Thaddeus had never felt as grateful to Noah as he did at that moment. If it weren't for that lunatic, he wouldn't have had this opportunity to take his wife and children out together as a complete family.As the car left the city, the surroundings became increasingly tranquil. Finally, they parked at a villa situated by the lakeside. By now, the night had descended, with a bright moon hanging in the sky. Thaddeus looked up at it, feeling even more complete than the full moon itself."Jessie, darlings, we've arrived."Jessamine walked over, looking out the window at the unfamiliar place. The two children were a bit excited. They were tired of playing at home and had been eagerly waiting for Jessamine to take them out, but she always seemed too busy.Thaddeus opened the trunk, but before he could do anything, a tall and sturdy man appeared out of nowhere, helping to carry the luggage.When Lucas saw his robot in the hands of the muscular man, he yelled anxiously, "My robot! Be gentl
Jessamine was taken aback by his offer. If he was offering to take her, did that mean he would also be staying here? She now deeply felt that she had voluntarily fallen into his trap.Jessamine looked into Thaddeus' eyes, her concerns written all over her face.Thaddeus pretended not to notice and ignored the questioning look in her gaze. After all, feigning ignorance was something men were best at."Jessie, I'll stay in the study."Jessamine didn't want to talk anymore. He had already made the arrangements clear. She felt like she was under his roof and had to bow her head.Thaddeus didn't intend to linger longer, perhaps afraid of being exposed by Jessamine in the next moment. After all, he didn't feel entirely good about what he had done. He had incited trouble at her house and immediately brought her back without giving her a chance to think about it.Just then, his phone rang. Thaddeus glanced at it and then instructed Jessamine, "Tidy up and rest early. I have some work to
Jessamine felt like she was going crazy. She stared into the darkness all night, gloriously suffering from insomnia. Unable to sleep on either side, she decided to go downstairs for some fresh air.Opening the door, she found that all the lights in the house were off. Luckily, it was a full moon tonight, and its light illuminated the staircase, allowing her to see clearly.She cautiously made her way downstairs, thinking about Thaddeus saying he would sleep in the study. She glanced in that direction, noticing that the study door was slightly ajar, with no light visible inside. He must have been resting as well.Over the years, Jessamine had grown to love the night. During the day, she had to deal with many people and many things, requiring her to keep her mind sharp. But at night, she could be herself and let her mind wander freely.Jessamine reached the window, not noticing the person sleeping on the couch.The midsummer breeze was gentle, and the leaves swayed slightly in the m
Thaddeus savored the taste of her lips, kissing her earnestly and tenderly as if reminiscing about the past and gradually making up for the missing years. For him, these past four years had been filled with countless nights of dreaming of this moment. Upon waking, he was left with loneliness and an indelible sense of loss. He could only cope with his sorrow by chain-smoking one cigarette after another.But now, he was holding her in his arms, with their two precious children sleeping peacefully upstairs. At this moment, he felt that his life was complete. At 32 years old, he had never been as happy and fulfilled as he was now.Suddenly, he remembered something Jordan had said—for ordinary men, having a loving wife and children was a lifelong pursuit, but for him, a CEO, it was no different.Jessamine was completely stunned. She hadn't expected things to develop to this point when she came downstairs. She remained silent, her mind in turmoil, unsure how to face this situation.Tha
Thaddeus' expression was sincere, and his cheesy words didn't feel out of place at all. They were genuinely coming from the depths of his heart.During the four years she was away, he had lived like a zombie. Whether the earth turned or the moon was full didn't matter to him, as his life had lost its color. But since meeting her again, he changed his WhatsApp profile picture to white, and his world became two-sided—it was either black or white.Jessamine took shallow breaths, feeling uncomfortable with their current position. She knew how sensitive he was and feared accidentally triggering something she shouldn't. She wasn't ready to handle this relationship yet. His words today caught her off guard and left her feeling disoriented.Thaddeus sensed her body tensing up. In their three years of marriage, they had been in much more intimate positions, but she had never been this stiff or seemed so eager to escape his embrace."Jessie, why are you trembling?" he asked.Jessamine could
Thaddeus' eyelids were fiercely twitching. Jessamine's tone clearly indicated that she had no intention of furthering their relationship. Right now, her heart belonged only to her two children.He could sense that she was avoiding the issue. Ultimately, it boiled down to her deep-seated inability to trust him.Thaddeus sat beside her on the couch, his hands instinctively clasping in front of his knees."Jessie, I'm straightforward by nature and not good at sweet-talking girls. But now, I want to sincerely tell you that I've only liked one woman in my entire life, and that's you. Without you, there won't be anyone else. You're right. Life is short, and I don't want to settle."Jessamine swallowed hard. "Thaddeus, you should be able to feel that I'm not mentally prepared for this.""I know. I'm not forcing you to give me an answer right now. I just hope you'll seriously consider it instead of avoiding the issue."What followed in the living room was a long and profound silence.Je
The blanket wasn't as comfortable as the previous one. Now, she couldn't sleep at all. It seems she really had made a mistake. Jessamine lay stiffly all night and only managed to doze off at the break of dawn. She hadn't slept for long before being woken up by a knock on the door.Reaching for her phone, she checked the time—it was 6:30 am. It was Lucas' biological clock, and he woke up at this time every day. Unsure of what he needed, Jessamine was about to sit up when she heard Thaddeus speaking to Lucas outside, his voice lowered."Mommy didn't sleep well last night. Let's not disturb her, okay?"Lucas' voice was also subdued. "But I can't find my shorts. I need to change clothes when I get up. Mommy packed the suitcase yesterday, so I wanted to ask her.""You can ask someone else for help, like Daddy."Jessamine listened carefully to the conversation outside the door. After Thaddeus finished speaking, there was silence for a few seconds. Then Thaddeus asked, "Why aren't you we
He remembered every word she had said and carefully prepared breakfast for their two children, taking note of their preferences. Based on his current performance as a father, Jessamine would rate him as a qualified one.Thaddeus scooped the fried eggs onto a plate and carried them to the dining room, where he saw Jessamine staring at the plates. He set down the eggs and smiled warmly."I saw this set of tableware at the mall last time and thought it looked nice, so I bought it."Jessamine smiled back. "It does look quite nice."They arranged all the food on the table, and Jessamine called out to the living room, "Lucas, Layla, come and eat."The two children were engrossed in their activities and responded lazily, not immediately leaving their toys. Jessamine shook her head helplessly.Thaddeus called out to her from the kitchen, "Jessie, come and help me."Thinking she might have forgotten something, Jessamine went to the kitchen and found Thaddeus standing with his hands behin
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