Old Mr. Faust was waiting for Alec and Jenny at the dinner table."I'm sorry, Grandpa. I overslept." She looked embarrassed for making the old man wait. He waved it off and gestured at her to sit. "It's fine. It's good to sleep longer for better rest. Take a seat and have dinner."The three of them took their seats and had dinner together. After dinner, Old Mr. Faust instructed Warren to bring him a box, which he handed to Jenny. "You're getting married to Alec. As his grandpa, I don't have anything much to offer. This is a small gift. I wonder if you'd like it."She stared at the box with a surprised look. "Grandpa, this…""Take it. It's just a welcome gift for you. Just see us as your family." He shoved the box into her hands. She held onto the box and tilted her head to look at Alec. He smiled at her. "Just accept it. It's a token of appreciation from Grandpa.""Alright then. Thank you, Grandpa." She accepted the gift and thanked Old Mr. Faust."Open the box. I wonder if i
Half an hour later, they arrived at the door of a small villa. The plan was to observe instead of paying an actual visit because Jenny didn't want to remind the kids of their late parents.Soon, they saw the door open, and a figure appeared. Jenny immediately recognized Lilian, who went by another name under the new family. Lilian was dressed in a lovely princess gown. She appeared joyful from the bright smile on her face. Justin showed up later, and the two played in the garden. It was an envious and picturesque view."You can stop worrying now. They look like they're living a good life." Alec embraced her. He had the adoptive parents investigated before the adoption. He wouldn't have allowed them to adopt the children otherwise. Jenny nodded. "I feel relieved knowing that they're doing well."They watched the children for a while and finally left after the children went into the house. After that, they wandered through the streets of Parrington.…At the same time, Janet was a
The man ignored Janet's response and extended his hand. "Did you say you wanted to pay me back? Pay me now.""I don't have much with me, but I can pay you part of the amount. Give me a few more days, and I'll gather all the money." Janet had some savings over the past few years, but it was nothing much because she had given most of her savings to her parents. It was impossible for her to cough up one million dollars right away. There was no way she would leave with the men; the only option left was to buy time.The men were no pushovers. When she said she didn't have the money, they grabbed her without hesitation. "Since you can't pay us back, you have to leave with us.""Where are you bringing me?" She fought back with an uneasy feeling at the pit of her stomach."You'll know when we reach there. I guarantee you'll be happy." The man chuckled evilly, sending a shiver down her spine. She knew that she'd be screwed if she followed them. Unfortunately, the men were too aggressive,
Zack was dead worried and had no time to explain. "Help me look for them. I'll fill you in later." He hung up without giving Gilbert a chance to ask.Gilbert sighed but didn't waste a minute distributing the photos. He instructed his men to start searching. As a tech expert, Zack still had to call Gilbert for help because he was worried that the men would dodge the surveillance cameras in their escape. However, he soon found out that his worries were unfounded. The men were reckless, and their vehicle did not attempt to shun the routes with surveillance cameras. It made Zack's work easier.When he saw where the men parked their vehicle, he jumped in anger and left the villa in his car.Meanwhile, Gilbert was busy helping with the search, but he didn't have the manpower in Bardoff City, nor was he the best at tracking down suspects. Therefore, he called Jenny, thinking the search would be sped up with the Walter family's assistance.Jenny was perplexed to receive Gilbert's call in t
There was no way Zack would allow anything bad to happen to Janet. He broke free of the two men holding him back and rushed toward her. Then, he shoved the man who tried to sexually assault her. "Janet, don't be scared!" He quickly pulled her into his arms and backed away.The man was infuriated. He drew a dagger and pointed it at Zack. "You're courting death, aren't you? But you're at the wrong place. No one would bat an eye even if I killed you here!"Zack stared at him fearlessly. "Isn't money all you want? I'll pay you. Let us go.""I wanted money at first, but I have changed my mind. I want the woman now!" The man was incandescent because no one had the audacity to challenge him like Zack. Janet clutched onto Zack tightly in fear. "Zack, you should go. Don't mind me.""Nonsense!" He turned around to look at her. How could he possibly leave her behind?"Leave that woman behind and bow to me for forgiveness, and I might forgive you," the man demanded as he walked toward Zack.
"Ahhh—" Janet's scream pierced through the air. She ran toward Zack like a madwoman when she saw him get stabbed. Before she could go nearer, she was kicked aside by the man. She lost consciousness right after, but before she blacked out, she seemed to see Zack smiling at her as though he was trying to assuage her. She wanted to tell him how upset she was, but in the end, she didn't have the opportunity to do so.Meanwhile, Jenny woke up groggily at the Old Mansion in Parrington when her phone rang. She was confused when she saw the caller's name. Why would Gilbert call her at this time of night?"Gilbert?" she answered the call. "Why are you calling at this hour?"It was just after 1 am, and she was fast asleep until she was awoken by Gilbert's call, which puzzled her."What?" She was instantly awake after hearing what Gilbert had to say, and she sat up straight in the bed. "Zack's hurt?""Calm down. He's fine. He's at the hospital," Gilbert hurriedly explained to stop her from w
Jenny was taken aback by his proposal. Eyes wide in disbelief, she stared at him. "Drive to Bardoff City?""Yeah." He nodded, thinking it was not a big deal as long as she was down for it.A long silence later, she shook her head. Although she was worried about Zack and wanted to be back in Bardoff City, driving late at night was taxing and posed a risk of an accident. She wouldn't put them through it. "Let's sleep. We can book the earliest flight tomorrow morning." She went back to bed, but it was destined to be a sleepless night.…At a general ward in Bardoff Hospital, Janet finally opened her eyes. She was temporarily disoriented when she saw the unfamiliar environment. Soon, she recalled the events before losing consciousness, and tears welled up in her eyes. She stumbled out of the room and realized she was in a hospital. That gave her a sliver of hope. If she was in the hospital, did that mean she and Zack were saved?She hurriedly stopped a nurse and asked if another patie
When the lights of the emergency room sign went out, Gilbert shifted his gaze away from Janet, relieving her from the pressure, even if it was for a while. She followed behind him, listening to him asking the doctor about Zack's condition."He's not in critical condition, but we'll have to see how he fares in the next 24 hours," the doctor answered. Gilbert thanked him and watched the nurse wheel Zack into the ICU. Since he and Janet couldn't enter the ICU, they lingered at the entrance, not intending to leave.Feeling guilty, she offered, "Gilbert, you should head home to rest. I can watch over him." She made the considerate suggestion because she worried that Gilbert would overexert himself. However, he gave her a hard look. "Zack is my brother. I will watch over him."He implied that she would remain an outsider as long as she wasn't married to Zack.She went silent, not knowing what to say in the situation. The air between them froze. They sat at each end of the bench, an ent