"We have other maids at home. We don't need Cedar," Theodore said."That won't do either," Willow responded.Her sudden seriousness piqued Theodore's curiosity. He asked, "Why not? Mrs. Jett told me you and Cedar are close."Willow's cheeks reddened as she struggled to find the right words. Finally, she said, "Marriage is meant for two people. I don't want someone else in our home."Embarrassed, she lowered her gaze and focused on her meal. After a moment of silence, she glanced up and saw Theodore watching her intently."Why are you staring at me like that?" Willow asked."I was thinking… that I might not be able to promise that," Theodore said."Huh?" Willow didn't grasp his meaning right away."There will always be someone else in the house.""Who else would be there?""You tell me."Following Theodore's eyes, Willow glanced down and suddenly grasped his meaning. Before she could react, he pulled her close. She gasped in surprise and found herself intimately straddling hi
"Jett? Is that his last name?" Sara asked. Even at her age, her memory was sharp. She quickly glanced at Ellie.Ellie hesitated before saying, "I think Willow's brother is in college.""It's her," Florence said through her tears. "Madam Sara, if it weren't for her, I wouldn't have had the courage to come to you. Everyone's talking about how she's Theodore's fiancée."Hailey must have crossed her somehow, and now she's getting her revenge. She pushed us Godfreys around because we don't have any connections here in Emperia.""Mrs. Godfrey, please don't cry. Madam Sara will surely take control of this matter." Ellie reassured her while keeping a close eye on Sara's reaction.Sara had always valued the relationship between the Bassetts and the Godfreys and had a special affection for Hailey. She could never have imagined Hailey being involved in something as serious as hiring someone to harm another person.Now that she learned Hailey was in jail and isolated from visitors, how could
Theodore quickly dashed into the kitchen, turned off the stove, switched on the range hood, and opened the window. The smoke eventually dissipated. Then, he tenderly applied burn ointment to Willow's hand in the living room."I just wanted to make breakfast. I saw a video that said it was easy, so I thought I'd give it a try," Willow said sheepishly."Is this what you made for breakfast?" Theodore asked, eyeing the burnt mess on the table. "What is it supposed to be?""Scrambled eggs on toast," Willow replied, hardly believing that was what she made. She sighed. "Turns out cooking actually requires some talent.""It's not about talent," Theodore said, looking at her intently as he finished with the ointment. "Promise me you won't try this again, especially when I'm not around.""Why not? I can practice more when you're not around.""I'm worried you might burn the house down with no one here to help."Willow was at a loss for words. Recalling the sparks that had shot high in the
"Two coffees, two croissants, and two muffins," Willow said, eyeing the street cart. "And one egg and cheese wrap with bacon.""Coming right up!" Nancy Popplewell, the vendor, replied with a warm smile. "Running late today, huh? Is that your boyfriend?" Willow nodded."He's quite the looker! Looks like he works for a top firm." Nancy was extremely friendly and generous with her praise. "He's a great catch, and you two make a great pair!""Is that so? I find him rather ordinary," Willow said."Ordinary? If you're not interested, let me know so I can set him up with my niece," Nancy teased."Sure. I'll have him leave his number for you."Nancy handed the freshly brewed coffee to Willow, laughing heartily. "The egg and cheese wrap will be up soon."Willow brought the two coffees to the table and noticed Theodore watching her closely. She asked, "What's up?""I heard someone finds me pretty ordinary," Theodore responded.Willow arched an eyebrow. "I have to be somewhat modest when
"No," Willow said."That's strange. They wouldn't have the clout to pull strings and get her out of trouble, would they?" Joey asked."Not for something as serious as hiring men to hurt someone. The police wouldn't let her off the hook that easily. I looked into it. The Godfreys don't have much influence in Emperia. They just moved back to the country.""Good," Joey said with a sigh of relief. "I'll head out now."Willow hummed in response. After Joey left, she turned on her computer and resumed working.…Before the end of the day, Theodore called Willow. "How about we have Serratian food for dinner tonight?""That sounds great. Where do you have in mind?" Willow asked."I'll send you the location. I have a meeting that should end around 7:00 p.m. so I might be a bit late.""No worries."After ending the call, Willow received the restaurant's address. Despite having unfinished tasks, she had already lost her concentration on work. She pulled out her compact and lipstick fro
"We wrapped up our meeting about half an hour ago, and Mr. Bassett left on his own. He didn't wait for the driver. Wasn't he supposed to have dinner with you?" Clark asked, sounding confused and uncertain about the situation.Willow hung up the phone and quickly dialed Theodore's number."I'm sorry, the number you've dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later."She tried calling three more times, but each attempt went unanswered. A wave of panic washed over her. Could something have happened to Theodore on his way? Without hesitating, she quickly paid her bill and left the restaurant.The restaurant was just two blocks away from Bassett Corporation. It had to be within those two blocks if anything had gone wrong.After leaving the restaurant, Willow drove straight to Bassett Corporation while repeatedly dialing Theodore's number. As she waited for the light to change at the intersection, she noticed that the traffic police had cordoned off the opposite side.Pe
"Short on evidence? What do you even mean by that?" Willow questioned bluntly. "Do the direct transfers between Hailey and the people who beat up my brother not indicate a transaction? Or do you mean that my brother's injuries aren't severe enough to convict her?""It's not that." Mike hesitated for a long time before finally being frank with her. "Ms. Jett, I'll be honest with you. You should just drop this matter. It's not going to be beneficial to you.""You let Hailey go, huh?"There was a pause on the other end before he admitted, "Yes.""Did someone intervene in this case? Was it the Bassett family?""I'm sorry."Mike apologized partly because the case had clear evidence but couldn't be further investigated to convict the perpetrator and partly because he couldn't withstand the pressure from the higher-ups to continue the investigation.What was worse was that he couldn't even tell the victim who had intervened, leading to his self-reproach."I understand. Thank you." Wil
The elevator made a soft ding as it slowly opened. Before stepping out, Willow took a deep breath, clearing her mind of what had just occurred in the office.She was pushing 30. There was no way she could be tricked by something so trivial.As soon as she exited the elevator, she spotted a tall individual standing at a distance next to a black sedan. Clearly, someone had tipped Theodore off, as he already knew she was coming to him."What are you doing here?"Willow stood a meter away from him. Seeing the bouquet of white roses he was holding, she couldn't help but feel a smile forming on her face. However, she still stubbornly said, "I don't like white roses.""That's fine," Theodore stated before opening the car door with one hand. The back seat was filled with flowers of all kinds and colors.Willow was in disbelief. "Did you bring the entire flower shop with you?"Theodore remarked, "Since I didn't know what flowers you liked, Dinah prepared a little bit of everything the fl
"What choice do you think I need to make?" Theodore stepped closer. His tone was filled with displeasure. "What are my choices?"Willow hesitated for a moment but maintained her composure as she voiced her concerns. "We need to face reality, Theodore. I will take Yasmine back to Portumville, and you're tied to the Bassett family. Who knows what will happen in the future?""So, you're giving me a heads-up so I can find someone else sooner?""I—""Should I be thanking you then?" Theodore's anger flared. "Willow, this is what's on your mind after everything we've been through? What do you take me for? What do you take yourself for?""I…" Willow found herself speechless."Are you doing this on purpose?""No, I'm not." Willow tried to explain herself, but for once, her words failed her.Theodore's eyes burned with frustration. Seeing her struggling to justify herself only fueled his anger more. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.Willow let out a startled muffle, but it was
Willow noticed something odd and asked, "When did you two get so close? Cedar, you even know what game Jessica likes?"Cedar casually replied, "She posted about it on Instagram."Willow's expression changed to one of realization. "Oh, right. I remember now."After saying that, she looked at Jessica with a raised eyebrow and proudly said, "See how thoughtful Cedar is? He remembered such details and even brought the game you wanted. I wonder which lucky girl will end up with him."Jessica forced a smile and awkwardly shoved the game console under the pillow as if it were something unpleasant to touch.Yasmine raised her head. "End up with him? What does that mean?"Willow patiently explained, "It means who will marry Uncle Cedar.""It must be Ms. Sweeney!" Yasmine pointed to the bed next to her and blurted out, "Uncle Cedar saved her. She said she'll marry him to repay the favor."Willow's face was filled with shock while Jessica quickly waved her hand. "No! I never said that. Wh
At the City Hospital, since both Willow and Jessica needed to stay in the hospital, Terence decided to use a bit of his authority to arrange for them to share a room."So what are your plans? Are you not going back to Portumville?" Jessica asked."I still have to go back. The company headquarters is there. Have you ever seen a president of a public company who never goes to the office? Joywell is still growing. I can't leave," Willow explained."So when are you planning to go back?"Willow hesitated. "I'm still thinking."Balancing a career and family was tough. One had to give way to the other."There's nothing to think about. You wouldn't want to give up Joywell's prime opportunity, and you wouldn't want to keep flying back and forth to see Yasmine. Just have Theodore go with you to Portumville then."Jessica, with her independent mindset, often focused on herself and didn't always consider the practicalities of others' situations.Just then, a knock came at the door. "Come i
As Theodore closed the door behind him, Terence turned to him with a concerned look. "Aren't you going to stay with her?""Let her be alone for a while," Theodore replied.Through the glass on the door, Theodore could see the frail figure lying on the hospital bed, and his heart ached for her."By the way, how's Jessica?"Terence responded, "She's fine. Cedar's with her. Thankfully, he noticed in time, and the sleeping pills weren't of a lethal dose."Joey had drugged Jessica with an overdose of sleeping pills. Then, she was left unconscious and tied up in a small storage room at an apartment in Marldosa Gardens.Following that, Joey hired someone from the black market to drive Jessica's car to Portumville, which caused the car's GPS to show up constantly on the highway.Terence couldn't help but ask, "Are Cedar and Jessica…""I don't know," Theodore replied flatly, "but it's not a bad thing.""Not necessarily," Terence said, crossing his arms. "It's fine for the heiress of Re
At the hospital, Willow's neck wound had been stitched up with four sutures. She had to stay in the hospital for observation.Terence was still in the operating room with Matthew. Over an hour had passed with no news. Yet, Matthew's family couldn't be reached at the moment.Theodore sat by her bedside. "Be careful.""I'm fine," Willow replied, leaning against the headboard. "How did you find out that Joey and I were at the riverbank?""Matthew called me." Theodore's voice was rough. He covered Willow with a blanket and began to explain the recent events."I had a DNA test done with Yasmine and confirmed Iris' claims. At least it proved that Joey was the one who took Yasmine back then. After that, I had Clark start investigating Joey."The first thing Clark did was track down the doctor who did the DNA test for Matthew and Yasmine, and sure enough, Joey was there meeting him."When Clark arrived, the doctor was already dead. His body was hidden in the garage at Marldosa Gardens.
Willow's words crushed Joey completely.Possessiveness? To others, her years of admiration and waiting were nothing more than laughable possessiveness."They're over there!" A voice suddenly rang out. Following that, the chaotic sound of footsteps echoed from the other side of the rocks.Willow looked up to see a tall, familiar figure rushing toward her. Without needing to guess, she knew how anxious the man must have been. Her nose tingled, and tears suddenly began to fall.As Joey glanced at the approaching police, she tightened her grip on Willow and dragged her backward. "Don't come any closer! Stay back!" she shouted.Theodore, who was more frightened than he had ever been, also roared, "Don't go any further! Let her go, Joey.""Let her go?" Joey laughed bitterly. "And let her reunite with your family? Dream on!""Joey." Willow managed to squeeze out the words through her pain. "Stop it, Joey."Even at this moment, she hoped Joey would have a change of heart and turn awa
Willow lay on the rocks as her neck bled and stained the collar of her white shirt. The scene was shocking. But compared to the pool of blood beneath Matthew, her injuries were nothing. Even though she desperately tried to escape, the distance she crawled was far from enough to save her life.Footsteps approached from behind; Joey had released Matthew and was walking toward Willow."Do you know what he just told me?" Joey's voice came from behind as Willow continued to crawl away.Joey didn't stop her, and she merely paced alongside Willow. For every step Willow took, Joey mirrored her, patiently recounting her conversation with Matthew."I asked him if he ever loved me. Do you know what he said?""He told me to let you go."In the wind of the river, Joey's laughter sounded particularly eerie. "Even at this moment, he only thinks of you. His loyalty to you is absolute, isn't it? I want to ask you a question."Suddenly, Joey squatted down and yanked Willow's hair, forcing her
"Leave right now?" Joey asked incredulously. She then burst into tears. "If only you had said this three years ago!""It's not too late now.""It is too late," Joey said as she shook her head. Willow felt herself being choked. She struggled for breath as the immense force pressed against her neck and pulled her toward the edge of the rocky outcrop with the raging river below."Joey!" Matthew staggered closer."Don't come any closer!"Willow felt a sharp pain in her neck as the knife's blade dug deeper into her flesh."Joey." She gritted her teeth against the agony and asked, "So Yasmine really was stolen by you, wasn't she?""You're still asking such questions at this point? Willow, you really are stupid.""Where's Yasmine?""Ha! What do you think?" Joey's laughter was manic.The rhetorical question sent Willow plummeting into despair as if reliving the anguish from three years ago. It felt like her heart and lungs shook violently, and every nerve of hers screamed in pain.
"We've known each other for so many years, and now, suddenly, I plan to leave Emperia. It's hard not to feel a bit reluctant," Joey said with a hint of nostalgia, her expression darkening as she turned to look at Willow.As the river breeze blew, Willow felt something unfamiliar about the woman in front of her, as if she had never known her at all."What's wrong?"Joey noticed the strange look in Willow's eyes.Willow steadied herself, hiding her immense shock and confusion behind her clenched fist, and casually asked, "When do you plan to leave? Have you decided where to go?""We're thinking of heading to Westwood first. Do you still remember we made a promise in college to go to Westwood for our graduation trip?""I remember.""But you suddenly decided to get married at that time and got busy with matters at Strand Real Estate.""Actually, you didn't have to worry about me. You could have gone without me.""Didn't you know? Matthew liked you, so when he heard you weren't goi