The room was silent. Sheryl heard the name "Lyse" clearly. Alarm bells started ringing in her head. Didn't Justin warn that this type of medication could interfere with a person's emotional processing? It was meant to erase all traces of Jasper's passionate devotion to Alyssa so he would never yearn for the woman he once loved. So why would he mention Alyssa's name now?Jasper stared at his reflection in the mirror, surprised to see himself standing there alone. He had convinced himself he didn't need anyone else in his life. Yet, for some strange reason, the moment he said "Lyse", it felt as if a hole had formed in his heart. An echo reverberated through that void, one he couldn't ignore.He didn't realize that her name echoed because he couldn't forget her.While Jasper stood lost in thought, soft hands suddenly glided across his broad shoulders and around his neck. A light fragrance drifted to his nose.Looking down, he met Sheryl's eyes, filled with tenderness. The intens
Sheryl took a deep breath. Maintaining that same gentle posture of hers, she said, "Dr. Lovelace, you're mistaken. I was just helping Mr. Jasper with his tie. I'm afraid you're being overly sensitive and making a mountain out of a molehill." "He can do it himself. Or, if not, he has Mr. Hall. Why would it even concern you?" Human attraction was fascinating. Julien's initial impression of Sheryl was unfavorable—he found her insincere. Furthermore, he had heard from Jonah about the Beckett family dynamics. Justin and Jasper, born of different mothers, had a strained relationship. Given Sheryl's allegiance to Justin, Julien became increasingly wary of her."Dr. Lovelace, I've set things straight with Ms. Alyssa." Jasper pursed his lips so tightly that they turned pale. In a deep voice, he clarified, "We have gone our separate ways." A shocked expression came across Julien's face. He stumbled a step backward. "What did you say?" Stepping aside with a seemingly calm look, Sheryl
Initially, Julien had suppressed his emotions the best he could. Yet, the moment he heard Jonah's rich-sounding voice, he broke down. "I can't take it anymore… I feel really bad for Lyse!""Don't cry, my love." Jonah quickly comforted Julien in a warm, slightly throaty voice, "I know you care for Lyse. So do we. Don't worry. She had acute bleeding in her stomach, but she's already awake now. "According to the doctor, it was caused by her irregular eating habits on top of being too heartbroken and consuming too much alcohol. Moreover, Lyse already suffers from gastritis. It's a condition that she developed as a result of having irregular meals when she used to work as a medic on the battlefield." Julien was astounded. "Lyse… has been on the battlefield?" "She was with Doctors Without Borders at Luminara that year when they were at war. She saved a good number of citizens and soldiers from the Peacekeeping Forces." Jonah's voice contained heartache and an inexplicable feeling
In the study, Justin sat at his desk, engrossed in the art of calligraphy. The ink flowed gracefully over the paper, inscribing the words, "Spring adds new life and new joy to all that is."His strokes flowed like a river. They looked to be full of life and endless vigor. "Mr. Justin, Jasper has been discharged." When Julien came to Sheryl's mind, she became enraged. "That Dr. Lovelace is such a hindrance. Because of Alyssa, he slapped Jasper and shoved me at the hospital today! He's not a man at all, that bugger!" With a slight smirk on his face, Justin spread out a new piece of writing paper. "Why, does it make your heart ache to see Jasper getting hit?" "No, I just think that he's being too nosy. I was just worried that he would mess your plan up." Sheryl had a gloomy look in her eyes. "With someone like this by Jasper's side, provoking and stimulating him over and over, I'm worried that it would invoke his curiosity about Alyssa. His subconscious feelings for Alyssa migh
Thanks to timely treatment, the acute bleeding in Alyssa's stomach didn't turn into anything serious. She was sent to a regular ward to rest that same evening. Jonah stayed by her side the whole time, looking after her. Cyrus, the workaholic, applied for time off from work. That night, he stayed back to look after Alyssa. After hearing the news, Silas and Rose wanted to visit her. However, Jonah prevented them from doing so. He was well aware that Alyssa was currently heartbroken and devastated. She would only force herself to smile and appear energetic when she faced them. She was too drained. Staying at the hospital now actually gave her a chance to rest and prevented her from hurting herself before she came around. "Cyrus… Can you tell me now?" Alyssa leaned back against the headboard weakly as she blinked. Her eyes were swollen. Cyrus welled up with tears. In a pained voice, he remarked, "You're really rebellious, Lyse." "I've always been rebellious." With a frown o
Jonah knitted his brows together while an icy gleam flashed across Alyssa's eyes. They exclaimed in unison, "Sheryl?" With a serious look on his face, Cyrus nodded. "Two days before Jameson's death, Sheryl gave free medical care to all the inmates at the detention center. "Not long after that, Jameson died of a heart attack. Even though there isn't any evidence to prove that Sheryl murdered him, out of everyone who came in contact with Jameson before he died, she was the one who was qualified and capable of doing something like this. "After all, it's really unexpected for her to show up at the detention center out of the blue, isn't it?" Alyssa leaned back against the headboard again. She lowered her eyes. "If Sheryl was really the one who did it, that would mean that Justin was acquainted with Jameson. Justin sent Sheryl to get rid of Jameson because he's worried that he would confess something when he goes to court to be put on trial. So, he decided to silence him in case i
"Back then, the Dutton family was a wealthy family who was as highly regarded as the Beckett family is today. Mr. Javier's first wife was the second daughter of the Dutton family, Caroline Dutton. Their marriage was ordained by Mr. Newton personally and was publicly known as a marriage alliance between corporations. "It is said that both parties barely met a few times before their marriage, so there was no opportunity for them to date romantically. In other words, their marriage wasn't built on love. Back then, the marriage alliance Mr. Newton forged with the Dutton family was only to salvage the Beckett Group, which was embroiled in some financial turmoil at the time." As Alyssa listened to Jonah's elaboration, she looked unperturbed. "Marriage alliances between wealthy families are commonplace. Winston even wanted to have Taty marry into the Schmidt family previously." "Mrs. Beckett only had one son, Mr. Justin. Even though the relationship between Mr. Justin's parents wasn't g
"M-Mr. Beckett?"Jasper was in a daze. He turned his eyes slowly toward Sean and stared at him coldly. "How's Ms. Alyssa?" he asked. His voice was deep and throaty, as if he was parched. Sean fixed his eyes on the man before him. Suddenly, he was overcome by a plethora of emotions and was moved to tears. He choked, "Ms. Alyssa… She's sick. Very sick. Go on in and see her. I'm sure she will be very happy to see you and she will get better." Promptly, Sean pushed the door open for him.Jasper pursed his lips into a thin line. Clenching his hands into fists, he walked into the ward slowly. Jonah and Cyrus were moved by Jasper showing up. Even so, they did their best to keep a straight face before coming up with an excuse to leave the room. Soon enough, Alyssa and Jasper were the only ones left in the room. As much as they used to be a sweet, intimate, and happy couple in the past, they had nothing to say to one another when they now looked into each other's eyes. There was