Pennleigh wasn't sure what was wrong with Nathaniel being seen with Roberto, but seeing Hesper's expression, he could guess that it was something important, so he said, "Should we go after them?""They're gone." Hesper shook her head to calm herself down. "This is Fredonia. Even though the Deschamps family has some influence here, due to certain reasons, we can't touch them…""Do you need my help?" Pennleigh immediately asked. Hesper didn't beat around the bush and nodded. "When this all ends, I'll thank you properly...""There's no need for—" Before Pennleigh could finish, Hesper left with her phone sandwiched between her cheek and shoulder, leaving him standing alone in the night wind, mumbling, "There's no need to thank me. I just need you to have feelings for me."***Hesper contacted Renee first. Sylvie had too much to investigate, and since the Deschamps had a lot of informants, they couldn't use any of them because that would tell Charles that she had gotten her memories b
"Xander."Xander rarely showed up near Hesper, even during the filming, as if he was transparent. However, Hesper kept her eyes on him because of his greedy gaze. Hearing Hesper call his name, Xander removed his mask. "If you're that clever, why don't you guess where we're going and what I'll do to you?"Hesper would never have imagined him making a move then, but he had to have been planning this for a while now. He monitored everything about her, including her phone. When did it happen…? Hesper didn't notice any of it. Hesper scoffed. "The person behind you knows me very well. Do you think you can win in a fight against me?"Before Xander could reply, he felt something hard, like a piece of metal, pressing against his back for a split second. "Sorry. Even though I don't know when you started spying on me, I've always been a careful person." After leaving Nathaniel the previous night, she knew something was about to happen, so she went to her place in Fredonia alone befor
Hesper's anxiety was temporarily lifted, but of course, she wouldn't be naive enough to think that everything would be fine. On the contrary, when she would arrive at Nathaniel's place later, there might be a battle. Having driven a long way in the wrong direction, it would take at least half an hour to get to the location Myriade sent to her. Hesper frowned and texted her to ask what the situation was there, but Myriade didn't reply. No news could be good news. Hesper knew there was no point in her worrying, so she could only pray that Myriade wouldn't take action until she got there. Xander knew what she was worried about and changed the topic with a grin. "Don't you want to know who I am?"Of course she did. The person who was behind Xander was beyond her imagination and managed to go under the radar and get Xander to take her away. It meant the person had all the information about them.Everyone was included in the person's plan. However, Hesper didn't believe that Xand
Riley held 013's hand and looked at Nathaniel. "You found Myriade and buried Yuna, who was gravely sick. You promised Myriade that when you got your hands on Roberto, you would let her do whatever she wanted to him. You did the same with us. 013 and I could have a small space to stay of our own, and Carter would find the lover he lost when he was younger… None of that was fulfilled."Nathaniel took his glasses off. His sharp gaze was even more piercing without his glasses in the way. "What do you want to do then, Riley? Are you going to leave Daybreak with 013?" Nathaniel took two steps forward and looked down. "I won't try to keep people who want to leave, but after all this time, after leaving, do you really think you'll have… a safe place to stay?"013 tugged on Riley's hand, which made his eyes twitch. He stopped confronting Nathaniel. "You're willing to go against your promise because of Hesper Rivera. I guess we've always just been pawns to you." Riley scoffed. "You'll get
The last time they met, Zoya was ready to stab him to death. Now that he was tied up and lying in front of her, why didn't he see hate in her eyes?Before anything was said, Myriade watched as Nathaniel turned to leave the corridor. She took out a knife from her pocket and cut the bindings off of Roberto. "Leave." Roberto never imagined she would let him go, but when Nathaniel and the others were talking, they mentioned Hesper, so Roberto could guess that everything was somehow related to her. He couldn't leave. "Don't worry about Hesper. She's stronger than you think," Myriade said, though her voice sounded a little hoarse. "Nathaniel, that man up there, has feelings for Hesper, so even if she comes here, she'll be fine. If you don't leave, you'll die.""...Why are you letting me go?"Looking at how similar Roberto's eyes were to hers, she looked away. "No reason. Leave… Think of it as a thanks for this dress. You're Hesper's mentor, so I'm letting you go just this once." M
Hearing Nathaniel’s words, Myriade looked as if she was in disbelief. Nathaniel continued. "Your mother treated me very kindly. I was very depressed at that time, and Aunt Yuna was the one who told me that everything will eventually pass. And you know what? She even looked kind of like my mother. But when I asked you two to stay, Aunt Yuna told me that you have a talent that’s so out of this world, she was worried that you’d be dragged into disputes. All she wanted was for you to be an ordinary and happy child."Nathaniel paused for a split second then burst into laughter."Do you know how jealous I was? Do you know how much I hated you two...? Even she was turning her back on me because of you.""...You’re a f*cking madman."The tears in Myriade’s eyes rolled down her cheeks. Seeing that, Nathaniel smiled and put on a perfectly indifferent expression from before. "If you hadn't chosen to betray me, I could’ve waited for you to die of heart failure, but even you ended up betrayin
Nathaniel lowered his gaze."I don’t know what Charles’ purpose is either, but I should tell you that I already knew that you were staying with the Deschamps when you lost your memory.""What?" Hesper frowned slightly.But now that she thought about it carefully, it did seem that "Hestia" had run into Nathaniel almost instantly after she got to Genecity.‘I only thought it was accidental back then, but now it seems that Nathaniel didn’t really look too surprised when we met each other.’"Charles wants to work with me in order to drag Rickard down. Although I don’t understand why he’d extended his influence to Genecity all of a sudden, he and I share the same goal, so I have no reason to reject him."‘In other words, it’s very likely that Charles started planning this very early on.’Hesper frowned.‘From the very beginning, when I started designing gowns for Elise, I might’ve already stepped into Charles’s scheme. My memory loss must have something to do with him too. I’m just
…"Don’t worry, although the wound was deep, it didn’t hit any organ, so it isn't fatal. Ms. Rivera was only in a brief coma because of the excessive blood loss." Kenji walked out of the room, saw Myriade and Roberto who were waiting anxiously for an update on Hesper’s condition, paused for a bit, and said, "Mr. Duval is inside the ward, so I’m afraid the two of you can’t go in just yet."Myriade knew this would be the result, so she could not bother to say anything to Kenji. She only stretched out her hand and rubbed her chest."You should get some rest. Ms. Rivera hasn’t woken up yet, so it won’t be too late for you to see her tomorrow."Roberto wanted to fight for an opportunity again, but Myriade suddenly jerked the hem of his blouse. He could only nod in response. "If Hesper were to regain consciousness in the middle of the night, please contact me.""Of course, Mr. Sanchez."Kenji turned around and left, leaving only Myriade and Roberto in the corridor for a moment. This wa
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