Moneypenny had served Henry for years, and Henry still trusted him—but he could not deny that he had doubts after what happened recently. This counted as a test! Still, he could only hope that Moneypenny had really been coerced and nothing else……Over at Rose Garden, the sedatives had worn off and Irene had regained consciousness.However, her limbs were still bound to prevent her from moving, and the sedatives left her lethargic.Having no idea who her captors were, she yelled, "Is there anyone out there?! I'm hungry!"There was no response—Isaac had instructed the guards outside to call him once she woke up, but also forbade them from entering the room.If she started screaming, let her scream all she wanted!When they heard Irene, the guards made the call. Isaac was in a meeting within a conference room that could accommodate a hundred people. Most of the others present were executives and department chiefs—it was a full house since it was a quarterly meeting.Isaa
Isaac always carried himself as if he was above the rest. Stalking a married woman cheapened him! It definitely would not be him!As for Chad, who was Irene's prime suspect, she believed that they had no feud. Moreover, Chad himself said that he wanted to get back at Isaac for driving Whitney to her death, and would use her to that end.She laughed bitterly at the thought—Isaac had already divorced her, and found himself a new lover. If Chad wanted revenge, he should be abducting Kathy instead.Why her?She looked around, studying the whole room, but did not recognize it as she had long since forgotten about it. The curtains were left open with a foot wide gap, and light was spilling in, illuminating the room. She blinked, suddenly not interested in moving while feeling dryness in her entire mouth!She closed herself to sleep—maybe she would not be that thirsty afterwards.Still, it took her a long while to doze off!…When she finally opened her eyes again, she picked up t
Irene was left gaping when she saw the face that was inches away from hers. "Isaac Jefferson?!" she cried in surprise, but she was still too weak and was not all that loud, and therefore did not wake him. He only fell asleep when it was almost morning, which was why he was sleeping soundly.That was when Irene saw that she had been untied, but was only in her underwear, leaving her utterly confused.Did he strip her?! "Bastard!" She could not help cursing—he always did this to her!Also, why did he abduct her in the first place? Did he have nothing better to do, or did he really think that she could be bullied so easily?!She really wanted to strangle him just then, but she was too weak to do so. However, he was now defenseless, and she must do something for herself! She quietly left the bed, keeping her breathing quiet so as to not startle Isaac. As her bare feet touched the floor, she looked around for something that she could use to cover herself, and resorted to picking
"Don't call me that. Say my name," Isaac demanded."I would never—"Before Irene could refuse, he had jammed his lips on hers, stopping her from talking.However, she clenched her jaw to stop his tongue from advancing!As Isaac pulled away, he found her glaring at him stubbornly. "Are you really not letting me kiss you?" He chuckled coolly. "Who would you rather kiss, then? Harvey Gooding?"Irene stiffened her neck, and lied outright despite thinking otherwise. "Yes."Isaac glowered horribly right then, and snorted coldly, "Don't even think about it!"He started to lean forward again, and Irene fought back in turn—but this time, he bit firmly down on her lips, and Irene winced in pain."Oof—"Embarrassed, she suddenly pretended to be receptive. Isaac was surprised as she took the initiative, but before he could revel in that sensation, Irene was biting his lip at the next instant, and her teeth closed a lot harder on his lips than when she did it to him. Isaac, however, di
"Kathy York was attacked on the way to the branch office," Stan explained."You can handle that yourself," Isaac replied."She's seriously hurt, and is refusing treatment until she gets to see you."Isaac frowned. "Got it."He soon hung up, but Stan had no idea what he meant.Meanwhile, Kathy was still throwing a fit, and he decided to text Isaac the address after some thought.Maybe he would come after seeing the address? It was not as if Stan was not doing anything—there was nothing he could do here.By now, he was positive that Isaac did not like Kathy at all. He would not have transferred her to the branch company, and keeping her at all was only because she owned that silver crucifix! That was why he could not decide what to do here, and rather Issac dealt with it himself!On the other end, Isaac mused to himself for a while and told Irene, "Stay here. I have something to do."Irene, however, had heard Kathy's name. Was he going to meet her now?She actually felt dis
Isaac took two steps backward, avoiding Kathy.Naturally, she was disappointed to miss, and asked Isaac tearfully, "How could you do this to me?"As Isaac remained impassive, she bawled miserably. "I saved you, didn't I? Those men almost had their way with me!""I will not work at the branch company!" she cried hysterically. "Even if it kills me!"Isaac frowned in disdain just then. "You were raised overseas, weren't you? I could arrange a job for you at a foreign company instead," he said—not relenting despite her tantrum.Kathy was left in disbelief. Was his heart made of stone? Could he not see the bruise on her face? Why was he insisting on making her leave?"Why can't I stay at headquarters? Was my performance lacking? I can improve—""I arranged a job for you because of my grandfather and because you were the owner of that silver crucifix. Do you think I would be here otherwise? I'm already being kinder than I should be just by being here, and if your answer is still n
"Isn't that Chad Ross?!" Stan exclaimed in surprise. "I thought he was in love with Whitney Cox, and he looked like he could die after she went missing. He's marrying someone else already?""I told you to watch him—you never noticed that he was going to get married?" Isaac asked icily.He had been anticipating reprisals from Chad because he drove Whitney presumably to her death, and therefore told Stan to always keep an eye on his movements. "But my boys are watching him," Stan quickly argued. "He wasn't doing much, and I don't even recognize that woman."Worried that Isaac would snap at him for failing in his responsibility, he quickly tried to change the subject. "Hold on, sir. Don't you think the bride looks just like Whitney Cox? Maybe it's a rebound relationship?"Isaac was not interested in the bride, but he was surprised that Chad would marry another woman so soon.He certainly did not hold back from challenging Isaac just to protect Whitney, and there had to be actual lo
Harvey quickly answered the telephone, believing that there was news about Irene."Hello…?""We have your mother. Come meet Master Jefferson if you want her freed.""Moneypenny?!" Harvey remembered the butler's voice, and narrowed his eyes. "He took my mother?""Yes," Moneypenny replied."Where?" Harvey growled through clenched teeth."Hibiscus Garden." "I'll be right there." He snarled every word, his face contorted with rage.Even if there were times when he was unreliable, he cared for his parents very much—especially his mother—and he had never committed any unforgivable crimes!"Get the car. We're leaving." Harvey growled urgently.Enrique was left confused. He wanted the chopper a moment ago, and now the car? Which was it, exactly?"Mr. Gooding…?""The car!" Harvey barked.Having confirmed his order, Enrique quickly said, "I will go right now."After Enrique left, Harvey was left scratching his neck in frustration. Forget not finding Irene—even his mother was n