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
"I'm sorry, I was off balance for a moment."The person apologizing looked familiar. As Jessamine tried to recall who she was, a name appeared in her mind. She was Yara, the actress who was always around Thaddeus. It was clear that Yara did it intentionally. Jessamine splashed her glass of wine toward her without the slightest hint of hesitation."Sorry for my shaky hands."Yara was taken aback by Jessamine's straightforwardness. Before she even had the chance to react, she was already drenched in wine. Yara's meticulously styled hair and her flawless makeup were ruined and smeared.This was utterly frustrating for Yara.Nobody had ever dared to treat her with such disrespect before!"What on earth did you just do?" Yara shouted loudly as rage radiated through her voice.Jessamine pulled out some tissues from her handbag to wipe the stain from her gown and calmly stated, "I was just standing here, minding my own business, when you lost your balance and splashed your drink a
As soon as Sabastian went out, Jessamine awkwardly remarked, "Mrs. Hardy Senior, it's really not a big deal. I'll arrange for someone to bring over some clothes."Beatrice patted her hand and said, "No, it's no trouble at all. I like you, Jessie."Soon after, Sabastian carried an intricately wrapped box over and placed it on the table. His gaze lingered for a few seconds, reluctant to look away, before he eventually left the room.Inside the box was a customized gown. The garment and craftsmanship were unlike any other dresses sold in retail stores. Beatrice took out the gown and held it up against Jessamine to see how it would look on her."Jessie, why don't you put it on? This gown is made out of high quality silk, and the embroidery on it was meticulously hand-sewn by a cultural heritage textile artisan. Sabastian had treasured it for years. This gown was originally intended to be given away, but for some reason, it has been kept until now. I think this gown matches you perfec
Jessamine couldn't hold back her laughter. "What's going on between you two? Weren't you best friends when you were kids?""I don't have any such friend.""Who would want to be his friend?"Thaddeus and Hayden started speaking almost at the same time.As they were talking, a flirty voice came from the side. "Ted, you didn’t even tell me you were coming. I canceled dinner with the director and spent the whole evening doing my makeup before getting here."Yara had touched up her makeup and did her hair. But due to the limited time, the makeup seemed to be applied casually and wasn't as delicate compared to before.Thaddeus could feel his veins throbbing at his temples. What he feared was happening. He hadn't even managed to soothe Jessamine, but this troublemaker was here to bother him already."Where I go is none of your business," Thaddeus said in annoyance.Yara pursed her red lips. "Don't be like that, Ted."Hayden and Yara generally didn't get along even in their own social
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