I must have been unconscious for quite a while, my mouth felt dry. However, knowing that the baby was still there, I breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to get up for some water. It was at that moment that Jane rushed back in and quickly took the cup from my hands. "I'll get the water for you. Just lie down, wait for Dr. Travis to come and check on you before moving." Seeing her so anxious, and fearing for the baby, I lay back down. Jane poured a cup of warm water and handed it to me, then adjusted the pillow behind me so I could lean comfortably. I sighed. "You don't have to be so meticulous, I'm not that bad off yet." Jane's expression turned serious. "You don't need to pretend to be okay in front of me. We've been friends for so many years, and I know you." I lowered my head to drink the water, hiding the pain in my eyes and not responding to her. "Where's Frank?" Jane replied, "He has a high fever and is being treated next door." She didn't give me
"Be prepared for what?" Dr. Travis and Prof. Kilburn exchanged a glance and said, "The worst-case scenario. If the fever develops into pneumonia, combined with his extensive wounds…" I didn’t want to go there that day. "You can't stay up late or overwork yourself. After this, go back and rest. Even if you can't sleep, just close your eyes and rest. We'll keep an eye on things here." Frank was lying face down, and I saw the extensive wounds on his back. My nose felt sore, but I didn't want to cry anymore. Crying was the least useful thing. "Jane." "Charlotte, what is it?" I took a deep breath, trying to appear fine. "I want to have something to eat." "Okay, I'll go buy something for you right now." It was getting late, and Zachary came along too. "Buy more, everyone probably hasn't eaten yet." After the funeral, we were supposed to eat, but one thing after another had prevented us from doing so. Yet, when I mentioned it, Dr. Travis and Prof. Kil
"Not really…" Frank paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Your palms have been sweating. Just now, you grabbed my hand tightly, so I knew you were overthinking things." "Charlotte, don't punish yourself for someone else's mistakes." I opened my mouth, wanting him to stop talking. But before I could say a word, he closed his eyes again. Even in such poor health, he was trying to comfort me. What reason did I have to keep myself trapped in a self-made prison? Jane and Zachary returned with food. After I ate, Jane insisted I rest while she kept watch. I asked her to wait a moment and went to talk to Dr. Travis and Prof. Kilburn. "You two should go to sleep, I'll call for you if anything happens." Prof. Kilburn was fine, but Dr. Travis really shouldn't stay up all night. Thinking it wasn't useful to have so many people here for now, I decided to rest. I turned to Alan and said, "Can you set up another bed? I'll sleep here." The VIP ward's bed was
Several people were standing at the emergency room door. Danny was among them. "Aunt!" He threw himself at my legs. "Aunt, I saw the bad guys take you away. I was so scared. It was a good thing that Uncle was capable of saving you, but he got hurt." He sniffled. "I didn't know Uncle would end up like this…" I hadn't expected it either. Ultimately, it was still my fault. "Why aren't you asleep? It’s so late." Alana explained for him, "He slept, but he was worried because he hadn't seen you. When he woke up, he rushed over to check on you." I patted his head. "Good boy." Jane tapped my shoulder. "You two talk. I need to make a few work calls." "Is something wrong at the company?" I asked. "No, I can handle it. You don't need to worry about it." Jane reassured me, "I'll be right next door. If you need anything, call me." "Okay." I nodded. "You handle your things, I still have Danny here." Danny puffed out his little chest. "Pretty sister, I'm here
I had already reached my limit. I needed to consider the baby, so after breakfast, I planned to sleep. Frank was down, Alan was still injured, and Zachary was here to keep watch for a couple of days. The Smith family and SZ Technology had accumulated quite a bit of business that needed addressing. Before leaving, I wanted to talk to Jane, but she was sitting on the sofa, absorbed in her phone, giving no sign that she wanted to chat. Given the current situation, it wasn't the best time for a conversation. I decided to wait. I dreamt of my grandmother again. She probably wasn't at ease about me, as she kept coming to my dreams. "Lily, throughout life, one must experience birth, aging, illness, and death. I am very happy that while I am still alive, I can have this period of grandparent-grandchild relationship with you. At first, I thought I would never see you again in this life." I hugged my grandmother tightly. "Grandma…" I cried freely in her embrace, I d
"Once everything’s been taken care of, we'll get married right away, how about that?" Frank stared at me for a long time without saying a word. I could see the emotions swirling in his eyes—complex feelings of disbelief, joy, excitement, and perhaps even a hint of me stealing his chance to propose. But in the end, he said nothing and simply hugged me. I wanted to pat his back to comfort him, but remembering his injury, I gently patted the back of his head twice. "Go celebrate over there, I need to talk to Dr. Travis." Frank released me, giving me one last look before moving aside to give Dr. Travis some space. I turned to Dr. Travis and said, "I can't manage my feelings alone anymore. Please come up with a plan, and I will follow it strictly, as long as it can help me keep this child." Frank immediately added, "We can keep the child, but not at the cost of making Charlotte suffer too much." Dr. Travis stroked his beard and asked, "Have you made your decision?
When I was nearing delivery, my mom and uncle came to see me. I had visited her before when she was in the hospital. Not only was she physically and mentally shattered, but the reporters kept sneaking in because of the high media attention. My uncle arranged for her to go abroad for treatment, and it just so happened that Zachary knew a psychologist there. Seeing them arrive, I couldn't help but feel happy and quickly got up to walk over. "Mom, Uncle, you're here!" My mom was startled. "You child, your belly is so big now, why are you still so worked up?" My uncle glanced at my round belly and nodded. "That's good, you've put on some weight. There was a time when you looked so haggard and frail, you would have fallen over with just a gust of wind." I smiled awkwardly and looked at my mom. "How's the treatment going? I couldn't get through to you when I called, and Uncle said you were doing well." My uncle said, "Most of the injuries are healing well, but organiz
"Thanking others is a good virtue, it's what elementary school teachers teach." Zachary had been somewhat impatient and even a bit annoyed by her incessant messages and provocations. But since that day at the airport, he felt quite uncomfortable about their interactions. Yet he hadn't found the opportunity to sit down and talk with her properly. Once Charlotte gave birth, he would need to make time for that. "Why hasn't she come out yet?" Frank was pulling at his own hair in frustration. Seeing him pull out a lighter, Alan quickly stopped him. "Frank, your sister-in-law hasn't been inside for long. Giving birth isn't like buying something, be patient. Ms. Jackson is in there with her, so she'll be fine. Don't scare yourself." "If the baby comes out and you smell like smoke, you'll choke her." Frank hadn't caught much of what was said earlier, but he did hear that last part. He tossed the lighter into his pocket and found a reflective surface to tidy up
"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