A few people were seated in the vast living room. They were Theodore, Rosalie, Wesley, and Christopher.Christopher had only asked to meet Theodore and Wesley, but Theodore contacted Rosalie, whom he felt was family.Rosalie put her child in infant care and rushed over. When she heard that this concerned Sydney, she hurried over without any hesitation.The four of them sat on the couch, the air around them slightly awkward."Pardon me," Christopher began, "Sydney needs some time alone and asked me to reach out to you.""Mr. Jackson," Theodore said coldly. "You contacted us a few days ago saying that my mother is with you and safe. Now that you're right here, I'd like to ask you: what is she doing with you? If she's with you, why does she want to erase all traces of it? Could it be that she's not with you willingly?""That's right!" Wesley added. "Why is my wife with you for no rhyme or reason? You'll have to give us a good explanation today."They knew who Christopher was, but t
"Sydney has already signed on it. Mr. Spencer, please do so too," Christopher said. Wesley couldn't believe it, but it was indeed Sydney's signature and handwriting on the divorce agreement."How could this be? How could it?!"With a loud rip, Wesley agitatedly tore the divorce papers into two.Everything seemed to be within Christopher's expectations."I don't believe a bloody word you said!" Wesley stood up in a huff. "I want to see her! If you don't let me see her, I'll turn nasty! Where is she right now? Tell me!""Dad, don't be like this," Rosalie said as she stood up. "Calm down. Let's talk things through."Wesley shoved Rosalie aside. "What is there to talk about?!" Rosalie lost her footing and fell. Thankfully, the couch was right behind her and she collapsed into it."Dad, what are you doing?!" Theodore barked. "I know you're angry, but why attack Rose? She didn't do anything wrong!"He rushed to Rosalie's side. "Rose, are you hurt?"Rosalie shook her head. "I'm f
Theodore's words shocked not just Wesley, but Rosalie as well. She stared at him, the look in her eyes complicated.Wesley lifted a finger and pointed shakily at him. "What…what did you say?""Dad, let it go. You're the one in the wrong, and you can't salvage the situation. Don't cling to it and refuse to let go. This will only make things more painful between you two."He suddenly glanced at Rosalie as he spoke. Rosalie's heart leaped, and she looked away.Was Theodore actually referring to the two of them?Christopher opened his mouth to say something, but Rosalie immediately shot him a look to warn him against interrupting. Somehow, he listened to her and nodded.Wesley and Theodore were at daggers drawn.After a long while, Wesley snapped, "This is between your mom and me. You're my son, how could you agree to our divorce in front of outsiders? I'm extremely disappointed in you!"After which, he turned around and said to Christopher, "Are you very sure Syd is safe right now
Wesley was very distracted as he drove on the road.When he reached the bridge over the sea, he stopped the car. He got out of the car and walked onto the bridge, looking out into the vast sea, and sighed.He shut his eyes, looking pained.He knew he deserved everything that happened, but he still felt immense pain. If only everything could start over."Sir, what are you doing?"A voice sounded from behind him.He turned around; he saw a young lad standing behind him, looking anxious.Wesley furrowed his brows. Before he could speak, the young man suddenly ran over and said, "Sir, don't do anything foolish! You can always talk things through, or you can share it with me. It's very dangerous here. Don't stay here, alright?"At the sight of the anxious look on the young lad's face, Wesley knew the latter thought he wanted to take his own life."It's not what you think it is. I just need some time alone to calm down.""Really?" The young man walked to the sidewalk and stood ne
"Oh dear. Thanks, Mr. Spencer. Thankfully you picked it up. I'm so careless."Yerick opened his wallet to check that everything was inside. "It's a small matter if I lost my money, but my mom's photo is inside, and I only have one. I can't lose it."Yerick stared at the photo in the wallet with sad eyes."Your mother…" Wesley began."My mother's no longer around," Yerick said sadly. "This was her last photo. She died when I was very young. Look, Mr. Spencer. Isn't my mom beautiful?"Wesley took the wallet and saw the small photo inside. A young, beautiful woman looked back at him with a bright smile.Shock flashed past Wesley's eyes when he saw the woman's face. His mind buzzed, feeling as though it was going to explode.How could it be her?Wesley was completely shaken. He couldn't believe what he saw.That woman looked so familiar. He didn't know if he saw it wrongly, but she looked so similar."Mr. Spencer, what's wrong?" Yerick looked curiously at him. "Is my mom so bea
Wesley was drinking alone in a bar.At that moment, he noticed that a female salesperson was being harassed.He wasn't a nosy parker, but he noticed the lady was very resistant and no one was around to help her.Wesley approached her and pulled her into his embrace, coldly warning the ones who were harassing her. "My girlfriend sells alcohol, not her body. Touch her, and don't blame me for being nasty."The lady looked gratefully at him and didn't expose him for lying about their relationship.Just like that, Wesley stopped the men from harassing the lady whom he then brought away.Wesley was very drunk then, and he let her go before returning to the bar counter for more drinks. Toward the end, he was so wasted that he was knocked out cold.The lady held him up, wanting to send him home. He had helped her out and she was filled with gratitude for him, after all. However, he was too drunk and she had no choice but to take him to the nearest hotel.That was how they ended up slee
Wesley looked at Yerick standing before him. He couldn't help but wonder if this young man was truly his son.Was this what Janet wanted to tell him back then?The complicated look on Wesley's face made Yerick furrow his brows. "Mr. Spencer, what's the matter?"Wesley snapped back to attention. "Nothing. It must have been tough on you, losing your mother and not having your father around. How did you grow up? Did you have a relative taking care of you?""I was sent to the orphanage, and I grew up there.""The orphanage?" Wesley's heart throbbed with pain. "Do you not have any other relatives?"Yerick smiled bitterly. "What relatives? Even if I do, who'd be willing to bring around a burden like me?"Wesley wanted to say more, but Yerick just chuckled. "Mr. Spencer, how did we start chatting here? The traffic police will be here soon.""That's true," Wesley said with an awkward smile. "How about this? You get in the car. Let's have lunch. It's noon, anyway. My treat.""Mr. Spe
Wesley's heart ached badly as he listened to Yerick. He couldn't imagine the kind of life Yerick led, and how tough it must have been all alone. The tears welling up in Wesley's eyes made Yerick look curiously at him. "Mr. Spencer, what's the matter? Are you pitying me?""Oh no, not at all," Wesley hurriedly explained. "It's just that after hearing you out, I find you such a strong child. You're 19 years old, which is of schooling age. Are you studying right now?"He knew that many orphans in orphanages didn't get the chance to study."Mr. Spencer, I have three doctoral degrees," Yerick replied.Wesley was shocked to hear that. "You…you have three doctoral degrees?"Yerick nodded. "I had two, but I received my third one in recent months."Wesley was in disbelief. "You're a genius?""Well…" Yerick pondered for a moment. "I wouldn't dare call myself a genius, but in my opinion, studying is the easiest thing to do in the world. I have a photographic memory, which makes exams easy
Theodore lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep. He felt a fire burning in his heart, his mind unable to stop thinking about Rosalie.Whether his eyes were opened or closed, all he could see was her.Frustrated, he flipped to his side to pull out a drawer and retrieve a bottle of pills. He couldn't calm himself down without medication.Just then, his phone rang. Theodore picked it up and saw the name on his phone screen—it was Aurora.He flung his phone aside.It kept ringing, irritating him greatly. Eventually, he answered the call. "What do you want?""Theo, save me! Save me, quick!"Shock registered on Theodore's face. "What happened?""He's chasing after me… Can I go find you? I really have nowhere else to go! I'm so scared!""Who's chasing after you? Where are you right now?""I…I'm now at… It's so dark, I can't tell. I'm hiding in a small alleyway right now. As I came here, I think I walked past a bar called Endless. I took a right turn and ended up in this alleyway. I'm
Aurora collapsed on the ground, overwhelmed by the sudden force. Her head was pounding and she cupped her red, hot cheeks with her hands. "What…what did you do? Why did you slap me?" she asked, stunned. Yerick looked down upon her, his towering figure dark and frightening in the night. "Are you taking me as your hitman, ordering me around as you like?"It was enough that she ordered him to kill another. How dare she ask him to kill Rosalie?! She was digging her grave!"I didn't mean that," Aurora said agitatedly. "I'm just so scared! We're on the same boat, so we should help each other out.""Help each other out?" Yerick crouched down and pinched her chin. "Tell me, then. What have you helped me with so far? Why do you think I arranged for you to be by Theodore's side and allowed you to get to know him? What do you think is my motive?""I…I don't know!" Aurora said with trembling lips. The man before her was way too frightening, his eyes ghostly as he chuckled. "But I'll do wha
Justin brought the baby home and saw Rosalie spacing out before the kitchen counter. She didn't even realize they were home."Mama," Steve called out to her.Rosalie heard him and turned to look at them. "You're back."She took Steve from Justin's hands and held him in her arms."Rose, are you alright? What did Theodore tell you?" Justin asked. "Aurora felt guilty and made Angie her scapegoat. Angie has been nabbed by the police," Rosalie replied.Justin frowned. "Angie surely wouldn't be a sitting duck. She'll expose Aurora.""That's not wrong," Rosalie said. "The problem is, Aurora is too good at putting up a facade. Theodore doesn't trust Angie and he said he'll investigate things and find out if Aurora was involved. At the end of the day, he refuses to believe that Aurora is capable of something like that. He subconsciously thinks that Angie was solely responsible.""That sounds like something he would do," Justin concluded. "Last time, I could tell he's very protective of
Theodore turned around. "Is there something else?"Justin walked over. "Do you want to hold him? He seems eager to hug you."Theodore paused. Then, he gave a helpless smile at the corner of his mouth."No, you take him upstairs." The more he held Steve, the harder it would be to let go. He didn't even know why he felt such strong emotions for Steve. Perhaps it was because Steve was Rosalie's child, and thus, he couldn't help but care for the baby.Seeing this, Justin didn't insist. He was about to leave when suddenly, Steve started crying in his arms. Steve stretched out his hands toward Theodore, trying to reach him.Hearing the cries, Theodore's heart tightened. He turned around and saw Justin trying to soothe the child."Steve, what's wrong? Are you hungry? I'll take you back right away."Steve continued crying, louder and louder, and Theodore felt as if his heart were being squeezed. His feet felt like they were nailed to the ground, and he couldn't move.Justin took a few steps b
"And what about you?" Theodore countered. "Rose, when will you finally see what kind of people are around you? Sebastian's two-faced, pretentious, and full of lies. Justin has blood on his hands, with numerous enemies. He's like a ticking time bomb, and both of them will only bring you disaster."Rosalie sneered. "And how much disaster have you brought me? Do you think the mental torment you've caused me isn't enough?"Theodore gave a bitter smile. "Rose, do you want me to die to make up for the harm I've caused you?""No, I just hope you won't bother me anymore. I have my own life now. Whether it's good or bad, it has nothing to do with you. Once upon a time, Grandma was the last connection between us, but now that she's gone, we have nothing left."She avoided Theodore's gaze. "You should go now."Theodore clenched his fists. "If this is what you want, then I understand. I'll stay away from you in the future and won't bother you again, because, as you said, we have nothing left."Wi
Theodore was about to speak, but then he remembered he had important matters to discuss today and couldn't be sidetracked by Justin."Rose, I have something important to tell you. Let's talk privately.""If you have something to say, just say it," Rosalie replied. She knew he wanted Justin to leave, but she didn't mind if Justin knew what was going on.Theodore gave Justin a cold glance before continuing, "This matter concerns Grandma. I don't want anyone else around. It's something that should only be discussed between the two of us.""He's not an outsider," Rosalie replied without hesitation. "He can know about Grandma's matters too."Seeing the two of them about to argue, Justin immediately said, "I'll take Steve out for a walk and come back later."With that, Justin left.Rosalie quickly said, "Justin, you don't need to…""It's fine," he interrupted her. "I'll take him downstairs for a walk."With that, Justin left with Steve.Rosalie took a step back and said to Theodore, "Come in
Aurora looked incredibly sorrowful, completely unlike someone who was acting. Theodore, for a moment, didn't know whether he should believe her or not.When Rosalie had first told him, he had only defended Aurora, completely ignoring Angie.Now, with Aurora telling him that it was Angie who killed Rebecca, Theodore couldn't be 100% certain that Aurora was not involved in this matter.It felt like a layer of mist had been added, blurring his vision and preventing him from seeing clearly.After a long while, Theodore released Aurora."Get better first," he said, turning to leave.Suddenly, he heard some movement behind him. Turning around, he saw Aurora stumbling toward the window in the ward. She forcefully pulled open the window and jumped straight down.Theodore's brows tightened, and with rocket-like speed, he rushed forward. He grabbed her from behind and pulled her back from the window ledge. "What are you doing?!""Theo, let me die! I don't want to live anymore. Just pretend I kil
Theodore took out his phone and called Aurora, but she didn't answer the phone.He turned to the bodyguard and asked, "When you took Angie, was Aurora not at home?"The bodyguard nodded. "Yes, only Angie was at home. Aurora wasn't there."Theodore furrowed his brow. Was Angie telling the truth? Had Aurora fled in fear of being caught? He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.Could Aurora really be this kind of person? Had he misjudged her character all along?"Find her. I want to know where she went."A few hours later, Theodore's subordinates brought news of Aurora's whereabouts. She had booked a hotel room.Theodore led a group of people to her hotel room and knocked on the door forcefully, but there was no response.The staff member opened the door with a room key, and the group entered. Aurora was indeed in the room, and she was lying on the bed.Theodore strode over."Aurora!" he shouted, but as he got closer, he noticed that she was motionless. An empty pill bottle was on th
Hearing the recording on the phone, Angie was horrified and nearly fainted."No, that's not how it is! It's not like that!" she cried in fear.Angie tried to get up from the floor, but the two men behind her pressed her down firmly, keeping her kneeling on the ground."It's not like that!" Angie shouted. "Aurora's framing me! She's setting me up!""She's framing you?" Theodore sneered. "Didn't you admit that you killed my grandmother?""I… It wasn't me!" Angie's agitation intensified. "Aurora is clearly using me as a scapegoat! She tricked me into saying those things! This is all fake!"Angie finally realized that Aurora had planned to make her the scapegoat from the very beginning, wanting to rid herself of any involvement. It was so sinister—recording conversations and twisting the facts. How despicable!"Fake?" Theodore seized her face with one hand, gripping it so tightly that her face nearly contorted. He gritted his teeth and harshly demanded, "Are you saying Aurora did this?""Y