Hesper thought that when Gabriel offered candy, he would just be sharing a few with his friend, but he took a pile out and placed it in front of Renfrew. Renfrew was surprised, as he kept receiving candy and snacks that day. “Gabe…” Yohanna looked at him, amused. “Candy is your favorite, but it’s not the same for Ren. You’ll get cavities if you have too much.”“But these are my favorite things.” Gabriel shook his head. “You won’t understand, Mommy.”They two children went and played, leaving the adults in the living room. Yohanna spoke up when she saw that Hesper looked uneasy. “Relax. Just consider this as visiting a friend.”“Alright…” Yohanna poured a cup of tea for Hesper. “Even though I’m not really good at taking care of people, the chores, our food, and watching over Gabriel are all managed by Aunt Chapelain. I just keep the home tidy because I don’t have a lot to do.”There was a sudden knock on the door. “I think Aunt Chapelain is here.”Yohanna stood up, and He
The atmosphere in the living room was getting extremely intense, but noises came from the other room at that moment.Renfrew pushed open the door and looked a little panicked. “Gabriel seems to be feeling ill...”Although Hesper did not study medicine, she had become somewhat of an amateur doctor after suffering from a long list of illnesses over the years. When she had nothing much to do in the past, she had learned a thing or two about Halwanese medicine from her doctors. One could say that she knew things, but she was nowhere near proficient.As soon as she saw Gabriel, Hesper felt that the child might be suffering from a stomach ache.“See? What did I just say? Gabriel has fallen sick, hasn’t he?” Eloise came into the room, yelling loudly. “It’s not that I want to reprimand you, Yohanna, but you’re indeed way too soft as a person. From what I see, this kid and your neighbor are not well-meaning people, so you can’t just get close to anyone that you like!”She had shown some re
‘Needless to think, that woman must be up to something again.’Hesper was a little speechless. It was her first time paying her neighbor a visit, so she really didn’t want to showcase her unfriendly and prickly side, but Eloise had been challenging her limits over and over again.“Why isn’t there a smell yet?”“...There’s no smell?” Yohanna realized it slightly later than Hesper did. “Yeah... I don’t seem to smell any Halwanese medicine boiling.”The two went upstairs, and Yohanna led Hesper into the kitchen, only to see Eloise’s hectic silhouette. However, instead of boiling the medicinal herbs, she was busy chopping them up and then flushing them down the sink.Without any doubts, Hesper pushed the door open.Eloise turned her head immediately and stared at the two of them in a panic, still hiding a large handful of herbs in her hands.Hesper walked up to her, grabbed her arm, and lifted it. Feeling excruciating pain, Eloise dropped all the medicinal herbs in her hand and they
Seeing this, the sparks of anger at the bottom of Yohanna’s heart lit up completely.‘If the person who came over today weren’t Hesper, but another unlucky neighbor of ours who, like me, would take the fall only to resolve the dispute, Aunt Chapelain might’ve gotten away with today’s matter. I’d never know why Gabriel had fallen ill in the first place! And perhaps this kind of issue has happened countless times before this, and I’ve been so naïve, thinking that Aunt Chapelain has been taking good care of Gabriel.’He had only come back for a short while, so Jean, who had not figured out the ins and outs of the whole ruckus, had been listening quietly by the side without uttering a single word. At this time, all he could do was silently pat his wife on the back lightly as if comforting her.Seeing that Gabriel’s condition was getting better over time, and it was already getting late, Hesper picked up the drowsy Renfrew and got ready to head home.The man who had been silent all this
Jessie did not hesitate and ordered a cup of coffee that she thought would be exceptionally delicious but was too expensive for her before.“Although it looks delicious, it’s just a cup of coffee. This is so not necessary!”Recalling Jessie’s righteous statement from the past, Hesper could not help but feel helpless. She queued right behind Jessie, paid for the coffee, and then sat down in a corner with Jessie.Jessie thought she was a little dumb and naïve when she gave the whole thing a deeper thought.‘Hesper was able to get married to Rickard Duval, so how could she just be a girl from an ordinary family? Now that I think about it, although Hesper was very low-key when she was studying with us four years ago, she was never short of money.‘Four years ago, none of our purchasing power was as good as it is now. My monthly living expenses were not low at that time either, and I wasn’t at the standard where I could buy whatever I wanted——’“That’s because I used to work part-time
Hesper used to be a very talented and smart student. Her ideas were very vivid and followed the romanticism movement. These were unique qualities that could only be possessed by designers when they were still students.Although Xavier felt that Hesper could still be a designer, as one’s talent could only be wasted but would never disappear, he thought the touch that she had for fashion design in the past might not necessarily return to her mind after all those years of staying away from the field.But contrary to his expectations, Hesper only showed a little rustiness at the very beginning, and her talent came back to her very quickly after she resumed her studies in college.While Xavier was thinking in a daze, Hesper called him twice before he finally came back to his senses.“Professor Jenkins, can I design this part in this way? I’ve considered the connection between the two parts, and it just doesn’t feel very reasonable.”Xavier’s gaze landed back on the draft and then he si
Renfrew was a little astonished and stared at Hesper for a while.“Mommy, would it be like what you did before... I can only stay by your side and never see Daddy again?”Hesper was a little surprised by Renfrew’s capability to understand the underlying message hidden under her vague question. She had tried to put the cruel reality into very obscure words, but Renfrew still understood what she wanted to express in an instant.She nodded. “Yes, it’s just how you understand it.”Such a decision might be too harsh for Renfrew. Although he loved his mommy very much, he had been living with his daddy since he was born.Even though Rickard was very strict with him most of the time... He was certain that he loved him a lot.“Don’t you want to...”Hesper sounded a little disappointed, but Renfrew’s response seemed to be within her expectation. After all, Renfrew grew up right next to Rickard, and although Rickard treated everyone else very badly, Renfrew was never one of them, so this l
Rickard locked the door from the inside and checked the room for hidden cameras and recording equipment. He also examined places where memory and storage devices could be stashed away, scrutinizing every corner of the room carefully, and found quite a few pieces of equipment.It was rather inconvenient for him to bring detection tools along, so Rickard could only make sure that there was no camera in the room. As for other monitoring devices, he could not be sure, so the room had been very quiet throughout the whole afternoon as Rickard barely made a sound. He spent the whole time communicating with Benji through typing on his phone.“He’s so sharp.”At the same time, Myriade was sitting in front of her computer monitor with the lollipop that Riley promised to buy for her the other day in her mouth. The screen in front of her had been completely blacked out, and the data showed that there were only three recording devices left undiscovered in the entire room.Rickard was able to ge
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