After taking a few steps, Hesper and Elise supported each other up the stairs. Suddenly, Elise grasped Hesper's hand, her eyes filling with tears. "Hessy," she said.Hesper turned to look at her, tightly gripping her hand and conveying strength to her. Elise spoke again, "This is too dangerous. If you really make a mistake, will your father shoot you with a gun?""Mom, I won't make mistakes," Hesper said seriously, trying to calm Elise's emotions. Elise took a deep breath and then said, "Lately, I've been feeling like I've forgotten something, but I never knew that you were following Charles and doing such dangerous things. I don't care how he earns his money, but you're my only daughter."Feeling Elise's emotions on the verge of collapse, Hesper continued to comfort her and persuade her not to think too much until they reached the room. Hesper helped Elise to wash up and get settled in bed. Elise's eyes were still fixed on her, as if afraid that if she looked away for a moment,
"The medication development job that Julian was in charge of?"Charles raised his brows and nodded. "I guess you've guessed as much. It was Julian Zink."Hesper thought she would need to jump through hoops because of the numerous times she rejected it, and Charles looked like he was going to give up eventually. She would never expect Charles to let her in. Even though she knew that something was going on, she had to get to Julian. "You agree?" Charles spoke and pulled Hesper back. She hesitated then, after a long pause, nodded. "Even though I don't know why you want me to be in charge of this project, I've made up my mind. If I keep staying in my comfort zone, I'll keep getting manipulated in the future. I don't want to be a pawn." Hesper meant that. She worked so hard so she could get her freedom in the future, to live freely and not in a dog-eat-dog world.All she wanted was to live a normal life with her closest family members instead of constantly struggling for power an
Meanwhile, it was evening when Hesper woke up. She looked outside at the sky and realized how long she had slept. She felt around for her phone and realized Sherese had called her a few times that afternoon. She tapped on her brows and sat up then called back. It only took two rings before Sherese picked up while sounding a little breathless. "You're finally awake. I was going to go over to the Deschamps's."Hesper felt a little guilty for texting her and then disappearing. A lot was going on at that time, so it was understandable that Sherese was worried. "I'm sorry… But how did you know I was sleeping?"Sherese scoffed. "I asked Zaylor. If I wasn't worried that you were dead, I wouldn't even talk to him."Zaylor and Sherese always had a bone to pick with each other. It wasn't easy to make her speak to him. Hesper was touched. "Is this about the DNA test results?"Sherese paused, surprised. "How did you guess that? I thought you'd ask about Rickard."Knowing that Hesper w
Hesper was surprised. Even though she knew Sherese had a source close to the Moreaus because of how quickly she got the information, she was surprised that the woman would volunteer that information. After hanging up, Hesper sat up in her bed and was alert. She hadn't rested well for the past few days, so this nap was able to pull her back from the edge of losing her mind. She couldn't think clearly because of how stressed out she was. Charles gave her some time, meaning she could start working after she had enough rest.Weren't Julian and Charles working together?Why did it seem as though Charles was tiptoeing around Julian and didn't want to let her get close to the man? Hesper speculated that if he wasn't keeping his guard up around Julian, after almost a year, there would have been some results from the project. Charles wouldn't have to keep reminding her to work on it. After changing and washing up, she left her room and saw Antoine in front of her room. "...Do you ha
On the surface, it didn't seem like there would be any issues. If the issue was out of your control, you would improvise and adapt to it. The problem was that Charles didn't trust her enough to let her out of his sight. Now that Antoine was following her around, she could imagine how difficult it would be for her to hide the fact that she had recovered her memories. "Why did Julian suddenly go back to Halwanest? Do you know?" Hesper spoke convincingly with a dark expression. "If you don't know the reason for his return, I can't just go after him. I'm guessing that my dad doesn't trust him."Antoine's eyes darted away at that. "Dad let me handle him so that I could keep an eye on him. I already know about the relationship between Julian Zink and Hesper.""Mr. Deschamps had no intention of using your relationship with him."Hesper smirked. "I would think so because he's my father."Antoine fell silent because he knew he misspoke. Hesper continued. "If Julian went back to Halw
"Don't worry, I'll tell you if I hear anything."***After packing, Hesper went to see her mother before leaving. Elise was feeling groggy recently, probably because of the medication. She was fatigued and sleepy all the time, and her worries for Hesper worsened her mental health. Hesper felt hurt seeing her mother like that, but she couldn't go against Charles now or take her mother away from him. Elise losing her memory could be comsidered a blessing in disguise because Charles had taken good care of her for so long. If she wasn't in his way, Charles wouldn't do anything to her. "Going to Halwanest again?"Patting Hesper's hand, Elise wavered and thought Hesper going to Halwanest was probably what was right. However, her memory confused her because she wondered why she would think that way. "Don't worry about me. I'll take good care of myself there." Hesper pressed her lips together and frowned. "When I see you again, I'll tell you a huge secret."Elise looked at Hesper
Hesper only had to think about the scenario and her head started hurting. She immediately felt that staying at Fredonia and going against Charles didn't seem too bad after all. That was why Jessie didn't fight to come and get her. She was just sulking and throwing a little tantrum. Hesper put that aside because there was bigger fish to fry. There was no way Charles was going to leave her unattended for a long time, so Antoine wouldn't be sitting around in Fredonia. She would have at most a few days before he showed up, so she had to plan things well so everyone who knew she got her memories back would keep their mouths shut. It would be easy to deal with everyone, but Rachael Lane would be the biggest problem. Rachael and Celine were probably terrified after finding out about Zenovia's death. They probably didn't contact Hesper because of the conspiracy theories online that made them think Hesper was the one who killed her, so they didn't dare do anything. However, that wou
Even though she didn't feel like attending the wedding, Hesper knew she had to go when she came back. Hestia would go, so based on her thought process, Hesper had to go too. Charles's trust in her was like ice when spring was setting in. To find out more about that identity, Hesper had to keep that trust. "Send me to Jessie's place." Hesper's gaze was firm. "I need to solve my biggest problem here. Rachael has to go back to Emperion instead of staying here until Antoine comes over."After putting Renrew down, Hesper turned around and saw Zoya hiding behind the crowd, paused, then waved. "Zee." Renfrew looked over. He noticed her there and saw that she was standing at the back of the crowd and hesitated to walk forward. Maybe because he was previously sick, Renfrew became more sensitive about human interaction, so he didn't speak first until Hesper pushed them together. Zoya was feeling complicated. Renfrew walked over to her, but she avoided eye contact and said to Hesper,
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