On the desk was a thick photo album. Rose flipped to the first page and saw a young Jonathan. The young lad was handsome and tall with features identical to his current self, but his face lacked the coldness it now possessed.As Rose flipped through the album, she occasionally saw the man's lips curve into a slight smile. Besides Jonathan, the album also contained photos of a young Miles and another woman. Rose had seen her before. She was the woman in the photo Rose had seen in the building behind the Young Estate in Aquastead. Her name was Harriette!Rose examined Harriette in the photos. Harriette was full of youthful vitality and had a bright smile.She knew that all the granddaughters Oliver had adopted had eyes that resembled Celeste's. But compared to Anastasia, Harriette's eyes seemed to smile and were warmly contagious.Jonathan must have liked her before. Rose was certain that in the photo she had seen in Aquastead, Jonathan was the man with scribbles on his face. And H
Cyrus was too guilty to look Jonathan in the eyes. As he reflected on the situation, he realized his first concern had not been Ezra's injury. It was only after he returned to the Finch Manor that he thought of Ezra.Now faced with Jonathan's questioning, he felt even less confident, but Jonathan demanded an answer. "The third floor of the exhibition hall holds all your important belongings with locks to every passage. How did Ezra get up there?"As Jonathan spoke, he glanced at Lizzie, already suspicious."Jon… Jon, it was my fault. I overlooked it," Lizzie suddenly spoke with a look of self-blame in her eyes.Jonathan was surprised that Lizzie admitted it was her doing."I went to the third floor that day to check Cyrus' painting. After I finished, I left and didn't realize the door wasn't properly closed."Every word was filled with regret, but they were equally piercing to Jonathan. He let out a mocking laugh.Claire, who had been silent, quickly chimed in, "Mr. Jonathan,
The alarm blared and instantly woke up the entire Finch Manor.Yosef's family, who had been keeping an eye on the situation outside, saw Jonathan leaving the study and thought the matter was over, but they perked up upon hearing the alarm."What happened? What's going on?" Yosef pretended to have been woken up by the sound and stepped out of his room to check. Bella followed closely behind.Anna and helpers in the manor also began waking up one after another. The medical team arrived just after the alarm rang for a moment. The previously silent manor was bustling with activity. Everyone was focused on Cyrus' study.In the room, Rose had put down the photo album. Jonathan returned to the room just as the alarm sounded."What happened?" Rose was unaware of the situation outside but guessed that the commotion was related to Jonathan.The icy coldness in Jonathan's heart melted a little upon seeing Rose. He strode up to her the moment he entered the room."Jonathan…" Rose was star
"Jon, no enmity lasts between father and son. You've misunderstood him!" Lizzie didn't answer directly.Her ambiguous reply was meant to make everyone believe that Jonathan was the main cause of Cyrus' current condition.Jonathan was all too clear with the trick. He didn't even bother to glance at Lizzie, and nor did he want to waste time dealing with her. He reached forward and took Rose's hand. "Let's go." His voice was warm, unlike the cold indifference he had shown Lizzie. It surprised everyone present. Jonathan was known for his cold demeanor in the Finch family and rarely showed any warmth or even a smile. There was a hint of gentleness in his voice just now, but the Jonathan they knew had nothing associated with the word "gentleness".The people present couldn't help but look at Jonathan and Rose beside him again. They had just been astonished at Rose's act of protecting Jonathan, but upon closer examination, they noticed the unusual way Jonathan looked at her.Rose wa
Lizzie cried in self-reproach. "It's my fault for not telling Claire to close the door, otherwise Ezra wouldn't have stumbled in. Those photos were your only memories of Nancy but now…"Destroyed! She was pleased that the photos were destroyed! Without those photos, Cyrus could only remember Nancy in his memories, but how long could he remember? Memories would eventually fade until he could no longer recall Nancy's face."It's not your fault." Cyrus snapped back to reality. Lizzie's understanding and generosity made him feel guilty.For years, Lizzie had been by his side and was attentive to his needs. He shouldn't be thinking of someone from the past anymore. Cyrus looked at Lizzie and asked a question he had never asked before. "Do you regret marrying me?"Regret? How could she possibly regret it? Everything she had done back then, open and in secret, was to seize the opportunity to marry him.Lizzie shook her head. "I only regret not having done my best when you had me take c
Jack… Rose paused at the door."What kind of flowers does Mr. Jack like?""Who knows? But someone like him would probably prefer something fiery and passionate, so I chose roses. Red roses.""That's not necessarily true. Maybe he likes something fresh and elegant." The woman speaking stood among countless flowers and picked a white jasmine.The other young ladies were carefully selecting their flowers, some even choosing and putting them back. They constantly reconsidered their choices as if the chosen flower held extraordinary significance.Rose seamlessly blended into the group picking flowers, and the conversation continued."I heard that Mr. Jack invited a few friends to tonight's gathering. I wonder who they'll be.""Mr. Jack's friends are also elites. It'd be great to get to know them."Tonight's gathering? Rose subconsciously tightened her grip on the flowers as she thought of Yvonne still lying in the hospital.A plan to approach Jack started stirring in her mind. She
"Your uncle only found out that Yvonne is at the Young family hospital, but Miles has kept all other details under wraps," Bella said, a hint of frustration in her voice. She couldn't resist scolding Jack. "Of all the people you could've gotten involved with, you chose her! I told you to handle it discreetly, but you just had to..." The situation exasperated her."Also, why would Jonathan be interested in Yvonne? As far as I know, there's no connection between them," Bella said, bewildered.After a moment of hesitation, Jack decided to come clean. "Yvonne and Rose are best friends. Rose was also there that night.""Rose?" Bella echoed, recognizing the name immediately. "That explains why Jonathan is investigating! It must be because of Rose!"A hint of unease crept into her voice as she gave Jack strict instructions. "You need to lay low, Jack. This isn't something you can brush off. "I'm booking you a flight out of the country. You need to leave and stay out of sight. We'll us
Amidst the darkness, Rose could vaguely make out Jack's silhouette, But he wasn't alone in the shadows. More than a dozen figures were seated around him, their identities obscured by the gloom.Meanwhile, the women on stage feared that disobeying Jack's instructions would anger him and jeopardize their chances of earning his favor.Remembering their purpose for coming here, one of them spoke up. "I'm willing, Mr. Finch.""I'm willing too.""I am as well.""We're all willing."Once the first woman broke the ice, the others followed suit, letting go of their inhibitions. The women looked toward the shadowy area below the stage, assuming that only Jack was watching them perform."Excellent. Then let's begin," Jack said, his tone filled with satisfaction.After a brief discussion, the women swiftly decided on a routine they often practiced. As the music began, their graceful movements commanded the stage. Yet, their revealing costumes lent the performance an unsettling air. In th