"Why are you staring at me like that? You're not a Mustafa, are you?"The man sounded confident, so Hesper raised her brows. The man then gave an indifferent look and said, "I know almost all the Mustafas, so I know what a woman like you is here for.""Oh really?" Hesper calmly nodded. "Tell me then. What does a woman like me want?"The man scoffed. "To seduce someone, of course, so you can stay on the island."The man was trying to say he wasn't from Leafdelle, and that there were a lot of people who were like him, and they didn't know who each other were.Didn't Leafdelle prohibit outsiders from entering?Why did the Mustafas quietly bring people in?The man spoke again while she was thinking. "The Mustafas would never be interested in a non-islander. The young master looks friendly, but he's actually very cold. "Although you look pretty, they still wouldn't be interested in you."Hesper wasn't really paying attention to him because she was thinking about why there were out
However, under these circumstances, she had to stay. "Did the man say anything out of line to you?" Ranfik asked. Hesper's hand that was holding the juice paused, but it was just for a split second before she held up the glass, turned around, and shook her head. "What would count as out of line?" Hesper's eyes were clear as she looked into Ranfik's. He paused for a moment then changed the topic. Fortunately, Rickard was soon done with his meeting and was back. When Hesper saw him, she walked ahead of Ranfik toward him and grabbed his hand, then whispered. "You're planning something without telling me again?"Rickard cleared his throat and Hesper remembered Ranfik was still there. "I'll leave you two to it then."Ranfik nodded and walked past them away from the space. Only the couple was left there, and Hesper was relieved when she saw Ranfik walk away. "What's going on?"After checking around and not seeing any surveillance equipment, Hesper still took precautions and
If he agreed, it would mean they would be in danger again, but if he didn't, based on how much preparation Raheem had done before this, he would soon find a new partner. Then there would be no way for them to stop him. Hesper was troubled. They were soon back at the estate when Hesper suddenly said, "Rickard, don't you feel tired when new issues keep popping up?"Rickard protected her very well recently. She had never felt so safe, but that would mean Rickard had been shouldering all the stress. Rickard didn't say anything, but he pulled her into his arms. Their warm breaths mixed together in the snowy night. Although no words were exchanged, their hug was better than anything a million words could portray. Hesper buried her face in Rickard's chest and said, "If I'm your wife, I wouldn't want you to be a hero. I just want you to be okay, but I'm Hesper Rivera…"'I can't just sit back and watch as things unfold.'Although she didn't say the last part out loud, they both und
"Not really. Why do you ask?"Sherese didn't answer but just lowered her gaze and shook her head. "Never mind. I knew you wouldn't tell me. I'll find out for myself. Rest well."Hesper read the information in the file after Sherese left, then closed her eyes. People would choose to do what they think was right based on their own justification. Why did she have to get involved in this? Wouldn't it be great for her to just go home to her parents?Rickard went over in the evening. The moment he saw her, Rickard's eyes turned darker as he said, "Did a man hit on you yesterday?""How did you know?" Hesper's mind was on human experiments, and since she managed to solve that herself, she didn't think there was a need to tell Rickard about it. That was why when Rickard brought it up, she had a bad feeling about it. "That person is dead." Although she expected that, when she heard it, her heart still dropped. Only the Mustafas would do such a thing. Hesper put the man on the spot
However, Zoya didn't know she had a new task and was just frowning as she dug into the phone in front of her. The phone was handed to her half a month ago. It was just to recover a photo, but it took her half a month and she still hadn't found the way to recover it. Even though she knew the photo was important and might be able to save Rickard and Hesper's life, the more anxious she was, the harder it was. "Myriade." Renfrew suddenly showed up behind her, so she replied while still holding her frown. Renfrew climbed onto the chair and watched while she zoned out staring at the phone, then finally said, "I think I know how to unlock this."Hearing his voice, Zoya looked at him curiously. He frowned and said, "It's true. I saw this interface on the computer Mommy stole."Xander wasn't very tech savvy, and since it was in such a short time, it wasn't possible that he wrote an entire system. Someone might have given this interface to him. But what did he mean by the computer?"I
"This way, Ms. Chronos."Lamarie walked forward. To avoid being exposed, Hesper nodded while looking cold. Lamarie and Juliette exchanged looks and could feel her coldness toward them. Neither of them spoke; she had always been cold to them, and they could feel it. That was why they didn't understand why Quincey wanted to meet her. Anyone could tell that since Hesper went into a coma, the Savatiers were going downhill. Although they were doing much better than before, it was far from when Hesper was conscious.When Hesper was around, every family would show the Savateirs some respect. Lamarie couldn't help but feel defeated when she thought about that. 'Hesper, when are you waking up?'"Ms. Savatier?"They were almost going the wrong way when Hesper spoke up. Lamari snapped back and looked at Hesper. There was a weird sense of familiarity, but it only lasted for a second because they had only met a few times. After turning around, Lamarie realized this path they were ta
"When did you guess who I really was?"Although she wasn't that surprised, Hesper didn't understand where she went wrong. She was very careful and hid her personality whenever she met a Savatier. Her looks, face, and voice had all changed. Hesper couldn't figure out which part gave her away. "You didn't give anything away. Rickard did."Quincey shook his head and said, "Although people stay away from Rickard, I know him too well. Not only was I able to recognize him with his face covered, but I could probably recognize him even when half of him is covered."Hesper paused when she heard that. She and Rickard only ever saw Quincey as just the patriarch of the Savatier family, someone they could manipulate, and never as an elder, although he was the closest blood relative Rickard had. Rickard was the child of Quincey's favorite daughter and also the only direct descendant he knew of. How could he not pay attention to him?Hesper looked guilty when she thought about that. Qui
Both she and Rickard knew what this meant."Since you already know my real identity, please continue to keep it a secret for us in the future. No one can know about this. Otherwise, if we were to lose focus, that would be it for us." Hesper looked calm and collected. "I trust you this much."After saying so, Hesper did not choose to stay any longer, because the longer she stayed in this place, the easier it was for Quincey to extract more information out of her. Although she was confident that she was cautious enough, Quincey still had a few years on her when it came to this aspect.After leaving the main mansion, Hesper lifted her head, only to find that Lamarie was still waiting for her at the door, and she immediately greeted her as soon as she came out, "Ms. Chronos."Hesper nodded; however, looking at Lamarie’s slightly complicated expression, she still took the initiative to initiate the conversation, "I’ve met Master Savatier and discussed everything that he wanted to talk a
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