Although Ehren was ready for an open and honest chat today, he did not expect Hestia to be this rude and went for the most crucial question directly."What’s wrong?" Hestia met Ehren’s gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Can’t I ask this question?"Ehren shook his head a little irritably. "The answer to this question is very long and complicated, so give me some time to sort things out... The current decline that the Sulzbachs are going through all branches from this matter. Do you know about the hallucinogenic drug case that Benjamin Lane and Uncle Idris investigated together back in the day?""The hallucinogenic drug case?"After reiterating what Ehren just said, Hestia paused for a short moment and then shook her head. "I haven’t heard of it, and it hasn’t been mentioned in the information that I found... Is this matter important?”"Yes, the tragedies faced by the Sulzbachs and the Tuckers all stem from this case." Ehren’s voice deepened.Hestia subconsciously gazed at Nathaniel, but
Hestia pursed her lips, turned Nathaniel’s request into a text, and sent it.Charles went silent for a moment, and Hestia could feel that he was thinking about it, which meant that the person they were looking for was in a certain sense determining the future of the Deschamps.Hestia was not like Elise, who knew nothing about what the Deschamps’ did outside; she knew everything about it.‘Judging from how Father is reacting, if something were to come to light, we might have to forget about the Deschamps as a whole. Even Father himself will face certain difficulties, and some might even be lethal.’‘If what Father is running are just a few underground industries, it’s understandable to not worry about anything, but he has too much on the line.’"Okay, I agree with your proposal.""Hesper!" Jessie tugged at Hestia’s sleeve, but Hestia had already decided deep down and looked straight at Nathaniel. "You guys better know the answer to my questions."Nathaniel seemed to have known th
Hestia did not expect that there was such a drug that could completely burn a big family to the ground.‘What’s the difference between this drug and opium or cocaine?'"My youngest uncle didn’t believe in the effects of the medicine at first. He was a medical student, so he didn’t believe in the existence of such a thing at all." Ehren’s eyes were bloodshot. "However, the person who invented the drug kept on persuading my grandfather, and he became so confused that he spiked my youngest uncle’s dishes with the drug.""Fortunately, my youngest uncle found out about my grandfather’s insane action in time, but he had already been taking the drug for quite some time at that time. What happened after that was that almost everyone in my family lost their minds... The causes of death that you find in the information that you have are false. What happened was that all of them committed suicide, and yes, they died in their fantasy."It was Jessie’s first time coming into contact with a stor
‘If I want to locate the target of my current mission, I must first delve into the drug incident from back then, which is inseparable from the person that I’m searching for.’‘With Ehren Sulzbach’s description, I now know how terrible the drug is. If it’s still being distributed in the market, it’ll leave a great impact on the people. And perhaps the tragedy of the Sulzbachs will once again make its way into more people and families.’Although Hestia was a businesswoman, it was still impossible for her to do such a thing.Jessie knew that she could not change Hestia’s mind, so the two returned home without saying a word. Hestia went into her room and locked herself up as soon as they arrived home, leaving Jessie facing the door of her room anxiously.Hestia called Sylvie as soon as she entered the room. "Look into a drug-related case that happened about thirty years ago."Sylvie did not expect that Hestia would suddenly want her to investigate new things. During her time in Geneci
With that, everyone spent the night thinking about their own plans.The next day, Hestia still got up very early in the morning. And the moment she walked out of the mansion, she realized that Kenji was already waiting for her at the door.Hestia was at a loss for words and rubbed her temples. "You’re like a ghost that lingers and haunts. Do you know an idiom of the Halwanese language that goes like this?"Hearing what Hestia had to say, Kenji’s expression remained unchanged, and he responded calmly, "It’s my duty to protect you and stay by your side. Where are you going today?"She could see that it was impossible to get rid of Kenji, but there was nothing special that she had to tackle today, as she had already found out what she could and wanted to know, so all there was left to do was to wait. With that idea in mind, she got into the car."We’ll go to Duval Group today."Kenji was a little surprised, but Hestia did not seem to have changed her mind on the spot, and what she h
"You... You’re my mommy."Hestia could feel the softness in Renfrew’s attitude and explained, "I don’t have any memory about you for now, and I don’t like children either. So if you want to throw a tantrum here, please know that I won’t do anything to coax you."Renfrew digested Hestia’s words rather slowly, and his eyes turned bloodshot.However, even so, Renfrew still did not cry, because Hestia had already told him that she did not like children crying, so even if he wanted to cry, he knew that his mommy would only dislike him even more if he were to do so.Seeing that Renfrew was still obedient, Hestia’s expression softened a little, and she asked Renfrew to sit down on the couch."There’s no breakfast here, so if you’re hungry, go outside and find Uncle Kenji." Hestia sat down, turned on her laptop, and continued to look at the arrangements for the studio. "When your father comes, you can go to him. He should be here soon.”...Rickard was indeed almost here.Rickard usual
Rickard thought he heard wrong at first, but he frowned when he saw Hestia’s frank expression. "Why are you getting married all of a sudden? Is it going to take place in Halwanest... And who are you getting married to?"Seeing Rickard’s anxious reaction, the corners of Hestia’s lips inexplicably curled upward."It’s to Nathaniel Tucker. You should know each other."Of course, Rickard knew Nathaniel. Hearing this, his expression stiffened and he froze instantly. "Do you know what he did to you before? How could you marry him? What did he tell you...?"Before Rickard could finish speaking, Hestia had already interrupted him. "No matter what he did back then, we’re going to get married now."Seeing Rickard’s upset expression, Hestia felt extremely delighted deep down. "I’ll send you an invitation. I sincerely hope that you’ll be there."Before Rickard could speak, Renfrew, who had been extremely quiet on the side, screamed abruptly at the top of his lungs."Renfrew." Rickard strode
It had been a long time since he heard someone call him Matt. Even if he knew that Hestia was just trying to bewitch him so that he would let her off, Matthew still fell for it and could only sigh."I’m really worried about you."Nathaniel had already taken Hesper away from him right in front of his eyes once, and Matthew could not take such a hit again in his life, but Hestia seemed to have made up her mind.Matthew knew that no matter what, he would never be able to persuade Hesper.Hestia vaguely explained the whole matter to Matthew, knowing that she could never tell Matthew about her secret deal with Nathaniel. In order to prevent Matthew from bombarding her with more questions, Hestia suddenly thought of Vivienne."By the way, I also met my sister-in-law in Genecity."Matthew immediately became silent after being shocked by this sentence. Then he said tentatively, "Please tell me that you haven’t been cheated by some random lady... Why didn’t I myself know that I have a wif
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