Upon seeing that Thaddeus' cigarette addiction had acted up again, Jordan kicked Colin's back and yelled, "Didn't you hear Mr. Holt's words? Are you the hacker?"His question confused Colin. How could an old man like him know such things? Even when he had to make a digital document, he had to ask for his secretary's help.Colin sputtered, "Mr. Holt, I'm not a hacker!"Thaddeus had figured out that Colin wasn't the hacker. He knew what was usually on that old man's mind. All he could do was be opportunistic when doing business, but he was still far from being a top-tier businessman.Thaddeus asked, "Do you have anyone else in this home?"Colin's eyes wandered, and he replied weakly, "N-No. I'm the only one here."Thaddeus let out a puff of smoke and motioned to his bodyguards to search the house.The five men immediately searched the house. However, before they finished searching the first floor, they heard the sound of something falling from the bedroom on the second floor.Jor
The teenager looked between Jordan and Thaddeus. When she saw Colin, who was tied up and beaten, she mustered her courage. She explained, "I'm a student at Hollowcrest High, but since my family is poor, I have to work part-time in a hotel. That was when that man brought me here. He threatened me and said that if I didn't comply, he would take nude pictures of me and put them at the gates of my school. "He wanted to send them to my classmates and teachers and make them expel me, but I can't let that happen. I'm about to take the college entrance examination soon."The teenager shed tears as she told them her story. She looked terrified, and it was clear that Colin had threatened her. Otherwise, an underage woman like her wouldn't be fooling around with an old fox like Colin.Thaddeus said bluntly, "Call the police. He needs to be behind bars, no matter how long it takes."Thaddeus wasn't a busybody, but he would still take action upon encountering someone doing despicable things.
Meanwhile, Lucas and Layla had already fallen asleep.Xander stood on the living room balcony. He was on a phone call with Jessamine. "Jessamine, the two kids are asleep. I plan to bring them to the aquarium and museum tomorrow, and we'll fly back to Hajera the day after that."Jessamine hadn't slept well while Layla and Lucas were on the Zenville trip with Xander. She kept having nightmares. "Xander, you didn't bump into him, right?"Xander was silent. Then, he replied, "We did, but he and the children probably didn't see each other. I'm extremely cautious about this, so don't worry."Jessamine felt frightened upon hearing his words. Her children actually crossed paths with Thaddeus in Zenville, a big city with several million people. The chances of them crossing paths were low.She said, "Xander, you have to keep Lucas in check. He has tons of tricks up his sleeve."Xander felt a headache at the mention of Lucas. He had a feeling that Lucas was hiding something from him. He alw
Charlie answered, "I'm not sure. I heard that he had pushed back a lot of important plans and flew to Hajera early in the morning. He must have something urgent to do."Xander couldn't figure out what that scumbag Thaddeus was planning. All of Holt Jewelry's businesses and partners were in the north of Crestia, so the latter had no reason to be in Hajera.Only those who planned to live in Hajera would buy a house there. So, what on earth was he up to?Xander said, "Inform all our property managers to tell Thaddeus that the houses are sold out if he ever drops by their offices. Keep an eye on him and tell me if he does anything suspicious.""All right, Mr. Patton," said Charlie.Many wealthy neighborhoods in Hajera were developed by the Patton family's real estate company. A person of Thaddeus' status wouldn't pay any mind to the more modest neighborhoods developed by obscure real estate companies.There was no way Xander would give Thaddeus a chance to settle down in Hajera. Afte
Jessamine composed herself before asking, "What's he doing in Hajera?"Xander picked up his cup and took a sip of his drink. "I haven't figured that out yet," he told her. "The first thing he did when he arrived was to buy a house. He even showed the property managers his ID card, so he had to be buying it for himself."Sweat formed on Jessamine's back. "He wants to live in Hajera?" she asked shakily.This was a big issue. It could even be a ticking time bomb.Jessamine felt uneasy. She even wondered if he had heard some rumors and was here to get her children. "Xander, did he figure something out?"Xander fell into a silent contemplation. "I doubt it," he finally said. "Judging by his personality, he would've barged in our doors if he knew something. Since he hasn't made any other moves, he probably doesn't know about you being alive."He noticed Jessamine's anxiousness and comforted her, "Don't worry. I won't let him get a house here in Hajera."Hajera was the Patton famil
The sound of Corvus typing on the keyboard could be heard on the phone. Thaddeus patiently waited for his answer, aware that his friend was hard at work.After a while, Corvus finally replied, "Fyrewall has improved his codes and reinforced his security. I can only find out the area he's in, not his exact location. ""Which area is that?" asked Thaddeus."Parilis District."Thaddeus was speechless. That answer wasn't helpful in the slightest. There was no way he could find an elusive person who lurked on the Internet in a large area like Parilis District. It was even harder than finding a needle in a haystack.After Thaddeus ended the call, a cartoon pig making a face appeared on the screen, making him throw his phone on the bed.His blood boiled. He was even upset that he hadn't chosen computer science as his major in college. Now, Fyrewall was pushing him around, and he couldn't do anything about it. He even hacked his phone!Which arrogant bastard had the guts to provoke
Jessamine had complicated feelings. She believed she had let her two children down. She had given them life, but she couldn't even provide them with a complete family.The absence of paternal love had always been a source of sorrow for her. Now, that same sorrow had plagued her two children.Jessamine hugged Lucas and kissed his forehead. "Lucas, I'm sorry for letting you and Layla down."Lucas seemed to understand his mother's feelings. He nuzzled into Jessamine's arms and comforted her like a wise adult. "Don't be afraid, Mommy. I'll always protect you. I love you the most."After settling Lucas down, Jessamine had a restless night. Her mind was reeling over Thaddeus, who suddenly showed up in Hajera to buy a house. She feared that he had come to take the children away from her. Her children were her lifeline and her only concern when she had been comatose in the ICU back then.…When Jessamine arrived at her office the next day, Judith brought her a document. She glanced at
"That's because you're totally incompetent!" Sophia said. "You can't even score a date with a woman you've been pursuing for four years, yet you're still butting heads with me. If you let me handle this, winning her heart would be a piece of cake."Jerome took his coat and stormed out, leaving Sophia alone in the office.Sophia didn't know what else to do. She had already tried to visit Jessamine, but the latter had installed a system on her office phone that filtered out numbers that were from Zenville.She loved the jewelry that the skillful Jessamine had designed for her. Every ridge and contour reflected her style. Every woman deserved the best on a momentous occasion like an engagement ceremony.In a panic, she called Corvus and complained, "Cory, do you have any ways of convincing the designers at Jaricles to make my jewelry for our engagement ceremony? I don't want any other brands."Corvus was currently having a meeting. When he got Sophia's call, he stopped the meeting an
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