Thaddeus glanced back at the two children and spoke calmly, "Grandpa, I'll be back soon."Jessamine realized that he had something to attend to after finishing the call. Before she could ask, Thaddeus explained, "Tomorrow is my grandmother's death anniversary. Grandpa wants me to go back now as there are many things to prepare."After saying this, he glanced around the living room, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes. It was rare for the whole family to be together, and he also harbored the selfish desire to bring the two kids to their great-grandfather and hug him. At Thomas' age, he had no other hopes, other than his greatest dream to hold his great-grandchildren.Thaddeus hesitated, thinking that he had only just showed up in front of the two kids, and they hadn't even gotten to know each other well yet. They certainly wouldn't follow him. Suppressing his impulse, he refrained from asking the question that had been on his mind.Jessamine had been married to the Holts for
Thomas' questions seemed to pierce into Thaddeus' heart, each one hitting home. Pursuing his wife wasn't easy. He hadn't managed to settle either his two kids or his wife.Thaddeus remained silent, mainly because he couldn't respond to those questions.At that moment, his phone rang just as he was waiting at a red light. He checked and saw it was Lana. He answered the call and activated the speakerphone. "Mr. Holt, Mrs. Holt wants me to head back to Jardin Estate. Can you speak to her?" Lana asked.Thaddeus sighed deeply. "Lana, you stay with Jessie for now. I'll call her later.""Okay, you two should sort things out first," Lana said before hanging up.Thaddeus had planned to get Lana to stay with Jessamine for a few days, helping her with the kids and household chores. Her main task would've been to handle meals three times a day.Lana had already packed her bags, even bringing her suitcase with her today.During lunch, Thaddeus noticed that both the kids and Jessamine were
The police only allowed fifteen minutes for their conversation. Jessamine and Colin stared at each other through the glass for a long time before Jessamine picked up the phone and held it to her ear.Colin cried uncontrollably, taking a while to regain his composure. This time, the lawyer Jessamine hired provided evidence of Colin's embezzlement to the police. While he was supposed to originally spend a few years in prison, Colin became embroiled in a massive economic case and ended up sitting in prison indefinitely.Jessamine looked at him coldly, never having seen this side of Colin before. His old, murky eyes were filled with endless regret.Eventually, it was Colin who spoke first. "Jessie, Dad might never get out in this lifetime. You and your sister must take care of each other. You're each other's only family."Jessamine sneered. His actions had led him to this point, but what he couldn't let go of in his heart was Amy. "Dad."Jessamine struggled to speak. "This might be th
After the dishes were served, Lana stood by with a smile, watching Jessamine eat. Perhaps it was because they hadn't seen each other for a long time, but Lana seemed friendlier than before."Mrs. Holt, please eat more vegetables. They're good for your skin, eyes, and stomach," Lana said, listing all the benefits.Jessamine used to dislike eating green leafy vegetables, which worried Lana. She always tried different ways to make them taste acceptable to Jessamine.Jessamine picked up some greens with her fork. It still tasted familiar to her. She looked up to see Lana still watching her eat."Lana, why don't you sit down and eat too?" Jessamine suggested.Lana smiled. "Mrs. Holt, we've already eaten. The two little ones ate quite a bit and went downstairs with Julia for a walk."As Lana spoke, she pulled out a chair and sat across from Jessamine.Jessamine raised her head and chuckled. "Lana, you should change your address. I'm no longer Mrs. Holt."Lana tapped at her mouth. "Mr
Julia's Crestese was not very good, and at this point, she was already at a disadvantage against the two women. Jessamine walked into the courtyard and recognized the familiar voice outside. She had initially thought it was a kidnapper, so she grabbed Lucas' baseball bat before going out, only to find it was them.Jessamine hadn't expected Heather and Sasha to find their way here. She hadn't provoked them, yet the mother and daughter had come knocking on her door."Julia, come back inside," Jessamine called out.Julia was outside, unable to argue back and on the verge of tears. She had never encountered such rude people. They were dressed extravagantly, giving off an air of elites, but their language was vulgar and offensive. They insulted Jessamine with every word, using derogatory terms against women.As women themselves, Jessamine couldn't fathom how they could utter such offensive words.The scene momentarily quieted down when they heard Jessamine's voice. But it lasted only
"Jessamine, if you're sensible, you'll leave on your own. Don't rely on my brother to not let you go. Have you ever thought about what kind of family the Holts are? My brother marrying you would bring shame to our family. "Your villa, though a bit old, can still fetch some money. Why don't you sell it early and rent a piece of land on the outskirts to live? I bet you can't even afford the electricity bill for this villa anymore," Sasha said.Jessamine's gaze shifted between the mother and daughter with a look of disdain."Are you two insane? If you are, go see a doctor. There's no doctor here," she retorted.Heather's fingers went numb from anger. She thought offering three million was showing enough sincerity, but Jessamine didn't take it seriously. Not only did she insult her, but she also refused the offer.The last time they met, Jessamine still called her "Ms. Tate", but now she dared to call her by her first name and say she was sick. Was her son blind? How could he fall fo
Thaddeus felt like his pursuit of his wife in the latter half of his life was going to be a long road. It was fine if no one supported him, but all he got was trouble.When Thaddeus arrived, the police that Lana had called were also there. Heather considered herself respectable and was dismissive when questioned by the police, looking up at the sky with her nostrils flaring. When Lana reported the incident to the police, saying someone had tried to kidnap a child on the street, naturally, they treated her like a kidnapper. Heather, with a disdainful expression, had to explain herself, and she also seemed impatient."Officer, I just wanted to ask who the child's father was so I could inform him to take care of his own wife and children. I don't want them to rely on my son for money. Do I look like a kidnapper to you? Do I look like I need money?" she questioned.After inspecting Heather and Sasha, the police concluded, "Indeed, you don't seem to lack money. However, many rich peopl
He was constantly thinking about reuniting as a family of four and had already planned how to renovate the house in Hajera. But she only wanted to keep her distance from him and didn't even want to contact him again. Thaddeus's heart was tightly clenched, and he felt a bit breathless. He suddenly felt his temples throbbing uncontrollably. He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt."Jessie, I've never been one to be controlled by others. You know, my mom is her own person, and I am me. You can't sentence me to death just because someone else did something wrong," he said. He wasn't a mother's boy, but he couldn't deny that both Heather and Sasha were not easy to deal with."Do you think your mom will let me go? She will come a second and a third time, pointing her finger at me, accusing me of seducing you and wanting your family's money! Thaddeus, I'm tired," she said.Thaddeus lit a cigarette, inhaled deeply, and seemed to unleash all the unpleasant feelings pent up in his ch
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