Hearing that, anxiety was obvious in Sherese's eyes. "What happened to him?""Nothing too serious," Hesper told her, speaking a half-truth. Sherese knew Rickard was injured because he was helping her find their mother, so she looked lost, which turned into worry. "I thought… he wouldn't help me."Sherese hadn't spent much time with him, so they had a gap. Their mother had been the most important family in her life for years, so she wasn't fine with how cold Rickard was. "That's just how Rickard is. Sometimes he's conflicting." Hesper didn't know how to put it into words better because it was something Sherese had to feel for herself, so she changed the topic. "I want to know if you've been in contact with Christopher recently."Sherese quickly nodded, even though she wasn't expecting Hesper to know about that. "He saved me, so he's my biggest contact in the Turner family. I want to know where my mom is, and he's the only person I can ask." Sherese realized something. "Is there
Chelsea sounded extremely calm when she said that. In comparison, she sounded more mature than Fenix and would consider more things. The secret conspirator must be helping them because of Chelsea's personality and capability instead of Fenix. When he wasn't relying on his father, he was relying on a woman. That was Fenix's superpower. Too bad he wasn't on the good side of the law, so they were never going to get to the end. "You give Hesper and Rickard too much credit. Can't you see the man is in a coma? Hesper is just another woman. What could she do?"Chelsea said nothing, but Fenix immediately knew he had said something wrong, so he cleared his throat. "Of course, women like you are rare, right?""Don't be childish." When she spoke again, Chelsea sounded impatient. "How would you know if Rickard is really in a coma? That person managed to get Pierette out of their sight, so do you think their rival Rickard would be easy to deal with?"Hesper guessed if Fenix wasn't Chelsea's
However, Christopher seemed to say 'Brigette' left something behind, so they seemed confident, or they wouldn't have said that. Sherese was Brigette's daughter. "If it didn't belong to my mother, I would be able to tell." Sherese frowned. "But why would he give me something that didn't belong to her? Did Dick discover something that showed Mom never showed up at Turner's mansion?"Sherese was perceptive, but Hesper shook her head after some hesitation and didn't answer her question directly. Sherese didn't push her but instead turned and left. Hesper and Yale had an appointment today because the fashion week would start soon. Yale's chance to turn things around was here, and since the other issues were all tangled up, the logical thing would be to solve his problem first. As for Rickard, he decided to come back as 'Mr. Chronos'. Only Frankie, Benji, and Kenji knew about the identity of Mr. Chronos, and they were all people he could trust. 'Rickard Duval' would be in the ho
He was more than her boss. If it were just that, Hesper wouldn't feel as awkward as she was feeling now. She hadn't seen Pennleigh ever since the last time she left for Halwanest and hadn't heard anything about him either. However, since Pennliegh and Crosleigh both fell for her, she felt guilty. Although she wasn't at fault. Seeing her expression, Yale could guess something was up, so he didn't pry. It wasn't unusual for people to fall for her with looks like hers, but her husband was Mr. Chronos. The owner of Eustoma couldn't hold a candle to him. That was undeniable. After a moment of silence, Hesper realized Pennleigh probably wouldn't notice her because of the number of people there. However, when standing up for Yale, she would have to draw attention to herself. That was unavoidable. August sat in the center of the front row, so everyone who walked past him greeted him. He smiled warmly, but his eyes didn't show any signs of joy. Hesper naturally saw everything an
Hesper smiled and shook her head. "No need to thank me. You did nothing wrong and are talented. That was the reason I helped you. You should thank yourself."Yale had made up his mind that he would follow Hesper after this, so when he saw her look away from him and toward August, he finally calmed his emotions. August couldn't find that familiar face even though he looked everywhere, but that design on stage was too familiar. No one knew Yale's designer better than he did because they had started designing together and Yale was a very passionate and kind person. August knew that some people were really talented, unlike people like him. August loved designing too, or he wouldn't have chosen this course. However, Yale was in a league of his own. Every time Yale told August about his ideas, August would be curious about where he came up with all these weird ideas. They were weird, but they worked. Every time Yale would share his ideas with him with gleaming eyes, August would fee
"Honestly, this is very similar to August's style. Do you think it's plagiarism?"Someone suddenly said that, and everyone started chattering. Although some people could tell the design on the stage was much better than August's, August was sitting there. Anyone who paid attention would see his expression change for the worse. August was a good person in the industry. He was rarely angry or put people on the spot. The biggest incident that happened to him when it came to design was when his junior plagiarized his work. The chatter about plagiarism became louder and louder, and some people stood up for August and objected to the action during fashion week. In their eyes, plagiarism was unforgivable, especially when August was the victim. August started panicking when he heard the noise but wanted to know if this design belonged to Yale. He hadn't heard his voice in a very long time. This unfamiliar feeling made him feel calm in this industry. However, sometimes when he was tr
‘I might be able to clear my name today.’Thinking of this, Yale’s expression looked unexpectedly calm. As he stared at the pride beaming from the depth of the bottom of August’s eyes, Yale took a deep breath and continued, "It’s indeed me. Do you feel more surprised or concerned seeing me here?"Hearing Yale’s words, August sighed and said, "I didn’t expect you to be this dumb. After what happened back then, I thought you’d learn from your mistake, but I didn’t expect..."‘I only need to bring this up to link the public to that matter, and this will be the last nail in the coffin for him. Everyone will think that he’s the one who plagiarizes my work again, even though I don’t have any evidence to prove my statement this time.’Hesper lifted her gaze and took a glance at Yale while the people sitting around them were whispering fervently among themselves as if it had been concluded that Yale was the one who plagiarized. Accusations were being thrown around the crowd as they all see
Seeing this, Hesper nodded.The man instantly understood that Hesper was here to support Yale and that she must have anticipated the awkwardness that was pervading the entire hall at this moment. With this assurance, he no longer hesitated and directly projected the information onto the enormous screen in the hall.Yale did not expect such a bold move. After all, this runway was not a place or an event that he could use to seek justice for himself, but it had turned out this way—— And it probably had a lot to do with Mr. Chronos and Hesper.He looked back at Hesper with a grateful gaze."This document states that I applied for the exclusive rights to the cloud weave technique four years ago in October." Yale stepped onto the stage, brushing past August, not sparing him even one glance. "This senior of mine, Mr. August Zelenko, only completed the so-called electronic first draft of his graduation project three years ago in April."All the information was neatly organized and presen
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