‘Suicide? So, is suicide their family's specialty, passed down through the generations?’ I wondered.I didn’t know what mentality I was in, but almost involuntarily, I asked, "Do you need me to go with you?"Maybe I wanted to see for myself if it was true or false.Or perhaps, I was afraid... afraid that if something really happened, Ryan wouldn't have anyone he could trust by his side.Ryan looked at me with surprise. "Can you?""Let's go." I picked up my bag and went with him to the hospital.When we arrived at the hospital, Lauren was still in the emergency room, and Jessica and John were waiting outside.The scene struck me as somewhat comical.But at such a tense moment, I shouldn't be laughing, so I mentally reviewed all the unhappy events in my life.Ryan, Jessica, John, plus Lauren inside the emergency room.If you were to draw a relationship diagram of these four people, it would probably resemble a chaotic spider web.Jessica suddenly rushed over and shoved me forc
Jessica clenched her fists quietly, her face filled with regret and stumbling through her confession, "I... I felt humiliated being publicly scolded by her, and in a fit of anger... I said those slanderous words about Mom! I was wrong... Ryan..."Her acting was truly impressive. If I hadn't already known the truth from Grandpa, I might have believed her story.Ryan's gaze fell on John, he squinted his eyes slightly. "What do you have to say?""What do I have to say?" John forced himself to remain calm. "If Lauren really was a mistress, how could we have waited five whole years after your mom's death to get married?"As he finished speaking, the door to the emergency room opened.Ryan remained skeptical and looked at the doctor. "How serious is it?""Mr. Frost." The doctor came out, removed his mask, and looked serious. "She lost a lot of blood. Luckily, she was brought in just in time. If it had been any later, she might not have made it."Visibly, Ryan's tense body relaxed a li
It was Bethany.She stood in the blood-soaked area wearing white ankle boots. Seeing me stop closing the door, she slowly withdrew her hand, crossing it in front of her chest. "Charlotte, I advise you to back off. Stop entangling with Ryan."She found my home address so quickly.I furrowed my brows. "Whether it's you or Jessica, if you're sick, go to the hospital or find Ryan. Don't bother me.""Hey, stop pretending!"She glanced inside the house and sneered. "I've checked. If it weren't for marrying Ryan, you, an orphan with deceased parents, wouldn't afford to live in a house like this even after several lifetimes."She lifted her chin, displaying the arrogance exclusive to the wealthy.Losing my patience, I said coldly, "Oh, and what about you? If it weren't for your good fortune to be adopted by the Shaw family, could you stand here and talk like this? Could you arrogantly meddle in other people's marriages?"Everyone knew how to make others feel uncomfortable.She offende
His voice was as casual, but Bethany seemed somewhat afraid of him.The arrogant expression on her face completely vanished. Pouting, she said in a coquettish voice, "Jack, why are you looking at me like that! I just came to talk to Miss Wilson, is that not allowed?"Jack cocked his brows. "Then are you done talking?""I-I'm done," Bethany answered nervously. Seeing Jack still expressionless, she suddenly became angry. "Why are you and Frank both such jerks? All you do is bully me! Just wait until my parents come in a few days, see if I'm still afraid of you guys!"After saying these harsh words, she left in her high heels, visibly angry, her footsteps loud.Once she turned and disappeared, Jack looked at the bloodstains at my doorstep, took out his phone, and made a call to the cleaning company to arrange for a cleanup.Then, he looked at me helplessly. "Did she scare you?""To be honest, I was a bit startled at first." I smiled and stepped aside to let him in, taking a pair of
Jack suddenly turned around, his bright and compelling eyes looking at me, as if filled with starlight, and unexpectedly asked such a question.I was caught completely off guard, my mind blank for a moment.I had never considered such a matter before.Whether during university or after he returned to the country, I had always regarded him as a good friend.I struggled to free myself from a muddy marriage, and he also had someone he deeply loved for many years. Two people like us should be best suited to remain friends of the opposite sex. No one would need to worry about anything.Under Jack's gaze, I couldn't help but feel a bit awkward. "J-Jack...""Alright." Jack let out a muffled laugh and joked, "Just messing with you. How did you get so scared? You said I'm a good guy, looks like you were lying?""N-No, that's not it." I breathed a sigh of relief and awkwardly rubbed my nose, explaining, "I just thought that question came out of nowhere."It was too sudden.After all, I
"Yeah, I want to give it a try.""You can do it," he looked at me and said with determination.I felt genuinely happy from the bottom of my heart and sincerely said, "Jack, this time, really, thank you!"Although he casually brushed it off, I could still imagine the effort he must have put into retrieving the Charlotte Jewelry.Jack sighed helplessly. "Thank me for what? I originally wanted to reclaim your parents' company as well, but they wouldn't sell it.""This is already more than enough," I replied earnestly. "Having the Charlotte Jewelry is sufficient.""I'm glad I could help."He breathed a sigh of relief, walked to the entrance, opened the door and glanced outside, furrowing his brows slightly. Then he looked back at me. "Charlotte, do you have a rag?""What's wrong?""The cleaning lady didn't quite clean up properly. I'll wipe it again," Jack said gently. "After all, it's blood. I don't want you to see it and get scared.""It's okay."I gathered the documents into
'One really couldn't avoid their enemies.' The first word that came to mind when I turned around and saw Frank's bright handsome face.Jack also glanced at him, furrowing his brows slightly. "You live here, Mr. Frank?"That was exactly the question I wanted to ask.With his background, he could have chosen any villa district casually. How could he be living in a place like this, with its humble atmosphere?Frank smiled casually. "Keeping someone company."'Keeping someone company? Wasn't he earnestly searching for a young fiancee? How did he end up with a child already? But then again, in wealthy families like theirs, it was common to have a couple of illegitimate children making an appearance.'Jack smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with Frank, then brought his luggage from the elevator lobby and carried it into his apartment.Watching him prepare to continue helping me unpack, I quickly waved my hands. "Jack, no need. Jane will be here soon to help me. You should go focu
I walked over and saw the lewd scene on his phone screen, immediately turning to leave!What he showed me was the video from that night of Jessica and John."What's the rush?"He stretched out his long legs, blocking my path, and pulled back on the progress bar.The video screen turned pitch black, but I could hear voices.And it was a voice I knew very well."Can you keep this to yourself for now?""I can. What's in it for me?""What do you want in return?""I haven't decided yet. How about this. You promise me something. When I figure it out, I'll let you know.""Deal."After hearing this conversation, I looked up at him in shock and disbelief. "You actually recorded it?"It seemed like there was no order to things, but when it came to doing things, there were no holes at all."Just happened to catch it." He chuckled softly, unabashed and arrogant. "Does this count as evidence?""You're ruthless." I was somewhat speechless, and my tone wasn't nice. "Spit it out. What do
"She's originally from abroad, it's hard to catch her." Frank waved his hand and said to Zachary, "Take care of it. I'm going to have some fun for a while. Once you're better, you can handle the aftermath." Zachary nodded. After Frank left the hospital room, Zachary told everyone to go home. "I'm fine, just a stomach cramp. It's not serious." Rebecca held his hand, hesitant to speak. Zachary took the initiative and said, "Don't worry. I've already cleared things up with Jane. Even if we run into each other in the future, we won't greet each other. We'll be strangers from now on." Outside the hospital room, Jane withdrew her hand from the door, turning to speak to Charlotte. "No need to go in. He's fine." After getting in the car, Charlotte looked at her. "You should stay at Region Gardens for a while." "Once Zachary and Frank finish dealing with the Sanchez family, you can move back to your own place. The Sanchez family has deep roots, and I'm worried that if
They were eager to see Zachary and hadn't had the chance to speak yet. "Was it Zachary who took Lexi away?" Frank nodded. "He said he would handle it personally, so it should be him handling it." "If the Sanchez family is inconvenient for you, I can take care of it." Just as Eric was about to speak, Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez arrived at the hospital room. They looked quite angry. "Eric, we've known each other for so many years. Even if we can't have a marriage alliance, don't harm my daughter." He unlocked his phone and handed it to Eric. Eric saw the image of Lexi tightly bound. He frowned. Zachary was still unconscious at this moment. Who sent this photo? Ross entered shortly after, answering his question. He heard Ross tell Frank. "The Winston family took her." The Winston family was the Collins family's greatest enemy. And the enemies who had nearly taken Jane's life in Heliafield were the most loyal followers of the Winston family. Thinking b
Charlotte patted her head. "First, make a video call to that little girl." Jane quickly found her phone and opened the landlord's WhatsApp. As soon as the call connected, the little girl appeared on screen, her eyes red. Tears were still visible on her face. The landlord was sitting next to her, waiting, not having gone to sleep. Jane apologized, "Sorry to disturb your rest." "Don't say that." The landlord gently patted her daughter's head. "I'm just happy you're alright." Jane smiled at the little girl. "Thanks to Celine, I'm fine." The little girl leaned closer to the screen. "Jane, you're lying. Your lips are swollen." Jane cleared her throat. "I ate something spicy earlier." She quickly added to prevent the little girl from saying anything else, "Alright, go to sleep now. We'll talk more when you get out of school. Jane went through a lot today, and she's tired too." The little girl, very understanding, handed the phone to her mother and went to bed
The captain laughed. "Don't think that just because we're from abroad, we don't understand anything.""Young lady, if you want to buy some time, then I'll play along with you. But if you're hoping for someone to rescue you, I advise you to give up on that thought. This is the border. Domestic ships can't get through here."Well, you don't know Frank.There's no one who can stop him from going where he wants to go.Jane tried her best to suppress her fear. "Sir, I have all kinds of tricks. If I can make you guys happy, can you spare my life?"She reached out, grabbed the captain's belt, and moved closer."As long as you don't kill me, you'll be my savior. I'll be yours from now on and let you have your fun with me. Is that okay?"Although Jane hadn't dressed herself up recently.But her facial features were stunning. Those fox-like eyes with a smile in them were even more alluring.The captain kept swallowing saliva. Apparently, he was attracted.However, they had already rece
They were anxious, not just because of the situation, but because they feared Zachary would go mad and go abroad with Jane. Frank glanced at their expressions and immediately understood that they were aware of Lexi's plan to send Jane abroad. "I suggest that while Zachary is looking for Jane, you should take care of the Sanchez family's matters. Otherwise, when Zachary comes back, there will be hell to pay." Jane ate the meal the waiter brought and then felt drowsy. She fell into a light sleep, and when she opened her eyes again, it was already half past nine. She remembered the things she had told the little girl before leaving and quickly grabbed her phone to call. But just then, the door was suddenly kicked open. Several adult men stormed in and grabbed her, dragging her outside. "What are you doing?" They had originally planned to reach the border, but unexpectedly, a violent storm had forced a slight course change. This delay allowed the effects of th
Lexi said, "The plane will leave traces. By then, Zachary will find you. The ship will change at the border and private sea areas. Once she changes ships, it will be hard to track." Jane remembered when Jack had taken Charlotte away before. She felt a sense of unease. After all, Lexi wasn't someone she could fully trust. "I didn't expect you to be so timid." Lexi noticed Jane's worry. "I thought someone with your background, who dared to pursue someone as different as Zachary, and even date him, would have extraordinary courage." But wasn't Jane regretting it now? Otherwise, why would she be running away? She decided not to care anymore. With a firm heart, she boarded the ship. Lexi smiled in satisfaction, but then a cold glint appeared in her eyes as she spoke to the captain. "When we reach the border, throw her into the sea and feed her to the sharks." No matter where she went, as long as Zachary wanted to find her, it was just a matter of time.
Lexi was so angry that she wanted to smash something. She got up and walked away, with each step of her high heels hitting the ground, the sound echoing her immense fury. The more difficult it was to conquer, the more determined she became to conquer it! Zachary went directly back to the Collins family home. The Collins family members were somewhat uneasy. When they saw him come back alone, they were both shocked and suspicious. "Did Lexi not come back with you?" asked Rebecca. Zachary did not respond and walked upstairs with long strides. Rebecca, along with Sir Collins and Madam Collins, exchanged gazes, all feeling something was off. It was strange that Zachary had actually returned to the Collins family. "Sean." Rebecca saw someone else entering behind him and immediately asked, "Did you follow him the whole time? Did you notice anything unusual?" Sean bent slightly, his face carrying a polite smile as he respectfully replied, "No abnormalities w
The situation between Zachary and Jane's relationship had not been made public. It was normal for the employees at the company not to know about it. Zachary did not answer when people congratulated him, and Lexi stood silently by his side, not saying anything either. But to those around them, their actions were as good as an admission.Some people even offered their congratulations, but Zachary didn't acknowledge them. He didn't go upstairs. Instead, he turned and left the building. This time, he didn't even get into Lexi's car. The smell inside the car was too overwhelming, making him dizzy.Lexi followed him, and they entered a nearby cafe. He didn't go straight to Jane's place, but Lexi knew that was just a way of hiding his true intentions. However, she wasn't concerned. After all, the Collins family would never approve of him being with Jane. She just needed to give him a bit of time to play along."Mr. Collins, aren't you going to consider my suggestion?" Lexi asked with a sli
The shock from the Collins family was too much for her. She wouldn't take the initiative, nor would she have the courage to continue with him.So what other way did he have?He'd tried both soft and hard tactics, yet this situation was still more complicated than advanced mathematics.The next day.Lexi invited Zachary out.But the Collins family hesitated.Rebecca said, "Why don't you two spend some more time getting to know each other at home first?"Lexi smiled. "Mrs. Collins, I know what you're worried about, but that woman is no longer in Jeswood."Rebecca was aware of this.After all, they had been keeping an eye on Jane's movements. They even knew where she was staying.It was surprising that Lexi had just returned a day ago, yet she had already figured it out.This kind of method and family background was exactly what the Collins family needed.It was also what Zachary needed."I've erased all traces. Even if he wants to find her today, he won't be able to, and it