"Do you really want a divorce?" Thaddeus asked.Jessamine couldn't figure out what he was thinking. She didn't know if he was serious or messing with her."Are you willing to divorce me?" she asked.Thaddeus scoffed before shoving his lips against hers, kissing her aggressively. "You can't ever bring up the divorce. Got it?""Since I can't bring up the divorce, you're the only one who can do that, right?" she retorted.Thaddeus saw how determined she was to leave him. He questioned, "Will you divorce me even if you don't get a single penny?""I told you. I don't want your money," she said.Thaddeus was furious. "Did you not read the divorce agreement?"When he made the divorce agreement, he considered all the problems she would face in the future. Therefore, he planned to give her money, a house, and a car. However, she didn't even look at it, brushing aside his goodwill."You don't have to worry about the division of assets. I can leave this family with a clean slate." She ev
A few moments later, Thaddeus strode back into the living room and held his hand out for Jessamine.Jessamine was stunned. Did he want to hold her hand?Thaddeus told Thomas, "Grandpa, let me borrow her for a while. You two can talk later."Thomas happily waved his hand. "Go ahead."Jessamine didn't know what he was up to, but she couldn't brush him off in front of Thomas. Therefore, she stretched out her hand and let him hold it.Thaddeus pulled her up with a little force and took her to the bedroom upstairs.The first thing he did after entering the room was to close the door behind him. Jessamine's heart skipped a beat when she heard the door close. She couldn't figure out why he was being so mysterious. It was as if they were about to do something shameful, and he had to close the door to do so.Thaddeus let go of her hand and opened a recording on his phone. Then, they heard the sound of rapid breathing, along with a man's explicit, teasing voice. Anyone who listened to thi
It was bad enough if other people saw that. But if her friends and family heard that recording, her life would be over."Can you take that post out of the trending topics?" Jessamine pleaded softly. Her determination to get divorced was long gone.Thaddeus couldn't handle her looking at him pitifully with her upturned eyes. He stroked the corner of her eyes with his thumb."Enough. I'm not crying, so why are you? No one can see your face. I probably forgot to end the call back then, and someone recorded us. It's not a big deal," he assured.Jessamine suddenly felt resentful. She looked sad as tears fell from her eyes. "Why were you on that call back then?"Thaddeus licked his lips, not knowing how to answer her. His intuition told him it was a rhetorical question, and he would get reprimanded no matter what answer he gave her. He just wanted to spice things up back then. He didn't expect this to happen."Don't cry. It's not a big deal. I've asked Jordan to handle it. Refresh th
Jessamine licked her lips. "I don't want to look at your phone, so don't look at my phone."Thaddeus nodded slightly before forcing the phone into her hand. "It's up to you if you want to look at my phone, but I have to see your phone."Jessamine was pissed. He was just that unreasonable, and sometimes, he was as childish as a preschool kid.Thaddeus tried to fish the phone from her pocket without waiting for her reply. He wanted to know who texted her, which made her want to hide it from him.When his hand reached her thigh, Jessamine panicked. "You're being unreasonable, Thaddeus! I already said I won't show it to you. If you keep doing this, I'll call Grandpa for help."Thaddeus had already reached his hand into her pocket. However, Jesasmine gripped her phone with both hands, putting all her strength into protecting it.No matter what the text said, she couldn't let him see it. That was how things were. However, Thaddeus was an extremely arrogant and overbearing man. He could
"You…" Her lips were stifled, and her words were cut short before they could fully form. The knock on the door went unnoticed by both of them. Slowly, the door creaked open. "Jessie, did you just call for me?" Thomas asked.Thomas entered the room to find them entangled on the bed. Instant regret washed over him for intruding upon this intimate moment. "Carry on!" With a hasty retreat and a wide grin, he left. Thomas rubbed his hands together with anticipation, feeling that the pitter-patter of little feet might soon grace their home. Jessamine's mind cleared up with the sudden shock. "Get up, Grandpa's outside." Thaddeus rolled to the side as he panted, trying to push away the intrusive thoughts that had taken hold of his mind. He blamed himself for his recklessness under the glaring daylight, with no curtains drawn and the unlocked door. But the sight of her smooth, curvy thighs had ignited a flame within him, a flame beyond his control. Indeed, this woman casted a spell
Jessamine felt her heart skip a beat, and she could hear the sound echoing in her ears. "Stop messing around. Grandpa's out there," she countered, using Thomas' presence as a diversion. Thaddeus let out a soft chuckle. "Grandpa has long gone, Jessie. And believe it or not, he isn't only not outside, but he won't allow anyone else upstairs." "Are you going to help me or not? I'll go get Mom," she threatened, her steps faltering."You don't consider her as an outsider, do you? Are you sure you want her to see all these marks on your body?" he retorted.Thaddeus' words brought her to a halt. He dislocated the stuck fabric in the zipper with a few adjustments and smoothly pulled it up. Jessamine breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks." Thaddeus turned her to face him, his expression serious. "If you're grateful, show some sincerity. Move back to the master bedroom and stop playing games. Can you really sleep alone?" He silently criticized her internally, wondering how this hear
Thaddeus clenched his fists. It was the first time he had heard such harsh words from her. She claimed he was tainted, and he found himself speechless in defense. That night remained a haze in his memory; he couldn't recall how it happened. Sometimes, he wondered if it was a lie concocted by Amy. But he doubted a woman would bring up her innocence as a matter of concern. For the first time, Thaddeus felt powerless. Matters solvable with money now seemed trivial compared to the complexity of his current situation.The atmosphere in the wardrobe grew tense. Thaddeus' phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a call from Amy. Jessamine caught a glimpse of it. She offered a bitter smile before turning away in resignation. He found Jessamine's reaction ironic. She had transitioned from disliking Amy to adopting an indifferent stance. After a moment of hesitation, he answered the call. "Stop calling me unless it's urgent," he instructed curtly. On the other end, Amy's voic
Jessamine stood in stunned silence, her mind replaying Amy's actions—sipping coffee, indulging in alcohol, and rocking high heels. Was the ultrasound report she sent fake? So Amy wasn't pregnant after all!It dawned on Jessamine that all of this was a ploy orchestrated by Amy to drive her away from Thaddeus. Though uncertain if this revelation qualified as good news, a wave of relief washed over Jessamine. Her hand instinctively found its place on her abdomen. If there were no illegitimate child, then her baby wouldn't suffer the same fate as her—a childhood marred by loss, abandoned due to a half-blood sister's machinations. "Jessie, let's not get a divorce, alright? You've known about Amy before, and we were doing fine, weren't we?" Thaddeus pleaded. Her heart softened a little at his pleads.Thaddeus observed her silence and dared to hope that she grasped his sentiment. "Jessie, can't we carry on like this?" He lifted her chin tenderly, wiped away her tears with gentle
Thaddeus was dumbfounded. Why hadn't he considered using blood types to eliminate the possibility first?"My dad has type O blood."Jessamine's stroked his Adam's apple softly and deliberately. "My mom has type B blood, and I have type AB blood. Do you think it's possible that we could be long-lost siblings?"Thaddeus thought for some time and couldn't help but burst out in hearty laughter. It was impossible for someone with type B blood and someone with type O blood to have a child with AB type blood. What was he worrying about?At that moment, he couldn't believe how foolish he'd been. Biology was his best subject in school, yet he didn't think about this until Jessamine reminded him. His biology teacher would be furious if they knew."Why didn't you say so earlier, Jessie?" He regretted not talking to her about it sooner and ended up suffering in prolonged silence by himself.After Jessamine got bored touching his Adam's apple, she started playing with his rough chin. "I just
Jessamine lay still for a long time, aware that Thaddeus was also awake, battling insomnia just like her.This visit to Zenville to solve one mystery ended up bringing her an even bigger one.The gathering took place years ago in the restaurant owned by Benji's family. She had even asked Benji about it. The surveillance footage from over 20 years ago wouldn't be around now, and even the staff had changed several times. The restaurant's manager from back then had left the job many years ago.It wasn't easy to uncover the truth from back then unless they found the people who were directly involved. The closer they got to the truth, the more pressure she felt.By investigating this matter now, she was essentially peeling back the layers that had been hiding a much deeper issue. As she confronted the dark side of human nature, the ultimate victim ended up being her beloved mother.If Jessamine didn't look into this matter, she felt like she would be letting Elizabeth down. She wanted
Thaddeus frowned immensely at his request. "Don't be ridiculous!""I'm serious. You could help me rent one too. You know, the kind that charges by the day. I'll fool my dad first. We'll deal with everything else once he gets better," Benji said.Thaddeus cursed inwardly, "Dude, don't drag me into this, especially with my wife watching. It sounds like you're implying I have ways to get or rent women."Thaddeus glanced back at Jessamine and said, "I don't know about this. You should ask someone else. If you're at your wits end, go ask one of the assistants in your company to help you out."Benji seemed to come to a realization. He said, "It's getting late. You all should go back and rest. There are doctors here. I'll stay and keep watch."Jessamine asked, "Can you handle this on your own, Mr. Moore?""Sure, thank you… all of you," Benji replied.After saying a few more words of comfort, Jessamine and Thaddeus went downstairs to the car. Thaddeus' phone started ringing again."Mr.
Maya also knelt by the bed and started crying."Dad, don't speak for now. Please be okay."Benji zoned out. Seeing Carmen and Maya crying, his mind was in a mess. He realized that he couldn't continue to live aimlessly—his family needed him now."A girlfriend, a girlfriend..." he mumbled, not even sure of what he was saying.The doctor hurried to the room upon hearing the call, checked on Jonathan again, and then sent the family away."The patient needs rest and should avoid additional emotional stress. You all can wait outside for now. There's no need for everyone to be here, one would be enough. The room can be stuffy if there's too many people here, too."They then left the room. Benji was holding the X-ray images of Jonathan's brain, but he couldn't make any sense of it. He felt completely lost.Shane quietly slipped away from the crowd after watching from afar. He went to an empty hallway and called his father. "Dad, are you free to analyze some X-ray images? It's for a fri
Benji had always lived a smooth and pleasant life. It hit him hard after hearing what the doctor said, leaving him in a state of shock and bewilderment."Mom, hasn't Dad always been in good health? How did he suddenly..."Carmen's eyes were red and swollen from crying."He mentioned feeling dizzy a few times recently and said he'd go for a check-up but actually never did. Plus, he's been swamped with work lately and hasn't got any time. Today, he suddenly fainted at the office. His assistant called an ambulance right away and brought him to the hospital. By the time I got the call, he was already being examined inside."Benji's face turned pale. With Jonathan down, the burden of supporting his family fell on him. He had been free from responsibility for the past 20 years, and now, suddenly having to shoulder this heavy load, he felt completely lost.His father had been asking him to get familiar with the company's operations a long time ago. However, he was too lazy to bother abou
Benji never had any grand ambitions. From the day he was born, people always told him that he didn't need to worry about anything since most problems in this world could be solved with money, and his family had plenty of it. He just wanted to drift through life."I don't need to surpass him. As long as I can cover my daily expenses and not have to ask him for money, that's enough," Benji replied.As they were talking, Shane had prepared a table full of dishes. He set out four sets of plates and cutleries before calling everyone over to eat. "It's time to eat."The four of them hadn't seen each other in a long time, so they had to have a drink.Jessamine looked at the beautifully prepared dishes on the table and couldn't help but offer a compliment. "Shane, your cooking skills have gotten so good."Shane opened a bottle of red wine and poured some for everyone. "What can I do? There's a glutton at home."Benji was not happy with Shane's comment. What did he mean by saying there wa
"It's great that you came by today, Jessie. I'll pay you back the money. Friends who are willing to lend money these days are rare, so I want to thank you again," Benji said.He hadn't repaid the money he borrowed last time yet. Coincidentally, he received some money today, so he decided to settle the debt in person. With that, he picked up his phone to make the transfer.Jessamine's phone chimed, indicating that a payment had been received. The amount was a bit more than what she had lent out."Mr. Moore, I'm not here to ask you to settle your debt. You can keep it for now. I won't need the money for the time being," Jessamine said."If one borrows and returns promptly, borrowing again won't be difficult. You're much easier to talk to than Thaddeus. Despite knowing him for so many years, borrowing money from him is such a hassle. You saw it last time yourself. That scoundrel's attitude was terrible!" Benji complained.At this point in the conversation, Thaddeus happened to arrive
Thaddeus tightened his grip on Jessamine's slender waist. "What am I going to do with you, Jessie?"He thought to himself that if things really were just that coincidental, he would rather play the fool and pretend to know nothing at all. He just couldn't leave her.Jessamine asked softly, "How about you ask your dad?"Thaddeus paused for a moment and took out his phone to call Corey. He couldn't calm his mind at all.After a few seconds of hearing the dial tone, the call was answered."Dad," Thaddeus said.On the other end of the phone, Corey was about to go to sleep. He had been adjusting his routine lately, aiming to go to bed early and wake up early."What’s up?" Corey asked."Do you remember the gathering over 20 years ago with Mr. Hardy, Jacob Langston, Leon Lincoln, Paxton Loomis, and a few others?"After that, Thaddeus added, "That night, a beautiful woman came over. She drank some alcohol and was drugged."There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the ph
On the other side, Jessamine and Thaddeus got into the car.Jessamine and Beatrice were quite familiar with each other. However, it was Jessamine's first time meeting Sabastian. Surprisingly, she had a pretty good impression of him."Do the Hardy and Holt families have business dealings with each other?"Thaddeus drove as he answered her question, "We don't have much interaction. We would occasionally invest in small projects and conduct some charity work in Zenville together."Mr. Hardy is an upright and trustworthy person. He has a good relationship with Grandpa. Hayden would often come to my house with him when I was young."Jessamine paused for a moment and asked, "Does he have a wife?""Hayden's mother passed away from an amniotic fluid embolism during childbirth. Since then, Mr. Hardy has remained single and never remarried."Jessamine was deeply moved. In this era, who would remain loyal for a lifetime to their deceased wives? Most men like Sabastian, who had both power a