Late at night, Yvonne woke up in a daze at the hospital. She tried to raise her hand when someone held it down."Don't move. You're still on an IV," came Stephen's low voice. Yvonne turned her head to meet a pair of eyes filled with concern. She was momentarily taken aback."Am I dreaming?" she murmured softly. "No, you're not." Stephen held Yvonne's hand as he explained slowly, "I couldn't reach you on the phone yesterday, so I came here without waiting for your call." By the time Stephen had arrived, Yvonne had already been taken to the hospital. Even though she was running a high fever and barely conscious, she was still mumbling about saving Gwen. Stephen had asked the men guarding Yvonne about it. It was only then that he learned she had stood by the riverside all afternoon, getting soaked in the rain.Yvonne had always been like this. She would lose all reason whenever the issue concerned anyone close to her. Stephen shouldn't have placed too much trust in Yvonne.
Yvonne took the pocket knife out. "Gwen has this on her at all times! There's no way she would put it in her luggage!"Stephen looked at the pocket knife. He observed it and saw that it was well-used, but … What could this prove?"Gwen has the habit of taking this with her at all times. How could it be in her luggage? Either someone must have packed this for her or …"Yvonne gripped the pocket knife tightly. She wasn't willing to believe the other possibilities."I know that Gwen has been through a lot. But she wouldn't give up her life that easily. Something else must have happened."Stephen wanted to say something, but he was hesitant when he saw how determined Yvonne looked. Just a pocket knife had been able to convince her that Gwen was still safe. She was way too optimistic about this.However, he had seen how Yvonne had lost it the night before. If this pocket knife could give her hope, he wasn't going to destroy it.He pondered for a while before saying, "We'll search t
Stephen accompanied Yvonne and stayed two days by the river.He received a call from Jim on the same day. Since Yvonne was present, he put his phone on loudspeaker."As you guessed, two people snuck into Hope's treatment center. We found a large amount of tranquilizers on them."I handed them over to Curtis. After being tortured by him, they confessed that they were on a bounty mission issued by Emerald Group."Jim was indignant. He said, "Emerald Group is so ruthless! They can't even spare an old man lying in a hospital bed! Aren't they afraid of retribution?""It’s personal behavior, and it has nothing to do with the group," Yvonne reminded Jim casually.Jim was pleasantly surprised to hear Yvonne's voice. "Yvonne, you're there too? Do you two spend every day together now?""We’re together every day at the moment."Yvonne glanced at Stephen and diverted attention back to the topic. "It's easier to investigate if Mark is releasing bounty missions through Emerald Group. "We’l
Jim greeted Stephen at Hope Health Services' headquarters.He handed over the transaction records they had investigated and said, "You've arrived just in time. We just found this."Stephen glanced at it and recognized the name of Noah's assistant. That was the final nail in the coffin for him.Stephen put away the documents and said, "Please take me to Grandpa.""Yvonne informed me before you arrived. Come with me."Jim led Stephen inside while briefly introducing the situation at Hope's headquarters.Jim sighed as he spoke. "I felt put on the spot when Yvonne asked me to take over such a large medical institution. I’m too old for this."But, at the same time, I couldn't let her down when she told me that she relied on me. She trusted me. How could I disappoint her?"Jim sighed softly once more. "I was still capable five years ago. But now, I have to admit that I’m old. My physical and mental state are no longer what they used to be."Stephen could understand what Jim was impl
At the same time, Noah received news from Mark that the mission had failed."How could this be?" Noah was furious. "What kind of people did you assign? Why were they so useless?""They were set up," Mark said with a solemn expression. He had finally figured out everything.People who were capable enough to accept the bounty mission from Emerald Group were difficult to deal with in the first place. But they had been captured soon after they had entered Hope's headquarters.When they had been caught, they had sent a message to Mark's subordinate urgently, informing them that the target was unconscious.There were a few things that could be deduced from such a short message."Mr. Anderson Senior isn't awake. Yvonne deceived you on purpose. She's just forcing you to make a move."Mark realized the problem after he finished speaking. He got annoyed and added, "I should check it out before sending someone over.""What's the point of talking about this now? Those people have been ca
Noah locked Katie in the room, depriving her of food and water.Initially, Katie begged him to let her go. But her voice gradually died down.By the third day, no sounds came from the door anymore.The housekeepers were worried. They tried to persuade Noah, saying, "Sir, the madam is pregant. Treating her like that … will harm the child."Noah was annoyed. He was just about to ask them to give Katie some water when he received a photo from Stephen.The photo was of a table full of documents. The most obvious one was a transaction notice. All Noah needed to do was zoom in to see his assistant's name.His expression darkened. He dismissed the housekeepers. "Don't mention her to me anymore, unless you're here to tell me to bury her dead body!"The housekeepers frantically fled the room.Noah replied to Stephen, suppressing the rage in him. "What are you trying to do?""I'm at Anderson Group," Stephen simply replied. Clearly, he wanted to meet Noah.Noah picked up the car keys an
After the security guards escorted Noah, Stephen sat down and made a call to Yvonne.Yvonne had just arrived at the riverside. When she answered the call, it sounded windy on her end.Stephen thought about the times when he had accompanied her to the riverside. He smiled. "How's it going?""Still the same. No progress at all."Yvonne looked at the river and sighed. "I think my suspicions have been wrong from the beginning. I plan to start investigating from Northerna City again.""What?" Stephen thought for a while. "You want to look into Chuck again?""Yes. He was the last person who saw Gwen," Yvonne said calmly."You're right. I'll come with you.""There's no need." Yvonne declined his offer without any hesitation. Stephen had already helped her out so much by coming over to the Southwest Region. If she let it continue, their relationship would be even more tangled.Besides, she didn't want to form the habit of constantly relying on Stephen.She changed the topic. "B
The shareholders' meeting was held three days later.It was announced at the last minute, so the shareholders had no idea what the purpose of the meeting was. A discussion soon broke out in the meeting room.The door swung open, and Stephen strode into the meeting room. His presence put a stop to the ongoing discussion.Soon, Noah entered the meeting room, looking very displeased.Everyone could sense that something was off and exchanged looks with each other. They had an inkling that the purpose of the impromptu meeting was related to a certain someone.Now seated at the head of the table, Stephen started speaking. "I apologize for requesting all of you to come here so suddenly, but this matter is very urgent."My grandfather is currently out of the country, and you know I can't make the ultimate decision on my own. That's why I want all of you to serve as witnesses to this meeting. "You're free to contribute your own suggestions regarding the matter I would like to talk about