Noah grunted. "Keep it discreet. We don't want him to be suspicious. That secretary won't need to show up in Zenville anymore.""Mr. Holt, we've given her 200 thousand to keep her mouth shut. Her family is in financial trouble, so she won't blab.""You handle that matter. Just make sure to keep her quiet. Also, find out what the relationship is between Jessamine and Oscar."Noah's face darkened, his gaze icy as it fell upon the gate of the villa. The man who could be invited into Jessamine's home must have a significant relationship with her. The only man worthy of making her smile in this world was himself. Enduring Thaddeus was already his limit.Inside, the cereal Jessamine made was fine, but with an additional person, it seemed insufficient. Plus, serving frozen pizza rolls to Oscar felt a bit shabby.Unfortunately, there wasn't much to eat in her fridge. There were only a few eggs bought last time she returned with Gloria and Xander.After rummaging around, she found a packe
The two got out of the car and arrived at the golf course exactly at 10:00 am. Samson Lloyd from Bejeweled Group was already waiting downstairs and approached Oscar with quick steps."Mr. James, I finally met you in person. I've been wanting to arrange a meeting with you for a long time."Jessamine was somewhat surprised that these two knew each other. Seeing Samson's fawning demeanor, she somewhat understood Oscar's intention in timing their arrival precisely. It was a matter of maintaining his authority by not allowing himself to arrive early.In the business world, Oscar's reputation preceded him, and dealing with such matters was a breeze for him.Oscar put away his usual carefree demeanor and formally introduced Jessamine to Samson."Mr. Lloyd, this is Jessamine Patton, the largest shareholder of Quilton Corporation."This statement startled Samson. He had always cooperated with Colin, and whenever they discussed business or signed contracts, it was Colin and his assistant w
On the side, Samson could smell trouble brewing and quickly stepped forward to act as a peacemaker. He couldn't afford to offend either of these big shots. Any one of them could bankrupt him."Mr. James, this is Mr. Noah Holt of Holt Jewelry." Turning his head, he introduced Noah to Oscar."Mr. Holt, this is Mr. Oscar James from the Pattons Real Estate company. It's quite a coincidence that we're all gathered here today. Haha!"Samson forced a few laughs, feeling the awkwardness himself.Although these two big shots clearly didn't think much of each other, their good manners prevented them from exchanging harsh words. Nonetheless, their eyes were locked in a silent battle.Noah had thoroughly investigated Oscar during his journey here. What he was still unclear about was the relationship between Jessamine and him. Judging from Oscar's reaction, this man had some thoughts about Jessamine. That was something he couldn't tolerate.The wily Samson had already figured out why these tw
Not long after, Samson's assistant wheeled in a food cart, stocked with chilled fruits, beverages, mineral water, and small desserts.Jessamine was sitting there quietly when suddenly her phone rang. It was a message from Jordan."Mrs. Holt, Mr. Holt is awake now. Are you still coming over later?"Jessamine rubbed her temples, feeling the aftereffects of staying up late. Her head was throbbing."I have something to do right now and can't come over. You and Dr. Fisher take care of him."On the other end of the phone, Thaddeus lay in bed listening to Jordan read Jessamine's message. His eyes dimmed instantly. He shouldn't have fallen asleep. He knew this would be the result. She would definitely leave while he was asleep.Jordan held the phone anxiously and asked, "Mr. Holt, should I reply?""Just say I have no appetite and just want to eat the ramen from last night."Jordan's fingers typed across the screen, quickly relaying the message.As soon as the message was sent, Thaddeu
"Find out where these chairs are from and let me know the results immediately," Thaddeus commanded coldly.Jordan wiped his forehead. He had to find where these chairs were from? That seemed quite challenging."Mr. Holt, I'll do my best," Jordan replied as he immediately sent out inquiries. Fortunately, he recognized the suit and when combined with Thaddeus' reaction, he inferred that the likely owner of the suit was someone he detested.He also dispatched someone to track down Noah's whereabouts, and soon, the results came back."Mr. Holt, the location in the photo is Lime Golf Course. Mrs. Holt is also there."Of course, Thaddeus knew that Jessamine was there.He mustered his strength and sat up, then got out of bed."We're going there now," he declared.Jordan was astonished. "Mr. Holt, your fever hasn't completely gone down. Your stomach hasn't recovered and your rash hasn't subsided. You should rest more."Thaddeus ignored Jordan, got up, and went to the closet to chang
Thaddeus' gaze fell on the suit jacket on the back of the chair, his brows furrowing. He casually picked it up and threw it to Jordan, then sat down next to Jessamine."Jessie, do you enjoy watching golf?" he asked.Jessamine responded with an acknowledging hum without lifting her head, still engrossed in her phone screen. This clumsy attempt at conversation was less effective than simply saying, "You resemble my ex-wife".Thaddeus glanced mockingly at the two men vigorously playing golf in front of them, neither of whom impressed him."Jessie, did you come with Noah?" he inquired.Jessamine shook her head, still brief with her words. "No."Thaddeus felt a slight relief after hearing this. However, his mood quickly darkened when she added, "I came with Mr. James."Thaddeus felt his chest tighten. His jealousy had reached its peak this time."Jessie, do you know who Oscar James is? You shouldn't get too close to him. He's had so many ex-girlfriends that he could form an army—mat
Since that incident, no woman dared to seek attention in front of Thaddeus again. It was inconceivable that such a celibate figure, who viewed women as specimens, would show a flattering attitude toward Jessamine.Samson felt that his cooperation with Colin many years ago was simply the best decision he had ever made in his life. Without that connection, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet Jessamine, let alone have any involvement with these three big shots."Mr. Holt, what brings you here?" he asked pleasingly.Thaddeus lifted his gaze slightly and forced a smile. At least he greeted him.Samson, with a strong sense of flattery, immediately expressed that he had business to discuss with Jessamine."Mr. Holt, Ms. Patton and I have been cooperating for many years. This is the first time we've had the pleasure of meeting. I didn't expect you and Ms. Patton to be friends. It seems like we're all one family!"Thaddeus then glanced at him, giving him a high appraisal. "Cooper
Jessamine glanced at the two men concentrating on their game in front of her, still aiming for victory. She had just been thinking of finding an excuse to escape from Noah's sight. Now, Thaddeus' appearance inexplicably reassured her."Let's go. I'll accompany you to apply the medicine," she said.His stubbornness made him reluctant to say it, so she took the initiative to offer him an excuse. Plus, it just so happened that she wanted to leave.Thaddeus' eyes lit up, and he immediately stood up. "Jessie, let's go."Jordan was speechless. It turned out that Jessamine's words were the most effective. In this world, the only ones who could control Thaddeus were either an illness or his wife.Thaddeus and Jessamine walked side by side in front. Jordan followed behind, packing up the bag and putting back the items he had just taken out.Jessamine sent a message to Oscar. She told him that she had something to do and was leaving first and that they could have dinner together another da
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