°Mom, are you gonna forget about your son now that you have a grandson? I¡¯ll be going overseas in a few months, you know?¡± Fiona red at him crossly. ¡°Oh,e on, why don¡¯t you think about how much trouble you¡¯ve caused instead? You knew who Jordan¡¯s mother was from the beginning. Why didn¡¯t you speak out about it?¡± Oliver hung his head at the mention of this. ¡°I couldn¡¯t say anything at the time. Well, I did get to speak afterward, but it wouldn¡¯t be right of me to sell Courtney out, right? She¡¯s my sis, after all.¡± ¡°Well, in any case, you should¡¯ve at least told me to let us prepare ourselves.¡± Fiona sat down on the sofa and looked at her son across from her. This time, she was really angry. ¡°Just look at what you¡¯ve done. You secretly helped that starlet dig into Courtney¡¯s background. If it weren¡¯t for you, nothing would¡¯ve happened to Louis. Alex would¡¯ve found out something, and the situation wouldn¡¯t have dragged on until now¡­¡± At the end of the day, Oliver was indeed responsible for everything that had happened back then. If it weren¡¯t for him, the matter wouldn¡¯t have be soplicated in the first ce. Perhaps Alexander would¡¯ve managed to pump the truth out of Louis, and everything would¡¯ve been different. Oliver felt aggrieved as well, though. ¡°Hey, I admitted my mistakes already, okay? And besides, I¡¯ve been avoiding Alex since the eve of the mid-winter holiday whenever hees to visit Jordan. Judging by how things look, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not gonna be meeting him before I go overseas a few monthster. Well, it¡¯s fine that I¡¯m not gonna meet him, though. Otherwise, I¡¯m gonna be in trouble if he sees me and is reminded of what has happened.¡± Suddenly, a chilly male voice at the door responded to Oliver¡¯s self-pitying remarks. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re in as much trouble as I am?¡± ¡°Alex?¡± ¡°Alex!¡± The mother and son almost called out to the man at the same time, but Oliver hung his head and hemmed with a look of embarrassment after doing so. On the other hand, Fiona went up to Alexander delightedly, asking, ¡°What brings you back at this hour? Did you meet your grandpa? Have you had dinner?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°I¡¯ll go prepare it, then.¡± Fiona was overjoyed. Many things had happened these days, so she rarely got to see Alexander even after she hade back to stay at the Duncan Residence. Furthermore, he came here even less often after the wedding was canceled prior to the mid-winter holiday. Even when Fiona asionally got to meet him, he appeared cold and distant. Also, he lost a lot of weight, which made the outline of his jaw even sharper. After Fiona left, Alexander went straight up to Oliver, who was snuggling on the sofa. ¡°You¡¯re in a hurry toin before I even say anything, huh?¡± Oliver was feeling guilty in the first ce, and his face nched at once when he heard Alexander say so. ¡°Uh, I didn¡¯t mean to hide it from you, Alex. I just thought the timing was bad; it¡¯d be strange for me to tell you about these all of a sudden.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Alexander gave Oliver a wry look before seating himself across from him. ¡°Bad timing, huh?¡± Oliver braced himself and nodded, but Alexander didn¡¯t say anything else after asking the rhetorical question. Terror-stricken, Oliver couldn¡¯t endure it anymore, so he pleaded, ¡°I was wrong this time, Alex. If anythinges up next time, I¡¯ll definitely tell you right away regardless of the timing.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not wait until next time. I¡¯ve got something for you to do this time.¡± ¡°Shoot,¡± Oliver replied without hesitation, thinking that Alexander just wanted him to do some probing again. Alexander shot a nce at him. ¡°I¡¯m going to France, so I¡¯ll be leaving Sunhill Enterprise in your hands during this period of time.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± A dumbfounded look slowly stretched across Oliver¡¯s face. ¡°You want me to run Sunhill Enterprise? Are you joking?¡± ¡°Do I seem like I¡¯m joking with you?¡± ¡°No, that won¡¯t do,¡± Oliver replied categorically in refusal. ¡°There¡¯s no way I can run thepany. I¡¯m not interested in doing business, and besides, I¡¯ll be going abroad in probably less than two months.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re gonna have to take care of thepany.¡± Alexander stared into Oliver¡¯s eyes. ¡°Sunhill Enterprise is not only a family business for us Duncans; it¡¯s also the face of our family. By rights, you should¡¯ve inherited all of this and carried it forward. It¡¯s just that no one had told you about this since you didn¡¯t grow up with the Duncan Family as a child.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not interested in this at all!¡± Oliver panicked in an instant. ¡°You can lead a horse to water, but you can¡¯t make it drink, can you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m only asking you to run thepany temporarily.¡± Alexander looked at him with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Just a month or two will be enough.¡± Seeing how serious Alexander looked, Oliver recalled what he had heard from Harry and Scott about Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s share prices when he kept Scottpany these days, and the look of resistance faded from his face. ¡°Has thepany been in a real fixtely?¡± ¡°Just rest assured. It¡¯s not because thepany¡¯s in a fix that I¡¯m handing it over to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant either.¡± Oliver frowned. He wanted to exin himself, but he didn¡¯t know where to begin. Atst, he let out a heavy breath and asked, ¡°Is thepany gonna be fine if I agree to run it?¡± Oliver had sort of figured it out by this moment. Sunhill Enterprise had a wealth of business management talents, so it would be much more sensible to let any of them manage thepany temporarily than to let him¡ªwho had never been in the trade before¡ªdo so. And yet, Alexander asked him to take over thepany. On the one hand, this was because Alexander could trust him as a member of the Duncan Family; on the other hand, the other reason might have been Elijah, whose fierce attack on Sunhill Enterprise was entirely aimed at Alexander. If the person in charge of Sunhill Enterprise changed to someone else at this moment, Elijah would naturally be less hostile to the Oliver¡¯s probing gaze fell on Alexander as if to verify his conjectures. Rather than giving a straight answer, Alexander merely replied, ¡°It would at least buy us some time.¡± This is proof enough, thought Oliver. He took a deep breath, lowered his head, and thought about it for a while. ¡°Okay, I promise you.¡± After all, he could no longer get himself out of this mess, so he¡¯d better stay in it and do a good deed by finding a way to maintain equilibrium between both sides. After having dinner, Alexander picked up his coat and went out. A worried Fiona followed him out. ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna be staying here? It¡¯s thiste at night already. Where else are you going?¡± Alexander turned to look at Fiona. When he thought of how much effort Courtney had put into getting his mother and younger brother toe back, his feelings turnedplicated at once. ¡°I¡¯ve got some work to deal with at my office. You should go back in. It¡¯s windy here.¡± Fiona replied, ¡°You¡¯re going back to your office at this time of night? You should take care of your health. You¡¯re in your thirties already, after all.¡± She insisted on seeing Alexander to the gate and didn¡¯t go back into the house until she had watched him drive away. After the ck sedan left the area where the Duncan Residence was located, Alexander said to the chauffeur, ¡°Head for the hospital.¡± Chapter 391 One Night Surprise Chapter 391 Chapter 391 How Dare You Come Back, Huh? Alexander would spend at least a month or two in France this time beforeing back, so he wanted to take another look at his daughter, who had just undergone surgery, before leaving. All the doctors and nurses in the inpatient department knew Alexander. Upon seeing him, the nurse on duty immediately asked, ¡°Are you here to visit Tina, President Duncan?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°She¡¯s been sleeping all this while.¡± Alexander hesitated for a moment while looking in the ward¡¯s direction. ¡°Is anyone there with her?¡± The nurse replied, ¡°A nurse¡¯s staying in the ward with her, but I didn¡¯t see anyone from your family all afternoon after the surgery. Tina was transferred to the general ward when her condition stabilized. We called Miss Hunter at the time, but we couldn¡¯t get through to her. Perhaps she was busy.¡± Alexander furrowed his brow in confusion. ¡°You mean no one came in the afternoon?¡± The nurse staying in Tina¡¯s ward thoughtfully left upon seeing Alexander. The ward was somewhat dark after the door was closed. Walking over to the side of the bed, Alexander sat down in the chair and studied his daughter¡¯s face. Tina had a fairplexion, and her eyes and brows resembled Courtney¡¯s very much, whereas her nose and mouth resembled his own. Back when he met the lost and running little girl for the first time at the airport, something about her had struck him as familiar, and he even gave her a box of chocte because of this. However, he would never have thought at the time that the little girl was his own flesh and blood. Alexander felt very sorry for Tina when he recalled Courtney telling him that the girl had suffered a lot over the years because of a congenital defect. She¡¯s only a child, yet she had grown used to going in and out of hospitals since she was little. Even so, she¡¯s still so cheerful and vivacious, and she seems in much better shape than Jordan, who grew up being surrounded and taken care of by so many people at home. At the thought of this, the furrow in Alexander¡¯s brow deepened, and an idea shed across his mind. If Jordan had grown up around Courtney, he probably wouldn¡¯t have had such a temperament. Courtney had gotten him to speak in less than a year, which proves that I¡¯ve not taken enough care of him. Just as Alexander was thinking, the little figure suddenly stirred in her sickbed. ¡°Daddy¡­¡± The child¡¯s clear voice rang softly in the ward. Startled, the man looked up. Tina had woken up before Alexander noticed it. There was still a confused look in her eyes, and her voice was somewhat husky. ¡°Daddy? Why are you here? Where¡¯s Mommy?¡± Alexander crouched over the bed and held the tiny hand that reached out to him. Heforted Tina, saying, ¡°Your mommy¡¯s got something to do, so she¡¯ll probablyeter. Are you not feeling well? Let me call the doctor for you.¡± Tina shook her head with some difficulty, which made her look even frailer. ¡°Daddy, have you made it up with Mommy?¡± Alexander was stunned for a moment. Though he didn¡¯t say anything, his expression was very easy for Tina to read; she had always been a clever kid who was good at reading faces, after all. ¡°Daddy, you shouldn¡¯t make Mommy angry. She¡¯s very kind and wonderful, and she likes you so much, but you¡¯ve always been mean to her. You¡¯re even worse than Daddy Elijah. There¡¯s no way she¡¯ll be together with you if you treat her like this.¡± Tina was getting tired after saying so much in one breath, and her face inevitably showed a look of disappointment when she looked at Alexander. Alexander thought it somewhat funny that he had been lectured like that by a kid, though he was also filled with self-reproach at the same time. ¡°Did your mommy tell you that she likes me?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Tina¡¯s little face was pale. ¡°Why would Mommy agree to marry you if she doesn¡¯t like you, Daddy?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of you and Jordan.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the reason.¡± Tina got somewhat irritated. ¡°Even I would get angry when you say this, Daddy, so Mommy¡¯s gonna be angry too, of course. Why would she ignore her own feelings for somebody else¡¯s sake?¡± Alexander¡¯s face took on a somewhatplicated expression. Tina is only a child, but what she said is right. Courtney isn¡¯t someone who would sacrifice herself easily and needlessly, so why would she sacrifice herself for the two kids¡¯ sake by marrying into the Duncans? Am I really never on her mind? That can¡¯t be possible, he thought. Just then, Tina added, ¡°Daddy, Mommy told me that we can¡¯t just take what people say and do at face value; we have to be considerate of their feelings. There are many feelings that people don¡¯t express in words, but that doesn¡¯t mean that they aren¡¯t there.¡± Alexander was at a loss for words upon hearing what Tina said. Then, Tina continued, ¡°Honestly, I really wish I could live together with Jordan and a daddy who loves me, but when Mommy asked me whether I wanted to be with you or her, I said I want a daddy who loves Mommy. So, if you can¡¯t make her happy, I can only call you Mr. Alexander in the future.¡± Tina had said a lot, and every word she said pricked Alexander¡¯s heart, especially when she said, ¡°I can only call you Mr. Alexander in the future,¡± toward the end of her speech, which perturbed him somewhat. After leaving the hospital, Alexander phoned Courtney up. He wanted to sort things out, apologize as he should, and proceed as he should. In any case, he couldn¡¯t put the kids in a difficult position. ¡°Sorry, the number you¡¯ve dialed is currently unavable¡­¡± A recorded female voice repeated the same message over and over again on the other end of the phone. Alexander called Courtney again several more times, but the result was the same. He thought about it for a moment and reckoned that Courtney was still angry about what had happened that afternoon. Just then, his chauffeur drove up to the Duncans¡¯ vi. ¡°Young Master Alexander, it seems that something has happened at the residence¡­¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Alexander looked up and saw the vi being aze with lights. It seemed that all the lights in the vi were on, making the building seem all the more obtrusive at night. Moreover, women¡¯s panic-stricken screams were heard from there continuously, and the sight of the long line of ck sedans in front of the vi caused a flicker of rm to sh across Alexander¡¯s eyes. The familiar scene is appearing again after only a few days, he thought. ¡°Stop the car.¡± In the Duncans¡¯ vi, Harry warned angrily as he failed to stop the bodyguards from ransacking the ce, ¡°I¡¯ve called the police! If you guys keep on barging around like this, the police are gonna arrest youter!¡± However, a voice replied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the police are gonna arrest you guys along with us if you don¡¯t hand her over. If that happens, you¡¯re not gonna be able to get away like us.¡± Dressed in business attire, Lilian looked especially aggressive as she stood in 12-centimeter-high heels in the center of the living room. Standing next to her was Elijah, who hadn¡¯t said a word ever since he barged in with his men, though his face looked as ck as thunder. ¡°Pulling down the door of my house again after only a couple of days, huh?¡± A chilly voice sounded at the door as Alexander entered the house without even changing into his slippers. When he saw the men moving around upstairs that Elijah had brought with him, his face grew even darker. ¡°You¡¯re not just pulling down the door of my house but also searching my home and seizing my property this time, eh?¡± Upon seeing Alexander, Elijah strode up to him without hesitation. He uttered icily, ¡°How dare youe back, huh?¡± Then, he seized Alexander by the cor. The instant he did so, Alexander seized his cor as well. Since the two men were of simr build, neither of them looked less imposing than the other, and both of them refused to budge. Alexander retorted, ¡°Why would I be afraid toe back? This is my house! How dare youe to my house now that you¡¯re working against Sunhill Enterprise?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to talk to you about anything else.¡± Elijah took a deep breath with a grim look on his face. ¡°What did you do to Courtney?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Alexander knitted his brows with a cold expression. ¡°You¡¯d better let go of me.¡± ¡°Let go of you? Ha!¡± Elijah let out a sneer as he swung his fist at Alexander¡¯s face. Chapter 392 One Night Surprise Chapter 392 Chapter 392 Where Are You Hiding Her This Time Elijah¡¯s punch was swift, and Alexander didn¡¯t expect the man to hit him, so he failed to dodge it and got punched¡ªhard¡ªin the right cheek. After that, though, the two men fell to the ground and began wrestling with one another. Everyone in the house¡ªHarry, the servants, the bodyguards, and Lilian, the secretary¡ªwas stunned. Since none of them dared to stop the fight, they let them struggle on the ground. One minute Alexander was having the upper hand by pinning Elijah down and punching him twice, and the next Elijah threw Alexander to the ground and punched him right in the eye. Every punch they threw was brutal, and they beat the hell out of each other, pulling no punches. Lilian couldn¡¯t stand the sight of it anymore, though. ¡°Stop fighting, you two! Stop!¡± she urged. Then, she yelled at the bodyguards upstairs, ¡°What the hell are you waiting for? Come downstairs and pull President Grant away!¡± Only when Elijah¡¯s men had made a move did those working for Alexander dare toe forward. With that, the two groups of people forcibly pulled the two men¡ªwho were tussling with each other gracelessly¡ªapart with a man at each side. As soon as the bodyguards pulled Elijah away, Lilian stood firmly in front of him and said to Alexander, ¡°You kidnapped Courtney again and again! If the reporters out there learn that Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s president just hit and injured someone, I¡¯m afraid that yourpany¡¯s stocks will hit a limit down right away.¡± Upon hearing this, Alexander shook off Harry grabbing him from behind and replied coldly, ¡°You¡¯re quick to frame people, aren¡¯t you? Too bad my home¡¯s got CCTV installed. Everything¡¯s captured on the CCTV, so it¡¯s obvious at a nce whonded the first punch.¡± As soon as he finished his sentence, the wailing of police sirens thundered outside¡ªthe police arrived just in time. Lilian said, ¡°Well then, the police have arrived. We¡¯ll see what they¡¯re gonna make of your repeated kidnapping.¡± ¡°Kidnapping?¡± Alexander furrowed his brow. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Stop pretending.¡± Elijah wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth with a surly expression. ¡°Courtney¡¯s been missing all day. She¡¯s never been anywhere else except to see you this afternoon. Where are you hiding her this time?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression slowly changed when he recalled the nurse at the hospital telling him that Courtney had never been there all day long. Meanwhile, the police hade in, but they merely asked a few questions. After seeing the big mess of smashed items on the floor, the leading police officer judged it to be a case of rge-scale fight¡¯ and had everyone on both Alexander and Elijah¡¯s sides taken back to the police department to have their testimonies recorded. The previous case where Alexander had hidden Tina in the hilltop theme park was also handled by the police department in this area, and Alexander was considered a public figure, so everyone in the police department knew him. Upon seeing him, everyone in the police department felt somewhat ill at ease, not knowing how to deal with him. ¡°Mr. Duncan, how did you¡­¡± The policeman in charge of recording Alexander¡¯s testimony scratched his head uneasily. ¡°Let¡¯s skip the questions about your basic info. Just tell me how you got yourself here today.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve asked them the question. I wish to know the answer too.¡± Alexander frowned. He¡¯d been pondering over Courtney¡¯s disappearance on his way to the police department. Elijah wouldn¡¯t me Courtney¡¯s disappearance on him for no reason, but Courtney hadn¡¯t turned up all day. So where on earth is she? he thought. The policeman was startled by his reply. ¡°I¡¯ll go ask them about that, then,¡± he said. After a while, he came back with a message. ¡°They said they went to your home with their men to search for their friend because you kidnapped her.¡± ¡°Well then, did they find her?¡± ¡°No, they didn¡¯t.¡± The policeman shook his head. ¡°Which is why they asked where you¡¯re hiding her.¡± Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°So they searched my ce right away when someone went missing?¡± Alexander¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Do they honestly think my ce is some kind of human trafficking den?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it,¡± the policeman replied gingerly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s because you¡¯ve done it once before, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Oh, so I¡¯ve got a record, huh?¡± Alexander stared at the policeman with his deep and fathomless eyes. ¡°Well then, just check the case files in your department and see if I¡¯ve got a record here.¡± ¡°Of course you don¡¯t,¡± the policeman replied with an apologetic smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys settle the matter privately before?¡± Alexander replied, ¡°Yeah, we did, which means that the matter¡¯s over. So what¡¯s the point of them picking on me again and again? If they really couldn¡¯t find their friend, they should be filing a report with the police. Why were they searching my ce instead? Do they even have brains?¡± He was somewhat worried, though. After all, if Courtney really was missing, they would be wasting the most critical time window for search and rescue at this very moment. The policeman had a troubled expression on his face. ¡°They did file a report with us, but there¡¯s no way to ce the case on file. The person in question is an adult, and she¡¯s been missing for less than 24 hours. Perhaps she¡¯s held up by something for the time being.¡± ¡°Held up by something?¡± Alexander was speechless with exasperation. ¡°Why the hell are you detaining me here for someone who¡¯s just held up by something?¡± Upon hearing his words, the policeman was astonished. Did I just y into this guy¡¯s hands? he thought. Meanwhile, Gale arrived after getting a phone call telling him what had happened. He had a friend pull a few strings for him, and besides, there was indeed no evidence at present to prove that Alexander had kidnapped someone, not to mention that his face was covered with bruises. As a result, the man was released from custody. ¡°There¡¯s no need to release the one in there and his secretary from custody in such a hurry,¡± Alexander said to Gale in the car. ¡°Tell your friend at the police department to lock them up as long as he can.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re abusing the public service to get back at a personal enemy, you know?¡± ¡°They asked for it to begin with.¡± Alexander pressed the bruise around his eye, and the resulting spasms of pain made him even more sober. ¡°Just lock them up for a couple of days to give us a moment¡¯s peace. Have you looked into Courtney¡¯s whereabouts?¡± ¡°Yeah, I have.¡± Gale took out a tablet. ¡°I told Oliver right away when you called me, and he used the GPS of his school¡¯sboratory to track Courtney¡¯s location. This is thest location Courtney was at before her cell phone signal disappearedpletely.¡± The tablet showed a map of Melrose City and its surrounding areas, and the location Gale pointed at was in the middle of the river on the outskirts of Melrose City. ¡°She disappeared from the river?¡± Alexander¡¯s face froze with a look of puzzlement. ¡°When?¡± ¡°Just half an hour ago. The signal started to weaken right after we located it, and it disappeared completely afterward.¡± Alexander thought of the worst-case scenario at once. ¡°Was it cut off abruptly?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Gale shook his head. ¡°Oliver did a data analysis and said the signal wasn¡¯t cut off. Instead, there¡¯s no signal in the area.¡± ¡°Why would Courtney go to a ce with no signal?¡± Gale¡¯s face grew grave at the mention of this. ¡°Oliver said the reason there¡¯s no signal in the area might not be because there¡¯s no signal coverage in the area, but because a signal jamming device is ced there. Also, he said¡­¡± In other words, it wasn¡¯t likely that Courtney had gotten there on her own. Furthermore, judging from the trail of her cell phone¡¯s signal, she got there from a remote fishing vige on the outskirts. There was no means of transportation on the river other than small fishing boats. Alexander was taut with anxiety. ¡°What else did he say?¡± ¡°One of the drug dealers that ganged up with James earlier was a ringleader named Dragon, and he¡¯s never been caught so far. Just before the turn of the year, two of the students who had taken part in the drill to destroy the drug-dealing den back then were retaliated against¡ªalong with their families. The high-ups buried them in secret for fear of causing panic among the public¡­¡± Alexander¡¯s expression changed. ¡°What does Courtney have to do with the incident at the time?¡± Gale took a deep breath with a grave expression. ¡°Do you think she¡¯s got nothing to do with it? If you hadn¡¯t quarreled with her, she would¡¯ve been Oliver¡¯s sister-inw by now.¡± Chapter 393 One Night Surprise Chapter 393 Chapter 393 My Name¡¯s Not Belle If the wedding hadn¡¯t been canceled, Courtney would¡¯ve been the Duncan Family¡¯s daughter-inw and Oliver¡¯s sister-inw. Since the leader of the drug dealing ring wanted to avenge his sworn brothers who had been sentenced to death, the first person he went to would be someone from the Duncan Family. On the one hand, this was because the drug dealing ring was exposed because of James; on the other hand, they had probably found out the identities and backgrounds of those students long ago. They had probably been breathing down the necks of everyone in the Duncan Family for a long time, though they couldn¡¯ty their hands on the Duncans because the Duncans were almost always surrounded by bodyguards whenever they went out. On the other hand, Courtney had Elijah to protect her. The only time she was alone was when she finished drinking coffee with Alexander at the cafe this afternoon. At the thought of this, Alexander slowly turned pale, and his face broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°We must go back to the police department.¡± ¡°No, we can¡¯t.¡± Gale pressed the man¡¯s cold hands down. ¡°Oliver said that those drug dealers are all cold-blooded monsters. If we call the police, the police will search every ind in the middle of the river right away. We don¡¯t know their location, and they might kill Courtney first if they¡¯re alerted.¡± When Alexander heard the word ¡®kill,¡¯ his brow furrowed, and there was a look of panic and hesitation in his eyes. Just then, Gale added, ¡°Let¡¯s head back first. Oliver said he¡¯s got a way.¡± Speechless, Alexander had no choice but toply. ¡­ Meanwhile, a small boat had just reached the shore of Riverark Ind, an ind located in the middle of the river. Two men, one stout and one skinny, dragged a gunnysack out of the boat. The stout man carried the gunnysack on his shoulder, whereas the skinny man hid the boat in the reed marshes by the shore. Then, they went deep into the jungle, one after another. The stout man seemed to be tired of carrying the gunnysack. Heined in a deep, gruff voice, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with Dragon these days? He told us to look out and stay on the ind as much as possible because the situation¡¯s been tense these days, so why did he get one woman after another back to the ind?¡± The skinny man next to him helped him lift the gunnysack a little while giving it a p with a lecherous expression. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that because he¡¯s worried that we might have trouble with our desires in this godforsaken ce? After all, we couldn¡¯t be staying on the ind by ourselves without the presence of women, or our lives would¡¯ve been f*cking boring. And besides, I didn¡¯t get to go back to my hometown during the holiday this year.¡± ¡°That¡¯s wrong. Haven¡¯t we already sent Britney¡¯s cousin here?¡± ¡°There are 26 of us on the ind. Do you think that woman can handle all of us by herself? Britney cares about her, after all.¡± ¡°She cares about her? Really?¡± The stout man let out a sneer. ¡°If Britney really cared about her, I don¡¯t think she would have her brought here as a prostitute. Do you think I¡¯m blind to what you guys have done to her?¡± The skinny man smiled in embarrassment at the mention of this. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Fatso? People in our trade have no scruples and don¡¯t give a f*ck about killing people, yet you¡¯re the only one on this ind who keeps avoiding the pleasure like the gue. It¡¯s already been three years since your wife passed away. Why so insistent on staying celibate?¡± Fatso¡¯s eyes suddenly darkened as they darted to the skinny man with a fierce re. Frightened, the skinny man trembled with fear while spluttering, ¡°T-That¡¯s not what I meant, Fatso¡­¡± Just then, they heard a scuffling noise in the distance. The beam of a shlight shone right on their faces, ending the awkward standoff at once. ¡°Oh, Fatso and Lil¡¯ Mackaque! You two are back, huh?¡± A familiar voice sounded from the jungle; it was one of their ring members who was on patrol today. ¡°Thanks for the hard work. Dragon¡¯s been waiting for quite a while, so let¡¯s have dinner together, shall we?¡± ¡°Okay,¡± chorused Fatso and Lil¡¯ Mackaque. They followed the person into the jungle as if they had forgotten their verbal exchange just now. ¡°What about this woman?¡± ¡°Just lock her up in the cabin on the east side with that woman. They¡¯re of the same use, anyway.¡± A man let out an obscene chuckle. ¡°More people are gonna be able to go in at a time from now on.¡± Fatso opened the door to the cabin on the east side right away as he didn¡¯t bother to listen. The instant the door opened, a dark silhouette in the corner cowered with a start and hid under the covers, leaving only a pair of eyes that stared up at Fatso in horror. Fatso frowned and put the gunnysack on the ground in the cabin. Before he left, he said in a quiet voice, as if because he couldn¡¯t bear the sight of the scene, ¡°They¡¯re gonna be having drinkster tonight. Be submissive, or you might suffer.¡± Upon hearing this, the figure in the corner began shaking like a leaf. Then, it started to gasp for breath desperately, as if it recalled something horrifying. With that, Fatso shut the door with a bang and padlocked it from the outside, and the room became dark at once. A little while after that, the gunnysack on the ground moved a little. Courtney was awakened by the icy coldness of the floor. When she came to her senses, she found herself wrapped in a gunnysack. After struggling for a long time, she poked her head out of the gunnysack, only to scream out of fright with her face as pale as death. There was a face staring at her from above, and it was pale enough to make her flesh creep. ¡°Shh¡­¡± The deathly pale face hushed Courtney by putting its right index finger to its lips. Then, it crouched down beside her and started to untie the rope binding her. Courtney slowly regained herposure. As moonlight shone in through the window, she plucked up the courage to turn sideways and stare at the person¡¯s face for a long time. Then, she asked in a whisper, ¡°Belle? Is that you?¡± She recognized the woman as the one who had deceived Alexander by passing herself off as Jordan¡¯s biological mother. Even though Belle wasn¡¯t the woman¡¯s real name, it was the only name Courtney could think of at the time. The woman¡¯s expression changed. Suddenly, she knitted her brows. ¡°My name¡¯s not Belle.¡± Then, after a moment¡¯s pause, she continued in a low voice, ¡°My name¡¯s Poppy.¡± Courtney was startled for a moment. After all the ropes binding her were untied, she ventured by asking, ¡°Did you kidnap me to this ce? Are you doing this for money or something?¡± ¡°Do you honestly think I¡¯m capable of that?¡± Poppy¡¯s expression was somewhat strained. After untying the ropes, she got up, got back to the bedside, and sat down while studying Courtney. Then, she mumbled, ¡°Just resign yourself to your fate now that you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Resign myself to what?¡± The look in Poppy¡¯s eyes suddenly became creepy. ¡°Neither you nor I can open the door day or night, but they can do so whenever they want.¡± Courtney didn¡¯t understand what she meant, though. She looked at the little door behind her with a frown, asking, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± She had yet to figure out who her kidnappers were and whose hatred she had incurred. And besides, why is this woman who passed herself off as Belle being here as well? It seems like her life¡¯s been quite miserable, she thought. However, Poppy¡¯s smile grew more and more sinister. ¡°You¡¯ll find out about it tonight.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. After sizing Poppy up for a long time, Courtney stopped asking her questions, thinking that she seemed to have a screw loose. She pulled at the door, only to find that it was locked from the outside. The window was sealed shut from the outside, allowing only a minuscule amount of light to pass through, and there wasn¡¯t amp in the room. Through the window, Courtney saw a small two-storey building catty-cornered from here. The building was lit, and the men¡¯s crudeughter could be heard from there. A desert ind, a woman, and a bunch of men¡­ Courtney soon realized what Poppy had suffered. Recalling what Alexander had previously told her about Poppy being a cousin of Britney, she immediately picked up some clues. She asked, ¡°How did you get kidnapped to this ce?¡± Chapter 394 One Night Surprise Chapter 394 Chapter 394 To Think That We¡¯d Meet Each Other Again in Such a Way ¡°I wasn¡¯t kidnapped to this ce.¡± Poppy¡¯s voice sounded very croaky in the dark with a note of inexplicable stubbornness. ¡°My cousin got me here to save me from being persecuted by you people.¡± ¡°Your cousin?¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°You mean Britney?¡± After Poppy¡¯s impersonation of Belle was exposed, Alexander first had Josh find out the woman¡¯s identity and background, but nothing much was found out at the time since James was covering for her in secret. It wasn¡¯t until Oliver returned to the Duncan Family and let out the whole story about Britney afterward that they learned that Poppy was Britney¡¯s cousin. At the thought of this, Courtney basically figured out who the culprit that had her kidnapped to this ce was. After all, she didn¡¯t seem to have any enemies other than Britney. After James fell from power, Britney quickly disappeared from show business and was no longer even mentioned in news tidbits afterward. Don¡¯t tell me she paid someone in desperation to have me die with her! she thought. ¡°Where the hell is this ce?¡± ¡°Where, you ask?¡± Poppy stared at Courtney, her eyes suddenly gleaming with madness; her pupils dted all of a sudden as though she was on drugs. ¡°This is a desert ind that no one can find. You¡¯re counting on somebody toe to your rescue? That¡¯s impossible. We¡¯re gonna spend the rest of our lives on the ind.¡± A desert ind? Courtney furrowed her brow. ¡°Why would Britney get you and me on this desert ind?¡± ¡°You shut up!¡± Poppy shot her a re. ¡°Don¡¯t speak of you and me in the same breath. I¡¯m taking refuge here with Britney, whereas you¡¯re a thorn in her flesh!¡± Courtney eyed Poppy up and down. Nobody knew how long the woman hadn¡¯t changed her clothes, which were so dirty that their original color was no longer visible. At the sight of this, the look on Courtney¡¯s face instantly becameplicated. ¡°Since you weren¡¯t kidnapped like I was, why are you locked in here like I am? Don¡¯t tell me they sent you here to keep a close watch on me.¡± Upon hearing Courtney¡¯s words, Poppy reacted like she was grasping at straws. ¡°That¡¯s right! Britney wants me to keep an eye on you! I¡¯ll be able to get out as long as I keep an eye on you without letting you escape.¡± Courtney stopped looking at Poppy. Instead, she groped around the cabin and searched for every possible way to escape, letting the womanugh one moment and go crazy the next as she talked to herself behind her. What did she experience that caused her to go mad like this? However, Courtney¡¯s face was taut with anxiety after she groped around for a long time. The cabin had only one door and two windows, but the back window was sealed shut. It would make a lot of noise to tear it down, so there was no way she could avoid alerting those out there while doing so. The front window was partially blocked, allowing her to see the yard outside. After much deliberation, Courtney reckoned that the door was the only exit avable, but she still had no idea when the door would be opened. Courtney couldn¡¯t pump anything out of Poppy since thetter wouldn¡¯t speak to her. Therefore, after doing her observation, she crouched alone in the corner and analyzed her present situation. She was scared, but she believed there was still a glimmer of hope since Britney wasn¡¯t in a hurry to kill her after having her brought to this ce. The sound of the men drinking outside gradually died away toward early morning. Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps could be heard from the yard outside, and the cabin door flew open and mmed against the wall with a loud bang! Startled, Courtney looked up with a start. Five men of different sizes burst in, reeking of alcohol. At the sight of Courtney, the man leading them said with a crudeugh, ¡°So this is thedy Fatso and Lil¡¯ Mackaque brought back today, huh? She¡¯s much prettier than the one over here.¡± The other men stumbled into the room after him. As they surrounded Courtney, their breath smelled of alcohol, and one of them said, ¡°Britney really cares about us, huh? She knows we¡¯re bored to death staying on this desert ind, so thedies she got here are hotter than one another.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Courtney went cold all over with fear. As she kept huddling into the corner as much as possible, she caught sight of Poppy out of the corner of her eye. She sat on the head of the bed, her expression numb, as if she had gotten used to all of this. At this very moment, Courtney finally realized what the nonsense Poppy had babbled a while ago was referring to. These men were treating Poppy as a tool to sate their lust. Britney didn¡¯t bring Poppy here to let her take refuge with her; in fact, she probably didn¡¯t even treat Poppy as a human being. In other words, Poppy was just deluding herself all the while. ¡°Stay away from me!¡± Courtney warned, her voice trembling; her face was white as she pressed her back against the wall, unable to back away any further. ¡°I can give you however much money you want as long as you let me go! Don¡¯t touch me¡­¡± ¡°Money?¡± The group of inebriated men looked at each other before bursting intoughter. ¡°How dare you try to make a deal with us now that you¡¯re here already? Why don¡¯t you serve us well instead so that we might give you some tips?¡± said the man leading the group as he reached out his hand toward Courtney. ¡°Aaah!¡± Courtney cried in fear. Just then, a dull voice sounded from behind these men. ¡°Don¡¯t touch this woman. Dragon ordered me to take her to him.¡± The man was startled; his outstretched hand froze before it could touch Courtney¡¯s. Then, he replied with augh, ¡°Well, you¡¯re right. Dragon¡¯s got to sleep with the newdy first before it¡¯s our turn. That¡¯s the rule, after all.¡± As soon as he finished his sentence, one of the men behind him replied with augh, ¡°Well, you say that, but we¡¯ve never got to sleep with Britney.¡± ¡°Who knows if it¡¯ll be your turn one day?¡± The man¡¯s reply was greeted with another burst ofughter. Amid the roaringughter, the men in front of Courtney turned and headed for Poppy¡¯s bed. Courtney dared not take another look at them and was huddling herself up when a shadow was cast before her. It belonged to a tall and stout man, who said, ¡°Come with me.¡± With that, Courtney left the cabin with Fatso. Even after she stepped out of the cabin, she could still hear the loud screams of agony inside, which pounded her eardrum over and over again. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a living hell. If Poppy hadn¡¯t deluded herself, she might have lost the will to live on under such circumstances. Fatso took Courtney directly to the second floor of the log cabin and opened the door to a room before asking her to go in on her own. The room had its heating turned on, so it was much morefortable than the freezing weather out there. Even so, Courtney felt chilly all over. She had a gut feeling that nothing good was going to happen. Courtney waited in the cabin for a long time before the door opened with a squeak. Then, ady entered, giving off a heavy scent of perfume that was familiar to Courtney. When she turned around, she saw Britney, who was dressed in a ck leather suit, rocking a pair of Dr. Martens boots. Her lips were fiery red, and her long hair hung loosely over her shoulders. For some reason, Courtney felt that the woman¡¯s current appearance looked much more pleasing to the eye than when thetter pretended to be a naive and innocent actress back then. ¡°Long time no see, I suppose, huh?¡± Britney folded her arms across her chest while looking at Courtney with a sardonic look. ¡°You didn¡¯t expect to meet me again in such a way, did you, Mrs. Duncan?¡± she said with particr emphasis on the words ¡®Mrs. Duncan,¡¯ as if to remind Courtney of something. ¡°It¡¯s been a while indeed.¡± Courtney threw Britney a smile in return. ¡°But how long have you not asked around about the Duncans? Don¡¯t you even know that I¡¯ve broken up with Alexander?¡± It¡¯s all because of Alexander that Britney holds a grudge against me, so the most important thing to do right now is to cut all ties with him, she thought. Chapter 395 One Night Surprise Chapter 395 Chapter 395 How Long¡¯s the Breakup Gonna Last This Time? ¡°Break up?¡± Britney let out a sneer. ¡°You two have broken up and made up a million times already. How long¡¯s the breakup gonnast this time, huh? I¡¯m not interested in this at all, though it¡¯s quite smart of you to know to distance yourself from him at this time.¡± Courtney frowned slightly when she saw that Britney didn¡¯t care about her breakup with Alexander at all. ¡°You think you can make me let you go by saying that? That¡¯s naive, I¡¯d say. Do you think I¡¯m that stupid?¡± Britney picked up the cup of tea that had been prepared beforehand, sat down at the table, and leisurely took a sip of the tea. ¡°Will you believe it if I tell you that I¡¯m the one behind your breakup this time?¡± Courtney¡¯s expression changed slightly at Britney¡¯s words. Dumbfounded, she fixed her eyes on the woman¡¯s face. ¡°Alexander had someone wait at the nightclub¡¯s entrance and catch Poppy. After handing her over to the police, he had the police interrogate her for several nights running until she confessed that I was the mastermind behind the scenes. Well, it¡¯s true that I was the mastermind, but what was my motive in doing all this?¡± Britney said, as if she was talking to herself. ¡°My motive was to keep you from approaching Alexander in every possible way because I had found out long ago that you¡¯re Jordan¡¯s mother. Sounds like you¡¯ve done nothing wrong, eh?¡± Courtney had been suspecting that Alexander suddenly got angry in the shopping center on the night of the eve of the mid-winter holiday because someone had secretly set a trap for him to do so. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve figured it out.¡± Britney stood up and began pacing up and down the room. ¡°As long as he was provided with the slightest bit of evidence suggesting that you¡¯ve got an ax to grind in approaching him, there¡¯s no way a paranoid like him wouldn¡¯t be suspecting you of having some ulterior motives. And besides,¡± she continued while shooting a backward nce at Courtney, ¡°you¡¯re not beingpletely honest with him. You did meet an attorney and have ns to fight with Alexander for your kids¡¯ custody, though the one who suggested that the attorney use extreme measures was Mr. Grant, the man who always has your interests in mind¡­¡± Courtney clenched her fists while feeling a chille over her. Alexander blew up that day because he got the wrong idea that Courtney had had her attorney go to court with fabricated evidence of his alleged child abuse. However, the truth was that she did meet the attorney, only to tell thetter that she wouldn¡¯t be going to court over the kids¡¯ custody. As for the extreme measures, they were just room for maneuver that Elijah left for her. Elijah did nothing wrong. He was just considering my interests because he feared that I might end up having no way out. The only person who did wrong was me, who was too indecisive to make up my mind and confess everything to Alexander back then. And Britney took advantage of all this and set up such a scheme to y us off against each other so that she¡¯d reap the benefits while we both suffered! thought Courtney. ¡°What do you want?¡± She clenched her teeth while looking at Britney, who was feeling incredibly smug at this very moment. ¡°What else do you think I want at this point?¡± Britney looked around the room before her face reddened with anger. ¡°Look! This is the ending you and Alexander gave me. I¡¯m forced to spend the rest of my life hiding behind a false identity in such a godforsaken ce, and all my previous glory¡¯s gone. This is all because of you two!¡± ¡°No one could¡¯ve done you any harm if you hadn¡¯t had the intention to harm anyone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bullsh*t! I would¡¯ve be Mrs. Duncan long ago if it weren¡¯t for you!¡± Courtney turned her face away with a frown; she couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste her breath arguing with Britney. Some people were born with the bigoted belief that all the good things that happened in life were the result of their own hard work, whereas all the bad things in life were caused by others. They med everyone and everything but themselves all their lives, so someone like Britney wasn¡¯t umon. ¡°You like stealing my man, huh?¡± Courtney let out a cry as she felt a sharp pain in her chin. Britney pinched Courtney¡¯s chin and lifted her head, forcing thetter to look at her. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, my current man¡¯s a drug lord wanted by the country. I¡¯ll personally see to it that you get to sleep with him to let you enjoy it.¡± Courtney¡¯s chin was pinched so hard that her face turned purple. When Britney finally let go of her, she slumped down to the floor at once, coughing while gasping for breath as the air flowed into her windpipe and choked her. ¡°You wanna let me bed your man? Well¡­ Cough¡­ I¡¯d say¡­ Cough¡­ This doesn¡¯t seem like a good way to torture me.¡± She looked up at Britney. ¡°What if the man you¡¯re gonna depend on for the rest of your life ends up taking a liking to me? Have you ever thought about that?¡± ¡°In your dreams!¡± Britney red at Courtney angrily. ¡°Who do you think you are? You think you can have every man to be at your beck and call?¡± ¡°Well then, you may give it a try.¡± Courtney clutched her chest while forcing out a sneer from her throat. ¡°After all, I could handle someone like Alexander. Do you think I managed that by being dumb and innocent?¡± ¡°You b*tch!¡± Britney grabbed Courtney¡¯s hair right away and pped her across the face. ¡°You shameless b*tch! Alexander really should¡¯ve seen this side of yours so that he¡¯d realize how bad the woman he likes is.¡± The sounds of Britney cursing and beating Courtney reverberated around the room, and Courtney¡¯s agonized screams were clearly audible on the uninhabited desert ind. A short while after that, the sound of things being smashed could be heard from the master bedroom on the second floor. Soon, the door to the room where Courtney was was opened, and a man¡¯s timid voice was heard saying, ¡°Britney, Dragon¡¯s angry. He said he can¡¯t sleep with the noise outside, and he¡¯s looking for you.¡± Courtney only felt the grip on her hair ease before she fell to the ground because of gravity. Then, she heard Britney¡¯s voice reply overhead, ¡°I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± ¡°What about this woman, Britney?¡± ¡°Lock her back in the cabin. No one¡¯s allowed to talk to her. I¡¯ll deal with her when I¡¯m free.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Britney then hurried back to the master bedroom, where a beefy man was lying in bed with lingering traces of a hangover on his face. Upon hearing the noise, he frowned in displeasure without opening his eyes, asking, ¡°What were you doing? It took you a long time toe here.¡± ¡°Nothing, really.¡± Britney smiled apologetically at him. ¡°Are you having a hangover headache? Here, let me give you a massage.¡± ¡°Mm-hm.¡± The man rested his head on Britney¡¯sp and let her massage his scalp with deft fingers. As Britney was massaging the man¡¯s scalp, she recalled what Courtney had just said. Indeed, I can¡¯t let her sleep with Dragon. Who knows what that woman¡¯s capable of? After all, she¡¯s made those men fall head over heels for her one by one. Dragon¡¯s my only backer right now, so I can¡¯t let that woman bewitch him. There are tons of ways to deal with her, anyway, she thought. As she was thinking, she got distracted, and she identally hurt the man. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± The man suddenly opened his eyes and shot a nce at Britney in displeasure. ¡°What the hell¡¯s wrong with you?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Britney panicked at once, and her eyes instantly grew teary under her fine eyebrows, making her look fragile and pitiful. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dragon¡­¡± The man was so moved that he flipped over and threw himself on top of her before pawing her body as he pleased. ¡°You¡¯re thinking about it, aren¡¯t you, you little thing? How dare you seduce me like this instead of massaging me properly? You¡¯re not gonna be able to get out of bed tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re so naughty¡­¡± ¡­ Meanwhile, Courtney was brought by the underling back to the cabin where she had been. An indescribably foul odor filled the room, and the group of men who had been here before were gone. Standing in the center of the room, Courtney stared at the woman in bed, who looked as broken as a damaged puppet. Suddenly, her stomach turned. Whipping around, she supported herself by the corner of the table and barfed. Chapter 396 One Night Surprise Chapter 396 Chapter 396 We¡¯ll Start With Him, Then Courtney only felt sick to the stomach as she clutched the corner of the table for support, retching up nothing but stomach acids. Just then, she heard a strangled, intermittent cry from the bed behind her. When she looked back, she saw Poppy biting into her arm with all her might. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she showed no signs of rxing her bite even when her arm started bleeding. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Courtney hurried toward Poppy and grabbed her arm. ¡°Hurry up and stop biting your arm! You wanna die here?¡± If Poppy broke the main artery, no one would treat her in this wilderness. Only one thing awaited her then¡ªdeath. However, Poppy wasn¡¯t swayed by Courtney¡¯s words. She was still biting into her wrist as hard as possible, causing her wrist to bleed nonstop. In a moment of desperation, Courtney lowered her voice and chided, ¡°You¡¯ve done so many things for Britney, yet you try to kill yourself now that you¡¯ve gotten in her way. Keeping her interests in mind, eh?¡± Poppy¡¯s expression changed. Stunned, she stared nkly at Courtney and loosened her bite on her wrist. Courtney continued, ¡°There are many ways to die if you want to. Well, all your troubles will end when you die, but the living are gonna live on. If you think your death can bring any change to the living, I¡¯d say such a price is too heavy. And besides, someone like Britney will just have you disposed of in the mountains to feed the wolves if you¡¯re dead.¡± Poppy¡¯s face turned pale at her words. Trembling, she said, ¡°S-She¡¯s not human.¡± ¡°Indeed, she¡¯s not human. She¡¯s a madwoman.¡± Courtney took the opportunity to pull Poppy¡¯s wrist away from her mouth. Then, she ripped a strip from the bedsheet and quickly bandaged Poppy¡¯s wound with it to stop the bleeding. ¡°What kind of a person do you think that woman is? After all, she followed a bunch of drug dealers to such a desert ind instead of leading a better life. And besides, she¡¯s got someone¡¯s blood on her hands.¡± Poppy was taken aback. ¡°Blood? You mean she killed someone?¡± Seems like she doesn¡¯t know what happened to Louis. Putting Poppy¡¯s hand back in ce, Courtney exined with a straight face, ¡°Britney killed someone, which is why she¡¯s wanted by the police wherever she goes. She can only follow these people around because she¡¯s got no other choice. But you¡¯re different. You only have a petty criminal record. As long as you get out of here and go to a ce where nobody knows you, you can still start all over again. You¡¯re still young, after all.¡± Poppy seemed afraid to think of such a possibility, and she was still in a daze as she listened to Courtney. Courtney let her stay alone as she went over to the door. After knocking on the door, she shouted at Fatso, who was guarding them outside, and asked him for a tub of clean, tepid water and a towel. After bringing the water and towel in, she wiped Poppy¡¯s body clean, saying, ¡°Everything can start afresh after it¡¯s cleaned as long as you can ovee your problems.¡± ¡°But how can we ever get out of here?¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯ll be a way as long as we don¡¯t sit around doing nothing.¡± Courtney lowered her voice. ¡°It seems to me that we¡¯re not really under close watch here, and there aren¡¯t many people around. If we work together and tear down the window, we might have a chance to run away from here.¡± Poppy darted a look at the back window beside her, which had been sealed shut, before looking down at her bandaged wrist. Then, she shook her head, saying, ¡°It¡¯s not as easy as you think it is. If it really were that easy, I would¡¯ve run away from here long ago. The fat guy at the door¡¯s keeping an eye on everything.¡± From the corner of her eye, Courtney gazed at the figure outside through the mottled window. ¡°We¡¯ll start with him, then.¡± ¡­ Meanwhile, in the room of an inn in the riverside vige, Oliver was analyzing the current situation using the tracking device attached to theputer, marking about a dozen inds on the map where Courtney could¡¯ve been one by one. ¡°The range covered by the signal¡¯s too wide. There are 13 inds in total, and there¡¯s no way to determine which ind Courtney¡¯s been taken to. It¡¯d be too time- consuming to search the inds one by one.¡± ¡°What about we let the police handle this instead?¡± Cameron looked very worried. ¡°The police have plenty of manpower, so why don¡¯t we let them search all the 13 inds at the same time? Whichever ind Courtney¡¯s on, they probably won¡¯t alert the drug dealers as long as they reach all the inds at the same time.¡± Gale nodded in agreement. ¡°I think so, too.¡± ¡°No, we can¡¯t do that,¡± Alexander disagreed tly. ¡°The drug-trafficking ring must have its own counter- surveince equipment. With so many people setting out to the river all of a sudden, those drug dealers are gonna kill her and flee if anything wrong happens. It¡¯d be impossible for so many police officers to hide themselves well.¡± ¡°So? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gonna go search for Courtney alone?¡± Gale got anxious as well. ¡°Do you think you have superhuman powers? You¡¯re courting death for nothing!¡± ¡°There¡¯s another way.¡± Alexander exchanged a brief look with Oliver. Then, he said calmly, ¡°The drug- trafficking ring has suffered a lot since the crackdown on drugsst year, and they¡¯ve not done any business for a long time. As long as someone dares to buy drugs from them right now, there¡¯ll be a way to lure them out. As long as most of the people on the ind are lured away, what¡¯s left will be an empty shell, which is nothing to worry too much about.¡± ¡°You wanna get involved in drug trafficking?¡± Gale¡¯s eyes started in disbelief. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± What Alexander suggested was workable in theory. However, if there was any slip-up during the process, not only would Courtney be in danger, but Alexander, who took part in the operation, would lose his life as well. Despite being in operation for ten years, Dragon¡¯s drug-trafficking ring was never wiped out¡ªthe reason being, he was an extremely cautious man. When the situation was tense, he could lie low for a couple of years without showing his face so that no one could trace his whereabouts. When everyone believed that he might have fled abroad or quit the business, he would quietly stretch out his ws. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. In other words, Alexander had proposed a theoretical solution to a case that all the narcotics agents in the country had been unable to solve. The solution wasn¡¯t guaranteed to be safe, but it might have been done before. ¡°I think we can give it a try,¡± Oliver chimed in with deep furrows in his brow. ¡°I looked through the case files. Three years ago, Kyoto¡¯s Anti-Narcotics Squad tried infiltrating Dragon¡¯s drug-trafficking ring in such a way, but they saw through it, and three narcotics agents died as a result. But that was when Dragon was at the height of his power, and this time it¡¯s different. This time, they¡¯ve suffered heavy losses. If Dragon doesn¡¯te out and secure a deal or two, his underlings might not be willing to live on an empty stomach with him. And besides, our purpose this time isn¡¯t to gain Dragon¡¯s trust.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gale asked. Oliver¡¯s eyes were dark and fathomless. ¡°We start with his underlings. Even if he lies low, his underlings need money to eat. No one will be willing to work with him if he can¡¯t feed those underlings. If we ask around a little on the ck market, we¡¯ll find out someone¡¯s still doing these. It¡¯s just that everyone¡¯s still testing the waters because of what happened before.¡± ¡°What makes you so confident that they¡¯ll trust you?¡± ¡°Money.¡± Oliver shot a nce at Alexander. ¡°They won¡¯t trust anyone since they only believe in money. As long as there¡¯s money, the deal will definitely be made.¡± Gale¡¯s face was taut the whole time. However, seeing how determined both Alexander and Oliver looked, he knew there was no way he could talk them out of this. He asked with resignation, ¡°Well then, what are you guys gonna do?¡± Chapter 397 One Night Surprise Chapter 397 Chapter 397 If They Both Die Because of This Alexander and Oliver¡¯s n was to start with the ck market. They would look for the street dealers that had been selling K Powder recently and make a few transactions. Then, they would offer to buy a large amount of drugs. The street dealers were basically resellers, so they certainly wouldn¡¯t have such arge amount of drugs at hand. As such, they would introduce them to their drug dealer and get a commission. Gale was still worried, though. ¡°What makes you so certain that the one selling drugs to these street dealers has to be Dragon¡¯s underling?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no room for two kings in one castle,¡± Oliver exined. ¡°The drug dealing market in Melrose City was previously monopolized by Dragon¡¯s drug-trafficking ring, so the other drug dealers wouldn¡¯t dare toe. Moreover, after such a big case had happened, those from anywhere else would want to stay away from here as much as possible right now. The only ones left are those who aren¡¯t afraid of death, and they could only be Dragon¡¯s men.¡± However, Gale argued, ¡°It still seems too risky to me.¡± He still wanted to say something, but Cameron gave him a dirty look and snapped, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just shut up instead of being so overcautious? If Alexander hadn¡¯t blown up at Courtney, she wouldn¡¯t have traveled alone. If Oliver hadn¡¯t messed with the drug-trafficking ring, she wouldn¡¯t have been dragged into this either. No matter how you put it, it¡¯s because of you two¡ªthe Duncans¡ªthat Courtney¡¯s now in such big trouble! So what if it¡¯s risky? It won¡¯t seem enough to me even if they both die because of this!¡± My best friend Courtney is the kindest and strongest woman in the world, yet she has all the youthful days of her life ruined by the Duncans. And now, her life is in danger, her fate unknown. What else should we be thinking about other than how to save her? After being told off to his face by Cameron like that, Gale dared not say anything else; he merely looked at Alexander and Oliver with a look of embarrassment. ¡°I know I¡¯ve gotten Courtney into trouble,¡± Oliver admitted. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be in charge of this till the end of it, and I¡¯ll find a way to bring Courtney back safely.¡± ¡°How could you promise to bring her back when it¡¯s not known whether she¡¯s still alive?¡± Cameron glowered at Alexander with a scowl. ¡°Are you bringing her back to let you Duncans humiliate her again?¡± The atmosphere in the room instantly became tense, as if the air had frozen. After a long time, Alexander¡¯s dull voice sounded in the room, saying, ¡°As long as Courtneyes back safely this time, I¡¯ll agree to whatever request she makes. I¡¯m fine if she wants Jordan to go back to America with her or if she doesn¡¯t want to see me again for the rest of her life.¡± Cameron knitted her brows, but her anger showed no signs of abating. In the end, Oliver eased the situation, saying, ¡°Courtney¡¯s definitely safe right now. If these drug dealers had really wanted to kill her, they wouldn¡¯t have taken so much trouble to get her on a desert ind. Actually, this strikes me as strange. This is unlike Dragon.¡± Dragon had always been cautious, believing that it was better to be safe than sorry. So why would he abduct Courtney all of a sudden and leave behind a trail of signals along the way? Wouldn¡¯t he expose his whereaboutspletely by doing so? At first, Oliver thought this might have been a smokescreen. However, after doing some data analysis and radar tracking, he confirmed that the trail of signals indeed originated from one of the 13 inds in the middle of the river. Cameron wasn¡¯t an unreasonable person either. Since what mattered the most at the moment was to save Courtney, she didn¡¯t say anything else. However, she demanded, ¡°Have your men tell the police department to release Elijah.¡± Alexander¡¯s expression changed a little. Oliver argued, ¡°Cameron, it wasn¡¯t Alexander who got Elijah detained in the first ce. It was Elijah who¡ª¡± ¡°Cut that bullshit.¡± Cameron shot Oliver an angry look. ¡°Elijah barged into the Duncans¡¯ vi because Alexander¡¯s got a record. Since he¡¯d done it before, it¡¯d be safe to assume that he might do it again, right? If I were Elijah, I would also suspect right away that Courtney was being hidden in the Duncans¡¯ vi. You guys have the police detain Elijah on this excuse because you don¡¯t want him to get involved in this, am I right? Hurry up and release him.¡± Oliver still wanted to say something, but Alexander had taken out his cell phone and made a phone call. ¡°Tell the police department to stop detaining him.¡± Cameron¡¯s expression finally softened after Alexander hung up the phone. With that, Alexander and Oliver arranged for someone to carry out the next step. No ordinary people could get in touch with drug dealers, so Oliver told his ssmates who had joined the previous anti-narcotics operation about what had happened. Luckily, almost all of them agreed to help. After all, they had offended Dragon after what had happened before, so they couldn¡¯t really just obey their higher-ups¡¯ instructions and sit around doing nothing. Finally, Oliver said, ¡°We¡¯ve gotten in touch with a dealer. Our guy will be meeting him tomorrow at Club Supernova¡¯s back door. This time, we¡¯ll start with ten servings. The one who¡¯ll be meeting our guy is a guy who looks as skinny as a monkey.¡± And thus began the operation. ¡­ From Poppy¡¯s intermittent narration, Courtney put together a rough picture of the situation on the whole ind. On the ind were Dragon¡¯s most trusted men, and there were over 20 of them. Every day, eight men would patrol the ind in four directions in pairs to prevent outsiders from reaching the ind. They were reced by eight other people at night, and this was repeated every day. However, some of them had been staying on the ind all the time. One of them was Fatso, who had been doing woodwork in the yard; the second was Lil¡¯ Mackaque, who did nothing but suck up to other people all day long, whereas the third was Buffy, a stern, unsmiling man who was responsible for carrying out secret missions for Dragon. The other two were Britney and Dragon himself. It had been three days since Courtney was brought to the ind. Some men hade in one after another during this period of time, but Poppy dealt with them instead and had Courtney hide in the corner and keep quiet. ording to her, since she was already in such a state anyway, she might as well ept Courtney¡¯s favor so that it would be easier for her to start all over again when they got out of the ind in the future. Courtney hadn¡¯t seen Britney again since her first night on the ind. Puzzled, she asked, ¡°Does your cousin rarelye out?¡± ¡°She¡¯s no longer my cousin.¡± Poppy¡¯s face was frosty. ¡°I feel sick to the core whenever I think of that b*tch.¡± After cursing Britney for a while, she seemed to feel somewhat morefortable. She exined with a grave expression, ¡°Dragon isn¡¯t easy to please. I¡¯ve heard from those men that he¡¯s got a weird habit. If he¡¯s taken drugs before sleeping with Britney, he¡¯ll hurt her badly when the drugs go to his head. Judging from the sound in his room on the night you came, she probably won¡¯t be coming out for a long time.¡± Courtney¡¯s heart shuddered at Poppy¡¯s words, and she almost trembled in an instant. Luckily, I was clever enough that day. If I had really let Britney bring me to Dragon, I would¡¯ve been dead by now, she thought. Poppy darted a nce at her before changing the subject. ¡°What you said before¡­ Is it all true?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the others, but Fatso¡¯s definitely not an ordinary man. Since he¡¯s the one Dragon trusts the most, it¡¯d be best to start with him.¡± ¡°But how did you figure out that he has a kid?¡± ¡°Just take a look at what he does outside every day.¡± Courtney lifted a corner of the old newspaper covering the window. As light spilled into the room, one could see what was going on in the yard through the mottled window. Fatso was sitting on a wooden stool while ning a piece of wood with the ne in his hand. ced at his feet was a small chair that was almostpleted and a wooden basin that had a carved wooden duckling in it. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Keeping her voice down, Courtney said, ¡°Who else do you think these things are for if not for a kid?¡± Chapter 398 One Night Surprise Chapter 398 Chapter 398 Just Wait and See Poppy nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Now that you mention it, these things do seem to be for a child. You know what? Fatso often leaves the ind. Dragon doesn¡¯t let anyone leave the ind, but those under him would secretly take some of the drugs in stock out of the ind to sell them. It¡¯s Fatso who takes them out of the ind and brings them back every single time. Whenever he came back, the bag he carried on his back would bulge.¡± ¡°The bag was filled with stuff he bought for the kid, I suppose.¡± ¡°But why doesn¡¯t he keep his child here if he has one?¡± ¡°Perhaps he can¡¯t do so.¡± Courtney darted a nce at the second floor of the log cabin outside. ¡°Since the kid¡¯s on the ind, I guess Fatso¡¯ste wife used to be on the ind too.¡± The crux of the matter is how she died. Dragon trusts Buffy, the unsmiling, stony-faced guy, more than he trusts anyone else, but he seems to have a soft spot for Fatso, who look like a dumb fatty whose only merit is his strength. He can¡¯t possibly be unaware for such a long time that Fatso has left the ind without his permission, but he turns a blind eye to it. There must be a reason behind this, thought Courtney. When Fatso brought her out of the small boat that day, she was tied up in the gunnysack and was barely conscious. However, she noticed that something was wrong with Fatso when Lil¡¯ Mackaque mentioned his wife. ¡°In any case, it¡¯s absolutely right to start with Fatso first.¡± Courtney produced two gachapon capsules that were painted in bright colors from the pocket of her down coat. ¡°Find an opportunity to give these to him.¡± These capsules were originally bought for Tina. She liked this kind of thing the most, for one would never know what was in the capsule until they opened it. Every kid loved gacha capsules¡ªjust as everydy loved cosmetics. Poppy took the capsules and studied them for a while with a curious expression. It seemed that she had never seen these before. ¡°You townspeople really have had a lot of things to y with since childhood. Mountain people like us would never get to see these things in our lives unless we were shameless enough to leave our parents behind in the mountains.¡± Courtney had mixed feelings when she heard Poppy¡¯s words. Poppy had impersonated Belle and pretended to be Jordan¡¯s mother, and she even seduced Alexander on purpose and set Courtney up afterward. Even so, Courtney couldn¡¯t bring herself to hate her. In reality, Poppy was only in her twenties, and she came to stay with Britney without knowing anything. However, she didn¡¯t expect her life would be a living hell that she had a hard time escaping. Courtney promised, ¡°Once we get out of here, I¡¯ll definitely find a way to send you to a ce where no one knows you. Once you¡¯re there, live your life to the fullest and see everything you¡¯ve never seen in the past, okay?¡± ¡°If only there¡¯s such an opportunity.¡± Poppy sounded somewhat depressed while holding the two capsules. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what has happened before, Courtney,¡± she said. Then, without waiting for Courtney¡¯s response, she turned around, wiped her tears away, and took a deep breath. Then, she shouted at the figure outside the window, ¡°I¡¯m hungry, Fatso. Is there anything to eat?¡± Courtney was saddened by the sight of this, but she knew she couldn¡¯t be of much help at this moment, so she quietly stepped aside. Fatso soon took two buns and handed them in through the window. ¡°Thank you, Fatso. Can you get me a ss of warm water as well?¡± Poppy¡¯s voice was very sweet, and it gave a natural feeling of innocence. She was even able to deceive Alexander back then, let alone Fatso, who had spent so many years on a desert ind. Fatso soon poured Poppy a mug of drinking water and handed it in through the window as before. Just then, Poppy took his hand. ¡°Wait a minute, Fatso.¡± Fatso, who was kind and affable at first, suddenly turned hostile. Pulling his hand out of Poppy¡¯s grasp at once, he asked with a note of disgust and annoyance in his voice, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Poppy turned pale with fright; she tremblingly held out her other hand, revealing the two capsules in it. ¡°P-Please don¡¯t get the wrong idea, Fatso. I-I just wanted to give you these¡­¡± Courtney was sitting in a corner of the cabin, and as it happened, she could see Fatso¡¯s expression outside the window from her angle. The instant Poppy showed the capsules in her hand, a visible hint of surprise and regret shed across Fatso¡¯s face. ¡°Bring¡­ Bring these to your kid.¡± Fatso frowned. ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°I saw what you made in the yard. They¡¯re for the kid, aren¡¯t they?¡± Poppy put out her hand stubbornly. She felt somewhat ill at ease, but she didn¡¯t put her hand down. After a long time, a word sounded through the window. ¡°Thanks.¡± Upon hearing this, Courtney let out a sigh of relief, knowing that they had finally made a move on Fatso¡¯s side. After Fatso left, Poppy came to Courtney with the two buns and drinking water. After giving Courtney a bun, she asked, ¡°Courtney, is this really going to work? Do you still have any capsules?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any capsules left.¡± ¡°What?¡± Poppy eximed. Then, she seemed to realize it was inappropriate for her to do so, so she covered her mouth with her bun and asked in a whisper, ¡°Then what else are we gonna use in the future? Where are we supposed to get another capsule if hees and asks us for another one? How are we going to speak with him if we don¡¯t have one?¡± Courtney was very calm, though. ¡°Just wait and see.¡± The two capsules were only a test on whether Fatso really had a child. If he really did, the child would¡¯ve been raised in the depths of the jungle since little. It would be difficult enough for Fatso to feed and clothe the child, so things like toys had to be rare. Also, the child¡¯s rtionship with Fatso was probably strained. However, toys could bring the father and child closer together, so Fatso woulde to Poppy again¡ªnot necessarily for the capsule, but definitely for the child¡¯s sake. When the sun was about to set, Fatso came back from the outside, and he looked visibly happier than usual. He delivered the meals today through the window, but instead of leaving quickly as usual, he stood at the window today. Poppy¡¯s voice was low, and she sounded somewhat apologetic. ¡°I have nothing to give you this time, Fatso. The two capsules were the only ones I brought to the ind with me.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Fatso felt even more apologetic upon hearing her words. ¡°No, I¡¯m not asking you for anything. I, uh¡­ I wanted to ask you where you bought the stuff that you gave me in the morning. Did you buy them in the city?¡± Poppy was startled for a moment. ¡°You mean the capsules? I bought them in the city. They¡¯re sold in shopping centers.¡± When Fatso heard this, his eyes dimmed somewhat, and he fell silent. Just then, Poppy added, ¡°There are more of them in the video arcade. Some shops sell them too.¡± Fatso¡¯s expression eased a little, but he still had an absent look on his face. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± he replied, before walking away. Poppy stared at Fatso¡¯s figure, puzzled. Then, she looked back and asked Courtney, ¡°I did everything as you said, so what¡¯s with his response? Is he going to leave the ind?¡± Courtney took a stick and drew a timeline on the ground. ¡°Nope, not so soon. You said that he had left the ind twice this month, which is frequent enough. If he leaves the ind again, Dragon will get suspicious, so I suppose he won¡¯t be leaving the ind for a while.¡± If one really can¡¯t find a way to appease a child that has been at odds with them, the only way is to go to someone who has solved such problems before, she thought. ¡°If he can¡¯t leave the ind, he¡¯lle to you again.¡± ¡°If that happens, what should I do?¡± Courtney drew two little figures holding hands on the ground. After finishing thest stroke, she looked up and replied, ¡°Ask him to take you to see the child.¡± Chapter 399 One Night Surprise Chapter 399 Chapter 399 Your Money or Your Life The desert ind where Courtney and the others were was neither big nor small, but it had a dense jungle. The artificially reimed spot where they were was located in the center of the ind, and it was in the deepest part of the dense jungle. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the jungle without knowing the special markings on the ind. Over the past few days, Poppy had been trying to make conversation with Fatso, whereas Courtney had been studying every possible way to leave the ind in a corner. She didn¡¯t know how to swim, so she would have no choice but to leave the ind by boat if she were to depend on herself. ¡°Thank you, Fatso.¡± Poppy took the dinner at the window and walked toward Courtney with it. Seeing that she had drawn some strange shapes on the ground with a stick, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What are these?¡± ¡°A map,¡± Courtney replied in a whisper before pointing the stick at the center of the map. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be here. We came ashore from the east side of the ind, which is here. There are people patrolling the four directions every day, but those patrolling the west part of the ind are thest to come back, so the west side of the ind is probably the farthest from here. In other words, Fatso¡¯s kid is likely in the west part of the ind.¡± ¡°How did you arrive at this conclusion?¡± Poppy looked perplexed. ¡°You came here in a worse state than me. You were tied up in a gunnysack. And besides, weren¡¯t you unconscious at the time?¡± Courtney replied, ¡°I wasn¡¯t fully unconscious. There was still a bit of consciousness left in me back then. I suppose my conjecture is more or less right, based on what you¡¯ve told me and how those on patrol changed shifts every day.¡± ¡°You¡¯re incredible!¡± Poppy looked at her with admiration before plonking herself down on the bed. Munching the dry bun, she slurred, ¡°But Courtney, Fatso never mentioned his child to me again, nor did he ask me about the capsules. Say, what if he really wants to go to the city himself?¡± Courtney¡¯s face lit up. ¡°That¡¯d be even better. The more often they go out, the higher the possibility the police will find them, and the higher the possibility we¡¯ll be rescued.¡± Whatever the oue would be, it would be better than them resigning themselves to death. Just then, there was a sudden noise outside. They heard the sounds of those on patroling back and handing over to the next shift. Poppy seemed to choke on the bun, and her face turned pale somewhat. Courtney¡¯s face tightened as well. After ncing at Poppy subconsciously, she silently poured her a cup of water. Soon, the door to the cabin opened. Two burly men of medium height came in while pushing and shoving each other. As soon as they entered, they saw Courtney pouring tea, and their eyes were instantly aze. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Poppy¡¯s voice, which suddenly went up a few octaves, sounded unusually shrill and resonant in the cabin. She plonked the porcin bowl in her hand on the shabby cab next to the bed with a loud thud. ¡°Ho ho, you¡¯re upset because I just took a nce at anotherdy, huh?¡± ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t care who you wanna look at.¡± Poppy pulled her cor while feigning a pettish look. ¡°But if you take a shine to someone else, then get her out of my ce. Don¡¯t enter my room and get in my bed.¡± Upon hearing Poppy¡¯s words, the two men nced at Courtney simultaneously with a look of disgust. Then, they went up to Poppy with a cheeky grin. ¡°Do you think we¡¯re blind? Why would we cast a darling like you aside and sleep with that ugly monster instead?¡± Courtney sighed with relief inwardly when she heard the men call her ¡®ugly monster.¡¯ Seems like the effort of smudging dirt on my face over thest few days has paid off, she thought. Ever since she arrived on the ind, she had been refraining from taking a shower, and her body stank. As a result, these men wouldn¡¯t touch her even if she didn¡¯t dodge them. Seeing that both men hade up to her, Poppy darted an angry look at them and said shortly, ¡°Did you forget what I said yesterday?¡± The two men exchanged a brief look. Then, the slightly thinner man nodded vigorously with a lecherous expression, ¡°Of course I remember what you said yesterday. Take turns, right?¡± Ever since Poppy agreed to Courtney¡¯s escape n, she had slowly won the initiative over those men, who woulde to her after returning from their shifts. These men were just seeking pleasure, and they all wanted to have a good time. If she didn¡¯t y along with them, they would feel like they were sleeping with a human-sized doll; only when she yed along with them could they take pleasure. Therefore, as these men started to get greedy after sleeping with Poppy again and again, they let Poppy set the rules so that only one person was allowed to sleep with her at a time. Courtney felt revolted when Poppy first told her about it, but Poppy really seemed to think nothing of it. ¡°I¡¯ve worked as a nightclub hostess before, so I¡¯ve had it figured out. It¡¯s just a matter of money. In the nightclub, the guests would pay me money to sleep with me, whereas I¡¯m gonna pay the man here with my life,¡± she said in a casual manner, but what she said was heart-wrenching. Courtney couldn¡¯t say anything under the present circumstances. After all, there was no better way to keep these people under control. Just then, the other man argued, ¡°Hey, Jonny, it was your turn yesterday, so it¡¯s got to be my turn today, right?¡± The man called Jonny frowned in displeasure. ¡°Why are you being so fussy? What¡¯s wrong with having a threesome? Weren¡¯t you okay with sleeping with five or six of us at once in the past?¡± Jonny¡¯s words annoyed Poppy at once. Shey down in bed right away, saying, ¡°Alright then,e on, I have no problem sleeping with both of you at once.¡± ¡°Hey, I have a problem with it! We agreed to take turns, remember?¡± the other man protested assertively while shooting a re at Jonny. ¡°Stick to your principles, will you? A man has to keep his word. Even if you take this issue to Dragon, I¡¯m gonna be in the right.¡± Courtney retreated into the corner while cursing the two shameless men countless times inwardly. How could these two lecherous perverts have the cheek to talk about principles? Really, people turn into beasts once they are no longer part of society, she thought. Naturally, as a result of the negotiation, only the person who should be staying was made to stay, whereas Courtney and the man called Jonny were driven out of the cabin. Having asked for a snub, Jonny left while swearing like a trooper, whereas Courtney crouched at the door as usual. She didn¡¯t dare to wander about because Fatso had been doing woodwork in the yard. He seemed totally absorbed in what he was doing, but he was actually catching her every move with his eyes. Just as things were getting steamy inside the room, the gate to the yard was pushed open from the outside with a squeak¡ªLil¡¯ Mackaque came back. As soon as he entered, he circled around Fatso, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve got something to discuss with you, Fatso.¡± Fatso darted a look at him. ¡°Forget it if you¡¯re gonna talk about leaving the ind. We¡¯ve left the ind many times this month. If we leave the ind again, we¡¯ll be in trouble.¡± ¡°Oh, what do you think could happen?¡± Lil¡¯ Mackaque lowered his voice. ¡°I¡¯m just going out for a walk since it¡¯s so frustrating to stay on the ind. I¡¯m not gonna do anything, so who¡¯s gonna find out? And besides, don¡¯t you have to buy stuff for Dawn?¡± The yard was small, so Courtney heard the name ¡®Dawn¡¯ very clearly. At the same time, though, Fatso red daggers at Lil¡¯ Mackaque, his face sullen. ¡°I¡­¡± Lil¡¯ Mackaque frowned when he saw Courtney outside the cabin. Then, he lowered his voice even further, saying, ¡°Well, you can¡¯t keep hiding her here. Are you gonna let her live her entire life on the ind? You¡¯ve got to let her out one day. Dragon will certainly give you somepensation for the sake of yourte wife¡ª¡± The saw in Fatso¡¯s hand dropped to the floor with a loud nk! Fatso was usually even-tempered, but his face was livid with anger at this moment. He stared at Lil¡¯ Mackaque chillingly, looking as ck as thunder. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Courtney¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Then, it clenched. Chapter 400 One Night Surprise Chapter 400 Chapter 400 I Don¡¯t Want to Live Like This Anymore ¡°Fatso¡­¡± Lil¡¯ Mackaque¡¯s face turned pale with fright. Knowing that he had put his foot in his mouth, he said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± Fatso had always been gentle and good-natured. At this moment, however, he seemed to be pissed off. Giving off a chilling aura through every pore, he stared icily at Lil¡¯ Mackaque before him, as if he wanted to eat him alive. As Courtney mulled over what Lil¡¯ Mackaque had said just now, she sensed that something was amiss. The words te wife¡¯ must be referring to Fatso¡¯s deceased wife, but what does Fatso¡¯s deceased wife have to do with Dragon? Why would Dragon give Fatso somepensation for the sake of a woman who had passed away? While she was thinking about it, Lil¡¯ Mackaque had hurriedly made up for his slip of the tongue just now and apologized to Fatso in a humble manner. Still, after beating around the bush, he persuaded Fatso to leave the ind with him. ¡°Just take your time and think about whether I¡¯m right or not for Dawn¡¯s sake, if not for others. The ind¡¯s full of guys like us. You can¡¯t let a youngdy spend her entire life with us, can you?¡± Fatso picked up the saw on the ground, but he sawed the block of wood much slower than usual. He was mulling over what Lil¡¯ Mackaque said. However, he didn¡¯t give Lil¡¯ Mackaque a definite reply even after the affair in the cabin ended. Courtney didn¡¯t dare to stay any longer for fear of drawing their attention, so she went back into the cabin. The air in the room was heavy with an icky smell, which smelled somewhat pungent due to theck of venttion. Poppy was putting on her clothes in bed. Her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes looked numb. ¡°I¡¯ll get you some water.¡± Unable to bear the sight of the scene, Courtney poured some water for Poppy from the thermos in the cabin. Just then, she heard Poppy¡¯s voice say from behind, ¡°He said he¡¯s going to ask Dragon for a favor and make me his own in the future.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression froze at her words. ¡°Did you agree to it?¡± Poppy bit her lips, her voice quavering slightly as she replied with sobs, ¡°I can¡¯t help feeling that the solution you told me is not much different from sitting around and doing nothing. I don¡¯t want to live like this anymore.¡± Courtney turned to look at Poppy. This was the first time she saw Poppy shedding tears in such a long time. Poppy continued, ¡°He said he won¡¯t let anyone else bully me anymore and that he¡¯ll be kind to me. He said we have to stay on the ind for the time being, but after all this is over, he¡¯ll find a way to take me outside and help me settle down.¡± ¡°So you believed him?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± Poppy clenched her teeth; her voice was so choked with sobs that one could hardly make out what she was saying. ¡°But I want to try this. Fatso¡¯s a nice guy, which is why it¡¯s difficult to get close to him. I have no confidence in your solution, so I want to try my own.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better think again.¡± Courtney was somewhat anxious. ¡°You have to think this through. If you be that guy¡¯s woman, you¡¯re only gonna feel good for now. Perhaps there¡¯ll be an abyss of suffering waiting for you in the future.¡± However, Poppy kept her head lowered as if she had done weighing the pros and cons. Courtney pondered for a moment. ¡°How about this? Let¡¯s wait for two more days. Think about it again only if Fatso doesn¡¯te to you in the next two days, okay?¡± Only then did Poppy nod reluctantly. Courtney felt uncertain, though. Judging from Lil¡¯ Mackaque¡¯s conversation with Fatso just now, she couldn¡¯t determine whether Fatso would end up leaving the ind with Lil¡¯ Mackaque. She had no choice but to leave everything to fate now. ¡­ ¡°That¡¯s the guy.¡± Oliver pointed at a frame on the surveince monitor, which had been erged ten times to reveal a thin, angr face. ¡°This guy¡¯s been selling K Powder on the ck markettely. He doesn¡¯t sell much each time, but he always has the goods. We ordered 10 servings from him this time, and he¡¯s going to deliver them tonight.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s he from?¡± Gale¡¯s face was taut. ¡°Have you checked his background?¡± ¡°Yes, I have.¡± Oliver exchanged a brief look with Alexander. Then, suppressing the joy in his eyes, he continued with a straight face, ¡°This guy¡¯s got a criminal record. He¡¯s been jailed several times for theft, but he never mends his ways. He came to Melrose City three years ago and had been staying in the city since then. Most importantly, we found out that he¡¯s one of the drug dealers that slipped through the during James¡¯ casest time.¡± Gale¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You mean this guy¡¯s Dragon¡¯s underling?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Oliver nodded. ¡°Once he shows up tonight, Tess will follow him all the way. As long as we confirm his future schedule, we¡¯ll be able to find out if he¡¯s still staying with Dragon.¡± Gale nodded upon hearing his words. On the other hand, Alexander never said a word in the room. He had pined away almost visibly these days, and his chin was stubbly because he hadn¡¯t shaved his beard. He hadn¡¯t gotten a wink of sleep for a few days just to look for a drug dealer on the ck market. ¡°We¡¯ll get busy after tonight, so why don¡¯t you get some sleep first?¡± Gale looked back and advised him. ¡°Don¡¯t wear yourself out.¡± Alexander looked impassive. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Besides, we still don¡¯t know how Courtney¡¯s doing right now.¡± Gale frowned. ¡°Courtney¡¯s a lucky person, so I¡¯d say nothing bad¡¯s gonna happen to her. Besides, we¡¯re already looking for ways to rescue her. You have to take care of your health, you know? Your kids are still waiting for you at home.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have tofort me. I don¡¯t need it right now.¡± Alexander took a deep breath. ¡°Right now, I just want to find a way to bring Courtney back. Everything else doesn¡¯t matter since I can¡¯t care less about them.¡± Since Alexander had said so, Gale could only button his lip. Night fell, and the liveliest and noisiest food street in Melrose City at night was chosen to be the meeting ce. Tessa, who was wearing a micro earpiece to keep in touch with Oliver anytime, was sitting at a stall selling stir-fried noodles, posing as an undergraduate student eating dinner. The young man dressed like a blonde-haired rascal across from her was the informant who would be meeting up with the drug dealer this time. ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± the man said in a whisper. Then, he answered the phone, asking, ¡°I¡¯m here. Where are you?¡± The young man¡¯s phone had been tapped the whole time. After the dealer gave him his location, Oliver switched the surveince footage to that of an alley around the corner of the food street. However, the alley was a surveince blind spot; it was so pitch-dark that one couldn¡¯t see anything in it. The dealer¡¯s very familiar with the streets around here. Seems like he¡¯s made a lot of such transactions before, thought Oliver. ¡°Go there first.¡± Oliver¡¯s voice sounded from the young man¡¯s earpiece. ¡°Just do as you were told earlier.¡± The young man didn¡¯t answer him. Still talking on the phone, he left the stall and headed for the dark alley. ¡°Lil¡¯ Mackaque.¡± ¡°Freddy Pennington.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Here¡¯s the 10 servings you asked for. Cash on delivery, please.¡± ¡°The quality¡¯s pretty good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s of course,¡± Lil¡¯ Mackaque replied with a nod while counting the banknotes. ¡°There¡¯s no way you¡¯ll find a seller that sells anything better than this in the whole of Melrose City¡ªno, in the entire southern part of the country, I¡¯d say. We¡¯ve got a specialized research and development team that develops this by established procedures.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know it¡¯d be so good, Lil¡¯ Mackaque. Actually, I¡¯ve heard from someone else before that you sell good stuff. Now that I¡¯ve seen this, I think you deserve the reputation, so I think I¡¯m gonna order from you again next time.¡± ¡°Sure! No problem.¡± Lil¡¯ Mackaque waved the banknotes in his hand. ¡°You can order however much you like as long as this is in ce.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to order more of this next time.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°100 servings.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lil¡¯ Mackaque was stunned. Chapter 401 One Night Surprise Chapter 401 Chapter 401 Don¡¯t Worry About the Money ¡°If one person costs that much, then 100 people would be¡­¡± After calcting the cost, Lil¡¯ Mackaque stared at the blond-haired rascal in disbelief. ¡°Are you kidding me? Do you know how much that portion is going to cost you?¡± ¡°Of course I know.¡± The blond-haired man chuckled rowdily. ¡°Bro, I know what you¡¯re thinking. Do I look like someone who can¡¯t pay up?¡± ¡°Yeah, you do.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t for me; it¡¯s for my boss.¡± The rascal raised an eyebrow, looking all smug. ¡°My boss is a sessful businessman in Melrose. He has many friends who are into this, so he had mee out here to get some for him. He even said to stock up on it if the quality¡¯s good.¡± Lil¡¯ Mackaque stared at him with a look of suspicion. ¡°What exactly is your boss¡¯ line of business?¡± ¡°He owns nightclubs.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that many nightclub owners have been arrested recently precisely because of this? The situation is tense these days.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. But my boss isn¡¯t going to sell them; he¡¯s just giving them out. Those arrests were mostly because they¡¯d involved too many people. We¡¯re going to settle it privately, so there¡¯ll be no problems at all.¡± His words sounded quite convincing to Lil¡¯ Mackaque, and thetter almost had the urge to agree. ¡°Let me go back and think about this. You¡¯re asking for too huge of an amount, so it won¡¯t be easy to bring them out here.¡± ¡°Alright, fine. You can contact me anytime.¡± ¡°I probably won¡¯t in the next two days. Let me mull it over.¡± Then, he turned and left toward the other end of the dark alleyway with his bag under his arm. The blond-haired man stood in front of the alleyway, and thezy and unruly look in his eyes slowly returned to a normal one. Tessa¡¯s voice filled his ear as it rang from his hidden earbud. ¡°You can call it a day. I¡¯ll follow up from now on.¡± Tessa followed behind Lil¡¯ Mackaque up until he arrived at the entrance of the subway station. With her own eyes, she saw him pick the pockets of a few passersby in the crowd before he happily took a card out of one of the wallets. Then, he swiftly entered the subway. As the train approached the final station, there weren¡¯t many passengers left. Tessa and Lil¡¯ Mackaque were apartment away from each other when she followed him out of the train. Seeing that he was leaving the subway station from Exit 2, she quickly went the other way and exited through Exit 4 on the opposite street. She could see Lil¡¯ Mackaque heading toward a real estate agency from afar. How could a drug dealer have the guts to buy a house in Melrose City? Tessa thought to herself with a frown. When she looked closer, though, she realized that the man hadn¡¯t gone inside. He was simply smoking a cigarette outside. After some time, a stout guy came outside with a brochure from the propertypany in his hand. ¡°How did it go? Did you find anything you like?¡± Lil¡¯ Mackaque asked, smoke escaping his mouth as he spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the money. If you need more, we¡¯ll help you out for sure.¡± Fatso seemed indifferent. He casually put away the brochure before he replied, ¡°I took a liking to one of them. I already made my down payment.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lil¡¯ Mackaque almost snapped the cigarette into two as he stumbled at the sound of that. ¡°Fatso, you do know you¡¯re buying a house, not groceries, right? How can you decide on one just like that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have much time to look around anymore. This house is great, so I¡¯ve handed in my down payment and I¡¯m waiting for it to beunched now. They said that they¡¯ll definitely help me seal the deal, so I¡¯ll juste over to pay the bnce when the timees.¡± ¡°That means you still have toe out here, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, then¡­¡± Lil¡¯ Mackaque sighed in relief. ¡°Remember to take me along, alright? I¡¯ll give you a bonus. Whatever it is, I can¡¯t have Dawn¡¯s housecking a few pieces of good furniture, can I?¡± ¡°The house is up for sale in three months. Dragon will probably being out by then, so you don¡¯t have to tag along.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lil¡¯ Mackaque¡¯s expression took a drastic change yet again. ¡°Three months?¡± How can I afford to wait for three months to secure the business? If I have to wait, the business will belong to Dragon for sure. Once he bes head, the money will have to be split among the 20 or so people under him. How am I supposed to earn a profit when I only get a measly share? By the time he came to, Fatso had already walked quite a distance. Lil¡¯ Mackaque quickly caught up to Fatso and begged him to bring the former along the next time he had toe outside. After a three-hour drive all the way to the outskirts of Melrose City, a Santana came to a stop in an old fishing vige. Fatso and Lil¡¯ Mackaque got down from the car and carefully threaded through the abandoned vige that was overgrown with weed. They pulled out a small boat that was tied to the dock. Tessa silently recorded everything she was seeing and sent the footage to the monitoring room. ¡°The car te is fake.¡± Back in the Duncans¡¯ vi, Gale had just looked into the car te of the Santana in the study. ¡°They probably change a car te every time they head out to avoid being captured. Judging from the fishing boat¡¯s route to Riverark Ind, though, those are Dragon¡¯sckeys for sure.¡± ¡°The next time they¡¯re nning to meet up with us, we¡¯ll arrange our people to follow them to the ind.¡± ¡­ By the time Fatso and Lil¡¯ Mackaque came back, it was already well into the wee hours of the night. Neither Poppy nor Courtney were sleeping soundly. Poppy was especially sensitive; she rolled over and ran to take a peek out the window the moment she heard noises outside. Courtney sat up as well. When she saw theplicated expression on Poppy¡¯s face, she knew her n had failed. ¡°He¡¯s holding some grocery bags and a few gachapon capsules. They must¡¯ve been to the city, so I bet he won¡¯te to me anymore.¡± Poppy spoke in a whisper, but it was loud enough to fill the small and cramped room. ¡°Yeah,¡± Courtney said. ¡°But nothing¡¯s impossible. Let¡¯s not give up.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait anymore.¡± Poppy took a deep breath and turned to Courtney in all seriousness. ¡°You can stick with your n, and I¡¯ll stick with mine. I want to leave this ind, but the longer I¡¯m tortured by those people, the more I feel like ending my life together with Britney¡¯s. I have to do this before I leave, or I¡¯d rather not leave at all.¡± It was easy to be blinded by hatred. Poppy hated Britney, up to the point where it had exceeded her desire to live. Since Poppy already put it that way, Courtney knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to persuade the woman otherwise. Thus, she didn¡¯t say anything more. The next day, Reggie, the man who proposed to start a new life with Poppy, told Dragon about that. Then, he came and brought Poppy out of the cabin. Aside from Buffy, Fatso, and the other three that never left the ind, everyone else had a home elsewhere. So, since Poppy was leaving, she would no longer be staying with the few of them. Indeed, that would save her from a lot of harassment. The cramped room suddenly became a lot more spacious. Courtney got lost in her thoughts by the bed as she let out a sigh. Since Poppy wasn¡¯t willing to cooperate, she could only think of another way. ncing at the window behind her, she made sure that no one was keeping an eye on her before she carefully loosened a nail on top of it and plucked it out with ease. She grabbed the wooden nk that was binding the window shut and slowly tore it off. Then, she used the nail to pry the other nk loose¡­ While she was busy at work, the door creaked open behind her. Courtney tensed up immediately. She hastily pushed the nails and nks off her bed and swept it underneath before turning back in a hurry. A skinny figure came in, the bright sunlight masking his identity as it cast an ovey from behind. As he approached her, his face became clearer, and Courtney could make out the creepy expression he was wearing. ¡°Hey, girlie. There¡¯s no one else here now, eh? You¡¯re all alone now.¡± Courtney¡¯s face stiffened. ¡°Why did youe in? Get out.¡± ¡°Tsk tsk¡­¡± Lil¡¯ Mackaque studied her from head to toe, his tone suggestive and dirty. ¡°Since you¡¯ve disguised your beautiful face like that, those dumb fes couldn¡¯t tell that you¡¯re actually a hottie. They truly are blind, aren¡¯t they? Anyway, none of them are here today, so don¡¯t mind if I have some fun with you alone!¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 402 One Night Surprise Chapter 402 Chapter 402 Couldn¡¯t Care Less Fear was written all over Courtney¡¯s face and she couldn¡¯t help but shriek. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me¡­¡± she whimpered. She had been putting on this hideous disguise ever since she was brought here, so the hooligans who were patrolling the ce had never seen how she looked when she was clean. They ignored her presence since she looked messy and unkempt all the time. They simply assumed that Britney had found an ugly maid to keep her younger cousin, Poppy,pany. However, Lil¡¯ Mackaque and Fatso knew what was up. They were the ones who had brought Courtney to the ind, so they¡¯d naturally seen her real face before. Previously, there were many people around, so he wasn¡¯t able to get his hands on her. He was afraid that he¡¯d get himself some unwantedpetition, but today, the moment he had been waiting for was finally here¡ªthere was nobody else around on the ind. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to pay me back for looking after you all this time?¡± The man pounced on her without warning. Ovee with panic, Courtney grabbed the wooden nk from under the bed and smashed it against his head. A loud scream filled the room, and Lil¡¯ Mackaque copsed to the ground as he clutched his bleeding head. He cried in disbelief, ¡°How dare you hit me, you b*tch?¡± Courtney mercilessly whacked his head for another ten more times or so. When she saw that he had gone limp and unresponsive, she began to panic. It was then that the door suddenly opened. She didn¡¯t have much time to think before she stumbled toward the outside of the house. She was just a step out of the house when she crashed into someone. Her body bounced back from the impact and she fell to the ground at once. ¡°Who is it?¡± An angry and threatening voice came from above her head. ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡± Courtney was trembling all over. The moment she looked up, a tall and burly figure came into view; it was as if there was a mountain in front of her. The man had a beard and he looked ferocious and intimidating. He even had an eyepatch over an eye. Her face gradually paled. This was the first time she was seeing Dragon up close ever since she was kidnapped here. ¡°How did you end up on this ind? Who brought you here?¡± Dragon clutched her shoulder tight, his expression ghastly. What? He doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m here? In her haste, Courtney quickly brought herself up to speed before she said, her voice quivering, ¡°It was you guys who¡¯d kidnapped me here. I¡¯ve been here for almost two weeks. I don¡¯t know how I came.¡± ¡°Did you say it was us?¡± Dragon¡¯s expression darkened at once. ¡°Who brought you here?¡± Courtney pointed a trembling finger at Lil¡¯ Mackaque who was lying on the floor inside. ¡°It was him and a fat guy.¡± Dragon seemed to be thinking about something with his forehead furrowed. He suddenly flung Courtney away and bellowed, ¡°You dumbf*cks!¡± Five minutester, Courtney pretended to shiver in fear as she cowered by the corner of the house. Lil¡¯ Mackaque was groveling at Dragon¡¯s feet, shivering uncontrobly with his bleeding head. For once, Britney hade downstairs. She wasn¡¯t looking too good; it seemed like she hadn¡¯t fully recovered. The moment she saw Courtney cowering miserably by the corner, though, a triumphant look filled her face, and she looked a lot better all of a sudden. She leaned close to Dragon with her head against his shoulder and said tenderly, ¡°Is this really worth your time to be so angry, Dragon? It¡¯s nothing serious! Since Lil¡¯ Mackaque likes her, just let him take her. Didn¡¯t Reggie just take Poppy away a few days ago?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking about whether or not he¡¯s interested in this woman. I want to know why this woman¡¯s on the ind.¡± Dragon¡¯s face was red with anger. He looked like he wasn¡¯t nning to leave without getting a solid exnation. Lil¡¯ Mackaque was trembling all over as he crouched on the ground. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! Britney told me and Fatso to kidnap them here. I don¡¯t know anything!¡± Hearing that, Britney¡¯s face gradually went pale. ¡°What are you talking about? You were the one who wanted to kidnap her and bring her here. Why are you putting the me on me?¡± ¡°J-Just ask Fatso if you don¡¯t believe me, Dragon. He went with me the other day. He wouldn¡¯t have done something like this with me without orders from you or Britney.¡± Dragon¡¯s eyes became murky with suspicion. He nced at Fatso who had been standing by the side. He said, ¡°Tell me what happened.¡± Fatso calmly eyed Britney and replied frankly without adding any unnecessary details, ¡°Lil¡¯ Mackaque¡¯s right.¡± Britney looked petrified at once. Dragon clenched his fist and swung it toward her head with no reservation for her delicate skin. ¡°It seems that I¡¯ve been treating you too well, so much that you even have the guts to order my people around now. Not only that, but you even brought people after people to the ind. Are you that desperate for me to get caught?¡± Britney sniffed as tears gushed down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around his bare ankle and begged desperately, ¡°Dragon, I just wanted to teach her a lesson for you! This woman¡­ She¡¯s Alexander¡¯s wife and Oliver¡¯s sister-inw! Their whole family is the reason you¡¯ve lost so many brothers.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Since you care so much, why didn¡¯t you kidnap Oliver and the other motherf*ckers too?¡± Dragon bellowed as he grabbed her long hair. When she started shrieking in agony, he unhesitantlynded a p on her mouth, sending blood trickling down the corner of her mouth. Courtney¡¯s heart sank as she watched the gruesome scene unfold in front of her. It was as if this man couldn¡¯t care less about who the woman was to him. He¡¯s willing to beat the living hell out of the woman who sleeps next to him every night, so what will happen when ites to me? If we¡¯re talking about family rtions, I¡¯m still indirectly considered an enemy to him. This is it. I¡¯m finished. Britney was lying weakly on the ground after being pped by Dragon. She couldn¡¯t even speak properly anymore. All of a sudden, she thought of something and quickly pointed at Courtney. ¡°Dragon, I¡¯ll kill her and end it all right now. This was my mistake; I¡¯ll never do it ever again.¡± Dragon nced at Courtney when he heard that. The cold look in his eyes made her feel like she was nothing but an insignificant ant that could be killed with just a step. ¡°We have to kill her, of course. Not only that, but we must clean the deed up carefully as well. Increase the preventive patrols for the next two days. We don¡¯t want to attract the dogs.¡± ¡°Dogs¡± was a secret code among them¡ªit meant the SWAT. Courtney felt her limbs going cold at once. There was a lump in her throat which took away her ability to speak. ¡°Fatso, you¡¯ll handle this.¡± Dragon shot an icy re at Britney as he gestured toward the wooden cabin by the side. ¡°I¡¯ve underestimated your abilities. How dare you order my people around like they¡¯re yours? Don¡¯te to my house ever again from now on. Since you love stuffing this cabin full of people, go ahead and stay there yourself.¡± Britney immediately groveled at his feet as she broke into desperate sobs, but the man waspletely unfazed. He kicked her away mercilessly and went back to his house without looking back. Britney bit her lip and got up to chase after him. Lil¡¯ Mackaque only looked up after trembling on the ground for a long time. He nced at Courtney with a look of relief on his face after escaping a round of torture. ¡°So, Fatso¡­ How do you n to deal with her?¡± Courtney¡¯s face paled even more when she heard that. She simply couldn¡¯t tell if Fatso was a good person or not. After all, even a good person on this ind had had their hands bloodied before, so they couldn¡¯t be fully trusted no matter what. ¡°I¡¯ll kill her behind a hill then bury her body.¡± He gave a short and casual answer before ncing at Courtney. ¡°Come on.¡± At that moment, she felt like Fatso was Death himself who was speaking to her with a scythe in hand. She could almost hear the rattling of chains in the background, and a knot formed in her chest. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me handle it?¡± Lil¡¯ Mackaque stopped Fatso all of a sudden. ¡°I mean, she did beat me up so badly, so I should at least¡­¡± Courtney went white at once. Chapter 403 One Night Surprise Chapter 403 Chapter 403 Isn¡¯t He Your Father? ¡°Dragon said to kill her off, not to hand her over to you. Why don¡¯t you try asking him if you really want that?¡± Fatso stated emotionlessly as he turned his eyes toward the second floor of the cabin. The sound from the whip of a belt sounded rather rhythmic, followed by a woman¡¯s horrified shrieks. At that, Lil¡¯ Mackaque shivered. ¡°Ah, f*ck it. Wouldn¡¯t wanna risk my ¡®hard-earned¡¯ life on this woman. Take her away. What a pain in the eye.¡± Fatso snickered at his response before ncing at Courtney. And so, Courtney followed Fatso into the mountainous forest. They walked for so long the day had already darkened, and eventually, they arrived at a stream. Not far at the opposite side of the stream was a gravestone that agitated Courtney at the sight of it. He¡¯s not going to drown me here and bury me afterward, is he? Leaving her behind, Fatso crossed the stream toward the gravestone before removing the weeds around it. Suspiciously, she observed him. After some time of wondering, she seemed to have an idea, blurting, ¡°Is this your¡­ wife¡¯s?¡± Fatso was surprised and at the same time annoyed. ¡°That¡¯s not something for you to ask.¡± Immediately, Courtney kept quiet. Hell¡¯s wrong with this fatty? Is he actually notifying his wife before killing someone? Gosh, I¡¯d rather die than to suffer from this wait. Just kill me already! ¡°Who said you could touch my mother!¡± A clear voice sounded from their four and persisted to echo through the woods. Subconsciously, Courtney turned around, only to find a skinny little girl running appearing and running toward the gravestone before violently shoving Fatso away. Fiercely, she yelled, ¡°I told you, no one on this ind except for me is allowed to touch my mother!¡± Fatso, despite falling to the ground, was not irritated in the slightest. Yet, there was obviously sadness in his eyes. After a while, he stood up and brushed the dirt off his garments and wordlessly turned to Courtney. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± When Courtney saw him looking so depressed, her survival instinct immediately burst forth. Thus, she ran to the little girl and asked, ¡°Did you like the capsule I gave youst time?¡± The little girl froze as she stared nkly at her. Enraged, Fatso tugged Courtney¡¯s arm. ¡°Who said you could speak? Keep walking.¡± As Courtney was being dragged away, all she could feel was anxiousness as she intensely prayed for a rescue. ¡°Hold it.¡± Once again, the little girl projected her treble voice, stopping Fatso and Courtney. ¡°Who is she, and where are you bringing her?¡± ¡°Mind your own business, kid.¡± Fatso leered at the girl viciously. ¡°That¡¯s what you told me before mother left home.¡± Intimidatingly, the little girl dashed toward the adults. Being three feet away from them, she coldly yelled, ¡°I¡¯m taking her!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then you can forget about seeing me anymore. I¡¯ll eventually leave this hell hole anyway.¡± Fatso was visibly shocked. In an attempt to save her own life, Courtney stuttered, ¡°S-Since there¡¯s nowhere I can run to anyway, why don¡¯t you execute me when you¡¯re leaving? Letting me live for a couple more days wouldn¡¯t hurt, right?¡± Hearing that, Fatso hesitated. Despite that, the little girl ignored him and grabbed Courtney¡¯s arm. ¡°Follow me.¡± Quickly, she dragged her out of the forest into a cave on the ind. From outside, the cave seemed nothing out of the ordinary. However, it wasn¡¯t until Courtney entered the cave that she was astounded by how fully furnished it was. Bed, tables, chairs, wooden bucket, mirrors¡ªnothing that weren¡¯t crafted with adept skills. In the bucket were three wooden ducklings, and they were the same ones she caught Fatso crafting outside the window. That fatty seems to love his daughter, but why does she treat him like her worst enemy? ¡°I¡¯m Dawn. What¡¯s your name?¡± The little girl introduced herself right after she brought Courtney into the cave. She was rather amicable and didn¡¯t at all mind talking to a stranger. ¡°Courtney. Courtney Hunter.¡± Having escaped death temporarily, Courtney heaved a sigh of relief and revealed a cordial smile to her. ¡°Thank you so much for saving me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee, but that¡¯s all I can do now. He¡¯ll definitelye back for you once I turn around. He¡¯s just one of Dragon¡¯s obedientp dogs doing whatever to lick his boots.¡± Courtney was slightly shocked. ¡°Isn¡¯t he¡­ your father?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s not.¡± The little girl instantly frowned. Although she was Fatso¡¯s daughter, she did not resemble him one bit, especially her notably puffy, dusty cheeks. Her dark hair¡ªas scruffy as a bush¡ªseemed like it was never trimmed and was messily tied behind her head with a rubber band. On the other hand, her clothes and shoes¡ªclean and tidy¡ª were of popr sports brands. ¡°A man like him doesn¡¯t deserve to be a father or a husband. I¡¯ve never seen a man stand idly, silently watching as his own wife got insulted and tormented. He¡¯s the scrub among scrubs.¡± Concisely, Dawn revealed her reason to disdain her father and showed no restraint while doing so. Hearing that, Courtney was stupefied. Even though she had guessed that Fatso¡¯s wife must have had some conflict with Dragon, she never expected it to be this deep. She didn¡¯t know what to feel other than her sympathy toward Dawn. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Oh, right. The capsules you gave mest time were really fun! These are what were inside.¡± Dawn shifted her thoughts rather quickly, as if she didn¡¯t keep what she just said in her mind, showing off two figurines on her dresser. ¡°What are these? I put them together ording to the instructions. Are these monsters?¡± Courtney took a look and subtly beamed. ¡°They¡¯re not monsters. This one¡¯s Bumblebee, and that one¡¯s Spiderman.¡± ¡°Bumblebee and Spiderman?¡± ¡°They¡¯reic book superheroes.¡± Courtney then briefly told Dawn stories aboutic book superheroes, which obviously attracted her attention. ¡°Wow, there¡¯s more like them? I only know about Batman, which I read at home before coming to this ind.¡± ¡°How old were you when you came here?¡± ¡°About four, or five? I don¡¯t quite remember.¡± The little girl looked rather naive. She revealed an unmindful expression someone of her age wouldn¡¯t normally make. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time until I leave this ind anyway. No one else would talk to me except for the box.¡± ¡°The box?¡± Courtney was baffled. ¡°What box?¡± With a mysterious face, Dawn presented her with her precious ¡°box.¡± ¡°I¡¯d talk to it whenever I get bored, though sometimes I don¡¯t really understand what it¡¯s saying. But you should know, right, Miss? You came from the outside world, didn¡¯t you?¡± Looking at the old radio, Courtney couldn¡¯t help but be entertained by the name Dawn gave it. After staring at it for a while, she suddenly realized something. ¡°Wait, when do you usually hear it speak?¡± With that, Dawn pointed outside the cave at the sky as excitement surged in her eyes. ¡°We just gotta climb to the top of West Mountain and it¡¯ll start speaking! Gods always gotta live somewhere high up, don¡¯t they?¡± Chapter 404 One Night Surprise Chapter 404 Chapter 404 Don¡¯t Wander Around at Night The direction that Dawn pointed in was the north-western part of the ind. The mountain on the ind was no more than a hill, really, and it had no name either. To Dawn, since it was in the east, it was the East Mountain, and the mountain to the west was the West Mountain. Courtney questioned, ¡°Do you always bring your radio up that mountain?¡± ¡°Radio?¡± Dawn might not be involved with the outside world atrge, but she was quick to pick up on things. She pointed at her beloved box and eximed in excitement, ¡°So this is called a radio?¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°I always bring this up with me to the top of the West Mountain. When I press this button, it starts making noises. But it only works when the weather is clear. It doesn¡¯t work when it¡¯s raining.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes instantly lit up. ¡°Hey.¡± Dawn waved a hand in front of Courtney¡¯s eyes, summoning her back to reality. ¡°You¡¯re from the outside world, right? Tell me what it¡¯s like.¡± Courtney¡¯s gaze fell upon the young girl¡¯s face. After a few moments of thought, her eyes glittered. ¡°The world outside is far more interesting and amazing than this ce. Take those two capsules I gave you for example: this is a kind of toy that kids aged three to five love¡­¡± Dawn listened rapturously. She continuously pestered Courtney to tell her more stories, unwilling to sleep even when the night continued to drag on. Courtney also managed to get a lot of chatter out of Dawn. Dawn was about four or five when Fatso brought her and her mother over to this ind. She didn¡¯t know the reason why, but in any case, Dawn and her mother were the only ones on the ind. The ind¡¯s inhabitants cared about them to some extent, so Dawn¡¯s mother helped them to do their laundry and other misceneous tasks of her own volition. Once, the head of the ind¡ªa man called Dragon¡ªseemingly closed a huge deal, and so he called over all his buddies for a night of drinking. When everyone waspletely passed out from the alcohol they imbibed, Dragon then dragged Dawn¡¯s mother into a room. The next day, Dawn saw with her own eyes her mother hanging on the rafters in the room, dead. As the man running the show on the ind, Dragon¡¯s word wasw. To him, human lives weren¡¯t worth anything much, so he simply gave Fatso some money aspensation for his loss. Fatso didn¡¯t dare to let Dawn stay with the other rowdy men on the ind after that. That was why he ended up having her stay in such a secluded cave. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been living here for the past seven or so years?¡± Courtney surveyed the ce. A dim, yellow light shone by the entrance, illuminating the various hand-made items of furniture in the cave. The sight was actually a somewhat homely one. Dawn sat cross-legged on the bed, seemingly saddened when she heard that. ¡°Yeah. Actually, Fatso should have sent me away from this ce after my mom died, but he insisted on making me stay inside here instead.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You were so young then; how could he have sent you away?¡± ¡°I heard that there¡¯s a ce called an orphanage in the outside world. They take in lots and lots of children, and they have food, toys, and many other things. It sounds like such a nice ce. Why didn¡¯t he send me there?¡± ¡°Only unwanted children or children with no parents get sent to the orphanage. Simply put, children with hard lives.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t have a mom. I have a dad, but he pretty much isn¡¯t around all the time. I still have to watch out for wild beasts and other things every day while staying on this ind, so I guess I have a hard life too, huh? An orphanage sounds great. I really want to go.¡± Dawn looked so serious about living at an orphanage that it made Courtney feel a myriad of feelings. When it was nearly morning, Dawn ran out of steam atst and slowly nodded off. Courtney looked at the sky outside and tiptoed her way out of the cave, groping her way up to the peak of the West Mountain. After a few buzzes from her phone in the dark, Courtney¡¯s phone turned on. It only had 30% of its battery left. Courtney was a little worried about this. She lifted her phone and walked around the mountain, attempting to find a spot with signal reception. However, her phone automatically turned off after she had only taken a few steps. As she stared at the dark screen of her phone, Courtney mentally sighed. She then stowed her phone back into her pocket and retraced her steps back to the cave. Dawn didn¡¯t have a regr sleep schedule, having slept through theter parts of the night and still remaining asleep even though it was already way past mid-morning. Although the cave wasn¡¯tvishly furnished, it seemingly had everything one would need. There was a large tub set in a corner, and to the side of the cave was an electric kettle. Courtney used the kettle to boil some water before she searched around the cave for something to eat. When she heard footsteps outside, she nearly choked. The unexpected neer was Fatso, and he had an insted lunchbox in hand. He ced it on the wooden table inside. Courtney stayed far away from him, wariness showing on her face as she eyed Fatso. ¡°Wake her after this and tell her to eat the food.¡± After saying that, Fatso leveled a meaningful look at Courtney. ¡°Don¡¯t wander around at night. Wild beasts aren¡¯t the only things lying in wait around the mountains. No one will be able to save you then.¡± Courtney¡¯s heart juddered for a second there. Did he find out I went up to the mountainst night? Not long after Fatso left, Dawn woke up, rubbing her eyes. With well-practiced movements, she groped her way over to the table and sat down to open the lunchbox. After ncing at its contents, she put the lid back on again. ¡°It¡¯s always the same food every day. I¡¯m so sick of this.¡± A young girl in the throes of puberty would get irritated at the sight of anything. Dawn¡¯s yearning for the outside world was the sole exception, and Courtney understood this very well. ¡°Dawn, do you want to leave this ind?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Dawn said distractedly as she shoved chunks of bun into her mouth, chewing as though she was eating some waxy facsimile instead. ¡°I even think about it in my dreams. I don¡¯t even just wish to leave anymore; I even made a raft in secret once. But in the end, the raft didn¡¯t float, and I don¡¯t know how to swim either. Even if I knew, I don¡¯t know where I should go.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you take me to see your raft?¡± ¡°You want to escape.¡± Dawn opened her eyes a little wider and nced at Courtney. ¡°I¡¯m telling you now: I¡¯ll be fine even if I run and they catch me. You, though¡ªyou¡¯re gonna die if they catch you when you¡¯re escaping. Anyway, I ended up breaking the raft when I was fiddling around with it. I don¡¯t want to bother with it anymore.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t want to leave this ce?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got you here to talk with me. If you tell me more about the outside world, I can pretend that I¡¯ve actually been there.¡± Courtney was baffled. Could she possibly have lost her curiosity about the outside world because I talked too much about itst night? She refused to give up. As she stared at the bun in Dawn¡¯s hands, her eyes lit up. ¡°Do you know what people in the outside world eat?¡± ¡°Buns? Pickles? Braised pork? Wild rabbits and chickens?¡± ¡°Those are all main courses. Do you know what desserts are?¡± ¡°The box mentioned them before. What are they? Something sweet? Like sugar water?¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes glittered as though she had just found herself a lifeline. She fished out a piece of chocte that had already be squished from her coat pocket and handed it over to Dawn. ¡°Try this.¡± She was used to carrying chocte around with her because both Jordan and Tina loved the same brand of chocte. Fatso hadn¡¯t starved her since her arrival at this ind either, so this chocte remained uneaten in good condition. All preteen girls love sweets! Chapter 405 One Night Surprise Chapter 405 Chapter 405 As Long as You Agree to One Condition Dawn studied this dark little lump. Initially, she didn¡¯t want to eat it regardless of what it was. ¡°What¡¯s this? It looks like poop!¡± ¡°Try it, it¡¯s really good. Here, I¡¯ll taste test one.¡± Courtney pinched off half a piece of chocte and ced it in her own mouth. After a lot more coaxing and cajoling, Dawn awkwardly made herself try a bite. The girl¡¯s expression shifted slightly. Not long after that, the inner side of the chocte wrapping was licked clean. ¡°So good¡­ Do you have more?¡± Dawn rifled through Courtney¡¯s pockets, but she didn¡¯t find another piece of chocte. ¡°If you want chocte, you can have as much as you like once you leave the ind. And, there are also so many other things that are tastier than chocte.¡± Courtney proceeded to describe the various tasty foods that could be found in the outside world, from hot dogs and meat skewers from roadside stalls, to fried chicken, burgers, and doughnuts, and even nicer, luxurious treats such as steak, foie gras, and lobsters. Dawn couldn¡¯t stop drooling from her descriptions. ¡°There¡¯s really lots of delicious stuff out there, like you said?¡± ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡± ¡°I knew it; I shouldn¡¯t have listened to Fatso. He keeps telling me that I¡¯ll starve to death outside so that I¡¯ll give up on leaving.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll definitely starve to death if you go alone, but if youe with me, I guarantee you can try all those things that I mentioned.¡± ¡°For real?¡± Dawn¡¯s eyes glimmered, her dark and dirty face lighting up with a smile. ¡°What are we waiting for, then? I¡¯ll take you to see that raft I made.¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a bamboo forest behind this cave.¡± The two then made their way to the bamboo forest. ¡­ ¡°We got a hit from Courtney¡¯s phone,¡± Oliver sprang up and yelled to the others outside when the radar disyed a signal. ¡°I got her location. Courtney¡¯s phone had reception for a moment.¡± Instantly, a huge crowd streamed in from the living room. Alexander was the first one to rush inside, with Elijah, Cameron, Gale, Bill, and Natasha following right after him, along with the few Blue Eagles Reserve Forces members that Tessa had brought along. All of them had looks of disbelief on their faces. ¡°When was this? Why would her phone have reception?¡± Alexander pressed Oliver, his words tumbling out of his mouth. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Just now. We got a hit for just a moment, but there¡¯s no signal now.¡± Oliver was also frantic, unsure of what to do with the device. Elijah pushed Oliver away before his fingers flew all over the device, tapping away at the apparatus with itsplicated-looking cabling. When he saw the red marker marking a position, he revealed a look of delight. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a signal from Courtney. Now that we know where she is, we can send people out to rescue her.¡± Alexander was practically beside himself with excitement. ¡°Gale, inform the criminal investigation team that the drug lord has been located. Get them to send some men out to the ind to mount a rescue mission.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do that now.¡± Gale hurried off to call the criminal investigation team. Cameron, meanwhile, was on the verge of tears. After their first deal, Tessa and the others hadn¡¯t dared to follow Lil¡¯ Mackaque and Fatso¡¯s boat to search for the ind in order to not give themselves away. They had decided to wait for the next transaction instead, but after waiting for two days, they still hadn¡¯t received any news from Lil¡¯ Mackaque. From the looks of things, the deal had fallen through. And just when things were looking bleak, Courtney¡¯s phone gave off a signal. While Gale andpany were tripping over themselves, Courtney followed Dawn and saw the battered and broken raft that was tucked away in a spot on the ind. ¡°I hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to leave when Fatso found out about my raft. He made me take it apart. I tossed it here and left it alone after that.¡± As she spoke, Dawn gave the raft a kick. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s useless, huh?¡± Courtney surveyed her surroundings. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We can make another one. It¡¯ll be done in two days at most.¡± The bamboo forest, of course, had no end of bamboo for them to use. With Dawn here to help cut down the needed bamboo, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to finish a raft within a day. As for why Courtney said they needed two days, she actually had no real intentions to bring Dawn along with her for her escape. Although the young girl was not happy with her life on the ind, she did actually have Fatso protecting her. Courtney was unsure whether she could even get off the ind and go back if she took the raft with Dawn, and on another hand, she was worried that Fatso would chase her to the ends of the world to get her back if he discovered that both of them had left. In order to escape Fatso¡¯s notice, Courtney and Dawn returned to the East Mountain when it was nearly nightfall. They even grabbed some foliage to cover up and hide their half-finished raft. When Fatso brought dinner for themter, Dawn didn¡¯t grumble about her food due to her exhaustion from thebor earlier; she tore through her food, gobbling down every morsel, not even caring that Fatso was still inside the cave with them. Courtney sat a distance away from Fatso, eating her food with small bites while she sneakily shoved two buns under her clothes. She had better stow some rations away, for she had no idea how long it would take for the raft to reach shore. ¡°What do you want to eat tomorrow?¡± Fatso asked. ¡°Braised pork¡­¡± Dawn answered. All of a sudden, she nced at Courtney through the corners of her eyes before piping up again. ¡°And buns. Gimme more buns.¡± ¡°Why the sudden liking for buns?¡± A look of confusion came over Fatso¡¯s face. ¡°Buns are yummy.¡± ¡°Yummy?¡± ¡°Ohe on, why all the questions? Are you gonna bring it or not? If you won¡¯t, then forget it.¡± ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll bring some for you tomorrow,¡± Fatso replied good-naturedly. Before he left, he stared hard at Courtney, making all her hairs stand on end. The wind howled outside the cave when night finally fell. Dawn fell asleep after listening to more of Courtney¡¯s stories, snoring as she slumbered away. Courtney pulled a nket over the sleeping girl and then tiptoed her way over to the bamboo forest. In reality, they had more or lesspleted the raft earlier during the day. There was only one simple step left now. Courtney carefully tied the rope before using every ounce of strength she had in herself to drag the raft down to the river to see if the raft would float. And it actually floated. It seemed that the raft was functional. Courtney then attempted to stand on it, but the raft began to sink before she could even gain her footing properly. The river water was bone- chillingly cold when it touched her feet. pping a hand over her mouth, she pulled herself back up using the rope that she had tied to a nearby tree on the shore. If she ended up in the water for a long period of time, she would freeze to death if she somehow didn¡¯t drown. Behind her was a wolf¡¯s den, and in front of her was the unknown waters. Which one should she choose? After hesitating for a moment, Courtney gritted her teeth and prepared to get back to the water. Just then, a cold, eerie voice rang out from the bamboo forest as a dark figure made its way over. ¡°nning to leave like this?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Courtney instantly paled. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Fatso walked out from the shadows of the bamboo forest. The moonlight dragged his shadow out, making it seem unusually long. He leveled Courtney with a cold stare, as though he was looking at a lamb that was about to be ughtered. Courtney forced the corners of her lips up. ¡°Fatso, I¡­ I wasn¡¯t actually nning to escape. I was just¡ªI was just helping your daughter to test this raft to see if it floats. She wants to leave this ce. What if the raft doesn¡¯t work?¡± Fatso gave a cold chuckle. ¡°You think anyone would believe your words?¡± After all, her logic was confusing and riddled with holes. Courtney was drenched in cold sweat now as she said through clenched teeth, ¡°I can pay you however much you want, as long as you release me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want money.¡± Fatso¡¯s expression was tight. ¡°I can let you go, as long as you agree to one condition.¡± At this, Courtney¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Chapter 406 One Night Surprise Chapter 406 Chapter 406 Three Months Pregnant Courtney followed Fatso through the bamboo forest over to the northern side of the ind. Neither of them spoke throughout their trek. She was perpetually nervous. At first, she wondered if Fatso nned to find a spot where no one could find her before killing her. But then she remembered there was hardly anyone on this ind. Couldn¡¯t he just kill her anywhere? As her mind ran through those scenarios, Fatso said, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± She then stopped in her tracks. In front of them was the shore of the river. A fishing boat was tied up among the reeds in the water. There was a skinny, unmoving figure on the boat as well. When Courtney got closer and took a look at the figure, her expression shifted. ¡°Dawn?¡± Fatso had an even look on his face as he said ndly, ¡°Your raft isn¡¯t usable. It¡¯ll sink before it reaches shore. If you want to leave, you¡¯ll have to use this boat.¡± ¡°You want me to take your daughter along?¡± ¡°If you want to leave, then you¡¯ll have to take her.¡± Fatso¡¯s face was nk. Courtney couldn¡¯t make out much of what he was feeling. ¡°I¡¯ve packed some items for her on the boat. Once you two leave, don¡¯t evere back. If she ever asks, say that I¡¯m dead.¡± Courtney stiffened up a little, unable to understand what was going on. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t let her leave the ind?¡± ¡°She can¡¯t possibly live the rest of her life here. She can¡¯t end up like her mother. I cannot allow her to end up like that either.¡± They were running out of time; the sun was about toe up. Courtney didn¡¯t dare to keep questioning him. After she got on the boat, Fatso pushed the boat away, and the vessel proceeded to float toward the middle of the river. Courtney watched Fatso from where she sat on the boat, a mixture of feelings welling up inside of her. However, it was only for a moment. After all, her heart was still thumping in joy from being able to leave the ind. She couldn¡¯t feel much of anything else now. Not long after the boat left the ind shore, Courtney could see smoke rising from the ind in the distance. Soon, golden mes engulfed the entire ind, burning their way up into the sky. Her heart stopped for a moment, and she stood up on the boat. What on earth is happening on the ind? Just as she was wondering about that, the sounds of engines could be heard in all directions. Bam! Courtney had no idea where that gunshot came from, but it had shot a hole right through their boat, making the boat shake violently. Courtney gasped in shock, at a loss as to what to do as she watched the water gush into the boat. ¡°Dawn, Dawn!¡± She hastily tried to wake Dawn up, but the girl slept like a log; maybe Fatso had drugged her. Even though Courtney had repeatedly tapped and lightly smacked Dawn until the girl¡¯s face was red, she still didn¡¯t respond. The boat quickly sank. Courtney grabbed Dawn¡¯s hand, choking on the water rushing into her mouth as she sank into the river. Through the haziness of her consciousness, she heard some familiar voices. ¡°They aren¡¯t drug dealers; those are two females.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Right after that, there were several sshes as people jumped into the river. The surface of the river was instantly abuzz. Courtney continued to sink downward. In all her confusion, it felt like she was falling into someone¡¯s embrace. She was instantly entranced by this feeling of familiarity that she hadn¡¯t experienced in a long time, and she gave up struggling. She simply closed her eyes and fell into a dream. There, she dreamed of blue skies littered with fluffy white clouds, where two children freely ran to their hearts¡¯ content in a field. ¡°Mommy? Mommy, where did you go? Why did you onlye now? Jordan already taught me how to solve a Rubik¡¯s cube.¡± Tina came running over to her, her clear, childish voice ringing by Courtney¡¯s ears. ¡°Where¡¯s Jordan?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he here too? Hey Jordan,e here.¡± Tina waved at Jordan from a distance. ¡°Mommy¡¯s back.¡± Courtney crouched down and opened her arms to coo at the little figure in the distance. ¡°Here, Jordan, come to Mommy.¡± Jordan, who usually loved clinging to her, suddenly seemed hesitant. He refused toe over from where he was several feet away. Courtney pulled out some chocte. ¡°Jordan, here¡¯s your favorite chocte. Come over here and I¡¯ll give you the chocte.¡± Jordan was hesitant as he took a few steps forward. However, he didn¡¯t take the offered chocte. Instead, he looked up and asked timidly, ¡°Mommy, where¡¯s Daddy?¡± Courtney¡¯s expression froze. Instantly, she was dimly aware of something. He¡¯s right. Where¡¯s his daddy? Wait, no. Me and Alexander broke up, and our wedding was canceled. Alexander¡¯s still in a lawsuit with me, and he forbade me from seeing Jordan again. Just as all of those thoughts went through her head, the scene before her began to warp. Gray clouds immediately crowded the sky, and her two adorable children vanished without a trace. Courtney was left to stand alone in the heavy storm, lost. ¡°Ah!¡± She sat right up, drenched in cold sweat. Arge pair of warm hands grabbed her own, the owner unable to hide the joy in his voice. ¡°Courtney, you¡¯re awake!¡± Courtney blearily turned her head. Slowly, the person in front of her came into focus. ¡°Elijah.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± Elijah held her hands and asked in concern, ¡°Do you feel unwell? Does your chest hurt?¡± All Courtney could sense was a headache. After she withdrew her hands from Elijah¡¯s grip, she ced a hand to her forehead and asked hoarsely, ¡°Where is this ce?¡± ¡°Twin Peaks Manor. You were hospitalized for two days after you fell into the water. The hospitalter said that we could bring you home to rest. I was worried about giving your Aunt Alicia a fright, so I made the decision to bring you here instead.¡± The room seemed familiar. Courtney¡¯s mind slowly came back online, and she nodded pensively. ¡°I fell into the water. That¡¯s right, I fell in.¡± ¡°When you left the ind on your boat, the criminal investigation team thought that you were a fleeing drug dealer. They didn¡¯t dare to just approach you because of that, so they opened fire and sank the boat,¡± Elijah exined. Courtney remembered now. She had just managed to escape the deserted ind, only for the boat to capsize after a bullet came out of nowhere and sank it shortly after she and Dawn left the ind shore. The both of them then fell into the water. ¡°Where¡¯s Dawn?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The little girl who was with me.¡± Courtney gestured, suddenly anxious. ¡°She¡¯s about this tall, about twelve years old¡ªshe was unconscious the whole time, and like me, she can¡¯t swim. Where is she? Did you guys save her?¡± ¡°We did save her, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Elijah picked up the ss of water by the side and handed it to Courtney. ¡°That girl¡¯s hardier than you are. After we pulled her out from the water and performed CPR on her, she was fine. She¡¯s currently having her statement taken at the police station.¡± Courtney drank some water, soothing the parched feeling in her throat. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Elijah studied her, and after a moment¡¯s hesitation, he said in a low voice, ¡°There¡¯s something that I think you should know.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pregnant.¡± Elijah had aplicated look on his face. ¡°The doctor said that you¡¯re already three months along.¡± At that, Courtney¡¯s hand shook. Fortunately, Elijah had quick reflexes, catching the ss in time and preventing the water inside from sshing out. ¡°Are you okay?¡± All Courtney could hear was a buzzing sound in her head, as though something had just blown up inside it. Everything was just a nk white. The future was unpredictable. Just when one thought that they¡¯d escaped from being forced off a cliff, fate would decide to toss another obstacle in their path. They were then forced into yet another thorny situation, just to struggle. Chapter 407 One Night Surprise Chapter 407 Chapter 407 Who Was the Woman Who Died? In the end, Courtney ended up finding out about what had happened at the deserted ind from Cameron. Apparently, on the day of her escape, the criminal investigation team, the Blue Eagles Reserve Forces, and even Elijah and his men had surrounded the ind. ¡°And, do you know what¡¯s the weirdest thing? There was infighting on that ind that night; they didn¡¯t even have a single person out on patrol. So, all three forces just charged in, and before they could do anything, they realized that the den was on fire. That fire was huge. Like, it burned down the entire forest. The ind was on fire the whole night. When Tess and the others brought in the cleanup crew, they realized that over twenty people had died inside the house.¡± Courtney¡¯s heart was in her throat from listening to all that. ¡°Over twenty people?¡± Dragon had twenty or so men under him on that ind. Did they all just die in that fire? ¡°Who started the fire?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Cameron had a look of lingering fear on her face. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that you ran when you did. If you still had been inside that house, you probably would have burned to death too.¡± ¡°Were there no survivors?¡± Courtney clearly remembered that the fire had just started when she left, but Fatty had still been at the shore then. As expected, Cameron said, ¡°I heard that they¡¯ve brought in this fat guy. He spilled everything once he was at the station.¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He said that a woman lit that fire and burned everyone to death.¡± ¡°A woman?¡± Courtney asked, ¡°Who?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really gonna believe his weird nonsense?¡± Cameron blinked. ¡°They retrieved twenty or so male corpses and one female corpse when they were cleaning up the ce. Are you telling me that this woman burned everyone before killing herself in the fire?¡± ¡°A female corpse?¡± Courtney¡¯s forehead creased slightly. A vague notion made its way into her head. ¡°Only one?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then, the only one brought in alive was that fat man?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Upon seeing theplicated look on Courtney¡¯s face, Cameron realized something was up. She then asked, ¡°What is it? Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Other than me and Dawn, there should be two other women on the ind: Britney Price and Poppy Waller. Who was the woman who died?¡± Cameron froze up for a second. ¡°The corpse was burned really badly. All that¡¯s left of it is some ashes and bone chips. The forensics department is still running tests on the remains, but they haven¡¯t found out anything yet.¡± Courtney frowned pensively. Regardless of what had happened, one of the two women had escaped. However, there was practically no way to escape from the ind with just a woman¡¯s strength alone. Thus, the escaped woman must have had help from someone else. ¡°Someone else ran too?¡± Cameron snapped back to reality, unaware that she had frozen up for a bit. ¡°That¡¯s bad. We have to tell the police about this quickly. Are we just supposed to sit here and wait for that escapee to get revenge? I¡¯m going to give Oliver a heads-up.¡± With that, Cameron left Courtney behind, rushing off to call Oliver. Courtney¡¯s kidnapping by a drug dealer had left everyone in a panic. The only way they would finally calm down was to take out everyst person in the drug ring. After Cameron left, Courtney leaned back in bed to eat her porridge. She also decided to take the pregnancy supplements that had been given to her. At the sight of the word ¡®pregnancy,¡¯ her mind came to a stop. Almost everyone hade by to visit her thest few days when she had been resting at home. Even Fiona hade to visit her on behalf of the Duncan Family. Only Alexander hadn¡¯te to see her even once. Later that evening, Elijah brought Alicia over. Bill and Natasha arrived a little after that, along with Cameron and Gale. Shay, on the other hand, waste. They all took up the entire table. The servants loaded the table with a feast. Courtney also finally had the strength to get out of bed and celebrate her escape from the ind with her friends. Shay had been abroad the whole time; he had only just flown back this morning. By the time he reached the house, dinner was already underway. When he stepped inside, he was tearing up. ¡°No one told me about this because I was overseas. That jerk Casey hid everything from me.¡± ¡°So, you didn¡¯t bring him with you as punishment?¡± Courtney blinked, a look of derision on her face. ¡°Me? Bring him here? I didn¡¯t even tell him that I flew back. Let him handle a concert without a singer in another country by himself.¡± Shay had ditched his European tour toe back. As soon as Courtney heard this, her expression immediately changed. This was a huge disaster. Shay¡¯s fans had already bought tickets and entered the concert arena. And if the organizers suddenly announced that the star of the show wasn¡¯t there? Refunds were easy enough, but things would get out of hand if news about this got out. As the concert organizer, it was just Casey¡¯s bad luck to be saddled with a star like Shay. ¡°That¡¯s at least 70 million in losses.¡± Courtney mentally crunched the numbers before she added, ¡°And that¡¯s in US dors too.¡± ¡°His fault.¡± Shay was grumpy when he mentioned Casey, his pale face turning to stone. ¡°If he ends up in debt from the losses, he¡¯s got himself to me.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Cameron and Courtney exchanged long, meaningful looks with each other. Cameron then clicked her tongue. ¡°You¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve seen venting your anger on your own ie. So this is what it means to have enough money to say ¡®screw the rules.¡¯¡± Shay kept grumbling about Casey. After everyone had left after dinner, he wanted to stay behind. However, no sooner had he expressed this wish, Elijah¡¯s butler came in, announcing Casey¡¯s arrival. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t be able to stay here any longer. Your manager hase to pick you up.¡± Shay looked up from his mobile game to order the butler to get Casey to leave. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. He can go get someone else for the concert.¡± He then stretched before flopping down onto Courtney¡¯s bed. ¡°You¡¯re the host. It won¡¯t be a problem to arrange a guest room for me, yeah?¡± he asked Elijah, who was sitting on the couch across from him. Elijah¡¯s lips pulled themselves up into a smile as he sipped his tea, saying in amusement, ¡°Getting a guest room ready is no problem. However, I think that the chances of you staying the night here are slim. Don¡¯t torture my servants before Casey finally decides to leave. Courtney doesn¡¯t like to have a lot of servants on hand, so the household has always been understaffed.¡± There was nothing about Elijah¡¯s words that could be used against him, but Shay still wrinkled his nose in annoyance and looked at Courtney. ¡°Hey, get Casey to leave.¡± ¡°That¡¯s out of my jurisdiction.¡± Courtney and Cameron couldn¡¯t stop giggling. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about him. You didn¡¯t discuss things with Casey?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to him.¡± Seeing how Shay was being unreasonable, Courtney became exasperated. ¡°If things are just going to stay in this stalemate and he waits for you the entire night downstairs, are you sure you can still sleep well, knowing this?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can.¡± ¡°He probably won¡¯t even let you sleep here.¡± The words had just left Courtney¡¯s mouth when the butler came back. ¡°Mr. Lewis said that he has a few things he wishes to tell you, Miss Hunter.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Everyone in the room was stunned. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s me, and not Shay?¡± Courtney asked, confused about the matter. ¡°That¡¯s correct. Mr. Lewis said that he came here specifically to see you.¡± Now that was awkward. Shay told the butler earlier to chase Casey away. Didn¡¯t that make him look very self-important? Courtney eyed Shay. His face was glowing. What a fascinating sight to behold. ¡°I¡¯ll go see him, then.¡± Courtney stifled herughter. As she walked off, she attempted to salvage Shay¡¯s pride. ¡°Maybe he feels embarrassed because you ordered him to go away. Maybe he thinks that I¡¯m easier to talk to, so he decided to use this as an excuse. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Chapter 408 One Night Surprise Chapter 408 Chapter 408 The Children Will Go With You Casey was in the living room, sipping on tea. The dining table hadn¡¯t been cleared yet, so it was in a state of disarray. Courtney went downstairs and exined to him, her tone a little bashful, ¡°You came at a slightly bad time; we just finished dinner. If you hade a little earlier, you could have joined us.¡± Casey, however, didn¡¯t bear a grudge against her. ¡°If I did arrive earlier, then he wouldn¡¯t have been able to have that dinner. It¡¯s better for him that I arrivedter.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re here to get Shay.¡± Courtney immediately spelled out Casey¡¯s purpose foring. ¡°Why did you call me down then? I haven¡¯t been feeling well thest few days. You¡¯re torturing a sick person here.¡± Casey didn¡¯t look too bothered. ¡°There¡¯s something that I want to tell you.¡± Courtney was all ears. ¡°When I found out that you were kidnapped, Shay was still abroad for his concert tour. The tour was already underway, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything even if he came back. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t tell him.¡± ¡°Smart move.¡± ¡°However, I¡¯ve also been constantly monitoring the progress of the case. I even personally sent personnel out to try and find a way to save you. In the end, you didn¡¯t need my help. Alexander¡¯s a capable man.¡± At the mention of Alexander, Courtney¡¯s face stiffened. ¡°What does this have to do with him?¡± ¡°Looks like I made the right choice toe here.¡± Casey put down his teacup, still looking as polite and mild-mannered as ever. ¡°That depends on whether you want to know the truth, or if you want to continue lying to yourself for the rest of your days.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Alexander was the first one to find out about your kidnapping. He was also the one who coordinated the entire rescue n; it had nothing to do with the criminal investigation team initially. Later, once the criminal investigation team took action, he was worried their actions might alert the kidnappers and in turn cause harm to you, so he arranged for the Blue Eagles Reserve Forces toe with him to discreetly strike a deal with the kidnappers, even though the Blue Eagles were still wet behind their ears. That¡¯s right: he went on the ind operation too.¡± Courtney stayed quiet. ¡°But for some reason, he didn¡¯t get to meet you. After Alexander¡¯s return from the ind, he went back to work at Sunhill Enterprise, and he¡¯s been working around the clock, going on business trips. If it wasn¡¯t for him beingte for yesterday¡¯s summit, I wouldn¡¯t have known about all this either.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression wasplicated. After hearing Casey¡¯s story, it seemed that Alexander had been busy running himself ragged for her. But why hasn¡¯t hee to see me? ¡°He actually wasn¡¯tte; he got a high fever on his way, and he lost his marbles because of that. His assistant couldn¡¯t bear to see him in that state, so he sent Alexander straight to the hospital. The tests showed that he had pneumonia, so he was directly admitted for a stay.¡± At that, Courtney¡¯s expression froze. A high fever? Pneumonia? So he¡¯s actually the one who saved me from the waters that night? ¡°I have no ulterior motives, telling you all this. I just thought that most of your friends decided to hide the truth about a lot of details, since they think that they¡¯re doing you a favor. They probably didn¡¯t want you to overthink it, but I personally like it when people just say things as they are and tell me everything. I think that you have the right to know the truth.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re not here to make me help you talk to Shay?¡± Courtney asked. Casey pushed up his gold-rimmed sses. His fingers were extraordinarily light and pale. ¡°That¡¯s all I want to say. I can resolve the matter between Shay and me myself. I¡¯ve never needed someone else to help me with matters like this.¡± Courtney frowned. She could pick up on the underlying meaning in his words. Casey was mocking her for always relying on others when it came to things with an emotional component. Everyone around her would always help her to make decisions without her input, and she was left in the dark, left ignorant about what she didn¡¯t know. After Casey had taken Shay with him, Elijah brought her to her bedroom and left as well. Courtney was left in the bedroom with Cameron forpany. The two womenid on the bed together, gazing at the starry night outside the window and chatting. Courtney told Cameron about what Casey had told her, and she also asked Cameron to confirm his words. After all, she couldn¡¯t just take Casey¡¯s word for it. Who knew if he was telling the truth? Cameron said nothing to that. It was a tacit affirmation. ¡°Actually, I just felt that you didn¡¯t have to know about it. He was the one who caused your kidnapping in the first ce.¡± Courtney turned her head to nce at Cameron. ¡°Passing the buck after breaking up isn¡¯t a good look either. He may have a hand in causing the kidnapping to happen, but it¡¯s not to the point that he¡¯s entirely responsible for it,¡± Courtney reminded. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s just roll with that.¡± Cameron shrugged. ¡°What about the children, then? Are we just going to forget about Jordan¡¯s situation? And what about the baby in your belly?¡± At the mention of that, Courtney¡¯s face stiffened. She pressed her lips together and thought for a long while. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell Gale about this, did you?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Courtney took a breath. ¡°Keep this between us for now.¡± ¡°Why? You don¡¯t want the baby?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t made up my mind yet.¡± Courtney was being truthful. This time, the power to decide the baby¡¯s fate was in her hands. There was no one forcing her to sign some contract. But, this was different from the situation six years ago. She definitely hadn¡¯t decided whether she wanted the baby or not. The next morning, Courtney went to the hospital. Just as Casey had said, Alexander had indeed been admitted to hospital. When she knocked on his door, preparing to walk in, she found Fiona sitting by his bed. Alexander looked awful, his thin lips pale and drained of color. He coughed as he signed the document that Josh held out to him. ¡°Take this back to the board of directors¡­¡± (T/N: there¡¯s a paragraph that says that Courtney walks inter) Josh took the signed document and left the room, and he ran right into Courtney, who had been watching everything by the door for a while now. ¡°Miss Hunter¡­¡± The ward immediately went quiet as two gazes fell upon her. Courtney forced her lips up into a smile. She used the bouquet of flowers she was holding to block Alexander¡¯s gaze. ¡°I just found out that Alexander was admitted into hospital. I¡¯m sorry for taking so long to visit.¡± ¡°No, no, you weren¡¯tte at all.¡± Fiona hurriedly came over to greet Courtney. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to be at home, resting? Why did youe all the way here? Come, sit down. I¡¯ll get you some tea.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to, madam.¡± Courtney walked into the room. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving soon.¡± Fiona was at a loss. Hesitant, she shifted her gaze over to her son on his bed. ¡°Could you leave us alone for a while?¡± Alexander said, his voice hoarse. ¡°Then, have a nice chat, you two.¡± The room returned to being quiet. Even the air felt a little stagnant. Courtney ced her flowers aside. She stood by the end of the bed, keeping a distance away from Alexander. After a long while, she spoke atst. ¡°You saved me.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes were dull, and they didn¡¯t change upon hearing her. ¡°Not really. There were many other people there during the rescue mission. Even if I hadn¡¯t saved you, someone else would¡¯ve.¡± He was right. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. There was nothing wrong with what Alexander said, but for some reason, it troubled Courtney. Even after ruminating for a while, she still couldn¡¯t think of anything to say. ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about the children¡¯s custody issues,¡± Alexander suddenly said, his low voice reverberating around the room. ¡°Tina grew up with you, and Elijah is also her father on paper, so you have the power to decide who she will follow. You also gave birth to Jordan. Louis had mistaken you for someone else years ago, and you were coerced into signing that contract, so it is null and void. That¡¯s why Jordan will also go with you.¡± Courtney froze, staring at Alexander in shock. He was skeletal, and his features were even harder and more angr than they used to be. However, his gaze was even duller now. She couldn¡¯t get a read on his emotions at all. ¡°I already told Grandpa about this, and he had no objections. Someone will send Jordan overter this afternoon.¡± Courtney silently clenched her fists. She felt inexplicably suffocated. Chapter 409 One Night Surprise Chapter 409 Chapter 409 When Are You Leaving? ¡°When are you leaving?¡± Alexander¡¯s voice pulled Courtney back from her reverie. His words struck her. She initially hadn¡¯t thought about that matter, but from the sound of Alexander¡¯s tone, it seemed that he was already sure that she would leave Melrose City. For some reason, she ended up saying, ¡°I brought a girl back from the ind. Once her adoption papers have been signed, I¡¯ll leave.¡± Alexander nodded contemtively. A pauseter, he said casually, ¡°If you need any help, just look for Gale.¡± After all, Gale¡¯s background would speed up the paperwork process. He really wants me to leave that badly, huh? Courtney unconsciously dug her nails into her palms. She just felt her hands and feet go cold. All the words that she wanted to say had disappeared in an instant, having been forgotten. After remaining there for a while, she could no longer bear it and left the hospital. It wasn¡¯t until she reached the entrance of the hospital that Courtney remembered she had been wondering if she should tell Alexander about her pregnancy when she visited him. In the end, however, she had even forgotten to ask after him. And from how he behaved¡ªhow he seemed sure that she would leave¡ªshe couldn¡¯t open her mouth and tell him. Courtney stroked her lower abdomen, her eyes filled with self-ridicule. True to Alexander¡¯s word, the Duncan Family¡¯s butler, Harry, brought Jordan to Twin Peaks Manorter that night. ¡°Miss Hunter, the little master will be under your care in the future.¡± Courtney suddenly felt a sense of guilt at the sight of the awkward look on Harry¡¯s face. ¡°Mr. Harry, what did Grandpa say? Is he actually willing to let Jordan stay with me?¡± Scott only had a single great-grandson, and he had pinned all of his hopes for a future heir on Jordan. Logically speaking, he wouldn¡¯t have agreed to let Courtney take Jordan with her. Harry let out a sigh. ¡°Mr. Duncan initially refused, and he even got into a fight with Young Master Alex. Even now, he refuses to visit Young Master Alex at the hospital.¡± Courtney just listened. ¡°Later on, Young Master Alex said¡ª¡± Harry suddenly paused for a few seconds to look at Courtney hesitantly. ¡°He said that after he has handed custody of Jordan over to you, he will agree to marry whoever Mr. Duncan arranges for him, and have children with said woman. He will have as many children as Mr. Duncan wants.¡± Courtney felt like her heart had been struck by a screeching-hot bar of iron upon hearing that. She couldn¡¯t catch her breath for quite some time, and the color slowly drained from her face. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I shall go back now. If you have a heart, please bring the little master back often to visit Mr. Duncan.¡± With that, Harry left the manor. Jordan sat on the couch, his short legs dangling above the floor. He didn¡¯t seem to understand what the two adults had been talking about. All he did was look at Courtney anxiously. ¡°Mommy, Great-Grandpa said that I can see you every day now. Is that true?¡± His speech was far more fluent than it used to be, but there were still asional pauses, making his speech sound a little stilted. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Courtney squeezed out a smile. ¡°You can stay with Mommy for as long as you like from now on.¡± ¡°And Tina too?¡± ¡°Yep, and Tina too.¡± ¡°What about Daddy?¡± An expected question. Courtney clenched her fists. ¡°Daddy, huh? I¡¯ll bring you back to see him if you ever want to in the future.¡± ¡°Is Daddy noting with us?¡± ¡°Daddy has his own things to do.¡± The words had just left her mouth when Jordan¡¯s gaze instantly dulled. A look of disappointment came over his face. ¡°Why?¡± In life, there were many things that couldn¡¯t be exined properly. Courtney had no intention of exining this matter in detail to the two kids. They were still children, after all, and the world that children lived in was different from adults. Perhaps they would get over things in the future once more time had passed, including her breakup with Alexander. By the time Elijah brought Tina back from Alicia¡¯s home, both children had seemingly forgotten about Alexander as they stacked towers of Lego in the yroom. Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room, Elijah handed over an auditing student application for a famous foreign medical university to Courtney. ¡°I¡¯ve already thought it over. I¡¯m worried that you won¡¯t be able to instantly get used to living in the States if you give up everything ande with me. So, why don¡¯t you do something that you¡¯re interested in?¡± Courtney was stunned. When she opened the letter, the moodiness and frustration nestled between her brows eased up considerably. ¡°But I haven¡¯t finished my university studies. Is it really okay for me to study there?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Elijah gently encouraged her. ¡°I attached the thesis that you wrote while you were still in the US with the application. The dean thought that you have a solid base in this area after he read it, so he was willing to break the rules and admit you. You can attend as an auditing student for half a year. After those six months, if you pass their exams, you can be promoted to a regr student. There won¡¯t be any difference between you and your fellow ssmates.¡± Being a doctor was Courtney¡¯s childhood dream. Although she hadn¡¯t personally seen her mother bleed to death during childbirth, by piecing together Alicia and her grandfather¡¯s stories, she knew about the doctors¡¯ cruelty back then¡ªthey ended up missing the best window for her mother¡¯s survival. Later on, her grandfather abruptly died from stomach cancer, and this weighed heavy on her mind. In reality, she had never given up on studying medicine. However, the barrier of entry was high. After she had to give up her dream six years ago, she didn¡¯t dare to hope for a chance to reenter this field. And yet, Elijah had paved her this road behind her back. Courtney couldn¡¯t voice all the gratitude she felt then. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, you can give other universities here a try¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Courtney took a deep breath before she slowly said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for you to make an application on my behalf. This is a renowned medical school that scores of medical students dream of. How can I refuse?¡± ¡°You¡¯re willing to leave behind everyone and everything here?¡± ¡°Even if I¡¯m not, I have to.¡± A self-deprecating look appeared on Courtney¡¯s face. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t really have anyone here to miss anymore. Citron Apparel has already been handed over to Cameron and Bill. All that¡¯s left now is Dawn¡¯s adoption. Once her adoption is finalized, I can leave.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t take too long.¡± Elijah nodded contemtively. He didn¡¯t bring up the baby growing in Courtney¡¯s belly. Since she still wanted to go with him aftering back from the hospital, that meant she and Alexander weren¡¯t tied down again because of the child. To Courtney, this one year was the closing chapter to the ident that happened six years ago. One always had to pay their dues and scrub their life clean before they could truly start over. Not long after that, the stragglers of Dragon¡¯s gang on the ind were wiped out. The police then sent Dawn back to Courtney. To Dawn, who had just started living at Twin Peaks Manor, everything was a new experience, and she got along with the other two children well. After dinner one day, Courtney brought Dawn¡¯s pajamas to the girl¡¯s room. Dawn called to her. ¡°Courtney, that old guy in the manor said that you¡¯re going to take me to a different country?¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± Courtney sat down by Dawn¡¯s bed. ¡°I¡¯m nning to leave this ce. You can¡¯t possibly stay behind alone, right?¡± Dawn blinked. ¡°Are you going with that old guy?¡± Chapter 410 One Night Surprise Chapter 410 Chapter 410 You Look Good in Anything ¡°Old guy?¡± Courtney stood there for a few moments before she realized that Dawn was referring to Elijah. Elijah was nearly forty; it was understandable that a young girl who was about eleven or twelve would call him old. However, Dawn had never referred to Courtney in a simr way. She made it seem like Elijah was a whole generation older than Courtney. She couldn¡¯t stifle herughter. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re going with him, but we won¡¯t be living together with him. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Dawn suddenly looked disappointed. ¡°We won¡¯t be living together?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Courtney didn¡¯t understand as she looked at Dawn with a probing guess. ¡°You look pretty disappointed.¡± ¡°How can I not be? He was the first person I saw since getting off that ind. He saved me.¡± On the day they made their escape from that ind and sank into the waters after their bullet-ridden boat capsized, Alexander had been the one to save Courtney. Meanwhile, Dawn had been saved by Elijah, who had jumped into the water at the same time. When Dawn woke up, he was the first person she saw. Over thest few days, Elijah had sent people to take care of her, and he also personally went to the police station during the few times they needed him. It was normal for Dawn to feel attached to Elijah. Courtney began to grasp the situation. ¡°We may not be living together with him, but the ce we¡¯ll be staying won¡¯t be far from his. We can meet up with him often,¡± she exined. After hearing that, the disappointment on Dawn¡¯s face eased up a little. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t overthink it. I¡¯ll get someone to show you around Melrose these few days. Once your adoption papers have been finalized, you can leave this ce with us.¡± Dawn nodded. After assuring Dawn, Courtney walked over to the door, but she suddenly thought of something then. She turned to look at Dawn. ¡°Before we leave, do you want to see your father?¡± she asked. ¡°No.¡± Dawn wrinkled her forehead before she resolutely borated, ¡°He¡¯s not my dad.¡± Courtney didn¡¯t chastise Dawn or affirm her. She simply nodded and closed the door. Out of the twenty-plus people on the ind, Fatso was the only one to escape with his life. Currently, he was being held in jail. Once the court had made its decision, he would at the very least be facing a life sentence. There was little chance of him ever leaving the inside of a prison cell for as long as he lived. On the day of the ind escape, Courtney had the feeling that Fatso had been holding his tongue. He seemed to have more he wanted to say to her, but he hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to. Maybe there was some kind of misunderstanding between Dawn and Fatso? Cameron and Gale¡¯s wedding was to be held at the end of the month. It was a little too rushed, but Gale insisted on having it as soon as possible¡ªsomething about unlucky happenings being more likely to crop up if they dyed the wedding any longer. Gale probably got scared by what had happened before Courtney and Alexander¡¯s wedding. Inside the Citron Apparel store, Cameron was having a wedding gown fitting while Courtney tried on her bridesmaid dress. The wedding gown was a piece that Cameron had made as a graduation piece; Bill sent it to her six months ago. ¡°I made this for my graduation ages ago. I¡¯ve put on some weight since then. If I don¡¯t get it altered, the seams might just burst during the wedding.¡± Inside the dressing room, two attendants helped Courtney and Cameron to spruce up their hair and smooth out their skirts. Courtney lifted her arms so that the attendant could help her tighten her corset. As she did so, she nced at Cameron. ¡°So long as you can squeeze into the dress. It¡¯s already been almost half a year since you were unemployed; if you weren¡¯t eating, you were sleeping. Being able to retain such a figure is already pretty great. People who get fat at the sight of food are going to give you a good walloping if they hear you say that.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That just won¡¯t do. Anyway, I got to lose weight. I don¡¯t want to look like a short and stout teapot at my own wedding,¡± ¡°Why? Are you worried that Gale will be disgusted?¡± ¡°Will he even dare to be?¡± Seeing how serious Cameron was, Courtney felt relieved. ¡°By the way, that girl that you brought with you¡ªare you really going to bring her to the States with you?¡± ¡°Yeah, I already promised her father.¡± ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable¡ªyou¡¯re not running a charity or orphanage here. Isn¡¯t two children already enough work for you? I¡¯m warning you now: a twelve-year-old, and one raised in an environment like that, isn¡¯t going to be easy to raise.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be okay.¡± ¡°Geez, so, she¡¯s probably registered under Elijah¡¯s name, yeah?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky that you haven¡¯t signed the divorce papers with Elijah.¡± There was an underlying meaning to Cameron¡¯s tone. ¡°Or you probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to carry out the adoption.¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all thanks to Elijah.¡± After the police had confirmed Dawn¡¯s identity, they initially nned to send her to an orphanage. Courtney couldn¡¯t just adopt Dawn right away just because she wanted to either; she still had to follow the adoption process asid out by the orphanage. And Melrose Orphanage¡¯s adoption process stipted that the adopting person had to be married, preferably without children. In the end, Dawn¡¯s adoption was registered under Elijah¡¯s name, and he was also the one who renamed her. She was now Angie Grant, in hopes that she would always have a guardian angel looking after her in her new life. ¡°It¡¯s nice that Elijah is willing to adopt an older girl like her too.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just helping out. Once we¡¯re overseas, she¡¯s going to be living with me.¡± ¡°Enough with that; you think I don¡¯t know that you¡¯re going to go to med school?¡± Cameron smiled. ¡°Are you going to bring all three kids with you while you go to ss? Even if you¡¯re willing to do that, Elijah will definitely make the kids stay behind so that you won¡¯t get distracted.¡± Courtney was speechless. What Cameron said was definitely something Elijah would do. ¡°I can see that Elijah is very thoughtful and considerate toward you. Why haven¡¯t you considered living with him?¡± Courtney was at a loss as to how to answer her question. Just then, the attendants finished fussing over their hair and dresses. ¡°Your dresses are ready, Miss Hunter, Miss Miller. Please take a look.¡± The curtains of the dressing room were pulled aside from the outside. Cameron held Courtney¡¯s arm. ¡°Do I look pretty?¡± she asked Gale, who was yawning repeatedly from where he sat on the couch. ¡°Beautiful.¡± Gale put down his book. ¡°You look good in anything.¡± That deep, loving, passionate gaze was enough to make Courtney break out into goosebumps. ¡°What about Courtney? How does her bridesmaid¡¯s dress look?¡± Gale¡¯s gaze sharpened at that, as though he was faced with some terrifying enemy. ¡°I cannot pass judgment on my wife¡¯s best friend, not if I value my life.¡± ¡°I can barely bring myself to ask you that anyway.¡° Cameron rolled her eyes as she pulled Courtney over to a mirror for her to see herself. The bridesmaid dress that Courtney was wearing was something that Cameron had personally designed herself. It matched perfectly with the wedding gown that she had on. ¡°Looks great, huh?¡± ¡°It does.¡± Courtney grinned. ¡°When do any of your designs look awful?¡± As she spoke, she heard the attendant speak behind her. ¡°Wee.¡± Gale spoke up as well. ¡°Alex, I¡¯ve been waiting for you since forever. Why did you onlye now?¡± All at once, the smile on Courtney¡¯s face stiffened. Of course, it was Cameron and Gale¡¯s wedding. She was Cameron¡¯s best friend, which was why she was the bridesmaid. And Alexander was Gale¡¯s best friend. Naturally, he would be the best man. Actually, Cameron had told her about this before. Courtney had also thought that she had already mentally prepared herself, but her heart still raced like no tomorrow as she heard Gale and Alexander¡¯s voices behind her. Letting go of someone was truly not an easy task. Chapter 411 One Night Surprise Chapter 411 Chapter 411 But I¡¯m the Only One Daddy Has Cameron spun Courtney around from the mirror. When Courtney looked up, her gaze met the look that Alexander had sent her way. It was as cold as ever. Now, it even seemed to have a hint of destion to it. ¡°Since we all know each other, I guess I don¡¯t have to introduce you all.¡± Gale gave a dry cough, not quite smart enough to navigate the situation. The atmosphere got even more awkward. ¡°Let¡¯s have your clothes fitted first.¡± Cameron was the one to rescue them all as she urged an attendant to take Alexander to the dressing room. Throughout the entire process, neither Courtney nor Alexander interacted with each other. After Alexander entered the dressing room, Cameron balefully shot Gale a re. ¡°Did you lose your marbles? Can¡¯t you be more mindful about what you say?¡± Gale chuckled in embarrassment. ¡°I was just trying to liven things up, you know? And besides, I think that no one here has a grudge against someone else. We can all still be friends in the future.¡± ¡°On my best friend¡¯s behalf, thank you. But, do you think that she looks like the kind of person who needs more friends?¡± Courtney felt exasperated when she saw both of them activate roasting mode. ¡°I¡¯m going to the washroom.¡± Even after she had put a lot of distance between them, Courtney could still hear Cameron and Gale arguing whether it was okay to be friends with your ex after breaking up. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, Courtney also thought about the question herself. The answer was no. Whether it was an amicable breakup or not, it was best for both parties to not meet again since they¡¯d made the decision to part ways. And being friends was out of the question. Popping up in the other¡¯s life would hinder them in getting a new start, so it was better to never see each other again. Courtney deliberately stayed longer in the washroom. By the time she emerged, Alexander had already finished trying on his tuxedo and left. He hadn¡¯t even so much as greeted her. By the time Gale and Cameron drove her back to Elijah¡¯s manor, it was already evening. The manor had a mini yground built on its grounds, so Courtney could hear the sounds ofughter the moment she entered the yard. Elijah had been worried that Tina would be bored out of her mind being cooped up at home without going to school, so he had invited Tina¡¯s kindergarten ss over the weekend toe and y with her. Following the direction of theughter, Courtney saw around eight children mbering around in the ball pit. Meanwhile, there was a little figure sitting destely by the slide in the corner. The child looked out of ce. She frowned and walked over to him. ¡°Jordan, why aren¡¯t you ying with the others?¡± The rays of the evening sun sshed across Jordan¡¯s face. He looked up. ¡°Mommy,¡± he greeted dully. ¡°They don¡¯t want to y with you?¡± Courtney was a little worried. Jordan shook his head. He seemed down. The boy had always been a worrier. Courtney was concerned, so she sat down next to him. They sat with their backs to the radiant evening sun, their shadows, one bigger than the other, cast in front of them. ¡°What is it? Can you tell me?¡± Jordan turned his head to regard Courtney carefully, his pretty forehead wrinkled up into three deep lines, looking exactly like a certain person. ¡°Tina said that Mr. Elijah is her daddy now. I won¡¯t be able to see my own daddy anymore.¡± Courtney stiffened for a bit. She then reflexively turned around to look at Tina, who was screaming like a banshee inside one of the tunnels connected to the ball pit. Truly, Tina didn¡¯t know what sadness was like. To Tina, leaving Melrose City was no big deal. On the contrary, since she grew up in the US, she was used to its way of life. She wasn¡¯t all that attached to Alexander either. At least, not whenpared to her father on paper, Elijah, who had taken care of her since she was small. To Jordan, however, it was different. ¡°So, you miss your daddy.¡± Courtney sighed. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, are you still willing toe with me and go overseas?¡± Jordan stared at her for a long while. Atst, he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Courtney furrowed her brows. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to live together with Tina and me?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Jordan was quiet for a few seconds before he started to stick his fingers up one by one like an adult. ¡°You have Tina, Mr. Elijah, Angie¡­ Mommy has a lot of people by her side, but I¡¯m the only one Daddy has.¡± Courtney suddenly felt a tug at her heart. Hisst sentence¡ª¡®I¡¯m the only one Daddy has¡¯¡ªsounded extraordinarily heartbreaking. She clenched her fists, and after a few moments of silence, she spoke. ¡°But Daddy still has your grandma, Mr. Oliver, and your great-grandpa. I actually only have you and Tina.¡± Jordan shook his head. ¡°Great-Grandpa and Daddy are always fighting, and Grandma doesn¡¯t talk much to Daddy either. Mr. Oliver is about to go overseas for his studies soon. Daddy isn¡¯t good at taking care of people, but I know that he loves me a lot.¡± In the end, Jordan might look like he was close to Courtney, but in reality, he still leaned toward Alexander. Courtney didn¡¯t know what to say. Although she really wished that Jordan would go with her, logically speaking, going with her wasn¡¯t the best thing for Jordan. After all, the Duncans had raised him for six years. And besides, he himself didn¡¯t want to leave. The end of the month came. Gale and Cameron¡¯s wedding was held at a holiday resort in one of the suburbs in Melrose City. Guests streamed in like water. The road leading to the resort was filled with luxury cars. Gale went over to Cameron¡¯s tiny apartment to pick her up shortly after daybreak. Because Alexander was with him, Courtney had no interest in participating in the games that they had nned beforehand. Fortunately, Courtney¡¯s assistant, Natasha, was there. She enthusiastically locked the door, stopping Gale from entering the apartment. She then put her hands on her hips and yelled to the men waiting outside, ¡°If you want toe in, you¡¯ll have to pony up. We¡¯ll only let you guys in once we¡¯re staggering from the weight of all that sweet, sweet money.¡± It was loud and noisy outside the apartment. Courtney had no idea what Gale and his entourage said, but envelopes were immediately slid under the crack of the door. The shiny coating of the envelopes was positively blinding. Courtney was startled by this. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± she yelped in surprise. ¡°Holy moly, they¡¯re that intent on getting in?¡± Natasha eximed at Courtney as she picked up the envelopes. ¡°Back in my hometown, the grooms were stingy as all hell. It took forever for them to cough up anything, and even then, they only gave us two envelopes.¡± Courtney had never been to a wedding before, so she didn¡¯t know what was standard. ¡°How much money do they normally put inside the envelopes?¡± she asked casually. ¡°Five bucks, at most¡ª¡± Natasha opened an envelope as she spoke, but the rest of her words were left stuck in her throat. A hundred bucks. And in US dors too. That came up to over 600 in the local currency. And there was still a whole heap of envelopes by her feet. Just looking at them was enough to make Natasha¡¯s eyes bug out. ¡°Hey, Miss Hunter, is this how rich people¡¯s weddings go?¡± It wasn¡¯t like Courtney had experienced a wedding before; she was frozen as well. All of a sudden, Cameron stood up from her bed, craning her neck. ¡°Who do they think they¡¯re bribing? Do they think we don¡¯t know what they¡¯re up to? Don¡¯t open that door.¡± Courtney and Natasha exchanged looks with each other. Natasha proceeded to pick up the envelopes and retreat to the side. ¡°Miss Hunter,e here. I can¡¯t pick up everything myself.¡± Why wouldn¡¯t they grab the envelopes? With how stacked the envelopes were, Natasha was sure it was worth her several months¡¯ sry. Loud thumps could be heard from the door, along with the sounds of the Langley men¡¯s voices. ¡°Open the door for the groom himself if you¡¯re already drowning in envelopes! Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re keeping the door locked because you really got weighed down from all the envelopes!¡± Courtney greatly disliked what she heard. Immediately, she fired back, ¡°Your envelopes only have a bit of money in them. No one¡¯s going to be surprised seeing that amount. Sincerity is needed when getting married, so if you¡¯re just going to give those little bribes out, then you can forget about stepping past that door.¡± Chapter 412 One Night Surprise Chapter 412 Chapter 412 Let Only the Best Man Drink It promptly went quiet outside. Half a beatter, after Gale had seemingly chastised and calmed down his rowdy entourage of cousins and friends, he spoke good-naturedly. ¡°Of course I¡¯m sincere. My cousins were just fooling around just now. Whatever you want me to do to prove my sincerity, I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll even go out and pluck the stars from the sky if that¡¯s what you want me to do.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being a pushover, Gale.¡± A round ofughter sounded outside. ¡°Shut it¡­ If you ruin my wedding, you little brats, I¡¯m going to choke you all to death.¡± ¡°Stop yammering. Words alone aren¡¯t going to prove your sincerity,¡± Courtney said to the men outside. ¡°If you¡¯re really sincere, you wouldn¡¯t have just brought these envelopes with you.¡± ¡°So, what do you want?¡± His question had Courtney stumped. She immediately looked at Natasha for help. Natasha was busy counting their spoils. After some quick thought, she pretended to lift a wine ss and drink from it. ¡°Drinking?¡± Courtney said without thinking. ¡°How much to drink?¡± the men outside yelled back. Courtney was stunned. She hadn¡¯t actually intended to make them drink. Now that she had made her bed, she had to lie on it. Courtney immediately shot a look at Natasha, signaling for her to help clean up this mess. Once she was done counting, Natasha put the envelopes aside. Clearing her throat, she yelled to the men outside, ¡°Simple. We agree on a lucky number, of course. It¡¯s a wedding, right? So, one ss to prove the groom¡¯s heart, and two sses to prove the love between both bride and groom.¡± ¡°Two then. Two sses.¡± Gale¡¯s voice emerged from the crowd. ¡°I¡¯ll prove that we¡¯re a match made in heaven.¡± The sound of wine being poured out and sses clinking together could be heard from the outside. Courtney pricked her ears up as she listened. ¡°Hey, we should let just the best man drink. If the groom himself falls over drunk, it¡¯s going to be a pain since we still have to survive the rest of the day,¡± someone said. Before Courtney could speak, Natasha answered, ¡°Sure, just the best man is fine.¡± Gale only had one best man, and that was Alexander. And fortunately, since he would only be drinking two sses, Courtney also rxed. ¡°Two sses down,¡± said Bill. He was Cameron¡¯s friend, so he was considered her eyes for the entourage outside the apartment. He definitely was speaking the truth. Do we open the door? Courtney mouthed to Natasha. Natasha shook her head, a meaningful smile appearing on her face before she raised her voice and shouted out the door, ¡°If two sses is to prove the love between both bride and groom, then three sses is to show your determination for the life you two will have together in the future.¡± The outside of the apartment went quiet for a bit before the raucousughter started up again. ¡°What¡¯s one more ss? Three sses, go.¡± ¡°All finished.¡± ¡°Four sses for fortune and a lovely family.¡± ¡°Done.¡± A whileter. ¡°Nine sses for a life that¡¯s as long as a cat¡¯s nine lives added together.¡± ¡°Done.¡± ¡°Ten sses for a ten-out-of-ten married life.¡± ¡°Done.¡± ¡°Eleven sses to prove the groom¡¯s heart.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Someone noticed Natasha¡¯s phrasing and suddenly fought back with her on this. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that one ss was for that?¡± ¡°But you guys started with two sses!¡± Natasha saidnguidly. The people outside had no choice but to ept their fate. They finished eleven sses of wine, but Natasha had a way with words. Soon, they made their way to the twentieth ss. Courtney could vaguely hear Gale¡¯s voice through the door. ¡°Alex, are you okay?¡± Her heart suddenly clenched. While Natasha was distracted, Courtney secretly unlocked the door. ¡°Hey guys, we can open the door now¡­¡± With a loud crash, the door swung open. Gale¡¯s entourage gushed in like a raging river, instantly crowding the entire room. Caught off-guard, Natasha shrieked as she was forced over to a corner. Courtney, on the other hand, had already retreated to the side before this. Once everyone was inside the apartment, she stood on her tiptoes and surveyed the crowd. The pungent smell of alcohol hit her nostrils, but she didn¡¯t see Alexander inside. She had no idea where he was either. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. They had a wedding emceee in for the rest of the wedding ceremony. Gale carried Cameron out of her bedroom. Since Cameron had no family attending her wedding, they simply skipped over any parts that involved her family. No one mentioned this ¡®oversight¡¯ throughout the ceremony, probably because Gale had brought this matter up beforehand. He left the apartment with Cameron in tow to head straight for the Langley residence. As Cameron¡¯s bridesmaid, Courtney followed Gale and Cameron. She watched as Cameronpleted the rest of the wedding ceremony with Gale¡¯s parents and epted the wedding gifts they offered her. Cameron remained smiling under everyone¡¯s gazes as they gave her their blessings. It was the first time Courtney had seen Cameron have such a calm and sincere smile on her face for the entire day. The wedding banquet was held at a holiday resort in the suburbs. Because of the dy when Gale went to pick up Cameron, they arrived at the venueter than expected, so the program was a little rushed. The emcee also skipped over all the fluff and went straight to the highlights: the exchanging of rings and the bouquet toss. A group of young women stood on a white stage that was decorated with roses, waiting to catch the bouquet. Cameron stood with her back to everyone. Lifting the pure white bouquet of flowers, she tossed it over her head. The bouquet sailed in a perfect arc in the air while the crowd cheered and hooted, and it struck Courtney, who had just walked off the stage to retreat from the bouquet toss. She had no idea who started it, but the crowd began pping. Natasha poked her head out from the crowd and yelled, ¡°Miss Hunter, those who catch the bouquet have to get hitched within three months. If you don¡¯t get married by then, you¡¯ll remain a spinster.¡± The crowd followed her lead andughed. Courtney forced herself back onto the stage. ¡°Why don¡¯t we do the toss again? It seems like the bouquet is wasted on me¡­¡± ¡°How is it wasted on you? Are you actually worried that you won¡¯t be able to find someone to marry?¡± Cameron shoved the bouquet into Courtney¡¯s hands. After looking around, she grabbed the emcee¡¯s microphone. With one hand on Courtney¡¯s arm, she addressed the crowd, her voice loud and clear. ¡°Thisdy by my side is my bestest best friend. I¡¯m sure many of you here know her. Her name is Courtney Hunter, and she¡¯s the kindest woman that I¡¯ve ever known. You all saw her catch the bouquet. There¡¯s a saying out there: if you don¡¯t get married within three months of catching the bouquet, then you will remain unmarried forever. So, on her behalf, I¡¯m going to make this announcement: Courtney Hunter is currently single. Gentlemen, feel free to shoot your shot. No f*ckboys allowed.¡± The crowd below whooped and cheered the moment Cameron finished her speech. ¡°Sign me up!¡± ¡°You think I have a chance?¡± Soon, the crowd went into a frenzy. Courtney was a beautiful woman in the first ce. Her aura was especially out-of-this-world, so she had long since attracted the attention of many men here. Now that Cameron had announced that it was open season for Courtney, she had sed a whole troop of men on Courtney, making Courtney wish for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Without waiting for Cameron to finish, she rushed off the stage, running faster than anyone there could. ¡°Sorry, but where¡¯s the washroom?¡± ¡°Over there.¡± Courtney lifted the front of her dress and made a mad dash for the washroom. When she saw her red face in the mirror, she got exasperated. She had just whipped out a tube of lipstick to reapply her makeup when she heard a loud thump from further inside the washroom. She jumped from the shock, and she turned around to see a cell phone had fallen and slid out through the crack under the stall. However, the person inside seemed to have not noticed this, for there was no sign of activity from them. She hesitantly put her lipstick away to pick up the phone. Then, she knocked on the door. ¡°Hi there, you dropped your phone.¡± There was still no sound inside the stall. Just as Courtney was about to knock again, she realized that the door was unlocked. A dark figure could be seen slumped next to the toilet bowl when she peered past the crack in the door. The air was filled with the scent of alcohol. She pulled the door open and looked inside. Instantly, she recognized the upant. Chapter 413 One Night Surprise Chapter 413 Chapter 413 Time Waits for No One Inside a hotel room at the resort, the scent of alcohol wafted around indiscriminately. A bellhop came by with a basin of warm water, cing it on a stool next to the bed. ¡°Here is the water that you requested, Miss Hunter. The hangover cure has been left on the dining table outside. Do you want me to bring it here?¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. If you need anything, please call for me.¡± The bellhop eyed the person on the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Courtney soaked a towel in the basin of water and ced it on Alexander¡¯s forehead. He had indeed drank too much earlier this morning when Gale went to pick up Cameron. No wonder she hadn¡¯t seen any sign of him earlier at the banquet. Initially, Courtney thought that he was deliberately avoiding her, but now, it seemed that she had been overthinking it. ¡°You can¡¯t hold your liquor. Why did you drink all that wine then? None of Gale¡¯s horde of cousins wanted to help when they were screaming their heads off earlier. You, on the other hand, are a self- sacrificing nut,¡± Courtney mumbled as she wrung out another damp towel and carefully wiped his hands clean. Alexander¡¯s half-dead form slumped in the washroom earlier had indeed given her a fright. The room was quiet since Alexander was out cold from all the alcohol. Suddenly, he murmured, ¡°Courtney¡­¡± Courtney stopped wiping his hands for a moment. All of a sudden, she heard him say, ¡°Don¡¯te back¡­¡± She froze, her lips twitching, curving up into a self-deprecating smile. She tossed the towel into the basin and got up to leave. By the time Alexander came to, it was already evening. His head threatened to split itself apart from the pounding headache he had. When he shifted a little, the towel on his forehead slipped and fell onto his pillow. The sound of footsteps came from outside. A female attendant stood by the door, smiling thankfully. ¡°You¡¯re awake atst, Mr. Duncan.¡± Alexander sat up and ced a hand on his throbbing forehead. All he remembered was that he had followed the others to the resort after he had drunk himself silly earlier. His stomach had roiled, so he darted away from the crowd to go to the washroom. He couldn¡¯t remember anything after that. ¡°Why am I here?¡± ¡°You passed out in the washroom. Fortunately, our foreman brought you to this room to rest. You¡¯ve slept the entire afternoon.¡± Alexander brought his wrist up to check the time. It was six already. He did indeed sleep the entire afternoon away. ¡°What about the bride and groom?¡± ¡°The married couple set off for their honeymoon right after the wedding ended some time after three. Their flight is probably going to take off soon.¡± Alexander nodded thoughtfully. When he pulled the nkets off to get up, he noticed a bouquet of flowers by the bed. His gaze stilled. ¡°Other than your foreman, did anyone else carry me here?¡± The attendant was stunned by this question. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. The foreman ordered me to look after you. He said that it was a woman who discovered you.¡± Alexander furrowed his brows. He didn¡¯t say anything after that. It can¡¯t be such a coincidence, right? I must¡¯ve been dreaming. When he left the resort, Alexander got a call from Gale. ¡°Yo, back in thend of living already, Alex? I thought that you wouldn¡¯t answer this call.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Nothing. Cam and I are going to board our ne in a bit, and I just remembered that there¡¯s something I haven¡¯t told you yet. Before she left, Courtney asked me and Cam to tell you that she has sent Jordan back to your grandfather¡¯s ce. Go pick him up when you have the time.¡± ¡°She¡¯s not taking Jordan with her?¡± Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. L¡°Probably. She said that it¡¯s Jordan¡¯s own wish, and he wanted to go with you.¡± Alexander¡¯s frown grew deeper. ¡°Did she say when she¡¯s leaving?¡± ¡°Tonight.¡± Huh? Alexander¡¯s expression stiffened abruptly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The adoption process for the young girl from the ind has beenpleted. Courtney already made bookings for tickets out of Melrose City tonight. I wanted to tell you this, but Courtney said that she wanted to tell you herself. She didn¡¯t say anything to you earlier this afternoon?¡± ¡°This afternoon?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression remained frozen. ¡°Who caught the bouquet earlier?¡± Gale paused for a bit, stunned. ¡°Courtney did. Why are you asking this?¡± ¡°What time is her flight?¡± ¡°Eight.¡± No way. On Gale¡¯s end, the airport announced that the ne was ready for boarding. Gale ended the call under Cameron¡¯s urging. Meanwhile, Alexander gripped his phone as he urged Josh, who was driving. ¡°Step on it.¡± He thought that he had only been dreaming earlier¡ªdreaming of that person, her scent, her smile, and her concern for him, all of which were too familiar to him. After all that had happened, he had no expectations for Courtney to forgive him for all the harm that he had caused her. Even if she could find it in herself to forgive him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive himself. Broken rtionships would still have cracks in them even if they¡¯d been repaired; they would never go back to being the same again. He needed time to carefully think about what he needed, and what he could give her. However, before he could figure it out, she was already on her way to leave. Time never waited for anyone. By half past seven, the car stopped in front of the airport¡¯s terminal building. Alexander rushed out of the car like a whirlwind and charged straight for the terminal. There¡¯s still half an hour until the flight to New York takes off. I should be able to get there in time. Josh followed behind him, having booked tickets for the New York flight. He followed Alexander into the ne, where Alexander insisted on going to the first ss cabin to look for Courtney despite the flight attendants¡¯ efforts to stop him. ¡°Sir, the flight is about to take off. You can¡¯t go there¡­¡± L¡°I¡¯m looking for someone.¡± ¡°No, sir. How about this? We can make an announcement for the person you¡¯re looking for once the ne has stabilized¡­¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander immediately turned and headed into the cockpit. ¡°Where¡¯s the PA system?¡± LThe captain was stunned. ¡°Where¡¯s the PA system?¡± Alexander repeated. The captain was still caught up in his surprise as he reflexively pointed at the broadcasting equipment next to him. The next moment, the microphone for the PA system was in Alexander¡¯s hand. His deep and urgent voice reverberated throughout the cabin. ¡°I apologize, everyone. I got on this flight not because I want to fly to the States, or because I want to go to some other country. I just want to look for someone¡ª someone that I identally lost. If she¡¯s willing to give me another chance, I will treasure her more than I ever did¡­¡± The flight attendants had already squeezed themselves over to the cockpit¡¯s entrance. Someone attempted to stop Alexander¡¯s broadcast, but Josh locked all the attendants out. He pressed himself against the door, ring at the captain and signaling for him not to do anything rash. The captain shrugged, a nonchnt look on his face as he allowed Alexander to continue broadcasting. ¡°I thought that respecting your wishes and letting you go was the right decision, but when the time came for you to leave, nothing felt right. I know that if I actually let you leave, I will regret this for the rest of my life. Courtney, if you can hear me, please give me the chance to apologize to you, okay?¡± His stifled sobs came through in the broadcast, announced to everyone on the ne. The passengers exchanged looks with each other, searching around for the woman called Courtney. But in the end, no one answered. ¡°Okay.¡± The captain waved a hand at Alexander without any remorse. ¡°Time¡¯s up.¡± At that, he grabbed Alexander by the shoulders and smashed him down onto the control panel, pinning him down. ¡°Call the police,¡± the captain said loudly into the PA system. Chapter 414 One Night Surprise Chapter 414 Chapter 414 Why Do I Feel That This Sounds Kinda Sad? By the time Alexander was taken to the airport¡¯s police center, Courtney was already flying up above the clouds. She hadn¡¯t boarded that flight to New York. Since she was going for a fresh start, she decided to bury everything from her past and start all over again. Three monthster, a horse race was being held at a massive ranch in France. A ck car was parked by the outside perimeter of the ranch. A beautiful woman with short hair alighted from its passenger seat and ran over to the ranch¡¯s fence to watch the race. ¡°Hello, prettydy,¡± a French manplimented her, having observed her for a while as he leaned against the fence himself. ¡°Lady Aphrodite.¡± ¡°Is this what you say to every beautiful woman you see?¡± Cameron folded her arms as she regarded the man before her. He was tall with forest green eyes that had a romantic air to them. When he spoke, he maintained a sunny smile, but he still radiated a dubious aura despite all that. The feeling he gave Cameron was about the same as her initial impression of Gale. ¡°Of course not.¡± The French man lifted his hand up to swear. ¡°I promise you that you¡¯re the seconddy I¡¯ve everplimented this way.¡± Cameron lifted the corner of her lips. ¡°Then, please take me to see the first woman.¡± The French man stiffened, onlying to his senses a few momentster. ¡°You¡¯re her friend?¡± ¡°If the woman that you¡¯re talking about is Courtney, then yes.¡± The French man was too surprised to say anything. Courtney lived in a log cabin by theke situated to the south of the ranch. The ce was pretty quiet, but if she wanted to liven things up for herself, all she would need to do was take a few steps into the ranch and join the crowd watching the horse race. When Leon brought Cameron to the cabin, Courtney was in the middle of reading a book of French literature. It was a task in itself to understand its contents. ¡°Oh god, can you please stop being so serious? You¡¯re six months pregnant now. Take a break, will you?¡± Cameron stalked over huffily, her eyes never once leaving Courtney¡¯s stomach. ¡°You¡¯re here already?¡± Courtney quickly plucked her sses off, a look of joy on her face. ¡°I thought you said you would arrive a littleter?¡± Cameron hade to France to participate in apetition for wedding gown designs as Citron Apparel¡¯s representative. Before she came, she informed Courtney, saying that she was going to visit her since they would both be in the same country. She had also told Courtney that she woulde to her hometer in order to avoid Gale tagging along. ¡°I missed you, so I came earlier.¡± Cameron immediately hugged her, giggling cheekily. ¡°Ahem.¡± The two women could hear someone coughing outside. After they let go of each other, Courtney finally noticed Ryan¡ªall six feet of him¡ªstanding by the door. ¡°Courtney, that friend of yours ¡ªI still don¡¯t know her name,¡± he said in halting English. Courtney nced at Cameron. ¡°Did Ryan hit on you?¡± Cameron didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°You know him pretty well.¡± ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Ryan¡¯s English skills were limited. He didn¡¯t understand what Courtney meant by ¡®hitting on¡¯ Cameron. Courtney smiled. ¡°My friend said that you¡¯re handsome.¡± ¡°Really? Thanks.¡± ¡°My friend¡¯s name is Cameron. She¡¯s married.¡± Upon hearing the word ¡®married,¡¯ Ryan¡¯s face instantly fell. ¡°Why, Courtney? Why are all the beautiful women from your country married already?¡± Courtney shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can help it.¡± ¡°Never mind. I¡¯ll just have a nice, long talk with my horse.¡± After they watched Ryan trail off sadly, Courtney and Cameron exchanged looks and burst into laughter. Cameron guffawed as she plopped herself down onto the couch. ¡°They say that French men have a penchant for the romantic. I can¡¯t tell whether that¡¯s true for him, but at any rate, he¡¯s got no eye for picking targets to hit on,¡± she said, speaking her mind. Courtney poured her a ss of water. ¡°How many French men have you met so far? Getting xenophobic already?¡± Cameron studied Courtney¡¯s stomach. Her belly was already heavy since she was six months along. ¡°How are you doing?¡± ¡°Quite well.¡± Courtney looked down and stroked her belly, a warm smile on her face. ¡°This ce is nice, and no one knows me. I just study here every day, prepping for my med school finals. By then, the child will be born. If I¡¯m lucky and pass the exams, I can officially attend sses then.¡± ¡°So, you took a long detour but ended up at the starting point again.¡± Courtney¡¯s gaze shifted. ¡°You¡¯re right actually¡­¡± It was difficult to predict how life would turn out. Back then, Tina was still young. Courtney was afraid of others stealing her child away, so she ran to the US. Thus, abandoning her studies was an unavoidable consequence. Abandoning her progress once again to learn about hotel management was also something that life had forced on her. Now, everything had returned to its original track. ¡°Oh yeah, he and Gale kept searching for you the month you left.¡± Cameron abruptly changed the topic, her eyes casually studying Courtney. ¡°Really now? And?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t tell Gale, so he doesn¡¯t know. He seemed to have given up after more than a month of searching.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± Courtney sat down, her hands at her waist to help support her weight. Her expression did not change one bit, as though she had already expected this. ¡°That¡¯s pretty good.¡± ¡°Is it really, though?¡± Cameron had aplicated look on her face. ¡°I never really could understand it. Avoiding Alexander is understandable, but why are you avoiding Elijah too? You said that you would follow him to the States, so why did you end up running away to this backwater little corner alone?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not avoiding him.¡± Courtney took a sip of tea. ¡°Who said that I¡¯m avoiding him? The med school that he helped me to apply to is here. I can¡¯t possibly let him move hispany just to be with me.¡± ¡°I feel that Elijah would actually do that if you brought that up.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Stop it. I know what you¡¯re trying to say.¡± Courtney looked like she had already guessed Cameron¡¯s thoughts. ¡°But you really got the wrong idea this time. Elijah¡¯s getting married soon.¡± ¡°With who?¡± Cameron was stunned. ¡°That¡¯s so sudden. I¡¯ve never heard about him getting married.¡± ¡°Lilian.¡± ¡°Wow, talk about dating your boss.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t go to New York. I can¡¯t possibly interfere with their life together, can I?¡± ¡°Why do I feel that it all sounds kinda sad?¡± Cameron watched Courtney¡¯s nonchnt expression, feeling heartbroken all of a sudden. ¡°So you put them before yourself, but what about you? The kid is due in a few more months. Do you really want me to still keep everything a secret?¡± Courtney was quiet for a bit. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to tell. Love isn¡¯t always needed in life. And besides, I have plenty of things on my to-do list.¡± Cameron instinctively nced at the towering piles of medical textbooks. Her scalp crawled at the sight. ¡°You¡¯re just transforming all your sadness and anger into strength. It¡¯s a good thing, but I still feel a little heartbroken about it. Say, I¡¯m going back tomorrow. Do you really have nothing that you want me to convey?¡± Courtney carefully thought it over. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. ¡°Actually, I do.¡± She then fished out an aged ck velvet box from the drawer in her desk and handed it to Cameron. ¡°Please help me give this back to him.¡± Cameron didn¡¯t even need to open the box to know what was inside: it was the ne that had seemingly determined Courtney¡¯s fate. The gears of fate were stuck on this ne. Once it was returned to its original owner, everything would seemingly return to their intended tracks, never to cross each other again. Chapter 415 One Night Surprise Chapter 415 Chapter 415 Seemingly Forever Ago ¡°What am I supposed to tell him if he asks about you when I give the ne back?¡± ¡°Tell him that I gave it to you before I left, but you just forgot about it all this time.¡± ¡°That works, I guess.¡± Cameron sighed helplessly. ¡°At first, I thought that leaving Alexander alone in Melrose City until he¡¯s a graying old man was a good punishment for him, considering how he treated you. But now that you told me that Elijah is getting married and it¡¯s not to you, I just think that it¡¯ll be better for you to go back to Melrose. I thought that you and Elijah would get together.¡± Courtney rolled her eyes at Cameron. ¡°How many times did I tell you? My rtionship with Elijah is like that of two survivors¡ªtwo people understanding and helping each other. There really isn¡¯t anything else to it, but you won¡¯t believe me.¡± ¡°I believe you now,¡± Cameron said as she fiddled with the velvet box. ¡°Now that I think about it, Elijah was kind and caring toward you, and he thought of everything for you. But the problem is, he did everything for you. He doesn¡¯t have the same kind of burning determination. If youpare them that way, Alexander¡¯s the more sincere one.¡± Courtney stared at her in astonishment. Cameron was left a little difited by the stare, so she moved away from it. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that; I only realized thatter. He used to be so bad-tempered. Like, he¡¯d see something, take it at face value, and lose his temper. Now that I think about it, when you left, Alexander¡ªthinking that you had gone back to the States¡ªactually went chasing after you there. After a long while, I heard that he met with Elijah. I have no idea what Elijah said to him, but he went back right after that. He hasn¡¯t mentioned looking for you since then.¡± It had only been around three months since then. Hearing Cameron talk about it though suddenly made Courtney feel like it had happened forever ago. However, she didn¡¯t beat herself up over it. Cameron left that evening. Since Gale hade with her and they were close with each other¡ªlike any other married couple¡ªif Cameron went homete, he would most likelye looking for her here. Courtney was content with her quiet life; she didn¡¯t want anything suddenly interrupting it. When one loved someone so madly¡ªwhen they lingered in one¡¯s mind, it was always hard to forget about the times one spent together with their significant other. Once those memories had been relegated to being things of the past, however, time would heal their wounds. Perhaps they might still love them, or maybe miss them, but they would finally be able to let go of them atst. ¡­ Five yearster, at East Melrose, spring arrived at the Duncan Residence. The weather was still chilly from the remnants of winter. The servants rushed in and out of the premises like they had rockets attached to their feet. Meanwhile, Harry kept yelling from the kitchen, ¡°Slow down! Why is everyone rushing?¡± He then caught sight of Fiona, who was harvesting vegetables in the yard. He frowned. ¡°Why are you helping in the kitchen again, Madam Fiona? We have enough servants for this. You don¡¯t have to help.¡± Fiona looked up, but her hands never stopped harvesting. She smiled gently. ¡°I feel bored sitting around doing nothing, and it¡¯s been such a long time since Oliver came to visit. He loves my dumpling soup. Those vegetable dumplings have to be freshly made for maximum deliciousness. The chefs don¡¯t make those dumplings like I do.¡± At the mention of Oliver, Harry sighed. ¡°The house is no longer as lively as it once was. Young Master Oliver is in the army, and Young Master Alexander is always out on business trips with Little Master Jordan. Miss Hannah is studying overseas, and Old Master Duncan doesn¡¯t like to leave the house due to his illness. You¡¯re the only one I can ever see in this yard.¡± ¡°The children are all grown up now. It¡¯s normal for them to be busy with their own lives. You don¡¯t have to be so hung up about them.¡± Fiona¡¯s smile grew a little sadder, but it was still warm and kind. ¡°And besides, aren¡¯t they alling home today? Oliver¡¯s even bringing Tess with him. I¡¯m sure Old Master Duncan will be overjoyed if you tell him about this.¡± ¡°Truly? Is Young Master Olivering back with Miss Reid?¡± Harry¡¯s dull eyes immediately lit up into glittering gems. ¡°We can¡¯t pin our hopes on Young Master Alexander anymore. If Young Master Oliver marries and produces an heir or two for the Duncan Family, that will fulfill all of Old Master Duncan¡¯s hopes. I must inform him of this now.¡± With that, Harry charged over to Scott to ry this piece of good news. Fiona chuckled and continued to make her dumplings. The children¡¯s fates are up to them. There¡¯s no point in me worrying about them. The old man is simply looking for some form ofpany due to his old age. In truth, Oliver and Tessa were already set to be married; they simply didn¡¯t get many chances to meet up due to their army duties. It was rare of them to pay the rest of the Duncan Family a visit. Although their wedding kept being dyed, the Duncans had already silently acknowledged Tessa as Oliver¡¯s fianc¨¦e. That night, other than Hannah who was still overseas because it wasn¡¯t summer break yet, the Duncan Family had reunited atst for dinner. Scott was beside himself with joy as he poured everyone a ss of wine, but Oliver frowned. ¡°Grandpa, your health isn¡¯t the best. The doctor said that you can¡¯t drink. Have some tea instead.¡± ¡°Just one ss. It won¡¯t do anything to me.¡± Scott was a headstrong man. If he said that he wanted to drink, then no one could stop him. Oliver shot a look at the person sitting across him a little to the side. Soon, the low voice of a young boy rang out. ¡°Great-Grandpa, today, you¡¯ll have a ss, and tomorrow, you¡¯ll have another ss again. If you keep drinking, the wine cer will be emptied before you know it.¡± The young boy looked to be about twelve, dressed in a id vest. Hisplexion was clear and unblemished, and although his face still bore the childishness of youth, his eyes were extraordinarily solemn. He was young but already quiet and reserved. Whenever the young boy spoke, he sounded exactly like a carbon copy of the man next to him. The moment the young boy finished, all the guests chuckled quietly. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Scott was stunned. ¡°You aren¡¯t worried about my health like your Uncle Oliver, but instead, you¡¯re worried about the wine cer?¡± ¡°You know your own health better than anyone else. You¡¯re still waiting to witness Uncle Oliver get married and have children, so you don¡¯t need us to remind you about that.¡± Oliver immediately shot a re at the young boy the moment he said that, but the boy ignored him. What were you expecting when you signaled for me to talk him out of drinking otherwise? If Oliver expected him to lead the conversation, then he would lead it however he wanted to. Just as expected, Scott¡¯s expression froze after he heard that. After a moment of hesitation, he put down his ss of wine atst, and he looked at Oliver. ¡°You two should hold your wedding soon. You may be busy, but you¡¯ll always be busy whether you get married or not. So, why not get it out of the way?¡± ¡°Grandpa, I only have three days of leave. Do you want me to have that wedding tomorrow or the day after? No matter which day it is, we won¡¯t be able to hold it in time.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you have to hold your wedding now. You just need to give me a date, just one day. You two won¡¯t have to worry about anything¡ªyou just need to show up at the wedding when the time comes.¡± Oliver exchanged nces with Tessa before he said in exasperation, ¡°The problem here is that neither of us can actually pick out a date. If the army says you¡¯re going on a mission now, then that¡¯s what you have to do. There¡¯s no guarantee that we¡¯ll both be free at the same time for the next one and a half years. Tess attended a talk a few days ago, and to this moment, I still don¡¯t know where that talk was held.¡± Due to the nature of their jobs, Oliver and Tessa had to sign NDAs each time they were assigned their missions. Neither of them would know what mission the other was undertaking, never mind coordinating their schedules. Scott had listened to those excuses for several years now, and he was fed up with them. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that none of those personnel are married? Do you two intend for me to pass from this world without seeing you walk down the aisle and have children?¡± The atmosphere promptly turned tense. Chapter 416 One Night Surprise Chapter 416 Chapter 416 How Do You Make Someone Stay When They Are Intent on Leaving? Everyone knew who Scott was actually admonishing. Alexander rarely returned to the Duncan Residence during the past few years. Even when he did, he would only be there for dinner before he once again rushed off, his aloofness only bing worse. At this point, even Jordan spoke more than him. Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Five years ago, Alexander had gotten into a huge fight with Scott because he handed custody of Jordan to Courtney, greatly angering Scott. It was also then that Scott¡¯s illness took hold of him. His health had been worsening by the year. Seeing how tightly Alexander¡¯s forehead was screwed up, Fiona couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Dad, the children are all grown up now. Let them be the master of their own decisions,¡± she said, attempting to sway Scott. Scott¡¯s expression was as frigid as ever. ¡°A family¡¯s descendants should not ignore their elders¡¯ wishes. If they always live their life the way they want, then doesn¡¯t that mean that we as parents¡ªas their elders¡ªhave raised them for nothing?¡± Fiona¡¯s expression stiffened. Judging from the look of fury on Scott¡¯s face, she wouldn¡¯t be able to convince him otherwise. The sound of cutlery being dropped rang out across the table. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Alexander slowly look up. ¡°Please, calm down. All these years, I¡¯ve never declined to meet the women that you arranged for me,¡± he said calmly. At the mention of that, Scott¡¯s eyes widened into a bug-eyed re. He mmed the table. ¡°How dare you bring that up in front of me? Did any of the women you¡¯ve met with ever keep their mouths shut about me? Are you not ashamed of what you said to them?¡± ¡°Sir.¡± Harry¡¯s expression fell as he lowered his voice to remind Scott, ¡°Miss Reid is still here. Let¡¯s discuss Young Master Alexander¡¯s matter another time.¡± The fury already burning within Scott was forcefully extinguished by those words. He nced at Oliver and Tessa to his right before he sat down with a stony face. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Fiona attempted to smooth things over. ¡°Try this: these are the dumplings I made. Tess, have some and see if they are to your liking.¡± Tessa had grown even more solemn and reliable due to her years in the army. She knew about the Duncan Family¡¯s issues very well, so she knew what she should say or do now. Picking up on Fiona¡¯s intentions, Tessa picked up a dumpling and ate it. ¡°Mm, this is so good. These can go toe-to-toe with my mother¡¯s dumplings. She likes making dumplings too. Maybe you can have apetition with her one day,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°Sure, I was bored out of my mind at home anyway.¡± ¡°The same goes for my mother too, haha.¡± The women¡¯s banter managed to ease the atmosphere a little. Since Tessa was here, Scott reined in his anger for now. However, he barely ate any of his food, and throughout the entire dinner, he sat there with a stormy expression. After a while, he excused himself to his room, saying that he felt unwell. After Scott left, Alexander and Oliver chatted for a while, asking about their lives recently. Having exercised his duties as a responsible older brother, Alexander took Jordan and left as well. But there¡¯s still plenty of food left on the table. Fiona sighed. Tessa blinked and gulped down the dumpling that she had been chewing. ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up over this, Mrs. Duncan. We¡¯ll eat whatever they didn¡¯t. Oliver and I love your cooking,¡± sheforted Fiona. Upon hearing that, Fiona rxed, and her lips curved up into a smile. ¡°What a kind girl you are. You¡¯ve seen what my father¡¯s temper is like. He¡¯s always antagonizing the children, except for Jordan¡ªhe treats him a lot better. Don¡¯t mind him; he¡¯s just anxious.¡± ¡°What¡¯s he anxious about?¡± Tessa didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Alexander¡¯s son is already beginning to grow into a young man; why does it matter if Alexander remains single? To me, he looks like he already has everything.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand, actually.¡± Oliver nced at her from the side. ¡°Grandpa isn¡¯t really forcing Alex to marry; he just doesn¡¯t want Alex to lose himself in the past and never move on.¡± Fiona was quiet, as though she had silently epted this exnation. Tessa was taken aback. ¡°You¡¯re talking about what happened between Alexander and Courtney?¡± she asked hesitantly. Oliver nodded. ¡°Back when Courtney left, Alex got into an argument with Grandpa because of Jordan¡¯s custody rights. He had insisted on handing custody of Jordan to Courtney, to let her take Jordan to the US, but Grandpa didn¡¯t agree. In order to sessfully pass the rights to her, Alex even said that he would let Grandpa decide his marriage details as long as he allowed Jordan¡¯s custody rights to be handed over.¡± ¡°No wonder Alexander mentioned something about arranged meetings with women.¡± ¡°But in the end, Jordan didn¡¯t go with Courtney. Despite that, Grandpa held fast to the promise that Alex made. He kept setting up blind dates for Alex. I heard that every date always ended up ugly.¡± ¡°But how?¡± Tessa was surprised. ¡°Alexander looks pretty decent and reliable to me.¡± ¡°How? You think my brother is asw-abiding as he looks? He¡¯s done plenty of things by bending the rules. How else did you think Jordan came to be?¡± At the mention of that, Oliver looked at Fiona. ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve only been home a few times over the years. Just what did Alex do?¡± Fiona knitted her brows. After a few seconds of silence, she exined, ¡°When Alexander met with the women, he would straight-up admit to them that he has an eleven-year-old son. That¡¯s not too bad, but he would also insist on a prenuptial agreement, and that they would both live separately after getting married, living their own lives. They would just be married in name. Do you think any of those women¡ª all from families with status and power¡ªwill agree to those terms? When they went back home, they made a racket over that. Your grandfather thinks that the Duncan Family¡¯s name is close to being tarnishedpletely. That¡¯s why he exploded.¡± Oliver burst into an awkwardughter. ¡°Alex isn¡¯t afraid of stepping on some toes.¡± ¡°He¡¯s made several enemies, all right.¡± Fiona looked exasperated. ¡°Fortunately, we Duncans are an established family. The women¡¯s families didn¡¯t dare to say anything even after Alexander humiliated them. But if this keeps up, people will whisper about us.¡± ¡°Let them talk. No one¡¯s going to be happy about being forced into a decision they don¡¯t want. I¡¯m sure everyone can see who my brother is yearning for.¡± ¡°Who said otherwise?¡± Fiona¡¯s tone had a hint of a sob in it. ¡°It¡¯s been more than five years since Courtney left Melrose. He hasn¡¯t mentioned it, but everyone knows that he still isn¡¯t willing to move on.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t Alexander try to get her to stay back then?¡± Tessa couldn¡¯t help but voice her question after listening to Oliver and Fiona. So many things had happened during that short period of time that year. There was Courtney¡¯s kidnapping by a drug dealing organization, followed by Alexander¡¯s unrelenting efforts to save her. Later, he even got hospitalized for a month due to pneumonia. That was a good opportunity for him then. He could have easily gotten her to stay. They didn¡¯t have to break up and go their separate ways then. ¡°How do you make someone stay when they¡¯re intent on leaving?¡± Fiona sighed. ¡°You¡¯ll never know if you don¡¯t try. If you fail, at most, you¡¯ll just continue to live life as it is now. But what if you seed? Life will definitely be different then.¡± ¡°He did try.¡± Oliver¡¯s voice was dull. Tessa¡¯s gaze stiffened as she turned to look at him. ¡°The reason why Alex was so insistent on handing over Jordan¡¯s custody rights to Courtney was because he was sure he would get her to stay. Jordan is the strongest connection he has to her, and since he had raised Jordan for several years, Courtney wouldn¡¯t have taken Jordan and vanished into thin air. She would¡¯ve let Alex see Jordan¡­¡± Chapter 417 One Night Surprise Chapter 417 Chapter 417 Please Stop Disturbing Her Life ¡°But no one expected Courtney to not bring Jordan away.¡± Oliver¡¯s words reminded the others of the countless events that had happened in the past, and the atmosphere became even more gloomy. Late that night¡­ Alexander and Jordan entered the house one after another while the sound-activated lights lit up as their footsteps patted along the way. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s rest early.¡± After saying that, Alexander went upstairs and walked toward the study room. Currently, the eleven-year-old youth who was about to hit puberty was standing at the staircase as he asked, ¡°Great-grandpa wants you to get married, so will you marry another woman?¡± ¡°No.¡± Alexander did not stop walking but swiftly blurted the one word. When Jordan heard that, his anxious countenance was relieved at once. He stared at Alexander in confidence and said, ¡°Mm-hmm. Mommy will definitelye back.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Nevertheless, the only response he got was the sound of the study room¡¯s door closing. Meanwhile, Alexander stood beside the door and had not moved for a long while. Five years had already passed, yet Jordan¡¯s childish side still firmly believed that Courtney would return. Why exactly was he standing so firm in his belief? Previously, Alexander arrogantly thought that he was shrewd and that every step of his life was well- controlled within his n. However, one mistake five years ago had caused him to lose terribly. Five years ago, when Courtney had escaped from a deserted ind, she recuperated in Elijah¡¯s manor while Alexander was hospitalized due to a lung infection and had only regained consciousness after remaining in aa for two days. The first thing that he did after awakening was to talk to Scott about Jordan¡¯s custody. At that time, Josh was apanying Alexander, and his expression changed when he heard Alexander¡¯s decision. ¡°President Duncan, have you really made up your mind? Little Master is your only son. Although it is the Duncan Family which has let Miss Hunter down at that time, you¡¯ve raised Jordan for six years. How can you simply give him away?¡± As Alexander was leaning against the bed, his face was as pale as a sheet, but his eyes were as deep as a ditch of dead water. ¡°She¡¯s stubborn. Previously, I¡¯ve hurt her a few times and she med me for being selfish and inconsiderate to her. There is already estrangement between us. Even though she is willing to forgive me because I saved her this time, the estrangement is still there, so it¡¯s very hard to repair our rtionship now.¡± ¡°Since this is the case, why do you still have to send Little Master to her?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get it.¡± Back then in the ward, Alexander merely blurted that sentence and did not continue exining. For quite some time, Josh could not fathom what exactly he did not understand about the situation¨C¨Cuntil the day after Gale and Cameron¡¯s wedding. On that day, Alexander had a hangover and slept in the resort¡¯s hotel until the next evening. When he woke up, he was told that Courtney had left Jordan with him and would leave Melrose City that night by ne. That was the first time Josh had seen Alexander being that panicked, helpless, and even crazy after so many years of knowing him. After failing to find Courtney on the flight to America, Alexander ran straight to the management office of the airport and stopped all the international flights from departing. Even the airport police were rmed, and the incident had be the headline news of Melrose Evening Paper that day. Thereafter, it had caused a sensation in the city for quite some time. However, what the others don¡¯t understand was¡ªit was Alexander who allowed Courtney to leave and did not even ask her to stay. Everyone thought they broke up on good terms. Since Courtney was going to leave sooner orter anyway, it would not make a difference whether she informed him about her departure or not as there wouldn¡¯t be a heart-breaking farewell at the airport. After the incident had subsided, Josh made a trip to America with Alexander. They did not find Courtney but had a meetup with Elijah, and it was only then did Josh understand everything. Everything started on the day Courtney left and returned Jordan to the Duncan Family without taking him away. Because she had not brought Jordan away, Alexander had not met her ever since then after so many years. He did not even know where she was and there was no way he could find her. This was what Elijah told Alexander back then¡ª¡°You should have thought of this. Back then, Courtney decided to return to Melrose City because of the two kids. But now, she has left without even requesting custody of the two kids, so you should understand that she has really thought it through clearly. She allowed the kids to follow you and does not want anything to do with you anymore. I don¡¯t know where she is now, but even if I do, I won¡¯t tell you. Please stop meddling in her life.¡± Aftering back from the trip to America, Alexander pulled through a serious illness and had locked himself up for a whole three months. He would not even meet Scott when thetter personally went to check up on him. As such, no one knew what was on his mind during the three months when he locked himself up at home. Following that, it was only when Fiona, Alexander¡¯s mother, held Jordan¡¯s hand and stood outside his house to urge him to think of the children did hee out of the house. Ever since then, Jordan had followed him to attend all kinds of business events. Currently, Jordan was only eleven, yet he had started taking part in the shareholder meetings of Sunhill Enterprise. In the present, it was the crack of dawn, and Alexander had stayed up all night again. In his hand held a book that was flipped to thest page. Beside him, there was an opened jewelry box with a jade ne inside which glowed brightly as sun rays reflected on it. At that moment, the chirping sound of birds could be heard from the outside of the window. Alexander closed the jewelry box and carefully locked it in the safe before standing up and leaving the study room. Suddenly, his phone started ringing. He then answered the call after seeing the iing caller ID. ¡°Hey, Alex. Have you received the invitation card?¡± Gale¡¯s bubbly voice came forth from the other end. Alexander nced at the red invitation card which was ced on the study table. ¡°Since you¡¯re going to call me about it, you did not have to specially send an invitation card to me.¡± ¡°Of course I have to. I think it¡¯s very necessary. I finally got a daughter after waiting for so many years. You have to attend her first month¡¯s birthday party.¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy. I¡¯m going on a business trip to Kyoto at the end of the month.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon. How can you be like that? You must be jealous that I have a daughter and you don¡ª¡± Before the sentence waspleted, Gale quickly bit his tongue and stopped babbling. There were a few seconds of silence before Gale¡¯s unnatural voice emerged again. ¡°Uhmm¡­ Anyway, you have toe and get a nice gift for my daughter. I¡¯ll let you be her godfather. What do you think? You can treat my daughter like your own.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see if I have time.¡± Alexander¡¯s nonchnt voice was tinged with gloominess for some reason. Gale¡¯s daughter, who was turning one month old, was the apple of his eye. He was not even this overjoyed when Cameron gave birth to their first son three years ago. This time, the Langley Family had booked the entire Purple Peak Hotel for the celebration banquet and even invited many big shots from the business and political circles. Alexander had no desire to attend the banquet to begin with and had rejected Gale a few times because even though Gale¡¯s intention to make him his daughter¡¯s godfather was tofort him so that he could get past Courtney¡¯s incident as soon as possible, he did not want to. He actually had a daughter too, and to him, his daughter was the most adorable and smart child in the world. As such, he was worried that his daughter would be upset upon hearing some other girl call him father when she returned in the future. Chapter 418 One Night Surprise Chapter 418 Chapter 418 He¡¯s Destined to Be Caught On ate night two dayster, Fiona hurriedly walked through the corridor in her jacket and went to the yard of Oliver¡¯s residence. Inside the house was a suitcase which was half-packed. Sitting in a daze on the side of the bed, Oliver had obviously not regained hisposure yet. ¡°Where¡¯s Tess?¡± ¡°She left.¡± Oliver yawned andy back in bed to continue sleeping. ¡°She has an impromptu mission.¡± ¡°She left in such a hurry that she didn¡¯t even pack properly? Could it be that something bad has happened?¡± As Oliver covered himself with the nket, only his pair of narrowed eyes could be seen. ¡°It¡¯s an urgent mission, so of course she wouldn¡¯t have time to pack.¡± ¡°Where did she go this time?¡± ¡°Not too sure.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask her?¡± ¡°Mom.¡± Oliver was getting a headache after being questioned by Fiona, so he answered in resignation, ¡°Since it¡¯s a secret mission, she wouldn¡¯t tell me even if I asked, so why should I ask?¡± Fiona sighed and started clearing the mess. ¡°Why did she have to leave in such a hurry? I was initially thinking of discussing your marriage with the inws. All her missions are always urgent; I¡¯m always frightened when watching the news after her missions are aplished, yet you can still sleep in peace. What if some idents happen¡­¡± Realizing that her words were not desirable, Fiona quickly bit her tongue. When she nced toward her son who was on the bed out of the corner of her eyes, thetter was actually snoring already. His wifey is out there under fire, yet he can still sleep soundly. What a carefree man. ¡­ At the border of the maind and Xanter, a helicopter was hovering in the air, causing the wild grass to sway in the strong wind. Just then, a rope was let out of the cabin. Following that, a few agents dressed in yellow and green suits slid down the rope and quickly disappeared in the bushes one after another. ¡°We¡¯ve got a message from the information center¡ªthe terrorists are holding a total of 13 hostages and some of which are seriously injured. After sessfully rescuing the hostages, Team 2 will defend the area while Team 1 treats the injured hostages at the scene. Any hostages whose injuries are serious will be sent to the nearest rescue station by Wolf and Leopard from Team 1. The medical team in charge of the border is estimated to arrive in the afternoon.¡± Tessa¡¯s face was fully covered with ck and green camouge paint. After giving the orders, she swiftly headed toward the destination using the forest¡¯s cover. Just then, the chattering voices of the other teammates came forth. ¡°Wee to Xanter¡¯s border at least 3 times a year. In recent years, we¡¯vee to rescue hostages more than 4 times already. This group of terrorists at the border are like weeds that can¡¯t be fully wiped out. I really wish to get rid of them once and for all.¡± ¡°Shut up and watch your path lest you step on a grenade.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it! I¡¯ve not had a son yet. I¡¯m the only child in my family, so don¡¯t you curse me.¡± ¡°Ha! Wolf is just jealous of your pretty wife. If something happens to you, he will have to take care of your wife.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Tessa¡¯s serious and cold voice interrupted the conversation out of the blue. ¡°The mission this time is different from those of the past as there is arge number of hostages. Two of them have already been tortured to death by the terrorists. The video that was uploaded to the inte has caused great fear among the citizens. Don¡¯t assume it will be an easy task just because you¡¯ve come across them a few times. They know our habits, so buck up!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Roger that.¡± The border rescue station was situated within 3 kilometers from the country¡¯s border. The frontier defense base and thend of Xanter were merely separated by a row of barbed wire. On the other side of the barbed wire were the homeless refugees of Xanter. The sun was scorching hot at noon when groups of skinny children climbed over the barbed wire under the cover of the vine bushes. A medical center that had just been set up had an eye-catching red cross on a white g outside its green tent. Currently, there was no one guarding inside the tent. The leading child signaled for the other children to keep quiet before secretly sneaking into the tent. Just as he took up two packets ofpressed biscuits, a voice of reproach came forth from the outside of the tent. ¡°Hey, where did you guyse from?¡± With a fluster, the group of kids outside of the tent quickly dispersed. Obviously, they were used to being thieves, so they could climb over the barbed wires in a very swift manner like monkeys, and no one was able to catch them. Nevertheless, the kid who had already entered the tent was the unlucky one. At the same time, Courtney had juste back with a bucket of water in her hand when she saw Chris Browne, the surgeon, grabbing the kid¡¯s arm while dragging him out of the tent violently. ¡°Punk, you have sneaked in here several times already. This time, I purposely hid at the side and finally caught you. You¡¯reing here so often to steal; do you deem here as a refugee center?!¡± The child remained silent and allowed Chris to grab his arm tight as he red at him with his wolf-like eyes. He clutched the two packets ofpressed biscuits tightly and didn¡¯t want to let go of them no matter what. ¡°Hey, Dr. Browne. What¡¯s going on?¡± Courtney put down the bucket, went up to Chris, and asked, ¡°Why are you getting mad at a kid?¡± ¡°A kid? These kidse so often that they are going to steal all our resources sooner orter. I have to give him a lesson this time or he¡¯ll think we are pushovers.¡± The child looked no more than fourteen years old. With his dark upper body naked, the barefooted boy wore a pair of dirty gray pants whose original color could not be identified anymore. Besides that, his feet were stained with grass and muddy water. He stared fixedly at Chris with his big eyes, and it was unclear if he could actually understand Chris¡¯ words. ¡°Calm down, Dr. Browne. Don¡¯t you know there¡¯s a refugee camp at that end?¡± Courtney lowered her voice. ¡°I heard from the soldiers at the border that the other side deliberately relocated the refugee camp here to cause disputes. They have no regard for these children¡¯s lives, but if anything happens, it will be an excuse for them to cause trouble, so let¡¯s not put these children in a difficult position.¡± Hearing that, Chris frowned. ¡°Tell me, what should I do then? If I let him off today, I guarantee that he¡¯ll come back tomorrow.¡± Courtney gazed at the child and waved at him in a friendly manner. ¡°Come here.¡± The child might have not understood Courtney as he looked toward Chris after a while. At that moment, Chris was still hesitating. ¡°Courtney, if I release his hand now, he¡¯ll surely run away.¡± Nevertheless, Courtney still waved her hands to signal Chris to let go of the kid. After Chris let go of his hand, the kid remained standing at the spot while staring nkly at Courtney for some while. Just as Courtney took a step toward him, he suddenly ran away as if he was frightened. Seeing that, Chris became frustrated. ¡°What did I say¡ªthis punk will surely run away.¡± As soon as he said that, the kid who darted away screamed as he stumbled and fell onto the ground. ¡°Ha!¡± Chris rolled up his sleeves and was ready to catch the kid again. ¡°He¡¯s destined to be caught.¡± Courtney quickly stopped him. ¡°Dr. Browne, I¡¯ll go instead.¡± The kid seemed to be injured quite badly and couldn¡¯t get up even after a long time. Hearing the footsteps behind him getting nearer, he struggled hard on the ground. He was in such great pain that beads of sweat started rolling down his cheeks. Squatting down beside him, Courtney frowned when she saw a bulge at his ankle. ¡°Your ankle seems to be dislocated.¡± Fear spread across the child¡¯s face as he probably could not understand her at all. Upon hesitating for a while, Courtney picked up the packets ofpressed biscuits from the floor and passed them to him. Chapter 419 One Night Surprise Chapter 419 Chapter 419 I Guess She Resembles Her Father The kid¡¯s skin was so dark that it formed a strong contrast with the whites of his eyes. Seeing Courtney stretching her arm toward him, the kid thought he was going to get hit, so he subconsciously lifted his hands to shield his head. It was only then did he see from the gaps of his fingers that Courtney was passing thepressed biscuits to him. As expected, he was startled for quite a while before carefully reaching out to take the biscuits. Smiling kindly toward him, Courtney pointed at his ankle and then at the cross pendant in front of her chest, signaling that she wanted to help him treat his leg. However, the kid still did not let down his guard. As if the pain numbed all his pain receptors away, the kid quickly got up and ran away when Courtney was not paying attention. ¡°I¡¯ve already said that these brats from the refugee camp are all ungrateful rascals. Why do you still bother to care for them?¡± Chris¡¯ voice emerged from behind. Courtney did not refute him nor gave him a look of approval but merely lifted her head to look at the sky. ¡°It¡¯s getting dark soon. Let¡¯s go back to the camp; the director said that there are quite a number of poisonous snakes in the woods.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have some orpiment; you can take some and apply it on yourself.¡± Chris wore a concerned look. Thereafter, the two walked side by side back to the camp while chatting. ¡°The condition here is not very conducive. Those medical staff who have even the slightest connection will not be willing toe here. I haven¡¯t asked you this previously, but I unintentionally read your resume yesterday¡ªwhy were you sent here since your profession is in child psychology? Did you offend one of the leaders?¡± Chris was indirectly trying to get Courtney to tell her story. Courtney clearly knew that if she admitted it, the next thing Chris would do was definitely toin about the corrupted health system and ask her to follow him as he would think of a way to send her back to the hospital. Nevertheless, she would not believe these bluffs at all because if Chris really had that ability, he would have sent himself back first. ¡°Nope.¡± She denied it and said calmly, ¡°I volunteered toe here.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Chris was startled. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why else?¡± Courtney smiled. ¡°Of course, it is to give back to themunity and serve the country. Isn¡¯t that how it is promoted in the promotional video to hire volunteers?¡± After saying that, she lifted the drape of the tent and walked in. Truth was, the instructor had reminded her even before she came here that Chris Browne, the surgeon at the border¡¯s rescue station, had some conduct issues and liked to take advantage of women, so she had to be more cautious. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. After the sky turnedpletely dark, the rescue team at the camp was ready to rest. Leaning on the pillow, Courtney took out her phone. As expected, the phone had no signal. The picture on the lock screen was the family picture shot half a year ago before she left. Tina already looked like a youngdy, and her eyes turned into crescent moons when she smiled. Standing beside her was a little girl who was about the height of Tina¡¯s shoulder. The girl looked exactly like Tina when she was younger. The only difference was that the girl was pulling a long face and had an oddly mature and cold look. ¡°Are they your daughters?¡± Hazel Sue, who slept across Courtney, came back after washing up. She craned forward to nce at the picture and asked with a smile, ¡°Which one of them is your daughter?¡± ¡°Both.¡± Courtney lifted her head. ¡°They both are.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Hazel nced at the picture again in shock. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to tell if you didn¡¯t say so. These two girls don¡¯t look like each other at all. The elder one resembles you; as for the younger one¡­ I guess she resembles her father.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes turned gloomy at the mention of this topic, and no response was given. Just then, some noises came forth from the outside. The nurse on duty lifted the drape of the tent and yelled, ¡°The frontline special forces has sent three injured patients over. Quickly get ready for the surgeries.¡± As soon as the nurse said that, the other medical staff in the tent immediately sprang up from the bed as if it was a reflex response. Courtney too quickly put away her phone and wore a white coat before following the team to the temporary operating room. ¡°Two of them are hostages who were seized by the terror group. One suffers more external wounds but has the symptoms of internal hemorrhage while the other one had a bullet shot into his chest and the bullet is currently stuck at the lower side of his atrium. Both of them need a chest operation. Hazel, you and your team will be in charge of the one with internal hemorrhage. As for Charlie, you may go extract the bullet from the other patient. The rest will follow me to attend to the third patient.¡± Then, Chris selected Courtney and another two surgeon interns to head to the third temporary operating room. While checking on the patient, Courtney looked carefully at the injuries and said, ¡°Dr. Browne, his leg was injured by an explosion, but the wound doesn¡¯t seem to be too serious¡­¡± The condition of the other patient who had a bullet shot through his chest was much more critical than this one, so Courtney thought Chris¡ªthe most experienced surgeon in the team¡ªshould participate in the chest operation instead of clearing wounds here. However, Chris darted a nce at Courtney and said displeasedly, ¡°How is this not serious? The patient¡¯s condition is clearly critical. If we don¡¯t pay attention and cause the wound to be infected during the operation, his leg would be gone!¡± Hearing that, Courtney still wanted to say something, but when she noticed the badge on the patient¡¯s camouge uniform, she mmed up obediently. This soldier was a member of the Falcon Special Forces Team. No wonder Chris was so dedicated toward him because no matter how serious his injury was, Chris would be considered performing a meritorious service. Not only would he receive praises, but he might even have a chance to be sent back from here and be promoted to be an assistant director. This Chris sure knows how to seize opportunities. The operation ended in half an hour. Throughout the operation, Chris had asked Courtney to help wipe off his sweat numerous times. It was just a minor operation to clean the wounds, and Courtney knew he wasn¡¯t truly sweating that much. ¡°Done.¡± When the operation was over, the patient¡¯s leg was bandaged. At that moment, he was still in aa and just had to get more rest, so Courtney suggested, ¡°Dr. Browne, would you like to go check out the chest operation next door and see if Dr. Garfield needs any assistance?¡± ¡°You guys go ahead. I¡¯ll look after the patient here.¡± Chris pulled a chair and directly sat down beside the operation table. Obviously, he was waiting to be appreciated when the patient regained his consciousness. As such, Courtney and the other two interns exchanged nces and walked away in resignation. As soon as they stepped out of the tent, an anxious voice came forth. ¡°How is his condition?¡± It was already dark at that time, and the area was not lit bright enough to clearly see the appearance of the person who spoke up. All that they could identify was a person dressed in a grayish-green suit with camouge paint on her face. Nevertheless, Courtney and the other two were surprised to hear the female voice. Courtney was the first one to regain herposure and answered, ¡°He¡¯s fine. The operation has ended, and our chief doctor is looking after him inside.¡± ¡°Can his leg still function in the future?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He just needs to get enough rest.¡± Courtney smiled. ¡°You can go inside and take a look if you¡¯re still worried. We need to head to the operating room next door first.¡± With that, she said to the two interns beside her, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Courtney?¡± Suddenly, the female special forces soldier called out Courtney¡¯s name from behind with uncertainty. The warm and humid wind blew past Courtney¡¯s ears which caused strands of hair to give her a tingling sensation. Stunned, Courtney turned around in astonishment and could only recognize that person after quite some while. ¡°Tess?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Tessa strode forward and sized Courtney up from head to toe in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s really you, Courtney! Your voice was rather familiar just now, but I thought it couldn¡¯t possibly be you, so I didn¡¯t dare to call out for you. Turns out it¡¯s really you!¡± Chapter 420 One Night Surprise Chapter 420 Chapter 420 Lack of Fatherly Love Ever Since Young Courtney turned around and stared at the female soldier whose face was fully covered with paint for quite some time. ¡°Tess?¡± It was not rare to see female soldiers in the Falcon Special Forces Team. In fact, it was not the first time the soldiers came to their rescue station. Nevertheless, Courtney had never expected that among the sea of people, she woulde across an acquaintance at this ce and at this point in time. Tessa immediately gave Courtney a big hug and was at a loss for words for a long while. Just then, Chris lifted the drape and stretched his head out from the operating room behind Courtney. Seeing the scene, he blurted, ¡°It¡¯s me who saved¡ªexcuse me, Dr. Hunter, what are you doing here? Quickly go check on the operation next door.¡± Startled, Courtney cast a nce at Tessa in resignation and was about to leave when Tessa grabbed her. She then gave Courtney an assuring look and turned to Chris. ¡°I¡¯m consulting this doctor about my comrade¡¯s situation. How is he now?¡± Hearing that, Chris quickly walked up with a smug look. ¡°I¡¯ve treated the soldier inside the tent without any dy. He¡¯s fine now and wille around after the anesthetics wear off. I¡¯m the doctor in charge of this patient and the chief doctor at this rescue station too. My name is Chris Browne.¡± Tessa nodded coldly. ¡°Thanks, Dr. Browne.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to take care of this soldier personally.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say he¡¯s fine now?¡± Tessa nced at Chris as her eyes darkened. ¡°The other two hostages which we¡¯ve rescued are shot. Dr. Browne, since you¡¯re the most skillful doctor at this rescue station, why didn¡¯t you treat the other two hostages first?¡± Chris was stunned and beads of cold sweat gathered at his forehead as Tessa questioned him. Then, he stuttered, ¡°I¡¯m thinking the soldier should be prioritized to get treated since he¡¯s serving the country at the risk of his life, so I¡ª¡± Tessa interrupted Chris impudently and said coldly, ¡°We¡¯re just serving the people. At the warzone, the one and only priority of the members of Falcon Special Forces Team is to protect the people. We¡¯re at the border, and the patients inside are our citizens, so why is it that we should be prioritized?¡± After saying that, she shot a cold re at Chris. ¡°I urge you to waste no time anymore and quickly go check on the patients next door. Since myrade is fine already, leaving me and this doctor here is enough.¡± Dumbfounded, Chris did not dare to refute anymore and could only dejectedly lead the other two nurses to the operating room next door. With that, Courtney was left standing at the spot. Thereafter, she and Tessa smiled at each other. ¡°Let¡¯s go in and talk. There are many mosquitoes here.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The operating room was filled with the odor of disinfectant besides a faint bloody smell. This was a common smell at the rescue station. The soldier was still in aa lying on the bed as the anesthetics had not worn off yet. Tessa heaved a sigh of relief after checking on his wound. It was only then did she sit across Courtney and start chatting with her. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought that I¡¯ll meet you here.¡± Tessa sounded emotional. ¡°Before I received this task and came here, Oliver and I actually talked about you. We were saying that we¡¯ve not met you for several years and were wondering where you are and what you are doing now. Little did I expect that you¡¯d be a doctor.¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually my original profession.¡± Courtney smiled. ¡°That is what I studied during university, but I dropped outter due to some idents. So, I started picking it up again after leaving Melrose City.¡± ¡°Are you a surgeon?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Courtney shook her head. ¡°It¡¯ll take way longer for a surgeon to be equipped; they have to study for at least seven to eight years. My profession is child psychology.¡± ¡°But why did youe here?¡± Tessa wore a puzzled expression. ¡°It seems like the warzone rescue stations do not have a high demand for psychologists.¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking it as a stepping stone.¡± Courtney did not conceal her motive but merely lowered her voice. ¡°As long as I stay at the border rescue station for a certain amount of time, I¡¯ll be able to apply for domestic internships after going back to the country.¡± ¡°Are you nning toe back?¡± ¡°Yeah. I need to go back for a period of time.¡± Courtney knew what Tessa was thinking, so she quickly rified, ¡°Tina needs at least a year of treatment back in the country, and that¡¯s the duration of my internship upon graduation too. If I wish to apany her without affecting my work, I have to apply to go back to the country for this internship. In fact, this opportunity is also given to me by my instructor.¡± Tessa nodded thoughtfully as her eyes turned slightly sullen. ¡°I thought it¡¯s because of¡­¡± Before completing the sentence, she nced at Courtney again. ¡°Forget about it. Let¡¯s drop this topic. The ne to pick us up will only arrive tomorrow, so let¡¯s have a good chat tonight. Oliver has always missed you.¡± Courtney smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± The night was as humid and warm as always. The two chest operationssted the whole night until the next morning while Courtney and Tessa stayed by the soldier whose anesthetic had yet to wear off and chatted throughout the night. Courtney had been very busy during these five years after she had left Melrose City. Her time was so upied that she did not have the energy to think about all that had happened in the past, so she had gradually let it go. Naturally, Courtney did not tell Tessa that she actually gave birth to a child back then but merely talked about her busy study schedule as the campus life of a medical student was very packed to the point she could easily spend an entire day in thebs and library from the break of dawn until nightfall. ¡°So have you been staying in France all these years? Is Tina with you too?¡± ¡°She needs to go to school.¡± Courtney shook her head. ¡°She remains in America all this while, so she¡¯s currently staying in a boarding school.¡± In fact, Elijah insisted that Tina stayed with him at the beginning. However, he just got married at that time and was already taking care of Angie, who had no blood rtion with him, so it was unfair toward Lilian if he took Tina in again. Toward the end, it was Tina who proposed that she would like to go to a boarding school. To be frank, Tina was a sensible child to begin with, and she became more mature all of a sudden after leaving Melrose City. She was very considerate toward the others in all matters, so she had settled this issue on her own too without putting Courtney in a difficult spot. However, Tessa frowned. ¡°Actually, I think Tina is being too sensitive. She could¡¯ve just stayed with Mr. Grant. After all, Mr. Grant is her father in name. ording to the localws, he is obligated to take care of her. Even the child who was saved from the remote ind is staying with Mr. Grant, so why can¡¯t she? She has even called Mr. Grant ¡®Dad¡¯ for more than five years!¡± ¡°That was before. Later, she was made aware that Elijah is not her biological father. She might be slightly oversensitive, but there¡¯s nothing wrong with that. If Elijah has his own children in the future, she will more or less be awkward staying with the family.¡± ¡°What about that child then?¡± Tessa suddenly changed the topic. Hearing that, Courtney immediately knew she was referring to Angie. ¡°Angie chose to follow Elijah. Back then, it was Elijah who rescued her from the water. Later when we left Melrose City, I asked for her preference, and she chose to follow Elijah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡± Tessa furrowed her brows. ¡°It¡¯s you who brought her out from the remote ind, but she insisted on following Elijah. How can that be?¡± Courtney replied in deep thoughts, ¡°That¡¯s reasonable too since it¡¯s Elijah who saved her after all. Also, he has been taking care of her all this while after we went to Melrose City. To think about it, she is indeed closer to Elijah than me. This child hascked fatherly love ever since young, so I guess she deems Elijah as her father.¡± Chapter 421 One Night Surprise Chapter 421 Chapter 421 Their Fate Had Ended Regardless of His Efforts With her chin tipped up slightly, Tessa asserted, ¡°Makes sense.¡± She never had the chance to interact with him much, so she didn¡¯t have a deep impression of him. The only few times she met him was during the search and rescue operation when Courtney got abducted by a drug lord to an ind a few years ago. Even back then, they barely had a proper conversation. From what she remembered, he was a gentle and kind man who was slightly older than Alexander. During the abduction incident, he had been very calm inparison to Alexander. All decisions he made were done surely and bravely. In a nutshell, he was an attractive man. Frankly, Tessa expected that Courtney would get together with him after she left Melrose City, but Tessa had miscalcted. ¡°Enough about me. Let¡¯s talk about you instead.¡± Courtney chuckled before asking, ¡°How are things with Oliver? Are you both married already?¡± At the mention of him, Tessa raised her brows shyly. If it wasn¡¯t for the colors of the oil painting on her face, her blush might have been evident. ¡°Not yet. We¡¯ve both been busy in the past few years. We don¡¯t even have the time to go back home. However, the marriage application paperwork has already been submitted. We are currently just waiting for approval.¡± Due to their unique identities, Tessa and Oliver had to apply through the organization for marriage approval. The process was even moreplicated than that of an ordinary soldier as there were a lot more procedures to go through. ¡°How is everyone at home? Are they healthy and well?¡± Her questions were pretty generic, so Tessa answered without much thought ¡°They¡¯re fine. Madam Fiona is doing well, and she even goes to the school to teach the students drawing. Jordan¡¯s psychological issues have been resolved, but Alexander refused to let him go to school. Jordan can only attend home-schooling, and he¡¯s been going outstation with Alexander for his business trips. He even made Jordan attend themittee meetings at such a young age. Who knows what¡¯s in Alexander¡¯s mind? However, Grandpa hasn¡¯t been in the pink of health, but he¡¯s been resting at home. He¡¯ll be fine.¡± Hearing that, Courtney simply nodded without asking any further as she digested what Tessa said. Soon, it was breaking dawn, and the rumbling sound of the helicopter that was hovering above could be heard. After Tessa and the others were done preparing their baggage, they boarded the helicopter with the three injured patients that had undergone the operation. Watching them off, Courtney waved hard at the figures on the chopper. ¡°Have a safe trip.¡± ¡­ Meanwhile, in Melrose City. ¡°I got so tanned from this trip. I think it¡¯s better to not discuss the wedding now. No matter how much foundation I put on, I will still look like a bride who is as tan as charcoal on the wedding day. All the rtives will definitely ask me about it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? They can ask all they want. We can say¡­ that you work at a construction site.¡± Upon hearing that, Tessa raised her brows as she red at Oliver. ¡°Hey! Who¡¯s working at a construction site?¡± At this moment, he offered a cheeky smile before teasing her, ¡°There¡¯s no discrimination between the different lines of work. As a public servant, why are you bothered by that?¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Hearing Oliver¡¯s words, Tessa didn¡¯t back down. ¡°I dare you to tell people at the wedding that I work at the construction site. Nobody will be able toment much to my face since I¡¯ll be returning to the team right after the wedding. However, that doesn¡¯t apply to the Duncans. I won¡¯t bat an eye if Grandpa asks Mr. Harry to beat you up for that.¡± ¡°Grandpa won¡¯t beat me. If he intends to beat someone, it¡¯ll be my brother instead.¡± At that thought, he seemed to be very d about it. Ever since he returned to the Duncan Family, Scott had been treating him very nicely. As long as Oliver didn¡¯t bring up the topic of marriage, Scott was very lenient toward him. If anything, Scott seemed to be making it up for lost time. However, this created a disparity in treatment whereby on the other end of the knife was Alexander. In fact, merely saying that Scott would beat Alexander wasn¡¯tpletely groundless. Scott had done all sorts of things to thetter; there were instances that he threw his walking stick at Alexander¡¯s face. Though Oliver meant it as a joke, it reminded Tessa of something. At once, she put down the bag of snacks that she was holding before speaking up, ¡°Ah! There¡¯s something that I forgot to say earlier over the meal.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°So, about the mission I went on recently. I met Courtney at the rescue station.¡± After a brief moment of silence, Oliver¡¯s expression changed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°At the rescue station. She¡¯s there as a volunteer. She re-enrolled into the medicine course after she left Melrose back then. We talked all night, and she even asked me about things back at home.¡± Snapping out of a trance, he immediately stood up from the couch. ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to find Alexander at the office. I have to tell this to him.¡± ¡­ After a week, five small lorries had sent supplies into the frontier station. The person-in-charge who got out of the car donned a green soldier¡¯s uniform with a fitting pair of shiny leather boots. After giving a salute, he introduced the people standing behind him to the soldiers who were there for the handover. ¡°This is Mr. Duncan, the donator of the supplies. He¡¯s representing the Melrose City Political Consultative Conference Committee to send over the supplies in person. In other words, he¡¯s here to check on the soldiers and medical team at the frontier station for the city government. One of the two patients who had an open chest operation at our rescue station is from Melrose, so the city government is very grateful to the team for saving their people. That¡¯s why Mr. Duncan is here to express their gratitude.¡± Hearing that, the soldier who was there for the handover eyed Alexander. Though he wore a suit, he didn¡¯t seem extravagant like the usual businessmen who were here for show. Since he had a pass, he was allowed to enter the frontier station premises. Aside from the people who were on duty, everyone else came to the dinner that night. Taking a look around, Alexander still couldn¡¯t find the person that he was looking for. ¡°Are these all the medical staff?¡± ¡°Yes, everyone¡¯s here.¡± One of the young male doctors stood up and said, ¡°Mr. Duncan, I¡¯m the head doctor at the Melrose City Hospital. My name is Chris Browne. Since we hail from the same area, here¡¯s a toast!¡± With a nod, Alexander sat down and finished the alcohol in his cup in one shot. As the night had gotten darker, the sounds of crickets chirping in the rainforest illuminated the vast emptiness of the surrounding. After his assistant, Josh, had asked around the frontier station, he came back to report to Alexander. Standing by the man¡¯s side, Josh said in a low voice, ¡°President Duncan, I¡¯ve asked around and learned that the doctors here now just came three days ago. Only the doctor called Chris Browne has been staying here for a longer time. He finally spilled the beans after getting drunk.¡± That seemed to have piqued Alexander¡¯s interest. ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°Miss Hunter was indeed here, but we came a little toote. She left with thest batch of volunteers three days ago. From Dr. Browne¡¯s tone, it seems that he has beef with Miss Hunter.¡± The sound of the wind could be heard, making the atmosphere feel even quieter. After a moment, Josh spoke up again, ¡°Dr. Browne has also been hinting to ask if we can transfer him back to Melrose City. You think¡­¡± Hearing that, Alexander showed a darkened face. ¡°What do you think?¡± At once, Josh took a step back before clearing his throat. ¡°Got it.¡± Of all people, he had messed with Courtney. Not to mention, it had to be known by none other than Alexander. Was the person digging his own grave? Nevertheless, he had failed to meet the person he wanted to see after traveling such a long way. The world was so big, yet Tessa could bump into someone she knew in a small rescue station in a jungle by chance. However, luck wasn¡¯t on his side even when he made an excuse toe as quickly as he could. Ultimately, their fate had indeed ended regardless of his efforts.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 422 One Night Surprise Chapter 422 Chapter 422 You¡¯d Be a Heroine in Ancient Times A monthter at the Melrose International Airport, the weather was so hot that it could melt a person. Courtney wore a simple white t-shirt and a pair of beige ankle-length pants as she waited at the entrance of the airport. As she lowered her head to read the time on her watch, she was a little confused as the flight clearly stated that it would be arriving at half past ten in the morning and the airne had alreadynded. Even everyone from the flight had gotten out of the airne, but the person she was waiting for had not shown up yet. What was going on? By the time the crowd had all gone, she fished out her phone and made a call. It took a while before the person on the other end picked up. At this moment, a crisp female voice transmitted through. ¡°Courtney.¡± ¡°Well, you must havended since you¡¯re talking on the phone. Where are you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic. I¡¯m in the airport security room. There has been a small ident. I¡¯ll go find you immediately after I settle this.¡± ¡°What? You caused trouble again?¡± ¡°No, it really isn¡¯t me causing the problem this time. It¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Stay there and don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll head there right now.¡± Hanging up the phone, Courtney pocketed her phone before heading straight to the security room. A week ago, Angie Grant had made a call to say that she wanted toe back from overseas as it was the summer holiday. After booking the flight, Courtney took a half-day leave toe and pick Angie up. The girl was born with a wild personality. Having been with Elijah, she became even more daring. No matter what trouble she caused, it would definitely get settled by someone in her ce. However, it wasn¡¯t America here. If she were to cause trouble in this country, Courtney wouldn¡¯t be able to solve it for Angie as Elijah did. Courtney just didn¡¯t expect that Angie would cause an issue as soon as she got off the ne. Meanwhile, in the airport security room, a person dressed in a colorful outfit could be seen. Even just by ncing at that person¡¯s colorful braids, one could immediately identify who it was. ¡°Angie Grant,¡± Courtney called out in exasperation. At once, the colorful-haired person turned around, revealing a clean and fair little face behind. ¡°Courtney, how¡¯d you get here so quickly?¡± ¡°Save it. Tell me, what problem did you cause this time?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± With her brows raised, Angie denied the usation immediately. ¡°I swear to God, I didn¡¯t cause trouble this time. I just lent a helping hand to someone in need.¡± ¡°When did you ever not say this when you got yourself in trouble?¡± ¡°This time, it really isn¡¯t¡ª¡± Scratching the back of her head, Angie said, ¡°You can ask Mister Policeman.¡± At this moment, Courtney looked up, and she was met with several police officers in the security room. At once, she showed an apologetic expression as she said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry that my kid caused you all trouble. She didn¡¯t cause anything huge, did she?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood,¡± one of the female officers said with a smile. ¡°The kid wasn¡¯t lying. She truly lent a helping hand to someone in need.¡± The police officer then told Courtney the story of what happened. Apparently, Angie saw that a man tried to slide his hand into the skirt of a youngdy when she got off the ne half an hour ago. As a girl who had lived in a country that prioritized independent human rights for five years, Angie couldn¡¯t just sit and watch something like that go down. Hence, she called him out, but the man got so angry that he started fighting with her. ¡°Huh? Are you alright?¡± Hearing that, Courtney became worried, and she tugged on Angie, turning her around to check if she was alright. ¡°Did you get hurt?¡± When Courtney brought Angie out of the barren ind, it was said that Courtney was the one who saved Angie. However, they wouldn¡¯t have survived if Angie¡¯s father, Fatso, didn¡¯t let them go back then. That was why taking care of Angie became Courtney¡¯s responsibility. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Angie held onto Courtney before steadying her stance. She then shrugged before saying, ¡°Who am I? Do you think that a normal guy can win over me in a fight? I managed to apprehend him in no time.¡± Seeing that Angie was really fine, Courtney heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°You gave me a scare. I¡¯m d that you¡¯re alright. Is there anything else that you have to finish here?¡± ¡°Nothing else. I can leave after signing some papers.¡± After they got out of the security room, Courtney mumbled as she pulled Angie¡¯s luggage. ¡°You¡¯re already 17 which means you¡¯re one year away from being an adult. How could you be so reckless? Didn¡¯t I tell you not to act so rashly outside? You should have called the police at once and not fight him yourself.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m fine now. Can you not rant at me like a mother?¡± ¡°Like a mother?¡± Courtney raised her brows before adding, ¡°I am your mother, legally.¡± Hearing that, Angie put her arm around Courtney¡¯s shoulder before offering a cheeky smile. ¡°How is it possible that a mother is so young and beautiful? You¡¯re more like my sister.¡± ¡°A few years ago, you didn¡¯t mind addressing me as such. Why the sudden change?¡± Courtney smiled. She didn¡¯t really mind what she was addressed as. She simply said that as part of the banter. ¡°So you lent a helping hand to a youngdy. Where is she? Was she grateful for your help?¡± Putting on the seatbelt, Angie said ndly, ¡°I figured that it¡¯d be embarrassing to let many people know about such an incident happening to herself, so I told her to leave first.¡± ¡°How righteous of you. You¡¯d be deemed a heroine in ancient times.¡± ¡°You tter me.¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°I¡¯m not praising you.¡± Courtney was on the verge of bursting out augh. With her hand on the steering wheel, she drove the car to the highway outside the airport. With that, she switched the topic. ¡°Be honest with me. Why¡¯d you suddenly call me this summer holiday? You¡¯ve never done this in the past few years.¡± At this moment, the person on the passenger¡¯s seat fell silent. ¡°I¡¯m talking to you.¡± Courtney nced at Angie from the side of her eye. ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me now, I will make a u-turn and send you back to America.¡± ¡°No!¡± Immediately, there was a trace of panic on Angie¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m not going back to America.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Courtney showed a face of realization before a frown crept up her forehead. ¡°Did you fight with Lilian again?¡± As a kid who grew up on a deserted ind since young, Angie had a personality that was wild. Her temper and personality were not always epted by everyone. Since she was independent and used to being alone, one couldn¡¯t understand her as easily as other normal people. On the other hand, Lilian was someone who yed by the rules and she was also very particr about her image. Everything was still before her marriage, but after getting married to Elijah, she would always fight with him over Angie¡¯s actions. Angie was still a kid, and legally, she was Elijah¡¯s adopted daughter. Every time she made a mistake, Elijah wouldn¡¯t me her as he deemed it as a kid¡¯s yful behavior. After some time, it became the main issue affecting Elijah and Lilian¡¯s marriage. Courtney knew about this situation very clearly. When she first heard of it, she suggested bringing Angie over to a town in France, but Elijah rejected the suggestion. Seeing that Angie herself wasn¡¯t stoked over the idea, Courtney didn¡¯t bring it up anymore. Two years ago, Angie was sent to a boarding school afterpleting the primary courses. With that, it ceased the fights between Elijah and Lilian. Wasn¡¯t it the summer holidays? What a coincidence. ¡°Lilian isn¡¯t a bad person. Why are you always on bad terms with her?¡± Courtney was a little helpless. ¡°I¡¯ve tried telling you nicely, but you kept acting dumb. Do you really think I don¡¯t know what¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°You know?¡± At once, Angie¡¯s face turned pale as she seemed anxious. ¡°Of course.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes were still trained forward. Without looking anywhere else, she continued, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that your ce in the family will be threatened after Elijah and Lilian have another kid?¡± Chapter 423 One Night Surprise Chapter 423 Chapter 423 You Want to Treat Me to Dinner? After hearing these words, Angie first froze for a moment and then let out a sigh of relief. Seeing Angie being silent, Courtney thought that she had hit the nail on the head, so she advised again, ¡°Elijah is not that kind of person, and Lilian is not so narrow-minded either. Even if she isn¡¯t close to you, you still have me, right? What are you worried about? In any case, aren¡¯t you almost an adult? You cannot rely on Elijah your whole life, right?¡± Hearing that, Angie blinked. At once, a sh of pain was evident in her eyes. She was always lively and talkative, but now she never said another word even until they got home. Feeling strange about it, Courtney nced at Angie who was unmoving as if asleep, and she sighed helplessly. Then, she adjusted the air-conditioning of the car and slowed the car down too. Beep! The sound of thebination lock opening was followed by a clear,rk-like cry from inside the house. ¡°Angie!¡± At the doorway, Angie eximed when she saw Tina andughed while pinching her little round face. ¡°It¡¯s just been a little over a month since I saw you. How have you gained so much weight? Is local food that delicious?¡± Tina pouted and yfully punched her. ¡°You¡¯re the one who has gained weight!¡± ¡°Now you¡¯re mad.¡± As she said that, Angie pulled her sling bag from her shoulder. ¡°Look what good things I¡¯ve brought you! This is the limited edition Switch that¡¯s just released this month. Do you want to y with it?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The two girls chatted happily without any generation gap while Courtney was left alone to the side. After she collected the things thrown messily on the ground, she silently went to the kitchen to cook for the girls. She had received a phone call from her mentor a month or so ago, saying that she had sessfully gotten the exchange housemanship she had applied for at the local hospital, so she simply packed some things and took Tina back to the country. Tina¡¯s asthma was almost fully treated, but she needed to go to a retired traditional doctor¡¯s home every month for acupuncture mainly to prevent future rpses. The hospital where Courtney was to undergo the housemanship was the top-ranked medical center in Melrose City. However, the interns had rotational shifts and were usually very busy. In addition, they would be even more upied if they were tasked at the emergency department. Thus, in order to pick up Angie, Courtney had deliberately switched her shifts with someone else. After putting the pot of soup on the stove, she heard the sound of a Switch gamee forth from the living room. Although the two girls were five years apart, they loved ying video games and were currently addicted to the new game. The next morning, Courtney went out after instructing Angie, who was still asleep and jetgged, to remember to send Tina to the acupuncture session. Not knowing if Angie actually heard her, she deliberately put a note on the door of the refrigerator. Then, she busily left the house. As she got onto the subway, she felt that the subway in Melrose City was more congested than it was five years ago. Despite having been back for a month, Courtney still had a feeling of being in a different world. When she came back here five years ago, everything in her memory was reced by tall buildings as if she was in a new world. Now that she was back another five yearster, the city seemed to not have changed much. After all, when society had developed to a certain limit, the city would be rtively saturated, and any more changes gradually became internal changes, such as human nature rather than external buildings. ¡°Dr. Hunter, good morning. You look great today.¡± The woman walking toward her in the hospital corridor was one of the few female chief physicians of the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Linda, who became the chief physician at a young age and was considered a famous figure in the sector. Linda was in her early 30s, but her skin was smooth and translucent. She always wore a ponytail without any makeup on her face. When she was not performing surgery, she was full of the agility and liveliness of a young girl. Courtney liked her very much because she never put on airs and was happy to share her knowledge when Courtney asked her for advice. ¡°Good morning, Chief Hass.¡± Linda tucked her hands inside the pockets of her white coat, then smiled. ¡°Working a shift here today, huh?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then you have a busy day ahead.¡± ¡°Why would that be?¡± Hearing this, Linda cautiously looked around, came closer, lowered her voice and said, ¡°There is an entric old man in the department today. His temper is particrly bad, and the nurses were all frightened by him just now when he underwent a physical examination.¡± Anyone who heard this would be curious and question more, but Courtney only analyzed in a serious manner and said, ¡°There are many patients who are bad-tempered. Just prescribe them the right medicine. I suppose this patient did not want a female nurse to examine him physically, right?¡± Hearing her reply, Linda looked disappointed. ¡°Dr. Hunter, you¡¯re so boring. Why do you have no gossip interest at all?¡± At that, Courtney chuckled. ¡°Chief Hass, it¡¯s not appropriate to gossip in the hospital, right? Two days ago, Nurse Simmons just scolded someone for that.¡± ¡°I am the chief physician! She has no control over me. How dare she scold me?¡± Courtney coughed and reminded, ¡°But she is your mother.¡± Linda immediately shut her mouth. It was not because Courtney had embarrassed her by telling the truth, but the fact that Sarah Simmons was walking toward her with a fierce look on her face, which made her restrain herself. ¡°Dr. Hass!¡± Sarah raised her voice and asked, ¡°What are you doing chatting with the houseman in the corridor early in the morning instead of checking in on the patients?¡± ¡°Nothing, I was talking to Dr. Hunter about that cardiac patient.¡± Courtney saw Linda winking at herself and nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, Chief Hass was telling me about a patient in the cardiac surgery department who didn¡¯t want to be examined by nurses, and we were discussing what to do.¡± ¡°Can you resolve it while standing here?¡± Sarah rolled her eyes at them. ¡°I¡¯ve already asked about it and found that the patient was just not willing to be examined by a female nurse, and so I¡¯ve arranged for Bob Sandstone to go over.¡± As expected, this was indeed the reason. In the hospital, there were plenty of patients who were concerned about the gender of the doctors and nurses due to their self-esteem. Only Linda was this idle to turn this matter into some kind of gossip news. ¡°What would we do without you, Nurse Simmons?¡± It was not the first time Linda buttered up her mother publicly in the hospital. However, Sarah still looked icy as she huffed and replied, ¡°That silver-tongue of yours will just lead your houseman astray.¡± At that, Courtney felt wronged in her heart but could not refute. After Sarah left, Linda followed Courtney to the dressing room to change clothes. As they walked, sheforted Courtney, ¡°Since I have dragged you with me through the mud today, I will treat you to dinner tonight.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m on night duty.¡± ¡°Switch it with someone else. I will help you contact Wilson and get him to switch with you.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Courtney put on her white coat, shoved her hands inside her pockets, examined Linda¡¯s pretty face, and inquired, ¡°Did I hear you right? You want to invite me to dinner?¡± Linda was notoriously stingy, of which character she inherited from her father, the vice director of the hospital. Courtney had heard that from several housemen as soon as she joined the hospital. N?velDrama.Org content. Linda must be up to something! Chapter 424 One Night Surprise Chapter 424 Chapter 424 You Want Me to Go On a Blind Date on Your Behalf? Linda crossed her arms and smiled in an innocent way. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t always invite people out to dinner. I suppose I¡¯m doing so now because we have a good rtionship.¡± Intuition told Courtney that Linda was up to no good, so she replied, ¡°I really don¡¯t have time, Chief Hass.¡± ¡°Chief Hass? Just call me Dr. Hass from now on. There¡¯s no need to be so polite. Come to dinner tonight, and I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± With that, Linda left without waiting for Courtney¡¯s reply, leaving thetter standing there alone. Courtney had no idea what was going on, but she did not have time to think further because the hospital was busy, and she had to go make her rounds after putting on her white coat and stethoscope. ¡°Courtney, the patient in the VIP ward is particrly bad-tempered, so be careful. Don¡¯t tell him what¡¯s wrong with his heart, and don¡¯t ask him much unless he¡¯s willing to tell us what¡¯s wrong with him.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°This morning, Bob was originally in a ward conducting a physical examination on a patient with me, and then he was called out temporarily by the head nurse. I was curious so I followed to take a look, and it turns out it was for this entric old man who scolded a group of nurses until they cried.¡± Bob Sandstone was the only male nurse in Melrose City Hospital. Generally, if male patients had concerns about the gender of the nurses, Bob would be the one doing the examinations, so he was very important in the whole of Melrose City Hospital. Courtney had seen many bad-tempered patients before especially while shadowing senior doctors at hospitals overseas, so it did not really scare her. However, since her coworker was kind enough to tell her about it, she nodded in appreciation. After the ward door opened, Courtney entered the ward with the other housemen. ¡°How do you feel, Mr. Duncan?¡± A low voice with a hint of resentment came forth from the room. ¡°Not good. The smell in this hospital of yours is too unpleasant. Even if I¡¯m not sick, I¡¯ll get sick staying here.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes suddenly tightened when she heard that voice, and from the gap in the crowd, she saw the figure on the hospital bed, which was much more shriveled than 5 years ago. Surprisingly, it was Scott Duncan. At that moment, she remembered that Tessa had told her about Scott¡¯s undesirable health condition, so she hurriedly left after being there for just a few moments. The hospital¡¯s electronic archive contained all the hospital cases, so after leaving the ward, Courtney went straight to the electronic archive and found Scott¡¯s medical records. When she saw the hospitalization records, her face gradually changed. After staying there for a long time, she began to take pictures of the medical records. When she was about to turn off theputer, she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Caught you.¡± Linda¡¯s voice came from behind Courtney while the former had a hand on thetter¡¯s shoulder with a smirk on her face. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you making rounds? Why are you here cking off?¡± Courtney¡¯s expression tightened as she quickly hid her phone behind her back. ¡°I came to check some information about the patient whom I¡¯ve visited just now to understand more about him.¡± ¡°Cut the crap. You¡¯re a pediatric psychologist and you¡¯re only here to learn a little outside of your specialization. You¡¯re not required to perform surgery or consult patients at all. Besides, this patient is an old man and not a child, so he has got nothing to do with your area of expertise. Why are you so concerned? Is he a rtive of yours?¡± Linda said while ncing at theputer screen. Hearing that, Courtney replied calmly, ¡°No. I just came to check his records purely out of academic interest. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.¡± ¡°Really? Then I will ask as many questions as I want.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Courtney would never admit the truth. After all, she did not leak the patient¡¯s information, so she was not afraid of Linda¡¯s questions. ¡°You are this old man¡¯s illegitimate daughter, right?¡± When Courtney heard those words, she almost fell. Luckily, there was a bookcase next to her which she could hold on to. ¡°How can that even be possible?¡± she eximed. ¡°Chief Hass, your imagination is running wild.¡± ¡°Well, you did tell me to ask questions.¡± Linda blinked and spread her hands in an innocent manner. Courtney felt helpless. Is she for real? ¡°Actually, it¡¯s fine if you are. That old man is the richest man in Melrose City, so don¡¯t feel self- conscious. I won¡¯tugh at you because of this, and I promise not to tell others.¡± ¡°When have I said that it¡¯s true? Chief Hass, can you stop assuming?¡± Courtney suddenly had a feeling that this matter would spread throughout the entire Melrose City Hospital before the end of the day to the point that even the cafeteria workers would know about it. However, Linda looked as though she hadpletely believed it. ¡°I can help you keep it a secret, but you have to promise me one thing.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not true at all!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask the old man myself.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯reing with me.¡± Linda scrutinized her. At once, the expression on Courtney¡¯s face changed. After a while, she said in a muffled voice, ¡°Fine, what do you want me to promise you?¡± Seeing that Courtney was willing toply, Linda immediately grinned. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you agree earlier? It took me so long to convince you.¡± Hearing that, Courtney was rendered speechless. She¡¯s stillining even after I¡¯ve agreed to do what she wants? ¡°It¡¯s no biggie. I just want you toe to the matchmaking party this weekend.¡± ¡°Chief Hass, you must be kidding. My child is in high school! It¡¯s not appropriate for me to attend such a party, right?¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Well, you can always be honest with each other.¡± ¡°What?¡± Courtney doubted what she was hearing. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not a matchmaking party. It¡¯s a one-on-one type of matchmaking.¡± ¡°One-on-one? Isn¡¯t that a blind date?¡± ¡°Shhh¡­¡± Linda rested two fingers on her lips to make a silencing sign. ¡°Keep your voice down. Anyway, help me out on this, will you?¡± ¡°You want me to go on a blind date on your behalf?¡± Courtney was shocked. ¡°How could I possibly do that?¡± ¡°How is it impossible? The guy has never seen me before, and you¡¯re about the same age as me. Moreover, you work in a hospital too, so if you say you¡¯re Linda Hass, he won¡¯t suspect a thing. Just say you have a child and find a way to help me get rid of him.¡± Linda stared at her. Immediately, Courtney felt her blood pressure rising. ¡°Can I refuse?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Linda tugged the corner of her mouth. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go ask that old man if he has an illegitimate daughter named Courtney.¡± ¡°I already told you¡­ I¡¯m really not his illegitimate daughter!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Linda grinned deviously. ¡°But if I ask him that, the entire hospital will hear about it, and I¡¯m sure you know that nobody cares about the truth in gossip.¡± Taking a deep breath, Courtney thought about it and realized that she was already cornered by Linda since she first entered this hospital. Chapter 425 One Night Surprise Chapter 425 Chapter 425 Do Unto Others as You Would Have Them Do Unto You After Courtney promised Linda to help her with the blind date, Linda used her position to shift Courtney to the emergency department earlier than nned and thus preventing Courtney from having to make rounds at the in-patient department every morning. In the office, Linda nudged Courtney¡¯s arm with a smug look. ¡°Am I not virtuous? I helped you with this even though I had to risk my position here.¡± ¡°Yes, you really are virtuous.¡± Courtney tugged the corner of her mouth, but inwardly she was completely speechless. ¡°The time, address and name of the guy have been sent to your phone. He is a corporate legal adviser, and he only knows that I am a doctor. When the timees, you just have to find a way to get rid of him.¡± ¡°Actually, I think there is nothing wrong with blind dates. Why are you so resistant to it? If you go take a look at him, maybe you¡¯ll find him as a suitable match?¡± ¡°Suitable match? What kind of person would go on a blind date these days?¡± Linda gave her a look and spoke with a grimace. ¡°If he is physically and mentally normal, why can¡¯t he find a girlfriend? Nine out of ten people who go on blind dates have problems, so why am I wasting my time?¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s still the odd one or two normal people out of ten.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll have this amazing luck to meet them? Even when the patient and the patient¡¯s family know that if the sess rate of surgery is too low, they would rather choose conservative treatment, instead of risking themselves at such a small probability event as it is tantamount to gambling.¡± Linda had all the characteristics of an excellent womanpetent in science. She was sensible and decisive, as well as logical and professional. Moreover, she also had the contempt a strong woman standing at the top of the social pyramid felt for such things as love. Looking at the information on her phone, Courtney sighed. It was unfortunate that she was coincidentally supposed to rest this weekend. She had been nning to take the two girls out for some fun, but now she had to waste at least half a day on Linda¡¯s blind date. During lunchtime, Courtney found time to call Angie. ¡°Have you brought Tina to the acupuncturist?¡± ¡°The session is already over,¡± Angie spoke loudly. ¡°I¡¯m shopping with Tina right now. When are you coming back home? Will you make us dinner?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. I have to work overtime. Tina can cook, so let her do it. If not, you two go ahead and eat out.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s better if we eat out. She¡¯s good at cooking, but she forces me to do the dishes after.¡± ¡°You¡¯re justzy.¡± Although Angie was from a deserted ind, nobody had restrained her temper since childhood, so she was fearless and wild. Even though Courtney had nagged her to learn social etiquette and rules, Angie spent most of her time with Elijah, who never forced her to learn all of this. Because of that, she was more ustomed to beingwless. Thus, it was as if she did not hear Courtney¡¯s admonishment when she said, ¡°I¡¯m not continuing this conversation. It¡¯s dying my shopping.¡± In an instant, the line was disconnected. Courtney helplessly nced at the phone screen that had gone ck. Hesitating for a moment, she dialed a number from the address book and it took a long while for the caller to pick up. ¡°Hello, Courtney, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Elijah¡¯s voice was a little drowsy. Courtney took a look at her watch and realized that it was nighttime over there. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did I disturb your rest?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Then came the sound of someone lifting the quilt and getting out of bed. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I wanted to tell you that Angie has arrived at my ce. I didn¡¯t tell you yesterday because it was too late.¡± The other end of the phone was silent for a while, and then Elijah¡¯s voice came in shock and confusion. ¡°Angie is at your ce? What do you mean?¡± When Courtney heard this, her heart raced. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that Angie ising to spend the summer with me? She said she talked to you about it.¡± ¡°She told me there¡¯s a summer camp at school and she wouldn¡¯t being home this summer. She¡­¡± Elijah¡¯s words came to an abrupt halt as if he suddenly realized something. Then, his voice suddenly trembled a little as he continued, ¡°Courtney, I have something to check out. I¡¯ll contact youter.¡± The line had already gone dead before the confused Courtney could speak. Finding out about the situation, Elijah was in the dark about the fact that Angie came to visit her for summer vacation. No wonder he did not call Angie and ask if she had reached after the girl got off the ne yesterday. Suddenly, Courtney felt that there was something fishy about this matter. Meanwhile, in the mall called Pinnacle Shopping Center, there were two girls shopping. One of them was particrly eye-catching as she had colorful hair braided in a hip-hop style. Her style formed a sharp contrast with the shorter girl beside her. The shorter girl was very pretty and wore a pink puffy dress. Although she was only 11 or 12 years old, everyone could see she was a natural beauty. They were a true sight to behold as they walked into the mall. ¡°This store is good; I like their style.¡± Angie held a ck studded leather skirt andpared it to Tina¡¯s body. ¡°You go try it.¡± Tina rolled her eyes and pointed to the shiny studs on it. ¡°Who are you trying to poke to death by wearing this? I don¡¯t want this; it¡¯s not my style.¡± ¡°Come on, people can¡¯t stay the same all their lives; you need to try more new things, okay? Don¡¯t you feel tired of wearing such cute clothing all day long?¡± Tina¡¯s gaze shifted. ¡°Try more new things? Then you should try to change your style too.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. I¡¯ll pick a set for you, and you pick a set for me.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. Hearing that, Angie sized up Tina and turned up her nose. ¡°Your style is for little girls. I really can¡¯t wear that.¡± ¡°Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Angie grew up without much education, so she had no idea what Tina was talking about. With that, Tina helplessly exined, ¡°It means that since you dislike my taste, you should also think about how I dislike your taste too. Why do you want to force me to ept your style yet refuse to ept mine?¡± Angie pondered for a moment. ¡°Who said I can¡¯t ept your style? Let¡¯s go and do what you suggested.¡± Tina immediately looked at her bitterly and asked, ¡°Are you using reverse psychology on me?¡± However, when Angie made up her mind, no one could persuade her otherwise. She immediately dragged Tina to try on clothes. One loved fanciful and dark Harajuku style, while the other was more interested in cutesy pink clothing. When the two of them changed styles, they simply looked bizarre. 10 minutester, Angie stood in front of the mirror wearing a beige halter dress with a pair of brown Mary Janes. Surrounding her were a few shoppers who were watching and gossiping. ¡°Why do I feel that I look a little odd?¡± ¡°Well, of course.¡± Tina twitched her mouth. Feeling so embarrassed, she wanted to dig a hole, hide in it and pretend she did not know Angie. As for Angie, her colorful braids and tattooed left arm juxtaposed against the sweet dress she was wearing. Chapter 426 One Night Surprise Chapter 426 Chapter 426 Long Time No See ¡°Actually, you look very stylish.¡± The saleswoman enthusiastically came over. ¡°Others don¡¯t look as good as you when they wear this. You¡¯re the only one who can bring out the elegance of it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Angie scratched her head as she started feeling a little embarrassed by thepliment. ¡°Let¡¯s buy it then.¡± At the checkout, Tina looked at the price of the hangtag and secretly thought to herself that it was only because of the exorbitant price that had motivated the saleswoman to praise Angie. ¡°I¡¯m done. Now it¡¯s my turn to buy you a new outfit,¡± Angie said while grabbing Tina¡¯s little arm. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can get away without doing it. Through me, you¡¯ll know today what a total makeover means.¡± Tina felt helpless. However, her phone suddenly rang and a young woman¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s you.¡± Angie and Tina both raised their heads; however, they did not recognize who it was even after squeezing their brain for some time. The young girl was simr in age to Angie. She was wearing a white T-shirt and denim shorts while carrying a small ck backpack; her hair was tied up in a ponytail at the back of her head, and she looked very youthful and energetic. With a surprised look, she said to Angie, ¡°It¡¯s me. Don¡¯t you remember me from yesterday at the airport?¡± At that, Angie was reminded of her and came back to her senses. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you! I remember.¡± This girl was the victim she had helped yesterday at the airport. But as the situation was too chaotic, Angie had let the girl go first, leaving herself to bring the rogue to the airport security office.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I went to the airport security office to look for you yesterday after meeting the person who was in charge of picking me up, but they said you had left. I wanted to thank you, but I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here today.¡± The ponytailed girl smiled and stretched out her hand. ¡°My name is Hannah Duncan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Angie. Angie Grant.¡± ¡°Is this your sister?¡± Hannah smilingly looked at the little girl beside Angie. Suddenly, the smile on her face stiffened. ¡°Tina?¡± Tina froze when she first saw Hannah. However, she was even more stunned when she heard Hannah introduce herself to Angie. Now, she wasn¡¯t sure how to respond, but she had already been recognized by the other girl. ¡°You guys know each other?¡± Angie looked confused. ¡°How do you two know each other?¡± Tina tugged the corner of her mouth and forced a smile. ¡°Not only do we know each other, but she is also my great-aunt.¡± ¡°What?¡± Angie¡¯s face changed¡ªshe couldn¡¯t believe her ears. Then, the three of them went to a Korean restaurant in the shopping mall and sat together in a booth. Angie was the one who was most out of the loop and had no idea what was going on. So, she just listened to Tina and Hannah talk. ¡°So, Courtney hase back long ago?¡± ¡°Not really. It was pretty recent. When my illness is cured, we will still have to go back to America. So, don¡¯t tell your family about seeing me today, Hannah.¡± ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Angie interrupted the conversation between the two. ¡°Hannah, you refer to Courtney by her first name, and Tina, you refer to Hannah by her first name too. But you told me that Hannah is your great-aunt earlier. What are the generational rtionships between all of you? Why does it sound so confusing?¡± ¡°You call my mommy by her first name too!¡± Tina gave her a look and exined, ¡°I refer to Hannah by her first name because there isn¡¯t much difference between our ages, but she is my great-grandfather¡¯s adopted daughter. Therefore, she is my real daddy¡¯s aunt. So, isn¡¯t she my great-aunt?¡± Hannah nodded in agreement and looked at Angie before reminding, ¡°So, actually I¡¯m also your great- aunt. Yesterday was a fateful encounter at the airport. We¡¯re actually family.¡± Angie tugged the corners of her mouth with force. ¡°You have not heard of Tina¡¯s father¡ªwhich means that Courtney doesn¡¯t like to mention this person. So, don¡¯t use the family card on me. I don¡¯t have many rtives.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just kidding.¡± Hannah was good-tempered and only smiled at Angie¡¯s sharp words. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Courtney for a long time. Where are you staying?¡± Tina was about to speak when Angie stuffed a chicken wing in her mouth and spoke first. ¡°We live not far from here. If an opportunity arises, we¡¯ll definitely invite you over.¡± Hearing that, Hannah shifted her gaze and then smiledcently. ¡°Okay.¡± After the incident at the airport that day, Hannah had escaped as fast as she could. So, it was evident that she was the kind of girl who had lots of tricks up her sleeves. Now, she was looking for an opportunity to talk about the past and take advantage of Tina¡¯s youthful innocence. As Tina was young and still had fond memories of her own father, she did not think much about it, but Angie felt that Hannah was somehow up to no good. She knew she had to tell Courtney about this back home so that thetter could prepare herself for what wasing next. Meanwhile, at the Melrose City Hospital, Courtney had been on the night shift in the emergency department. When it was almost time to change shifts, theputer beeped to signal that a patient had just registered and was on the way to be consulted. Soon, there was a knock on the door outside. ¡°Come in.¡± Courtney yawned and pulled herself together, but when she looked up, her tired expression froze on her face. Alexander¡¯s neatly-pressed suit was still the same as 5 years ago, and he still carried the same aloof aura. When he saw her, he did not look surprised at all but simply sat down opposite her desk. Clearly, he came prepared. ¡°Long time no see.¡± His voice was much huskier and sexier than 5 years ago. Courtney¡¯s heart trembled as she forced herself to calm down. Then, she nced at the information on theputer and asked, ¡°Eric Reynolds. Are you Eric?¡± Alexander¡¯s face did not change as he answered, ¡°Eric is Josh¡¯s cousin. He was the one who registered at the front desk.¡± ¡°Sorry, sir, we are a proper hospital with standard procedures. In order to prevent scalping and selling hospital registrations, patients must only register with their legal names.¡± ¡°I can go and register again, but it won¡¯t take long. The emergency department has more doctors than patients at this time, so are you sure you want me to waste time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of wasting time; it¡¯s the standard procedure.¡± ¡°Or are you nning to run away once I leave to get a new registration?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t continue pretending, so she wrinkled her brow and stared at him for a moment. Then, she started flipping open the medical records. ¡°Speak then. Which part of you is injured?¡± At that moment, Alexander stood up. As he stood opposite the desk, his tall figure caused the overhead fluorescent light to bounce upon the desk. When Courtney saw him undressing, her face changed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Courtney asked while Alexanderid his suit jacket on the chair, ignoring her words, and unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his robust chest. At that, Courtney¡¯s face flushed red; she immediately stood up and said sharply, ¡°The security room is not far from the emergency department. They will hear me when I shout.¡± Alexander looked puzzled as he rolled up his sleeve and exposed his injured arm. ¡°What do you want to call security for?¡± He had just removed part of his ck shirt, revealing the left half of his shoulder as well as the arm heavily wrapped in gauze. Chapter 427 One Night Surprise Chapter 427 Chapter 427 Unable to Hold Back From Meeting Her Courtney stiffened at the sight of the injured arm. Feeling embarrassed, she wished to disappear at that very moment. ¡°N-Nothing¡­¡± ¡°Then would you please help to check on my injury, Dr. Hunter?¡± Holding his injured arm, Alexander calmly looked at Courtney with an expression that she could not discern. Courtney had no choice because the debridement specialist had gone home to celebrate his wedding anniversary with his wife, and Courtney had to fill in for him. She thought that there would not be many patients in the emergency department today, but who knew that she would meet Alexander by chance? When she was removing the bandages, she nced out of the corner of her eye and saw the look of interest in Alexander¡¯s eyes, and she suddenly felt that this might not be a coincidence. Whoes to the hospital at 2 A.M for a wound that has been bandaged the day before? Taking off the bandages, Courtney finally saw the terrible wound exposed, and the chaotic thoughts inside her head all disappeared at once. In fact, her hand trembled a little. ¡°Who bandaged you? The wound was not even cleaned up properly, and no medicine was applied. It¡¯s only wrapped with gauze. What kind of doctor is this irresponsible? There¡¯s so much pus.¡± When Courtney didn¡¯t hear Alexander¡¯s reply for a long while, she looked up and met his gaze, which was sizing her up as if he was hiding his thoughts. Feeling panicked, she avoided his gaze quickly and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to get some medicine. Wait here and don¡¯t move.¡± Five minutester, Courtney came back with a tray of debridement equipment and sterilizing medicine. Without saying a word, she resterilized and cleaned the wound on his arm, applied ointment and put a new gauze on. The whole time, she did not look up and had any eye contact with Alexander. After the wound was all bandaged, she packed up her equipment and went back behind the desk to give a prescription. ¡°It¡¯s a moderate wound but there is an obvious infection. After I¡¯ve bandaged it, you still have to change the dressing every day at the hospital. Avoid putting pressure on this arm in theing days. When the scab has fully formed, you don¡¯t need to change the dressing anymore.¡± After saying this, Courtney tore off the prescription list and handed it over. ¡°Go pay the bill, and then get the medicine.¡± Alexander did not take the list, but pulled the chair out and sat down while putting on his shirt. ¡°If I had not really been injured today, would you not say even a word to me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a strange thing for you to say,¡± Courtney spoke calmly. ¡°There¡¯s no animosity between us, so why shouldn¡¯t I talk to you? We¡¯re acquaintances after all, so it¡¯s alright for us to merely greet each other.¡± ¡°We¡¯re acquaintances?¡± Alexander¡¯s expression was a little stiff, and he did not continue to say anything for a while. ¡°Your consultation is over. Don¡¯t dy those behind you. I¡¯m clocking out soon anyways.¡± Courtney spoke without raising her head. Lowering her head, she began writing on her psychology book without the slightest intention of paying him any more attention. However, the man still sat unmoving without any intention of leaving. ¡°Well, that¡¯s just in time then. When you get off work, let¡¯s have breakfast together so that I can thank you for dressing my wound, Dr. Hunter.¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°It¡¯s 3 A.M, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a ce open for breakfast.¡± ¡°When I say there is, there will be.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡± Courtney put aside her pen and looked at Alexander unhappily. ¡°I¡¯m a doctor and you¡¯re a patient; you¡¯re paying to see a doctor and I¡¯m just working. It¡¯s unnecessary for us to have breakfast together.¡± ¡°You would not show this attitude toward an ordinary patient, would you?¡± Alexander¡¯s tone actually had a hint of joy in it. After hearing from Hannah yesterday during dinner at the Duncan Residence that Courtney was back, he had looked up the entire staff database of all the hospitals in the city. In the end, it turned out that she was working at the Melrose City Hospital where Scott was hospitalized. She had spent five years in France working and studying as a pediatric psychologist but ended up back in Melrose City. Of course, he could not resisting to see her. Stunned by his question, Courtney did not know what to say for a long time. Taking a deep breath, she tried her best to answer calmly, ¡°You can make aint against me, but our hospital does not have a protocol that says we should listen to patients who stubbornly refuse to leave.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave after you answer what I want to know.¡± ¡°What do you want to know?¡± ¡°When did youe back?¡± The question washed away the hostility in Courtney¡¯s gaze as she secretly squeezed her fingers, trying to make herself stop indulging in the old feelings of the past between them. Then, she coldly replied, ¡°A month ago.¡± Seeing that Alexander¡¯s gaze was joyful, she added, ¡°I didn¡¯te back for you.¡± Alexander, however, looked rxed as he asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you came back?¡± ¡°Why should I tell you?¡± Courtney unconsciously raised her voice. ¡°Do you really think I need to tell you everything? What kind of rtionship are we in?¡± She thought the rtionship between the two of them had been sorted out 5 years ago, so what was the point of bringing it up again now? ¡°Don¡¯t we count as friends?¡± ¡°Friends? I don¡¯t think we can be friends.¡± Courtney¡¯s heart was inexplicably filled with unhappiness. I suppose he¡¯s the only one who has the audacity to say that. I don¡¯t think I can be friends with any ex- lovers of mine. ¡°So, is that why you¡¯re avoiding me?¡± ¡°When have I avoided you?¡± Courtney lifted her head, exposing her burning gaze. ¡°I asked around and heard that you were supposed to be on the inpatient cardiac department rotation today, but yesterday morning when Grandpa was admitted here, you suddenly transferred to the emergency department. Weren¡¯t you avoiding Grandpa on purpose?¡± ¡°You had someone investigate me again?¡± ¡°I was afraid there might be a misunderstanding, so I came to ask you in person what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you have it all checked out? Even if I deny that there is no such thing, will you even believe me?¡± Courtney was angry that Alexander was still having people investigate others anyhow he liked, just like in the past.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°I believe you.¡± The three words echoed in the room. In the face of his cold and certain gaze, Courtney was a little annoyed. Then, she guiltily denied, ¡°I¡¯m not avoiding him. I¡¯m just temporarily helping out in the emergency department, and tomorrow morning, I will resume my usual rotation and will return. Of course, I treat my patients equally, and I haven¡¯t done anything wrong, so why should I hide from anyone?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Alexander nodded slightly. ¡°Then, thank you for taking care of Grandpa for me. I may not be able toe to the hospital to see him all the time, so I¡¯ll have to trouble you during this time.¡± Courtney nced at him and scornfully said, ¡°Work is important, but it¡¯s not so important that you can¡¯t even find the time to visit your family.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t find the time, it¡¯s because¡­ Grandpa doesn¡¯t want to see me.¡± At that, Courtney¡¯s expression gradually tightened. She wanted to ask something, but she decided otherwise as she felt that she did not want to get involved. ¡°Now that you¡¯re done with the questions, you should go now, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Alexander quickly stood up. Before leaving, he turned back and said, ¡°Dr. Hunter, we know each other well after all. Even if we can¡¯t be friends, we can still greet each other when we meet. I¡¯m not a scoundrel, and we havews in this society. Why are you so afraid of me?¡± Chapter 428 One Night Surprise Chapter 428 Chapter 428 Why the Change of Mind? Why the hell should I be scared of you?! Courtney really wanted to just grab the pen holder on the desk and stuff it into Alexander¡¯s mouth. Fortunately, he left after saying those words. Then, Courtney anxiously waited until her shift was over at 3. When Dr. Wolfe came for his shift, she left without so much as a greeting. She had to go to work as usual at 9, so she took her rest in the sleep room for doctors. She did feel tired after a whole night¡¯s shift, but when her head hit the pillow, the sleepiness left her. She had anticipated that she would bump into Alexander aftering back, but she didn¡¯t think that it would happen so soon. Only one month had passed before she encountered him and Scott in the hospital. She had wondered for 5 years but still never came up with an answer for the impossible problem of how she should face him when they would meet again. It wasn¡¯t entirely true that time healed all wounds; the prerequisite for that saying was that you mustn¡¯t see that person for a long, long time. The time period in question would vary from person to person, too. Depending on how much the person had affected you. While some people would take a few months to recover, some would need years, and some would even spend their entire life trying to heal. It was finally daybreak, so Courtney got up from the bed. When she looked in the mirror, she saw her bloodshot eyes even though it was just 7 in the morning. Before going to work, she paid a visit to the heart surgical department and asked Linda to recover the shift schedule. ¡°Why the sudden change of mind?¡± Linda was curious. ¡°Are you finally acknowledging that Mr. Duncan is your dad?¡± ¡°He really isn¡¯t my dad.¡± Courtney frowned. ¡°Dr. Hass, can you be more realistic? That old man is in his 80s, and I¡¯m just 29 years old. How can he have an illegitimate daughter in his 60s?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not entirely impossible. There have been cases¡­¡± Linda was quite ready to inform Courtney of a man¡¯s active period, but when she saw thetter¡¯s darkening expression, she shut her mouth. ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll adjust the schedule for you, but remember to take my ce for the blind date this Saturday.¡± Courtney inhaled deeply. ¡°Dr. Hass, if you keep up with this nonsense about illegitimate children, I¡¯ll tell Nurse Simmons about me taking your ce for the blind date.¡± Hearing the words ¡®Nurse Simmons¡¯ was enough to make Linda go pale. ¡°That¡¯s just too cruel, Dr. Hunter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just returning the favor. You threatened me, so I have to protect myself somehow.¡± Courtney nced at her. ¡°I¡¯ll only do this blind date thing for you once, and there will be no ¡®next time¡¯.¡± After leaving the department, it was still early, so Courtney made her way back to the sleep room. This time, she caught the scent of buns and breakfast pudding. Her colleague, Dr. Shelton, was biting into a bun as she waved at Courtney when thetter entered. ¡°I was wondering where you went. Come and eat! The buns and puddings are freshly bought from East Street. You know, the one with terribly long lines.¡± Courtney had just returned to this country not long ago, so she didn¡¯t know much about good eateries around the hospital. As she heard that, her curiosity was piqued. The moment she ate some of the pudding, she realized that it was truly delicious. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Why are you thanking me?¡± Dr. Shelton pushed her ck-rimmed sses as she smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve been working in the emergency department for so long, and only my husband has sent me breakfast. But you just did one nightshift, and there¡¯s already someone buying breakfast for you. Must be nice.¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Courtney was stunned. ¡°This was for me?¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± Dr. Shelton pushed the buns in her direction. ¡°I wasing over from the emergency department, and a guy blocked my way. He asked where you were, and when I told him that our sleep rooms are off-limits to unauthorized personnel, he insisted that I deliver this to you. It¡¯s a good thing that I came over early to share your breakfast, so I just brought it over.¡± Courtney had a perplexed expression when she looked at the bun and pudding in her hands. It wasn¡¯t too difficult to guess who the sender was. ¡­ At Sunhill Headquarters. The morning meeting had just ended, and a few department managers looked quite cheerful as they walked out of the venue which was a stark contrast to their usual frowns. Besides that, the two directors in finance left the elevator together. ¡°President Duncan seems to be in a good mood today. We made two mistakes in the financial nning, but we couldn¡¯t print new ones because of the urgent meeting. I thought for sure that we¡¯d be chewed out for it, but President Duncan actually didn¡¯t say anything about it.¡± ¡°Maybe he didn¡¯t notice? Lower your voice or President Duncan will hear and get reminded about it, then he¡¯ll call you over to reprimand you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible; President Duncan never makes mistakes! His eyes are sharper than a scanner, and he can spot mistakes right off the bat. He must be in a good mood. Have you noticed that he kept looking at his phone today?¡± The main finance director looked around, then said in a hushed voice, ¡°Someone saw President Duncan on a blind date a few days ago, right? Is he in love?¡± ¡°Really? Ever since that failed marriage 5 years ago, President Duncan has been single all this time. No one else knows, but since we¡¯re old-timers at thispany, we both know about that event, right? Now that we¡¯ve changed out most employees, what can these younglings see? They probably think he¡¯s discussing business with a client.¡± At the mention of that, the main finance director sighed. ¡°Thanks for the reminder; I almost forgot about that. You¡¯re right, but I never understood why the decision changed so quickly. The wedding date was set and the invitations were already sent, but they just called it off.¡± ¡°It probably had something to do with the little master.¡± ¡°Young President Duncan?¡± ¡°Yeah. They came up with a lot of theories, but most im that the fianc¨¦e wasn¡¯t too nice to Young President Duncan. She hid it well, so President Duncan never noticed. However, he finally realized something was wrong right before the wedding, so they canceled the marriage.¡± ¡°Really? Why do I think that it¡¯s not the case?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all history now, and we¡¯re not even involved, so let¡¯s not discuss this anymore. Someone might hear.¡± The vice finance director was right, for someone had listened in on their conversation in full. Just around a corner near the elevators, a youth of 12 years old was dressed in a neat suit. A young assistant was beside him, and they both stayedpletely still like statues behind arge bonsai nt. ¡°Young President Duncan, don¡¯t worry about it too much. It¡¯s just the usual office gossip.¡± The youth was just a young child, and his face still retained its childlike features, but the look in his eyes was extraordinarily calm. He didn¡¯t seem particrly disturbed at the words. ¡°I despise such gossip. If my mother came back and heard these things, she would be upset.¡± ¡°I will remind themter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The youth¡¯s gaze turned cold. ¡°Post an announcement stating that starting from today, if anyone discusses President Duncan¡¯s private life, their annual bonus will be deducted as soon as they are found out.¡± The assistant was dumbfounded. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s appropriate. Those who are clueless about it will think that President Duncan¡¯s private life is problematic.¡± ¡°Why are you worried about that? That¡¯s his secretary¡¯s problem.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯m on it.¡± Then, the youth went silent. Chapter 429 One Night Surprise Chapter 429 Chapter 429 I¡¯m Lawfully Your Mother After checking up with all of the patients in the hospital during the entire noon, Courtney was invited to sit in to watch the operation of two pediatrics surgeries before she could even have lunch. Although these surgeries weren¡¯t really rted to child psychology, it would be really helpful for her career in the pediatrics field in the future if she could have theprehensive ability for these cases. With enough understanding of these cases, it could also help her with her research in child psychology as well. N?velDrama.Org content. At night, Courtney could smell the scent of cookies upon entering her house aftering back from work. ¡°Are you baking again?¡± She leaned toward the kitchen to take a nce. As expected, the two children were busy running around the kitchen. When Angie heard Courtney¡¯s voice, she turned around. ¡°You¡¯re finally back. I thought that you¡¯ll stay at the hospital and not care about us anymore.¡± ¡°Who else can take care of you guys besides me?¡± Courtney gave her a look. ¡°I bet Elijah can¡¯t keep you guys in check anymore.¡± Right then, Angie looked taken aback. It seemed like she came to a realization before she quietly went behind the kitchen door. ¡°What? Are you afraid to admit what you¡¯ve done?¡± Courtney changed into her house slippers before entering the house. ¡°Are you nning to let me tell you about it, or are you going toe clean yourself?¡± While there was no movement in the kitchen, Tina turned around before chiming in, ¡°Mommy, I made some cranberry nougats, and you can bring some to the hospital for the patients.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that tomorrow. I might have to send Angie to the airportter.¡± ¡°Airport?¡± Angie immediately emerged from the kitchen with an anxious look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m not going back to America.¡± ¡°How can I help you when you didn¡¯t even inform Elijah before making such a huge decision bying here? What if you¡¯re unhappy here and run away from this ce too? What should I tell him if that happens?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t try to get me back by asking you.¡± Angie frowned before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s been almost half a month since my summer vacation, but he hadn¡¯t even given me a call. If something really happened to me, I would have been dead by now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± Courtney gave her a look. ¡°Elijah would be pissed if he heard that from you. Since when does he not provide you with the best that he could throughout these years?¡± Noticing that Courtney was pissed, Angie appeared to be quite nervous before she came out from the kitchen in a hesitant manner. ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad. It¡¯s really not my intention to not notify Elijah before taking off. It¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s just that Lilian is pregnant.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression went nk when she heard what Angie said. Elijah and Lilian had been married for five years, but they hadn¡¯t had any children until now. Based on what Courtney knew, Elijah was the one who didn¡¯t want any children, and the two of them had a lot of arguments before that. ¡°Come over and tell me about it.¡± Feeling conflicted, Courtney walked over to the couch and sat. ¡°Tell me everything that happened.¡± Angie looked slightly annoyed as she took a deep breath before she lowered her head and kept quiet as she tried to construct her thoughts into sentences. ¡°My summer vacation started half a month ago, but Elijah had a business trip to Madrid when I got home, so Lilian and the maids were the only ones left at home. You know how I don¡¯t get along with Lilian, so I listened to what you said and tried not to get into a fight with her by staying in my room during those few days.¡± Courtney kept quiet. ¡°However, Lilian prepared an entire table of dishes a few dayster and asked me to go downstairs to eat with her so that she could talk to me. Then, she told me that she¡¯s pregnant.¡± ¡°Did she ask you to move out?¡± ¡°Kind of? She told me that she found a ce for me to stay that is nearer to my school, and she wants me to move there after that.¡± Courtney¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t argue with her.¡± There was a conflicted look on Angie¡¯s face. ¡°This is Elijah¡¯s firstborn, and I don¡¯t want to cause any trouble, so I moved out that night.¡± Noticing how Angie was speaking rhetorically, Courtney couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for her. Despite having a strong personality, Angiecked love ever since she was a child, so she was emotionally damaged. She had been under Elijah¡¯s care most of the time when she studied in France during these few years, so Elijah was definitely an important person in her life. Even though Angie couldn¡¯t get along with Lilian, Courtney believed that Angie wouldn¡¯t try to initiate a fight with Lilian because of Elijah. ¡°What did Elijah say about this?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t tell him about it.¡± Angie shrugged. ¡°I know that Lilian was trying to say that I¡¯m being an eyesore for staying at their ce. Don¡¯t they all say that we can¡¯t let pregnant women be in a bad mood? If I tell Elijah about this, he will surely oppose this. The two of them would fight because of me again, and I feel like it¡¯s unnecessary. It¡¯s just me moving out anyway.¡± Right then, Courtney observed Angie¡¯s expression for a while before she started pondering. ¡°Did you come over to my ce because you¡¯re afraid that Elijah might ask you why you didn¡¯t go home for summer vacation?¡± Upon hearing that, Angie coughed a little. ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°You little brat.¡± Courtney suddenly felt pissed before she whacked Angie¡¯s head. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about this right away? I¡¯d understand that you¡¯re afraid to tell Elijah about this, but why are you afraid to tell me as well?¡± Angie shielded her head in pain. ¡°I¡¯m just worried that you might get worried and fly to America immediately. I know that you¡¯ve been busy here.¡± Right then, Courtney felt angry and guilty as she red at Angie. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop trying to tter yourself. I¡¯ll take over from here, so you don¡¯t have to worry anymore. Why do you keep trying to make decisions on your own when you¡¯re still so young? How can a minor stay on her own outside? Besides, do you really think that you can hide from Elijah?¡± As soon as Elijah¡¯s name was mentioned, Angie¡¯s expression became conflicted again. ¡°What are you nning to do, Court?¡± At this moment, Courtney held Angie¡¯s hand before saying, ¡°Since you can¡¯t stand her, and Elijah won¡¯t divorce her, you should stay with me instead. After all, Elijah and I adopted you together back then, and I¡¯mwfully your mother, so don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Lilian was taking drastic measures to deal with the situation. There were many conflicts between Lilian and Elijah besides conceiving a child. Angie, Courtney, and even Tina always became causes of their fights after they got married. Back then, Lilian had witnessed how Elijah took care of Courtney and her kid meticulously and had looked forward to receiving the same care from him. However, she had forgotten that it was hard to change a person¡¯s behavior once they were used to it. Lilian had been tolerating Elijah for about seven years during her job as his secretary, and it was almost impossible for the dynamics between them to change after their marriage. Once she wasn¡¯t able to get what she had been longing for for a long time, she started holding grudges against everything and everyone around Elijah, and the person closest to him was Angie. Courtney had met Lilian in the past, and she could sense from Lilian¡¯s overly agitated words that Lilian stubbornly thought that Angie and Tina were the reason why Elijah didn¡¯t want children anymore. Since Tina was staying with Courtney, Angie was the only trigger left. Despite being able to guess Lilian¡¯s thoughts, Courtney didn¡¯t expect Lilian to be capable of kicking a minor out of her house. Chapter 430 One Night Surprise Chapter 430 Chapter 430 We¡¯re About to File for Divorce The matter with Angie wasn¡¯t a difficult one. After all, it was Courtney¡¯s original intention to adopt Angie, so it wouldn¡¯t seem right for her to continue living with Elijah. Since Lilian had already voiced her thoughts on it, it would seem rather awkward to send Angie back there. Once the two girls had gone to bed, Courtney walked to the balcony to give Elijah a call. ¡°I owe you a huge favor for taking care of Angie. Reasonably speaking, I should have been the one taking care of her all these years. You¡¯ve done me a huge favor of having custody of her for so long, which I think it¡¯s time for me to repay the favor. From now on, I think it would be more appropriate for her to live with me.¡± Courtney didn¡¯t reveal the things that Lilian had done mainly because she had considered the rtionship Elijah had with Lilian. On the other hand, she felt that Lilian¡¯s actions were justifiable after all. At this moment, Elijah suddenly stopped talking on the phone. ¡°I¡¯ve rified about this matter, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it. I¡¯ll head to Melrose City and pick Angie up before the summer break ends. We¡¯ll stick to the same n as before; there¡¯s no need for any change.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel troubled. I¡¯ve already nned everything.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t,¡± Elijah interrupted Courtney. ¡°You can¡¯t leave Melrose City this year, which means you can¡¯t take care of Angie. I promised to take care of her back then and it¡¯s not just a promise to you but to Angie too. I¡¯ll definitely take good care of her and be a father figure to her until she reaches adulthood.¡± Somehow, Courtney sensed that he was insinuating something with his words and felt that something was amiss, but couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it. So, she had no choice but to ask, ¡°What about Lilian then? Don¡¯t tell me that you fought with her?¡± ¡°We¡¯re about to file for divorce.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Courtney¡¯s tone changed. ¡°Divorce?!¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Although she was aware that Lilian¡¯s action of kicking Angie out behind Elijah¡¯s back would definitely trigger the ensuing conflict between the couple if he ever found out, Courtney didn¡¯t expect the oue to be so serious. While on the phone, Elijah sounded rather moody and he quickly hung up the phone without saying much, which in turn left her perplexed about the entire situation. As Courtney had never seen this side of Elijah before, she remained standing at the balcony with mixed feelings. After waiting some time for something but realizing that the oue wasn¡¯t what one had expected, the past efforts thrown in could easily be an obsession and render the person unable to let go. Economically speaking, this was known as sunk cost effect. In a rtionship, behaviors like this could be described as an unwillingness to ept the situation. ¡­ Meanwhile, at the president¡¯s office of Sunhill Enterprise, someonemented, ¡°It¡¯s Clover Media¡¯s anniversary celebration this month and we¡¯ve received their invitation for quite some time now. You haven¡¯t been able to confirm your schedule, so we haven¡¯t confirmed with them on your behalf. What do you think about the event? How should we respond to that?¡± Alexander was seated behind his work desk and he was currently wearing a ck shirt. His attire had blended well with the mahogany wooden furniture in the room, but it created an exceptionally somber aura wherein someone would find it arduous to freelymunicate. Eric had mentioned this event together with his routine report on the current month¡¯s schedule. Then, he asked for Alexander¡¯s opinion when he stumbled upon the event in the schedule. ¡°I¡¯m not attending it,¡± Alexander responded without any hesitation. Generally speaking, a mediapany¡¯s anniversary event would involve socializing with women and to him, the benefits obtained from such socializing werepletely not worth the effort that he had to exercise. Eric was Josh¡¯s younger brother; he had taken over the role as Alexander¡¯s chief personal assistant when Josh was transferred to their subsidiary abroad two years ago. Eric had also taken over Josh¡¯s job of handling all the trivial matters that ensued in Alexander¡¯s job. Now that he was faced with such a permanently cold and standoffish boss, Eric had maintained a reverent attitude and practically worshiped the ground that Alexander walked on. As such, every single instruction that Alexander gave would always be firmly upheld by Eric. It was after perusing the several memos that Eric recalled something and he looked up. ¡°By the way, President Duncan, the legal team has informed us that the result for thewsuit on the shares of Holt Enterprise is out.¡± Alexander, who was previously focused on the document in front of him, suddenly paused at what he was doing and stopped scribbling. Then, he gradually raised his head and his pair of astute eyes coldly glimmered under the gold-rimmed sses. ¡°What¡¯s the oue?¡± ¡°We won the case. Mr. Menzie will be back tomorrow.¡± ¡°He¡¯s excellent at this.¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Did the board of directors do anything once they knew that he¡¯sing back?¡± A resigned Eric replied, ¡°Your guess was correct. There are some signs to indicate Director Menzie¡¯s ns to call for a board meeting.¡± ¡°Ever since Caleb joined thepany half a year ago, there have been three board meetings. Director Menzie is quite protective of his son.¡± Eric hesitated slightly before gingerly asking, ¡°Is Director Menzie eyeing the position of chief executive in the legal department?¡± ¡°The case about Holt Enterprise¡¯s shares was one that everyone tried to avoid taking up because of how intricate the matter was. Some of those involved are connected to important people with a messy trail of rtionships. However, Caleb went ahead with it and was handsomely rewarded for it by being extremely efficient in his job. The entire legal department had dragged this matter for more than a year, but he managed to resolve it in merely two months. It would be unlike Director Menzie if he didn¡¯t take this opportunity to make requests.¡± It was enough to cause Eric¡¯s expression to beplicated. ¡°Then again, President Duncan, Mr. Menzie only joined thepany about six months ago and he hasn¡¯t met the criteria to be considered for a promotion.¡± After all, it was important for apany to adhere to its standard operating procedures to maintain its regr day-to-day operations. It was pretty much unspoken that a decision shouldn¡¯t be made purely on the whims of an upper management level employee. It was fine to promote someone based on their capabilities, but thepany maintained a clear directive about not promoting a staff member within their first year of employment. They would be considered as being on probation for the time being because thepany wanted to prevent the staff members from treating their positions as a stepping stone. ¡°Well, that depends on whether Director Menzie actually cares for his stepson or not.¡± There was also another rule in Sunhill wherein their staff could be exempted from the probation period if they held a certain percentage of thepany shares. Those who performed exceptionally could even be promoted earlier. Director Menzie was Caleb¡¯s stepfather; although they were not rted by blood, they looked like they maintained a great father and son rtionship. At this point in time, if Director Menzie truly intended to help Caleb to be the chief executive of Sunhill¡¯s legal department, then the fastest way to achieve it was to transfer part of his shares in thepany to Caleb. ¡°I have nothing scheduled this Saturday, right?¡± Eric was still considering each party¡¯s relevant interests when Alexander suddenly asked that question. The man quickly flipped through the diary. ¡°There is an officiating ceremony for a housing development project to attend.¡± ¡°Ask Jordan to attend it with you as his escort.¡± With that, Eric nodded. Alexander had often sent the little prince to attend events that Alexander was not interested in, so Eric was rather used to it. As such, the man didn¡¯t say anything further. ¡°By the way, keep my weekends free from now on.¡± A surprised Eric turned to Alexander. ¡°Oh? What sort of ns do you have?¡± At that point, Alexander¡¯s expression became slightly discernable and he seemed to recollect a sweet memory as the cold look in his eyes suddenly thawed significantly. His eyes had a warm spark as he smiled. ¡°I¡¯m going to meet someone.¡± For a workaholic like Alexander to not work, Eric reckoned that the other party was someone extraordinary. Perhaps it was a potential major client and it was also possible that their encounter this weekend would uplift Sunhill Enterprise to an entire new level where they would be able to leave a legacy behind. On the other hand, Courtney¡¯s job of rounding the wards resumed and everything returned to its usual routine. She had felt uneasy for some time in the beginning, but shortly after that, she discovered that there were too many trainee doctors who shadowed the consultant doctor during each ward round. As a result of that, she tried to remain as far back as possible amidst the crowd. Three consecutive days had passed yet Scott was still unaware of her presence, which gave her a sense of relief. Friday finally arrived and it was time for the weekends¡ªsomething that Courtney had looked forward to as she could finally rest for two consecutive days after she got off work. However, Linda stopped Courtney at the entrance of the trainee doctors¡¯ office. ¡°Dr. Hunter, I need your help with something.¡± Courtney¡¯s heart tightened and she secretly groaned. Chapter 431 One Night Surprise Chapter 431 Chapter 431 Shouldn¡¯t Harbor a Grudge Generally, each time Linda came to look for her, there was bound to be trouble. At that moment, Courtney recalled Linda¡¯s previous threat and how Linda had forced her to attend a blind date. As Courtney had been extremely busy with work for thest two days, she hadpletely forgotten about it. ¡°Dr. Hunter, why are you in a hurry? I have the rest of the day off too, so let¡¯s go for a drink.¡± ¡°Chief Hass¡­¡± Courtney then forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m off work now and my two daughters are waiting for me at home. I have to go.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just the perfect timing. I heard that you¡¯re great at cooking. How about we head over to your ce for a drink?¡± Frankly speaking, Courtney was not prepared to invite Linda, who had such an exalted presence, to her home, so she hurriedly rejected by saying, ¡°My house is a mess right now. It¡¯s not fit to host any guests at the current moment. I¡¯ll definitely invite the gang over for a party once I¡¯ve cleaned up the ce.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Since I¡¯m rather free, how about I head over and help you to clean up the ce? We¡¯re all part of a close-knit andrge family at Melrose Hospital anyway.¡± At that point, the two of them went back and forth on this topic for more than ten minutes. In the end, Courtney finally lost her patience. ¡°Chief Hass, I honestly can¡¯t attend the blind date on your behalf.¡± At this moment, Linda¡¯s beam widened. ¡°Dr. Hunter, look here. I¡¯ve already mentioned this before, stop addressing me as Chief Hass. We don¡¯t have a huge age gap, so you can just address me by my name.¡± Meanwhile, Courtney looked at the smile on Linda¡¯s face and felt a chill run down her spine. ¡°Well, the thing is that the patient in the first VIP room needs a qualified doctor to care for him 24/7. I noticed that you seem to know the old man well, so you should be quite familiar with his daily lifestyle. I reckon you would be the best candidate for that role.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression then stiffened, but she solemnly replied after a short while, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Chief Hass. I¡¯ll definitely turn up for the blind date tomorrow.¡± It was fine for someone to stand their ground against throwing in the towel in exchange of gaining interests, but if it could prevent a potentially awkward situation, then perhaps it was alright to agree just this once. After all, she wasn¡¯t ready to face Scott yet. As such, it would be a rather tough job to take care of him at the hospital 24/7. It was almost immediately after Courtney¡¯s promise that Linda let Courtney off the hook. As soon as Courtney arrived home, she sank onto the couch right away. She felt a looming headache when she realized that she had to impersonate Linda and attend a blind date on Linda¡¯s behalf. This is such a farce! At the same time, there was a congrattory tone for the sessful level in a video game that came from the bedroom. Soon, a tiny head poked out of the room. ¡°Mommy, Great-Aunt Alicia has invited us over for dinner at her house tomorrow.¡± Huh?! A shocked Courtney turned and heaved a sigh before she responded, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to join you guys. Why don¡¯t you go over with Angie? By the way, bring along the clothes that we bought for Josie.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tina nodded before she retreated to her room. Soon after that, Angie¡¯s head popped up from the room as well. ¡°I¡¯m not going there. Josie treats me like an enemy and she swipes at me as soon as she sees me. I don¡¯t want to go.¡± ¡°That happened when she was a kid.¡± Courtney then shot a look at Angie. ¡°She took a swipe at you because you fought with her for her plushie. You deserved that!¡± Meanwhile, Angie¡¯s face had an aggrieved look. ¡°She¡¯s still a kid now! I don¡¯t want to go. Not to mention, Great-Aunt Alicia doesn¡¯t like me either.¡± ¡°So, Angie¡¯s actually afraid of Great-Aunt Alicia. Haha!¡± Tina¡¯sugh reverberated throughout the room and it sounded like Tina was mocking. ¡°Great-Aunt Alicia always has something to say about Angie¡¯s hair each time she sees Angie.¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve decided that I¡¯m not going there.¡± A recalcitrant Angie seethed with anger. By that point, Courtney facepalmed, seemingly exasperated with the situation. It was at that moment when her cell phone suddenly rang and she nced at the device to see that it was a daily reminder. There were a few words that read ¡®visitation day¡¯ in blue shing across the screen. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to go. I need to bring you somewhere else too.¡± A surprised Angie paused in her tracks. Meanwhile, a curious Tina was behind Angie and she asked, ¡°Mommy, where are you bringing Angie to? I want to follow.¡± Angie then gave an awkward cough before her expression and tone of voice suddenly became unnatural. ¡°You can¡¯te along with us. By the way, you haven¡¯t seen Josie in ages, right? In that case, you should go and visit Great-Aunt Alice.¡± When Courtney noticed Angie¡¯s change of expression, there were mixed feelings. The date that popped up as a reminder was the day in which Angie¡¯s biological father, Regan, was granted his visitation rights. Her father was in fact the fatso who had released Courtney previously on that deserted ind. As night fell, Tina was more than ready to head off to bed after brushing her teeth. Meanwhile, Courtney was in bed and reading a book as Angie climbed into the bed with a pillow in hand. Then, Angie hugged one of Courtney¡¯s arms in the silence as she stared at Courtney unblinkingly. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep, huh?¡± In the end, Courtney closed the book that she was reading before she lowered her head to look at Angie. Angie¡¯s voice quivered as she confessed, ¡°I miss my mom.¡± This girl has turned out to be a beautifuldy,pared to how she looked when she was in that deserted mountain. Courtney ruffled Angie¡¯s hair whilementing, ¡°Your mom would be excited to see you today. You¡¯ve grown from a scrawny, dark-skinned little girl into such a pretty youngdy.¡± At this moment, Angie¡¯s eyes widened as she red at Courtney with fury. ¡°Was I very ugly back then?¡± ¡°You were.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Stopining. You said that you missed your mom, right? I¡¯m legally considered as your mom, so how about addressing me with that term just this once?¡± ¡°No way!¡± Angie rolled her eyes, but she didn¡¯t relinquish her grip on Courtney¡¯s arm. In fact, Angie tightened her grip instead. ¡°You¡¯re just slightly older than me, so how could you have given birth to a child my age?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s true that I wouldn¡¯t be able to deliver someone of your age, but I did bring you home with me.¡± ¡°You already have three kids. Do you really need another one?!¡± In fact, Angie wasn¡¯t that old, but she had a sharp tongue since she was a child. However, once she had said those words, she suddenly fell silent. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Courtney was fairly confident at that point that she knew what was on Angie¡¯s mind. Under the warm hues of the lights in the room, shey down and took Angie into her arms. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m a mom of three kids, so having another child wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference. As for him, he doesn¡¯t have any kids in his lifetime.¡± The moment she was met with Angie¡¯s silence, she continued, ¡°Back then, before you left Melrose City with me, I asked you whether you wanted to say goodbye to your dad. However, as you had a strong abhorrence for anything rted to the deserted ind, you didn¡¯t acknowledge him as your dad. You¡¯re not wrong about that. The truth is that he isn¡¯t your dad. Do you resent me for hiding the truth from you all this while?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t resent you.¡± Angie¡¯s muffled voice rang out from underneath the nket. ¡°Even if you told me the truth back then, I wouldn¡¯t have believed it. I made an oath as a child to escape that ce, so no one would have been able to stop me from leaving.¡± ¡°Well, even if you resent me, there¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡± Courtney flicked Angie on her forehead at that moment. ¡°It was your uncle who stopped me from telling you. Since I owe my life to him, it¡¯s obvious that I had to keep my promise. Go to bed now. We have to wake up early tomorrow, you know.¡± In fact, no one could have known that the fatso from the deserted ind wasn¡¯t actually Angie¡¯s dad, but rather her maternal uncle. He had brought his younger sister and Angie with him back then to seek refuge on the deserted ind. The man had imed that his sister¡ªAngie¡¯s mother¡ªwas his wife to ward off the unwanted attention of those roguish guys on the ind, but it was a shame that he had managed to keep everyone else but Dragon at bay. The horrible ordeal ended up pushing Angie¡¯s mom tomit suicide and leaving behind a young daughter upon her death. As a result, Fatty had been guilt-ridden ever since and eventually entrusted Angie in Courtney¡¯s care. He had requested that she take good care of Angie and provide a stable and peaceful childhood without Angie ever learning the truth. Courtney had kept her word to him and hid the truth from Angie for five years, but now that she was nearly eighteen, she had the right to know what had happened. Furthermore, Angie shouldn¡¯t continue to harbor a grudge against her uncle who had been so fiercely protective of her all this while. Chapter 432 One Night Surprise Chapter 432 Chapter 432 How Long Do You n to Keep This From Me? It was slightly drizzling the next morning and the light rain made the scorching weather in Melrose City much cooler. Courtney had sent Angie to the prison and was now waiting for Angie in the car. In fact, Angie had visited the prison once in the past five years; it was during the mid-winter holiday two years ago that she had returned with Courtney to pay the Somerfield Family a visit. After all, she was Courtney¡¯s adopted daughter and followed Tina to address Great-Aunt Alice in the same way. Courtney had already intended to reveal the truth to Angie by that point, but after further consideration, she discovered that Angie wasn¡¯t mature enough and might not be able to handle the shock of it. After a two-year wait and Lilian¡¯s multiple disruptions, Courtney was much more inclined to consider Elijah¡¯s position and carefully consider her next move before making a decision. As such, it was moments before she left to volunteer at the frontier station that she told Angie everything. There was a thickyer of soundproof ss that separated the inmates and visitors inside the prison¡¯s visiting room. The only method ofmunication was via a phone. At this moment, Angie was rather restless as she sat on the chair and waited. The slightly smudged piece of ss had reflected her current appearance as Angie had previously requested Courtney to bring her to a salon to have the braids that she had maintained all these years removed. She was now dressed in a simple white T-shirt that she paired with a denim skirt and her silky, clean long hair complimented the attire. After waiting for a short while, the prison guards finally escorted Regan into the room. He had lost a lot of weight aspared to before and she almost couldn¡¯t recognize him. Regan paused at the doorway for nearly two seconds and it was only when the shock on his face gradually dissipated that he made his way over withden footsteps, after which he took a seat. Angie kept her eyes on the middle-aged man in his prime years with mixed feelings and she tried her best to suppress the tears while signaling him to lift the phone receiver. The voice on the other end sounded hoarse. ¡°Why are you here? Why did youe all the way here? It¡¯s a horrible ce to be at. Did she mistreat you or something?¡± Even though many years had passed, he still never bothered with any sappiness. The first thing that he did was demand an answer from Angie as to whether Courtney had taken good care of her. ¡°Courtney treats me very well.¡± ¡°Since she has adopted you, it¡¯s only fair that you call her Mom.¡± A stoic Regan spoke up, but for some reason, he sounded very insistent. ¡°You do look well. It looks like she hasn¡¯t mistreated you. Why do you address her by her name, though?¡± ¡°How I choose to address her is my own decision. As for you, don¡¯t you have something to tell me? It¡¯s already been five years.¡± Angie looked at him intently with a solemn expression. However, Regan frowned in response. ¡°What is there to tell?¡± ¡°The truth on whether you are actually my dad or my uncle.¡± Then, Angie¡¯s cheeks trembled as she tried hard to keep her emotions in check. ¡°How long do you n to keep this from me? Do you intend to take this to your grave?¡± At that point, he suddenly raised his head and was lost in his thoughts as he noticed her face that bore so much resemnce to her mom. It was like he was staring at his younger sister from back then. ¡°Courtney has told me everything. You¡¯re not my dad! You just wanted to protect my mom from being bullied by the vigers, so you relocated with us to the ind. You didn¡¯t even n to stay there for long, which is why you imed that you two were a couple. Unexpectedly, Dragon had too much to drink that night and you were coincidentally not on the ind too. That was why things turned pear- shaped.¡± Angie¡¯s voice was apanied by the distant crackle of the background noise on the phone but each word she spoke was exceptionally clear. Each incident from the past was now exposed. Yet, the person personally recounting it was in fact none other than his own niece. It resulted in Regan¡¯s emotions suddenly bing quite turbulent that he couldn¡¯t seem to find the right words to respond. Angie had entered the room for quite some time while Courtney patiently waited for her outside. As Courtney nced at the time, she estimated that Angie should be out anytime soon and turned to drive the car toward the opposite direction. There was a notification prompt on her phone at that moment whereupon she nced at it before her brows furrowed. Linda¡¯s name suddenly popped up on the screen and the message that she had sent was rather concise. There were merely two words in the message¡ªdon¡¯t forget. Judging from Linda¡¯s dogged persistence, Courtney was extremely certain that Linda would skin her alive with a pair of scalpels in each hand if she didn¡¯t turn up to the blind dateter this afternoon. After she replied to the message, she heaved a resigned sigh. Subsequently, she turned her head to look toward the prison entrance. Suddenly, her cell phone rang. With a frown, she took the call, ¡°I replied to your message, right? I¡¯ll turn up to the blind date. You don¡¯t need to keep reminding me about that, you know?¡± ¡°Blind date?¡± Courtney jumped in fright when she heard the male voice that followed. She instinctively nced at her phone screen, but the number shown was an unfamiliar local number. So, it was evidently not Linda on the line. At that point, she finally figured out who it was and voiced out, ¡°Why did you call me?¡± The person on the other end paused before replying, ¡°It¡¯s the weekend and I found a great restaurant that has just opened. Let¡¯s meet up for lunch.¡± Meanwhile, Courtney paused to recollect her emotions before she spoke up, ¡°I¡¯m busy. Besides, it¡¯s not necessary.¡± ¡°A blind date, huh?¡± Alexander¡¯s tone of voice clearly turned unpleasant seconds after that. At that moment, she found herself stammering and noticed Angie walking toward her from the side of her eye. So, she decisively responded, ¡°This has nothing to do with you.¡± Subsequently, Courtney hung up the phone on him. At that moment, a ck Range Rover had been parked for quite some time downstairs outside an apartment building. Alexander was at the driver¡¯s seat and he stared at the phone in his hand with an extremely ugly expression after his call had been disconnected. Blind date?! I can¡¯t believe that she¡¯s busy going on blind dates so soon after being back in town! He drove directly to the office half an hourter. Eric had just returned from the ounts department and he paused in his tracks when he saw Alexander walking toward him. ¡°President Duncan, I thought you mentioned that you were noting into work today?¡± Alexander nced briefly at Eric and his cold expression was enough to cause a shiver to run down Eric¡¯s spine. Eric then made up his mind to remain silent. ¡°What was the original n for today?¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°Well¡­¡± Eric walked alongside Alexander as they headed into Alexander¡¯s office. ¡°There was a meeting that was supposed to be chaired by the secretarial and legal departments today. It was a unanimous decision made during the previous board meeting. Mr. Menzie will be appointed as the chief executive of the legal department and he will lead the legal team. This announcement has to be personally made by you, after which we¡¯ll advise the other departments on their new roles.¡± ¡°Okay, go ahead.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± There seemed to be an icy cold air barreling past the scorching hot day in the meeting room where those present felt the hair on the back of their necks standing. Although Alexander looked like he was making a positive announcement about Caleb¡¯s promotion, those sly heads of departments in the middle management could tell that there was a hidden meaning in Alexander¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯m sure that those from the legal department must have heard of the board of directors¡¯ decision. Mr. Menzie¡¯s letter of appointment has been approved and following Director Menzie¡¯s strong rmendations, Mr. Menzie will lead the legal department from now on. The rest of the departments should also coborate with him and assist him in the handover process.¡± No one dared to voice their opinions. After all, those in their current positions within the middle management level were the heads of departments who managed to secure their positions by exploiting their connections with someone from the board of directors. As such, they were quite perceptive to any slight inclination of action from the board of directors. Caleb was Director Menzie¡¯s stepson and ever since he had joined Sunhill Enterprise, he had been at odds with his own head of department. Nheless, he was excellent at his job and had won tworge cases within half a year of his employment. Originally, the legal department at Sunhill Enterprise had been barely performing at all; it was merely there for show as it was a shame to get rid of the entire department. The cases that they handled had been dragged on for more than a year without any conclusion. As soon as Caleb joined, it somehow caused the whole department to undergo a total transformation. Thepany would definitely have appreciated such a talent and exploited his skills, but since Alexander was in fact at odds with Director Menzie, it caused Caleb to hit a brick wall. As the tense environment progressed, a young man suddenly stood up from the side. His neatly- pressed suit looked quite expensive and he currently had an undisturbed expression. Although he had a pale demeanor, he was the total opposite and calmly stated, ¡°I don¡¯t want the position of being the head of the legal department. My main purpose in joining thepany was to gain some insight on commercialw cases, so I reckon that it would be much better to leave the role of staff management to the professionals. In short, I¡¯m not interested in the position.¡± At that point, the originally tense situation stilled as everyone¡¯s gazes shifted to him while they held their breaths. Chapter 433 One Night Surprise Chapter 433 Chapter 433 Help Me to Locate This Phone When Alexander and Caleb¡¯s eyes met, they exchanged sharp looks with each other almost at that moment. ¡°This is a final decision that the board of directors has made. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re turning your nose up at their decision, Mr. Menzie? Or, is it because you¡¯re not content with the mere position of chief executive of the legal department?¡± Alexander¡¯s sentence was a trap for Caleb and whichever option Caleb chose, it was a case of damned if he does, damned if he doesn¡¯t. However, he wasn¡¯t someone that should be underrated either. Maybe it was because he had a straightforward personality or he enjoyed dealing with the riskier side of things. Then, he frowned inconspicuously and calmly mentioned, ¡°Everyone has their own goals. I honestly don¡¯t crave this position since this isn¡¯t what I came here for. As for what the board of directors have decided, well, President Duncan, you don¡¯t have to worry about exining things to them. I¡¯ll sort things out with my dad.¡± There were a few people who gasped in disbelief at Caleb¡¯s boration since it was an obvious act of contempt toward Alexander. Despite the truth of Alexander being the president of Sunhill Enterprise, were all of his actions vetted and restricted by the board of directors? In the end, the meeting ended abruptly whereupon everyone collected their belongings and quickly dashed out of the meeting room. The only ones left were Alexander and his personal assistant as well as Caleb, who took his time to gather his items. Then, Alexander nced at Caleb. ¡°Mr. Menzie, are you free now? Let¡¯s grab lunch together.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve made ns with someone.¡± Caleb didn¡¯t even bother to lift his head as he was focused on shoving his belongings into his bag. ¡°I¡¯ve applied for time off for this afternoon, which human resources have since approved.¡± ¡°What ns do you have?¡± Alexander stared at him. ¡°I recall Director Menzie telling me that you hardly go out during the weekends. Even if you do, you would usually be at the library or attending urgent court hearings.¡± It so happened that Caleb had collected all of his belongings. Then, he lifted his head and he slung his bag on his shoulder while solemnly replying, ¡°I have a blind date.¡± Suddenly, Alexander¡¯s expression stiffened. This is the second time today that I¡¯ve heard this! ¡°My friend has arranged for me to go on a blind date. I¡¯m supposed to meet up with the other person for lunch, so I won¡¯t be able to take you up on your offer. Let¡¯s have lunch together next time then. It¡¯ll be my treat.¡± After Caleb said that, he turned around to leave the ce without a backward nce. Then, Eric watched the back of Caleb¡¯s dashing figure while feeling slightly envious and anxious. Subsequently, Eric quickly scrutinized Alexander and regretted his decision after being shocked by what he saw. Gosh! His expression is thunderous! At that point, Eric was slightly resentful toward Caleb, who now somehow managed to make his own life a living hell. That guy is so dense! He came up with such a crap excuse to reject Presiden Duncan¡¯s invitation for lunch! Blind date?! He¡¯s obviously well sought after, so why would he need to go on a blind date?! That¡¯s obviously a lie! ¡°President Duncan, it¡¯s nearly lunchtime. Why don¡¯t we have lunch together instead?¡± However, Alexander didn¡¯t respond and his expression darkened even more. It didn¡¯t even look like he wanted to leave after that. Shortly after that, he made a call with a cold expression in front of Eric. ¡°Gale, I need you to locate the location of this phone number.¡± Meanwhile, Courtney was making her way to the agreed restaurant. It was a French restaurant where the furnishings were eptable, but it didn¡¯t leave a strong impression either. Nheless, it looked exactly as how a French restaurant should resemble¡ªeach booth wasn¡¯t far apart from each other, so everyone spoke in hushed voices andbined with the music from the live band, their voices were inaudible. After waiting for about ten minutes, the other person was finally here, but he waste. ¡°Are you Dr. Hass?¡± A young man decked out in a well-pressed suit and holding a briefcase stood next to her table. From the looks of it, it was obvious that he had just rushed over from work. He had a maic voice that drew Courtney¡¯s attention to him. When she heard the question, she lifted her head and saw that he was a fresh-faced and slim man with a coolly attractive feature. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Courtney hurriedly rose to her height and nced at him tentatively. ¡°You must be Mr. Menzie?¡± He nodded his head and gestured for her to take her seat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but there was ast-minute meeting at the office earlier that held me back. Sorry for making you wait. As a token of my apology, it¡¯ll be my treat for today¡¯s meal.¡± The man had phrased his suggestion in a respectable manner. After all, it was an unspoken rule for a man to treat ady on their date. However, one couldn¡¯tpletely rule out the possibility of meeting a peculiar date who requested to go Dutch for the meal. Nheless, once ady had paid for the meal, then it was fair to insinuate that the rtionship wouldn¡¯t progress any further than that. Furthermore, Caleb had mentioned something else too¡ªby mentioning today¡¯s itinerary, he had allowed for some leeway. Maybe if they enjoyed each other¡¯spany, they could even catch a movie or find something else to do. Courtney then carefully regarded her blind date and she secretly felt that it was a shame that Linda wasn¡¯t the one here. Judging by his good looks, she wouldn¡¯t lose out on anything if she had attended today¡¯s date instead. I guess she hasn¡¯t seen a photo of him beforehand. ¡°Have you ordered your meal?¡± ¡°Yes, I have.¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°Then again, I instructed them to prepare itter with your order, so take your time. There¡¯s no need to rush.¡± After Caleb ced his order, he handed the menu to the waiter and cut to the chase. ¡°When my dad was hospitalized earlier on, the caregiver whom Nurse Simmons had referred was lovely. My mom also felt a connection with Nurse Simmons and that was why she pushed for today¡¯s date. I¡¯m sorry if that sounded offensive.¡± He¡¯s such a gentleman! Courtney tried hard to suppress the swell of regret that surfaced in her mind. Then, she willed herself and tightly balled her fist before replying with a forced smile, ¡°I wasn¡¯t offended. In fact, a blind date can be considered as a fast track into entering a rtionship. Each of us can frankly reveal our good traits and subsequently aim for marriage. If we find each other to be a suitable candidate, then we can proceed. That makes everything simple and straightforward.¡± Caleb was slightly taken aback as he didn¡¯t expect her to be so candor with him. ¡°That does make sense.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, right? I¡¯m not one to pretend, so I¡¯ll definitely answer any of your questions with full disclosure.¡± Then, he revealed a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t have any questions. We can slowly get to know each other.¡± ¡°Would you mind me asking something?¡± Meanwhile, she refused to budge. ¡°Of course not.¡± ¡°How much is your monthly wage? Do you own your home? How many properties do you own? Do you have a mortgage? By the way, how many women have you dated? How long did each rtionshipst for? Why did you guys break up?¡± She fired a barrage of questions at him, which caused him to be confused and perplexed for some time. At this moment, Courtney felt pleased with herself. It¡¯s fortunate that there are many slightly older and single females at the hospital who keep talking about their blind dates. She had heard a lot of tales regarding peculiar dates, so she merely made use of the examples that she had heard of. Despite that, Caleb seemed to be much calmer than she anticipated and after a momentary pause, he voiced out, ¡°My annual ie is half a million and that¡¯s not even inclusive of my bonus. I have some savings and I own two properties in Melrose City. I¡¯m currently living in one of the apartments I own while the other property is currently vacant. I n to move over to the vacant one after my marriage and both properties are mortgage-free. I had two prior rtionships where one of themsted for a year. We went our separate ways because I moved abroad for my studies. The other onested for one and a half years and we broke up because I moved back for work.¡± He had given a perfect textbook answer and she was so tempted to apud him for that. However, she restrained herself from doing so and turned to him with a glint in her eyes before she dropped a bombshell. ¡°I¡¯m quite satisfied, but I¡¯m not sure whether my daughters would like you. If they don¡¯t, then that would be a tough situation to deal with.¡± ¡°Your daughters?¡± Caleb frowned and he considered the situation for a moment before asking, ¡°How old are they?¡± ¡°The eldest is seventeen and the youngest one is eleven.¡± ¡°Seventeen?!¡± ¡°Oh, my ex-husband and I had adopted our eldest daughter.¡± Courtney scrutinized his expression and intentionally asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t my mom tell you that I was once married and have kids?¡± This was within her expectations and after fueling the fire, she knew that Caleb would definitely turn to leave in shock.N?velDrama.Org content. Chapter 434 One Night Surprise Chapter 434 Chapter 434 I Enjoy Clubbing the Most There was a significant shock that shed across Caleb¡¯s face, but he soon calmed down after he suddenly recalled something. ¡°Well, she hasn¡¯t mentioned this at all.¡± Meanwhile, Courtney faked an apology. ¡°Gosh! My mom¡¯s so careless! She should have clearly exined this to you. I¡¯m sorry about that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not toote to know about this now.¡± ¡°I still feel bad about it. Mr. Menzie, you¡¯re an eligible bachelor with a bright, shining future ahead of you after all. You must be speechless that you have gone on a blind date with someone like me. I can totally understand that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Caleb was so calm that it was beyond Courtney¡¯s expectations. Furthermore, his answer left her in a state of shock. Who in their right mind would think that it¡¯s fine for their blind date to a divorcee with two kids?! Perhaps he¡¯s merely putting on an act? Courtney silently considered the situation and took the chance to study him from top to bottom just as the waiter came to serve their meal. She was trying her hardest to look for a crack beneath Caleb¡¯s chivalrous behavior. ¡°Dr. Hass, you must be generally busy with your work at the hospital. It must be quite tough to bnce your work with looking after your kids.¡± Moments after the waiter had walked off, Caleb took the initiative and brought up the topic about her kids. Courtney revealed a slight smile. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. I¡¯m fine with it, but I don¡¯t n on having more kids in the future. After all, two is more than enough for me.¡± Most men in this world would yearn to have children of their own, so she was quite confident that he would lose his patience when he heard her response. However, he continued to slowly carve his steak with the same expression after she gave her answer. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then that¡¯s awesome! I share the same sentiments and I don¡¯t want any kids either.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She was stunned. ¡°I don¡¯t have the confidence to nurture a child up to my expectations, so I think I¡¯ll be lucky if I¡¯m able to live my own life well. However, I realize that it is something difficult to reconcile with. To be honest, I didn¡¯t harbor much hope beforeing to meet you today, but after hearing your words, I think that we would make a great match.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Courtney¡¯s expression took a turn. ¡°You must be kidding me, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t tend to joke around.¡± At that point, Caleb had carved a slice of his steak and ced it on the side of Courtney¡¯s te. ¡°Try some of this. This restaurant makes one of the best beef wellington.¡± Courtney had no choice but to take a bite of it when her mind was on the words that he spoke earlier. ¡°Dr. Hass, is there anything else about me that you would like to find out more about? Feel free to ask me about it. Neither do I smoke nor do I drink. I don¡¯t have any unhealthy habits either. Other than having to go on business trips frequently, I guess I am considered a homebody. We¡¯ll have the ce to ourselves once we get married. I¡¯m quite a boring person, though. Other than taking the asional hike, I¡¯m basically reading at home most of the time.¡± Caleb seemed to express that he would be more than happy to be with her as he started to introduce more about himself. Meanwhile, she had goosebumps as she heard his words. It was only after some time that she finally recollected herself. She gritted her teeth and stered a warm smile on her face before she replied, ¡°Is that so? Then, I guess weplement each other quite well. I enjoy having fun, especially heading to nightclubs. I¡¯ll bring you along next time. By the way, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to give up smoking or drinking just yet. I could try to quit if you don¡¯t like it.¡± Courtney clearly noticed that Caleb¡¯s expression had stiffened, which merely encouraged her to continue. ¡°By the way, do you enjoy ying poker? Our whole family enjoys a good game of poker and even my twelve-year-old daughter likes it too. She¡¯s nearly as good as me at ying the game.¡± Going clubbing, drinking, smoking, ying poker, and being a divorcee with kids were all such deal breakers that even the mere mention of one of them could frighten a potential partner during the blind date. If it hadn¡¯t been because he couldn¡¯t care less about her prior marital status and the fact that she had kids, she would never have mentioned any of the additional deal breakers. However, after speaking incessantly for quite a while, she didn¡¯t get a response and merely noticed that he had a strange expression. Courtney¡¯s voice gradually died down and somehow, she felt quite anxious all of a sudden. N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°I thought that you¡¯d be drowning in work. How do you actually lead such a colorful lifestyle?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah! I¡¯m not that busy. After all, I¡¯m the chief physician in the department.¡± An awkward Courtney gulped. ¡°That sounds good, though. I can go clubbing with you next time since it should be a much safer option.¡± She felt more awkward as she rified, ¡°Mr. Menzie, don¡¯t you mind?¡± After all, his behavior wasn¡¯t considered normal for an ordinary person who had heard her words. He still maintained his gentlemanly behavior. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it at all. My usual lifestyle is quite boring, so I can¡¯t possibly expect my wife to stay home all day long as well. I mean, such a lifestyle would be no different to when I was on my own. Frankly speaking, I¡¯m quite appreciative of someone like you who knows how to draw a line between your work and actual daily life.¡± Meanwhile, Courtney thought, I sound like someone who suffers from split personality rather than someone merely leading separate lifestyles in work and daily life! Even after their meal had ended, Caleb still maintained hisposure. He seemed to have perfectly epted Courtney¡¯s introduction of her strange habits, which was indeed hard for her toprehend ¡°Do you have time in the afternoon? I have two concert tickets¡­¡± As she hadn¡¯tpleted her assignment from Linda, Courtney had no choice but to nod her agreement. ¡°Yup.¡± Since Caleb had the patience of a saint, Courtney started to suspect that he was trying to hide his sexuality under the guise of marriage. As such, he was so forgiving and didn¡¯t have any specific requests¡ªas long as it was a female, that was already good enough for him. At that moment, a ck car gradually came to a halt opposite the restaurant. ¡°President Howell¡¯s secretary has just called me to confirm the contract. They¡¯ve also signed the contract, so we¡¯ll be in possession of that piece ofnd in Australia soon. Josh will be able to start work there soon,¡± Eric¡¯s voice rang out from the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Sure.¡± Alexander maintained his gaze on the scene outside and he sounded distracted in his reply. Then, Eric pulled the handbrake in ce as soon as he parked the vehicle and thereafter alighted from the car to open the back door. Due to the earlier rain, the pavement was wet and slippery. It had been cloudy for the entire day and at the current moment, it looked like there was going to be another downpour. At this moment, Eric trailed behind Alexander, but Alexander suddenly paused in his tracks. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, President Duncan?¡± At that moment, Alexander¡¯s eyes were fixated on the scene across the road¡ªthere was a couple who had just exited the French restaurant and thedy was so stunning as she had a mature aura to her. As the wind picked up speed, her forehead and a pair of glittery dark jewel-like eyes were revealed when her long jet-ck hair that fell loosely by her shoulders flew to one side. The man next to her was much taller and when Eric saw that figure d in a well-pressed suit, he suddenly paused and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Mr. Menzie?¡± After Eric had asked that, he took another look at the woman next to Caleb. ¡°Mr. Menzie¡¯s blind date seems great. No wonder he took some time off toe and meet her.¡± ¡°What blind date?¡± Alexander suddenly turned around. ¡°Didn¡¯t he mention that he was going on a blind date? That woman must be his date then.¡± Eric took a tentative look at Alexander. He had been working for Alexander for nearly three years, but had never seen this side of Alexander. Alexander seemed to shoot daggers at Eric with such murderous expression whereupon he stared intently at Eric for a second before turning to cross the road. ¡°President Duncan, watch out for the car!¡± Eric¡¯s eyes widened as he eximed loudly and reached out with an arm. Chapter 435 One Night Surprise Chapter 435 Chapter 435 I Miss You The car honk had drowned out Eric¡¯s cries. As soon as Courtney entered the car, she instinctively turned to look outside. All she saw was the vehicles that drove past and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so she assumed that she had been mistaken earlier and didn¡¯t take the matter to heart. ¡°Fasten your seatbelt.¡± Caleb attentively reminded her. She then came to her senses to hurriedly fasten her seatbelt before she revealed an unnatural smile. It was quite likely that he¡¯d sensed her awkwardness, so as soon as their car merged with the traffic, he mentioned, ¡°Dr. Hass, you should rx. Just treat this as an outing with friends where you are catching a concert and having a meal. I¡¯m a boring person, so I¡¯m happy enough that you don¡¯t mind this side of me. You should behave like yourself and disregard anything else.¡± There was more guilt in Courtney¡¯s heart as she smiled at him. How can I possibly rx? I¡¯m about to copse from the anxiety! If I don¡¯t deal with him today, Linda will ughter me tomorrow! Then, from the side of her eyes, she studied Caleb as he drove. She suddenly shifted her gaze to rummage for her phone before she sent off a text. ¡®I think your blind date, Mr. Menzie, is quite a nice man. He¡¯s attractive andes from a well-to-do family. Besides, he has a great temper with a stable job too. The main point is that he has a great personality, so I can¡¯t even bear to continue being mean to him. Why don¡¯t you consider getting together with him?¡¯ Linda replied to the text shortly after that. ¡®You can take care of that old man in the VIP room as soon as you return.¡¯ The tone in Linda¡¯s warning was quite obvious. At that point, Courtney secretly cursed Linda in her heart before finally sending off another message. ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be sure to finish this task.¡¯ In her mind, Courtney thought, I guess it¡¯s easier to evoke dislike in someone rather than the opposite. The concert hall was located not too far from the restaurant and it looked like Caleb had nned everything beforehand. There were many more people who attended the afternoon concert than she had expected, but perhaps the hall was filled to the brim because it was the weekend. Both Caleb and Courtney were in the middle where it was perfect since it wasn¡¯t extremely close or far away from the stage. However, she wasn¡¯t too interested in the concert and she didn¡¯t dabble too much in this aspect so, she started to nod off after a short while and soon fell into a deep sleep. While she was serenaded by the background music of the orchestra, she had slept so well that she even had a long dream. She dreamed that she was at her farm in France where she had fallen asleep among the pile of pharmacotherapy textbooks during her final exam revision. All of a sudden, she felt a rush of pain whereupon it hit her in waves. After the pain had woken her up, she stumbled over to Leon¡¯s house nearby to wake him up to send her to the hospital. As a result, Courtney was in pain for the entire night before she finally delivered a baby girl in the afternoon the next day. That had happened about a month after Cameron visited the farm and before Courtney¡¯s baby was born a preemie. At that point, Courtney was so exasperated from thebor that she fell asleep without even looking at her child. Next, she woke up to see Alicia by her side with a pained expression. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten gutsier than ever! How dare you hide such a big thing from us! This isn¡¯t the first time that you¡¯ve done this and now you¡¯ve done it again! Do you even respect me as one of your elders?¡± As usual, Alicia had a reprimanding tone, but Courtney somehow found it quite endearing now that she lay on the hospital bed. However, she burst into tears and burrowed herself in Alicia¡¯s arms, as if she had finally found the maternalfort that she was in search of. In the end, the child was christened Josephine and registered as the grandchild of Alicia and William. Ever since Josephine was a baby, she had remained under both Alicia and William¡¯s care. It was only during the special asions that Courtney was able to reunite with Josephine abroad. The dream felt much more enjoyable now that she dreamed of the child. The concert was about to end when Caleb slightly turned his head to take a look at the woman who had fallen asleep on his shoulders. As soon as his eyes fell on her slightly curved lips, his cold eyes suddenly became warmer and he couldn¡¯t contain his smile either. Since the start of the concert, he had maintained his position without even the slightest movement. In fact,pared to her previous nonsensical introduction of herself, he was much more inclined to believe that the girl currently sound asleep on his shoulders was actually the courageous and pure Linda that he had known from his childhood. Once the concert had ended, Courtney trailed behind Caleb with her face that was as red as a lobster while they walked out of the hall. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a new suit.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to.¡± Then, Caleb smiled. ¡°It¡¯s just a piece of clothing and it¡¯ll be fine after it¡¯s been washed.¡± However, Courtney nced at the evident drool stain on the shoulders of his suit and she found herself in an extremely awkward position. At that point, she rambled on, ¡°No, I have to buy you a new suit. I¡¯ll rece this.¡± Gosh! What have I done?! Due to this incident, she scrambled to leave after the concert and even vehemently refused his offer to send her home. Subsequently, she hailed a cab to take her home instead. She had done everything that she could for the entire day, but from his final nce before she left, it seemed that Caleb was rather pleased with her instead. What sort of warped preferences do people nowadays have anyway?! Meanwhile, Angie and Tina had stayed over at Alicia¡¯s house for the night due to the rain and they rang home to notify Courtney that they wouldn¡¯t being back. Since there was no one else at home, Courtney tidied the house before she went downstairs to throw the trash in her nightgown. It was already dark outside by the time it rained cats and dogs before the continuous rumble of the thunder ensued. After she had taken out the trash, she stood by the hallway and rummaged for her keys. The voice- controlled lights had been automatically switched off since the time had passed, so she coughed to trigger the lights to be switched on again. However, the lightbulb seemed to have been fused since it remained off. A darkened shadow then gradually approached her in the pitch-ck surrounding. With the nk of her keys, Courtney managed to suddenly retrieve it from her pocket and was about to open the door during the dim shlight from her cell phone when she caught the strong whiff of alcohol. The sound of shoes squeaking on the ground sounded exceptionally audible to her ears. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Her whole body had tensed up while her voice trembled in fear. At this moment, she already had her hands on the emergency help button on her phone. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± The man¡¯s reply came in a low, hoarse voice that sounded croaky. After she was momentarily stunned, she slowly turned to take a good look at the person standing underneath the dim sensor lights that both brightened as well as divided the steps leading upstairs and downstairs. It was Alexander. ¡°How did you get¡ª¡± Before Courtney could finish with her sentence, her back mmed against the door behind her whereupon she felt a bone-shattering pain traveling down her spine. Her yelps were lodged in her throat and she couldn¡¯t even utter a sound. Meanwhile, he had pressed himself firmly against her and disregarded her struggles. He cupped her cheeks and moved his lips on her as he kissed her in a rather passionate manner where there was anger, resoluteness, resentment and endless longing. ¡°Umm¡­¡± Courtney mmed the keys she was holding onto into his face. As he gave a muffled yelp of pain, she took the chance to struggle out of his arms. Then, she gave him a tight p across the face. ¡°Are you insane? I¡¯ll call the cops on you!¡± There was a gash across half of Alexander¡¯s face and his eyes were also bloodshot. He had a terribly frightening aura at that moment where the strong smell of alcohol was indicative of his drunken stupor. Perhaps he had been so drunk that he didn¡¯t even realize what he had done. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Did you go on a blind date?¡± Alexander¡¯s mere question caused Courtney¡¯s expression to stiffen. After a short while, she took a deep breath. ¡°Yeah, I recall mentioning it to you on the phone this morning. Don¡¯t tell me that you were so slow to pick up on it! And don¡¯t tell me that you drank yourself into such a state because of that!¡± Alexander suddenly leaned on his side against the wall. He looked exhausted and seemed to have forgotten about her earlier p as he muttered, ¡°I drank because of work. It has nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°Then, what are you doing here?¡± Courtney was now slightly frustrated. As for him, he was so wasted that his eyes were closed to the point where they became slits. Subsequently, he replied in a hoarse voice, ¡°I miss you.¡± Chapter 436 One Night Surprise Chapter 436 Chapter 436 The Same vor Only the sound of her panting could be heard in the stairway. Courtney was tense as she leaned against the door and stared at Alexander for a moment before she slowly rxed. ¡°How much did you drink?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not drunk.¡± She slightly frowned when she heard his reply. People who are drunk always im that they are not. Based on his personality, he wouldn¡¯t do something like taking the initiative toe to my ce if he¡¯s not drunk. ¡°You drank so much. How did youe?¡± ¡°I drove here.¡± Courtney¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Don¡¯t you treasure your life?¡± Alexander ignored her and he slowly crouched while holding the wall for support. After picking up her keys and passing them to her, his usually cold eyes had a flicker of hope in them. ¡°Are you worried for me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just worried that Jordan won¡¯t have a parent to take care of him in the future.¡± Courtney took the keys from him in annoyance and red at Alexander. ¡°He is still young. Do you want to leave him all alone in the future?¡± Alexander¡¯s eyes slightly dimmed. After a moment of silence, he answered morosely, ¡°I actually took a cab here.¡± It seems like he is notpletely out of his mind. Courtney shot him a nce and knowing that he was still conscious, she suggested, ¡°Since you are not drunk, call your assistant to pick you up and send you home.¡± With that, she opened the door and entered her house. When she closed the door again, it was so loud that the entire building seemed to shake. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. After she entered her apartment, she ced the trash bags in her bin before she walked to the washroom and polished every surface with a clean cloth. Only ten minutes had passed after she was done with the cleaning. However, it was now raining cats and dogs outside. The sh of lightning instantly lit up the room as if it was still day before it was followed by a loud p of thunder. It made the scene look terrifying as the rain pelted on her windows. I hope he isn¡¯t sitting at the stairway? Courtney tossed and turned on the bed, but she couldn¡¯t fall asleep peacefully. After turning once again, she could no longer withstand it and got out of bed to walk to the door. She saw Alexander smoking as he leaned against the wall through her surveince camera. He¡¯s crazy! It¡¯s already sote, yet he hasn¡¯t left. Then, she opened the door and looked at him with a questioning gaze, but she did not utter a word. Alexander froze in his action of smoking as the cigarette rested in between his slender fingers. As the ash fell from the end of the cigarette, it was dispersed into the wind along the stairway. He frowned and exined with a grunt, ¡°The rain is too heavy, so I can¡¯t hail any cab. And my phone is out of battery, so I¡¯m just waiting.¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t be bothered to guess whether he was telling the truth or not. As she stared at him being drenched, she turned around and said, ¡°Come in.¡± She didn¡¯t see the shock on Alexander¡¯s face as he froze in that moment. He quickly extinguished his cigarette and followed her into her apartment as if he was worried that she wouldter regret her decision. Courtney was making some tea in the kitchen whereupon the fragrance of jasmine slowly permeated the air. She loved to drink different types of flower tea, and this habit of hers had not changed even after many years. After cing a cup in front of Alexander, she went to the washroom to take a dry towel and passed it to him. ¡°Use this to dry your hair.¡± Even though he had taken the cab here, he was in a mess¡ªhis hair was still dripping wet with water. If he didn¡¯t dry it, there was a high chance of him catching a cold. As he drank the ss of warm tea, his body now felt warm and he was much more sober. ¡°Is your assistant still Josh? You probably still remember his number, don¡¯t you?¡± Courtney suddenly asked. Alexander froze for a moment and he lowered his head to hide the disappointment in his eyes. ¡°Three years ago, Josh was transferred to one of our subsidiaries abroad. My current assistant is his cousin, Eric.¡± ¡°Give him a call then.¡± She opened the dial page on her phone and passed the device to him. Alexander had an eidetic memory and was especially sensitive to numbers. He never saved anyone¡¯s number in his phone and he was somehow able to remember people with a mere nce, so it was rather unlikely that he could lie his way out now. So, he called Eric¡¯s phone number in front of Courtney. A doubtful and slightly anxious voice rang on the other end. ¡°Hello, may I know who this is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Alexander¡¯s hoarse voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet living room. Eric was stunned for a moment, but he quickly returned to his senses. ¡°President Duncan? Where have you been? The meeting here has already ended. Why did you disappear moments after I went to the washroom?¡± They had met with President Howell that afternoon to sign a contract followed by dinner at a nightclub. Everyone was happily drinking the night away and although Alexander never fancied drinking, he didn¡¯t reject the offer to drink wine by the bottle without even blinking. His action had only caused Eric to look at him with wide eyes. Both the host and the guest had a good time, but Eric still didn¡¯t see Alexander after picking up the tab even though President Howell and his people had already gone home by that time. It frightened Eric to the point where he quickly searched high and low for his boss. Just as he was about to ask the KTV management for ess to the surveince tapes of the club, he received a call from an unfamiliar number. Alexander merely shared his current location and asked Eric to pick him up without exining further. After hanging up the call, Alexander returned the phone to Courtney. ¡°He should be here soon. If you mind, I can wait outside.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she calmly replied. ¡°We are considered friends anyway. Since you are just here for a cup of tea, I don¡¯t mind.¡± His face paled as soon as he heard the word ¡®friends¡¯, which caused his movement to sip on the tea to stiffen. Since the storm outside was still brewing, it would take some time for Eric to arrive by car. Courtney busied herself in the apartment as she showed no inclination of chatting with Alexander at all. ¡°Would you like to have some noodles?¡± Her question rang from the kitchen. ¡°You don¡¯t have to trouble yourself since you can just sit down.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much into it.¡± She raised her head from the kitchen to look at him. ¡°I haven¡¯t had dinner yet. Regardless of whether you¡¯re here or not, I already nned to cook a bowl of noodles for myself.¡± Alexander looked at her figure with a conflicted expression. Courtney was rather experienced in cooking. After ten minutes, two bowls of noodles with sunny side ups were ced on the table. Then, she waved at him to ask him to join her at the dining table. She behaved casually from the beginning to the end, as if she did not really care about him. However, it was her casual attitude that made him feel more empty. As he ate the noodles that he cooked, it still contained the familiar vor that he remembered. The alcohol in his stomach was slowly metabolized while he ate, but he ced his cutleries down after only sampling half of it. ¡°Is it bad?¡± A doubtful Courtney looked at him and asked, ¡°You don¡¯t like it? ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡± Alexander looked at her with exhaustion on his cold face. ¡°It¡¯s that taste I still remember.¡± ¡°Oh, cut the crap.¡± Courtney smiled calmly. ¡°How could you remember the vor after five years? Apart from that, you have already stopped eating even though you haven¡¯t polished the bowl. If you really remember the vor, I bet it¡¯s not a nice taste!¡± Alexander was silent for a few seconds before he exined, ¡°My stomach isn¡¯t very good. The doctor asked me not to eat too much at one go.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression froze as she unknowingly tightened her grip on the chopsticks. If she hadn¡¯t stopped herself in time, she could¡¯ve blurted out the question she had in mind. However, she changed the topic stiffly as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s the time now? I think your assistant might be arriving soon.¡± Chapter 437 One Night Surprise Chapter 437 Chapter 437 An Unnecessary Exnation It was alreadyte at night, but Alexander¡¯s assistant still hadn¡¯t arrived. Since it was a stormy night on top of being the weekend, there were many reports of idents in Melrose City. It was perfectly normal to be caught in the traffic congestion, so it was nothing strange if Eric waste. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Even after Courtney had cleaned the cutleries, the smell of fried eggs was still in the apartment. The flower tea in front of Alexander had been swapped for a ss of warm milk. As Courtney lowered her head to wash the dishes with the tap flowing, she wore a calm expression but her feelings had resembled the weather instead. Time wasn¡¯t able to make her forget him. She still loved and hated the man in front of her and no matter how much time had passed, those feelings would still be there regardless. There weren¡¯t any movements in the living room for a while. After she had done the dishes, she froze when she saw Alexander resting on the couch. She initially wanted to wake him up, but after approaching him, she saw his exhaustion. Even though he was asleep, there was still a deep frown on his face as it seemed like he couldn¡¯t rx. Compared to the Alexander of five years before, he seemed to have more worries now. He had finished all the milk, leaving behind just the empty ss on the coffee table. Courtney stood there for a while and took a nearby nket. Just as she was about to cover him with the nket, her doorbell rang. Ding dong! Her fingers froze as the man on the couch immediately opened his eyes. As their gazes met, there was an inexplicable atmosphere in the living room. Courtney quickly rose to her full height, but Alexander grabbed her elbow, which made her stumble before she fell into his sturdy chest. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked in a low voice that wasced with anger. ¡°I should be asking you that question. What are you doing?¡± He looked at her with tenderness. ¡°You¡¯ve been quite indifferent and cold ever since you saw me to the point where you feigned that you don¡¯t care about me. If that¡¯s the truth, why did you swap the tea to a ss of milk when you heard that I have gastric, though? Why did you want to give me a nket?¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have let youe in.¡± Courtney gritted her teeth as she seethed in anger. ¡°Yet you still did so.¡± Alexander looked at her with his lips twitching. At this moment, he actually gave a dry smile. An angered and panicked Courtney immediately struggled to break free from his embrace. Hiss¡­ He suddenly took a sharp breath as his exquisite facial features winced in agony. ¡°What are you pretending again?¡± She red at him in annoyance, but she soon realized that he was really in pain. From the corner of her eyes, she saw blood seeping out of his shoulders whereupon her expression immediately changed. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± His white shirt was stained with blood that quickly colored his sleeve in the same color. The red stain on his shirt made him look even more terrifying. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Alexander forced an unnatural smile with a pale face. ¡°It¡¯s just the previous injury, which you have seen for yourself before. It¡¯s not a big deal since it¡¯s a superficial injury that formed scabs. I¡¯m sure the scabs have just fallen off.¡± However, Courtney did not believe him. The injuries before were not serious at all. Even though it¡¯s been a week, why isn¡¯t his wound healed yet? The doorbell continued to ring impatiently from outside. ¡°I think your assistant is here. Open the door for him and remove your shirt. I¡¯ll grab the first aid kit.¡± With that, Courtney quickly went to her room. The moment Alexander saw her slightly flustered reaction, the pain slowly disappeared on his face and it was reced with a rare warmth. His usual cold face actually became much gentler at this moment. After he opened the door, Eric walked in to nobody¡¯s surprise. ¡°President Duncan, I¡¯m sorry for beingte. The traffic was quite heavy,¡± he apologized as he seemed to have brought the cold with him. Even though he was being respectful, he closely surveyed the apartment and was shocked at what he saw. From the decorations and the design of the unit, this is a woman¡¯s ce. ¡°Shall we leave now?¡± He was slightly unsure when he asked this question. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a while here. Come in.¡± Alexander looked at him meaningfully with annoyance. When Eric turned around, he saw the shocking blood stains on Alexander¡¯s sleeves. He gasped and quickly followed Alexander into the unit. ¡°President Duncan, you are injured.¡± ¡°What are youining about?¡± Alexander merely red. Eric quickly shut his mouth and didn¡¯t dare to utter another word. In no time, the door of the bedroom was opened and it revealed Courtney bringing out a white first aid kit out of the room. She was now wearing a pair of checkered pajamas with a scarf wrapped around her neck. Her long ck hair was tied into a ponytail, leaving only a few loose strands of hair on her forehead, and it made her look gentle. Eric¡¯s eyes widened when he saw her. It¡¯s now in the middle of the night with lightning outside and there¡¯s a beautiful woman in her pajamas with an injured and indifferent Boss inside here. What kind of situation is this? Courtney ced the first aid kit on the coffee table and greeted Eric simply before she looked at Alexander. ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to remove your shirt?¡± Eric¡¯s mouth became so wide that he could swallow a whole duck egg. ¡°D-Do you need me to wait outside?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Courtney threw him a gaze. ¡°I¡¯m a doctor and I¡¯m just changing the bandage for your boss.¡± Indeed, her exnation was rather unnecessary. There were many hospitals in Melrose City and the Duncan Family even had their private doctor. As such, there was no need for Alexander toe all the way here for her to change his bandage. Based on Eric¡¯s instincts of being Alexander¡¯s secretary for the past three years, he knew that something was amiss as he rubbed his chin to reflect on the matter. Alexander casually took off his shirt to reveal his beautiful muscles. As soon as Courtney saw how the bandage was wrapped around him, her expression immediately changed as she queried in a high-pitched voice, ¡°Alexander, are you nuts? Haven¡¯t I told you that you need to change your bandage daily at a hospital? It has been a week, yet you haven¡¯t even changed it once! Look at the weather we¡¯re having! Are you nning to allow your wound to rot?¡± The way she lectured Alexander had caused the entire room to sink in silence. At this point, Eric was not just shocked; he was also in great trepidation and disbelief. When he looked at Courtney, it felt like he was looking at a lunatic. Apart from Old Master Duncan, Eric had never seen anyone who dared to speak to Alexander in this tone. As such, he couldn¡¯t imagine that there would be a woman who had the courage to address Alexander in such an obstreperous manner. Apart from that, it was even rarer that Alexander would quietly endure Courtney¡¯s scoldings. Just who the hell is she? When she saw how silent Alexander was, Courtney proceeded to remove the bandage with a cold face. Sure enough, the wounds were infected. The areas where a scab should have formed by now were rotten, which made it difficult for anyone to look at it. If this was the case, it was better not to wrap a bandage around the wound and instead allow it to heal by itself. Her heart raced as she assessed his situation. After that, she took the medicine out of the first aid kit in a much rougher manner than before. It was as if she had vented her anger because she was noisily searching the kit. ¡°Bring the trash bin here.¡± Eric froze for a moment and pointed at himself in confusion. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Otherwise? Who else is here?¡± Courtney red at him and also chastised him at the same time. ¡°What are you doing as his assistant? Back when Josh was around, he would never allow his boss to self-harm. Is your sry lower than his?¡± Chapter 438 One Night Surprise Chapter 438 Chapter 438 You Are Not the Reason for My Return ¡°Do you know Josh?¡± Eric was utterly confused. Now that Courtney saw him stupefied, she suddenly felt a surge of anger within her. ¡°Is that even important now? Do you want to call him to verify this?¡± He was about to say something when Alexander shot him a look and interrupted in a low voice, ¡°Stop the nonsense and bring the trash bin here.¡± Eric was stunned for yet another moment; it was only when he saw Alexander¡¯s terribly wounded arm that he returned to his senses. Then, he quickly brought the trash bin over. The moment that the hydrogen peroxide was poured onto the wound, white bubbles emerged from the flesh as the remaining fluid dripped into the trash bin. It looked extraordinarily painful, yet Alexander didn¡¯t even blink once and maintained his stare at Courtney, who was focused entirely on disinfecting the wounds for him. Her eyebrows were knotted into a constant frown as she made no attempt to hide her displeasure and annoyance. When Eric saw this scene, he felt that his scope had widened and that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch this rare sight. ¡°You have to change this every day.¡± After Courtney tied the bandage, she directly instructed Eric without even looking at Alexander. ¡°When Josh worked as Alexander¡¯s assistant, he was also the part- time nanny. Since you can¡¯t do that, at least take care of his health. If you want Alexander to have a longer lifespan, take him to the hospital to change the bandage and make sure that he eats at regr hours.¡± After observing the situation for a while, Eric knew what was going on and nodded profusely. Then, he followed Courtney into the kitchen and took advantage of the loud water noise when she opened the tap. ¡°What if President Duncan doesn¡¯t listen to me?¡± he asked softly. ¡°You should ask Josh about that.¡± ¡°You really know him?¡± This had piqued Eric¡¯s interest. ¡°What is your rtionship with President Duncan? Why haven¡¯t I heard him mention you?¡± ¡°He has never mentioned me?¡± Courtney stopped washing her hands and raised her head to look at Eric. ¡°Not at all.¡± Eric nodded seriously. ¡°President Duncan doesn¡¯t have any woman by his side, hence all the entertainment magazines assume that he is gay.¡± Alexander was in the midst of wearing his clothes when he heard those words, which immediately caused him to frown. ¡°Eric, if you don¡¯t want to work with me anymore, you can submit your resignation letter to human resources. I¡¯m not deaf, you know.¡± Eric immediately nched. ¡°President Duncan, I¡¯m saying that you are so disciplined. Ever since I started working for you, I have never seen you being involved with another woman, which made me extremely nervous.¡± ¡°What are you nervous about?¡± ¡°Of course I would be nervous. What if the rumors of you being gay are true? In that case, I would be in danger, wouldn¡¯t I?¡± With that, silence fell on the entire apartment. Alexander was green in the face as he blurted out, ¡°Even if I¡¯m gay, do you think I would have the hots for you just because you¡¯re a man?¡± With that question, the air seemed to have frozen. Courtney looked at him with a conflicted expression and disbelief in her eyes. Eric also realized that he had said the wrong thing, so his face turned as pale as a sheet of paper. Then, he made his escape. ¡°President Duncan, um¡­ I think I will make a U-turn downstairs first. You can have a chat with Dr. Hunter in the meantime.¡± Alexander was already furious, yet Eric fled faster than a rabbit. On the other hand, Courtney merely observed Eric¡¯s panicked escape. Now that shepared him to Josh, she couldn¡¯t tell whether these two were indeed rted and she suddenly felt wistful. Now that the newer employees had reced the senior staff, it seemed that no one would be able to stay for long with Alexander from the beginning. ¡°What Eric said earlier was not true.¡± ¡°No?¡± A doubtful Courtney looked at him. ¡°If it isn¡¯t true, which mediapany would dare to take the risk of offending you to spread such lies?¡± She was merely joking as she thought it would be entertaining to mistake Alexander, a straight man, as a gay person. However, she didn¡¯t know that he couldn¡¯t withstand such jokes, so his expression became even darker as hemented, ¡°Others might not know the truth, but you know, don¡¯t you?¡± Courtney¡¯s smile slowly stiffened on her face. Suddenly, she felt a lump in her throat and could not utter a word. ¡°The reason why I even allowed the media to spread those rumors is to reduce any unnecessary trouble,¡± Alexander exined seriously with a frown. ¡°After Sunhill Enterprise and Duncan Group had merged into one and whereupon they entered the entertainment industry, the circle was simply too complicated. In order to prevent people from having thoughts that they shouldn¡¯t have, it indeed saves me a lot of trouble if the media thinks that I¡¯m gay.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin that to me.¡± Courtney avoided his gaze because his earlier words had reverberated in her ears and made her blush. ¡°I think it¡¯s necessary.¡± Alexander looked at her. ¡°Courtney, I have a question to ask. If I were to tell you that I haven¡¯t forgotten about you all these years and never intended to let you go at that time, what would you do if I want us to have a fresh start now?¡± Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. His words sounded strong and firm. However, Courtney¡¯s expression stiffened. It was impossible for her to im that she had never thought about him. However, for her to admit that she still harbored feelings for him, a tiny voice in her subconscious was warning her that it would be difficult to reconcile. After all, they had been in an on and off rtionship many times before, yet each time never ended well. How many five years do we have in our lives to allow the wounds to heal? ¡°You are not the reason for my return.¡± Even though her voice was not loud, her words were clearly enunciated in the quiet living room. ¡°Then, what about Jordan?¡± Alexander asked. ¡°You have already been back for so long. Haven¡¯t you thought about visiting him?¡± In the past, he had most despised it whenever others used children as an excuse to tie him down. In fact, he even felt displeased when Courtney always worried about their children and never prioritized herself. However, five yearster, he realized that apart from Jordan, he had nothing else on the table to discuss with her. At the mention of children, guilt shed in Courtney¡¯s eyes. ¡°He should be living a good life with you.¡± ¡°If you haven¡¯t even seen him, how would you know that he¡¯s doing well or not?¡± Alexander slowly calmed down. ¡°If you have the time, bring him out for a meal. Even though he hasn¡¯t mentioned you over the past few years, I know that he misses you.¡± She could not reject such a request from him. The rain slowly subsided into drizzles after Alexander was gone. The sudden storm had seemed toe with him and destroyed her originally peaceful life while wrecking havoc along the way. It was a bright and sunny day the next morning. After Courtney reported her attendance, she wore the white robe and prepared to conduct her first morning round. Starting from this week, it was her turn to head to the clinicalboratory to resume her shift. With that, her roundings could finallye to an official end. ¡°Courtney.¡± A voice rang from the door, which made the few interns in the room simultaneously raise their heads. Then, they saw an angry Linda standing by the door with a red, swollen face as she nced at every one of them. ¡°Courtney Hunter, get out here.¡± Everyone¡¯s gazes fell on Courtney, who was holding a cup of coffee. When she turned and saw Linda¡¯s ferocious stare, her heart sank as she thought, Jesus. After that, Linda almost pulled Courtney all the way to her office and mmed the door with a loud thud. ¡°Miss Hass, I still have to inspect theboratories. What are you doing?¡± ¡°What am I doing? Don¡¯t you already know it? Why don¡¯t you tell me what kind ofints you have lodged about me? Why did you intentionally frame me?¡± I have way too manyints about her, but I¡¯m not an idiot to voluntarily tell her and make my life harder. ¡°Since when have I framed you?¡± ¡°Thewyer went homest night to exin to his mother that he has no problem marrying me. What the hell is going on? You have three minutes to clearly exin everything to me.¡± Courtney¡¯s expression froze the moment she heard that. Chapter 439 One Night Surprise Chapter 439 Chapter 439 Au Naturel Linda was so furious that she trembled as she told Courtney the gist of what had happened; she even gestured and swore as she went along. Although Courtney couldn¡¯t really understand what was being said, she slowly began toprehend the situation. After she had finished watching the musical with Linda¡¯s blind date, he had gone home to inform his mother that he was extremely satisfied with her and thought of her as a suitable candidate for marriage. It was the mothers of the man and Linda who had arranged for the blind date. To them, as long as their children liked each other, there won¡¯t be any issues in continuing with their rtionship. Although the man had a certain level of authority in his family to express his opinions, Linda didn¡¯t have such privilege. Seeing that Linda was almost 30, Nurse Simmons was extremely anxious about Linda¡¯s marriage. Finally, after all of the rtives managed to convince Linda, Linda finally relented and imed that as long as the man fancied her, she wouldn¡¯t have any further objections. It was only when Nurse Simmons heard those assurances that she finally heaved a sigh of relief. As Linda was her daughter after all, she didn¡¯t take the matter lightly and chose Caleb after sieving through hundreds of options. Linda had meant for Courtney to mess the blind date up so that the man would reject Linda. It was the only way in which she could get away with her authoritarian mother. ¡°You even managed to confirm the marriage just after one date. Do you hold a grudge against me?¡± ¡°I swear!¡± Courtney raised her right hand in the direction of the sky as she deposed to the big man himself, ¡°I already told your date that not only do I smoke, I love drinking and going to pubs. I was also once married with a kid in tow. Yet, he still thought that highly of me. Chief Hass, Nurse Simmons hasBelongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. found a man with the best temper and the most patience that I¡¯ve seen. I don¡¯t know what to do anymore.¡± ¡°Bullsh*t.¡± Linda became anxious again. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that a man in their right frame of mind would want to marry such a woman.¡± ¡°He really epted the ws, though.¡± Once again, Linda appraised Courtney from head to toe. Then, she suddenly understood something and probed, ¡°What did you wear that day? Did you put on some makeup? You had also dressed up, right?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even wash my hair and I had zero makeup on,¡± an indignant Courtney replied. Although Linda did not believe Courtney, it wasn¡¯t as if she could speak to the man to obtain the proof herself. Hence, she was beyond annoyed that she didn¡¯t follow them on their blind date, which would have prevented such a difficult position today from happening. ¡°I don¡¯t care! Since you went on the blind date, the woman he has fallen for is you. You have to resolve this problem for me.¡± Courtney was both exasperated and humored at the same time. ¡°How do you want me to fix it? Do you want me to marry him on your behalf?¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Linda red at her. ¡°Can you have better wishes for me, please? Do you really think I would marry him just because he has requested it? Since you are the root cause of this problem, you have to go out with him if he asks you out again in the future. I won¡¯t let this slide if you don¡¯t resolve it.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll inform Nurse Simmons that you have asked me to go on the date on your behalf.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Courtney took the opportunity of Linda¡¯s preupation to open the door and fled the scene as fast as she could. Then, she told Linda from afar, ¡°Chief Hass, I have a shift to attend to at theboratory. I think you bettere clean to her yourself. It was actually a small matter, but since Linda had been tortured with the subject of marriage for such a long time, she no longer wanted to listen to Nurse Simmons nagging. That was the reason why she came up with such a childish idea. Now that Courtney had evidence that Linda asked her to go on the blind date instead, she wasn¡¯t worried that Linda would pick on her. However, after pondering on the matter, Courtney felt that it would be better if she totally avoided Linda for the time being, lest the woman obtain knowledge of any of her other vulnerable points. If that were to happen, it would be an unfortunate thing for Courtney. Meanwhile, an undemanding meeting to utilize some of their workforce was held in theboratory. ¡°The hospital will arrange for a few medical staff to visit several corporations and schools to perform health checks for them. Are there any volunteers?¡± The chief of the clinicalboratory, Chief Kenell, nudged her round sses onto the bridge of her nose as she solemnly surveyed the crowd. ¡°Me.¡± Courtney raised her hand without any hesitation to participate in the said activity. She couldn¡¯t wait to conduct field tasks outside the hospital to avoid Linda and creating further problems. In the end, Chief Kenell appointed five people for the task. ¡°The specifics of the team formation will be announced before the end of your shift today. When that happens, gather at the hospital entrance and just follow your team when they leave.¡± When Courtney heard her instructions, she tentatively asked, ¡°Will the chiefs of each department be tagging along?¡± Chief Kenell shot her a nce. ¡°They are all busy with their surgeries, so they won¡¯t have the time to follow you guys. What you need to perform for the health checks are rtively simple, so apart from some doctors from the clinicalboratory, the rest are merely nurses and interns.¡± She immediately heaved a sigh of relief. This means that Linda won¡¯t being. ¡­ On the other hand, in front of a random meeting room in Sunhill Enterprise, a secretary stopped Kelly from entering the said room. ¡°Miss Yves, President Duncan is having a meeting inside. You really can¡¯t enter the room.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? Are you new here? Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯m from the board of directors? Is there anypany meeting that I can¡¯t join in?¡± The conflicted secretary borated, ¡°Miss Yves, I¡¯ve been working here for more than four years now. I was already here when ourpany merged with the Hunter Group, so please don¡¯t give me a hard time.¡± Kelly raised her chin slightly, looking especially haughty when she did so. ¡°So what if you have already been working here for four years? You are just a secretary, aren¡¯t you? Are you blind or something? Don¡¯t you know who the hell I am?¡± ¡°Of course I know who you are. You just said so yourself¡ªyou are one of the directors.¡± Ever since Sunhill Enterprise had merged with the Hunter Group, the Hunter Group had sold most of their shares to the former for the entire shares to be reallocated. However, the chairman of Hunter Group¡ªthat would be Susan¡ªand her family members refused to sell their shares. In the end, they relied on the tactic of taking Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s bonus shares before the merger waspleted. Although the secretary was still polite to Kelly, she did not move an inch away from the door that she had been guarding. Now that Kelly looked at her, she was indeed a familiar face. ¡°What¡¯s your name? You aren¡¯t Alexander¡¯s secretary, are you?¡± ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to say something like that. The entire enterprise belongs to him, so it doesn¡¯t matter whose secretary I am.¡± With that, the woman gave a slight smile as she humbly continued, ¡°You are right, right. I¡¯m Young President Duncan¡¯s secretary and myst name is Somerfield.¡± The moment Kelly heard the reply, she immediately frowned. With a conflicted expression, she mumbled, ¡°No wonder you¡¯re stopping me!¡± Just as she said those words under her breath, another secretary approached with some snacks and advised in a friendly voice, ¡°President Duncan¡¯s meeting willst for a while longer. Why don¡¯t you wait at the guest room instead? I will inform you immediately once he is done with the meeting.¡± After Kelly had been convinced to leave, Kate heaved a sigh at the other secretary standing guard with her in front of the meeting room. ¡°Katie, why did you go against Miss Yves? It¡¯s not a big deal for her to join the meeting as she is part of the board of directors after all.¡± Kate frowned after hearing those words. ¡°She¡¯s part of the Yves Family and they shouldn¡¯t have been a part of the board in the first ce.¡± ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t believe that you would dare to make suchments, but I guess it¡¯s understandable, seeing that you are the aunt of Young President Duncan. The rest of us wouldn¡¯t even dare to stop her now that the entirepany is suggesting that it¡¯s possible for a marriage to happen between the Duncan Family and the Yves Family. Look at how often shees to thepany nowadays.¡± A condescending expression appeared on Kate¡¯s face as she watched Kelly resting in the guest room. ¡°Even if shees here so often that she might injure her legs, that would still be impossible.¡± Chapter 440 One Night Surprise Chapter 440 Chapter 440 He Is Just a Child A couple of buses were parked in front of Melrose City Hospital on the day that they were sent to conduct the health checks. Courtney stood at the entrance along with other interns as they gathered there. Another post-graduate student by the name of Celia Lyons, who was pursuing her doctorate under Linda the cardiologist, ended up being in the same team as Courtney. The moment Celia saw Courtney, she ran over to Courtney to greet her. ¡°Courtney, I¡¯m on the same team as you.¡± Courtney smiled warmly; it was like how a senior would behave. ¡°It¡¯s quite exhausting to conduct health checks on the field. What¡¯s there to be happy about?¡± ¡°No matter how tiring it is, it won¡¯t be as tiring as learning from Dr. Hass.¡± Then, Celia imitated how Linda usually pulled a long face whenever she lectured her students. In a low voice, Celia spoke, ¡°The sutures that you guys have done is worse than what the veterinarian did for a pig. By the time you¡¯re capable enough to perform surgery in the operating theater, the number of patients waiting would be so long that the entire hospital would be flooded¡­¡± It¡¯s quite simr! Courtney tried to suppress herughter. After all, she was only a few years older than the interns, so it wouldn¡¯t be a good example if she joked around with them. Apart from that, she even reminded Celia, ¡°And you even dare to imitate her in such a loud voice? Aren¡¯t you worried that I might tell Dr. Hass about this?¡± ¡°Hehe! Nope.¡± Celia had a mysterious look as she continued speaking in a low voice, ¡°We all know that you have been avoiding Dr. Hass for the past few days. As soon as we came out from theboratory, I even saw her looking for you everywhere. I bet she has been so worried about her blind date that she didn¡¯t see the list of people who were sent to do the health checks outdoors.¡± ¡°What?¡± A nervous Courtney looked around. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell her, did you?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Celia giggled. ¡°I told her that the clinicalboratory has been busytely, so another department chief might ask you to help out.¡± When Courtney heard that, she was impressed andplimented, ¡°I bet you will be one of the earliest interns to be able to perform a surgery.¡± ¡°That aside, I¡¯m more curious about the reason why Dr. Hass has been looking for you every day in the hospital.¡± ¡°Um, about this¡­ If I don¡¯t tell you the reason, she will continue to look for me all over the hospital, but if I tell you about it, once she catches hold of me, she might attack me with two scalpels.¡± Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Celia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re only making me even more curious.¡± Courtney was well known in the hospital for having her lips sealed. Otherwise, Linda wouldn¡¯t be causing trouble for her. Even though Celia had pestered Courtney throughout the entire journey, she didn¡¯t spill the beans whatsoever. After the bus came to a stop, their team leader asked everyone to exit the vehicle and move the apparatus. As soon as Courtney steered clear of Celia, who was still bombarding her with questions, what greeted her after she got off the bus left her stunned. The huge golden words of ¡®Sunhill Enterprise¡¯ gleamed brightly on the top of the tower. As everyone stood in front of the tower¡¯s entrance, it was beyond obvious what this had meant. There are so many corporations and hospitals in Melrose City. On top of that, there are also a lot of medical employees in the hospital. Out of all these possibilities, Inded on the smallest possibility ever. What the hell is this? Since they had already arrived at the entrance, Courtney could not possibly leave. Hence, she merely gritted her teeth and followed the crowd into the tower. Since we are here to do health checks for new employees, it¡¯s quite unlikely that I will meet Alexander here. With that thought in mind, she heaved a sigh. Sunhill Enterprise had arranged for them to perform the health checks in a gym located on the fifth floor that spanned several regions. The employees undergoing health checks all held pamphlets that described today¡¯s activity as they waited in separate lines to check different parts of their body. As Courtney had been sent over by the clinicalboratory, she stayed in the room that extracted blood samples. For a huge corporation like Sunhill Enterprise, the turnover rate for the entry-level employees was extremely high. Hence, whenever it was the hiring season around May or June, a huge bunch of employees would start working for thepany. There were two representatives from Sunhill Enterprise in the room; they looked as if they had been sent here to supervise the progress of the said health checks. As they casually chatted to each other, Courtney overheard their conversation while she prepared the equipment to extract the blood samples. ¡°The fresh graduates nowadays are so different from us. Back then, as soon as we graduated, we had no idea what the corporate world looked like and were more than satisfied at being able to nail a job.¡± ¡°I know, right? I¡¯ve taken a look at the list of employees for this year. Nine out of ten of them are being rmended internally. Four of them have already been introduced by Director Yves. Do you know I¡¯m able to spot them?¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°It¡¯s through their resumes. They are all graduates from unknown universities abroad. It was beyond obvious that they bought their certificates with money. Perhaps it¡¯s also because I¡¯m a busybody; I asked other secretaries a few questions and learned that Director Yves was the one putting them there.¡± ¡°I thought she never participates in the meeting that the board of directors organizes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because Director Yves has never dealt withpany matters, which is why she acts haughtily as if she¡¯s an experienced director. Since it¡¯s rather rare for her to make such requests, President Duncan only approved it to maintain her dignity.¡± Courtney was speechless upon hearing that. I¡¯ve never seen Alexander maintaining the dignity of anyone from the board of directors, and I wonder who this Director Yves is. As she thought about what they had said, those two people suddenly lowered their voices. Since Courtney was cing all the equipment on the table, she was quite close to them in distance and could clearly hear their conversation. ¡°So, are all those rumors in thepany true? Is Chairman Yves¡¯ niece really going to marry President Duncan for real?¡± A shocked Courtney was in the midst of setting up the equipment and paused for a second before she looked in their direction. However, they werepletely oblivious to her reaction and continued their conversation in excitement. ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen how often Miss Yves visits ourpany? She would stay in the president¡¯s office for the entire afternoon every time shees. In my opinion, their marriage is somewhat almost confirmed.¡± ¡°I heard that Miss Somerfield from the secretary department has been denying it. Judging from her tone, she seems to hate Miss Yves a lot and Young President Duncan doesn¡¯t seem to like Miss Yves either.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s without a doubt, of course. Let alone Young President Duncan, any other kid wouldn¡¯t want their dad to look for a stepmother for them. On top of that, he is a precocious kid, so he must have seen his fair share of internal arguments among the rich families. Think about it¡ªif his stepmother gives birth to younger siblings, he would have to split the inheritance with them.¡± ¡°He¡¯s only twelve. I don¡¯t think he would think about that.¡± ¡°So what if he¡¯s only twelve? Haven¡¯t you seen him lecturing other employees in the office? He is almost exactly like President Duncan, albeit a younger version only. Actually, I would think that he is even colder than President Duncan himself. Two days ago, Young President Duncan caught me being careless and he almost fired me on the spot. Since he doesn¡¯t have a mother, I think he has been raised to be a robot who excels at business but an unkind person. If he already behaves like this at such an age, it remains to be seen when he is an adult.¡± Courtney finally couldn¡¯t stand listening to the conversation anymore and ced the equipment in her hand on the table as she demanded in a low voice, ¡°He is just a kid. How could you say such things about him?¡± The two women who were engaged in the conversation froze. The woman discussing Jordan¡¯s behavior raised her head and shot a nce at Courtney. Although Courtney was slightly guilty when she saw the re, the said woman still stood her ground. ¡°What are you talking about? Have we said anything wrong? This is the Sunhill Enterprise, not your hospital, so you should stay out of our business.¡± With a stony expression, Courtney retorted, ¡°You are the one who made those mistakes to begin with. What is wrong with your boss lecturing you? You insisted on making a big deal out of other people¡¯s age. An employee like you who gossips around should have been fired a long time ago.¡± Even if they were in the full view of others, Courtney didn¡¯t even spare some respect for the other woman in her ruthless retort. Everyone else was stunned as a result, notprehending what had just happened. However, the woman became anxious when she heard Courtney retaliating. ¡°Hey, who are you to say this about me? Who the hell¡ª¡± Before the woman could even finish her sentence, herpanion next to her pulled her back and said in a fluster, ¡°Miss Gibson, stop making a scene now. Otherwise, other people will hear about this.¡± Chapter 441 One Night Surprise Chapter 441 Chapter 441 Rumors Are Always Exaggerated ¡°Since when did I cause a scene? She was the one who insulted me earlier! What were we talking about earlier? We were merely expressing our displeasure at work. Where is this doctor from? How dare you nder me in this way! Even if we were to clear things out in front of President Duncan and the Young President Duncan, you can¡¯t prove the mistake that I made. Do you even have the evidence for that?¡± Apart from being a busybody, the said woman was also quite skilled at distorting the truth. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. When Courtney heard the woman¡¯s words, her facial features immediately tensed up. With such people around Jordan, something would definitely be stirred up if she¡¯s not sacked immediately. ¡°Dr. Hunter?¡± A familiar voice rang from the door, which ended the confrontation. Both representatives from Sunhill Enterprise had returned to their senses in a much quicker manner than Courtney. As soon as one of them saw the person at the door, she eximed, ¡°Mr. Menzie?¡± The person who arrived was actually Caleb Menzie. Courtney was stunned for a moment before she figured out what had happened after giving it a thought. Caleb¡¯s position in Sunhill Enterprise was one of out of the ordinary; the two female representatives profusely apologized after he entered the room and chatted with Courtney. The air of arrogance that both women radiated hadpletely disappeared by this point. ¡°Since both of you are from the secretary department, I¡¯m not in the position to lecture you. However, if I see this again, you need to know that it¡¯s not a big deal for me to fire two menial employees,¡± Caleb coldly warned the two female representatives as they stood outside the room where Courtney took blood samples. Meanwhile, she stopped whatever she was doing and anxiously nced at them from the corners of her eyes After both women left, he approached Courtney and consoled, ¡°I hope you weren¡¯t frightened?¡± Courtney shook her head. After a moment of hesitation, she summoned her courage and rified, ¡°You already knew that I¡¯m not Linda?¡± There was an expression that resembled a dry smirk on Caleb¡¯s face. ¡°If I don¡¯t even know the background of my blind date, I guess I¡¯ll have to resign as awyer.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you expose me earlier?¡± She felt as though her cheeks were on fire. She had previously done so many embarrassing things on their blind date when he had already known the truth. How impressive of him! Caleb merely gave a slight smile. ¡°If I had exposed you, the blind date would have ended by now. I haven¡¯t even seen Linda, so I don¡¯t want to end it first.¡± ¡°You¡¯re already acquainted with her?¡± ¡°We were neighbors when we were youngsters, but she is two years my senior. I think she has probably forgotten about me now.¡± Courtney raised her head to appraise the man from head to toe in shock. This sounds more like robbing the cradle! It was only after a while that she understood both Linda and Caleb had tricked her. Although Linda had used Courtney as a decoy, she didn¡¯t know that Caleb had outsmarted her by using Courtney as his decoy instead. With that, he could continue to contact Linda rightfully and be more justified in his actions. If this incident was exposed, Linda would be the one at fault after all. At exactly 12:00PM sharp, the health check was momentarily stopped so that the doctors and nurses could have their lunch at the cafeteria of Sunhill Enterprise. Once Courtney had finished packing her things, her heart immediately sank when she saw Caleb waiting for her as soon as she walked out of the room. Now that I have managed to use this health check as a reason to finally avoid Linda, why am I running into Caleb now? Judging by his behavior, he seemed to have grabbed the opportunity to speak to Courtney and not intending to let her off the hook until he could establish contact with Linda himself. ¡°I bet you aren¡¯t busy now, Dr. Hunter. Let¡¯s have lunch together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just grab my lunch at the cafeteria since I still have to continue with the health check for the rest of the afternoon. I¡¯m in a bit of a rush today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Caleb nodded. ¡°Since it¡¯s more convenient to eat at the cafeteria, let¡¯s do so.¡± With that, he went to the cafeteria with Courtney. Along the way, she was at the receiving end of everyone¡¯s gaze in Sunhill Enterprise. Their stares seemed to have pierced her, yet she felt a familiar sensation. She was also the enemy of many single women in the corporation because a certain man had flirted with her at this very spot many years ago. Caleb was young, capable, and handsome. With those qualities of his, he was definitely adies¡¯ man in thepany. What have I done to deserve this? Meanwhile, Eric sat at one of the tables in the cafeteria after ordering a set of steak. He had overheard some gossip from the new employees about Caleb, so he paid more attention to what was being said. ¡°Are you saying that Mr. Menzie knows that doctor?¡± ¡°Of course. He harshly reprimanded the two representatives from the secretary department because of her. It¡¯s as if he was exasperated by their actions. I¡¯ve never seen him being this angry, so it¡¯s such a shame.¡± Of course, rumors would always be exaggerated. Caleb had merely warned the woman, yet when the news came to the cafeteria, the story morphed into him blowing his top and wanting to fire them. The moment Eric heard it, he couldn¡¯t resist joining the gossip. As he overheard their conversation, the volume of their voices suddenly lowered. One of the folks warned, ¡°Oh, they¡¯re here. Let¡¯s stop this conversation for now.¡± Eric followed their gazes¡ªit was either a sneaky one or openly appraising the subjects of the gossip¡ª and saw a familiar figure. To be precise, he saw two familiar figures instead. It was none other than Courtney who entered the cafeteria with Caleb. After watching them for a while, Eric was initially confused before he suddenly pped his thigh as he comprehended the situation. ¡°I understand now.¡± I was just thinking that Courtney looks familiar when I saw her at the apartment the other day. I had seen her from across the street that day! She was on a blind date with Caleb, wasn¡¯t she? The people around him who had gossiped earlier didn¡¯t understand why he had reacted in such manner. ¡°What do you understand?¡± Eric was still fantasizing the situation in his mind when he suddenly remembered how Alexander had listened to everything that Courtney told him. In that instant, his face paled as he blurted out, ¡°Oh, no! This is bad!¡± The other employees from the secretary department who were gossiping earlier awkwardly looked at each other, notprehending the situation that had just urred. It was something that he didn¡¯t bother exining either. Instead, he stopped eating, ced his cutleries aside, and immediately ran out of the cafeteria. A lunch set was already ced on the table in the president¡¯s office of Sunhil Enterprise, but Jordan was eating alone. Alexander, on the other hand, was attentively perusing documents without showing any intention of eating. After knocking on the door, Eric entered the room and froze as soon as he saw Jordan. Now that Jordan was around, Eric suddenly had no idea what to tell Alexander. ¡°Why did you suddenly return?¡± Alexander shot a nce at his assistant. ¡°Is there anything urgent?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Eric looked at Jordan from the corner of his eyes whereupon he cleared his throat before tentatively speaking, ¡°I saw the doctor who changed the bandage for you the other day.¡± With that, Alexander had already raised his head and shot Eric a nonchnt nce. ¡°Okay.¡± Alexander¡¯s calmness was something that Eric never expected. After a moment of silence, Eric suddenly understood something else. Before this, the hospital whom theirpany would coborate with to offer health checks was already confirmed, but the arrangement was suddenly changed this year. Seeing as how Alexander thought everything was under his control, a slightly nervous Eric reminded, ¡°Um¡­ Mr. Menzie is now having lunch with the doctor in the cafeteria.¡± Sure enough, the expression on Alexander¡¯s face immediately changed. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Chapter 442 One Night Surprise Chapter 442 Chapter 442 Five Years Is a Long Time Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Who¡¯s that doctor?¡± Jordan, who had been quiet the entire time, suddenly questioned Alexander after Eric left the office. Then, his calm gazended on Alexander, revealing his unconcealed intention to obtain an answer from Alexander. After he heard Jordan¡¯s question, an annoyed and impatient Alexander muttered with his brows furrowed, ¡°This has nothing to do with you. Focus on your meal.¡± ¡°A woman?¡± Jordan¡¯s expression darkened even more. As Alexander continued to feign ignorance, Jordan ced the cutleries and reminded, ¡°You¡¯ve been involved in lots of scandalstely. You better keep it under wraps.¡± ¡°What have you heard about?¡± Alexander asked with a frown. Sitting on the couch with an upright posture was a twelve-year-old teenage boy. Although he wasn¡¯t tall and had rather childish features, his gaze was that of a mature person. ¡°That woman, Miss Yves, has beening over often. If you fancy her, you should take her to visit Great-Grandpa to relieve him of his worries. If you don¡¯t like her, at least try your best to prevent the rumors from spreading like wildfire. You¡¯re embarrassing me, you know.¡± ¡°What? What did you just say?¡± Alexander thundered with a grim look. After being enraged by the news that Eric had brought with him, Alexander was now pissed off by the words that his son had said. ¡°Dad, you are no longer young. It¡¯s absurd for you to be involved in so many scandals at this age.¡± Jordan rose up to his full height and pretended to be calm as he tidied the sleeves of his suit while continuing, ¡°I¡¯m no longer a little kid. Go ahead and get married if you want to; I won¡¯t stand in your way.¡± With that, he puffed out his chest and left without looking back. Alexander, who was standing behind his desk, was rendered speechless. This son of his, whom he had taken care of for thest decade, was a living example of an ingrate. Although Jordan had chosen to live with Alexander when he had to make a choice between Alexander and his own mother years ago, it was evident that Jordan had missed his mother a great deal over these years. When it came to matters surrounding Alexander¡¯s rtionship, it was alsomon for Jordan to give an attitude. The boy had even smashed things as a young child whenever anyone came over to introduce Alexander to a new partner. Nheless, Alexander never cared about the way Jordan behaved and was even d that his son could keep all the unwanted attractions at bay. However, Alexander was indeed wronged this day because that doctor was, in fact, Jordan¡¯s biological mother! Alexander¡¯s chest felt like it was squashed by a thousand-pound bolder when he thought about the date that Courtney and Caleb had. As a result, he was so enraged that he could barely breathe. After the lunch break, the physical examination resumed as normal. What Caleb had told Courtney during lunch had caused her such a headache that she almost injected the needle in the wrong area several times when she was extracting blood. When the line gradually became shorter, Eric suddenly showed up to inform, ¡°Dr. Hunter, President Duncan has invited you to his office.¡± The moment Courtney heard that, her expression changed, but she maintained herposure as her colleagues were still around. ¡°President Duncan should look for the hospital administration instead if he needs anything. I don¡¯t see the reason why he should ask for me.¡± However, he was able to swiftly answer, as if he had foreseen her response. ¡°President Duncan said that since you were the one who tended to his injury previously and in charge of the health checks for our employees, there¡¯s no need to trouble anyone else when you can help him to change the bandage at the same time. He¡¯s really swamped with his work and has no time to go to the hospital.¡± When they heard Eric¡¯s exnation, two other nurses, who were in charge of drawing blood, gaped while a few new employees standing in the line behind him felt excited to hear the gossip. ¡°Courtney, President Duncan has requested your presence, so you should get going. We aren¡¯t exactly busy here.¡± ¡°Yes, there aren¡¯t many people left.¡± Two of her colleagues from the clinicalboratory urged her to leave as well; one of them, who was physically closer to her, even secretly pinched her and whispered, ¡°You are actually acquainted with the president of the Sunhill Enterprise. That¡¯s impressive, Courtney.¡± I¡¯m not actually given a choice to say otherwise now, no? And how¡¯s this ¡®impressive¡¯? The way the crowd had stared at Courtney made her skin crawl, leaving her with no option but to follow Eric to Alexander¡¯s office in the end. It was alreadyte in the evening and the lights in the office were switched on to illuminate the space. The furnishing still looked the same as it had been in the past without any obvious changes. When she entered the office, she muttered, ¡°There are plenty of hospitals and doctors in Melrose City. What¡¯s the purpose for this?¡± Alexander was in the midst of getting a ss of freshly squeezed fruit juice when she said that, so he turned to her and calmly responded, ¡°I just want you to help me to change my wound dressing since you are already here. Are you not willing to help me?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not willing to.¡± ¡°Okay, then you¡¯ll have to watch my injury be infected and rot away. When that happens, I¡¯ll just rock up to the hospital where you work and ask for you to tend to my wound.¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Courtney was pissed. ¡°What do you think a hospital is? A nightclub where you can ask for girls to keep youpany? A ce where you can request for a specific person to serve you?¡± However, Alexander merely ced the beaker aside and changed the topic. ¡°Would you like to have a ss of juice?¡± His attitude had made her feel like her punches hadnded on cotton, which gave her no choice but to swallow her anger. The infection on Alexander¡¯s injury wasn¡¯t as severe after she had changed the bandage for him before this. This time, he had prepared the gauze and medicine in advance, as if he had expected her presence. While Courtney was wrapping his injury with a clean gauze, she warned him with a cold expression, ¡°You still have to go to the hospital tomorrow to change your wound dressing. You have to go there periodically until the doctor tells you. Otherwise, your arm will rot.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the time for that,¡± Alexander replied as he wore his shirt and buttoned it up with one hand. His muscr chest seemed firm underneath his clothes. As he looked at Courtney, he suggested, ¡°How about youe over on a daily basis starting tomorrow to change the bandage? I¡¯ll pay you for it.¡± ¡°In your dreams.¡± She red at him. ¡°You don¡¯t have time, but do you think that I have? Even if I do, why should Ie over to tend to your injury every day? Do you think that I¡¯m your nanny or your personal doctor?¡± He raised his head and countered, ¡°That¡¯s because you are my son¡¯s mother. If I die from an infection, your son will end up in an orphanage.¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Courtney maintained her re on him. ¡°Mr. Duncan will take care of Jordan even if you die, so he won¡¯t be sent to an orphanage. Stop using thisme excuse to threaten me.¡± After not seeing him for many years, I can¡¯t believe that he is now someone who can go as far as to curse himself. ¡°You are aware that my grandpa is not physically well.¡± A stubborn Alexander refused to change his mind. ¡°I won¡¯t go to the hospital anyway. You are free to decide whether you want toe and I won¡¯t force you to do anything either. Simrly, whether I head to the hospital is my decision to make and you can¡¯t pressure me to do anything as well.¡± Courtney was so furious that her face reddened. After a while, she growled through gritted teeth, ¡°You¡¯ve changed. I remembered that you said five years ago that you despised people who took the moral high ground and threatened others with children.¡± This was the first time that he heard Courtney saying anything about five years ago and the words that she used sounded dreadful to him. As his gaze was still on the woman standing before him, Alexander fell into a momentary daze before quickly returning to his senses. ¡°Five years is a long time. Nobody can say for sure how much a person would change.¡± There seemed to be an underlying meaning to Alexander¡¯s words. As he peered into Courtney¡¯s eyes, there was profound affection and deep love for her in his gaze. Courtney avoided his gaze and clenched her teeth. ¡°I won¡¯te.¡± With that, she turned on her heels and left without any words of goodbye. However, Alexander was able to tell from her retreating figure that she wasn¡¯t asposed as she was when she came; on the contrary, she seemed to be in a fluster. Chapter 443 One Night Surprise Chapter 443 Chapter 443 Why Are You Being So Cocky? Kate, who was Alexander¡¯s female assistant, was making coffee at the pantry. Since they had run out of coffee beans, she went into the pantry¡¯s storage to search for it and do some restocking at the same time. While she was in the midst of her search, she heard a conversation outside. She could tell that the voice belonged to another secretary working at the reception outside the president¡¯s office. ¡°Mr. Reynolds was the one who brought the doctor over and she stayed in President Duncan¡¯s office for almost an hour¡ªI doubt that she needed to stay inside for so long to tend to his injury. Also, President Duncan didn¡¯t ask any one of us to enter even once, but someone saw that there were some snacks and drinks inside, which means that it was President Duncan who prepared it himself.¡± The secretary paused for a while to listen to what the other person in the call said. ¡°Don¡¯t take this too lightly. I have a gut feeling that the female doctor is somewhat different from the others. President Duncan seems to know her and even Mr. Reynolds treats her respectfully.¡± The conversation was a short one; it was probably because the person on the other end of the line didn¡¯t have the patience to listen anymore. After the call ended, the secretary who was in the pantry mumbled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her? She¡¯s the one who asked me to inform her if there¡¯s a slightest whiff of trouble, but now that I have done so, she¡¯s disregarding my words. What a crazy woman.¡± Kate remained in the pantry¡¯s storage. It was only after the female secretary left that Kate emerged with the things that she wanted. Then, she casually restocked the items and made a cup of coffee before heading toward Alexander¡¯s office. Meanwhile, at a beauty salon somewhere in Melrose City, Kelly hung up the call before she extended her hands at the manicurist to have her nails painted. Kelly¡¯s female friend beside her reminded, ¡°How could you not mind that? I heard that. President Duncan from Sunhill Enterprise is the dream man of many girls in Melrose City. Even if you have an advantage over the others by being able to stay close to him, you still have to be careful not to allow him to escape. If that happens, there will be no use crying over spilt milk.¡± Kelly snorted nonchntly, ¡°I have someone keeping an eye on him so that he won¡¯t fall into another woman¡¯s trap. There are some b*tches who will resort to dirty tricks once they learn that pursuing him doesn¡¯t work. Having said that, I have never seen any girls who are able to get close to him in public.¡± ¡°S*x is one of humans¡¯ basic needs. You may have not seen it before, but it doesn¡¯t mean that he is indeed a celibate. Otherwise, where do you think his little prince came from?¡± ¡°You have a point.¡± She darted her friend a look. ¡°That woman is an exception¡ªthe one and only exception.¡± ¡°Which woman? Little prince¡¯s biological mother?¡± ¡°Stop asking. Anyway, that woman won¡¯t be returning. Let the bygones be bygones.¡± A reluctant Kelly seemed unwilling to mention that person and stopped the topic without even bringing up that person¡¯s identity. ¡°I¡¯ll be going shopping with that kid in two days¡¯ time. His birthday is just around the corner, so I told him that I¡¯ll be getting him a gift. He¡¯s just a kid who listens to his father in everything. When it was Alexander who made the arrangement for us to go shopping, the kid agreed.¡± Kelly and her friend continued to chat for some time. In the afternoon, at the Melrose Hospital, Courtney knocked on the door of Linda¡¯s office while holding a Thermos container. ¡°Miss Hass, here¡¯s your lunch.¡± ¡°Lunch again? He sure is persistent. Why don¡¯t the two of you just be together?¡± Then, Linda raised her head from behind theputer screen and added, ¡°I¡¯m not eating. I want to go to the canteen.¡± Nevertheless, Courtney ced the lunch box on Linda¡¯s desk with a face as impassive as she exined, ¡°Mr. Menzie was supposed to be your date in the first ce, so the lunch is for you. I¡¯ll eat if I have the time, but you are aware that I¡¯m busy in the afternoon for these two days. I¡¯ve informed the restaurant to send lunch to your office starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°Why not? It¡¯s not like he personally sent this; he ordered it at a restaurant. In other words, he merely ordered a takeout, which illustrates that he¡¯s not exactly that sincere, no? Just eat. Don¡¯t waste the food. There¡¯s braised pork ribs and stir-fried shrimps with green beans as well as wild mushroom chicken soup.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Linda gulped. ¡°I¡¯m runningte. I shall take my leave then, Chief Hass.¡± After dropping off the lunch box, Courtney nced at the time and fled the scene. Caleb had specifically ordered lunch for Linda; hence, even if Courtney had the time to do so, she wouldn¡¯t touch the takeout. As Linda had tricked her before this, Courtney didn¡¯t feel the slightest guilt in lying, but she felt excited instead. After Courtney left the hospital, she went straight to the Sunhill Enterprise. As she fully knew Alexander¡¯s character, she understood that he definitely wouldn¡¯t be swinging by the hospital to tend to his wound after he had made that fact clear to her. If it wasn¡¯t because of his habit of overworking, he wouldn¡¯t have been suffering from gastric all this while. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°Dr. Hunter, please hold on for a minute. President Duncan is now in a meeting. It will end shortly.¡± It seemed that Eric had been waiting for Courtney at the entrance and the moment he saw her, he led her to Alexander¡¯s office. The secretaries, who worked outside the president¡¯s office, gaped at those two. One of them who worked at the reception immediately asked, ¡°Mr. Reynolds, who¡¯s that? Why did you bring her to President Duncan¡¯s office?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a doctor. She¡¯s here to change the dressing of President Duncan¡¯s wound.¡± He then cast a nce at that secretary. ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions that you are not supposed to ask.¡± Eric¡¯s words had stunned her whereupon she cast a profound gaze at the office. The furnishing in the spacious office looked simr to how it had been in the past. The only difference was that there were a couple of brand new items in addition to more books on the shelves. As Courtney had no idea how long she had to wait, she randomly selected a book from the shelves to read. The book she chose was an English fairytale about a prince¡¯s adventure. After flipping two pages, she was surprised to see that there were exnations written in blue ink on the pages. She could tell that it wasn¡¯t Alexander¡¯s writing at first instance. The handwriting was rather childish, but each letter was neatly and nicely written. As she held the book in her hand, she stared at that page for a long time and internally spected on the identity of the person who wrote those notes. She couldn¡¯t help but touch the little words, her gaze glued to that same page for a long time. Not long after that, she heard the sound of the door being opened followed by Alexander¡¯s footsteps, which she still found familiar, ringing behind her. Sure enough, she saw him entering the room when she turned back to look. ¡°Eric didn¡¯t inform me that you are here. You must have waited for a long time. Let¡¯s eat first.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯ll leave once I have tended to your wound.¡± She closed the book before casually returning it to the shelf. When Courtney changed his bandage, she couldn¡¯t help but stare at the row of fairytale books on the shelf. ¡°Are those Jordan¡¯s?¡± ¡°Yes, he reads them during his free time whenever he is here.¡± ¡°Have you ever read them to him? ¡°No,¡± Alexander honestly answered. ¡°I have been extremely busy these few years. This is also why I never allowed him to attend school. I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to care for him. So, whenever I head for business trips or have meetings, he always reads while waiting for me at one side.¡± Ah, I see, Courtney thought and nodded thoughtfully. No wonder the notes written on the storybook about a prince¡¯s adventure were actually the final bidding prices. She was naturally in no ce to point her finger at Alexander for bringing Jordan into the world of adults when Jordan was still a child. After all, she herself hadn¡¯t spent much time with the child. Hence, she didn¡¯t know how to continue with the conversation now that they had arrived at this stage. ¡°Since Jordan¡¯s birthday is around the corner, I¡¯ll hold a birthday banquet for him.¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was heard from the side. Courtney was initially stunned to hear that, but she replied, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Alexander turned to face her. ¡°Does that mean to say you won¡¯t be joining?¡± She frowned slightly. ¡°No, I won¡¯t be joining. I haven¡¯t met the kid for so many years, so he probably doesn¡¯t remember me. I shouldn¡¯t just show up and mess with his life.¡± ¡°Courtney.¡± With traces of anger apparent on his face, he caught her hand when she was bandaging his wound. ¡°Why are you being so cocky?¡± Chapter 444 One Night Surprise Chapter 444 Chapter 444 We Have a Daddy Courtney suddenly felt a sharp pain radiating on her wrist, which caused her brows to narrow, but she lacked the courage to struggle for the fear that she would touch his injury. ¡°Let go of me.¡± ¡°Did you think that your departure back then was for the greater good? You must have thought that once you have left, Jordan and I would be able to return to our normal lives like before and pretend that you never existed.¡± Her ears buzzed as Alexander challenged her. While looking straight at his furious eyes, Courtney countered, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth?¡± mes of anger raged in his eyes. When he saw how she reckoned that she was in the right, he was speechless. After staring at her for a few seconds, he pressed her against the couch with a sudden move of his hands before he leaned toward her. The sudden kiss sealed Courtney¡¯s thoughts and caused her head to stop processing at that instant. In actual fact, Alexander was more familiar with her body than Courtney herself. Making use of his deft tongue, he easily pried open her teeth and stuck his tongue inside to entangle with hers. He had kissed her with such intensity that he was depriving her of air. Now that she was losing oxygen, she not only forgot to think, but she even lost the ability to do so. Then, he slid his freezing hands under her T-shirt and slowly explored upward from her waist. His movements were rather rough, as though he was punishing her, but it implied that he was seeking her attention at the same time. As a result, a pained Courtney was unable to stifle a moan. ¡°Ahh¡ª¡± Alexander¡¯s pupils contracted the next instant and his actions grew more urgent. He hastily yanked the zipper of her jeans down in an attempt to remove the barriers between their bodies. The cool air from the air conditioner brushed against her lower body and snapped her back to her senses. Courtney abruptly pushed Alexander away and tugged her crumpled T-shirt downward before she withdrew to one side to catch her breath. A stunned Alexander suddenly returned to his senses as well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Let me use the bathroom.¡± After the door to the bathroom was shut, the sound of rushing water rang in the air, but she had already left by the time he exited the bathroom. As Alexander stared at the empty office, a hint of frustration appeared on his face. He wanted to be on his best behavior in front of Courtney so that she wouldn¡¯t despise him, but whenever he saw her, he had somehow forgotten everything as his emotions and actions were out of control. Angie brought Tina and Josephine home to their apartment in the city from the youngsters¡¯ Great-Aunt Alicia¡¯s houseter that evening As soon as they entered the house, a suspicious Angie surveyed the area and stated, ¡°We had a visitor. It was a man.¡± ¡°A man?¡± Tina poked her head out from her room. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°There are two used cups on the table that were left unwashed. Although the bowls used to serve noodles in the rack have been washed, they aren¡¯t in their original position; it¡¯s obvious that someone has used two of them.¡± ¡°These can only prove that someone was here, but you can¡¯t say for sure that it was a man.¡± Angie gleefully picked a pair of disposable flip-flops from the trash can and countered, ¡°A disposable slipper of size 9.5. I doubt the visitor would have such arge shoe size if he was a woman.¡± As Tina was shocked to hear that, she came out from her room. Although she found it hard to believe what Angie said, the evidence had left her with no other choice. ¡°Mommy brought a man home to spend a night with her? That¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± A five-year-old little girl took a bottle of beverage from the refrigerator. Despite her young age, she was calm andposed, which resembled that of a little adult. ¡°Mommy is not even thirty years old, so it¡¯s normal for her to be in a rtionship or even settle down. She shouldn¡¯t stay single for the rest of her life just because she needs to care for us. We should encourage this.¡± ¡°Why should we encourage her in this?¡± Tina frowned. ¡°We have a father.¡± At the mention of this, Josephine rolled her eyes with a scorn. ¡°I¡¯ve never met him anyway, so I won¡¯t acknowledge him.¡± ¡°Daddy is a nice guy.¡± A flustered Tina ced her hands on her hips before she dered in an elder- sister demeanor. ¡°Girl, did Great-Aunt Alicia badmouth Daddy to you? That¡¯s because she is on bad terms with Daddy, so what she has said is biased.¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t she on good terms with Daddy?¡± Josephine¡¯s question had instantly rendered Tina speechless. ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Angie, who was standing at one side, tried to ease the situation. ¡°Don¡¯t take it too far, you two. How could siblings quarrel for something that isn¡¯t concrete yet? Courtney will be home in a while, so you two can ask her any burning questions. Wouldn¡¯t that be much better?¡± ¡°You are the one who brought this up first,¡± Josephine nonchntly countered, ¡°If anyone should ask, you are the one who should do so. Count me out; I¡¯m not interested to know anything.¡± With that, the little girl marched into her room without looking back. ¡°Angie, look at her¡ªGreat-Aunt Alice has definitely spoiled her,¡± a dissatisfied Tinamented. ¡°The kiddo has actually encouraged Mommy to look for another man when Daddy still has a ce in Mommy¡¯s heart.¡± Angie cleared her throat and replied, ¡°Actually, I think that it¡¯ll be better for both of you to stay out of this matter. Tina, you are only twelve and your sister is five. Little kids shouldn¡¯t mind these things.¡± ¡°Does she look like a five-year-old kid to you?¡± ¡°No.¡± She honestly nodded with a nce at Tina before she added, ¡°You don¡¯t look like you are twelve yourself, though.¡± Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. As a matter of fact, both of Courtney¡¯s children were shrewd, especially her five-year-old daughter. Whenpared to her peers, Josephine¡¯s personality was that of an old woman, but nobody could tell whether it was an acquired quality or a congenital one. Despite her young age, not only was she indifferent toward matters regarding rtionships and marriages, she would often be seen lecturing others just like how an elder would. Even Angie was rendered speechless by that girl many times before, let alone Tina. It was deep into the night when Courtney returned home after her graveyard shift. The two younger girls had already gone to bed; only Angie, a night owl, was still yingputer games with vigor, as though she was ustomed to a different time zone. She happened to pour herself a ss of water during the half-time after winning a round when she heard the door being open. She raised her head and saw Courtney entering the living room. ¡°Courtney.¡± ¡°Why are you still awake? What time do you think it is now?¡± Courtney darted her a nce before changing into her flip-flops to step inside. Angie¡¯s gaze rested on the slippers at the door, which involuntarily reminded her about the incident earlier in the evening. Hence, she poured two sses of water and walked to the living room. As she handed one of them to Courtney, she asked, ¡°Were there any visitors when we were not at home for the past few days?¡± ¡°Visitors?¡± Courtney casually evaded the topic by saying, ¡°I¡¯ve been overworking for these two days and have had graveyard shifts for consecutive days. I won¡¯t be making breakfast for you all tomorrow morning. Settle it among yourselves since I have to catch up on my sleep.¡± Angie nodded thoughtfully while she contemted the incident about the man¡¯s disposable flip-flops. She won¡¯t keep it a secret if nothing really happened. On the contrary, there¡¯s something fishy if she¡¯s trying to hide it. It seems like Josie is right¡ªCourtney is seeing somebody behind our backs. ¡°Where are the two girls?¡± ¡°They are asleep. As they quarreled earlier in the evening, they went to bed with anger.¡± ¡°They are mad at each other?¡± Courtney raised her head to nce at Angie between sips of water to chuckle. ¡°It must be Tina being mad with Josie. Josie doesn¡¯t care much about anything.¡± ¡°A mother sure knows her daughter well.¡± Angie unhesitatingly gave Courtney a thumbs-up. Then, Courtney ced the cup down and she looked in the direction of her daughter¡¯s room with a gentle expression. ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see. Tina will forget all about this tomorrow morning after she wakes up from her sleep.¡± Chapter 445 One Night Surprise Chapter 445 Chapter 445 Do You Want Cash or Online Banking? After all, there was no one in this world who understood these two girls better than their own mother. Even though one of them had been brought up by Alicia since birth, Courtney was very much aware of their personalities and temperament. Josie is cold-tempered and frustrates people with her words, but luckily, Tina doesn¡¯t hold grudges well, so the two of them usually reconcile the next day after their quarrel. ¡°I¡¯m bringing them out for shopping tomorrow. Are youing with us?¡± ¡°No.¡± Courtney waved her hand. ¡°I have to work tomorrow evening, so I need to sleep in the morning.¡± After that, she saw that it was already 4:00AM. ¡°It¡¯ste now and I¡¯m going to sleep. You should rest early too.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯ll head to sleep once I finish my water.¡± After Courtney closed her room door, the house descended into silence. Angie then poured the cold water in the ss down the sink before she turned around to grab a can of beer from the fridge. After hesitating for a while, she squatted in front of the fridge to open the can. A cloud of mist appeared from the mouth of the can with a fizzy sound as some foam oozed out. The moment she drank the beer, she felt its ice-cold bitter taste from her throat all the way to her stomach. Moments after Angie returned to her room, she saw the contents of the chat box on herputer screen¡ªit was an animated heart, whichplimented the uing season of Valentine¡¯s Day. Her hands paused on top of the keyboard for a long time before she finally replied to the person with one word¡ª¡®Okay.¡¯ The chat box was quiet for a second before a series of texts and emojis flooded the application, which was the other person¡¯s way of expressing their excitement. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Soon, the one word that Angie typed was buried under the pile of messages. Then, she moved her mouse to scroll back to the text where she had previously replied before she carefully read the other party¡¯s subsequent words. In the end, there was a bright smile on her face. ¡®Angie, I have really liked you since you first came to ss and I even learned Otharian because of you. After much consideration, I¡¯ve decided to confess my feelings before Valentine¡¯s Day. If you are agreeable to it, we can spend Valentine¡¯s Day together in Otharia.¡¯ ¡®And what if I say no?¡¯ ¡®Then, I¡¯ll think of another way since I¡¯ve already bought the ne ticket and I can¡¯t ask for a refund.¡¯ ¡®Okay.¡¯ Now that Angie repeatedly read the young man¡¯s naive yet passionate confession, she felt that for a moment, she was adapting to a world where she should be in for her age. This is what my life should be, right? The next morning, the three girls took turns to visit Courtney in her room while she was still asleep. ¡°Goodbye, Mommy.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Courtney.¡± A drowsy Courtney replied in a daze, ¡°Bye, sweetheart¡­¡± After giving Courtney a morning kiss, the three girls gently closed the door and headed out for shopping. In the shopping mall, Angie led the two youngsters to the fashion and cosmetics stores where they were dazzled by the various brands. ¡°We are doing this the old way. You choose the gift and I¡¯ll pay for it.¡± A confident Tina nodded. ¡°Leave it to me. I know what Mommy likes best. I mean, she likes the gift that I choose for her every year.¡± A soft yet condescending voice was then heard next to her. ¡°That¡¯s because you are Mommy¡¯s daughter. No matter what you give her, she will still like it.¡± However, Angie was able to cover Josephine¡¯s mouth and prevent the little one from speaking further in time before advising, ¡°Youngdy, please be quiet and don¡¯t talk that much for today.¡± When she saw the seventeen year old foreigner leading a twelve-year-old and five-year-old who looked a little more mixed-blood, the sales assistant behind the counter didn¡¯t pay much attention to the three girls. ¡°This bag looks gorgeous. Mommy usually wears casual outfits, so she can shove a lot of things in this large purse.¡± Tina pointed to the shelf on the counter that was a head higher than herself before she asked the sales assistant, ¡°Miss, can you please grab this bag for me?¡± Even though the three girls didn¡¯t look like they had the financial ability to spend much, Tina had a cute face and an angelic voice. Besides, since there was no one else in the store, the beautiful sales assistant was kind enough to grab the purse for Tina to survey. After Angie tried to use the purse, shemented, ¡°I¡¯m okay with it. It¡¯s actually quite practical.¡± The said item was a dark gray leather bag that came with simple designs. Tina nced at Josephine and silenced her before she even had the chance to say anything. ¡°Just don¡¯t say anything since you don¡¯t have the eye for aesthetics at all.¡± Josephine raised her brow whereupon she refused to give anyments. After deciding to purchase the bag, Tina suddenly had a stomach ache and headed for the toilet. Meanwhile, Angie happily took her credit card out and picked up the tab, which came as a surprise to the sales assistant as she hurriedly packed up the purse. Kids these days really are big spenders. ¡°Hey, this bag looks lovely. Is there another one?¡± Then, the voice of a woman was heard behind Angie. As both the sales assistant and Angie simultaneously turned their heads, they saw a woman in a Chanel dress with long brown hair. She had a delicate face that was covered with makeup intended to soften the heart of every man. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Yves. This is the only one left. It is a limited edition that just arrived at our store.¡± The woman was obviously a regr customer of the store since the service assistant was able to recognize her. When the woman heard those words, she immediately expressed her dissatisfaction. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you inform me that there¡¯s a new limited edition purse? I haven¡¯t seen a bag that I like for a long time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Yves. It just arrived today, so we weren¡¯t able to inform you in time.¡± As the woman by the name of Miss Yves and the sales assistant wrangled over the bag, Angie and Josephine grabbed their package and were about to leave since they weren¡¯t in the mood to stay and watch the scene. Suddenly, Kelly halted them. ¡°Wait.¡± Her high heels echoed against the floor as she walked over and caught up to them. ¡°Little girl, I like your bag a lot. Why don¡¯t you sell it to me at your desired price?¡± Angie furrowed her brows and immediately rejected Kelly¡¯s offer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is a birthday gift for someone in our family. We aren¡¯t selling it.¡± A smiling Kelly continued to try her luck. ¡°Please sell it to me. I can pay you whatever price you want.¡± An annoyed Angie was losing her patience, but Josephine¡¯s soft and cold voice was heard next to her. ¡°Alright. We want a million. Do you want it, Grandma?¡± Kelly¡¯s expression immediately changed as her eyesnded on the petite girl. Although Josephine was around five or six years old, she had extremely neat short hair and she was wearing light blue striped-overalls. Even though she was at such a tender age, her eyes were exceptionally sharp. Now that Josephine had addressed her as ¡®Grandma¡¯, it instantly made Kelly embarrassed. ¡°Grandma? A million? You¡­ Kid, do you know how much a million is? It¡¯s enough to buy 20 of your purse.¡± A calm Josephine responded, ¡°In that case, you can go and purchase 20 of them.¡± For a moment, Kelly was left speechless. It is a limited edition bag, so there¡¯s not many of it in the market. Where can I go to buy 20 of them? As the situation reached a stalemate, a young boy¡¯s voice was heard behind her. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you a million for it,¡± was what he said. Jordan suddenly emerged from behind Kelly. Although he was a twelve-year-old in a white casual outfit, one could easily see his mature temperament. As Angie looked at him, she was stunned.Why does this kid look so familiar? ¡°You want it?¡± Josephine furrowed her brows as if she didn¡¯t expect it. ¡°Yes. Girl, you¡¯re not backing out now, are you?¡± Way before Angie could return to her senses, Josephine had already taken the purse in Angie¡¯s hands away. With that, the little girl¡¯s clear voice was heard at the store¡¯s entrance in the shopping mall. ¡°A million it is. Do you want to pay me by cash or via online banking?¡± Chapter 446 One Night Surprise Chapter 446 Chapter 446 That¡¯s a Bit Clich¨¦ Looking at the petite girl who was shorter than his chest, Jordan had a strange feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu and his usual cold voice seemed to soften as he exined to her, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, little girl. I¡¯m buying the bag from you because I like it very much and I want to give it to someone as a gift.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me a little girl. I don¡¯t know you.¡± Josephine had a proud personality and she couldn¡¯t stand the act of depriving others of the things they liked. Initially, she thought that Kelly would never want to buy the bag for a million, but she didn¡¯t expect Jordan to show up all of a sudden. Now that Josephine hadid out her condition, she had no choice but to hold back her anger and give them the bag. ¡°You can transfer the money to us. We won¡¯t be able to carry that much cash.¡± Before Jordan could say anything, Kelly walked up to him from behind and spoke in a sharp voice. ¡°Hey, are you two trying to scam Jordan because you think he is still young and doesn¡¯t know anything? I don¡¯t want your bag anymore.¡± Josephine rolled her eyes at her while the inherent arrogance on her face became more apparent. ¡°Madam, if you don¡¯t have the money, please don¡¯t ask other people about the price. It¡¯s so embarrassing when you can¡¯t afford it.¡± ¡°You rude little girl! Where are your manners?¡± ¡°Who is the one who doesn¡¯t have manners here?¡± Angie pulled Josephine behind her. ¡°My sister is just telling the truth. Do you really think you are the only rich people in Melrose City? Why should we sell this to you when you¡¯re putting on this kind of attitude? Do you think you own this ce?¡± At that, Kelly instantly put on a gloating expression. ¡°As a matter of fact¡ª¡± Suddenly, Jordan was there to interrupt, ¡°Miss, please give me your ount number.¡± He looked at Angie and said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯ll transfer the money to you.¡± Angie rolled her eyes at Kelly and gave Jordan her ount number. ¡°Kid, don¡¯t you think your nanny is a bit too arrogant? You should probably rece her as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Who are you calling a nanny? You b*tch!¡± ¡°Miss Yves!¡± Jordan red at Kelly indifferently as he admonished, ¡°Please mind yournguage when speaking in front of children. I don¡¯t think you want me to go back and tell my dad what you just said, do you?¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Listening to him, Angie finally could tell that the arrogant woman was probably his stepmother. Judging by his attitude, it¡¯s obvious that he doesn¡¯t want to pay much attention to her. Ding! Then, a text popped up on her phone as she had received the payment. ¡°I got it.¡± She handed the bag to him. ¡°There you go, kid. We¡¯re leaving now.¡± Jordan nodded his head but after Angie took two steps, he suddenly called out to her. ¡°Miss, have we met somewhere?¡± However, she didn¡¯t stop as she only turned her head around and gave him a faint smile. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit clich¨¦, kid?¡± After that, she took Josephine along and left without looking back, leaving Jordan standing there alone, his face full of doubts that didn¡¯t match his young age. He really felt that the two girls looked familiar but at that exact moment, Kelly¡¯s voice interrupted his thoughts. ¡°Jordan, I¡¯m sorry that you have to go through all that to buy such an expensive bag for me. I¡¯ll still return that one million to youter on; otherwise, your dad will think that I¡¯m being childish. Come on, you can pass that to me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Jordan nced at her emotionlessly as hemented, ¡°I didn¡¯t buy it for you. I bought it for Mommy.¡± And just like that, the smile on Kelly¡¯s face froze almost instantly as she stared nkly at the young boy in front of her as he left with the bag. ¡°Miss Yves, I¡¯m done shopping, so I¡¯ll be going back now.¡± When Courtney returned from the hospital, she could hear the sounds of the three girls ying games in the living room. Thetest Switch game was plugged into theputer, and both Angie and Josephine were having a great time ying with their gamepads. As for Tina, she was looking unhappy while sitting on the couch behind the two of them with her arms and legs crossed. Her gloomy face looked exactly like a sculpture. ¡°What happened to you?¡± Courtney went over to her and pinched her face with a smile. ¡°Who angered my little sweetheart again?¡± ¡°You can ask them. All they have their eyes on is money.¡± ¡°Money?¡± Courtney didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± Angie turned around and ced one hand on the edge of the couch. ¡°It would be stupid for us not to see the deal through.¡± Still focusing on the game, Josephine nodded without turning her head around, implying that she agreed with what Angie said. After a long while, Courtney finally understood the reason behind the conflict between the three of them. ¡°We originally bought that bag for 50,000, but that kid was actually willing to buy it from us for a million. What an idiot!¡± ¡°You two still did it for the money. That¡¯s the gift that I picked for Mommy.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t me me! It was Josie who wanted the one million.¡± Josephine was done with her game, so she turned around and nodded. ¡°Yes, I was the one who brought it up, but I didn¡¯t expect anyone to be stupid enough to buy it.¡± At that point, Tina was beyond infuriated. ¡°Mommy, look at her¡ª¡± In the end, Courtney could only try to mediate the dispute. ¡°Alright, alright. It¡¯s nothing serious. I don¡¯t understand why you keep calling that person an idiot, though. Shouldn¡¯t you be happy that he was willing to buy your 50-thousand-bag for a million? You¡¯ve made a profit of 950,000, so what are you all arguing about? Why don¡¯t you use the money to go to the theme park tomorrow? With this money, you can spend your entire summer in the theme park.¡± Tina loved going to theme parks ever since she was a kid, so her mood got significantly better after listening to her mother¡¯s words. Reading the situation, Angie added, ¡°You¡¯re right. We can go there tomorrow. I heard that the theme park at the east side of Melrose City is thergest theme park in the continent. We haven¡¯t been there before.¡± ¡°We should go there.¡± Tina turned toward Courtney. ¡°Mommy, will you being with us?¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney shook her head resignedly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t tag along. The hospital has been busy for the past two days, so let¡¯s wait and see. I need to cook for you now.¡± Looking at Courtney¡¯s figure, Angie touched her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Do you think something has happened to Courtney recently? Is she really that busy?¡± Tina¡¯s expression changed slightly at that. ¡°What if that¡¯s really the case?¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy.¡± Josephine nced at the two of them. ¡°You can use the theme park as an excuse to follow her tomorrow. Then, you¡¯ll find out what she has been doing or who she has been meeting lately.¡± Actually, it wasn¡¯t hard toe up with this n, but it was still admirable for Josephine to speak out about it first and put it into practice. After listening to her n, Tina disregarded her previous grudges and looked at the younger girl with great appreciation. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± And so, Angie and Tina exchange tacit looks. If our n is exposed, we can just put the me on the person who came up with it in the first ce. With years of tacit understanding, the two of them now had a clear n in mind. Even though Josephine had a more mature mindset, her two other sisters were not that far off either. Chapter 447 One Night Surprise Chapter 447 Chapter 447 What Do You Mean Shameless? Courtney had been going to Sunhill Enterprise for a few days now to change Alexander¡¯s dressing. However, she was able to control the time of her arrival and departure very well. Even when Alexander asked her to stay for a meal, she never agreed to it once because she wanted to avoid suspicion but unfortunately, anything involving him was bound to be talked about. At noon, just as Courtney was about to leave the hospital and go to Sunhill Enterprise, she identally overheard the nurses¡¯ conversation in the washroom. ¡°Do you know that beautiful Otharian intern in the pediatrics department who just came back from France?¡± ¡°Of course I do. Courtney, right? When she first came to the hospital, all those single young men were obsessed with her but in the end, they found out that she was already married and had three kids. ¡°She doesn¡¯t look like an honest woman at all. Some time ago, she was rotated to the clinical laboratory and was dispatched to apany to carry out physical examinations on new employees, but do you know what she did?¡± ¡°What did she do?¡± ¡°I heard that she was seducing the president of Sunhill Enterprise. Holly from administration told me that she went to the Sunhill Enterprise to sign a financial handover yesterday. Rumors are going wild in thepany and some of the staff members there even asked Holly about Courtney.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I thought Dr. Hunter was already married. The deputy chief pursued her when she first came, but she rejected him and said that she was already married with kids.¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious that the deputy chief doesn¡¯t meet her standards. We are now talking about the president of Sunhill Enterprise! His name shows up on the headlines of the financial newspaper every three days and he is the dream man of every woman in Melrose City. I reckon that she is now busy getting a divorce with her husband.¡± ¡°That is so shameless!¡± Meanwhile, Courtney stayed inside the washroom and waited for the two nurses to leave before coming out. Even though she was a little infuriated, she seemed rather calm. It was probably because of her many experiences with previous nders that she was now immune to all of it. After carefully washing her hands, she still went to the Sunhill Enterprise. On this day, Courtney decided not to go back to thepany after she was done changing Alexander¡¯s dressing. Most of his wounds have started to scab. From now on, I won¡¯t be responsible for him. After all, it¡¯s his own business and not mine. ¡°President Duncan is having a meeting outside and he hasn¡¯t returned to thepany yet. Please wait for him here, Dr. Hunter.¡± ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll wait for him in his office.¡± Courtney had been here many times before, so it was no surprise that the secretary knew that she was here to change Alexander¡¯s dressing. ¡°Dr. Hunter.¡± The secretary suddenly halted her with an aggrieved expression. ¡°Mr. Reynolds and President Duncan aren¡¯t here, so we can¡¯t really allow people to enter President Duncan¡¯s office. Can you please wait while I make a call to Mr. Reynolds?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to go through all that trouble. I¡¯ll just wait in the lounge.¡± To Courtney, it was all the same and she didn¡¯t have a need to wait in his office, so she didn¡¯t think it necessary to call Eric just because of this. However, the secretary seemed to be thinking about something else as a hint of contempt shed through her eyes. ¡°Please follow me.¡± After leading Courtney to the lounge, the secretary left and the former waited inside for more than 10 minutes without a ss of water to drink. She then took a look at the time and noticed that it was about time Alexander came back, so she endured her thirst. Suddenly, the voice of a woman was heard outside the lounge. ¡°I¡¯ve called President Duncan and he told me that he would be free to meet me this evening. Are you lying to me?¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°Mrs. Yves, why would we lie to you? President Duncan really isn¡¯t here, but he should be back in a minute. You can wait for him in the lounge.¡± ¡°You better not be lying to me. You should know that my daughter is now dating President Duncan and she will be Mrs. Duncan in the future, so if any girl who doesn¡¯t know better wants to approach him, you have to tell me.¡± The woman¡¯s voice sounded particrly mean and carried with it an inexplicable hint of arrogance. ¡°Of course.¡± The secretary smiled as she led the woman into the lounge. ¡°Mrs. Yves, she is President Duncan¡¯s doctor. She is also here to meet him.¡± ¡°Doctor?¡± The middle-aged woman called ¡®Mrs. Yves¡¯ looked at Courtney thoroughly. ¡°Are you that female doctor who kepting to thepany in the past two days?¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney could feel that something was wrong because the woman had put a lot of stress on the word ¡®female¡¯. Also, by the looks of it, the woman must have known earlier that Courtney had beening to thepany frequently, so it was possible that she heard some rumors. Therefore, Courtney furrowed her brows and exined, ¡°President Duncan has injured his arm, so I need to change his dressing every day. I was the doctor who treated him at the hospital, so I was put in charge of him after that. Today is thest time Ie to change his dressing, though.¡± It was obvious that Courtney was disassociating herself with Alexander. The woman let out a cold grunt in response. ¡°I can see that you are clever enough to say these words in front of me, but do you really think I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on behind the scenes? You are nothing to President Duncan, so I advise you to just focus on your work and stop being delusional. You better not cause any trouble here.¡± For a moment, the atmosphere became tense. ¡°Mrs. Yves, I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± ¡°Do you really not know what I¡¯m talking about?¡± The woman¡¯s voice grew sharp and contained a hint of arrogance as she thundered, ¡°President Duncan now has someone by his side to take care of him but even if he doesn¡¯t, he still wouldn¡¯t ask a mere doctor like you to serve him. Don¡¯t use the dressing as an excuse since there are many doctors out there who can do the same job. Also, I heard that you are just an intern who came here for inspection. Am I right? Are you trying to punch above your weight?¡± A few staff members gradually gathered outside the lounge and most of them were secretaries. Many of them came to whisper about what was going on while only several of them were here to mediate the situation. However, some of them said, ¡°Mrs. Yves, please don¡¯t be so harsh. Dr. Hunter is just here to treat President Duncan¡¯s illness.¡± ¡°What illness?¡± The woman immediately refuted, ¡°If he is actually sick, why couldn¡¯t he appoint a personal doctor? Why does she have toe here every day just to treat him? She is just a shameless woman!¡± Courtney originally wanted to settle the situation calmly but at this point, she was rather enraged. ¡°Mrs. Yves, you should be careful with your words. What do you mean ¡®shameless¡¯? I¡¯m a doctor and my job is to cure people. Are you saying that I should stay away from President Duncan and not save him just because he is a bachelor? Besides, you aren¡¯t even rted to him, so who gave you the right to point your finger at me?¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± The woman¡¯s voice became much sharper. ¡°You little b*tch! You have quite a sharp tongue but I¡¯ll have you know that President Duncan is my future son-inw, so who are you to show off in front of me? As for being ¡®shameless¡¯, was I wrong? You already have three children at such a young age, so why are you still here seducing other men? Doesn¡¯t that make you shameless?¡± The tirade caused an uproar among the crowd outside the lounge. It was true that Alexander treated Courtney differently. This much was evident from Eric¡¯s attitude toward her, but no one expected her to be a married woman. ¡°Let me tell you something¡ªdon¡¯t think that you¡¯ve sessfully seduced President Duncan with those little tricks of yours. Men usually see women as new toys. After he is done with you, he won¡¯t even remember your name. If you know any better, you should leave. My daughter might be fine with all this because she has a nice temperament, but I¡¯m not as nice as her.¡± Listening to the older woman¡¯s words, Courtney clenched her fists silently while her expression darkened. Chapter 448 One Night Surprise Chapter 448 Chapter 448 I¡¯m Still His Mother No Matter What Outside the ring of people, two figures¡ªone tall and one short¡ªstood upright. The young man¡¯s clear voice prated the whispering sounds, carrying with it an undisguisable rage. ¡°What¡¯s your daughter¡¯s rtionship with President Duncan? Who gave you the right to interfere in his personal affairs?¡± Immediately, the crowd was startled as the scene fell intoplete silence. Courtney was also stunned by the voice, so she nkly turned her head to look at the approaching person. The crowd automatically stepped aside to make a path. With a steady pace, a boy walked to the door of the lounge and red at the woman with eyes as cold as Alexander¡¯s. ¡°Oh¡ªLittle Master is here.¡± Based on Mrs. Yves tone, she obviously wasn¡¯t taking Jordan seriously. ¡°This is between us adults, so a kid like you should stay out of it. I am helping your dad to take care of the people around him who don¡¯t know their actual worth. It¡¯s not something a kid like you should hear.¡± After that, she looked at the assistant behind Jordan and said, ¡°Take him away quickly. A kid like him should stay at home, so why do you allow him to stay in thepany all day long?¡± With an indifferent expression, Jordan¡¯s assistant, Kate, replied, ¡°Mrs. Yves, Young President Duncan has shares in thepany. Even though he is not yet an adult, President Duncan requested for him to stay in thepany so that he can adapt to thepany¡¯s management. Where do you want me to take him? If you are already that desperate to drive him away when Miss Yves hasn¡¯t even married President Duncan, I can¡¯t imagine what will happen to our Young President Duncan if the two of them actually get married.¡± ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Mrs. Yves instantly flushed as she countered, ¡°I never said those words. How dare you speak to me like that? You are just an assistant!¡± Seeing that the situation was getting out of hand, the secretary who brought Mrs. Yves into the lounge couldn¡¯t help but tug at the older woman¡¯s sleeve and whisper, ¡°She isn¡¯t an ordinary assistant. She is Little Master¡¯s aunt.¡± ¡°So what?¡± Mrs. Yves grunted coldly. ¡°His own mother has already abandoned him, so I don¡¯t care if his assistant is actually his aunt. At such a young age, a child should be studying in school and not hanging around with adults. Otherwise, he¡¯ll end up being used by someone.¡± Seeing her own son being ridiculed in front of everyone, Courtney could feel the rage burning inside her as she growled, ¡°Shut up! It¡¯s none of your business whether his mother has abandoned him or not.¡± ¡°Did you just tell me to shut up?¡± Mrs. Yves¡¯ face darkened and she looked as if she couldn¡¯t wait to tear Courtney apart. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this! Who do you think you are? Are you that desperate to be his stepmother? I¡¯ll have you know that it¡¯ll never happen even in a million years!¡± ¡°The person who is desperate to be his stepmother is your daughter. No matter what, I¡¯m still his real mother.¡± ¡°You¡­ Where are the security guards?¡± Mrs. Yves was trembling in rage and she acted as if she had heard the joke of the century. ¡°Can they do their job and drag this crazy woman away from here?¡± N?velDrama.Org content. ¡°There¡¯s no need to call them. I¡¯ve already brought them here just now,¡± Jordan suddenly announced while ncing at his assistant. Kate immediately understood his intention and shouted at the people who were standing outside the crowd. ¡°Come here and drag this troublemaker away.¡± At that, two muscr security guards came in and grabbed Mrs. Yves on each side before dragging her out. ¡°Hey! What are you doing?!¡± she screamed. ¡°Are you crazy? Do you know who I am?¡± The crowd was in shock as they watched security drag Mrs. Yves out. The secretary, who was obviously on Mrs. Yves¡¯ side, looked on in disbelief. ¡°M-Miss Somerfield, she is rted to Chairman Yves and is Miss Yves¡¯ mother. How dare you drag her out like this?¡± Upon hearing that, Kate red at her and muttered faintly, ¡°Looks like I have to do more than just drag her out. You can go to the human resource department this afternoon to resign from your position immediately.¡± ¡°What?!¡± The secretary was shocked as she shrieked, ¡°Why?¡± However, Kate was not in the mood to exin things, so she looked around and said, ¡°You can all leave now. You are not allowed to speak about what happened here today. You should know the rules of working in the secretariat.¡± Listening to her, everyone else quickly scampered back to their posts. Kate¡¯s seniority in thepany was higher than that of everyone in the secretariat. Even Alexander¡¯s personal assistant, Eric, arrived at thepanyter than her. Not only that, she was also Jordan¡¯s aunt, so she was able to gain the respect of the directors in every department. In the end, the secretary who got into trouble was the only one left in the lounge at a loss. Meanwhile, Jordan remained silent while his eyes turned red, showing the rare grievance of a child. Looking at him, Courtney felt utterly distressed. She had so much to say to him that for a moment, she didn¡¯t know where to start. Then, Kate broke the awkwardness and coughed. ¡°Court, let¡¯s go to Young President Duncan¡¯s office first.¡± ¡°Court?¡± The secretary was stunned while she looked at Kate nkly, as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she just heard. If Dr. Hunter is so close with Kate, does that mean she is Young President Duncan¡¯s¡­ However, Courtney and Jordan had already left the lounge. Before leaving, Kate red at the secretary and said coldly, ¡°You should know what to say and what not to.¡± The secretary copsed in the chair almost instantly as her face turned pale. Jordan¡¯s office was on the 9th floor. No one knew whether his office was deliberately separated from Alexander¡¯s, but the overall decorations of his office still looked a lot like Alexander¡¯s. Even though Jordan was more maturepared to his peers, he was still a 12-year-old kid after all. Be it his voice or appearance, he still looked immature in everyone¡¯s eyes. ¡°Court, I¡¯ll leave you two alone now,¡± Kate said. ¡°Alright.¡± The door was closed gently, leaving only Courtney and Jordan in the office. ¡°Jordan.¡± ¡°Mommy, when did youe back?¡± The youthful voice seemed to have a hint of sadness as it rang out from opposite Courtney. With his head down, Jordan spoke in an aggrieved tone. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come back once after you left?¡± Courtney was at a loss as she answered, ¡°I came back not long ago.¡± ¡°If Aunt Kate didn¡¯t tell me today that you came back, were you nning to leave again without seeing me?¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney was at a loss for words. She couldn¡¯t answer his question. Even though she wanted to see him, she didn¡¯t know how to. Suddenly, Jordan lifted his head, revealing his tear-filled face as he cried, ¡°Do you think that Tina is enough for you, so you don¡¯t want me anymore? Is that why you don¡¯t want to see me?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Courtney immediately panicked and she went to sit next to Jordan. Then, she took a tissue from the table and wiped his tears. ¡°I was afraid that I would be more reluctant to leave after seeing you¡­¡± Upon hearing that, Jordan pushed her hand away and plunged into her arms before letting out a huge cry, as if he was venting all the grievances that had piled up inside him for so many years. After a long time, he finally lifted his head like an aggrieved child and said sensibly, ¡°I know that you couldn¡¯t leave me alone, so you asked Aunt Kate to look after me, but Mommy¡­ I really missed you after you left.¡± Chapter 449 One Night Surprise Chapter 449 Chapter 449 I Bought Gifts for You Every Year ¡°I know that you asked Great-Aunt Alicia to let Aunt Kate take care of me because you¡¯re scared that I would be bullied. Aunt Kate treats me very well.¡± The boy¡¯s eyes were red like a rabbit¡¯s as he sat there in the huge office. Courtney felt as though she was seeing the previous version of Jordan five years ago, when he always hugged her leg and was never willing to talk. However, he was now almost the same height as herself. ¡°Sweetheart, I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m always not by your side.¡± When she left Melrose City five years ago, she was too worried to let him stay here all by himself, but there was nothing she could do since he chose to stay by Alexander¡¯s side. Then, Alicia¡¯s adopted daughter, Kate, had just graduated from university and was looking for a job. After she heard about Courtney¡¯s situation, she took the initiative to apply for a job in Sunhill Enterprise. Kate applied for the job through official procedures but Alexander found out her true identity afterward, which was why she was soon arranged to be Jordan¡¯s assistant in order to look after him. Since then, Kate¡¯s identity had be an open secret within thepany but five yearster, most of the staff members had changed, so no one knew who Jordan¡¯s real mother was, causing many rumors. Jordan was always grateful for Courtney and understood that everyone had their hardships, so he quickly wiped away his aggrieved tears and changed the topic. ¡°I know that you have your own difficulties. By the way, did Tinae back too?¡± Courtney was now overwhelmed by feelings as she wiped her tears and huped, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s back. I¡¯ll see if I can take her along to meet you in two days.¡± ¡°How long are you going to stay here this time?¡± ¡°My n is to stay here for two years.¡± Other than bringing Tina back to treat her illness, Courtney also came back to focus on her studies. Her n was toplete her two-year internship in Melrose City Hospital, but she also needed to finish up a thesis on child psychology within the same period. However, the specific timing still depended on her research progress. ¡°Then we¡¯re not in a hurry.¡± Jordan delightfully breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Wait! I have something to give you.¡± He then walked behind his desk and took out a big shopping bag before handing it to her. ¡°I remember that your birthday was two days ago, so here¡¯s a gift for you.¡± ¡°Why would you prepare a gift for me?¡± Courtney was stunned at that moment. ¡°I bought gifts for you every year,¡± Jordan answered with a clear youthful voice and a smile on his face. ¡°I bought birthday gifts for you every year knowing that you woulde back. I bought this two days ago and haven¡¯t had the chance to bring it home yet. The rest is at home, so I¡¯ll give them to you next time.¡± Then, someone knocked on the door. Turned out it was Kate. ¡°Court, President Duncan is back and he has ordered lunch in his office. He is asking if you want to have lunch with him and Young President Duncan.¡± Courtney was surprised, but Jordan had already pulled her out of her seat as he murmured, ¡°I haven¡¯t had lunch yet. Let¡¯s go.¡± By the time she got dragged into Alexander¡¯s office by Jordan, the dining table by the window in the southeast corner was already filled with food. The home-cooked food looked appetizing, especially for someone like Courtney who rushed all the way here after attending to patients for the entire afternoon. ¡°I came backte because I had a meeting. I heard from the secretary that something happened just now.¡± The moment Alexander said that, Jordan muttered, ¡°You can alwayse backter so that Mommy can be bullied more. By then, you can finally marry Miss Yves.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already pretty good for your mom to not bully others.¡± To be fair, what Alexander said was right. Although Courtney had a good temper, she was never one who would submit to oppression, not to mention that she always held a grudge against Kelly¡¯s family. Even though Courtney had never met Kelly¡¯s mother, the former still couldn¡¯t stand anyone from that family. However, Alexander¡¯s words sounded particrly harsh in Jordan¡¯s ears, so the boy growled, ¡°Dad, if you don¡¯t wish to eat with us, I can take Mommy outside to eat something else.¡± N?velDrama.Org content. His feisty looks werepletely different from how adorable he acted in front of Courtney just now. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Courtney quickly stopped the duo from arguing any further. ¡°I wasn¡¯t bullied because Jordan got there in time. Now, eat your food before it turns cold.¡± After listening to her words, Jordan calmed down and spooned some food for her. ¡°This is delicious, Mommy. You should eat more.¡± Meanwhile, Alexander felt lonely as he sat opposite them, so he furrowed his brows and mumbled, ¡°You haven¡¯t changed my dressing yet.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney looked at him and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Since you came back sote, it seems like you¡¯re not in a hurry to change your dressing. I should remind you that Mommy is here to eat with me and not be your maid.¡± Looking at his father, Jordan uttered casually, ¡°Dad, if you really are in a hurry to change your dressing, I would suggest you go to the hospital.¡± At that, Alexander frowned and muttered, ¡°Are you really my son?¡± However, Jordan ignored him and continued spooning food for Courtney while he asked about Tina¡¯s medical condition. Her asthma was basically cured abroad and it hadn¡¯t urred in recent years. The reason Courtney came back was to use Otharian acupuncture to bring it under permanent control. After hearing her exnation, Jordan breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Suddenly, Courtney remembered Scott¡¯s situation, so she nced at Alexander and asked, ¡°By the way, what are you going to do about Old Master Duncan¡¯s illness?¡± ¡°The director of the cardiac department rmends performing a heart bypass surgery, but as you know, Grandpa is getting older so we are now using drugs to control the situation. We¡¯re still waiting for the hospital to give us any specifics on what to do next.¡± Scott¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t in a healthy state. Although he seemed fine in the hospital, all his medical results indicated that his health was below average. Not only that, he should also prevent himself from getting too emotional; otherwise, he might go into shock and never wake up again. The moment Scott¡¯s illness was mentioned, the atmosphere at the table instantly turned serious. While serving Courtney a bowl of soup, Alexander paused for a brief moment before cing the bowl in front of her. ¡°Everyone in the family thinks that the heart bypass surgery is the best choice, but Grandpa isn¡¯t willing to do it.¡± It¡¯s not a surprise that he is more concerned now that he is getting older. It¡¯s not easy to make a choice that will determine your life. The heart bypass surgeryes with a huge risk. Courtney¡¯s face froze for a brief moment as she understood the reasoning behind Scott¡¯s stubbornness. ¡°Great-grandpa can¡¯t bear to let us go.¡± Jordan¡¯s sudden voice interrupted Courtney¡¯s thoughts. ¡°He said that there¡¯s a risk for the surgery and if it fails, he won¡¯t be able to see how dad will do for the rest of his life. Also, Great-grandpa mentioned that he is waiting for you toe back so that he can tell you something.¡± Courtney was left startled upon hearing that. Chapter 450 One Night Surprise Chapter 450 Chapter 450 It¡¯s Time to Put Our n Into Motion It had been half a month since Scott got admitted into the hospital and since then, Courtney had never met him. To be fair, there was also an element of her avoiding him. After all, they almost became a family in the past, so she felt that it would be awkward for them to meet since she didn¡¯t know what to say. Courtney knew the things that both Alexander and her did back then must have hurt the old man, but she never expected that Scott¡¯s refusal to perform his surgery was because of her. After lunch, Kate drove Courtney back to the hospital. ¡°Court, everything happened so quickly today. After assessing the situation, I decided to tell Jordan because I was worried that Mrs. Yves would make a big fuss and the rumours about you have been increasing in the past two days. I hope you¡¯re not angry at me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re only doing this for me.¡± ¡°You can say that I¡¯m a bit biased too.¡± Kate chuckled and added, ¡°I was worried that I wouldn¡¯t know what to do if Alicia knew about the grievances you suffered in Sunhill Enterprise.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be worried. In fact, I should be grateful that you¡¯ve been taking care of Jordan for all these years.¡± ¡°If Alicia hadn¡¯t sponsored me throughout university, I would have stayed in the vige after high school, teaching primary school students for a living. Now that I¡¯m doing pretty well, I should be grateful. Everyone has their own choices, and the choice that I made back then was actually an opportunity all along.¡± Sitting in the passenger¡¯s seat, Courtney couldn¡¯t help but look at Kate as she repeated, ¡°An opportunity?¡± Kate was a student from an impoverished area who got financial aid from Alicia and William. Five years ago, when Kate just graduated from university, she managed to pass the preliminary national examination and interview so at that time, she was one submission of her personal documents away from getting a job. Also, with William¡¯s care, the rest of her life should be smooth sailing for her. However, Kate rejected the job that countless people dreamed of having and submitted her resume to Sunhill Enterprise. She only told her family about it after she got her eptance notice, so it was already toote for her to change. Afterward, Alicia was angry at her for not discussing things with them before making the decision. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Court, this might sound clich¨¦, but I¡¯m now capable of buying my own house and paying my grandma¡¯s hospital bills without asking for money from Alicia. Not only that, I am also able to buy a decent birthday gift for Alicia and Josie, and the people in thepany are now treating me with respect. This is the life I want to live.¡± Courtney understood why Kate was desperate to prove her worth back then, but the former also pitied Alicia and William. ¡°Kate, don¡¯t you think that Aunt Alicia and Uncle William nned out your future for you so that you don¡¯t have to suffer? To them, you are like their own daughter.¡± Courtney believed that they adopted Kate back then so that they could treat thetter as though she was their actual daughter, and they must have hoped that Kate would treat them as her own parents. Sadly, that wasn¡¯t the case. Just like what Alicia said, it was as if she was destined to live a life with no children. Holding onto the steering wheel, Kate murmured, ¡°Court, we are not the same. I knew from a young age that if I ever wanted something, I would have to fight for it with my bare hands in order to have any hope of achieving it. I feel that the things that are provided by others will neverst long.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney felt a bit disappointed. ¡°So you¡¯re saying Aunt Alicia and Uncle William are ¡®others¡¯ and not your family?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. You know that it was hard for me to be adopted at an older age since I still have my grandmother to take care of, so I can never forget about my original family. However, I can promise you that I will always remember what Alicia and all of you did for me.¡± Courtney stared at Kate for a while. The former was hesitant to speak about what she felt, so she remained silent. ¡°Aunt Alicia and Uncle William just want you to be happy, so I hope that you understand what you¡¯re doing.¡± Kate was an orphan who was adopted by Alicia and William back then, but it was only known to them after all the adoption papers were signed that she still had a grandmother who was too weak to take care of her, which was why she was ced in an orphanage. However, Kate was very stubborn back then, so after two days living with the Somerfield Family, she ran back to her old home. Alicia and William looked around for her and when they finally found her, the girl was covered in dust while she stood on a stool cooking for her grandmother at home. They never thought of adopting another child at a younger age, so they allowed Kate to live with her grandmother. However, they would give them money every month and visit them from time to time until Kate finally graduated from university. Kate always went with her ideas ever since she was a kid and she could endure a lot, so she would usually inform Alicia and William about her ns only after doing it. As for Courtney, she was itching to ask Kate if she gave up on a stable job previously to join the Sunhill Enterprise as a secretary because she knew about Courtney¡¯s rtionship with Alexander. Because of me, Jordan would definitely trust her and Alexander would treat her differently as well, which would give her respect from everyone in thepany. This is probably why she achieved a solid status in the company in just five years. However, Courtney chose not to ask this as she believed that everyone had themselves to look out for. Overall, Kate is still a kind person. Even though she has used some means to get here, she is still doing all this for herself and her grandmother, so it¡¯s understandable. ¡°We¡¯re here. Drive safe on the way back.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡­ Inside the president¡¯s office of Sunhill Enterprise, Alexander looked thunderous after hearing from Eric about the ruckus Kelly¡¯s mother caused today, ¡°Is it settled?¡± ¡°It¡¯s settled. I have notified the reception to not let Mrs. and Miss Yves in no matter what.¡± ¡°Other than thepany¡¯s shares, I will officially announce the removal of Kelly from the board of directors in our monthly meeting, so I want you to contact the other directors to get their votes.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Eric furrowed his brows andmented, ¡°However, I¡¯m afraid it might be difficult to persuade Chairman Yves since Miss Yves is her niece. It won¡¯t be pretty if we forbid her to participate in the meeting.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander red at him and said angrily, ¡°She never participates in the meetings but for some reason, ever since the merger, she was able to control some of the stubborn directors and spread rumors within thepany. Not only do I not want to see Kelly again, I must buy back the shares from Susan as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that we should take this slowly? We shouldn¡¯t rush it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to put our n into motion,¡± Alexander said with an indifferent expression. ¡°Otherwise, she¡¯ll think that it is okay to do as she pleases just because she has more than twenty percent of the company¡¯s shares. She should be reminded that this isn¡¯t her yground.¡± Looking at Alexander¡¯s fierce-looking gaze, Eric couldn¡¯t help but tremble inside. Because of Courtney, the boss has now decided to implement the n of removing the board of directors in advance, so who exactly is she? It seems like I have to call Josh to ask about it. Chapter 451 One Night Surprise Chapter 451 Chapter 451 He¡¯s Only My Ex At Melrose City Hospital, since Courtney returned, she had been standing at the clinicalboratory window conducting blood samples collections and delivering test results. ¡°Tell me the truth¡ªare you ying with me? What on earth did you tell Caleb for him to tell my mom that I¡¯m his soulmate and only choice for marriage? No, he must be referring to you.¡± ¡°Has Cardiac Surgery found itself a lot of free timetely for you to be able toe to me at your leisure to discuss private matters, Chief Hass? If our superiors catch you¡­¡± Exasperated, Courtney eyed Linda, who was reclining in her chair. ¡°I don¡¯t care if they catch me. I need to clear things up with you by today. If you¡¯re truly interested in Caleb, can¡¯t you juste clean to him about your identity and start dating him?¡± ¡°I swear I¡¯m not interested in him. I¡¯m only doing what you told me to.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. If you really did as I told you to, why does he still keep having his maid send you lunch every day¡ª¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°His maid?¡± Courtney suddenly interrupted. ¡°What are you talking about? What maid? I thought the person delivering lunch was¡ª¡± ¡°Chief¡­¡± Pushing open theb door with a panicked look on her face, a nurse on duty interrupted before Courtney could finish speaking. ¡°Oh¡ªChief Hass, you¡¯re here as well. Is Chief Kenell here?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Courtney paused for a moment. ¡°Chief Kenell is attending a PTA meeting at her kid¡¯s school. She just left.¡± Chief Kenell was the clinicalboratory chief. Because the clinicalboratory department wasn¡¯t as busy receiving patients as other departments, the chief was usually not on-shift in theboratory. ¡°Someone outside is throwing a fuss,¡± the nurse exined anxiously. ¡°I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s a patient, but she wants to see a doctor from the clinicalboratory department. I asked her which doctor it was but she couldn¡¯t tell me, so I hurried here to notify Chief Kenell.¡± ¡°Throwing a fuss?¡± Linda repeated as she stood up. ¡°This batch of patients must be mad! The incident from two days ago made the news. Come now, I¡¯ll help you deal with it.¡± Seeing that she was saved, the nurse quickly nodded. ¡°Thank you, Chief Hass.¡± After all, Linda Hass was well-known in the hospital for having a temper that could not be crossed. She had her own method of dealing with patients and as of yet, no patient had been able to outmatch her. Afraid that things would get blown out of proportion, Courtney hurried after them. From afar, they could already see a figure being held back by several nurses in the corridor. ¡°Why are you all holding onto me? Don¡¯t touch me! I already told you that I only want to look for a doctor from the clinicalboratory. The shameless sl*t has been seducing my boyfriend! Aren¡¯t I allowed to speak with her?¡± ¡°Outsiders aren¡¯t allowed to simply walk into the clinicalboratories, ma¡¯am. If you give us her name, we can have her summoned.¡± ¡°Why would Ie here if I knew her name? At any rate, it¡¯s the doctor who has been conducting physical examinations at Sunhill Enterprise these few days. She¡¯s so shameless to be seeking an opportunity wherever she finds it!¡± The woman¡¯s voice was particrly livid, harsh, and shrill. ¡°Sunhill Enterprise?¡± Linda stopped in her tracks and nced over her shoulder. Naturally, Courtney lifted her head and realized that Linda was staring straight at her. Currently, the former was also startled and her gaze tracked the sound of the voice to see a very familiar figure being surrounded by a crowd of nurses. Who else could go about constantly toting limited-edition purses and dressing up like a Chanel model who was afraid of being perceived as poor other than her so-called cousin Kelly Yves, the niece of her stepmother Susan? ¡°Courtney?¡± The moment Kelly saw Courtney, the anger on her face turned into astonishment. ¡°Why are you here?¡± In response, Courtney tried to tug the corners of her mouth upward into a smile, but she quickly gave up when she realized she couldn¡¯t. ¡°There are too many people here. Do you want to talk in my office?¡± Perplexed for the moment, Kelly blurted, ¡°But I¡¯m not here for you. I¡¯m here for a doctor. She¡ª¡± And then, her face suddenly paled as she realized Courtney was wearing a white coat. In disbelief, she asked, ¡°You? Y-You¡¯re the one who¡¯s been going to Sunhill Enterprise every day to change Alexander¡¯s dressings? It¡¯s you?¡± ¡°Dr. Hunter has been going to help the President of Sunhill Enterprise change his dressings every day?¡± ¡°This is the first I¡¯m hearing of it.¡± ¡°I heard a long time ago that she was assigned to Sunhill Enterprise to help their employees conduct medical examinations.¡± ¡°Oh my god! She must have some skill. Could you have been assigned to it?¡± And it went on and on. Intrigued, the flock of nurses gathered in the corridor to gossip, looking between Courtney and Kelly from time to time. It had to be proof that hospital work was too dull, for why else would they watch on as trouble gued a member of their staff with such great relish? Of course, Courtney felt so embarrassed that she wished she could disappear into a hole in the ground, but she could only exin to Kelly in front of everyone, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. I don¡¯t have any rtionship with him. I¡¯m only carrying out my job as a doctor for an old friend. Whatever your rtionship is with him has nothing to do with me.¡± Seemingly humiliated by Courtney¡¯s response, Kelly huffed. ¡°Don¡¯t act innocent in front of me! Other people might not know what your rtionship is with him. But I do, and God knows he never got over his ex-wife! He didn¡¯t even tell me you came back. It¡¯s no wonder your son told me two days ago that he wanted to buy you a birthday present. Who do you husband and wife both think you¡¯re trying to fool?¡± ¡°Husband and wife?¡± ¡°Son?¡± The corridor instantly exploded in murmurs. Helplessly, Courtney rubbed her temples. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out that all sorts of gossip had to be flying around the various social circles in Melrose City Hospital by now. Yet, like a lit cannon, Kelly continued to go off. ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you get back together with Alexander, Courtney Hunter. I¡¯m in no mood to be strung along by both of you. Goodbye!¡± With that, she stormed off without turning back, her heels clicking against the tile of the corridor with sharp, clear force. All at once, the audience of doctors and nurses turned to stare at Courtney. In the end, Linda was the one to speak up first and give her a thumbs-up. ¡°Impressive, Dr. Hunter. No wonder you wouldn¡¯t tell us what your husband did for a living. Turns out he¡¯s the richest man in all of Melrose City. Very impressive indeed.¡± ¡°I never knew you had so much hidden away, Dr. Hunter.¡± ¡°You should treat us to dinner tonight.¡± ¡°Yes, you must! If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m withholding the data you wanted and extending your internship.¡± And so on. In the midst of all that chatter, the only thing Courtney could sense was the money in her purse growing wings and flying away. How terrible did her luck have to be for Alexander to be indirectly hurting her so long after they broke up? Why couldn¡¯t the women interested in him be more strong-willed? Why did they have to give up the moment they saw her? ¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯ll treat everyone to dinner, but the question is whether or not you¡¯re free to attend.¡± ¡°We can order in and have it delivered to the hospital canteen. And then, we can take turns eating. It can be a banquet!¡± ¡°Do you think my money grows on trees?¡± ¡°How can you say that? Your husband is the richest man in all of Melrose City! I think you should share your wealth with everyone.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not my husband; he¡¯s only my ex!¡± ¡°I, too, wish to have the richest man in Melrose City as my ex! What kind of luck do you have? I think it might rub off on us if you treat us to dessert and supper as well.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney could only sigh helplessly. Chapter 452 One Night Surprise Chapter 452 Chapter 452 You Can Leave Now, Mister Ever since news of Courtney and Alexander¡¯s rtionship came out at the hospital, the former had been experiencing quite a bit of teasing. Fortunately, partly because no one had that much free time on their hands and partly because Courtney got along well enough with her knowledgeable coworkers, they stuck only to teasing and didn¡¯t try to cause her any trouble. On this day, upon returning home after finishing up an evening shift, Courtney noticed an unexpected figure leaning against a car at the entrance of her apartment building. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ncing down at her wristwatch, she noted that it was already past midnight. ¡°It¡¯s in the middle of the night. What are you doing here?¡± ordingly, Alexander stood up straight. ¡°Why haven¡¯t youe to see me thesest two days?¡± ¡°You¡¯re healed,¡± Courtney pointed out, matter-of-fact. ¡°The final dressing change was a couple of days ago. The wound has already begun to scab, so it doesn¡¯t require treatment any longer and you can wait for it to naturally fall off.¡± ¡°So, now that my wound is healed, you have no intentions of seeing me any longer?¡± ¡°Not necessarily. I¡¯m not cursing you or anything, but I think we all fall ill every once in a while. We might see each other again in the future. Still, I hope that¡¯s not the case, since it¡¯s more important for you to be safe and healthy.¡± With a second nce at him, she added, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte and I¡¯m going home. Tina is waiting for me. You should go home as well.¡± Unfortunately, before she could take more than a few steps, he asked anxiously behind her, ¡°My wound might be healed, Courtney, but what about my heart?¡± As she paused in her tracks, he stepped right up behind her and continued, ¡°Aren¡¯t you intending to address the fact that you sent Kelly away and ruined the only beautiful thing I¡¯ve had in my life for the past five years? Now I¡¯ll have to be alone for the rest of my life.¡± When Courtney heard that, she turned back in astonishment. It seems he cares quite a bit about Kelly, after all. Somewhat unhappily, she told him, ¡°I never intended to send her away. She was the one who came to the hospital to find me out of the blue and spout a bunch of nonsense. Besides, you could¡¯ve urged her to stay.¡± ¡°If I was able to urge anyone to stay, I wouldn¡¯t have let you leave five years ago,¡± Alexander admitted a little dully as his eyes glimmered. His suddenly regretful expression seeded in making Courtney¡¯s heart clench. By now, it was deep in the night and there wasn¡¯t a single person walking around the neighborhood. All around them was darkness, apart from the dim lights emanating from the streetmp above their heads. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Just like that, the atmosphere changed subtly. Dodging both his gaze and the charged statement, Courtney told him, ¡°Kelly was the one who went to my hospital. It¡¯s good enough that I haven¡¯t taken you to task for the fuss she threw, but what do you expect me to do about how things have turned out?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting here for you for three hours. Won¡¯t you invite me upstairs for a drink?¡± ¡°Tina is asleep.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t disturb her.¡± Knowing that Alexander wouldn¡¯t leave without a drink and having no other solution, Courtney could onlypromise and invite him upstairs. The moment she entered the door, she pulled a pair of disposable slippers out of the cab by the door and tossed it onto the floor for him. ¡°I¡¯ll make you some tea. What do you want to drink?¡± ¡°Anything will do.¡± ¡°Jasmine tea, then.¡± She pulled a box of tea out of a cupboard and boiled some water. After making some tea, she carried the two cups to the coffee table in the living room, whereupon she put one in front of him. Ever the polite guest, Alexander picked up the cup and took a sip before appraising concisely, ¡°It¡¯s good.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney eyed him and drawled wryly, ¡°As the president of Sunhill Enterprise, you can have any tea you want. Why do you feel the need toe here for cheap tea?¡± ¡°Nothing suits my appetite like the tea you make.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all flower tea, anyway. It tastes the same no matter who¡¯s making it.¡± ¡°There is always a difference in the color, warmth, and fragrance.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were such an expert on tea now,¡± Courtneymented with finality, lowering her head to take a sip. s, Alexander didn¡¯t have the intention of dropping the subject. ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°In that case, allow me to make things clear.¡± He put down his cup. ¡°If you truly didn¡¯t still have me in your heart, you wouldn¡¯t care whether my dressings got changed or not, let aloneing to Sunhill Enterprise every day to do it yourself. There is no way that we could have a clean break after all our years together, not when we have two children¡ªJordan on my side and Tina on yours.¡± ¡°And where are you going with this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that since we can¡¯t have a clean break anyway, you might as well consider being with me again.¡± Before Courtney could say ¡®no,¡¯ Alexander interrupted, ¡°If you¡¯re hesitating because I didn¡¯t treat you well, I had a defect in my personality or I was so possessive that I couldn¡¯t give you the freedom you wanted, then I can promise you I have changed.¡± Never had Courtney seen him being so sincere. All those years ago, she would have been hard-pressed to even get an apology from him. Five years later, however, he was speaking to her so gently that it was as if he had all his rough edges sanded off. ¡°I don¡¯t agree,¡± a young voice said from behind Courtney, making the both adults in the living room pause. Turning around, Courtney asked, ¡°Josie? Why are you still awake?¡± ¡°Grandma says we must go forward and not back, Mommy. I don¡¯t want a daddy I don¡¯t know.¡± Wearing cow-patterned pajamas, Josephine walked out of her bedroom and stood next to Courtney in a dignified manner before watching Alexander with some wariness. ¡°You can leave now, mister.¡± Stunned, Alexander stared at the adorable little girl before him for a long time. ¡°Who¡­¡± Not knowing how to exin, Courtney rested her forehead against her fingertips. ¡°Did you just call her ¡®Mommy¡¯?¡± he pressed. ¡°What else?¡± Josephine saw through him at a nce. ¡°There¡¯s no need to wonder. My name is Josephine Somerfield, but I¡¯m Mommy¡¯s daughter. If I¡¯m not wrong, you¡¯re my biological daddy.¡± As if hit in the head by an unexpected object falling from the sky, Alexander remained dazed for a long time before finally turning numbly to Courtney for confirmation. ¡°So, you were pregnant when you left five years ago? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± ¡°Why would I have? With the situation being what it was at the time, my pregnancy would only have complicated matters. There was no point in telling you.¡± Frowning, Courtney pulled Josephine into her lap and exined as she stroked the little girl¡¯s hair, ¡°If I can raise Tina by myself, then I can raise Josie by myself too. You needn¡¯t overthink it.¡± Despite trying his best to suppress his joy, Alexander could not refrain from staring in wonder at the little girl. ¡°So, your name is Josie? And you know I¡¯m your daddy?¡± ring at him with her mouth tugging into a disdainful frown, the little girl answered, ¡°Tina always talks about how rich and handsome you are. I have no choice but to know.¡± ¡°And where is she?¡± ¡°Asleep. She sleeps like a pig, so don¡¯t think you can wake her up to help you.¡± Struggling to sit up in Courtney¡¯s embrace, Josephine continued sternly and maturely, ¡°I know what happened between you and Mommy, mister, so I think you should leave my mommy alone. We just want to lead a quiet life.¡± Chapter 453 One Night Surprise Chapter 453 Chapter 453 The President Is Requesting a Proposal At this moment, Alexander froze for a second. It wasn¡¯t until then that he realized the daughter that he was meeting for the first time wasn¡¯t joking around with him. ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t it good if I¡¯m there to care for all of you?¡± Unmoved and even somewhat contemptuously, Josephine replied, ¡°Grandma says Mommy had you to care for her before I was born, but she was very unhappy.¡± Instantly, Alexander became somewhat embarrassed. Amused by the confrontation between them, Courtney decided not to interfere and only sat back to enjoy their debate until it turned to the virtues of marriage 10 minutester. ¡°You¡¯re still young, so I imagine you might not understand that it is actually a blessed thing to get married.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so old, mister, but there is something my grandma understands that you don¡¯t. She says many people get married, but many married people are un-blessed and unhappy. She also says unmarried people are happy most of the time. So, I don¡¯t think being married has to do with being blessed. Don¡¯t lie to me because I¡¯m a kid.¡± Ever since she could speak, Josephine had spent time by Alicia¡¯s side learning the various philosophies of life. Thus, although she was only kindergarten-aged, she was so well-learned and spoke so much with the logic of an old wise woman that even Courtney was often befuddled by her. Giving the child a conflicted look now, Alexander asked, ¡°Your grandma told you that? Who¡¯s your grandma?¡± ¡°My Aunt Alicia,¡± Courtney exined helplessly. Because Josephine was adopted into the Somerfield Family, she called Alicia ¡®Grandma¡¯ for convenience¡¯s sake rather than addressing her as ¡®Great-Aunt Alicia¡¯ like Tina did. As Alicia never liked Alexander, it waspletely reasonable that Josephine was influenced into also disliking him simply by staying with her extended family. Yet, despite understanding where she wasing from, Alexander was unwilling to throw in the towel just yet. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s bad that other kids at kindergarten have a father but you don¡¯t?¡± Unfortunately, Josephine, who grew up being doted upon like a spoiled princess, did not find herself wanting for paternal love. ¡°Other kids don¡¯t have a grandma and grandpa like I do. Why don¡¯t they think it¡¯s bad?¡± In all honesty, Alexander had no answer for that. Meanwhile, Courtney was tickled to see him so thoroughly defeated. At the end of the day, Tina and Josephine were two very different people, not only in personality but in the environment they grew up in as well. When Tina was younger, she had no one forpany apart from her nannies and schoolteachers, as well as no one to dote on her apart from Elijah. That was why she yearned for family life. In contrast, Josephine grew up surrounded by familial love and thus did not find it something to yearn for. In fact, she was quite the opposite¡ªat her young age, there was nothing she looked forward to more than freedom and independence. ¡°It¡¯ste, mister. You shouldn¡¯t be here. You should go home,¡± Josephine said decisively now, rubbing salt into Alexander¡¯s wound after leaving him at a loss for words. ¡°It is gettingte,¡± Courtney agreed, standing up and ruffling her daughter¡¯s hair. ¡°Let¡¯s see him out, shall we?¡± And just like that, they made it clear that Alexander was no longer wee. No matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to leave. After shutting the door, Courtney nced down at her daughter and asked, both in exasperation and amusement, ¡°You don¡¯t like him, do you?¡± At that, Josephine shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know him. Why should I like him? Not everyone likes handsome men like Tina does.¡± As if she could hear herself being referenced, Tina suddenly sneezed from inside the bedroom in the middle of her sleep. ¡°Alright, go to bed,¡± Courtney told her youngest daughter in resignation. After washing up, Courtney went to lie down in her own bed. All these years, she had never thought about getting back in contact with Alexander, partially because she genuinely hadn¡¯t found an opportunity and partially because no one in her life would support her doing so other than Tina. Even Cameron, who married Alexander¡¯s best friend, said the same thing as Alicia¡ªthat men never changed and that Courtney should stop holding out hope for Alexander. And so, as the years passed, she was influenced to think less and less about him. The strange thing was that even when she no longer thought about him, neither could shemit herself to a new rtionship. Meanwhile, after having an unexpected daughter fall from the sky and directly into his heart, Alexander spent the next few days smiling so stupidly that his employees were starting to think the sun rose from the west. Even the ns that were usually criticized severely and returned were given some leeway and a few more days to improve. ¡°Here¡¯s the revised annual n of the nning Department, President Duncan.¡± ¡°Set it aside.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Seated behind the desk, Alexander was twirling his pen and spacing out, and the document before him hadid untouched for the whole morning. ¡°I called Josh yesterday, President Duncan. He said the project in Australia ising to a close and asked me to deliver the good news to you.¡± Alexander grunted absent-mindedly before suddenly thinking of something a momentter. ¡°Once the project ispleted, Josh should be free.¡± ¡°I suppose so. The system in Australia is perfected, so he doesn¡¯t need to do much apart from working on the project.¡± ¡°Have hime back, then. I have something I need him to do.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Eric instantly paled when he heard that. ¡°Why do you need him? C-Can¡¯t I do it?¡± After all, Josh and Eric were both assistants in charge of helping Alexander resolve his problems. What kind of issue could have arisen that required the presence of the former assistant? ¡°You?¡± Alexander nced at him. ¡°There are some things you don¡¯t know about, so it¡¯s best Josh comes back to deal with them.¡± Naturally, that statement injured Eric so much that he was almost in tears as he asked, ¡°Please tell me what the matter is, President Duncan. Can¡¯t we ask him toe back only if I¡¯m unable to handle it?¡± He left out the part where he thought Alexander didn¡¯t trust him enough. ¡°Besides, he has to finish up there beforeing back, anyway. If you need something done in a hurry, there¡¯s nothing he can do from so far away.¡± Seemingly hearing the logic in that, Alexander gave a thoughtful nod. ¡°What do you need me to resolve?¡± Eric pleaded. ¡°Have you dated before?¡± The question made Eric¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± ¡°Got back together with your ex?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Afraid of misspeaking, Eric contemted Alexander carefully before saying tentatively, ¡°Uh¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°What solutions do you have for getting back together with an ex?¡± Startled, Eric questioned, ¡°You want to get back together with your ex? Is it Dr. Hunter?¡± Alexander inclined his head. ¡°Can you solve this matter?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Eric instantly promised. ¡°I have to! Give me a day. I¡¯ll have a n written out for you by the end of the day.¡± Deep down, he vowed, Even if I can¡¯t resolve it, I would have to! He had to make it happen in order to keep his position. And so, after leaving the office, Eric pulled out his cell phone and sent out a circr to the entire company. ¡®Urgent News: The president is requesting a proposal to reunite with his ex. All stations and departments may submit a proposal. Raise and promotion are imminent once the n is epted.¡¯ Chapter 454 One Night Surprise Chapter 454 Chapter 454 Sess Rate of 99% Before the end of the workday, Eric marched into Alexander¡¯s office with a printed stack of documents and a resolute expression on his face. ¡°These are the collective ideas of the various departments, President Duncan. Many of our younger employees provided summaries of the ns they used to get back their ex. I chose three of the proposals with sess rates of 99%.¡± Reading through the thick stack of proposals, Alexander nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Implement these, then. The materials we require¡­¡± ¡°I will have them readied beforehand,¡± Eric answered immediately. ¡­ As Courtney entered her neighborhood after finishing her shift, she subconsciously took a look around. It relieved her not to see Alexander¡¯s car there, yet her heart suddenly felt empty. The three children were doing what they usually did¡ªgaming and watching television¡ªwhen she entered the house. ¡°Does anyone want to go with me to the supermarket? What do you all want to eat for dinner?¡± she asked them. Seated in front of the television, Tina took some time to respond, ¡°I can eat anything, Mommy.¡± Following suit, Josephine nodded. ¡°Me too.¡± As for Angie, who was in the bedroom, gaming was her life. She didn¡¯t care much what she ate as long as she had something to eat. Somewhat speechlessly, Courtney opened the refrigerator to confirm that there was nothing left to make for dinner before deciding to go on a shopping run by herself. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now.¡± ¡°Okay, Mommy. Be safe!¡± Although the response came quicker this time, it was dismissive and its speakers never took their eyes off the television. Upon hearing that, Courtney could only sigh resignedly. It was rare that she got toe home early from work, yet her children were busy with their own activities and acting like they didn¡¯t need her. How frustrating life was! When she opened the front door, however, a figure in the doorway made her stop in her tracks. ¡°Mr. Menzie? What are you doing here?¡± At this moment, Caleb had his hand poised to knock. Upon seeing the door open right before his eyes, he also paused for a moment before putting down his hand. ¡°I need to talk to you about something. Are you free?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yes, but I¡¯m about to go grocery shopping. Would you like toe in first?¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. I can go with you. Are you going to the ce opposite your neighborhood?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Courtney answered with a small smile. Before she could say anything else, a small head popped out from behind her back. ¡°Who¡¯s this, Mommy?¡± Josephine stared at the man in front of her before asking bluntly, ¡°Your boyfriend?¡± Caleb¡¯s and Courtney¡¯s expressions changed simultaneously the minute they heard that. That was especially the case for Courtney, who dragged her daughter out from behind her back before scolding, ¡°What are you saying? This is my friend! You can call him Mr. Menzie.¡± With that, she turned to apologize to Caleb. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. She means no harm. This is my youngest daughter.¡± ¡°My name is Josephine Somerfield,¡± Josephine added boldly, staring up at Caleb. Then, another small head popped out from behind Courtney. ¡°I¡¯m Tina Hunter.¡± Courtney put her hand to her forehead. ¡°My second daughter,¡± she borated. With a small smile, Calebplimented, ¡°Your daughters are very cute.¡± ¡°Mommy, why are you making Mr. Menzie stand at the door?¡± Josephine batted her eyshes. ¡°Won¡¯t you let him enter?¡± Knowing what her daughters were up to, Courtney gave up and simply decided to invite him in. ¡°Well, come in then, Mr. Menzie. I¡¯m going to buy some ingredients; you can have dinner with us tonight.¡± With that, she nced toward the bedroom and shouted, ¡°Come and greet our guest, Angie Grant! Make him some tea.¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll be out after this fight.¡± Instructions thus delivered, Courtney left the house. ¡°So, your name is Josephine Somerfield and yours is Tina Hunter. Your sister is Angie Grant. Why do all three of you have differentst names?¡± Caleb was hung up on the details due to upational habits. Again, Josephine batted her eyshes. ¡°Because we have different fathers!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Tina immediately denied. ¡°Angie and I have the same father, and Josie and I share the same daddy, but we each have two fathers.¡± Notpletely understanding her meaning, Caleb looked at her in puzzlement. At this moment, the door opened from the bedroom and a tall young woman walked out. Upon seeing Caleb, she immediately let out a warm smile. ¡°Are you Courtney¡¯s boyfriend?¡± Of course, Caleb¡¯s expression only became more bewildered when he heard that. ¡°You call her ¡®Courtney¡¯?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Meanwhile at the supermarket, Courtney bought slightly more fruits and vegetables than usual to make up for the presence of a visitor. As she stared down at the two gigantic shopping bags next to her after checking out, she instantly regretted not asking Caleb toe along with her. At the very least, he would be able to do the hardbor for her. Toting the two shopping bags out of the supermarket, she realized that the square in front was somewhat noisy. There were many people out and about this evening, from skateboarding youth to children chasing their pets. Across the square, the ssical music of buskers and the street music of street dancers shed fiercely. As Courtney idly wondered whether there was some kind of event going on, she saw a row of Pikachus waddling their way onto the square and quickly upying its center. Suddenly, the music changed into her favorite anime theme song and the row of Pikachus began to dance exaggeratedly to the music. Because the dancers¡¯ limbs were confined inside the doll costumes, the waving motions of the short Pikachu arms were extremely cute. In an instant, a gaggle of girls was gathered in the square, oohing and aahing while filming at the same time. As Courtney became engrossed in the spectacle, she suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her. ¡°Dr. Hunter.¡± When she looked over her shoulder, she saw Caleb walking toward her with Josephine holding onto his left hand and Tina holding onto his right. The three of them looked like a happy family. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked in surprise. ¡°With the kids, no less.¡± With a smile, he exined, ¡°I was afraid you¡¯d be unable to carry the items you bought, so I came to help. These two came along because they were tired of waiting at home. Now, give me your bags.¡± With that, Caleb took the two bags from her and carried them with much more ease than she had. ¡°What¡¯s going on in the square? It seems busy.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s some kind of event going on.¡± Courtney said as she stared at the team of dancing Pikachus in the distance. ¡°Previously, there¡¯d be an event every month on behalf of the supermarket. Do you want to watch them dance for a bit?¡± ¡°I do!¡± Tina shouted next to her. ¡°Oh¡ªdo you?¡± Courtney asked with a mock-re, pinching Tina¡¯s nose and wiggling it. ¡°So, you wouldn¡¯te to the supermarket with me but now that Mr. Menzie is here, so are you. What do you mean by that, youngdy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Josie who wanted toe out. I only came along because I was afraid she would get lost!¡± Tina protested self-righteously, using her younger sister as a shield. Calmly, Josephine crossed her arms and retorted, ¡°I only came because I was afraid Mr. Menzie wouldn¡¯t know which door Mommy would leave the supermarket from. You came because you wanted to y, Tina. We have different aims.¡± As he watched the children argue, Caleb couldn¡¯t help chuckling. ¡°Kids are very interesting.¡± Although she did not want to ruin the mood, Courtney still had to nce at him meaningfully and remind him, ¡°I don¡¯t think Chief Hass wants children, Mr. Menzie. What are you going to do if you get together and she still refuses to have children?¡± ¡°Then we won¡¯t have kids.¡± Because the music was too loud, the two of them had to lean in close to hear what the other person was saying. Since they were so deep in conversation, they failed to notice that the lead Pikachu in the square had suddenly stopped dancing and was staring at them, motionless. Chapter 455 One Night Surprise Chapter 455 Chapter 455 That Was How I Always Dressed at Home ¡°Hey, why did the lead Pikachu suddenly stop dancing?¡± The murmurs of the crowd interrupted Caleb and Courtney¡¯s conversation. When Courtney nced up, she noticed the lead Pikachu abruptly turning and leaving the group. Instantly, the formation of the rest of the Pikachus became scattered. Since they had only stayed behind for Tina and Josephine¡¯s sake and weren¡¯t that interested in the childish spectacles, Caleb and Courtney went home as the Pikachus dispersed. Meanwhile, the crowd continued to whisper behind them. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The lead Pikachu suddenly stopped dancing.¡± ¡°Oh man! I thought I saw roses nearby. They can¡¯t have been preparing to propose, could they?¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± When Caleb and Courtney arrived home, Angie was seated on the couch with a basket of strawberries. Dressed in a yellow Simpsons tank top and a pair of very short sports shorts, she was lounging cross- legged on the couch with no regard for her image at all. Upon seeing the group return, she bounced up from the couch and crowed, ¡°You¡¯re finally back! I¡¯m starving.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you eating right now?¡± Courtney rolled her eyes. ¡°Go and help get dinner ready if you want to eat as soon as possible.¡± After Caleb carried the bags into the kitchen, the phone in his pants pocket started vibrating. ¡°I need to answer a call first. I¡¯ll be back in a minute to help.¡± ¡°The balcony is quieter. It¡¯s over there,¡± Courtney offered, gesturing toward the balcony before snatching the basket of fruit out of Angie¡¯s hands and passing it over to Tina. Thereafter, she led Angie into the kitchen. Taking measure of Angie¡¯s barely covered body, Courtney started with a frown, ¡°We have guests over and it¡¯s a man, no less. Did you have to dress like this?¡± Carelessly, Angie shrugged. ¡°That was how I always dressed in America. Elijah never said anything. Can you not be so conservative in this day and age, Courtney?¡± ¡°Elijah never said anything because he¡¯s a man and it wouldn¡¯t have been appropriate for him to talk to you about this. Didn¡¯t Lilian say anything?¡± ¡°Would it have mattered if she did? She also wears ckce tank tops at home and they¡¯re the low- cut kind, no less.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that kind of nonsense. That¡¯s her home and she¡¯s his wife. You¡ª¡± Abruptly, Courtney stopped. She had been about to say that Angie was Elijah¡¯s daughter but in truth, there was nothing harmful about a girl wearing short shorts and tank tops in front of her parents, especially in a ce as open- minded as America. The problem was that Angie wasn¡¯t biologically rted to Elijah. At that thought, Courtney couldn¡¯t help studying the youngdy before her once again. Seventeen years was a good age in terms of one¡¯s physical development. Due to ack of nutrition since young, Angie wasn¡¯t particrly curvy, but she was tall and well-proportioned. Her skin was fine, her thighs powerful and well-defined. She had the sort of beauty that came with health and vitality. If Courtney considered her through the lens of womanhood, Angie was no doubt the type of woman who would inspire the envy of many others. All of a sudden, Courtney had an inkling as to the real reason Lilian wanted Angie to leave. ¡°Tell me something,¡± she started. ¡°Go on.¡± Busy with plucking the leaves off a leafy green, Angie had yet to notice Courtney eyeing her peculiarly. ¡°What do you think of Mr. Menzie?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not bad. It¡¯s obvious to me not only that he¡¯s a local social elite, he¡¯s also good-tempered and good with kids.¡± Angie lifted her head and smirked teasingly at Courtney. ¡°Tell me honestly¡ªis he your boyfriend?¡± ¡°How do you think he is inparison to Elijah?¡± The instant Courtney said that, she could see Angie¡¯s smile freeze at its edges. Abruptly, the girl averted her eyes and lowered her head to pluck messily at the leaves. ¡°Why are you suddenly bringing him up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m simply making small talk. So, what do you think?¡± Courtney pressed carefully. Angie was silent for a few moments before admitting dully, ¡°To tell you the truth, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re comparable. Elijah is the kind of man that is rare in the world. He has a sessful career and is engaged in a lot of charity work. He also treats others very kindly. However spectacr Mr. Menzie might be, he is still just an ordinarywyer who isn¡¯t in the same league as Elijah.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s as you say, then, does that mean any woman should hang onto Elijah if she gets the opportunity?¡± ¡°Of course! Why else would Lilian be so crazed as to risk his wrath by chasing me out of the house if not for the fact that she wanted me farther away from him¡ª¡± Just like that, Angie stopped and the whole kitchen fell silent, a stark contrast to the sound of Tina and Josephine squabbling outside. Finally, she lifted her head to face Courtney¡¯s incredulous look. ¡°I¡­ What I mean is¡­¡± Though Courtney had yet to speak, she had seemingly guessed the truth and was both shocked and stunned by it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dr. Hunter, but I have some urgent business to take care of. I have to leave now,¡± Caleb said from the doorway, interrupting the stalemate. Coming back to her senses, Courtney forced a smile onto her face and saw Caleb off. When she returned to the kitchen, Angie was still standing there, clutching the leafy green vegetable with a pale face. Upon seeing that, Courtney sighed deeply. ¡°Talk to me, Angie.¡± There had to be a reason why Lilian disliked Angie so much. Clearly, thetter¡¯s departure from both America and Elijah¡¯s home was far moreplicated than Courtney expected. Inside the study, separated from the sound of the children squabbling, Angie and Courtney sat down on the couch. ¡°You never took what Lilian said seriously, yet you¡¯ve moved out now that she wants you to. Why?¡± Twisting her fingers, Angie replied with listless eyes, ¡°Because she has something on me. When she wanted me to leave, she showed me a video that she took.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the video?¡± ¡°Do you have any alcohol?¡± Angie lifted her head and the panic in her eyes suddenly turned to pleading. ¡°I want some alcohol, Courtney.¡± After a moment of silence, Courtney finally pulled a bottle of red out of the wine cooler and poured Angie a ss. The scarlet liquid slid down the walls of the ss and into the young woman¡¯s mouth, following a path down her throat and into her gullet. As the alcohol muddled her brain, Angie felt her ability to reason ebbing along with it. In truth, she never had a good alcohol tolerance. ¡°Before the summer break, Lilian held a birthday party for Elijah at home. I got drunk during the party. We kissed when he was sending me back to my room.¡± In that instant, Courtney felt like she had been struck by lightning. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. After all, Angie and Elijah were nearly 20 years apart and she was legally even his daughter, but now she was telling Courtney that they had kissed. Chapter 456 One Night Surprise Chapter 456 Chapter 456 Are You All Crazy? At this moment, Angie took another violent sip of alcohol before continuing in a low voice, ¡°To be precise, I kissed him.¡± Shocked, Courtney stared at the young woman. Her alcohol-drinking motions were already practiced and even somewhat mature in the way that only someone aged between the innocence of girlhood and the sexiness of adulthood could be. It had to be irresistible to men. ¡°What else did you do with him?¡± Courtney pressed, forcing herself to keep calm despite the nature of the question. Angie¡¯s expression twisted up into agony, and it was a long moment before she finally shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was drunk.¡± That evening was Elijah¡¯s birthday party. Summer break hadn¡¯t even started yet, but Angie had skipped ss to give him a present, only to have Lilian pull her into her bedroom and force her to dress up before she could go and greet the guests. They argued for so long that the guests had arrived by the time she left the bedroom and with Elijah caught up in entertaining the guests, Angie was forced to stand in a corner and upy herself. And then, Lilian¡¯s friend came over to her to make a toast, saying that she was already old enough to drink. Young and brash, Angie was incited into getting drunk. After that, she could only remember the evening in bits and pieces. What she recalled was that Elijah found her drunk and took her upstairs to rest¡­ ¡°Lilian only showed me the video of Elijah and I kissing. I don¡¯t know what happened after that. She said¡­ she said I wasn¡¯t fit to live at home anymore and that she would take the video to court and use Elijah of molesting his adopted daughter if I didn¡¯t leave.¡± Angie¡¯s voice was tense, revealing her stubborn nature. ¡°What?¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t believe her ears. ¡°You were drunk! This was a misunderstanding. Why would she want to take the video to court? Is she mad?!¡± ¡°What if something else happened?¡± ¡°But that¡¯s impossible!¡± Courtney denied vehemently. ¡°You were drunk but Elijah wasn¡¯t, and he would never do something so improper to his own daughter.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not his daughter.¡± Angie stared up at Courtney in trepidation. ¡°I know you can tell that I like him. I have ever since I was young, and I can tell the difference between familial and romantic love. I¡¯ll never love another man apart from him.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Courtney found it hard to ept the truth. ¡°Are you all crazy?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t leave America because something like this happened and I found it hard to face him. I left because I didn¡¯t want him to end up with awsuit because of me. But if he and Lilian divorced¡ªif the adoptive rtionship between us was dissolved and I could absolve him of such a moral quandary¡ªI would go for him without hesitation.¡± Angie was sure and fearlessly stubborn in the way that only very young women could be. Of course, Courtney was much more affected and found it hard to calm down at the moment. She even wondered if Angie was simply being childish and impulsive. After a long while, Courtney finally struggled into a sitting position and said, ¡°Let me think.¡± The only reason she took the then 12-year-old Angie off the desert ind five years ago was on behalf of Fatso. Due to issues with nationality, the only way she could have taken Angie abroad was if she adopted the girl. Then, because Courtney had to go to France for her studies, she had to entrust Angie to Elijah. But how could Courtney have imagined such an oue at the time? It wasn¡¯t only that Angie and Elijah were 20 years apart but that they were separated by social status, life experience, a marriage, and moral principles that the world could never stand to see transgressed. Even if Angie and Elijah shared no blood rtion, they would find it difficult to escape the condemnation of society. At the thought of the various ways this could end, Courtney felt a headacheing on. Meanwhile, as the lights came on throughout the city, Melrose was painted in ayer of apparent prosperity by the darkness of night. On the floor where Sunhill Enterprise¡¯s president¡¯s office was located, the elevator dinged and Caleb rushed out and strode all the way to Alexander¡¯s office. A short while ago, he received a call from Alexander personally, telling him that he was urgently needed and that he had to set aside all his business at hand to return to the workce. Despite thinking about it along the way, Caleb failed to figure out what urgent business the enterprise had that would require him to rush back after hours. Behind the spacious desk, Alexander was looking inexplicably gloomier than usual. ¡°Did you need me for something, President Duncan?¡± Glowering at Caleb, Alexander asked, ¡°How¡¯s thewsuit with Amberport Pharmaceuticals going?¡± ¡°Amberport Pharmaceuticals?¡± Caleb asked in perplexity, considering for a moment before exining, ¡°You might have forgotten about it, President Duncan, but Amberport Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Olsapine Pharmaceuticals three months ago, so thewsuit was transferred to Olsapine Pharmaceuticals¡¯ name. During the transfer, you yed a round of golf with Olsapine Pharmaceuticals¡¯ president and informed us that thewsuit would be settled out of court with one of their warehouses in the city outskirts. So, we wrote thewsuit off.¡± ¡°Wrote it off?¡± Alexander frowned so hard that an indent appeared on his brow. ¡°You say that like it¡¯s no big deal,¡± he snapped. ¡°Am I supposed to sign a contract with them now?¡± After a pause, Caleb replied easily, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not sure, as this is handled by the Business Department.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯m not signing the contract. I don¡¯t need the warehouse in the city outskirts¡ªI was simply being courteous. Thewsuit must continue.¡± The gaze Alexander shot Caleb was so furious that thetter felt like he was being consumed alive. It confused him, but he only frowned before saying, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get started tomorrow¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get started tonight,¡± Alexander interrupted before the other man could finish. The atmosphere in the office instantly became colder. All along, Alexander had had an entric and inexplicable temper. It was something Caleb admired him for, as Caleb himself was not a businessman and had no mind for such intricacies. As thepany lawyer, he only wanted to do his job well. Thus, he only replied without rebuttal, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get started now.¡± As he left, a sliver of bright yellow color in the corner caught his attention. He paused in his tracks, and a hint of helpless amusement appeared in his eyes as he confirmed that his eyes were not mistaken. ¡°Rest assured that I¡¯ll have the lawsuit resolved as soon as possible, President Duncan.¡± After Caleb left, Alexander mmed his fist onto the desk. The muffled bang echoed around the office. Upon hearing themotion from the next room, Eric rushed out with the Pikachu costume¡¯s head in his arms. Because the outfit was difficult to take off, he was still wearing the pants on the lower half of his body and looking extremely bizarre as he waddled his way into the office. Naturally, Alexander only became more annoyed upon seeing that. ¡°Why are you still wearing that?¡± he shouted. ¡°Look at the mess you made!¡± Shuddering in fear, Eric exined sadly, ¡°It was a miscalction. We didn¡¯t expect Dr. Hunter and Mr. Menzie to be together sote in the evening, either.¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. ¡°Shut it.¡± Instantly, Eric pped a hand over his mouth and studied Alexander¡¯s incensed expression. Fearful that Alexander would be overheated from rage, the former couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Would you like me to bring you a change of clothes, President Duncan? It¡¯s so hot in this outfit.¡± ¡°No. Get out!¡± Alexander red at him menacingly. Hearing that, Eric ran out like he was on skates. It wasn¡¯t until the assistant had fled that Alexander stood up, bracing his arms against the desk, only to reveal a pair of yellow Pikachu pants on the lower half of his body. Chapter 457 One Night Surprise Chapter 457 Chapter 457 Old mes and New Loves ¡®Romantic Ways to Confess¡¯¡ªthat was the first n Eric selected from the many proposals that he received. It was also the proposal with the highest sess rate. It required Alexander to personally put on a Pikachu costume and dance in the square, attracting Courtney¡¯s attention, before giving her a rose and taking off the headgear of the costume at the right time. As the headgear came off, fireworks would have to go off in the distance. Though trite, the n was popr for being romantic in such a way that no girl could resist. Who knew that Caleb would appear in the middle to turn the entire n upside-down? There was nothing Eric could do but assure Alexander that there was another n and that it was highly unlikely they would also run into Caleb during the execution of the second n. To avoid the mistakes of the previous time, Eric deliberately chose Courtney¡¯s workce as the meeting ce and set the time for a workday at noon. Surely a workaholic like Caleb wouldn¡¯t skip work toe out at noon. During midday the next day at the Melrose City Hospital parking lot, Eric was assuring Alexander confidently as they sat in the car, ¡°Things will definitely work out this time, President Duncan. Women are always nostalgic. As long as you try and wow her back using the things you gave her when you were together, she will be moved and once she is moved, you will be able to win her over.¡± With that, Eric nced at the backseat. ¡°What have you prepared, though? Can I take a look? I¡¯m afraid our n will fail if we step on andmine.¡± Handing Eric the box that he had prepared a long time ago, Alexander told him, ¡°See for yourself.¡± It was a ck rectangr suede box that looked like the kind to hold a ne, but Eric gasped upon opening it. ¡°What are these, President Duncan?¡± Inside the box was a row of ten diamond rings in various stylesthe cheapest of which carried a diamond that was certainly no less than 5 carats¡ªglittering so brightly that they nearly blinded Eric. ¡°Engagement rings¡ª¡± Alexander answered calmly, ¡°¡ªfor when I proposed. I didn¡¯t know what style she liked, so Imissioned ten different ones.¡± The look in his eyes becameplicated at the mention of what happened all those years ago. If it weren¡¯t for what happened back then, the both of them would be married by now and his daughter would have grown up by his side instead of being so unfamiliar and apathetic toward him. ¡°Ten?!¡± Eric tried his best to calm down before carefully closing the jewelry box and handing it back to Alexander. ¡°You¡¯d best make your way there quickly.¡± Eric¡¯s jaw would have fallen open in shock at this moment if it weren¡¯t for the fact that he had called Josh beforehand to ask about Courtney. After all, the Alexander that Eric knew would never be so utterly smitten with a woman. In contrast, it would be strange that any woman in the world could remain so unmoved by such an act from a powerful man. After getting out of the car, Alexander strode directly through the main doors of Melrose City Hospital. His well-built figure struck a particr contrast against themon crowd, and he drew the attention of many onlookers. At noon, there were fewer people in the clinicalboratory than at other ces. The moment Alexander exited the elevator, he saw Courtney leaving theboratory and going farther down the corridor. Overjoyed, he strode toward her, only to see her epting a thermal lunch box from another man. Because Alexander was so far away, he couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying, but she was smiling brilliantly in a way that he hadn¡¯t seen in five years. As he clenched the box in his fist, he subconsciously took a step forward, wanting to demand answers only to realize that he didn¡¯t have any right to be asking questions at the moment. And so, after some hesitation, he turned around and left. Currently, Courtney was holding onto a thermal lunch box and asking Caleb curiously, ¡°It¡¯s rare to see you outside the office, Mr. Menzie. Why have you personallye here today? Where¡¯s your mom?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a bit busy and I also feel like it¡¯s time to have a chat with Linda.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you deliver her lunch yourself, then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t eat it if I give it to her myself, so I¡¯ll have to trouble you one more time. I¡¯ll talk to her once she¡¯s done with lunch.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Teasingly, Courtney asked, ¡°Does that mean I won¡¯t have to cover for you from today onward?¡± With a warm, gentle smile, Caleb answered, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good.¡± And so, still carrying the lunch box, Courtney headed to the Cardiac Surgery chief¡¯s office. The moment she stepped through the door, she noticed Linda staring at her phone and sitting as motionless as a monk who was deep in meditation. ¡°What on earth are you doing, chief?¡± Linda¡¯s head jerked up. ¡°You scared me!¡± Upon ncing at Courtney, she continued, ¡°Is that lunch from Caleb¡¯s maid?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Courtney set the box down on Linda¡¯s desk. ¡°Eat it while it¡¯s warm. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± ¡°Hold on a minute,¡± Linda stopped her. ¡°It¡¯s been almost half a month since they started delivering food, but you¡¯re always either not in the hospital or not feeling well enough to eat what¡¯s been made. I¡¯m starting to realize I¡¯ve eaten everything they delivered.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Courtney batted her eyshes. ¡°It was always meant for you, anyway, so how could I possibly eat it? Don¡¯t forget you¡¯re the one they¡¯re interested in.¡± For a moment, Linda was rendered speechless and it took a while before she pointed out stupidly, ¡°But you¡¯re the one Caleb¡¯s been meeting.¡± ¡°We met a total of two times.¡± Courtney held up two fingers before ncing meaningfully down at the phone on the desk. ¡°Only twice. But you¡¯re the one who has been chatting with him.¡± Linda¡¯s face turned red in the blink of an eye. ¡°Chatting? What are you talking about? I-I haven¡¯t said anything to him!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Courtney snorted. ¡°At any rate, I won¡¯t have to pretend to be you anymore.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Given Linda¡¯s conflicted expression right now, Courtney was certain the former had fallen for Caleb. While she was deathly curious how Caleb had managed to win the affections of Linda¡ªthe woman least interested in dating men in all of Melrose City Hospital¡ªsolely by talking to her online, Courtney dared not brazenly ask. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Upon recalling that Caleb would confess to Linda after lunch and that she would no longer have to y pretend in front of Linda once everything was cleared up, Courtney let out an internal sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Eric was headbanging to some rock music inside the car when he noticed a figure walking toward him from afar. Caught off-guard, he tripped over himself to turn off the music. With a bang, the car door mmed shut so violently that the whole carriage shook. ¡°P-President Duncan? Why are you back so soon?¡± The box of rings that was still clenched in Alexander¡¯s fist was ringly obvious through the rearview mirror. After a pause, Eric continued hesitantly, ¡°Is Dr. Hunter not at the hospital? Last I checked, she¡¯s on duty today.¡± Seemingly not hearing his words, Alexander only stared dazedly out of the window. He couldn¡¯t help remembering the two times he had seen Courtney by Caleb¡¯s side, during which both times she was smiling broadly. To her, Caleb was her new love. New loves were like fresh fruit¡ªfree of any defects. Alexander, on the other hand, was an old me. Once the affection was stripped off, there was nothing left but a rotten core. ¡°Start the car. We¡¯re going back to thepany.¡± Chapter 458 One Night Surprise Chapter 458 Chapter 458 Personal Revenge ¡°Are you having lunch, Dr. Hunter? Come, let¡¯s eat together!¡± Inside the cafeteria, as soon as Courtney sat down for lunch, she was interrupted by Eunice Goodman, the most gossipy nurse in the hospital. From past experience, the former knew that sitting down for lunch with Eunice would ultimately result in a storytelling session where a crowd of people gathered around to talk about various workce gossip. Those who ranked as chief or higher were particrly liable to be criticized to bits by Eunice. Meanwhile, the woman in question was settling into the seat beside Courtney as shemented, ¡°I have the newest gossip concerning Chief Hass, Dr. Hunter.¡± ¡°Now, hold on, Nurse Goodman,¡± Courtney interrupted as she tapped against the meat on her te with her utensils and reminded, ¡°Have you forgotten that thest time you gossiped about Chief Hass? She caught you red-handed and castigated you at thest summary meeting not more than two weeks ago.¡± Of all the people to gossip about in the hospital, Linda Hass was one of the worst choices. After all, her father was the executive vice president at the hospital and her mother was the head nurse. The family¡¯s word went virtually unchallenged at the hospital and it was bad enough that Eunice didn¡¯t tread carefully around them, but for her to gossip about them meant she certainly had to be the boldest person in the hospital. ¡°Well, that was only because I was spreading rumors the previous time! This time, I saw with my very own eyes that Chief Hass with a man¡ª¡± ¡°What did you see?¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s with a man!¡± ¡°Doing what?¡± Courtney red at Eunice expressionlessly. ¡°In general, you talk like that only when you¡¯re trying to suggest something without explicitly saying it.¡± Duly chastised, Euniceined, ¡°You must be the most boring person in the whole hospital, Dr. Hunter. Don¡¯t you find the work here so dull that you need a little bit of stimting gossip to turn your impression of hospital work around? ¡°I don¡¯t find hospital work dull because interesting jobs oftene with a high risk.¡± ¡°You say that like it¡¯s true. Doctor-patient rtionships are so tense right now that we are at risk as well!¡± ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± The fact was that Courtney¡¯s personal experience and state of mind were very different from that of the doctors and nurses who entered the hospital as soon as they graduated. However, because she was usually easy to get along with, didn¡¯t argue with anyone and rarely liked to gossip, Eunice was still willing to spend time with her. ¡°Don¡¯t you find this news scandalous? I mean, have you ever seen Chief Hass interact with a man who wasn¡¯t her patient? I saw one entering her office as I was leaving Cardiac Surgery just now, and oh my goodness! You should have seen him!¡± ¡°Was it a tall, bookish, and fair-skinned man wearing sses and a ck suit?¡± ¡°It was! Did you see him? Were you as stunned as I was?¡± Calmly, Courtney took a sip of her soup. ¡°That¡¯s Chief Hass¡¯ boyfriend.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eunice¡¯s expression morphed into one of seeming disbelief that she was not the first to hear of such news, and she sprung up from her chair as she eximed, ¡°What?! Chief Hass has a boyfriend? Why didn¡¯t I know that?¡± Looking around the cafeteria, Courtney grumbled with embarrassment, ¡°Well, now the whole hospital knows about it.¡± After lunch, Eunice continued to follow Courtney, asking non-stop about matters such as the man¡¯s age, character, upation, and even family background, sounding for all the world like an immigration officer with how invasive she was being. Evasively, Courtney only told her, ¡°I don¡¯t know. You should ask somebody else.¡± As Eunice continued to pursue Courtney relentlessly down the corridor, thetter suddenly received a phone call from none other than the target of their gossip herself. Excusing herself, Courtney stepped aside to answer the call. ¡°Chief Hass¡­¡± Before she could say more than that, a thoroughly indignant voice shouted at her so loudly through the phone that Courtney was forced to hold it away from her ear, ¡°How dare you collude with Caleb to y with my feelings, Courtney Hunter?!¡± The question was followed by a violent round of scolding filled with so many swears that Courtney had to wonder where Linda picked them up from. When Linda was finally done scolding her, Courtney attempted to exin, ¡°I was forced to, Chief Hass. You¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up! Who held a gun to your head and forced you to do such a stupid thing?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you put a gun to my head when you forced me to pretend to be you on a blind date?¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t help retorting. ¡°If I¡¯m being honest about it, I think you and Mr. Menzie are two peas in a pod¡ª a match made in heaven, that is.¡± ¡°F*ck you!¡± Even through the phone, Courtney felt like Linda was spitting directly on her face. ¡°You don¡¯t need to go back to the clinicalboratory this afternoon. Report to the inpatient department instead. Remember¡ªyou¡¯re responsible for all health indicator entries of Scott Duncan in Ward 1.¡± With that, Linda hung up. Speechlessly, Courtney stared down at her phone. What is going on? This is getting personal! ¡°What were you talking about when you said you pretended to be Chief Hass on a blind date, Dr. Hunter?¡± Upon lifting her head and finding Eunice¡¯s curious face right in front of her, Courtney grimaced. ¡°Do you find the way Chief Hass reprimanded me to be funny? Go and ask her yourself if you have the guts. Despite shuddering, Eunice appeared to genuinely consider it for a moment before deciding that her livelihood was still more important than the entertainment gossip brought her. And so, she waved a hand and dismissed with embarrassment, ¡°Forget it. I¡¯d like to keep on living for a few years longer.¡± With that, she made her excuses, saying that she had something else to do. Conflicted, Courtney nced down at her phone once more. When Caleb dropped by in the afternoon, she had no idea things would be linked back to her. Now, she had stuck her foot in it and there was no dodging responsibility even if she wanted to. ¡­ In the president¡¯s office at Sunhill Enterprise, Alexander tossed the documents before him to the ground. Because of all that business with Courtney, he had had several days of documents piled up without having dealt with them. Now that he was looking through the papers, he was unsatisfied with them. Outside the office stood a row of senior executives waiting to be reprimanded. As a manager exited the room, the crowd flocked to him to ask questions, only to have him shake his head with a pained and thoroughly defeated expression. Everyone met each other¡¯s gazes and sighed in despair. ¡°With President Duncan¡¯s mood being good one day and bad the next, I¡¯m so stressed out that my hair is going to fall out.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say! I only rushed to get the department n ready and delivered now because Hond told me two days ago that President Duncan was in a good mood. But now¡ª¡± And it went on and on. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Standing guard by the door, Eric, too, felt quite helpless upon hearing the conversation. He wondered whether this team of managers would have their families go to the hospital and seek retribution from Courtney if they knew Alexander was approaching his work in this manner only because of her. At any rate, Eric was wise enough to wait until the scoldings were done and the managers had all left before taking a cup of tea to Alexander. ¡°Where¡¯s Caleb? Has he still not returned?¡± Alexander asked, ncing at the time. Apprehensively, Eric exined, ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s been dyed by something.¡± And then, he promptly fell silent at Alexander¡¯s dark look. Upon returning from the hospital at midday, Alexander had summoned Caleb to his office, only to have the Legal Department tell him that Caleb wasn¡¯t there and that thewyer¡¯s phone was off. Thus, Eric had sent Caleb a text message hoping he would hurry back as soon as he saw the message. Presently, Alexander¡¯s expression grew so dark it almost resembled the night. Chapter 459 One Night Surprise Chapter 459 Chapter 459 Revealing His Cards by ident The employees at Sunhill Enterprise were one hour into their afternoon shift by the time Caleb returned, and the look Eric gave him as he walked into Alexander¡¯s office was full of sympathy. ¡°Please be patient if President Duncan loses his temper, Mr. Menzie. He¡¯s in a bad mood today,¡± Eric was kind enough to remind him. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ uh¡­ dealing with a bit of a rtionship problem.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Caleb answered, but the calm expression on his face as he entered gave Eric the impression that he had not understood Eric¡¯s meaning. ¡°Were you looking for me, President Duncan?¡± At that moment, Alexander was still livid and his anger had yet to subside even after berating three or four of the departmental heads. ¡°It¡¯s already 3.15 PM. Has the Legal Department found itself with a lot of free time on its handstely, or do you have an assignment requiring you to leave the office?¡± ¡°You had me prepare for awsuitst night, President Duncan. This case isn¡¯t very difficult; I researched it throughout the night and only left to gather some required materials.¡± ¡°Only to gather some materials?¡± ¡°What else would I be doing during working hours?¡± Straightening, Alexander began evasively, ¡°Someone saw you at the hospital at 12.30 PM today.¡± After a pause, Caleb replied with a frown, ¡°The employee lunch break is at 12.30. I went to deliver lunch to my girlfriend and then left the hospital at 1.30 to look for information at the Bureau of Commerce. Did I need to apply to thepany for leave for that?¡± And then, he paused for a few seconds. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone with an upstanding character woulde to you over such trivial matters, President Duncan. Perhaps you should consider having HR fire them.¡± Already low-spirited to hear Caleb say ¡®girlfriend¡¯, Alexander became even more grumpier upon hearing thetter half of Caleb¡¯s advice. Impulsively, he blurted, ¡°Your girlfriend?! Has she agreed to date you, then?¡± ¡°¡®She¡¯?¡± Caleb asked in surprise. ¡°Do you know her, President Duncan?¡± Just like that, Alexander was stunned into stillness. This was the first time in his life that he had misspoken during a conversation and identally revealed his cards at the beginning. It was a portent that he would not win, and he couldn¡¯t help being a little annoyed by that fact. Meanwhile, Caleb only calmly took a sip of the tea that Eric now brought him. ¡°To tell you the truth, I saw someone who looked quite a bit like you at the hospital today, President Duncan, and the person who went with you to the hospital must have been the person who tattled on me. Am I right, Mr. Reynolds?¡± With that, he even gave Eric a careless nce. An honest man, Eric instantly denied, ¡°It wasn¡¯t me. I was in the parking lot at the time.¡± Of course, Alexander¡¯s re pierced through him the moment he finished saying that. ¡°So, you did go to the hospital, President Duncan?¡± Caleb confirmed, staring intently at Alexander. And so, the crux of the matter was revealed and there was no point in hiding it any longer. ¡°That¡¯s right. I did go to the hospital.¡± Alexander decided that he might as well admit it boldly. ¡°I even saw you delivering lunch to Courtney, so I called you back for that matter.¡± ¡°Last night must have been because you saw me with Dr. Hunter as well.¡± The statement staggered Alexander so much that he nearly slid out of his chair and though he forced himself to keep calm, he had no idea what to say in response. ¡°It looks like that¡¯s true as well,¡± Caleb confirmed to himself with a nod of his head before turning the conversation topic on a dime. ¡°Did you call me here today intending to negotiate with me to stop pursuing Dr. Hunter?¡± The question made the frown on Alexander¡¯s face deepen and after a moment, he muttered, ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it.¡± ¡°What are your intentions, then?¡± ¡°I only wanted to ask you if you¡¯re being sincere with your affections toward her. She has three children, one of whom is adopted. Her life doesn¡¯t require any more emotional upheaval.¡± Upon hearing that, Caleb nodded in seeming approval. ¡°Allow me to be so bold as to ask you a question, then¡ªwhat is your rtionship with her?¡± Frowning, Alexander spat unwillingly, ¡°Ex.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Caleb stared at the other man. ¡°It looks like you have very deep feelings for her, but how could you let go of her so easily if your feelings were truly that deep?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t like it when people force her into things; otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± ¡°If it were the woman I loved, I would be hell-bent on finding any means necessary to get back together with her. I don¡¯t think you love Dr. Hunter that much after all, President Duncan.¡± ¡°How dare you?!¡± Alexander stood up, livid. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Truth was, Caleb was the first person to ever challenge him in this way. ¡°Have you gone mad, Mr. Menzie?¡± In a low voice, Eric asked frantically as he eyed Caleb meaningfully, but the office was sorge that the scene only became more deadlocked the moment his clear voice rang out. In response, Caleb smiled affably. ¡°My girlfriend is two years older than me, President Duncan. We were next-door neighbors when we were young and she agreed to marry me when I asked her when we were kids. Unfortunately, my parents divorced when I was ten, and I moved out with my mother. The girl seemingly forgot both me and this incident. However, almost 20 yearster, I¡¯ve found her again.¡± ¡°You must be out of your mind, Mr. Menzie! President Duncan didn¡¯t ask you here to talk about your love life!¡± At that point, Eric looked terrified enough to start praying. Yet, Alexander finally came back to his senses. There was no way Courtney Hunter could be the person Caleb was talking about. ¡°What¡¯s your girlfriend¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Linda Hass.¡± Caleb gave Alexander a half-smile. ¡°Chief of Cardiac at Melrose City Hospital. Didn¡¯t you just say you knew her?¡± Just like that, all of the grudges Alexander was holding disappeared in an instant. Everything had turned out to be a misunderstanding after all. ¡°Now, there are some things I¡¯d like to talk to you about regarding Dr. Hunter, President Duncan, but the Legal Department is a bit busy with the case at the moment¡ª¡± ¡°Drop the case and take two days off,¡± Alexander interrupted tiredly before turning to instruct Eric, ¡°Go make some tea.¡± Bewildered, Eric gaped at him. ¡­ The consequence of angering Linda was that she would make Courtney¡¯s life difficult for a while. However, Courtney had to admit that she had a peculiar way of going about it¡ªthe only reason she assigned Courtney to Scott was that she assumed Courtney had some kind of connection to the man. Standing at the door of the ward now, Courtney took a deep breath to summon her courage before going in. Because of Scott¡¯s illness, she had already been intending to speak with him but now, thanks to Linda¡¯s push, she couldn¡¯t avoid him even if she wanted to. The sound of forcefully suppressed coughing echoed inside the hospital room. Hurriedly, Courtney stepped forward to pour a ss of water. ¡°Have some water, Mr. Duncan.¡± Upon hearing her voice, Scott lifted his head and stared at her with cloudy eyes. With some surprise on his weathered face, he noted her presence as she stood in front of him in argeb coat. ¡°Courtney? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± She set the cup down before helping him raise the head of his bed. ¡°The short version is that I¡¯m your primary care physician. Now, drink some water.¡± Dazed, he took a sip of water to calm down before hesitating for a long time. It seemed there was a lot he wanted to say but in the end, he simply asked, ¡°Where have you disappeared to all these years, child? I haven¡¯t heard from you at all.¡± Settling into the chair next to him, she exined patiently, ¡°I¡¯m a doctor now. As you know, I was studying medicine when I got pregnant with Tina and Jordan. I had to drop out because of that, so I¡¯m only continuing my studies now.¡± Chapter 460 One Night Surprise Chapter 460 Chapter 460 Generational Relic For a long time, Courtney sat there chatting with Scott, telling him about her volunteer work on the battlefield and her study tour experience during these past five years. For his sake, she left out most of the dangerous bits and embellished most of the interesting ones. As evening approached, a nurse came around with dinner. ¡°Oh¡ªis it dinner time already? It¡¯s sote.¡± Courtney nced down at her watch before letting out an embarrassed chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m so talkative these days.¡± cing the meal on the mobile hospital table, the nurse pushed it up to the bed before asking with familiarity, ¡°Did you know each other previously, Dr. Hunter and Mr. Duncan?¡± Before Courtney could speak, Scott nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for a long time. She was nearly my granddaughter-inw.¡± ¡°Granddaughter-inw?¡± The nurse pepped up instantly. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± Scott sounded somewhatmenting as he muttered, ¡°What would be the point in joking with you about this?¡± With a thrilled look on her face, the nurse dashed off after leaving him with his meal, no doubt about to gossip with her coworkers. Although Courtney was somewhat exasperated, now was hardly the time to be chasing after random nurses to offer unneeded exnations. Ultimately, Scott was telling the truth, so she simply decided to leave matters be. ¡°Go on and eat, then. Hospital food is very ordinary.¡± She passed a fork and a spoon to him as she teased, ¡°It will taste worse once it¡¯s cold, and then you¡¯ll have even more of an excuse not to eat.¡± Sheepishly, Scott admitted, ¡°I¡¯m so old I don¡¯t care much about what I eat. I just don¡¯t wish to remain in the hospital.¡± ¡°Well, you have to see a doctor when you¡¯re sick. No one would send you to a hospital if you were healthy, would they?¡± ¡°This illness of mine is the same no matter where I have it. They only had to prescribe me some medication to take at home; why throw a fuss about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a good habit to try and act brave in front of your doctor.¡± Courtney then pushed a bowl of soup up to him. ¡°Have some soup to moisten your throat.¡± Magnanimously, Scott nodded andmented, ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten yet, though. You should go and eat. Don¡¯t mind me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m your primary care physician now. Hospital regtions require me to watch you finish your meal first.¡± ¡°Is there such a regtion?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Likely because he was in a good mood due to Courtney, Scott ate much more than he usually did, surprising the nurse who came to clean up after dinner. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve finished eating and I imagine your shift is over. You should go eat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not time for me to get off work yet. I¡¯m working the night shift today,¡± Courtney rified with a small smile before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s just as well since I have something to discuss with you anyway.¡± ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t you consider surgery?¡± Though the hospital generally rmended conservative treatment for the elderly, Courtney had read through both his case file and medical certificate to find that he was in a different situation. There wasn¡¯t much Scott¡¯s heart could handle now, and he would need to have a cardiac surgeon by his side 24/7 in case of emergencies if he didn¡¯t have a bypass surgery as soon as possible even if he continued to take medication. Even then, the odds of him being able to live for longer than three years were extremely slim. At the mention of the surgery, Scott froze slightly. ¡°You know about all of this?¡± ¡°Jordan told me about it. He said there were a lot of things you couldn¡¯t let go of and that you wouldn¡¯t agree to the surgery because you were afraid the risk would be so great you wouldn¡¯t leave the operating table alive.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen Jordan?¡± Scott seemingly didn¡¯t care about his condition as he pressed, ¡°What about Alexander?¡± After a pause, Courtney nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve seen him as well.¡± Giving her a conflicted look, Scott continued, ¡°Did he say anything to you when you saw him?¡± ¡°It was only a chance encounter, so we simply chatted for a bit before parting ways.¡± After all, she and Alexander were both the ones to make their elders uneasy all those years ago, and it would be inappropriate for her to reveal the facts that they had kept hidden now. Neither did she feel inclined to overshare¡ªthat would surely only add to Scott¡¯s list of worries. The light in Scott¡¯s eyes dulled, as if he was disappointed by her words. ¡°You must consider the surgery,¡± Courtney urged. ¡°If not for yourself, then for your family. Oliver hasn¡¯t married or started a family yet, has he? I have no doubt that when he does, he would want you to be there to meet his children as well.¡± Upon hearing that, Scott sighed wistfully. ¡°I¡¯m old. There are some things I can¡¯t wait for any longer.¡± And while Courtney didn¡¯t understand what he meant, she did not press. As the night shift rolled around, she left to assist at the desk outside. However, before she could clock out from her day shift, a nurse brought her something from Scott. ¡°Mr. Duncan from VIP Ward 1 told me to bring this to you.¡± ¡°Oh? Thank you.¡± epting the box, Courtney said her thanks and went off to busy herself with the patients she had to receive. It wasn¡¯t until her evening shift ended and she returned home that she could rummage through her bag for the item once again. Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. By now, it was sote in the night that the younger children were asleep. The only sounds in the apartment were the sounds of video gaming and keyboard typinging from Angie¡¯s room, particrly audible even through the closed door. Having worked for the whole day, Courtney didn¡¯t even have the energy to turn on the main lights and only curled up on the couch before flicking on the floormp beside her. The dim glow lent an especially gentle air to the purple suede box. The box that Scott gave her was heavy and she didn¡¯t know what it contained. Once she opened it, however, she could not help but widen her eyes. Inside was the ne she had had Cameron bring back to the country to return to Alexander five years ago¡ªthe only token that she took from Alexander when she left Melrose City eleven years ago. After all the trips it took, it somehow still ended up in her hands again. In the middle of a circle of diamonds was an emerald glimmering faintly underneath the dim light. Somehow, it felt warm to the touch. After staring at the ne for a long time, she finally put it away, intending to return it to Scott at the hospital tomorrow. Like Alexander, he wasn¡¯t one to be prone to effusiveness, but his meaning in giving her the ne was evident. It was what he was leaving behind for her¡ªa relic, to be passed down from generation to generation; daughter-inw to granddaughter-inw. By giving her this ne, he was making it clear to her that he hoped she and Alexander could rebuild their rtionship. Later on, as Courtney was almost about to fall asleep, her cell phone suddenly rang by her bedside and startled her awake. At first, she thought it was a hospital emergency, only to be greeted by a lively and familiar voice upon answering the phone. ¡°I¡¯ming back to the country and will be reaching Melrose City the day after tomorrow, sis. Will you be free? Can you pick me up at the airport?¡± Exhaustedly, Courtney nced at the caller ID to confirm that it was indeed Shay before lying back down. Shutting her eyes, she muttered with a yawn, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Your manager, your assistant, Casey, and Casey¡¯s assistant could all go and pick you up. Why are you bothering me for this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m recording a show and you can be my special guest in this episode.¡± ¡°What?¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney was instantly awake. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°Nope. I¡¯ve thought about it. The other guests in this episode are all doing a family theme and if I want to do the same theme, I can only do it with your family. I don¡¯t have any other family.¡± The words were so pitiful that it sent a pang through Courtney¡¯s heart. ¡°How long will filming take?¡± Chapter 461 One Night Surprise Chapter 461 Chapter 461 Be Brazen-Faced Moments after she was done with her sentence, the grievance on the other end of the call seemed to disappear instantly and it was reced by a warm reassurance. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! The real filming will take only half a day. However, they will be there earlier to install the cameras in your house, and that will take up to two days. The devices team should be arriving at your house by tomorrow afternoon.¡± ¡°What? Tomorrow?¡± Courtney was stumped. ¡°You¡¯re so certain that I will agree to it?¡± Ever since Shay was spoiled by Casey, Shay had mastered the trick of behaving pitifully to get what he wanted¨C¨Ceven Tina could notpete with him. ¡°I¡¯ll send you my flight details. Remember to pick me up the day after tomorrow.¡± Shay did not respond to Courtney¡¯s question and focused on the trivial things he wanted to say instead. He then patronized her by saying he didn¡¯t want to disturb her sleep and abruptly hung up the phone. Courtney was irritated, but she found him amusing at the same time. In the end, she couldn¡¯t do anything but ce her phone down and sleep. A notification sound rang just as she set her phone down. She figured it was Shay sending her his flight information, so she wasn¡¯t bothered by it and fell asleep right away. It was noisy outside the next morning. She had initially assumed that some renovation was being done upstairs. However, as the sound continued, she found it weird, as if it resonated from outside her door. She then heard a man¡¯s voice, which caused her to immediately jump out of her bed. Feeling fearful, she took the golf club beside her bed, walked carefully toward her room door, and opened it. Outside, there were about seven to eight men crowding at almost every corner of the house. As if they were really doing renovations, they were all busy doing something, if not giving instructions. Angie, Tina and Josephine were standing in a line in ascending order. Josephine appeared as if she wasn¡¯t awake at all as she kept nodding off while obstinately standing. Angie was the first to see Courtney standing by her door. Upon seeing her, Angie greeted, ¡°You¡¯re finally awake, Courtney. These men said they¡¯re here to install the cameras for Shay¡¯s show.¡± ¡°I see; just to install the cameras.¡± Courtney then secretly threw the golf club behind her and went out of the room after tidying up her hair. Shay¡¯s assistant, who knew Courtney and the other three children, was the one who brought the men over. Being Shay¡¯s top fan, Tina was ecstatic to know that Shay would being for a shoot. And now that she knew that, she ran to the house in excitement. ¡°Is Shaying to stay with me when hees? Does my room need to have cameras installed too?¡± Courtney took a nce at her and replied on behalf of the assistant, who was already bombarded with Tina¡¯s questions, ¡°No. You¡¯re already eleven. Shay will be in trouble if he stays with you.¡± ¡°No, that won¡¯t happen. I won¡¯t kick the nket anymore.¡± Josephine, who was standing beside them, acted as a small adult and exined, ¡°The trouble that Mommy is referring to is that girls over the age of five need to have gender awareness.¡± Hearing that, Tina was dejected. ¡°But we don¡¯t have any guest rooms anymore! Where would Shay sleep then?¡± ¡°Who told you that he is going to stay here?¡± Courtney didn¡¯t want to continue hearing her ramble on, so she tried to exin everything patiently, ¡°He¡¯s onlying to film a program. The longest he¡¯ll be here is until dinner, and he¡¯ll leave thereafter. Of course he wouldn¡¯t stay here. Stop thinking too much, Tina.¡± Tina was notforted by her words, but she instead became more depressed. Even if it were a toy, she wouldn¡¯t like it for this long. Nobody has said anything yet, but she has started worrying about him for no apparent reason. Oh, how will she be when she grows up? A helpless Courtney sighed. When she went to work in the afternoon, she took a day off specifically for Shay¡¯s filming. As it was unusual for Courtney to do so, her superior dly granted her two days off. Getting two days off from the hospital was a huge aplishment worth celebrating. Meanwhile, Alexander was in the CEO¡¯s office of Sunhill Enterprise. He had just ended a meeting when Eric suddenly knocked on the door and walked in, deliberately tilting his head to reveal the person behind him¡ªJosh. ¡°President Duncan, I¡¯m back.¡± Upon hearing Josh¡¯s voice, Alexander immediately raised his head from the piles of documents he was reading. Eric had previously messed important things up. To prevent the same thing from repeating, Alexander decided to call Josh back from Australia. He was so reliable and efficient enough that he flew back almost immediately after Alexander¡¯s call. Seeing that Alexander wasn¡¯t overjoyed about Josh¡¯s return and even appeared to be more indifferent than usual, Eric was happy in his heart. However, after signing thest contract he was going through, Alexander stood up and instructed, ¡°Send these documents to their respective departments, Eric. I need to talk to Josh about something and I don¡¯t want anyone else in the room. So, when you leave, close the door.¡± Eric was stunned at first when he heard Alexander¡¯s words and since there was nothing he could do but agree, he left unwillingly. Isn¡¯t it obvious that they¡¯re leaving me out? What is so important that they have to exclude me, the chief assistant of the President? he pondered. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. On the coffee table in the room, two cups of scented tea were bubbling hot with steam. ¡°Courtney is in the hospital now and she has met Grandpa¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not important now.¡± Josh then turned on his tablet and pushed it to Alexander. ¡°President Duncan, look at today¡¯s headlines.¡± The moment he opened Facebook, he saw the top few topics in the trending lists were all about Shay, and worse still, it wasn¡¯t only about him. ¡®Shay¡¯s fans have associated him and his adoptive sister as a couple.¡¯ Almost the entire half of the trending list was about simr things. Surprisingly, even theizens¡¯ comments were in agreement. ¡®All the fans are begging for Shay to be together with his sister. No one treats him better than her.¡¯ ¡®They are childhood sweethearts. It¡¯s just so wonderful. Shay, just be with your sister.¡¯ And there were more simrments. Seeing that all theizens were trying to match Shay and Courtney, Alexander was at a loss for words. ¡°Are all of them blind? They can¡¯t even notice the rtionship between Shay and Casey.¡± He was so furious that he almost smashed the tablet so that he would not have to see the news anymore. ¡°The trending list was publishedst night. When the PR team saw it, it was already toote to remove it. So, they can only leave it be for now.¡± ¡°Remove it.¡± Alexander¡¯s face was ashen with rage. ¡°By hook or by crook, take this trending list off.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Josh replied swiftly. From his understanding of Alexander, he would be Alexander¡¯s next target if he did not agree with what Alexander said. He then quickly changed the subject. ¡°Eric is still young. He was merely being childish in the previous matter and did not give it much consideration.¡± To this, Alexander said nothing. ¡°Regarding the ways to court your ex, I believe there¡¯s only one trick.¡± After Josh said this, Alexander immediately focused his gaze on him. ¡°What trick?¡± He knew that people always said to persevere or be determined, but for him, all these were useless and couldn¡¯t be of any practical help at all. In response, Josh gave him a light smile. With an indecent expression on his face, he uttered, ¡°Be brazen-faced.¡± Chapter 462 One Night Surprise Chapter 462 Chapter 462 Chase Him Out Unconditionally At Melrose International Airport, Courtney estimated Shay¡¯s arrival time and parked her car just outside the arrival building. Soon after she parked her car, she noticed arge crowd of fans rushing out of the arrival building¡¯s entrance, holding brightly lit boards and banners. Shay was wearing a pair of sunsses and was surrounded by five to six bodyguards. He was dressed simply in a white t-shirt and casual pants, but his superstar aura could not be hidden. At that moment, the fans even blocked the view from the car¡¯s window. The moment Shay got in, Courtney started the car immediately without even greeting him. She could even see from the rearview mirror that some fans were chasing her car. On the co-driver seat was the photographer who had been following Shay for the entire show. Fortunately, the photographer was focusing his attention on Shay and not on her, so she was at ease. She only managed to leave all those insane fans behind after she got to the airport highway. ¡°You¡¯re punctual this time. I didn¡¯t wait for long.¡± She looked at Shay through the rearview mirror and asked, ¡°Have you eaten? I have a sandwich here if you¡¯re hungry.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°In the fridge under the seat.¡± Hearing that, Shay bent his waist to find the fridge, and he took out a sandwich in a ss container. Courtney had prepared it this morning just in case he did not eat anything on the flight. ¡°When Tina found out she¡¯d be on the show with you, she asked Angie to go shopping with her yesterday and even bought new clothes.¡± ¡°im the expenses from me.¡± While eating the sandwich, heughed. ¡°Courtney, you don¡¯t need to deliberately find something to talk to me about. They¡¯ll edit the videoster. Just focus on driving and don¡¯t do anything on purpose.¡± His words made her blush and she gave him a re through the rearview mirror. In recent years, his career in showbiz has progressed rapidly. He was no longer the Cello Prince who transformed into a singer a few years ago. Now, all his concerts were always sold out with no seats untaken. Of course, he worked hard for it, but it would not have been possible without Casey¡¯s help. She wasn¡¯t very optimistic a few years back when she knew about him and Casey as the road ahead was difficult. However, five years had passed now, and Casey had protected him well. She was no longer worried about them. The entire car fell into silence after Courtney stopped talking. Feeling helpless, the photographer tried hard to signal to her, using his eye contact, so she could find something to talk about, but she deliberately did not do so. Instead, she asked him what had happened to his eyes, which frustrated him so much that he almost suffered internally as a result. Behind them, Shay had already fallen asleep after having the sandwich. She then drove for more than one hour before they reached her ce. By then, even the corridors of her house were installed with cameras. The moment they opened the door, they heard a loud bang, followed by many pieces of colorful shredded paper falling and covering their faces. Both of them were shocked by it and luckily for Courtney, Shay managed to catch her before she fell down from shock. ¡°Shay!¡± Tina rushed into his embrace just like the way an insane fan would do. Courtney was so surprised at the crowd that weed them at the door that she forgot to remind Tina to address Shay properly. Angie was the first one by the door, followed by Josephine, then Tina, all of whom were having small celebration firecrackers in their hands. What was even more surprising was that Hannah was here too. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Hannah? You¡¯re here too?¡± Though her appearance changed throughout the past five years, Courtney could still recognize her. ¡°I called her over, Courtney.¡± Angie took a side nce at the camera and exined the situation before Tina did, ¡°I met her that day when u fetched me from the airport.¡± As there were cameras around, Courtney could not probe further even though she was still perplexed. ¡°Let¡¯s head in first.¡± Shay was being pushed into the house by the girls, especially Hannah and Tina. They were both staring at him with such agitation that their eyes seemed to shine. Tina then preupied herself with showing him her video games. The living room was very lively as a result of their presence. Thereafter, Courtney took this opportunity to pull Angie into her room. Apart from the washroom, only her and Josephine¡¯s rooms did not have cameras in them. ¡°Why is Hannah here?¡± She asked straightforwardly right after she closed the door. Angie immediately gave her an innocent expression, holding up her hand, and answered, ¡°I swear I¡¯m not the one who asked her over.¡± She said so earlier just to prevent Tina from saying anything inappropriate. Tina yearned for Courtney to reconcile with her biological father. Hence, she might disclose the messy rtionship between Hannah and Courtney in front of the cameras. So, to prevent such trouble, she did what she had previously done. ¡°Hannah came just after you left this morning. She said she followed Shay¡¯s schedule here. I refused to let her enter at first, but Tina was so friendly that she invited her straight into our house. What can I do?¡± Courtney frowned hearing this. ¡°This girl¡­¡± It wouldn¡¯t be a big deal if Hannah was here because of Shay. But Courtney was afraid that this wasn¡¯t her purpose ofing over. ¡°How did you tell the crew of the show then?¡± ¡°I said she¡¯s my friend. Not rted to you at all.¡± Courtney heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Would it bother you? If yes, let me think of some ways to ask her to leave,¡± Angie suggested. ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± After a brief pause, Courtney continued, ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be a big problem. It¡¯s gettingte and I need to prepare lunch. Help me to keep an eye on her. Hannah was a timid girl; it¡¯s unlikely that she woulde here just to chase after her idol. Perhaps¡­¡± Perhaps someone asked Hannah to do so. She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Alexander showed up in front of her doorter to look for this aunt of his. ¡°What if Tina¡¯s biological dad reallyester?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll chase him out regardless of what happens.¡± ¡°But the cameras are shooting.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That father of Tina¡¯s is not an easily-bullied person either. He would never allow such embarrassing moments of him to be broadcasted out. That scene will definitely be cut.¡± Based on her understanding of him, this was definitely what he would do. While she was preparing lunch, Shay entered the kitchen and offered to help. However, he only managed to pluck some vegetables before she chased him out, saying that he wasn¡¯t fast and nimble enough. And the camera managed to record such a scene. This scene could be the highlight of the show appearing in the trailer. Their meal was simple; all of the dishes were typical home-cooked food. Since Hannah showed herself up shamelessly, it would not look good to chase her out, hence all of them sat by the dining table. A nce around the table would show that Shay was the only guy here, but he wasn¡¯t awkward at all. While they were eating, they talked about rtionship issues for the purpose of the show. Angie and Hannah, as youngdies approaching the age of young adults, joined the conversation at the director¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Dating and getting married are totally different things altogether. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Shay, who was mindlessly poking the beef in front of him, voiced his opinion, ¡°Dating is all about sharing your joys and sorrows. But marriage seemed to be more about shouldering life¡¯s burdens together, with no apparent connection to the feelings involved. I¡¯m not interested in getting married.¡± Following that, Courtney said, ¡°You can date forever, and you will realize that the sharing during the rtionship will eventually turn into shouldering burdens. Both of them are not mutually exclusive.¡± Chapter 463 One Night Surprise Chapter 463 Chapter 463 I Don¡¯t Want to Get Married ¡°I don¡¯t want to get married,¡± Shay spoke openly about his true feelings. He appeared to be more rxed than Courtney in front of the cameras and could ignore them as if they didn¡¯t exist¨C¨Cpossibly due to his many years of experience in front of the cameras. But Courtney had no idea whether what he said was true or if he was simply taking advantage of the opportunity to exin himself in front of the cameras. For the past five years, there were always constant rumors about him. As he was a public figure as well as a hot celebrity, there were many female celebrities who wanted to get close to him to take advantage of his poprity, and he did not stand firm in rejecting them. This was a big change from his personality when he first debuted, and it raised a lot of questions among his fans. Only she knew that he was hiding his fear deep within his heart behind such an attitude. Whatever prompted him to say such words, she could tell he was worried that his rtionship with Casey would be revealed. Hence, sheforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t get married then. Many people nowadays share the same thought.¡± ¡°Marriage is just a formality. Eternity is in your heart if you truly love someone.¡± Courtney and Shay were both surprised to hear this and cast a doubtful gaze at Angie. Shay had no idea about Angie¡¯s rtionship, but Courtney did, and that was exactly what she had been worried about recently. When she heard what Angie said, she felt as if her headache was returning. Angie was just a seventeen-year-old girl who had not yet reached adulthood. Girls of her age pursue their love with no second thoughts; even if they knew whaty ahead of them was an abyss, they would still jump right in and no one would be able to talk them out of it. Because of what she said, Courtney wasn¡¯t in the mood to continue on the topic anymore and they ended it hastily. Angie seemed to notice her bad mood as well. As a result, Angie went straight to her room after dinner to y video games,pletely ignoring the lively shooting outside. The show must go on. In order to create a rxing atmosphere, the photographer seemed to be ying the role of an invisible man, quietly hiding in the tent at the corner as well as the store room. Courtney, on the other hand, was using her day off to clean the entire house, followed by the dishes. She would asionally talk to Shay so that the crew would have something to edit on, and as time passed, she forgot about the cameras and beganmunicating naturally. When it was time for dinner, Casey appeared at the door uninvited. While Courtney was preparing the ingredients for their steamboat dinnerter that night, the doorbell rang. It rang for quite some time, but no one paid any attention to it. She stuck out half of her face from the kitchen window, her hands covered in the blood of the fish she had just handled, and shouted toward the living room, ¡°Can someone open the door please?¡± Shay and Tina were ying video games together, each with one controller, andpletely ignored her. ¡°Porridge for tonight if no one answers the door. None of you can have the fried fish I made.¡± Right after she ended her sentence, both Shay and Tina dropped the controller in their hands and dashed toward the door. Shay, who had longer legs, reached the door sooner than Tina. However, upon opening the door and seeing the one standing in front of him, his expression changed. His original smile was reced by a solemn expression. Casey, dressed in a slim-fit dark suit, was standing upright before him. His height, which almost reached the door frame, gave him an authoritative air. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Shay tried to dodge his gaze. Casey looked back at him with his deep gaze. Then, with an intriguing voice, he replied, ¡°I¡¯ve just heard from your manager that you¡¯re having a shoot in Melrose, so I dropped by to see if there¡¯s anything I can be of help.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. To that, Shay immediately replied, with his face looking embarrassed, ¡°Everything is fine here and there¡¯s nothing that needs your help. Go back first. I¡¯ll look for you when I¡¯m free.¡± After he finished his words, he pushed Casey outside. They hadn¡¯t seen each other since their fight about a month ago. Casey had no idea when the current show began filming because even Shay¡¯s manager kept it from him. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Courtney came out of the kitchen and saw Shay blocking the door. Seeing her hands filled with blood, Casey was stunned. But as an experienced mature man, he regained his senses within seconds and greeted her calmly, ¡°Hi, Courtney. It has been a long time since west met.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s been a long time, President Lewis.¡± Courtney took a few moments to realize what was happening. ¡°Come in and have a seat. Dinner time is approaching; do join us for dinner as well.¡± Shay did not want her to worry about their matters. Thus, despite his unwillingness, he did not oppose her offer directly and allowed Casey to enter the house. ¡°Enjoy your conversation. I¡¯ll prepare some tea.¡± And immediately after saying that, Courtney went back into the kitchen to wash her hands. Tina, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t familiar with Casey. Seeing that Casey had already entered the house, she pestered Shay to continue ying the video game with her. But Shay wasn¡¯t in the mood to do so. ¡°Let¡¯s get some rest and continueter. You can watch some cartoons first, Tina.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to. That¡¯s for small children.¡± Tina was someone who was easily pumped up. Coupled with the fact that Shay had been spoiling her since she was small, she relentlessly pestered him despite what he said. Casey found himself a seat on the sofa behind both of them. ¡°What¡¯s the game? I¡¯ll y with you,¡± Casey spoke up. Hearing that, Shay was taken aback and looked at Casey with skepticism. ¡°Do you know how?¡± Tina looked at Casey with disbelief. ¡°I can try.¡± Casey took a controller and continued, ¡°Let¡¯s try this out, shall we? If I lose, I¡¯ll buy you choctes.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Tina¡¯s eyes brightened up and she immediately picked her controller up. Shay understood Casey well. He knew that Casey wasn¡¯t someone who would lose out. He would not even have any pity for young children. This was his nature of being a businessman¡ªalways trying to gain some advantages over the others, no matter who they were. With this thought in his mind, Shay immediately interrupted and asked, ¡°Wait. You¡¯ve only mentioned what you will do if you lose. But what if Tina loses?¡± Casey looked up when he heard his question. His gaze, seemingly filled with some deeper meanings, met Shay¡¯s. After a brief silence, he looked at Tina again and said, ¡°If you lose, could you please lend me Shay for ten minutes? One box of chocte for Shay¡¯s ten minutes; this is worthwhile, right?¡± Just as he finished his sentence, Shay smiled confidently. Tina was his die-hard fan; it was impossible for her to agree to such a condition. She wouldn¡¯t agree to it even if she were offered an entire basket of chocte, let alone a box of it now. Hence, he mockingly said, ¡°It¡¯s impossible for her to¡­¡± But before he could finish his words, Tina¡¯s clear voice resonated from behind. ¡°No problem.¡± Chapter 464 One Night Surprise Chapter 464 Chapter 464 I¡¯m Already Downstairs Shay had never expected a reply as such from his ardent fan. How was heparable to a box of chocte? Tina and Casey began the game, the winner being the one who won two out of three rounds. The first round was easily taken by Tina. But it was obvious to Shay that Casey threw the game. Others may not have realized it, but he knew Casey far too well. Outside of work, Casey spent most of his time collecting antiques and ying video games. He didn¡¯t even travel frequently. Anything that could be done at home became his hobby, and he was an expert in it. Thus, he could easily win against a ten-year-old girl. The second and third rounds were, without doubt, won by him. Just after they ended the third round, Tina threw the game controller in her hand and sighed. ¡°Why are you so good at this?¡± ¡°I can teach you in the future.¡± Casey smiled and his normally emotionless face tinged with gentleness. ¡°But you have to keep your promise now and lend Shay to me for ten minutes.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± She nodded and walked toward Angie¡¯s room obediently. After she entered the room, the sound of her speaking to Hannah could be heard from the outside, praising Casey for his game skills. Hannah wasn¡¯t impressed by what she said and wanted to have a game with him, but Tina stopped her. ¡°I lost, so I have to lend Shau to him for ten minutes. Don¡¯t go out for the moment.¡± ¡°Lend Shay to him for ten minutes?¡± Hannah¡¯s tone sounded weird, even revealing a shady sense. ¡°So lovely.¡± ¡°What is so lovely?¡± Tina didn¡¯t understand what Hannah meant. ¡°You¡¯re still young so you can¡¯t understand. This is something about rtionships that is different from what you currently believe. You haven¡¯t reached the age of breaking through your inherent mindset yet.¡± Hannah waved her hand at the same time she spoke as if she was unwilling to borate further to such a young child. She then exchanged nces with Angie, and they bothughed simultaneously. They were both around the same age and had studied abroad, so they shared liberal values. Angie¡¯s room was poorly insted. As a result, Shay heard all of theirughter and blushed immediately. ¡°What do you want?¡± Hearing his question, Casey frowned and replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t even do anything.¡± ¡°Why are you here? I¡¯m shooting a show here.¡± ¡°My presence here will not disrupt your shooting. You¡¯re the one who should exin why you¡¯ve been avoiding me for the past two weeks.¡± When Shay heard this, his brow furrowed, and he turned to the photographer hiding in the tent at the corner and said, ¡°Stop recording, and delete the earlier part.¡± The photographer was taken aback and hesitatingly stuck his head out from the tent and looked at Casey. Casey was the biggest investor of this show and thus, it was for him to decide whether to continue shooting. It was understandable for the photographer to do so, as he had his own considerations and it was necessary to avoid upsetting the investor. But such action offended Shay instead. He stood up from the sofa and said, ¡°Are my words now meaningless? I¡¯m not continuing with this show anymore.¡± Right after he finished his words, he removed the microphone clipped on him and walked outside. The director immediately ran out from the store room to chase after him, but was stopped by Casey¡¯s firm and stern gaze. Everyone stood there motionless while Casey went after Shay and left Courtney¡¯s house. Now, only the cameras remained silently standing in the house. Courtney then came out with a pot of tea in her hand. Seeing that both of them had left, she helplessly ced the teapot on the coffee table and let out a sigh. She deliberately stayed inside earlier as facing them would only make things more awkward. Then, she heard a heated argument reverberating from the balcony outside the house, and she vaguely heard them mentioning the wedding ceremony. However, it was quickly drowned out by the sound of them arguing again, so she wasn¡¯t sure if she had heard it right. Nevertheless, she thought that was illogical too. Same-sex marriages weren¡¯t recognized by the country and were not legally protected. For both of them, a wedding ceremony was merely a meaningless formality that added nothing but worries to their lives. Though she knew that eavesdropping wasn¡¯t a good thing, she couldn¡¯t help but focus on their conversation and continue eavesdropping. However, both of them seemed to have quieted down and she could see them smoking at opposite ends of the balcony through the curtains. Seeing that, she silently heaved a sigh and went to the kitchen to continue her preparation for dinner. She initially thought that since things had gone awry, Casey would not be staying any longer, but when everything was ready and served, they both walked out from the balcony and sat at the dining table. Sitting at the opposite ends of the dining table, they were facing, and ring, at each other. She didn¡¯t want to ask why they were arguing because she knew it would be about their rtionship. All she wanted was to get through the night as soon as possible so that the shooting could end. Shay had never intended to spend the night at her house. Thus, after the dinner, they merely had a brief conversation before he left, and Casey left shortly after him. It appeared that they would be having a huge fightter on. It was alreadyte at night when the photographer took off all the cameras. Courtney wanted to send Hannah home as it wasn¡¯t safe for a seventeen-year-old girl to go home alone thiste, but Hannah shamelessly refused to leave. ¡°I had a fight with that useless nephew of mine two days ago and I¡¯ve no other friends here. Can I stay here for a couple of days? Such a pretty and kinddy like you won¡¯t decline my request, right?¡± Useless nephew. What a good choice of words, Courtney thought. With that, she had no choice but to get Hannah some clothes to change into and allow her to sleep in Angie¡¯s room. After Courtney took her shower, it was already past midnight, and the entire house was quiet. When she returned to her room, she noticed two missed calls on her phone. Though she did not save the number that called, she remembered the number by heart that knew instantly who the caller was. After some hesitation, she texted him. ¡®Why did you call me at this hour?¡¯ Given the time now, she assumed she would not receive a response. However, to her surprise, her phone rang within minutes after she sent the message, its echo filling up the house, notifying her that she had a new message iing. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡®Hannah quarreled with the family. She told me that she was at your ce, so I wanted to confirm that.¡¯ ¡®She¡¯s indeed here now. I¡¯ll send her back tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s not appropriate to trouble you for this. I¡¯ll pick her up now.¡¯ ¡®Isn¡¯t it toote now?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m already downstairs.¡¯ Courtney was taken aback when she read this, and immediately walked to the window and pulled her curtains. The street lights shone dimly on the roadside below the apartment. A ck car could be seen parked along the road, and a man stood upright beside it, looking at his phone. Five minutester, she casually put on a coat to cover her pajamas and walked out of the apartment¡¯s door. Seeing her, Alexander then bent his waist and took a paper bag out from his car. ¡°I remember that you loved this in the past, so I bought it on my way here.¡± She took the paper bag over and saw that it was filled with fried chestnut. This was her and Cameron¡¯s favorite snack in the past. She knew it was purchased from the most well- known shop in Melrose, where there was always a queue at any time of the day and usually, it would be sold out by five in the afternoon. She, of course, did not believe that he bought it on his way here. Chapter 465 One Night Surprise Chapter 465 Chapter 465 Such a Trick Is Outdated ¡°My calls to you were not answered earlier, so I came over straight away.¡± His face was expressionless, and his usual cold-looking eyes appeared unusually tired today. ¡°Shay came over for a shoot today and I didn¡¯t have the time to check my phone.¡± Hugging the bag of fried chestnuts, she proceeded to thank him, ¡°Thanks for the chestnuts. But Hannah is asleep now. It is windy tonight so don¡¯t bother to wake her up. I¡¯ll send her back home tomorrow morning.¡± Alexander frowned after he heard that. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let me pick her up tomorrow morning.¡± The Duncan Family had so many servants that it would never be necessary for him, the young master himself, to pick Hannah up personally. Furthermore, he had never been close to Hannah in the first ce. Thus, Courtney, being cautious, thought of a saying¡ªwhen the weasel paid his respects to the hen, it bore no good intentions. ¡°Fine.¡± She wanted to end their conversation quickly. ¡°It¡¯ste. You should go back now.¡± He appeared to be disappointed by what she said, and he held the door handle with his head slightly raised, preparing to leave. At that moment, he began coughing intensely in the cold wind. Hearing the unexpected sounds, Courtney halted her steps. There was a thunderstorm alert these few days and the drop in temperature caused a lot of residents in Melrose to catch a cold. Melrose City Hospital also had a high number of flu patients. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I am.¡± He clenched his fists tightly and pursed his lips, as if he was trying hard to suppress his cough, despite his expression indicating that there was something wrong with him. ¡°Wait.¡± With her brows furrowed, she said, ¡°Since you¡¯re here, go up with me so I can take your temperature.¡± It had better be amon cold. If he developed a fever, he would have to go to the hospital for a check-up. The flu that has been going around thesest few days was noughing matter. Due to the shooting earlier, all the lights in the house were still on. It wasn¡¯t Alexander¡¯s first time here. When he saw the shoes on the shoe rack containingdies¡¯ shoes from different age groups, he had mixed feelings. Courtney then brought the thermometer to him. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Since she was a doctor, she habitually pressed his head and took the thermometer near his ears. The scent of the body shampoo on her filled his nose, causing him to space out for a moment. ¡°You have a slight fever.¡± Looking at the thermometer, she frowned. ¡°Have a seat here first. I¡¯ll get you some medicine.¡± She remembered having some fever medicine stored in the house. However, because Angie and Tina were both messy and never put things back in their ces, it took her some time to find the medicine. By the time she found the medicine, he had already fallen asleep in the living room, with a bolster in his hands. The sofa wasn¡¯trge, and it appeared even smaller inparison to his body build, and it wasn¡¯t a comfortable ce for him to sleep. However, he appeared to have fallen into a deep sleep and snored lightly. She stared at him for a while, unsure of what to do, but she couldn¡¯t bear to wake him up. Thus, she went to the bedroom and brought a nket out for him, then turned off the lights in the living room before returning to her room. In the early hours, there was a thunderstorm, with loud thunder and lightning, but everyone in the house was sleeping soundly. One of them could sleep soundly despite any noises, another was too tired from ying video games untilte at night, and yet another had finally found his cure after years of insomnia. The next morning, the early sun rays shone into the house. When Alexander opened his eyes, he saw a small figure leaning at the coffee table across him. She was dressed in pink pajamas, her long ck hair was all over her shoulders, and she was looking at him cautiously with one of her hands supporting her chin. The other hand of hers was knocking on the coffee table every now and then, showing her impatience. Courtney, on the other hand, appeared to be preparing breakfast, with some frying sounds emanating from the kitchen. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Josephine¡¯s voice pulled his attention back. He immediately sat up and said, ¡°Josie? You¡¯re Josie, right?¡± His sound was full of his love toward this daughter of his. Josephine, on the other hand, gave him a frown. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I came to pick Hannah upst night, but it was toote and I fell asleep on the sofa.¡± Hearing that, she sat up straight. After staring at him for a while, she gave him a dismissive look and said, ¡°Such a trick was already outdated. You would never sessfully court my mom if you keep on using such ways.¡± He didn¡¯t think her words were sarcastic; instead, he thought she was too adorable. In response, he asked patiently, ¡°What ways do you think I should do then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible. Nothing is going to work.¡± She gave him a look of disgust and continued, ¡°Getting married is a very troublesome thing and my mom is not someone who would bring trouble upon herself. You better stop looking for my mom from now on.¡± Her words stunned him, but he remained calm and asked, ¡°So you don¡¯t find me annoying, but simply find getting married a hassle?¡± ¡°No,¡± she denied what he said and replied in a cute tone, ¡°I hate both.¡± He let out a helpless sigh. ¡°Why did you feel this way when you¡¯ve never gotten married before?¡± ¡°If being married is a good thing, my mom would have long married you.¡± Josephine was always a candid person, simr to Courtney¡¯s Aunt Alicia. Clearly, Josephine was brought up by her and that shaped her straightforward personality. Previously he had always attributed her negative attitude toward him to the fact that he had not been by her side for all these years and Alicia, who had brought Josephine up, never liked him, so it was understandable for Josephine to feel the same way. It was only now that he realized, after listening to her words, that this five-year-old girl understood everything. When Courtney came out of the kitchen after preparing breakfast, Alexander was already nowhere to be seen. As if nothing had happened, she looked at Josephine and said, ¡°Go and wake the others up.¡± On the dining table, she had only prepared four sets of breakfast; there was none for Alexander. She was well aware of Josephine¡¯s aversion to her biological father. One reason for this was Alicia¡¯s influence on her, but another reason was that she was a mature girl. Despite knowing a lot, she had very little experiences, and thus her character wasn¡¯t a peaceful one. As Angie said, Josephine was too disgruntled. Nevertheless, that was also a good thing. Alexander should know that what came between them wasn¡¯t only the time that had passed, but also the hatred his biological daughter had toward him. In light of these difficulties, she hoped that he could give up on her. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. It was raining outside, and the news reporter appearing on the television was reporting on a thunderstorm alert. The drizzling raindrops were falling on the windows of the car. Alexander sat dejectedly behind the wheel while his thoughts returned to Josephine¡¯s words. ¡°The world would be so unfair if everyone who did wrong could be easily forgiven.¡± This immature young girl acted like an adult, feeling indignant for her mother, and confronted him as to what rights he had to ask for atonement and reconciliation. The rain was getting heavier, and the windshield was bing hazier. Suddenly, there was a sharp braking sound on the street, followed by a loud crash. His entire car was forced toe to a halt due to a violent collision. Before he could react, he saw everything before him swaying, and his airbag sprung out. Chapter 466 One Night Surprise Chapter 466 Chapter 466 It Reeked of Blood ¡°In today¡¯s morning news, multiple ounts of car idents have been recorded happening in and out of the city caused by obstructed vision due to heavy rain. A multiple-vehicle collision had urred on Stoughton Overpass at 8:05AM. A truck driver who was driving under the influence of alcohol had caused the ident that left 12 victims injured. A few ambnces from the nearest hospital, Melrose City Hospital, have already arrived at the scene.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Courtney had just finished cleaning the dirty dishes when she heard the voiceing from the television. Feeling her heart skip a beat, she quickly took off her apron and wiped her hands dry. That was when her phone rang. ¡°Hello? Chief Kenell?¡± she greeted after picking up the call. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I know. I saw it on the news. I am going to the hospital now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Understood. I will head straight to the emergency room.¡± ¡°¡­¡± After hanging up the phone, Courtney reminded Angie to take care of her sister before heading to the hospital hastily. idents caused by bad weather like this often left the hospital so overloaded that all the hospital personnel who were in Melrose City had to be there to lend a hand. That was why she had to hurry to the hospital even though she still had a half-day break. The first batches of ambnces were already at the hospital¡¯s entrance when Courtney arrived. Without even changing into the proper attire, she immediately stepped forward and pushed a patient into the emergency room. ¡°A steel bar punctured the left chest. Prepare an x-ray to check the extent of the damage. And inform Chief Lawson from the thoracic department toe here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please take a look at this patient, Dr. Hunter. He is in shock, but he doesn¡¯t have any physical wounds,¡± one of the interns urged. ¡°I am not a professional at this. Chief Cheryl from neurology should arrive by now. Just take the patient for a CT scan in the meantime.¡± Courtney had been knowledgeable in clinical medicine when she was still in university, and on top of that, she had more experience than the other interns because of the time she volunteered. She might only be a pediatrician, but she was always the first person the surgical interns in the emergency room consulted in case of an emergency. However, she didn¡¯t waste her time on these patients when she already knew that she wasn¡¯t qualified enough to diagnose them. The intern then pushed the patient¡¯s bed past her. Even though the man in the bed had his eyes tightly shut and his white blouse dirtied by rainwater and mud, none of that affected how handsome his features were. His hand abruptly jolted right as he was beside Courtney, but all he managed to do was grabbing the hem of her white coat before his hand fell back onto the bed again in a split second. Melrose City Hospital¡¯s wards were already fully upied because of the influenza and the aftermath of the ident that seemed to continue spreading. Ambnces were still continuously bringing in victims of the crash to the hospital. ¡°This won¡¯t do,¡± Linda concluded with a frown on her face. Her white robe had been stained by blood. ¡°There are too many people here. It is easy for the patients to cross-infect if we keep so many of them here.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes were full of worries as well as she looked at how chaotic the emergency room was. ¡°What else can we do? Close the door and don¡¯t let them in? We can¡¯t possibly do that,¡± she sighed. Now that the doctor-patient rtionship in the hospital was so tense, it would definitely result in an uproar in Melrose if the hospital were to close its doors on patients and someone were to start a rumor about it. There was no doubt the Health Bureau and Central Commission for Discipline Inspection would immediatelye and pay their visit. The one who would have to deal with the bacshter would be the president. Linda¡¯s expression was dim. ¡°Nothing is impossible. I will go to the president.¡± She then swiftly dumped the patients¡¯ information sheet she was holding to Courtney before walking away. The hospital¡¯s doors were officially closed after 30 minutes. After letting in thest ambnce to arrive, they locked the wailing family members of the victims outside the hospital. Courtney was on the second floor when she watched all of this happen. Her emotions were getting more conflicted by the second. A few interns behind her started discussing in hushed voices. ¡°Won¡¯t things get bad if this continues?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the hospital close their doors too when SARS hit? Even so, some patients and family members managed to push their way in, and 2 doctors and 1 nurse were hacked to death.¡± ¡°I know about this! Isn¡¯t it scary? I wonder why Chief Hass is doing this.¡± The interns had always been displeased with how stern Linda was to begin with. Now that they knew that it was her who insisted on closing the doors, their doubt about her only went up another notch. The tension between patients and doctors had already put the industry¡¯s reputation in jeopardy. The doctors and nurses would be the ones in danger if anything were to happen. But Linda made the decision for the good of the patients and hospital, Courtney thought. She isn¡¯t getting anything out of this. Unable to continue listening to those words, she reproached them. ¡°That SARS incident was from years ago. The security measures of the hospital have already been heightened after that. Let us all do what each of us are responsible for. Don¡¯t go out if you don¡¯t have to. Even if something really were to happen, it will all be because of you, who keep spewing nonsense and going where you shouldn¡¯t go. You can¡¯t me anyone else when that happens.¡± She was considered a person of authority for the interns. As soon as she spoke up, everyone instantly shut their mouths, and they soon dispersed. She took onest look at the swarm of civilians and reporters outside the hospital door, and eventually sucked in a deep breath before letting it out. She then turned and headed toward the staircase. Her phone began to ring before she even reached the first floor. It was a call from an unknown number, but it somehow looked familiar to her. ¡°Hello?¡± She hesitantly spoke into her phone after epting the call. ¡°Miss Hunter. It is me.¡± She momentarily froze when she heard the person¡¯s voice. ¡°Mr. Reynolds?¡± From what she knew, Sunhill Enterprise had sent Josh to Australia three years ago. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± With the mountain of duties waiting for her, she immediately asked him without beating around the bush. ¡°I am preupied with work at the hospital now. You¡ª¡± ¡°Have you seen President Duncan?¡± he cut her off mid-sentence. His voice sounded anxious as he asked the question. ¡°He left my house this morning. Did something happen?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t get through to him.¡± As soon as the assistant said that, Courtney was hit by a feeling of impending doom. He then continued somewhat incoherently, ¡°President Duncan called to inform us to prepare for a meeting this morning, but he still hasn¡¯t appeared even after everyone else was in attendance. I received news a while ago that an ident has urred on Stoughton Overpass. That is the road the president was using. I found his car when I rushed over to the scene, but the bumper was in terrible condition when I found it. They told me that he has been brought to Melrose City Hospital. No one can go in now that the hospital doors have been closed. Madam Fiona has been on edge since earlier. I can only call you because there is nothing else I can do.¡± Courtney could also hear Fiona¡¯s voiceing from the other side of the phone. However, all she felt then was the buzzing in her head. ¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t see him. I¡­¡± Without finishing her sentence, she hung up and ran downstairs at the speed of light. She was hit by the thick scent of blood drifting through the air in the emergency room as soon as she stepped in. She went on and pulled each curtain open, but still she didn¡¯t see Alexander anywhere. She then went and asked the other medical personnel in the room. ¡°Have you seen a tall man in suit pants and a white shirt sent in? He is around 30 years old.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°Have you seen¡ª¡± She had almost finished circling the ward when a nurse¡¯s voice called out to her from behind. ¡°Dr. Hunter, is the person you are looking for someone who wears a Vacheron Constantin wristwatch?¡± The colors on her face immediately drained when she heard the nurse¡¯s words. ¡°Yes! Have you seen him?¡± she urgently asked. ¡°He was sent in before the crowd came, and he was already in shock at that time. He was the one that Dr. Kenell asked you what should be done to him. Didn¡¯t you ask to send him straight to the neurologist?¡± Upon hearing that, she suddenly recalled the feeling of the familiar touch on her wrist as panic overtook her. Without saying thank you, she turned around and ran straight to the neurology department.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Chapter 467 One Night Surprise Chapter 467 Chapter 467 Time of Death Courtney was stopped by a nurse when she arrived at the neurosurgical operating room. The red light that showed an operation going on was still turned on then. ¡°Dr. Hunter, do you want to go in and observe the surgery?¡± the nurse asked, making Courtney stop in her tracks for a moment. ¡°Who is inside? How long has the operation been going on?¡± ¡°It has been 30 minutes.¡± The nurse pointed at the clock on the wall. ¡°The patient might be someone rather influential. I heard that Vice President Zayn personally came to operate on the patient after receiving a call. I wonder if it is because the hospital doors are closed that the patient¡¯s family is not here yet.¡± Courtney¡¯s heart was thundering in her chest then. ¡°I will go in and have a look,¡± she told the nurse. ¡°Oh my, Dr. Hunter. Have you forgotten that you need to scrub your hands and change into a surgical gown? Vice President Zayn is going to have your head if you go in like this!¡± the nurse reminded Courtney, her gaze somewhat baffled as she looked at her. Hearing that, Courtney quickly collected herself and rushed to the changing room to get herself ready. As she was still feeling slightly restless, she called the intern in the surgical room by the wrong name when she went in. There were a handful of doctors surrounding the operating table. Not being able to squeeze her way in and not daring enough to even attempt that, she only stood aside as she watched the doctors at work. She was beginning to sweat from the warm and humid surgery gown she was in. ¡°Why are you here?¡± a voice came from beside her. Through the mask and surgical gown that person was wearing, Courtney could barely recognize Que Earth¡¯s clear voice. She was an intern from the Department of Cardiac Surgery. Having her attention fully on what was happening at the operating table, Courtney only absent- mindedly said, ¡°I¡¯m just taking a look.¡± ¡°What a coincidence. Me too.¡± Standing side to side with Courtney, she nonchntly continued, ¡°It has been crazy in the emergency room. At least I can tantly take a rest on the excuse that I am here to observe the operation. But what luck. Things aren¡¯t going so well for this patient. I am afraid we will have to deliver our apology to his family after the surgery.¡± Courtney¡¯s face instantly paled at that. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Que was one of the best students Linda was proud to have. She would never say something like this as a joke. ¡°Yup. He seemed fine when he was brought in here, but we found that he had intracranial hypertension. The chief of neurology has been in a meeting about this for hours. The sess rate isn¡¯t high, but the chief is still holding onto thest ray of hope. The patient will be dead for sure if we don¡¯t operate on him. We gave his family a call and started with the operation after they gave us the green light.¡± ¡°How low is the sess rate?¡± Courtney faltered. ¡°Less than 10 percent. We even have the death notice ready to be sent out in case the operation fails.¡± Courtney¡¯s limbs suddenly turned cold. In that instant, the electrocardiographic heart monitor started beeping quickly. Her head shot up, but her sight was still blocked by the doctors swarming around the patient. All she could hear then was the noise that filled the room. ¡°Oxygen mask!¡± ¡°The patient¡¯s heart rate is too low!¡± ¡°Prepare the cardiac pacemaker.¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°¡­¡± Beep¡ª The spikes showing the heart rate on the pacemaker gradually ttened into a straight line that seemed to extend to infinity. Other than the sound from the machine, the rest of the noises in the room went dead silent. ¡°Time of death¡­¡± ¡°Sign the notice and give it to the deceased¡¯s family.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The silence was suddenly broken by a surprised yelp from Que. ¡°Dr. Hunter! What is wrong?!¡± She was holding Courtney who had passed out. Courtney had a long dream after that. It was spring in her dreams, where rape flowers could be seen yellowing the field. The sunlight and warmth only further beautified the view. Tina was holding her hand as she pulled her along. ¡°Mommy, Josie, hurry up! Jordan is waiting for us!¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± Courtney asked, in which the child grumbled, ¡°Mommy! Did you forget that we are having a pic with Jordan today?¡± She only recalled that promise after hearing her daughter¡¯s words. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Jordan is waiting for us by himself. I am sure he is worried about us!¡± They soon met Jordan standing alone in the flower field. He was already a teenager then. Courtney couldn¡¯t help but notice the aloof expression on his face as he waited for them. She subconsciously took a peek behind him and asked, ¡°Why are you here by yourself? Where is Daddy?¡± The children suddenly gave her an odd look after they heard her question. Tugging on her hand, Tina asked, ¡°Mommy, what are you talking about? We don¡¯t have a father!¡± Josephine had an equally confused expression as well. ¡°This isn¡¯t right¡­¡± Courtney¡¯s face had fallen then as thoughts began to flood her head. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you have a father?¡± Jordan, who had been quiet this whole time, lifted his head to look at her. His face looked exactly like Alexander¡¯s. Even the coldness in his gaze reminded her of the children¡¯s father. ¡°We used to have one, but we don¡¯t now. You won¡¯t be with Daddy anyway. What difference does it make whether or not we have a father? We are still your children no matter what.¡± She could feel her chest tighten after hearing his words. Taking two steps backward, she muttered, ¡°No. You are not Jordan. Jordan would never say something like this.¡± ¡°Mommy, what are you talking about?¡± the children eximed to her. ¡°You are not my children, and none of this is real¡­¡± As she continued to step backward, she suddenly remembered that Jordan was only an 11-year-old boy who didn¡¯t look like how he appeared to be now. The scene in front of her seemed to swirl and twist as the view disappeared into the background, leaving only a nk, white canvas. ¡°Ah!¡± she finally woke up with a scream. ¡°Dr. Hunter, are you alright? Did you have a bad dream?¡± Hearing the caring voice, she turned to look at the person, only to see that it was Linda sitting by her side. She also noticed that they were in the interns¡¯ lounge. ¡°I am fine.¡± Courtney¡¯s hand went to her forehead. She still hadn¡¯t grasped reality after abruptly waking up from her dream. ¡°Why am I here?¡± Linda passed her a ss of sugar water and scolded, ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? You suddenly fainted when you were in the neurosurgery operating room. You almost scared Que to death! Did you not eat breakfast? Why didn¡¯t you watch out when you knew you have low blood sugar?¡± Courtney came to a halt, and her face began to turn pale. The only color left on her face was the redness in her eyes. Her body was gradually turning stiff. Even though the tip of her nose felt like it was burning, her tears wouldn¡¯te out no matter what. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to say about you. I can¡¯t believe you passed out from observing an operation. People might even think that you have haloemia!¡± She then turned her head to look at Courtney, only to see that she had gotten out of bed. ¡°Hey!¡± she called out, worried. ¡°What are you doing? Look at how pale you are. Why don¡¯t you rest for a little longer?¡± ¡°I am alright, Chief Hass.¡± Despite being stopped by Linda, she made her way to the hospital¡¯s mortuary. Due to the fact that unrted people were not allowed inside the hospital, those who had passed away from failed operations were temporarily ced in the mortuary before their family and friends could come and see them onest time. Linda quickly followed after Courtney. ¡°Where are you going, Courtney?¡± Her eyebrows crinkled when she noticed the direction Courtney was heading to, and when they reached the mortuary, she hastened her pace and blocked the entrance to the room. ¡°Courtney, why are you going into the mortuary?¡± It was only then that she realized how red Courtney¡¯s eyes had gotten. She looked like she was holding her emotions back. Her voice, too, came out hoarse. ¡°Don¡¯t stop me. I am going inside to look for someone.¡± Linda was caught by surprise when she saw a side of Courtney she hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°What is wrong? Talk to me. Who are you trying to look for?¡± ¡°Patients who died during operations were all sent here, weren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Since their friends and families aren¡¯t allowed in for now, yes, that should be the case,¡± Linda replied with a frown after Courtney didn¡¯t answer her question. ¡°What is it? There aren¡¯t any failed operations today. Who are you looking for?¡± Courtney then said rather incoherently, ¡°There is! I saw it with my own eyes before I passed out. The craniotomy was a failure. His operation failed. I didn¡¯t even get to see him for thest time.¡± Chapter 468 One Night Surprise Chapter 468 Chapter 468 Because of One Injection Linda had a baffled look on her face after hearing Courtney¡¯s words. She then asked, ¡°Are you talking about the surgery you were observing before you fainted?¡± Courtney nodded with great difficulty. Upon seeing that, Linda let out a breath of relief. Linda then looked at her with a helpless gaze and said, ¡°Come with me.¡± Linda brought her to the ICU, where they changed into asepsis clothes. The automated door swiftly opened for them after it detected their presence. ¡°You are talking about him, right?¡± Linda pointed at a man with multiple tubes connected to his body. ¡°We already had his death notice prepared to be sent out, but Vice President Hass must have been unwilling to let the man go, since it is rare for him to personally perform an operation. None of us had much hope when the vice president gave the patient onest injection. Who would have thought that it was because of this one injection that the man came back to life! He sure is one lucky man.¡± The man had his head shaven and wrapped in bandages because of the craniotomy. With the oxygen mask covering half his face, he was barely recognizable. Courtney slowly walked toward him. Her every step felt like there were weights of thousands of kilograms tied to them. ¡°Who is he to you?¡± Linda curiously asked as she stood behind Courtney. As Courtney stood there in the quiet and dim room, her voice seemed to reverberate in the cool air of the ward. ¡°Lover,¡± she choked. After saying the word she had kept to herself for the past 5 years, her tears started rolling down her cheeks uncontrobly. She had finally admitted to herself that she couldn¡¯t forget about him even after all this time. Despite how she didn¡¯t want to admit it, she still couldn¡¯t control her true feelings from bursting out and experiencing heartache in the face of death. She realized that there was no point for her to cling on to the past and make breaking up the only option they had. Vice President Zayn was there in the room when they entered. He quickly reassured Courtney, ¡°We still don¡¯t know when the patient will wake up, but he is no longer in critical condition. The craniotomy was a sess. All that is left is proper aftercare.¡± ¡°Thank you so much, Vice President Zayn.¡± She could finally feel at ease after expressing her gratitude to Alexander¡¯s attending doctor. Alexander continued to show no signs of waking up. Courtney waited by the door for a little longer, but due to the staff shortage in the emergency room, she had to leave him and go back to work. Though, she didn¡¯t forget to give Josh a call before that. ¡°He is alright now. The operation was a sess, but he is still in the ICU. We will be observing him for 2 more days before we transfer him to the normal ward,¡± she informed the assistant. ¡°That is great. Sorry for the trouble, Miss Hunter.¡± ¡°It is fine,¡± she answered before she began to worry again. ¡°How is Jordan? Does he know about this?¡± ¡°We hid it from him. Oh, right. Old Master Duncan is still hospitalized. Please don¡¯t let him hear about this,¡± Josh reminded. ¡°Got it.¡±Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°Miss Hunter,¡± the man added, ¡°Madam Fiona would like to have a word with you. Could you spare her a moment?¡± Courtney paused for a moment and eventually said yes. The other side of the phone was quiet for the next few seconds before a familiar woman¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Courtney, it is me.¡± ¡°I know, madam.¡± ¡°I never thought there woulde a day we would get in contact again because of something like this. I will be needing your help with Alexander.¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t help but notice how feeble Fiona¡¯s voice sounded. She could only imagine how worried Fiona was about not being able to enter the hospital premises. ¡°It is something I should do. Please don¡¯t worry, madam. The operation was a sess.¡± Not only for Fiona¡¯s sake, Courtney emphasized the word ¡®sess¡¯ to give herself reassurance. ¡°I can now be at peace knowing that he is in your safe hands. Why don¡¯t youe over and spend some time with us after Alexander¡¯s discharge? Everyone misses you.¡± Courtney hesitated but still agreed in the end. Melrose City Hospital was open to take in patients and visitors again the next morning, after the scene of the ident had been cleaned up. Courtney had spent the night before in the ICU. She didn¡¯t even know when she fell asleep by the bedside, but when she woke up, she was greeted by the sight of Fiona standing by the window, waving at her. Fiona had a simple white dress on, and in the crook of her elbow were a ck handbag and a thermal lunch box. ¡°You haven¡¯t had breakfast, have you? I brought you your favorite seafood porridge.¡± Now that they were in the office, the older woman opened the lid of the container and passed adle to Courtney, for which Courtney thanked her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite to me. I am the one who should be thanking you. I would have kept on worrying if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that you are here to take care of Alexander and Grandpa,¡± Fiona sighed. Hearing that, Courtney reassured her again, ¡°Mr. Duncan has been regaining his health. He will soon be strong enough to undergo surgery.¡± ¡°And it is all thanks to you for breaking his walls down.¡± It was probably because it had been some time since theyst met that Fiona seemed slightly ufortable. Instead of asking about Alexander¡¯s condition, she was more curious about how Courtney¡¯s life had been. ¡°None of us knew that you were pregnant when you left us. We wouldn¡¯t have let you do that if we knew. We made it difficult for you.¡± She began to choke up when she said that, but still continued, ¡°I am sure it has been hard for a young lady like you to raise two children by yourself.¡± ¡°Madam, please don¡¯t feel bad about it.¡± She hurriedly put down thedle and passed some tissue to the older woman. ¡°It was nothing. Tina has been with Elijah all this while. I also had my Aunt Alicia to take care of me after I gave birth to Josie. She brought Josie back to our home country after she turned 1 year old. So, it wasn¡¯t that hard on me.¡± Fiona wiped her tears and only spoke after she had calmed down. ¡°All in all, it was the Duncans who owe you. You lost so many years of your life because of us. You and Alexander, too¡­¡± She stopped before she finished her words. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this. Courtney, I have a presumptuous request I would like to ask of you.¡± ¡°Do tell.¡± ¡°If you aren¡¯t against it,¡± Fiona suggested, ¡°I would like you to be my daughter. I will treat you like my own. This is also a chance for me to make it up to you.¡± Courtney froze as she didn¡¯t expect to hear those words. She didn¡¯t know what to say in return. Fiona then continued, ¡°I know that you don¡¯t want to be with Alexander anymore, but you and him can¡¯t possibly stop being in each other¡¯s lives altogether. You have 3 children together, after all. That is why I came up with a way for everyone topromise. I don¡¯t have a daughter either. Can you let me treat you like one?¡± Fiona had a sincere expression on her face as she spoke. She didn¡¯t seem like she had any hidden intentions of suggesting so. ¡°Madam¡­¡± Courtney meekly called out, but she stopped talking as she hesitated. ¡°Do you not want that?¡± Fiona¡¯s eyes seemed to dim in that instant. ¡°Do you still hold a grudge against Alexander? Even if it is for Jordan¡¯s sake, are you still unwilling to¡ª ¡°That is not it,¡± Courtney quickly exined. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this after Alexander regains consciousness. My head is a mess now. I honestly don¡¯t know what I should say. But I really have no intention of holding grudges against anyone.¡± Upon hearing that, Fiona sighed with relief, ¡°That is good, then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to pay Alexander a visit,¡± Courtney offered after the conversation hade to an end. ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Knowing that Courtney would be there in the hospital, Fiona paid her son a short visit at the ICU he was in before she left. She dropped by again in the afternoon, along with Jordan. Cameron and Gale,who had alsoe to see Alexander, had brought Tina and Josephine along as well. The corridor outside the ICU suddenly became crowded that afternoon. Even though Jordan looked like he usually did, his grip on his mother¡¯s hand was tight. ¡°It is alright.¡± Courtney gently caressed his hand. ¡°He can be transferred to the normal ward after he wakes up. It won¡¯t be long before he is discharged from the hospital. Don¡¯t worry, Jordan.¡± Josephine was the youngest among the crowd, and naturally, she didn¡¯t stand out much as she mingled with the rest of them. Her palms were pressed against the window of the ward as she peered at the man who had tubes all over his body inside the ICU. A concerned expression began to make its way across her face then. Chapter 469 One Night Surprise Chapter 469 Chapter 469 Why Go to the Bureau of Civil Affairs ¡°Will he ever wake up?¡± Josephine might be a young child, and even though she was wise for her age, she didn¡¯t fully understand life and death. Tina¡¯s eyes began to turn red as she listened from the side. ¡°That won¡¯t happen. Daddy will definitely wake up.¡± ¡°I told him that I don¡¯t like him that morning,¡± Josephine confessed abruptly. Upon hearing that, Tina froze before turning her head to cast an odd look at her sister. The younger of the two continued, ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have left if I didn¡¯t say that I don¡¯t like him. There was heavy rain that morning.¡± Josephine med herself. Even though her words were always blunt when she spoke, and she would often make her older sisters angry, she had a kind heart. She could not ept the thought that her words had caused damage. Tina was caught off-guard and didn¡¯t know how tofort Josephine at that moment because she was clueless about what had happened that morning. ¡°It is not your fault,¡± a clear voice spoke from behind. Turning her little head, she saw that it was her older brother who spoke. ¡°Jordan,¡± she softly called him. Jordan nodded and caressed her on the head before calming her down, ¡°It is not your fault. It is hard for us to change an adult¡¯s mind no matter what we say. This is between the adults. The ident had nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The girl seemed surprised to hear that. ¡°Rtionships areplicated. You are too young to understand it.¡± Jordan looked into the ward, the worry in his eyes seemed to disappear at that moment. ¡°I will be here no matter what happens.¡± That night, more than 30 hours after the operation, Courtney received news from the ICU that Alexander had regained consciousness. She rushed over and clumsily stood by the door of the ward as she watched a few doctors going in. It was only until Linda told her that Alexander¡¯s transfer to the normal ward had been arranged that she could finally be at ease. ¡°But I have to tell you something,¡± Linda added. ¡°I need you to be mentally prepared for it.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Courtney urged. ¡°He has brain damage, and he is showing signs of amnesia.¡± Courtney¡¯s face immediately dropped when she heard that. She repeated, ¡°Amnesia?¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. The doctors in the ICU had just finished doing the checkup while Alexandery in bed the whole time. He only nkly stared at the ceiling as hey there. Under Linda¡¯s scrutinizing eyes, Courtney took hesitant steps to him. ¡°Alexander¡­¡± she softly called out. The patient in the bed showed some reaction when he slightly looked at her. However, his dazed gaze seemed to be asking who she was. The tip of her nose burned at that moment, and she was about to start with the waterworks. ¡°Do you not remember me?¡± she asked. Unexpectedly, Alexander¡¯s lips moved, and albeit with great difficulty, he rasped, ¡°Courtney¡­¡± The doctors in the ward were all so surprised that their heads whipped in her direction. ¡°You remember me?¡± She hurried over before leaning close to him to hear his words. ¡°Alexander, do you remember me?¡± He seemed confused after hearing her words as he asked, ¡°Who is Alexander?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Selective amnesia,¡± Vice President Zayn gave his diagnosis as he pointed at a CT scan image of Alexander¡¯s brain when the doctors had gathered in the meeting room. ¡°We had simr cases before. The blood clot in the patient¡¯s brain hasn¡¯tpletely been removed yet. The pressing on the nerves of the brain makes it hard for the brain to function properly, and that is why the patient has forgotten certain things. But it is the body¡¯s conditioned reflex, and not the brain¡¯s functions which causes him to only remember certain important things or people. It is also what we call ¡®selective amnesia¡¯ in medical terms.¡± ¡°Is there a way we can speed up the healing process?¡± Courtney worriedly asked. Vice President Zach only shook his head at that. ¡°We can only wait for the patient to remember it himself in usual cases. Medical treatments can only help to relieve their condition.¡± Linda, who was beside her, started to reassure her as well. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much,¡± she said. ¡°We have to be grateful that this isn¡¯t irreversible amnesia.¡± The frown on Courtney¡¯s face didn¡¯t disappear even after she heard Linda¡¯s words. She couldn¡¯t believe how Alexander, who should have been dead, hade back to life as an amnesiac. Oliver and Tessa came to visit Alexander 3 dayster. Even though he still had the bandage on his head, he looked much more alive than he did before as he leaned to the bedside and drank water. With worry written all over his face, Oliver headed straight to his older brother as soon as he came into the ward. ¡°Alex.¡± A frown appeared on Alexander¡¯s face then. ¡°Who are you?¡± he suspiciously asked. Oliver immediately stopped in his tracks when he heard those words. He then turned to look at Courtney and asked, ¡°Does he really not remember us?¡± Without saying a word, she nodded and walked toward Alexander. ¡°He is your younger brother,¡± she eventually introduced Oliver to Alexander. The man furrowed his brows and held his head as he tried to remember, but when nothing came to mind, he shook his head at Courtney and told her honestly, ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°Alex, stop ying with me.¡± Oliver forced himself to say jokingly. ¡°I have faked amnesia before, and no, it doesn¡¯t run in the blood. You can¡¯t fool us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too chatty,¡± Alexanderined as he coldly nced at him. He then turned to look at Courtney and said, ¡°Tell them to go back. I would like to rest now.¡± Oliver immediately fell silent at that. Courtney¡¯ eyes were helpless as they nced at Oliver. The only thing she could do was have them leave the ward for now. She started exining his condition to them when they were at the door. ¡°There is nothing wrong with his body now. We can get rid of the bandage in a week¡¯s time. The only problem is the blood clot in his brain. We don¡¯t know when he will get better, but he will eventually get back his memories.¡± ¡°Does he really have amnesia? Why does this feel so unbelievable for me?¡± Oliver had a doubtful look on his face as he asked one question after another. ¡°Could Alex be lying?¡± Tessa swiftly jabbed him after he said that. ¡°Stop talking nonsense. Who in the world would lie about something like this?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t say that for sure. Just look at how he forgot about us but not Courtney. Isn¡¯t this too much of a coincidence? I don¡¯t believe it. I am going in to prove I am right.¡± ¡°That is enough.¡± Courtney stopped him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it is true or not. If he is going as far as to fake it, I will ept it and stay with him.¡± Hearing that, Oliver¡¯s face seemed to stiffen. ¡°Courtney, you¡­ Have you forgiven Alex?¡± ¡°I thought it through,¡± she replied, her expression conflicted. Oliver¡¯s joy then could be seen written all over his face, and he confidently said, ¡°I guarantee that Alex will recover his memory if I were to tell him this!¡± ¡°How is that possible? Can you not have such wicked thoughts in your head?¡± Tessa asked in disbelief. ¡°Try it! There is nothing wrong with giving it a go.¡± Courtney had no choice but return to the room after being pressured by Oliver. Alexander had justy down when he heard footsteps approaching. Turning to look at Courtney, he asked, ¡°Did they leave?¡± Guilt began to consume her when she saw the 2 figures hiding behind the door from the corner of her eyes. ¡°Yup,¡± she replied. ¡°Good. I don¡¯t even know them. Don¡¯t bring these strangers to me next time. I don¡¯t want to see them.¡± She then hesitantly approached him. ¡°Do you really not remember? That was your younger brother and his fianc¨¦e.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember,¡± he casually said with his eyes closed. ¡°I get a headache everytime I try to think. I am going to sleep now. I feel a little sleepy.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Courtney took a deep breath to gather her courage. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Civil Affairs Bureau after your discharge.¡± ¡°What for?¡± he asked. ¡°To get our marriage certificate.¡± Her tone was slow and steady as she carefully observed Alexander¡¯s expression. Chapter 470 One Night Surprise Chapter 470 Chapter 470 You Are Not Wrong at All Alexander leaned against his pillow, his eyes coldly gazing at Courtney. He seemed to be deep in his thoughts for a moment before he asked, ¡°Are we not married?¡± Courtney was slightly caught off guard by the question she didn¡¯t have an answer to. He really doesn¡¯t remember, she thought. Alexander before and after the memory loss didn¡¯t seem all that different other than the fact that he didn¡¯t recognize anyone. His behavior and mannerisms were still the same. There was one thing, however, that drove her nuts. On the day of the discharge, he refused to go back home unless Courtney went back with him. ¡°You are my wife. Why are we living separately?¡± Those were his words that left her speechless. Courtney didn¡¯t feelfortable with talking about what had happened in the past. It wasn¡¯t even a simple or straightforward story to tell. s, she had no choice but to move in with him so that she could take care of him. They were in the bedroom when he looked at her organizing her luggage and asked, ¡°Courtney, did we get into an argument before the ident?¡± Instead of answering him, she asked, ¡°Why the sudden question?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have moved away if we didn¡¯t get into an argument.¡± He had an unreadable expression on his face as he looked at the room¡¯s wardrobe. Not knowing what to say to him, she continued to take her clothes out of her luggage. However, just as she opened the wardrobe to put her clothes in, she was stunned to see her old clothes tidily arranged in the wardrobe. She couldn¡¯t believe that Alexander still kept her things from 5 years ago after she had left their home. ¡°What is wrong?¡± his voice rang out from behind. ¡°It is nothing.¡± She sucked a deep breath in and hung her clothes up. ¡°We didn¡¯t get into an argument. I was always busy at the hospital, and I thought moving to the hospital would be better since I didn¡¯t want to disturb you too much.¡± Right after she said that, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and plopped his chin on the top of her head. He then scolded her in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t do that next time, okay? You should live with me because you are my wife. I will drive you to work and pick you up everyday from now on.¡± She let out a brightugh at that. ¡°What are you talking about? You have to go to work! Are you going to neglect such a bigpany just like that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we have a son?¡± He lowered his head to press kisses on the shell of her ear. ¡°Let our son handle it.¡± The soft kisses were starting to distract her then. ¡°Jordan is only 11 years old! You really don¡¯t remember anything, do you?¡± she moaned. His low voice then purred into her ear. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t want to go to work.¡± ¡°What do you want to do, then?¡± Instead of answering her, Alexander made it a point to give her a reply with his body. The sun was still high in the sky then. The sunlight shone in through the open curtain and onto the big bed that shook so violently that it might break. The sound of heavy panting and pping from the bed could be heard all across the room. After 30 minutes, Courtney limblesslyy sprawled on her pillow. Even though she was worn out, she didn¡¯t forget about the wound on Alexander¡¯s head. ¡°Be¡­Be careful with your injury,¡± she gasped for air. ¡°You just got rid of the bandage¡ª¡± She was cut off when he abruptly drove his member into her lower body. As though there was electricity heightening the senses of every part of her body, her neck immediately arched as she let out a yelp, and what followed after was the uncontroble trembling of her torso. Alexander¡¯s low voice then rang out from above her head. ¡°Focus,¡± he growled. Her face was flushed as shey under him. Her biting her lip only made her look more delectable. Just like the first strawberries to grow in spring, Alexander couldn¡¯t help but take a bite of the lovely woman. They had finally consummated after holding back their feelings for each other for 5 years. Now that they were able to express themselves freely to one another, their bodies continued to entangle with each other until the sun went down the horizon. She might be exhausted, but she was unwilling to step back from these long overdue touches. With one arm around his neck, and the other behind her to support herself, she continued to grind up and down on him. When they were done, Alexander carried her into the bathroom to clean themselves up. The sheets had already been changed into clean ones when they came out of the bathroom. She immediately knew that Alexander¡¯s servants hade in and changed them when the couple was having their shower. She turned as red as a tomato after realizing that, and she jumped into bed and hid herself in the nket. From the memory he had of her, he didn¡¯t recall a time when he had seen her acting this way. Feeling intrigued by this side of her he had never seen before, he was about to throw the nket off of her and continue with what they were doing. ¡°I am going to get angry if you keep this up,¡± she yfully huffed, her palms holding him back by pushing at his chest. ¡°I just want to sleep with you. I won¡¯t do anything else,¡± he promised her as he gave her an embrace. She could finally heave a sigh of relief after hearing his words. However, she wasn¡¯t the only one who wasn¡¯t sleepy even though the sky had turned dark. Alexander¡¯s voice soon rang out near her ear, ¡°You are so perfect, and you even gave birth to 3 of our children. Why didn¡¯t I marry you after all those years of knowing you?¡± ¡°Because you are a bully,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Did I treat you badly before?¡± Hearing that, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why do you think so?¡± ¡°Your aunt didn¡¯t seem to like me that much when I was discharged,¡± he confessed. ¡°At least you are self-aware.¡± ¡°Are you still willing to be with me, then?¡± ¡°I am giving you a chance to redeem yourself. Do you not want it?¡± she teased, in which he hurriedly replied, ¡°Of course I do.¡± His arms then tightened around her, and he announced, ¡°Courtney, let¡¯s get married.¡± She hesitated for a bit, but she eventually mumbled an ¡°okay¡±. Just like the dreams she used to have when she was in her younger years, it felt as though life had restarted for her then. There was no more resentment or hatred: all that was left was genuine feelings of love. When the next afternoon came, they made their way to the Civil Affairs Bureau to register for a marriage certificate. Alexander¡¯s hair still hadn¡¯t grown out yet. In order to have their photo taken, Courtney had to buy a wig for him to cover his baldnessst-minute. It might look somewhat unnatural, but it was still better than the smooth head with a surgical wound on it. ¡°Smile!¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, please get closer to your husband.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Their smiles were exceptionally bright when the shutter of the camera clicked. Courtney hadn¡¯t thought that she and Alexander had to rush to get a marriage certificate, but she eventually understood that some things need to be done on a moment¡¯s impulse. A shower had just cleaned Melrose City by the time the couple left the building with their new certificate. The sunlight was shining perfectly too, and the air wasn¡¯t humid. She was in the midst of absent-mindedly staring at the certificate when he suddenly brought her to the trunk of the car before covering her eyes. ¡°What are you oh-so-mysteriously doing, huh?¡± she asked. ¡°Give me a moment.¡± He finally dropped his hands after a few seconds had passed, and he said to her, ¡°You can open them now.¡± As she slowly opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the trunk full of red, eye-catching roses that symbolized love. There were cards ced on top of the flowers, and on them were hand-drawn images of stories between a tortoise and a hare. Starting from the leftmost card, it was an image of a tortoise and a hare sitting across each other at an office desk. They seemed to be having an interview for recruitment. The tortoise went, ¡°Why should I listen to the words of someone who faked their educational background?¡± The hare seemed angered after hearing the tortoise¡¯s words, and it raised its own resum¨¦ before yelling, ¡°With the ability and experience I have, I am no worse than someone who has been educated. How can you judge a book by its cover?¡± The second card showed an image of the hare shielding the tortoise from a chandelier that came falling from right above the little tortoise¡¯s head. The third one¡­ She realized that the images told stories of the time she had got to know him after she returned to the country. Surprised, she asked, ¡°Did you prepare all of this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember it well,¡± he admitted, ¡°but I asked the people around me. They told me the stories, and I drew them all out. Did I get it right?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. She immediately nodded at that. ¡°It¡¯s perfect. All of this did happen.¡± ¡°There are still a lot of things that I don¡¯t remember, but I believe that I will recall everything about us in time.¡± He had a loving expression on his face then, and he breathed, ¡°Happy marriage, Mrs. Duncan.¡± Chapter 471 One Night Surprise Chapter 471 Chapter 471 Do We Need to Introduce Ourselves? To celebrate Alexander¡¯s discharge as well as Courtney¡¯s birthday, Oliver had arranged a barbeque party at Duncan¡¯s ancestral home and invited all of their close friends. Gale and Cameron arrived with their son and daughter while Bill brought a pregnant Natasha along. Alicia was invited too, but no one knew whether she would show up. Gale¡¯s youngest daughter, Apple, was not even a hundred days old. She waved her hands vigorously while lying in the cradle, as if she wanted to y with everyone, but her body was too small for her to wiggle out of the cradle. Apart from Apple, Josephine was the youngest of the children. She was curious about babies and stood beside the stroller all the time to observe Apple. ¡°She¡¯s so small.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Cameron looked at Josephine with a gentle expression and continued, ¡°You were even smaller than her when you were born.¡± Josephine nodded in response. Seemingly thinking, she said, ¡°It¡¯s amazing that humans can grow from this small to thisrge.¡± Hearing that, Cameron couldn¡¯t help but caress the child¡¯s head. ¡°Can you help me to look after Apple for a while? I need to check when dinner is ready.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Josephine gave a nod. She then sat quietly on the stool in front of the baby stroller to stare at Apple. The barbeque stand had been set up in front of the swimming pool, and both Gale and Bill were working on it. As Alexander was still recovering, they did not ask him to help. Instead, he was in the house helping Courtney prepare the desserts. Seeing that, Cameron walked to Gale and signaled him to look inside the house. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Do you think that Courtney and Alexander are about to reconcile?¡± After hearing her words, Gale took a nce at the house and thoughtfully nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I feel as well, but Alex is still suffering from brain injuries and he may not remember this. Why not try to be a middlemanter?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I intend to do.¡± They both immediately saw eye to eye. Oliver approached them with a stick of grilled meat in his hand and asked, ¡°What are you all talking about?¡± ¡°You came at the right time. We¡¯ve got something to tell you.¡± The both of them told Oliver thereafter what they had just discussed. ¡°Would that be appropriate?¡± Oliver was hesitant about the idea. ¡°Alexander has not regained his memory yet. Wouldn¡¯t it be unfair to Courtney?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Cameron, who had a candid personality, said bluntly, ¡°Their situations have always been confusing; that¡¯s how they have gotten to who they are today. If everything was clear, the rtionship would have ended long ago. We should just let them be together now, in case all of us onlookers suffer.¡± Since she was on this subject, she couldn¡¯t help but start ranting. ¡°I tried so hard to keep everything about her from Alexander that I can¡¯t even sleep well at night, worrying that I would blurt it out in my dreams and Gale would overhear.¡± ¡°How dare you bring this up!¡± With his brow raised, Gale said, ¡°I haven¡¯t settled our scores in this. How dare you hide it from me! Do you still treat me as your husband?¡± ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t want to be my husband, there¡¯re lots of people lining up for such an opportunity and to be my children¡¯s father. ¡°Hey, you are being overboard.¡± Seeing them in this manner, Oliver was at a loss for words. Meanwhile, Bill was assisting Natasha in getting outside for some fresh air. She was already in her seventh month of pregnancy, so her stomach was as round as a ball. Yet, she was still as energetic as ever and working on Citron Apparel¡¯s search for a new supplier. ¡°I¡¯m fine; you don¡¯t need to stay by my side. Go and help them out. All the children are hungry.¡± However, he remained cautious with a stern face, seemingly anxious over every step she took. ¡°Be careful. The path is uneven.¡± ¡°This is a pebbled path. It would never be even, Bill.¡± ¡°You should go back into the house. There¡¯s too much smoke here.¡± ¡°But the house is too humid, and too much air conditioning is bad for the child.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right.¡± Tess, who was standing beside and looking at them all this while, teased him. ¡°Bill, I guess you¡¯ll have a mental breakdown after Natasha gives birth.¡± Hearing that, Bill raised his head and said with an indifferent expression, ¡°You¡¯re just the pot calling the kettle ck. When you¡¯re pregnant, Oliver will be more worried than I am now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± she certainly replied. ¡°The guys from the Duncans would not be this attentive. Look at Alexander, his wife gave birth to three children but he was never by her side.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t twist the truth; he couldn¡¯t because of the circumstances at the time. If Courtney had a fourth child in the future, he would never leave her side.¡± Tess gave a look of disbelief. ¡°These kids, can they just stop fooling around?¡± Alicia arrivedte, and seeing that the courtyard was in a mess, she caught hold of Ethan and warned, ¡°Be careful. You¡¯ll be dead if you knock Natasha.¡± Ethan was Gale¡¯s eldest son. Just after he heard what Alicia said, he stuck out his tongue to her and escaped by removing his shirt and leaving it in Alicia¡¯s grasp. ¡°Where¡¯s your shirt, Ethan? Stop there!¡± Cameron ran after him immediately. Everyoneughed seeing that. At that moment, it was really lively in the courtyard. In the evening, the barbequed dishes were served one after another. Warm yellow lights brightened in the yard and shone into the house through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making the interior appear warm. Everyone was here except for Old Master Duncan, who was recuperating in the hospital. All of them were sitting together around the dining table. ¡°Do we have to introduce ourselves to you, our brother who has forgotten about us?¡± Gale teasingly looked at Alexander. To that, Alexander gave a mocking re, as if he were looking at a moron. ¡°Courtney has told me about every one of you.¡± He began calling out everyone¡¯s name from his left. When he arrived at Alicia, he followed Courtney¡¯s lead and addressed her as Aunt Alicia, which caused everyone to exchange nces. Cameron immediately gave Gale a hint, which he picked up on. ¡°It¡¯s Courtney¡¯s birthday today, and also to celebrate Alexander¡¯s survival and discharge, let¡¯s cheer,¡± he said, raising his ss. All of them followed. After that, he cleared his throat and started saying, ¡°Life is short, and what matters most is who we spend it with. Look at us¨C¨Ceveryone we love, including our friends, elders, and children, is living happily. Though I may sound unambitious, what I have now is already sufficient for me.¡± Everyone was waiting for what he was about to continue. ¡°So, it¡¯s important to treasure the time and the people you have now.¡± Alexander raised his head and nodded in agreement. As if he thought of something, he then said, ¡°What you said is true.¡± Gale was ted to hear that. ¡°Right? You understood what I meant?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Alexander then looked at Oliver and said, ¡°You should start preparing for your marriage with Tessa. I heard from Courtney that our family has been chasing you for it. You¡¯re so inconsiderate; Grandpa is in such poor health, yet you still refuse to listen to his words.¡± ¡°What? What has this got to do with me?¡± Oliver was shocked. ¡°Isn¡¯t Alexander the subject of this topic?¡± The moment he finished his words, everyone fell into silence. Tess red at him resentfully as if she was looking at a moron. Courtney and Alexander, on the other hand, looked at each other andughed. ¡°Why is it about us? We¡¯re already married.¡± Chapter 472 One Night Surprise Chapter 472 Chapter 472 You Weren¡¯t This Adorable in the Past Everyone was stunned when they heard that. Courtney, as if by magic, took two out marriage certificates from nowhere and smilingly said, ¡°We registered our marriage the second day Alexander was discharged. So, none of you need to push us for it now; we¡¯re legally married.¡± Everyone at the table then started passing the certificates around and inspecting them. Cameron exhaled a sigh of relief after a round of passing and said sentimentally, ¡°At longst. After so many years, finally the both of you are married now. We don¡¯t have to worry about it anymore.¡± Gale immediately followed. ¡°That¡¯s right. My wife no longer needs to assist Courtney in hiding anything from me in the future.¡± ¡°So it appears that there is another person to be rushed for marriage.¡± Courtney then gave Oliver and Tess a contemtive look. They both exchanged nces in response. Have we just created trouble for ourselves? they wondered. ¡­ Despite Courtney¡¯s belief that the marriage registration was sufficient, Scott insisted on holding a wedding ceremony after learning of their registration. Not only that, but he promised that he would take care of everything and that Courtney and Alexander would not have to do anything except to show up on the day of the ceremony. ¡°You both have nothing to be concerned about. Harry will arrange everything.¡± Scott was so energized by this joyous asion that he looked even better than before. Courtney exchanged nces with everyone in the Duncan family before saying, ¡°Grandpa, it all depends on you whether our wedding ceremony can go on.¡± ¡°Why? ¡°Have you decided on the surgery?¡± Hearing that, Scott was stunned and the smile on his face froze. ¡°I spoke with your attending doctor, Grandpa. Your condition does not allow for further dy and you really need the surgery now.¡± Her words made Scott frown. After a brief pause, Scott, with a solemn expression, replied. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll only go for the surgery after the wedding ceremony.¡± All of them who were present looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Just as Courtney was about to convince him further, Scott raised one hand and stopped her from speaking. ¡°I know that every surgery carries risk. Don¡¯t tell me that the risk for mine is minimal; the risks remain. I don¡¯t want to die before seeing Alexander marry. It has been so long, Courtney, that I feel tired seeing the two of you not settling down yet. I can only rest my mind after seeing you both married. After that, I¡¯ll be able to go ahead with my surgery at ease. If something goes wrong with the surgery, at least I can rest in peace knowing that you both are together, and if it goes well, every day after that is what God bestows on me.¡± All the younger generations in the room had their eyes welled up with tears after hearing Scott¡¯s words. ¡°We¡¯ll do as you wish, Grandpa.¡± Courtney said with her voice choked with sobs while wiping her tears. Alexander, who was standing beside, pulled her into his arms. Though he couldn¡¯t really remember the past, his heart ached seeing her in this manner. Due to the urgency of Scott¡¯s surgery, the wedding preparation began in full swing. Courtney had to work, and the hospital was so busy all the time that she didn¡¯t have the time to do anything else. Hence, Alexander was in charge of the preparation. When she said she didn¡¯t have the time to try on the wedding gown, he brought the designer straight to her office in the hospital and made use of her ten-minute lunch break for the designer to take her measurements as well as for her to choose the style that she wanted. Seeing that, all of the nurses blushed with envy. And no matter what time it was, he would always get her to and from the hospital on time. In the early morning of a thunderstorm day, she had a sudden night shift. As she walked out from the hospital after her night shift, she saw his car parked at the entrance. Doubtfully, she opened the door and found him sleeping inside. ¡°Oh my, why are you still here?¡± Drowsy-eyed, he answered, ¡°You¡¯ve knocked off?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you I had an unexpected night shift and couldn¡¯t leave until the next person on shift arrive in the morning? You were here for the entire night?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Come on, get in the car.¡± He adjusted his posture and yawned. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll be too tired to drive after working for the whole night.¡± Hearing that, she had no idea what to say. ¡°I really take my hat off to you. You have a meeting in the morning, right?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll go to thepany after sending you home.¡± Sitting in the passenger seat, Courtney felt touched and her heart warmed. Throughout the journey home, Alexander found that she was staring at him. Smilingly, he asked, ¡°Why are you staring at me? Is there anything on my face?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just wondering if you¡¯d be the same person you are now after you regained your memory.¡± ¡°Why? I wasn¡¯t like this in the past?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Leaning on the seat, she continued teasing him, ¡°You weren¡¯t this adorable in the past.¡± Adorable? He frowned at that, seemingly resistant to her description of himself. She thenughed. ¡°Focus on your driving. Let the driver fetch you to thepanyter. You hadn¡¯t had a good rest for the entire night, so don¡¯t drive while you¡¯re tired. The sun had just risen and the breakfast stalls by the roadside had opened. He stopped and bought breakfast for her as they passed by. ¡°Grab something first, so you can sleep longerter,¡± he said as he handed her the soymilk. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I may not be home for lunchter. The designer will be bringing the wedding gown around one o¡¯clock in the afternoon for you to try on and check if there are any modifications needed.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± While he was nagging all the way home, she had already fallen into deep sleep by the time they reached. The servant who opened the door for them wanted to wake her up but was stopped by him. He carefully removed her safety belt before picking her up in his arms and carrying her to the bedroom, where he covered her with a nket and pulled the curtains closed. In the dark room, she turned around on the bed after the door was closed and smiled sweetly to herself while staring at the door. Two weekster, Courtney and Alexander¡¯s wedding ceremony was held in a private manor in the outskirts of Melrose. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. The guests included all of Melrose¡¯s nobles in both political and business circles, as well as many upper-ss women. The vastwn appeared endless, and with a greenke in the background, the red carpet stretched as far as the eyes could see. Courtney walked slowly on it, dressed in a pure white gown and holding William¡¯s arms. Jordan, Tina, Josephine, and Ethan were the four flower girls and boys who trailed her. Alexander was at the other end of the red carpet, dressed in a white suit. He stood upright by the stage where they would exchange vows. Looking at his bride as she approached, he extended his hand. ¡°Pleasee on stage, the groom and bride, and bow as you thank all your friends and families who are here today.¡± The vow was then read aloud by the clergy. ¡°Mr. Duncan, in God¡¯s name, are you willing to take Ms. Hunter as your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, in your riches and in your poverty, in sickness and in health, until death make you part?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Ms. Hunter, in God¡¯s name, are you willing to take Mr. Duncan as your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, in your riches and in your poverty, in sickness and in health, until death make you part?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Both of them looked at each other, and at this moment, they needed no words between them. Alexander looked at the woman standing before him, and suddenly, all the blurry images in the back of his mind became clear, and their past yed out in his mind like a movie. He was stunned, and his eyes gradually turned reddish. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The groom and the bride, you may exchange rings now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to throw the wedding bouquet!¡± Chapter 473 One Night Surprise Chapter 473 Chapter 473 Only You Treat Me Like a Child All the unmarrieddies in the hall started to snatch for the wedding bouquet. As all her close friends, including Cameron and Natasha, were married with kids, Courtney had no target to throw the wedding banquet to. Hence, she simply turned her back and threw it casually. Behind her, all thedies swarmed up the moment she threw it. One of them may have stepped on the other, with the other may also have pushed another, and all of them got into a mess and fell on the lawn together. It was an amusing scene and everyoneughed. The ambience was extremely lively. ¡°Where¡¯s the wedding banquet?¡± someone asked. Courtney turned around to see a familiar figure from the crowd holding the white wedding banquet in her hands and looking doubtful at thedies around her, while chewing her chewing gum. ¡°Who tossed this at me?¡± Angie, dressed to the knees, asked. She had a matured appearance to begin with, and with her European-style makeup today, no one could tell she was still young. Everyone was stunned because they only knew she was Courtney¡¯s adoptive daughter and had no idea how old she was. The mother throwing the wedding banquet to her daughter? This is ridiculous! ¡°Why not throw it again?¡± She continued to chew her gum while passing the bouquet to ady nearby. ¡°I¡¯m not even of the minimum age for marriage yet. It¡¯s pointless for me to get it.¡± Everyone regained theirposure after her words, and thedy closest to her grabbed the wedding bouquet from her grasp and yelled, ¡°I got it!¡± All of the others burst intoughter. ¡°This is not counted. The bride should throw it again.¡± As the crowd rushed back to Courtney, Angie was knocked down and nearly fell. Fortunately, someone held her from behind. ¡°Thank you.¡± She regained her bnce and raised her head to thank the person who had assisted her. However, her smile froze the moment she saw who it was. ¡°E-Elijah.¡± Elijah was dressed formally in a coffee-colored suit with a navy blue bow tie. He was staring at her with his deep gaze from behind his gold-rimmed sses. ¡°Who chose this pair of high-heel for you? It¡¯s not suitable for you.¡± The fearless Angie chickened out at this moment, and her body stiffened. She didn¡¯t even dare to continue chewing her gum. Hesitantly, she answered, ¡°Cameron chose it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and change into another pair. Your feet would be injured if you keep on wearing them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Elijah. The wedding has not ended yet.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going onter has nothing to do with you anyway. Are you going to snatch for the wedding banquet again? It¡¯s meaningless for you, an underage girl, to get that.¡± Just after his words, she raised her head and said in a serious way, ¡°I¡¯m an adult now, Elijah. Today is my eighteen-year-old birthday.¡± Coincidentally, today was also Courtney¡¯s wedding. Thus, she did not expect anyone to remember her birthday. She was half a head shorter than him, and even in high heels, she could only see him with her head raised. As she ended her words, she felt a surge of sadness within her. These formalities never bothered her, but she had no idea why she felt aggrieved when she saw him. ¡°I¡¯m aware of that.¡± He extended his hand, hisrge palm appearing clean and bringing a sense of gentleness with it. ¡°That¡¯s why I got you a gift. Should we leave now?¡± ¡°Really? You¡¯re not lying to me?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m not lying. When did I ever lie to you?¡± Hearing that, she gave him a smile. Since she knew this guy, he indeed never told her a lie. No matter what he promised, he could always abide by it. In the resting lounge at one corner of the manor, he took out a pair of gray diamond-studded high heels from a box and bent down to wear them for her. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Smiling sweetly, she asked, ¡°But Elijah, why is it high heels? You know I don¡¯t usually wear high heels.¡± She was at least five feet and seven inches tall. If she wore high heels, she would really stand out of the crowd. That was why she usually wore sneakers. ¡°I saw it in a shop and bought it since it looks beautiful.¡± She pouted when she heard that. ¡°I see. I thought you would say something romantic, like a comfortable pair of shoes will bring me somewhere better.¡± Hearing that, he looked at her and responded indifferently, ¡°If you¡¯ve nothing better to do, think of what to write in your university application. Stop reading those meaningless articles.¡± ¡°You guessed correctly, indicating that you¡¯ve read those so-called meaningless things as well, right?¡± He was stumped for words. After a brief pause, he said. ¡°You¡¯ve only been back in the country with Courtney for a short time, but you¡¯ve gotten so good with words.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m a fast-learner.¡± She was proud of herself. Then, she stared at him for a while, saying, ¡°I thought you would not be here today, Elijah.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I heard a rumor a few days ago that you¡¯ve courted Courtney before. Is that true?¡± ¡°You heard it only a few days ago?¡± Tina addressed him as her dad since young, and anyone who heard that would assume there was something between Courtney and him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not important. I¡¯m just curious if you¡¯ll feel sad seeing Courtney marrying someone else.¡± Elijah had asked himself this exact question plenty of times before, but because Courtney had never married anyone, he never had the answer. But today, he finally had an answer after seeing her dressed in a wedding gown and appearing to be blissful by Alexander¡¯s side. ¡°I¡¯m not sad.¡± He shook his head and continued, ¡°Courtney and I were friends for many years. You may not understand it now, but sometimes, friendshipsts longer than love. To me, Courtney is my family. At my age, I no longer pursue the romantic rtionships that you youngsters like. I prefer a stable and longsting rtionship now.¡± ¡°Just like your rtionship with Lilian?¡± His gaze dimmed after hearing her words. She went on, ¡°You don¡¯t love her anymore, and she was always hysterical toward you. Are you really nning to spend the rest of your life with her just for the sake of your so-called stable rtionship?¡± ¡°This is a matter for adults to consider. You¡¯re just a child, so don¡¯t ask about it.¡± ¡°I am no longer a child.¡± Angie rose to her feet angrily. ¡°I know you¡¯ve always treated me like a child, Elijah. But I am not one anymore. I, too, have many admirers at school. If I intend to get into a rtionship, the number of my boyfriends could form a circle around this manor. You are the only person who always treats me like a child.¡± Seeing her behaving in this manner, he was stupefied. He felt like he was experiencing the same thing he had six years ago. When he saved her six years back, she was also acting in this manner when she woke up, behaving like a wild beast and biting his elbows harshly. With that, he looked at her silently and replied, ¡°Lilian and I have divorced.¡± Chapter 474 One Night Surprise Chapter 474 Chapter 474 My Wish Came True After the wedding ceremony, Courtney went to the dressing room to change out of her wedding gown. Cameron happily followed behind her, her hands full of red packets. While walking, she nagged about the bridal procession. ¡°We should have stopped them longer! I thought your Aunt Alicia would make it fun, but who knew she couldn¡¯t even stand what we were doing and asked us to y moderately. It seems like she had been wanting to marry you off even though she didn¡¯t say it!¡± ¡°If you haven¡¯t had enough fun, I don¡¯t mind fulfilling your wish when you remarry.¡± ¡°Good. I have always wanted to have a new husband! It¡¯s annoying to see Gale every day.¡± Hearing that, Courtney immediately looked behind Cameron and said, ¡°Oh Gale, howe you¡¯re here?¡± Cameron¡¯s grip on Courtney¡¯s elbows tightened at that moment, and she immediately changed her demeanor. ¡°I was joking earlier, Gale. This is simply a new way for us to show our affection in public. I wanted to express how loving we are¡­¡± Before she could even finish her words, Courtney burst intoughter. Turning around, Cameron did not see Gale at all. The entire hallway was empty. Courtney imitated her tone and said, ¡°Loving¡­¡± ¡°How dare you trick me!¡± Cameron was irritated and wanted to smack her. While chasing and ying with each other, they both entered the dressing room. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop fooling around. Don¡¯t hold up my honeymoon.¡± Honeymoon, you say? You¡¯re not going anywhere today unless you bring me along!¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll bring you along.¡± Courtney thought that Cameron was just kidding. However, in the lobby of Melrose International Airport, Cameron arrived with a group two hourster, including her children, as well as Hannah, Angie, Jordan, Tina and Josephine. They were all lining up with their own luggage with shade hats which obviously were for vacation use. The entire group looked like they were about to cause amotion in the airport. ¡°Hey Courtney, how can you go on a holiday by yourself and leave the children at home?¡± Cameron said with a teasing tone. ¡°So, I brought all of them here for you.¡± When Courtney saw this, she couldn¡¯t help but grip Alexander¡¯s elbow tightly and sulkily ask, ¡°Hubby, is this still our honeymoon?¡± He responded with a smile and a deep voice sounded beside her ears, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Fifteen hourster, both of them got off the ne and were enjoying the Mauritius breeze. Then, her phone started to ring non-stop. ¡°Courtney, where are you? We have arrived, and we are all in the hotel now.¡± Cameron¡¯s voice sounded agitated, and the background noises suggested that all of the children were ying around in a mess. ¡°We¡¯ve just got off the ne,¡± Courtney replied ignorantly. ¡°How could that be? Melrose to Seiban Ind is only about four hours away. Our flight had already arrivedst night. Yours is merely half an hourter than ours; how is it possible that you¡¯ve just arrived?¡± ¡°Seiban Ind?¡± Courtney exchanged nces with Alexander and continued, ¡°We didn¡¯t say we¡¯re going to Seiban Ind.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We¡¯re now in Mauritius. Did you buy the wrong flight tickets?¡± Knowing that, Cameron almost fainted over the phone. ¡°Don¡¯t frighten me, Courtney. I¡¯ve two kids of my own and four of yours here. How are we going to handle them?¡± ¡°Hello? The signal is not very strong here.¡± Courtney raised her phone over her head and yelled. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you next time!¡± The call ended immediately. She then turned around and looked at Alexander. ¡°Hubby, how did you come up with that?¡± ¡®The night before the wedding, Gale got himself drunk and blurted out that Cameron wanted to join us for our honeymoon. With that, I decided to change our flight tickets and destination. Looks like it was a good move.¡± ¡°It¡¯s absolutely brilliant!¡± How could she allow her friends and children to join her once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon? The moon was hanging along the coastline. In front of their hotel suite, Alexander was standing at the beach, admiring the moonlight from a distance. Behind him was a swimming pool, which Courtney was swimming in. The sshing of water subsided and she, dressed in a hot red bikini, walked up from it. While wiping her hair, she saw a group of beauties on the beach whistling at him. But he waspletely unmoved. Suddenly, a bright whistle sound resonated behind him. ¡°Handsome guy, are you waiting for someone?¡± Hearing this familiar voice, he smiled and turned around intending to tease her. However, he was stunned the moment she entered his sight. Courtney was a little helpless seeing his burning gaze. ¡°Why? Is there anything on my face?¡± ¡°No.¡± He shook his head and continued staring firmly at her. With a hoarse voice with a sense of eroticism, he continued, ¡°You¡¯re stunning today.¡± Her face was flushed with redness when she heard that, but she stubbornly replied, ¡°Am I? I¡¯m already the mother to three children who can¡¯t bepared with the beauties who whistled to you earlier.¡± Alexander smiled dotingly. ¡°Are you jealous?¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Jealous? Of course not!¡± She was so shy by his stare that even her ears turned red. Suddenly, she was carried into his arms and she reflexively wrapped her arms around his neck and eximed, ¡°What are you doing? Put me down!¡± He did not do so. Instead, he carried her all the way to their room, passing by the courtyard, and ced her on the bed. While kissing her arms, he replied hoarsely, ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll put you down now.¡± She was rendered powerless by his kisses, and with great difficulty, she mumbled, ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to the bonfire party?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go there tomorrow. Now, we have more important things to do.¡± ¡°Wait, hubby.¡± She struggled with whatever rationality she had left. ¡°The curtains. They¡¯re not closed.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Let them know that my wife is prettier than any of them.¡± All his romantic words made her head spin, but she remained conscious enough to pull the curtains, which she only barely closed after a while. The moonlight shone on the wall through the gaps in the curtains, and the shadows revealed the couple intertwined. Their intense breathing sound filled the entire room, with the water bed they were laying on shaking vigorously. They had no idea how much time had passed before hey on the side of the bed, satisfied. After their excitement was over, she cuddled in his embrace while both of them gazed out the window at the sea. ¡°What¡¯s your biggest wish, hubby?¡± Alexander took a brief pause and answered, ¡°My wish had been fulfilled just now.¡± Courtney blushed when she heard that. Giving him a pinch, she said, ¡°Can you answer in a more decent way?¡± To that, heughed without saying anything. She then continued gently, ¡°I wish that the children can live their lives happily. Go through everything, such as dating, getting married and giving birth, just like everyone else.¡± ¡°They will,¡± he patronized her. Obviously, he did not want to discuss the children. But she did not realize that and insisted on going on. ¡°I heard that Elijah and Lilian are divorced. He told me that he intends to bring Angie back to Milley.¡± ¡°Let him do that then.¡± ¡°But Angie seems to be unwilling now.¡± ¡°Let her stay then.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Stop it.¡± He suddenly flipped onto her. ¡°Wifey, we¡¯re on our honeymoon now,¡± he said, his face stern but filled with jealousy. That stunned her for a moment before sweetness gradually filled her eyes. Chapter 475 One Night Surprise Chapter 475 Chapter 475 The Blonde and Depressed Teen Cameron and Gale finally, with much difficulty, made it to the third day of their trip. In the afternoon, Cameron, with her dark eye circles, was standing at the stairs of the duplex apartment. Her eyes darted across the room, from the stairs to the living room, and then to the kitchen, looking as if she were about to meet her doom. Atst, she gave up the stupid idea of going downstairs for a cup of water. In the living room on the first floor, Angie and Jordan each sat in an armchair situated at both ends of the sofa, each with aptop on theirps. They appeared stern, as if they had cut themselves off from the rest of the world. The long sofa in the center of the living room, on the other hand, was in apletely different scene. For unknown reasons, Ethan and Josephine were fighting. With Hannah between them, they were making threatening gestures and exchanging blows against each other for half an hour before Hannah blew up. Hannah had taken a long time getting ready to meet some blonde dashing guy on the beach, but everything she had nned was ruined by the two of them. With her hair looking as if a bomb had just exploded on it, she grabbed both of them down the sofa and gave each of them a p on their heads. With that, what was originally a war between Ethan and Josephine became a war between all three of them. Tina, who was sitting quietly by the side, watching Shay¡¯s concert, became involved too, and the scale of the war expanded. Jordan, who was originally by the side studying the stock market, got a hit on his head unexpectedly. A white pillow rolled to his feet as his head hummed. At the same time, the entire living room was raining with feathers. He raised his head, revealing a murderous gaze beneath his gold-rimmed spectacles. He clearly did not want to get involved in the fight, so he brushed off the feathers on his shoulders and returned his gaze to theputer screen. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Bang. Bang. After three consecutive provocations, the guy who was pretending to be calm began to twitch the corners of his mouth. The fourth pillow that Hannah threw to him was quick-wittedly caught by him, and he immediately threw it back to her. She did not expect this from him and was almost hurt. ¡°How dare you smash me!¡± Angie raised her head, as if she had just realized what was going on, and for a split second, she thought she was in a ughterhouse. She closed herptop the second before she was attacked by Tina¡¯s pillow, with the chat interface on theptop¡¯s screen showing two words, ¡®I¡¯ve regretted this.¡¯ ¡°You all have nothing better to do,¡± she said, while turning around and heading to her bedroom. Seeing all this, Cameron, who had not even gotten a sip of water since moments ago, was furious. She went back to her room and kicked Gale, who was still sleeping soundly. He was terrified by what she did, and under his gaze, she eximed, ¡°We¡¯ll go back now!¡± Her dark circles were barely covered by threeyers of foundation. She was furious at how Courtney and Alexander had duped her and muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the both of you when you get back!¡± Later in the day, she walked quickly through the airport in her twelve-centimeter-high heels. She turned her head as they exited the airport and impatiently asked Gale, ¡°Can you hurry up?¡± Gale broke out in cold sweats. He had one child tied to him, holding another two with his hands, one hand each, and the rest were mindlessly following him. Hearing his wife¡¯s rushing, he didn¡¯t dare to argue with her and could only abide by what she said. Josephine yanked her hands away from his and eximed, ¡°Uncle Gale, you¡¯d better pacify her first. She appears to be on the verge of exploding.¡± After finishing her words, she adjusted her bag stripes and slipped her hand into another warm and soft palm near her. Jordan was surprised by that. He felt his palm start to sweat. The Summerfields were aware of their impending return and had someone waiting for them outside the airport. After Josephine left, Jordan still felt the tenderness in his palm. ¡°I¡¯m following Great-Aunt Alicia back too.¡± Angie was also irritated by all the ruckus these few days. As an eighteen-year-old adolescent with a lot in her heart, she chose to follow the quieter group. The rest of them followed Cameron and got in her car. She started speeding the moment she came out from the airport¡¯s basement carpark. No one in the car dared to even say a word. Plucking his courage, Gale asked, ¡°Cameron, why don¡¯t I drive?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you get out of the car?¡± ¡°Okay, you drive.¡± The car kept speeding down the road. Not long after, there was a minor traffic jam that forced her to slow down, and everyone in the car felt relieved. Tina turned her head and looked outside the windows. ¡°There are reporters here.¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of people. Perhaps it¡¯s some unknown artist¡­¡± Hannah wanted to continue, but the car suddenly elerated, and its speed made her decide to stop whatever she was about to say. Her unexpected expression was amusing. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just bit my tongue¡­¡± ¡­ Three dayster, Courtney and Alexander returned from their honeymoon. The date for Old Master Duncan¡¯s surgery had been set, but the butler said he hadn¡¯t been eating and sleeping well recently. Hence, Courtney and Alexander decided to end their honeymoon earlier so that they could spend more time with Scott before his surgery, making him happier. When they stepped off the ne, it was alreadyte at night. Even though it wasn¡¯t as busy as it was during the day, the noises they heard as they exited the airport reflected the prosperity that could only be found in this city. Courtney was the first to leave the airport, while Alexander waited for their luggage inside. A wave of heat hit her legs, waving the dark blue jumpsuit¡¯s trousers and looming over her fair ankles. She took a few steps around in her high heels and saw Eric, half of his body outside the car window, waving aggressively at her. She was about to approach him when she heard a dry voice. ¡°Miss¡­¡± Her steps came to a halt. She turned around but couldn¡¯t see who was calling her, so she assumed it was her imagination. A young figure squatting at the corner, however, caught her eye. A guy was there, with his short blonde hair pressing against his ears, and a pair of pale blue eyes underneath his thick brows. That gaze of him was filled with feigned calmness and unconcealed tiredness. He appeared to be younger than twenty, but the stubbles on his face made him look older as if he had been through a lot in life. After meeting his eyes, she pointed at herself. ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± The blonde haired guy squatting against the wall, one hand on his knees and the other holding a half- burger, nodded and pointed to her legs. ¡°Your purse dropped,¡± he said, with great difficulty. He was not fluent in Otharian and his voice was still dry. Hearing that, she lowered her head and suddenly understood what he meant. ¡°Thank you.¡± He waved his hand and said nothing more before biting into his burger and drinking his mineral water by his legs. Courtney felt heavy seeing that and walked toward him. The sound of her high heels attracted his attention, making him look up. When he noticed her taking some money out, his gaze dimmed. ¡°I am not a beggar.¡± He exined incoherently. When she noticed his defense and resistance in his gaze, she awkwardly stopped whatever she was doing. ¡°I am sorry to have offended you.¡± He didn¡¯t say anything else to her. For Alex, who had only recently begun learning Otharian, the word ¡®offend¡¯ was too unfamiliar to him. Chapter 476 One Night Surprise Chapter 476 Chapter 476 The Fight for the Duncans¡¯ ¡®King of Chess¡¯ Throne Eric obediently followed after Alexander, who was carrying his luggage, as soon as Alexander¡¯s figure, which covered half the door, had gone out. While carrying and pulling the luggage all by himself, Eric didn¡¯t forget to fawn. ¡°As long as you take good care of the Young Mistress.¡± Upon hearing that, Alexander quickly sped his fingers around Courtney¡¯s slender ones. He had a loving look in his eyes as he lowered his gaze to look at her. ¡°Let¡¯s go home, my wife,¡± he cooed sweetly. Her expression remained impassive as she was used to hearing him say things like this. However, this was the first time Eric had heard the young master he had served for years speak in such a mushy tone. He was so surprised that he lost his footing. He then pushed the luggage wheels off the ground, and the luggage fell with a loud thud. ¡°Did you not have dinner?¡± a gloomy voice rang out from behind, obviously displeased. Despite the darkness of the dawn, it was easy to see the nervous sweat on Eric¡¯s light blue shirt as the clumsy man hurried to pick up the fallen luggage. Courtney couldn¡¯t help but pity him as she watched him frightfully stuff the luggage into the trunk of the vehicle. After the couple had gotten into the car, Alexander leaned against Courtney¡¯s shoulders. At that moment, he looked somewhat exhausted with a frown on his face. Eric tried his absolute best to keep the drive smooth, and when he saw the couple asleep through the rearview mirror, he finally heaved a breath of relief. However, the ringing of a phone at that moment immediately broke the peaceful silence in the car. Alexander took out his phone from the pocket of his shirt. At the same time, Courtney, too, reached into her bag and fished for her phone with her eyes closed. The two unconsciously exchange looks after getting calls at the same time. They each then leaned to the windows of the car. ¡°What is the matter, Gale?¡± ¡°Hello? Cameron?¡± ¡°You are calling because your wife told you to? Do you not have your pride as a man?¡± ¡°Did you force Gale into this again? Okay, okay. I will treat you to a meal to make up for it someday, alright?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª The following day, Courtney set up the breakfast party at the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home after getting permission from Old Master Duncan. With Gale and Ethan on one team and Alexander with Josephine on another, they started a game of war, where they formed different groups amongst themselves. As they had their fun ¡®killing¡¯ each other off, Cameron had her hand on her forehead while looking at them. She was so unhappy about the fact that Gale had changed sides that the container of the beverage she was holding had deformed from her tight grip. Seeing that, Courtney put on a naive face and brought her a te of desserts. ¡°An international chef made these. Give it a try.¡± Cameron only grumpily rolled her eyes as sheined, ¡°No wonder you and your husband are business geniuses. You promised to treat me to a meal, but you¡¯re fulfilling the promise through this party at Duncan¡¯s ancestral home¨C¨Cwhich was pre-nned! You know that we have to be mindful not to embarrass Old Master Duncan. It wasn¡¯t such a bad move for you lot to use those ideas on Gale, but do you really think you can get rid of me that easily?¡± Her tone would have been even more aggressive if it wasn¡¯t because she was munching on desserts as she spoke. Her hand eventually stopped moving when she caught the sly gaze in Courtney¡¯s eyes. ¡°GV¡¯stest limited edition handbag. There are only 100 of them in the world,¡± Courtney said. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°2 of it.¡± Cameron immediately let out a heartyugh after hearing her words. ¡°Good job, Courtney,¡± she cheerfully replied. ¡°Oh, this dessert tastes pretty good! I will go get you some.¡± Courtney looked on at Cameron¡¯s hastily retreating back as she plopped her forehead in her palm. Despite the heartache from doing such a generous thing, she turned to show an ¡°okay¡± sign at the man on the sofa who was busy conqueringnds. Their n had seeded, but it really did take them a lot of money to get there. Cameron was on her way back with the desserts when she heard Gale¡¯s pained howl from the sofa. Josephine was holding a sticker in her hand as she tried with all her might to p it onto Ethan¡¯s plump, rosy cheeks. ¡°Papa, you dummy! There is no space left on my face to stick that on!¡± Ethan cried. His big, watery eyes were filled with shame for being in such an embarrassing state in front of Josephine. Papa is too much! the young boy thought as he turned his head in the other direction while pouting. ¡°Alex, don¡¯t go so hard on me¡ª¡± Gale looked even more pitiful than his son did. He hade here today to get what he wanted, and yet, it only took so long for their rtionship to fall apart again. Alexander was ying with the braids on Josephine¡¯s head then. He had the expression of a loving father, but the words that left his mouth next sounded grumpy. ¡°Shall we y a different game?¡± he asked. Cameron had been watching them before she angrily shoved the te in her hands to Courtney. Rolling her sleeves up, she chased Gale off the sofa. She was motivated to win from head to toe. ¡°How dare you bully my husband and son! Let me have a go!¡± she confidently announced. ¡°Wifey¡ª¡± ¡°Momma¡ª¡± The man and the boy both had a simr glint in their eyes as they cheered, ¡°Our savior is here!¡± The ongoing ¡®war¡¯ was too fervent for Courtney to stay there unscathed. She quickly left the room by walking through a winding corridor to another living room. When she arrived there, Old Master Duncan and Jordan were having a game of chess, with both of them in their respective wooden armchairs. The older man seemed rather energetic, while the younger one had a frown on his face, making him appear more mature than he was. ¡°Jordan, listen to me!¡± Tina, who was standing behind Jordan, had her eyes widened urgently as she urged her brother to pay attention to her. She quickly made a decision on her brother¡¯s behalf. Jordan¡¯s solemn expression instantly had an additional trace of resignation when he saw one of the chess pieces being ced on the chess board. He turned to Tina and scolded, ¡°I just told you that¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªThat those who watch a chess match withoutmenting anything are noble,¡± she unhesitantly took over her brother¡¯s words. ¡°Hurry up, then. I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Great-grandpa, this one doesn¡¯t count.¡± Unable to talk some sense into Tina, Jordan turned toward the chess board again to take back the chess piece Tina had put without his permission. However, the older man reached out with his fan to stop Jordan, and he chuckled, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a saying that goes, ¡®it is no use crying over spilled water¡¯?¡± A child-like smile appeared on Old Master Duncan¡¯s face then as he leaned back into the backrest of the chair. Even though he was feeble and his movements were fairly slow, he still had a young and energetic mind. He had finally caught young Jordan making a bad move, and he took his time capturing 7 of Jordan¡¯s pieces. The oue of the match was already determined then. Tina blinked and shook her head. ¡°One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel,¡± she sighed. Hearing that, Jordan stood up and corrected her, ¡°It is supposed to be ¡®a boneheaded team-mate can do you more harm than a strong opponent¡¯.¡± The smile on Old Man Duncan¡¯s face deepened as he happily waved his hands to prove the legitimacy of his title as the Duncans¡¯ King of Chess. ¡°Little girl,¡± he called out to Angie who was sitting at a side. ¡°It is your turn now,¡± he said and motioned for her to take Jordan¡¯s seat. Angie raised her head from theptop screen, and her frown seemed to dissipate at that moment. Closing theptop, she let out a robotic smile that made her face look stiff. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Promise you will make me a ¡®Duncans¡¯ King of Chess¡¯ championship gold belt within 3 days if I win!¡± she eximed. Old Master Duncanughed at that, and he turned to wink at the butler. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± he teasingly asked. The butler quickly nodded and replied, ¡°We will even have your name carved on it, Miss Angie!¡± It had been a long time since hest saw Old Master Duncan this excited, so he was naturally happy for him. Angie nodded after hearing his words, and she began to do some simple stretches. ¡°Elijah was the one who taught me how to y chess,¡± she warned. Courtney¡¯s expression changed a little as she watched the ongoing chess match. She then called over little Tina, who had been cold-heartedly chased off by Angie. ¡°Angie seems like she is in a bad mood. Did something happen on Seiban Ind?¡± Upon hearing that, Tina shuffled closer to her mother with a crafty look in her eyes. ¡°Mommy, you asked the right person! Other people may not know about this, but I do.¡± After saying that, Tina pulled Courtney to the second living room. She shrunk into a ball on the sofa as she dug, and she finally brandished a phone, which she then passed to Courtney. Chapter 477 One Night Surprise Chapter 477 Chapter 477 He Has Been Taken Away The phone was showing Melrose City¡¯s trending news. The more Courtney swiped upward on the screen, the gloomier her expression became. She began to meticulously look for any important messages in the simr-looking news. ¡®The City¡¯s Search for Miss Grant¡¯ ¡®A Romantic Man Looking for Love in Melrose City: Where in the World Is the Mysterious Miss Grant?¡¯ ¡®Valentine¡¯s Day Is Coming; We Need a Blondie Like This!¡¯ Amongst the numerous headlines, there was one that was on top of the trending list. ¡®Blond haired, blue-eyed Alex of mixed descent has been waiting at the airport for 2 whole days. Now that Valentine¡¯s Day is closing in, the whole city has been in a fervent search for a ¡®Miss Grant¡¯, the heroine of the story who, to date, still has not shown herself. Does anyone know an 18-year-old Angie Grant? Please share this news to light up a bulb. We will be holding a mystery lottery event on Valentine¡¯s Day. If you managed to light up all 7 colored bulbs, we have prepa¡ª¡¯ Courtney continued to scroll down, only to realize that it was a promotional event done by a jewelry store. Massaging the midpoint of her eyebrows, she raised her eyes to look at Tina with a disgruntled face. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly tell me that this ¡®Miss Angie Grant¡¯ in the article is talking about is the one killing at chess with your Great-Grandpa. Do you know how many Angie Grants there are in Melrose City? It could also be a promotional stunt done in order to create hype for Valentine¡¯s Day.¡± From her skeptical tone, it was obvious that Courtney didn¡¯t believe Tina. Tina was unhappy that her mother was suspicious of her words, and so she snatched the phone out of Courtney¡¯s hand. ¡°I saw Angie looking through the trending topics the other day, and boy, was her face as dark as coal! You should at least trust Mr. Oliver if you don¡¯t trust me. Even Mr. Oliver has been suspecting that¡ª¡± Courtney couldn¡¯t help but freeze when she heard her daughter¡¯s words. Her temples seemed to throb, and she suddenly recalled the pale face of a young man with blond hair and blue eyes. The stubble on his chin only added age to his face, but there was no way for him to hide the clear, brilliant gaze he had. Courtney was sure she had seen this person at the airport before. The reporters who took his photos professionally captured images of him that easily touched the hearts of everyone who had seen them. He was a strong and good-looking young man who looked lonely as he waited for his ¡®Angie Grant¡¯. The captions and articles detailing his situation only made him more pitiful. Courtney could only imagine how many young and older women¡¯s hearts he had melted with just the articles alone. It was finally time for lunch after the chaotic morning had passed. However, the atmosphere at the dining table seemed to be a lot more gloomy than it was just hours ago. Courtney perked her ears up to catch wind of how the war game had gone. Apparently, Cameron and Alexander were neck-to-neck with each other during the game. Gale, who was watching from the sidelines, had to rece Ethan as the young boy¡¯s face was already covered in stickers. Cameron lost the battle after that, and soon, an internal dispute arose amongst the Langley army. The ¡®war¡¯ finally ended with Gale, who had a face full of stickers, and Cameronining about each other being spies. Cameron was more concerned about the situation on the other side of the dining table. Old Master Duncan wasn¡¯t in his best mood, as he had lost 3 rounds in chess to Angie, which subsequently made him lose his title as the Duncans¡¯ King of Chess. The butler gingerly ced some dishes Old Master Duncan could eat into his bowl, which he quietly ate. He finally stubbornly said, ¡°Invite that Mr. Elijah over some day. I would like to have 1 or 2 chess matches with him.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°I was letting you off easy. I will still be the Duncans¡¯ King of Chess after I beat your teacher,¡± he boasted.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Angie paused momentarily. ¡°But Elijah already won first ce in the National Chess Championship 20 years ago.¡± Hearing that, Old Master Duncan was rendered speechless. Sensing the drop in temperature in the room, the butler quickly brought a mouthful of food to Old Master Duncan¡¯s mouth and urged, ¡°Try this, Old Master Duncan. This is your favorite.¡± The clinking sounds of cutleries could be heard throughout the dining room then as everyone else dropped their heads and gobbled up their food like they hadn¡¯t heard a thing. Even Alexander was taking bigger mouthfuls of soup because of the change in the atmosphere. After they were done with lunch, Courtney pulled Angie aside to talk to her about winning Old Master Duncan. Instead, she pulled out the phone in her pocket and shoved the news page in Angie¡¯s face. Angie¡¯s eyes immediately darted away from Courtney¡¯s probing eyes, and she sniffled, ¡°There are so many Angie Grants in Melrose City! You can¡¯t possibly be doubting me, can you?¡± ¡°I can help you if you spill now. If you don¡¯t, I will have to call Elijah and tell him to check,¡± Courtney said. ¡°No! I will tell you¡ª¡± Courtney was the best at capturing others by their weaknesses. She had only just mentioned Elijah, and Angie¡¯s eyes had widened in shock as she motioned for Courtney to stop. She then dragged Courtney to take a seat on the sofa. Angie had undone her colorful dreadlocks at some point, and she now had a smooth high ponytail at the back of her head. The new hairstyle gave her a gentle and sweet look. She then started telling Courtney about the whole story as she twirled her hair around her fingers. ¡°So what you are telling me is¡­ Alex, is not in a rtionship with you, and he is the one pursuing you?¡± Courtney turned to look at Angie and her calm gaze seemed to be testing the waters. Courtney couldn¡¯t help but recall what had happened before after seeing Angie nod. Her eyes seemed to darken when thoughts started to enter her head. ¡°Angie.¡± Courtney continued, ¡°You are already an adult. Neither Elijah nor I will intervene if you fancy the boy. Why don¡¯t you go see him?¡± Angie raised her head once again, only this time, her eyes had turned slightly red. Courtney¡¯s heart seemed to quiver at the sight of Angie being vulnerable. Courtney then held her by the hands, where she was jolted back to reality by the coldness of the fingertips in her hands. Even though Angie had grown up, she was still new to matters about rtionships. However, the persistent thought that she couldn¡¯t convince herself was as difficult to ovee as getting through a mental blockage. Angie had tried to ovee it before, but just as she thought that she had seeded, Elijah appeared to tell her about the divorce. In that split second, Angie felt as though all her hard work hade to naught. An understanding look appeared on Courtney¡¯s face then. She gripped Angie¡¯s hands tighter before pulling her into a hug, and she promised, ¡°I got it. I will handle it for you.¡± Courtney began to feel warmth on her shoulder¡ªit seemed that Angie had been trying her best to suppress her emotions to the point of suffering from it. Courtney suddenly softly spoke again, ¡°Can you please hold back a little if your Great-Grandpa requests for another chess match with you? I will make you a gold belt if you want, okay?¡± As Courtney had expected, Old Master Duncan sent out his butler to search for Angie. On the other hand, the Langley couple didn¡¯t seem like they would be letting Alexander off anytime soon. So, Courtney took the chance when the family was happily mingling to leave the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home, but not before she bid farewell to Tina. She drove all the way to the airport, but despite circling around the airport once and getting out of her car to look around, she saw no traces of the blond man named Alex. She went to a fast-food restaurant beside the airport to ask an employee about Alex. However, the beautiful restaurant worker¡¯s face began to flush as she fell into a trance. ¡°You¡¯re toote! I heard that he has already found his ¡®Angie Grant¡¯. Alex has also already been taken away. This ¡®Angie Grant¡¯ really is a mysterious person. There were 7 or 8 ck sedans that stopped by earlier, and Mr. Housekeeper picked Alex up. Everyone is fangirling over that suit-d Mr. Housekeeper now.¡± ¡°Mr. Housekeeper?¡± Courtney repeated questionably. Completely lost in her imagination, the woman dreamily blinked her eyes and sighed, ¡°He was such a gentleman! We don¡¯t really know if he is a housekeeper, but that is what everyone says he is!¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. After hearing her words, Courtney had to plop her forehead in her palm. She could feel her goosebumps crawling after she had organized her thoughts. She then took her phone out and gave Elijah a call. It didn¡¯t take long before the call connected, and his low voice came through, ¡°What is the matter, Courtney?¡± In response, she went in straight to the point. ¡°Is that Alex boy in your car now?¡± ¡°I will handle this. You don¡¯t have to bother with it anymore.¡± Elijah¡¯s voice sounded tired when he spoke. Without giving any further exnation, he hurriedly hung up the call. Chapter 478 One Night Surprise Chapter 478 Chapter 478 Do You n On Getting Married The exhausted young man couldn¡¯t help but look around his surroundings of the huge manor in Westwind District. The air in the spacious living room felt oddly cold, and it was so piercingly chilly that he couldn¡¯t hide the difort on his face. Alex¡¯s body sunk into the soft yet firm cushion of the leather sofa, and even though it felt extremely comforting against his fatigued body, he didn¡¯t dare let down his guard in front of the man in a gray suit. At that moment, Alex put all his attention on thetter. The man had a long, slender figure, and his pretty fingers were flipping through a set of documents. The frown on his face only made him look arrogant and unapproachable. Alex continued to wait for the man to be done with his business. However, he couldn¡¯t hold himself back after he had repeatedly counted the number of golden yellow lights on the chandelier above his head. He suddenly recalled a word that he had learnedst night, and he gave it a go. ¡°Pardon me for asking,¡± he started. ¡°May I know for what reason have you brought me here?¡± Coincidentally, Elijah flipped to thest page of the document when Alex asked that. Then, Elijah leaned back into his seat while his cold gaze seemed to have traces of humor in it. ¡°Alex Ruben. Your mother is French, and she works as a doctor.¡± After saying that, Elijah tossed a part of the document on the coffee table. ¡°Your father is an American who works as a professor in Colombia. You have 2 older sisters. One of them is married to an skan, whereas the other is a doctor like your mother¡ª¡± Elijah continued to throw bits of the document in front of Alex. The calm Alex faked could be seen disappearing bit by bit until he eventually jumped up from the sofa in rage and fear. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Alex cut him off. His fists were clenched so tightly that his whole body was shaking. The friendly expression on his face that he forced on, too, had been reced by anger that looked as though he was ready to strike anytime. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a young and spirited one?¡± Elijah mused. ¡°I know that you took up boxing for 2 years, but I advise you not to throw a straw against the wind.¡± Elijah looked over to the security guards lined up in the room as his scornful gaze seemed to be stepping on Alex¡¯s bottom line. Even though Alex was still enraged, he decided to keep his calm by loosening his fists and sitting back on the sofa. The humor on Elijah¡¯s face was gone in that instant as well. With both elbows on his knees, Elijah leaned forward, and his scrutinizing eyes studied Alex. ¡°I am Angie¡¯s father,¡± he announced. The air suddenly fell silent at that. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t stop you from dating my daughter, but your actions so far have really caused her trouble. It doesn¡¯t seem to me like she has any intention to see you. If you are the type that pesters people to make them concede, I promise that I will do everything in my power to make life easy for my daughter,¡± Elijah hissed. Those words were spoken fluently in Alex¡¯s mother tongue. Seeing how pale the young man had gotten after that, Elijah switched back to warning him in Otharian. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare try those dirty tactics you pick up from abroad on Angie. I want you to go back where you came from before tomorrowes.¡± As Alex felt wronged, his handsome face began to be filled with disappointment as he lowered his head. At that moment, his knuckles had turned white from the clenching of his fists. ¡°But it is Valentine¡¯s Day tomorrow,¡± he muttered sadly before he turned his head to look at Elijah with pleading eyes. ¡°Can I stay another day?¡± Elijah stood up and his tall figure cast a gloomy shadow on Alex. The shadow seemed to seep into Alex¡¯s chest when the older man growled in a low voice, ¡°No.¡± Elijah then instructed his guards to send Alex to the airport. Following that, Elijah left the living room after tossing that sentence behind, but his authoritative voice seemed to reverberate in the room. An hourter, a ck sedan inconspicuously came to a stop by the roadside of a business hotel. Just by sitting in the backseat, the expressionless man¡¯s very presence seemed to make the air too thick to breathe infortably. The man¡¯s assistant in the front seat turned to look at him and asked, ¡°Should I arrange for our men to escort him to the ne?¡± Elijah¡¯s expression further fell at that. With a wave of his hand, he looked out the window and muttered, ¡°No need. Let¡¯s go back.¡± Even though Alex was chaperoned by a group of men to the airport, he managed to slip away when they were squeezing through the crowd in the airport hallway. He then hurriedly checked in to a nearby hotel. He was secretly happy he managed to escape, but what he wasn¡¯t aware of at all was that everything, even his escape, was within Elijah¡¯s control. Angie hadn¡¯t replied to any of his messages, and she even went as far as to delete him on social media. Thest thing that Alex had told her was that he would be waiting for her at the airport. That was the reason why he didn¡¯t dare leave the airport¡ªhe didn¡¯t want them to miss each other. However, it was impossible for him to continue waiting at the airport. His only hope now was to unceasingly send a friend request on social media. He knew that it wasn¡¯t hard for Elijah to check his record since thetter even managed to get all the information about Alex¡¯s family members. Hence, Alex, who frequented police stations since the age of 14 was definitely not a favorable dating candidate. He might still stand a chance to show a better side of himself if he had a better, more prideworthy past. Thinking about how he had heard that Otharians were strict with choosing an inw, Alex¡¯s mood only continued to drop. As hey in bed, dazedly staring at the ceiling, his head began to be filled with the stubborn face Angie always had on. He remembered how eye-catching she was in her loose riveted denim top and colorful dirty braids. Subsequently, he gradually fell asleep soon after. After that, he woke up to aches all over his body. As he moved his stiff limbs, theputer screen in front suddenly lit up. Seeing the notification that popped out, he had to rub his eyes to make sure that he wasn¡¯t dreaming. ¡ª¡ª After themotion at the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home, Courtney and Alexander took their chance to stay there temporarily with the excuse that it was easier for them to work, when their true intention was to keep Old Master Duncanpany. The Somerfield Family came to bring Josephine back home when evening came. Alicia held her hand as they stepped out of the Duncans¡¯ ce, and she started looking around before her eyes eventually fell on Angie. ¡°Come back with me,¡± she said. ¡°Apany Jossie for me tomorrow.¡± Even though Angie was unwilling, she still automatically walked toward them when her Great-Aunt waved her over. Alicia had been rtively unupied after her retirement, but because she was an influential figure in Melrose City, she had gradually epted invitations to charity events. It was World Vision Orphanage¡¯s summer break cultural activity day tomorrow, and the organization had sent her an invitation. She wanted to bring Josephine and Angie along with her. At night, Josephine watched the television in the living room while Angie cooped herself up on the other side of the sofa and did her research on her college application. Josephine¡¯s eyebrows knitted into a frown when the female lead of the show she was watching angrily yelled, ¡°You cold-blooded, heartless, unreasonable prick!¡± ¡°Angie, do you n on getting married?¡± she asked. Angie¡¯s aggressive typing on her keyboard immediately stopped after Josephine asked her question. She lifted her gaze to look at Josephine, only to see that she had her full attention on the television screen. She didn¡¯t seem to mean anything by her question. ¡°I pity Ethan for having parents who are always arguing with each other,¡± the young girl continued. Josephine finally turned off the television when the male lead of the show rebutted, ¡°There is no one more cold-blooded, heartless and unreasonable than you are!¡± She then turned to Angie with a pitiful look in her eyes. Angie couldn¡¯t help but be entertained by Josephine. ¡°You are only 5. There are a lot of things that you don¡¯t know about,¡± she said while standing up to go to the washroom. The disappointed little girl was then left alone when her eyes fell on theputer screen, and the sneaky glint in them disappeared as abruptly as it appeared. Chapter 479 One Night Surprise Chapter 479 Chapter 479 A Little Fairy Once Told Me The next morning, the workers and children of World Vision Orphanage in the northern suburbs all lined up in 2 rows near the orphanage¡¯s entrance. Amidst the warm wee from both sides, Alicia slowly walked toward the entrance of the orphanage after getting out of the car. As Angie and Josephine followed closely after her, the endless apuse from the crowd started to make Angie¡¯s temples throb. She had been having a bad feeling about today sincest night. Even though their wee seemed hearty, she knew that none of them were apuding for their arrival. After Alicia was guided by the orphanage director to his office, Angie held Josephine¡¯s hand as they walked around thepound. It wasn¡¯t long after when the orphanage¡¯s workers started talking in hushed voices amongst themselves that Angie finally understood the star of today¡¯s activities. A mysterious wealthy person in Melrose City was willing to donate a huge amount of operational funds to World Vision Orphanage. If the donation proceeded as nned, that would mean that the orphanage had a chance to change its facilities into new ones, which would, in turn, bring about positive changes to the children¡¯s living conditions. The other thing that they were most happy about was that the workers¡¯ quarterly bonuses might double. A plump woman waving a little red g instructed the crowd who was cozy and sleepy from being under the warm sun, ¡°They are here! Everyone, get ready!¡± Angie stood by the entrance, and she craned her neck to peek at the silver sedan parked outside the orphanage¡¯s gate. She caught sight of a middle-aged man with a balding head sitting in the sedan. With his sunsses on, and a briefcase in his hand, he got out of the sedan and walked past the cheering crowd toward the director¡¯s office. ¡°Is that the mysterious rich person?¡± ¡°Dummy, why would a mysterious person show themself so easily? He is awyer who has work to do here.¡± ¡°Does this mean that our double bonus is confirmed? Haha¡ª¡± Josephine was tired from hearing the chatter going on, so she sped her hand around Angie¡¯s mouth and started dragging her along into the orphanage. Alicia would usually bring Josephine along to attend these charity events. Under the older woman¡¯s constant influence, it became a habit for the young girl to lend a hand whenever she could. However, she did seem tired today. She even looked like she was anxious. She pushed open a wonky wood-colored door that made a loud creaking noise, and she was immediately greeted by the sight of a skinny figure shaking behind the door. The person¡¯s big eyes immediately shot up to look at the figures of a young girl and a young adult still standing outside the door. Seeing him, Josephine couldn¡¯t help but wonder why there was a boy hiding in the corner when everyone at the orphanage was supposed to be weing their guests at the entrance. The dark-skinned boy had ck, curly locks. He had a t nose and there was a piece of gauze on his forehead. He was a strange sight to behold. Josephine waved and politely greeted him. ¡°Hello,¡± she said. The boy was making a y man before the girls had abruptly interrupted him. He was now holding the piece of y that wasn¡¯t shaped well in one hand, and a knife in the other. On closer look, the tip of the knife was stained with fresh blood that seemed to havee from an injury in the back of his left hand. Josephine then took 2 steps closer toward the boy, but when she was still some distance away from him, the boy suddenly let out a grunt that sounded too annoyed not to be a rejection of her approach. ¡°I don¡¯t think he wants to be disturbed. Let¡¯s go to a different ce.¡± Josephine stopped moving forward then. She understood why the boy had reacted that way to her. Alicia had told her that children living in orphanages had gone through unhappy times and that she should be caring and tolerant toward those children. Thinking about that, she took out a box of chocte from her bag and put it on a table at the side. The boy only let out an angrier grunt when he saw the chocte. As his gaze showed an aggression impossible for a person his age, he ran over to her, and the next thing Josephine heard as she stood in the same spot was the sound of something falling. The carefully packaged chocte box went flying before it hit the leg of a table, and its content was all over the floor the next moment. She was caught off guard as she stared at the boy¡¯s fierce face. Immediately after that, he swung the knife at her, but Angie managed to pull Josephine back just in time. In order to further defend themselves, Angie shoved the boy, making him fall to the floor with a thud. He continued to thrash around and howl even when he had fallen down. It was at that moment that Angie frowned from the sharp pain in her arm. ¡°Angie, you are hurt!¡± Josephine¡¯s meek voice rang out from behind. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. At this moment, the workers of the orphanage arrived as the girls helplessly watched the boy getting back on his feet just to stomp on those choctes. ¡°Jackie, calm down!¡± ¡°Who gave him the knife?¡± Even though the adults had arrived, no one dared to approach the boy. As they continued to y their game of Hawk and Chicken, Angie took the chance to bring Josephine out of the room, only for her to be pulled by the younger to go to the infirmary. Josephine looked at the gash on Angie¡¯s arm at her eye level, and a frown appeared on her gloomy face. ¡°Please disinfect and dress the wound, madam,¡± Josephine said to the doctor in the infirmary before turning to Angie. ¡°It might get a little painful so hold on. I have something to do, so I will be stepping out for a bit.¡± After she solemnly informed Angie, she went straight out of the infirmary. Angie couldn¡¯t help but start to feel worried when the young girl still hadn¡¯t returned after the wound had been dressed. She quickly flung the curtain open and called out, ¡°Jose¡ª O!¡± Right after she opened the curtain, she bumped straight into what felt like a solid wall. It was so painful that tears starteding out of her eyes and she thought her nose was broken because of it. ¡°A-Angie¡­¡± Hearing that choked-up voice utter her name, Angie immediately stepped away from the warm chest she had bumped into. After she raised her head to look at the person, her pupils dted, and the look on her face hardened. ¡°A¡ªAlex,¡± she stuttered. He could hardly recognize the Angie that had reappeared in front of him. She was dressed in a simple white dress with no other essories on her. Her dreadlocks, too, had been reced with a neat ponytail. However, he knew that he still liked her from the bottom of his heart when she lifted her chin to look at him. Seeing the unexpected flush on her cheeks made her feel like his hardships the past few days had been worth it. Her embarrassment and inner conflict that first appeared were instantly swallowed up because of the shock. ¡°A little fairy told me. I like Otharian fairies. They are very hospitable,¡± Alex told her. Angie instantly understood who this ¡®little fairy¡¯ was when Alex passed the phone in his hand to her. It turned out that Alex and Josephine had been in contact since yesterday! It was no wonder why Josephine hadn¡¯t once left her phone today and didn¡¯t even allow Angie to look at her phone. ¡®Angie has a bad temper. She doesn¡¯t like ying with us little fairies.¡¯ ¡®It is fine. I like her.¡¯ ¡®What if she is cold-blooded, heartless and unreasonable?¡¯ ¡®I like that too.¡¯ ¡®Okay, then. I will send you our location tomorrow.¡¯ Angie¡¯s face began to twitch after she read the exchange between Alex and Josephine. Just as she bit her teeth and grumbled the young girl¡¯s name in frustration, the phone made a short noise, and the darkened screen lit up again. ¡®Please inform Angie that I will be heading home with Great-Aunt Alicia first.¡¯ After Angie sent the message, she pulled Alicia, who had just left the director¡¯s office, into the craft room. A few people had subdued the hysterical boy and tied him to a chair. There were tear stains and y all over his face. Alicia couldn¡¯t help but frown at the heart-wrenching sight. He looks younger than Josie, she thought. He had struggled so much that his eyes had turned red, and he didn¡¯t even attempt to hide the fear and despair on his dark face. ¡°Is this an orphanage or a ughterhouse? How could you tie him up without consulting a professional first? Isn¡¯t it odd how you showed such professionalism when we were discussing the donation¡ª¡± Chapter 480 One Night Surprise Chapter 480 Chapter 480 Pretty Sir Seeing how Alicia was going to leave with Josephine, the director of the orphanage immediately rushed after them and exined, ¡°There is nothing wrong with the boy, but we do have troublemunicating with him because he is of Otharian and Vietnamese descent. From our sources, he used to be raised in Vietnam. He must have reacted so aggressively because he couldn¡¯t mentally cope after changing a location and being abandoned.¡± ¡°How did he get all the injuries on his body?¡± Alicia questioned. The director hesitantly replied, ¡°He has been showing subtle tendencies to self-harm after he came here.¡± Alicia¡¯s eyes seemed to darken after she heard the director¡¯s words. Seeing that, the director looked resigned as he sighed, ¡°We have been trying to treat his self-harming tendencies, but it will take time to get rid of psychological issues. The woman who sent the boy here has requested us to continue treating him, or¡ªor else she will have the promised donation sent to some other orphanage¡ª¡± The director¡¯s words were cut off by the sound of a car door being mmed shut. Watching the gray sedan leave, the man slowly straightened his torso as his gaze turned cold. ¡ª¡ª The air in Melrose City on Valentine¡¯s Day was thick with an unexinable feeling of romance when evening came. Most of the people sauntering about on the street were walking hand-in-hand in pairs, and yet Angie looked as though she had a tail following closely behind her. Alex was always a few steps away as he maintained his distance from her. Angie couldn¡¯t get rid of him even if she wanted to, and he didn¡¯t have the courage to get closer to her. ¡°Pretty sir, did you make your girlfriend angry? Would you like some flowers to cheer her up?¡± An adorable young girl suddenly grasped onto the leg of Alex¡¯s pants. Blinking her eyes, she shoved some flowers in Alex¡¯s face. ¡°I am sorry, I¡ª¡± A sneeze erupted as he hurriedly exined himself. ¡°I am allergic¡ª¡± He sneezed again. ¡°To pollen!¡± As he pushed the flowers away from his face, Angie took the opportunity to make her escape. Alex immediately followed after her when he realized what she had done. The little girl who had been left behind could only shake her head and sigh, ¡°What a stingy person. You can¡¯t possibly get a girl with a handsome face alone.¡± Alex showed no signs of giving up even as he went a distance to chase after her. He tried to maintain a distance of 3 meters away from her as he smiled and asked loudly, ¡°Are you hungry? Why don¡¯t I buy you a meal? You can continue running off after that.¡± Angie rested her hands on her waist while gasping for air. Alex¡¯s words suddenly made her realize that the man had no idea that she was running away from him. He even seemed entertained by this whole game of cat and mouse they were having. ¡°Fine.¡± Angiebed through her hair with her fingers before putting on a tough front. ¡°Let me buy you a meal. We can have a talk.¡± Angie proceeded to choose an affordable Otharian restaurant whose business seemed rather slow today. Along with a few dishes, she also ordered a bottle of vodka for Alex. The waiter first served them a te of peanuts, and he then opened the vodka bottle. He poured Alex a ss, but when he turned to look at Angie, the young woman wordlessly refused to be served the alcohol. The sharp scent of alcohol hit Alex¡¯s nostrils before the vodka even touched his mouth. He instinctively reacted by sucking in a deep breath before taking a sip. Immediately, his face began to contort because of the spicy sensation in his mouth. ¡°ÎÒ²»Ï²»¶²»ÄܺȾƵÄÈË¡£¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like people who can¡¯t drink.¡± Angie suddenly coldly threw that sentence when Alex was about to put down his ss. A frown immediately appeared on his face after that, and he gulped down the remaining content in the ss. Seeing that, Angie let out a satisfied smile and poured him another ss. ¡°I have to leave tomorrow.¡± His voice came out tired and disappointed after he drank his second ss of vodka. The alcohol was making his face red, but he looked just like a sad child when he lowered his gaze. ¡°I know that your father is unsatisfied with me. I admit that I wasn¡¯t a good person before.¡± After the third ss went down his throat, his head began to feel heavy. The waiter who was serving them a bowl of sliced pork kindly reminded him, ¡°This alcohol is potent. Please drink it slowly.¡± Angie¡¯s longshes seemed to tremble under the dim light after she heard the words. ¡°My father?¡± she carefully asked. Alex leaned back into the dark-colored backrest of his seat and nodded. He couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat disgusted looking at the shiny gloss of the dish. He then took another shot to wash off the distaste in his mouth. ¡°Your father is amazing. He did an in-depth background check on my whole family. He even found out about the time I got into a fight and got detained. That was my friend, Enrique. We aren¡¯t friends anymore¡ª¡± His gentle voice started to quiver, and he had to bury his face in his palms to calm himself down before he lifted his gaze again. He poured a fifth ss for himself. Unexpectedly, Angie took the bottle over and poured herself one before she shot the whole thing down. ¡°What else did he say?¡± Angie could feel the blood flowing urgently like boiling water in her head. The tipsy Alex didn¡¯t notice how calm Angie¡¯s voice had gotten at this point. ¡°He said that he isn¡¯t against us dating, but he isn¡¯t very satisfied with me¡ª¡± His words faltered as he began to sway left and right. The waiter continued to serve grilled duck, braised pork belly, pork innards, fried pork, and vegetables to the table. He was caught by surprise when his eyesnded on the blond-haired, blue-eyed young foreigner. ¡°Lady,¡± he eximed. ¡°He can¡¯t keep drinking like this. He will get alcohol poisoning!¡± Alex was in the midst of reaching for the vodka bottle and pouring himself another ss with his eyes closed when Angie snatched it away from him and indulged the throat-burning drink herself. Her face had gradually turned pink after her second ss of vodka. Alex was already spewing random English words now, scaring the waiter who was serving them. Angie drank herst ss of vodka and wiped her mouth before she slurred, ¡°Please get me a taxi, thank you.¡± Her swaying body took a while to be still as she stood up. She frowned and looked at Alex, who was lying on the couch with his face toward the ceiling. Half of his body had already slipped underneath the table. ¡°Hey, get up,¡± she said as she lightly pped him on his cheeks. The man drunkenly lifted his hand to block her advances, but just then, he lost his hold on the seat, and he slid right under the chair. Angie made a few attempts to pull him back up, but she was no match for the man over 5 feet 10. She continued trying before she eventually became too weak to continue. Angie patted the helpless waiter on his shoulder and suggested, ¡°Can you call a few people to help me out? I will pay you.¡± However, the waiter¡¯s eyes had gotten as wide as saucers as he let out intelligible noises and pointed behind Angie. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Her hand was still on the waiter¡¯s shoulder when a voice rang out, ¡°Take him to the car.¡± As Angie heard that, her grip unconsciously tightened, making the frail-looking waiter¡¯s face twist in pain. He managed to struggle out of her grasp, and when he did, he scurried away and hid behind the counter. ¡°What is wrong? Scared to look at me?¡± The crisp and gentle voice sounded behind her. She didn¡¯t even need to turn to look at the man to know the haughty expression on his face. He would most probably have a form-fitting suit on without the necktie, and the first button of his dress shirt would be undone, giving him a carefree air. He would probably also have his hands in the pockets of his suit pants as his usually-gentle eyes coldly gazed at her. Angie tried her best to look calm on the surface, and when she turned around and scrutinized the man, a smile immediately appeared on her face. He didn¡¯t look much different from how she imagined him to be. ¡°Elijah,¡± she greeted. ¡°Let¡¯s get in the car first.¡± He then moved to hold her hand, only for her to duck. However, he didn¡¯t seem embarrassed by the rejection and merely waved to his assistant standing behind him. ¡°Bring him to the hospital. I will drive back myself,¡± he told the assistant. ¡°I wille along,¡± Angie announced as she followed after the assistant. She had already gotten into the van the assistant was going to drive when Elijah removed her from the vehicle. ¡°You will being home with me.¡± Chapter 481 One Night Surprise Chapter 481 Chapter 481 You¡¯re Not My Dad After a few struggles, Angie felt as though her head would explode and her subconscious took over soon after the vodka¡¯s after-effects hit her. She iled her arms around like a madman inside the steadily moving vehicle and even violently ripped Elijah¡¯s shirt open while he was driving. After leaving a few blood streaks on his lean torso, she began to spew gibberish uncontrobly. ¡°Why did you eat my cookie, you nipoop?¡± ¡°Give me back my head!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s my head?¡± Angie suddenly bawled. ¡°Where¡¯s my head?¡± On the other hand, Elijah felt utterly speechless and frustrated. However, she gradually began sobbing aggrievedly for a long time, and it seemed rather genuine. It was no exaggeration to say that she looked like a weeping beauty when she raised her head again. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. With that, she sniffled and smeared her nose against the back of her hand. She hesitated for a few seconds, but she still wiped her snotty hand on the man¡¯s suit jacket. ¡°Angie Grant!¡± Elijah¡¯s face turned beyond grim upon realizing what she had done, and his face was all bunched up. However, before he could hit the roof, the young girl fell asleep with her head slumped aside. Later, the car arrived at the manor. As Elijah killed the engine, Mrs. Robins, who had heard the noise, immediately opened the main door and found him mming the car door shut. His hair was slightly ruffled, and his white dress shirt had been ripped apart, revealing half of his torso. He even removed the suit jacket he wore in frustration while he headed out and chucked it to the ground. Mrs. Robins bent over to pick up the jacket, having no clue what had happened. ¡°Mr. Grant¡­¡± Elijah looked back at her in response and ordered with aplicated gaze while waving his hand, ¡°Just throw it away.¡± What a shame it was to throw away such fine fabric. However, judging from Elijah¡¯s mood, Mrs. Robins knew it wasn¡¯t a good time to speak up despite her hesitation. By the time she came back from throwing the jacket away, he had already carried Angie out of the car. With that, he strode steadily upstairs. He suddenly stopped upon reaching the staircase on the second floor, for he felt a warm and wet sensation trickling down his back. His face gradually turned grim while his pupils shook. ¡°Mr. Grant¡­¡± What was happening before Mrs. Robin¡¯s eyes had rendered her stupefied. ¡°D-Drive slowly¡­ I get seasick¡­ Blergh¡ª¡± Atst, Elijah¡¯sst bit of reasoning turned to dust following Angie¡¯s mumble, and after putting her in bed, he soaked in the bathtub for a solid two hours. When he came out, the maid named Tanya happened toe out from Angie¡¯s room with a tray in her hand. Tanya turned the other way hurriedly upon seeing Elijah, and she was obviously in a panic. As a result, the ss of water on the tray tipped and smashed onto the floor. ¡°Why are you running away?¡± Elijah frowned and reflexively lifted his snow-white bathrobe in self-doubt. He gave it a sniff, and the furrow on his brow eased a little after he was sure he didn¡¯t smell of vomit. Meanwhile, Tanya squatted down in two shakes to pick up the ss shards as she mumbled, ¡°Miss Angie refuses to take the hangover pill or go to sleep no matter what after her shower. She hasn¡¯t stopped fussing, and I came out to get a new ss of water after seeing that it had turned cold.¡± Tanya¡¯s face was flushed, but since she had been squatting all this while, Elijah didn¡¯t notice it. After cleaning up all the ss shards, she brought a new ss of warm water to Angie¡¯s room. However, who would have thought that she would witness a scious scene?! She backed up and bumped her back on the doorframe in a shock, causing the ss to tip and spin a couple of times before smashing onto the floor once again. While Tanya was fetching a new ss of water, Elijah had gone in to check on Angie. Meanwhile, she had changed into a nightgown with Tanya¡¯s help. The alcohol was burning inside her right then, and in her drunken stupor, she felt a foreign yet cooling sensation on her forehead. Instinctively, she grabbed it and brought it to where her body felt warmest. ¡°Hot,¡± she muttered with a hint of grievance. Elijah¡¯s expression changed as he watched Angie bring his hand down to her fair chest, which rose and fell following her erratic breathing beneath the thin silk garment. Five years was enough to change the once tanned and scrawny girl into the mature maiden that Angie was now. His gaze darkened upon that, and he was looking somewhat grim. While he attempted to pull his hand out of her grip, her indignant ¡®I¡¯m already an adult¡¯ during Courtney¡¯s wedding popped into his head. Meanwhile, Angie whimpered like a child who had been robbed of their precious treasure after the cold sensation was gone. ¡°You¡¯re not my dad. I don¡¯t have a dad.¡± Her dull, hoarse voice reverberated in Elijah¡¯s ear continuously. ¡°Why do you have to adopt me? Must we be father and daughter?¡± Warm tears streamed down Angie¡¯s face as she whined, staining her light gray sheets with circles of teardrops. Chaos surged within Elijah as he looked at Angie. I shouldn¡¯t havee, he thought, and he quickly got up following that. However, a force tugged at his fingers as he took a step and he fell backward beforending on the edge of the bed. The next second, a head of hair brushed against his shoulder. A pair of soft and warm lips apanied by a faint alcoholic scent inched toward him. It was a d¨¦j¨¤ vu moment for Elijah, but what was more appalling to him was that an indescribable¡ªbut certainly not repulsive¡ªsensation was pouring out of him. However, he forced himself to stay sane as he warned coldly, ¡°Angie.¡± Despite his evasion, Angie¡¯s approaching lips brushed past his ears and her headnded on his shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him in passing, causing the top half of his bathrobe to loosen and expose half of his torso. Now, the only thing separating their beating hearts was Angie¡¯s thin silk garment. Right at that moment, the imprable defense he thought he had within him wavered. It only happened for a moment nheless, for he heard a drinking ss shatter the next second. This saved him from his nearly copsing reasoning. The sound awoke Angie a little as well, and she looked toward the door with narrowed eyes to find a lean figure curled up not far away. However, sleep was creeping up on her as she mumbled under her breath, ¡°Water.¡± With that, Elijah settled her back in bed, and by the time he turned back to Tanya, his fathomless gaze was overflowing with great displeasure. ¡°Tell Mrs. Robins to bring another ss of water.¡± Tanya scurried away in fear upon hearing that, but it also seemed as though she had received amnesty. Mrs. Robins entered momentster, and Elijah left Angie¡¯s room after giving a couple of orders. Meanwhile, his phone kept ringing, but he hung up on all of them in a vexed manner. As such, Lilian had no choice but to text him, ¡®President Grant, the guys at Manhattan have been waiting for your video conference for a long time to discuss the funds for the project.¡¯ With that, he went to his study. Fatigue was written all over his face when he sat down at his desk. After a moment¡¯s exhaustion, he reluctantly connected the video conference. However, he suddenly called off the meeting midway and postponed it to ater date. After disconnecting it, he lit a cigarette in the dark. As the intense smell of tobo dispersed, the uneasiness beneath his fathomless gaze was also gradually tucked away. Tanya had been in constant fear after she returned to her room. It was her turn to be on duty that day, but thanks to her uneasy pacing, she woke Marianne up by ident, who had finally fallen asleep. Marianne opened her bleary eyes at that and rolled over in exasperation as she snapped, ¡°Go outside if you don¡¯t want to sleep. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a bother by pacing around the room like this?¡± As she drifted back to sleepter on, she thought she heard the door opening and closing as well as the sound of footsteps drifting away. Chapter 482 One Night Surprise Chapter 482 Chapter 482 Someone Pushed Me The following day, Marianne found the bed opposite her empty when she got up for her morning shift, and she couldn¡¯t help feeling baffled. When noon had approached, she still didn¡¯t see Tanya anywhere. She went to Mrs. Robins only to learn that Tanya had resigned and left first thing in the morning. Of course, Marianne couldn¡¯t help feeling vexed upon hearing the news. Elijah¡¯s manor was massive, but he rarely stayed in the country for long. Apart from the maids who woulde to clean the ce regrly, she, Tanya, and Mrs. Robins were the only ones who lived there permanently. Now that Tanya had left, Marianne would have much to do. Meanwhile, Angie only woke up at noon due to her hangover. Mrs. Robins brought her lunch not long after, but she only took a couple of absent-minded bites before falling back asleep until night came. She had a vague memory of what happened the night before, and the broken pieces kept tyrannizing her mind. Before Elijah returned to the manor, she resolutely snuck back to Courtney¡¯s ce. In thetter days, Elijah proposed to take Angie with him to Manhattan several times, but the woman refused to see him no matter what. Thus, Courtney rejected him on her behalf. Meanwhile, at Citron Apparel, Natasha was due to give birth anytime soon. Bill wished he could tten all the roads and paths for his wife as theymuted to and from work every single day. It hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed by Courtney, so she let Natasha take early maternity leave. With her right-hand man down, Courtney had to stick her head in bothpanies. She had barely managed to shove an order negotiation for Citron Apparel in her hectic schedule during lunch hour, but just as she was heading for the appointment, she received a call from Bill saying that Natasha had gotten into an ident. With heavy footsteps, Courtney slowly approached the middle-aged man squatting in the corridor right opposite the operating room door. His forehead was pressed against his folded hands, and his eyes were shut tight while his teeth rattled. His arched back made him look as though he had aged a decade. ¡°Bill?¡± Bill looked up in response. His eyes were bloodshot, showing just how tired and worried he was. ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± he said in a raspy voice. He then mumbled, ¡°She said that she wanted to eat the ¨¦ir sold in front of the hospital. I told her we¡¯d get it after we were done with the check-up, but she told me to get it first and wait for her to finish her check-up. It was just a few minutes, but she¡­¡± Bill buried his head in his palms upon saying that, and he sobbed while struggling to say another word. Courtney¡¯s heart wrenched, for she had never seen him like this. Just then, a doctor came out of the operating room. ¡°Who is the patient¡¯s family?¡± It took Bill a second to register what was going on, but he immediately shot up and answered frantically, ¡°Me! I¡¯m her husband!¡± ¡°She has lost a lot of blood. The situation¡¯s critical now. We need you to sign this paper.¡± ¡°Sign? Okay, I¡¯ll sign it!¡± Bill hesitated for a second, and Courtney noticed that his hands were shaking when he signed the paper. Never had Bill thought time could pass so slowly. By the time the operating room door opened again, he had already lost the courage to stand right up as he did earlier. All he could do was fix his bloodshot and desperate eyes at the doctors and nursesing out of the operating room. At that, Courtney stood in between him and the medical staff. After all, her professionalism as a doctor had gotten her to remain calm somewhat. ¡°The mother and daughter are safe. However, the mother needs to be hospitalized for observation since she is rather weak. The child isn¡¯t doing too good as well, so we¡¯ll transfer her to NICU for a three-day observation.¡± What a relief! After hearing all the doctor had to say, Bill sobbed uncontrobly. He didn¡¯t care that Courtney was right next to him, and it seemed as though all of his strength had been drained out of him. Fortunately, baby Luna was able to leave the NICU after her three-day observation, so Bill didn¡¯t need to look at this baby girl through the incubator ss any longer. Nheless, his happy but sad face got Josephine pursing her lips. ¡°Rx, Mr. Bill. My mommy has given birth to three children, but she¡¯s never freaked out like what you¡¯re doing right now.¡± Courtney happened to be pouring some chicken soup she had made as she sat next to the bed-ridden Natasha. Upon hearing Josephine¡¯s words, she couldn¡¯t help but tease, ¡°You were just as old as Luna when I gave birth to you. How would you know if I freaked out or not?¡± ¡°Well, did you?¡± Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Courtney recalled with a quirked brow and answered, ¡°Not really.¡± Compared to her first heart-stopping birth, Josephine¡¯s was a far calmer experience. Natasha choked a little after taking a sip of the soup, and when she coughed, her muscles ached. Moreover, her incision hurt so much that ayer of sweat formed on her back, and she no longer had the appetite to drink. On the other hand, Bill was on edge. He had shed a lot of weight, and he hadn¡¯t slept in days. The dark circles around his eyes were there to prove it as well. Though he was anxious, he couldn¡¯t bear the pain for his beloved wife, so he spun around like a freaked-out headless chicken. Once Natasha felt better, she gave him something to focus on. ¡°Doctor Miller has prescribed some new medication for me. Why don¡¯t you go and get it on my behalf?¡± Bill finally rxed a little after hearing that there were still some errands to run. With that, he scrambled out. Meanwhile, Natasha¡¯s gaze gradually dimmed, and her lips pursed a little as she watched her husband disappear out of the ward. Courtney sensed something, so she put the bowl of soup down and turned to Josephine. ¡°Josie, please close the door for me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Josephine looked up from her mobile game, closed the door, and sat back down at the nearest seat. ¡°Someone pushed me,¡± Natasha said right after the door closed. Finally, she could say what she had been keeping to herself all this time. She clenched the snow-white covers so tightly that they got out of shape, and her nails dug into her palms at that. Her body was even trembling from inexplicable fear. The narrow staircase, the chubby woman and her disfigured face beneath the baseball cap, the ck jacket, and the extremely sinister words ¡®Let¡¯s die together¡¯ came to her mind. Over the past few days, these images had repeatedly haunted her in her sleep, and she would constantly wake up in fright. After waking up, her face would be ghastly pale, and a sense of frostiness would seep into her bones. ¡°She did it on purpose, Courtney. I¡¯m telling you that she did it on purpose.¡± Natasha forced herself to recall the scene, but it was a traumatic process for her. ¡°I was going upstairs to get my check-up done, and we bumped into each other at the staircase. We shifted a few times to let the other pass, but it didn¡¯t work. I stopped to let her move, but she suddenly red at me and even shoved me down the stairs.¡± Courtney furrowed her brows deeply in response. Natasha¡¯s words sent a chill down her spine, and she pulled her phone out at that. ¡°Why are you only saying it now? Why didn¡¯t you call the police?¡± However, Natasha snatched her phone away after Courtney had only managed to key in two numbers. ¡°No, I can¡¯t let Bill know when he¡¯s in this mental state. His body will copse, and I¡¯m worried that he¡¯ll do something he might regret.¡± Courtney mulled it over and thought that Natasha¡¯s worry was within reason. Although Bill was a calm person most of the time, his stubbornness would cause him to do the extreme. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be unimaginable for him to kill when it involved his beloved wife and daughter. After leaving the ward, Courtney went to the Safety and Security Department of the hospital and sessfully obtained a copy of the surveince footage when the incident happened. That night, while Courtney was looking through the footage, Alexander hugged her from behind. The fresh scent of his body wash distracted her for a moment, but she regained her senses quickly and pulled out his slithering arm beneath her shirt. However, it wouldn¡¯t be Alexander if he yielded. ¡°Baby, let¡¯s go to bed,¡± he said as he rested his head on herp and messed with her. Since Courtney felt ticklish, she kicked blindly and hit his package by ident, causing him to roll down the couch in dire pain. Alexander mbered up with a grim face, and his eyes were filled with malice. On the other hand, Courtney quirked a brow while trying her best not tough. ¡°Is it a gone case, Dear?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Why don¡¯t we find out?¡± Alexander then pounced on her like a ravenous beast. He sessfully caught Courtney, the puny rabbit. ¡°You¡¯re pressing on my hair¡­¡± ¡°S-Slow down¡­¡± Chapter 483 One Night Surprise Chapter 483 Chapter 483 A Fight Broke Out Bill had not been himself ever since Natasha was involved in that situation. Therefore, Courtney gave him extended leave so that he could focus his attention on his wife and kids. As a result, she had to spend more time and energy in Citrus Apparel. Not only that, she had to visit the hospital often, so she lost a lot of weighttely. On this day, Courtney was organizing thetest negotiation terms when it was almost time to get off work. Just then, Ruby Hill, Courtney¡¯s new assistant, suddenly knocked on Courtney¡¯s door and entered her office. ¡°Bad news, Miss Hunter. A fight broke out at the workshop.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney immediately rushed over there. The buzzy workshop was full of cheering and jeering from the crowd. At an open space near the quality inspection area, a group of people had gathered together, surrounding a dozen men who were wrestling one another at the center. The floor was scattered with clothes that had been torn into pieces and crumpled from all the stepping. ¡°Who¡¯s the workshop manager? Please step forward!¡± Courtney roared. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to her, while the group of people who had been fighting gradually pulled back from each other reluctantly. Then, a middle-aged man in his fifties slowly stepped out from the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m the manager of the workshop,¡± he said while raising his hand. What surprised Courtney the most was that the manager of the workshop was actually the fiercest fighter among the crowd earlier. He had a burly build, but he seemed to have injured himself in the melee because he was limping as he walked up to Courtney. Courtney¡¯s expression sank when she saw that. ¡°Are you the workshop manager? I heard from Bill that you are a hardworking and responsible employee; you were even promoted to a manager thanks to his strong rmendation. I wonder if you are only willing to work for him, which might exin why you¡¯ve lost the motivation to work while he is on leave.¡± Guilt and helplessness crept onto his face when he heard her words. He let out a sigh as if he was having a hard time searching for the right words to exin his situation. ¡°It wasn¡¯t Mr. Dale¡¯s fault. They were the ones who took things too far!¡± At that moment, a crisp voice was heard from the crowd. In fact, it sounded rather childish. Courtney looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a youthful-looking teenage boy stepping out from the group of men that had been involved in the fights earlier. He had a slender figure, and the bruises on his face undoubtedly revealed that he had been at a disadvantage in the melee earlier. ¡°Go back, Zeke!¡± Jerry bellowed at him, which sessfully stopped the boy and made him return to the crowd. Upon seeing that, Courtney realized that the situation probably wasn¡¯t as simple as it seemed. She calmed down and waved at Zeke. ¡°I believe in Billy¡¯s judgment, so I¡¯m giving you a chance to exin the situation right now. You mentioned that Mr. Dale was innocent. In that case, who was in the wrong?¡± Zeke was hesitant. He had worked in Citrus Apparel for five years, but he never met Courtney before this. However, the current situation forced him to muster the courage to stand up for what he believed was right. ¡°It was them!¡± He turned around, extending his arm and pointing at the other group of people involved in the melee. One of the men, who was being faced with the sudden usation, snapped in displeasure, ¡°Stop spewing nonsense, brat. Do you want to get beaten again?¡± He balled his fists, looking as though he was ready to throw himself into another fight. An anguished Zeke retreated. Then, he bent over and picked up the pieces of fabric on the floor before walking up to Courtney. ¡°I¡¯m one of the quality inspectors in the workshop. Meanwhile, this is the cor of the school uniforms they made today. The agreed work procedure is to sew a double-stitched hem to prevent the unraveling of fabric, but not only did they sew a single-stitched hem, they even skipped a few stitches. As you can see, the stitches are messy and the cors are obviously unusable. When I asked them to redo the work, they went rough and hit me.¡± When Zeke showed her the so-called evidence, there were apparent bruises on both his arms. Courtney took the fabric and examined it before she threw the cor that was covered in footprints into the trash can. She surveyed the ce with cold eyes and questioned, ¡°Who are those people?¡± Zeke stood beside her and pointed them out. Thereafter, Courtney brushed away the dust on her hands before she announced in a cold, determined voice, ¡°Ruby, these few employees are fired. Get the finance department to settle their wages. They don¡¯t need toe in tomorrow.¡± ¡°Who are you to fire us based on nothing but this brat¡¯s side of the story? Are you Citrus Apparel¡¯s boss who only knows how to bully honest people like us?¡± The self-proimed honest woman was skinny with prominent cheekbones and sunken eyes, but she was loud and energetic when she spoke. Yet, she looked nothing like an honest, simple folk in Courtney¡¯s impression especially when she shouted like a shrew. When she saw the woman¡¯s reaction, Courtney, who was going to leave the scene, turned back. She raised a brow at them with a thoughtful look on her face. ¡°Ah, I nearly forgot. Please remind the finance department to calcte our loss for the dy in work progress and facility downtime. Be sure to deduct the loss from their sries.¡± There was amotion in the crowd, but she gazed at them and continued, ¡°I know that the quality inspection department offends people easily, but if you guys are unhappy with them, please leave and find a job elsewhere. If something like this happens again, I won¡¯t be as kind as today. I¡¯m letting things slide without taking any legal action¡ª¡± Before she could finish her sentence, a high-pitched voice rang through the air. ¡°You b*tch!¡± All of a sudden, a plump woman, who had a darkplexion and spoke with an ent, suddenly appeared from behind the thin woman earlier and lunged at Courtney. When she looked at the gleaming scissors in the woman¡¯s hands quickly approaching her by the second, Courtney seemed to have lost the ability to react. At that moment, she began to suspect if she had said anything unforgivable. A second before the scissors stabbed her, a lean figure suddenly dashed at Courtney and pushed her to the side. Meanwhile, Courtney was caught off guard and fell to the ground. She twisted her ankle in the process, which caused her ankle to swell up almost immediately. The scene started to get out of control. The woman, whose first attack had failed, attempted to charge at Courtney once more, but Zeke threw himself at Courtney while Jerry snatched the scissors away from her. Amidst the chaos, the teenage boy groaned as cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. ¡°Courtney!¡± Courtney looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Angie running at her withrge strides. There were a dozen young bodyguards who showed up together with her as they tried to keep the scene under control. Amid the chaotic scene where the crowd was restless and most of them were targeting Courtney, the group of young bodyguards in uniform, who easily had the situation under control, resembled divine warriors that descended from the heavens. Needless to say, their sudden appearance was simply touching. Angie, who seemed to be in shock, helped Courtney to her feet. When she arrived at the scene, she witnessed a plump woman charging at Courtney in an attempt to stab her with the scissors in her hands. If Courtney hadn¡¯t tripped and fallen, the consequences would¡¯ve been petrifying. ¡°Let me take you to the hospital. I¡¯ll tell Great-Aunt Alicia that you can¡¯te because you have to work overtime.¡± At the mention of the hospital, Courtney suddenly recalled something. She turned around and saw Zeke¡¯s nched face. His light blue uniform was stained red whereas blood flowed out from his sleeve and coursed along his arm before dripping onto the floor. Meanwhile, Jerry was beside him as he searched for a clean piece of cloth to stop his bleeding. When Jerry tightened the cloth that was wrapped around Zeke¡¯s shoulder, green veins appeared on the boy¡¯s pale face. ¡°Thank you, Zeke.¡± Courtney was moved by his actions. Zeke, who was grimacing in pain, growled through gritted teeth, ¡°No worries. I¡¯m fine.¡± However, the grimace on his face made his words sound less convincing. ¡°Mr. Dale, the assistant is getting the car. Zeke shoulde along with me to the hospital. He is injured because of me, so I should take responsibility for this.¡± Chapter 484 One Night Surprise Chapter 484 Chapter 484 A Little Terrified Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Courtney was taking a bath when she suddenly heard a creak at the door. Subconsciously, she covered her chest and looked in the direction of the door, only to see a figure sneaking into the bathroom from the slowly widening gap. Alexander was wearing a white shirt while holding the suit that he had just taken off in one hand. His other hand was ced on the door handle while his forehead was covered in sweat, and his chest was heaving rapidly as he panted. ¡°Are you injured?¡± He peered at the woman lying in the bathtub; his gaze deepened before he slowly felt relieved. At that moment, Courtney was lying naked in the bathtub with a face mask on her face and a bottle of red wine beside her. Other than a bandaged foot that was hanging over the edge of the bathtub, all the cells in her body seemed to indulge in the pleasurable hot bath. She didn¡¯t seem like a patient at all. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Courtney asked, casually tossing her towel at him. Since Alexander had lost his memories, she had been tolerating his wayward attitude for a long time. The towelnded on his chest before it fell to his feet. He bent over and picked it up before slowly walking up to her. ¡°Let me help you,¡± he said, his tone adamant. After hispany meeting had ended, Eric reported to him that Courtney had been involved in an ident while she was at work. He sped to the hospital upon hearing that, only to be told that Courtney had just left the hospital. Thereafter, he drove all the way back again. The anxiety he felt when he was on his way home nearly burnt a hole in his chest, and the extreme eagerness to see her was unstoppable. Alexander couldn¡¯t exin why he was so irrational at that moment when he had always been a calm andposed person. However, he was able to sense that his dormant subconscious was vaguely dominating his actions deep down. Therefore, although Courtney refused to tell him about his lost memories, he was able to sense something. Upon hearing his request, Courtney leaned back. It revealed her unwillingness, but Alexander caught her arm as the towel started traveling along her snow-white skin. He carefully rubbed her arm, shoulder, and her back¡­ ¡°Alexander.¡± Courtney was in a daze. In the past, Alexander would uncontrobly give in to his carnal desire whenever he saw her body. However, he was different today. He remained quiet with furrowed brows, and after rubbing her back, he started to help Courtney clean her injured leg without uttering a word. ¡°What¡¯s with you today?¡± she asked in curiosity. His service made her feel sofortable that it sent a tingling sensation all over her body. ¡°When Eric told me that you had an ident, I started to panic. I was even a little terrified.¡± He had lost her for five years because of some mistakes, and the mncholy that came with the endless waiting would enter his dreams every night along with the night breeze. Although he couldn¡¯t remember the past, he was able to remember how it had felt back then¡ªit felt excruciatingly painful. He lowered his gaze. He had never been someone who would easily reveal his weakness to others. His voice was hoarse, which suggested that it had been difficult for him to say that. Courtney suddenly felt moved. The tingling sensation seeped through herplexion and into her heart, overwhelming her very much. ¡°I¡¯ll always stay by your side.¡± She leaned forward, cradling the man¡¯s chiseled face, and bit his lips swiftly and urately. The air around them was passionate and intimate. With both arms wrapped around the man, she took the opportunity to undress his shirt, revealing his muscr, burning chest. Alexander, who was beginning to lose all reason, took control of the situation by slowly sliding his hands downward. The woman below him moaned in response, which continued to drown his rationale. After the brief forey, Alexander reached both his hands down and carried Courtney out of the bathtub, exposing her unconcealed body under the bright light. Her face was slightly flushed, but she immediately caught his lips with hers to divert his gaze. The scent that came with physical intimacy filled the tiny space. Alexander was walking toward the bathroom door while relying on his instincts, but someone knocked on the bedroom door just then. The knocking sound resembled a bucket of cold water that poured over the both of them. Alexander and Courtney opened their eyes simultaneously and met each other¡¯s eyes. The woman was clinging onto the man while naked, and that realization made both of them flush. They were so passionate with each other a second ago, but once their intimacy had been interrupted, the air started to feel a little awkward. Knock. Knock. Knock. Their sudden visitor was rather persistent, so they had no choice but to answer the door. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Courtney cleared her throat and shouted at the door. After that, she stared unblinkingly at the door so that she didn¡¯t need to meet the man¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s me, Tina.¡± At that instant, Alexander¡¯s expression was as dark as night. He had an insuppressible desire burning inside him, yet there was a creature called his ¡®daughter¡¯ standing outside the room. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Tina? It¡¯ste, so let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow.¡± Courtney sounded sincere, and she even yawned. ¡°No. Great-Grandpa promised me during dinner that he will go to the hospital tomorrow to prepare himself for the operation, but he has changed his mind again. He¡¯s sulking right now, and he¡¯s refusing to budge; even Jordan is unable to persuade him otherwise.¡± Upon hearing that, Courtney patted Alexander on his shoulder and said, ¡°It sounds serious. I have to go over to check him out, so put me down.¡± He stubbornly kept both hands on her thighs and refused to let her go. Meanwhile, a helpless and anguished expression remained on his face. ¡°Let¡¯s go over together to persuade him. We will talk about other stuff when we get back.¡± As she spoke, she wriggled her body in an attempt to break free from his embrace. Alexander, who was worried that she might injure her foot, gave in and slowly put her down by letting hernd on her uninjured foot first. When Courtney safely left Alexander¡¯s embrace, she stepped on a slipper and tried to reach for the towel on the rack not far from her. The next second, she slipped as her weight was forced on her injured foot, and the sudden sharp pain caused her to fall backward. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± In a panic, she reached out to grab onto something. Coincidentally, she grabbed the man¡¯s belt. As they yelled loudly, both Courtney and Alexander fell into the bathtub before producing a huge ssh. Knock. Knock. Knock. Upon hearing the loud sound in the bathroom, Tina knocked on the door with a frown and asked, ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡± Their strained voices were heard from the bathroom. ¡ª¡ª The next morning, Courtney managed to send Scott to the hospital and confirmed the previously scheduled operation appointment after coaxing and pestering him despite his reluctance. Before the surgery, Scott had to stay in the hospital for some time for observation and to undergo some sort of physical examination. Although his health indicators were all normal, he kept telling the doctor that he had a headache and that he couldn¡¯t get out of bed. Everyone that took in the scene knew what he was up to, but there was nothing they could do. One weekend, Alicia brought Josephine over to visit Scott. After some time, the former left the room to look for Courtney, leaving Josephine in the ward to keep Scottpany. Scott was lying on the bed. Although he was tired, he seemed to be in fine health. When he saw Josephine sitting beside him while having a great time ying video games, he asked, ¡°Since you are here, aren¡¯t you going to talk to me?¡± ¡°What do you want to talk about, Great-Grandpa?¡± she responded without lifting her head. ¡°What are you ying?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ying a game about doctors and nurses. When I grow up, I want to be a doctor like Mommy. I want to invent a treatment that you won¡¯t be afraid of,¡± Josephine answered in a childish but adamant tone, though she didn¡¯t stop ying. ¡°Me? Afraid?¡± She nodded. ¡°Great-Aunt Alicia told me that. She said that you are afraid to undergo the operation, but I hope that you will be braver. Mommy said that the operation has a high sess rate. After the surgery, you can live longer and watch me be a doctor.¡± His expression changed when he heard that. Then, he cleared his throat before he dered, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to do the surgery!¡± Chapter 485 One Night Surprise Chapter 485 Chapter 485 Thank You, Courtney The afternoon after Josephine left, Scott suddenly acted uncharacteristically as he became cooperative when the doctor came to confirm his indicators and conditions were correct before the surgery. He even asked the doctor if they could bring forward the surgery because he wanted to go back home earlier and keep his great-grandsonpany. When Linda told Courtney about this, thetter had been registering some details about a particr medicine. She was stunned for a moment before she smiled. On the day of the surgery, the doctor helped Scott change into a surgical gown before getting everything ready. Courtney was watching silently when Scott suddenly grabbed her hand. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. He rubbed his old fingers against her palm, giving her a faint sense of warmth. ¡°Courtney, I don¡¯t want to embarrass myself, but I wasn¡¯t this scared when I was young. After so many years, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m finally afraid of dying at an old age.¡± The old man¡¯s voice was hoarse with a hint of trembling. Upon listening to his words, Courtney felt her eyes turn red as she held his hands. ¡°Grandpa, I promise you that the surgery will be a sess. You still have to watch Jordan, Tina, and Josie grow up.¡± Her words instantly touched the softest parts of his heart. The reason why he had fallen in love with this world today was because he had watched his broken family slowlying back together over the years. Now, people from four generations of his family were living in the same house, which was a rare joy for anyone. Although he felt happy, he was sad at the same time because he always felt that it wouldn¡¯t last long. One day, he would have to say goodbye to all of this. ¡°Thank you, Courtney.¡± She apanied him to the entrance of the operation room. Before the door closed, the old man¡¯s hand slowly detached from hers, and right at that moment, she could hear him thanking her with his hoarse voice. For a moment, it felt as though a huge stone was ced above her heart. As she stared at the light that lit up in front of the operating room door, images of memories ovepped in her mind, causing her to lose her footing. Suddenly, her icy palms were filled with warmth as she felt the familiar breath of a man next to her, slowly giving a sense of relief to her anxious heart. She tightened her hand, greedily drawing on the sense of security brought to her by Alexander. ¡°Grandpa believes that without you, the Duncan Family wouldn¡¯t be where they are today.¡± Though he sounded slightly tired, he gave a pertinent dissection of the gratitude that Scott had expressed to her before entering the operation room. The waiting time outside the operating room was particrly long, so Courtney leaned against Alexander¡¯s shoulder as they messily recounted everything that they went through in the past. ¡°When I was in the elevator at that time, my hair identally got entangled with your button, so Josh used me of seducing you for my own intentions¡­ Afterward, Tina and Shay got so close with each other that you became jealous and signed him to yourpany¡­¡± She always picked a funny or wholesome story to talk about. As he listened to her, Alexander couldn¡¯t help but smile. Amid this intermittent narrative, the door to the operating room suddenly swung open. Harry was already walking around in circles before the door opened, so he was the first to run forward and grab the doctor¡¯s arm. ¡°Is Old Master Duncan alright?¡± The doctor took off his face mask to reveal a smile on his face. ¡°The operation is a sess. The patient is still in aa, but as long as there are noplications over the next few days, he can be discharged from the hospital. There will be some precautions after the operation, which the other doctors will tell you all in detailter on.¡± The moment the operating room door opened, Courtney abruptly sunk her hands into Alexander¡¯s arm, leaving a deep mark under his suit. After listening to the doctor, she calmed down a little and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s alright now, Alexander.¡± She got up and quickly followed Scott¡¯s bed, ignoring her leg injury. After all, Scott was now at an old age, so it would take him a rtively longer time to recover after the surgery. In the meantime, the doctor came to confirm his situation, saying that he was not fully awake and would experience indirect respiratory distress during hisa. As such, he should remain sedated. After school, both Tina and Jordan came to the hospital and apanied Scott for a long time. Only when Tina fell asleep on Jordan¡¯s shoulder did Courtney ask Alexander to bring them back home. Then, she continued to apany the old man past midnight. It was because of Harry¡¯s constant urges that she finally went back home. Alexander was already asleep by the time she returned, and he looked to be sleeping peacefully as his brows were rxed. After sitting on the edge of the bed, she reached out to brush his eyebrows. After all, he had not gotten enough sleep for the past few days. Even though he didn¡¯t say it out loud, she knew that he was worried about Scott deep down. ¡°Darling, you¡¯re back¡­¡± She suddenly felt a force on her waist as Alexander¡¯s hands peeked out from the nket. With a gentle pull, she fell into his arms while a hoarse and hazy voice melted next to her ears. She slept peacefully in his arms, but a whileter, she was woken up by the sudden ringing of her phone. She answered the call in a daze, but as soon as she heard the voice on the other end, it felt as though the blood in her body was boiling in an instant and rushing toward her head. ¡°Something happened to Old Master Duncan¡­¡± The air at dawn was thin and cool while the streets were sparse with vehicles. However, a white car whistled past the roadside, waking up the sleeping Melrose City to a brand new day. Right now, Courtney had many thoughts appearing in her head while she sat in the passenger seat. Meanwhile, Alexander seemed calm as he drove the car, but the clear fingerprints on the steering wheel showed another story. ¡°The patient¡¯s brain has been deprived of oxygen for too long, which led him into apletea. Fortunately, the problem was discovered just in time. Had we discovered thister, he would¡¯ve lost his life.¡± In less than 24 hours, Courtney stood in front of the hospital¡¯s corridor twice in a daze. As she pulled the hem of Alexander¡¯s coat with her pale fingers, she heard a hasty voice ringing next to her. ¡°How is he now?¡± ¡°A part of his brain tissue was damaged, but we¡¯ve done everything possible to save him. He is no longer in danger at the moment, but we don¡¯t know when he will wake up again.¡± ¡°Which means¡­¡± ¡°He is now in a vegetative state.¡± The doctor¡¯s professional judgment and response blew up inside Alexander¡¯s ears, turning hisst piece of sanity into rubble. He could no longer control the pain in his eyes. Behind him, Harry barely stood while holding onto the wall, but the moment he heard the doctor¡¯s verdict, he instantly fell onto his knees and cried out in a broken voice, ¡°Old Master Duncan¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I was sleepy, and I allowed someone to harm you!¡± The old man couldn¡¯t help himself as he wailed in a deep, husky voice. However, Alexander seemed to have caught something from his words, so he looked at Harry with his bloody eyes and asked, ¡°What do you mean? Who harmed him?¡± ¡°It was a middle-aged man, but he was wearing a face mask and a cap, so we couldn¡¯t see his face clearly. He snuck into the ward at 3.20AM, so we suspect that he must have pulled off Old Master Duncan¡¯s oxygen tube at that time. I have copied the surveince video for the police.¡± Linda¡¯s voice was heard from behind. There was a hint of coldness in her serious tone, and it was followed by her light footsteps. With that, she ced the sh drive in her hand into Courtney¡¯s palm and shook her hand hard. She had been a doctor for many years and was used to death, so there was a rare sense of ndness and cold to her body. Without saying any words offort, she left after finishing her words. Chapter 486 One Night Surprise Chapter 486 Chapter 486 It¡¯s Not a Coincidence Before reporting it to the police, Courtney first sent the surveince video to Oliver along with the information gathered from the previous incident with Natasha. She had a vague, uneasy feeling that the recent events were too strange and frequent for her to call it all a coincidence. There was that strange woman who pushed Natasha down the stairs, and now, there was an unknown man who unplugged Scott¡¯s oxygen tube. There was also what happened at Citron Apparel that day. Although she didn¡¯t mention the details to anyone, she felt that those fierce women that day were going after her, and it seemed as though they couldn¡¯t wait to kill her themselves. As she thought about this, she felt something throbbing inside her head; it seemed as though something was about to happen. At that moment, Angie came out of the pantry and ced a bowl of instant noodles on her desk. ¡°You can¡¯t sleep at the office every day just because you can¡¯t finish your work. There¡¯s still a lot going on at the hospital, which means that you have to work the night shifts sometimes. Your body won¡¯t be able to handle it.¡± Courtney opened the lid of the instant noodles, and a rich aroma immediately filled the air. She couldn¡¯t help but eat arge mouthful of the noodles while looking through the documents. When she saw that Courtney wasn¡¯t moved by her words, Angie furrowed her brows again with a face full of sorrow. ¡°Why don¡¯t you quit your hospital¡ª¡± ¡°Never.¡± Courtney instantly rejected the idea because she had sacrificed too much to gain this internship. At this point, the price of giving up was too great. Besides, she felt that the situation wasn¡¯t that severe yet. ¡°I have another idea.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Angie sat across from her with her arms supporting her chin, looking sleepy. After eating herst bite of noodles, Courtney suddenly approached her and said, ¡°You cane and help me at Citron Apparel.¡± ¡°What?¡± The sleepy Angie was awake all of a sudden. ¡ª¡ª A few dayster, Angie brought a pile of documents to Courtney at the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. ¡°These are the onboarding details of the dozen employees who have been fired. I got Ruby to obtain these documents, so you can take a look.¡± As she listened to her, Courtney lifted her head from theputer screen. After she read the documents one by one, her face suddenly darkened. ¡°Most of them are foreigners, and they only entered thepany a month ago.¡± She soon realized that problem as Angie nodded her head in agreement and added, ¡°Most of the employees in the clothing production workshop should be local people because there are more women in the nearby counties; they probably go back to take care of their families during their weekly shifts. I also checked the records of employees recruited by Citron Apparel in the past, and the total number of foreigners over the years is not as many as the number recruited just this month.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes grew darker. ¡°Who is responsible for recruitment?¡± ¡°Walter Church. He is an old employee of thepany. Natasha told me that you agreed to recruit him from the start. When he was justid off at that time, he had a sick mother to take care of, so you decided to keep him after seeing how hardworking and honest he was.¡± Courtney seemed to have remembered it as she didn¡¯t have much memory of what happened in the past, but since he was an old employee, she had a bad feeling inside her heart. ¡°Where is he now?¡± Angie pouted her lips and answered, ¡°He left. The day after the incident, he left without saying anything, but he did inform the director of the HR department. However, since he has a grudge against the director, the director allowed him to leave without saying a word.¡± All of Angie¡¯s answers were within Courtney¡¯s expectations. As she furrowed her brows, her messy thoughts turned her already chaotic brain into mush. ¡°Tell the HR department director to meet me in my office at 12.30PM tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright, Courtney.¡± Angie closed all the documents while her face looked a little gloomy; the more she looked into the matter, the more worried she became. At the same time, Courtney could see the worries on her face, so she put on a proud smile and patted her shoulders. ¡°Even though you are justing of age, I¡¯m pleasantly surprised by how sharp and level-headed you are. With you around, I instantly feel a whole lot more rxed.¡± As she listened to her, Angie shrugged her shoulders and replied resignedly, ¡°Don¡¯t think you can get away with this easily by praising me. If you weren¡¯t so busy as ofte, I wouldn¡¯t have agreed to help you. In short, you owe me a huge favor.¡± ¡ª¡ª The next day at 12.30PM, the director of the HR department, n Fraser, knocked on the door of Courtney¡¯s office. n was a middle-aged man in his thirties who spotted a pair of ck-framed sses. He also had a tall body and a slightly hunched back, giving him a nerdy look. Then, Courtney mmed Walter¡¯s personal file in front of him and said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you report to us about Walter¡¯s resignation? You are in charge of thepany¡¯s personnel, so you should be alert to the unusual loss of employees.¡± n pushed back his ck-framed sses, looking very helpless. Whenever he thought about Walter¡¯s resignation, he felt there was something fishy about it. In fact, it seemed like he had bumped into a ghost. ¡°I was also confused when he called and told me that he won¡¯t being to thepany anymore. Then, I requested him to follow thepany¡¯s procedures for his resignation to take effect, but I was surprised to find out afterward that he had submitted his resignation a month ago. Later on, I checked my mailbox and found that he had indeed applied to leave long ago¡­¡± With that, he murmured, ¡°I never saw his resignation letter before, though. Just as I was about to ask him again, he ended the call immediately, and I was unable to reach him afterward.¡± At this point, Courtney was even more certain that Walter knew exactly what was going on. She calmed herself down and softened her tone. ¡°I heard that you have a grudge with Walter. What¡¯s the reason?¡± When he heard her question, n quickly pushed back his ck-framed sses again. After observing her expression, he simply decided to tell her everything in the end. ¡°Walter used to be an old employee of thepany, and he always said that he was handpicked by you to be the recruitment director of the workshop back then. Since I only joined thepany two years ago and was able to command a higher position than him, he wasn¡¯t convinced and tried to make my job hard. Because of that, I didn¡¯t get along with him very well.¡± ¡°How did he make your job hard?¡± ¡°Originally, I was only responsible for the internal staff of thepany, so the staff at the workshop didn¡¯t fall under my control. However, Walter recruited a lot of his rtives into the workshop over the years. Those people didn¡¯t know much, but they were able to enjoy all sorts of benefits. Because of this, I had to deal with a lot of staffints.¡± At this point, Courtney suddenly had a vague impression of Walter. Back when she was eating in a restaurant, she saw a married couple sitting next to her arguing because they had beenid off. She didn¡¯t care about them initially, but when she lost her wallet after exiting the restaurant, it was the man sitting next to her who returned her wallet to her. That man was Walter. At that time, she gave him her name card, saying that he coulde to Citron Apparel and give it a shot if he couldn¡¯t find a job elsewhere. Upon thinking about it, she couldn¡¯t help but reveal a chilling smile. Back then, Walter was slightly chubby and had a weathered look from his harsh life, but he still returned the wallet filled with cash to her. Her impression of that honest man was much different from the person described by n. Just as she thought about it, the office door was suddenly pushed open as Ruby came rushing in anxiously. She stuttered for a while, but Courtney understood what must have happened again. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°Where is it?¡± She got up instantly and walked out of the office with Ruby¡¯s hasty footsteps following behind her. ¡°They are downstairs¡­¡± Chapter 487 One Night Surprise Chapter 487 Chapter 487 Blood for Blood On the way downstairs, Ruby gave Courtney a basic rundown of the situation. ¡°A dozen or so employees who were fired before are now bringing a bunch of people downstairs to cause trouble. They are holding banners while shouting that Citron Apparel is heartlessly profiteering and treating human life as a child¡¯s y¡­¡± At the moment, the building was surrounded by a group of strangers, some of whom were holding wooden signs and banners while others had bandanas tied around their heads with threerge bloody letters written on it¡ªblood for blood. When Courtney rushed downstairs, she could see Angie trying to calm everything down. Her slender body looked particrly helpless among the restless crowd, and her shouts were all swallowed by the mor of noise. ¡°Angie!¡± Courtney yelled to call back Angie as thetter moved forward. When Angie retreated behind her, she already had a clear sight of the entire situation. ¡°Citron Apparel doesn¡¯t care about human lives!¡± ¡°They are heartless and only care about their profits. Give me back my health!¡± ¡°They are the scum of society and Melrose City. Citron Apparel, I want you to pay me back blood for blood!¡± The group of people held banners and wooden signs with different slogans written on them. In front, there was a middle-aged man with a megaphone shouting, ¡°Citron Apparel! I want you to pay me back blood for blood!¡± The people behind him would follow his chant, creating a formidable atmosphere. In the meantime, Ruby hid behind Angie as she bit her lips unknowingly due to nervousness. Courtney stopped for a while and realized that these people weren¡¯t nning to stop, so she simply walked toward the middle-aged man in front and snatched the megaphone from his hands. Before the man could react, she stood back in her original position. She held the megaphone and shouted, ¡°If you want to settle the matter, send someone out to speak!¡± Then, she smashed the megaphone in her hand. The megaphone was smashed into pieces on the ground, producing an ear-splitting murmur in the ear. The noisy chants finally stopped as a chatter among the crowd began. In the middle of the crowd, a middle-aged man was wearing a blue t-shirt. His face was rugged and his skin was tanned. Even though he was tall, his body was muscr. After a short discussion, he stood out from the crowd. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you.¡± The man strode and stood in front of Courtney with a pair of fierce eyes staring at her. After giving the man a thorough look, she asked, ¡°Are you a local?¡± Although he only spoke a few words, she could still hear his deliberately maintained ent. He wasn¡¯t speaking a standard level of the localnguage, nor did he have the ent of someone living near Melrose City. The man obviously didn¡¯t expect her to ask something like that, so he was left startled without knowing how to answer her. However, she was able to get an answer from his brief hesitation. She smiled faintly and ignored this issue. Then, she continued, ¡°I believe that you are all here because of thepany¡¯syoff some time ago. May I ask if you are a former employee of Citron Apparel or a family member of a former employee?¡± The man initially prepared a bunch of speeches so that he could gain a dominant position during this negotiation, but unexpectedly, Courtney cleared up a lot of problems with just a few words, making it difficult for him to speak. He was stunned for a moment before he answered, ¡°I¡¯m Rosalie Wace¡¯s husband.¡± ¡°Rosalie Wace?¡± Courtney pondered for a moment before she nodded. She had previously checked the onboarding information of all the dismissed employees in this incident, and Rosalie was a person she had a strong impression of. ¡°I remember that she was the first person to pull out a pair of scissors and threaten to kill me at that time. I remember her very well.¡± She paused for a moment to deliberately aggravate her voice. When she saw the change of expression on the man¡¯s face, she became more serious as she cut to the chase. ¡°Rosalie and the others were dismissed for not following thepany¡¯s rules and provoking trouble. All decisions were carried out in fullpliance with thepany¡¯s procedures, so you shouldn¡¯t have any doubts about this matter. Also, as far as I know, the ones causing the trouble should have juste out of detention, right?¡± ¡°Provoking trouble? We are just honest people who heard about Citron Apparel¡¯s benefits, so we quit our previous jobs toe work for you. However, we didn¡¯t expect that this is an illegal business. The materials you use are toxic, and now that it has affected all the staff, you are trying to me others. This is outrageous!¡± With that, the man threw a pile of medical documents at her. She read through the medical records the man had thrown at her and confirmed that the time of diagnosis was coincidentally two days before she fired those employees. She had a feeling that the situation was sailing in a direction of chaos. Angie could see the worry in her eyes, so she tiptoed and nced at the medical reports. When she saw that the word ¡®leukemia¡¯ was written on the reports, her eyes began to darken. At that instant, it seemed like her face had exploded. She snatched over the medical reports and mmed them on the man¡¯s face. ¡°To think I was wondering why you all were gathered here. Now, it¡¯s clear to me that you were just waiting to show us this nasty thing!¡± After all, Angie was still young, so she had a burning rage inside her. As she shouted, she stepped forward as if she wanted to get into a fight with them, so Ruby had to hold her back from behind in fear. Angie¡¯s reaction seemed to be within the man¡¯s expectation as he chuckled and said, ¡°I knew that you wouldn¡¯t admit it, but it is a fact that they were diagnosed with leukemia a month after joining Citron Apparel. Now, I have the medical reports of the other employees in my hand. You¡¯re finished!¡± The man revealed a chilling smile as if he had nothing to fear. If there was news about the person in charge of Citron Apparel not admitting to their crimes and even assaulting the victim, it would make their case more convincing. ¡°Sc*mbag!¡± Courtney remained calm, but Ruby wasn¡¯t able to hold Angie back. Just like that, she flung the bag in her hand and scratched a bloodied mark on the man¡¯s face. The moment Angie flung her hand, the shoving crowd was instantly agitated. They were patiently waiting for a chance to riot from the start, and now, the chance was here. At that moment, someone threw their wooden sign, and it grazed Courtney¡¯s shoulder before colliding with the ground behind her. When the second wooden sign was about to hit her head, she felt a sudden force pulling her from behind, causing her to fall on her back. Instinctively, she turned around as the white figure spun in front of her. ¡°Angie!¡± When Courtney wanted to push away the people in front of her, everything was already toote. Therefore, she could only hold Angie tightly to protect her while her mind turned nk at that moment. Bang! When the wooden sign hit a body, a muffled sound was heard. Due to the massive impact, the wood chips scattered around, but Courtney kept her eyes closed because she didn¡¯t dare to face the situation. However, Angie didn¡¯t feel the pain that she expected even though the muffled sound was heard long ago. She was so terrified that ayer of sweat formed on her back. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Afterward, a heavy force suddenly pressed on her shoulders. She opened her eyes and saw a young man in a white T-shirt trying to support his body. After a few struggles, he gave in and copsed. ¡°Zeke¡­¡± Angie reached out and touched his head in panic. As soon as she touched him, she could feel warm liquid flowing through her fingers. Chapter 488 One Night Surprise Chapter 488 Chapter 488 Nightmare Tattoo After Zeke was sent to the hospital, every major media outlet released fresh reports on Citron Apparel. As Courtney stood in the hospital corridor, she read through the reports one by one with her back against the wall as her face unconsciously expressed her fatigue. ¡®Horrifying! Today, arge number of people marched in front of Citron Apparel to hold a demonstration. People in the know revealed shocking secrets that the ck-hearted manufacturer, Citron Apparel, used toxic fabrics for profiteering, and now, more than ten employees have been diagnosed with leukemia¡­¡¯ Courtney felt a little annoyed halfway through reading the article, so she put her phone back in her pocket. Just then, Linda showed up and handed her a can of coffee before leaning against the wall with her. Her face also showed a sense of tiredness. ¡°If you have any legal problems, you can ask Caleb for help.¡± Courtney nodded and poured the entire can of coffee down her throat. Meanwhile, Zeke was left in Angie¡¯s care while Courtney visited the ICU to apany Scott for a while. At the same time, her phone did not seem to stop ringing, so she quickly went back to Citron Apparel in frustration. ¡°Mr. Chapman, we can dissolve our coboration right away if you have any concerns. After all, it is our company¡¯s reputation that has gone haywire, so we won¡¯t pursue legal action for any breach of contract.¡± In the evening, Courtney canceled all the orders that she previously worked hard to obtain. After hanging up her phone, she pinched her eyes to release some stress. However, her phone started ringing again after several moments. ¡°Hello?¡± Someone spoke on the other end. ¡°Oliver?¡± ¡­ Inside the quiet Japanese restaurant, Courtney sat across from Oliver. After he finished ordering their food, she almost fell asleep as shey against the couch with her eyes barely open. ¡°If you want to eat Japanese food, we could¡¯ve gone to the one near mypany. Why did we have to travel so far?¡± With that, she looked around her surroundings. When Courtney took in the dim lights, slightly greasy door curtains, and the not so borate open cooktop, she found it hard to see what attracted Oliver here. ¡°The portions are bigger here,¡± Oliver said faintly before taking out a pile of documents from the briefcase he was carrying. He cut to the chase and said, ¡°These are documents of the two surveince videos you sent me before. I have picked out several suspicious elements.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± She looked through the thick pile of video screenshots, but she couldn¡¯t see anything suspicious. However, when she saw that some of these photos weren¡¯t taken from the videos she had sent, she realized that the situation wasn¡¯t as simple as it seemed. At that moment, her eyes darkened. Oliver first picked out some photos and ced them in front of her. ¡°These are from the video of Natasha falling down the stairs, and we found something based on the recording. Take a look here.¡± She followed the direction of his fingers that were pointing at the third photo, and she realized that it was a magnified image. It was so erged that she couldn¡¯t point out which body part it was. ¡°This is the back of the woman¡¯s hand. After zooming in, we refined the photo and saw that she has a tattoo on the back of her hand¡ªjust like this one.¡± Then, he pointed at another photo. It was an image of a young nt with two leaves and a crescent moon clearly imprinted on the hand. ¡°It¡¯s just a tattoo. What could it mean?¡± She still couldn¡¯t understand the situation. When she looked up, she saw that Oliver¡¯s eyes had gradually darkened. ¡°A year ago, the Vietnamese police uncovered a major drug trafficking case. This drug trafficking gang uses religious beliefs to enlist the hearts of people, and the organization has gradually formed its own massive operation. Their so-called religion is called Crescent Church, and this tattoo is their symbol.¡± Courtney was shocked. ¡°Are you saying that she is a member of Crescent Church? Does that mean she is Vietnamese?¡± He did not deny her spections as he spread out another set of photos, which had been taken from the hospital¡¯s surveince video. At that moment, Courtney¡¯s eyes lit up as she felt a chilling sensation lingering inside her body. ¡°What¡¯s the problem with these?¡± ¡°The hospital¡¯s surveince cameras were too far away, and we couldn¡¯t get a clear view since the incident happened at midnight too. As such, I looked through all the hospital¡¯s surveince footage that night and finally found this man in front of the washroom on the second floor.¡± From thest photo, she could tell that it wasn¡¯t taken from the surveince videos she had given him, but it was enough to send shivers down her spine. Her trembling eyes could no longer restrain her shock. ¡°He¡¯s from Crescent Church as well, isn¡¯t he?¡± Oliver nodded. In the photo, there was a man with a face mask and a baseball cap; he had juste out of the washroom. He was squatting on the floor while tying his shoces, but from the image of him lowering his head, Courtney could clearly see the symbol of the ¡®Crescent Church¡¯ tattooed on the back of his neck. Oliver¡¯s investigation further confirmed her suspicions, but when all the facts were nowid out in front of her, it still felt a little overwhelming. When Oliver saw how her face slowly turned pale, he lowered his eyes and pursed his lips. In fact, he looked as though he was considering something. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s one more thing¡­¡± His hand was holding thest photo. At the moment, she felt as though the world in front of her was shaking while tiny sweat drops quietly dripped down her back and forehead. She felt a pain in her stomach, but she resisted it by gritting her teeth. ¡°Say it.¡± Thest photo Oliver ced in front of her was a photo of the demonstration in front of Citron Apparel today evening. It was the same photo that all the media outlets had used for their report this evening, but the angle was rather weird. From the looks of it, it had been taken from the windowsill of Citron Apparel¡¯s building. As for who took the photo, Courtney also had her doubts. However, this wasn¡¯t the problem Oliver was trying to point out. He then moved his finger toward a man in the middle of the photo. Even though it wasn¡¯t particrly clear, she could immediately recognize the tattoo on the back of the man¡¯s neck who happened to lower his head. Again, it was the Crescent Church. However, she was no longer shocked as her eyes radiated calmness, but the obvious pain in her body forced her to hold onto the tablecloth, turning the t green tablecloth into disarray. ¡°I¡¯m tired, Oliver. Send me back home.¡± Her voice was hoarse. She got up after finishing her sentence. Oliver could sense that something was wrong, so he quickly followed her. The second her foot was about to step out of the restaurant, she halted and hesitated for a while before turning back. When her eyes were fixed on the decorative wall next to the bar, her entire body began to tremble. She turned her head around and met Oliver¡¯s eyes, and he nodded in response to her pleading look. ¡°He works the night shift every day, but he hasn¡¯t clocked in yet.¡± The moment Oliver¡¯s words came out, Courtney suddenly felt as though something had exploded next to her ears. With that, the world around her seemed to be spinning while Oliver¡¯s worried expression gradually became blurry in her eyes. ¡°I think I¡¯m¡ª¡± Her words were cut off abruptly before she copsedpletely. Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org. Immediately, Oliver carried her to the car. As they drove away, there was a photo of a middle-aged man wearing a face mask and uniform serving the customers some wine on the decorative wall of the restaurant. The man in the photo had a unique tattoo on his neck that was more eye-catching than his muscr body. Chapter 489 One Night Surprise Chapter 489 Chapter 489 The Man Who Barged into the Press Conference Courtney had a dream where shey on a vast expanse of greenery. The skies were blue; there was a clear stream by the side; and there was also a light, floral fragrance in the air. ¡°Courtney.¡± Courtney heard someone call out her name, so she got up and saw that Natasha was waving at her as thetter made her way over. Courtney waved back and was about to run toward Nathasha, but all of a sudden, thetter¡¯s initially distinct profile became distorted, and her entire being disappeared from the scene. Soon after that, everyone close to her started to disappear the same way one after the other as well¡ª her grandpa, her aunt Alicia, and Cameron slowly disappeared. All of a sudden, she grabbed the hand next to her and ran for her life frantically. As she ran, she turned back to look behind her and saw that the face next to her was slowly disappearing too, and the originally cheery world that she was in suddenly descended into a sea of red. There was a strong bloody scent that embodied her as a loud voice rang out in the air. ¡°Let¡¯s descend into hell together!¡± ¡°Alexander!¡± Suddenly, Courtney was jolted awake. As she sat up in bed, the uneasy look that shed across her panicked eyes was caught by Alexander. Thus, he grabbed her hand to pull her into his arms. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± His firm and warm voice managed to calm her terrified heart slightly. ¡°I had a bad dream.¡± Courtney shut her eyes and leaned against his chest as she greedily took in his distinct scent, for the familiar smell could calm her spirits. When Oliver called Alexander, thetter was actually at the office to help Courtney deal with the bacsh online. As soon as Alexander heard that Courtney was unconscious, he instantly rushed over without even changing into some fresh clothes; he even sat by her bedside the entire night. ¡°Leave the issue with Citron Apparel aside for now¡ªI¡¯ll settle that for you.¡± Alexander helped Courtney to lean back on the bed before he took a wet towel to wipe her sweaty body all over again. Meanwhile, she sat there and stared at him silently as she looked at him intently maneuvering his fingers; he even wiped the gaps between her fingers twice before stopping. ¡°I just encountered a minor ident during this critical period. I¡¯ll be fine in two days.¡± After he had wiped her clean, she toyed with her own fingers and saw that he was slowly inching closer toward her. Then, he took both of her hands into his and held them in ce before stretching out his hand and reaching into her nightgown to help wipe her lower back. ¡°I won¡¯t allow any idents to befall you, even if it¡¯s just a minor ident during this critical period!¡± Alexander¡¯s voice was firm, and he didn¡¯t stop what he was doing as he spoke. He leaned his head against the tip of her ears, and the warm breath he exhaled caused Courtney to shudder slightly. Suddenly, something dawned upon her as her expression darkened. Unconsciously, she lowered her voice and asked, ¡°Did Oliver tell you everything?¡± ¡°Yeah, he did.¡± ¡°Natasha and Grandpa suffered because of them; they are also the ones behind this incident with Citron Apparel. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s their motive for doing all this, though. I¡¯m not sure to what extent they¡¯ll take things to¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Alexander¡¯s reply remained quite nonchnt, and there weren¡¯t too many emotions in his voice. After a brief bout of silence, he slowly said, ¡± Please trust your husband.¡± She was momentarily stunned. At that point, Alexander wrapped his hands around her head and delivered a loud kiss on her forehead. Meanwhile, she couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter at his sudden gesture. ¡°Okay.¡± She nodded. At that moment, she suddenly realized that the Courtney from before, who used to be invincible, had be rather feeble. Alexander took another towel with the intention of wiping Courtney¡¯s thighs, but as soon as he uncovered the nket, his expression darkened. Shortly after that, his features scrunched up slightly. ¡°Honey¡ª¡± He seemed quite lost as he tugged at Courtney¡¯s arm. As soon as Courtney heard that, she looked down and was significantly shocked by the bloody scene that she saw beneath her. How could I have forgotten about this! ¡°How long was I unconscious?¡± ¡°About twelve hours.¡± At that point, she was at a loss for words. However, before Alexander could react, she had already gotten out of bed in a haste and ran toward the direction of the washroom. Meanwhile, he was left standing there as he stared at the pool of blood on the bedsheets, and he secretly felt quite taken aback by everything. ¡ª¡ª Alexander no longer wanted Courtney to worry about the matters rted to Citron Apparel, so he took over everything rted to thepany and handled them alongside his work for Sunhill Enterprise. The work he took over included the press conference too, so he assigned the matter to the personal rtions manager at Sunhill Enterprise. Two dayster, the proposal was ready, and Courtney merely attended Citron Apparel¡¯s press conference under the arrangements made by Alexander. ¡°We are open to the investigations by the relevant authorities, and there are records of us purchasing our materials. Essentially, we can¡¯t be involved in the so-called contaminated fabric issue that¡¯s currently spreading like wildfire on the inte. Besides, we have ongoing coborations with many large-scale businesses and schools, and they have never had an issue with the quality of fabric we use.¡± At that moment, Courtney made her stance clear ording to the preparations she had made, denying that there were such issues with Citron Apparel. ¡°In that case, how would you exin the scandal of more than ten workers at Citron Apparel being diagnosed with acute leukemia in a span of one month? Could you also exin why they were wrongfully dismissed after their diagnosis?¡± Courtney sat in a ramrod straight position as her expression gradually darkened. Subsequently, she mmed a stack of documents that had been prepared in advance on the table. ¡°After the incident happened, we instantly organized all staff members to go through body checkups, and these are the official medical reports released by the hospital. Every single staff member is perfectly healthy, so the rumors about acute leukemia are lies!¡± She lifted a report in her hand, and soon enough, she heard the camera shutters clicking away repeatedly in her ears. The shing lights of the cameras momentarily blinded her as she subsequently took out the second document. ¡°This is the security camera footage from our production line, and you can clearly tell from the recordings why I had to fire some of the staff. We have always strongly upheld the quality of our products during the production process, so we would take stringent actions ording to ourpany policy against those staff members who refuse toply with our instructions and sneakily try to find an easy way out.¡± Subsequently, Courtney took out the final part of the documents. ¡°We have reason to suspect that this incident was a malicious plot by some of our peers to eliminate competition. I have the personal details of all the staff members that have been dismissed here; all of them were newly recruited staff from thest month. All of our existing staff members, who have been working for us for a long time, are in perfect health, but every single one of these newly recruited staff has been diagnosed with acute leukemia, so don¡¯t you all find this quite suspicious?¡± Soon after Courtney mmed the final document on the table, there was a loudmotion that broke out among the crowd below. The members of the press started to whisper amongst themselves as Courtney observed the unfolding scene coldly. She had a calm expression on her face, but her hands, which were hidden underneath the table, felt icy cold at the moment. ¡°If this is indeed a malicious attempt by someone else in the same industry, do you know which company it might be?¡± The topic of interest in the press conference seemed to change at the mention of the second question, and Courtney silently heaved a sigh of relief. At the same time, she calmly replied, ¡°We¡¯re not going to specte unnecessarily on this. After all, the incident is still under investigation, and we haven¡¯t gotten hold of any substantial evidence as of yet. Besides, Citron Apparel has always maintained the goal of achieving the best we can, and we firmly believe that our sess is based on consumer preference. Needless to say, we won¡¯t follow the footsteps of those despicable people.¡± Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ¡°What about the oue of the investigation? Will you be revealing the investigation oue to the public?¡± ¡°Of course. All of the evidence I¡¯ve brought with me today will be released through our official portal shortly. We fully wee the members of the public to verify the information.¡± Courtney¡¯s attitude was very straightforward and no-nonsense. Besides, she didn¡¯t attempt to hide anything, so her speech had basically seeded in salvaging the situation. Not too far from the stage, Alexander looked at the woman as she spoke eloquently with an admiring expression on his face. There was a slight smile on his face, but all of a sudden, there was an interruption as a sudden noise rang out. The noise of moring footsteps could be heard in therge hall, and everyone turned to look in unison in the direction of the noise, Courtney included. ¡°This is nonsense! Citron Apparel is unscrupulous!¡± The crowd saw that amongst the loud, angry yells, there was a tall and skinny middle-aged man there. He was dressed in a light gray, old-fashioned suit, and he had a tattered briefcase in his hand. Just then, he made his way into the crowd in a rush. As soon as Courtney saw him, her eyes narrowed slightly. She recognized this person. He was the director of World Vision Orphanage in Melrose City¡ªMr. Raymond Newman. Chapter 490 One Night Surprise Chapter 490 Chapter 490 Buy a Present The situation inside the living room was pretty quiet. An exhausted Courtney burrowed herself into the couch and supported her head with one hand. At the same time, her eyes remained fixated on the near-empty ss of red wine on the coffee table. There was a slight breeze in the room, and the fragrance of the newly blossomed roses in the backyard filled the room. Courtney wrapped the throw that was around her shoulders tighter as she felt a slight coldness that came from within her. At the press conference that ended an hour ago, the director of World Vision Orphanage, Mr. Raymond Newman, had brought with him a stack of evaluation reports as he angrily barged into Citron Apparel all of a sudden. The originally calm situation had descended into chaos from then on. ¡°Three months ago, our orphanage ordered a batch of summer attire from Citron Apparel for the children. Back then, our staff members felt that the clothes smelled strange, but we chose to trust Citron¡¯s well-maintained good reputation. However, we¡¯ve finally caught on to things now that it¡¯s been revealed in public this time. Miss Hunter, is this the way Citron Apparel ims to behave conscientiously?!¡± As Raymond spoke, he took out a light blue T-shirt from his briefcase, and the T-shirt was all scrunched up. However, thebel that hadn¡¯t been removed clearly showed Citron Apparel¡¯s logo on it. At that point, he angrily flung the T-shirt onto the ground. Several agile reporters managed to swiftly point their cameras to the ground, and they managed to take plenty of pictures as their shutters shed repeatedly. Subsequently, Raymond also flung the evaluation report to the ground. ¡°This is the evaluation report on this batch of clothes we received, and the results are horrifying. Right now, there are two children from our orphanage who have shown abnormalities in their health reports, yet here you are still trying to find excuses for your staff members¡¯ illness¡ª¡± His expression darkened significantly at the mention of that, and there was a pained look in his eyes as he clutched his chest and left the scene with reddened eyes after saying, ¡°I trust that justice will prevail, and you¡¯ll definitely receive the punishment that you deserve.¡± At that moment, Alexander came out of the kitchen with a ss of warm water in his hands, and he reced the wine ss in front of Courtney with the water. Suddenly, the nk of the ss hitting the marble table disrupted her thoughts. In response, she looked up and revealed a forced smile. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you switch on the lights in the courtyard? The path is windy, so wouldn¡¯t your servants lose their ways here?¡± All of a sudden, Alicia¡¯s voice rang out from the backyard. Before Courtney could get up to greet her, a tiny figure in pink bounded over toward her and hugged her thighs. ¡°Mommy.¡± Josephine rubbed her plump little face against the back of Courtney¡¯s hand as sheined to the woman with an aggrieved expression, ¡°Great-Aunt Alicia didn¡¯t know the way, and she circled the garden several times. I suggested asking a servant to lead the way, but she got upset with me. Great- Uncle William was right!¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°Josephine!¡± Suddenly, Courtney¡¯s interest was piqued as she took Josephine into her arms. As for Alicia, she trailed along behind and had just entered the living room too, so she heard Josephine¡¯s words as well. Instantly, Alicia called out and stopped Josephine from saying anything else. As for Josephine, she beckoned for Courtney to move closer to her with a cunning look in her eyes. ¡°Hahaha! Did Great-uncle William actually say that?!¡± Meanwhile, not too far from them, Alicia had a resigned expression on her face as she reached out to point a finger warningly at Josephine, who was currently pulling faces at her. Josephine blinked several times and frantically signaled to Alexander by the side. ¡°Daddy, Great¨Caunt Alicia wants to talk to you about something.¡± At that point, Alexander was slightly shocked. He nced at Alicia and nodded his head before pointing to the staircase by the side. ¡°Let¡¯s talk upstairs.¡± Courtney kept her eyes on Alexander and Alicia as they walked off to the study room on the second floor. Her expression changed slightly, but before she could actually figure out the sh of suspicion in her mind, a pair of soft little hands cupped her face and disrupted her thoughts suddenly. Josephine took a seat on Courtney¡¯sp with her legs wide open, and the former shifted thetter¡¯s face in her direction before staring at her with a pair of troubled eyes. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ve sent Daddy and Great-Aunt Alicia away because I want to tell you something important.¡± Courtney blinked in response, and she was unconsciously taken aback by Josephine¡¯s serious look. Suddenly, she had a bad feeling about this and hurriedly took out her cell phone to turn it off. ¡°Did you hit Ethan again?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it, Mommy!¡± Josephine¡¯s expression was disdainful. ¡°Can you believe that Ethan actually told me that he likes Fiona?! I¡¯ve stopped ying with him ages ago.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Fiona?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a crybaby who only eats strawberry-vored candy and dresses up in pink.¡± Josephine blinked her eyes, and Fiona¡¯s adorable face with a curly mop of hair appeared in the little girl¡¯s mind. Subsequently, the former frowned. Soon after that, Courtney heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that you didn¡¯t hurt anyone. Otherwise, Aunt Cameron would definitely call me relentlessly. Well, what exactly is it that you want to say to me?¡± ¡°I would like you to go shopping with me tomorrow. It¡¯s Great-Aunt Alicia¡¯s birthday two dayster, so I want to buy her a birthday present.¡± As Josephine spoke, she took out a wallet from her kitty backpack. Inside her wallet, there were three cards and some coins. Subsequently, she ced the cards one by one into Courtney¡¯s hands. ¡°As long as it¡¯s something that Great-Aunt Alicia likes and the amount it costs is less than the money here, it should be fine.¡± Josephine blinked her eyes, and Courtney couldn¡¯t help kissing Josephine on her pinkish, plump cheeks as soon as she saw the serious, matured look in the little girl¡¯s eyes. Josephine had turned up at the right time, and she even managed to dispel all of the bad emotions in Courtney¡¯s mind. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re drooling too much.¡± In response, Josephine grabbed Courtney¡¯s shawl with a disgusted expression and wiped thetter¡¯s face with it. Suddenly, Josephine recalled that episode of Ethan secretly trying to kiss Fiona during naptime before he failed. After he had realized that she had seen it, he lost his temper and turned to kiss her on her cheeks instead. At that point, Josephine¡¯s face was flushed. Meanwhile, Alicia and Alexander remained in discussion for quite some time. After they came down from the second floor, Josephine had already secretly made her way into Courtney¡¯s bed and was currently deep in slumber. ¡°Let Josie stay over for the night and I¡¯ll send her home tomorrow.¡± Courtney clutched her shawl tightly with both hands as she leaned against the bedroom door. As soon as Alicia heard that, she looked into the room and coincidentally saw Josephine turn on her back. Subsequently, Josephine shifted from one end of the six-foot bed to the other end. ¡°Alright.¡± Alicia nodded and left the Duncan¡¯s ancestral home with a solemn expression. Alexander took a few steps forward and leaned against the other side of the door to the bedroom. By then, Josephine had already tumbled over and shifted back to her original position. Suddenly, she yelled out, ¡°Ethan, you¡¯ve wet the bed!¡± He massaged the spot in between his brows and asked, ¡°Well, what should we do then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep Josiepany, and you can stay in the guest room.¡± ¡ª¡ª Early the next day, Courtney jolted awake after hearing some rustling noises. She forced herself to open her eyes and saw that Josephine had already changed her clothes, and thetter was now looking into the mirror as she tried to braid her hair. ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s time to wake up!¡± After Josephine had tied her hair up in two uneven braids, she went to wake Courtney, who was pretending to be asleep. ¡°It¡¯s only 6.30AM. Josie, I need to give you some important advice. Sleeping in during the weekend is the least one could do during the weekends.¡± At that point, Courtney tapped on her phone to check the time and was nearly hysterical upon realizing how early it was. She burrowed her head back into the nket as her voice sounded muffled. ¡°Great-Aunt Alicia and Great-uncle William wake up at 5.00AM every single day, though.¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. As Josephine spoke, she used all four of her limbs and forcefully dragged Courtney¡¯s adult-sized body toward the edge of the bed. Next, she took out some clothes that she thought suited Courtney and flung them at thetter. Meanwhile, Courtney couldn¡¯t help doubting herself as she changed her clothes with her eyes shut. ¡°Josie, did I make the right decision by sending you to stay with Great-Aunt Alicia?¡± In response, Josephine blinked. ¡°By looking at the star signs, I am indeed muchpatible with Great- Aunt Alicia.¡± Chapter 491 One Night Surprise Chapter 491 Chapter 491 Timmy or Jimmy? Josephine had originally asked Courtney to pick a birthday present with her, but after they had browsed through many shops in the shopping mall, Courtney started to find her a burden. ¡°Josie, I think that this bag¡¯s nice. I¡¯m sure that Great-Aunt Alicia will love it.¡± Courtney slung the bag on herself and twirled it in front of Josephine as she modeled it on herself. However, Josephine merely rolled her eyes at Courtney. ¡°Please, Mommy. You seem to be picking a gift for yourself. Great-Aunt Alicia¡¯s nearly sixty years old, so she wouldn¡¯t fancy bags with gold rims.¡± As soon as Courtney heard that, she silently put the bag down and trailed after Josephine, who had already turned around to enter another shop. ¡°How about this silk scarf? I think this scarf suits Great-Aunt Alicia very much, and it¡¯s her favorite color too.¡± At that moment, Josephine was tugging on the straps of her bag with both hands, and she peered out of her hoodie to reveal a pair ofrge, bright eyes. She considered Courtney¡¯s suggestion seriously and the shop assistant was quite perceptive too, so she quickly squatted down and enthusiastically held the scarf in front of Josephine as soon as she saw that. ¡°Hey there, this scarf here is our best-selling product, and many customers came to get this when it was first released. This is the only one left, so if you like it, you should probably grab it as soon as possible.¡± As soon as Josephine heard that, she nodded her head and the slight frown on her face disappeared. ¡°I¡¯ll skip this then. Great-Aunt Alicia mentioned that she doesn¡¯t like best-sellers.¡± After she had said that, she turned on her heels before marching to the next shop decisively. They finally entered the final shop on the second floor of the shopping mall, and at that point, Courtney¡¯s soles were slightly swollen. She took a seat in the public waiting area of the second floor, and she looked at Josephine with a defeated look. ¡°I¡¯m feeling tired. How about¡ª¡± ¡°Mommy, look!¡± Josephine¡¯s shrill voice suddenly made Courtney stifle her words. She nced in the direction where Josephine was pointing with a slightly confused look. ¡°What is there to see?¡± ¡°This shop, Dolce Patisserie, is owned by Fiona¡¯s dad, and she said that we can go and try everything for free.¡± There was a glimmer in Josephine¡¯s eyes, and there was an excited expression on the five-year-old¡¯s face, which was hardly ever seen. After she had said that, she instantly dragged Courtney¡¯s hand and bounded toward the shop. There was a group of five people lining up in front of them at the entrance to Dolce Patisserie. Josephine then pushed Courtney to the front so that she could help Josephine to take a look at the menu. Since she was left without a choice, Courtney could only stand on tiptoes and recite the menu to Josephine. ¡°That would be twenty-five.¡± The cashier stretched out with his hand at the little boy in front of Josephine. However, the boy grabbed the huge slice of cake and gobbled it as he disregarded the cream smeared all over his face. The boy did not seem to have the intention to pay for the cake. At that point, the cashier¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Hey, you brat! Are you going to dine and dash?! Where are your parents? Get them here right now to pay for this!¡± The boy turned around and tried to run off, but the cashier was agile and managed to grab the boy around his cor. Before the cashier could say anything, the boy, who was perhaps anxious or angry, kicked him several times. The cashier could not control his anger upon being kicked, so he carried the boy in the air. ¡°Where are your manners?! Don¡¯t even think of leaving this ce today if you don¡¯t pay for the cake!¡± At this moment, Courtney saw the unfolding scene and she was about to say something when Josephine suddenly popped her head out from behind Courtney. Subsequently, Josephine tugged on the cashier¡¯s orange apron. ¡°Hey there, sir. He could be Fiona¡¯s ssmate too.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Fiona¡¯s ssmate too. I thought that we¡¯re allowed to try the desserts in the shop for free?¡± The cashier ced his hands on his hips and roared, ¡°Are you nning to dine and dash too?!¡± Josephine felt that the handsome guy¡¯s words were true. However, she could not seem to fathom why he was so mad when Fiona had actually agreed to this. As such, Josephine nodded her head firmly. ¡°Fiona said that I could do so.¡± Swiftly, Courtney put a stop to the debacle before the cashier grabbed Josephine around her cor too. Courtney quickly took out some money and pointed to the little boy, whose face was already distorted from struggling too much. ¡°Let him go. I¡¯ll pay for the cake.¡± After the cashier received the payment, he released the little boy before the boy fled and disappeared without a trace. Josephine ate her tiramisu dejectedly after they bought the dessert. At that moment, Courtney thought that she was upset because Fiona had lied to her, so Courtney was just about tofort her when a soft voice rang out and interrupted her thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ve seen that boy before.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°He was the one who hurt Angie thest time I went to the orphanage with Great-Aunt Alicia. I remember one of the staff members saying his name. His name is either Timmy or Jimmy.¡± As for Courtney, her heart skipped a beat as soon as she recalled the incident, and frankly speaking, she didn¡¯t have a good impression of this hot-tempered little boy. ¡°How could a child from the orphanage turn up here? Could it be that you¡¯ve mistaken him for someone else?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Josephine had a strong impression of this little boy because of his dark, naturally curly hair. ¡°Perhaps some kind couple adopted him? Mommy, you¡¯re silly.¡± ¡°Josephine!¡± Courtney could no longer stand it. ¡°You¡¯ve doubted my intelligence more than once today!¡± ¡°Mommy, let¡¯s go upstairs to take a look. I¡¯ve figured out what to buy for Great-Aunt Alicia.¡± After Josephine said that, she dragged Courtney¡¯s hand and ran off in the direction of the third floor. Meanwhile, Josephine disregarded the angry hollers in her ears. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Finally, Josephine chose a bangle for Great-Aunt Alicia. She leaned her tiny body on the ss disy, and she reached out to point at one of the bangles. ¡°I want that one there.¡± At that moment, Courtney nced wide-eyed at the two hundred and eighty thousand price tag. ¡°Josephine, where would you get the money to buy this?¡± ¡°Have you forgotten about thest time where Jordan spent a million to buy you bags?¡± Suddenly, it dawned on Courtney. Back then, Josephine had just been told that Jordan was her brother, so she had been at one point quite fretful that he would ask for that money back. After paying for the bangle, Courtney impatiently dragged Josephine back home. They walked one after the other into the underground car park, but before Courtney started the ignition, she turned to look at Josephine, who looked quite normal. ¡°Josie, actually, regarding the matter with Fiona today¡ª¡± ¡°Mommy, I know what you want to say.¡± ¡°Yup?¡± ¡°Fiona mentioned that her daddy owns Dolce Patisserie because Ethan told her that his dad was one of the directors of Sunhill Enterprise. As for my dad, he¡¯s the president of Sunhill Enterprise, so I reckon she must have thought that Ethan was lying.¡± At that moment, Courtney was quite perplexed by Josephine¡¯s train of thoughts, so she looked at Josephine incredulously. ¡°Who told you all of this?¡± Josephine pouted and responded by shooting Courtney a look to signal that she should figure it out herself. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t really like Fiona. Ethan likes her only because of her naturally curly blonde hair. Someday when he goes to Dolce Patisserie and realizes like I do that he doesn¡¯t get free desserts, then he would definitelye to his senses.¡± Her sensible words somehow rendered Courtney speechless and Courtney stifled theforting words that she¡¯d spent quite some timeing up with. ¡°Mommy, there¡¯s someone in front.¡± Courtney had just started the ignition, and she was just about to drive out of the underground parking lot, but her path was blocked by a boy lying in the middle of the road. Josephine leaped out of the car before Courtney and ran toward the unconscious little boy to stand in front of him. As soon as she saw his features, she couldn¡¯t help eximing, ¡°Mommy, it¡¯s Jimmy.¡± Courtney quickly checked up on the little boy¡¯s condition and found that his face was pale and his breathing was quite shallow. His originally darkplexion looked as pale as a white sheet as hey there lifelessly. She realized the severity of the situation, so she decisively took him into her arms and got him into the car before speeding off to the hospital. Along the way to the hospital, Courtney also instructed Josephine to call Linda in advance. ¡°Linda, there is a little boy in our car whom we suspect is poisoned. He looks quite unwell, and we¡¯re now on the way to the hospital, so could you please get a stretcher ready? Thank you.¡± Chapter 492 One Night Surprise Chapter 492 Chapter 492 Let¡¯s Keep Him Under Our Care, Alright? In the hospital, as the nurse came over to register the patient¡¯s details, five-year-old little Josephine spoke up in a childish but insistent voice. She confirmed the patient¡¯s name with the nurse. ¡°Jimmy. J for jam.¡± She hesitated between ¡®Timmy¡¯ and ¡®Jimmy¡¯ for a moment, but shortly after that, she decisively chose the name that she preferred out of the two. Once the operation was over, Jimmy was wheeled out of the operation theater and back to the wards. He looked quite weak and his face was still as pale as a white sheet. The doctor exined his condition to Courtney, who was waiting patiently outside. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a case of poisoning. He merely had an allergic reaction to chocte, and we¡¯ve already cleared the remains of chocte from his stomach. However, there is something that we find quite surprising¡ª¡± ¡°What is it?¡± The doctor hesitated for a moment before speaking up with aplicated look on his face, saying, ¡°Besides chocte, we also found sticware and foreign objects like clothes in his stomach. It¡¯s quite fortunate that we did this surgery; otherwise, the umtion of these items in his stomach over time would be disastrous.¡± As soon as Courtney heard that, she frowned slightly and turned to look at the child, who had deathly pale lips. ¡°How¡¯s he doing now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s no longer in a critical condition, but we still have to monitor him because it¡¯s quite serious. The nurse will pop in to ce a drip on him, and he will need to stay in the hospital at least for the next three days.¡± She nodded in response and sat down by Jimmy¡¯s side. As for Josephine, she mbered up on Courtney¡¯s body upon seeing Courtney seated in the chair and clung to Courtney¡¯s neck while looking in the same direction at the kid on the bed. ¡°Does this mean that Jimmy wasn¡¯t adopted by a kind couple? He might have sneaked out by himself then.¡± Josephine came to that conclusion as she spoke in a childish voice. Just then, Courtney nced at her, and there was a pained look that shed across Courtney¡¯s eyes. ¡°Do you mean that he¡¯s been mistreated, so he sneaked out?¡± However, Josephine smacked Courtney¡¯s forehead in disagreement. ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re so silly!¡± ¡°Josephine! What do you mean by that¡ª¡± Courtney clenched her teeth and forcefully came up with these words. ¡°Great-Aunt Alicia told me before that all of the orphanages are under the state¡¯s care, so basically, there wouldn¡¯t be any cases of mistreatment of children. Besides, World Vision Orphanage just recently won the best in the district award. They¡¯re famous for being kind and patient with the kids in their care.¡± At that point, Courtney¡¯s indignant look gradually dissipated as she listened to Josephine¡¯s eloquent exnation. She turned to stare incredulously at her daughter. ¡°Josie, how did you know all of this?¡± ¡°Great-Aunt Alicia talks about this at the dining table every day. Mommy, you should watch the news more often in your spare time.¡± ¡°So, do you mean to say that Jimmy sneaked out of the orphanage and ate all of this random sticware and clothes outside?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± Josephine nodded. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, then we have to send him back.¡± As Courtney spoke, she removed Josephine from herp and took out her cell phone to search for the contact number of World Vision Orphanage. Although she was doubtful of Raymond¡¯s intentions and motives, she did not think that he would resort to making use of a child to gain anything. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve found it¡ª¡± Courtney instantly dialed the number she found on the inte. ¡°Where¡¯s Jimmy? It¡¯s time for his drip.¡± Suddenly, a nurse¡¯s voice rang out from the side, and Josephine hurriedly lifted her little hand. ¡°We¡¯re here, Miss.¡± Ring! Ring! The nurse came toward them after hearing Josephine¡¯s voice. As for Courtney, she was waiting for the phone call to be connected, so she moved backward slightly. She looked at the nurse injecting the medication into the bottle before inserting the infusion line. Subsequently, she removed the cap on the needle tip and reached out for the back of Jimmy¡¯s hand. After some hesitation, she finally decided to search for another vein on his feet that could be easier to handle. As soon as the nurse lifted the hem of Jimmy¡¯s pants, Courtney¡¯s phone call was put through at the same time. ¡°Hi there, this is World Vision Orphanage. How can I help?¡± Courtney remained silent as she stared wide-eyed at Jimmy¡¯s ankle. There was a cold look that shed across her eyes, and the loud buzzing noise in her ears suddenly caused her head to spin. She lost her grip on the phone in her hands, after which the phone fell to the ground with a resounding bang. ¡°Hello¡­ Hello¡­ You¡¯re crazy!¡± The woman on the other end waited for quite some time, but she did not get a response at all, so she finally hung up the phone after her patience wore out. Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org. Meanwhile, Josephine suddenly turned her head around upon hearing themotion. She noticed Courtney¡¯s pale face and the beads of perspiration that appeared on Courtney¡¯s forehead. She also saw Courtney¡¯s slightly trembling body. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± ¡°Josie, we¡¯ll keep Jimmy under our care for the time being, alright?¡± Courtney tried hard to speak in a calm voice as she kept herself upright by holding onto a chair desperately before taking a seat shakily. ¡°Okay.¡± Although Josephine wasn¡¯t aware of what was going on, she dly epted Courtney¡¯s suggestion and went along with it. Josephine followed the direction of Courtney¡¯s intent gaze and also noticed that there was a strange design on Jimmy¡¯s ankle. It was two young leaves wrapped around a young stalk, and there should have been a crescent on the stalk, but the design on his ankle was devoid of it. At that point, Courtney calmed herself down and she suddenly recalled Josephine¡¯s inadvertent words before they came to the hospital. Just then, something suddenly dawned on her. ¡°Josie, did you mention that Jimmy was of mixed Otharian and Vietnamese descent?¡± ¡°Yeah. The director of the orphanage said so.¡± ¡°Could you help me pick up my phone on the ground, please?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Josephine nodded and picked up the phone before handing it over to Courtney. As soon as Josephine¡¯s soft, tiny hands touched Courtney¡¯s palms, she could feel a wet and greasy sensation. At that point, she contemted to herself, Mommy¡¯s behaving quite abnormally. Courtney sat up straight and focused the camera on Jimmy¡¯s ankle as she took a photo. Subsequently, she sent the photo to Oliver, followed by a text message. ¡®Is that what it looks like?¡¯ After quite some time, her cell phone screen lit up. ¡®Yeah.¡¯ On the other end, Oliver could not help frowning upon seeing the photo. He deduced from the photo that the person in question was a child, and from the clothes, he also deduced that this photo was taken in the hospital. As such, he instantly made his way downstairs to his car, and he sent off a text message right before he started the car ignition. ¡®I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡¯ In less than half an hour, he arrived at the hospital, and the two of them sat facing each other in the hospital cafeteria. Both of them had solemn expressions on their faces. Oliver ced the photo sent over by Courtney side-by-side with the sketch of the tattoo that he had prepared previously. ¡°Besides the missing upper portion, the remaining parts of the sketch are aplete match with the photo. We can¡¯t be mistaken. Who¡¯s the kid?¡± Meanwhile, Courtney pointed at the building behind her. ¡°The kid is currently upstairs receiving an infusion. Josie met him before at World Vision Orphanage. This kid is of mixed Otharian and Vietnamese descent. He was originally supposed to be adopted by a Vietnamese family, but in the end, for some unknown reason, he was brought over to Melrose City and abandoned.¡± As soon as Courtney mentioned this, she suddenly realized something. ¡°Could it be that guy who brought him here?¡± Oliver did not express hisments, but his usually calm features were distorted at the moment. He contemted the situation in his mind and felt that there were plenty of details worth figuring out, but he did not dare to jump to any conclusions. ¡°I¡¯ll investigate this point, but you must keep this child by your side for the time being. I think it¡¯ll work out best if you bring him home with you as soon as possible and keep him out of the public eye as much as possible.¡± Oliver somehow sensed that this kid yed a crucial role. She nodded and took the two photos in front of her to ce into her bag. ¡°I¡¯ll have this then. I need it for something.¡± In response, Oliver nodded and stood up to leave. However, he suddenly recalled something, and he reminded, ¡°We have to continue investigating the lead on Walter too. Hopefully, we¡¯ll be able to find this guy. I know that he probably doesn¡¯t know too much, but surely he would have information that¡¯s useful for us.¡± As soon as Courtney heard his words, her expression darkened significantly. She nodded and bade farewell to Oliver before walking off hastily in the direction of the wards. Chapter 493 One Night Surprise Chapter 493 Chapter 493 He¡¯s Asking for Directions Goldsmith Street spanned across the busiest part of Melrose City¡¯smercial area, and a new face had silently joined the waves of workers heading to work. It was Angie. She was striding toward Citron Apparel in a light brown suit, white chiffon blouse, and a pair of nude-colored heels. The sleeves of her blouse were lifted up slightly, revealing her fair arms, making her look exceptionally slender and professional. As she traversed Goldsmith Street, many young men would sneak a peek at her, and their eyes would light up with flirtatious gleams. Right then, this version of Angie was exuding a simr aura as Courtney¡ªcalm and collected¡ªlooking like a queen bee. Meanwhile, an exceptionally jarring sight urred amidst the unceasing traffic¡ªa white sedan was crawling by the side of the road. When the driver pulled over next to Angie, he poked his head out. ¡°Get in. I¡¯ll give you a lift.¡± However, Angie didn¡¯t even spare him a nce. She picked up her pace, leaving the car behind in two shakes. s, Elijah could only restart the engine and chase after her. Following a few cycles of cat and mouse, Elijah¡¯s face turned grimmer with every rejection. In the end, he resorted to getting out of the car and blocking Angie¡¯s path. ¡°Let¡¯s talk,¡± he said as he stood slightly astride. Just as Angie was going to ignore him once more, he grabbed her by the arm, sending warmth from his typically warm palm to her slightly chilly arm. Meanwhile, Angie looked at his slender hand reflexively and tried to break free from it. ¡°Fine, talk.¡± With that, she gazed at him calmly, and it was only then Elijah noticed she had chopped her waist-long hair into a bob, giving her a mature and professional look. ¡°Let¡¯s talk somewhere else.¡± ¡°I still have to go to work.¡± Elijah¡¯s gaze turnedplicated reflexively, but still, he gave in after a deep sigh. ¡°I¡¯m going back to Manhattan in two days. You shoulde with me.¡± Angie¡¯s heart twinged when she heard Elijah was going back, but then something crossed her mind, and her wavering expression turned cold once more. ¡°No, I won¡¯t go with you. Courtney needs me now.¡± ¡°Are you talking about Citron Apparel?¡± Elijah asked with slight incredulity. ¡°I¡¯ve already found a lead to their issue this time. You, on the other hand, should follow me back to Manhattan and take up a degree. I¡¯ve already contacted¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, I will take up a degree, but not in Manhattan.¡± Angie swallowed her frustration and interrupted him. With that, she looked into his eyes, but the zing sun blinded her a little. ¡°I¡¯ve already received my eptance letter to Melrose University. So you don¡¯t have to bother yourself with my college stuff.¡± Elijah was slightly taken aback. Something didn¡¯t feel right to him, and an inexplicable coldness was creeping up his heart. ¡°You¡­¡± He nodded, though he had wanted to tell her she was already an adult, and it was her decision whether to go back to Manhattan or which college she went to. However, all that got stuck in her throat, and in the end, all he could say was, ¡°Come back to the manor when you¡¯re avable. I¡¯d like to hear about your n.¡± Angie¡¯s eyes turned red-rimmed after she heard his words, but she tried hard to keepposed. ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot on my handstely, so no need to bother yourself with this.¡± ¡°Angie!¡± One would eventually have to yield in a heated argument, and suppressed anger surged beneath Elijah¡¯s eyes while blood drained from his tightly clenched fists. This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I am still legally your father, and it will continue to be until this adoptive rtionship ceases.¡± However, it made things worse, as her eyes only turned redder after his words. ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is exactly why I won¡¯t go back to Manhattan or your manor? Do you think I don¡¯t know why Tanya resigned? You threatened and fired her, no? Because she saw and heard what she shouldn¡¯t have. If you¡¯re so afraid of people discovering our rtionship, then why still bring a ticking- time-bomb like me wherever you go? Isn¡¯t this your best chance to get rid of me?¡± Being an eighteen-year-old maiden, she was basically like an open book, and she showed no signs of cowardliness as she bore into him. She tried searching for something in his gaze, but even the hint of anger that shed across his eyes was concealed perfectly. Meanwhile, the surrounding air turned silent. s, they didn¡¯t continue the conversation that wasn¡¯t meant for public discussion, and who but themselves to me for the awkward situation they ended up in. As Angie shifted her gaze away, she slowly regained herposure, and her voice was much calmer too. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Elijah. I know what I should do. It¡¯s just that I need some time.¡± For that, she even forced a smile. ¡°I think Alex from the other day is quite nice. He¡¯s funny and gentlemanly, and we got along quite well.¡± At that, he looked up subtly as his fathomless gaze loosened. ¡°I see.¡± Once again, he was struck with the revtion that the little girl who clung to him every day and pestered him to tell a story like a five-year-old despite being twelve had now grown up. She had now learned to control her emotions and feelings, and with time, she would no longer need him. ¡°Hey, Angie!¡± Angie was going to bid Elijah farewell when a voice caught her attention. She reflexively looked past the tall, slender man in front of her, right at the young man waving at her not far away. With a beaming smile, Zeke ran toward Angie. His white T-shirt entuated his broad figure, and his fair face exuded youthfulness. Sensing Elijah¡¯s gaze, he looked questioningly at Angie after a slight hesitation. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°He¡¯s asking for directions.¡± Angie wasn¡¯t sure how she felt exactly when she interrupted Elijah, but what she knew was that she wasn¡¯t delighted to hear Elijah introducing himself as her father. ¡°Sir, you¡¯ll find Sunhill Hotel if you go down this road and turn left at the third intersection. I have to go now; we¡¯ve got work to do.¡± With that, she dragged Zeke along with her and walked straight toward Citron Apparel without ever looking back. Upon arriving at thepany¡¯s elevator, Zeke, who had been deep in thought all this while, finally spoke out his worries. ¡°Angie, I think you should be mindful of strangers. I mean, mobile GPS is so advanced now. Surely that guy was trying to hit on you.¡± It wasn¡¯t until she got well acquainted with Zeke that she realized this seemingly obtuse young man was actually astute. Meanwhile, she nodded absent-mindedly at Zeke¡¯s warning, and as the elevator reached the eighth floor, Zeke stopped her when she was about to step out. ¡°Why don¡¯t I treat you to breakfast and talk about the investigation you asked me to dig into in the meantime?¡± If he had only suggested the former, Angie would¡¯ve likely walked away without hesitation. But because he brought up the investigation, she went back into the elevator after a split second¡¯s hesitation. Natasha had deliberately hired designers to turn the building¡¯s rooftop into an employee¡¯s cafeteria, and Zeke and Angie sat by the window with soy milk, buns, and scones in front of them. For breakfast, all Angie had was a mouthful of soy milk. With a somewhat grim expression, she said, ¡°Regardless of the credibility of your sources, I¡¯d still have to go.¡± Zeke was munching down a bun as Angie spoke, and he choked on it upon hearing her words, taking a long time before he finally could breathe properly. With that, he patted his chest and promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s definitely right. It¡¯s just that you can¡¯t go alone. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Chapter 494 One Night Surprise Chapter 494 Chapter 494 I Used to Be Like Her Angie and Zeke had to alight a few vehicles before they could finally board a janky bus that headed straight for Silvercreek District¡¯s fishing vige. They¡¯ve spent nearly an entire day traveling, yet they still hadn¡¯t reached the fishing vige when the sky turned dark. Exhausted, Angie leaned against the horrifically dusty window. The beautiful afterglow outside shone on her face, making her alluring features even more gorgeous. Silvercreek District used to be a janky old fishing vige that only got prosperous in recent years because of its tourism culture. Now, the locals had be rtively well off. However, where Angie and Zeke were heading was a more remote vige. Zeke mentioned that Walter had been hiding in this vige after resigning and had be a fisherman. Later, the bus pulled over at the Silvercreek District¡¯s bus stop, and a bunch of middle-aged women with pricing signs surrounded Angie right as she got off the bus. Having zero patience to entertain them, Zeke pulled Angie out from the crowd. ¡°I¡¯ve asked around. All the vehicles that can take us to the vige have stopped operating for the day. And I bet we won¡¯t be able to find Walter even if we get a cab and go there now. It¡¯s better that we crash here for the night and head over tomorrow.¡± Angie nodded at that, agreeing with his suggestion. Silvercreek District wasn¡¯t big, so after the two checked-in into a rtively clean hotel and roughly sorted things out, Zeke took Angie to the restaurant below the hotel for dinner. After the food was served, Zeke dug in immediately while Angie barely had an appetite, distracted by the thoughts in her mind. After a couple of forceful bites, a young girl¡ªlooking to be fifteen or sixteen¡ª next to their table caught her attention. The young girl was dressed in punk fashion from head to toe, and her colorful dreadlocks were exceptionally showy. When Angie looked over, the young girl was sitting with her legs crossed on the restaurant¡¯s bench, chugging a stein of beer without a care for the world. Sitting across her was a middle-aged man. He looked like a decent guy with his white dress shirt and briefcase next to him. Right then, he said nothing but snatched the stein ss from the girl. ¡°Piper, I¡¯m not joking with you.¡± Piper nodded as she smiled brightly. ¡°Neither am I. I¡¯m going wherever you go.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t. I¡¯ll only hold you up.¡± ¡°Divorce her then. I¡¯m waiting. Hehe¡­¡± As Piper smiled, she began swaying side to side, and her pair of eyes gleamed from the reflections of the restaurant¡¯s lights. On the other hand, the middle-aged man¡¯s face tensed up because of her words. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait a little longer.¡± His face turned grave as he spoke. Angie watched silently aside, having a nagging feeling that a hint of viciousness inconceivably shed across the man¡¯s eyes. However, the young girl, tipsy at this point, suddenly got up and walked to the man. Then, she wrapped her arms around his neck and bawled, ¡°It¡¯s been three months since youst came to me, and you wouldn¡¯t answer my calls either. I thought you didn¡¯t want me anymore. Don¡¯t ever do this to me again!¡± The girl¡¯s sobs attracted the surrounding customers¡¯ attention. Even Zeke, who had his head buried in his food the whole time, had put his cutleries down. Mortified, the middle-aged man hurriedly coaxed and dragged the young girl out. Zeke had a huge mouthful of food in his mouth, and he couldn¡¯t helpmenting upon seeing the scene, saying, ¡°Why do so many young girls nowadays like to throw themselves at married, middle- aged men? They sure don¡¯t cherish themselves.¡± After swallowing the food in his mouth, he thought for a moment and added, ¡°And her dreadlocks don¡¯t look good either, unlike your hair now.¡± Angie turned grim upon hearing his words and mmed her hand on the table. Her unforeseen action startled Zeke, and the poor guy choked on his food again, rendering his face scarlet from suffocation. ¡°Not even food can shut you up, huh?¡± Angie grumbled and left the restaurant straight, heading back to her room to sleep. When she was waiting for the elevator to arrive at the lobby, she saw the couple again. The young girl had her arms wrapped around the man¡¯s neck, giving him smooches as she said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave with you tomorrow. We¡¯ll leave tomorrow.¡± The man raised his chin, trying to evade the young girl¡¯s kisses, but to no avail. Just then, he noticed Angie, who was approaching their direction, and a hint of embarrassment and contempt shed across his face evidently. It took Angie aback, and she stopped a distance away from them. Later, when the elevator arrived, the man helped the young girl inside, and Angie raised her hand, signaling for the couple to head up first. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. After waiting for a while more, Zeke showed up, jogging over to her. Suddenly, his words at the restaurant, in addition to the scene of the couple waiting for the elevator a few minutes ago, popped into her mind. So love like this is ridiculous and even sordid in other people¡¯s eyes, huh? As the elevator ascended, Zeke, who had been sneakily observing Angie a few times, spoke up gingerly. ¡°I spout bullsh*t very easily after a meal. I¡¯m sorry, please don¡¯t be mad.¡± Just then, a ¡®ping¡¯ sounded, and the elevator door opened. Angie got out first, and after her mood got a little better, she stood in front of her door, saying inly, ¡°I used to be like her, so I overreacted a little.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± Angie rolled her eyes in response and pointed to her hair. ¡°I¡¯m talking about her dreadlocks.¡± ¡ª¡ª The following day, Angie and Zeke took a cab first thing in the morning to the fishing vige Walter was said to be at. The vige was smaller than they imagined, so they managed to enquire about Walter¡¯s house without barely any effort. An olderdy was mending a fis under a huge banyan tree at the entrance to the vige. Upon hearing their inquiry, she pointed inside the vige with her lips, taking her time to say, ¡°Walk straight ahead. Walter lives in the easternmost house. You should consider yourselves lucky. He and his family had left a long time ago and only returned recently.¡± As they walked further into the vige, Angie¡¯s heart grew heavier. She said nothing the entire walk as an indescribable worry lingered in her heart. ¡°My husband¡¯s out. What brings both of you here?¡± The woman, who was drying a fis at the entrance, looked up from beneath her straw hat and sized Angie and Zeke up with wary eyes. Just when Angie wanted to answer, Zeke beat her to it. ¡°We¡¯vee to return Mr. Church the money. He had relieved us back in Melrose City. We¡¯ve found jobs and managed to save up a bit of money. So we thought we should return it to him.¡± As he exined, he pulled up a stack of cash, so the woman, who had been on guard this whole time, eased uppletely. With that, she invited Angie and Zeke into her home. ¡°The receipt for the loan is with Mr. Church, so we¡¯re wondering when will he be back?¡± The woman nodded continuously, expressing that she understood, but the next second, she frowned. ¡°Walter barely tells me anything, and he headed out this morning before the sun even came out. I don¡¯t know why he went out, so I can¡¯t say for sure when he¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°No worries. We¡¯ll wait.¡± With that, Angie shot Zeke a hinting gaze, and he rolled up his sleeves immediately. ¡°Mrs. Church, are you going to sun-dry these fishes? This looks heavy. Why don¡¯t I help you out?¡± The woman giggled at that, quite pleased with this warm-hearted young man. Meanwhile, Angie snuck into the cubicle aside. Chapter 495 One Night Surprise Chapter 495 Chapter 495 Walter¡¯s Death The building was a vintage-looking, single-story detached house. The living area was at the center of the house, with two bedrooms facing each other, and the kitchen was located in a separate structure at the end of the house. After Angie had surveyed both rooms, she came out with a dark expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zeke, who took notice of her unusual expression, pulled her to one side when he had the chance. ¡°I saw a family photo in the room on the left. The girl in the photo was the one we metst night,¡± she replied, leaning her tired body against the kitchen door frame with both arms folded across her chest. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Zeke¡¯s expression fell. ¡°That¡¯s too much of a coincidence. Are you saying that¡ª¡± Upon seeing a terrified Zeke reaching his hand and drawing circles above his head, Angie immediately understood what he meant and calmly responded, ¡°Yes, I remembered the man calling her Piper.¡± He fell silent, after which he wiped his mouth before heading toward the main door. ¡°Mrs. Church, let me help you.¡± Zeke helped her to move the baskets of salted fish out from the small warehouse beside, and the woman took out the salted fish to dry them in the sun. While they were busy with their tasks, Zeke struck up a conversation. ¡°Mr. Church told me that you guys have a daughter named Piper, but why don¡¯t I see her around today?¡± ¡°Piper asionally stays at her friend¡¯s ce in town. She didn¡¯te back yesterday, so she should be backter in the afternoon. When shees back, I¡¯ll have her make something for you both. My baby girl is really good at cooking.¡± The woman didn¡¯t notice the hidden meaning in his question, but Angie felt a lump in her throat upon seeing the joy and pride on Mrs. Church¡¯s face at the mention of her daughter After moving all the fish out from the warehouse, Zeke, who felt a little dizzy when he was straightening up his body after bending over for a long time, suddenly heard a flustered voice from behind. ¡°Mrs. Church, bad news! Something happened to Mr. Church!¡± ¡ª¡ª When Angie and the others arrived at the hospital in Silvercreek District, the hospital had announced Walter¡¯s death. The moment the woman, who could barely hold herself together, saw the white cloth covering the hospital bed, shepletely broke down. Before she managed to extend her trembling hands, she fell back and passed out. The viger, who had sent Walter to the hospital, felt heartbroken upon seeing that. ¡°It¡¯d be better for her not to see him. Life still carries on for the living.¡± Angie dared not look at the dead body as well. Zeke, who had lifted the white cloth in order to confirm whether the dead body was Walter, retched in the washroom for a solid ten minutes. ¡°It¡¯s him,¡± Zeke confirmed when Angie handed him a tissue; his face nched. ¡°It¡¯s too much of a coincidence.¡± ¡°Yes, I agree.¡± The viger had found Walter when he was on the way to the town to purchase stocks. Judging from the scene, he could tell that Walter had been involved in a car ident. The ident had sent Walter flying over the guardrail and onto a branch of a tree at a steep slope. Walter had stopped breathing when the viger rescued him from the tree. Unfortunately, there were no security cameras along the road from the vige to the town. Plus, Walter had left home before dawn, so nobody knew what had happened on his way to town. Mrs. Church repeatedly fainted. It only then did Angie know that tears just would not fall out when one was in extreme sorrow; all Mrs. Church could do was to bellow in a hoarse voice. The way she sank into deep grief was truly unbearable for the others to watch. The doctor came up to them once when she was in despair, carrying a sealed stic bag that contained Walter¡¯s keys, wallet, and phone that he had had on him. Mrs. Church was so weak that she couldn¡¯t even take the bag from him, so Angie helped her to do so. At that moment, a thought shed across her mind. ¡°Mrs. Church, do you know the password of Mr. Church¡¯s cellphone?¡± She managed to unlock the phone, and the cracked screen emitted a soft light. Angie¡¯s hand was pale when she held the phone in her hands while an indescribable emotion welled up inside her¡ªan emotion that felt like either rage or guilt, and it nearly devoured her. After that, she put the phone aside and dashed out of the hospital. Thest message that Walter had received on his phone had been sent to him at 3.00 AM. In that message, Piper, his daughter, had confessed to him that she had fallen in love with a married man, and she had decided to elope with that man. Walter had replied to her text at 3.05 AM. ¡®I¡¯lle right away.¡¯ Tears gathered in her eyes. She was able to imagine the anxiety Walter must have felt when he walked on the dark road in the middle of the night. Worries and despair were still within him when the ident happened¡­ If I did something yesterday, all of this might not even happen. When she was in the cab on her way to the hotel, her whole body trembled non-stop. Zeke, who had run as fast as he could and had managed to catch up with her, took her delicate hand in his, his feelings as conflicted as hers. Piper was nowhere to be found in the hotel. When Angie was asking the receptionist at the reception counter, a maid, who happened to finish cleaning a room, overheard their conversation and interrupted, ¡°I heard thatdy talking about a high-speed rail that will depart at 3.00 PM when I was cleaning her room.¡± It was 2.20 PM at the moment. When Angie and Zeke arrived at the high-speed rail station, it was already 2.40 PM. Fortunately, the high-speed rail station in the town was notrge, so they were able to spot the girl with colorful dreadlocks in no time. However, the current scene was a little different from what she had imagined. A girl with tears all over her face was holding a man¡¯s luggage with both hands, refusing to let go no matter what that man said. ¡°You promised to take me with youst night. Why are you going back on your words?¡± ¡°Last night, I went to see you make things clear with you, but you were drunk, and you started babbling nonsense. I only promised you that you coulde to see me off.¡± The man tugged his luggage a few times but failed. He was so mad that his eyes were burning with rage, but the girl seemed to have no intention of giving up. All she could think about at that moment was to follow him like a duckling. p! The man threw a tight p on the girl¡¯s face, causing her to fall onto the floor. Seeing that he finally had an opportunity to escape, he immediately took his luggage and attempted to flee the scene. Angie¡¯s eyes reddened when she saw that. ¡°Hey, you b*stard!¡± Angie picked up a wet floor sign beside her and strode toward them. Before the man was able to make sense of the situation, she mmed the sign on his head, which caused him to stagger and nearly fall. ¡°Who are you? Why did you hit him?¡± At that instant, sorrow turned into rage, and a shocked Piper grabbed Angie by her hair in an attempt to wallop Angie. However, with a wave of her hand, Angie blocked Piper¡¯s attack and gave her a p in the face. ¡°You are a b*stard too!¡± Angie cursed. At that moment, both Piper and the man were stunned. When Piper yelled at her and attempted to fight back, Angie pped her hard on her face again. In the mor of the crowd that gradually gathered around, Angie¡¯s voice coldly rang through the air. ¡°Your father is dead.¡± Piper blinked twice with herrge eyes, unable to make sense of the situation. Angie, however, continued to stare at her coldly, observing her every tiny expression, and cruelly reiterated, ¡°Walter, your father, is dead. Your father died because of you; your mother cried so much that she fainted multiple times in the hospital. She tried to call you, but your phone was switched off. Meanwhile, you are here, wearing dreadlocks that you think are cool while pestering a married man, ying victim.¡± Piper¡¯s pupils dted at her words; she refused to believe anything Angie had said. ¡°That¡¯s nonsense. That¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°If it wasn¡¯t because of you who sent him a message at 3.00 AM, telling him that you are going to elope with a man, he wouldn¡¯t get out of bed before dawn to rush to town. You should be aware that there were no cabs avable at that time, so he could only walk to town, which resulted in him being hit by a car and getting his face disfigured!¡± she shouted at Piper, raising her voice at the end of her sentence, completely shattering a sixteen-year-old girl¡¯s mental defense. Piper slumped to the floor while tears coursed down her cheeks uncontrobly as she mumbled, ¡°I didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t send any messages to my father. I didn¡¯t tell him.¡± She buried her face in her palms and cried so hard that she nearly suffocated. The brutal reality was far more painful than her lost love. However, Angie, who heard her mumbles, was shaken to her core. When she finally returned to her senses, she asked, ¡°It wasn¡¯t you?¡± Chapter 496 One Night Surprise Chapter 496 Chapter 496 The Stalker If not Piper, then¡­ Focusing her cold gaze on the man who was ready to escape from the crowd, Angie ran up and kicked his suitcase away before dragging him by the hair. Zeke, who had been watching this all by the sidelines, gulped as he was thoroughly dumbstruck. Angie then dragged the man to Piper. ¡°Were you the one who sent the message to Walter using Piper¡¯s phone?¡± Even though the man was beaten up by Angie, he stared back fiercely without words. Out of nowhere, he started smirking in the evilest way possible, indirectly triggering Angie so much that she grabbed his cor. ¡°Why?¡± Piper also repeated her words while she slowly collected her thoughts. ¡°You didn¡¯t want to bring me along, so why did you do that?¡± Standing up with great effort, the man spat a mouth of blood before saying calmly, ¡°What evidence do you people have to say that I did it? Even if I did, how would I be charged, seeing as the person is already dead?¡± Angie then kicked the man hard, causing him to fly back as Zeke quickly hugged her from behind to prevent her from attacking again. ¡°Calm yourself, Angie. It¡¯s useless no matter how much you hit him.¡± If she kept assaulting him, even if she did not go to jail, she would still be detained. It was quite obvious that the man was just agitating her on purpose. Reigning her emotions under Zeke¡¯s persuasion, she picked Piper up from the floor, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Just as the trio was about to exit the pickup area, the man suddenly showed a sinister smile. Slowly increasing the pace, the man then took out a paring knife at arm¡¯s length from Angie and stabbed her back without hesitation. Feeling her back suddenly turn cold, Angie then crashed to the ground as a sense of pain and blood loss enveloped her. Hearing themotion happening behind her, she tried her best to turn her head around but to no avail. Although the knife had pierced her skin, the man was stopped by an opposing force before he could do further damage. He only looked somewhat in disbelief at the appearance of the man with a cold gaze, who grabbed the weapon with his bare hands. ¡°T-The stalker from¡­¡± The next second, he was then kicked far away by Zeke. Blood flowed profusely from his head as he crashed into the chair head first. Taking out his phone tremblingly, he bellowed somewhat deliriously, ¡°I¡¯m going to call the police now and say that you all ganged up on me. I¡¯m going to make you all go to jail!¡± With a cold face, Elijah only carried Angie, who at this point was already unconscious, and warned, ¡°I know that you¡¯re not afraid of jail time. But I wonder if your debtors will go knock on your family¡¯s door once they find out that your child and wife are hiding away in Evergreen Mountain?¡± After Elijah and the trio left, the man then quickly hung up in uncontroble fear and shock. Opening her eyes once again, Angie found herself already lying on a bed in the hospital of Silvercreek District. As the door to her ward was opened, she turned to see that it was Zeke who had entered. Zeke beamed upon learning that she was awake. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re finally awake.¡± When Angie was unconscious, Zeke had been tormented by self-guilt, unrest, and the threat from the stalker. Propped up by Zeke, Angie then took a sip of water. He hesitated a little but, in the end, asked, ¡°Did you know the direction-asking middle-aged man yesterday?¡± With a slight dy, Angie replied, ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s call the police, then. I think that he might be a pervert.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°He might¡¯ve saved you, but just think about it for a second: How did he show up at such a convenient time? I suspect that he must¡¯ve stalked you along the way. From my point of view, this person is very shifty!¡± Feeling more and more creeped out, he took out his phone and was about to inform the police. On the contrary, Angie just felt a headache, as she did not get to see what transpired behind her before she fainted. If so¡­ Angie then grabbed Zeke¡¯s hand. Creak! The sound of the door being opened alerted the two as they both looked toward the entrance. Zeke, who quietly snuck the phone behind him, saw the stalker slowly walk in with a stern face. ¡°Were you stalking me?¡± Clutching the bedsheet, Angie tried hard to hide the panic in her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t think the word ¡®stalk¡¯ is appropriate.¡± Elijah opened up the containers of food that he had brought. ¡°I bought some food. Eat up first. The doctor said that you can be discharged once you wake up, so follow me back after this.¡± Noticing Elijah¡¯s bandaged hand, Angie could see that the hospital¡¯s first-aid techniques were a bit lacking, as his long and slender fingers had been all wrapped up like a mummy¡¯s, making him look somewhatical. Thinking back, Angie remembered that Elijah had found her a mentor in Taekwondo at the age of 13. She woulde back with cuts and bruises, and he would always tend to her wounds. Because of this reason, Angie learned for five years straight, returning with small injuries often. The moment she fell, Elijah was the only person that came to her mind. Not noticing that Angie had calmed down, Zeke felt a wave of fear as he thought about what Elijah had said. Kidnapping people in broad daylight? One would think that this is awless zone. ¡°Ok.¡± Angie remained silent after that. Seeing Angie agree to Elijah¡¯s terms, Zeke, who was still on high alert, was suddenly shocked by her actions. He tilted his head and reminded her, ¡°Angie, didn¡¯t I just tell you that this man is very shifty? Why did you agree to go with him?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t ride a bus with my injuries.¡± Eating hastily, Angie then gave Zeke a box of food, saying, ¡°Eat up now. We¡¯ll follow him once we¡¯re finished here.¡± Us? When did it be us? Feeling somewhat wronged, Zeke put down the box of food and said puffingly, ¡°No. I¡¯m not going with him, nor will you, for that matter. I¡¯ll get a taxi so that you won¡¯t have to catch a bus.¡± Hearing this, Elijah observed with interest the somewhat young and naive man, questioning, ¡°So, you think that Angie isn¡¯t safe with me? But what makes you think that she¡¯s safe being with you? Fortunately, she did not sustain any major injuries today. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be sitting here so calmly having this conversation with me. And you, why didn¡¯t you discuss with Courtney what happened? It¡¯s fine that you don¡¯t want to return to Manhattan with me, but you need to show that at least you are able to live normally here.¡± After Elijah had lectured them, Zeke looked up only to find that he had regained that cold and emotionless expression, making it seem like the person just now wasn¡¯t him. Pondering about the whole situation, Zeke felt something was more and more amiss. ¡°Do you¡­ actually know him?¡± Giving in, Angie replied, ¡°In his words, he is my father. Foster father, to be exact.¡± ¡°What?¡± The revtion made the young man jump up from his chair with a pale face. Chapter 497 One Night Surprise Chapter 497 Chapter 497 Not a Coincidence It was already the dead of night when they reached Melrose City. Elijah called Courtney and sent Angie to the Melrose Hospital. Lying on the bed, Angie covered half her face with the nket, leaving only her eyes exposed so she could observe Courtney. Although Courtney was gently redressing Elijah¡¯s wound, she spoke in a stern tone. ¡°You don¡¯t have to look at me like that. I shouldn¡¯t have let youe to Citron Apparel if I had known what your thoughts were.¡± After hearing Elijah¡¯s summary of what happened, Courtney had cold sweat running down her back, as she couldn¡¯t imagine how guilty she would feel if that knife had fully stabbed Angie. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Since Angie had admitted her mistakes, Courtney did not reprimand her further because Elijah was right in that she herself had a simr personality too. Back then, she had done the same things as Angie at Sunhill, so she wasn¡¯t in a position to say how out of line she acted. As Courtney¡¯s bandaging techniques were better, Elijah could at least move his fingers now. Nodding satisfyingly, he then noticed Courtney¡¯s wrist when she reached out to pick up the scissors. Showing a rare smile, Elijah asked, ¡°When did such children¡¯s y interest you?¡± Suddenly understanding his words, Courtney lowered her head and looked at the sticker. Not replying, she diverted the conversation while tidying her things. ¡°Did you say that Walter¡¯s dead?¡± Angie remembered that before she left Silvercreek District Hospital, she saw Piper undoing her dreadlocks on the bathroom floor. Feeling somewhat stuffy inside, she nodded. ¡°Is this a coincidence?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shaking her head, Angie then retracted her gaze while Elijah said bluntly, ¡°It isn¡¯t¡± Taking out his phone from his suit pocket, he tapped into the photo gallery and gave it to Courtney. ¡°Piper was pestered by a middle-aged man when she first entered middle school. That time, they were both in Melrose. After Walter found out, he even called some people to beat them up. Since then, the man stopped stalking her. Finally, Walter quit and brought his family back to Silvercreek.¡± Looking through the photos, Courtney frowned upon noticing something was wrong. ¡°This Shawn Kaiser person had one million wired into his bank ount¡­¡± Nodding, Elijah confirmed her thoughts. ¡°That man¡¯s name is Shawn Kaiser.¡± ¡°Being an avid gambler, he had already racked up quite the debt outside. Three days before, he had a million transferred to his ount, which he then went to Silvercreek District to find Piper, so this could not be just a coincidence.¡± Angie then finally understood the whole situation. ¡°Walter got into the crash because he had received the message, but Piper had said that she didn¡¯t send any message to her father.¡± Bing a bit more serious now, Courtney asked, ¡°What about Shawn?¡± Standing up, Elijah also had a simr expression. ¡°Shawn won¡¯t tell. He has a wife and kid, who is just a month old. He has to ensure their safety, so forcing him to open his mouth will only force him to death.¡± His words made the atmosphere in the ward even heavier, while Courtney and Angie had awful expressions on their faces. At this moment, a nurse suddenly entered, seeming a bit panicky. ¡°Courtney, the child is acting up again.¡± Standing up, she reminded Angie to rest up earlier when she reached the entrance and told Elijah, ¡°I want you to meet someone.¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. Following Courtney, Elijah then reached the VIP children¡¯s ward downstairs. Opening the door, he saw a tanned boy pacing around the ward barefoot. Besides the nket and pillow on the floor and a bed, there was nothing else in the room. ¡°Jimmy.¡± The moment Courtney entered, the little boy immediately quieted down. With his suspicious gaze turning excited, he ran up and hugged her leg. This scene made Elijah slightly curious. ¡°Who is this little fellow? I have never seen him before.¡± After hearing Elijah¡¯s voice, the child looked up with eyes full of terror and rejection as Courtney patted his head while exining patiently, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid of him. He¡¯s my friend.¡± But her words failed to reassure him as the kid was running behind the bed and growling as soon as Elijah wanted to get close to him. With an awkward expression, Courtney looked somewhat resignedly at Elijah as she took out a piece of sticker while picking up his unhurt hand. Sticking it to the back of his hand, Courtney then turned toward the cowering boy in the corner and said, ¡°See, I didn¡¯t lie to you, did I?¡± The boy calmed down the second he saw the back of Elijah¡¯s hand, his wolf-like alertness slowly going away. Walking toward them cautiously, he only smiled upon closing in enough to see what the picture was on the paper, and then he grabbed Elijah¡¯s hand. Elijah only felt a bit baffled by all this. Although Courtney tried coaxing the kid to go to bed, he kept his silence while holding a whiteboard in his hand. Drawing on it for some time, he showed her. It depicted a fierce-looking woman who had a syringe in her hand and was aiming it at him, who in turn was hiding behind the bed. After seeing this, Courtney then hummed a luby tofort him. ¡°Your method seems a bit familiar. Did you alsomunicate with Jordan like this?¡± His words reawakened Courtney¡¯s memories of five years ago, and the happy thoughts temporarily cleared up the doubts in her eyes. ¡°This is why I have an inexplicable feel toward little Timmy here.¡± With Courtney at her side, the tired child then fell asleep soon after. Seeing that he was in a deep sleep, Courtney then carefully folded the hem of his pants up and hinted at Elijah to take a look. Elijah frowned upon seeing the tattoo on his ankle, asking, ¡°What is this?¡± Briefly exining what took ce, Courtney had a request for Elijah after he had fully grasped the situation. ¡°Timmy¡¯s going to be discharged tomorrow. I want to bring him back to the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. But, there¡¯re a lot of eyes there, so I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s the most suitable ce for him. That¡¯s why I¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be flying back to Manhattan in a few days¡¯ time to take care of something, so just send him to my manor. There are not many servants there, and I¡¯m the only one living there anyway.¡± With the light casting a dark silhouette, Elijah cut Courtney off before she could finish, his stoic face lightening up a bit. ¡°I will also check up on the dead lead on Walter, so you don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡± Nodding somewhat gratefully, Courtney then exited the ward with Elijah ¡°How¡¯s Old Master Duncan?¡± His cold voice echoed through the corridor. ¡°He still hasn¡¯t gotten any better.¡± Chapter 498 One Night Surprise Chapter 498 Chapter 498 Missing Tina Courtney¡¯s aunt, Alicia, called her on her birthday to invite both Courtney and Alexander back to the Somerfields for a meal. As they did not hail from a business background, the Somerfields did not really pay attention to much etiquette. The celebration only involved a feast, and the family gathered around happily. At the table, Josephine was trying to get the meat from a pincer of a crab, which she then gave to Alicia after amassing a teful. ¡°Happy birthday, Great-Aunt.¡± Laughing joyfully, Alicia was visibly ted. Seeing this, Courtney wondered how much happier she would be if she were to see the present Josephine had prepared for her. Unexpectedly, Josephine, who was still eating the crab, slowly took out the jade bracelet with her oily hands, giving it to Alicia. Hesitatingly slightly, Alicia then started to sob before actually crying on her husband¡¯s shoulder like a child. Alexander, who was still eating soup, was bewildered at this scene as he met the gaze of his bewildered daughter. ¡°Great-Aunt, if you don¡¯t like it, you can exchange it at the shop. You don¡¯t have to cry,¡± saying it with a nose full of crab roe, Josephine panicked slightly. Upon hearing this, Alicia looked up and gave her a few pecks while hugging her with an overjoyed face. ¡°I like it. I like it very much.¡± Dizzy from the kisses, Josephine couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°If you like it, then why are you crying? Fiona is also a crybaby. When I asked her why she cried, she said it was because she liked Ethan.¡± Hearing this, Alexander had a rare smile appear on his face. He raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Then, do you like Ethan? After all, Mr. Langley likes you very much.¡± After mulling over it seriously, Josephine then nodded. This made Courtney feel like a great disaster had befallen her. ¡°I do not want you and Cameron to be rtives.¡± ¡°Miss Cameron¡¯s temper is a bit short, so I don¡¯t want to be rted to her as well.¡± ¡­ Aliciaughed so heartily that her eyes squinted. She asked the young child, ¡°Josie, do you know what rtives by marriage mean?¡± Thinking that it should be no different from rtives, Josephine did not think about the meaning too much, seeing how happy her Great-Aunt was. Standing up, she took another crab and continued eating. While Courtney was eating soup, the phone on the table suddenly lit up. It showed that a message was sent by Cameron, making her think that she really shouldn¡¯t speak about other people behind their backs. ¡®Tina was saying that she¡¯s missing her godmother, so I picked her up to let her stay overnight at my ce.¡¯ Still eating the soup, Courtney only replied with an ¡®OK¡¯. ¡ª¡ª Afternoon the next day, Courtney received a call during her lunch at the hospital¡¯s cafeteria. It was from Tina¡¯s form teacher, asking if something had happened to her, since she was absent from school yesterday. Feeling something off, Courtney hung up calmly before phoning Cameron. After Cameron picked up the call, her voice had a hint of fatigue. Upon hearing what Courtney said, she instantly said in disbelief and shrilly, ¡°You said that I had picked Tina up yesterday? I didn¡¯t!¡± As Cameron had just rushed a press release for a project overnight, she had nned to sleep as soon as she got off work, but Courtney¡¯s words were like an adrenaline shot,pletely dispelling her sleepiness. ¡°Come to the Duncans. We¡¯ll talk further there.¡± Feeling a sense of dread creeping from within, she said those words with great effort before hanging up, unrest slowly enveloping her. When she reached there, Alexander and Cameron were already waiting for her in the reception room of the Duncan Family with solemn faces. ¡°Courtney, what did you mean on the phone? You were being so vague that it made me panic in fear.¡± Seeing Courtney enter, Cameron quickly went up to her. On the way back, she was so lost that she also called for Alexander toe back. Sitting down teary-eyed, Courtney took her phone from her bag and opened up the messenger app. ¡®Tina was saying that she¡¯s missing her godmother, so I picked her up to let her stay overnight at my ce.¡¯ ¡®OK.¡¯ Cameron, who saw the conversation, jumped up from the sofa with wide eyes and said in disbelief, ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! I was on overtime all night yesterday and didn¡¯t even go home, so how could I have sent you the message¡­¡± Suddenly remembering something, Cameron had a terrifying thought sh through her mind. ¡°I went to the supermarket downstairs to buy some coffee. During that time, I had somehow lost my phone. It was a youngdy that returned it to me just as I was about to leave the ce,¡± saying that, she fished her phone out from her bag and opened the text log between her and Courtney, only for it to show a conversation from very long ago. This time, Courtney was truly afraid. She felt that she needed to do something while ayer of cold sweat formed on her forehead after a brief spell of dizziness. ¡°Courtney¡­¡± With his deep gaze, Alexander was worried about how these continuous blows affected her. Hearing him call out, she tried her best to look up. With eyes full of pain, she matched Alexander¡¯s gaze and said hoarsely, ¡°Alexander, please save Tina¡­¡± As Cameron wasn¡¯t in the know, she naturally could not connect the previous events with Tina¡¯s disappearance, so sheforted Courtney by saying, ¡°We¡¯d lost Tina when she was much younger. Since she is grown up now, we can try searching for her. Maybe things aren¡¯t asplicated as we think¡­¡± But her words did not enter Courtney¡¯s ears. Thetter was trying hard to make herself calm down when suddenly, an idea shot through her mind. Folding her sleeves up, Courtney then pointed to the symbol on the post note and asked with teary eyes, ¡°Have you seen this before?¡± Closing her eyes, Cameron recalled her memories frantically before pping. ¡°I remember now. When I was at the food section of the supermarket yesterday, I bumped into a man there, and his back, no, it was his neck that had this exact symbol.¡± Her words were like a hammer that smashed Courtney¡¯s chest, after which she picked up her phone and wanted to go out. Her hasty footsteps were stopped by a low voice as Alexander stood up with pity in his eyes. But, he had to keep his cool at that moment and reminded Courtney, ¡°You would only alert them by going to him now. He could be long gone from that supermarket by now. Finding Tina through the man isn¡¯t the only way. I¡¯ll be going to the school to see what information I can glean from there. Cameron, I want you to call the police now and apany Courtney.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going with you.¡± As a torrent of emotions raged inside her, Courtney tugged on Alexander¡¯s shirt with trembling hands. Alexander, who turned around and embraced her tightly, gave Courtney¡¯s exhausted mental state an energy boost. ¡°Just wait for me toe back.¡± Saying that confidently, he then left through the Duncans¡¯ main entrance.This is from N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 499 One Night Surprise Chapter 499 Chapter 499 The Sudden Recall of a Memory In the teacher¡¯s office, Tina¡¯s homeroom teacher had already made sense of the general situation, so she called the two students over. They nodded to the grim-looking Alexander, who was sitting on the sofa. ¡°These two were the students who were with Tina when they got off school yesterday, so they should be thest ones who saw her.¡± Pointing to the taller individual, the teacher said, ¡°Tell us about what happened, Ristelle.¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze thennded on the girl named Ristelle. ¡°It was the announcement of the mock exam grades yesterday. Tina scored well, so we nned to celebrate after school. But after eating just a piece of cake at a dessert shop, Tina suddenly said something came up and left without exnation.¡± ¡°Something came up?¡± As Alexander lowered his gaze, the other girl nodded, adding, ¡°That¡¯s right. I saw that Tina had an unnatural expression on her as we entered the dessert shop. Usually, we would y around, but she did not speak much yesterday. It was as if she had something on her mind. When she left, she did it in a hurry. She did not even bid us farewell properly.¡± After they finished, the two girls nodded confidently. Gazing at them somewhat coldly, Alexander asked, ¡°Which dessert shop was it?¡± After twenty minutes, Alexander¡¯s car had arrived outside the shop, after which he subtly shifted his body to the car door. Observing the pedestrian outside silently, he had done a good job of hiding all his emotions behind his cold gaze. ¡°I got it. I told the boss that my sister had gotten lost. Add a five hundred on top, and she gave it all to me.¡± About fifteen minutester, the driver¡¯s door was opened, with Eric hastily entering the car and giving the ck thumb drive to the man behind him. Plugging the thumb drive into theputer, Alexander did not want to waste any more time, his expression sinking as quickly as the video was fast-forwarded. The footage showed that at 6:35 P.M. yesterday, Tina and her two friends had entered the shop, sitting by the left side. During that period, the waiter had served three desserts, to which Tina only had two bites of her cakes before leaving the shop with her bag at 7:08 P.M. Frowning, he easily noticed that Tina had obviously stopped her footsteps the moment they entered the shop. For the remaining duration, she kept staring at something on her right-hand side, but the surveince camera¡¯s angle did not include what she was looking at. Feeling in a bit of a pickle, Alexander slightly rxed by leaning against the seat. While massaging the middle of his eyebrows, he was suddenly struck by a thought, and he immediately rewound the footage. Just before Tina left, there were two people who passed through the footage in a sh, seeming like they hade from the right side of the shop to the entrance. Leaving first, they were soon followed by Tina. Although Alexander¡¯s instinct was telling him something, their silhouette was too blurry, so he couldn¡¯t make their faces out. After thinking for a while, he sent a screenshot of them to Oliver. ¡®Help me take a look at this. I want to know who they are.¡¯ Oliver, who had received his message, was assigned to troubleshoot data just then, so he took advantage of the empty space while theputer was looping through the database to refine the given image before sending it back. ¡®It¡¯ll take some time to ascertain their identities, but you should be able to see their faces somewhat clearly now.¡¯ Staring at the image Oliver sent back, Alexander had his handsome face slowly contorted. Some troublesome andplicated matters resurfaced until his fingers rxed and someplexion returned to his face. After getting himself to be calm again, the slight moisture in his hand reminded him of what he was recalling. ¡®No need. I know who they are.¡¯ Being almost suffocated by the atmosphere in the car, Eric, who turned back to look at Alexander¡¯s expression, gulped upon finding out that Alexander¡¯s face could not be any more solemn. ¡°One hour. Find all the footage after Tina had stepped out of the shop to the exact moment she went missing and deliver it to my office.¡± ¡°Yes, President.¡± Hearing this, Eric had a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. After sending Alexander back to Sunhill, he started busying himself and ran himself ragged to Alexander¡¯s desk after one hour. ¡°President, I¡¯ve sent all the footage to your email. Do you have any further instructions?¡± ¡°Get the car.¡± After checking the footage, Alexander still had a solemn face. mming hisptop shut, he had already walked out before Eric could even have the chance to catch his breath. Following Alexander¡¯s instructions, Eric had parked at a newly built vi area in the New East Block District. After ten minutes, the two of them were standing at the entrance of a duplex-style vi. In tow were tens of strong-looking men in ck suits, who were all hired by Alexander to be his bodyguards. Ringing the doorbell, Eric felt that the group of bodyguards was quite unnecessary. ¡°Who is it?¡± After a short while, the entrance of the vi opened with a middle-aged woman in maid¡¯s clothing peeking out. Seeing this amount of people alerted her, so she only opened the door enough for her to see who was outside. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Hello, we¡¯re here to look for¡­¡± Speaking courteously, Eric suddenly stopped up to this point and turned to look at Alexander. ¡°President Duncan, who are we looking for?¡± With a matching expression to those behind him, Alexander did not reply to him as he reached out and grabbed the edge of the door. Seeing Alexander pulling on it forcefully, the weak servant could only let the entrance to the vi be opened. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Susan,¡± said Alexander coldly, with some hints of anger in his voice. Before he even finished, he had already entered the vi. ¡°M-Madam¡­¡± As the servant hastily went upstairs, a woman soon came down, downing a light gray robe. Looking about fifty years old, she had around shoulder-length brown hair. Paired with her exquisite makeup and the obvious care she took on her body, she still looked quite youthful for her age. ¡°How dare you people trespass on private property? Do you think I would be afraid to call the police?¡± Standing on the second floor, Susan was livid upon seeing the group of people in ck downstairs. Just as she was about to call the police, she saw Alexander standing in front of the pack. ¡°A-Alexander.¡± Keeping her phone away, Susan was somewhat shocked at his appearance. Ever since the takeover of Sunrise Enterprise by Sunhill Enterprise five years ago, the two never really came into contact with each other anymore. Composing herself quickly, Susan then sauntered down the stairs while smiling. ¡°I still remember the promise with you. But, President Duncan, it would seem that you have forgotten about it, no?¡± Looking coldly at the person approaching him, he did not think further as he tried his hardest to suppress his anger, saying in a low and hoarse voice, ¡°Where¡¯s Tina?¡± Chapter 500 One Night Surprise Chapter 500 Chapter 500 This Is Illegal Hearing Alexander¡¯s words, Susan stopped for a second beforeughing openly. Her shrill tone reverberated throughout the living room, making everyone¡¯s hair stand on end. ¡°Do you mean to say that brat, Tina, has gone missing? Why have youe to poor old Susan when the Duncans lost their child? Did you think that I would kill her as a recement for Anna¡¯s life? She¡¯s not worthy!¡± Leaning against the staircase railing, Susan trembled slightly. These past five years had thoroughly taught her how tragic it was to be alone; the moment before her daughter fell was still imprinted in her mind, with her failing to forget about it no matter how hard she tried. She had thought of making Courtney lose something of equal value, but every time Susan would remember what Alexander said to her on the top floor of the Sunrise Enterprise the day Sunhill signed the takeover contract. As a result, Susan could only dispel such ideas again and again. The rage within Alexander finally manifested itself under Susan¡¯s instigation. He snatched the printed screenshots and threw them coldly at her face. As the living room was slowly covered with papers, Susan nced at some of them and suddenly turned pale. ¡°Do you have anything to say for yourself?¡± The cold gaze staring right into her soul pulled her back to five years ago. Back then, Alexander had her stand on the tethering edge of the top floor while nonchntly adjusting his cufflinks. ¡°I think you know best whether Mr. Hunter died of sickness or not. If you don¡¯t want to die a dog¡¯s death like Anna, I can also arrange for you to live the rest of your life in prison.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already agreed to sell Sunrise to your enterprise. What more do you want?¡± ¡°Leave Courtney alone. If I get wind of you approaching anybody close to her, consider yourself dead.¡± When Susan snapped back from the frightful memory, her knees wobbled as she barely managed to stand straight. Looking again at the group of people in ck, she did not dare to be as arrogant as before. Wiping away the sweat from her forehead, she avoided Alexander¡¯s gaze and looked toward the floorboards of the living room, saying, ¡°Yesterday, it was Tina, that little wench, who followed me. It was after a while that I discovered what she was up to, but I only sent her away and did nothing to her.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you purposefully lure Tina into an empty alley without surveince? After that, your car then shortly drove away from the said alley. How dare you say that she wasn¡¯t in your car!¡± Alexander rushed forward and choked Susan. The rage within him caused him to tighten his grip until she was rolling her eyes and kicking her feet all over. Seeing this, Eric quickly went up and stopped him. Panting, Susan shook her head vehemently. ¡°I did not. I only rendered her unconscious. I then drove away after that¡­¡± With a sharp gaze, Alexander looked down at Susan slumped on the ground and raised his hand. ¡°Search this ce.¡± In an instant, the group of people behind him dispersed, heading to every corner of the vi. Looking up in disbelief, she quickly witnessed hervish vi be dpidated, with a porcin vase smashed as its piecesnded beside her leg. With bloodshot eyes, she shrieked, ¡°This is illegal, Alexander Duncan!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee to call the police.¡± While saying this coldly, Alexander, who upon confirming that no traces of Tina were to be found in the vi, nodded and walked out of thepound. Just as he was about to step out of the main entrance, he stopped. Although his silhouette was slightly blurred by the dim light, his low voice was still as piercing as ever. ¡°Susan, you better pray that Tina is fine. Otherwise, I will make good on what I said back then.¡± His fading footsteps matched her beating heart. It was until he finally disappeared from her sight that she quickly took her phone out and dialed a number. ¡°Woozy, have you found the brat?¡± ¡°I told you that you shouldn¡¯t have messed around with Tina. Are you sure that she was gone by the time you went back? Or did you actually hide her away in secret?¡± Susan then fell silent. Hanging up, she loosened up slightly before clenching her teeth after recalling what happenedst night. On the way back from the vi to Sunhill, Eric kept peeking at Alexander in the rearview mirror. Eric¡¯s hair stood on end after he remembered what had taken ce just now. Looking outside, Alexander had a calm but solemn stare. Suddenly, something came to his mind as he took out his phone from his pocket. ¡°Josh, about Mr. Hunter¡¯s death that I told you to find out five years ago¡ª¡± There was total silence. ¡°Alright,e back then. As fast as possible.¡± After hanging up, Alexander recalled watching Courtney not eat or sleep because of her father¡¯s passing five years ago, which made it a painful memory for him. He ordered Josh to investigate the whole situation after overhearing some of Courtney and Susan¡¯s conversations. Although Josh did manage to find something, he and Courtney hadpletely fallen apart at that point. Therefore, he had chased Josh, who was there to report this matter to him, away. Since then, nobody brought this subject up in front of him again. ¡°Eric, to the police station.¡± Leaning on the car seat, Alexander was slightly fatigued from running around nonstop, but he still had to keep his wits about him. In the short timeframe that he shut his eyes, his phone rang again. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Alexander, Courtney¡¯s missing¡ª¡± Cameron was the one who called and in obvious panic. ¡°After we came back from the police station, Courtney kept mumbling about needing to find that man, but I told her to hold it off until you return. Yet, she was gone after I identally dozed off.¡± Closing his eyes, Alexander immediately hung up and called Courtney multiple times but to no avail. ¡°Go to Sakura Restaurant.¡± ¡­ Stepping into the Japanese restaurant, Courtney was greeted by a picture on the wall. At this time, a waiter in a kimono approached to ask about the number of guests. Waving her hand, Courtney replied, ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone.¡± ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± ¡°My brother.¡± She pointed at the man in the picture. Understanding her intentions immediately, the waitress smiled before saying, ¡°Mike isn¡¯t working here anymore. So, you¡¯re his sister. You are beautiful.¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. While mumbling to herself, Courtney noticed something and showed an embarrassed face. ¡°Does my brother often mention me to you?¡± ¡°He does. He only smiles whenever he mentions his beloved sister each time. The boss had chided him countless times because of this.¡± ¡°Then, where is he now?¡± Feeling a bit guilty, the woman then tugged on Courtney¡¯s sleeve and went to the side. ¡°Didn¡¯t Mike tell you? It¡¯s actually because of me. That day, I identally spilled some alcohol on a customer¡¯s shirt, and he only got fired because he took the fall for me. I bet he didn¡¯t want to tell you because you might get worried. He said that he has a nice ie being a fishmonger at the market too¡­¡± ¡°At the market?¡± The woman looked at Courtney truthfully and nodded profusely with gigantic eyes. ¡°Which market?¡± ¡°That I don¡¯t know. But it should be somewhere around here¡ª¡± Without waiting for her to finish, Courtney was already about to leave when she suddenly remembered something. Turning back, she shoved two notes in the girl¡¯s hands. ¡°Don¡¯t tell my brother that I was here.¡± Chapter 501 One Night Surprise Chapter 501 Chapter 501 Like a Lost Lamb After asking around the nearby markets, Courtney then started to check the nearby stall one by one until she finally found the familiar silhouette in East Borough Market on Vine Street an hourter. Not far away, she could see a middle-aged man fish a fat carp out from the tank before descaling before he took out its guts and ced it in a ck stic bag. Handing it to an old woman, he took the money at the same time toplete this motion in one swift motion. After receiving the money, the man was so busy that he did not have the time to wipe his sweat as he quickly attended to his next customer. Standing from afar, Courtney watched all this in silence. If not for the recognizable tattoo on the back of the man¡¯s neck, she would have a hard time linking this honest and hard-working man to the same evil man that walked out of Old Master Duncan¡¯s room. Taking her phone out, she then took a photo of him. Not long after that, the man received a phone call only to hang up with a heavy expression. After telling the person beside him, he removed his waterproof overalls before heading to the market¡¯s exit. Just as Courtney was about to follow him, her phone rang at this moment, which surprised her, after which she shut her phone off while rejecting the call at the same time. From the west exit of the market was a small park nearby. As the man hastily walked there, he would asionally turn back and be alert as he looked around, making Courtney, who was hiding and sneaking around, nearly lose him. After he had crossed the road, he went into the park¡¯s side entrance. While she hid under the thick greenery, Courtney finally knew why the man came. She immediately took her phone from the bag only to realize she had shut it off, just as she wanted to take a photo. Yet, it was this slip of attention that gave the two people the chance to disappear. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Feeling a sense of unease, Courtney was about to leave when she felt a person appear behind her. After that, a dull pain spread from behind her head as she tried hard to properly stand up. She still slumped onto the ground in the end. Right before she lost consciousness, she could see from her blurry vision that a shadow approached her and took away something from her hands. ¡­ Eric, who came out from Sakura Restaurant, reported to Alexander upon getting into the passenger seat. ¡°A female waitress said that Mrs. Duncan came here an hour prior, but she didn¡¯t manage to find the person she was looking for. On top of that, she said that she might have gone looking at a nearby market¡­¡± As Alexander used his hand to support his forehead, his rationality had been overwritten by panic since he wanted to turn the whole city upside down just to locate Courtney and Tina at any cost. ¡°Eric, you¡­¡± Just as Alexander was about to take action, a message was sent to him, making his phone ring. ¡°The shrubbery at the west entrance of Vine Park.¡± Reading this message, the few words were enough to make his blood boil. ¡°Go to Vine Park.¡± When Alexander found Courtney, she had already been dragged to the deepest parts of the park. Finding her first, Eric then pointed to an unconscious Courtney leaning against a huge rock before he shouted, ¡°She¡¯s here!¡± As Alexander stopped at that moment, his tall stature suddenly slumped in the sea of greenery. Eric, who had been ecstatic to find her, was shocked when he turned back to see that Alexander¡¯s bloodshot gaze had turned into one on the verge of tears. The man¡¯s usually cold expression was reced with one that looked like a missing child that was feeling helpless and lost. ¡°President Duncan¡ª¡± Standing on the spot in a daze, Eric then looked at Alexander approaching Courtney with heavy footsteps before leaning over to carry her, as the blood flowing from behind her head dyed his white shirt red. ¡°To the hospital.¡± Alexander almost could not say anything with a hoarse voice. Inside the ward of the Melrose City Hospital, Linda had her hands in her coat with a stern expression. Shaking her head, she asked, ¡°What did Courtney get herself into now? Why does trouble never stop looking for her after the day you two married?¡± Alexander, who was beside her, shuddered a bit upon hearing this as he recalled his recent memories. Now that he thought about it, it was not just after they had married as it seemed like nothing had gone her way the moment he met her. ¡°You should go on first.¡± Staring at the pale face on the bed, Alexander had regained his usualposure without any hint of panic and unrest on his face. Nodding, Linda was about to exit the ward when she suddenly turned around and stated, ¡°Courtney might not wake up tonight, but you sure need a rest.¡± Her words fell on deaf ears as it echoed around the room. After looking at the statue-like man, she then paused for a second before leaving. Caleb was waiting for her with two lunch boxes at the entrance when she was scared by the bodyguards that were positioned beside the door by Alexander. Clutching her chest, she then stared at both of them before saying, ¡°I think you two should go in and persuade him to rest. Your president seems to be on the verge of copsing. After all, he has already arranged for such a tight security detail, so what does he have to be afraid of?¡± Linda then took the lunch box and happily smiled when she saw the butter prawns she had been craving for. cing his hand around her shoulder, Caleb walked with her in the direction of the doctor¡¯s office before his voice echoed in the long hallway of the hospital. ¡°I heard something that happened between them. If you¡¯ve heard it, then maybe you wouldn¡¯t be so puzzled too.¡± ¡°Then, how about you tell me that?¡± Caleb¡¯s words were unheard as they faded into the distance. As the two disappeared from the hallway, the door to Courtney¡¯s ward was opened once again with Cameroning in with teary eyes and an apologetic look while holding her hand from under the nket. ¡°The doctors said that it was nothing major as the person who attacked her had controlled their force.¡± ¡°Who is it and why?¡± Alexander did not know how to reply to her as he still did not find any useful leads, making him tighten the hands that were on his legs until the veins popped. ¡°She must have been attacked because she managed to find something, but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°The person who attacked her should be the same person that sent me her location.¡± This was something that Alexander did not understand, as every incident that happened seemed to be targeting the Duncan Family or Courtney. From the incident where Natasha fell down the stairs to Tina going missing, these were all very cruel and direct methods. Only this time, they let Courtney off, even though this was the perfect opportunity to strike. Cameron frowned upon hearing all this as she paced around the ward with unease and even cursed quite a lot. Frustrated by her actions, Alexander was about to say something when he saw Courtney turning her head in distress. Hurriedly, he then grabbed her hands. ¡°Alex¡­¡± As Courtney mumbled, she then suddenly opened her eyes. Seeing a light above her, she felt a bit dazed. ¡°Courtney.¡± Cameron and Alexander calling her name at the same time made her snap back to reality. ¡°It¡¯s Raymond.¡± The moment she opened her eyes, Courtney could feel the sweat in her palms as she kept recalling the scene she saw just before she copsed. Chapter 502 One Night Surprise Chapter 502 Chapter 502 The Nightstalker ¡°Courtney, you¡¯re awake!¡± Staring at her, Cameron had a hint of happiness before it was reced with anger as she crossed her arms and chided Courtney. ¡°I thought we had agreed to wait for Alexander to return before discussing. Why did you run off by yourself just as I happened to doze off? You were lucky this time. If anything else happened, then I would¡¯ve died with you!¡± Waking up to hear Cameron scolding her like this, Courtney blinked somewhat innocently with her pale lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Cameron. I was wrong.¡± As Alexander coughed lightly, he nced at Cameron impatiently before saying, ¡°You¡¯re a bit loud.¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± In disbelief, a livid Cameron then pointed at her own nose. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Nothing would¡¯ve happened if you hadn¡¯t dozed off,¡± he added calmly. ¡°Alexander Duncan, are you trying to find excuses for your wife right now? He did not reply to this. Since Courtney saw that the situation was worsening and felt that it might escte, she quickly changed the subject before Cameron lost her cool. ¡°Even though I did pay the price, it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t gain anything either. I saw Raymond in the park too. Looks like this person is involved in this whole mess.¡± Thinking back, Courtney then started to piece together some incidents that did not seem to be corrted, such as the reason for Raymond¡¯s sudden appearance at the press conference to criticize herpany and the fact that Jimmy was also adopted by the World Vision Orphanage. As she recalled all these, she gripped Alexander¡¯s hand while speaking in a hurry, ¡°I think that Tina¡¯s disappearance might have something to do with him.¡± Nodding, Alexander stood up to arrange the pillow for her to sit up gently before reassuring her, ¡°Just let me handle this. Before you recover, I¡¯ll handle everything for you.¡± He did not scold her, and he did not even show her a hint of anger either. However, this only served to make Courtney feel even more guilty as Tina was on her mind when she went out this afternoon. Even though Courtney had promised not long ago to be by his side forever and for always, she did not consider Alexander¡¯s disposition one bit. If this small incident was enough to make her lose all sense, then what damage would she cause to him if the assant did not end there? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Alex.¡± Holding his hand with hers, she opened his hand up before tracing his palm with her fingers. She wanted to remind herself how grand his love was to her, and that she was not willing to lose this feeling again. As a lovey-dovey atmosphere started to spread from between them, Cameron interrupted as she looked at Alexander¡¯s breathing bing more ragged. ¡°Hey, hey, hey, there¡¯s still a living, breathing person here. Could you two at least acknowledge my existence?¡± Hearing this, Alexander replied, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. I¡¯ll let Eric send you back first.¡± Cameron, who saw Courtney stick her tongue out to her, gave an expression that went along the lines of Courtney betraying her before she started to walk to the door. Yet, before she left, she called Gale. ¡°Honey,e and pick me up. I need you.¡± Then, Cameron turned andmented, ¡°You two are disgusting.¡± mming the door, she left with the sound of her high heels striking the floor filling the atmosphere. When they saw this, Courtney and Alexander bothughed out loud before he stood up and gave her a peck on the forehead. ¡°Just rest for now. I¡¯ll keep youpany.¡± Since she knew she could not chase him away, she only nodded but suddenly remembered something as she was about to lie down. Then, she hurriedly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s my phone?¡± ¡°I have it.¡± Alexander took out the phone from his pocket and gave it to her, after which she quickly opened her gallery only to find the previous photos she took had been deleted. She already expected this, so she ced the device on the table. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I felt someone taking my phone when I was unconscious. Looks like it wasn¡¯t a hallucination. The photos I¡¯ve taken are all gone.¡± After he nodded, Alexander then opened their conversation page. ¡°The location was also sent from your phone.¡± This shocked Courtney as she looked at him with an inexplicable expression only to recall something. ¡°At Sakura Restaurant, I said I was the man¡¯s sister only to find out that coincidentally, he really did have a younger sister. Besides that, they apparently have quite a close rtionship. I think that this could also be a lead.¡± He frowned as he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll go and check it out.¡± ¡­ As Melrose City saw rapid development within these few years, innumerable skyscrapers appeared out of nowhere thereafter. Yet, nobody cared to notice that smacked dead in the center of this bright city was an old residential unit that was spared from demolition. The six-story residential unit waspletely surrounded by the various taller buildings as its faded walls revealed depressing ck-colored molds under it. Combined with the cramped stairwell and the smell of mold everywhere, this ce did not fit in with the vibrant city at all. It was in this cramped space that Mike Winom¡¯s face was illuminated by the lighting from outside. Staying in the darkness, his deep gaze had a terrifying look to them. Pinching the soon-to-be finished cigarette, he subsequently took a very long drag with all his might before throwing it into the ashtray that was almost full. Clink. Tilting his head subtly, he lit another cigarette as the light revealed his troubled expression. Finally, his phone screen brightened as he unlocked the screen with peering eyes, revealing a conversation log in front of him. ¡®It was a perfect chance today. Why didn¡¯t you do it? Don¡¯t tell me that you became soft-hearted?¡± ¡®There were people there. It wasn¡¯t wise to do so.¡¯ ¡®Alexander Duncan will soon find you. You don¡¯t have much time.¡¯ ¡®I know.¡¯ ¡®Did Raymond get exposed?¡¯ ¡®Yup.¡¯ ¡®Looks like we can only cancel our original n then. I¡¯ve some other arrangements that I would like you to do. Raymond has messed up, so he needs to pay for his mistakes. I will keep my promise after this matter is done.¡¯ Staring at the phone, Mike was seemingly hesitant at the message as the smoke from the cigarette covered his face and masked his features. Then, he started to type on his phone. He repeatedly wrote and deleted his words before he replied, ¡®Okay.¡¯ Extinguishing the final cigarette, he went to the balcony and dialed a number. ¡°Are you asleep, L?¡± ¡°Nope. Why didn¡¯t youe over today?¡± ¡°I was dyed at work and afraid that I might disturb your rest.¡± His excuse only elicited a nonchnt response from the other side, as the girl tugged on the nket with a heavy heart. The two suddenly went silent. After a long while, Mike suddenly forced himself to say, ¡°I might have to leave the city these two days, so I¡¯ll visit you tomorrow. What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°I want some cream puffs.¡± ¡°Cream puffs again?¡± As heughed out, he dotingly replied, ¡°Alright. Cream puffs, it is then. I¡¯ll go queue at Maxmillian¡¯s Cream Puffs tomorrow.¡± Before he hung up, Mike¡¯s smile disappeared as he stood on the old balcony leaning over while looking at the city with a dazed expression. ¡°I¡¯ll be rich soon. You just have to wait for a while. It¡¯ll be very soon.¡± Keeping his phone, he then felt the night breeze blowing him with a hint of iciness in it, making him awake all of a sudden. Turning around, he then went to his bedroom andid on his bed. He never switched on the lights because he was already used to the darkness and loneliness. Staying alone in this big city, he wore a disguise and feigned like he was like any other man when in fact, his heart had been hollow for a long time to the point where he could only seek sce from this ce. He knew he could never walk out of this building and city ever again. Chapter 503 One Night Surprise Chapter 503 Chapter 503 You Are Hugging the Wrong Leg Aftermunicating with Alexander, Josh packed his things in a hurry to return, but it was at this time when something went wrong with a deal that was already settled. So, Josh could only stay back and address the matter while faxing the information to Eric. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Once Eric hadpiled all the information, he then drove to Purple Peak Mountain estate on the west side of the city using GPS. When he boarded the bus at the estate¡¯s entrance, it took him ten minutes to reach the courtyard. Angie and Hannah were ying tennis not far away. Both of them were exhausted and radiated the energy only a teenager had, making Eric feel hot-blooded. Coughing lightly, he then waved to Alexander, who was sitting at the spectator spot. Alexander was wearing a pair of sports attire today that showed off a different temperament and elegance. After seeing Eric, he pointed at the bus and walked over. ¡°Mommy, you can¡¯t be biased.¡± Josephine and Jimmy were each hugging Courtney¡¯s legs while climbing up on her as if she was a slide at the yground. Turning around, Alexander said sternly, ¡°Do not bully my wife.¡± As Jimmy slid down from Courtney, Alexander watched as the boy cautiously hid behind Josephine before leaving in satisfaction. The bus then drove toward a tea ntation deep inside the mountain as the autumn wind blew, bringing along the refreshing feeling of nature with it. On the way here, Eric¡¯s expression had turned from astonishment to disgust after what he saw. ¡°President Duncan, when did you buy Purple Peak Mountain?¡± There was silence on Alexander¡¯s part. Just as he felt speechless, the bus stopped. Shooting an inexplicable nce at Eric, Alexander then got off. Now that they sat in a gazebo built in the middle of the ntation, both men regained their usual stern demeanor, making the atmosphere somewhat heavy. ¡°This was what Josh sent me. Five years ago, he found out about an important lead. Lucian apparently died of liver failure five years ago, but autopsy reports indicated that they couldn¡¯t find out whether it was due to poisoning or it urred naturally. From this, we can deduce that someone probably did this to him since only long term ingestion of microdosed poison can cause this.¡± Alexander did not say anything as he leaned on the chair with his arms crossed. Staring at the table, he hinted at Eric to continue. Eric cleared his throat and added, ¡°Josh then managed to find a type of drug that caused the same death as Lucian once the person used it for three to five years. Also, an autopsy could never find out the cause, but this drug is banned in our country, as one can only purchase this through the undergroundwork abroad. The kicker is that Susan had been purchasing this drug continuously for thest three years before Lucian passed away.¡± After stating that, Eric then passed a document to Alexander. ¡°This was Susan¡¯s personal transaction. She bought this every six months, totaling up to her buying this five times in the span of three years.¡± As he leaned forward, Alexander took the piece of paper. Yet, for some reason, he felt it was extremely heavy as he knew a simple deal was not enough to charge Susan for murder. So, he leaned back once again. ¡°What else?¡± Eric then hesitated before observing his expression and stated, ¡°About the other leads¡­ Because you did not let Josh continue to investigate, so he¡­¡± When Alexander looked up with a cold gaze, his heart then skipped a beat before the anger in his eyes subsided. Thinking back, he had stopped the investigation, even though he did not know why he did that in the first ce. Seeing this, Eric quickly added, ¡°But, we¡¯ve obtained something after following Susan these few days. She had been meeting with this person, Anon Jenkins, quite frequently. He¡¯s awyer.¡± ¡°Awyer?¡± Alexander was puzzled at this. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve investigated this person. He came from the same vige as Susan and they were even an item when they were younger. They still kept in contact these few years after Lucian¡¯s death and seemed very intimate recently.¡± Alexander¡¯s face darkened when he heard this as Eric paused before continuing, ¡°They met with Lucian¡¯s insurance agent at a cafe yesterday. After that, we did not obtain anything useful from the agent either. Since I thought that this definitely has something to do with his insurance money, I slipped a listening device inside his bag when Anon went to the toilet. We should have a basic view of the situation within these two days.¡± He then ced a couple of photos in front of Alexander. ncing at them briefly, Alexander stood up and tore those to pieces before tossing the shredded pisces onto the table. ¡°Continue investigating.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Peering, Eric then exited the gazebo with Alexander. When they came back from the ntation, Alexander¡¯s solemn expression was already gone. Gale and Cameron, who had arrived earlier, were substituting Josephine and Hannah as they had a heated battle. As he approached them, Alexander felt his leg bing heavier. When he looked down, he saw a tanned face gazing at him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± With an icy expression, he then marched forward only to find the child following his actions. As a result, he conceded and carried the child to the open lunch table while warning, ¡°You¡¯ve hugged the wrong leg. Only Courtney likes abandoned children.¡± After stating that, he then left Jimmy beside the table. Jimmy looked like he did not understand Alexander¡¯s words and spaced out after sitting down for a while. Then, he took out the digital drawing board that Courtney gave him and started to seriously draw on it. Courtney had arranged for an open barbeque, so they all crowded over when the servants hung the meat on the grilling rack after being attracted by the delicious smell. Josephine and Ethan, who had just returned from the artificial beach, were sent to wash their hands by Cameron while Jimmy had kept his drawing board away. Huddled in a corner, he was enjoying his food and closely watched Josephine before identally ncing at Gale, converting his gaze of envy to one of alert. Sitting by Jimmy¡¯s side, Alexander subconsciously added more meat to his te. At the table, Gale looked at Jimmy before lowering his voice to ask, ¡°So, this is the child you brought back?¡± Courtney nodded. ¡°Didn¡¯t he have mania with a slight tendency of self-harm? He doesn¡¯t look like he suffers from that.¡± The current Jimmy waspletely different than when he was first picked up from the hospital. Now, he did not need to rely on tattoos to differentiate people as he could also get close to most of them. ¡°Mr. Elijah has hired a professional child psychologist from abroad to treat him. Actually, Jimmy¡¯s case wasn¡¯t as serious as we thought,¡± added Angie. Ever since Jimmy was discharged from the hospital, she was the one taking care of him. After she went to school, she would still find any chance she could toe back, which was why the person Jimmy relied on the most was her. At the mention of this, Courtney then looked at Gale with an unhappy expression. ¡°Was this why you made Josephine and Ethan y at the beach to leave Jimmy all alone?¡± Cough, cough, cough. ¡°Let¡¯s just eat.¡± Courtney exposing Gale nearly made him cough his lung out in surprise. Chapter 504 One Night Surprise Chapter 504 Chapter 504 He Knew Her True Feelings After eating halfway, Josephine and Ethan went to y while Jimmy disappeared from climbing down from his chair. ¡°Jimmy, let¡¯s build some sand castles together. If you don¡¯t know how to, I can teach you.¡± When she saw that Jimmy followed her, she gave a slight frown as she stopped and reached out to him. Exchanging nces with her, Jimmy was full of joy after carefully observing her. On the other hand, Ethan was obviously not happy at this development as he crossed his arms while pouting, looking as if a formidable enemy had arrived. While Josephine was holding hands with Jimmy, Ethan intentionally slowed down and followed them from behind. Turning around a few times, Jimmy then reached out to him after hesitating for quite a while. ¡°Hmph. I¡¯m not friends with you.¡± Pouting, Ethan did not want to get closer to him. ¡°Ethan, hurry up.¡± Seeing Josephine urging him, the little boy still ran over and held her left hand in the end. ¡°Ethan, did you not wash your hands after eating the wings? It¡¯s so oily.¡± Ethan did not answer this. Soon, the trio arrived at the beach. Before they had even built a castle, Ethan was already ying around and identally knocked over the sand princess Josephine made while they were running around. In a fit of rage, she chased them with the toy shovel, making them run in fear. The joy they were having made Ethan and Jimmy forget about their little spat earlier. On the contrary, the adults were slowly enjoying their meal when Josephine came running to them all of a sudden just as a te of roasted meat was being served. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, it¡¯s bad. Ethan has fallen into the water and Jimmy jumped in too.¡± Josephine ran until she was out of breath and fell onto the ground around 100 meters from where the adults were and did not rise to her feet. Seeing this, Alexander ran as fast as he could and carried her up before giving her to Courtney, who had followed him. Gale was scared out of his wits as he almost felt his heart stop on the way to the beach. When they had arrived at the pool beside the beach, they found the two children already floating to the middle of the pool. Ethan was slowly sinking while Jimmy was running out of strength even though he was still iling his arms. Jumping in at the same time, Gale saved Ethan while Alexander rescued Jimmy. On the other side, Courtney had already informed the family doctor as the doctor arrived soon after the children were sent back to their room. After diagnosis, it was found that there were no major issues on both of them. ¡°You had saved them in a timely manner, so their conditions are still rtively stable. It¡¯s just that they had ingested some water in their lungs. Also, watch out and make sure they don¡¯t catch a cold.¡± Even the usually strong Cameron was teary-eyed now. Gale, who could not keep calm, was chased out the room by her and was scratching his head helplessly. Then, he saw Alexandering down in a clean set of clothes, making him blurt out, ¡°I had said not to let Ethan get together with this Jimmy. Who knows where he came from? Look at what he did in this short span of time! If anything really happened to him, Cameron would kill me.¡± A still drenched Gale was dripping water, no matter where he walked, making Alexander a bit unhappy as he shoved a set of clothes to him. ¡°Whatever it is, change your clothes. Then, we¡¯ll talk.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to change right now, Alexander. I¡¯m just worried whether Cameron would change her husband.¡± Sitting on the genuine leather sofa, Gale then made a wet patch in the shape of his bottom soon enough as Alexander watched with a frown. ¡°Both Ethan and Jimmy fell into the pool, so you can¡¯t just me it all on him.¡± ¡°Alexander¡ª¡± Finding what he heard hard to believe, Gale saw Alexander hinting at his body while saying, ¡°Courtney is very protective of Jimmy right now, so you best not let her hear what you said. Otherwise if she throws a fit, she might make you pay her for a new sofa. Then, you¡¯ll really be at a loss.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you looking down a bit too much on me? It¡¯s just a set of couches¡­¡± ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t that expensive. It¡¯s worth about half the house you have in the city area.¡± ¡°Is this sofa made out of gold?¡± Hearing this, Gale immediately shot up from the sofa and ran upstairs to change. When he came down, Cameron and the others had alsoe out. Acting obediently, he then raised his right hand and swore beside Cameron, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my wife. I will follow Ethan wherever he goes from now on and also tell him to stay away from Jimmy.¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Rolling her eyes at him, Cameron heard Josephine defending Jimmy as Josephine said, ¡°Mr. Langley, it was Ethan who fell into the pool when he tried to pick the shovel up himself. It has nothing to do with Jimmy. Besides, Jimmy only jumped in because he wanted to save him. Sir, I think you have some prejudice against Jimmy.¡± While pouting unhappily, Josephine stared at Gale with big eyes. ¡°Hear that? I told you that we should¡¯ve sent our son to swimming lessons, but you didn¡¯t want to. Otherwise, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. You¡¯re even ming Jimmy in this,¡± Cameron snapped angrily at him. ¡°Josie also said that Ethan and Jimmy are getting along well now. Gale, I think you¡¯re too overprotective,¡± Courtney added. Before he could even react, Gale had found himself themon enemy of the people there as he nced at Alexander to plead for help. Yet, it was at this exact moment that Alexander¡¯s phone rang, making Gale watch his one and only savior walk away. Walking to the side hall, Alexander saw that it was Eric calling him. ¡°President Duncan, we¡¯ve news on Raymond. He went to meet that man at a cafe this morning. After coming out, he had been driving toward the south side of the city. I think that Tina might be there.¡± ¡°Inform the police and keep track of him. I¡¯ll be there immediately.¡± His tightly furrowed brow finally rxed a bit as Alexander found Gale still not out of trouble when he returned to the living room. Looking through the chaotic situation, he managed to meet Courtney¡¯s gaze. As if they had exchanged information, she could see thefort and joy in his eyes. Understanding something from his gaze, she then felt tears rolling down her face uncontrobly. Courtney blocked out the noise and heard a single voice instead. ¡°I got a lead.¡± It was his voice. It was these few short words that cleared Courtney¡¯s cloudy heart. ¡°What? You¡¯ve got a lead on Tina?¡± Gale, who had seen the silver lining, asked sincerely while shifting the flow of the conversation. Nodding, Alexander then embraced Courtney, who was crying like a child by now, much to everyone¡¯s shock and disbelief. After so many days, the emotions in her heart had finally burst as she cried loudly against his chest. After the incident had happened, Courtney carried on with work and life as usual. Even when Cameron was feeling strange about this, only Alexander knew what she was thinking about and knew his woman¡¯s pain. ¡°Wait for me,¡± Alexander said with conviction while kissing Courtney¡¯s forehead. Chapter 505 One Night Surprise Chapter 505 Chapter 505 I¡¯m Out Ever since the day Raymond returned from the park, he had been in constant fear as he kept messaging Mike to make sure that everything was alright, fearing that they might find out Mike was involved. With a cigarette in his mouth, Mike had been perusing the messages he received from Raymond. It was from asking politely to texts with curses in the end, which only made him smile at this. After noticing that Raymond¡¯s message was, ¡®I¡¯ll drag you down with me,¡¯ Mike then replied with a, ¡®10.00AM. Cafe Sce.¡¯ Raymond had been waiting for him at the cafe since 9.00AM. These few days, he found himself not having any appetite and staring out into space often. When Mike arrived, he had already finished two pots of tea. ¡°What is the meaning of this? Are you thinking of burning the bridge now?¡± Mike had barely sat down when Raymond mmed the table using his hands, shaking the pottery. Without panicking, Mike then poured a cup of tea and sipped from it leisurely. ¡°Do you think that I wanted to meet you for tea?¡± Raymond¡¯s veins were about to pop out of his head. ¡°Raymond.¡± Putting the teacup down, Mike then smiled somewhat devilishly before remarking snarkily, ¡°In the beginning, it was you who actively sought our help in setting up Citron Apparel all because you wanted the donation. In the end, you didn¡¯t get the donation either due to you losing Jackie. After that, as a show of apology, you promised to help us kidnap Tina¡­¡± Mike intentionally said the final sentence slowly, scaring Raymond and making him stand up. Wishing that Mike could shut his mouth, Raymond finally rxed a bit upon ensuring that nobody was near them. Sneering, Mike then continued, ¡°So tell me, how is this me burning my bridges?¡± His words made Raymond annoyed as he was angry. ¡°Whatever! I¡¯m not doing this anymore! I¡¯m out!¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°What am I not sure about? I was going to use this donation to make the orphanage be selected as the example for the province. This opportunity would¡¯ve propelled me to the next level. Now, excluding that next level, I¡¯m about to go into the next life! You guys are just gangsters!¡± As Raymond grew angrier, Mike frowned upon listening to his words as he recalled unwanted memories. Before he was thirty years old, Mike had been living like a gangster and more as he would be even more violent and bloodthirsty. This was why even though he had an ordinary face, the special aura he emanated differentiated him from normal people. ¡°Alright.¡± He then slowly continued, ¡°If you¡¯re sure about stopping this, we won¡¯t force you either. You can go back and release that brat now. From now on, the things that¡¯ll happen will not concern you, but the donation that we¡¯ve agreed on will be revoked too.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Raymond had a hard time believing that things could be solved this easily. Mike smiled.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Of course. But, if you dare say even a word to anyone about our dealings, this is what you¡¯ll end up as.¡± While saying that, Mike had raised the teacup in his hand up high. Letting it go, a loud shatter was heard as it reverberated around their ears, making Raymond tremble in fear. ¡°I won¡¯t. I won¡¯t say anything.¡± Trembling, Raymond had almost curled up into a ball. Still smiling, Mike then shook his jaw. ¡°Go then. What are you waiting for?¡± He had just finished his sentence before Raymond ran out. As Mike slowly poured himself a new cup, he drank from it while observing the white car that was following Raymond from before with an inexplicable expression. After finishing that cup of tea, he set the money for the tea and the broken cup before walking out leisurely. Driving away from the cafe, Raymond made a beeline toward the south side of the city as he elerated at breakneck speed without even noticing the car tailing him. Raymond¡¯s old house was there as there was another ancestral home in the city, which Tina was being kept in. He had asked the rtives there to help send food to the house everyday, stating that a daughter¡¯s friend had gone crazy and suffered from a delusional disorder. So, he could only ce her there under extreme circumstances. As the people there were all considered naive, they did not suspect much either. When he arrived back at the old house, the woman from next door had just sent lunch over and greeted him passionately. ¡°Are you here to see the child, Raymond? I think that the child is quite sick as I always heard her saying that she is kidnapped everyday I sent food to her. How about you bring her to the city to get looked at?¡± Wiping the sweat from his head, Raymond then smiled and nodded. ¡°I was just about to bring her back. Her father has found a hospital to treat her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Seeing the woman enter her house, he took out the keys to open the door. Inside, Tina had heard the commotion for a while now, so she took a rolling pin from the kitchen and hid behind the door before beating the person that came in, making him plead for mercy under this sudden assault. ¡°Stop hitting me, I beg of you. I¡¯m here to let you out.¡± However, why would Tina listen to him? After beating Raymond senseless, she took the chance and ran outside, but she had not predicted the neighbors to congregate and blocked off the stairwell to stop her from leaving. Tina panicked and was on the verge of crying when she yanked a woman¡¯s arm and begged. ¡°I was captured by this man here. I was kidnapped. Please, help me call the police. My father wille save me.¡± That woman looked at her pitifully, obviously treating her words as gibberish, as they forcefully dragged her inside the house. ¡°Mr. Newman¡¯s going to bring you to the hospital to get treated now, so just stay quiet and don¡¯t run around. No one is kidnapping you.¡± At that moment, Tina felt what despair was as all the words were stuck in her throat since only more and more people dragged her back to where Raymond was. Even though Raymond, who had crawled back up, was livid, he could only touch the bump on his head and say gently, ¡°I¡¯m going to send you back to Melrose. Send you back home.¡± He emphasized thest four words. Tina did not believe this at all, as which kidnapper would send her back after trying so hard to kidnap her? So, she kicked the man¡¯s crown jewels. Rolling on the floor in pain, he could not hold it in anymore and raised his hand, about to p Tina, but before he could manage to do that, a sound that he feared reached his ears. It was the siren of a police car. ¡°What happened? Why would there be a police car here?¡± As the crowd started to feel uneasy, Raymond¡¯s face waspletely pale. Looking left and right, he ran straight for the staircase. Since the traditionally designed houses had staircases on the outside, he had already climbed onto the outer railing of the staircase before anyone could react and jumped while closing his eyes. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± There was a terrible shout. After finally breaking free from the crowd, Tina ran to the staircase only to see that Raymond had limped away and drove off. ¡°Tina.¡± All of a sudden, she thought he heard Alexander¡¯s voice. As she turned around, she could see a tall silhouette standing in the middle of the staircase as the backlight made him seem a bit unreal. Maybe such a vision was caused by the tears welling up within her. Tina trembled as she found herself finally having the courage to rx a bit after tensing up for ten odd days. ¡°Daddy.¡± Running right into his embrace, she felt a sense of safety and happiness she had never felt before enveloping her. Chapter 506 One Night Surprise Chapter 506 Chapter 506 A Guilty Conscience Tina had already fallen asleep on the way back. On the way back, Tina had already fallen asleep. Hearing her mumbling right before she slept, Alexander knew that she had not dared to sleep or eat for the duration that she was kidnapped. When she was tired, she would take a short nap by the door and boil some water when she was hungry. It was only if she was starving that she would take a bite or two of the food delivered to her. Alexander¡¯s calm gaze began to darken upon hearing this as he waited until Tina was in deep sleep before calling Eric. ¡°I want you to find Raymond faster than the police.¡± Then, he hung up after saying that without giving the other party any exnation or questions that he could, not caring whatsoever how helpless Eric was feeling. ¡°What? If I were to do it faster than the police, why don¡¯t I just join them instead?¡± Even though Eric grumbled, he still put his foot to the floor and drove like mad to the central business district of Melrose City. Back at the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home, Tina was still asleep as Courtney had gotten an IV drip from the hospital. Her paleplexion only improved after the drip was finally used up. At around 8.00PM, Alexander received a call from Eric, saying that he had found Raymond. Eric was obviously hesitating because he did not know how to convey the news, so he paused for a bit before adding, ¡°I did manage to find him, but¡­ he¡¯s dead.¡± Alexander was not all shocked by this. After hanging up, he took a coat from the wardrobe before going out. His presence vanished together with the fading sound of the engine in the courtyard. Standing on the first floor balcony, a visibly fatigued Courtney adjusted her blouse. Raymond had died in his own apartment. By the time Alexander arrived at the scene, the police had already cordoned off the area and even though the entrance of the apartment was wide open, one could still detect the thick smell of gas inside. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Eric, who was being questioned by the police at the side, was the first one to discover this and informed the police thereafter. ¡°I came to look for Mr. Newman due to some personal affairs. When I arrived at around 7.00PM, I knocked on his door, but nobody responded. So, just as I was about to leave, I felt something off as I smelled a whiff of gas. That was why I kicked the door down to find him already unconscious. Then, I called the cops.¡± Scratching his hair, Eric had messed his slick and shiny hair into more of a bird¡¯s nest as the image of Raymond foaming at the mouth with rolled eyes still frightened him. While Eric was being questioned, Alexander used this chance to stand at the entrance to take in the general situation. Looking inside, he saw that there were a lot of pills scattered across the floor and he knew they were sleeping pills at one nce. Seemed like he really was determined to kill himself, even taking sleeping pills before opening the gas. ¡°Officer Lennox, I found something!¡± A young police officer suddenly came running out of the apartment with aputer in his hands and an excited gaze. Hearing this, a middle-aged man turned around and smacked the officer¡¯s head with a newspaper, saying, ¡°How many times have I told you to be calmer? Steady yourself!¡± ¡°I found something big, though!¡± ¡°What did you find?¡± ¡°There was a will in the deceasedptop. It seemed like he was forced tomit suicide by apany called Citron Apparel.¡± Officer Lennox was the young police officer¡¯s superior and did not say anything. As the young officer¡¯s voice was obstreperous, Alexander had heard it all, which caused his expression to darken. He was stopped by the authorities just as he wanted to step forward. ¡°This is a restricted area. You cannot enter.¡± After that, the said officer looked at Alexander suspiciously. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± At this point, Alexander was getting a bit impatient, but Eric, who had just finished giving his statement, spotted him and went to embrace him in an unexpected twist of events. ¡°Alex, you¡¯re finally here. I was so scared. You are here to pick me up, right, my brother?¡± When Alexander heard those words, he had goosebumps as he lowered his head and stared fiercely at Eric. Since this was his first time being embraced by a man like this, he was feeling a bit queasy inside. ¡°He¡¯s your brother?¡± the confused police asked. Seeing this, Alexander squeezed out the stiffest smile anyone had seen. ¡°Yes. Did he finish giving the statement? I¡¯m here to pick my brother up so that we can head back to eat.¡± After that, they left the building. Moments after getting into the car, Alexander then removed his coat and threw it to the side in disdain. ¡°Brother? You couldn¡¯t have made up a less convincing tale if you tried. How do I look like your brother?¡± Feeling wronged, Eric scratched his already messy hair and smiled. ¡°It was in the heat of the moment, so please simmer down, President. I was afraid that if you shed with the police, they might suspect that you had other motives¡ª¡± It was at this point when Eric noticed that he had slipped up, so he shut his mouth in a hurry. The aim of Alexander wanting Eric to find Raymond before the police did was easy to see, but no one would have predicted Raymond to turn up dead at night when he had just escaped in the afternoon. ¡°But this doesn¡¯t add up¡­¡± Eric then thought of something. ¡°If Raymond really chose to take the easy way out, then why did he still risk it and jump down from the staircase to run away?¡± Alexander then shot him a nce. ¡°Who said that hemitted suicide?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t?¡± Seeing Eric tussle his hair into an afro, Alexander knew that he must be fatigued, so he chased the man out of the passenger seat. ¡°I¡¯ll drive home by myself. Do the same too. Take the day off tomorrow. I¡¯ll see you back at work the day after tomorrow.¡± Finishing his statement, Alexander disappeared into the traffic of Melrose City, leaving Eric to take in what he heard just now as he was silently grateful to his employer. As Alexander had expected, all the big news agencies had released articles and reported on how Citron Apparel was breaking thew and using illegal dye the next day and how after the dean of the World Vision Orphanageined to no avail, so in a desperate measure, he kidnapped the daughter of the apparelpany. After being exposed, he was then forced tomit suicide. To this, Eric had contacted the police, but they had confirmed that it was not them who leaked this information. After the news came out, it was undoubtedly another blow to thepany as even though Citron Apparel had received a certain amount of evidence on their side, thetest incident was starting to tilt the opinion of the masses. Yet, this was nothing as the true cause that made Alexander so mad was the nder inflicted upon Courtney and Tina. Sitting in his office, he sifted through all the negativements as his blood boiled while calling Eric without hesitation. Eric, who was about to sleep again when he had just woken up, was thoroughly awakened by his phone. Knowing that he needed to give up on sleeping in, he also awakened from the lie about him having a day of rest by Alexander. ¡°Make those news agencies that are trending right now rescind their articles within the hour. From now on, forbid those agencies from ever working with us again.¡± ¡°Understood, President Duncan.¡± Eric started to look through the trending articles in a sleepy state, only to feel the same way after reading all of them. The use of such dirty, disgusting words to describe a child who had been saved from a kidnapping made Eric feel revolting, after which he left ament before getting up to work. ¡®Sheeple. You keyboard warrior.¡¯ Within one hour, all the articles concerning this topic had disappeared. Yet, not only were the comments not suppressed, they even got more out of hand as some dissatisfied individuals started to use this toment about the power imbnce in society and how twisted humans truly were. This had also affected the date of inspection for Citron Apparel since the original date was meant to be next week, but it was brought forward due to thements ming the mismanagement of the regtory authorities. This was why they were forced into producing results as quickly as they possibly could. After confirming thetest time of the inspection, Courtney called Ruby to tell her to prepare all of the necessary information, samples and inventory. Once she had instructed all this, she went into the bedroom only to stumble upon Tina looking at her in a pair of thin pajamas while standing at the balcony¡¯s door. Chapter 507 One Night Surprise Chapter 507 Chapter 507 This Is Our Secret ¡°Mom, did I sleep for very long?¡± Not waiting for Courtney to reply to her, Tina had already hugged her and rubbed herself on her chest. Courtney patted Tina¡¯s head while mumbling, ¡°Yes. You did. You slept for a long time.¡± As Tina could no longer suppress her emotions, she silently cried on Courtney¡¯s shoulder because she saw a familiar silhouette that made her a bit absentminded when she stood there earlier. Gurgle. Gurgle. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m hungry.¡± Feeling her own stomach, Tina smiled sweetly at her mother. ¡°I¡¯ll call your dad to bring Jordan back. We¡¯ll have dinner together, so do you have anything you want to eat?¡± Pouting, Tina then ordered a restaurant¡¯s worth of food. When night came, the table was filled with all kinds of dishes as among them was grilledmb chop, spicy beef soup and what not were all bought by the servants under Alexander¡¯s order. Tina, who was also the happy-go-lucky type, looked like everything that happened earlier was like a dream after she woke up since she was wolfing down the food. Even though Courtney knew how Tina felt, she chose not to expose her daughter since a mother knew her child the best. She knew that Tina had fully inherited her stubborn trait. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that, Jordan?¡± Holding onto a piece ofmb chop with an oily mouth, Tina saw that Jordan was looking at her with a weird expression, so she took a piece of tissue and wiped her mouth. Jordan quickly looked elsewhere and continued his meal while seemingly blushing. Even though the siblings did not share everything among themselves like five years ago, he still felt responsible for his sister as he had decided upon this when he was twelve. ¡°How about you stop attending university? Come to Sunhill. I¡¯ll guide you.¡± As he absentmindedly ate something, Jordan tried his hardest to make this important statement as casual as he could. Tina, who could not resist the deliciousmb chop, refused him with a mouth full of meat. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in managing apany. I¡¯m more interested in studying.¡± Jordan did not continue to force her either as he replied, ¡°Then, from now on, I¡¯ll pick you up after school.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°No buts. Just finish your meal.¡± Even though Tina wanted to reject Jordan, he had outrightly refused her. After that, she figured that it was rather nice to have her brother pick her up, so she stopped talking. After dinner, Tina was resting on the couch while watching television with a huge belly and saying to Courtneyzily, ¡°Mom, my phone was thrown into the river by Raymond. Could you get a new one for me tomorrow?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Pausing for a split second, Courtney then continued to arrange her documents before agreeing to Tina¡¯s words. Not seeing anything wrong, Tina noticed Jordan¡¯s head peeking from behind hisptop and looking at her in a daze. ¡°What are you doing, Jordan?¡± She climbed toward him on the sofa, but before she couldy her eyes on the screen, he had already mmed the device shut. ¡°Stocks. You won¡¯t understand.¡± His proud demeanor was just like his father. Watching her brother head upstairs with hisptop in hand, Tina blinked before saying to Courtney, ¡°Mom, is Jordan in a rtionship?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I feel like there¡¯s some incredible secret hidden in hisptop,¡± Tina stated before she stood up and stretched, after which she headed to the study located in the back of the courtyard. The whole study was illuminated by only a deskmp as half of Alexander was shrouded in darkness while he stared emotionlessly at the neverendingments on his phone, anger filling his gaze. Knock, knock, knock. Tina suddenly came in, making him close his screen immediately and showing a gentle smile. ¡°I have something I want to talk to you about.¡± Pulling a chair up, she then sat in front of his desk before drawing circles on it, not knowing how to start the conversation all of a sudden.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Taking his sses off, Alexander looked at Tina¡¯s pale face through the dim deskmp before asking calmly, ¡°Do you want to tell me the incident where you bumped into Susan?¡± ¡°Wow, Dad, can you read minds or something?¡± Tina found this a bit hard to believe while nodding profusely as this father of hers became even more impressive in her opinion. Tina¡¯s sincere praise lifted Alexander¡¯s mood a bit as he smiled unknowingly. ¡°I know that you saw Susan in the dessert shop just before you went missing. You two haven¡¯t met each other in five years, though, so even if you did bump into her, you wouldn¡¯t stalk her for no reason unless you overheard something.¡± Alexander went right into the topic as he wanted to know what Tina had heard to make her follow them. ¡°I heard that she was talking about Grandpa¡¯s insurance payout back then. They seemed to have said that Grandpa had bought idental death insurance, but the insurancepany did not pay them due to Grandpa dying of sickness. I think they were nning on how to take the money.¡± Thinking back, Tina frowned as she could remember that thepany had paid the money, but she thought that she might have thought it wrong due to her still being so young at that time. ¡°They kept discussing how they could im the money, but they suddenly left in the middle of the conversation. I wanted to hear what else they would say, so I followed them. It was when I followed them into an alleyway that I was rendered unconscious. When I woke up, I found myself in that old house.¡± Alexander¡¯s gaze darkened. ¡°So, the one who made you unconscious was Susan, but the one who kidnapped you was Raymond. You and Susan happened to bump into each other, but Raymond had been waiting for you.¡± Remembering that Raymond was dead now, Alexander loosened his fist andforted Tina. ¡°I¡¯ve already made quite the progress on the investigation, so I think that I¡¯ll be able to solve this puzzle soon. You just need to keep this secret between us and not let your mother worry any further.¡± Tina blinked in acknowledgement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This is our secret.¡± She then stood up and exited the study. Heading back to her room, Tina found herself tossing and turning, unable to sleep. One of the reasons was because she had slept for too long while the other was terrible memories woulde to her once she closed her eyes, making her very frustrated. Tossing and turning some more, she sat up from the bed and took her nket and pillow out the room. Knock, knock, knock. Jordan closed hisptop immediately upon hearing someone knock on his door. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Jordan.¡± Getting off the bed, he then opened the door to be greeted with Tina holding her pillow and nket while looking at him pitifully. ¡°Jordan, can I sleep in your room?¡± Looking at the pitiful Tina, Jordan was unable to reject her as he went inside to open his wardrobe, taking out a spare nket and setting it on the floor before moving his own pillow to the said nket andying on it. ¡°You should sleep on the bed,¡± he said stuffily. Chapter 508 One Night Surprise Chapter 508 Chapter 508 My Sister Needs to Go Home and Change The next day, Tina was already awake and ready to go to school. Even though Courtney wanted to persuade her to rest for a few more days, she was afraid that her daughter might recall unwanted memories, so she did not stop Tina either. After the family had their breakfast, Alexander silently waited for Tina to grab her bag while Courtney suddenly understood his intentions and felt a lot more relieved. Just before she went out, Alexander took Tina¡¯s bag as his voice echoed in the living room. ¡°From now on, I will send Tina to school and Jordan will be responsible for picking her up.¡± After that, Jordan and Alexander walked beside her and entered the car. Jordan¡¯s car had already been waiting for a long time at the entrance of the school by the time evening came. When the bell rang, a bunch of teenagers wearing uniforms ran out at the same time. As he was ying sudoku on hisptop, he still did not hear the sound of the door opening even after two rounds. Jordan¡¯s driver, Malcolm Gorn, had half of his body stuck out of the window as he looked for Tina before asking in worry, ¡°Little Master, the students have all almost gone home now, so why isn¡¯t the Little Missing out? Could it be that something has happened to her?¡± This sentence made Jordan frown as he had already opened the door while keeping hisptop away. Stepping out, he wore a dark expression. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look.¡± While walking in the main hallway to the direction of where Tina¡¯s ssroom was, Jordan caught a lot of girls taking a second look at him on the way. If he was still in school, he would be in middle school by now, but as he had been following Alexander for these few years, it resulted in an aura that did not match his age. As Jordan walked past the girls, he could hear a loudmotion outside the hallway of the ssroom from far away. He unknowingly quickened his footsteps when he heard foulnguage. Standing at the entrance of the ssroom, he saw Tina curled up in the corner and drenched with a patch of water surrounding her. In front of her was a chubby boy who threw the red bucket on the floor and bellowed, ¡°Since you¡¯re always acting so high and mighty, why don¡¯t you just die there?¡± Then, anky girl appeared in front of Tina with her arms spread open as her face was red with anger. Even though she was still moving backward against her own will, she still mustered up the courage to protect Tina. ¡°Fetty Link, don¡¯t think that you can bully the opposite gender just because your family is a bit rich. Who doesn¡¯t know that you failed to court Tina and are exacting your petty revenge right now?¡± Fetty snorted at this. ¡°Shene Dunn, I really see you everywhere. Why are you butting into our conversation? Do you think that I would like such a girl with such a shameless mother? You stupid b*tch, you must be dreaming!¡± After he said that, heughed loudly, making the boys following himugh out loud too. Shene was on the verge of crying after his words, but she did not have the guts to make a move. Looking back, she found Tina trembling and grinding her teeth as if she was about to explode. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Calm down, Tina. Don¡¯t listen to his nonsense.¡± When she saw that the situation was heating up, Shene quickly hugged Tina with the fear that she would rush straight at Fetty. If that happened, then Tina would lose for sure. Just as Shene was about to lose control of Tina, she heard a clunking from behind her followed by a shout from Fetty. When she had discovered what happened, he was already drenched in water with the red bucket covering his head. However, before Fetty could remove it, Jordan had already sent him flying with a kick. A dumbfounded Shene saw a handsome boy kicking Fetty, making him cry out in pain for his mother, as he rolled on the floor. At that moment, her heart was beating wildly with her eyes shooting love signs. Rubbing his somewhat reddened fist, Jordan red at those boys without a word, causing them to scamper out of the ssroom. Turning around, he then looked at Tina with pain in his heart. Her brash personality before meant that she was not one that would be easily bullied. but today was different as the thing that defeated her was not the bucket of cold water or Fetty¡¯s fat fists. It was a thing that she had not encountered for the twelve years of her life¡ªa human¡¯s cruelty. Tina, who was still twelve, could not digest those toxicments that stemmed from a person¡¯s darkest desires. ¡°Tina Hunter.¡± Jordan had a cial tone as he looked at her. Looking up with bloodshot eyes, Tina slightly rxed upon meeting with her brother¡¯s gaze. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Taking off the light blue suit jacket, he held it in one hand while extending his other hand to Tina. Tina managed to stand up with Shene¡¯s help, but a wave of warmth traveled from her fingertips to the rest of her body when her cold fingers touched Jordan¡¯s palm. ¡°What are you all doing?¡± Jordan had covered Tina with his suit jacket and was nning to leave the ssroom with her when a person with a round body blocked the door all of a sudden. It was a fifty-year-old man with a beer belly in question. Wearing a blue shirt that seemed to almost burst at his belly button, he ced his hands behind his back and looked very imposing. A frightened Shene hid behind Jordan while mumbling quietly, ¡°We¡¯re done. It¡¯s the head of discipline.¡± While peering at the man, Jordan had no change in his expression as he was not familiar with the school rules, so naturally, he did not know the fear this person instilled in the students. ¡°The head of discipline?¡± Before Jordan could ask any further, he felt a chubby person rush past him toward an older chubby adult. By the time he looked closer, Fetty had already hugged the rotund teacher and started crying. ¡°Someone hit me!¡± At that moment, Shene mumbled again, ¡°Oh god, we¡¯re done. The head is Fetty¡¯s uncle.¡± ¡°Who amongst you hit Fetty?¡± ¡°I did.¡± The livid teacher was made angrier at Jordan¡¯s nonchnt gaze. ¡°Which ss are you from? Call your parents here now!¡± Tightening his grip on Tina¡¯s hand, Jordan said impatiently, ¡°My sister needs to go home and change now, so if you have anything, just tell me. I can deal with my sister¡¯s matters.¡± The head of discipline nearly fainted from anger. ¡°This isn¡¯t concerning your sister. It¡¯s concerning you right now. Is this how you talk to your teachers?¡± ¡°Then, how should I talk to you?¡± Shene felt her heart almost leaping from her mouth, but this time it was not because of love, as she tugged on Jordan¡¯s shirt from behind. ¡°Speak more respectfully. The head of discipline likes people praising him.¡± Jordan paused before he replied, ¡°I heard you like people kissing your *ss, right? I apologize, but kissing *ss is something that I don¡¯t know how to do.¡± She almost fainted upon hearing this as it was without surprise that the teacher would shout the sentence that every student feared. ¡°Hand over your parents¡¯ phone number!¡± A thought then shed across Jordan¡¯s mind before he smiled and nodded. ¡°If you really want my parents toe, then I have nothing to say, but I think you should also call that brat¡¯s parents too.¡± Now that Fetty had the teacher¡¯s backing, he obviously became a lot braver as he spoke with a jiggly jaw, ¡°You all can wait to be expelled now!¡± Not caring about any of this, Jordan turned and called Alexander while reminding to be faster after a short conversation. ¡°Also, bring a new set of clothes for Tina.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Through this short reply, one could already hear Jordan¡¯s unexposed anger. Hanging up, Alexander seemed to have an almost unnoticeable smirk. Chapter 509 One Night Surprise Chapter 509 Chapter 509 The Darling of the Duncan Family ¡°Are you all savages? Look at how badly you¡¯ve beat my son!¡± Half an hour had passed since school was dismissed. Inside the office of the head of discipline, a middle-aged woman with thick makeup mmed the office table while her fat face wobbled as she screamed. Lowering his head, Fetty was acting like an absolute saint while being as pitiful as he could be. Hearing this, Jordan then looked at Fetty. Besides the bruises on Fetty¡¯s face, Jordan did notnd hard blows. At least if he had known that this would happen, he would have kicked Fetty a few more times. Seeing Jordan act so nonchntly made the woman almost die of anger. ¡°Expel him! Why are you still letting him be a student here?¡± ¡°It was Fetty who attacked me first.¡± Tina hadposed herself by this point. Even though a puddle of water had formed under her and her hair was still wet, which made her look like a mess, she had a clear gaze that indicated her unwavering support for Jordan. Naturally, the woman did not trust her words as she slowly crossed her arms with a smug face. This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°So, you must be Tina Hunter? Even after you and your mother¡¯s scandal is awash on the Inte, you still dare to show your face at school, huh?¡± Before the woman could say more vicious things, Tina had stepped back as her hands formed into fists and were shaking slightly. Jordan rose to stand in front of Tina to protect her. Just as the woman was high on her horses and wanted to continue with her words, they heard the door being opened with a bang. As the office door was kicked open, tens of men in suit and tie rushed in as the first one had a bucket in his hands before he sshed it on a dazed Fetty with everyone still not reacting to what had transpired. Standing at the side, the woman was also sshed by the water since her pair of red high heels were soaked. Not only was she wide-eyed, she was also in total disbelief. ¡°Who are you all? What are you doing?¡± The men then parted from the middle and left a walkway. Slowly appearing from the crowd, Alexander leisurely adjusted his cufflinks. ¡°I heard that you were looking for me?¡± Ignoring the haughty woman, hended his questioning gaze on the head of discipline who was drinking tea at that moment. As his pupils dted, the man spit his tea back into his cup after seemingly being scared out of his wits. It was after a long time that he snapped back to reality while wiping his mouth with his sleeve. ¡°Yes. Are you¡­ one of Tina¡¯s parents?¡± ¡°I am. You¡¯ve found the right person.¡± Alexander replied coldly, ¡°Are there any problems?¡± The teacher then wiped his sweat. ¡°It¡¯s like this. Tina¡¯s brother had beaten one of our school¡¯s students. H-He also had a very arrogant attitude. So, for such a serious case as fighting, I, as the head of discipline, have the right to ask the parents to let them know about this.¡± While nodding, Alexander first handed the clothes he bought at the mall over to Tina before sitting down on the sofa. With a solemn expression, he waited for Tina to exit the office before he slowly opened his mouth. ¡°Now, I would like to hear what you know about this as the head of discipline.¡± Adjusting his sses, the teacher then tried his best to disy a neutral attitude. ¡°Things went down like this. Fetty and Tina did have a sh today after school with Fetty having the upper hand. So, when Tina¡¯s brother had rushed there, he beat Fetty without any exnation. Even now, you can see the child has some obvious bruising on him.¡± Following the direction of the finger, Alexander nced at Fetty, who was shaking like a diesel generator after being sshed with water once again and not daring to even raise his head. Seeing this, Alexander revealed a look that seemed to agree with the teacher. ¡°Then, how do you think that this matter should be solved?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite simple.¡± The head of discipline pushed on his sses again and seemed to sit straighter than earlier. ¡°As long as Tina¡¯s brother apologizes to Fetty and you pay for the expenses for Fetty¡¯s hospitalization, we¡¯ll consider this incident to be a thing of the past.¡± Alexander nodded again at his words. Seeing this, the teacher smiled smugly, but before he could smile any wider, he heard a deep voice. ¡°What if I don¡¯t agree?¡± ¡°Um¡­ For students like Tina, we can only expel her, but as you know, our school is the best in Melrose City. So, if Tina gets expelled, I¡¯m afraid that no other school would ept her from here on out.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Standing up, Alexander patted any invisible dust from his attire and said, ¡°Then, Tina will be going through with the transfer procedure.¡± He then headed for the exit with the head of discipline still in a state of shock. He slowly turned around after stopping. ¡°Oh, right, I heard that you¡¯re Fetty¡¯s uncle, right?¡± ¡°What do you mean by this?¡± The teacher suddenly became alert. ¡°Not much. Just a reminder that the moment Tina gets transferred, you will be fired by the school on ounts of malfeasance. As for you¡­¡± He pointed at the trembling boy. ¡°As my daughter, if she really wanted to go to school, I, Alexander Duncan, can simply build a school for her whereas for you, Fetty Link, I can guarantee personally that no institution in the whole of Melrose City will dare to ept you, be it from middle school all the way to university.¡± After stating that, he then left. The head of discipline looked like he had been struck by lightning as the light in his eyes faded while he mumbled, ¡°Alexander Duncan. Is he the Alexander Duncan?¡± Taking a deep breath, Jordan replied, ¡°Yes, he is the Alexander Duncan.¡± ¡°Hey, handsome boy, don¡¯t leave first. We can still talk this out. We didn¡¯t know that Tina was President Duncan¡¯s daughter. We know our mistakes now, so what will it take to appease you?¡± Composing herself, the chubby woman grabbed Jordan¡¯s arm and stopped him from leaving, but his expression only darkened and he paused for a moment. Then, he responded, ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Tina about that. After all, she¡¯s the darling of the Duncan Family.¡± As he fell down the seat, the head of discipline was full of cold sweat upon hearing this. Did I just offend the darling of their family? Chapter 510 One Night Surprise Chapter 510 Chapter 510 The Matching Couple Tina saw a lot of people crowding at the za on the second day she went to school. Pushed by the masses, she noticed that Fetty was standing at the center under the gpole and shouting, ¡°Tina, I¡¯m sorry!¡± He was obviously shouting this unwillingly as the increasing crowd made his face redder and redder. Thinking that this was meaningless, she pushed the crowd apart and made her way to the ssroom. Just as Tina sat down, Shene approached her and exined, ¡°Fetty is scared this time. I heard that he¡¯ll be transferred to the fifth ss in two days. Apparently, he did not want toe down this morning and that it was his mother who forcefully dragged him down. He will also read out his apology letter to you at Monday¡¯s g raising ceremony.¡± Tina was confused by all this. ¡°And how do you know?¡± ¡°The principal stopped by with the head of discipline to say this. The head of discipline even scolded Fetty until he cried. I think he only transferred Fetty to the fifth ss on purpose due to him having offended a lot of people there.¡± This turn of events baffled Shene too since she could not sleep after arriving home yesterday with the thought that Tina was in for a stern punishment. Yet, she did not think that Principal Yorn would bring the head of discipline as well as Fetty¡¯s mother to take Fetty out of the ssroom. Suddenly, Tina recalled something. When she was in Jordan¡¯s room yesterday, she opened her eyes at midnight only to see a dim light coming from aptop beside her bed. She then voiced her opinion of quitting school with a hoarse and timid voice, but theptop screen went dark soon after when Jordan replied to her words. ¡°You can quit school, but don¡¯t do it because of others. When trouble finds you, escaping is not a solution.¡± After everything returned to silence, she heard him continuing in a gentle manner, ¡°Do you remember you used to protect me when I was being bullied when we were in kindergarten? Back then, I thought that I wouldn¡¯t let others bully you when we grew up.¡± ¡°Hey, what are you thinking about?¡± Shene¡¯s face closed in on her. ¡°Is the handsome person from yesterday your brother? Could you give me his phone number?¡± Tina had been taking her items one by one from the bag when she was snapped back to reality and stared at Shene in shock upon hearing this. ¡°What do you want?¡± Shene suddenly blushed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know how dreamy your brother looked when he was fighting because of you yesterday? If we are friends, then asking for his phone number isn¡¯t too much, right?¡± Stuffing her emptied bag into the drawer, Tina thought about Jordan and Alexander¡¯s simr looks and traits before reminding her, ¡°It¡¯s exhausting to date someone like my brother. I think that you and Sunny actually look quite good together.¡± Rolling her eyes, Shene happened to see Sunny Cole entering the ssroom with a meat bun in his hand. ¡°Hey, Shene.¡± Sunny was waving at her when his nose suddenly became itchy and made him sneeze, which caused the meat in his mouth to stter on Shene¡¯s uniform. ¡°Sunny, could you be more disgusting?¡± Shene almost cried. A pale-faced Sunny quickly wiped it with his oily fingers only to immediately show a palm stain on her white uniform. ¡°This¡­ is an ident. It¡¯s an ident.¡± Seeing the situation not in his favor, the boy quickly threw the bun away and disappeared. ¡­ That day, Angie was preparing for a debate in the school when a senior suddenly tapped on her shoulder and pointed beside her. ¡°Hey, your phone¡¯s ringing.¡± When Angie saw who the caller was, she stopped for a while before answering the call as her expression sank rapidly. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll be there as quickly as I can.¡± After hanging up, she quickly packed her things before proceeding to head out of the meeting room. Just as she was about to leave, she bumped right into the vice-president of the debate club, Casey Jenkin. Casey was wearing a navy blue suitplemented by her pair of heels that made a clear sound as itnded on the ground. She reached out and blocked Angie¡¯s path while emanating a strong smell of perfume. ¡°We¡¯re about to start the meeting, so where are you going?¡± Casey did not have a friendly tone as she even looked at Angie with hostile intentions. Angie ignored her and was about to dodge Casey, but Casey had already made it clear to block the path. She sidestepped to where Angie was about to go¡ªa clear indication that she was not letting Angie leave this easily. ¡°I¡¯m taking leave. I¡¯ll send a message to Samuelter with my reasons.¡± Even though Angie maintained a neutral attitude, Casey was pissed upon hearing this as she thought Angie was intentionally making her mad. ¡°Samuel? When did you be so close to him? Isn¡¯t your tone a bit appropriate, seeing how he¡¯s your senior?¡± Not denying or agreeing to her words, Angie replied, ¡°You can ask him that then. Also, please tell him about me taking a leave for today.¡± After stating that, she walked on and pushed Casey aside, after which Casey hit the wooden door. ¡°Angie Hunter!¡± This is from N?velDrama.Org. Shaking with anger, Casey turned only to see that Angie had already left in a hurry. After pausing momentarily, she then took her phone out and contacted someone. ¡®I seemed to have sprained my ankle. Please take me to the infirmary. Also, we can discuss the details of the debate contest on the way.¡¯ Moments after sending the message, Casey seemed to have calmed down a bit before she announced to the members in the meeting room with pursed lips. ¡°Not all members are here today, so we¡¯ll be pushing back the date of the discussion. Everyone, please return and await further notices.¡± Just as she stated that, the whole meeting room started to go into heated discussion, as someone even mmed the table and questioned, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you all say that sooner? I¡¯ve been waiting here for an hour and even rejected my date.¡± Hearing this, Casey then walked back to the meeting with a smug face. ¡°Are you a freshman?¡± Stunned by her words, the girl then nodded. ¡°Hm, a freshman. You can also learn from Angie Hunter, who has ignored the announcements of the student board to deal with her personal affairs and caused everyone to waste their time waiting around for nothing because of her. Of course, the precondition is you have to have the skills to win people over like her.¡± After Casey said that, she lowered her crossed arms and disappeared from their vision, with only the sounds of her cking heels left and the young girl in a daze. The girl then tugged on her roommate¡¯s sleeve, who was sitting beside her. ¡°What did she mean by that?¡± Her roommate showed apassionate look through her sleepy gaze. ¡°It means that she has vented her anger on you by asking these types of questions.¡± Confused, the girl still did not know what she meant. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Apparently, this Angie Hunter character is the only freshman who is being actively scouted by our senior, Samuel. Casey is only targeting her because of their special rtionship.¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t Angie just entered the university for a few months, though?¡± ¡°I only know on the first day of orientation, Samuel had participated in the weing event and thest student he weed was Angie. That time, the student board had captured a photo of them two. You can still see it on the university¡¯s forum. It has thousands ofments by now. They actually look quite nice together¡­¡± They had finished packing their stuff while talking. ¡°Let¡¯s go and get some fried chicken at the west exit.¡± Chapter 511 One Night Surprise Chapter 511 Chapter 511 That Unknown Man At Warmorth Hospital in Melrose, Angie had a cold gaze as she kept repeating the scene from earlier. ¡°Are you Regan¡¯s rtive?¡± ¡°He¡¯s my uncle.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid his condition is¡­ not very good. He has advanced stomach cancer. It has been some time since he has been onpassionate release for treatment purposes. He kept refusing us to contact his family, but we have only done it now because¡­¡± The man in the police officer uniform then paused for a bit before changing the subject. ¡°You should take a look at him. He seems to have something he wants to tell you.¡± As the hallway of the hospital emanated wisps of cold air, Courtney tapped on Angie¡¯s shoulder, pulling her back into reality. ¡°You should go in and have a look.¡± Looking up with tears in her eyes, Angie nodded. The condition of the hospital was not in a great state either as the ward had a slightly moldy smell, making it seem somewhat rundown. Standing at the door, she looked at the man in a daze. He was struggling to breathe through his mouth while watching themp on the ceiling with dull eyes. Back then, everyone used to call him ¡®fatso¡¯ because as his name suggested, he was on the broader side in terms of physique. However, one could only see a shadow of his former self as whaty there was only skin and bones. This scene made Angie unable to hold back her tears as she covered her face and started to cry. Hearing a sound, Regan could not help but move his eyeball before shifting his body and head to face Angie, who was still standing at the entrance of the ward. ¡°You¡¯vee.¡± His ghostly face had a weak smile on it and she could even hear that his voice was not as powerful as before. ¡°I¡¯vee.¡± Biting her lips, she then calmed down somewhat. After all, this was her uncle. Even if he was still alive, it did not really matter even if she only saw him a few times for the rest of her life. Now that she knew that he was about to die, a chilly aura had still gripped her tightly from within. ¡°Come here.¡± As he beckoned, Regan also pointed to a chair beside him. Even though it was such a simple action, it seemed to have taken him a lot of strength to do it. While sitting down beside him, Angie started to tear up again. This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I dreamed of your mother. I¡¯ve had recurring dreams about hertely. I dreamed that she kept ming me, ming me that I brought her to that ce. She said that she had missed out on the opportunity the first time, so why did she have to miss out on a second time? She still mes me even now. When I look for her soon, I think she¡¯ll ignore me.¡± Even at this stage, he still gave himself a mock smile. Angie did not really understand his words since she rarely heard her uncle mention anything about her mother, as her memories of that woman from when she was still small was slowly fading away. ¡°It wasn¡¯t all your fault.¡± ¡°No. I made many mistakes. I locked her up in her room, not allowing her to look for that man. I even dragged her to the hospital¡­¡± While recalling the past, Regan suddenly coughed badly and tightly closed his eyes due to the pain of his organs being ripped apart while the veins on his forehead popped. ¡°Stop talking, uncle.¡± A helpless Angie automatically poured half a cup of water from the jar beside, but Regan only felt nauseous as he reached out to stop Angie, spilling all the water on the floor. ¡°I even dragged her to the hospital for an abortion back then, but your mother kneeled down and gave me a kowtow to beg me to not do this. Only then did I bring her out. At that time, she already had you for six months and you were a fully-formed baby.¡± Regan continued on stubbornly while Angie kneeled down to clean up the puddle. Stopping for a while, she then continued her action. It was a loud yet calm voice. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because she was still in university back then. Our Colt Family finally produced a university student. We couldn¡¯t let a child ruin our future. But then, I came to realize our mistake as we saw how sweet you were when she gave birth to you. Everyone who saw you adored you.¡± When she heard him saying that, she had already sat up with a straight posture with a chill emanating from her body. This was the first time in eighteen years of her life that someone had brought up her origins. Yet, obviously, there was a character missing from the story. ¡°About that man¡­¡± She hesitated as she did not know how to define him. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him nor know who he is, but I figured that you have the right to know about this. I¡¯ve been thinking about this for thest few days, thinking about whether I should tell you this or not. Then again, I kept dreaming of your mother and I think that she would have liked you to know that she always loved him.¡± Angie only felt her mind bing nk as all kinds of thoughts inside shed. Evidently, Regan had said a bit too much as he was lying there, looking very exhausted. Looking at the drawer beside, he stated, ¡°Open the second drawer and have a look.¡± Listening to his instructions, Angie then opened the second drawer on her right hand side only to find a small box lined in blue nnel. The pattern of the nnel seemed a bit faded, giving off the aura that someone had kept it for what seemed like eternity. ¡°This was your mother¡¯s most beloved item. After giving birth to you, she had never worn it since. You should take it.¡± When she heard his voice, she slowly opened the box only to see a gold ne inside. It was a very exquisite piece as the pendant was shaped like the sun with a smiling face carved on it. It was still considered a rare sight ten odd years ago. On the way back to the hospital, Angie seemed very lifeless as the atmosphere in the car was very heavy. Ignoring the sudden message from her phone, she turned around and looked out the window. ¡°He¡¯s your uncle after all. I think you should give Elijah a call.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Angie¡¯s soft reply made Courtney swallow her words. As Angie¡¯s fingers absentmindedly moved across the ne on her, she suddenly felt a shortness of breath. Courtney found something off when she observed Angie¡¯s expression. ¡°Is there anything?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s nothing.¡± Angie smiled. ¡°It¡¯s just that there¡¯s a lot of things going on in my university, so I¡¯m just a bit tired.¡± The moment she returned to her dorm, she fell into a deep sleep. When she reopened her eyes, it was already dark as she felt for the phone before doing anything else, only to call the number that she had been wanting to do so. She had a lot of things she wanted to say. All the troublesome matters she wanted to tell a single person, Elijah. More urately, she wanted to pour her thoughts onto him. The phone rang for ages as the other party stared at it for a long time with a cold gaze before proceeding to answer it. ¡°Hello?¡± Stunned for a second, Angie did not know what to say. Even though it was just a short greeting, she was still able to quickly discern who the person was on the other side. Lilian? Why was Lilian answering Elijah¡¯s phone? It was at that moment that cold sweat coated Angie¡¯s back. ¡°Hello, is this Angie?¡± Lilian sounded very calm as if it was also her job to pick up any calls meant for Elijah. ¡°I-I¡¯m looking for Elijah.¡± ¡°Oh. Elijah is actually taking a shower now. I can help you tell him anything you want to say.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Without waiting for Lilian to reply, Angie quickly hung up with the feeling that her heart was about to burst out of her chest. Chapter 512 One Night Surprise Chapter 512 Chapter 512 Not Quite Simr The mobile phone screen went dark and the surroundings immediately became dark again. Angie¡¯s heart was inexplicably calm as she allowed the darkness to swallow her. After thinking about it, she tapped on the phone screen and saw that the clock on the screen read 9.15AM. The corners of her mouth curled up into a self-deprecating smile. Due to the difference in time zones, it was time for Elijah to get up to take a shower before breakfast. Yet, they still had breakfast together. The screen that had just darkened suddenly lit up again. She stared at the message that was sent for the third time today on this phone before tapping on her keyboard to reply. ¡®Where is it?¡¯ ¡­ At a restaurant somewhere in Manhattan, Lilian watched the little boy feeding the pigeons through the square of the window with a slight smile on her face. When Elijah came out of the washroom, she had already quietly deleted the call records on his phone. The phone was ced in its original position and everything seemed to be in ce. He raised his wrist to look at the time as he sat down again. ¡°I have a meeting to chair in a while. Is there a reason for you to look for me?¡± When Lilian noticed the impatient look in his eyes, she couldn¡¯t help the bitter feeling welling within her. Before she could say anything, the phone on the table rang again. This made everyone¡¯s heart skip a beat. Elijah frowned. He overlooked Lilian, sitting on the opposite side, looking much more rxed after catching a glimpse of the caller ID on the phone screen. ¡°Courtney.¡± ¡°Did Angie call you?¡± ¡°No.¡± On the other end of the phone, Courtney was leaning on the balcony on the second floor with the wind blowing across her face. The strong wind blew her voice away, making it hard to understand her. When she heard Elijah¡¯s response, the worry in her eyes deepened. ¡°Angie¡¯s uncle is critically ill. I apanied her from the hospital today, so I thought she would call you because she wasn¡¯t feeling too good.¡± Elijah couldn¡¯t help but frown when he heard this. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll give her a call.¡± He hung up the phone as soon as he finished talking, seemingly in a hurry. Then, without waiting for Lilian to speak, he rose to his feet, dialed a number, and walked out of the restaurant. ¡°We¡¯ll talk on the phone if there¡¯s anything you want to say.¡± He had only left this sentence for her before she watched him stride away. Sheughed at herself mockingly before continuing to eat breakfast in front of her. None of Elijah¡¯s calls to Angie got through from 9:30AM to 12:30PM. Finally, after many attempts, he called his assistant to book him a flight before trying for thest time. ¡°Hello?¡± This time, the call was finally connected, but the voice from the other end of the phone didn¡¯t belong to Angie. Samuel stared at the name ¡®Mr. Elijah¡¯ that was lit up on the phone¡¯s screen and patted Angie on the back. However, she just curled her body before continuing to sleep in a morefortable position. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to answer the call. ¡°Where¡¯s Angie?¡± Besides Samuel¡¯s voice, the background was filled with chaotic noises and music. Elijah didn¡¯t have to think to know where they were, and he couldn¡¯t help but let his anger seep into his tone. As Samuel thought that this Mr. Elijah was Angie¡¯s uncle, so he responded respectfully. ¡°Hi, Mr. Elijah. I¡¯m Angie¡¯s ssmate. We are having our alumni reunion dinner tonight and Angie drank a little too much. I¡¯ll be responsible for sending her back to her dormitoryter, don¡¯t worry.¡± Drank too much? Elijah raised his eyebrow as indecent pictures began to sh across his mind. He had witnessed Angie getting drunk twice¡ªonce at his birthday party and the other time at a restaurant with that kid. After these two times, he had not been at ease with her. His face turned dark and scary when he thought of this. Don¡¯t worry? How could he not worry? ¡°What¡¯s the address? I¡¯ll send someone to pick her up.¡± Although Samuel hesitated for a moment, he still ended up sharing the address with Elijah. ¡°We are in room six at Giza Taphouse on Hecr Lane.¡± ¡°Take care of her,¡± Elijah urged before hanging up the phone with a sullen face. Samuel stared at the phone in a daze as Angie began to move around uneasily again. Her clean and gentle face could be seen under her disheveled hair as she was fast asleep on the sofa¡¯s edge. He couldn¡¯t help but smile when he saw this and a hint of desire shed across his face. Within the small confined space, the beautifully made-up Casey watched everything silently with a hint of resentment in her eyes. A girl in a pink id skirt next to her was looking in the same direction as she was and whispered something in Casey¡¯s ears. Then, the resentment in Casey¡¯s eyes turned into shock followed by hesitation. She watched as Samuel put the coat that he took off over Angie¡¯s body, and the hesitancy in Casey¡¯s eyes was immediately withdrawn. This is from N?velDrama.Org. Angie did not know how long she had slept. When she woke up, she felt a splitting headache as she struggled to get up and staggered toward the door. Samuel saw this and immediately followed her. ¡°Angie, slow down.¡± Angie leaned against the wall and murmured, ¡°I want to go home.¡± As she closed her eyes and held the wall, she identally bumped her head against the stone pir used as decoration. Her already dizzy head became even more muddled and she fell backward. This frightened Samuel, so he jumped forward to catch her and almost missed her by an inch. Ultimately, he managed to grab her falling shoulder as his whole face turned red. Then, Angie opened her eyes and used all her strength to stand up again. This time, the handsome young man behind her caught her attention. She couldn¡¯t help but stretch out with her hands to rub his face and study it. ¡°It¡¯s not quite simr.¡± Samuel¡¯s face was squashed at this point. ¡°Simr to what?¡± ¡°My dad, oh no, my adoptive father.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The first time Angie saw Samuel, she felt like she was looking at Elijah¡¯s shadow. Of course, for the most part, Samuel wasn¡¯t as good as Elijah. Samuel wasn¡¯t as calm, nor was he as strong as him. However, when she saw Samuel with that half-smile on his face for the first time, she felt something stir in her heart. ¡°I feel a little dizzy¡ª¡± Before he could ask more questions, the sight of Angie close to vomiting at any time frightened him and he quickly helped her to the bathroom. Casey¡¯s voice came from behind just as they took two steps forward. ¡°Samuel, what are you doing here?¡± June stepped forward without waiting for his answer and took the giddy Angie from him. ¡°Isn¡¯t she Angie, the beauty queen from your debate team? It seems like she¡¯s going to puke by the way she drank. Leave her to me.¡± After saying that, she called out to Casey, ¡°Casey, let¡¯s bring her to the bathroom together. If she vomits here, they will cause a scene. It¡¯s inconvenient for Samuel to help her alone. You can go in first. Everyone¡¯s waiting for you.¡± Because of such a turbulent arrangement, Samuel didn¡¯t think anything was wrong. When he realized that it was inconvenient for him to help her, he allowed the two girls to help her in and headed back. After waiting for a while, he realized the three hadn¡¯t returned. Then, just as he was about to go and check on the situation, he received a message alert on his phone. ¡°Angie isn¡¯t feeling too good. So, we¡¯ll send her back to the dormitory first.¡± Chapter 513 One Night Surprise Chapter 513 Chapter 513 I¡¯ve Not Made Up My Mind After Courtney¡¯s call with Elijah, she immediately made a beeline to the bar. She had made several calls to Angie on her way there, but it was to no avail, making her anxious. Her car sped down the road in the middle of the night. She had some lingering fears about being drunk during her college years. When she arrived at room six of Giza Taphouse, she did not see any traces of Angie. In the room, several couples were hugging as they yed the game of Truth or Dare. Samuel was at the corner, staring at his phone from time to time and seeming a little absent-minded. When he saw Courtney push through the door, he took the initiative to get up and approach her. ¡°Angie has gone back to her dormitory.¡± Courtney looked at Samuel vigntly as she scanned him from head to toe and said in disbelief, ¡°Wasn¡¯t she too drunk to even answer her phone? How did she go back?¡± Her reaction was obviously beyond his expectations. ¡°The vice president and former student union president sent her back. They just sent me a message saying they¡¯ve reached the dormitory.¡± As he said that, he even showed the chat to her. ¡°Oh, I see. Thank you.¡± However, she was still worried. She obviously had to make another trip to Angie¡¯s dormitory. She was hesitant about leaving straight away and decided to ask, ¡°Which of the two people that sent Angie back are you more familiar with? Can you give me their contact number?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Samuel quickly looked through his phone and gave Casey¡¯s number to Courtney. Then, as he watched Courtney leave the bar, he hesitated for a long time before he chased after her. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to feel at ease about Angie.¡± Courtney nodded as she continued to walk, with no intention of slowing down. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you back to the school. I need to make sure that she¡¯s back in her dormitory before I can feel rest assured. After all, I was the one who dragged her out today,¡± he said as he caught up with her. Seeing that he did not have any bad intentions, Courtney did not contemte any longer whether she should bring him or not. Instead, she remained quiet as they strode down the road. As they walked from the bar to the car park, a few youngsters squatted in the street¡¯s dark corner. Initially, Courtney did not bother much about them. But when she vaguely heard their topic of discussion, she perked up her ears as she felt shivers down her spine. ¡°Is there something good again today?¡± ¡°Yeah, I heard that she has a good body and has been abroad as well.¡± ¡°How can you not share something so good with your brothers?¡± ¡°Of course not. You¡¯ll get your share with her. I¡¯ve made arrangements with the higher-ups, who said to call at 1:30 AM to confirm the location. There are still ten minutes left. So, be patient, boys!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Samuel seemed to not care about the discussion nearby, or maybe it was that he did not hear it at all. He had only noticed that Courtney had stopped walking, and after a long time, he followed her gaze and saw those young men at the corner. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°Keep quiet and just follow my lead.¡± She was already walking toward the group of men as she said this. She seemed to be in a hurry and had put up an anxious front. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call anymore. I¡¯ve just dropped the girl at the Sunhill Hotel in room 3208.¡± Then, she took a room card out of her bag. N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. The group leader studied Courtney and had no intention of taking the room card from her. ¡°Who are you? What room are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand what you are trying to say here.¡± When Courtney heard this, she crossed her arms and sneered, ¡°Yo, who would¡¯ve thought you lot are so defensive. How can you take on such a job if you¡¯re so timid? Didn¡¯t you just say you wanted to give me a call?¡± With that, she said a string of numbers. The man looked down at his phone, and the vignce in his eyes subsided. But at this point, Courtney was clearly impatient already. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you taking it? You don¡¯t look like a douchebag that will go back on his words to me. I¡¯m not forcing you to do anything here. If you can¡¯t do it, don¡¯t waste my time. I¡¯ll just get myself someone else.¡± As she said that, she put the room card back into her bag and turned around toin to Samuel, who was standing beside her. ¡°How can you look for these types of people? I¡¯ll give you half an hour to find me a more reliable one.¡± Although Samuel was in a daze, he nodded cooperatively and even took out his phone to pretend to make a call. Unfortunately, the young man in front of the group immediately stopped him when he saw this. ¡°Hey, stop. We¡¯ve already agreed on things. So, why are you changing your mind? I didn¡¯t even say no.¡± ¡°Then hurry up and go. Don¡¯t wait until she¡¯s awake and ruin my n.¡± With impatience clearly disyed on her face, Courtney shoved the room card into the man¡¯s chest and turned around to leave with a fiery look. Samuel followed suit behind her. When the two finally sat in the car, he was still baffled about what had happened. However, he had a deep frown on his face as he had a vague feeling that something was wrong. ¡°What were those people doing just now, and why does it have anything to do with you?¡± However, Courtney did not answer and shot him a stern look before calling Alexander¡¯s number. ¡°I just gave the room card Eric took from the bag when he reported to you two days ago. A young man with blonde hair and a id shirt will show up in room 3208 in a while. Call the cops to arrest him. I¡¯ll exin the rest to you when Ie back.¡± On the other end, Eric calmly agreed without any question. Once they hung up the phone, he immediately arranged everything ordingly. In the dark room, a sneer appeared on his thin lips; that woman must be surprising him again. Once Courtney had hung up the phone with Eric, she immediately dialed the number she had memorized just a while ago. Then, she nced at the worried-looking Samuel on the passenger seat and put the call on loudspeaker. The phone rang for a long time, and when it was finally picked up, the voice from the other end of the phone sounded a little rushed. ¡°It¡¯s already half-past one. Have you dropped her off? Which hotel are you at? My buddies are getting a bit anxious.¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Casey did not expect a woman to call; hence she was taken aback for a while. ¡°I thought we have a mutual understanding of our transactional rtionship. You give us the money, and we¡¯ll settle it for you. Is there something wrong?¡± Courtney sounded very authoritative. After all, she had experienced so much more than these young girls who hadn¡¯t graduated from college. At this point, Casey was too stunned to speak. There was a long pause as she hesitated. ¡°I-I¡¯ve not made up my mind yet.¡± ¡°Make up your mind on what?¡± ¡°At the end of the day, the damage that will be done to her is unforeseeable. So, I don¡¯t think we should go this far. How about we just forget it?¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes darkened when she heard this. ¡°Lady, do you think this is a joke? Why did youe looking for us if you haven¡¯t thought it through? My boys have been waiting. They¡¯ve even taken their pants off. And now you¡¯re saying you want to call it off? Why don¡¯t you take her ce if the girl can¡¯t make it?¡± Her words were highly mean and vulgar, sounding like a street scoundrel. Samuel¡¯s face turned pale when he heard this; this indifferent, ssy woman didn¡¯t seem like someone who could say such a thing. Courtney wanted to let the person on the other end of the phone know that this world was much more vicious than she imagined, be it just words or actions. After Casey heard this, all color drained from her face as she was utterly stunned with fear. She hesitated for a moment, and her attitudepletely changed. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I¡¯ll still pay you, but you don¡¯t have to do anything.¡± ¡°Alright then. Next time, think before you get yourself involved in things like this. Not everyone is as easy to negotiate with as we are. If you¡¯re not ready to go to jail for this, don¡¯t do it.¡± Courtney¡¯s words served as a strong warning, and she immediately hung up the phone in a hurry when she heard the term ¡®jail.¡¯ Chapter 514 One Night Surprise Chapter 514 Chapter 514 To Put Yourself in Her Shoes When Courtney hung up her phone, her indifferent face now had a hint of anger. Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Is this what you meant when you said Angie returned safely to the dormitory?¡± At this point, Samuel stayed silent; he was speechless. His life had been smooth sailing ever since he was born. Even in university, he readily took up the post of the president of the debate club due to his excellent abilities and extensiveworks. He held the belief that everyone could achieve great things in life through hard work and did not expect any troubles like tonight. Courtney wasn¡¯t surprised to see the frustration that was suddenly seen in his eyes. She shook the phone in her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ve recorded all the calls just now. Once those thugs are caught, the police will get their confessions out of them. By then, your ssmate, Casey, would not only be expelled, but she would also be at risk of going to jail.¡± She paused for a while before continuing, ¡°To be precise, if Angie wants to press charges, Casey will definitely be in jail. I will make sure she regrets what she did today for the rest of her life.¡± As she spoke, the fingers that held the steering wheel tightened slightly, and the inconvertible firmness in her gaze put Samuel at a loss for words. The phone in his pocket vibrated just as he struggled to find a word to say. The moment he saw the caller ID, his eyes sank. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Casey?¡± Casey¡¯s voice sounded like she had been crying on the other end of the phone. ¡°Angie is in room 702 of the J Hotel. I¡¯ve tried to call June, but she isn¡¯t answering her phone. Hurry up and save her.¡± Samuel felt his heart skip a beat and subconsciously repeated the address out loud. As soon as he spoke, the car¡¯s engine roared, and the car sped down the road. About 15 minutester, he kicked open the room door of 702, and Courtney rushed in. When she saw the scene on the bed, she subconsciously pushed the boy, who was following behind her, out. ¡°You wait at the door.¡± Samuel immediately understood and quickly stepped back. June, who was holding a camera across the bed, was taken aback by the sudden movement. Then, just as she got up, she was pped across the face and onto the floor by an angry Courtney. The camera fell not far away, and the screen was shattered. June, whose face burned from the p, tried to stand up to fight back but was punched twice in the face instead. After Courtney threw two punches, she clenched her sore fists and red at June. ¡°Have you lost your mind?!¡± June yelled; the corners of her mouth and eyes were starting to bruise. However, Courtney continued to stare at her and asked coldly, ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Immediately, June snorted and looked at Angie, who was naked on the bed, and grinned proudly. ¡°A sl*t like her that seduces someone¡¯s boyfriend deserves this, don¡¯t you think?¡± While June was talking, Courtney had already covered Angie with theforter. At the same time, Courtney picked up the camera on the ground, took out the memory card, and flushed it down the toilet bowl. She was swift and decisive with her actions, but June seemed unbothered. She had already gotten up from the ground and wiped the faint blood from the corner of her mouth. ¡°Do you think this is over just because you flush the memory card down?¡± As she said this, she took her phone out, which triggered Courtney. She almost went berserk as she reached out to grab the phone from June. However, June sneered, and her following sentence diminished thest trace of patience in Courtney¡¯s heart. ¡°So what if you take my phone? I uploaded all the photos I took into the cloud. I can retrieve them anytime, anywhere.¡± Courtney¡¯s gaze turned cold, and she realized that this was not the solution to the problem, so she decided to call Alexander directly. ¡°Alex, is everything settled?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± June couldn¡¯t hear what this ¡®Alex¡¯ said, but she could listen to the other side of the conversation as Courtney didn¡¯t bother leaving the room as she made the call. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing that I¡¯d need your help with. Send a few men to room 702 of the J Hotel.¡± After she hung up the phone, she pushed through her exhaustion and continued in a slightly impatient tone, ¡°This could¡¯ve been resolved simply, but you clearly prefer the harder route. I¡¯ll fulfill your wish.¡± At this moment, June seemed to realize that something was wrong. She got up and wanted to leave the room but was unexpectedly blocked by Samuel, who had been standing at the door. His current face wasn¡¯t a pretty sight. Although he didn¡¯t enter the room, he still heard bits and pieces of the argument between the two. After he thought about it, he knew this was all because of him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, June, but I can¡¯t let you leave.¡± June¡¯s eyes widened in anger when she heard this. ¡°You¡¯re stopping me for that girl?!¡± She cried as she pointed to the bed behind her. ¡°You and Casey had been under my wing. I know about the rtionship between the two of you, and I¡¯ve always been very supportive of it. However, this Angie girl had only shown up for a few months, and look what you¡¯ve be for her? Is this girl that good? Or did I misjudge you from the beginning?¡± As she was talking, her eyes started to turn red-rimmed. She seemed to be ming Samuel for this, yet at the same time, it seemed like she was letting out some emotion that she had repressed in her heart for a long time that had nothing to do with him. ¡°You didn¡¯t misjudge me. You¡¯ve just misunderstood the rtionship between Casey and me.¡± ¡°Stop lying to me. How can you not know what she thinks of you? You clearly knew about it yet pretended like you had no idea. Although I¡¯ve retired from the student union, it doesn¡¯t mean that my words have no weight to them. If you¡¯re smart enough, you should take the initiative to step down as the debate club president. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make sure nothing good happens to you.¡± After her warning, she grabbed her bag angrily and was about to barge out, but Samuel followed suit and still steadily blocked her way. ¡°We can talk about the student unionter. But for now, I can¡¯t let you go.¡± At this point, June was almost choking on her rage. But, since she couldn¡¯t reason with this blockhead of a man, she was going to force her way out. Not long after, a sound of uniformed steps echoed in the hotel hallway, and a shadow loomed over June¡¯s head. Again, Elijah¡¯s faint smell of cologne crept up her nose; this time, she had nowhere to run. He nced at her lightly; she was like a frightened rabbit. Then, in his domineering presence, she seemed to fall silent as she realized that things were moving in a different direction. Then, he raised his gaze and saw Courtney, who had just appeared behind them. ¡°Courtney, I¡¯m here.¡± Courtney had already dressed Angie by then. As soon as Courtney saw Elijah, she gestured toward the bed lightly. ¡°Send someone to bring Angie back to the Duncan Residence first.¡± Then, she pointed at June, who was nearby. ¡°This person took photos of Angie, which are stored in the cloud. So, she can retrieve it any time.¡± Elijah frowned slightly when he heard this and made way for a few of his men to drag June back to the room. ¡°What are you guys doing? Have you lost your mind? I¡¯m going to call the police!¡± June began yelling and kicking her legs in the air, seeming like she had lost control. However, she could not fight back, and her hands and feet were quickly tied to the chair by one of the men. Courtney red at her coldly and caught the terrified look in June¡¯s eyes. At this moment, she felt that this whole situation was absurd to the highest degree. ¡°So you know what fear is as well? If you aren¡¯t put into her shoes, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll never learn how hopeless a person could feel when something like this happens to them.¡± ¡°Strip her,¡± Courtney uttered these two words faintly as her eyes turned cold. This made June scream out threats hysterically; her pink, smug face was now as white as snow. Then, after struggling and failing, she began begging for mercy as she kicked her legs back and forth. In the end, the chair toppled and fell to the ground, bringing her body along with it. Chapter 515 One Night Surprise Chapter 515 Chapter 515 We¡¯ve Found The Culprit Samuel, too, did not expect that Courtney¡¯s crude solution to this was to strip June. When he saw things going in this direction, he couldn¡¯t help but step in. ¡°You¡¯ve said that doing such things will risk jail time. So, doing what she did back to her is probably not the best solution for this matter.¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Elijah remained nomittal as his gaze swept gently over Samuel. ¡°Jail?¡± He sneered. ¡°Someone has to be willing to report to the police first.¡± As he said that, he looked at June, who had cried so much that she was in a mess. However, his face remained calm and contemptuous. ¡°Is she? Even if you want to call the police, she¡¯ll do everything she possibly can to stop you.¡± This man was frigid, and it left Samuel in disbelief. But, he strode forward and protected June, who was now behind him. This situation was just as Courtney expected; a slight smile appeared on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t mind solving the problem this way, but it seems you have a better solution.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get her to delete all the photos and ensure that not a single photo is left in the cloud.¡± When June heard this, she began nodding diligently like a chicken pecking at the corn. Then, Elijah walked over to Courtney. He knew what she was thinking without asking, so he waved his hand lightly, and his men immediately retreated. What she said next was condescending. ¡°Do it, then.¡± Samuel reflexively looked away when he saw June pulling out her phone from her bag shiveringly. After a while, she handed the phone over to Courtney and cautiously said, ¡°I¡¯ve deleted them.¡± However, Courtney had no intention of checking it. When she noticed how they¡¯d broken through June¡¯s psychological line of defense. She knew that June would absolutely dare not take them lightly. Before they left, Courtney leaned over slightly and looked at June, who was shaking like a leaf, saying, ¡°I initially wanted you to know how it feels, but you now have someone asking for mercy on your behalf. However, I still want to remind you that you should stay away from Angie from now on. If any harm comes to her, you¡¯re the first person I¡¯ll go to.¡± She sauntered away once she was done speaking. Elijah watched the slender figure walk away as his smile deepened; the exhaustion he felt before going out had somehow dissipated. Outside the hotel entrance, he pulled Courtney into the same car as him. All the way home, her face was gloomy, as if she was caught up in a particrly unpleasant memory. As her eyes darkened, her cold fingers were suddenly wrapped in a burst of warmth. When she looked up, she saw Elijah¡¯s side profile reflected by the passing neon lights from the street, and she was immediately pulled back into reality. Although nothing terrible happened in the end when Courtney first encountered that incident, despair and fear of the world forced her to lose sleep all year round, and she would wake up from nightmares every night. Elijah picked up on her emotions and knew he couldn¡¯t discuss the topic easily. After all, it was him who had hurt her back then, and no words could heal this kind of trauma. After he thought about it, he changed the subject. ¡°I¡¯ve found that person¡¯s sister.¡± Sure enough, her gloomy eyes suddenly lit up, and her fingers tightened around his palm. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°In Warmorth Hospital on the outskirts of the city.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Courtney showed hints of puzzlement in her eyes, but after Elijah calmly mentioned leukemia, she slowlyposed herself. That wasn¡¯t a surprise. After all, most people among the crowd that made a scene at Citron Apparel were the patients¡¯ family members. This man was part of them, too, so he must¡¯ve had his agenda. If it was not because of hatred, then he must¡¯ve done it for the money. Elijah¡¯s calm narration cleared up Courtney¡¯s chaotic emotions gradually cleared up. ¡°His name is Mike Winom, and his sister is L Larson. These two are not biological siblings, nor are they rted in any way. However, they met in Vietnam and came back togetherst year. L had been diagnosed with leukemia half a year ago and has been staying at the Warmorth Hospital for conservative treatment.¡± ¡°L isn¡¯t part of theborers at Citron Apparel.¡± Courtney began to recall the incident as she started making decisions on what to do. After the incident, Citron Apparel presented evidence to deny the rtionship between the sick employees and Citron Apparel. However, after privately verifying the condition of the 12 suffering employees, thepany still subsidized them. In the end, those people with malevolent intent gradually stopped showing up. L Larson¡¯s name was not on the list of the 12 people. ¡°L might not be aware of this, but they¡¯ve found a sessful match for her bone marrow, and what they currentlyck is the payment for therge sum of the treatment fee. So, we can¡¯t rule out that Mike is doing this just for the money. L would be a good angle as a breakthrough for him.¡± When Courtney heard this, she nodded her head silently, agreeing with Elijah. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to the hospital tomorrow to visit her.¡± His eyes were somber as he leaned against the window and mumbled. Then, he closed his eyes as lethargy engulfed him. The car fell into afortable silence as the two decided to rest during the trip back. Courtney leaned her head against her side of the window and looked through the ss, watching the bleak streets in the middle of the night. Her heart also began to feel deste after the incident today. Suddenly, she felt a weight on her shoulder. Somehow, Elijah had moved his body and rested her head on her as if it would help him sleep more peacefully. They had stayed up toote because of what had happened to Angie yesterday. When Courtney woke up the next day, she instinctively reached out to the other side of the bed yet didn¡¯t feel someone¡¯s solid chest as she expected. So, her eyes immediately snapped open, and she saw it was already 11:00AM. After she freshened up and went to the dining room, she saw Angie eating toast and milk on the dining table, unaware she was eating breakfast or lunch. When Angie saw Courtney pulling out a chair and sitting across her, she nced up at Courtney guiltily. However, Courtney took a piece of toast from her te and smeared some strawberry jam before she began eating it with relish. It seemed like she had no intention of bringing up what had happenedst night. On the contrary, this made Angie more restless. There were gaps in her memory from the time that she was brought into the hotel by Casey and June, and suddenly, she woke up the next day in the Duncans¡¯ ancestral home. As she thought about this, she put down the half-eaten toast in her hand and said, ¡°Aboutst night¡ª¡± ¡°Are you going to ask about what happenedst night? Do you not remember anything?¡± Courtney seemed to be a little perfunctory, in addition to her sleepy appearance. When Angie saw this, she gulped anxiously and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t remember, drink less when you¡¯re outside next time. It was Elijah that called and told me where you were. He was worried, so he told me to bring you back.¡± Elijah. The name ¡®Elijah¡¯ seemed to have an effect on Angie¡¯s heart, and she immediately found the toast in her mouth a little hard to swallow. Then, she got up to leave as she forced a smile on her face. ¡°I will. I¡¯ll be dropping by the manor first.¡± Courtney raised her head to look at her leave. ¡°Don¡¯t you have to go back to school today?¡± ¡°Today¡¯s a weekend. I promised to spend the weekend with Benny.¡± Angie was already walking along the corridor in the front yard of the Duncan Residence and toward the gate. When Courtney saw this, she narrowed her eyes slightly before lowering her head to eat thest bite of toast in her hand. At this time, the servant brought a ss of milk over. When Courtney reached out to take it, her eyes fell onto the bag the servant was holding in her left hand. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Oh, this is something the Young Master told Mr. Reynolds to send over this morning. He said that it was for you. He mentioned that you are going to visit someer and that you can take this with you.¡± Courtney drank the milk as she stared at the massive writing on the box; Maximillian. ¡°I got it.¡± Chapter 516 One Night Surprise Chapter 516 Chapter 516 A Tattoo on the Back of Her Hand ¡°L, there¡¯s someone here to see you.¡± In the ward of Warmorth Hospital in Melrose City, L was sitting at the table by the window in her hospital gown, peeling apples. When she heard the nurse call, she looked up reflexively and looked toward the door before she could hesitate. At the door, she saw Courtney wearing an off-white windbreaker. She had a light but warm smile on her face as if they were old friends whom she hadn¡¯t seen for a long time. Mike had warned her before this; L looked at Courtney with apparent scrutiny and precaution. ¡°Who are you?¡± After being sick for so long, L¡¯s thin face was dull, and her skin was sallow. However, her eyes still glistened. It was not difficult to imagine what a beauty she must have been before she fell ill. Courtney did not answer and just lifted the box she was holding. ¡°Mike said you like the puffs from this ce. So, I bought it for you this morning.¡± Sure enough, with just one sentence, L¡¯s frown loosened, and the suspicious look on her face subsided instantly. ¡°You know Mike?¡± By then, Courtney had already sat beside her and nodded as she put down the dessert box. ¡°Otherwise, how would I know you are here? Mike often talks about you to us. That is the only time he doesn¡¯t look as fierce.¡±N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. L let out a puff when she thought of Mike¡¯s default, gloomy face; she couldn¡¯t help butugh. However, she was one of the few people who had seen a gentle expression on that face of his, which was funnier than his usual frowning face. ¡°His fierce expression is really quite scary.¡± ¡°Exactly! Our boss used to get angry at him whenever the business wasn¡¯t as good, saying that his fierceness scared the customers away.¡± As Courtney spoke, she opened the light pink dessert box, which instantly exuded a creamy fragrance. She reached out, took one, and brought it toward L¡¯s mouth. ¡°Are you close to my brother?¡± L reached out her hand and took it from Courtney before eating it. L seemed to have a good appetite. She seemed to have dropped her guard against Courtney and was even enjoying this opportunity of having someone to spend time with. ¡°We¡¯ve worked together in a store before. Later, Mike was fired by the boss in order to cover for me. I¡¯ve always felt terrible about this. But, I knew that you were the only sister he cared about the most, so I¡¯ve always wanted toe and visit you. It¡¯s also a way to show my gratitude toward Mike.¡± The topic of Mike always filled L¡¯s heart with happiness, but this time, she was a little taken aback. ¡°He was fired? He told me some time ago that the boss gave him a raise and even agreed to lend him some money¡ª¡± L suddenly stopped mid-sentence when she realized something. Then she put the leftover puff on the table, and her face turned gloomy. She had always had a vague feeling that he was hiding something from her. Courtney observed the change in L¡¯s expression and immediately changed the topic after she came to a realization. ¡°Oh, what I said was a long time ago. I heard that Mike found a good jobter and that the boss liked him, saying that he is capable and smart. I also heard that his new sry is very high.¡± ¡°Really?¡± L¡¯s ck orbs shed in shock, and disbelief was written all over her face. However, there were still hints of anticipation. Courtney paused, hesitating whether to say it or not, but finally decided to take the risk. ¡°I know that Mike did some detestable things back in Vietnam, but he is a changed man now. All he cares about is to make money to cure your illness.¡± When L heard this, she was in shock. ¡°He even told you about his time in Vietnam?¡± After she had thought about this matter for a while, she lowered her head again and began to fidget with her fingers in despair. ¡°It was me who dragged him down at the end of the day.¡± ¡°Hey, so what? It¡¯s all a thing of the past. Now that he¡¯s managed to start a new life, you shouldn¡¯t hold onto the past. Anyways, I think Mike is a good man. If it weren¡¯t for my husband, I would definitely marry him.¡± Courtney¡¯s face was calm. Today, she was pretending to be a simple-minded woman that would just speak her mind. But, if she were to be honest, she¡¯s rather enjoying this change of pace. Those words made L blush slightly. ¡°I heard that the two of you met in Vietnam. Let¡¯s hear about how you two met!¡± ¡°At that time, I went to Vietnam to seek shelter from my rtives. One day, I was dragged to the bar by a friend I had just met, and I was bullied after I had too much to drink. It just so happened that on that day, Mike happened to help his friend watch over the ce, and he came to save me. After that, we gradually became acquainted over time.¡± As L reminisced, she didn¡¯t realize how prominent the smile on her face was as she spoke. At that time, she followed him and watched him work on the field. He fought almost every day and lived a thrilling life. While dressing his wound at night, she couldn¡¯t help but tear up, but when he smiled at her, she felt like everything was okay again. Lilia observed her, and it wasn¡¯t difficult to notice this. ¡°Do you like him?¡± That one sentence brought L back to reality. Just as she was about to deny it, she felt a sudden burst of sadness. She had nothing to worry about right now since she had nothing. ¡°Mmhmm.¡± She nodded dazedly, and smiled a self-deprecating smile with a hint of reluctance. ¡°One day, he received a mission to overthrow thisdy boss in a gang, and he was stabbed in the abdomen. He thought he was about to die, so he confessed to me in a pool of blood, saying that he should have met me sooner and how it was just a little toote now.¡± ¡°What happened after that?¡± As L spoke, her eyes gradually filled up with tears. Courtney did not expect to hear such a story when she arrived and visited L. Now, she felt a little dumbfounded as she looked at the frail woman in front of her. ¡°Then¡ª¡± L¡¯s eyes widened, and the smile on her lips deepened. ¡°Later, he was saved and didn¡¯t die. But, once he was almost healed, he didn¡¯t want to see me, and didn¡¯t want to admit what he had said to me the other day. When I got angry and tried to reason with him, he was riled up as well and insisted on me being his sister. And just like that, I became a sister to him.¡± Courtney¡¯s eyes sank when she heard this. Her initial purpose was not to hear about all these, but now that she did, she couldn¡¯t help but feel sad. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to drag you with him,¡± Courtney said frankly, and L nodded. She was, of course, aware of Mike¡¯s concerns, but at that time, she naively thought that love would overpower life and death and everything the world had to throw at them. It wasn¡¯t until now, when she was staring at death in the face, that she realized that that was not the case. ¡°I know that he has been thinking about quitting all these years. He also told me that he would bring me back and find a fishing vige to live a simple life, fishing together. Later, something happened to their group, and the police were involved. Before the investigation, there had been infighting already. I heard that it was caused by the boss¡¯ woman, which caused the whole group to dissolve.¡± The boss¡¯ woman. A trace of doubt crossed Courtney¡¯s mind, but L¡¯s words interrupted her train of thought. ¡°Mike saw thising a long time ago. That¡¯s why he brought me back here in advance. After we returned, we lived in a fishing vige for some time. Then, just as I felt that everything was going to be fine, I fell sick.¡± As she spoke, her eyes began to turn red, and she began to hammer her thigh as if she was ming herself. Courtney couldn¡¯t help but reach out to grab her hand. But, when she touched L¡¯s thin fingers, she instinctively tightened her grip on L¡¯s hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t I hear you found a matching bone marrow?¡± This didn¡¯t seem tofort L as much as Courtney imagined. On the contrary, worry began to wash over L¡¯s eyes. ¡°Bone marrow transnts are expensive, and we don¡¯t have the money for that. But Mike has been telling me recently that he is about to get rich. I¡¯m very worried. I keep feeling like¡ª¡± She suddenly stopped talking once she realized what was wrong. Courtney pondered for a while before saying, ¡°Now that you¡¯ve mentioned it, I seem to have recalled a womaning to our store to look for him.¡± Right when L heard this, she grabbed Courtney¡¯s arm and raised her tone as she asked with fear in her voice, ¡°What kind of woman? What does she look like?¡± Due to the topic of discussion, she seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and her eyes widened. Then, she stretched out her right finger, pointed at the back of her left hand, and asked, ¡°Is there a tattoo on the back of her hand?¡± Chapter 517 One Night Surprise Chapter 517 Chapter 517 He Can Talk Already? ¡°N-No.¡± L¡¯s current reaction confirmed Courtney¡¯s conjecture. Courtney pondered for a moment. On the one hand, she was worried that L would question Mike about the truth. But, on the other hand, she couldn¡¯t bear it, so she simply put on a show, acting as if she only denied it after giving it some serious thought. ¡°The woman seemed to be in her twenties. She dressed quite fashionably, with long curly hair. She was thin and tall. Although I didn¡¯t pay attention to the back of her hand, it didn¡¯t look like she had a tattoo there.¡± After L heard Courtney¡¯s denial, she felt more at ease. Once the nerves had eased, she seemed to realize that she had just been overly emotional and leaned back on the chair again. ¡°Then, it¡¯s not her. That¡¯s not her,¡± she murmured with a smile on her face. Courtney¡¯s expression remained the same as if she had not taken L¡¯s reactions to heart. She got up and slightly brushed the fray hairs on her temple. ¡°I¡¯ve been bothering you for quite a while already today. I need to take my leave first as my shift is starting in a bit. I¡¯lle to revisit you when I have the chance.¡± L snapped out from her thoughts when she heard Courtney¡¯s voice, and she got up to send her off. However, just as Courtney walked to the door, she turned around for a quick nce and some emotions stirred up in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a very kind woman. Mike is lucky to have met you.¡± These words were from the bottom of her heart, with no underlying motives. She smoothened out her wrinkled coat as she spoke before turning around and striding away. She felt that they would meet again soon, under very different circumstances and identities. ¡ª¡ª ¡­ When Angie rushed back to the manor, Benny was already out at the front, looking around the whole morning. When the little boy saw a figure slowlying in, his clear eyes suddenly lit up. Then, he broke free from the maid¡¯s grip and threw himself on her. She felt a dip on her leg and looked down to see that the little boy was rubbing his head against her. This coquettish behavior made the 18-year-old Angie overflow with maternal love. ¡°Benny, what are you doing out here?¡± Then, she took his hand and walked toward the tour bus. They were about ten minutes away from the entrance of the manor. She did not expect that he would be here waiting for her. Nearby, Marianne showed a hint of helplessness on her face. ¡°Young Master Benny has been waiting here since 7:00AM. If Miss Angie didn¡¯t show up, he wouldn¡¯t leave. So, he just sat by the stone stool and waited all morning.¡± She had never expected a five or six-year-old child to be so resilient. She had no choice but to wait with him for about four to five hours and almost fainted out of boredom and mental strain. Angie was surprised to hear this, and at the same time, she felt a little guilty. When she leaned over to say something, she noticed that Benny¡¯s eyes were filled with excitement and energy. He didn¡¯t seemThis is from N?velDrama.Org. the least bit angry at all. Then, she couldn¡¯t help butugh as she reached out to pinch the little boy¡¯s nose. ¡°This is my fault. However, I promise I¡¯ll be on time in the future.¡± As she said this, she raised her right hand and made a swearing oath. The excited look in Benny¡¯s eyes did not diminish. Instead, he grinned, nodded sharply, and squeezed out a word, ¡°Okay!¡± Angie was surprised as she pinched Benny¡¯s face in disbelief; she squished this little boy¡¯s face mercilessly in her joy. The moment she let go, there were two apparent fingerprints on his face for a moment before they disappeared. Benny patted his face aggrievedly. ¡°It hurts.¡± ¡°He can talk already?¡± After she recovered from her initial shock, she looked up at Marianne to confirm. Marianne nodded with a smile on her face. ¡°The doctor who examined him said that he didn¡¯t speak before because he was used to speaking Vietnamese and didn¡¯t know much English. In addition to that, the pressure on him was too much. Now, it seems that he has adapted, and since he was still young, he has picked up thenguage faster. He¡¯s learning to talk more after listening to us.¡± When Marianne spoke, he looked toward Benny and solemnly nodded at Angie once she was done. Angie was ecstatic when she heard this. ¡°Can you understand what we¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°Mmhmm.¡± Benny nodded his head diligently. Back in Vietnam, he could understand some simple English, but thenguage was easier to listen to than to speak. Angie touched his head as she felt relief gushing over her, like a mother to her son. She had decided not to go up the tour bus. Instead, she had a better idea. She looked at Benny eagerly and said, ¡°How about we pay the theme park a visit today?¡± She had once seen him drawing a lot of amusement parks in his sketches, and all of these paintings, without exception, had a lonely little boy silently watching by the gates of the amusement park. Sure enough, as soon as he heard the word ¡®amusement park,¡¯ he was initially stunned. Then, after a long moment, there was a burst of uncontroble excitement in his eyes as he jumped around Angie for three rounds, seemingly like he waspletely immersed in the joyful feeling of being a child. Angie immediately gestured to Marriane when she saw this. ¡°Inform the driver to prepare the car. We¡¯ll wait here.¡± When Marianne heard this, she was a little hesitant and couldn¡¯t help but set her eyes on Benny. ¡°Miss Hunter said to not take Benny out when she brought him over just now.¡± Only then did Angie finally remember after being reminded by Marianne, but she couldn¡¯t break the kid¡¯s heart when she saw Benny¡¯s excited face. She waved her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll just go to the children¡¯s amusement park in the western suburbs. There won¡¯t be many people there. We¡¯ll come back before dinner.¡± Although Marianne had done her part in reminding her, seeing how persistent Angie was to go, Marianne naturally wouldn¡¯t stop her. So, she quickly called the driver after agreeing with Angie. Angie didn¡¯t know the reason why Courtney wouldn¡¯t let Benny out. Nevertheless, as soon as Marianne had notified the driver, Benny reached out to tug at Angie¡¯s trousers and stared at her cutely before squeezing out two words, ¡°Josie.¡± ¡°Do you want to bring Josie with you?¡± Benny nodded vigorously; he and Josephine had made a pinky promise before. If one of them were going to do something fun, they must invite each other. However, other than just the two of them, Ethan was part of this agreement as well. Ethan had been extremely arrogant, with his head stuck in the clouds. After he fell into the swimming pool thest time, he med Benny for putting the dinosaurs next to the pool, causing him to identally trip on it and fall in. This unreasonable Ethan one-sidedly broke the promise with Benny. ¡°Bring Josie.¡± Benny gritted his teeth firmly. At this point, Angie had no choice but to call her Great-Aunt Alicia. On the other side, Alicia was worrying over Josephine, who had cream all over her face from eating. She had proposed to send Josephine over to Gale¡¯s ce, but Josephine refused because Ethan and Fiona had a feud. Josephine had promised Fiona to ignore Ethan for the time being, so she refused to go over. Ethan, at the side, raised a pair of aggrieved eyes from the mouse cake to look at Alicia pitifully, ¡°Great- Aunt Alicia, Josie is closer to Fiona than with me now.¡± However, Alicia gave him an even more aggrieved look. ¡°I will be going to a cocktail party soon. I¡¯m worried that too many people will be there to bring you two. So, I¡¯ll just send you to your mum. As for Ethan, are you going to go to Aunt Courtney¡¯s ce, or do I send you home?¡± ¡°Home.¡± When Ethan thought about Elijah¡¯s face, he couldn¡¯t help but feel repelled. Just as Alicia was about to take her bag, the phone in her bag vibrated. When she saw that the caller ID was Angie, Alicia picked up the phone. After understanding what was happening, she readily agreed to the proposed request on the phone. Then, she hung up the phone with a slight smile. ¡°Change of ns. Angie will bring you and Benny to the amusement park.¡± Josephine was so excited that the braids on her hair were almost standing. ¡°Really? Yay, I haven¡¯t seen Benny in a long time!¡± When Ethan heard this, he mumbled softly, ¡°I want to go as well.¡± Chapter 518 One Night Surprise Chapter 518 Chapter 518 Mister, I Want That Mickey Mouse Mask Angie took Benny to the car and told the driver the address of a dessert shop before telling him to pick Josephine up. Unexpectedly, two figures jumped into the car once they reached the location. Benny stared at Ethan, who was sticking to Josephine vigntly. Only two child seats were prepared in the car; Benny upied one, and there was an empty one next to him. The two children didn¡¯t know what to do for a while. Ethan was happy to give the seat to Josephine as long as he didn¡¯t have to sit next to Benny. Benny¡¯s eyes were fixated on Josephine, and he had one hand unconsciously protecting the seat next to him, fearing that Ethan would snatch it away. Angie was slightly surprised to see this and immediately got out of the passenger seat and gestured to Josephine. ¡°Josie,e sit on myp instead. I didn¡¯t know Ethan was following. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t prepare more child seats.¡± Josephine felt embarrassed. Angie¡¯s words were like a relief to her as she quickly moved to the passenger seat and sat on Angie¡¯sp. For a moment, the atmosphere in the car¡¯s back seat was a little awkward. The two little boys looked at each other, and there were indescribable expressions on both of their pink faces. Then, Benny quietly withdrew his hand, turned his out of the window, and pretended nothing had happened. Ethan walked to the seat, and the driver who came out picked him up from behind, stuffed him into the chair, fastened the safety buckle, and quickly closed the door. Then, he lowered his head and yed with his fingers while listening to the engine¡¯s roar and Josephine¡¯sughter. When he turned his head to look at Benny, who was stubbornly ignoring him. After they had gotten out of the car, Josephine happily followed behind Angie as usual while Benny and Ethan walked side by side, ignoring each other. Angie had noticed the awkward atmosphere between the two little boys, but she didn¡¯t bother much about it. Once they entered the amusement park, the first thing she dragged the children into doing was outdoor rock climbing. The two little boys couldn¡¯t help but break intoughter when they saw each other with all the pieces of equipment on. Angie helped Benny and Ethan to get a coach. Initially, the coach wanted to propose that the two compete against each other, but who would¡¯ve expected that during warm-up preparations, a chubby boy staggered and bumped into Benny, who then fell onto Ethan. This immediately angered Ethan, who waved his little fist, intending to teach the chubby boy a lesson. However, the boy wasn¡¯t scared at all. Instead, he grinned. ¡°You two are no match for me.¡± ¡°Try us.¡± Ethan raised his eyebrows to challenge; there was no doubt he had gotten that cynical look from Gale. On the other hand, Benny was a little scared as he hid behind Ethan, with a grip on Ethan¡¯s leather buckle. Benny thought that Ethan was about to fight the chubby boy, and Benny¡¯s other fist tightened as if ready to rush up at any time. The chubby little boy had obviously misunderstood. As he rubbed his hands together, he looked at Ethan and pointed to the rock climbing wall on the side. ¡°Then let¡¯spete to see who will reach the top first. If you win, I¡¯ll apologize to your friend.¡± Benny was dumbfounded to hear this. The chubby little boy seemed to be half a head taller than Ethan, so he naturally agreed to a challenge with confidence. Before Angie could clearly understand the situation, thepetition was about to begin. This was Ethan¡¯s first-time rock climbing. His cheeks were flushed, and sweat dripped down his forehead after just two steps in. Benny looked up at him. Worried, he started to get upset about how Ethan had to unt, while his own cheeks turned red at some point too. Although the chubby boy wasn¡¯t very agile, he was still faster than Ethan. When Ethan was halfway up, he inadvertently lowered his head and nced down. Then, his whole face turned white with fright. ¡°Kid, if you¡¯re scared, you cane down and rest for a while.¡± The coach who was with him immediately saw through Ethan. The fifty-plus-year-old man suggested gently, but Ethan didn¡¯t buy it. He continued to climb up with tears in his eyes without saying a word. At this time, the chubby boy was clearly exhausted as well and had slowed down. He had to stop and pant each time he climbed a step. When he saw Ethan catching up, he began to fasten his pace. However, he misstepped and fell directly from the middle to the ground. When Benny saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but p and cheer. His tiny heart had been thumping against his chest; he was so nervous that he found it The chubby boy that fell to the ground had to start all over, but thoughts of failure infiltrated his mind. Soon, he began to slip off every two steps he climbed, and in the end, he could only watch Ethan reach the finish line, step by step. When Ethan came down from the top and took off his helmet, everyone saw that sweat soaked his initially soft, fluffy hair. However, he had a smug look on his face when he looked at hispetitor. ¡°You¡¯ve lost.¡± The chubby boy bit his lips, seeming like he was mentally destroyed, and shouted a sorry at Benny before running off to an adult not far away. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Ethan, you¡¯re amazing!¡± Josephine jumped up and down, apuding Ethan. Every time she jumped, her fluffy tutu skirt also lifted up and down. It was an adorable sight to see. Ethan wiped the sweat off his forehead. Josephine¡¯s praise put him in a good mood, and after hearing Benny say that he was amazing as well, he felt like his whole person could fly. After that, the three walked hand in hand very tacitly while Angie followed behind like a bodyguard. After a few rounds, although the three little kids were still in high spirits, Angie was exhausted. ¡°Aren¡¯t you three tired? Let¡¯s sit down and rest!¡± Angie eximed with her hands on her hips as they followed him around wearily. The long striped cardigan she had on before had already been taken off and wrapped around her waist. Although she was only wearing a short-sleeve shirt, she felt like she was on fire. ¡°Okay, I want some water.¡± When Josephine turned around to say that, her whole face was flushed. As soon as she suggested that, the two little boys couldn¡¯t help but agree. ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°You three go sit at the side and rest. I¡¯ll buy you some juice.¡± Angie¡¯s words were like a huge relief to them as she pointed to the juice stall not far away. But, when she returned, the three little kids were nowhere to be found. At this moment, anxiety filled her body, and her eyes began to burn as she looked around the area anxiously. Just then, she felt herself getting pulled by a small force under her. When she looked down, she saw Benny pulling her fingers, trying to drag her to a stall nearby. ¡°Josie wants to buy a mask.¡± Following the direction of Benny¡¯s finger, she saw the other two kids, and her thumping heart gradually calmed down. Angie walked toward them and saw Josephine holding a fluffy princess mask in her hand, looking at it admiringly. ¡°How much is this, mister?¡± Josephine asked in a childish voice. Ethan, who had initially taken an interest in the Mickey Mouse mask, immediately picked up the prince mask out of his own will after he saw Josephine had taken the princess one. ¡°I want this one too.¡± When Angie saw this, she passed the juice to them and took out her wallet before she said to Benny, ¡°You can choose one as well.¡± However, he didn¡¯t seem to be very interested. Instead, he scanned the stall vaguely and finally pointed to one. ¡°I¡¯ll take this.¡± The owner of the stall smiled and asked, ¡°Do you want the Mickey Mouse one?¡± Benny nodded solemnly before taking the mask from the stall owner and wearing it. Josephine was amused by how the mask looked on him and giggled. Then, she looked up and pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°Mister, I want to change. I want the Minnie Mouse mask.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­ Ethan, who was holding the prince¡¯s mask, saw Josephine hurriedly putting on her new Minnie Mouse mask and felt lost. When they finally left the amusement park, Benny and Josephine had their masks on and held hands. One of them was Mickey Mouse, and the other was Minnie Mouse. Ethan was following suit behind them, wearing a Donald Duck mask. All three of them seemed to stumble a little as they walked. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go home.¡± Angie was already exhausted by now and took the opportunity to say this as it was gettingte. Chapter 519 One Night Surprise Chapter 519 Chapter 519 The Food Cart ¡°Angie, let¡¯s go eat. I¡¯m hungry.¡± As soon as Ethan got into the car, his stomach rumbled. As soon as he touched his shriveled belly, he couldn¡¯t help but suggest. Before Angie could speak, Josephine, who was behind him, nodded her head enthusiastically. ¡°Alright.¡± Angie had no choice but to agree and ordered the driver to bring them to a nearby restaurant suitable for children. The restaurant they went to did not have many people. As soon as they entered, Ethan quickly chose a seat, climbed onto the chair, and stretched his finger to point at the seat next to him, shouting, ¡°Josie, come here!¡± Josephine dashed in happily but did not sit down in the chair he expected her to. She pulled Benny to sit next to her, across Ethan, and Ethan¡¯s eyes immediately showed a hint of disappointment. However, once the waiter brought them the menu, the hunger in his head dispelled the frustration. ¡°Wow, I want some ice cream.¡± Angie sat next to Ethan and flipped through the menu attentively as she reminded him, ¡°Ice cream is a dessert you eat after a meal. You can eat it after you¡¯re done with your meal.¡± As she ordered and waited for the meal to be served, Josephine and Benny were bickering with one another, talking about something that Angie couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Our food is here. Josie, Benny, take off your masks.¡± Angie admired the energy of these little children. After walking around all afternoon, she felt her bones were about to fall apart. Now, she was so hungry that she could eat a horse. She watched the food cart getting pushed over and suddenly felt a growl in her stomach. Josephine and Benny listened, and the two immediately stopped bickering, stuffed their masks into their small school bags, and turned to look in the direction of the food cart. As Benny¡¯s favorite food was chicken wings, his eyes were immediately attracted by the te of chicken wings and prawns on the food cart, and he didn¡¯t notice the cart that had obviously stopped in front of him. Immediately, there was a look of shock on the waiter¡¯s face. ¡°Did you order us ice cream?¡± Ethan persevered, and the three little kids perked up when they heard what he said. Their eyes turned back to the dining table. To be precise, all three children turned to look at Angie inquiringly. ¡°I¡¯ll get you some after dinner. I¡¯ll even order an extrarge one for whoever eats the most.¡± Angie blinked at the three kids as they seemed to have surrendered. This made her feel a little victorious. ¡°Miss, your food is here. Enjoy.¡± As the waiter served their food, Angie nodded, acknowledging before she was upied with getting the three little kids to eat. In the restaurant restroom on the other side, Mike was washing his hands in the sink with a slightly complicated look on his face reflected in the mirror. After washing his hands and drying them, he was just about to take out his phone when a hand pushed him back. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to use your phone during work. Do you want your sry to be deducted?¡± When he looked up to see who it was, a smile crept up on his face. He reached out to pat the person on the arm while saying thank you in a light tone. ¡°No worries.¡± Then, the other party leaned against the sink countertop, took out a pack of cigarettes and lighter from his pocket, lit a cigarette, and took a big puff before motioning to Mike. ¡°Do you want one?¡± When Mike saw this, he was dumbfounded. ¡°Isn¡¯t it worse to smoke during work?¡± However, the guy did not answer. Instead, he took a few long puffs within the next half a minute before putting out the cigarette and throwing it into the dustbin. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I¡¯m a heavy smoker.¡± As he squinted his eyes and waved his hands around, trying to disperse the smell of the smoke, a casual voice rang in Mike¡¯s ears. ¡°What happened just now? Didn¡¯t you like the girl there? Are you too nervous about serving her? It seems like she¡¯s around 18 or 19 years old. Do you think she will take a fancy to you?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you like a college student as well?¡± Mike did notment as he strode away with a smile on his face. He only thought about the person he had seen in the restaurant after getting off work. Now, he no longer had the want to use his phone as he did back in the bathroom. Instead, he strolled along the road and put his hand behind his pocket before pulling it back out after a brief thought. He lowered his gaze as he walked toward his rental house, and the bustling streets behind him became background noise. A few dayster, Mike received a piece of unexpected news about her. ¡°The people you are looking for are now entirely out of the radar. They seemed to all beying low and did not want anything to do with Citron. However, now that the regtory authorities have announced their investigation results, Citron Apparel wille out of it with a clean reputation. Is this the best you can do? As the night wind blew the cool air onto his face, Mike quickly tapped on the keyboard with one hand. ¡°As long as you pay me, I will do anything. Everything will be done ording to your requests.¡± As fatigue washed over him, he slowly exhaled a foul breath as he looked up into the sky. Right then, his phone rang, and a motorcycle whizzed past him. Alongside the shadow of the passing car, he only heard one sentence, ¡°Go somewhere else if you want to die, don¡¯t block the road!¡± As he turned, he had a look of vicissitudes on his face, and he suddenly recalled the person he was many years ago; a motorcyclist that would roar down the street in a jam. When hepared it to where he was now, he couldn¡¯t help but feel dumbfounded. Then, he began tough at himself. Hisughter got louder and louder, and in the end, he had to squat down by the roadside with one hand on his forehead and the other on his stomach fromughing too much. A couple that was passing by slowed down their footsteps from a distance. Their hesitation grew as they approached before the girl finally pulled the boy away and ran away. ¡°Is he drunk, or has he lost his mind?¡± The girl patted her chest as fear still lingered within her. She naturally did not know about the wounds in the man¡¯s heart or that he had been through life and death for the first half of his life. At that time, he had a long knife stabbed right through his stomach, but even then, he did not utter a single sound. Yet now, on an ordinary night like this, he wasughing and crying like a lunatic under the brightly lit street. After his episode, he finally sat on the spot and leaned against a tree before lighting a cigarette. More and more passersby regarded him as a drunkard and avoided him. However, he ignored it, squinting his eyes as he opened his phone. ¡°I want Courtney to suffer and wish she was dead. Before you go about doing this, L will never make it to the operating table. You should count how much time you have left.¡± ¡°What can I do?¡± ¡°You have two options¡ª¡± As Mike stared at the two short texts on the phone¡¯s screen, he took onest puff of his cigarette before rubbing its butt under his feet. In an instant, he regained a cold and indifferent aura as if the rush of memory from the past had dissipated from his mind. ¡°For thest time, if you don¡¯t keep your promise, we¡¯ll all die together.¡± He got up, patted the dust off his body, and continued to blend into the bustling street. At the traffic light on the other side of the road was a mother and daughter standing in front of Mike. The little girl had a pink tutu skirt, a small pink waistcoat, and a pair of tiny pink leather shoes. She even had a pink bear hairpin and a pink balloon in her hand. As he silently watched the little girl from the back, a rare trace of tenderness shed across his eyes. ¡°Mommy, how long do we have to go before seeing daddy?¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°We just have to cross this road. Daddy is working overtime today. Shall we get him some food?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± The girl¡¯s mother was thin and was carrying two bags in her hand. She turned to smile at the girl under her. ¡°The balloon!¡± Just as the woman turned away from the child and back to the opposing traffic light, the pink balloon in the little girl¡¯s hand slipped away. The little girl chased after the balloon unconsciously as she headed for the road. At that moment, a bus was approaching the intersection at full speed. The driver was so frightened by the unexpected child that showed up that he quickly honked as he floored the break. ¡°Cadance!¡± At this instant, the woman dropped her bag and reached out for her but only managed to grab the corner of the child¡¯s skirt. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest. Unexpectedly, a dark shadow rushed out from behind the woman quickly and decisively. By the time the woman reacted, the little girl had alreadynded firmly in a man¡¯s arm. Mike¡¯s face was calm and indifferent. He did not seem to think that the incident just now was thrilling at all. However, he held the frightened child in his arms firmly as he reminded the woman who had just recovered from the shock, ¡°The light is green.¡± Chapter 520 One Night Surprise Chapter 520 Chapter 520 Knit for Me Once they¡¯d crossed the road, the frightened woman took the child from Mike¡¯s hand. This time, her in and elegant face was stained with tears. Then, she squatted down and wrapped her arms around the little girl, seeming like she had exhausted all her strength just to feel her presence. Then, Mike heard a slight whimper and frowned before walking away. It wasn¡¯t his strong suit to witness a woman¡¯s fragility. Just as he took a step away, a delicate little hand hooked his finger, and a hint of warmth flowed into his blood along the fingertip. When he turned his head, his cold face did not reflect the warmth in his heart. The little girl looked at him with big clear eyes, and despite his slight struggle to free himself, her little hand stubbornly grabbed onto his index finger. ¡°What do you want?¡± His tone was not friendly. ¡°Thank you, mister.¡± The little one squinted as she smiled at him. Then, she handed the balloon to him and repeated, ¡°Thank you, mister. My name is Cadance Mint.¡± When the girl¡¯s mother finally came to her senses, she looked up at Mike with an apologetic smile. Then, she wiped her tears on her face and reached for something in her bag. Mike watched her and saw that she was taking out all the cash in her bag after a while. She was about to stuff them into his hand as his face turned gloomy. His hands were just hanging by his side motionlessly. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. You¡¯re a good person. You¡¯ve saved Cadance, and I don¡¯t know how to express my gratitude. So, this is just a little something from me.¡± When the woman noticed the unhappy expression on Mike¡¯s face, she quickly exined incoherently. However, he was in shock when he heard the sentence from the woman¡¯s mouth; he couldn¡¯t hide his panic. ¡®You are a good man.¡¯ It was rare for anyone topliment him like that. He wasn¡¯t a good guy. His hands are dirtied with blood. He was a demon. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He quickly concealed the emotion in his eyes and spoke faintly. Then, he took the balloon from the little girl¡¯s hand and said, ¡°This is enough.¡± ¡°Mister, I still have something to tell you.¡± The little girl tilted her head mysteriously, making Mike hesitate. Although he was not curious, he still asked, ¡°What is it?¡± She then hooked her fingers around his again, making him squat down. Suddenly, a warm breath hit his cheek, burning slightly. ¡°Mommy said that little girls are not allowed to kiss anyone, but I don¡¯t think Mommy will mind if I give you a kiss.¡± The little girl gleamed, contrasting with the flustered look on her mother¡¯s face. Her mother quickly pulled the child into her arms and exined with a flustered smile, ¡°She¡¯s still young, don¡¯t mind¡ª¡± Mike finally stopped holding back his smile and got up as he touched the little girl¡¯s head, interrupting her mother. ¡°Your daughter is adorable.¡± After that, as he walked along the street, the wind felt a little warmer, and the street lights seemed a little brighter. He looked up at the city¡¯s tall buildings, and a few stars shone in the small portion of the sky overhead. At this moment, a thought popped up in his mind. He took out his phone and sent a message to the only person he cared about in this city. ¡°I met a cute little girl on the road today. She¡¯s really adorable.¡± He could imagine the shock in L¡¯s eyes when she saw his text and how a smile would slowly creep onto her face after she calmed down. ¡°Have you gotten off work? I haven¡¯t had dinner yet.¡± When Mike received that message, he smiled and kept his phone before he called out for a taxi. When he arrived at the ward of the Warmorth Hospital, he saw a thin figure sitting on the snow-white sheets from the door¡¯s window. Her knuckled hands were quickly and skillfully knitting a sweater. The dark blue wool was quietly woven into the sweater¡¯s sleeves between her fingers. When the woman stopped topare each side, a delighted smile appeared on her face. Had it not been for the fact that the hospital gowns on women under the incandescent light were extremely eye-catching, it would¡¯ve been a serene sight. Mike, who stood outside the doors, felt his eyes dry. He let out a low cough and heard L¡¯s flustered voice, followed by rustling sounds. ¡°Mike, you¡¯re here.¡± L was already sitting cross-legged on the hospital bed when he opened the door and went in. The half-knitted sweater was tucked under the pillow, revealing only two slender wooden needles. ¡°I¡¯ve bought you beef noodle soup.¡± Mike¡¯s face was calm as he feigned ignorance. He passed the beef noodle soup to her, and she quickly took it. Her mouth began to water. It was the moment when she took it from him that she saw the scratch on his wrist, and her dull yellow face sank in an instant. Then, she grabbed his arm and lifted his sleeve. Hidden under the sleeve was an even more shocking wound because it seemed like it had not been treated in time. There was dry blood around the injury, and some blood had stained the sleeve of the white T-shirt. L bit her lips and remained silent as she examined the wound. Instead, she got up and walked out of the room beforeing back after a short while with a red ointment and a gauze that she had asked from the nurse in her hands. Then, she quickly and skillfully lowered her head and cleaned up his wounds. L remained silent and buried her head down low. Suddenly, Mike felt two drops of warm liquid on his wrist, and his heart tightened. ¡°I was waiting at the traffic light on the side of the road. A little girl was almost hit by a car, and I identally hurt myself when I rescued her,¡± he exined nonchntly while his other hand helped pull her messy hair back. L¡¯s careful movements stopped after she heard this. ¡°You should¡¯ve been more careful,¡± she tried to sound angry, but the relief in her tone was evident. Her heart had also calmed down inadvertently. Because she had kept her head down, she did not notice how he looked at her tenderly. Then, as she continued to clean his wound for him, she threatened angrily, ¡°If you get hurt again in the future, I¡¯m not going to help you clean it. Go to the nurse yourself.¡± ¡°Okay, I know.¡± Mike raised his eyebrows slightly and actually nodded in agreement. Right then, Lisa felt like she was punched in the gut. At the end of the day, it was she who suffered internally. Then, she stuffed the remaining ointment and gauze into his hands angrily. This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°You go give it back to the nurse. Also, Lily had just asked me why I haven¡¯t seen you in two days?¡± At this moment, L¡¯s face changed. Mike noticed the subtle change in her expression and felt something was wrong. However, he couldn¡¯t pinpoint what it was. ¡°Okay, enjoy your food. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± As he got up, he thought about all the possibilities and concluded that it was maybe because she was so hungry that she got into a bad mood. L almost copsed when she saw him get up to leave. She immediately grabbed the pillow beside her and swung it on his back. However, she had identally taken out the half-knitted sweater hidden under the pillow. The blue wool rolled from the bed to Mike¡¯s feet. He had pretended to be ignorant for more than a month, but right now, it was hard to put on an act. ¡°Are you knitting for me?¡± He picked up the sweater, and his stubbled face was covered with a shy smile. Unfortunately, L snatched it back angrily and hid it under the quilt this time. He felt embarrassed when he saw her giving him the cold shoulder. Apart from vulnerability, witnessing a woman¡¯s anger was also something that he was not good at. L patiently anticipated for him to say something nice. Who would¡¯ve expected that instead of hearing his voice, she heard the sound of footsteps getting farther and farther, followed by the sound of the door mmed shut? This left Liba dumbfounded as she didn¡¯t expect him to vacate the room just like that. Chapter 521 One Night Surprise Chapter 521 Chapter 521 She Said That I Am a Good Man After a while, the door swung open again, and Mike came in with his hands behind his back. By then, L had already given up the idea of being angry at him. She knew that she could never get through to his dense head, and he would never understand the deeper meaning behind people¡¯s words. ¡°Quicky, eat your food. The soup is cold now.¡± L buried her head as she took in a mouthful of noodles while picking out the beef from the bowl and putting it into another bowl. However, she was caught off guard by the touch of pink from the corner of her eyes. When she looked up, she saw Mike grinning at her with a balloon in his hand. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Mike began to tie the balloon to her bedside and rambled on about how he had rescued a little girl by the side of the road today. Finally, he stared at the pink color balloon and muttered to himself indifferently, ¡°Her mother said that I was a good man. This is the second time anyone has ever said that to me.¡± When L heard this, she froze. At that time, she was naive. Now that she had gone through so many things, she did not have the courage to insist that he was a good person. With an embarrassed smile, she said, ¡°You¡¯re just unattentive.¡± ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll let me back if I perform well?¡± After being asked that, she was silent. She continued to use the chopsticks to stir her soup. If there were a chance to turn back the fatal mistakes one made, this world would have been too cruel to those innocently dragged into the abyss by such errors. While she was immersed in her thoughts, a gentle force ruffled her hair. The person who asked this was supposed to beforted, yet, the person who listened could not extricate himself from a certain depressed mood for a moment. No, she had seen too many TV shows. The people who did wrong never had happy endings. Then, she snuggled up to the man¡¯s sturdy chest and slowly started to narrate, ¡°My father used to gamble when I was young, and I would often see my mother staring at her phone alone at home. Later, when he owed the casino money and couldn¡¯t pay his debt, his hands were chopped off, and the debt collectors forced my mother to her death. I used to hate all of them back then, but now, I just hate my dad.¡± Suddenly, warm dampness permeated Mike¡¯s shirt. He thought that L was going to talk about the debt coolers. He didn¡¯t expect her to chuckle to herself and say, ¡°Vietnam, I was so worried every time you went out that I couldn¡¯t sleep. I feel the same way right now, but I can¡¯t follow behind you anymore.¡± She was fumbling with the hem of her hospital gown, and her tone was a little calm. Mike¡¯s eyes flickered when he heard this. ¡°I¡¯ll find a way. You can be cured.¡± That wasn¡¯t the point of her story, so she merely shook her head as she heard his deration. ¡°I¡¯ve always felt that there is no turning back once you¡¯ve done something wrong, but you seemed to be the lucky one. God has taken special care of you. So, I hope you¡¯ll be a good person instead of trying to cure me.¡± L raised her arm, her thin fingertip slowly moved along the outline of the balloon at the head of the bed, and her eyes twinkled with warmth. Mike was silent as the blue veins in his arms began to protrude from supporting himself by the edge of the bed. The boiling blood in his body constantly mored for the shock that the words had just brought him. It wasn¡¯t until the person lying down on his shoulders slowly fell asleep that his breath regted, and a cold light appeared in his forbearing eyes. After Mike tucked L in, he turned off the lights and left the ward. The slightly tired future walked along the dimly lit corridor, and the sound of tapping from the phone¡¯s keyboard echoed. This is from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll take the second option. We¡¯ll meet at the same ce at 10:00AM two days from now.¡± He quickly got a message back. ¡°Coward.¡± ¡ª¡ª ¡­ Two dayster, it was pouring in Melrose City. Thete autumn rain swept through every corner of the city with an obvious chill. A man in a ck leather jacket was sitting in a shabby noodle soup with a bowl of beef noodles that had been ced on the table for a long time; the aroma of the meat was carried by the heat. He took a pair of chopsticks and ate a big mouthful. The woman opposite him was wearing an unseasonable ck cap with a pair of foxy eyes that showed nothing but disgust. She sat upright, trying to touch as few things as possible. The sound of rain crackled on the top of the room, upsetting everyone. Finally, the woman took off her ck mask coldly and said, ¡°I¡¯m not here to watch you eat noodles.¡± Mike took another two mouthfuls of the beef noodle soup contentedly before putting his chopstick down, taking out a sh drive from his pocket, and pushing it to her. He watched her face darken and calmly exined, ¡°You¡¯re still a wanted criminal in Vietnam. Don¡¯t think everything will be fine if you continue hiding in Melrose.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Mike wiped his mouth and continued, ¡°It won¡¯t do me any good to report you. All I need is your money. As long as you keep your end of the deal, I¡¯ll promise to keep everything a secret.¡± When the woman heard what he said, she crossed her arms contemptuously and scoffed, ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not my style to threaten other people. I¡¯ll do everything I promise you, but this time, you¡¯d have to ensure that all the surgical expenses charged to your ount are paid when everything is done.¡± Mike epted the job and had always been indifferent when he spoke. However, he paused this time before adding, ¡°This time, I want an additional 500,000 to ensure that she¡¯ll get to live a normal life once she¡¯s discharged from the hospital.¡± ¡°Mike, you¡¯re really infatuated.¡± The woman¡¯s smile deepened as she leaned her body closer. With the closing distance, it was clear that scars covered her heavily made-up face. As her smile dropped, her eyes began to seep a terrifying aura. ¡°If I go back on my deal, did you think you could¡¯ve threatened me with these?¡± However, Mike did not seem surprised by such an answer. Rather, he pushed the bowl of noodles aside and leaned in as well, meeting the pair of vicious eyes, showing no vulnerability. ¡°You¡¯ve managed to escape a catastrophe in Vietnam. How did you and Courtney get to this point after moving to Melrose? You clearly know that if your identity is identally found out, it will be an abyss of eternal redemption. What kind of hatred drives you to take such a risk. Even if it¡¯s not for yourself, have you thought about Jackie?¡± He paused before spitting out, ¡°Britney Price.¡± ¡°You!¡± The woman¡¯s face immediately changed when she heard this and stood up. The chair rubbed against the white floor tiles and let out a screech that caused Mike to frown. His mouth curled into a victorious smile as he watched the pain and anger grow in her eyes. ¡°You investigated me.¡± Then, in a sweep of her hand, she threw the bowl of soup to the ground in a crash, and fragments of the bowl flew everywhere. The sharp sound echoed in the ce was not enough to vent the anger in the woman¡¯s heart. Mike let out a chuckle and continued to provoke the woman. Finally, he took a photo from his inner pocket of the leather jacket and showed it to the woman. ¡°I heard that you used to be a big star, yet now you¡¯re just a wanted criminal with an odd face. It must be ufortable for you. Look how beautiful you were back then, and look at yourself now.¡± Chapter 522 One Night Surprise Chapter 522 Chapter 522 I¡¯ll Exin To the Police Britney¡¯s body began to tremble uncontrobly, and her clenched fists turned pale and feeble. Under her ck cap was a face that had been unable to be saved, even after multiple surgeries. As long as she touched the uneven surface of her skin, the thought of her being burned by the wire would torment her uncontrobly. In the past five years, she had been awakened by nightmares. She lingered around like a cockroach, too afraid to die yet too scared of living simultaneously. ¡°Courtney Hunter, this is all your fault!¡± She began to put all the me on Courtney. Ever since she showed up, the trajectory of Britney¡¯s life had gone downhill, and she was thrown into an uncontroble abyss. Now, just mentioning Courtney¡¯s name was enough to drive her crazy. ¡°I don¡¯t want her dead. I just want her to suffer!¡± Britney banged on the table hysterically. ¡°I want her to suffer more than I do.¡± This maniac action did not move Mike at all as he sat there indifferently, meeting Britney¡¯s sinister gaze. ¡°As long as it¡¯s done, it¡¯ll be enough to send her to prison for the rest of her life once it¡¯s exposed. But, this depends on your choice.¡± Before she spoke, she felt her chest tighten. Then, through gritted teeth, her following words were extremely domineering, ¡°Money means nothing to me now. I¡¯ll transfer the money as soon as the news is out.¡± After she regained herposure, she coldly let go of Mike¡¯s cor. She straightened her body, put on her mask again, and adjusted her cap. Then, she said maliciously, ¡°But if my identity is exposed, L will die.¡± As she said that, she kicked the chair behind her and stomped out of the noodle shop through the thick curtains. Mike¡¯s eyespletely darkened once the curtain fell again as he poured himself a cup of barley and took a sip before leaving the stall. Outside, he stopped a car and got it to follow closely behind the SUV in front. The car turned a few corners on the street in the heavy rain before reluctantly driving onto the main road and entering the city center. The underground parking lot of the Melrose Auditorium was filled with cars from the underground level to the second floor of the parking lot. The vast auditorium was also bustling with life. The sweet sound of the violin echoed throughout the entire auditorium. Once the music slowly stopped, the whole space reverberated with heavy apuse. Today was the exchange ceremony between Melrose City and Shanghai Education Commission. Ten programs had been chosen from all the schools in the city. Rehearsals began two months ago to allow a proper showcase of Melrose¡¯s education style today. Tina was wearing a navy blue dress and had just stepped down from the stage. The door on the west side of the auditorium opened into a gap, and a ck figure scurried in with their back bent and quietly sat in the farthest corner of the auditorium. ¡°Just now was a violin concerto brought to you by the second-year student of Melrose High School. Next¡ª¡± As the announcer¡¯s voice echoed in the air, a sinister light appeared in the eyes of the figure under the cap and there was a mirthless sneer on their face. After a while, a cold wind blew into the auditorium. People near the door looked back in difort, just in time to see a figure scurrying out again. Britney walked along the stairs to the underground basement, feeling inexplicably happy after seeing Tina. She even walked down the stairs with a little skip to her step. At the underground basement, the woman¡¯s hum echoed. Her fingers slid across the videos of cars before finally stopping in front of a yellow school bus. She stared at the big character printed on it; Melrose High School. Then, her lips curled up into a sinister smile. She pulled out a utility from her bag, and the sharp de shed strangely in the light. Britney got under the car and came out a momentter, raising her knife, almost chuckling. Suddenly, the faint footsteps that sounded behind her forced her to turn around vigntly, just in time to meet Mike¡¯s inquiring gaze. ¡°In order to take revenge on Courtney, you¡¯re going to risk the lives of the people in this car?¡± He had his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket as he stood one meter away from Britney. His eyes were emotionless, and his tone was t. Britney put her knife away when she heard this and spoke tantly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you knew how to stalk people before.¡± As she said that, she tried to get around the man but was grabbed by the arm. Unexpectedly, a dull voice sounded in her ears, ¡°I¡¯ve already promised to help you. Why are you still doing this?¡± Mike couldn¡¯t understand the depth of her hatred in her heart. After she heard this, she almost chuckled and shook off his hand. ¡°I want her to be in as much pain as possible.¡± ¡°Then, you¡¯d better mind your own business,¡± Mike said and walked away. The violent sound of the engine and brakes rang in the confined space. Mike stood in front of the yellow bus with downcast eyes as if he was caught in a rock and a hard ce. After a while, L¡¯s cold and beautiful face appeared in his mind. She would lean onto his shoulder and slowly spit out the words, ¡°I hope you can be a good man.¡± When he thought of this, he frowned and pulled out his phone from his pocket. As he turned around to lean on the body of the school bus, he keyed in a number off his memory. It was Cameron¡¯s number that he had memorized back when he was in themissary. The phone rang for a long time before it finally connected. Courtney quietly slipped out of the side door of the auditorium. After she answered the call, she reflexively lowered her voice and asked, ¡°Who is this?¡± ¡°There is a problem with the Melrose High School bus brakes. Use another one.¡± Then, the phone was hung up before Courtney could even respond. The simple yet shocking news echoed in her mind repeatedly making her tremble in shock. So, she automatically tried to dial back the number, and the phone was unsurprisingly turned off. Finally, just as she was about to return to the auditorium, she realized that the doors were open, and the crowd was swarming out of the congested door. Cold sweat started to form on Courtney¡¯s back as she ran towards the underground parking lot. Outside the school bus, she watched thest student sit down. She had no time to exin as she began pounding on the door, urging the driver to get down. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this woman?¡± Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. The driver frowned and began to start the engine. When Courtney heard this, she looked through the window and shouted, ¡°Stop the car!¡± At this point, the driver had no choice. She immediately jumped on the moment he opened the door as she dragged the driver off his seat and panted, ¡°The brake!¡± The driver left as he suspiciously checked the brakes when he heard her exmations before leaning against the door with a pale face. ¡°Thank God, thank God! We avoided a big ident.¡± After his exmation, he was suddenly washed with doubt as he looked at Courtney suspiciously. ¡°How did you know there is a problem with the brakes?¡± Although Courtney was in disbelief, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to exin it to the driver. Instead, she called the police. After she ended the call, she answered, ¡°I¡¯ll exin this to the police.¡± Chapter 523 One Night Surprise Chapter 523 Chapter 523 You Guys Conspired The rain went on for three more days, filling the air with humidity. When Courtney woke up and heard the sound of rain outside, she pulled the curtains open. A frown furrowed her brows. The sky was overcast, and she had no idea what time it was. Frustration welled up within her. She changed into new clothes and went into the dining room. Alexander and Jordan were reading the finance news of the day. Tina changed into her school uniform and came downstairs. She noticed the extra te on the table, and she asked, ¡°Is Grandma back?¡± She looked into the kitchen and was about to go in when Alexander said, ¡°It¡¯s Oliver.¡± Courtney was having her milk, and she cocked her eyebrow and looked at Alexander. The guy was burying his face in the newspaper. ¡°I thought he was helping the police arrest some criminals at the border. They¡¯ve already arrested those folks?¡± ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s on leave now.¡± Alexander flipped the newspaper absentmindedly. Courtney was surprised that Oliver told Alexander before her that he wasing back. She took the newspapers from Alexander and Jordan¡¯s hands. ¡°You can read these after you have your breakfast.¡± The men looked at each other sheepishly while the maid took the chance to serve them breakfast. Tina wiped her mouth and went upstairs beforeing back down, saddling her bag behind her. ¡°It¡¯s my turn to clean the ss today. The driver will take me to school, so I won¡¯t be following you guys.¡± She went to the porch and changed her shoes in a hurry. A maid handed an umbre to her, and she was about to take it, but Alexander shot the porch a look and said gently, ¡°You don¡¯t have to go to school for a while, Tina.¡±¡± ¡°What?¡± The umbre slipped out of Tina¡¯s hands and fell to the ground. She looked at Alexander, apparently upset. ¡°I told you I¡¯m not going to Sunhill.¡± After they came back from the police station the day before, Alexander suddenly suggested that Tina quit school and start work at Sunhill. He looked adamant and she had to throw a big tantrum before he gave up. He¡¯s gonna bring that up again? Annoyed, she tried to go out, but the girl bumped into someone. She could smell the scent of raining from him. Oliver held her before she fell. ¡°Aw, you didn¡¯t even wait for me? But I thought you knew I wasing back.¡± A slight pauseter, Tina beamed. ¡°Mr. Oliver?¡± Before she could hug him, he held her shoulder down and took her back to the dining table. His camo shirt was looking heavy on him. ¡°The flight¡¯s scheduled for ten. You seem to be in a hurry.¡± His shirt was drenched and he left muddy footprints from the porch all the way to the dining room. Then, Oliver sat down and dug into his breakfast. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What flight, Mr. Oliver?¡± Tina sat back down, looking confused. Oliver exined through a full mouth, but it only made her more confused. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know? Didn¡¯t your father say anything about it?¡± He was famished as he finished his breakfast in just a few moments, and then he shot a look at Alexander. Alexander put his cutlery down calmly. ¡°I haven¡¯t had the time.¡± Tina was getting really flummoxed. ¡°I thought you wanted me to quit school and work at Sunhill.¡± ¡°Nope. You¡¯re going on a study tour to Everlorn. New York University is recruiting a few study tour groups, and the members will visit the top ten universities of Everlorn within six weeks. This is a great opportunity, and the members might even snag a spot in one of these universities in the future.¡± ¡°Wait, so like a rmendation?¡± Tina¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°But I¡¯m not even in high school yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. You can be admitted into the best high schools in Everlorn. If you don¡¯t want to, they can keep a record of you, and you can send your application to them after you graduate high school.¡± Tina was still confused, but Oliver cocked his eyebrow mysteriously. ¡°I have two spots here. Jordan has one. Do you want one, Tina? I¡¯ll give it to Mrs. Yliaster if you don¡¯t. I heard they got a spot too, so Leah will go, but her siblings won¡¯t.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡± Tina had made a decision as her eyes shone. She looked happy, and all she could think about was her dream university¡ªCambridge. Alexander had picked his newspaper up again. He looked up from it and said, ¡°Jordan can¡¯t stay with me all the time either. See if you have any university you¡¯d want to enrol in, and start preparing after youe back. You and Tina will start your studies there next semester.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jordan did not object, though he was giving Tina a mysterious look. Tina had no idea about it, and she was looking at Oliver with excitement. ¡°Where did you get these spots, Mr. Oliver?¡± Oliver was eating his egg, so he did not look up. ¡°Oh, we worked with the local police to crack the recent scam case. The one who liaised with us was Fiona, a prettydy from Canada. Her father¡¯s in charge of the Alliance¡¯s department of education, and he¡¯s working on a study tour in Everlorn. She talked to me about it, so I asked if I could have two spots.¡± Courtney understood what was going on while Tina was red with excitement. She had forgotten all about the fact that she had to clean the ss. ¡°So, when are we going?¡± Oliver looked at the time. ¡°We have to be at the airport at ten. You have two hours and forty-three minutes left.¡± Tina took Jordan and darted upstairs. Alexander raised his eyebrow and he asked while looking in Tina¡¯s direction, ¡°I thought you were going to school.¡± She was on thest step of the staircase, but she turned around and shrugged. ¡°This is more important than school. Maybe I can get a rmendation to Cambridge out of this, and you know Jordan can¡¯t handle Leah. I need to be there to help him.¡± She had a point and Alexander had no retort. He turned his attention back to thest page of the newspaper, and he sounded subtly happy as he said, ¡°Slow down. You still have time.¡± When the kids had gone upstairs, Oliver cocked his eyebrow at Alexander, as if telling Alexander to praise him. Alexander noticed that, but he moved his newspaper up and pretended he saw nothing. Courtney could guess what was going on. She crossed her arms and looked at the men. ¡°You guys are in on it, aren¡¯t you? The PIC of the Alliance¡¯s education department? Working on a study tour to Everlorn? Once Tina calms down, she¡¯ll see that it¡¯s a lie.¡± The gentlemen could not keep up the act anymore. They could tell that she was upset, and Oliver went back to his breakfast, though he was nudging Alexander with his elbow. Alexander put his newspaper down and answered seriously, ¡°This was Oliver¡¯s idea.¡± Chapter 524 One Night Surprise Chapter 524 Chapter 524 Keep Them Safe Oliver almost choked on his breakfast. He leaned on Alexander¡¯s shoulders and coughed nonstop. His face was red, while Alexander looked annoyed. He pushed Oliver away. ¡°You got your food on my shoulder.¡± Courtney gave them a deadpan look and turned the conversation back to the topic at hand. ¡°What are you two hiding from me?¡± Oliver looked at Alexander with hesitation. Alexander took off his soiled suit in disgust and loosened his tie. He wondered if he should keep this a secret, but then he thought there was no need for that. ¡°We¡¯re sending them overseas to keep them safe.¡± A pauseter, he added, ¡°Oliver found something.¡± Courtney was not surprised at all, and she turned her attention to Oliver. ¡°What did you find, Oliver?¡± Oliver frowned. He had a serious look on his face as he said, ¡°Remember the tattoo I told you about? I went to Vietnam to find out more, and the police there have some records about this. The reason the Crescent Church was disbanded was because of an internal feud. The leader was captured, but there¡¯s an important aplice who¡¯s still on the run.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the key. The woman is the Crescent Church¡¯s leader¡¯s girlfriend. She also gave him a lot of stock after she started dating him five years ago. It¡¯s also thanks to her that the leader became the top drug lord in Vietnam. If I¡¯m right, the stock she provided was the one missing during Dragon¡¯s case five years ago.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± A frown appeared on her forehead, and she felt a chill running down her spine. She also subconsciously sped her hands together. The mention of Dragon caught her by surprise, and she was reminded of something awful. Oliver noticed Courtney getting pale at a terrifying speed. He hesitated, and he eventually swallowed what he was going to say next. The man looked at Alexander. Alexander leaned forward and put his hand on top of Courtney¡¯s. Alexander¡¯s warmth, inparison to the cool table top, calmed her down a little. ¡°Dragon and his men died in the fire on the ind, and we found a female body too. ording to the DNA test results, the body belonged to Poppy.¡± Alexander sounded calmer than Oliver, and his voice soothed Courtney¡¯s trembling heart down. ¡°Britney,¡± Courtney said with difficulty. Oliver nodded. ¡°This drug lord had always been at odds with Dragons. The whole thing couldn¡¯t have been a coincidence, so we suspect that Britney might have taken the drug lord¡¯s side five years ago. She¡¯s on the run now, and she might be in Melrose.¡± Oliver took an old photo out of his bag. It was the woman who pushed Natasha down the stairs. Then, he took out another old photo, but this time, it was a photo of Britney, and heid it out on the table beside the first photo. Both of them were covered from head to toe, so they could not tell the difference between the two women. ¡°We can¡¯t see anything from this photo, but I sent this photo to my colleague in the Identification Bureau, and they told me that these women might look different, but their bone structure and body shape are a match.¡± In the end, he said, ¡°I suspect Britney underwent a cosmetic surgery.¡± Courtney felt a chill run up her spine. ¡°If she is Britney, then she¡¯s doing this to get back at me. Natasha, Grandpa, and even Tina. She¡¯s trying to get her revenge, and she¡¯s doing it fast.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s true, then this is not the same Britney we know. I asked around, and the locals told me that she¡¯s a fearsome woman in Vietnam. She destroyed the Crescent Church all by herself.¡± Oliver took another file out of his bag. ¡°This is the result of the investigation I just got this morning. The brake lines of Melrose High School¡¯s bus were cleanly cut, so someone did it on purpose, and all the surveince cameras of the stadiums¡¯ underground car park were destroyed. This was nned. Britney alone couldn¡¯t have done this. Someone must be helping her.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. Courtney suddenly remembered something, and she froze up for a moment. ¡°What about the number I gave you? Did you find out who¡¯s the caller?¡± The guy who called her the day before could not be contacted even until now. Thanks to that call, a bunch of people were saved. She thought it would be great help if she knew who that person was. Oliver¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°I did. The number¡¯s under L¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Mike.¡± Courtney knew who it was right away. Oliver nodded, but he had no idea why Mike did that. ¡°He¡¯s the prime suspect behind Raymond¡¯s death, and he was probably involved in Walter¡¯s case as well. He¡¯s the only one we know who¡¯s helping Britney, so why did he tell you that your car was sabotaged?¡± Silence fell upon them for a while. In the end, Alexander said hesitantly, ¡°Maybe they got into a fight. What you found tells us that he might be doing this for money. He and Britney are both fugitives. There¡¯s no need for him to do this and attract the cops¡¯ attention.¡± Courtney thought that was a logical exnation. ¡°Oh yeah! L! Mike did tell her he¡¯s gonna have a lot of money soon. He even told her his boss lent it to him. I think L doesn¡¯t know about this, but he is doing this for money.¡± Oliver leaned against the chair, tapping his finger on the marble table. He then nodded. ¡°Keep calling. I¡¯ve asked my colleague to keep an eye on this. We¡¯ll find something if we can establish a connection, but I think he¡¯ll burn this number and switch to another one soon.¡± Courtney nodded absentmindedly, as if she was in a trance. Alexander held her hand to reassure her. ¡°So we¡¯ll send the kids overseas. Britney can¡¯t leave the nation as she is. They¡¯ll be fine, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Courtney smiled, but she looked pale. She mustered her courage and stood up, and the chair creaked as she did. When she spoke again, she sounded confident. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about her. She¡¯s not worth my time, but she will pay for what she did to Natasha and Grandpa.¡± She shrugged, looking tired. ¡°I have apetitionter. I have no time to worry.¡± She went to the room and took her bag. Alexander changed into a new suit and followed behind her. ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡± I¡¯m worried about you. He did not say that, but Courtney could feel it. She saddled her bag and was about to nod, but before she could, someone called Alexander. Alexander frowned. He looked at who was calling and wondered if he should take it. Eric did not let up. Alexander thought about the mission he sent Eric out on. He was worried, and in the end, he took the call, but when he heard what happened, his face fell. He hung up, and Courtney could see that he was worried. She straightened his cor and tie out, then she smiled at him. ¡°Go. Call me when you¡¯re done.¡± Chapter 525 One Night Surprise Chapter 525 Chapter 525 She¡¯s Pregnant Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. Courtney never thought Alexander had to do anything for her, and she could understand his obsession with his career, so she told him to do his stuff first. Alexander hesitated for a moment, a frown dotting his forehead. The air was tense, and Oliver could see why. He got up, put his hands in his pockets, and wrapped his arm around Courtney¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Leave your wife to me. I¡¯ll keep her safe for as long as I¡¯m here.¡± Alexander¡¯s face darkened even further, and he stared at the hand on Courtney¡¯s shoulder. ¡°She¡¯s your sister-inw,¡± he said, veiling a threat. ¡°Yeah. Still my sister.¡± Oliver looked a lot younger and livelier than Alexander was. Since he was so confident, Alexander said nothing. Right before he went out, he said, ¡°I think I should call your wife.¡± Oliver looked horrified, and he pulled his hand away, as if he was electrocuted. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re a man. You shouldn¡¯t snitch.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a businessman. I value efficiency and effectiveness.¡± Alexander smirked. He stepped back and kissed Courtney¡¯s forehead, then caressed her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯ll see you once I¡¯m done with work.¡± He then left. The sound of his footsteps rang in the living room, and he said, ¡°Keep her safe.¡± The Melrose Intern Aptitude Tournament was an event jointly organized by more than a dozen public hospitals in the city. It was a biannual event, so not all interns had the chance to join. Registration was voluntary, but Linda had handed in Courtney¡¯s registration form behind her back. Not everyone could have the chance to join, and Courtney was brilliant enough to perhaps even win this, which would make her intern life a lot smoother. In fact, it would help with her career too. Courtney refused at first, but in the end, Linda told her, ¡°You would have been fired if I hadn¡¯t covered for you. You have been taking a lot of days offtely.¡± She agreed to join after that. The wipers wiped the water away from the windshield, but the rain foggied everything up again. Courtney held the steering wheel tightly, driving as calmly as she could. It was silent in the car. Oliver was fiddling with a curio in the car. It was a husky with a bouncy head. Whenever the car bumped, the husky¡¯s head would bounce around cutely. ¡°You like things like this?¡± Courtney flicked the husky¡¯s head and answered nonchntly, ¡°Tina bought this for me.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even send your kids off. Are you sure about this?¡± Courtney looked away, and her eyshes trembled. She kept driving, still looking calm. ¡°Tina grew up with me. She already knew how to take care of herself when she was five, and she handles most of her own stuff up until this point. Maybe I did fail as a mother. That¡¯s why she¡¯s so independent.¡± After a pause, her gaze darkened. ¡°I can¡¯t leave now, and it might be safer for them if I didn¡¯t go.¡± ¡°You have a point.¡± Oliver put on a rxed front, and this time, he fiddled with the plushie that was used as a cushion. Courtney was still looking ahead, but the next thing she said hit his sore spot. ¡°So, what¡¯s with you and Tessa? You looked a little ufortable when Alexander brought her up just now.¡± She did not talk about it because Oliver would not tell her everything if Alexander was there. She wanted to leave it for later, but Oliver¡¯s behavior was worrying her. Oliver put the plushie down and leaned back, looking at the car¡¯s roof dazedly. He had no idea what to say, and in the end, he answered, ¡°She¡¯s pregnant.¡± ¡°HUH?¡± Courtney mmed the brakes, and Oliver flew forward. He held his bruised forehead, wincing in pain. She turned around and gave him a look of disappointment. ¡°So what¡¯s the problem with that?¡± Oliver¡¯s face was red. He hemmed and hawed, and in the end, he said, ¡°Nothing. I just drank too much that night, got a little impulsive, and I forgot to get the co¡ª¡± His face got even redder, and Courtney smacked his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want the details! I mean, you and Tessa just need to get married, and things will go a lot better then. It¡¯s thest step now. You should know what to do, so why the long face?¡± She wondered for a while, and then she gave him a look of disdain. ¡°Oh, so you don¡¯t want to marry her?¡± Oliver rubbed his forehead, feeling a little sad. He took out a ring from his pocket. The quality of the diamond was great because it sparkled brightly, and the craftsmanship was impable. She could see it cost a lot, but to Oliver, it felt a little grating. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who doesn¡¯t want to get married.¡± Courtney understood what he was getting at. She kept quiet and revved the car back up again, then continued driving toward her destination. Oliver had a cool look on his face, and he told her about what happened. About two and a half months ago, when Oliver was on a mission, he passed by Tessa¡¯s base and stayed there for the night. It just so happened he had a celebration with his team that night as well. He got a little drunk, and they slept together. A month ago, Tessa told him calmly that she was pregnant. They thought marriage would come next, but Tessa¡¯s superior was badly injured in a secret mission. She was appointed as captain in the interim, and if they seeded in the mission, she would have a bright future ahead of her. idents like marriage or pregnancies at this time would ruin her future. ¡°She thinks her career is more important than the kid.¡± That was what Oliver said, and he sounded dejected. ¡°And?¡± Courtney said nothing to that and waited for him to continue. ¡°We met a week ago, and I hid the ring in the cake when we went out for dinner. I was gonna propose, but she told me she wanted an abortion.¡± After a pause, Oliver smiled bitterly. ¡°So I took the cake and left. I had no idea what to feel. Heck, I have no idea how to describe how I felt.¡± She had been separated from them for five years, and Courtney found it hard to adjust. Oliver used to be a punk who keptining about how fierce Tessa was, and how he could not get used to it, but now he was looking all dejected after getting a de facto refusal. ¡°You want to hear what I think about this?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He nodded. She was the only one whom he could confide in. ¡°Before Alexander and I tied the knot, we went through a lot. Sometimes it¡¯s because of ack of understanding, sometimes it¡¯s ack of trust, sometimes it¡¯s ack of honesty. In the end, we were separated for half a decade. If we could just be honest, the separation would not have happened.¡± She started smiling. ¡°Neither you or Tessa are in the wrong. This is something you guys have to ovee. If you can ovee it, then it¡¯ll be a memory for you, but if you don¡¯t, it¡¯ll be a hard trial.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say. You¡¯re smart. You should know what I mean.¡± The car was silent once more. This time, Oliver seemed to be immersed in his own world. Chapter 526 One Night Surprise Chapter 526 Chapter 526 You¡¯re on Your Own Courtney had no time to prepare for thepetition, and she even had no idea what the rules were before she reached the venue. When they came to the hall and found out that it was packed with the audience, their jaws almost dropped. Linda pushed the throng away and tugged at Courtney, pointing at her. ¡°You¡¯re wearing this for the tournament?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this?¡± She was in a beige windbreaker, light brown cotton sweater, and a pair of gray pzzo pants. It was casual but stylish. She looked at herself, thinking that she was dressed appropriately. Oliver stuck his head out and said, ¡°She looks great.¡± Linda felt like taking her heels off and hurling them at Courtney and Oliver. She pointed at the audience seat and growled at Oliver, ¡°You get to the audience seat. Leave everything else to me.¡± She went off like the wind. When Courtney pushed the crowd away and saw herpetitors, she realized why Linda was so mad. She thought this would be a regr test or interview, but thispetition turned out to be way more. She thought she was on a live recording set. There were cameras installed in all corners of the hall, and most of them were trained on the dozens of interns in the hall. Just like Courtney, they had passed the first elimination round. All of them were wearing white coats and standing there solemnly. Courtney took her number and stood among the crowd, though she looked really different wearing her beige windbreaker. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in your uniform? You can¡¯t take part in the tournament if you aren¡¯t in your uniform.¡± The moment she stood still, a patrolling judge came over to her sternly, as if he would eliminate her for not wearing a coat. Courtney looked sheepish and was about to reason with him, but Linda barged in and handed her a coat. ¡°We have a uniform! Thepetition hasn¡¯t started yet.¡± Linda was huffing and puffing. Her hand was on her waist, and she forced a smile. After the judge left, she turned around and took Courtney¡¯s windbreaker off. ¡°Wear this. Can you at least pay attention to this?¡± Courtney wore the coat, muttering, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me thepetition would be like this. It¡¯s like a live show.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll record the wholepetition and make it into a promotional video for the hospitals. All the edited footage is gonna make it to the Inte. The public can see the early stages too. Aren¡¯t you worried at all?¡± Linda was almost bursting with fury, while Courtney teased, ¡°Can I worry about it now?¡± Linda rolled her eyes and left. ¡°You¡¯re on your own now,¡± she said. Thepetition was an elimination race. All the contestants would be eliminated until there were only three left. Since Courtney was not familiar with the rules, she listened closely while the host was announcing them. Oliver looked at the screen and noticed Courtney looking confused. He chuckled. She found her bearing after a few rounds, but by then, only about two thirds of the contestants were left. The third round was a speed game. The host split the contestants up into groups of two ording to the draw, and then they would be tested on their medical knowledge. The three groups with the lowest marks would be eliminated, leaving only twelve contestants. Courtney¡¯s knowledge reserve was solid, and she knew the answers to all the questions. She was not keen on getting the top three, but she would not be eliminated easily. After the fourth round, there were only six contestants left. Courtney had gotten into the mood at this point. When she snapped out of it, she was already looking tense and ready for the next challenge like everyone else. ¡°And now, for thest round of the tournament. This is it. This will decide the top three contestants. The top three of Melrose¡¯s eighth Sunshine Cup shall be born!¡± the host announced, and the audience cheered in delight. A momentter, he announced, ¡°And now, let¡¯s wee Dr. Allen from Melrose Hyperion Hospital to the stage. He shall be thest trialsperson for the contestants. Give it up for Professor Allen!¡± The audience pped, and Courtney looked at Allen who was sitting at the judging panel. He was about fifty years old, and he looked professional and lean. Although he had graying hair, his steps were filled with energy. He was a legend among doctors, and Courtney had heard of him as well. He was rumored to have operated twelve times in twenty-one hours. Lots of people marveled at this, but lots had their doubts about it as well. Courtney and her colleagues had also discussed this before. The intern nurses did not believe it, but Linda hade in with her arms crossed and said, ¡°Just because you can¡¯t do it doesn¡¯t mean nobody can. Expand your horizons.¡± Linda worshipped Allen. When she found out he wasing back, she tried her best just to see him, but her attempts failed for some reason. Now she was in the audience seat, and Linda was beside herself. Poor Oliver had his thighs bruised because she kept pping it. ¡°We all know Professor Allen spends most of his time researching. He seldom performs any operation anymore, but I believe everyone has heard of his astounding achievement. Care to share your experience with us, professor?¡± Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org. An eerie silence captivated the hall. Allen was sitting in the middle of the panel of judges. His eyes were almost hidden behind his wrinkles, and reminiscence appeared within them. He never did tell anyone about his experience because he could never bring himself to say it. It was a gory and bloody experience. He might have decades of experience in this field, but the PTSD he gained from it forced him to retire from the operating theater. His eyes trembled, and his voice rang across the hall. ¡°This happened two years ago in Vietnam. I was in an exchange program at the capital¡¯s hospital. One month before the program ended, something tragic happened.¡± He paused and kept his voice steady. What he said next shocked Courtney, who was just an audience until a moment ago. ¡°The local police force called it ¡®Operation Sris¡¯, which was an operation to arrest the local drug syndicate. The syndicate¡¯s name was Crescent, so the police named themselves after the sun. An ident happened during the operation. Someone set off a chain of explosions, and hundreds of patients were sent to the hospital.¡± He was reminded of a grim experience, so he stopped for a moment and looked around before he could calm down. Chapter 527 One Night Surprise Chapter 527 Chapter 527 Who Would You Save Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It was that day I performed twelve operations in the span of twenty-one hours. That¡­ was not something to be proud of. That day, all I felt was how fragile human lives were, and it shook me to my core. I still feel the same today.¡± Some young soldiers who retired from the battlefield after the age of war might look fine from the outside, but they had to receive years of therapy to heal. Some even broke down and took their own lives because of the weight of the sin they had to carry. Those who had never gone through war could never imagine how bloody and cruel it was. ¡°Professor Allen, what was the most shocking thing you experienced?¡± Allen might have agreed to answer that question, but he still shivered when the host asked him that. ¡°It happened after my first operation. The corridor was packed with people. I didn¡¯t even have time to take off my surgical clothes, and my assistant had taken me to another operating theater. The moment I went in, I heard a screeching from the bed. Someone was crying,¡± Allen spoke quietly and slowly. Not even a sound was heard in the hall. Courtney was sitting on the chair a crew member gave her, and it was so quiet, she could hear her own heartbeat. ¡°There was a mother and a daughter on the bed. They were shopping for clothes in a nearby mall when the explosion happened. She instinctively protected her daughter at the moment of impact, so the woman was severely burned, and shards of sses punctured her body. Her organs might have been destroyed as well. They were stuck together when the rescue team took them back. The previous surgeon had just finished separating them, but the surgeon fainted before she couldplete the operation, so I was summoned instead. The mother was alive, but she was severely injured and needed to be operated on at once. Her child¡¯s condition was stable, but she was weak. The child could not hold on any longer, and there was bleeding in her chest. It would be disastrous for her if we did not make an incision to check.¡± Allen spaced out, immersing himself in his past. He had stopped talking, but the audience started murmuring. Linda clenched her fists, her attention on the humble man on the stage. The host held his mic and asked, ¡°What happened next?¡± Allen looked away, as if snapping out from his reverie. He looked at the audience and talked a little faster. ¡°All the other doctors were operating on other patients, and I was the only surgeon left, but I had two patients desperately waiting for me. Interns, here¡¯s my question. Who would you save if you were in my situation?¡± He turned his attention to the remaining interns on the stage. The question came too suddenly, and everyone looked at one another in confusion. Only Courtney remained silent. She did not even look around. Oliver noticed the solemn look in Linda¡¯s eyes, so he leaned back and asked, ¡°Who would you save?¡± ¡°The child, I think.¡± Oliver only heard the answer a long whileter, but he said nothing. He turned his gaze back to the stage. ¡°Can I say something?¡± A moment ofmotionter, a doctor raised his hand. He adjusted his sses, a look of confidence shining in his eyes. Allen extended his hand toward the man, telling him to continue. ¡°If it were me, I would choose the best assistants avable and set up two operating theaters to perform on them at the same time.¡± The crowd broke into a discussion, and even Linda was shocked. The interns around him looked at the man, trying to figure out why he answered that so confidently. Allen sped his hands tighter together, but aside from that, he showed no other change. He seemed interested, and he said, ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°Professor, you did say if I were in your position. If I had your abilities, I would try to save both of them at the same time, though all preparations must be done to prevent any more idents from happening.¡± He paused and smiled. ¡°Well, but I am just an intern who just graduated from medical school. I do not have your abilities as of now, but I love life. I love being a doctor. You¡¯re my role model, and I aspire to be a respectable doctor like you.¡± It was a perfect speech, and the contestants around him looked a little annoyed. Some of the short- tempered ones even muttered, ¡°Wow, what a brown-noser.¡± Even so, Allen started to smile. ¡°It¡¯s good to have ambition. I like young people who have that.¡± He pped, and the audience followed suit. Oliver looked on with interest. When they were done apuding, Allen looked at Courtney, who had been looking a bit too calm. ¡°Contestant number seven, you might be pping your hands, but I can see you have a different opinion. I¡¯d like to hear your choice.¡± ¡°Who, me?¡± Courtney was a little surprised. She paused for a moment before standing up from her seat. She did have her own opinion, but she did not want to say it out loud. ¡°Yes. I would like to hear your opinion.¡± Allen insisted. Courtney hesitated for a moment, then she nodded. ¡°Alright. I would save the child if I were in your ce,¡± she said coolly, putting her emotions aside. ¡°Of course, I admire contestant number three¡¯s courage, but I would save the child first if I were in your ce. Firstly, I¡¯m a mother as well. The mother protected her child right away, and if she could make the choice, she would want her child to be saved as well. Secondly, the child had no outward injuries, but she had internal bleeding in her chest. It would take a shorter amount of time to save herpared to the mother. If the chest bleeding wasn¡¯t treated in time, the intra-abdominal pressure would be too high, and she might die because we missed the best time to rescue her. As for the mother, her organs were very likely damaged, but nobody could be sure until they checked. If the damage was too severe, it would be too hard to save her, and I would have no idea how long it would take. If I were to save the mother first, I might lose both of them.¡± Courtney¡¯s answer rang out in the hall, and Allen¡¯s face fell. He stared at her seriously, waiting for her to continue. Courtney concluded, ¡°After weighing the risks, I would save the child first. Operating on them at the same time would be too risky. Nobody can be sure about the patients¡¯ conditions until we open them up and confirm their injuries. If I couldn¡¯t handle it alone¡­¡± Allen raised his hand, telling her to stop. She stopped talking and looked calmly into Allen¡¯s eyes. Chapter 528 Chapter 528 ¡°It was that day I performed twelve operations in the span of twenty-one hours. That¡­ was not something to be proud of. That day, all I felt was how fragile human lives were, and it shook me to my core. I still feel the same today.¡± Some young soldiers who retired from the battlefield after the age of war might look fine from the outside, but they had to receive years of therapy to heal. Some even broke down and took their own lives because of the weight of the sin they had to carry. Those who had never gone through war could never imagine how bloody and cruel it was. ¡°Professor Allen, what was the most shocking thing you experienced?¡± Allen might have agreed to answer that question, but he still shivered when the host asked him that. ¡°It happened after my first operation. The corridor was packed with people. I didn¡¯t even have time to take off my surgical clothes, and my assistant had taken me to another operating theater. The moment I went in, I heard a screeching from the bed. Someone was crying,¡± Allen spoke quietly and slowly. Not even a sound was heard in the hall. Courtney was sitting on the chair a crew member gave her, and it was so quiet, she could hear her own heartbeat. ¡°There was a mother and a daughter on the bed. They were shopping for clothes in a nearby mall when the explosion happened. She instinctively protected her daughter at the moment of impact, so the woman was severely burned, and shards of sses punctured her body. Her organs might have been destroyed as well. They were stuck together when the rescue team took them back. The previous surgeon had just finished separating them, but the surgeon fainted before she couldplete the operation, so I was summoned instead. The mother was alive, but she was severely injured and needed to be operated on at once. Her child¡¯s condition was stable, but she was weak. The child could not hold on any longer, and there was bleeding in her chest. It would be disastrous for her if we did not make an incision to check.¡± Allen spaced out, immersing himself in his past. He had stopped talking, but the audience started murmuring. Linda clenched her fists, her attention on the humble man on the stage. The host held his mic and asked, ¡°What happened next?¡± Allen looked away, as if snapping out from his reverie. He looked at the audience and talked a little faster. ¡°All the other doctors were operating on other patients, and I was the only surgeon left, but I had two patients desperately waiting for me. Interns, here¡¯s my question. Who would you save if you were in my situation?¡± He turned his attention to the remaining interns on the stage. The question came too suddenly, and everyone looked at one another in confusion. Only Courtney remained silent. She did not even look around. Oliver noticed the solemn look in Linda¡¯s eyes, so he leaned back and asked, ¡°Who would you save?¡± ¡°The child, I think.¡± Oliver only heard the answer a long whileter, but he said nothing. He turned his gaze back to the stage. ¡°Can I say something?¡± A moment ofmotionter, a doctor raised his hand. He adjusted his sses, a look of confidence shining in his eyes. Allen extended his hand toward the man, telling him to continue. ¡°If it were me, I would choose the best assistants avable and set up two operating theaters to perform on them at the same time.¡± The crowd broke into a discussion, and even Linda was shocked. The interns around him looked at the man, trying to figure out why he answered that so confidently. Allen sped his hands tighter together, but aside from that, he showed no other change. He seemed interested, and he said, ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°Professor, you did say if I were in your position. If I had your abilities, I would try to save both of them at the same time, though all preparations must be done to prevent any more idents from happening.¡± He paused and smiled. ¡°Well, but I am just an intern who just graduated from medical school. I do not have your abilities as of now, but I love life. I love being a doctor. You¡¯re my role model, and I aspire to be a respectable doctor like you.¡± It was a perfect speech, and the contestants around him looked a little annoyed. Some of the short- tempered ones even muttered, ¡°Wow, what a brown-noser.¡± Even so, Allen started to smile. ¡°It¡¯s good to have ambition. I like young people who have that.¡± He pped, and the audience followed suit. Oliver looked on with interest. When they were done apuding, Allen looked at Courtney, who had been looking a bit too calm. ¡°Contestant number seven, you might be pping your hands, but I can see you have a different opinion. I¡¯d like to hear your choice.¡± N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content. ¡°Who, me?¡± Courtney was a little surprised. She paused for a moment before standing up from her seat. She did have her own opinion, but she did not want to say it out loud. ¡°Yes. I would like to hear your opinion.¡± Allen insisted. Courtney hesitated for a moment, then she nodded. ¡°Alright. I would save the child if I were in your ce,¡± she said coolly, putting her emotions aside. ¡°Of course, I admire contestant number three¡¯s courage, but I would save the child first if I were in your ce. Firstly, I¡¯m a mother as well. The mother protected her child right away, and if she could make the choice, she would want her child to be saved as well. Secondly, the child had no outward injuries, but she had internal bleeding in her chest. It would take a shorter amount of time to save herpared to the mother. If the chest bleeding wasn¡¯t treated in time, the intra-abdominal pressure would be too high, and she might die because we missed the best time to rescue her. As for the mother, her organs were very likely damaged, but nobody could be sure until they checked. If the damage was too severe, it would be too hard to save her, and I would have no idea how long it would take. If I were to save the mother first, I might lose both of them.¡± Courtney¡¯s answer rang out in the hall, and Allen¡¯s face fell. He stared at her seriously, waiting for her to continue. Courtney concluded, ¡°After weighing the risks, I would save the child first. Operating on them at the same time would be too risky. Nobody can be sure about the patients¡¯ conditions until we open them up and confirm their injuries. If I couldn¡¯t handle it alone¡­¡± Allen raised his hand, telling her to stop. She stopped talking and looked calmly into Allen¡¯s eyes. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!