After hearing the sound of the mechanism opening completely, Sophia calmed down and assessed the situation.If she ran away now, Nathaniel would still be able to find his way to her no matter where she ran off to. After all, she had seen what Nathaniel was capable of. Besides, the fact that the person just now told her to find an opportunity to escape indicated that there would be a time in the near future when Nathaniel would not be able to pay attention to her.With that thought in mind, Sophia's hands trembled as she reattached the shackles to her feet. After a crisp sound was released into the air, her heart seemed to have calmed down instantly.Nathaniel was too arrogant to think that she had a way to escape on her own. As for Ehren, who had been guarding her all the time...He would not notice anything. Sophia felt her hands shaking as she looked at the faint light that seeped in through the crack. She had been in the dark for too long and had almost forgotten what the no
Matthew was stunned for a moment, and then when he finally came around to his senses, his voice trembled. "You… You've regained your memory? You're Hessy?"Hesper nodded heavily. Matthew felt like he was in a dream for a moment, and his eyes turned red around the rims. "It's good that you're back. I thought... I thought you would never remember me again."In her memories, Hestia treated Matthew indifferently and coldly. Hesper knew that Matthew must have been upset by it."Although I don't understand what happened, I've never blamed you for anything." Hesper looked up with firm eyes. "As I've mentioned earlier, regardless of our biological connection, you are my only older brother."Matthew's eyes were still red, and Hesper suddenly remembered her suspicion. She frowned and said, "During the time I was Hestia, I had a mother."Matthew did not know why she was bringing this up all of a sudden, and Hesper continued. "I suspect that she's our mother."Facing Matthew's puzzled look,
Hesper's eyes were filled with determination after she had set up a meeting time with Charles. Professor Miles had told her that she was indecisive in the past. She might deny it before she lost her memories, but now it seemed that being too soft was indeed her weakness. She could never bring herself to be harsh to the people she used to be close to. However, for the sake of her mother, she needed to toughen up. Only by doing so could she protect the people she wanted to protect."By the way, since I'm the real member of the Lanes, what about Rachael?" Hesper asked. "Uncle Simon and Uncle Theodore sounded so certain back then, but it turned out that they were lying to us?"Matthew nodded. "It's not only Uncle Simon and Uncle Theodore. Even Grandpa knows about it."Hesper became even more perplexed after what Matthew said. He continued, "Grandpa will explain everything to you when you go back, including why we still allow Rachael to use your name outside."Although she did not k
"I didn't expect that during these ten days, I would suddenly receive some news about them," Hesper said. Intrigued, Charles sat up straight and said, "Tell me more about it."Seeing the change in Charles's attitude, Hesper knew that she had probably passed the hurdle. For Charles, anything about Skylar was important. Whenever she brought it up, Charles would become less vigilant. "I found out that Skylar has been living in Genecity for the past few years. Not only that, but he also seems to have been taking some kind of hallucinogenic drugs…""Alright, stop," Charles interrupted Hesper, cutting her short. He undid the first button on his shirt and said, "Now is our family time. We can talk about work when we get back."Hesper nodded. "Okay, Dad. You should call Mom... I haven't dared to contact her yet because I'm afraid of being scolded!""You've always been your mother's sweetheart. There's no way she'd scold you." Charles's expression softened when he talked about Elise. "J
It seemed to her that Charles was no longer suspicious of her. If she insisted on not letting Sylvie follow her, Charles would bring her back to FredoniaWhen that happened, she might not be able to settle the things in Genecity."Alright. Although Sylvie is a bit naggy, at least she can be of great help to me." Hesper reluctantly agreed after considering her options. She might still be able to escape from Charlies's eyes if she allowed Sylvie to stay with her, but there would be no chance for her to do that if she went back to Fredonia. Seeing her agreement, Charles nodded, temporarily setting aside his suspicions.Compared to others, Hestia was like an open book. After all, she only had memories of the past half year. Although she was naturally smart and cautious, she had an outgoing personality and trusted him, making her the easiest to manipulate.Lost in their own thoughts, Hesper suddenly remembered that she still had an engagement with Nathaniel, so she spoke up, "By the
The next day, Charles left Genecity. It seemed that he had only come to look for Hestie and make sure she was safe. "Miss, don't you want to go back? Madam misses you very much at home," Sylvie asked as she followed behind Hesper, who turned around to examine the assistant she had never really observed before. She always wore black-framed glasses and looked quite ordinary. She seemed like she could easily be lost in a crowd.To be fair, she always managed to handle all the troubles Hestia caused, but there was one thing that confounded her. Why Charles trusted Sylvie so much, given the fact that he was someone who would not believe in someone so easily. "Miss?" Hesper shook her head and said, "I'm just a bit tired. I haven't been feeling well since I came back, and I didn't dare tell my father."Sylvie looked at Hesper with concern and said, "You shouldn't go there alone. It's too dangerous. Fortunately, nothing happened! Otherwise, I'd have to clean up your mess again!" Hesp
Never in Sylvie's wildest dream would Hesper be thinking about turning her over to her side. However, after Hesper returned, she did not hesitate or delay and quickly dealt with things there. Her style of doing things was not very similar to Hestia's.It was just that Sylvie dispelled the thought as soon as it rose in her head. 'So what if she's a little different? I still have to watch over her anyway. Without evidence, I'll just pretend that there's nothing unusual!' she thought inwardly.*Meanwhile, Rachael and Celine seemed a bit flustered when they heard that Hestia had been found and had returned. "It doesn't matter. She's lost her memories, and there's nothing she can do even if she remembers," Rachael spoke. "It's true that we used the drafts she drew, but maybe she herself doesn't even know it now."Celine hesitated. She knew Hesper, and if she really recovered her memories and realized her betrayal, things would go really bad for her. "What's there to hesitate abou
Celine could not help herself and let out a sigh.Hesper continued, "I heard something at the door just now. Both of you said something like "it's all thanks to Rach that you're living this kind of life now."Hesper emphasized on the word "Rach," just like how Rachael used to call her "Hessy" in the past before they had fallen out yet. When the realization hit her, Rachael's face turned pale with fear as she took a few steps back. She looked at Hesper with suspicion and asked, "You… You remembered everything?"Sylvie was waiting outside, so it went without saying that Hesper could not reveal that she had regained her memories. She sighed regretfully, "Although I really want to remember the sweet moments with my little sister, it seems I don't have that luck yet."Upon hearing Hesper say that she had not regained her memories, both of them breathed a sigh of relief."What did you come here for?"Rachael did not want to play any more guessing games with Hesper and knew she could
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