"When are you coming home?" Jessamine changed the topicThaddeus asked, "Do you want me to come home?"Jessamine hummed in assent. She wanted to clear the air about her pregnancy as soon as possible. She felt uncomfortable hiding such a big secret all by herself and constantly being on pins and needles. "I'll get home sooner if you call me hubby."Jessamine felt a headache coming at his words. He still steered the conversation back to the topic at hand. Did he need to be this insistent about a title?"Jessie, I want to pin you down and make you cry from pleasure. Then—""H-Hubby! Enough…"Jessamine simply hesitated for a moment, but that was enough for him to start talking dirty again. She didn't know what blush-inducing things he was about to say, so she quickly called him "Hubby" to appease him.Thaddeus was pleased that his tactic succeeded. He chuckled on the phone, his low voice making Jessamine's ears itch."Are you afraid?" he asked.Jessamine tensed at his words. "As
"What kind of chief designer is this? She's ruining Holt Jewelry's reputation by taking someone else's award-winning design and passing it off as her own. Does she take us for fools?""Goodness. I've long heard that the chief designer had a close relationship with the CEO and got into the company through their connections. But Mr. Holt, please think about this carefully. I'm a long-term employee who has been here for over a decade. "I can't stand someone like this ruining our company's reputation. Fortunately, her designs haven't been published on the official website. Otherwise, there's no way she could explain herself. One bad apple ruins the bunch.""Can an insider check all her published designs after she joined our company? Maybe she plagiarized those, too."…Amy only read a few comments, but she was already trembling in anger.Yvonne handed her a bottle of yogurt and comforted her, "Don't panic, Ms. Quilton. I believe you. Calm down and think if you've offended anyone in
Everyone knew that the working world wasn't fair, but there was a moral standard everyone adhered to.News of Amy's plagiarism spread throughout the company's departments in less than a day. There were whispers everywhere. The situation was escalating beyond everyone's expectations.In the afternoon, Jessamine went to the bathroom with Selene and saw Yvonne walking out."Jessamine, are you the one behind this?" Yvonne asked bluntly. It was as if she wanted justice for Amy.Jessamine smiled indifferently. "Behind what? I didn't encourage her to plagiarize."It was bad enough to find excuses instead of repenting when one did something wrong. Even if Amy was a bitch, there were still fools who praised her. They were undoubtedly using her relationship with Thaddeus as a way to get ahead.Yvonne was upset. "How dare you say that? You're just an assistant who's not even qualified to participate in the project. "You have no right to call her a plagiarist. You must have framed her. Jus
Yvonne's words were mocking.Selene was a newbie who had just entered the workplace. She wouldn't dare to talk back when a senior worker mocked her. She looked at Jessamine, who was in the same position as her, and held back her grievance, her lips trembling. Jessamine smiled, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Yvonne, please watch your behavior at work. You've wasted public property and caused financial losses to the company. If the heads of department find out about this, they won't let you off."Yvonne sneered, "Are you kidding me? What have I wasted?""You're the one who keeps the departments' activity funds, right? I remember company regulations say that someone will allocate 500 dollars of team-building funds to the departments monthly. But I've never seen the department organize a team-building event since I joined the company. "Where did the money that's supposed to be for the people in the design department go? Did you keep it for yourself?""W-What the hell are y
"Huh?" Yvonne stared at Jessamine. Jessamine patted her head. "I'm not afraid of them, but I'm afraid they'll make things difficult for you. So, don't get close to me. Got it?"None of the employees in Holt Jewelry dared to interact with Jessamine for fear of being targeted by Amy. However, Selene stayed by her side despite being afraid she wouldn't get a permanent job there.Selene hummed in assent and pouted. "I think it's better to be friends with you. I hate scheming bitches in the workplace.""You can't avoid people like that in the workplace. You'll have to deal with it."The two chatted for a while longer before returning to their lifeless workstations.Jessamine peered at Amy out of the corner of her eye. She was leaning back in her leather seat, and her eyes were slightly swollen as if she had cried.Even when it was time to get off work, the design department still didn't get an explanation from Amy.Jessamine got off work as usual and went to the yoga studio. After
Laura dared not speak loudly for fear of being heard. "Madam Jessamine, the Langstons seem to be here to propose marriage to Ms. Sasha. I don't know the details either. I just overheard some of their conversation while working."Jessamine understood. "Where's Sasha? Why don't I see her?"Technically, Sasha couldn't be absent regarding arranged marriages since she was one of the main parties.Laura sighed. "It's truly a pity. Ms. Sasha went to the house in the suburbs with Mr. Corey and Ms. Heather. She won't be back until tomorrow.""Oh, that is a pity," Jessamine replied absentmindedly. She took some grapes and oranges from the refrigerator. As she washed the grapes, she kept muttering to herself. Jacob and Jerome wouldn't think she was the daughter of the Holt family, right? After all, she called Thomas "Grandpa" when she came in, and Thomas didn't introduce who she was. It was scary just thinking about it.She didn't even notice that the water in the fruit bowl had overflowed
Thomas raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Did that brat Ted bully you again?"Jessamine chuckled. Thomas was already worried about Thaddeus bullying her. "No, Grandpa.""That makes sense. You seem to be in a good mood recently. You even gained some weight. Just let me know if that brat dares to bully you. I'll teach him a lesson," Thomas assured.Jessamine was happy that she had a good supporter. Thomas always favored her instead of Thaddeus, his grandson. However, he could tell that she had gained weight. It meant that her weight gain had become obvious."Jessie, how are things in the design department?" he asked.Jessamine hesitated for a moment. She didn't want to tell Thomas about her quarrels. "I'm doing great, Grandpa."Thomas hummed. "When you're done working in this department, you should consider working at others. You should work through all the company's core departments before helping Ted. "The boss' wife can't stay in the design department forever. In a few years, I
"It's okay, Jessie. Have some fruit with me," Noah said."Noah, I heard that you haven't been at work recently. Are you feeling all right?" Jessamine asked.Noah took out a piece of tissue to wipe his hands. "I'm fine. I might have some pollen allergy that made my asthma act up. I'll be fine after resting for a few days."Since Noah returned home, all the flowers in the villa had been shoveled away, leaving only green plants. After all, it was spring. The streets were filled with flowers, and the amount of pollen in the air had exceeded what he could handle.Jessamine felt sorry for Noah. Even a handsome man like him had such a condition."Can I ask you for a favor, Jessie?" Noah asked.Jessamine regained her senses and replied, "What do you need my help with, Noah?"To Jessamine, Noah was as powerful as Thaddeus. They were people who had everything in the palm of their hands. The difference between them was that Thaddeus was like a proud peacock. He did everything and suppres
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