Joseph listened to Rory's surprised tone and smiled faintly before calmly saying, "Mr. Hammond, a few words over the phone won't suffice. Let's meet in person. I'll be waiting for you."After a pause, Joseph added, "I also have a big gift for you."With that, Joseph hung up the phone.His goal had been achieved. Rory would definitely come to see him tonight.Joseph looked at his subordinate beside him and instructed, "Keep an eye on that woman. Don't let her escape."She was pretty helpful to him."Yes, sir."…That night, Rory arrived at Joseph's private estate right on time.As he got out of the car, Adam looked at him with some concern and said, "Rory, Joseph is quite cunning. His words may not be trustworthy. Maybe we should—"Rory looked at the estate hidden deep in the forest, his eyes gleaming with determination."Whether his words over the phone this morning were true or false, he won't live past tonight!"With that, Rory got out of the car and walked towards the da
Tracey looked at the man before her, trying to remain calm. She was not as nervous or scared as she had been when they first kidnapped her. These people had not immediately harmed her or laid out any conditions, so it seemed they wanted to use her to threaten her brother.Though Tracey did not know Joseph, she had a hunch that he was likely the person Arthur and Solomon had been busy dealing with recently.At this moment, Tracey regretted her carelessness. She had fallen for their trap so easily.Joseph walked up to Tracey, gesturing for his men to remove the tape from her mouth.The bodyguard nodded and ripped off the tape with a tearing sound."What do you want?" Tracey glared at Joseph, trying to maintain her composure despite her fear.Joseph spoke slightly, "Miss Tracey, rest assured, as long as your brother comes to see me and agrees to my conditions, I will not harm you."Tracey spat, her face cold. "You bastard! Don't think you can use me to threaten my brother!""Is
Seeing Rory unmoved, Joseph threw out another condition. "As long as I secure the position of the crown prince, Secret can move freely on X in the future!"Rory smirked. "Mr. Joseph, you have quite the sense of humor."Joseph's gaze turned colder at this response. "So, Mr. Hammond, does that mean you’re unwilling to cooperate?"They had been searched upon entering, both unarmed. It was impossible to leave this heavily guarded estate without a plan.Considering this, Joseph dropped the pretense, sneering, "Mr. Hammond, you should consider the consequences of refusing me."Rory chuckled lightly, stroking the string of pearls on his wrist, lips curled with a hint of mockery."In that case, let's wish ourselves a pleasant cooperation," Rory said.Joseph's face brightened at Rory's words, and he laughed heartily. "Haha, that's more like it! There’s a saying in Croquen, “A real hero recognizes the situation around them.” Mr. Hammond, you are indeed such a hero!"Rory poured two glass
Meanwhile, Blair and Mable arrived at the Monafett.As soon as they got off the plane, they met up with Solomon.Arthur was still in the hospital, so Blair and Mable had not told him about Tracey's kidnapping yet.Mable looked at Solomon and asked, "Have you located Joseph's whereabouts?"Solomon replied, "We have some leads, but the exact location isn't clear. Our people are still investigating."Blair asked Solomon, "Joseph has been in Monafett for many years, with a strong foundation. There are also many people secretly supporting him. Are you sure you've checked them all?""I have. There can't be any fish slipping through the net. I've also checked his people, including his wife, and I—"At this point, Solomon paused, suddenly remembering something."Right! There's still one person we haven't checked yet!"Mable asked hurriedly, "Who?""Joseph's ex-wife! His ex-wife isn't from Monafett. After their divorce, she remarried a tycoon from Fasier named Fortes. The man also has
What happened last night?Tracey cautiously walked to the window and looked outside. After observing for a while and confirming that there was no one, she walked to the door and tried the knob, only to find it was unlocked.She turned the doorknob, opened the door, and walked out cautiously.The whole house was eerily quiet. There was no trace of any servants, let alone Joseph and his bodyguards.What on earth was going on?Tracey looked around while slowly walking downstairs.When she was sure there was no one in the house, she quickly ran to the cabinet in the living room and picked up the landline phone, ready to call Blair.However, before she could dial the number, there were footsteps from outside.Tracey thought it might be Joseph’s people returning and wanted to hide, but the next moment, she heard two familiar voices.“Tracey!” Blair strode over, relieved to see her unharmed.“Blair! Solomon!”Tracey was so excited that she almost cried. She quickly ran over and hug
After receiving the call from Solomon, Blair returned to the mansion.In the backyard of the mansion was a basement large enough to accommodate a hundred people. Currently, it was packed with people.Joseph and his missing bodyguards were all here.However, with the exception of Joseph, the guards were all unconscious.As for Joseph, he lay on the ground, pale-faced, with no signs of breathing or pulse.Solomon stood up and dusted his hands, saying, “Judging by his condition, he’s been dead for four to five hours.”Blair glanced at Joseph’s corpse coldly. “Poison?”“There are no external wounds, so it’s probably poison.”Blair nodded and glanced at the other people around. “Were they also poisoned?”“Yes, but they seemed to have been involved in a fight before being poisoned.” Solomon cupped his chin. “Who could have poisoned them? It’s not an easy task to poison so many people at once.”The most important thing was that Joseph was dead!This incident solved a major problem
“I’m sorry, Trace.”Arthur said, then looked at Solomon.Solomon immediately raised his hands with a laugh. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t tell her.”Arthur was speechless. If it was not Solomon, that left only Blair.“You have a lot of nerve too!” Tracey looked at Solomon. “You should’ve told me about this immediately. Instead, you colluded with him to hide it from me.”Solomon immediately admitted his fault. “I was wrong, Ms. Fowler.”Tracey did not have the mood to argue with Solomon. She sat by Arthur’s bedside, lifted his clothes to check his wound, and cried from heartache. “How did you get so injured? Does it hurt?”“Don’t cry, Trace. It’s not serious. It’s just a scrape, so it doesn’t hurt.”“Scrape, my ass!” Tracey cried out.Would scrapes require such thick bandages? It was clearly a deep wound. She heard that he lost a lot of blood and even needed a transfusion.How could it be a scrape?Seeing her uncontrollable tears, Arthur wiped away her tears while saying, “I’m
Tracey told Arthur about her being kidnapped by Joseph after arriving at Monafett.Arthur listened in horror. “Thank goodness you’re okay.”It was no wonder Blair and Mable suddenly came to Monafett. It turned out that so much happened these past few days.Arthur felt somewhat guilty. If not for him, Tracey would not have come alone to Monafett to see him and get kidnapped. Fortunately, she was okay. Otherwise, he would regret it for the rest of his life.He hugged her with lingering fear, finally understanding how she felt when she worried about him. “I’m sorry, Trace. I promise to tell you everything in the future and not hide anything from you.”Tracey caressed his face. “We’re a couple. There shouldn’t be any secrets between us.”“Yes, you’re right.” Arthur lowered his head and gently pressed his forehead against hers.“Lie down and rest.”Tracey stood up and helped him lay down. “The doctor said you need to rest now. Otherwise, there’ll be aftereffects from your injury.”
“Arthur proposed to Tracey?!”In the afternoon, Tracey posted several photos of her and Arthur in a hot air balloon. In one of the photos, she held a bouquet with a dazzling ring on her ring finger.[Yes, I do.]That was the caption.Blair hugged Mable and nodded with a smile. “Yeah, Arthur proposed to her today. Trace called to say they’ll prepare for the wedding after they return from their trip.”“That’s great!”Mable was sincerely happy for Tracey and Arthur.She asked Blair, “Do they have any ideas for the wedding? We can help them prepare in advance.”Blair said, “We can call Trace and ask.”Mable looked at the time. It was midnight in Monafett, and she did not want to disturb them by calling at this hour. She smiled and said, “I’ll call her tomorrow.”Getting two good news in a row today made Mable feel particularly good. After dinner, she could not help but want to drink some wine to celebrate.Blair had not drunk for a long time, either. Seeing her in high spirits,
Kyle stared into Zoe’s eyes. He had indeed noticed it, but he was not sure yet.However, when Zoe called him by his full name, he was completely certain.Zoe had regained her memories.From the moment she woke up, her emotions had been off. Even Monica noticed something wrong with her, so how could he not have seen it?Kyle looked at Zoe, reaching out to brush the hair by her temples. “It’s been a long time since you called me that.”Zoe had not called him since waking up, but as soon as she did, she called him Kyle instead of Ky. He knew then she must have remembered everything.Although Kyle knew that this day would come sooner or later, he did not expect her to regain her memories at this moment.He was completely unprepared and caught off guard.Zoe lowered her head. “That’s what I used to call you, but you tricked me into calling you Ky.”She remembered everything as soon as she woke up.The events that happened when she had forgotten felt like a dream, too surreal to be
Kyle named the baby Six not only because he was born at 6 pounds and 6 ounces but also because June 6th was the day they first met.He would always remember the scene when he first saw Zoe, even though their relationship started with deception, manipulation, and even revenge.Kyle caressed Zoe’s cheek and said, “Zoe, I’ve never told you this, but I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. It was love at first sight.“I want you to stay by my side forever and let me stay by your side forever. I’ll never let you go again in this lifetime.”Zoe’s eyes slowly reddened as she listened to Kyle’s heartfelt words.Indeed, she never knew he fell in love with her at first sight...They both did.Kyle gently wiped away her tears. “Zoe, I promise you. We’ll only part in death, never in life.”Zoe choked and nodded, burying her face in his chest as she cried.In her arms, Six seemed to sense his mother’s emotions and moved restlessly.Zoe quickly comforted him.“Let me.” Kyle took the
At the hospital. When Zoe woke up again, it was already the next morning.As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Kyle sitting by her bedside.Kyle noticed her waking up and quickly held her hand. “Zoe, you’re awake. How do you feel?”Zoe stared at the man in front of her and blinked, feeling shocked.When she did not answer, Kyle immediately became nervous. “What’s wrong? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”Zoe remained silent and continued to stare at him. Her eyes gradually turned red, and her nose tingled with a strong sense of sourness.Kyle’s heart clenched at the sight. “Zoe, don’t scare me like this. Zoe...”He was getting anxious and was just about to call the doctor when she suddenly grabbed his hand. “I... I’m okay. I just had a nightmare. I’m a bit groggy after waking up.”Kyle hugged her, his warm hand gently patting her back. “It’s okay. I’ve been by your side all along.”Zoe buried her face in his shoulder, softly humming without saying anything.At that mom
“I see.”Outside the delivery room, Kyle’s family and the others were still waiting anxiously.Close to midnight, the door finally opened, and the nurse carried the baby out.“It’s a boy. Both mother and son are safe.”Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.Before long, Zoe was pushed out. Monica checked on the baby before hurriedly walking to Zoe’s side and taking her hand. “Zoe, you did so well.”“I’m okay, Mom.”Zoe was still very weak after just giving birth, and her voice was weak. Monica immediately told her husband to call the servants to brew a tonic and sent it over.Mable walked to Zoe and felt her heart ache when she saw the latter’s pale face, but she smiled and said, “Congratulations, Zoe.”Zoe smiled, no longer having the strength to speak.Blair and Solomon congratulated Kyle.Kyle nodded, not paying attention to them, and took Zoe back to the ward with the nurse.Zoe was a first-time mother, so she was extremely exhausted after giving birth an
As soon as Mable learned that Zoe was about to go into labor, she rushed to the hospital immediately. It was late at night, and Blair was worried, so he accompanied her.When the two arrived at the hospital, Zoe had already been taken into the delivery room. Kyle followed her in, but his parents waited anxiously outside.Mable looked at Monica and Floyd and asked, “Isn’t Zoe’s due date still about ten days away? Why did it suddenly come early?”Monica said, “We’re not sure, either. After dinner tonight, Zoe said her stomach was hurting. Kyle helped her upstairs to rest, but not long after, he called for someone to prepare the car to go to the hospital...”Seeing Mable stare anxiously at the delivery room, Blair held her hand and comforted her. “Don’t worry. Zoe has been healthy her whole pregnancy. There shouldn’t be any problems.”Mable nodded. “Yeah, I hope both the mother and child are safe.”Soon, Solomon and Ines also arrived.Solomon greeted Kyle’s parents and asked, “How
Without saying anything, Solomon placed his behind Ines’ head and kissed her.Ines wrapped her arms around his waist...Knock, knock!The untimely sound of knocking interrupted them.Ines jumped like a startled deer, eyes wide and cheeks red.The servant’s voice came from outside. “Sir, dinner is ready.”Solomon hugged Ines and cleared his throat. “Got it. We’ll be right there.”The servant acknowledged and left.Ines buried her head in Solomon’s chest and took a deep breath before saying, “Let’s go. Don’t want your parents to wait too long.”“Yeah.”Solomon stroked her head and looked at the drawing he had just completed. “Once it’s dry, I’ll have it framed and hang it in the bedroom, okay?”Ines asked, “In this bedroom?”Solomon nodded and kissed her forehead. “Yeah, we’ll probably come back to stay here often in the future.”Ines pursed her lips and smiled silently.“Let’s go have dinner.” Solomon led her downstairs.After having dinner at the Rowland residence, Solom
Solomon embraced Ines from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. “I learned to draw when I was young and almost did fine arts for college.”“Why didn’t you?”Winning first prize in a national art competition indicated a high level of drawing skill.Solomon said, “Painting is just one of my many interests. I do it to pass the time when I’m bored. I’ve never thought of becoming an artist.”Ines nodded. “I see.”Solomon suddenly perked up and opened a small cabinet beside the bookshelf, taking out a canvas and some paints. “Come on, I’ll draw a portrait.”Ines was stunned. “Of me?”“Yep. Give me a moment.”Solomon led Ines to sit on the sofa, then went out to find a servant to bring him the easel.Although he had not painted in many years, he still had all the tools he used before.Before long, the servant helped him bring in the easel and other tools.After looking at the layout of the bedroom, Solomon asked Ines to sit in the soft chair by the window, where the lighting w
Ines blinked. “I was just thinking about what to bring to your house tomorrow. I can’t go empty-handed...”Solomon laughed at her words. “You don’t need to bring anything. Just seeing you will make them happy.”“That won’t do. I still need to buy something.”Although she knew that Solomon’s parents did not lack anything, she could not just go without a gift. It was still necessary to have proper etiquette.Ines was a little nervous at the thought of visiting his parents tomorrow. “Can you tell me what your parents are like?”Solomon noticed her nervousness and squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. My mom and dad are very nice. They won’t make things difficult for you.”Ines looked at him and nodded.With him by her side, she was not that worried.She heard Solomon say that his father liked tea, so she bought a gift box from the supermarket. In addition, she also brought some nutritional supplements to bring along when they go to Solomon’s house tomorrow.After buying everything, th