Ch. 51..60
A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 51
Matthew’s eyes were dark. Even though her words were harsh, his chest felt warm when she leaned into his chest. He felt her tears.
“I’m not crying, I’m just happy.”
Hesper sniffled and tried to force a smile, then got out of his embrace.
Matthew didn’t call her out but instead calmly said, “My plane will be flying out today, so this is all I can do to help. What do you plan to do after this?”
“It’s alright. You’ve already helped me a lot.”
Hesper sincerely thanked him. If it weren’t for him, Rickard wouldn’t have let her walk away so easily. So even thought she didn’t have a plan, she wouldn’t want to trouble him any longer.
“I’ll spend some time at my friend’s place and find a stable job.”
“That’s a good plan.” Matthew nodded and glanced at his watch.
His plane would be taking off soon.
“Goodbye.” He turned around and got into the car. Hesper was still smiling and waving goodbye when the door closed.
Matthew didn’t say anything. He could tell that Hesper was just pretending to be strong, but since they didn’t know each other, he had already gone above and beyond just by helping her.
However, as he saw her getting smaller due to the distance, his heart sank.
“Stop the car,” he finally said to the driver with a sigh. “Turn around.”
“Sir?” The driver didn’t understand, but Matthew didn’t explain.
Hesper was just leaving when she saw the Rolls Royce driving back.
Matthew’s eyes were dark. Even though her words were harsh, his chest felt warm when she leaned into his chest. He felt her tears.
“I’m not crying, I’m just happy.”
Hesper sniffled and tried to force a smile, then got out of his embrace.
Matthew didn’t call her out but instead calmly said, “My plane will be flying out today, so this is all I can do to help. What do you plan to do after this?”
“It’s alright. You’ve already helped me a lot.”
Hésper sincerely thanked him. If it weren’t for him, Rickard wouldn’t have let her walk away so easily. So even thought she didn’t have a plan, she wouldn’t want to trouble him any longer.
“I’ll spend some time at my friend’s place and find a stable job.”
“That’s a good plan.” Matthew nodded and glanced at his watch.
His plane would be taking off soon.
“Goodbye.” He turned around and got into the car. Hesper was still smiling and waving goodbye when the door closed.
Matthew didn’t say anything. He could tell that Hesper was just pretending to be strong, but since they didn’t know each other, he had already gone above and beyond just by helping her.
However, as he saw her getting smaller due to the distance, his heart sank.
“Stop the car,” he finally said to the driver with a sigh. “Turn around.”
“Sir?” The driver didn’t understand, but Matthew didn’t explain.
Hesper was just leaving when she saw the Rolls Royce driving back.
“Mr. Lane?” The window rolled down halfway and showed Matthew’s cold but regal profile.
“I need your help with something.”
Hesper was surprised.
After a few seconds, when she found out what his request was, she frowned.
“Mr. Lane, you’re saying that you want me to pretend to be your missing sister and go visit your grandpa?”
“Yes.”
The old man was very sick but was very regretful about the disappearance of Matthew’s sister. His biggest wish before passing was to see her one last time. However, based on the information Matthew received, he was not at all close to finding her.
If he went back without his sister, the old man would be very disappointed and might die from grief.
That was why Matthew tabled the proposal.
“Don’t worry, you just have to spend a little time with him. If my guess is right, you have nowhere to go. Your ex-husband might not just let you get away so easily. You should think about whether you want to leave with me or not.”
Hesper had an internal struggle. Putting aside the fact that she had somewhere to go, Matthew did help her a lot, so when he asked for her help, she couldn’t reject him.
“Alright, I’ll accept that, but I have a request.”
Matthew raised his brows after hearing what she had to say.
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First Crest Hospital.
Julian walked out of the hospital after getting a call from Hesper, and when he stopped walking, he was immediately pulled into a car.
In the Rolls-Royce, Hesper, who had a clear, soft, fur coat wrapped around her, was looking at him along with Matthew.
“Hesper, what’s this?”
Julian frowned. When he noticed that she was wet, his tone changed. “You were in the rain? Did Rickard bully you again? Also, what are you doing here?”
“lan, I’ll explain later. You need to leave with me now.”
“What do you mean?” Julian was getting more and more confused.
Hesper replied, “I’ve signed my divorce papers and I’m no longer married to Rickard, but I’m still worried. What if he holds a grudge and confronts you instead? Mr. Lane here is my friend. He arranged a
place for us to stay, so it’s up to you whether you want to come along.”
“I don’t mind leaving.” He was an orphan, with no family and nothing to miss in the city.
Hesper was the only friend he had in the world, so he would go. wherever she went.
“But Hesper.” He looked worriedly at Matthew. This man had a strong presence and an expensive car. It wasn’t hard to guess that he was someone important. Why would a man like this help them?
“I understand your concern, lan, but I trust him.” Hesper sounded confident, then joked about herself. “And besides, no one would
waste their time tricking me.”
Julian wanted to say more, but then thought about it and realized that no matter how dangerous it was, leaving the Duvals would be good for her. “Alright, I’ll let you decide.”
Hesper looked at Matthew. He still looked as calm as ever; even
though he had been suspected of being a con, his expression didn’t change.
“Mr. Lane, lan is in medicine. I hope that you could let him continue his career as a doctor in Emperion.”
“Don’t worry.” Matthew looked up. This was her request, just to bring one more person along.
He thought that she would take the chance to ask for more, but it was a lot simpler than he had imagined.
“If we’re seeing eye to eye on this, let’s go. We won’t be able to get on the initial flight, but I’ve gotten in touch with a private jet, which is already here.”
Right after he said that, their car drove to a wide, open area.
The heavy rain had stopped without anyone noticing, and it was
sunny. The air had the after-scent of the rain and there was even half a rainbow in the sky.
It all seemed to be a good sign of their new beginning.
“You still have time to turn around.” Matthew gave Hesper one more chance before boarding the flight.
“After agreeing to something, I never turn back.” Hesper boarded.
After she got onto the plane, she realized that it was very spacious inside, unlike the normal planes with rows and rows of seats. There were just two couches with genuine leather, a wine cooler, and a
Matthew had clean clothes ready for Hesper, and there was also ginger tea.
“Take a rest after you change. I’ll tell you when we get there.”
“Alright.”
Matthew went into the work area with his assistant, Tanner. Once the door closed, Tanner immediately said, “Sir, don’t you think this is too rash? How would Ms. Rivera be able to impersonate Ms. Lane?”
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Matthew took a seat with a cold expression. “What makes you think she can’t?”
“Sir, Master Lane isn’t someone you can easily google. He would definitely look into Ms. Rivera’s past. What if he found out-”
Before Tanner could finish, Matthew cut him off. “So you need to wipe her records clean before he starts his investigation.”
“Sir…” He was going to say something but halted when Matthew glared at him.
He had been around Matthew since he was in his teen years, so he knew Matthew very well. Knowing that the man had already made up his mind, he reluctantly said, “Sir, it’s unlike you to be so impulsive. Could you tell me why you act so differently around Ms. Rivera?”
Matthew’s hand froze. He didn’t know why. Whether it was looks or her status, it was nowhere close to the standard that would make him act impulsively. He didn’t even want to get involved most of the time, but every time that happened, he would think of his sister.
“Maybe because she looks like my sister.”
Tanner thought that it was a terrible reason. When Rachel went missing, she was just five or six. Ms. Rivera was an adult, so how could they look alike? However, he knew Matthew’s personality, so he was smart enough to not pry. He turned around and started planning what would happen later.
At the same time, Hesper changed into clean clothes.
Julian looked at her and handed a cup of ginger tea to her. “Hesper, I have a question. Is it really over between you and Rickard?”
“Mm.” She took a sip. The tea was warm as, if it could warm her heart,
and even the holes from being stabbed by needles didn’t hurt as much anymore.
“We said that we would wait for grandpa to return, but they tried to get me in trouble one too many times. They tried to make me jump, then tried to kill me, and even drugged me. If I stay any longer, I might not live until the day he comes back. I just feel sorry because he cares so much me but I left without even saying goodbye.”
“It’s not your fault. They were too malicious.” Julian consoled her. You wouldn’t have left if you had any other choice. But Hesper, the baby…”
Hesper stopped breathing as her heart ached.
“I don’t know what my future holds, so if I bring him along, he might suffer. I’ll let him stay there for now and ask grandpa to take good care of him.”
“Sigh, that’s the only way, I guess…”
After a few hours, they landed.
Hesper deplaned with a blanket wrapped around her. The place looked foreign to her. She turned around and asked Matthew, “Are we going straight to your home, Mr. Lane?”
“No.” He stretched out his hand and handed the document that Tanner prepared to her, then said, “We’re a big family, so it can get. complicated. To avoid exposing our secret, you need to learn more about them. Don’t worry too much about it though; people would be suspicious if things were too perfect.”
“Alright.”
Matthew pointed at the villa in front of them and said in a low voice. You and your friend will stay there for now. I’ll bring you to see my grandpa after I’ve made arrangements.”
“Sure.” Hesper nodded, then Matthew left with Tanner.
A helper walked over to invite them in. “Please come with me, miss.” Hesper and Julian followed the helper and stepped into a new world.
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It was just as Hesper imagined.
When Rickard/realized that he couldn’t find her, he immediately went to the hospital.
“Mr. Duval, the hospital director said that Julian left a few hours ago.”
Rickard’s legs grew weak as he balled up his fists.
She remembered to bring Julian along. She had everything figured out, except him and their child!!
“Keep investigating! Find her even if you need to dig into the ground!”
Seeing him losing his temper, Benji wanted to ask why Hesper leaving would make him so angry but didn’t in the end.
Only Rickard would know the reason.
Night fell and Rickard returned home tired after searching everywhere without finding her.
Sophia and Junpier, who were waiting in the living room, immediately scolded him. “Where have you been? Did you go search for Hesper? Let the woman leave. Why would you waste time searching for her?”
Rickard looked at Sophia. The insult and disdain on her face made him feel disgusted.
“Shut your mouth. She’s your sister-in-law.”
“I-” Sophia wanted to refute but was stopped by Rickard’s chilling
gaze.
When Juniper heard ‘sister-in-law’, her heart shuddered and her eyes turned red.
“Rickard, did you catch feelings for her? Is her departure so important
to you?”
Rickard didn’t speak because he didn’t know the answer to that.
He knew that when he realized that Hesper wasn’t coming back, his heart felt empty and it felt extremely uncomfortable.
That emptiness seemed to only be able to be filled if he saw her again.
“Don’t forget that she forced me to leave! If it wasn’t because of her, we would have been married with our own children! She broke us up and forced you to marry her. How could you fall for her!”
Juniper shouted from the bottom of her heart. She had planned and done so much yet he didn’t have her in his heart.
Yes, Hesper was the problem behind everything. She was guilty and should be punished. Juniper was the innocent one, and now that Hesper was gone, he should make it up to her.
“Let me think about it.” Rickard waved his hand and turned to walk to the study.
A few minutes before he came in, the person who was in charge of cleaning up picked up the recording pen. After wiping it clean, she placed it in the pen holder, where it blended in with the other pens. It was impossible to distinguish it from the rest.
As time went by, the pen and the secret it held were buried under dust.
Three years later.
“Young master, stop running or you’ll fall.”
The child that was just a baby had grown much taller. He loved running around after Benji in the garden, which gave Benji a lot of grief.
“Uncle Benji, come catch me.”
The child kicked his little legs and was just getting started when a strict voice came from the balcony.
“Renfrew Duval!”
“Oh no, daddy is coming.” The child turned pale and stood on the spot.
After a few seconds, Rickard showed up at the balcony with a stoic expression, playing the part of a strict father.
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“I’ve told you many times not to run around the garden. Didn’t you hurt yourself enough the previous time when you fell? Did you forgot
about that already?”
Ren, feeling sad, waved his hand. “No no, daddy. What are you doing outside? I’m just playing with Uncle Benji. Right, Uncle Benji?”
“Yes, we’re just playing.” Benji forced a smile that looked worse than crying, but he didn’t dare defy the child. Once, he didn’t play along, and soon after that, the child planned his revenge and got him good.
If it weren’t for Rickard walking by and saving him, he might still be stuck in a tree.
Rickard saw through their pretense and glared at Ren. “Go play by yourself. I need to speak to Uncle Benji.”
“Okay,” the child quickly replied. He would say yes as long as he didn’t get punished.
In the study.
Benji wiped the sweat off his forehead and politely said, “Mr. Duval, our partnership with Lane Holdings is ending, but I heard that the person who took over this project is very enthusiastic. Who knows if something will change.”
Sitting on the chair, Rickard was even more intimidating than he was three years ago. Time left experience and nothing more on him.
“We’ll see how it goes then. As long as the project is still available, we’ll be able to negotiate no matter who it changes to.”
“Yes, sir.” Benji was ready to leave when he was called back. An unnoticeable expression flashed across Rickard’s eyes.
“What about what I asked you to investigate? Is there still no information about… her?”
Benji quietly sighed.
Ever since Mrs. Duval signed the divorce papers three years ago, Mr. Duval had not given up on finding her. However, the world was a huge place, so it wouldn’t be easy to find someone.
Furthermore, Hesper was probably doing her best to avoid them, so there was no news about her whatsoever.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Duval.”
“It’s not your fault.” Rickard slowly closed his eyes. “She just doesn’t want to see us. You can leave now.”
“…Alright.” Benji didn’t know what more to say, so he turned and left.
The study immediately fell quiet. The evening sun shone on his face, but it didn’t make his loneliness look less.
“Hesper, even if you don’t want to see me, don’t you want to see your own son…”
Rickard subconsciously rubbed the ring on his finger. That was what she left along with the divorce papers.
It was funny thinking about it. He didn’t want to get married, so he didn’t get her a ring. Hesper bought this for herself.
However, after she left and a few years had passed, he
subconsciously started wearing it.
Meanwhile, after Renfrew got off clean, he casually ate some fruits in the living room. There was some movement at the stairs, so he looked up. It was the annoying aunt, Sophia.
“What’s that look, you little rascal?”
Sophia didn’t like him and never gave him a friendly look. She would put up a front when she was in front of Rickard, but in private, she always looked annoyed.
The child was young but was very smart. He smiled without joy and said to his aunt, “What do you mean? What did I do?”
“Stop pretending!” Sophia’s temper suddenly rose, and she rushed over to pinch his cheek.
“Don’t, Ms. Duval.” When she saw what was happening, Wanda immediately pulled Renfrew into her arms. “Mr. Duval cares a lot
about the young master. If you hurt him, Mr. Duval isn’t going to let this go!”
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“You’re threatening me?”
Enraged, Sophia shouted, “You old hag! Who do you think you are? How dare you threaten me? When Hesper was here, you kept kissing her feet, and now that she’s left, you’re doing the same with her son? Listen, this is the Duvals’ residence, not the Riveras’! You should know who your masters are!”
“I know, I know, I just don’t want…”
Wanda lowered her head humbly.
However, Sophia didn’t give her a chance to finish her sentence and pinched her.
“Alright, if you care so much about this little bastard, you’ll suffer in his place!”
Again and again, Sophia’s long nails dug into her. Wanda’s arms started bruising and her tears welled up.
“Granny, please let go of me.” Ren couldn’t stand seeing her suffer, so he escaped her grasp and kicked Sophia. “Old witch! How could you bully us!”
“How dare you kick me!” Sophia found her chance. She reached out to grab his collar to teach him a lesson!
The little boy easily evaded it. Seeing someone from the corner of his eyes, he immediately stood still.
Sophia grabbed him and scoffed. “Go ahead, kick me again. Weren’t you fearless just now? Do it again!”
Ren pretended to be annoyed, so Sophia yelled, “How dare you glare at me!” Immediately after that, she smacked him on his bottom. The
slap was loud.
“Sophia, what are you doing!”
Rickard had walked over and seen everything. His pupils shrank.
“Dad, Aunt Sophia hit me.” The kid started crying and wiggled away from Sophia, running into his father’s arms. “Not only did she hit me, but she also attacked Granny Wanda too. Look at Granny Wanda’s arm. Aunt Sophia did that! She tried to do that to me too! Granny protected me!”
Rickard glanced over and saw the dreadful bruises on her arm. If that happened to Renfrew, his child wouldn’t be able to handle it.
“Sophia!” The man was infuriated.
Sophia immediately begged for forgiveness. “Don’t listen to the little shit. I didn’t do anything to him!”
“Little shit?” Rickard repeated, his cold eyes stern. “He’s my son. What do you mean by calling him a little shit?”
“That’s not what I meant…” Sophia wanted to explain, but it was too late.
Rickard waved his arm and scolded. “I guess you have nothing better to do at home since you’re creating conflict. You’re an adult now, so it’s time for you to get married. We don’t need trouble at home!”
“Rickard!” Sophia couldn’t believe it. She didn’t go overboard, but he was already forcing her to get married. “No. I’m not seeing anyone. I’m not going to get married!”
“It’s not up to you.”
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Rickard scoffed and left with Ren.
Sophia started panicking and immediately went to talk to Juniper.
Emperion, Reverie Villa.
Hesper quietly pruned the branches of her rose plant. Three of her assistants followed behind her and held up all kinds of tools. They were all very respectful.
In the past three years, Hesper had become Rachael Lane. Master Lane loved her, and with Matthew’s support, she became an
important person.
When she first came to Emperion, she lived in Reverie Villa. He gifted it to her in the second year she was there and even let her name it.
“Hesper.” Matthew got out of the car behind her and walked over with his assistant, Tanner.
When Hesper saw how the car’s tires almost ran over the rose branches, she frowned. “Matthew, I’ve told you so many times. You can’t drive your car to the garden. You’ll hurt the plants.”
@
“I’m sorry.” Matthew was nice about it. In the past three years, his relationship with Hesper became like that of actual siblings, and he
was very patient with her.
“I’ve done what you previously asked, but are you sure that you want to go back?”
‘Snip’. Hesper pruned another branch with a cold expression. “Of course. It’s been a long time. It’s time the people who hurt me pay for what they did.” She then paused. “Do you think I shouldn’t take revenge?”
“No.” Matthew thought that it was important to remember. Hesper had gone through a lot of grievances, so he knew that it wouldn’t be unreasonable if she wanted to take revenge.
“Well, if you’ve made up your mind, go ahead. The Lane family and I will back you up.”
Hesper looked thankful. She wouldn’t have had a good life if it wasn’t for Matthew’s support. He treated her exceptionally well even though they weren’t related.
“Matthew … I’ll remember everything that you’ve done for me. If you ever need my help, I’ll always be here for you even if it means I have to sacrifice myself.”
Seeing how touched she was, Matthew waved his hand so that everyone would leave them.
“Hesper, there’s no need for all that. I’ve treated you like my sister for the past three years. Even though I didn’t find my actual sister, I gained another one. I’ll always protect you.”
“Thank you, Matthew.”
There was nothing that Hesper could do to repay him. Matthew never controlled her in any way. Even her name was still kept as Hesper, and she only took on their family name. He told her everything, including his love for his sister.
Sometimes, Hesper wondered what she did to deserve such a great brother.
“I’ve announced your position. Once you make an appearance,
Rickard will probably get the news. You’ll get to decide what happens with the project. Just come see me whenever you need help.” Matthew paused, then continued. “You’re leaving tomorrow. Will you have dinner with grandpa tonight?”
“Alright, I’ll go change.”
Hesper was planning to do that. Grandpa had treated her so well and taken good care of her. She wanted to go see him before leaving.
After half an hour, they both arrived at their family home.
When Master Lane heard the news, he happily walked out with his cane to welcome them. “You’re here. Come in. Is it hot outside?”
“It’s alright, grandpa. I don’t feel hot.”
Hesper held onto the old man’s arm, and right when she stepped into the living room, the second son of grandpa Lane scoffed.
“How could you, the grandchild, let the old man come to you? Who do you think you are!”
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The one speaking was Matthew’s second uncle, Wilfred Lane.
Matthew was the eldest child of the eldest son, but since both his parents passed away early, the siblings were left outside. The second uncle became greedy and wanted to take their place.
Luckily, Arthur Lane was an understanding man and protected Matthew. Wilfred, having tried and failed to get to him, had slowly turned his attention to Hesper.
Hesper wasn’t angry, so she smiled and said, “Uncle Wilfred, grandpa didn’t come to welcome me. He was just anxious to see whether I was here already or not. I’m not like you, having your own place yet still hanging around here. People might think that this is actually your
home.”
She was mocking him, and he knew it.
Wilfred’s expression changed as he glared at her.
“It was obvious that you weren’t brought up here. You don’t even understand etiquette. How could you speak to your elders like that?”
“Alright, that’s enough.” Arthur cut him off. “Everyone could see what you’re trying to say. Don’t bring it up!”
“Dad!” Wildred wasn’t happy about that and was about to say something.
However, Matthew spoke up. “Uncle Wildred, I heard that the financial report for the previous quarter of the company that you’re handling is out. You lost $15 million. Have you figured out what you’re going to tell the shareholders?”
“I…” Wilfred was at a loss for words. He wasn’t very good at running a company and loved to take money from the company for his personal
use. The company that used to thrive was close to bankrupt because of him.
He didn’t think what he did was wrong. After his brother died, he was supposed to be the eldest son of the Lane family, so everything that belonged to the family should be rightfully his.
However, Arthur never considered letting him take more power and even gave part of his business to Hesper to manage. That was why he was upset.
“It’s none of your business. You, on the other hand, let Hesper, a girl, take over the company. If it gets out, people might think that our family doesn’t have better options!”
“That’s a terrible thing to say. Hesper is a Lane too.”
Matthew emphasized his last sentence, which made it sound like a threat.
Wilfred didn’t dare offend him, so he bit his tongue.
After dinner, Arthur held Hesper’s hand. “Thank you for this. After the company is split up, I’ll help you plan your wedding so you can marry a good man and live happily for the rest of your life.”
“Grandpa…” Hesper was helpless.
It wasn’t the first time Arthur tried to set her up, but she had always rejected it.
“We’ll see, grandpa. I’d like to make this my career and take the burden off you and Matthew.”
She then made up an excuse about having to pack her bags and escaped.
“Matthew.” The old man looked at Matthew. “Why does Hesper run away every time we talk about this? You have a good relationship. Tell me, is there something that she can’t tell me?”
Matthew remembered her past but didn’t make it clear. He just said, ” Grandpa, Hesper is still young. There’s no need to force her to do anything she doesn’t want to. So what if she never gets married? Wouldn’t she still be happy being our little princess?”
“That’s true…” The old man was convinced.
The next day, Matthew personally rode with Hesper to the airport.
“Remember that you’re a Lane now. Even if Rickard recognizes you, there’s no need to be afraid.”
“I know.” Hesper looked into the distance. She was back. The ones who should be afraid were the people who hurt her.
After a few hours, Netherton airport.
Matthew and Benji went to the airport to pick up the new person in charge in order to show their sincerity.
“What time is it?”
Matthew took a look at the time and saw that it was more than ten
minutes past the arrival time. That person should be out by now.
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“Could the flight be delayed?” Benji asked.
They both walked forward, not noticing a woman with curly red hair in a black dress and sunshades who walk past them.
At that moment, Rickard felt something. He turned around and saw the woman walking over to a Porsche parked by the road.
“Benji, does she… look like Hesper?”
“What? Mrs. Duval?” Benji looked over too.
However, her emanation and outfits were very different from hers. How could that be her?
“Mr. Duval, are you mistaken? Why would she show up here?”
“You’re right…” Rickard took a deep breath, thinking that he imagined it because he was fatigued recently.
“Let’s go in and take a look.”
The two walked over. No one noticed that the woman who got into the Porsche had lowered the window and showed half of her pretty profile.
“It’s been a while, Rickard Duval.” The face behind the sunshades really did belong to Hesper.
“Let’s go. I need to rest at the hotel.” At her words, the driver drove
away.
Rickard and Benji waited in vain. Benji didn’t understand. “What happened? Did the person not show up?”
“No, they might have left.” Rickard looked upset.
On the verge of the transfer from Lane Holdings, it was impossible
that the person in charge didn’t show up. However, they had waited very long but didn’t see them. There was only one possibility left. That person left without them noticing.
“Um… Did they not know that we came here to pick them up?”
Benji couldn’t believe that. Having gotten in touch with the manager, they only went over when they confirmed the schedule.
Now that this happened, it caught them off guard.
“It’s alright. Since we have a partnership, that person will eventually have to make an appearance. I’m interested in seeing what games they’ll play!”
Rickard scoffed. After being in an executive position for a long time, he had trained himself to not make mistakes. It was obvious that that person had triggered him.
He didn’t say anything and left with Benji.
However, on the way back, Juniper called.
“Hello? What is it?” Rickard was upset, so he didn’t sound very friendly.
Juniper paused then smiled and said, “Why are you so upset? My appreciation party is tomorrow. I want to ask you to come with me.”
In the past two years, Juniper had entered the entertainment industry and become one of the top hosts of Netherton. She previously hosted a charity event and got great feedback.
However, Rickard said, “I can’t attend, but I’ll send a gift over.”
“But-” Juniper wanted to say more, but the phone was cut off.
She bit her lip as she looked at her dark screen. She wanted him more than any gift.
Unfortunately, after Hesper left, even though Rickard never drew a
clear line, he never acknowledged their relationship either.
She was planning to get closer to him during the party, but now that wasn’t going to happen.
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Nightfall.
Hesper didn’t sleep well. She had a dream. In the dream, there was a small child crying and tugging on her hand, questioning her. “Mommy, mommy, why don’t you want me anymore?”
“Baby…” Hesper frowned sadly in the dream. She knew that that was her baby, so she dolefully said, “I do want you. I just…” She wanted to hug the child, but he kept stepping backward, so she couldn’t get grasp him.
The little boy stood in the rain, crying his eyes out. “You don’t want me anymore. Everyone laughed at me saying that I don’t have a mom, You don’t love me. Then why did you have me?”
“No, that’s not true.” Hesper shook her head frantically. How could she not love her baby?
She couldn’t bring him along in that situation.
“I’m sorry, baby. It’s my fault for not taking care of you…” Her tears rolled down from the corner of her eyes as her heart ached.
Suddenly, a large hand grabbed the child. He was so started, he started shouting. “Ah! Help, help!”
“Baby!”
Hesper jolted and woke up from her nightmare. It took her a few seconds to realize that it was just a dream, but it had felt so realistic that it made her uncomfortable.
She felt around for the light switch, then went over to the wine chiller and poured herself a glass of wine. Gulping it down, she finally felt calmer.
Hesper looked out the window. When she remembered what
happened in the dream, her heart ached again as if it was being torn apart.
She knew it was because she missed her child so much, and since she was back, the nightmare crept up on her.
But her baby, she really wanted to see him…
Hesper went to look for Mr. Duval Sr.’s phone number but stopped. Before she took care of her business, she couldn’t lose her focus.
The next day was the day of the meeting between the Duval Group and Lane Holdings. The new office layout and the building’s structures were redesigned. Duval Group was in charge of the project.
Since there was a last-minute change in the person in charge, the design hadn’t been approved for so long. Rickard was concerned about that.
Before he left home, he picked up his coat from the side, his brows carrying an air of confidence. “You’re confirmed that the person in charge of Lane Holdings will show up on time?”
“Yes, Mr. Duval.”
Benji wiped the sweat off his brows; they had been working on this for a long time. If it weren’t such a big project and if Rickard didn’t 3 think that it was so important, he would have lost his patience a long time ago.
Now, all he could do was pray that nothing unexpected happened.
“Let’s go.” With Rickard’s order, they both departed and reached the meeting venue five minutes ahead of time.
To show how sincere he was, Rickard sat down and waited. The big conference room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop:
But as the seconds ticked past, the time for the meeting got closer and closer, and still no one showed up at the door.
Rickard started to frown.
Bendji could feel his breath starting to quicken and he gulped.
“Um… Sir, would you like some water?”
“No.” Rickard’s eyes were unwavering, but it was obvious he was annoyed.
“How much longer?”