"You'll find out when it gets dark," Grim said. "Oh, I wonder if you're afraid of ghosts. I'll take you to meet some later."Amy looked horrified when she heard his words. "What the hell are you talking about? There's no such thing as ghosts."She had been afraid of the dark since she was a child, so she dared not watch thriller movies, let alone supernatural films. Right now, she was worried that these men might bring her and Magaret into a haunted house.Then, the sun began to set, dyeing the sky red. Soon, the sky turned dark.A man put out his cigarette, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it. He asked, "It's almost time, guys. Should we get ready now?""Let's do this."Amy and Margaret were petrified. Since the men had kidnapped them and waited until night to take action, they were definitely up to no good. Were they going to kill them after taking advantage of them?Margaret was so terrified that she couldn't walk at all. She had even wet herself.However, Amy was some
Margaret felt sorry for her precious daughter and wanted to hug her, but her limbs were bound. She couldn't move at all and could only remain on her knees. "Don't be afraid, Amy," she said. "I'm here with you. I'm always on your side."Amy cried even harder. "Mom. Mom, I see a light in the distance. Are we about to die now?"Margaret glanced at it and said comfortingly, "No, Amy. Don't look at it."…The leader chuckled, "Let's go, guys. We shouldn't stop them from atoning their sins."After that, the four men passed through the densely packed graves toward the exit of the cemetery. They heard the pitiful cries of the two women behind them, along with a few hoots of the owls from time to time. The noises sounded scary in the empty suburbs. Even the four men felt chills run down their spines.Grim cursed, "Fuck! I wouldn't have dared to do this job if that lady hadn't paid me so much. This is so fucking scary."The four men couldn't help but quicken their pace.Meanwhile, a
For Margaret, all those cries sounded like they belonged to Elizabeth. Elizabeth had come to seek revenge!Margaret was scared out of her wits. "Don't come here! Stay away! You're the one who didn't drive properly. You can't blame me for that. Get away!" she rambled.Amy hurriedly shouted, "Stop talking, Mom! She's coming!"Then, Margaret fainted in fear in front of Elizabeth's grave."Mom! Mom, wake up! Don't leave me alone!" Amy trembled, sweating all over. Since Margaret had fainted, the ghost was probably after her now.She mustered the courage to look in the direction of the wails, but there was only darkness in the distance.…Thaddeus had already led the team to drain the artificial lake in the neighborhood. When they didn't find anything in the lake, he was relieved.He was sure that Amy had tricked Clara so she could run away. Clara believed she had fallen into the water, making everyone think so as well.Now, Thaddeus composed himself and thought about things. Amy wa
The security room was filled with loud snores. The two new security guards were still sleeping soundly, unaware of what had happened. Jordan had to knock on the door several times before they woke up."Check the surveillance tapes," Thaddeus ordered.Jordan turned on the computer and found the correct timeframe of the tapes. However, they could only see static. "Mr. Holt, the footage has been destroyed. I can't find anything."Thaddeus narrowed his eyes and went out to look for Amy. They brought a few bodyguards with him, and Jordan led them into the cemetery to conduct a full-scale search.As Thaddeus stood at the entrance, he looked at his surroundings. He wondered where the thugs could have hidden Amy. Where on earth did those two men take her?If this were a plain kidnapping, they would've called him for money. However, he hadn't gotten any calls. The thought of the thugs killing Amy without giving her a chance to survive was what he feared the most. In that case, it would
Thaddeus remembered Jessamine's depressed yet furious disposition at the hospital and how she and Shane had accused Amy of doing something she didn't. And just like that, Thaddeus had some clue about what had happened.Jessamine was definitely capable of resorting to such ruthless yet harmless revenge plans that mentally tortured the victims.He thought he had married a docile woman, but recently, he had seen her true colors. She was a kitten with claws and couldn't be trifled with.Amy had already passed out. Thaddeus picked her up and walked toward the exit. Amy and Margaret had to be spooked after staying there with their limbs bound all night.Even though he didn't see any wounds on Amy, he still decided to bring her to the hospital for a checkup. After all, she was pregnant."Bring them to the hospital for now." Thaddeus walked in front with Amy in his arms. Behind him, the bodyguards stood awkwardly around Margaret. She was filthy after soiling her pants the day before. Th
Thaddeus drove to the hospital and carried Amy straight to the OB-GYN department to get her treated. Then, some doctors conducted a full body checkup on Amy. Amy had just experienced some shock, so the doctor recommended she stay in the hospital to ensure that her baby was unharmed. She was mostly fine, apart from minor injuries on her knees, rope marks on her arms, and wounds on her face.After making sure Amy didn't have major problems, Thaddeus sighed in relief. He had finally found her. He had spent the entire day riddled with anxiety, but at least things weren't as bad as he thought.Amy was still sleeping. After asking Jordan to keep watch, he went to the inpatient building. He had to ask Jessamine what was going on. When he arrived outside Jessamine's ward, she had already completed the procedures to be discharged and was packing her things.Jessamine saw him come in, but she ignored him and continued to pack her things awkwardly with her bandaged hands. Since she was fin
Thaddeus' words scared Colin into backing down. "Of course, I won't. I'm sure you have a way to deal with that felon."In the ward, Amy was still yelling that someone was clawing her stomach. After a checkup, the doctor explained, "Ms. Quilton must have experienced some kind of shock, causing her uterus to contract from the tension. This isn't good for the baby. We must do something to calm her down."Thaddeus nodded in approval. "Do what you have to, but make sure that nothing happens to her."After an injection, Amy calmed down and fell back asleep on the bed.On the other hand, Margaret had already lost her mind. She was talking nonsense and ignoring anyone who tried to talk to her. Her eyes were unfocused, and her hair was a mess. But at least she had put on a clean hospital gown, so she no longer smelled bad.Thaddeus simply glanced at her in disgust. This ward was a single VIP ward. However, since Colin arrived with Margaret on short notice, the hospital had no vacant
Jessamine returned to her home and changed her clothes before going to the cemetery in the suburbs. Zade had told her that Elizabeth's grave had been repaired, but she wanted to see it with her own eyes to be sure.She took a cab there with a heavy heart, thinking about Margaret and Amy's rabid actions toward Elizabeth. Even if Jessamine had gotten her revenge on her own terms, she still felt she had disappointed her mother.She believed that it was her fault that her mother suffered such humiliation. If it hadn't been for a certain man, she wouldn't have earned the ire of Margaret and Amy.The cab stopped outside the cemetery, and she told the driver to wait for her. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to hail a cab when she was ready to leave.Jessamine got out of the car and walked to the entrance. A uniformed man came out of the security room to greet him. She had been coming here for the past two days, so the security already knew her. "I'll go with you, Ms. Patton."Jessamine
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