Jessamine lowered her head. She felt a pang in her chest when Xander mentioned Thaddeus. The cousins simply conversed with each other, completely ignoring Jerome, who was slumped on the table.Just now, Jerome noticed something was off with Xander, so he pretended to be drunk. Even so, he was actually a little tipsy. If he drank any more, Xander might even betray him while he was unconscious. As a businessman, he had to be cautious when he was away from home.As he lay on the table motionless, he felt sad. After hearing Jessamine's words, she didn't intend to start a new relationship and was adamant about not having any contact with anyone from Zenville.Jessamine's evasive behavior clearly showed how hurt she was. She couldn't recover from that trauma so soon.Jerome's breath hitched. He felt as if his chances of getting with Jessamine were slim. Besides, she had a difficult cousin to win over. Jerome couldn't marry her even if he wanted to. But he soon motivated himself once mo
As expected of an heir to a media company, Jerome was a skilled actor. He immediately leaned on Xander with his weight.If Xander wasn't afraid of this brat leaning onto Jessamine instead, he would've shoved him into the dumpster.Because of Jerome's accursed stunt, Xander and Jessamine took almost 20 minutes to drag him over to Lakeshore Hotel, which was only a few hundred yards away. Xander had never served anyone like this. He only managed to hold in his temper until he brought Jerome to the front desk.Everyone in this city knew Xander. When the worker saw a big shot like him holding a drunkard with a sullen look on his face, he quickly hurried over to greet him. "Mr. Patton, how can I help you?""Bring this gentleman back to Room 9201. Thank you," Xander said. Then, he basically shoved Jerome into the worker's arms. As soon as the worker rounded the corner and disappeared from Xander and Jessamine's sight, Jerome immediately stood up, feeling sober and steady. Not needing th
Thaddeus must have heard something that made him run outside so anxiously. Since he and Jessamine had been married for three years, he should be able to recognize her voice.Jerome panicked, regretting that he pestered Xander and even involved Jessamine. He wanted to slap himself in the face right now.Thaddeus was anxious. He was both surprised and overjoyed to hear that familiar voice. However, to his disappointment, he didn't find anyone when he ran to the lobby.A worker was mopping the floors. Thaddeus approached the worker and asked, "Who was talking just now? I heard a female voice. Who was that?"The worker soon remembered the people in the lobby. "Oh, that's the CEO from Patton Corp and his female companion.""Where are they now?" Thaddeus asked again.The worker pointed to the entrance. "They just left. You should still be able to catch up to them."As soon as the worker finished speaking, Thaddeus strode out the door after Xander and Jessamine.It was already night.
And just like that, four years had passed.At Hajera Airport, Jessamine worriedly talked to the nanny about her children's daily routines. "Julia, Lucas and Layla need some hot milk before they go to bed. "Layla is used to wearing those strawberry-patterned pajamas, and her favorite teddy bear is in the suitcase. Lucas' dinosaur plush is in there, too. Make sure to take it out when you get to the hotel. Also, remember to give them plenty of water. The weather in Zenville is hot. "Julia was a professional nanny that the Pattons had hired. She had been taking care of Lucas and Layla since they were born. After four years, the children were very close to her. However, Jessamine was worried about them since they were traveling far away to Zenville.Julia said, "Don't worry, Ms. Patton. I'll keep this in mind. I'll take good care of the children."Jessamine glanced at Xander, who was on the phone nearby and sighed. In fact, she wasn't willing to let her two children leave with Xander
"Jacinda, a lady is here to get some customized jewelry and wants you to design it yourself. When will you be back? She has been waiting in your office for a while and refuses to leave until she sees you," Judith informed her.Jessamine put the call on speaker, started the car, and drove out of the parking lot. "I'm leaving now. I'll be back in 40 minutes if there isn't a traffic jam. You can talk to the lady about her requests first."Judith said awkwardly, "Jacinda, she doesn't want to talk to anyone else but you."Jessamine had a bad feeling. This lady seemed to be a very strict and difficult customer to deal with.Jessamine took exactly 40 minutes to drive back to her studio. She parked her car and quickly went upstairs.Judith was already waiting for her at the elevator entrance. "Jacinda, you're finally back! I'd already served her two cups of coffee, three cups of tea, and even a fruit plate, but she didn't even acknowledge it. Instead, she kept asking when you would be bac
Jerome stood at the door holding an exquisite bouquet of baby's breath, shocked to see his unreliable sister. He asked disgustedly, "What on earth are you doing here?"Sophia looked at her useless brother in disdain. He actually bought flowers for Jessamine. He had never bought any for Myra during her birthday. "I came to talk to Jacinda about something. I don't need to tell you all of my plans, do I?"Jerome raised an eyebrow, looking between the two women. Sophia had to be here to win Jessamine over so she could have a sister-in-law. "Why are you calling her by name? Don't think you're such close friends with her."Sophia scoffed and muttered, "If you weren't so incompetent in wooing her, I would be calling her by a nickname instead."Jerome glared at Sophia in warning, and she quickly shut up in fear.Jessamine sat at her table expressionlessly, completely ignoring the Langston siblings.Jerome walked into the room and put the bouquet on her desk. "I saw these on the street
"Layla! Layla!" Lucas called Layla over.Layla ran over with her favorite pink teddy bear in her arms. "Yeah, Lucas?"Lucas whispered something in Layla's ear. Then, he asked, "Do you know what to do now?"Layla nodded. "Can we really find our daddy?""Yeah! As long as we work together, I'm sure we can do it," assured Lucas.Layla nodded obediently. "Good luck, Lucas! I promise we'll succeed!"And so, the two children hatched a plan, with Julia none the wiser.After dinner, Xander returned to the hotel. He noticed that the children seemed to remain obedient for the day. He held both Lucas and Layla on his lap. "I have some time at night, so where do you guys want to go? The attractions are probably closed at night, but we can go to an amusement park or ride the Ferris wheel to see the night view. Or do you have any other ideas?" he asked.Layla looked at him with puppy eyes. "Uncle Xander, can we look around the commercial business district?"Xander raised an eyebrow, surpri
Gary drove to the place near Holt Jewelry's building. Then, Lucas yelled, "Slow down a little, Mr. Gary!"Gary was already driving as slow as he could, but Lucas still found it too fast. "Slower!"At this time, Thaddeus had a business dinner. Coincidentally, the company's elevator was under maintenance. He left the building and waited for Jordan to drive over with the car. Xander inadvertently glanced outside the car and happened to see Thaddeus standing there. The latter was looking at his watch, looking to be in a rush.In a panic, Xander looked at the two children. Layla was playing with her teddy bear while Lucas was looking intently at his smartwatch. Neither one of them saw Thaddeus outside the window. Xander sighed in relief. He believed this was just a coincidence. There was no way those two four-year-olds would be cunning enough to lead them to Holt Jewelry's building. Besides, none of the Pattons had told them about their father. Therefore, Lucas and Layla didn't kn
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