With a tall man with long limbs by Jessamine's side, it would be a waste if Thaddeus wasn't put to good use."Do you want me to carry you?""What else?"Thaddeus pretended to be deep in thought. "Shouldn't you at least try to coax me a bit before asking for my help?"Jessamine's ears felt warm, and she wondered what he wanted to do again. "How do you want me to coax you?"After speaking, she glanced at the large hand placed on her body and warned sternly, "Thaddeus, I'm sick right now, so you can't bully me!"Thaddeus gave a menacing smile. "What are you thinking? Do you really think so lowly of me?"Then, he leaned close to her ear and whispered a complaint, "I overdid it a couple of days ago, and now I'm drained because of you. I also need some time to recover."Jessamine felt a sense of joy in her heart. As long as he didn't want to cause her any trouble, she could handle it.Given what he had just said, Jessamine felt confident enough to tease, "I didn't expect even you wo
"Thaddeus?" Out of nowhere, Jessamine called out to Thaddeus.He looked down at her. "Hm?""Don't you have any other dirt on Colin? Why not reveal it all at once?"Thaddeus snapped back to reality and realized the movie had already ended. No wonder she had time to chat with him."There's not much else. Everything seems insignificant compared to him embezzling a huge amount of public funds. When I was in the visitation room, I was just trying to scare him."There was a hint of disappointment in Jessamine's eyes. "I thought you really had some dirt that could get Colin a heavier sentence. You sounded so convincing when you talked about it in the visiting room."Thaddeus paused for a moment. "I'm afraid he won't tell the truth, so I had to use this to scare him. In reality, my story has quite a few holes, and he was probably just stunned for a moment. Once he has time to think about it, he'll figure it out.""Do you know the people he mentioned at the dinner?"Thaddeus was recount
Thaddeus responded, "Mr. Hardy and Grandpa have a good relationship. He's a decent person."Based on his knowledge of Sabastian, Thaddeus believed that he wasn't the kind of person who would take advantage of someone in a vulnerable situation. He was certain that Sabastian wouldn't mistreat a drunk woman who had also been drugged.Their car stopped outside the Hardy residence.Thaddeus took the gift he had prepared to register themselves, holding Jessamine's hand as they went in.Beatrice was turning 80 that year and was throwing a grand birthday party. She invited all the elite and prominent figures in Zenville, making it a very lively event.Thaddeus was always the center of attention wherever he went. Since he brought Jessamine with him this time, the looks people cast their way were somewhat complicated.In Zenville's affluent circles, everyone was aware of the drama that surrounded this couple before.There was a messy divorce and a car accident, and they were all over the
Sasha swallowed her anger, not wanting to argue with Sophia. Speaking with her would only give Sophia more reason to broadcast the incident. In such a situation, her own position would only become more precarious."It's none of your business. Stay out of it."Sophia was not an easy person to deal with. She had a knack for bringing up the most inconvenient topics at the worst times."It looks like your legs have gotten some muscle. Have you been using the sewing machine? How's your sewing skills now? I just bought a pair of pants that are a bit too long, and I was wondering if you could help me with hemming them, Ms. Sasha."Sasha rarely found herself in awkward situations. Usually, in these settings, she was surrounded by people who would flatter and fawn over her. "Are you crazy?"Then, Sasha looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to her. Frustrated, she cursed under her breath and stormed off.Sophia sipped her champagne while Corvus hurriedly came up to her fro
"It looks like your sister is here, too."Thaddeus glanced around. When he just stepped in, he was too preoccupied talking to Jessamine to notice whether Sasha was there.Now that he thought about it, these kinds of events were exactly the sort that Sasha and Heather enjoyed. If Heather hadn't gone abroad, she would probably be here as well."I didn't see her."Corvus glanced at the group. Earlier, he had noticed that Sasha was mingling there, but now she was gone."She might be avoiding you. You've been too strict as her older brother, and she's probably scared of you.""She's afraid I'll scold her. When my mom was around, she always protected her. Now that my mom is no longer here, she knows she doesn't have anyone to back her up, so she avoids me whenever she sees me."Corvus then switched the topic. "How long will you be staying this time?""I'll see what Jessie thinks, but it shouldn't take too long. The kids are about to start school, and we have to attend the opening cer
On the other side, Jessamine was chatting with Sophia when someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind.Jessamine turned around and saw Hayden's youthful face right in front of her. Today, he was dressed more casually, giving off a clean vibe.After Hayden called her "Jessie" on the plane, he no longer wanted to call her "Ms. Patton"."Jessie, didn't we agree that you would call me when you arrived so I could pick you up? Did you forget my number?"Jessamine explained, "No, there were servants outside to guide the way. Since I wouldn't get lost anyway, I didn't want to trouble you."Hayden ran a hand through his hair. "It's no trouble at all. I've even been waiting for your message. My yard is quite spacious, and it's pretty boring around here. Would you like me to take you out for a walk?"Sophia and Hayden used to be classmates for a few years. She stood quietly to the side, watching him chat up Jessamine and ignore her.She looked at Hayden's eagerness and couldn't help bu
The sun was setting, and the sky was slowly growing darker.The streetlight in front of the rockery suddenly lit up as the darkness settled in.Hayden looked up. "Do you want me to have someone bring you a coat?"The weather wasn't too cold, and there would be mosquitoes.Jessamine waved her hand and said, "No need, let's just go inside.""Sure."They had barely taken a few steps when a deep, resonant voice called out from behind them."Everyone's been looking for you. You're not answering your phone or replying to messages. What are you doing here? We're about to cut the cake!"Both of them turned around simultaneously. Hayden lowered his voice and murmured to Jessamine, "It's my old man." He then told Sabastian, "Dad, I just had some work to take care of. I'll head back shortly.""What is there to discuss right now? Any longer and your grandmother will start to worry."Hayden frowned slightly. His family had always been skeptical of his career as an artist, especially Sab
Hayden gave out a subtle smirk. "It's parked in the garage nearby. Do you want to check it out?""Let's go."It wasn't Hayden's car Thaddeus was interested in. He simply wanted to give Hayden a stern lecture in private.The two of them left almost immediately. Jessamine wasn't interested in the car either; she was feeling a little hungry and wanted to find something to eat."You guys go ahead. I'll go in first."The moment Jessamine walked in, Thaddeus pulled Hayden aside and grabbed him by his hair."So, you've grown some guts huh, staring at my woman?"Hayden was defiant. Since Thaddeus had made things ugly, there was no reason for him to play nice."What are you talking about? Your woman? Did she marry you? Why would someone as outstanding as Jessamine marry an old guy like you?"Thaddeus felt insulted by the term "old guy". His hawk-like eyes stared down intensely at the ungrateful Hayden. He couldn't believe that the young lad who used to follow him around had just gone