Thaddeus decided he should just be brazen. He already knew that Jessamine was so much more important than his pride. If he wanted to pursue her, he had to give it his all to do so. He couldn't give up because of a little obstacle. It just wasn't his style.Jerome took Jessamine into the private room according to the directions his assistant had given him. Thaddeus shamelessly followed them and sat beside Jessamine.The waiter brought over three menus, and they started ordering their food.Jerome started, "We'll have some grilled chicken with mango salsa."Thaddeus laughed. "Jessie doesn't like sweet dishes in her main course. She likes seafood. Bring us some grilled salmon."Jerome retorted, "Salmon is too greasy. Bring us some pork stew."Thaddeus didn't back down."It's better to have fresh vegetables when you're working in an office. Bring us some sauteed vegetables."Jessamine simply held the menu in her hand, not having a chance to speak at all. Soon, the two men had alrea
Thaddeus picked up some sauteed vegetables. "Jessie, have some fresh vegetables to get more fiber in your system. It'll be good for you."Within a few minutes, Jessamine's plate was filled with a huge stack of food. Upon seeing the two men fight with each other rather passive-aggressively, she immediately lost her appetite.After one hour, Jessamine only ate some empanadas and spent the rest of the time watching the two men bicker.The hellish lunch was finally over. Jerome called the waiter to pay the bill.Thaddeus looked over at Jessamine and asked cautiously, "Jessie, can you come with me? I have something to give you in the car."Jessamine replied flatly, "I've done nothing to deserve your gift. You should keep it for your wife. It's not a good idea to give it to me."Thaddeus was speechless. However, he couldn't keep pestering Jessamine with Jerome and the waiter around, so he gave up on his plan for the time being.After leaving the restaurant, the three of them walked do
Then, Thaddeus' phone rang. It was a call from Jordan. "Mr. Holt, the CEO of Heliseum Gold Company wants to invite you for dinner. He wants to work with our company."Although Holt Jewelry was in the jewelry-making business, they didn't use gold in their products. Normally, Thaddeus wouldn't even consider working with such companies. But now that Jessamine was in Hajera, he believed it was necessary to develop the jewelry-making industry in this city.Thaddeus immediately agreed to the invitation and drove back home to change.In Cascadia Hotel, Horatio Lance, the CEO of Heliseum Gold Company, was already waiting downstairs with his assistant and Jordan. Thaddeus drove over to them and handed the keys to the valet.The four men then entered the hotel and got on the elevator."Mr. Holt, I've been wanting to work with you for a long time. I'm happy that you're finally here in Hajera. Let's have a good discussion about our collaboration," Horatio said. He was extremely enthusiast
After having some food and drinks, they were almost done discussing the collaboration.Horatio signaled at his assistant, who walked out of the room with his phone. He then said, "Mr. Holt, we drank a lot. This wine is pretty strong, so you should rest in the nearest hotel. I've reserved the presidential suite for you."Thaddeus rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache. As Horatio said, this wine was a little strong. Now, he was very dizzy. "Thank you, Mr. Lance." Horatio laughed innocently and handed over a room card. "Of course. It's not a problem at all."As soon as Thaddeus left with Jordan, Horatio called someone. "You have to service him well, all right? If you upset a big shot like him, you'll be forced to leave the industry."The other person said something on the phone. Then, Horatio softened his tone and coaxed, "Come on, be good and help me get this deal. I'm your godfather, after all. I'll be making a fortune with this deal, so I won't deprive you of anything.
Jordan wasn't too interested in celebrities, but his fiancée was obsessed with them. It was because of her that he got to know Summer, who had become popular in the past six months due to her pure and beautiful image, which earned her countless fans. So, this side of Summer was simply an eyesore to Jordan.Thaddeus' yell frightened Summer so much that she didn't dare to approach him. She simply stood on the spot, her toes digging into the floorboards.Jordan went to the couch to pick up the tie that Thaddeus had tossed away before following his boss out. As soon as they got out of the elevator, Thaddeus's stomach churned, and he emptied his dinner out on the floor.In fact, Thaddeus didn't need to drink with Horatio during the dinner. After all, the latter was just trying to butter him up. However, he was in a bad mood. He felt bitter at the memory of Jessamine's derision toward him and her cordiality with Jerome. Unable to keep his emotions in check, he had drunk a little more
Thaddeus believed that he would be letting Jerome down if he were to let this scandal slide. After all, he still needed to watch his dearest childhood friend's back.Thaddeus returned to his senses. It was time for him to give Jerome some things to deal with so he wouldn't have time to visit Jaricles Design Studio as he wished. He said, "Contact some media companies and have them camp outside Cascadia Hotel. They aren't allowed to leave until they get photos of them."Jordan chuckled and reminded him, "Mr. Holt, the door to the suite is still open.""Tell the paparazzi that. They'll know what to do," Thaddeus said darkly.Jordan secretly felt pity for Jerome. The paparazzi were insane. If they knew the suite door was open, they would definitely barge in there and capture every detail of Summer and Horatio in bed.If Summer got caught in a scandal, the reputation of the drama that was currently airing would also be tarnished. At best, the production team would only switch female
Gloria was sitting on the sofa, wiping her tears. "If it weren't for your cruel grandpa who refused to let her come home, Eliza and I wouldn't have been apart. She also wouldn't have died."Jessamine sat next to Gloria and comforted her, "Grandma, please don't be sad. We're going to get her home this time. We won't leave her alone in Zenville."Gloria held Jessamine's hand and said sympathetically, "Jessie, you must have had a hard time in the years after your mother passed away, right?"Jessamine held back her tears. "Of course not, Grandma. My other grandma loved me very much."Xander interrupted their conversation. "Jessie and I will fly to Zenville tomorrow to do some groundwork first. Then, we'll move the grave when the time comes. The rest of you should wait at home."However, Gloria objected to that. "I'm going with you! I want to take my daughter home myself!"She was nearly in her 90s, so Xander wasn't willing to let her risk her health to travel. The climate in Zenville
Thaddeus knew Jessamine's hobbies. When the two of them were together, she wouldn't miss any jewelry exhibition within her proximity. He parked the car and entered the building with his tickets.This exhibition was quite large. It caught the attention of many jewelry enthusiasts, as well as designers. The entrance was bustling with people. As he waited at the end of the line to enter the exhibition, his eyes darted around as he looked for Jessamine in the crowd."Excuse me! Sir!"Thaddeus felt someone tugging on his pants. He looked down, only to see a young girl who wasn't even as tall as his legs. Her hair was tied into a bun, and she was looking at him with wide eyes.When he saw those eyes, he was shocked. This was his first time seeing someone with eyes as beautiful as Jessamine's, and he couldn't help but stare at them. He asked, "Do you need some help, little girl?"Layla frowned slightly. "Sir, my smartwatch is out of power. Can you help me call my mommy?"Thaddeus looked
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