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
Jessamine smiled. "There's no way I can hide him anywhere. You should be able to find him if you call him."Benji shook his phone. "He hung up on me. That bastard only does that when he's in a bad mood. Has he been experiencing business losses lately?"Jessamine shrugged. "I'm not sure."Then, Benji put away his phone and said, "Have fun, Jessie. I'll go look for him."Jessamine nodded. "Go ahead."She turned back to the tray and took some fruits with less sugar. Then, Selene approached her. "What are you doing here, Jessie? They're playing games over there. Come on."Selene enthusiastically pulled Jessamine toward the crowd. When everyone saw Jessamine, they quickly gave up their seats.When the host saw Jessamine joining them, he came over and gave her a number card. He reminded her, "Don't lose this. You'll need it for the game later."Sasha was also in the crowd with the indifferent Jerome beside her.When Jerome saw Jessamine, he left Sasha behind and squeezed through t
Jessamine was a little worried. Since she didn't bring Noah's bodyguards with her, she had to be careful on her own. "Thank you, Mr. Langston. But how do you know she's going to cause me harm?"Jerome understood Amy's intentions well. He had already seen Thaddeus' true colors during that golf game. In the past, he had admired his former classmate for his top-notch intelligence and skill in managing a company. He even used him as an inspiration.However, after Jerome saw Thaddeus' complicated family situation, the former's opinion of the latter changed. He even looked down on him. Thaddeus was just a scumbag who didn't deserve Jessamine."Anyway, you just need to be careful," he advised again.The two of them talked for a while. Meanwhile, the host in the game area said into the loudspeaker, "Please hold on to your numbers! Don't lose them or exchange them with someone else. Our game begins now."Jerome looked over at them and asked, "Let's go and join in the fun."Then, they re
Benji's face turned crimson. He wanted to admit defeat and complained to Thaddeus, "What kind of insane employees did you hire? How the fuck did they come up with this idea?"Thaddeus stood among the crowd, a head taller than everyone around him. He calmly watched and enjoyed Benji's misfortune.Shane took the microphone and said, "It's not quite appropriate for us to kiss in front of so many people. Can you lower the requirements and let us hold hands instead?"The host raised an eyebrow and said, "That depends on our crowd. What do you guys think?"Everyone replied in unison, "Absolutely not!"Benji would rather die. What the hell was Shane thinking? He wasn't going to hold hands with him.Everything turned chaotic for a moment.After enjoying his friend's misfortune, Thaddeus finally said, "Do everything in moderation, everyone. Don't push Mr. Moore over the edge."When he said that, everyone changed their minds. "Go ahead and hold hands."Benji glowered at Thaddeus. He tho
Some people had already gotten their cameras and were ready to take pictures of Thaddeus and Jessamine's affectionate display. Everyone was curious to see what their boss was like when he was in love. His usually stoic demeanor left plenty of room for their imaginations.Jessamine glanced at Thaddeus before quickly turning her head away. The game's rules were a bit too embarrassing.She wanted to ask who came up with the three-minute kiss. Was this a reward or punishment? It was so embarrassing to do that in front of so many people.She was so nervous that sweat formed on her palms. She kept trying to calm herself down. Thaddeus wasn't someone who would play along with the crowd's wishes. As long as he objected, no one wouldn't dare to refute him.Jessamine nervously pinned her hopes on Thaddeus.Upon seeing Thaddeus and Jessamine remain motionless, the host said again, "Mr. and Mrs. Holt, can you two stand a little closer? If you're too far away, you can only blow kisses at each
The nosy crowd began heckling at them. At some point, someone even yelled, "Kiss each other!"Soon, everyone went ballistic. They shouted at the top of their lungs, "Kiss! Kiss!"The weak-hearted Jessamine blushed at the crowd's words. She didn't dare to meet Thaddeus' eyes, fearing that he would really kiss her. They could kiss behind closed doors, but they couldn't do it in public like it was a form of entertainment for the crowd.Time stopped for a few moments, and Jessamine wanted to run away.Thaddeus stared at her briefly, wanting to laugh at her embarrassment. She had been an aggressive brat behind closed doors, but she was nothing more than a coward in front of others. He gently lifted her chin. Jessamine looked up at him like a frightened deer. "Don't–"But before she could finish talking, Thaddeus placed his lips against hers. He moved gently against her lips until he stopped.Everyone raised their phones to take a picture. However, their kiss had ended before some co
The two women brought the gift to the stage and placed it in Thaddeus' hands.Thaddeus didn't expect that there would actually be prizes. Since he was the boss, there was no point in fighting with his employees for a prize. He had spent money buying his employees gifts, only for him to win them himself.Facing everyone's expectant gazes, he couldn't bear to keep the prize to himself. "Why don't I share this prize with all of us?"Meanwhile, Jordan tensed from his place backstage. He quickly walked to the front, trying to stop Thaddeus. Unfortunately, he was too late. Thaddeus had already torn open the wrapping paper. When Thaddeus saw what was inside, a trace of embarrassment appeared on his face. Jessamine also saw what he was holding and quickly squeezed out of the crowd. Since the game was over, she didn't need to stay on the stage and suffer with him.Thaddeus watched her flee. Then, he looked at the box in his hands and couldn't help but hang his head. If he had known th
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