With Claude calling out to her, Jane slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, feeling lost.Claude was overjoyed. He immediately pressed the emergency button. "My granddaughter is awake! Get the doctor!"Soon, the doctor and the nurses filled the ward. After a series of simple checkups, the doctor instructed Claude to let Jane rest well and pay attention to the stitches on her injuries.After the doctor left, Jane slowly came to her senses. "A-Am I still alive?""Of course!"Claude looked at Jane with tears welling up in his eyes. "Jane, you almost scared me half to death. If anything happened to you, what would I do?"Leonard went in closer. "Jane, tell Grandpa Leonard, how did you get hurt?"Claude was instantly displeased. He shoved Leonard aside. "Jane has just woken up. How could you remind her of such horrible memories?"Anyway, what if she could remember? Yvonne has taken the murderer away! You chose to let him go! Don't pretend that you care about Jane!"Jane was perp
Seeing Mark walk closer to Jane, Claude stood up and stopped him. He barked, "What are you doing?"Mark raised the fruit basket in his hand. "I just want to put this thing down. You don't have to be so nervous, Claude. "Those who might not know any better might think that I was the one who hurt Ms. Ford."Mark looked at Jane as he said that. His seemingly friendly gaze had a hint of warning in it.Jane felt chills run down her back. This man was terrifying! No wonder Leonard and Claude had been so cautious of him for so many years!"Claude," Leonard called out. "Mark is kind enough to visit Jane. Don't be so unwelcoming.""He …" Was he that kind?Claude reluctantly stopped himself from saying what was on his mind. He reached out and accepted the fruit basket. "Thank you.""It's not a big deal." Mark looked at Leonard and said casually, "I don't think you two know about this yet, but Howard is dead."Leonard was stunned. "What?""Yvonne took Howard back to Hope Health Ser
At Hope Health Services, Yvonne had no idea that the target was slowly being redirected at her.At that moment, she had just received news that Jade was coming around. She quickly headed to the ICU, with Stephen following behind her.When she entered the ward, she walked over to Jim and asked concernedly, "How is she doing?""Not bad."Jim looked at where Jade's heart was. His heart ached. The heart that had belonged to Howard was beating well.Although Howard had left, he was still protecting Jade.Yvonne followed Jim's gaze, sharing his sentiments. Her emotions overwhelmed her once more.She quietly clenched her fists. She turned to look at Jade and asked in a feigned relaxed tone, "Jade, how are you feeling?"Jade looked at Yvonne for a while. Her lips moved a little under the oxygen mask.She had just come out of a major surgery. She had been unconscious for a few days. At that moment, she had just gained a little consciousness, so her voice was so soft that it was almost
Upon hearing that, Yvonne's intense guilt finally subsided. She remained silent for a while before looking at Stephen and smiling. "Thank you for the reminder."All this while, she had been rather emotional due to Howard's death. Luckily, Stephen could always remain sensible.First, he had discovered the mole and then silently stayed by her side. Right now, he was even reminding them not to wallow in self-blame.He was part of the group, yet also a calm observer. He was always ready to pull her back on track.Yvonne was thankful for him. She looked at him with a deep gaze. Jim noticed that and gently left. He was afraid he would interrupt them.After Jim left, Stephen went closer to Yvonne. He raised his hand and touched her face, gently rubbing her eye bags. "You should get some good rest."His voice was deep yet extremely tender. "You're about to go to war. You need to be mentally and physically ready. Otherwise, how are you going to win?"Yvonne touched his palm and smiled.
The next morning, Yvonne had breakfast in the dining room. When Stephen joined her at the table, she turned her phone on and slid it toward him. "I talked to Leonard over a call last night. He sent me this forensic report and advised me to stop looking into the incident." Stephen scanned the forensic report displayed on the phone screen. Then, he asked, "What are your thoughts about this?" "Leonard and Claude don't want to upset Mark. The best way to do that is to push all the blame on Howard, and that's precisely what Mark wants as well." Yvonne cupped her chin and added, "I've looked at the forensic report carefully and confirmed its authenticity. "In my opinion, Mark must have set Howard up since he knew how much Howard resented Jane. He had intentionally created the situation for Howard to attack Jane." Howard had a very strong motive for wanting Jane dead. Claude and Leonard would surely bring it up during the investigation, and Yvonne wouldn't be able to deny it. Yv
Mark left the ward soon after that. While he was waiting for the elevator, he ran into Leonard, who had just arrived on that floor. He greeted Leonard and said, "I dropped by to visit Ms. Ford." Leonard was skeptical but still smiled amiably. "That's very kind of you." "I feel somehow responsible for Ms. Ford's current condition since I was the first to discover her location. If I had gotten to her aid sooner, she probably wouldn't have had to suffer such severe injuries." After a brief pause, Mark asked, "By the way, how are your investigations going, Leonard? I can't keep waiting around for you to give me news." "I've received the forensics report on the knife, and the evidence points to Howard as Jane's attacker. I've informed Yvonne about this as well." As he recalled his call with her last night, Leonard gave a weary sigh. "It's a shame Yvonne won't listen to me. I think it's a little too difficult for her to come to terms with the truth when she's just lost one of h
Leonard's expression visibly darkened as he listened to Jane's words. "I'm already looking into the incident, Jane. You should focus on resting and getting better soon. Don't—" "Why are you getting mad at her, Leonard?" Claude gave Leonard a nudge on the shoulder. "Jane's words made complete sense. Yvonne must somehow be involved in the incident." He continued, "You keep telling us the same thing day after day. Tell us, then! When will we receive the results of the investigation?" "I'm doing everything I can to—" "Stop lying! It's so obvious that you don't want to get on Yvonne's wrong side!" "Why you …" Leonard was so infuriated by Claude's words that he went ahead and admitted, "That's right! I don't want to get on Yvonne's wrong side, nor do I want to upset Mark! Is there a problem with that?"Howard, the man who attacked Jane, is dead. What more can you do under these circumstances? "Be my guest if you insist on getting everyone involved in the incident to take the
Leonard and Claude arrived at the private room right on time, as per Kendrick's message. Seeing the empty room, Claude was infuriated. "Kendrick sure is cocky! He was the one who set the time, yet he isn't punctual! He's even making us wait for him!""Enough." Leonard pulled up a chair and took a seat. "It's good enough that he's willing to meet us. There's nothing wrong with waiting a little.""You …" Claude rolled his eyes at Leonard and grumbled softly, "I never noticed that you were such a people-pleaser."Leonard pretended not to hear him. He picked up the teapot, poured two cups of tea, and passed one to Claude.Half an hour later, Kendrick arrived. He still had his sunglasses on. He said nonchalantly, "I'm sorry to keep you two waiting.""No, no. It's fine." Leonard immediately got up to welcome him. "We've just been sitting for a while. You're on time."Kendrick sat down and took off his sunglasses. He placed them on the table. "I had ordered some food beforehan
A light breeze blew by in the courtyard. Agatha slowly recounted the past.Back then, Daniel and his wife, Katherine, had just had Mark. The entire Carrington family had been celebrating.They had doted on Mark and taken him wherever they went.That day, they had headed out. Before they'd known it, Mark had been taken away.Just when Daniel and Katherine had been on the brink of losing it, they had received a call from the kidnapper to bring the ransom to a specific spot.They had gotten the money and driven there without any hesitation. No one had thought that they would ever return after that. Even Mark had disappeared.When Agatha finished recounting this, her cup of tea had already cooled.She wiped her tears away. She said through a catch in her throat, "Katherine was hugging the bag of money tightly until the moment she passed away, as though she were hugging you."Mark furrowed his brows. Now that he'd heard the truth about Daniel and Katherine, he should have felt pain
As Yvonne left the room, she could tell that Stephen's mood was much better.She looked at him. "Are you thinking of something nice?""No." Stephen looked at Yvonne with a rare twinkle in his eyes."Let me take you to breakfast." Before Yvonne could respond, he took her hand and led her to the elevator.Thinking about how he'd stood outside her room the entire night, Yvonne decided to let him hold her hand.Then, her thoughts drifted to Otto. Somehow, she had a bad feeling.…At the same time, Mark was in the courtyard of Carrington Mansion. He sat next to Agatha and poured some tea for her.He handed her a cup of hot tea. "Great-Grandma, try this."When he noticed that Agatha had no reaction, he called out to her once more. "Great-Grandma?""Huh?" Agatha came to her senses. She looked at Mark in confusion. "What is it?""You've been distracted since yesterday. Are you thinking of something?" Mark asked.Agatha shook her head. "Nothing." Then, she picked up her teacup and
Yvonne stood by the door of the bedroom and looked at Otto, who was looking out of the window in a daze on the bed.The sun shone on his face. He looked quite hungover and had a sickly pale face.Yvonne hesitated for a while before saying gently, "Mrs. Jenner called me last night. She's worried about you."Otto didn't respond.Yvonne went in closer and added, "She said that you called her and asked about your father. She found it strange."Mr. Carrington, why did you suddenly think about your father? Did Mrs. Carrington Senior bring him up yesterday?"All Yvonne got was silence.Luckily, she was patient. She sat on the couch and followed Otto's line of sight. Tiny dust particles were floating among the sunbeams. Yvonne also fell into a daze as she watched them float about.Suddenly, Otto asked, "Have you ever felt like your world was falling apart?""Hmm?" Yvonne was confused. "For example?""I mean, like the person that you trust turns out to be different from what you'd t
The next morning, Yvonne opened her door to see Stephen standing outside. She was caught off guard."What is wrong with you this morning? Why didn't you knock…"While talking, Yvonne noticed that Stephen was still wearing the same clothes as the night before. She furrowed her brows and asked, "Don't tell me you didn't leave last night? Have you been standing outside this door all this while?""Hmm." Stephen looked at Yvonne intently. "I thought you would've figured it out quickly."Yvonne was speechless, but she thought to herself that she'd slept like a baby the night before.She smiled at him. "Figure what out?" She noticed Stephen frowning as though he were on the brink of losing his temper.She quickly added, "I-I mean, you have to give me a hint, right? I've thought about it the entire night, but I still don't understand. My brain isn't functioning well."Stephen asked suspiciously, "You've been thinking about it the entire night?""Yes, which is why I didn't look for yo
"If I hadn't come to find you tonight, you probably wouldn't tell me anything about what happened tonight, would you?" Stephen asked in retort.It wasn't a big deal, as long as they returned safely. Yvonne wondered why she needed to report this to him.But she still smiled. "It's late. How could I disrupt your rest? It would've been the same if I told you about it tomorrow morning, right?"Stephen sniggered. "Yvonne, you still don't know where you've gone wrong."He suddenly went in closer to her. Yvonne instinctively retreated until her back was up against the wall. She glared at him."What on earth is wrong with you? I've already said that I would've told you tomorrow morning—"A punch went past Yvonne and landed brutally on the wall.Yvonne was a little stunned. She looked into Stephen's eyes and furrowed her brows. "Stephen, I don't want to quarrel with you for no reason. "Mrs. Carrington Senior went to look for Otto today. Calbert couldn't reach him the entire day, so he
Jane returned to the private room, distracted.She sat down next to Cory. She looked at him as he reached his hand out to her in confusion.Cory furrowed his brows and asked unhappily, "Where's the wine?""Wine… Yes! Wine!" Jane came to her senses. She was just about to get up when Cory pulled her back.He grabbed her by her chin and forced her to look at him. "What happened when you went out?""N-Nothing."Cory tightened his grip. Jane furrowed her brows in pain. "I-I… I saw Yvonne. She told me that she and Stephen got remarried.""What?" Cory relaxed his grip a little. "They got remarried?""Hmm.""So, what?" He had no intention of letting her go, and he looked at her sharply. "Does it bother you so much that Stephen got remarried?"Jane looked at Cory frantically. "Cory, what do you mean by that?""What do I mean? You know what I mean."Cory went in closer. His tone turned icy. "You used to pursue Stephen. Now that you know he's gotten married, you're in this shitty mood
Yvonne turned around to see Jane smiling at her ambiguously. She furrowed her brows. How were they always bumping into each other?Jane crossed her hands in front of her chest and leaned against the wall. She swept her gaze at Calbert and Otto. "Two guys and one woman. You sure know how to have fun!"Calbert instantly snapped, "What the hell are you talking about?""Why are you being so fierce? Did I hit the nail on the head?" Jane snickered. "Two guys and a woman came out of a private room in the middle of the night. Anyone would come to the same conclusion. We're all adults. There's no need to pretend to be innocent.""You—" Calbert was about to go up to Jane, but Yvonne stopped him."Since Ms. Ford is here, I'm guessing so is Cory?" Yvonne smiled, yet her smile didn't reach her eyes. "If you cause a scene here and this bar gets raided, guess who'll be the ones walking out here alive?"Jane's expression turned ugly. "Are you threatening me?""It's just a kind reminder." Yvon
Calbert and Yvonne managed to track Otto's car to a bar, thanks to the information they'd gotten from his staff. Otto's car was right outside the bar.Calbert looked at the neon sign and furrowed his brows. "Why is Otto here? Did what Mrs. Carrington Senior said really hit him so badly that he has to drown himself in alcohol?"Yvonne said nothing and headed directly inside the bar."Wait up for me!" Calbert went after her. He subconsciously protected her from all the drunk patrons.The lighting in the bar was dim. Many of the patrons were drunk and having fun.Yvonne and Calbert walked around the booth area, but Otto was nowhere to be found. They pulled a server over to ask if there was a patron by the name of Otto Carrington who had reserved a private room.Coincidentally, the server had just taken two bottles of wine to Otto's room. So, he led them to the private room.Calbert tipped the server before opening the door and entering. The entire room reeked of alcohol.He looked
After Agatha left, Otto stood in the same spot without moving.A long time later, Zac entered the office. He looked at Otto's back and asked quietly, "Mr. Carrington, will you still see the client?""No." Otto sounded heartbroken.Zac didn't dare ask further questions. He gently closed the door and reminded the secretary that no one was to disturb Otto.In the office, Otto was alone. He slowly walked over to the couch and slumped into it. His mind was in a mess."Alexander was the one who planned the kidnapping back then."Agatha's words rang in his mind for a long time.Alexander's young face appeared in Otto's mind, smiling at him affectionately."Otto! Amazing! Yes! Just like that!""You're amazing at badminton! You're going to make the country proud! I'm going to be so proud of you!""Otto, my son!"Memories of his interactions with Alexander flashed across his mind at that moment.Otto couldn't imagine that such a loving father would do such an absurd thing. Alexander