Rickard looked at the files in front of him and started questioning himself for the first time in his life. Benji compiled the truth of what happened those years ago and placed it in a folder on his desk. The past would be opened along with the folder, and the truth would come out. Rickard was suddenly afraid to look at it, fearing that the ending would be as he imagined, but he also feared that it might turn out otherwise. However, regardless… It was time to face the truth. When Hesper walked into the Duval Tower, she didn’t know if she was angry or disappointed. It was a bright sunny day outside, but she felt cold. It was time for class. Hesper remembered that she had forgotten to tell Professor Jenkins that she would be absent because of her hurry to get there. She took out her phone and texted him. Maybe because she didn’t look well, he was fine with it. Since she had gone to Duval Tower a few times before because of their partnership, the receptionist remembered her
In the end, Juniper got the money because Rickard felt guilty. He gave it to her after he was forced to marry Hesper.So that was what Juniper meant when she talked about love. It was ironic. Rickard placed the folder down and balled up his fists, his eyes turning red. The truth was too heavy to bear.He remembered how devastated Hesper appeared as she stood in front of him and Juniper, covered in wounds. He also remembered Juniper holding his hand and saying that Hesper would never be good enough for him. …But what good was he?“Mr. Duval, Ms. Lane is here.”Out of anxiousness, Benji forgot to knock and immediately walked into the office. When he saw Rickard, he realized that Rickard had found out the truth.“Hesper… Why is she here?”Rickard frowned. He wasn’t ready to face her, as he was caught off guard for the first time in his life. However, a moment later, Hesper walked in with no expression and looked at him coldly, standing a few feet away. No matter what cruel
Hesper walked out of the building and finally closed her eyes, thinking back to what happened ten minutes ago. The moment she turned to leave, Rickard stretched out his hand to grab her. This time, he wasn’t going to accept rejection. She tried to pull her away a few times but failed. “Let go of me!”“I won’t take any of that seriously, Hesper. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Rickard frowned and calmly said, “You can’t just pin the blame on me without clearing things up.”Hesper couldn’t put into words how much she wanted to laugh, but everything Rickard said disgusted her, so she just stared at him coldly. That coldness made Rickard let go. “Mr. Duval, Lane Holdings is going to take drastic measures, so you best be prepared.” Hesper looked at him, her pretty hazel eyes frigid. “Don’t forget that we’re competitors. Since you did save me in Salt City, I’ll be merciful. Don’t try to challenge my patience. I’ll let what happened three years ago slide, not because I forg
“But this is a lesson that you needed to learn. Not everyone gets a good outcome from being too sympathetic. Think about the past, about how disappointed you were.” Nathaneil’s voice was calm. “Disappointment doesn’t just happen. I won’t dig into your past, but Matthew told me that you’ve been through a lot. You shouldn’t be sympathetic to someone who did you wrong. It doesn’t matter if he was the culprit or an accessory; he still hurt you. He doesn’t deserve your trust.”Hesper closed her eyes, then when she opened them again, her tiredness turned into fierceness. “You’re right. Thanks, Nate.”Hesper cracked her knuckles, not knowing how to approach the next topic. After much hesitation, she finally said, “I’ve always avoided talking about our marriage arrangement. You know my situation. You’re a gentleman, and I don’t want to—”“It’s fine.” Nathaniel cut her off again. “Our marriage was arranged by our elders, and there isn’t any benefit to it. Grandpa Arthur isn’t an unreasonab
When Renfrew was back at the Duvals, Rickard finally realized that Hesper didn’t just say all that because she was angry. She was really going to start attacking him and his family, though he didn’t even know the reason behind it. “You haven’t seen eye to eye in a long time,” After a few days of behaving, Sophia couldn’t help but say that after seeing how sombre he looked. “Dick, do you really think what we did in the past had nothing to do with you? I don’t think Hesper even likes you now.”“Sophia.” Julie grabbed her and looked at Rickard warily. She could see more. She was afraid that her son was bewitched by Hesper the fox and would do anything that went against his principles. She and Sophia used to treat Hesper so terribly. Even if they were Rickard’s family, she couldn’t be sure that Rickard wouldn’t pin all the blame on them for what happened in the past. Love blinds people. Rickard didn’t have the energy to bother with his mother and sister. What he had to do was fa
Hesper was doing well. “Don’t push too hard. I’m worried that you’ll be too tired, and you don’t know what people will do when they’re forced into a corner. Besides, Rickard is a wolf.”Matthew couldn’t make out Hesper’s emotions through the phone, but he knew that Hesper’s change wasn’t out of nowhere.Anything related to Rickard would affect her emotions tremendously. “I’m fine, don’t worry. I’m just more aware than I used to be.”Hesper removed her glasses. Between the company and school, she was busy and life was never more fulfilling. Matthew hadn’t been in contact with her in a while, so it was understandable that he was worried. “The next time you come over, I might already have tamed the wolf. All the things that I’ve learned were to prepare me for this.”Rickard was really quick in handling the attacks she launched. There was a back and forth, but Hesper would always end up with the upper ground. All the Duval Group could do was protect their own profits to ensure th
After Hesper spilled the beans, Xavier fell quiet. Hesper wasn’t a shy person. If it wasn’t something that she absolutely couldn’t talk about, she wouldn’t have hidden it. They were just normal people, different from the Duvals, who were important. In comparison, they were just ants. Xavier remembered that Hesper didn’t come from the best background, so she must have gone through a lot living with the Duvals. “This is a really rare chance.” After a long pause, Xavier finally sighed and waved his hand to let Hesper leave. Hesper walked out of the office and looked at the campus grounds, then sighed too. She knew how rare the opportunity was, but after having an intense struggle with herself, she chose to give it up. She was too naive in the past. Now that she had come so far, there was no point chasing dreams and hobbies. Where would she find the time and energy for those things?The right opportunity had come at the wrong time. Life wasn’t perfect; that was reality. It
“You should go first. I’ll go and get the car parked, and you can order anything you want.” Nathaniel pulled over in front of the restaurant. “Their food is rather spicy, so if you can’t handle the spice, you could just tell the owner.”Hesper didn’t really like spicy food, so she nodded and walked into the inconspicuous, tiny restaurant.Hesper truly had no idea how Nathaniel got to know about this restaurant. She looked around the area while they were on the way here, and there was not even a single means of transportation within a few miles from the place, let alone any passerby.The small shop was hidden behind a grove. It already looked very inconspicuous during autumn, so the whole restaurant might be completely concealed behind the trees when all the leaves grew back during summer.A small string of wind chimes made out of shells was hung on the door frame of the entrance. When Nathaniel walked into the premises, it gave off a crisp chime.“Hello?”Once inside, no one coul
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