Looking at Sophia, who was standing at the door, Hesper’s expression turned cold instantly.Seeing his aunt, Renfrew held onto Hesper’s hand and hid behind her, only showing half of his face from beside his mommy’s thigh as if he did not want to leave her.“...What’s with that glare of yours? Do you really think I wanted to come?”‘This b*tch sent me to prison a few days ago, and this time around, Dick didn’t even bail me out as he would back then. In the end, it was Mother who spent a fortune to clear my name from the system. If my criminal record were to be kept in the system, any marriage prospects would be thrown out of the window for good! How I wish I could avoid meeting this woman for the rest of my life. She’s like a lunatic now. She just doesn’t care about sh*t. I’ll be ruined as long as she seizes a chance to crucify me.’Renfrew and Sophia were never close, and Hesper could tell that Sophia really did not want to come to pick him up, so she frowned. “Where’s Rickard? Are
After a week of planning, the details of the collaboration between Lane Holdings and Roberto were finally finalized. Just when Hesper was still rather anxious about what identity she should use when she went to meet Roberto, Matthew stepped in and took the initiative to solve that doubt of hers.“Matt, why are you here all of a sudden?”Seeing that Matthew suddenly appeared at the door of her house, it took Hesper quite some time before she could recover from the trance. She only came back to her senses when Matthew walked into the living room with his luggage and changed into his slippers.“If I continue to let you be, I’m afraid that you’ll lose your mind here in Genecity,” Matthew responded a little angrily. “Do you really think that nothing would happen just because you didn’t let anything stupid escape your mouth? If it wasn’t for the storm from a few days ago and the sudden collaboration with Mr. Sanchez, which delayed my flight significantly, I would’ve arrived here long ago.
‘What a pity.’Hesper remembered the name of the designer who just got eliminated.‘Celine Campbell. No matter how you look at her, she looks very ordinary. However, she has the talent to surpass any other designer.’“I wonder if she’ll participate in Lane Holdings’ tournament this time around...”Hesper hoped that Celine could get over the disappointment of her elimination, but she was also forced to empathize with her at the same time.‘Although the production team did not capture it on camera, I can totally imagine just how many grievances Celine suffered during the whole competition organized by Duval Group. Apart from Michelle sabotaging her both explicitly and covertly, the works that she produced and felt satisfied with were rejected one after another. The production team was just trying to kill her love for design in the crib.’“Forget it…” Hesper shook her head, disposing of all these thoughts in her head.‘As long as she really likes design, I believe that she’ll defin
Matthew’s voice suddenly sounded from behind, and Hesper was so frightened that she almost screamed.Hesper could not let Matthew know the plan that she had mapped out just then, so she responded by shaking her head and trying to hide her thoughts. “Nothing! I’m fine!”Seeing the vague hint of guilt that flashed across Hesper’s face, Matthew did not dig deeper either. Instead, he took out a paper bag out from behind his back and handed it to Hesper. “This is yours, isn’t it? I found it when they were moving my stuff here.”Seeing the paper bag, Hesper froze for a split second then nodded and grabbed it from him. “Yeah, it’s mine. I almost forgot about it.”There had been too many things distracting her from the paper bag after receiving it the other day, so Hesper placed the bag aside casually and then forgot about it later on.Inside were several boxes of medicines sent to her by Julian. It was said that they were special medicines that had been newly developed for Ernest, which
Matthew frowned in silence for a short while, then said, “But I just spoke to his professor yesterday. They’re definitely free now.”That was the silver lining. Hesper’s instinct was that this wasn’t a mere coincidence. The hidden message on the sticky note was what Julian couldn’t say. That was why he tried to use four words to tell her something?Beware of those around. The people around? Hesper took out her phone and wanted to send a message that she was going to send a while ago just to test it out, but another question popped up in her mind. Why would this bag suddenly show up at her doorstep? Who left it there?When she thought of that, she put her phone away just to be careful. She didn’t want to alert anyone. The competition held by the Duvals was coming to an end. Michelle was undeniably the winner. Since the diversion caused by the Lanes Competition and Robert was very obvious, the Duval Competition started out strong but eventually flopped. A lot of people could
Oblivious to the scheming happening between Juniper and Michelle, Hesper drove over to Ernest’s place to drop some medication off. When she got back, she started paying attention to the competition. Now that Matthew was living in Genecity, she could take a break from the company. She handed her previous work to Matthew but suddenly realized that he probably insisted on staying in Genecity to help her manage the company. “Don’t get emotional about this.”Seeing how Hesper was looking at him with puppy eyes, he cleared his throat and then looked away. “I just don’t want to die of exhaustion because it would be tough for me to explain to Grandpa.”She didn’t have to worry about the company and Professor Jenkins would vouch for her in university, so Hesper could join the competition without worry. “Come back as the winner. I believe in you.”The day before the competition began, Jessie had to drag Hesper to get some barbecue to celebrate her win. Hesper didn’t know how to react. “
Hesper held the glass of warm tea in her hands and sat there silently. Rickard finally broke the silence. “Are you going to join the Lane Competition tomorrow?”Hesper wasn’t surprised that he knew, so she nodded. “It will last about a month or even longer. I won’t be able to visit Renfrew during that time. Please tell him I’m sorry.”“Okay.” Rickard took a piece of beef tongue and placed it on her plate. Zikmund watched their interaction suspiciously. Weren’t they on bad terms? When they went to see Ernest the other day, he heard Rickard and Hesper arguing. He was planning to console his broken-hearted best friend because he thought that their relationship would end. Seeing what was happening changed his mind. “My brother is in Genecity and will take over Lane Holdings. You’re going to see him a lot.” Hesper looked down. “Don’t make him angry.”Hesper got up and went back to her seat before Rickard could say anything. Zikmund was confused. “What is happening between the two
“Matt?”Hesper, not having expected him to show up, tugged at her sleeve that she rolled up before. “Why are you waiting here? I’m not a child anymore. I can find my way home.”Matthew shook his head. “It’s too late. As a woman, it’s unsafe for you to be alone.”“Oh…” Hesper walked over to walk next to him. Hesper felt down-to-earth as she walked next to him because there was a sense of familial love that she never felt before this. The feeling Matthew gave was different from what she got from Grandpa Ernest. Maybe because Hesper used to be more egoistic and sensitive, but she was thankful and respected the man who pulled her out of the orphanage. However, Matthew was different. Hesper thought that she was meant to be his sister after meeting him. When they got home, Hesper suddenly remembered that Matthew couldn’t cook, so she was curious if he had eaten. “What did you have for dinner?”Matthew was silent for a few minutes. “I didn’t.”As Hesper expected. She nodded.
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