The man’s inky, dark eyes flashed with a peculiar light.“Cough! Cough! Milady, please take a closer look, you’re grabbing onto the Second Master, not Jebediah!” Lucas explained.Charlotte hurriedly released Zachary. However, she remembered Bryson and ignored her fear. Her heart was filled with sorrow once again. “Zachary, Luke, where’s Bryson? Do you know if he’s alright?”Zachary opened his thin lips yet did not say a word.Lucas answered, “The Second Master and I thought that you and Bryson… Ahem! Let’s not talk about that. Well… The Second Master and I were looking for you when we received a call from Jebediah along the way. He told us that you were at his place, so the Second Master and I went to his house and brought you home. You know that the Second Master has severed ties with Jebediah. They barely spoke. The Second Master asked Jebediah what you were doing in his home and why you had so much blood on you. Jebediah simply told the Second Master that it was Bryson’s blood.
Charlotte stopped. A thick layer of tears had blurred her vision, preventing her from getting a good look at Zachary’s face. “I’m going to Blue Water Bay. If Bryson is dead, his…”The word “corpse” felt too cruel. Charlotte couldn’t bring herself to say the word. “He might be there. I’m going to bring him home.”She ran hastily toward the door before she could finish speaking.“When will you ever learn?”His clear, melodious voice echoed behind her.Charlotte’s legs refused to move, as if she had been spellbound. She stood in front of the door. Everything in front of her looked like blurred flecks of light thanks to her tears.“What do you mean? What haven’t I learned?”“It never ends well when you keep things from me and shoulder your own troubles alone or try to accomplish something with someone else, no matter the circumstances. If you had asked me to come along, Uncle Jebediah would never have had the guts to stop you and Bryson wouldn’t have lost his life.”Zachary sat o
That was a place Zachary had once forbidden her to enter!“Sigh!”Lucas patted Zachary on the shoulder in consolation.“Sir, you’re always reminding me that there’s a limit to everything, but why can’t you take your own advice?”Zachary’s crystalline eyes flashed with confusion. “Huh?”Lucas fiddled with his large earring. “He he… I know that there’s no use beating around the bush with you, sir, so I’ll be straight with you. I think the amount of jealousy you feel is similar to your love for your wife—limitless.”Zachary looked sullen.“Explain yourself.”“I don’t think you should be jealous over Mrs. Connor’s tears for Bryson. How shall I say this…” Lucas mulled over it as he walked out the door with Zachary. “You were right to be jealous when we thought that Mrs. Connor had eloped with Bryson. However, we’ve now discovered that it was all a misunderstanding, haven’t we? Besides, Bryson is dead. One of your love rivals is permanently eliminated. You should be happy, sir. Why d
Realizing that Charlotte was about to run into the villa, the fireman stopped her.“The structure of a building becomes extremely fragile after a huge fire. It could collapse at any minute. For your safety, you’d better… Hey! Wait! Hey!”Charlotte dashed into the courtyard.First, she ran to the spot where Bryson had gotten stabbed. Bryson's Maserati was still there, but there was only a metal frame left to remind of its former glory. She looked around but could not find Bryson's body.She wanted to search inside.She had just taken one step in when a tall, mountain-like figure stood in front of her. Her forehead collided firmly with the man’s strong muscles.“Wake up, the fireman has made this very clear. This villa could collapse at any minute. You’d just be walking into your own grave if you went inside.” Zachary’s voice was like a frosty wind, yet it carried his unique charm, which no woman could possibly resist. For one fleeting moment, she was taken aback.She then regaine
Charlotte was overcome with emotion, and her lips trembled.“Zachary, what are you doing back here…”“Put this on.”He draped a trench coat over her body.His black trench coat was immaculate and had an enchanting scent as if it held a warmth that could melt an entire mountain of ice.“Regardless of how sad you are, you must take care of your health. Don’t catch a cold.”The man’s cool, magnetic voice held hints of warmth that one would have to listen closely to detect.He walked away before Charlotte could return to her senses.As expected, two police cars arrived at the scene soon after.Once the investigative team had carefully searched the villa, one policeman spoke to Charlotte in a reverent tone. “Miss Simmons, I’m very sorry, but we could not find the body you’ve mentioned.”Charlotte pointed at the main building, now burned away by the fire, with a trembling finger. “The flames were raging when I arrived. Bryson… Could the fire have turned him to ashes?”“No!” The po
Charlotte immediately sat up in bed. Her voice shook from emotion. “I knew Bryson was still alive. When did he ask you to contact me? Where is he? Is he with you?”“Well… Sigh!”Mr. Gold sighed sorrowfully.“Ms. Simmons, Mr. Harper has entrusted me with giving you something very important. Please come to Platinum Coast. We’ll talk more when we meet.”Charlotte hurried down from the bed.She saw Zachary soon as she pushed her bedroom door open.It wasn’t because Zachary’s perfectly handsome face was far too attractive. It was because he wasn’t standing in front of the French windows for his morning read today, as he usually would. Instead, he was standing firmly outside her bedroom, like a large rock.As soon as Charlotte pushed the door open, he cleverly concealed the hints of concern in his eyes, hiding them without a trace, and indifferently said, “You’re up early. Are you going out?”Charlotte hung her head, too afraid to look him in the eye. “Yes, hehe… What are you doing o
“Zachary, I know you’re angry. But shouldn’t you vent your frustrations on whoever made you angry? Why are you making me your punching bag?” “Pfft…”Lucas, who had been enjoying the show from the couch, spat out the sip of coffee he had just taken.‘Mrs. Connor! You’re being completely irresponsible by talking to Second Master in that manner! You and Bryson are the ones who’ve pissed him off. Of course, Second Master can’t bring himself to throw a tantrum at you and Bryson, who’s supposed to be his punching bag, as he is now gone forever. So he’s been holding everything in to the point of abnormality. Do you expect him to hang himself, commit suicide, and meet Bryson in death to release his frustrations?’The most shocking part of all to Lucas was that Zachary, who never tolerated being angered, actually swallowed with all his might. His voice became even more amiable than before.“I think you’ve misunderstood me.”Crash!Lucas dropped the coffee cup in his hands onto the groun
At Platinum Coast...The villa was once Charlotte and Bryson’s newly-wed home.Mr. God dutifully welcomed Charlotte as soon as he saw her car driving into the courtyard. “Ms. Simmons, I’ve prepared the item entrusted to me by Mr. Harper. You may collect it in the living room.”Charlotte immediately asked, “You haven’t answered me. Where’s Bryson?”“I have not seen Mr. Harper since he left the house yesterday afternoon. This is also why I’ve called you here.”Mr. Gold pointed at the white marble table in the living room on the ground floor. The white gold box on the table shone dazzlingly underneath the sunlight. “Mr. Harper trusts me explicitly. A few months ago, he told me that should I ever fail to contact him in 16 hours, I should call you and give this box to you.”Charlotte was already in front of the box and staring fixedly at it. “What’s inside the box?”“Mr. Harper never mentioned that. I’m just a butler. It is inappropriate for me to ask such questions. All I can tell