Jessamine sighed as she looked at the row of clothes with their price tags still on. After this season, Thaddeus would dispose of them and get them replaced. It was such a pity.She changed back into the outfit she wore just now. She had to wait for the designer to send her a new set of clothes.Jessamine looked at Thaddeus, who followed her home for lunch and made her try on clothes. She asked, "Are you busy today?"They had been together since they announced their marriage at the press conference. Jessamine knew that Thaddeus had to deal with thousands of employees as the CEO of his company. He seemed to have made time for this.Thaddeus raised an eyebrow and replied, "I still haven't signed two documents. You have to drive later so I can read through them."Jessamine felt a little apologetic for wasting his time. He had to work on the road because of her."I can do that if you don't mind my subpar driving skills," she joked.Thaddeus chuckled. "I want you to drive because you
Sasha asked, "What do you mean by that? Don't tell me you guys are cutting ties for good."Tears rolled down Amy's cheeks as she replied, "Sasha, have you seen the news? Your brother announced his marriage and said he would hold a wedding with that woman. This is the end of the line for us."Sasha found a tidy place to put her gift box and comforted her, "Amy, you can't just back down now. Although Ted said he would hold a wedding, it didn't mean he had to marry Jessamine herself. You have to take her place and drive her out of Thaddeus' life for good. Got it?"Amy looked up at Sasha with red eyes as if she had found support. "Can I really do that?"Sasha said confidently, "Why not? You and my brother are childhood friends. Your childhood bond definitely trumps Jessamine's bond with Ted. She's just a mistress. We have to drive her out of the Holt family. Don't worry, I'm always on your side. You're the only sister-in-law I want."Amy gradually cheered up under Sasha's encouragemen
Amy held the dress in her hand and asked doubtfully, "Will I even look good?"She knew her eyelids were swollen after being sad for days and crying all morning.Sasha pushed her into the bedroom and closed the door. "Believe in yourself. You're the prettiest woman alive. My brother likes someone with features like yours. Otherwise, he wouldn't have married that substitute Jessamine."Amy was so excited that she went to wash her face. As she looked at the running water from the faucet, she felt a wave of nausea. She rushed to the toilet and vomited the yogurt she had drank in the morning. Her stomach felt unbearable, but she didn't know why. She leaned against the wall to relax before putting on the dress Sasha brought her. It was in the style she liked.Sasha had been waiting outside Amy's room for a while. Losing her patience, she opened the door and walked into the room. When she saw Amy in the dress, her eyes lit up. "Amy, I knew that dress suited you. When I saw it in Noah'
Jessamine thought it was obvious that Sasha was the culprit behind this.Thaddeus' face darkened when he heard her words. He reminded her countless times that Noah wasn't a good person and that she had to stay away from him. Noah's personality was so complex that even Thaddeus couldn't see through his intentions.Why did she think he was a good person?"Jessamine Patton!" Thaddeus called her by her full name and looked at her angrily.The atmosphere in the car became tense at his anger.Jessamine could tell they were about to fight again. They had just made up a while ago. She wondered when they had begun fighting at every turn."Thaddeus Holt, you'd better not argue with me right now. My driving skills aren't so good that I can fight with you and drive at the same time," she warned.At those words, Thaddeus held back his anger, albeit barely. Neither of them spoke, and dreadful silence filled the car.Jessamine parked the car in the CEO's designated spot and got out of the car
Jessamine felt uncomfortable being called "Mrs. Holt." She insisted, "You should just call me by name. That's how things go in this company. If Mr. Holt hears you guys, he'll punish you."The employee stopped talking at her words.At this time, someone from the HR department came and informed everyone, "The bus our company booked has arrived. We can leave for Quellville. You can come with me now when you're ready. Those waiting for their plus one will have to take the bus at the back."Everyone cheered. Since they had been working overtime, they hadn't done anything relaxing for a long time.Previously, their team-building activities only involved a meal, karaoke sessions, or going to a house party. They had nothing to look forward to. Therefore, they were on cloud nine when they discovered this celebration dinner would be even grander than their annual meetings. Jessamine stood up and followed everyone out.Selene grabbed her arm and asked, "Jessie, are you coming with us too?"
Jessamine wasn't being whiny. That box looked really heavy. She could move it under normal circumstances, but now, she was pregnant. She dared not try to carry a heavy box like that.Thaddeus asked impatiently, "Was that bus ride comfortable?"Jessamine simply glanced at him, not daring to answer stubbornly. There was no way that the bus would be as comfortable as his Bentley. She was just afraid she would start fighting with him again if she stayed around him. Right now, she didn't want to argue with him in public."Do you want some?" Jessamine asked, holding up some skewers with her other hand.Thaddeus caved when he saw her like this. He didn't want to upset her in front of so many employees. Normally, he would never eat something like that."My hands are full. Feed it to me." He bent down with the box in his arms.Jessamine slowly stood up and held the skewer to his mouth to feed him.Everyone around them was taking photos of them with their phones."Oh my god! They look
Soon, the guests arrived one after another. The servants on the cruise ship had worked all afternoon to prepare exquisite dishes, seafood, red wine, champagne, fruits, and desserts. They had also cleaned up the rooms.Everyone excitedly boarded the ship with their room numbers and carried their luggage.Thaddeus' luxury suite was on the top floor. Thaddeus and Jessamine had put their belongings together. Jordan led the way, carrying their luggage upstairs. Meanwhile, Jessamine and Thaddeus followed behind him with the giant gift box."Jessie, did you bring any condoms?" Thaddeus asked.Jessamine felt like her heart had come up her throat. What was this bastard thinking about? He always thought about those crude things. He wasn't even afraid of Jordan making fun of them.Since Jordan was still in front of them, she whispered, "No."Thaddeus didn't acknowledge Jordan's presence at all. He asked again, "Why not? Don't you want to do it?"Jessamine wanted to cover his mouth. "We'l
"I'm not avoiding you," Jessamine said.Whenever Thaddeus didn't receive an answer, he would keep asking about it and insisted on getting answers. These things affected their relationship as spouses too much. She was clearly avoiding him, and yet she still lied.If this went on, he wouldn't be able to handle it. "Jessie, tell me the truth. Did I hurt you or make you uncomfortable? Or was my position wrong?"Jessamine blushed at his blatant words. "It's not that. Get up."Thaddeus couldn't figure it out. "Did we spend too little time in bed?"Just like that, he began doubting himself. He remembered that things weren't so bad when they had sex last time. He remembered every response she made to his touches. She clearly enjoyed it.Soon, he began to think that he wasn't the issue here. "Tell me, Jessie. Did you fall in love with someone else?"Women tended to have sex with the ones they loved. If Jessamine didn't want to do it with him, it meant she no longer loved him or liked som
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