Jane wasn't fooled."You just want to help Westley."Zachary laughed, placing some meat on her plate. "It's up to you."Ding-dong.The doorbell rang suddenly.With a mouthful of meat, Jane mumbled, "My place is quite lively recently."Zachary stood up to open the door.At the door stood Raymond."Sir...""You didn't answer your phone or respond to the messages. I had no choice but to..."Zachary's expression remained indifferent. "Get to the point."Raymond glanced behind him, lowering his voice to a near whisper. "The investigation team has arrived."Zachary's eyes flickered slightly, but his voice remained as cold as ever. "Got it."He turned back and walked to Jane, bending down to kiss her briefly. "I have to go on a business trip."Jane didn't ask more, with his job, business trips and meetings were normal. During the early stages of a project, it was understandable for him to be busy."How long?""Not sure yet."Zachary picked up his phone and quickly glanced at
"You can just tell me directly what happened, or rather, what you want to say by coming to see me," said Jane.Madam Collins didn't continue to beat around the bush."Zachary has been taken in for questioning."Jane's fingers curled involuntarily, and a hint of nervousness flashed in her eyes.Madam Collins noticed her small gesture, observing every detail of Jane's reaction."There's no need to pretend to be calm. It's normal for you to feel emotional," she said. "After all, if it weren't for you, Zachary wouldn't have to go through this."Jane couldn't argue with that.Madam Collins continued, "I've known this day would come. Your father's existence is like a ticking time bomb, it was bound to explode sooner or later. I'll say it again. If you truly love Zachary, you should not be a stain on his life. I haven't said this before, but this time I must play the bad cop. Leave Zachary, child. You can name any conditions you want."Jane clenched her fists tightly, her fingertips g
When Raymond saw Madam Collins coming out of the conference room, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. It dawned on him that Jane had deceived him, but now he couldn't even report it."I raised you all to follow Zachary, not to help him mess things up!"Madam Collins's frustration needed an outlet. At her age, if she didn't vent her anger, it would soon send her to the hospital, unable to move a muscle."Look at the mess Zachary is in today. You'll all bear the responsibility. Come home with me and face the consequences!"Raymond knew he couldn't leave."When Mr. Collins returns, whatever punishment you want to give me is fine, but right now, I can't go. Please, calm down."Madam Collins was so angry that her breathing became erratic. "You've gone too far! Do you know who your master is? If it weren't for the Collins family, you'd have died in the slums long ago!"Raymond didn't deny it. He bowed respectfully and said, "I remember the Collins family's kindness, but Madam Coll
Raymond was startled. "Mrs. Collins..."Jane raised her hand to stop him from speaking, looking at Rebecca she said slowly, "If you can meet one condition of mine, I will leave the country immediately."Rebecca saw she had softened and her anger subsided a little. "Go on."Jane said, "If you make Zachary break up with me willingly, I will leave him. How about that?"Rebecca realized she had been tricked and immediately raised her hand.Jane sidestepped to avoid it.Rebecca lost control and sprained her waist."Ouch."Eric hurriedly supported her and was about to speak.But Jane had already taken Raymond and left in large strides.His eyes gradually filled with cruelty.Once in the car, Jane asked Raymond, "Zachary left you as the only one beside me?"Raymond started the car and replied, "Of course not. I'm just the one other people sees."Jane breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I'm at ease. Otherwise, if you were alone, I'd have to worry. What if the Collins family does some
"He's also acting unilaterally, keeping things from me, thinking he's doing this for my own good, not wanting me to worry."Charlotte smiled. "Then I won't advise you."Jane was about to say something when her phone rang.In a hurry, she pulled it out and looked at it, but it wasn't Zachary.She answered, sounding exhausted, "Get to the point."Dominic paused for a moment. "I'm not saying this to nag, but don't be too hard on yourself, still need to pay attention to your health, do what you can."Jane laughed and scolded him, "What's your problem?""I've got something, a big thing.""Spit it out."Dominic chuckled. "Your clothes are ready. So, how about it? Come over and take a look? We only got two sets done, and the time is still tight. But it won't affect the next event. I've already checked the time."Jane immediately sat up straight, her voice gaining strength. "I'll come over right now."Then, she suddenly remembered something."Wait, I have something else to do. How
Watching Jane leave, Charlotte closed the door and turned around, only to bump into a man's chest.She looked up and asked him, "Zachary is really fine, right?"Frank wrapped his arms around her and led her inside. "What could happen? It's all within his expectations."Jane returned to her place, still thinking that Zachary was fine, but she still couldn't sleep.The next morning, she went to the shopping center.On the way, she replied to Charlotte's message about preparing to board her flight."Raymond, does Mr. Collins really not have any preferences?"She wanted to buy Zachary a set of clothes.Since they had been together, she had always been the one being taken care of.It seemed like she hadn't done much for him.This investigation wasn't a good thing, but she hoped that when he came out, he could wear something new, and that in the future, he wouldn't be tainted by these bad things because of her.But as she kept looking, she became more and more indecisive.Raymond
Raymond didn't dare to hide anything and truthfully explained the situation.The phone was instantly hung up. With every beep, he felt like a hammer was striking his heart.By the time he reached the northern helipad, Zachary was already there.He was still wearing the clothes from when he had been taken for questioning.But now they were full of creases, clearly messy.It was obvious he had just gotten home, hadn't seen Jane, and upon hearing the report, he immediately rushed over.However, there were no signs of any helicopter having landed nearby."Wasn't it supposed to be the northern side?"Raymond's lips were trembling. "The helicopter's direction was heading north...""Could they have changed direction midway?" Zachary's voice was as cold as ice.It was sharper than winter winds, painfully piercing."I've already sent people to check the other helipads...""It's raining today, and they were in a hurry to leave. They might not have suddenly changed flight paths, it's
"I said I don’t know. Maybe it was because she knew she wasn't worthy of you, so I left."If this had been before, Zachary would have believed it.But this time, Jane had said she wouldn't leave.Moreover, Raymond had already said that she had been kidnapped.Thud—Zachary knelt in front of his mother, Rebecca.Rebecca was horrified.The members of the Collins family, startled by the commotion in the hospital room, walked to the door and were equally shocked.Zachary bowed his head to Rebecca."I will never forget your kindness in raising me, and the Collins family's nurturing of me. What I did to you just now was wrong. I'm sorry, Mom."As he spoke, he bowed a few more times."You're both getting old, and worrying too much can cause illness. It would be better to find a comfortable and pleasant place to rest properly."Noticing what Zachary was about to do, Madam Collins quickly spoke up, "Don't be impulsive. Let's talk calmly. We really didn't harm Jane. And we've already
"I laugh when I get emotional, that's all—no other reason. If I've offended anyone, I'll punish myself with three more glasses of wine."No one really believed Caleb was genuinely moved.It was obvious that under the surface of his smile, there was a trace of mockery.But no one said anything.After all, it wasn't their family's business—there was no need for him to empathize with them.Besides, Caleb really wasn't close to them. It was his first time sharing a meal at the same table.And with his status, even if he was Zachary's brother-in-law, Zachary wouldn't embarrass him publicly.Given the occasion, there was no reason to stir up conflict.Whitney furrowed her brows but still spoke up to offer an apology on Caleb's behalf.Jane quickly said, "We're family, there's no need to be so formal. Caleb was just moved—I understand."Whitney still wanted to say something, but suddenly a large, warm hand rested on her thigh.It moved back and forth slowly, radiating heat.She tu
So at that moment, Westley and Zachary shared a tacit understanding and aligned explanation."We didn't look into it. This matter was a private family issue, and given the situation at the time, it wasn't convenient for us to investigate."Those words, coming from Westley, sounded quite believable.After all, his relationship with Jordan had been very tense at the time.But for Zachary, that excuse wasn't really necessary.Jane looked at him without saying anything.Zachary held her hand and said, "We did get our marriage certificate back then, but I really didn't look into this matter. If you don't believe me, ask Nathan. If I had looked into it, there's no way he wouldn't have noticed."Nathan also felt guilty—revitalizing the Jackson family was his way of making up for the wrongs his father had committed.Later, his unwavering kindness toward them also stemmed from guilt, knowing they had suffered because of his father.Now, of course, he didn't want a joyful day like the w
Back then, the Jackson family's power and status were highly sought after.Initially, when the eldest daughter of the Jackson family married the eldest son of the Westford family, it was considered a perfect match by everyone—a well-matched marriage of equal social standing.The Westford family's business was booming back then.But later, it was the Westford family that resorted to unscrupulous methods for the sake of business."At that time, my uncle was kidnapped shortly after birth and grew up in an ordinary family. He was very pure and kind, not understanding the scheming and deceit of the business world. The Westford family intended to train him, but when it became clear he wasn't up to it, they gave up. But then he fell in love with your mother, and the Westford family thought there was still something to gain from it. As for grandpa, he didn't care about family background, he only looked at character and sincerity. My uncle was highly favored by him, and his relationship wit
Westley chuckled.Frank couldn't be bothered to make it complicated. He drank seven sips, and everyone else followed with a sip.Zachary did the same as Frank.However, he paused slightly when it came to Westley, offering them his blessings."Congratulations. And I hope you two will continue to be happy in the future."At that point, Westley couldn't just take a sip anymore.He downed the drink in one go."We've received your promise, my dear brother-in-law."Westley was rendered speechless.Caleb had been watching the show for a long time.Finally, it was his turn."Everyone, how much do you think I, a first-time guest, should drink?"Of course, the answer was to drink more.They all thought the same thing, though their expressions were different.But none of them spoke the truth aloud.Today was a special day for Jane and Zachary, and they were the ones in charge.It should have been them who spoke first.Zachary said, "This is my brother-in-law's first time in Jeswo
At noon, only Whitney admitted that Jane was her sister-in-law. Jane even gave her a little gift.As for Caleb, neither Jane or Zachary cared if he admitted it or not.They thought Whitney had married Caleb for the sake of business.But just now, the two of them were so intimate, unable to part with each other, and even had a visible kiss mark that couldn't be hidden by a turtleneck.Given this relationship, wasn't it reasonable for Caleb to admit that they were his brother-in-law and sister-in-law?However, Caleb didn't really know them well, and they didn't know his personality either. Naturally, he couldn't just say that he recognized them as his in-laws.As for Westley, everyone knew him well.Besides, Westley had married Jane's younger sister, so he should be recognizing them as well."That’s unnecessary, Mr. Hilton," said Zachary. "Jordan is Jane's sister, both of them are from the Jackson family, though they've been separated for years due to some unfortunate circumstanc
"Since Mr. Hilton spoils his wife so much, how about you drink this wine for Whitney instead?"Caleb curved his lips into a smile, picked up his glass, and said, "You’re not going to double the amount if I drink for her, right, Mrs. Smith?"Before Charlotte could speak, Frank intervened.He placed one hand on Charlotte's shoulder, gently swirled his wine glass with the other, his posture relaxed and casual."Since Mr. Hilton is so interested, how can I not satisfy your requests on my turf?"He even brought Zachary into it. "Today is your big day, it's your stage, so set an example by taking the first round."Zachary glanced at him indifferently. He was pretending to be drunk today, but Frank hadn’t gone easy on him.He had originally planned to use water for his drinks, but Frank had switched it back to real alcohol.Now, he was starting trouble again."Oh!" Frank suddenly seemed to remember something. "I forgot, Mr. Collins drank a lot at lunch. I guess the alcohol in his sto
No one had called for dinner yet.She knew that Zachary and Jane were getting married today, so they might be staying in the room for a while.Caleb and Whitney were the ones they thought would be spending time together.So, she first knocked on Charlotte's room.She figured that they wouldn't necessarily want to spend time together right now.But she was wrong.No one answered Charlotte's door.However, Jane sent her a message saying she would get up soon.Then Charlotte also spoke up in their group chat.That was when she came to call Whitney.She guessed that the two should have finished their intimate act by now...Whitney, ignoring the discomfort in her body, used both hands and feet to escape from Caleb's embrace.She first responded to Jordan at the door and then rushed into the bathroom.Caleb came in shortly after.When his bare back pressed against her, Whitney was startled. "Why aren't you wearing any clothes?"Caleb held her and chuckled. "Honey, have you eve
Westley patted her on the head. "You're asking me about this because you want to help Mandy, or..."Mandy and Jordan hadn't been in touch much over the past few years, but before university, they had a pretty good relationship.When Mandy ran into trouble and went to the north, Jordan was furious.It took him several days to calm her down.But then, unexpectedly, his relationship with her had also fallen apart.Looking back now, he wondered if it was because Carter always treated him and maintained his health, but in doing so, perhaps he had also pushed the love out of his own life.Jordan shook her head. "I won’t interfere with other people’s relationships. I'm just asking out of curiosity."Westley didn't expect that but still told her about the situation."Caleb did indeed relent. He will give Carter a chance to meet with Mandy. And this was something, Zachary, Frank, and I, were all aware of but haven't spoken about it openly. Zachary is pretending to be drunk."Jordan had
Caleb and Zachary had a drink and then left with Whitney.Carter didn't even have time to drink with Zachary and hurriedly followed them.At that moment, Zachary's and the others were here to watch the show.But they didn't expect, when they turned the corner, to see Caleb pinning Whitney against the wall, kissing her.The man's brows and eyes were full of flirtatious charm, and he blocked Whitney's profile, glancing over.He asked, "What's wrong? Haven't you seen a married couple kiss?"There was no sign of Carter anywhere.They didn't want to interrupt the couple's private moment, so Westley and Frank escorted Zachary to his room, then went back to their own rooms with their wives.Jane pretended to wipe Zachary's face and was about to leave.But Zachary grabbed her and pulled her into the bed."Mr. Collins, you're getting more and more skilled at pretending to be drunk."Zachary opened his eyes and kissed her forehead.His hoarse voice carried a hint of weakness."Honey