Seeing how the Savatiers let Hesper do whatever she wanted, Cheney turned out to be right. Camille and Sherese were both shocked, but when they realized it was Hesper and Rickard, they got over it. They had that influence no matter where they went. After entering the mansion, Hesper didn't show any expression. Camille and Sherese walked behind the couple and into the courtyard. "Alright, have you come up with a reason now?" Hesper turned around and glared at them with an icy look. "You better come up with a reasonable excuse. Also…"There was a pause as Hesper looked toward Sherese. "Sherese, you know I trust you, so I want to hear your explanation first. Why did you suddenly disappear and become Camille's… escort?"Hearing Sherese's name, Rickard's brows moved as he looked at the woman who held her head low, hoping no one would notice her. That might trick anyone else but not him. The weird sense of familiarity didn't dissipate because he saw her face. Although her face wa
"The situation on Leafdelle is complicated. You shouldn't have come." Hesper's expression looked complicated. "But since you're here and have gotten into the Savatier estate, there are a lot of eyes on you. It'll be even riskier if we send you out now."Camille and Sherese exchanged looks while Hesper looked at Rickard, who was behind her. "Let's just keep them here for now and send them out later on."Rickard snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. "Alright."Sherese had mixed emotions when she heard she would stay at the mansion. When she felt for her ID in her pocket, she realized her pocket was empty; her heart dropped. She had gotten distracted seeing someone she never got to meet before, so she didn't even realize the card she always brought around was no longer in her pocket. Noticing Sherese's expression, Camille turned to her. "What's wrong?"Sherese didn't hide her expression, as Hesper and Rickard weren't paying attention to her. "The card is gone. I think it's at th
Sherese's pupils constricted and Hesper naturally caught that. It confirmed her speculation. "You know you can't lie to me easily. You're related to Rickard. Do you know Brigette?"Hearing her getting warmer and warmer with her guesses, Sherese gave a sad chuckle. Hesper wasn't just hard to lie to, she got everything right. Sherese couldn't even think of anything to say. Technology was so advanced now that even if she denied it, since they were now at the Savatier estate, it would only take a few days to get results for a DNA test. There was no point in lying. "Rickard and I are related, and there's more." Sherese paused, then after a long while, she finally said, "I'm his sister. We share the same set of biological parents.""What?"***Meanwhile, Camille arrived at the hotel. Since Cheney brought them over the previous day, she didn't know the hotel's exact location. Fortunately, she paid attention to the hotel's name and finally found it. "Hello, ma'am." Camille walked ov
Her heart told her that the man was someone important. Fortunately, they didn't take too long to get to the first floor. After finally getting out of the elevator, she sighed in relief, but then she saw they weren't in the lobby but at the garage. The man chuckled. Camille turned around and looked into his smiling eyes. "Is this your first time at this hotel? The first floor is the garage. The lobby is on the second floor."Camile frowned. The man quickly pressed the button for the second floor. "I'll walk you to the door. The layout here can be confusing."Even though Camille looked meek, she wasn't someone who would rely on others, so seeing this stranger suddenly be friendly to her, she felt he had a motive. However, she didn't have a good reason to turn him down, so she nodded. They quietly walked to the door and the man said, "Alright, pretty lady, I hope we meet again.""...Thanks."After thanking him, she took a good look at the man so she could remember him the next
What Sherese said was similar to what Camille told them earlier. Camille probably made up a lie to help Sherese hide her identity. Sighing, Hesper asked, "Are you not planning to come clean about your identity? I think Rickard noticed something. If you come clean, the Savatiers will take you in."Sherese shook her head hesitantly. "Mom said living the way I am isn't necessarily a bad thing, as I might lose my freedom if I return to the Savatiers. I want to fulfill my mother's final wish.""...Final wish?" Hesper's heart dropped as Sherese looked down. "Yes, my mom is no longer around because of the hallucinogen… I wish we had met you and had Vitalis when it happened."Hesper didn't expect that. They must have gone through a lot. Rickard's mother surely had her reasons when she left the Duvals, but wouldn't' this be too cruel to Rickard?Hesper clenched her fist. The hallucinogen again. That drug caused families to break apart. If not because of it, they would have grown up happ
Hesper never brought what happened up again. Something suddenly came to her mind. She handed a photo of Ranfik to the two. "This is Ranfik Mustafa."Camille's pupils constricted when she saw the picture. "That's him."Hesper was surprised to hear that. She thought about the man Camille mentioned. That was Ranfik? Why did he approach Camille?Hesper frowned. "Did he not tell you anything? He just pretended to bump into you?""No, he didn't say anything or ask me who I am." Camille then suddenly remembered something. "Although he didn't ask, the lady at the front desk asked who the ID belonged to."Hesper and Sherese exchanged looks and Camille smiled a cunning smile. "But I was worried someone would use the information and try to get something from Sherese, so I just made something up and said the ID was my mother's." Camille understood why Ranfik approached her. "Ranfik must have known who the ID belonged to beforehand and thought I was Brigette's daughter."Sherese and Hesper
Since Camille took the identity that wasn't hers, Hesper and Shrese decided to just go along with it and let Ranfik think Camille was Brigette's estranged daughter. They wanted to see what he planned to do. Now she had to go meet Quincey; she felt nervous. Quincey was at the door when she opened it. Although he didn't look different from his usual self, she could tell from his actions that he was more careful and nervous. He was probably excited to meet his newest descendant. Furthermore, it was Brigette's daughter. "I—" Hesper cut him off. "Are you trying to verify the authenticity of the rumor?"Quincey smiled sadly and fell silent. Hesper pushed, then said, "It's not true. I spread it so that Ranfik thinks Camille is Brigette's daughter."Hearing that, Quincey's face fell in disappointment. "I thought…"Quincey didn't continue what he wanted to say but just smiled sadly. "It makes sense. If Brigette had a child, why would she abandon her identity and stay adrift? I wa
But Hesper could still feel something different from the past."If you want to ask me about anything, I welcome any questions now."Rickard did not say anything directly when he heard her words but fastened the buttons for her, then lifted his head and sighed. "Forget it. I won’t ask if you want to keep it from me."Rickard seemed to have completely changed recently. If Hesper had not personally confirmed that Rickard’s identity had not been taken over by someone else, she would wonder if someone had been trying to deceive her through despicable acting.Hearing Rickard’s response, Hesper felt a little guilty. After all, she had secretly promised herself that she would never deceive Rickard again and that she would always be truthful with him, but it was about Sherese this time. This was her backstory and she wished for it to not be known.‘I can’t reveal anything so casually.’"It doesn’t count this time." As if he knew exactly what Hesper was thinking, Rickard rubbed the top of
He had never anticipated that he would end up loving her so deeply.It could be said that amidst all the misunderstandings and complexities, their journey together had taken many winding paths."I wouldn't risk getting into trouble just to set off fireworks for someone I didn't even like," Rickard said, his voice gentle. "You dummy."His words were soft, but as Hesper listened to his explanation, she cleared her throat, and her eyes turned bloodshot. She had never imagined that the person she had loved so intensely in her youth had, at some point in their lives, secretly admired her.Hesper attempted to smile but ended up with teary eyes. Seeing this, Rickard reached out and affectionately ruffled her hair. "If it's going to make you cry, I won't say anything more."Hesper pursed her lips. "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't."Rickard, despite understanding her reluctance, couldn't help but reflect on the past and openly admitted to the emotions he had felt in his you
They were flooded with memories, and Hesper couldn't help but admit that she had been through so much with Rickard. Her eyes welled up with emotion.The livestream ended, as they couldn't maintain constant surveillance of their lives. Even though they hadn't gone home yet, the crew had left.In the past two days, people had gotten to know them quite well, so the crew decided to give them some alone time.Hesper sat in the passenger seat and stole a glance at Rickard. She couldn't help but say, "I never expected that the only time you were seen as making a mistake in Grandpa's eyes was because of me.""There are many things you don't know," he replied. Hesper raised an eyebrow and asked, "Like what? Tell me."Suddenly, Hesper recalled the countless times Rickard had looked at her. Yet, during those moments, Rickard had always had feelings for Juniper. She knew that was the reality, so she never expected that Rickard might have had the same strong feelings for her as she had for h
Hesper glanced at Rickard, who remained emotionless, but she still reached out to hold his hand.[This is tough to see. Both of Rickard's parents are no longer here… Sigh.][Hesper immediately checked on Rickard. If I were Rickard, I'd love her so much.]Ernest shook his head and remained silent as he flipped to the next page. Most of the pictures were of Hesper after that. She hadn't realized she had so many childhood photos. Julian appeared in some of them, too.Before everything went sour.Rickard didn't have many pictures. As he grew older, he became quieter.Most of them showed Hesper standing next to Julian, but there was something off about them.[Did you notice... In many of those pictures, Hesper was looking at Rickard, and in others, Rickard was looking at her.][Oh my god, is this puppy love? I had no idea!][I remember Rickard had another lover.]Hesper had noticed, too, but there was no need to remind people that Rickard used to hate her, so she dismissed it as a
Hesper and Rickard entered the room and awkwardly informed Ernest that everything had been live-streamed just now. Ernest was shocked, but upon hearing that it was something people do, he nodded."It's fine. There's nothing that others can't hear."Hesper pursed her lips and glanced at Rickard before saying, "We didn't expect the Summers to come and see you. You should move in with us so these people will leave you alone."If Ernest lived with them, no one would dare intrude because they represented power and influence.Who would dare challenge them?"I don't want to get involved in your life. Renfew and Renarie would keep you occupied enough."Hesper understood that he had already made up his mind not to live with them, so she didn't press the matter further.She could understand his concerns, as many things might become inconvenient. Besides, Ernest didn't want to disrupt their lives either."We'll be heading to Fredonia soon, so even though we have filming to do, we wanted t
So what if the cameras were still recording?"Was my son's life not as valuable as your son's?"If he had grasped this earlier, recent events might not have unfolded. Jade had a point.The live chat fell silent. Though they lacked the full backstory, they could deduce what had transpired in the past.[I heard Rickard lost his parents when he was a child. I feel sorry for him.][His parents died because of that incident. It's no surprise if he harbors resentment.][Truthfully, this old man has no shame. If my child were responsible for another child's death, I'd beg for forgiveness.]Everything unfolding before their eyes was purely coincidental, and no one had control over the situation. They could only watch and terminate the livestream immediately if anything escalated.Fortunately, Jade received a stern talking-to and refrained from discussing the matter further, but Mrs. Summers did not fare as well. Hesper and the others bore witness to her irrational behavior.[This is e
"We've known each other for years, Ernest. I saved your life once, and now your descendants want to take my son's life!"As they approached, Jade Summers was angrily berating Ernest before him. Hesper's countenance immediately turned frosty as she walked over to Ernest."You should conduct yourself more appropriately, Mr. Summers Sr."Jade was taken aback to see Hesper, but he composed himself, took a deep breath, and fixed her with a hatred-filled gaze."If it weren't for you, none of this would have happened. You're just a woman. Since when do you get a say in the Duval family matters?"In the 21st century, people were all for equality. Besides, Hesper was no ordinary or unintelligent woman. Naturally, she had a voice in these matters.The viewers were inundated with comments when they heard Jade's words, and the live chat exploded.[Who is this guy? He looks old but lacks respect.][What's the argument about?][I sense some drama.]Rickard walked over. Jade had thought he
[Didn't Hesper mention that Mr. Duval Sr. took care of her? Maybe she did grow up well.][I'm certain she did. Hesper doesn't strike me as someone who would tolerate mistreatment.]Hesper and Rickard were under constant surveillance throughout the journey, and they hadn't allowed Benji to accompany them. Rickard was behind the wheel, with Hesper in the passenger seat.During the drive, they remained silent, but to observers, it appeared as though they were in harmony.Upon arriving at the ancestral mansion, Hesper noticed other cars parked around and cast a curious glance at Rickard. Visitors to Ernest's home were a rarity."Sir, Ma'am, you're back," a young housekeeper greeted them. It was the same person who had assisted Wendy earlier, but they couldn't recall her name. Nevertheless, Hesper had faith in her.Noticing the housekeeper's troubled demeanor, Hesper deduced that the guest inside was likely unwelcome. However, she couldn't fathom who would disrupt Ernest's life. Given
Rickard noticed something in Hesper's expression, prompting him to ask, "Is there something else you haven't told me?"Being intimately familiar with each other wasn't always without its challenges. Hesper could never conceal anything from him.She sighed and replied, "It's nothing. Just that Pennleigh will also be on the list."Rickard fell silent.Hesper was aware that sometimes Rickard might not appear bothered, but Pennleigh's presence did bother him.Observing Hesper's awkward expression, Rickard lowered his gaze and suddenly took on a pitiful appearance, like a big dog caught in the rain.Yet, she knew he was merely putting on an act. Still, every time she saw him like that, she couldn't help but miss the Rickard who didn't engage in such playful antics. His character had undergone a change.Hesper found it amusing but didn't quite know how to express it. She sighed and added, "It's a fantastic opportunity. I know you'll let me go, right?"Rickard had no intention of inte
"Sullivan lied to her. He had her parents quietly killed. She found out after she turned her back on you."Benji lowered his gaze. "She was already dead when you came back. It was suicide."The conclusion lacked the weight necessary for such a betrayal. Hesper shut her eyes. The person she had trusted most was Renee. They had shared countless years together.Hesper acknowledged that their bond might not have been a genuine friendship. Renee had abandoned her when given the choice.However, Hesper had faced such situations before.Thankfully, there had been someone who had placed her first in their heart, reassuring her that she wasn't always relegated to being an option. Hesper stood in silence for a while before simply nodding.There was nothing she could do to aid Renee now. Renee had entered and departed alone, leaving no trace behind with Hesper.When the topic was broached, it weighed heavily on her heart. Hesper understood the situation but found herself at a loss for word