“I’m not.” He panicked. He wanted to explain himself but he didn’t know what to say. Hesper scoffed. “Yes, you’re not trying to. All you’re doing is making yourself feel less guilty by spending money because you know that you’ve wrongly accused me in the past. You knew they bullied me, so this is your way to feel better about yourself.”“No, that’s not what I was doing.” Rickard’s brows were in a knot. Hesper didn’t give him a chance to explain. “Stop denying it. If you really feel sorry, let me ask you this, after exposing what Sophia and Juniper did, what did you do? I want you to punish them, but did you?”Rickard spoke. “I’ve given Sophia a stern warning so she will not do anything anymore. I grounded her too. As for Juniper, I’ve given an order that she can no longer visit our home.”“That’s it?” Hesper wasn’t satisfied. She stood up and walked over to him. Her white bathrobe wasn’t covering her fair and tender skin well enough, so it peeked through as she walked. Rickard
Hesper didn’t overthink it. When she suddenly got a call from Nathaniel, she was genuinely happy. “Didn’t you go to Centrelest for training? I thought you’d be gone for a long time.”Nathaniel’s laughter could be heard from the other end. “Yes, I thought it would be long before I contacted you again, but I heard your brother say that you were on your way to take revenge by yourself. How’s the progress?”Nathaniel was Matthew’s best friend, heir to the Tucker family, one of the four most affluent families in Emperion. He was an arrogant man but became friends with Hesper after an accident. “It’s alright. Everything is as planned for now.”Nathaniel asked, “Are you sure you don’t need my help? Why do you need to go through so much hassle?”“I really don’t.” Hesper smiled. “Revenge is sweeter when I do it myself. Seeing them getting destroyed, isn’t it exciting?”“You’re full of ideas.” Nathaniel smiled and didn’t say more. With them around, if anyone dared hurt Hesper, he woul
Before Juniper finished, the line was cut. It wasn’t time to think about that. She rushed to the emergency ward, and after checking, the doctor gave her opinion. “Did you eat something unusual yesterday? You don’t seem to be poisoned or have any unusual signs. Did you take some pills to get a tan?”“Why would I take that?”Juniper liked her fair skin and worked really hard to keep it that way so she would never tan. She told the doctor everything that Hesper said, and after she heard that, she frowned. “If that’s the case, we should get you a blood test.”Juniper was afraid of needles, but for her beauty, she had to do it. The test results came out, but the doctor still couldn’t find the source of the issue. Juniper threw a tantrum. “Are you really a doctor? I did everything you asked but you can’t find the reason? I’m a Wight, so if you can’t get rid of this, you’re going to lose your job.”“Alright, please calm down.” The doctor was stumped. She had never come across th
“Ren, children shouldn’t lie. Who were you speaking to?” Rickard put on a stern face. Renfrew was still afraid of him, so he came clean. “Mommy. I was on a call with mommy.”When he heard that it was Hesper, his face looked confused. He looked at the child. Renfrew was active but he didn't smile a lot. Ever since Hesper’s return, he seemed to be a lot happier. “Ren, tell me, do you love mommy?”Rickard got to his height and started caring about him. Renfrew nodded. “Mommy is so cool and she treats me very well. Of course, I love her.”“Do you want to live with her then?” Rickard asked.He nodded but then shook his head. Rickard didn’t understand. “Do you want to or not?”Renfrew replied, “I want to, but that’s pointless. Mommy was bullied by grandma and Aunt Sophia, so she would never forgive them, so she wouldn’t come back to us either.”This little child was able to understand such complex emotions. He sadly lowered his head and suddenly looked at his dad with puppy e
Rickard finally reacted when he heard Hesper’s name. He stretched out his hand, and Benji gave him the phone. “Speak. What’s going on?” Juniper was upset. “Rickard, we’ve known each other for so many years. Do I have to mention Hesper for you to want to speak to me?”“I have limited time. I’m going to hang up if you don’t get to the point.”“Don’t—!” Juniper bit her lips and told him the hospital’s location. “Hesper is more ruthless than you imagined. You’ll find out what she did when you get here.”“Stop being dramatic.” He impatiently pinched the bridge of his phone and lazily leaned back on his chair. This had something to do with Hesper, so it piqued his curiosity. “Let’s go take a look.” Benji saw how his emotion changed and couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Duval, you miss Mrs. Duval, don’t you? You get uneasy every time her name is mentioned.”“Mind your own business.”They both went to the hospital and soon found Juniper’s room. What they saw was a face that was red, bla
Rickard knew she said that intentionally. Mrs. Wight helped him once and he had always remembered that. Even if he didn’t care about Juniper’s life, he would still be concerned about Mrs. Wight. “You’re… impossible.”Juniper knew that her plan worked because he no longer ignored her plea. Her eyes were red when she said, “Don’t blame me, I didn’t have a choice. Hesper was coming after me like a mad woman and put me on the spot even during the interview.”Rickard watched that interview, so he knew who was in the wrong and wouldn’t be tricked by her words. “I’ll figure something out for the antidote, but I can’t promise anything.”The man looked tired. When she saw that he was leaving, she tugged at his sleeve with a sad look. Rickard frowned impatiently. “What?”“I was so shaken by this and haven’t had any food all day. Could you stay and dine with me?”“No.” Rickard immediately rejected her and didn’t give her a chance to delay him, then turned and left with Benji. When th
The structure of the building was completed and the interior was under renovation. Workers and ladders could be seen everywhere and everyone was busy with their own tasks. “This spot, the paint is uneven. Please go over it again.”When Rickard walked over, he saw Hesper in a red dress pointing around a ladder. The bright color made her look so stunning, her dark hair fell behind her shoulders and she was even prettier than before. Suddenly, the man who was on the ladder accidentally kicked a can of paint over, and the white paint spilled downward—“Watch out!”Rickard yelled out and rushed over to grab her, using his back to block the paint from her. Hesper immediately shoved him away after he hugged her. “Who says you can hug me!”Rickard didn’t expect that, so he stumbled backward. That was when Hesper saw what was on his back and was stunned. “Are you alright, Mr. Duval?”Benji rushed over and when he saw what Hesper did, he said, “Mrs. Duval, Mr. Duval was just tryin
The man’s voice sounded threatening, but Hesper couldn’t care less. She turned around, her dress swirling in the cold office. It was beautiful. “I don’t have an antidote, but seeing how you shielded me just now, I could help her.”“What do you plan to do?” Rickard didn’t look very happy because he realized that he no longer knew her. Hesper’s smile was still cunning like a fox. “Don’t worry, there’ll only be good news.”They looked at each other for two seconds, but Rickard knew that she already made up her mind. He turned to leave, but Hesper stopped him. “Hold on.” Rickard stopped walking and thought that she had more to say to him, but she lazily said, “How has Ren been? I want to spend a few days with him.”Rickard took a deep breath and was going to say that she couldn’t just do whatever she wanted but changed his mind and after a few seconds of silence. He calmly said, “I’ll send him to the hotel.”“Sure.” After they said what they wanted to say, Hesper walked awa
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