“Isaac, your temper is going to get you in trouble one of these days.” Hesper smiled. “Besides, fighting is boring. She’s looking down on me, so it would be sweet if I put her in her place on her own turf.”“You mean…” Isaac’s eyes shone because he knew. Duval Group. Juniper rushed over, but since she didn’t have an appointment, the receptionist had to stop her. “Ms. Wight, Mr. Duval is in the middle of something. Why don’t you give him a call instead?”“Are you blind? Don’t you know who I am?” Juniper was so angry she almost spit out blood. What was going on in the past few days? Why were people giving her trouble left, right, and center?“Ms. Wight, I’m just doing my job. Please don’t make it tough for me—”“Shut up!” Juniper cut him off impatiently. When she saw Benji through the corner of her eye, she immediately called out to him. “Benji!” “Ms. Wight?” Juniper found someone to back her up, so she pointed at the receptionist. “What’s going on with your receptionist? Thi
“What do you mean there’s no point?” Rickard turned around. The annoyance in his eyes gave Juniper shivers. “I mean—”“It doesn’t matter how long it’s been. She will always be my son’s mother, so I should compensate her. I didn’t think about that before this, but now that you’ve reminded me, of course I need to do something about it.”Rickard turned and walked into his office without giving her a chance to finish her sentence.Juniper bit her lip and had to agree. “You’re right, I didn’t think of that.”She followed closely but Rickard stood in front of the glass door and looked at her. “Anything else?”Juniper smiled awkwardly. She could feel how cold he was toward her, but the colder he was, the more she wanted to get close to him. “Rickard, why is Ren with Hesper? Do you plan to get him back? I bought three tickets to the theme park and was planning to bring him there.”“Don’t worry about it. Hesper will take good care of him.”That ended the conversation. Juniper didn’t
“You seem very surprised to see me, don’t you, Ms. Wight?” Hesper had already sat down on the guest table with a faint smirk, but Juniper was still standing in a daze, too surprised, almost astonished, and the scene dove into a moment of awkwardness.“Juni, what’s wrong with you? Say something, quickly!” Her assistant’s anxious reminder sounded in her earphones, and Juniper finally came back to her senses.As she sat down gracefully, she tried to cover up her embarrassment from just now with a series of commendations. “Yes, it’s a little surprising. I didn’t expect our guest to be this young. You look so young and promising, Ms. Rivera.”She placed quite a bit of emphasis on the last few words, giving off a sarcastic tone.Hesper chuckled all of a sudden. “Ms. Wight, didn’t you go through the script before you came into this interview as the host? It’s Ms. Lane, not Ms. Rivera.”“Nonsense, you’re obviously...” Halfway through her exclamation, Juniper stopped abruptly. She remember
Every single word that came out of Juniper’s mouth was full of aggression, which was extremely off-limits for television interviews.The director’s expression changed instantly, and he immediately contacted Juniper through the earphones. “Juniper, what kind of questions do you think you’re asking?! Look around you and remind yourself of the occasion that we’re in! You’d better start to mediate the situation in there!”In spite of the director’s warning, Juniper sat there and did not even budge.‘I know very well that this is inappropriate, but as long as I can embarrass Hesper on national television and radio, so what if it’s inappropriate?’“Ms. Lane? Is it inconvenient for you to share that part of your life with us?”The atmosphere of the entire video studio remained stagnant for a while. Many spectators who were watching the show felt the delicate situation too.Benji happened to be listening to the simultaneous live broadcast on the radio, and when he found out that the inte
He then hurried forward with a frown. “Juniper Wight, what’s wrong with you today?”Hesper was a guest that they had invited to the television station for an interview, and she did not do anything excessive during the session, so he could not blame her and could only cast all his grievances on Juniper.“I don’t care about the grievances that exist between the two of you, but this is a live interview! And please don’t forget that you’re a host! If you can’t even deliver what you’re being asked to, what makes you think you’re worthy of the support that our viewers and fans show you?”His reprimand reminded Juniper that she had placed everything into this career of hers, and she must not fall short at this moment.“Sir, I’m sorry. This is on me...”The director let out a long sigh, took a deep breath, and gave off a polite smile as he apologized and explained the situation to Hesper. “I’m really sorry, Ms. Lane. I didn’t know Ms. Wight would be so confused that she would go out of co
She left immediately after saying so. The director wanted to stop her but was stopped by Isaac who came out of nowhere.“If you want to blame someone for this incident, blame it on your own employee. Who told her to bring up all that nonsense? Your host has angered our lady and won’t stay here anymore, not even for another second.”At first glance, the director instantly knew that he was a man of extraordinary status and ability. He sighed helplessly and hurriedly arranged for someone from the next show to take over.However, when such an incident happened, it was natural for everyone to know that something had occurred during the live broadcast, and it must be something major and extremely serious.The television station’s official social media platforms were flooded almost instantly as countless people commented on their page.“What just happened? How can a financial interview be so exciting?”“By the way, has Juniper left her pea brain at home? Can the host of a TV program eve
“The television station can’t and won’t tolerate such a mistake, whether it was committed by a host or an artist. Juniper has made such a joke out of herself and the station, so even if the director of the department wants to protect her, everything he does will be in vain. They won’t be able to keep her; that interview has marked the end of her career.”“That sounds reasonable too.”“Come on, let’s head home already.”Hesper gave off a faint smile, and the group of three disappeared from the entrance of the television station.And at the same time.Rickard just finished watching the entire interview too, but when he heard that Matthew Lane was Hesper’s elder brother, his pupils constricted instantly.“So, she’s been with him all this time?”‘I didn’t know him when I met him at the hospital back then and I only learned about him by accident later on. I never thought that Hesper would be by his side all this while.’“Mr. Duval, the young lady claimed that Matthew Lane is her bro
Things had not been going too well for Sophia recently too. Ever since the fact that she had hired someone to drug and harm Hesper back then was exposed, Rickard punished her to stay at home, and she was not allowed to go anywhere.Juniper deliberately defended Sophia when she saw her. “Isn’t Hesper too much? That incident was from so long ago, and she waited this long to come back to settle the old score with you? As for Rickard, how could he treat you like this?”Sophia held back her anger and gritted her teeth as she said, “That b*tch turns out to be a scheming one. She’s able to bewitch Dick into obsession with just a few words! He’s even ignored his biological sister for that whore!”She was never an obedient lady, so she immediately resisted when she heard that she was going to be grounded. She even dragged Madam Duval along to intercede for her.But Rickard only provided her with two options. “You either choose to be grounded or go abroad.”Of course, Sophia did not want to
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