This was Jerome's first time seeing such a controlling older brother. After he married Jessamine, did he have to tell Thaddeus whenever he kissed her?Thaddeus might have been able to bear it, but Jerome couldn't.Jessamine panicked. "Jerome, why do you have my number?"Jerome replied, "Since I want to contact you, I have my way of getting your number. I told you there's no point blocking me."Thaddeus was about to snap. Was that bastard teasing his wife in front of him? "Jerome, stop fucking around. Where are you?"Jerome held back his anger since Thaddeus was his future brother-in-law. "I'm outside your home.""You're at Holt Manor?" Thaddeus asked."Yeah," Jerome replied.Thaddeus didn't waste words on him and ended the call immediately. "Get up. We're going to Holt Manor."Jessamine knew he was on the verge of snapping and said, "Hang on, let me explain. Jerome thinks I'm your sister."Thaddeus got out of bed and went to the closet. After two minutes, he came out wearing
Thaddeus didn't move to hit Jerome; instead, he simply stared at his tearful expression.During their conversation, Sasha quickly caught up to them. When she saw her brother's sullen expression, she looked at the three of them questioningly. She didn't know what they talked about moments ago, but she noticed something wasn't right."Ted, you're here!" Sasha only greeted Thaddeus. She didn't want to talk to Jessamine at all.Thaddeus hummed in acknowledgment before lecturing her, "Didn't you see that Jessamine is here too? Aren't you going to greet her?"Sasha was so anxious that she blurted out, "There's no way I'm—" Then, she said reluctantly, "Jessie."Thaddeus relaxed slightly after her greeting.After Sasha greeted them, she fixed her eyes on Jerome. "Jerome, if I had known you were my marriage partner, I would've gone to see you at Langston Media."Jerome hadn't recovered from his heartbreak and could not react. "Huh? Why would you see me?""Jerk," Sasha whined. She had fo
Sasha didn't expect the universe to give her such a big surprise. The suitor Thomas had arranged for her was the man she fell in love with at first sight. This turn of events was more coincidental than the ones in the novels she usually read.She firmly believed that she and Jerome were a perfect match. They were destined to be together.Jerome held the steering wheel with both hands and glanced at Sasha again. He remembered the parent-teacher conference when he was a child. Back then, Thaddeus' entire family had been there, and Sasha was still a young girl her mother carried in her arms.Sasha was just an immature brat, no matter how he looked at her. He simply saw her as a sister. He felt uncomfortable at the thought of being with her.Jerome loosened his seatbelt. He reached over to buckle her seatbelt, deliberately avoiding touching her. With a click, he buckled her seatbelt. "You saw that, right? Do it yourself next time."Sasha nodded happily.By then, Thaddeus had alread
Jessamine grimaced at Sasha's words. When she turned around, she noticed Thaddeus waving to her after making the call. "Get over here for now, Jessie."Although Jessamine didn't understand why he called her over, she still walked to the sitting area."Are you hungry? I'll have someone bring you some food." Thaddeus finally remembered that they hadn't eaten breakfast before they left home. Jessamine said bluntly, "I want some pasta."Thaddeus had already asked the server to bring some sandwiches and milk. He sneered while looking at her slender limbs. "You're such a picky eater! Just eat whatever they bring you!"However, even though he said that, he still picked up his phone and instructed, "Bring some pasta as well."…Sasha was left standing under the hot sun. She looked around. Thaddeus had run away, and the person she wanted to compete with wasn't around either. Meanwhile, Jerome was sitting leisurely on a chair, drinking some water.Did they want her to play alone?She d
Jessamine swallowed while staring at the glass of milk. "Can I?" she asked.Thaddeus sighed internally. Why was this woman's appetite bigger? She usually couldn't finish a plate of pasta. "Just take the milk if you want it. It's not like I'm trying to starve you."Upon hearing his words, Jessamine took away his glass of milk and gulped it down.Thaddeus fixed his gaze on her. As he watched her down the glass of milk, he couldn't help but reach out to wipe the milk off her lips.As he moved closer, Jessamine could smell the faint scent of the sandwich. She looked at his half-eaten sandwich, her stomach protesting in hunger.Thaddeus immediately noticed her gaze and raised a brow. "You want more food?" he asked.He sounded surprised. He recalled having never seen her eat so much in one meal. She had always been picky with her food. Lana was so worried about her that she signed up for a cooking class to learn more recipes. That way, she could make more food that catered to Jessam
When their conversation was interrupted, Thaddeus looked at Sasha. "We're talking about how big your face is."Jessamine burst out laughing at his words.Sasha saw Jessamine as an enemy. Everyone around her always praised Jessamine's beauty. Even Thomas and Joe took Jessamine's side. Sasha was pissed. As she watched Jessamine touch her own face unconsciously, Sasha couldn't help but wonder if her face was really big. Jessamine was a typical woman with a small head and face. Therefore, Sasha had to admit that she was somewhat pretty."Ted! Jessamine Patton's face is even bigger! Why aren't you talking about her instead?" Sasha's face turned red from anger. She couldn't believe that her brother had insulted her like that.Although Thaddeus initially said that as a joke, Sasha took it seriously. Then, he actually started to compare the size of Sasha and Jessamine's faces. He looked between the two of them and finally came to a conclusion."Your face is bigger than hers," he state
Sasha snapped, "Can you even do this? Don't tell me you need to bring your man along in your game."Thaddeus loosened his grip on Jessamine before asking her, "Can you do it?"Jessamine didn't have much confidence. She pursed her lips and replied, "I'll give it a try." Since she was a beginner, losing to Sasha wouldn't be embarrassing.Sasha became smug. "Just like before, we'll do the best two out of three. The loser will carry the winner's shoes. How about that?"Thaddeus frowned at her words. "Don't be so gross. Do you want everyone to know that your feet stink?""M-My feet don't stink!" Sasha retorted. She was dumbfounded.Sasha hit three shots in a row. Two of them hit their mark, while the third almost got into the hole. After taking her shots, she looked at Jessamine smugly.After Jessamine took her first shot, she adjusted her stance for the second one. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed Thaddeus' face darkening. She followed his line of sight and saw a figure appr
As soon as Thaddeus walked over, Amy and Sasha did so as well."This horse is called Stardust. It has a bad temper. Sasha can show you a docile horse if you want to ride one," Thaddeus said, pointing to the horse Jessamine was feeding.Among these horses, he only knew Stardust. Benji had bought it at a high price. He even broke his calf after one ride and had to be bedridden for three months. Due to this, he nearly killed that horse in anger.Thaddeus found Stardust very attractive. A patch of white fur in the center of its forehead looked like a heart. He took Stardust over and put it in his stable for professional workers to train. Sasha was familiar with this place, so she knew which horse had the biggest temper. She glanced around the stable and quickly noticed an aggressive-looking horse with brown fur and a black tail. She said, "Ted, Jessie can ride that horse."Meanwhile, Amy was quietly listening to their conversation. Thaddeus and Sasha's conversation kept running throu
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