Nadine had a manager named Evelyn Crosby, who was hired by Jeremy to tend to her.Evelyn's ultimate goal was for Nadine to become Mrs. Hansen. She believed that if Nadine succeeded, she too would get to enjoy the riches and influence by extension. Because of this, she had followed Nadine's every command over the past two years with unwavering dedication. Not only did Evelyn obey Nadine's every command, but she also worked tirelessly to ensure her success.In fact, she was the one who helped Nadine find Joy to be her donor.When Evelyn learned that Joy was with Joanna, she panicked and immediately went to discuss ways to resolve this crisis with Nadine.If Joanna took Joy to the police, it would spell Nadine's doom. Under no circumstances could the truth about Nadine buying a uterus from a living donor come to light, especially not to Jeremy.But with Joy in Joanna's hands, it was clear that she wouldn't let Nadine off easily. She would undoubtedly tell Jeremy first.Upon recall
Nadine spoke with a questioning tone, confidently turning the tables.Joanna couldn't understand where her confidence came from, but she had no interest in wasting words."Nadine, I don't care if Joy was forced or willing, but if you think you're going to take her uterus, it's not happening."Nadine sneered. "Joanna, you're only interfering because you don't want me to have the chance to bear Jeremy's child. That way, your child can conveniently become the heir to the Hansen family. Isn't that right?"Then, with a cold laugh, she added, "But whether your child can even be born is still up in the air. You're dreaming of leveraging your child for power—it's way too soon for that."Her words left Joanna frowning sharply. They carried a clear threat—Nadine wouldn't let Joanna safely deliver her child.It made sense. For years, Nadine had poured all her energy into tying Jeremy to her.After everything she had done to climb to where she was, there was no way she would let Joanna giv
"What's wrong, honey?" Evelyn rushed over as soon as she heard the commotion, trying to calm Nadine.Nadine's face was twisted with rage. She spat, "That bitch Joanna Thompson! Who does she think she is to threaten me? Does she still think she's the prestigious daughter of the Thompson family or Mrs. Hansen?"She scoffed disdainfully. "Without Jeremy, she's nothing—not even worth a pile of dog crap.""Yes, yes, of course!"Evelyn hurriedly rubbed Nadine's back to soothe her, nodding in agreement. "Joanna is no match for you. Sure, you've spent Jeremy's money over the years, but you've become the world-renowned Queen of the Cello. "And Joanna? She's nothing more than a housewife who cooks and does laundry. How could she possibly compare to you? She's not even worth your pinky."Hearing Evelyn's words, Nadine regained her confidence. Determined, she sneered and said, "I'm going to destroy Joanna and that child she's carrying. She'll never give birth to it.""Exactly. If she has t
Joy glanced around Joanna's apartment before cautiously stepping closer and calling her softly. "Joanna."Joanna, engrossed in The Codex of Change, looked up at the sound of her name."You probably haven't had lunch yet. Come sit and eat with me," she said, setting the book aside and standing up with a warm smile.Joy glanced toward the dining area, where steaming dishes were laid out on the table.Though she wanted to join Joanna for lunch, she thought about her boyfriend, Nathan Cross, waiting outside. Shaking her head, she said, "Thank you, Joanna, but my boyfriend is waiting for me outside. I'll skip lunch.""You're leaving now? With your boyfriend?" Joanna asked, looking at her.Joy nodded, her expression brightening with a sweet, blissful smile. "My boyfriend knows about how my mom and brother tried to force me to sell my uterus. He was furious and said he'd protect me. He's taking me back to his hometown, and we'll never return to Clementson City.""Really?"Joanna wasn'
Joanna was woken up by the sound of her phone ringing. She opened her eyes and reached for it.The screen showed an unfamiliar number. She hesitated for a moment but decided to answer."Hello, who's this?""Joanna, can you help me again? The woman who wanted to buy my uterus has captured me!" Joy's tearful plea came through the phone."What? Who has you?" Joanna frowned, and all traces of drowsiness vanished."She… I think her last name is Slinger," Joy said in a panicked voice. "She said you ruined her plans. If you don't come, she's going to take my uterus today."Joanna's expression turned cold, her eyes narrowing. "Let me speak to Nadine."Nadine's voice immediately replaced Joy's on the phone. "Joanna, yes, Joy is with me. Whether you come or not is up to you.""Address," Joanna demanded without hesitation.Nadine chuckled softly and gave her the location.Joanna hung up and changed her clothes in the walk-in closet. After applying a quick swipe of lipstick, she called f
Before Joy could speak, Helen jumped up and began shouting, pointing her finger accusingly at Joanna."You heartless woman! To frame Ms. Slinger, you abducted my daughter and forced her to slander Ms. Slinger. Claiming she paid to buy Joy's uterus—ha! How could you even come up with such a ridiculous lie? It's laughable!"As she spoke, Helen threw the five thousand dollars Joanna had given Joy onto the table."And look at this—this is the five thousand dollars she bribed my daughter with. It's all here! We don't want this dirty money. What if we get struck by lightning and die early?"Jeremy, who had been silent with a cold expression, glanced at the stack of cash. His face darkened further as his icy gaze turned toward Joanna."Joanna, did you give her this money?" he asked, his voice filled with chilling suspicion."It was her!" Nathan interjected. "When I picked up my girlfriend from Maplewood Residences, she already had this money in her hands."Joanna ignored everyone else
Jeremy's sharp gaze locked onto Joanna like a hawk, the veins on his temple throbbing visibly.He had never imagined Joanna could be so defiant. Lately, she seemed more rebellious whenever she was in front of him, her disdain for him growing with each passing moment.Complete and utter disdain."Joanna, I've warned you before—stay out of my business with Nadine. Don't interfere," he growled, his words dripping with menace as they escaped through gritted teeth."Of course."While everyone else held their breath in the face of Jeremy's barely restrained fury, Joanna remained calm. She appeared indifferent, as though she couldn't care less.She nodded in agreement with startling ease. "Rest assured, Mr. Hansen, I won't say another word about your affairs with Ms. Slinger."Having done enough foolish things to bury herself, Joanna now felt more clear-headed than ever.She smiled faintly, her bright eyes glimmering with a detached elegance. "And please, Mr. Hansen, sign the divorce
Elliot stormed up to the 38th floor and poked Joanna on the forehead as he scolded her."My dear boss, can you please stop being so soft-hearted and playing the saint? You always end up getting stabbed in the back! It's the classic story of the snake and the farmer."Joanna nodded sincerely, accepting his criticism. "You're right. I won't do it again.""Promise me," Elliot demanded, his tone firm.Joanna nodded again. "I promise."Elliot gave her a sharp look before sitting across from her. "We have the product launch event tomorrow. Are you going to show up and shock these two scumbags?"Joanna shook her head. "Eterna Group is still miles behind Hansen Group. Jeremy probably wouldn't even bat an eye.""Who says that?" Elliot retorted indignantly. "Eterna Group has only been around a few years! And let's be honest, Jeremy is only where he is because he's standing on the shoulders of generations of the Hansen family."Mark my words, in ten years, Eterna Group will definitely sur
After Jeremy left Sydney's office, he went to see Elliot.Sydney's film company was located in the Eterna Group's office building, so Elliot had already anticipated that Jeremy would come to him after not getting the answers he wanted from Sydney. He had been waiting in his office for Jeremy's arrival.Just as Jeremy was escorted in by the secretary, Elliot asked, "Mr. Hansen, are you here to ask where Joanna went?""No," Jeremy responded. Jeremy sat in the lounge area. He crossed his long legs and leaned back in the chair, facing Elliot directly. He looked up at Elliot and said, "I want to invest in Eterna Group."Jeremy had spent some time researching Eterna. He realized the company had no intention of being acquired.Eterna Group was also in the process of acquiring Belvoria's luxury brand, Yvestone Co.Although Yvestone Co. had fallen on hard times recently, acquiring it was no small task for a company like Eterna Group.Jeremy suspected that Eterna Group was short on cash
Her assistant, Linda Jones, flinched at Sydney's words and nervously said, "MS. Steele, isn't this a bit much?"Sydney glanced at her assistant and replied coldly, "Who's the boss here, you or me?"Linda nervously smiled and left to relay the message.If this had happened before, Jeremy would have made sure Sydney regretted refusing to see him. Yet, things were different now.Jeremy could vividly remember how Sydney's gaze at him was full of hatred after Joanna was attacked at Nadine's concert.He couldn't help but wonder if things would have turned out differently if he had been less proud and acted sooner. Perhaps Joanna wouldn't have miscarried, and maybe their children wouldn't have been lost.He had no choice but to go to Sydney to find out about Joanna. Yet, she refused to speak with him. All he could do now was wait.Since he was the CEO of Hansen Group, Linda felt bad leaving him outside for too long. She had no choice but to lead him to the VIP room to wait.Thinking J
Jeremy's voice trembled with anger as he shouted, "How am I divorced when I wasn't even there? How does that even count?"Then, he let out a bitter, almost deranged laugh, muttering to himself, "Of course, it doesn't count. Joanna is still my wife. We're not divorced. Until I agree to it, she's still my wife.""Jeremy, please—""Shut up!" he roared, cutting Wendy off before she could say more. His bloodshot eyes locked onto hers with a piercing glare. "Where is Joanna? Where did you hide her? You forced her to record that video, didn't you?"Wendy was slightly intimidated by his outburst but managed to remain calm. "Jeremy, what's the point of you being so devoted to Joanna? She wanted out of this marriage a long time ago. If not, how could she possibly lie so easily? The child is obviously yours, yet she claimed it's someone else's.""Where is Joanna?" Jeremy asked again through clenched teeth."I don't know." Wendy averted her gaze, refusing to meet his fiery stare. "I didn't
After making all the necessary preparations at 10:00 am the next day, Wendy had Joanna's video released across the internet. It wasn't just posted on one platform but on all of them. Additionally, a verified account named "Jeremy's Ex-Wife Joanna" published the same video. Immediately, the internet erupted, and netizens went wild.Everyone started blaming Joanna.When Jeremy saw the video, it had only been five minutes since it was posted. He stared at the pale-faced Joanna on the screen, and every word that came out of her mouth felt like a knife brutally slicing through his nerves. He had never been so furious before. Without thinking, he grabbed his phone and tried to call Joanna, but all he heard was, "The number you've dialed is not available…"Frustrated, Jeremy didn't think twice about why Joanna's phone was unreachable. He rushed to the PR department, ordering them to take the video down at any cost. If that wasn't possible, he demanded the account be shut down complet
"You—" Wendy gritted her teeth in anger. "Fine, 100 million dollars it is. That should show Jeremy what kind of person you really are."With the terms settled, Wendy wasted no time. She personally wrote a script for Joanna, dictating exactly what she needed to say. Elliot arrived at the hospital to record the video, ensuring that everything was done perfectly. Wendy stood by, overseeing the process.Once the video was recorded according to her instructions, it was clear it wouldn't be handed over just yet."Mrs. Hansen, the video will be sent to you as soon as Joanna has the divorce papers from Jeremy and the 100 million dollars," Elliot assured her.Having made a promise, Wendy was committed to following through. She nodded in agreement. "I'll come by tomorrow morning. You'll have both the money and the divorce papers by then.""Thank you, Mrs. Hansen," Elliot said with a smile. "Safe travels. I won't see you out.""Damn hypocrites," Wendy muttered under her breath as she storme
Joanna was actually ready to be discharged from Crossfield Hospital, but because Jeremy had said, "I'll come pick you up when you leave the hospital," she refused to leave. She knew how controlling he could be. Since he said it, he would definitely take her back to Clementson Bay Villa once she was out. She didn't want to have any more conflict with him.Of course, she was also waiting for Wendy.She understood Wendy. With her selfishness and domineering nature, she would undoubtedly try to use Joanna to get out of the current mess surrounding the Hansen Group and Jeremy.Although Jeremy often resented Wendy for neglecting him since childhood, he was actually just like her—selfish and domineering. Joseph, on the other hand, was more like Sean—gentler and kinder than Jeremy.On the sixth day, Wendy finally appeared in Joanna's hospital room. Joanna let out a quiet sigh of relief.By now, Wendy wasn't even pretending anymore. She came in with a straight face and sat down on the
There were also rumors that Jeremy had been financially supporting Nadine all along. Clearly, someone was behind all of this.Their suspicions were correct. However, they found nothing useful after two days of investigation. They only discovered that the mastermind behind everything was a large foreign conglomerate.This conglomerate's influence far surpassed that of the Hansen Group, and it was not something the Hansen Group could confront, nor could they afford to offend.The question remained. Why would this foreign conglomerate want to continuously expose Jeremy's dark secrets and push Hansen Group into a crisis?Wendy and Sean couldn't think of any time the Hansen family or the Hansen Group had crossed this conglomerate. If they hadn't offended them, the only possible reason was that the conglomerate had set its sights on the Hansen Group or one of its subsidiaries. They likely wanted to first suppress Hansen Group and then acquire it at a low price.This was a typical busi
Once again, Jeremy's suspicions were confirmed. He couldn't even get angry anymore. If he didn't indulge Nadine, she wouldn't have done any of this. If anyone was to blame for everything, it could only be him.He closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair with a frown. Never before had he felt so defeated and disgusted with himself.…There was also another faction of netizens who criticized Jeremy.For the past few years, Jeremy had kept a spotless reputation, with no rumors or scandals involving women, except for Nadine. His exceptional business skills, leadership abilities, handsome appearance, and noble demeanor earned him constant praise from netizens. He was the prince charming countless women dreamt of.Now, he had revealed that he had been married for three years and had been entangled with his ex-girlfriend all along.The type of man that women despised the most was a two-timer like him. His prince charming image instantly crumbled, and he became a scumbag in the eyes
After the netizens had analyzed the situation in detail, they spared neither Joanna nor Nadine.However, based on the video that Nadine's fans posted during the concert, netizens could see that Joanna had no intention of clinging to Jeremy. In fact, it was Nadine who kept holding onto him.When Joanna was being attacked by fans, Jeremy tried to intervene, but Nadine prevented him from getting near her. Gradually, the criticism shifted from Joanna to Nadine.Then, another netizen revealed that Joanna's miscarriage was caused by being beaten by Nadine's fans. As soon as the news broke, all the blame was directed at Nadine and her delusional followers.Seeing her public image deteriorate, Nadine couldn't take it anymore and revealed that Joanna wasn't even carrying Jeremy's child. This revelation sparked even more chaos online. One of the headlines even read, "Joanna's Baby Isn't Jeremy's."When Jeremy saw the headline, his temples throbbed with anger. He lost control and threw his