Jessica noticed Jonathan's sympathy toward her and remarked, "He's asked for me. How can I not go in?"Stunned, Jonathan couldn't fathom that Byron sought out Jessica to unleash his anger. He found Byron's behavior utterly unacceptable and deemed him unreasonably harsh. Byron was being a scumbag now. Despite his dissatisfaction, Jonathan felt helpless at the moment. "Just be careful, then.""Thanks." Jessica proceeded to open the office door after expressing her gratitude.Jonathan's heart weighed heavy as he watched her leave. He struggled to understand Byron's intentions, thinking that this wasn't the person he knew from before.Byron's demeanor had drastically changed after discovering he had a daughter. Jonathan recalled how Byron had once wanted to save Jessica. Now, it seemed like Byron considered Jessica's act of giving birth to his daughter a mistake.As Jessica pushed the door open, the chaotic state of the office became apparent.She approached Byron casually and plac
Jonathan firmly held the belief that Byron shouldn't push things too far, given his familial connection with Jessica through their daughter Kelly. He was convinced that the repercussions of their shared history would not allow for an easy resolution.A coldness flickered in Byron's eyes as Jonathan nodded. "Give it a try, then."Byron's tone held a subtle threat.Jonathan finally grasped that Byron was intentionally pushing the boundaries. He doubted the appropriateness of the situation but couldn't fathom Byron's motives.Under Byron's icy gaze, Jonathan reluctantly said, "I'll go and find Ms. Michaels now."He quickly turned away, leaving with a sense of urgency, as if escaping the place. Upon Jessica's return to her workplace, her phone rang. Jonathan hurriedly appeared before she could answer the call.Jessica's eyes reflected a coldness that concealed her emotions. Jonathan, however, appeared anxious. "Ms. Michaels, Mr. Hunt wants you to clean up his office."Confused, Je
Jessica swung open the door to the CEO's office, only to be met with a scene even more chaotic than before.Jonathan stood behind Jessica. "Mr. Byron just left. I will ask the cleaner to clear this up.""That won't be necessary," Jessica said indifferently. Without further ado, she entered the office and began cleaning up.Jonathan sighed at her. He wanted to say something, but words failed him. Years of working for Byron had taught him that Byron could be relentless.It was apparent to everyone how much Jessica loved Kelly, especially after the school bullying incident. With Byron sending Kelly somewhere unknown, Jessica seemed compelled to comply with every request.Deep in thought, Jonathan heard Jessica gasp in pain. Hurrying to her side, he asked, "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"Jonathan believed that Jessica must have gotten hurt by the broken shards of glass. Jessica stared at her bleeding fingertip. She shook her head. "I'm fine.""I will get someone to bring
Despite Jessica's attempts to resist, Cindy's strength prevailed. Jessica's efforts to exert force only deepened the wound on her palm.Through gritted teeth, Cindy said, "I'm not married to him yet, but you want to take my place, huh? Where did you get the guts to do that?"Byron, having forgotten his phone, returned to his office and opened the door. His eyes widened at the scene before him. Meanwhile, Jonathan returned with the first-aid kit, witnessing the shocking events unfold.Breaking the tension, Jonathan addressed Cindy, "You're here, Ms. Neils."Cindy turned her attention to the office entrance, her body stiffening upon seeing Byron. She removed her foot from Jessica's hand, pretending nothing had happened."Byron, you're back. Where did you go?" Cindy's tone now resembled that of a gentle dove, a stark contrast to her arrogance toward Jessica.Byron frowned at Cindy, then shifted his gaze to Jessica, who was attempting to rise. A deep cut on her palm was visible, with
Jessica instinctively hid her hand behind her back and said, "I'm okay. I will handle it myself."Concerned, Jonathan deepened his tone, emphasizing, "Do you know how much blood you lost in there?"In that instant, Jessica keenly sensed the pain in her hand. There was a saying that even the smallest parts of a person's body were linked to the heart, and now, Jessica truly understood its reality. The pain in her palm seemed to reverberate in her heart, creating an unbearable burning sensation.Eventually, Jonathan escorted Kathryn downstairs.As anticipated, Jessica was severely injured. Jonathan urged her to extend her palm, but she could barely move it, already experiencing excruciating pain.They discovered fragments of shattered glass embedded in the wound. The sight was unbearable, prompting even someone as composed as Jonathan to gasp.He sighed and advised, "You should get this treated at the hospital. I think you need surgical pincers to extract the fragments."Uncertain
Jonathan felt a chill as he met Byron's icy gaze, but he pressed on, stating, "She is still the mother of your child."Even though Jessica was Krista's daughter, that didn't change the fact that she was Kelly's mother. Even if Byron had no desire to see Jessica or the still-unconscious Kelly, he shouldn't have crossed certain boundaries."So, you feel for her, huh?" Byron asked coldly.Jonathan froze at his question. How he felt for her wasn't the point. "Anyone would empathize with her situation, no?"Jonathan was right. No one in the Skyline Group thought Jessica's predicament was funny. What happened to Jessica and Kelly was no secret.When Jessica married Matthew, she was oblivious to the identity of her child's father, leading to her becoming a subject of mockery by some.Eventually, she discovered that Byron was the father, a truth that remained concealed for numerous years. Only those lacking compassion would find amusement in such a situation.Jonathan was right. Anyo
At a noon rendezvous in a restaurant, Jessica met with Kendall. Despite the passage of many years, she instantly recognized him the moment she entered the restaurant.Kendall spotted her, and a silent exchange of glances ensued, both seemingly at a loss for words. The prolonged separation made the reunion somewhat awkward.She smiled. "It's been years, and you haven't changed one bit.""Well, you have changed," Kendall remarked as he poured her a glass of water with care.Jessica expressed gratitude and reached for the glass, but her right hand, wrapped in a bandage, caught Kendall's attention.The smile on Kendall's face faltered. "What happened to your hand?""I injured it. Accidentally cut myself. It's a small matter," she said leisurely as if she was unbothered by everything that had happened in the office earlier.Kendall frowned. "What do you do for work? How did you hurt your hand?"Jessica said, "I'm a secretary. I'd cut myself while wrapping old utility blades for disp
Having been engrossed in an overseas experiment for several years, Kendall finally returned and headed straight to Everburns Highlands. The sight of two girls clad in tattered clothing pierced his heart like a needle, a haunting image from the years gone by."How is Kathryn doing?"What Jessica went through was too much to take in. Kendall didn't want to get into the details, so he asked about Kathryn.Jessica relaxed at the mention of Kathryn. "She is doing well.""Is she?" Kendall sounded doubtful by his tone. From what he remembered, Kathryn was a timid girl who always needed Jessica to protect her.Jessica nodded. "Yes, she married into the Albert family. Chris Albert is her husband.""Chris Albert?" Kendall was shocked.Jessica nodded, meeting Kendall's disbelieving gaze. "Do you know him?""Of course!" Kendall revealed their close friendship during their shared time studying overseas. Being from Harborlean, Kendall was familiar with Chris, hailing from one of the wealthie
After leaving the Hunt residence, Tally made her way directly to Victor's company.Worried she might lose her way, Drew had been waiting downstairs in anticipation of her arrival.When Tally saw Victor, her face lit up with joy."You should've seen Mr. Hunt Senior's expression earlier. He looked like he wanted to eat me alive." Tally couldn't help but laugh.Victor reached for her hand as they sat down on the couch together. "Were you scared?" he asked.As Tally sat down, she casually looked back and noticed a framed photograph on Victor's desk.Out of curiosity, she picked it up and examined it. But with just one glance, she froze in surprise."When... when was this taken?" she asked. Her shock was evident as she turned to Victor.The picture was taken back when they were at Beverly Peak, during his hospital stay after being bitten by a wolf.She remembered looking after him until she herself fell asleep.In the picture, her eyes were closed, her expression peaceful.Victor
What made it even more absurd was that Elijah bought into it, too.Tally couldn't believe Elijah couldn't see through Markus' façade. He actually bought into Markus' excuse that his behavior was all because of her.And now he was acting like he'd rather die than leave her."Fucking hell," Tally muttered inwardly. She wondered who came up with this messed-up plan for Markus.Clearly, Tally couldn't quite grasp how Markus' mental state could deteriorate like this. However, given his history of going insane, this outrageous plan didn't seem entirely implausible.He was perfectly fine when he was with Albert Group, so how did he end up like this back at Skyline Group?Tally just couldn't figure it out.Elijah shot her a sharp look, gritting his teeth as he said, "You, leave!"Zane hesitated, saying, "Sir, but…""Just let her leave!" Elijah insisted.Elijah's words were punctuated by short, hurried breaths.Tally nodded, saying, "Mr. Hunt Senior, you're indeed the more rational o
Elijah and Zane glanced at each other. Then, their stares turned sharper as they both fixed their eyes on Tally.Tally swallowed nervously. "Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?""You're not even married to Victor, so why are you calling yourself a married woman?" Elijah snapped, his anger evident.Tally remained silent.Observing Elijah's furious expression, she nonchalantly rummaged through her bag, retrieving the marriage certificate and wedding invitation.Then, she handed them over to Zane.Zane took the documents and swiftly flipped them open. His eyes widened in disbelief as he read through them.He promptly handed both documents over to Elijah.As Elijah took them and examined them, his expression darkened significantly upon seeing Tally and Victor's marriage certificate.He was shocked when he saw that their wedding date was today, along with the printed timestamp.In that instant, Elijah's breathing grew heavier.He glared at Tally with an
Tally was completely baffled by what was happening."I've been straightforward about my feelings for him," Tally complained under her breath.From her perspective, if something were to happen to Markus now, she shouldn't be blamed solely for her decision to get married. Victor nodded, saying, "Yeah, I know."Victor had always been aware of this. By now, Markus had become such a puzzle that Victor couldn't quite figure him out.Considering how clear Tally had always been about her feelings toward Markus, it was puzzling how he got himself involved in this mess.This time, Victor didn't accompany Tally to the Hunt Residence. He believed she could handle the Hunt family on her own.The atmosphere at the Hunt residence was incredibly tense at the moment.The moment Tally stepped inside, she could practically feel the frost coming off Elijah. His gaze seemed to pierce right through her.Zane's tone was far from pleasant as he said, "Um, take a look at this."With that, he passed
Tally was pretty happy a moment ago. But now, she was all worked up talking about the Hunts.Earlier on the road, Tally filled Victor in on the phone call she received from the Hunt residence.Victor's lips twitched as he heard the news. "So Markus left a suicide note and vanished?""Exactly. Can you believe the trouble he's stirring up now?" Tally shook her head incredulously.Tally was utterly exasperated with Markus by now. It had been a while since this whole thing started.She had to admit, these days had been incredibly "fulfilling" for her. It was so fulfilling that it almost left her reeling.And it wasn't just Tally struggling to keep up. Even Victor had been taken aback by how things were unfolding.He shot Tally a look of disbelief. "So you're going to the Hunt residence now?""Yeah, I'm going. I want those Hunts to know that I'm officially yours. Let's see if they have more shameless tricks up their sleeves."When it came to describing the Hunts, Tally summed it up
Tally was beginning to see where Markus got his persistent nature from. It ran in the family. It was as the saying went—like father, like son.No sooner had she ended the call, the phone rang again.Tally took a deep breath, reminding herself that today was supposed to be a happy day, not one filled with annoyance.But dealing with these people…After giving it some thought, she hesitantly answered, "Zane!""Ms. Johnson, you might want to come over to the Hunt residence."Tally asked, "What's going on now?"She was almost out of patience with these people.Zane explained, "Mr. Markus left behind a suicide note."Tally's expression froze in disbelief.A suicide note? Tally couldn't comprehend what was happening. She wondered if Markus was pulling another one of his stunts.It had only been less than an hour since Elijah arranged his marriage, and now he went ahead and left a suicide note."Where is he?" Tally raised an eyebrow.With everything happening so quickly, it all f
Looking at her identification papers, Tally let out a sigh of relief.Fortunately, Tally had some knowledge of her father's habits. Otherwise, guessing the password for the safe, which belonged to her comatose father, would have been a daunting task.When Irina called, Tally answered, "Hey, Irina.""Guess what? Markus is engaged!""What?" Tally was shocked.Irina shared her surprise."This time, it seems Mr. Hunt Senior might genuinely have it out for you. We haven't even made a move, and suddenly they're announcing Markus and Sarah's engagement.""Sarah?" Tally was even more surprised.It was only today that they found out who had been secretly admiring Markus. Before they could even step in, Elijah had taken the initiative.It seemed like all these years, Elijah appeared unconcerned, but he actually knew everything.But if he was dead set on hating her, then so be it. Tally couldn't care less.On the other hand, if Elijah truly desired for her and Markus to be together all
Elijah said, "Very well, then."Thinking about his troublesome son, Elijah wondered how he hadn't noticed Markus' extremity in his romantic pursuits before.Elijah was so angry that he couldn't catch his breath.Giving Markus a fierce look, he tried to hold back. Despite that, he couldn't resist putting in one final word, "No matter how much you want to be with Tally, I won't allow it."This time, there was no room for negotiation.At Elijah's words, Markus' eyes turned cold. "I'm afraid you have no say in this.""You..." Elijah's breath hitched as he heard Markus' retort. In a fit of rage, he grabbed a teacup and hurled it toward him.At that moment, Elijah felt an overwhelming urge to lash out at Markus.Elijah insisted, "Regardless of your decision, you and Sarah are officially engaged starting today."His tone was unusually firm.At this point, Elijah wasn't asking for Markus' opinion. He was simply informing him.Regarding Tally becoming Elijah's daughter-in-law, Elijah
Kathryn was confused when Jessica suddenly shoved her into the car and promptly closed the door. With her hand still gripping the door handle, Kathryn looked up at Jessica and suggested, "Uh, how about dinner tonight?"Upon hearing Kathryn's dinner suggestion, Jessica paused before nodding and responding, "Let's talk about it later. I'll give you a call."Jessica seemed really busy, and Kathryn could tell from the way she talked that she was in a rush.Kathryn couldn't help but feel for Jessica as she watched her close the car door and hurried off toward the nearby office building, waving goodbye as she went.Kathryn found herself wondering who Jessica was in such a rush to meet.Kathryn couldn't resist stealing a glance back as the car pulled away. In that brief moment, Kathryn's heart skipped a beat as she saw Jessica walking alongside Lloyd. They were heading toward the glass doors of the building.Before Kathryn could double-check what she saw, the car had already turned.