However, the pain in Jessamine's hand didn't hold a candle to the pang in her stomach. After settling down, she realized they had been hit by a swerving car. She couldn't help but tremble. Since her mother had died in a car accident, car accidents traumatized her.When she arrived at the scene back then, Elizabeth was in the driver's seat, bleeding from her head. Her clothes and car had her blood everywhere.Then, the ambulance came and took her away. After rescuing her, Elizabeth was in a coma for three days. When she woke up, she only gave some last words before passing away.In contrast to Jessamine, Amy seemed to be more injured. She screamed in pain and couldn't move her neck. She lay weakly in her seat and cried, "Ted, I-I'm in so much pain. My heart…"The accident gave Amy quite the shock, and her face was ashen. She sounded as if she'd lose her breath in the next second.Amy glanced around to see if Thaddeus was looking at her. Then, she looked behind to see if Jessamine
Thaddeus froze at Jessamine's words. Then, Amy spoke again, "Ted, save me. Save me…"Thaddeus didn't hesitate anymore. He wrapped Amy in his suit jacket and carried her out of the car.Jessamine's body was already cold. She watched him running through the rain with Amy in his arms. Thaddeus must be anxious. He was so anxious that he didn't even pick up his phone when it fell into the water.Amy's joking predictions in the bathroom had become a reality so soon. He really left her on the road without hesitation. He didn't even give her any words of comfort.Jessamine's body was limp, and she didn't even have the strength to cry. She got herself together and turned on her phone. She found Melissa's contact and dialed her number. This place wasn't far from Melissa's hospital.Melissa arrived at the scene very quickly. Upon seeing her savior, Jessamine finally closed her eyes and passed out in relief.When she woke up, she saw white walls, and the faint smell of disinfectant filled
Jerome stopped the car, and Sasha got out with an umbrella. That phone was indeed Thaddeus'. Seeing how he dropped his phone, it was clear how pressing the situation was."No, I have to find Ted. Please come with me in case I need help with anything. Ted will be worried if he doesn't have his phone with him," Sasha said anxiously.Jerome didn't like Amy, but he couldn't shamelessly leave a young lady like Sasha out in the rain. Therefore, he turned the steering wheel and parked his car on the side of the road."Ms. Holt, you must know where your brother is before you can find him. Right now, we can't even contact him. His phone is soaked in water," Jerome reasoned."Don't panic. I'll call Amy again," Sasha said.What was she talking about? Jerome wasn't even panicking.Sasha called Amy repeatedly, but she didn't answer the phone. "Why don't we look for him at a nearby hospital? My brother dropped his phone and left his car behind. I didn't even see an ambulance, so they must have
Jerome immediately stopped moving. "What are you talking about?"Sasha raised her chin and said proudly, "Amy is Ted's first love. Ted and Jessamine will divorce sooner or later. That worthless woman doesn't deserve to be my sister-in-law. Only someone as refined as Amy can be my sister-in-law."Jerome finally understood the situation. He was already suspicious of Amy when she approached Thaddeus so flirtingly. However, he didn't expect the Holts to be so cruel. How could they treat Jessamine like that?Amy was trying to break apart their marriage even though she knew it was wrong. Even Thaddeus' sister had accepted her and treated her as a friend. Jerome's mind went blank at the revelation. His views were too different from the Holt family's, so he had to call off his marriage with Sasha.The Holt family was messed up. Sasha was even arrogant in her words, showing no signs of discipline. She also seemed to be delusional. Jerome felt a pang in his chest at the thought of someon
Sasha was a simple-minded woman. She wasn't as calculating and cunning as Amy. "It's good that you're fine. Ted will be overjoyed to hear about this. We have to celebrate."Amy sweated at her words. "Ms. Holt, you'd better watch your mouth. I've faked so many heart attacks in front of Ted after I returned home. If you tell him I've treated my illness abroad, he'll kill the both of us."Sasha quickly said, "You're right, Amy. This is a secret. We can't tell him."Then, she praised, "Amy, you're too smart. Why can't I come up with such good ideas? Will you help me out when I pursue my man?""Don't worry. I can handle anyone. I'll make sure you wrap him around your little finger," Amy assured.…After paying the fees, Thaddeus went upstairs. He happened to hear Amy's last statement and felt disgusted. Sasha noticed him first. "Ted, are you done paying?"Thaddeus stuffed the card back into Sasha's bag, then took out her phone. After unlocking her phone, he dialed a number. "Ted, wha
That night, Melissa brought Jessamine back to Jardin Estate. After resting for a few hours, Jessamine was fine and could've left by herself. However, Melissa was still worried about her and insisted on taking her home.Jessamine thought she would have to deal with Thaddeus when she got home. She was still thinking about how to explain herself. However, Thaddeus didn't come home that night.On Monday, she got a call from Jordan when she arrived at work."Mrs–Jessamine, please go to the CEO's office. It's official business," he informed her.Jessamine put down her bag and went upstairs without having time to turn on her computer.Thaddeus sat in his leather chair with a pen in his hand. He seemed to be in a bad mood."Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Holt?" Jessamine asked.Jordan closed the door and left the office.Thaddeus handed over several A4 papers. He had prominent dark circles under his eyes. He seemed to have stayed up all night. "Jessie, have a look at these."
Jessamine smiled bitterly at Selene's words. She opened the company's email and saw an email from Amy. It was forwarded to everyone in the department. Attached to the email was the design verification report.So, this was why Amy hadn't done anything for a day after getting out of the hospital. She was waiting to release this report.Jessamine opened the company's official website and saw the announcement occupying the homepage's largest section. It was about a popular product that would be launched at their quarterly press conference.That product was Andromeda, a pendant she had designed. It was nearly complete, needing only the finishing touches. That pendant design was what Amy used to assert her authority as chief designer in Holt Jewelry.Jessamine returned to her senses. First, she wrote a resignation email and sent it to Thaddeus. Then, she contacted the people at Swan and sent them the design draft for Andromeda. Finally, she turned off her computer and left the company.
Thaddeus had been busy all morning. When he saw Jessamine's resignation email, he was pissed. He rubbed his temple with one hand and dialed Jessamine's office number, wanting to call her over to teach her a lesson. However, she didn't answer the phone, even after he called her several times."Jordan, get Jessamine from the design department," Thaddeus said. Since calling her didn't work, he had to ask someone to bring her up.Jordan noticed Thaddeus' dark expression and went downstairs without asking any questions. He didn't know what happened but knew he had to be careful.The design department was lifeless. When Jordan walked to Jessamine's workstation, he noticed her desk was tidy and spotless. Her computer was off, and her seat was arranged neatly. It didn't look like anyone had been there.Having a bad feeling, he asked Selene, "Hello, do you know where Jessamine went?"When Selene realized it was Jordan asking, she was so nervous that she stuttered. "S-She turned off the c
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