Over at the Jardin Estate, Thaddeus sneezed a few times."Are you done eating? If you're done, then let's watch the movie," Thaddeus suggested.Jessamine put down her cutlery and looked at the leftover dishes on the table with some discomfort. She had a little OCD. This was the evaluation the CEO of Swan had given her.This OCD extended not only to her work but also to her life. She couldn't leave anything in disorder."Let's clean the table up first," Jessamine insisted.Jessamine cast a somewhat blaming glance at him, as it was his idea to send Lana back to her room. Now, they could only clean up on their own.Thaddeus was unable to refuse and came over to help. Together, they poured the remaining food into the food waste bin and loaded the plates and utensils into the dishwasher."Mrs. Holt, this is my first time doing chores. My goodness, I've given you many important first times," Thaddeus teased.His words were suggestive. Though he was doing chores, he could still engage
For a second, Jessamine thought she had misheard him."How should we live if we don't divorce? Should we live with Amy?" she asked.This question struck Thaddeus' soul, leaving him speechless.Jessamine continued, "Can you forget Amy? Or can she forget you?"Neither option seemed plausible for them at the moment.Just then, his phone rang. The caller was none other than Amy."Teddy, my heart is acting up again. Will I die? I'm so scared that I won't see you when I open my eyes," she cried.Thaddeus immediately sat up and headed out after straightening his clothes.In the end, they didn't finish the movie.The sound of a closing door resonated, and Jessamine suddenly woke up from her daze.When he mentioned not getting a divorce, her frozen heart melted for a second.However, as she realized Amy could call him away at any time, she concluded that there was no point in holding onto such romantic fantasies.Jessamine returned to the guest bedroom and locked the door.It was g
Jessamine arrived at the hospital quickly. Once she entered, she started contemplating how to face the two inside.She considered dropping off the documents and leaving immediately, pretending she was blind.The door to Amy's ward was slightly ajar. Jessamine hesitated when she reached for the handle.Through the glass, she could see Amy wearing a hospital gown. The latter was leaning against the bed and gazing affectionately at the man beside her.Meanwhile, Thaddeus was diligently peeling an orange with his head lowered.He detested peeling things, so he never ate shrimp, crabs, or anything that required tedious peeling. Yet, at that moment, he patiently peeled an orange for his beloved.The atmosphere in the ward was serene, and Jessamine's presence seemed a bit abrupt.The scene before her made her envious. She envied Amy immensely for being able to receive his complete love."Why are you here?" A voice behind her snapped Jessamine back to reality.The one who spoke was Ma
Eastlake Villa belonged to Jessamine's mother before her marriage to Colin, so Colin had no connection to it.Before Jessamine's mother passed away, their family used to live there. The place held all the memories of her mother. Naturally, Jessamine wanted to reclaim the house.But did she hear it correctly? The house was now under Amy's name?Jessamine tried to control her emotions. "I agree to the divorce. I'll divorce on the same day as the ownership transfer."Colin's patience wore thin, and he raised his voice. "Why is it so difficult for you to grant this favor? Do you really want your sister dead? Will you be happy only when she dies?""Whether she's dead or not has nothing to do with me. She brought it upon herself. No one forced her.""It's just a man. Why are you so petty? There are plenty of men out there. I'll find one for you the day you divorce Thaddeus.""Finding a man isn't like buying groceries. Why don't you say these things to Amy? Why must she insist on going
Samuel wrote the prescription, occasionally sneaking a glance at the perennial bachelor before him. It seemed like love was in the air."Alright, you can go get your medicine."Noah put the ice pack in Jessamine's palm, and whispered, "Stay here and keep the ice pack on your face. I'll go get the medicine."Jessamine turned to Samuel and asked, "Dr. Watson, I still have a bit of ringing in my ears. Do I need a separate prescription for it?"Upon hearing this, Noah suddenly roared, "Who hit you so hard?"Jessamine was a bit frightened when she looked at Noah's face twisted with anger. In her memory, he had always been gentle and polite, so she couldn't imagine him being capable of such rage."It was Colin. He took out his grudge against me," she calmly replied."Did you fight back?"Jessamine shook her head, looking like a child who had been bullied. "I couldn't."Samuel silently thought to himself that this Colin person should probably not go out for the next few days. Noah wa
After a few seconds, the phone was answered.Without giving Amy a chance to speak, Thaddeus coldly warned her. "Amy, if you're calling to plead on Colin's behalf, don't even bother. Let's not risk ruining our friendship of over a decade for this matter. "Colin had clearly crossed my bottom line, and I'm already being very lenient with him by just withdrawing my investment." Amy slumped on the hospital bed, momentarily at a loss for words.When Thaddeus mentioned that Colin had crossed his bottom line, didn't that mean his bottom line was Jessamine?Amy felt like she had been kicked in the shins. She suddenly felt like all her efforts in feigning illness, getting poked with needles, and sleeping on a lousy hospital bed were all in vain.She felt like he was slipping away from her, and that she wasn't as important to him as she had imagined. On the other end of the call, Thaddeus sat in his office with a solemn expression.Jordan had been looking forward to the CEO's return t
Jessamine clicked on the news link that Shane had shared. A crowd of protesters had gathered outside the entrance of Quilton Corporation. The comments below the online article were filled with speculations about the company.She was about to reply to a comment when her phone suddenly rang. It was Colin.Upon answering the phone, she heard a grunt, and a voice followed. "Jessie, you finally picked up the phone!"There seemed to be several people on the other end of the line. She heard Colin cry out in pain, and a harsh male voice barked, "Say what you're supposed to say!"Colin hurriedly agreed and cried as he spoke, "Jessie, I know what I did was wrong. I'm so sorry."Following that, there was another cry of pain, along with the crisp sound of a slap. "Please, stop hitting me! I know what I did was wrong!" Colin pleaded desperately.The man with the harsh voice spoke up again, "Confess your wrongdoing to Ms. Patton.""Jessie, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have hit you. Ple
At the CEO's office at Holt Jewelry, a thick stack of printouts was placed on Thaddeus' desk. Each page contained information on individuals with "Malcolm" in their names. He had just casually flipped through a few pages, but he already felt annoyed.Who was the person Jessamine couldn't let go of in her dreams?Unexpectedly, there were more than tens of thousands of people in the whole country with such a mundane name. Regardless, it didn't seem like Malcolm was a big shot."Send these lists to the marketing department and have them call each and every one of the names on it," Thaddeus ordered. "If there's any suspicious information, set them aside."Jordan hurried over and picked up the stack of printouts from the desk. As he was leaving, Thaddeus reiterated, "Make sure to complete all these calls tonight."Jordan silently empathized with his colleagues in the marketing department. It seemed like those on the seventh floor were in for an all-nighter. That whole night, the Ho
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