A month later, everyone in the studio had become very close to Hesper. She had been willing to help others go through their drawings too, as it was conducive to the expansion of her own ideas.Andris and Evon walked into the office together from outside, and when they saw Hesper surrounded by a huge crowd, both of them felt a little uncomfortable."Who would think that her catalog is edgy when compared with ours?" Andris sneered. "I don’t understand why they all ask for her advice. It’d only worsen their design."As the chief designer, Evon had always been the center of attention in the studio before Hesper came to Eustoma. Something like this, where everyone ignored him when he walked into the office area, had never happened to him before.Not noticing Evon’s silence, Andris walked up to everyone and exclaimed loudly, "What are you all doing here in a crowd? Go back to your respective office. The communal space isn’t built for you to chatter!"Andris’s words held a lot of weight
"Guys, let’s take a break." Pennleigh came over and clapped his hands. "There’s no need to be so nervous. It's just another regular bidding; don’t worry too much. Oh, and River, can you come with me for a moment?""Sure."Evon watched as the two went away from the corner of the room and turned his head away. His gaze then landed on Hesper’s dress, which was hanging on a mannequin in another corner of the communal space, feeling a little jealous deep down."Did something happen?" Hesper followed Pennleigh and caught up to him with a puzzled expression. "You usually keep a distance from me in the studio to avoid arousing suspicion... Something must’ve gone wrong for you to look for me all of a sudden."Pennleigh looked a little helpless. "Mr. Sanchez wants me to convey a message to you. Have you not even taken a glimpse at your phone all this time? He couldn't reach you, so he had to come to me.""Huh?" Hesper was really busy with her design before, so she did not have the time to l
The bidding session ended successfully. Hesper’s design and the magical touch on the dress really impressed the company’s executives with the oriental elements that were included.In the end, without a doubt, Hesper won first place in the bidding, and the order was given to Hesper.Hesper had been working tirelessly for half a month, but finally, it was not in vain.However, she did not feel exhilarated when she got the results but thankful.‘Luckily, I didn't lose control because of the sudden accident. This was what I learned and was trained to do the most when I was working in Lane Holdings, so no matter how flustered I am, I’ll never lose my cool.’"I was so anxious for you just now, but thank God everything turned out fine."Pennleigh had always been an efficient man; he soon delivered the contract to Hesper’s office. "This contract is pretty special. Personally, I really hope that you can secure this order and gain a foothold in the studio.""What’s so special about it?" H
"Mr. Etienne, please come and join us." Hesper walked towards Evon and gave a polite smile. "You’re the most qualified and outstanding designer among all of us. I only won the bidding because you went easy on me."Evon was so exasperated that the wrinkles on his face distorted. He tried opening his lips several times but did not utter a single word in the end.He had participated in the bidding too and had not refrained at all, but he still lost.…The place that they were going for dinner was recommended by Pennleigh, and because Hesper was not very familiar with this city, she was happy to let him arrange everything.Everything was going well at first, so Hesper only freshened herself very casually. However, in the afternoon, the face that Stephen had reshaped for her started drooping all of a sudden.Hesper instantly thought of the message that Mr. Sanchez sent her.‘I've passed the time limit, so there’s a risk of my face collapsing at any time. I have to go see Stephen as s
‘Pennleigh thought that I’d become beautiful only because of my makeup before, so maybe this can get me through the night.’Thinking of this, Hesper felt even more helpless and sighed softly at her reflection in the mirror.‘I can't think of any other way at the moment, so I'll have to make to go with it.’…As soon as Hesper entered the private room, the whole room went silent for a full second."Lady, did you come into the wrong room?" Andris, who came in from outside, bumped into Hesper. "Oh, she’s Halwanese, so maybe she can’t understand Fredonian? Mr. Pisano, can you translate?"Pennleigh was also a little dumbfounded at first, but when he heard Andris's question, he returned to his senses. He could not help but feel a little helpless."That's River.""What?"Hesper sat down under everyone in the room's fixed gazes and cleared her throat in embarrassment. "Is it that strange that I look like this? Everyone's staring at me...""It’s not surprising at all. It’s just that…
It was true that Hesper did not possess any evidence, but she was already sure it was Evon, and she believed that he would eventually show his cloven hoof sooner or later.‘There’s no such thing as a perfect crime in this world, not to mention that it was just out of pure rage.'...The next day, Hesper went to Stephen’s with Roberto first thing in the morning.Although it was not her first time there, Hesper realized that she still couldn’t remember the way to the place.Roberto took her to the courtyard where she first saw Stephen. Hesper was still a little surprised by the sight."When I first used to come here, I would always lose my way and ruin some of his flowers." Roberto smiled awkwardly. "Since then, he drew a map and forced me to memorize it. Otherwise, I won’t be allowed to come again in the future."With how much Stephen seemed to care about those flowers, Hesper could already imagine that if someone were to ruin them, they might be slaughtered and turned into ferti
Hesper felt a little helpless, but she followed Stephen’s instructions and left.After all, Hesper and Stephen were not very familiar with each other just yet, so she raised her concerns only after walking up to Roberto. "Mr. Cyrus seems to be a little unwell. Do you want to go in and take a look at him?""Unwell?" Roberto frowned. "His health has always had a lot of issues. Take a seat here and give me a few minutes. He always throws a tantrum whenever he gets sick. He didn’t scold you, did he?"Hesper cleared her throat.‘Although it isn't exactly a scolding, I did get some sarcasm from Stephen.’Hesper had never seen an adult who would pitch a tantrum like a child when he was ill. Roberto met her gaze and understood what she was thinking. "Stephen has lost parts of his memories. He was already suffering from all these health issues when I got to know him. He seems to have injured his head and brain, so his memory isn’t very good.""I see." Hesper remembered that Stephen want
"One more thing. Nathaniel contacted me several days ago." Hesper was stunned for a moment when she heard that name. Lowering her head, she said, "You didn't tell him about my whereabouts, did you?""Don't worry, I know you don't want the Lanes to know where you are. Mr. Tucker and the Lanes are close, so there's a chance that he'll tell your brother if he finds out your location," Robert replied. He patted Hesper's shoulder. "I didn't lie to him though. I just told him that you're still in Fredonia, that's all." Roberto had always treated his friends with sincerity. Hesper knew that he would not lie to Nathaniel, but she was very grateful that he was willing to cover up for her."Thank you, Mr. Sanchez.""Don't mention it," Roberto replied. "I noticed that you've been frowning a lot ever since you came to Fredonia. Actually, you don't have to be so hard on yourself. You've already done a great job.""Yeah, thank you, Mr. Sanchez," Hesper said, offering him a smile.Roberto kn
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