When they arrived at the company, the driver deliberately parked the car near the company's entrance to prevent more people from seeing Jepherson getting off with the sanitary pads. However, many still saw him, and he even took the two large bags with him. The driver reminded, "Mr. Jepherson." Jepherson looked inside the car at the driver. "Yes?" The driver said, "She won't need that many." Jepherson glanced at the bags in his hand and walked toward the company, ignoring the driver's words. Seeing so, the driver immediately called Stuart, prompting him to tell Lucy to help Jepherson. It didn't take long for Lucy to reach the lobby, and Jepherson entered the building as soon as she arrived, yet he was still inevitably seen with the bags. However, no one dared to look at Jepherson, turning a blind eye. "Mr. Richards, allow me." Lucy took them over and accompanied Jepherson back to his office. But the two entered two different el
Raeleigh pulled a long face. "This is between you and me; why are you dragging her into this?" "If it's only me and you, I can't stop you from leaving." Jepherson stood up as he spoke and checked the time. "Hungry?" Raeleigh shook her head. "No." Humored, Jepherson said, "I like that about you; giving me straight answers. Even if you're smart, you won't use it on me." Jepherson pulled Raeleigh toward the door, taking his coat and his keys, leaving the hotel with her. When they reached the lobby, Jepherson asked the valet to bring his sports car over. Raeleigh asked where they were heading that required him to drive his sports car. Jepherson got into the car. He had withdrawn enough money and also brought some clothes, including Raeleigh's, for the journey. "If my grandmother asks, tell her I'm in a bad mood, and I won't be going home for a while." Stuart glanced toward Raeleigh. Could he interpret it as she was the so-called mood?
Looking at the time of death carved on the tombstone, Raeleigh then drifted her gaze to Jepherson and said, "That time, you asked me to help take care of Santiago because you wanted to deal with Lamarre's funeral?" Jepherson lowered his eyes and produced a small notebook from his pocket to Raeleigh. "He left you this." Raeleigh took it and opened the notebook. The first page was blank, but the rest of the book was scribbled with some words that Lamarre had wanted to say. ...... "Raeleigh, I'm leaving. Please forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye. I had nothing to be proud of in my life. I had people that I loved, but I had no choice but to leave them behind with my weak body. Still, the process was very painful. Time isn't something terrifying. Compared to loving someone, it would become insignificant. I've been where you are, so I know well the pain of being unable to be with the one you love, but I don't like forced love either.
After packing up, they grabbed something to eat and hit the road that evening. Jepherson drove while Raeleigh slept. She was dead asleep the first half of the night; later, they took a break at the rest stop, and Raeleigh took over the wheel after she had some water. In the car, Raeleigh reminded Jepherson, "Fasten your seat belt. We will arrive in the morning." "Go slow. I'm still here." Jepherson wasn't afraid of death but worried that she didn't want to live. Raeleigh was amused but said nothing, feeling confident. Stumped, Jepherson adjusted his seat and put his hand on Raeleigh's thigh, leading her to look at it. "I feel more at ease like this. Otherwise, I wouldn't know what you're doing," Jepherson said. Raeleigh started the car and continued their journey. Jepherson slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep comfortably. Raeleigh's driving speed was not what one would call slow. There weren't many cars on the road late at night. As lo
Jepherson slowly turned to Raeleigh and asked, "Is it that funny?" Stumped, she turned to him. "A little." "Right." After putting some meat into Raeleigh's plate, Jepherson continued to eat and watch TV. Raeleigh wasn't a big fan of meat, but she ate it still. After dinner, Stuart came in and cleared the table. Raeleigh went to brush her teeth then lay in bed. Raeleigh had already fallen asleep when Stuart came in for the second time, an unprecedented calmness on her face. Somewhat lost in thought, Stuart thought if Raeleigh could stay forever, Jepherson would be happier. "Anything else?" Jepherson asked Stuart rather upsettingly as he came out of the bathroom. Panicking, Stuart turned to Jepherson and said, his head bowed, "Something came up in the company; you'll have to see to it." Jepherson took a look at Raeleigh and asked, "What happened?" "A car from our company self-ignited. This is the third time this year that
A guest approached Raeleigh, caught by her beauty, but Stuart immediately stepped in. "Sorry, this seat is taken." After the admirer left, a server came to their table with some refreshments. Raeleigh was indeed hungry, so she began to eat, and so did the other reporters. It was a no-brainer that most of them hadn't eaten, given the early timing. Leave it to Jepherson to be thoughtful. Soon, the press conference began. Jepherson first showed a few authoritative QC reports; they've always had them, but there had never been a need to put them to use. Showing it right then meant nobody could overthrow any of his statements later. In addition, Jepherson specifically mentioned the issue of the car when the reporter asked questions. But no one asked why there were three accidents in the car in such a short time, so Raeleigh raised her hand. Seeing it, Jepherson gave the floor to her. Raeleigh asked, "Mr. Richards, if I may ask, why were t
Raeleigh put the lanyard aside. "Humans are blind and cannot stand any scrutiny; we're no different." Jepherson said, "I'm hungry." "Let's go and eat then." "Eat here. I don't want to go out." Jepherson went to the door and told Stuart to bring some food over. After lunch, they headed to the company. When Raeleigh went into Jepherson's office, she saw Lamarre's sketch on his table. She sat down and stared at it, spacing out. "Why is there only half of it?" "It's his assignment for you; he wants to give you a hand after his passing." Jepherson had thought of developing Lamarre's sketch but decided otherwise after looking at it. Lamarre left it for Raeleigh; it wasn't his to use, choosing to respect Lamarre's decision. Although Lamarre had resigned, the unilateral severance was not feasible. Raeleigh looked at Jepherson for a while and fixed her eyes on his face again. "What would you say if I expressed my interest in collaborat
"I've fallen from heaven to hell. This is nothing to me. I didn't force you; you came back by yourself." "Shall I go back then?" "No way. You can't leave unless he comes!" Jepherson shackled Raeleigh in his arms like a child while she shoved him away with all her might but only to fail. They stayed so for quite some time until Jepherson snaked his hand into her shirt. This time of the year was rather pleasant, so Raeleigh only had on a thin layer of a shirt. As for underneath that... Raeleigh suddenly pushed him away and stepped back. "Don't do this." "Are you trying to tease me?" "I'm not." Raeleigh went back to roll up the sketch when Jepherson went to her and hugged her from behind. She put the sketch down and tried to pull his hands away, only for him to kiss her from behind. "Raeleigh... Let me kiss you, please. I won't do anything, just a kiss." "No, Jepherson, you can't do this. If you do this... Mm..." Jeph