Hugo questioned, "What on earth are you saying? My daughter's the one who's injured. Why should she be the one to apologize? "A victim shouldn't have to apologize to their attackers. As a member of the PTA, I propose that you expel Lucas and Layla Patton. There's no guarantee that their bad behavior won't happen again."The principal looked between both sides, a conflicted expression on his face.Jessamine scoffed, "The PTA, huh? Since you're involving the PTA, I'd like to mention that you two have used your positions as members of the PTA to organize meaningless activities to make money. "You secretly collected money from the other children and even formed a terrible culture where the rich reign superior."Hugo's face turned red with anger. "What the hell are you saying?"Jessamine continued, "If Kiara doesn't apologize to my children, I want her expelled. That'll clear this kindergarten of its bad apples."Just like that, things had reached a drastic point. The principal was
In the car, Jessamine recalled the day's events, feeling horrified. She had no idea how long Kiara had verbally bullied Lucas and Layla. She wasn't even sure if there were other children in the class who had insulted them, calling them feral children who didn't have a father. She was lost in her thoughts throughout the journey.Meanwhile, Lucas and Layla were happy. Lucas kept boasting that he wanted to learn martial arts from Jerome so he could fight bad guys and protect his mommy.After what happened, Jessamine had lost her appetite. Jerome had injured himself because he protected her from being splashed with boiling water. His playful and joyous personality was his best trait, and he only showed her the best parts of himself.Jessamine wasn't ungrateful. She wanted Jerome to go to the hospital and get his burns checked. When the hot water hit his back, she could see him enduring the pain. He was clearly hurt, but he still pretended to be okay.However, Jerome kept refusi
Xander took out his phone and called Charlie. "Halt our funding for Halber Kindergarten and take back the money I had previously donated."His actions shocked Jerome. The cunning bastard actually decided to stop funding the school without asking what had happened. He even took back the money he had already donated.Although Kiara's family were at fault, Xander's extreme actions proved how protective he was of Jessamine.Jerome knew he would have a very hard time pursuing Jessamine with such a doting cousin on her side.That night, he managed to stay in the Patton Estate for dinner. This time, Jerome didn't drink the wine Xander brought because he was injured. That cunning bastard clearly didn't have good intentions. His acts of kindness were just a facade to hide his contempt for Jerome.Jerome had once fallen for Xander's trick, so he wouldn't fall for it again.Xander had already made his judgment of Jerome. Jerome was a puny guy who couldn't even handle his liquor. A man lik
Time passed, and when the hearing time arrived, the plaintiff walked into court and sat in his seat.Jessamine glanced at the plaintiff. He wasn't someone she knew.The judge looked through the documents for a few minutes. Then, he asked, "Ms. Jessamine Patton, are you and Jacinda Patton the same person?"Jessamine nodded in affirmation. She had changed her name but still had her original name on her ID card. She couldn't hide it in this situation.The judge asked again, "Ms. Jessamine Patton, the plaintiff's representative, Lolly, is suing you for plagiarizing her designs. What do you have to say for yourself?"Jessamine froze in place at his words. She had considered countless possibilities about who was suing her, but she hadn't expected the plaintiff to be suing her on behalf of Lolly.The prosecutor had begun to submit the evidence, including some of her previous design drafts, the missing design draft she had spent a lot of time looking for, and a professional appraisal cer
For the past few years, Thaddeus often had insomnia and experienced hallucinations in the middle of the night. He would see Jessamine sleeping beside him, working in the kitchen in an apron, and throwing scrap design drafts all over the floor in his study. However, the awful truth was that she was gone; those harmonious visions were all his imagination.At this moment, when he saw the beautiful woman who looked so much like her, he briefly forgot that he was here to question her. He wasn't even sure if this was a dream or reality.Then, there were sounds of a conversation outside the door. The court officials for the next case were already entering the room one after another. The current judge collected all the signed documents and left.However, Jessamine remained on the spot, her body numb from head to toe. Her life was full of surprises, and this man always had a hand in the surprises in her adult life, just like this moment. She knew she couldn't escape now."Jacinda… Pat
Jessamine wanted to pull her hand away, but Thaddeus tightened his grip so much that she felt a jolt of pain. As they pushed and pulled, they heard the sound of something ripping. The sleeves of Jessamine's clothes were torn.Thaddeus was stunned to see the tattoo on her shoulder. It was a picture of a Red Spider Lily. If he looked closely, he could see the indents of a horrifying scar hidden in the petals. The red spider lily was a flower that symbolized death and rebirth, a fitting symbol of Jessamine's situation.He smiled wryly. For the four years she was gone, Jessamine had changed her name and cut off contact with everyone. She really planned to never see him again.Thaddeus was heartbroken to see that hideous scar. He was familiar with every inch of her body, but that scar was a new addition to that canvas. It must have been from that car accident. He knew Jessamine feared pain the most."Jessie…" He called her name with reddened eyes, his voice laced with regret.Jes
Jessamine lowered her head, choosing to stay quiet. She was relieved to hear that Thomas was fine. Then, her phone rang, breaking the brief silence. She looked at the caller ID, and it was Layla calling. However, there was no way she would answer her call in this situation. Thaddeus still wasn't aware that their two children had been born, and Jessamine didn't want him to know about it.After all, he already had Amy's son. Jessamine refused to let him take her beloved children away and make them fight that bitch's child for Thaddeus' paternal love.Jessamine declined the call and turned off the phone. "I'm saying this again. Get out of the car, Mr. Holt."However, Thaddeus remained in his seat. He was overjoyed to see her again and refused to leave her side, no matter what.Jessamine unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, and got out of the car. Soon, she joined the crowd at the subway station.Thaddeus got out of the car and chased after her, but Jessamine had already squee
When Layla went to play with her toys, and Lucas excused himself, Xander sat on the sofa. "Jessie, did something happen?"Jessamine had been trying to stay calm for a while, but hearing Xander's concern made her composure slip away. "Xander, I met Thaddeus Holt. Will he try to take the children away?"Xander's expression became stern. "He recognized you?"Jessamine nodded, her eyes reddened. Right now, her mental state was extremely poor. Coupled with her frequent bouts of insomnia, she was on the verge of breaking down both mentally and physically.Xander felt distressed for his cousin and also furious that Thaddeus was in Hajera to disrupt their peaceful lives. "Don't worry. I'm no pushover. If he dares try to take the children away, I have plenty of ways to handle him!"Jessamine looked up at Xander. She trusted him, but she still couldn't help but be afraid. She cared too much about Lucas and Layla, and she knew very well what kind of person Amy was.If Thaddeus really took t
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