"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
It was already getting late. Sabastian was well-known for his chivalrous demeanor within high society. "It won't take much of your time," he added.Thaddeus exchanged a glance with Jessamine and replied, "Mr. Hardy, is there something you wanted to tell us?"Sabastian was embarrassed to speak. He silently gathered his thoughts before he continued, "It's just that, I have an acquaintance who resembles Ms. Patton in both stature and appearance. So, I couldn't help but ask if the two of you knew each other. I'm sorry if this seems a bit sudden..."Jessamine suddenly thought of her mother."Are you referring to my mother, Elizabeth Patton?" she asked.Sabastian's eyes flickered."You're her daughter? No wonder..."Sabastian seemed somewhat distracted. This was the umpteenth time Jessamine had seen him acting like this. It seemed as if he was stuck in a daze.Jessamine asked, "Mr. Hardy, about my mother..."Before she could finish her sentence, a household staff came over and s
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
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
"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