After a moment of hesitation, Jonathan gestured to Finley to leave before answering the call. The caller seemed surprised at first.Then, her gentle voice came through, "Jonathan, I never thought you'd pick up my call. How have you been these years?"Jonathan remained silent for a long time.Anastasia then continued, "I know you probably still resent me. But, I truly had no choice back then … Can't we let the past be the past? At the very least, the Finches and the Youngs are prestigious. And we used to …"Jonathan coldly interrupted her as he said, "What are you up to?"It seemed like he didn't want to indulge in reminiscing. Anastasia forced a bitter smile. She took a deep breath before getting to the point."My grandfather wants me to participate as one of the organizers for the National Jewelry Design Award. I'd like to invite you as a special judge. You can rest assured, that you'll only need to appear during the finals. It won't take up much of your time."Jonathan was abo
"Go on and dream your little dreams. I won't stay there!"With these resolute words, Rose left the reception room in feigned composure. As she descended the stairs, her heart raced with anxiety.These rich men always played their games. Perhaps the so-called Mr Finch had set his sight on her, waiting to make her his plaything.However, she refused to be a kept woman. Besides, she had never even seen what he looked like; he might have a crooked face or twisted mouth for all she knew.Worried that he might employ further tactics, she thought of her star escort husband. She made an immediate decision. On the other hand, Finley entered the reception room after Rose left."Mr. Finch, why did Ms. Shaffer leave so fast? It's only been a short while …"Jonathan also felt a tinge of disappointment. Even though there was a folding screen between them, he had wanted to steal more glances at her. Her parting words, however…His deep eyes gleamed mysteriously. Just then, his phone rang. As e
A twinge of melancholy coursed through Rose's senses. Feeling worried, Jonathan turned around and was about to check on her. However, she grabbed his wrist and looked at him with anticipation."What kind of surprise?"Jonathan was speechless. It seemed like she was right since she hadn't forgotten about this matter."I'll tell you when you make it to the finals," he crisply replied before heading into the master bedroom.He suddenly thought that agreeing to be a judge for Anastasia's invitation was a good idea after all.Outside the door, Rose's curiosity remained unsatisfied, but this fueled her creativity. She stayed up all night to complete her design.After uploading the design to the official website at 6:00 AM, she finally went to sleep.At 3:00 PM, she was awakened by her phone's ringtone. Still half-asleep, she could only make out that it was a call from Evan as she picked it up."Evan …""Rose, a friend from Regalia has just arrived in Aquastead and wants to see you.
Kelly gazed in the direction and saw only the silhouette of a woman. Nevertheless, she recognized the man—it was Evan. As for the woman … Her figure bore a striking resemblance to Rose.Evan was following her. It made Kelly increasingly certain that the woman was indeed Rose. In an instant, jealousy surged within her. Alongside jealousy, there was an urgent sense of crisis.What was Miles doing with Rose? Was it because of the upcoming National Jewelry Design Award? Did he admire her designs, or was Evan trying to help her by using unfair means?The more Kelly thought about it, the more unsettled she became. Nixon noticed her change in complexion and immediately showed concern."Kelly, are you feeling unwell? Let's go then. I won't return to Lane residence tonight. We can head to the apartment in the city."The city apartment had always been their secret rendezvous spot. Kelly had initially intended to hold onto Nixon before securing the support of Jonathan. However, as she look
Rose's heart skipped a beat. She thought of him as a refined charming gentleman in public but a love expert behind the scenes. However, his earnest gaze and sincere tone contradicted her assumptions.She immediately reproached her judgment and felt a pang of curiosity."Her? Is she your ex-girlfriend? Your first love?"Miles noticed the curiosity in her eyes.He chuckled and said, "No, she's my sister.""I see. Your sister …"Rose forced a smile. She had assumed there was some juicy backstory.Meanwhile, Kelly was eavesdropping on them from not far away. Earlier, she had rejected Nixon's offer to send her home and pretended to take a taxi to leave.Nevertheless, she returned after a few minutes and deliberately waited for them to come out.Seeing them engrossed in conversation and seemingly getting along well, her jealousy flared up like a burning fire.She was now more certain that Rose had made up to Miles to use his connections in entering the National Jewelry Design Award
How could Rose ignore a handsome guy who was starving? She pointed toward the kitchen as she signaled him to let go of her.She then went to the kitchen. Ten minutes later, a plate of spaghetti was placed in front of Jonathan.He looked at the simple-made spaghetti with disdain. He already expected that her culinary skills were nothing special.However, after taking a bite, he revealed an incredulous expression. The taste was surprisingly good.Rose was cleaning the stove in the kitchen. Jonathan became entranced as the warm light illuminated her.When Rose was about to turn around, he shifted his gaze away and concentrated on eating his meal. Five days later, the semi-final results of the National Jewelry Design Award were announced.Rose successfully made it to the finals.She eagerly screenshot the news and sent it to her star escort husband as she texted, "You promised me a surprise if I made it to the finals. Can you finally tell me what it is?"Jonathan was in a meeting.
Rose quickly ran away after handing the phone to Jonathan. As she closed the bedroom door, she heard her star escort husband's deep and sexy voice from outside."Okay. We'll discuss it when I return to Regalia," he said.Rose recalled the woman's gentle voice she had heard earlier. Anastasia? From the way she talked, it seemed she had a close relationship with her star escort husband. He was returning to Regalia?Rose felt a bit uneasy. Suddenly, she thought of something. Just now, Anastasia called her star escort husband by his name."Is it 'Jon?'" she wondered.She strained her memory but couldn't recall the exact name due to nervousness.She didn't even delve into the fact that both Anastasia and her star escort husband used the word "return" when they talked about Regalia.The news that Jonathan would be a special guest judge at the National Jewelry Design Award finals quickly seized the headlines on Facebook.Many wealthy parties announced their plans to attend the auction
Rose drove all night long to Chereton, where she managed to find the house according to the address the next morning.The door was open when she arrived, and a middle-aged woman sat outside in the courtyard sewing. She was surprised to see Rose."Hi there, are you Mdm. Angelica?" Rose asked gently. Angelica Willis swiftly set her sewing down and walked up to Rose.She looked at her long and hard before saying, "You're so big now, Rose. I held you when you were a baby, do you remember? Oh, you must've forgotten about me already."Angelica gazed fixedly at Rose's face, then exclaimed, "Your eyes … you look just like her!"Miles had said her eyes resembled someone else's the other day, too. Knowing now that Angelica meant her mother, she beamed happily, feeling closely affectionate to the older woman.Angelica told Rose all about her mother, and then handed her an old box. Inside was a large chunk of raw fire opal."Your mother left this behind decades ago. Take it. I have no use
And there was also Miles… He was currently on vacation abroad, which was a time meant for relaxation. If Rose were to die, hearing the news would likely affect his vacation, right?He would definitely rush back for this.It would be a time of sorrow and a time to take on the responsibilities of Young Group once again.He wouldn't know that Harriette played a part in Rose's death. In truth, Harriette only held resentment toward Rose, and even if she were with the Young family, she wouldn't harm Miles.However, when Rose reached this conclusion, she felt particularly uneasy.But she didn't have enough time to figure out why she felt uncomfortable. She thought about Elijah, Clover, Yvonne, Emily…The people she thought about flashed through her mind one by one.…Outside the warehouse, Harriette, in a state of panic, ran out. Once she was in a more populated area, she resumed her act.The doctors and nurses who left the warehouse earlier were no longer there.Harriette was surpr
When Harriette saw the look on Rose's face, she felt stirred up with even more excitement.She was astonished, shocked, and even confused—all these emotions were present except for fear.This made Harriette feel very dissatisfied. Why wasn't Rose afraid?She wanted to instill fear in Rose and make her scared. She even wanted to watch her tremble all over, begging for mercy and pleading for her life…How could she be okay as though nothing was happening at all?In the current situation, Carl has control over Rose. There was no chance Rose would be able to leave the psychiatric facility's warehouse today.So, Harriette decided to stop pretending.She faced Rose, whose eyes were filled with a complex mix of emotions. With a gentle smile, she said, "I owe it all to you, Rose!"She passed on Carl's message to Rose, doubling the irony."Harriette, you…" If Rose didn't understand by now, she had to really be clueless.After Rose connected everything together, it became increasingly
That strange feeling in the air today hadn't faded since it began. Rose had the strange urge to find out where it came from. What would the result be?She ignored Henrietta's frantic cries. Her gaze slid past her and fell on Carl. She asked once more, "What do you intend to do?""What do I intend to do?" Carl sneered and continued, "The Finches sent me here to a psychiatric facility."He then chuckled. "Do I look insane to you?"Rose was speechless.Yes, very much so.Carl's heart was filled with genuine hatred. Being sent to the psychiatric facility was Ezra's doing. Ezra clearly wanted him to experience what his mother, Nancy, had suffered back then. During his time here, they injected him with drugs. He knew exactly what those drugs were doing to his body. It was the knowledge that filled him with terror. This was exactly what Ezra wanted. He even felt that he was mentally ill now.Hatred flared in his eyes. "No, I'm not sick. I don't have a mental illness! I don't have a m
Henrietta turned and left after she spoke. But how could Rose feel at ease with letting her search for Carl alone? He was a dangerous person.She had witnessed how dangerous and crazy he was that night. Now that everything he had done was revealed, he had even less qualms. If he hurt Henrietta again… Once she thought of Miles, she immediately followed Henrietta. She tailed her and realized Henrietta was darting aimlessly through the corridors. She peered through the glass door of each room to check inside. Once she was sure the person inside wasn't Carl, she would move on to the next room.Was that how she planned to find him? She had to go through the facility even if she wanted to see Carl. She would at least be able to guarantee her safety that way."Etta…" said Rose. She wanted to stop Henrietta so she could provide her information to the facility to meet Carl. However, just as she called out to Henrietta, she heard Henrietta's hoarse voice. "Carl!"The next instant, Rose
Rose stopped in her tracks and turned around, surprised to see the person behind her. Anastasia?"Don't…" Anastasia looked anxious. But before she could finish, someone from behind bumped into her, causing her to let go of Rose's hand.The person immediately apologized. "Sorry, I… I'm in a rush." The person looked frightened but quickly stepped into the elevator.As the elevator door was about to close, someone inside asked Rose, "Ms. Shaffer, aren't you coming?"For some reason, Rose entered the elevator."Rose…" Anastasia wanted to stop her, but as she reached out, the elevator door closed, leaving her standing alone.She tried to stop her, but she failed, so what else could she do?Rose… Since Miles left Regalia, Harriette had been behaving herself, but today, she was acting weird. She was about to cause trouble!Anastasia was certain of that. But she didn't know what Harriette was planning to do.In the elevator, Rose felt uneasy. The elevator reached the first floor. Wh
Harriette was warning Anastasia. If she interfered, she would "take care" of her.Anastasia's eyes flickered with surprise, and she swiftly looked away. After that, she quietly left the airport with the two of them.On the way back to the company, Harriette deliberately separated Anastasia from her and Rose. Anastasia took a car on her own, while Harriette and Rose shared one.In the car, Rose couldn't stop thinking about the look Anastasia had given her earlier. She felt that Anastasia had something she wanted to say to her.Rose sensed that ever since Harriette returned, Anastasia had changed entirely. She was no longer as aggressive as before. But despite Anastasia's change, they still didn't interact much.What could she possibly want to say to her?"Rose? Rose?" Harriette called her twice before Rose finally reacted. She was immediately met with Harriette's pout. "Rose, what were you daydreaming about? You weren't listening to me, were you?"Rose didn't respond. She tried t
Harriette was referring to Carl.Miles frowned instantly, as though worried that she might get hurt again.However, Harriette immediately reassured him, "Don't worry, Miles. As long as you're by my side, he won't be able to hurt me again."Miles thought for a moment, and his brows began to relax."Okay." Miles agreed for Harriette to meet Carl."Be good. I'll go visit Rose. She was scared last night too, but luckily nothing happened to her. Otherwise, her fate, as well as Jon's and Ezra's would be very different."Miles didn't hide his concern for Rose in front of Harriette."Go ahead, Miles. I'll visit her later today as well." Harriette said kindly.The moment Miles left the office, the smile on her face instantly faded."Such a shame…" She sighed, lamenting at Rose's luck. It would be ideal for her if something had happened between Ezra and Rose in the greenhouse.If so, Rose would have never had the chance to be with Jonathan, and there wouldn't be so much commotion at th
For a moment, there was only silence from the other end of the line. Lizzie didn't respond to Harriette's question."Madam?" Harriette called out cautiously.It was as if she'd flipped a switch because what came after was Lizzie's sharp questioning. "Did you already know that Rose and Jonathan were married?"Even over the phone, Harriette felt uneasy. "Answer me! Did you know?" Lizzie raised her voice.Harriete gulped. "I only realized later that the person Rose married was Mr. Finch. Madam, I wasn't trying to keep it from you. I just…""Just what?" Lizzie didn't believe that Harriette hadn't hidden the truth intentionally.In the past, Lizzie would have definitely punished Harriette for her dishonesty, but at that moment, there were more pressing matters than punishing Harriette.Lizzie forced down her anger. When she left the Finch Manor the night before, she hadn't returned to Cyrus's residence. Instead, she went to a luxury condominium she had secretly purchased.She'd sp
Jonathan understood what Ezra meant. "No matter what help you need, you can always ask Finley."By the time Rose came back downstairs, the serious expressions that Jonathan and Ezra had previously worn were replaced by smiles.Jonathan was preparing to send Rose to the Youngs, but right after they stepped out, they saw a luxury car parked outside the house, with Elijah standing beside it. Standing far apart, the two men locked eyes.Jonathan looked shocked at first, but the shock quickly disappeared. Elijah had most probably investigated Jonathan inside out, so it made sense that he knew the location of Jonathan's new house.Jonathan took the hint and handed Rose over to Elijah.When Rose reached the office, everyone she met gave her an oddly happy look."Ms. Shaffer, congratulations!""Ms. Shaffer, thank you so much!"Rose felt strange about receiving congratulations. What had happened that people were congratulating her? And thanks? Why were they thanking her?Rose was confu