"Do you have clearer photos?" Bradley asked."Mr. Warner, you should give me the corresponding reward since I've provided you with the information. As for the rest, that's another price."Bradley let out a light scoff. "Bank account," he said.In the next moment, an overseas account number arrived in Bradley's email. He smoothly transferred a considerable amount of money to the account."I've received the reward, Mr. Warner." The woman's voice sounded happy. "Mrs. Warner is looking for her daughter, Pixie, overseas. If you want to know her whereabouts 24/7, there's an additional price.""Has she found Pixie?" Bradley asked.Bradley was surprised. He thought Esther had faked her death and escaped from him because she enjoyed opposing him. Little did he know that she was actually looking for Pixie overseas."Not sure for now. Do you want me to continue tracking her?" the woman asked."Yes. I don't want her to disappear from your sight," Bradley replied."Understood," the woman s
News of the audit team entering the Warner Group spread, thanks to Jasper's intentional dissemination. The shareholders began to sell their Warner Group stocks, causing the company's stock price to plummet.Jasper quietly purchased a batch of the Warner Group's stocks, becoming a shareholder.Bradley, the leader of the Warner Group, felt unprecedented pressure. Under this immense pressure, he demonstrated strong leadership and execution skills. He remained calm in the face of the audit team and continued to work in an orderly manner.To stabilize the hearts of the Warner Group's employees, Bradley increased his holdings of the company's stocks on the secondary market with his own money. Thus, he managed to ease the tension within the company.After a long look at Esther's photo, Bradley gnashed his teeth. There was a hint of unnoticeable affection in his fierce gaze.-Oliver had been closely monitoring the Warner Group since he launched his attack on it. As he observed Bradley n
The leaves on the apricot tree had all turned yellow. Some older men and women picked up the apricots that had fallen to the ground in bags."Mr. Quill, unless what?" the assistant asked.Oliver replied cryptically, "Apricot seeds have a trace amount of toxicity, but it doesn't affect the fruits from being considered a delicacy on the dining table. Love is the same way."The assistant was confused but intrigued.-After returning empty-handed from the hospital, Esther and the others went to Maria Church.When the church staff learned about Esther's purpose for visiting, they looked at her in surprise and explained gently, "Ms. Quill, the child you mentioned has already been adopted."Esther frowned and asked nervously, "Adopted?""Yes," the staff said softly. "According to the information we received, she is an orphan with no parents. For someone like her, it is a blessing to have the chance to return to a normal life.""Can I go to the adoptive family and take her away now?"
Esther was filled with endless resistance at the thought of having to call Bradley. She looked at Felix for a long moment before asking, "Can we go see Pixie now?""You need to wait for the DNA maternity test result before you can see Pixie," the staff member replied.Esther's exhausted mind and body felt light and joyful at the news. "When will the DNA maternity test result be ready?" she asked."Three working days," the staff member replied."Does that mean I can see Pixie three days later?""Yes," the staff member said, her expression softening at Esther's eagerness. "However, before the rest of the procedures are completed, you can only see her from a distance."Esther had flown halfway across the world to find her daughter and didn't want to wait any longer."Once the DNA maternity test proves that Pixie is my daughter, shouldn't I be able to take her with me immediately? Why should I only be able to see her from a distance? She's my daughter. Why can't I be close to her?"
Sunshine was surprised to see Felix frowning. She gently smoothed the furrow between his eyebrows and asked, "But you're not happy!"Felix shook his head. He wasn't unhappy but didn't know that his parents had divorced. Divorce meant that his parents were no longer together.Even though Felix was now living abroad with Esther, he still greatly missed his father. He had even naively hoped that his parents would get back together one day.But now that they were divorced...After placing Felix and Sunshine in their booster seats, Esther turned to Benz, who had been silently playing with his phone. "Benz, let's go."Benz opened the passenger door and got in, fastening his seatbelt.Esther drove Benz to his detective agency. "Benz, thank you for coming with me."Before Benz got out of the car, she handed him a check. She had assumed it would take a long time to find Pixie's whereabouts, but the matter had been resolved faster than she had expected. Even so, she still gave Benz the co
Benz stopped the woman again."Don't force me to get rough! Got it?" Benz swung his fist, brushing past the woman's face, and landed it on the roof of the Citroen, leaving a deep dent.The woman was frightened, her face turning pale, and she stammered, "Y-You... Hitting someone is illegal!"Benz was cocky. "Take a guess. Do you think I'll go to prison if I beat you to death? Hmm?"The woman gnashed her teeth and did not dare to take the risk. She could only tell the truth. "I was tracking Esther for money.""For money?" Benz asked.The woman pushed Benz away and said weakly, "Move. Let me show you on my phone."Benz stepped back and watched the woman take out her phone from the car. She quickly found the post on social media where Bradley had offered a huge reward for finding his wife."She's married to him, and he posted this sky-high reward. I've been following her to get this bounty. Do you understand now?"Benz scrolled through the phone and quickly learned about Esther's
Despite that, Esther would only resort to this path as a last resort. She first had to discuss it with Jasper to see if he could forge a statement in Bradley's name."Jasper, it's me.""What's up?"Jasper was in a meeting but excused himself and returned to his office with his phone."I found Pixie. The people who adopted her had a car accident shortly after arriving overseas. She was then sent to Church Maria as an orphan and got adopted again from the church."Jasper was delighted. "Esther, congratulations. You'll soon get what you want.""But there's a problem. Since Pixie was adopted, I need to prove that I'm her biological mother to get her back. Even if I can do a DNA maternity test with Pixie to prove I'm her biological mother, I still need Bradley to issue a statement giving up his parental rights."Jasper, I understand that the church wants to avoid any potential risks, but could I call Bradley? Moreover, even if I do call him, will he be willing to provide such a state
Jasper's words pierced Bradley's heart. He smirked sinisterly and tapped on Esther's photo on the tablet screen. "Jasper, you should ask Esther which is more important to her. Her laughable self-esteem or her daughter? If she wants my cooperation, she should come back and beg me!"Jasper punched the tablet, cracking the screen like a spider web. Ignoring the blood on his hand, he asked, "Bradley, are you even human? How could you use your daughter to threaten Esther? You... A man like you should be abandoned and have nothing!""Jasper, let me kindly remind you that no matter how much you do for Esther, she's still my wife. She'll never escape from my grasp as long as I don't go through the divorce procedure." Bradley's glee was evident as he watched Jasper's fury.He nonchalantly brushed his hair and sneered. "You can tell her that she should hide forever if she's capable. Otherwise, she should come back to my side. She can kneel in front of me, beg, and repent. Then I might conside
Bradley's brazen words made Gabriel raise an eyebrow, and his scrutinizing gaze on Bradley intensified.Unfazed by Gabriel, Bradley calmly stated, "Mr. Sinclair, when I visited Shane recently, he handed me some video footage. It showed Esther being assaulted and abused in prison, with the perpetrators claiming it was my order. I've always dared to own up to my actions. What I've done, I won't shirk from. What I haven't done, I won't admit."Gabriel had seen the videos online. Even though Bradley had obscured the protagonist's face in the footage, he knew it was Esther. He had believed entrusting Esther to Thomas would ensure her safety, only to discover how fate twisted things."Bradley, I'll assume your words are true," Gabriel began. "Then tell me, if those people who assaulted Esther in prison weren't influenced by someone else, who put her in prison? Have you forgotten how you, in your irrational madness, expected a woman carrying your children to pay the price? Or do you believ
When Bradley brought up his grandfather again, he felt utterly unfilial as a grandson."Your grandfather's greatest wish before he passed was for you and Esther to live peacefully and happily. Sadly, all he witnessed was discord and enmity between you as a couple."Gabriel understood better than anyone that Bradley, in his youthful arrogance, felt that everything and everyone should conform to his desires. When Thomas compelled Bradley to marry Esther, almost like an arranged marriage, his rebellious nature surfaced."I've failed my grandfather's hopes," Bradley admitted with a bitter taste in his mouth.During quiet, solitary nights, he revisited memories of the past repeatedly.He hadn't desired that marriage back then. However, since he had promised his grandfather to marry Esther, he should have genuinely treated her as a wife.Despite the subsequent events not aligning with his wishes, he was painfully aware that if he hadn't been arrogant and unwilling to listen to Esther's
Esther wasn't pleasant toward Bradley. If she had evidence, she would gladly send him to prison to experience the joy of life behind bars.Bradley gazed blankly at Esther's stunning face, a hint of indescribable sorrow in his eyes. Those deep eyes resembled a chilly cold spring."Not only do you want to chop off my hand, but you also want my life, right?"Esther gestured a slice across her neck at Bradley with her hand, then turned away to tell Logan, "Let's go. Don't waste time on this.""Okay."With languid steps, Esther walked into the elevator. Once they were inside, the elevator doors shut.Outside the elevator, Bradley watched Esther and Logan like they were two puzzle pieces that matched perfectly. Instantly, he felt an unbearable heartache, as if his heart was being torn apart.He instinctively reached out to steady himself against the wall, observing the numbers on the elevator panel decrease until it stopped at the ground floor.It took a while before Bradley recovere
Throughout the entire night, neither Esther nor Logan had shut their eyes.Feeling their eyes strain, they applied eye drops. It wasn't until Esther noticed someone who shouldn't have been there on the surveillance footage."Logan, take a look at this."Perplexed, Logan asked, "What's going on?""Do you think this person looks like Shirley?"Esther was particularly sharp in discerning a woman's physique. She could immediately tell that the woman being supported by a man due to her intoxication bore a striking resemblance to Shirley."Let me see."Logan zoomed in on the surveillance footage, carefully comparing it with the footage containing Shirley. Physically, the two women indeed looked very similar.There was just one question... How would they confirm if she was Shirley?"Esther, stay here and keep watching the surveillance. I'll retrieve other surveillance footage.""Okay."Logan and Esther divided their tasks. Suspecting that the intoxicated woman might be Shirley, Est
Logan and Esther exchanged a glance. They fixed their intense gazes on Jason's face, unable to discern if he was smirking or provoking them."Mr. Taft, the evidence you seek will come."Jason scoffed. He seemed to transform into a different person as he put his glasses back on."Even if Shirley deceived me, I never wished harm upon her, let alone her death."I can consider your suspicions toward me as part of the investigation, but I hope that once everything is revealed, you can restore my innocence."I've said my piece. As long as Shirley hasn't divorced me, she remains my wife. I am obliged to cooperate in the investigation, and I hope you find her soon."Logan and Esther sensed something amiss with the first confrontation. They didn't say anything untoward until they exited the elevator and looked up at Jason's balcony outside.Jason stood on the balcony, looking at Logan and Esther and waving toward them.Logan and Esther looked at Jason before they turned and got into the
"She blocked me on all forms of contact at that time. I even tried contacting her through my colleagues' phones but found out she had blocked them, too. I thought she might be angry, so we should both calm down."Logan didn't speak and just listened quietly as Jason recounted the events of the case."I was angry that she blocked me. At my age, what's wrong with wanting a child? My parents were pushing for it, and I wondered if this marriage was what I wanted."Shirley is very beautiful. My friends and classmates say I'm lucky to have married her, but they don't know that beauty comes at a price."While my colleagues were buying properties, my wife kept changing bags. Her clothes, skincare products, shoes—everything was designer. To support her lifestyle, I work diligently, even taking extra freelance jobs to afford it."I thought I was a good husband and just wanted a child. What did I do wrong? If she had said that she didn't want a child after marriage in the first place, it wou
Gabriel took a long look at Esther, realizing more than anyone that Esther seemed to be heading toward a different extreme now. He wasn't certain if this shift in Esther's demeanor was good or bad.However, one thing was clear to him—the intersection of Esther and Bradley's lives resembled two lines crossing. After intersecting, they would drift further apart."Esther, you can investigate Bradley's criminal evidence. I won't object to that," Gabriel said with a stern face, emphasizing, "But ensure you complete your tasks on time and with quality.""Grandpa Gabriel, rest assured, I won't neglect my work."Gabriel nodded. "Go on then.""Alright." Esther stepped out of the office and approached Logan. "We can set off now.""Okay."Logan didn't inquire about Esther's conversation with Gabriel. Although they pretended to be engaged, Logan maintained a respectful distance from Esther. He wouldn't interfere much in her matters. However, he was aware that if she needed his help, he woul
Gabriel stated, "According to her husband, they argued before she went missing. He assumed she had returned to her parents' home and didn't inquire further since they often had cold spells for ten days to half a month. Their relatives and friends can testify to this."However, the cold spell extended to a month this time, which alarmed him. When he called her parents, they told him his wife never went home."Esther knew that the husband was often the first suspect when the wife went missing in cases like this."The wife bought a high-speed train ticket to her parents' home but didn't take the train back. The police traced her taking a ride-hailing car, and the driver claimed to have dropped her off on the street. The dashcam recording is proof. However, after that point, there's a blind spot in the surveillance footage. Usually, surveillance is kept for a certain period and gets overwritten after that."Logan asked, "What about the investigation on the missing woman's husband?""T
Esther rose, fixating on the distant scenery with clear eyes. "As long as he commits a crime, he'll leave traces."Logan was on the verge of speaking but was interrupted by the sudden ring of his phone."Hello, Mr. Sinclair."Gabriel's voice sounded grave. "There's a new lead.""Alright, we'll be right there."Logan stood up, turning to Esther. "We'll meet at the locker room entrance in ten minutes.""Is there a new development?""Yes."For most girls, ten minutes might not suffice even for basic grooming. For Esther, it was just right. The only issue was her long hair. Time was too short, and she lacked the opportunity to blow-dry it. Her damp hair draped over her shoulders, slightly soaking her T-shirt.Logan kept his eyes on the road. "I'll drive. You can use a towel to dry your hair.""Okay."As Logan drove, Esther sat in the car, patting her hair dry with a towel. Her hair was thick, posing a challenge to dry with just a towel.Nevertheless, Esther refrained from openi