The slap was loud and clear. Five red fingerprints appeared instantly on Sasha's face.She was slapped silly. Since she was young, she had been the apple of everyone's eye. Nobody had smacked her, slapped her, or even raised their voice at her. And to think that her first slap came from Thomas, the kindest, most well-respected person in the Holt family!Sasha's eyes widened as she stared at Thomas in disbelief. She was so shocked that she even forgot to cry."This slap is to remind you that the Holt family does not tolerate unruly behavior like yours. You should also keep in mind never to meddle with your brother and sister-in-law's relationship. It's high time you fixed this shitty behavior of yours. Otherwise, you're going to regret it someday."Sasha drew her lips in a thin line and felt like she wanted to cry, but she didn't dare to. Her face was still burning with pain.Thomas was truly furious.At that very same moment, the hatred Sasha had for Jessamine just increased tenf
Holt Jewelry had just acquired a medium-sized company. Initially, Thaddeus didn't have to be present personally for the acquisition. Holt Jewelry had more than enough capable people to handle it.However, Thaddeus changed his mind and insisted on being there for the acquisition. In addition to that, he was also afraid of answering Jessamine's calls. Jordan figured that they must have quarreled."Mr. Holt, Mrs. Holt seems to be wanting you home as soon as possible."Jordan laid it out nicely like this, but he was also worrying about himself. After all, he had received too many phone calls from his own fiancée asking him when he'd finally be home.Thaddeus just scoffed and said, "Of course she wants me home."She wanted him home so that they could finalize their divorce.Jordan didn't realize that he was going in the wrong direction altogether. He then said, "If that's the case, should I go out and buy some Bigsville souvenirs for you to bring home to Mrs. Holt?"Thaddeus lit up a
Jessamine shook her head."We've already signed the divorce papers. There's no need to tell him anymore. It's not like he doesn't have other children to worry about."This was too much information for Melissa to take in at once. Melissa's jaw dropped."He has other children? Bastard kids?""Something like that, but he'll be able to bring that kid home to Holt Manor very soon."Jessamine supposed Thaddeus would marry Amy and bring her home in all her glory as soon as their divorce was finalized. After all, the baby bump in Amy's tummy should be visible very soon.And Thomas had been hoping for a grandchild of his own for such a long time. Jessamine couldn't help feeling bitter about it.When she returned to Holt Manor, she caught sight of Thaddeus' shiny Bentley in the garage.He was back.Jessamine parked and entered the manor. Thaddeus was standing at the floor-to-ceiling windows, making a phone call with his back to the door. His silhouette against the window made him look c
"Speaking, may I know what the matter is?"The property manager then said hesitatingly, "Um, the neighbor below your unit made a complaint that you were a little too loud last night, and it's affected their sleep. We're all adults here, so I'm sure you know what I mean, right?"I hope you and your husband will tone it down next time so you won't bother the neighbors again."Jessamine's heart turned cold. There was a lump stuck in her throat. For a brief moment, she wondered if she was a murderer in her past life that made her deserve this kind of treatment from Thaddeus now.So, Thaddeus spent the night at Islington Apartments last night.And he had hot, loud, earth-shattering sex with Amy.The apartments there should be very well soundproofed. Just how loud did they have to be for her to receive complaints from the downstairs neighbors like this?He was such an impatient man. He couldn't even wait for their divorce to be finalized to fuck Amy. It also didn't seem like he cared
Jordan held a baseball bat and gave a tap on the man's face, threatening, "Quit the damn nonsense and get to the point!"The man shivered a few times and began speaking, "It was a stylishly dressed lady. We only saw her side profile. She's slim, with waist-length curly hair, and she wore pearl earrings."She gave us 300 thousand in cash, asking us to wait on Auburn Street for a beautiful lady. She told us to rape that lady, and then she'd pay us another 100 thousand. That's all I know. Please spare me, sir."Another thug, cowering with his neck hunched, vigorously nodded, confirming the story.A cold chill swept over Thaddeus' heart. Thankfully, Jessamine was okay. The thought of her almost being raped by these three scumbags made him feel indescribably uneasy.The clues stopped here. If the other party had provided a transfer account, he could have followed up on it. Unfortunately, they were careful and opted for a cash transaction instead.Thaddeus mulled over it for a while, a
Thaddeus suddenly felt something soft, and he retrieved his hand at once.Amy pressed herself against him once more, hugging his waist."Teddy, don't leave today. I miss you so much. I cooked your favorite Borscht soup for two hours. Shall I serve you a bowl?" asked Amy.Amy lifted her head for a kiss, her waist-length curls swaying behind her.Thaddeus gently played with her earlobe, and she couldn't help but let out a soft moan.After knowing Thaddeus for so many years, this was the first time he had been so close to her. She closed her eyes to feel the warmth from his touch on her earlobe. This made her legs feel weak, and she leaned into him."Teddy, Teddy …" she whispered.Thaddeus suddenly withdrew his hand, placing it in front of Amy."When did you buy this pair of earrings?" he asked.Amy looked at him with a blurry stare, wondering why the topic shifted to earrings after their flirtatious interaction. She complained, "You're so annoying. Why did you pull out my earrin
Thaddeus looked at the woman in his arms, desire flickering in his eyes. He gently slid his hand over Amy's cheek."Are you not urging me to divorce anymore?" he asked.Amy was momentarily confused before realizing that he mistook her for Jessamine.She couldn't believe that bitch!Amy thought Thaddeus was finally going to genuinely accept her, just like an adult man would to a woman he likes. She thought he wanted to possess her. Her heart swelled with joy, ready to give herself to him completely. But just as she was getting emotional, reality rained on her parade.She felt heartbroken momentarily but quickly calmed down.Thaddeus cradled her face and pecked her a few times. However, he noticed the woman in his arms showed no reaction. She just stared at him with a hurtful look.He instantly lost interest in continuing any further."It's been three years, and you're still like a block of wood," he commented disdainfully.Amy helped him back to the master bedroom. The room w
Sasha showed no intention of backing down, making it clear she said that to provoke Jessamine."Jessamine, Grandpa is here because of you. Just how much harm do you want to bring to us?" she asked.Jessamine glanced at her mother-in-law, Heather, who stood there impassively. It was as if she hadn't heard her daughter's disrespectful words. Her indulgent attitude only fueled Sasha's rude behavior.Though Heather was usually friendly with Jessamine, her impression of Heather took a significant hit at that moment.Sasha was lacking in manners and was far from the demeanor expected of an heiress in a prestigious family.Jessamine's gaze swept over the people present, and she smiled mockingly.Sasha felt offended. She was clearly scolding Jessamine, but what was with her attitude?She sneered and asked, "Why are you smiling?"Jessamine couldn't be bothered to deal with Sasha and pointed at the "Keep Quiet" sign on the wall."Keep it down. This is a hospital. Don't make a spectacle
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