The next morning, Frank arranged for Alan to deliver breakfast to the ward. After Jane and I finished eating, a nurse came in to change her dressings. Jane didn't want me to watch. "Now that I'm you’re pregnant with my goddaughter, your mood affects her development. Don't look, okay? Just relax.""Alright."I couldn't argue with her. Just then, Yasmin called me, so I walked out of the ward."Charlotte, where are you? I came to see you, but Julie said you're not home."I suddenly remembered my mom had said that she would come by when she had time. I hadn't expected another incident to occur.I was initially worried about her getting anxious and considered lying, but then realized that lying would require more lies to cover up. Moreover, some issues inevitably involve the Jackson family's influence, and my uncle would probably inform her. If she found out I'd been lying to her, she'd be upset.It was better to tell the truth."At the Smith family’s hospital."Half an hour later
"Of course!" Yasmin agreed readily. She then stood up and said to me, "I'm going to check on your grandmother. Seeing you so worried and restless, and since I don't interact with her often, it shouldn't stimulate her too much. Maybe she'll still remember me."I nodded. "But can you promise me to tell me about any developments, no matter what? Don't hide anything. I can handle it.""You can handle it?" Yasmin tapped my forehead. "I asked Frank on the way here. He wouldn't lie to me, his future mother-in-law. You didn't tell me that you were rushed into the emergency room last night."I rubbed my nose.When I was being honest with her earlier, I had indeed left out that detail. Even though I was fine now, it would definitely be unsettling for my mom.Mainly, if she were worried, she would most likely disapprove of me staying at the hospital. She was already busy and had to divide her energy to deal with my issues. The matter with my grandmother shouldn't be something my mom had to h
Frank gave a brief, mocking smile and said, "Why don't you ask the people present if you're still the chairman of the Smith Group?"Luke gripped his cane tightly.The last time he was so angry that he spat out blood, though it didn't threaten his life, it did affect some of his nerves, making his limbs less agile.That was why he was anxious and had teamed up with Simone to help Ben take control of the Shaw family, and then cooperate with him.With control over both the Smith and Shaw families, he would have more power than Frank.He could also control the latter.But he didn't expect that Frank would come to the Smith Group early in the morning and convene a senior executives meeting without notifying him.That wasn’t exactly true.That brat knew someone would inform him.He had come as quickly as possible, only to find that he was still too late."Earlier, I spoke with Mr. Shaw on the phone. He has completely taken over the Shaw family and is now in charge. He is interested
"You're acting like a thief."Jane, linking arms with Yasmin, walked in. "Ms. Jackson, it's just that your precious daughter is anxious. I just wanted to sneak in and check on the situation."Yasmin laughed. "Am I your enemy now?"Jane pouted. "I'm just not very articulate. Please don't take it the wrong way, Ms. Jackson."Yasmin, knowing her playful nature, wasn't upset. She guided me to sit down and said, "We were chatting. I know you would be anxious."I was quite surprised. "You and Grandma managed to talk for so long?"After all, my mom's relationship with the Shaw family had been strained ever since the incident with Ben and Simone.Yasmin took a sip of water. "I didn't expect it either. Despite the old lady's condition, she was still able to have a calm conversation with me.""I had forgotten some of the details about Ben, but she remembered."Suddenly, she changed the subject. "But I need to tell you something."I had a bad feeling. "Grandma…"Yasmin could tell from
At the Suburban Sanatorium.The hospital said that Luke was no longer in any immediate danger, but he would be bedridden for the rest of his life. However, if he engaged in active rehabilitation, there was still hope for some independent movement.Frank only sent him to the sanatorium. He skipped the rehabilitation and instead spent a fortune hiring someone to take care of Luke for the rest of his life.Luke's speech was slurred, his mouth crooked, and saliva dripped whenever he opened his mouth. A caregiver had to put a bib on him, much like a child.Luke had never endured such a disgrace in his life. He regretted his anger and agitation from earlier.Seeing Luke glaring at him, Frank's lips curved into a faint smirk. "You should be grateful. You have a good wife. Otherwise, a person like me, whom you call a scoundrel, wouldn't let you live comfortably. If you want to control me so badly, then keep your eyes wide open and watch how I live freely and arrogantly."Back at Region G
I chuckled softly. "What do you think?"Frank clicked his tongue. "Relying on the fact that I can't touch you right now? It seems you've figured out how to be flirty.""Who's being flirty?"After my retort, I couldn't stop worrying about Grandma. "What if Grandma never recognizes me again?"I had actually prepared myself for the possibility that Grandma might never recognize me again, but it still felt heavy on my heart in front of someone so close to me.Frank comforted me. "Grandma loves you so much. She won't forget you forever. She's just ill, and with treatment, she will get better.""Charlotte, what are you doing?"Yasmin called out to me. After chatting with Frank for a few more minutes and reminding him to take care of himself, I hung up the phone.I walked out of the bedroom, and Yasmin asked with a smile, "Did I interrupt your phone call?""Not at all, we finished talking.""Then let's watch a movie," Yasmin suggested. "I see there's a projector here.""Sure." I li
Region Gardens was not far from the hospital. Frank didn't intend to sleep, but after my insistence, he closed his eyes and took a short nap. Even such a brief rest was enough for him to fall asleep, which showed just how exhausted he was.I didn't want to wake him, since there were bodyguards with us. However, as soon as the car came to a stop, he woke up, instinctively gripping my hand and protecting me as I got out of the car. He had informed the hospital director in advance, so the check-up went quickly. While waiting for the results, Frank, concerned that I might overthink things, started talking about the Shaw family’s situation. "Simone knew I wouldn't let them off, so after that night, she poisoned Ben and forced him to sign the asset transfer agreement."I didn't react much to the news. Ben brought this upon himself. I only asked, "Does he know about Simone and Kevin? And that Bethany is their daughter?"Frank shook his head. "It was all staged. Kevin kidnapped Simo
After finishing up the day's tasks, I suddenly remembered the check-up, "By the way, have the test results come out?""Yes, they have." Frank glanced gently at my abdomen with a smile. "The little one is developing well. Your caution and efforts to protect him have paid off."Seeing this, Alan said whilst holding some documents, "Frank, I'll wait for you in the car."Frank nodded, "Alright."After Alan left, Frank noticed I was looking anxiously towards Grandma's room and said, "Prof. Kilburn mentioned that as long as there are no further shocks, Grandma will likely maintain her current state."I understood the implication, "So, Grandma's health…"Frank nodded and put his arm around my shoulders. "Life and death are natural processes. They are beyond human control. Accept it with a calm mindset. In the limited time Grandma has left, make sure she is happy, and you should be happy too."As he spoke, he checked his watch, probably because he had other things to attend to. "Prof. K
"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