Soon after that, the assistant standing behind Matthew said in a slightly anxious tone, “Mr. Lane, the caller said they have information about your sister but we don’t even know if it’s true. We’ve been waiting for so long but he’s still nowhere to be seen.”Matthew didn’t speak but squinted. His youngest sister went missing ten years ago and the Lanes had tried everything they could to find her. Now that he had finally got some information, he rushed over from Emperion. He had to find his sister even if it was false information!***Hesper was tired from walking around but she didn’t want to go back and face those people, so she picked a cafe and ordered a coffee so she could rest. What she didn’t notice was that there were two sketchy men sitting behind her seat. One of them tapped her shoulder. “Miss, I think you dropped some money.”Hesper looked down and saw a hundred dollars, but she only had a few dollars in cash, and the rest were on her phone. “That’s not mine.” Ho
Meanwhile, In the CEO’s office of Duval Group. Benji watched the man who was focused on his work and quietly reminded him. “Mr. Duval, Mrs. Duval called you.”“I’m not blind.” Rickard sounded impatient. He heard when Hesper called, but when he remembered her saying that she no longer loved him, his heart grew cold. However, she never bothered calling back when he didn’t pick up the first time. Whenever he didn’t pick up before this, she would send a few anxious messages to him. It was evident that once a woman gives up, she would become very cold. However, Benji was worried. “Mr. Duval, Mrs. Duval hasn’t tried to contact you recently. Now that she suddenly called, do you think it’s something important? Why not call her back?”Rickard scoffed. “Unless a comet hits our home, there’s nothing that could be that urgent since we have so many bodyguards and helpers at home. Get out of here if you don’t want to just stand around. Stop bugging me.”Benji immediately shut his mout
“I’m alright…” Hesper barely replied as she felt her body heating up. Matthew immediately understood what happened. “Where do you live? I’ll give you a ride home.”“No, I can’t go home.” If she went back like this, the few women would chastise her. Furthermore, when the two men grabbed her, they called her by her last name, so she suspected that they were behind this whole situation. She wasn’t going to fall into the trap. “Could you… send me to the hospital?” Matthew was confused. After such an incident, she didn’t want to go home but instead chose to go to the hospital. Something must be up. However, he didn’t question her and instead nodded, then took out a bottle of cold water from the mini-fridge and handed it to her. “Hold this, you’ll feel better.”“Thank you…”At the hospital, Julian hurried over when he found out what happened. After getting emergency treatment to lower her body temperature and taking some medication, the stress in her body was almost at a normal
Hesper stood in front of Julian. Rickard raised his brow as the air grew cold around them. “Hesper Rivera, do you have any idea what you’re doing?”“I do.” She raised her chin and met his dark gaze. “Ian helped me out a great deal. No one can kick him out.”“What if I insist?” Rickard’s gaze was so sharp it could cut someone. Julian didn’t want to put Hesper in a tough spot, so he walked forward. “There’s no need for scare tactics here. I'll leave if you take good care of her. I don’t want to see her in the hospital again. However, I will give you a piece of advise. It’s best for you to find out what happened before you come in with your holier-than-thou attitude.”Rickard squinted because he could tell if there was a hidden meaning. After Julian left, he asked, “What did he mean? What happened?”“You don’t know?” Hesper was surprised because she thought that he was there after finding out what had happened. Benji immediately explained. “Mr. Duval cares about your health, so
“Mr. Duval, are we really going to leave? Why don’t I go ask the doctor and see how Mrs. Duval is?” Benji asked. Rickard didn’t appreciate that and walked even quicker. “Go ahead, but it doesn’t concern me anymore. I don’t want to know!”Benji was left behind and was hesitant but still decided to find out more. He knew that Rickard went there because he wanted to find out what happened. After ten minutes, Benji walked to the car with a troubled look. “I found out what happened, sir.” Rickard was resting his eyes and didn’t see Benji’s expression. He didn’t care. “Tell me then, what’s her issue?”“The doctor said that… Mrs. Duval was drugged with an aphrodisiac. She was sent to the hospital and was given injections and forced to throw up. She went through a lot before she finally felt better.”“Aphrodisiac?” Rickard’s eyes opened and looked sharp. “Are you sure?”Benji nodded solemnly. He wouldn’t dare joke about this. Rickard’s change in expression was obvious. His eyes t
“I don’t want the money. Give it back to him.” Hesper refused it expressionlessly. Her pride wasn’t something that could be bought with a measly check. Benji was going to say something, but she cut him off. “As for what happened today, I’ll make a police report and let them handle it.”“I’ll drive you home then.” Hesper didn’t reject that. On the way back, Benji told her, “By the way, Mrs. Duval, the people at the hospital said someone drove you there. I believe that person would have seen what happened. If you could get him to be a witness and provide some information, it would help with the investigation.”Hesper’s mind was filled with Matthew’s face, but she didn’t know who he was, so there was no chance that she could get him to be a witness. The man was very well-dressed and was in an extravagant luxury car. He would probably not want to get involved in this. She calmly said, “He was just there at the right time. I don’t think it will be easy to track him down.”Benji d
“Why would you ask that?” Juniper frowned, looking surprised. “Do you suspect that I did it? Or do you think I would be happy about it?”Rickard didn’t reply. Juniper’s reactions seemed normal and her behavior didn't seem odd. He couldn’t find a reason to convince himself that she had anything to do with this. After a few seconds, he spoke. “I was just asking.”Juniper was relieved but she still looked wronged and unhappy about it. Sophia jumped at the opportunity and stood by her side. “What are you doing? You used to care about Juni the most but now you seem to question her a lot. Do you think she wouldn't feel hurt? Or is someone trying to twist the truth?”Rickard knew what she meant and frowned. “What are you trying to say? Hesper made a police report, so the police is getting involved. I'll investigate this too, so no one will be able to twist the truth.”Sophia didn’t talk back after she was called out. Rickard, agitated, loosened his tie then walked to his study. Be
The investigating officer looked at her. “But we’ve investigated this thoroughly, and the suspects were adamant that no one was ordering them around. We looked into their bank cards, phone records, and everything else. There were no suspicious transfers or calls.”Hesper couldn’t put a finger on it, but she knew that the two men were targeting her. “Please look into this again. I don’t want the actual culprits to get away!”The officer hesitantly looked at Rickard, and when he nodded, the officer agreed to avoid wrongly closing the case. “Alright, we’ll investigate further. Can you provide any evidence or witnesses? The person who saved you, for example?”Hesper hesitated, then shook her head. “I don’t know who he is, so I wouldn’t be able to contact him.”Rickard noticed the slight change in her demeanor and his eyes darkened. However, no matter how many times they interrogated the men, they refused to change their statements, so the outcome remained. The police were out o
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