"Grandpa, don't say that. It's just a dream. You didn't actually see her." Jessamine hurriedly wiped her tears away.Thomas smiled kindly at her comment. "You never know. People are sometimes able to see the deceased when they're in a weak state. I really saw Willow, and she said she wanted to end her friendship with me," he said sadly. He began to tell Jessamine his story. "I had been classmates with Ted's grandmother and your grandmother, and we even passed the college entrance exam together. "Back then, the three of us were the only ones who had passed, and I scored higher than the both of them. We then applied to go to Zenville University of Finance together. We've been friends for decades!"Thomas was in tears as he continued, "I'm truly incompetent. I can't even discipline my children and grandchildren, so I still lost to her in the end. It's fine. That's how amazing of a person she was."Jessamine burst into tears. "Grandpa, don't say that!"She touched Thomas' forehead.
Joe and the two caregivers stood aside, unable to intervene. Jessamine handled everything herself. She wanted to repay Thomas' kindness to her before she left.Thomas was the only relative she could trust.By the time Thaddeus arrived, Jessamine had already fed Thomas. They were sitting next to each other while she told him jokes. She never had a sense of humor, and her jokes weren't funny to Thaddeus at all. At the very least, they sounded dull to him. However, Thomas kept laughing at them.The atmosphere in the ward turned cold when Thaddeus showed up, and both of them fell silent.Thaddeus felt helpless. These two were really isolating him. They even left him out of a joke."How are you feeling today, Grandpa?" he asked, walking to Thomas' bed.Thomas was already very disappointed in his grandson."I felt better when you weren't around."Thaddeus was pissed, but since Thomas was willing to talk to him, things probably weren't that serious. He didn't know what had come over Tho
Amy glanced at the door from her position and saw Thaddeus glaring at them coldly. She felt awkward as she glanced at Colin. "Dad, stop talking about this…"Colin was still overjoyed that Amy was pregnant with the Holt family's heir. He didn't notice Thaddeus' arrival at all. "Why should I? Everyone gives their family possessions to their sons, but I don't have a son. If I had one, I would—"As soon as he said that, everyone's expressions shifted.Colin then realized he had slipped out and said what he thought.He cleared his throat and continued, "Amy, just be Thaddeus' wife with peace of mind. Don't forget to help out my business and convince Thaddeus to help. I don't have much identity or power, so it's hard to maintain my business. "My company only managed to reach this point because I always go drinking to maintain my clientele. My liver is about to fail from the amount of alcohol I've been drinking."Amy's face darkened. She knew Colin loved her the most and always agreed
Now, it seemed that Thaddeus didn't come here in vain. There was no point in just talking to her on the phone. He had caught her red-handed eating some snacks.Thaddeus said sternly, "You're not allowed to eat these unhealthy snacks from now on. You need to maintain a mild diet. I'll have someone prepare your meals and send them over."Upon hearing his words, Colin thought Thaddeus had come to his senses. After hearing that Amy had his heir, he was finally willing to show concern for Amy and her baby. He even wanted someone to deliver all three of her meals. It was as if he feared Colin wouldn't feed Amy and her baby. That wasn't true at all. He loved his grandchild more than anyone else."That's very sweet of you, Mr. Holt. Amy is lucky to have you," Colin said gently.Amy wiped her mouth after vomiting. She could finally talk now. "Ted, I feel so uncomfortable. I can't even eat anything when I'm hungry. Don't worry, I won't eat these snacks anymore. "As you can see, I've vomi
After Thaddeus left, the Quiltons had an impromptu family meeting.Amy panicked as she watched Colin walk in circles. "Dad, hurry up and come up with an idea! I'm getting dizzy just watching you pace around!"However, Colin kept on walking, his mind on overdrive. Once Thaddeus became serious, things would become tricky. They wouldn't be able to hide anything from his perceptive gaze.Margaret comforted her, "Calm down, Amy. Our main goal now is to get your marriage certificate with him and use your marriage as a guarantee. "Even if Thaddeus discovers something in the future, he won't take things too far for the sake of his son. As long as the baby is born, your relationship with Thaddeus is set in stone."Margaret's words snapped Colin out of his trance, and he snapped his fingers. "You're right. We just need to force him to register your marriage, and we'll be set!"Amy groaned and said, "What are you guys talking about? He hasn't even divorced yet, so how can I marry him withi
Margaret mistakenly thought Jessamine was at the hospital to confront Amy. Why else would Jessamine turn up at the inpatient ward? Margaret thought Jessamine must have gotten hold of Amy's location to harass her when she and Colin weren't around!Of course, Margaret wouldn't have it. She warned Jessamine, "Try showing up again, and I'll tell Thaddeus you're here to hurt his son."Based on Margaret's panicked behavior, Jessamine concluded that Amy must have gotten hospitalized because she had fallen ill. She snorted and snapped, "Margaret Miller, you and Amy are serial homewreckers. What's there to be scared about?"Margaret was triggered by the term "homewrecker". She snarled, "Bitch! Who are you calling a homewrecker?"Jessamine took a step backward to keep a safe distance between them. She said, "You and your daughter are both homewreckers. Do you really need me to say that out loud?"Margaret stomped angrily and growled, "Your dad and I fell in love! He lied to me, saying tha
Colin snorted with a smug expression. To him, that was how you should treat a woman—he had to discipline her to keep her in line. If he gave her an inch, she'll take a mile!After Margaret left, Colin jogged over to the escalator lobby to meet with Jessamine. "Jessie, are you seriously here to cause a ruckus? Amy's pregnant with a baby boy. "I have some advice for you—be smart and don't cause trouble for Amy. If Thaddeus learned that you tried to hurt Amy and her son, he might skin you alive."Jessamine felt dismayed. All she had done was leave the ward to buy some stuff, only to run into the revolting couple. She even got hounded by Colin, who dared to issue her a warning."Colin Quilton, can you and your family please stay away from me? Let's not talk when we bump into each other. Alright?" Jessamine hissed.She had made it clear to Colin that they would treat each other as strangers. After all, he did not care for her as a daughter, and she did not need a heartless dad.Colin
Jessamine thought she might be able to obtain clues about Malcolm from Colin since he had known Elizabeth for the longest. He might know something about the mystery man.Both Jessamine and Colin made the trip to the parking lot with different motives.When they were about to reach the parking lot, Jessamine cautiously prodded, "Did Mom have any relatives when you first met her?"Colin cleared his throat. "She wasn't born in the north. She didn't have any family or relatives here."Of course, Jessamine knew Elizabeth wasn't from the north. Having lived with Elizabeth from a young age, she still retained memories of her mom from childhood.Elizabeth Patton was a woman of grace who'd change into her favorite dress and retouch her makeup even for something as simple as taking out the trash. She was huge in making every day a special occasion. One could tell that she came from an esteemed family from her elegance. Even the stress of life did not dull her light.Jessamine clearly rem
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