In the following days, Charlotte was so focused on her job that before she knew it, a month had passed.Then, the weekend came around. Both Charlotte and Coraline had made a lot of money after doing a live-stream session together last month. Since she had extra cash to spend now, Coraline would ask Charlotte to go out whenever she was free, and today was no exception. The two of them agreed to meet at Century Mall at ten o'clock in the morning.At around 10:20, while they were browsing in a jewelry store on the first floor of Century Mall, a clear baritone voice spoke. “Well, well, well, look who’s here. Why didn’t you inform me earlier that you’d be coming so that I could welcome you, Ms. Simmons?” Charlotte looked toward the source of the sound, and a second later, a face of unparalleled beauty that looked exactly like Zachary’s appeared in her line of sight.“Ah! Mr.Connor!” someone exclaimed.Then, someone else greeted him respectfully. “It’s nice to see you here, Mr. C
“Because Lory…”Jebediah’s eyes were filled with warmth when Lorraine’s pretty face surfaced in his mind.“One way to tell if a woman truly loves a man is through her reaction in bed. Lory was always very cold to me whenever I tried to get physical with her in the past and gave me the impression that I was raping her. However, since she married me, we've never once had any problems in bed. She has become a lot more active and she’ll sometimes take the initiative to suggest some of the most erotic things, such as…”“Alright, alright, stop it!” Charlotte cut Jebediah short, her face flushing with embarrassment. “Don’t you think it’s inappropriate for you to tell me these things?”“I’m sorry. I just can’t help it whenever I think about Lory.” Jebediah offered Charlotte an apologetic smile as a hint of embarrassment crossed his eyes.“All I want to say is that Lory loves me now. She has decided to spend the rest of her life with me and she has been trying her very best to have a chi
“Oh no! Someone’s shot Mr. Valentine!”“The murderer has a gun. Get down…”Everyone ducked onto the ground, afraid of getting shot. Only Charlotte remained standing in her spot, dazed like a puppet, staring at Jebediah at her feet. Fiery-red blood gushed out of his body, staining her shoes.“Carlie, why are you still staring at him? Close your eyes!”Coraline cried out anxiously and dragged Charlotte away from Jebediah. Then, she covered her eyes with her right hand.She knew that Charlotte was afraid of blood. If she continued to stare at Jebediah, she might collapse.The ambulance soon arrived at the scene.Charlotte followed the ambulance to the hospital.Jebediah was immediately sent to the emergency room. Three policemen found Charlotte as she waited outside the emergency room and questioned her.Based on police information, Charlotte found out that the assault had occurred in a public place and was a gun assault with horrible consequences. The criminal had fled as soon a
Jebediah was still unconscious. His eyes were shut, and his handsome face was completely pale, but he looked more peaceful than ever.Charlotte couldn’t help being reminded of Zachary when she saw him and remembered that Zachary had been sent to the hospital many times because he had risked his life to save her.‘Zachary! He and Jebediah are relatives as close as brothers.’At the end of the day, the relationship between Zachary and Jebediah had only fallen apart because of the hatred between her and Lorraine.Now, she and Lorraine had called a truce. Had Zachary and Jebediah patched up their relationship?Why wasn’t Zachary here to see Jebediah?“Jebediah!”They suddenly heard a cry from the door. Charlotte turned around and saw Lorraine hurry toward the hospital bed with the support of another woman.Annalita’s face sank as soon as she saw Lorraine. She released Jebediah’s hand and told Miranda, “How unlucky. She’s here, Mimi. Let’s go!”Miranda showed Lorraine her middle fi
“I get it now. We’re not needed here. We didn’t need to come back. Carlie, Mimi, I think we should leave now.”Annalita dragged Charlotte and Miranda away.Only then did Jebediah lift his head and look at Annalita. “I’m sorry, sis. I didn’t mean to ignore you, Carlie, and Mimi. It’s just that…”“It’s just that when the woman you love is in your arms, she’s the only thing you can see. You don’t notice anyone else!”Annalita deliberately pretended to be incensed. However, she could not conceal the warmth in her gaze.“Fine, Jebediah. I’m happy to see that you’re alright. You should enjoy your time with her. We won’t disturb you.” Jebediah, who was as handsome as a god, slowly lifted the corners of his lips.“Thank you, sis.”Charlotte, Annalita, and Miranda left the ward together.Annalita gently held Charlotte’s hand. “What do you think of Jebediah and Lorraine?”“Mm?” Charlotte’s eyes were filled with confusion.“I don’t understand, Mrs. Annalita. What do you mean?”“Why a
“Who’s there?”The black figure that had just entered paused in his tracks.“It’s me, Miss Simmons.”That voice did not sound familiar to Charlotte…Charlotte’s nerves were on edge. She quickly turned on her bedside lamp. As soon as she turned on the light, the black figure reached the side of her bed.“Miss Simmons, I’ve been commissioned to take you somewhere.”That deep voice rang out again. Then, a black object landed heavily on Charlotte’s head.“Argh!”A warm liquid gushed down Charlotte’s face. Her eyelids felt droopy, and she felt as if her soul was leaving her body as she slowly blacked out.“Miss Simmons, it’s time to wake up!“Miss Simmons…“Miss Simmons…”Splash!Ice-cold water was splashed over her head. Charlotte shivered. She felt as if the wound on her head had split open and she nearly collapsed from the pain.“What are you doing? Don’t you have any restraint? Why’d you hit her so hard? What if you killed her?” A strange voice rang out in front of Charlot
She heard the sound of footsteps. The two masked men walked toward Jebediah’s bed in unison. The taller man stared at Jebediah’s pale face and said, “Mr. Valentine, since you’re going to die, I guess I should give you an explanation before your demise. I was the one who shot you outside your jewelry store, but you survived. Our employer asked us to make sure you died.”He tore off the tape on Jebediah’s lips.Jebediah had just been through a major surgery. He was weak, so it took him a very long time before he managed to reply in a weak voice, “I’m sure you’re doing this for money. Don’t… Don’t kill me. I’ll pay you ten times more than your employer…”“Mr. Valentine, this isn’t just about money. Our employer has leverage over us. If we spare you, our families will die. So, you have to die,” the shorter man replied helplessly.“I can’t die!” Jebediah shook his head.“In the past, I would never have compromised even if someone had held a knife to my throat. I’d never kneel and beg f
When she recovered from this trance, she realized that the rope on her body had been untied by the two men and the tape on her mouth had also been torn off.“Ms. Simmons, Ms. Larson also asked us to give you a message on her behalf. She said that you’re the cause of this incident and you’re responsible for Mr. Valentine’s death.” A deep voice spoke beside Charlotte’s ear.Charlotte opened her lips but could not utter a word. All she could think of was the name “Lorraine Larson”. She stared at Jebediah, who had lost his vitality, but Lorraine’s gorgeous face appeared right in front of her eyes.“Has everything been taken care of?”“Don’t worry, boss. No evidence will be left behind.”“Okay, let’s go!”The ward was located on the second floor, and the two men jumped out of the window and fled.Charlotte had been tied up for too long, so her arms and legs were sore and weak. She rested for at least a minute before being barely able to harness a tidbit of strength to support herself