This mobile phone had been left untouched for over a decade. Less than five people knew this number; in the past decade or so, two of the few who could contact this number had passed away... Thus, Joseph was shocked when the phone rang. Although unexpected, he had been supervising his servants to charge the phone every day for the past decade and keeping the line open, for he had always hoped that the phone would ring. He finally got his wish. The person on the other end of the phone called him President York. Someone had called him that when he was in his twenties... "Maximilian, long time no see." Joseph took off the oxygen mask, squinting. "I heard you haven't been feeling well lately. Can you still hold on? If not, I can personally come over," Maximilian said on the other end of the phone. Joseph laughed weakly, but vigorously. "When others passed away, you didn't personally intervene either, did you? So why do I have this honor?" "If you need me, just let me
"Having descendants and being skilled in perfumery. Who else could it be if not you?" Professor Turner continued. "That may be true, but…" Melanie pursed her lips. If it weren't for Professor Turner saying this, she really wouldn’t have thought about it. At that time, she only focused on winning Joseph's support or trying to find out his intentions. When it came to heirs, she had only thought of the two brothers, Harlow and Leo. She never considered herself. Moreover, she had never thought about inheriting any family business, especially since the Yorks weren’t her own family. Professor Turner seemed to have guessed what she was thinking, and said, "After hinting at this, he talked about giving you the power to make decisions. Joseph is careful and experienced, so there must be a reason for this. If he intends to make you heir, what would you do?" "I refuse." Melanie shook her head subconsciously. "The reason I came to the Yorks was to help Jefford, and also to resolve my e
"Yes, I have. Thank you for being so thoughtful," Melanie replied with a smile as she walked in. She had come to see Yelena wanting to know more about the relationship between Leo and Yelena. Now that Leo was in the room, she couldn't ask. "You even prepared breakfast for her?" Yelena asked Leo. He nodded. Yelena smiled. "Leo is the most thoughtful boy I've ever met. No one else compares." "Indeed," Melanie agreed with a smile. Leo also smiled modestly, waving his hand. He suddenly looked up at Melanie, and asked, "Which type of pastry do you like the most? I'll have them prepare it tomorrow." Melanie hesitated for a moment. He was testing her! Fortunately, she had actually eaten them earlier. She was afraid of encountering Leo and feeling awkward when asked. "I've already had breakfast before I came, but the pastries you sent were so exquisite that I couldn't resist tasting a few. The pink one was the best. It smelled like rose petals," she replied tactfully. Leo s
Yelena stepped out, and declared loudly, "Everyone, my father isn't feeling well and has just fallen asleep. He won't be able to see you for the time being," On the sofa, Robert squinted and stood up. "Miss York, we came today to see Mr. York for an important matter. Since he's sleeping, we can wait." Yelena didn’t give them any room to negotiate. “The doctor advised him to rest fully. Even if he wakes up, he may not be able to see you all.” "Well, that's a bit inconvenient." Robert shrugged, feigning helplessness. "Since Miss York is here, why not discuss it with her?" He added, "Miss York, you probably know that it's almost time for the annual perfume competition to take place. The committee needs to prepare in advance. Since Mr. York can't participate this year, we've come specifically to consult him. We want to see if he has any young talents in mind to recommend, as the chairman of the committee." The Yorks frowned. Ever since the Angle family’s name became well-know
Melanie knew she was bound together with the Yorks, for better or for worse.Without the Yorks’ support, Jefford would be no match for Linda. The moment Linda gained power, she would certainly take revenge on Melanie. When that happened, Jones Enterprise would have no way of resisting Yancey Group’s attacks.For herself, for Jones Enterprise and Pamela, Melanie was forced to give this her best shot!Yet, she knew that it would be tremendously challenging…*In the evening, when Joseph’s condition had stabilized, the first person he asked to meet was Yelena. The moment Yelena left his room, he requested to see Melanie.Before Melanie entered the room, she composed herself and mentally prepared herself for the mind games she would be playing with Joseph later on. She was determined not to be as passive as she was the last time.Joseph immediately cut to the chase. “I heard from Yelena that you agreed to produce perfumes under the Yorks’ name?” “Yes, but I’m not exactly confident
Half an hour later, the car parked by the beachside.There were no luxury yachts in sight; only an old rowboat in disrepair, lying on the seashore crowded with seagulls.“Coo…coo…”The seagulls’ coos and their pure white feathers ruffling in the wind as they eagerly seek for food soothed Melanie’s furrowed brows. What a peaceful and soothing scene!“Here.”Jefford handed her something. She realized it was a paper bag overflowing with popcorn.She immediately understood what he meant with it. She opened the door, stepped out of the car and threw a handful of popcorn in the air. Hordes of seagulls immediately surrounded her.The corners of her lips lifted in a smile.When she was through with the bag of popcorn, Melanie smiled apologetically to a seagull that landed on her shoulders. Upon realizing there was no more food left, the bird eventually flew away.She turned around to see Jefford seated in that rowboat, looking at her with a smile.The ocean, the sky, the birds and th
If the perfume Melanie was concocting couldn’t compare to Cold Night, they were better off not launching it at all. Melanie’s response to the perfume right now was therefore critical.Everyone’s gazes were fixated on Melanie. She tucked her hair behind her ear, and said calmly, “I concocted my perfume prototype last night. Give me two days to perfect it, and it'll be comparable to this one.”Joseph’s eyes lit up.Everyone’s faces relaxed as well.“The skills of Cold Night’s perfumer are comparable to mine. In order to beat him in this game, the concept and idea behind the perfume must be superior. The theme of my perfume this time is freedom. If I can concoct the taste of freedom that everyone yearns for from the depths of their hearts, it can definitely create hype and resonance that Cold Night is unable to produce. After all, the concept of freedom is something much more expandable, with more room for imagination!”“You’re right!” Yelena stood up, and grabbed Melanie’s hand
After hanging up the call, Melanie’s racing heartbeat slowed down.Would he come to her rescue?Even if he does, would he be in time?Bam!Bam!Melanie could hear the hitman running in her direction, his hastened footsteps drawing near.She clearly had no time left…The gears in her mind shifted as she realized that she should call the Yorks for help. Her first instinct was to reach out to Yelena, but when she tried calling her, she realized that her phone received no signal.She didn’t know if it was due to the weak signal in this place, or if the hitman might have installed a signal jammer outside to stop her from getting help.Whatever it was, her call with Jefford just now was her only glimmer of hope…Melanie’s grip tightened over her phone as her heart fell.Thankfully, there were many storerooms in this area and all the doors were shut. With no idea of her whereabouts, the hitman would have to search through every room.She could hear the hitman opening and slamming
Pleasantly surprised, Melanie turned around to see the man she had been looking for. She never stopped saying his name in her head. He stood right behind her.At that moment, she stopped thinking completely.Without even hesitating, she ran toward him and dove into his arms."Ughh."Jeffrey groaned in pain. He did not dare to press against her stomach. Instead, he arched his back to hold her."Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea how I…" She cried so much that she could not speak."Alright, alright. Good girl. Don't cry. I've come back."Jeffrey kept rubbing the back of her head. "Eagle was too neurotic. I've nearly gone mad from dealing with him. I finally got him to regain some of his sanity today… That's how I had the chance to find you…""How did you know where to find me?" Melanie asked."Today is the day of Nathan's trial. I know you'd definitely be in the courtroom," Jeffrey said confidently.Melanie finally calmed down a little. After letting go of him,
"We're not together…"Kenneth's facial expression changed as soon as he saw Melanie.Melanie noticed there was a hint of guilt in his eyes. This was an unsettling feeling for her. "Then where is he? What happened to you guys?"Noticing that she was shaking, Annie and Carson, who had accompanied her to court, rushed forward to assist her."Eagle had a prior arrangement with Nathan. Once Nathan and Leo's plan at the York family's residence was thwarted, Nathan would press a button. Eagle would then receive a code to detonate a bomb. He'd blow us all up," Kenneth explained."Jeffrey was the one who noticed Eagle wasn't in the right state of mind. That's why he informed me to leave with Mr. Oliver. He… Stayed behind to persuade Eagle…" He added."What happened then?" Melanie's voice was shaking."All I knew after that was that the hotel blew up. I waited for him to contact me but he never did. Mr. Oliver and I have been on the run from Nathan's shadowy pursuits. I only managed to sn
Three days later, the trial was officially in session.Leo's attorney was practically defenseless because the York family's allegations of him poisoning Joseph had been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Leo was directly sentenced to life in prison.Nathan's attorney, on the other hand, was clever. They tried everything they could to deflect Nathan's allegations.After the presiding judge evaluated the case, he looked up. "Does the plaintiff have any more evidence that the defendant, Nathan, intentionally killed someone?"Hank sat silently at the plaintiff's table.They could only provide evidence of the time when Nathan had tried to murder Hank. However, they had no evidence of Nathan being involved in the explosion on the island this time.Hank looked at Melanie in the audience. She was also frowningThe presiding judge's implication was well understood. Without more evidence, Nathan would not receive a life sentence…"The plaintiff simply does not have sufficient evidence to
Carson sighed. It was time to explain everything to Hank…Although Carson had spent a lot of time in Hank's hospital as Professor Marshall, and he would also tend to their men's wounds, as well as discuss a variety of topics with Hank, they had never acknowledged their relationship…Besides, Carson knew Hank hated him.Hank hated him for being heartless to his grandmother back then. That was why Hank changed his last name to Castillo instead of Yule…"Let's take Melanie back to rest. I'll explain the rest to you myself," Carson said. Hank had already figured out half of it."Grandpa, I'm not going back. I'll wait for the news here," Melanie said firmly.There was no sign of Jeffrey's corpse yet. She would wait until the rescue team confirmed that they could not find any corpse.She wanted a clear answer."Okay. I'll get the trailer ready for you. You can lie down inside. You can't afford to hurt your body anymore than you already have. I checked your pulse earlier. It's not loo
Buzz!Melanie's vision turned black. She began falling backward."Melanie! Melanie!"Carson propped her up and called the doctor over.However, Melanie opened her eyes after a few seconds and tried to stand up. "I'm fine… Grandpa, take me there… I want to go to the scene of the explosion…""You're in no state…""I'm fine. I can hold up," Melanie promised."If you don't let me go and see it with my own eyes, I'll be even more paranoid," she added.Carson knew his granddaughter too well. He sighed and frowned before requesting for a ride. He met up with Hank. The two of them accompanied Melanie to look for Jeffrey.Jeffrey, Kenneth, Mr. Oliver, and Eagle waited at the drop-off point near the York family's residence. Nathan had instructed them to not do anything rash.Mr. Oliver and Eagle were still useful to Nathan.Once Nathan acquired Joseph's signature, he would meet up with them.However, the small hotel they were waiting at was already in ruins. There was smoke everywher
'Chief… Frankie?'Leo turned around in surprise. Nathan did the same. They saw Chief Frankie and several Interpol agents walking out from behind a screen in Joseph's room.Melanie was a part of that group!"Aren't you… dead?" Leo pointed at Melanie in shock."Thanks to you, I'll live a long life." Melanie sneered.Chief Frankie waved his hand. The police behind him charged forward to put handcuffs on Leo and Nathan. Leo narrowed his eyes and quickly pressed a button on the remote in his hand."We'll all die together!" He shouted.However, no matter how hard he pressed, nothing happened in the room."What's going on here… Eagle?" Leo's voice was trembling.His hands were cuffed, and the remote control was confiscated by the police."Leo, you are suspected of poisoning Master York and attempting to murder Melanie and others on the island. We are arresting you for premeditated murder!" Chief Frankie uttered calmly."No… No…" Leo struggled but to no avail. He had no idea what wa
At the same time, Melanie and Carson were on a plane with Professor Turner. They soon arrived at Medonia.Carson contacted Hank ahead of time and asked him to pick them up with his men.After the exhausting journey, Melanie's face was pale. She seemed to be in very poor condition. "I've already contacted the maternity hospital for you. You can go there and wait for your delivery. Leave the rest to me.""No…"Melanie shook her head. "I have to go back."Jeffrey was still in Nathan's hands. She would not be able to wait peacefully if she went to the hospital.Carson knew his granddaughter well enough. "Let her go. Professor Turner and I will be with here. We'll be ready for anything."Carson was still disguised as Maximilian. Hank did not know he was Carson. Hank nodded in agreement.“Mr. Castillo, there's something I need to trouble you with.” Melanie said."I heard from Professor Marshall that you're on good terms with the chief of Medonia's Interpol. Can I trouble him to be a
"Wait a minute! Isn't Jefford actually Jeffrey?" Leo asked while running after Nathan.Nathan ignored him and continued to walk forward.Leo did not give up and followed Nathan closely. "Who exactly is Jeffrey to you?""Are you being unreasonable right now? Why are you still so unsure at this point?" Nathan glanced at Leo contemptuously."I'm dealing with serious business. Don't get in my way with your petty romantic affairs!"After saying that, he glared at Leo and exited the cabin.Leo felt chills in his heart, but he could not make Nathan stay…-Jeffrey was tied up on the deck all this time. His body was freezing, and his lips were turning purple from the cold."Hey, President Morgan, fancy seeing you like this!" Nathan laughed grimly when he saw the miserable state Jeffrey was in."Thanks to you, I've been more miserable than this on many occasions. This is nothing." Jeffrey made it sound like a walk in the park."Hehe." Nathan sneered."I know. You've had strong willp
Lynette seemed stunned. She could not help but stand up with the help of the railing on the speedboat. Her eyes turned red as looked at the island burning in the distance. There was a look of disbelief on her face…If they had not evacuated five minutes ago…By now…She would not have even been able to breathe and think…The explosion sent shockwaves across the ocean's surface. The ride became even more bumpy. With sea water splashing against them, they had all become wet."Are you alright?" Carson protected Melanie. He was worried she would not be able to take it.Her stomach did feel awful, but she braced herself and tried not to tense up. Her emotions would affect her baby.When Lynette heard the voices behind her, she turned around to look at Melanie. Her gaze had become much softer than before. "You're not going to give birth on the boat, are you? I'm a woman, but I don't know how to be a midwife!""I won't give birth now. There are still things left to do," Melanie said.