"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 held Jessamine's hand tightly and interlaced his fingers with hers.He delared, "Sorry, I'm in a commited relationship now. It's not appropriate for me to be in contact with other women. Please stop sending me those messages. My girlfriend will get jealous."Yara was so angry that she stamped her feet. "Ted, how... how could you turn me down like that?""I'm sorry. In my eyes, apart from my girlfriend, everyone else is genderless," Thaddeus replied.Yara felt deeply humiliated. She had been infatuated and constantly chasing after Thaddeus, only to realize that he never saw her as a romantic interest. Upon looking back now, she felt embarrassed by the sexy photos she had sent."This woman gets involved with every man she comes across. How can you take her side like that? She doesn't deserve it!" Yara exclaimed.The moment Thaddeus heard that, a menacing look appeared on his face. "Yara Lockwood, I advise you to take back what you just said. How can you say such malicious