Yale was a fun and sincere person, from what Hesper could see. She wouldn't have time to speak to a lot of people during the week, but Yale seemed interesting. After getting into the exhibition, Hesper realized there were very few Halwanese. Most of the people there were from Montequinto or Fredonia, and they were in groups of two or three and seemed to know each other well. "This is what the industry is like. I don't know them very well because I'm a new designer here." Yalo just bumped into someone he knew, and when he went to speak to them, he came back with two glasses of juice, and he handed one of them to Hesper. "Someone might come and flirt with you. This is non-alcoholic."Hesper took it. "Thanks." Yale winked and said, "I wonder what it will be like this year. They don't really like foreigners, but I guess you don't care about this."Immediately after Yale stopped speaking, someone came over to talk to them. That person didn't seem surprised by a new face like Hespe
The person did not expect that Hesper would support Yale after hearing his words, so he was at a loss for words for a short second, and then continued, "The whole university knows that Yale’s design came out much later than our senior’s design for his final year project. He almost caused the senior his degree.""How many times do I have to explain myself? I didn’t copy his design. He saw my design, which was still a draft then, and he went back and drew it out, creating a softcopy of my design before I did." Yale’s voice was trembling. "He’s the one who copied my design."This possibility was indeed there, just that everyone else could only see the evidence presented on the surface. Even if what Yale said was true, there was no way for him to prove himself, and this was the crux of the matter.The conversation between the two piqued the attention of the people around them, and the man did not want to quarrel with Yale at this time. After all, there would be quite several sponsors on
Hesper would never be jealous of other excellent designers. On the contrary, her dream was to watch designs shine, no matter where she was and whose designs those were. Moreover, she did not have much time now to take care of the studio, so an influx of a few great designers was much needed.Initially, she started the studio only because she wanted to come together with friends and come up with designs under the same roof, but the idea was shelved when Celine turned against her back then.Getting all this trust from Hesper, Yale’s eyes turned bloodshot. He had gotten used to warming up to everyone he met all this while, but very few people would approach him voluntarily as soon as that incident was mentioned. Even if they were quite friendly around him at the beginning, one after another, they would choose to stay away from him after hearing about the plagiarism.He did not expect Hesper to not only be willing to believe in himself and offer to help but also plan to let him into her
As soon as she got in the car, Hesper turned her head, glanced at Rickard, and felt something strange from his expression.Recalling their encounter during the banquet, Rickard looked jealous too, so Hesper started guessing, and her thoughts ended in a chuckle. "I knew it, I now know why I can smell a hint of jealousy from miles away."Frankie cleared his throat and raised the partition between the front and the rear, while Rickard could not help but feel a little helpless and said after a short pause, "No, I‘m not.""What are you not doing?" Hesper smirked teasingly. "Are you not jealous, or are you not envious?"Rickard gazed into Hesper’s eyes and gently patted her on the head. Although it was light, Hesper knew that Rickard had a strong possessiveness inherently. Even when he did not love her as much back then, he still tried his best to make himself the only man in her life.He loved her even more now, which meant his jealousy was even stronger, but he was willing to restrain
The wedding’s news came hastily and out of nowhere, but Mr. Summers Sr. still managed to notify as many people as possible.As for Sherese, even though her body had fully recovered, thinking of the previous rift between her and the Summers, she did not plan to attend the ceremony. After all, although the ones who rescued and released her were the Summers, the other side of the coin was that the person who had abducted her was also one of the Summers.Sherese had never been a forgiving person. The other party almost killed her in a foreign land, so even if the two families had a long-standing relationship, she would never do them this favor by attending the ceremony.Hesper and Rickard’s attendance was already a great honor for Jade. It was not that he did not know what Fenix had done, and what happened recently was even more absurd."I didn’t expect to see you here." Jade sighed, seeing that Sherese was absent. He instantly understood what was on her mind and then said guiltily, "S
Karen was clamoring, but she did not know a word of Montequintan, while not many people present could understand Halwanese, so the confusion caused by this commotion could still be contained.Hesper watched it from the side as she was slightly interested in the farce. After some time, the uproar settled, and that was when she realized Chelsea had arrived.Chelsea’s face appeared somewhat pale, not due to a fair complexion but because of the whiteness brought on by her prolonged illness. Standing amidst the bustling crowd, she looked even paler.Hesper did not know what they said over there, but the clamor was finally resolved after the conversation, so Hesper looked away.However, it did not take long before other troubles knocked on Hesper and Rickard’s door.The men who had been sizing them up ever since they arrived at the banquet could no longer sit still and walked up to Hesper and Rickard. "You two look rather familiar. Mind if we have a chat with you?"As usual, Rickard wa
"What’s the matter? You look like you know the bride."If it were not for the fact that Jade had not been to the Duvals’ residence too many times in the past, Hesper and Rickard would have been sure that he was playing dumb, because the young bride on the stage was none other than Sophia Duval.They never expected to see Sophia here. After all, giving her money before driving her out of the family was already the ultimate act of kindness they could show her back then. At that time, Sophia’s plan was indeed to leave the country. However, probably no one could have anticipated that they would reunite under such circumstances.Sophia looked a little timid, and it appeared that she did not marry Fenix willingly. After all, the age difference between her and Fenix was almost like that of a father and daughter.But what was certain to Hesper was that she was surely not White Coat.The rest of the ceremony was very usual. Hesper and Rickard were the only ones with complex expressions, an
"You always ignore what I have to say!" As soon as Karen opened her eyes, another wave of violent coughs came. Chelsea looked a little frightened when patting Karen on the back, telling her to calm down and that she did not care about all this.Listening to Chelsea’s voice, Hesper sank into deep thoughts.‘No one can blame me for suspecting her now, can’t they? Her voice resembles that of that young lady too.’Hesper had encountered White Coat several times before this, and although she was unsure that the person in front of her was the same individual, she had a strong hunch that Chelsea was most likely White Coat.But what puzzled Hesper the most was that Chelsea could stay calm and composed. Just a moment ago, Karen was on the brink of kicking the bucket, and Chelsea was good at medicine, yet she called for assistance instead of doing it herself.It was a decision made in a moment of weakness, and perhaps Karen could have truly died.Seeing that Karen had woken up, the people
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