After that, Jenny headed straight toward the villa, marching as though she was on her way to a battle. Mr. Ortiz hurried after her. The last thing he wanted to see was Jenny getting herself in trouble after what had happened to Graham.She knocked on the door. A pair of servants, one old and one young, answered the door fairly soon, and both frowned at the visitors. "Who are you? And what are you here for?"It was common knowledge among the residents of Bayside City that this area was the territory of the Bells. No one would stir trouble there because that'd be courting death. Jenny and Mr. Ortiz didn't look like locals to the servants."I'm here to meet the head of the Bell family," Jenny announced. The young man frowned and smirked. "Who do you think you are? How dare you demand to meet the head? You…""I am the daughter of Lynette Bell. Pass the message to him. Let's see if he will meet me or not," Jenny fired back boldly. She was confident that the Bells would be curious abou
"Is Graham Walter looking for Lynette? But why? It's been many years, and he should have put the past behind him," Barry thought. Barry and Georgina had many questions in their head, but instead of saying them out loud, they treated Jenny coldly. "Are you suspecting us of taking your dad?""I can't think of anyone else who'd do that aside from the Bell family. That's why I came here to clear things up," Jenny explained, her eyes remained fixed on the couple. She observed the look in their eyes and was puzzled by their shocked faces when they heard that Graham was searching for Lynette. Did they not know about Graham's disappearance at all? Who would be the mastermind behind the disappearance if not them?"Hmph! That's ridiculous." Barry scoffed, looking displeased. "Graham Walter thinks too highly of himself. We'd never waste time on him. And you—who do you think you are? Why should we prove ourselves to you?"Her expression fell. The rumors appeared to be true—the Bell family was t
"No. Before your arrival, we had no idea that your dad was looking for Lynette," Barry replied. Jenny frowned, thinking that the matter might be more complicated than it seemed. Who was behind Graham's disappearance if the Bell family wasn't involved? It was unlikely that Graham had any enemies in Bayside City, though.She lowered her head as she sank into deep thoughts. Seeing that, Barry didn't want to waste time on the matter. "I've said all there is to be said. You shall leave now. We do not welcome you, so I hope this is the final time we meet."Jenny couldn't help but laugh. "Logically, I should call you Grandpa and Grandma. It boggles me why you were against my parents. My dad isn't that inadequate, is he?""Shut up!" Barry bellowed. "I'm not your grandpa! Lynette had an illicit affair with a man behind our back and gave birth to a bastard child! Remember—you are not related to us!" His tone was filled with hatred and disdain. In his eyes, the fact that Jenny shared their b
Mr. Ortiz was taken aback by the revelation. "They didn't do it? Who else would do that? Were they even telling the truth?""I'm not sure yet. But they don't look like they're lying," Jenny sighed. The troubled look on his face tickled her. She chuckled. "Don't worry for now. I'll figure something out. Dad will be fine.""Miss Walter, I hope you're not overexerting yourself." Mr. Ortiz knew that Jenny was more worried than him, but she still had the strength to comfort him. He was speechless at her resilience.They left the Bell Villa. Not long after, Jenny got a call from Alec. They chatted quickly, and the call soon ended. Then, she rested her head against the window, wracking her brain to figure out the mastermind behind Graham's abduction.Later, they arrived at Graham's temporary accommodation in Bayside City. Mr. Ortiz opened the car door for her. "Miss Walter, this is where Mr. Walter and I stay in Bayside City.""Got it." She nodded and followed him into the residence.Af
Jenny tried not to keep her hopes high before heading to the address. If the mastermind was that kind, they wouldn't have stringed Mr. Ortiz along. She even prepared to fight any attackers at the place. Regardless of the motive, Jenny believed she'd at least get some information out of captives.With that in mind, she arrived at the address with her men in no time. They saw an ordinary house, and nothing looked off. She frowned and went to the front door. Mr. Ortiz hurriedly stopped her. "Miss Walter, I'll do that." He'd be putting Jenny in danger if someone awaited them behind the door.She wanted to turn down his protection, but Mr. Ortiz had opened the door and barged in. Feeling defeated, she followed closely behind.There was nothing wrong with the interior of the house. It was well-kept and looked lived-in. Just when they were scanning the environment with heightened alert, the door to a room suddenly flung open. The guards quickly formed a circle around Jenny and prepared t
However, the woman did not elaborate on that information. Instead, she glanced at Jenny in anticipation. Speechless, Jenny asked Mr. Ortiz to furnish a second check. "Tell me, what's the info?""The person who called me to take care of this man is a woman," she answered.A woman? That was indeed an important clue.Soon, Jenny left with Mr. Ortiz, Graham, and the other men they brought along. Graham woke up in the middle of the trip, but she didn't notice it."Jenny? Why are you here?" He rubbed his temples and thought Jenny was merely an illusion. At that time, the car had arrived at the entrance to the villa. Jenny didn't answer, but she opened the car door for him. "Let's talk when we are in the house."Graham agreed, and he was helped into the villa by Mr. Ortiz.Once they were in the villa, she reminded Mr. Ortiz to increase the security of the compound by hiring more guards. Somehow, she felt that the case had not come to a close. After she made all the necessary arrangeme
Graham had no answer to Jenny's question. "I don't know, but I have a feeling that she isn't acting with malice."She could have jumped on all the opportunities to take his life when he was unconscious if she had bad intentions."That aside, may I know when exactly you plan to leave Bayside City?" Jenny started entertaining the idea of leaving Bayside City with Graham. After all, the city was too dangerous, and she agreed that Graham shouldn't hang around for too long.He fell silent. A long pause later, he insisted, "Jenny, I dont' want to leave just yet. I have a feeling that your mom's around. If I leave, I might never find her again.""I went to check with the Bells. She has left home for decades. Are you sure she's still in Bayside City?" Jenny countered. Graham was shocked to hear that Jenny had visited the Bells. "You went to meet them? What were you doing there?""They were prime suspects in your disappearance. Of course, I had to question them," she answered, confident
"What are you doing in there?" She heard a man's voice from above her head. Her heart sank, but she acted normal by looking into his eyes. "What else can I do in the bathroom?"He gave her a doubtful look as if he wanted to find the truth in her eyes. Too bad she was no longer the naive young lady she used to be. Now in her forties, she was no longer youthful and had long shed her innocence from her younger times."Why are you here?" She looked away and went around him. Eric Dafoe stared at her but did not ask more questions. "There's a dinner tonight. You'll go with me."That was not a question; it was an announcement.Lynette wasn't surprised at his attitude. He had always been like that. "Me again? You have an endless supply of women around you. Why do you always want me to go with you? Aren't you worried that I'd stir trouble?""Lynette Bell, you are my wife!" Eric looked furious. He hated when Lynette put on an uninterested look. She always seemed unbothered by the number o
That afternoon, Gilbert called off his engagement to the Silveras. He did not pick up a single one of Lottie's calls. When he found Marigold, she was taking Caleb on a stroll around the neighborhood. It had been a while since she'd taken notice of anything related to Gilbert. She suddenly felt how nice it was to have her mental energy spent somewhere else, no longer being so hung up on that man. However, when Gilbert appeared before her, her heartbeat quickened. "Why are you here?" Marigold said, snapping out of her reverie. Gilbert smiled lightly. Without saying much else, he pulled her into an embrace. "Didn't you say that I could come to see you once everything is settled?" Marigold was stunned. She was in disbelief. "So, what you're saying is it's all over?" "Didn't you read the news?" Gilbert was speechless. "No. I didn't want to care." Every time she saw anything about Gilbert and Lottie, she felt miserable. She'd rather save herself the pain and block out anything
In the end, Esther went with Gilbert's suggestion. However, she did not trade Bradshaw Operation's projects with Jenny. She went with the Silveras. For one, she did not trust the Walters. On the other hand, the Silveras and the Bradshaws were going to be united through marriage. They deserved to be trusted more. Gilbert didn't mind. After all, if anything happened to the Bradshaws, the Silveras would not help. With those projects in hand, they would only fall further into debt. The plan was going smoothly. Gilbert had not gone to see Marigold once. He knew that before subduing the Bradshaws, going to visit Marigold would only endanger her. After all, Marigold was safe. Nothing had happened, and Caleb was growing up healthily. One month later, things began to feel off in Bradshaw Operations. After Faust Group received their money, they did not start the project. No one knew what they were doing. Esther was feeling antsy. She prodded Gilbert to ask if there was anything wro
That very afternoon, Esther and Gilbert rushed to Faust Group to sign the deal. Gilbert said he was worried that Alec would change his mind, so he urged Esther to sign it. Only through a written contract would they be able to relax. Esther thought it made sense and agreed to rush to Faust Group with Gilbert.In the meeting room, Alec looked at the two people before him, expressionless. "You have a good son, Mrs. Bradshaw." "I'm flattered. My son had Bradshaw Operations' interests at heart. He'll inevitably be a little insensitive. Please don't hold that against him, Mr. Faust." Esther smiled. She didn't mind Alec's sarcasm because it didn't matter. As long as Bradshaw Operations could truly benefit from this, she didn't care how much Alec mocked her. Alec smiled coldly and slid the contract over to her. "You may flip through it." Esther took it and read through it seriously.If this project succeeded, they would reap massive rewards. However, it required a massive upfront inv
In the following days, Gilbert headed over to Faust Group infrequently during the day. To others, he was there to talk business with Alec. But in reality, it was a different scenario altogether. Vincent brought Gilbert a cup of coffee in Alec's office. Because of all the times he'd been there, Vincent knew what he wanted without having to ask. Alec had a cup of coffee placed before him, too. Everyone thought that Gilbert was trying to convince Alec to give him one of the shares, which was why he always came there, but that was not the case. The collaboration was a set-up. As long as the Bradshaws signed the deal on the project, they would not escape unscathed. Gilbert had planned this for a long time just to trick the Bradshaws into accepting the project. However, the scheme had to be executed perfectly. Since Gilbert buttered up the project in front of the Bradshaws, Alec had to feign disinterest in his collaboration. Otherwise, it would seem suspicious if Alec, a smart ma
After the engagement party, Gilbert officially had a stronghold in Bradshaw operations. Because he was already very capable, he had a lot of supporters. No one challenged him in the company. Most of them sucked up to him because they knew that if things went well, he would be the heir of the company.Gilbert didn't really care about that. He didn't even want to be there for long. He knocked on Esther's door and walked into her office."Come, sit." Esther was all smiles when she saw him. It was more sincere than before.She used to doubt him a lot, but now, although she still had her reservations, she mostly believed in him. In her eyes, no one would reject the chance to inherit Bradshaw Operations. This was basically manna from Heaven. Gilbert just didn't know it back then, and now he did. Gilbert sat down in front of Esther and began reporting the information he had gathered, as well as his thoughts on Bradshaw Operations and his plans for the future.When he presented the inf
Gilbert and Lottie's engagement party was held at Bardoff Grand Hotel on Saturday.A ton of people showed up to their engagement party. After all, the Bradshaws and the Silveras were pretty big names in Bardoff City, and plenty of the other families knew of their true wealth. They all came to attend the party. Jenny and Alec had both received invites. Jenny was Gilbert's sister, and on top of that, they represented the Walters and the Fausts. It was to be expected. At first, Jenny didn't want to go. The party held no meaning to it. It was just a show put on for Esther. It would be a complete waste of her time. However, she was talked into it by Alec. It would be weird if she didn't go. Zack brought Janet to the party. He found Jenny and was in a daze. "Wasn't Gilbert courting Marigold? Why is he engaged to Lottie?" Jenny rolled her eyes. "What have you been doing, Zack? You're really bad at keeping up." Gilbert had been courting Lottie for a while now. If Zack paid attention
Gilbert drove to Jenny's villa, but he was in no rush to get down. He didn't unlock the doors, either. He obviously wanted to talk to Marigold. But Marigold evidently didn't want to. "I want to take my child and leave." She was afraid. What if Gilbert and Lottie married and took her child away? She no longer believed in love. The only thing she believed in was her child. Gilbert tightened his grip when he heard that. "Marigold, the engagement is only for Esther to see. I have no feelings for Lottie." "Who knows? People change. You said you didn't have feelings for me, too." Marigold found this all very amusing. Perhaps this was fate. Gilbert wanted to keep explaining, but Marigold did not give him the chance to. "Just let me and Caleb leave. If what you say is true, you can come to find us once everything is over." And if Gilbert didn't come looking for her, the truth would unfold itself, and she would give up all hope. Gilbert understood that Marigold had already made
Marigold was miserable throughout dinner, but she persevered till the end without being too dramatic. After dinner, they walked to the entrance of the shopping mall.Gilbert went to get the car. Lottie stood with Jenny and Marigold. Watching Gilbert leave, she turned toward Marigold. "I heard that you used to like Gilbert very much." "It's all in the past. It's not worth mentioning." Marigold didn't want to talk about it. She was afraid that Lottie would see that she still liked Gilbert. Most importantly, she was afraid that Gilbert's plan would be ruined. Lottie smiled. "That's true. The past is the past. You're such a nice person. You'll definitely be able to find someone better suited for you in the future." Marigold pursed her lips. Gilbert soon brought the car over. Lottie was about to get into the car, but before she did, she suddenly turned to Marigold and said, "Gilbert and my engagement party will be in a few days' time. If you have the time, you're more than welcom
Everyone was shocked to hear her speak so suddenly. Lottie was stunned, and she explained, "You've misunderstood. That's not what I meant. I just think that if the child follows his father, it'll help him develop better, and you'll be less stressed." "I don't need your concern. I can raise my child alone," Marigold snorted. She did not hold back at all. Lottie looked unpleasant. Gilbert had no choice but to step in. "We'll have our own child together. And whoever likes it the most will get to keep it." Although they knew that Gilbert had meant this for Lottie to hear, Marigold found it extremely upsetting. She looked at Gilbert, and for a moment, she was unable to tell if he was being genuine. She thought of all that Gilbert had said to her last night, saying that he didn't like Lottie and had no intention of marrying her. But he looked to be truly in love. Marigold didn't think she could tell if he was faking it. "I'm sorry. I need to go to the restroom." Marigold didn't w