Ch. 521..530

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 521

Hesper cut him short.

"After all, she's the real Rachael. No matter what happens, you can't speak of her like that," she said, her gaze calm.

That being said, judging from how Rachael treated her when she asked her for a commission in Eustoma, Hesper could more or less guess what this new Ms. Lane had done in Lane Holdings. However, she was in no position to comment on her behavior now with her current identity.

"Rachael secretly threw away everything related to you in the Lanes. Luckily, Mr. Lane and Master Lane were able to keep some of it," Renee said. Even though she tried her best to remain professional, she still frowned with displeasure as she spoke.

Hesper had no particular reaction and simply nodded.

"I'll be back in a while. My situation in the Lanes is kind of awkward right now. After hearing what you've said, I don't think it's time for me to go back yet," Hesper said after a short while of contemplation. "Renee, I want you to help me look for a place to stay at Genecity. I'm going to Genecity when I go back."

"No problem."

"Ma'am, I miss you so much," Isaac said with a pained expression. "When can I return to your side and work for you?"

Hesper thought about it for a moment then shook her head. "I have no idea either. But I'm no longer the same as before, so even if you work for me in the future, there may not be much work for you to do."

Hesper had a lot of things to do, so she only had a brief reunion with Isaac and Renee. After arranging for a helicopter to take her back, Hesper lay in bed. Surprisingly, sleep would not come to her.

Suddenly, Hesper heard a commotion from outside. Frowning, she got up and walked to the window, only to see her neighbors moving things. Rickard was sitting in his wheelchair. Their gazes met.

Drawing the curtains, Hesper tightened her eyebrows. It was already late. After some thought, she decided to send a message to Professor Miles.

[Hesper: Why did you come back?]

Professor Miles, who was standing downstairs, was a bit taken aback when he received the message. After all, Hesper went to bed early when she was not working. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "We're going back to Halwanest. It's more convenient to treat there than here."

'They're going back to Halwanest too?'

If Hesper had not mentioned her plan to return to Halwanest to anyone, she would have suspected that Rickard was following her. When the thought appeared in her mind, Hesper smiled self-mockingly.

There was now way Rickard would follow her back to Halwanest.

Not wanting to dwell on that matter anymore, Hesper did not say anything and went back to her bed.

She still had to take care of Juniper after she went back to Halwanest. Although Juniper was an easy target, Hesper had been waiting for this day for too long.

When she closed her eyes this time, she slipped into slumber.

*

When she got off the plane, she found Isaac and Renee waiting for her outside of the airport.

She would still need to return to Fredonia, so she did not bring too much luggages with her. She took a deep breath and reveled in the feeling of having the Genecity air filling her lungs. Hesper looked ahead and sighed helplessly when she saw Isaac waving at her.

'Just you wait, Juniper,' Hesper thought inwardly, a smile dancing on her lips. 'This time, I'll see your love with Carter to the end.'

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 522

Very soon, Hesper arrived at the accommodation that Renee had arranged for her. After she had organized all of the things she brought with her, she threw herself on the couch and took some rest.

Renee was always capable of accomplishing the task she gave her splendidly. The apartment was located in a wonderful spot, and it was very near to the apartment she used to stay in before. Hesper was very familiar with the surroundings, so it was very easy for her to blend in.

As soon as she got off the plane, Hesper found Juniper's wedding invitation in her mailbox.

Juniper and Carter's wedding was going to be held that Saturday. Hesper had not had no time to investigate their situation carefully before. In any case, from Carter's profile, she found it difficult to believe he would be tied down by Juniper and marriage.

With that thought in mind, Hesper logged on to her social account that she had not accessed since she took a glance at it last time.

As expected, there were many messages; most of them were from Matthew and Nathaniel. Matthew's messages stopped at the day he met her, but Nathaniel persistently sent a message every once in a while. It seemed to her that Matthew had not told him that he had found her.

Wrought by a surge of mixed feelings, Hesper continued to scroll downward until she saw a message that was ignored by her a long time ago. It was a message from Ariana.

She was stunned for a moment before she suddenly remembered her deal with Ariana. Ariana told her that she would inform her if Juniper had any plans against her. In exchange, she had to let Juniper go.

Raising an eyebrow, Hesper opened the dialogue box with Ariana.

[Hesper: Your message is well received. I appreciate your wise judgment, Mrs. Wight. You have my words.]

After carefully reading all the messages sent by Ariana, Hesper had to admit that Juniper had done a lot while she was away. If it were not for Arianai's warning, in the current situation, she and Rickard might have suffered some losses.

That being said, Ariana had made the right decision. This was because no matter what Juniper did, she was still under Carter's control, and the best outcome in the end might be a lose-lose situation.

Although Hesper had never believed that Carter would remain faithful to Juniper, she still felt that Carter was even more cruel than she had imagined after seeing what Ariana had said.

Everything was staged by Carter from the beginning.

Carter had been wooing her for a long time, yet she refused to reciprocate his feelings, so he took advantage of her when her drink was spiked. After all, he was always indiscriminate when it came to his pursuers, not to mention that Juniper did have a pretty face.

Carter did not plan to be responsible; he was just going to run away. However, on that same evening, his father suddenly brought home an illegitimate son, who had graduated from a prestigious school and was a year younger than him but was better than him in every way.

Carter was well aware that with his reputation, if his father really had the intention of changing the heir, he would definitely not be able to compete with the illegitimate child. However, because he was still his father's legitimate child, his position would not be threatened in the short term.

A lot of thoughts crossed Carter's mind in the few minutes after answering the phone. After that, he turned back to look at Juniper, who had always had a good reputation in their social circle. Suddenly, he felt that marrying Juniper seemed like a good choice.

Although the Wights were going down the hill, they were still a prestigious family, not to mention that Juniper was a woman he had once liked. No matter how he thought about it, it seemed like a good deal.

With this thought in mind, Carter was affectionate towards Juniper, wanting to get married as soon as possible and stabilize his father.

Hesper cleared her throat. Ariana must have investigated all of this and been suffering in pain for a long time. The only thing that Hesper wondered right now was whether or not Juniper knew that everything was staged by Carter.

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 523

If she already knew the truth, then why was she agreeing to the marriage?

Hesper could not quite figure it out, but at this point, no matter how many unresolved doubts there were, the result was clear. Juniper was now throwing herself into a fire pit, while Ariana was desperately trying to stop her but to no avail.

Based on this alone, Hesper was convinced that Juniper must know the truth. It was very likely that both of them were aiming for the same thing, so she had to use marriage and children to tie him down.

Suddenly, Hesper was jolted back to reality by a noise from upstairs.

She did not know why but the noise reminded her of Rickard moving out in a hurry the night before. Her face sank. However, she was well aware that the living environment in an apartment was not as quiet as living in a mansion.

Sighing, she called Matthew to let him know she was safe. Matthew answered almost immediately, indicating he had been waiting for her call.

"Grandpa is sick, so I can't leave Emperion now. I know that you'll go to Genecity first when you return to Halwanest," Matthew said while Hesper listened to him obediently.

"As I said before, I need to settle my scores with Juniper first. I won't miss her wedding," Hesper said. However, Hesper had a feeling that Matthew had not called to discuss this.

Just as she expected, he continued. "I won't be able to go, but someone else can. Your current situation in Genecity is awkward, and I don't trust you to handle it on your own."

"It's not like I'm alone. Renee is here with me as well," Hesper protested weakly.

Even though Isaac wanted to go back to Hesper's side to protect her, Renee was her subordinate and had complete freedom to come and go. Therefore, she did not have any problem taking care of Hesper in Genecity.

Ignoring Hesper's faint protest, Matthew said, "Nathaniel is on his way to Genecity. I'm more rest assured with him by your side."

Hesper was confused.

She had almost forgotten about Nathaniel's feelings toward her. After experiencing the awkward situation with Pennleigh and Julian, Hesper found that she was a bit slow in realizing other people's feelings toward her. She had been told several times that Nathanial had a crush on her.

Now that Nathaniel was coming over, was he not just adding more trouble to her?

However, before Hesper could say anything, the matter was already settled. Knowing that Hesper would definitely refuse, Matthew hung up the phone without giving her a chance to speak.

Listening to the busy signal, Hesper shook her head and frowned. As expected, Nathaniel had already sent her a message asking for her new address.

"What a nuisance," Hesper said through gritting teeth. Nevertheless, she still sent her new address to Nathaniel while silently hoping that he would have something urgent to attend to and not come to interfere with her plans.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel immediately went to the address provided after receiving Hesper's message.

*

The wind at night was cold, heralding the end of Summer.

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 524

When Hesper heard the knocking on the door, she slumped on the couch, not really wanting to answer it. However, she had to answer the door anyway. She opened the door and found Nathaniel standing outside. They had not seen each other for a long time, but Nathaniel looked the same as he did a year ago. When he saw Hesper, he offered her a smile.

"It's been a long time, Hesper," he said.

Even though Hesper still felt a little bit uncomfortable, she had to admit that she felt at ease staying with Nathaniel. She had never felt burdened when she was with him. Seeing how tired he was, Hesper felt a little sorry for him.

"You should come in," she said.

Nathaniel had a lot of things in his hands and there was no one else with him. Hesper reached out to take half of the things, then stepped aside to let Nathaniel enter first.

"You just returned to the country. I was worried that you had come back in a hurry and didn't prepare the things you usually need." Nathaniel put down the things and turned to smile at Hesper faintly. "Don't worry, your brother paid for all these."

Hesper chuckled at that.

"I've already found a place to stay in Genecity. If you need any help, feel free to come to me. I'm available anytime," he added.

Hesper did not have anything to do in Genecity anyway. At present, Rickard was poisoned and barely alive, while Juniper was also trapped in a relationship with Carter, so no one had the time to care about her now.

"Oh yeah, Rachael is in Genecity as well."

When Hesper heard the name, she was stunned. "What is she doing here?"

"Hmm… To make amends?"

Hesper could not tell what Nathaniel thought of Rachael through his voice, but she could still sense that they did not seem to be familiar with each other.

"She caused Master Lane to fall sick, so she wanted to achieve something in Genecity to redeem herself," Nathaniel added. "I don't know how she met Juniper, but they are on good terms. You'll probably see her when you attend the wedding on Saturday."

Hesper nodded. Then she suddenly realized something. "How did you know that I'm going to Juniper's wedding?"

"Matt told me about it."

Hesper realized that she had been a little bit too paranoid and felt sorry, but she acted as if nothing had happened.

They chatted for a while before Nathaniel said, "It's getting late, so I'm going back. Remember, you can always come to me if you need anything."

"Yeah, don't worry. I will."

After seeing Nathaniel off, Hesper lay on the sofa and pondered for a moment before sending a message to Professor Miles.

[Hesper: Have you arrived at Genecity?]

*

Time flew by rapidly, and it was already Friday after Hesper had settled down in Genecity.

Hesper sent the two wedding dresses to Juniper as agreed, and Juniper sent many messages to thank her.

Hesper accepted them readily and showered Juniper with a lot of praises.

"Your husband is so good to you."

She also attached a smiley face emoji at the back of her sentence that looked like it was mocking her.

When Juniper received the message, she slammed her phone on the table and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

'The designer is a foreigner, so it's normal that she doesn't understand the meaning of this emoji,' she told herself.

 

 

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 525

But even thinking of it like this, Juniper was on the verge of going crazy with anger. She had never seen such an insensitive person before.

"Oh my, why are you so angry, Juni?" A woman walked up from behind her.

Juniper's face sank. "Drop that sarcastic tone of yours. Do you think you're an important character around Carter?"

The incoming person was none other than Carter's lover, Alessandra Bridget. She had been to their house several times, and she was a C list actress.

Alessandra covered her face and smiled. In fact, Alessandra looked very similar to Juniper. Juniper had seen many women around Carter, and each one of them, including herself, looked very similar.

Juniper knew that she was definitely not the "original".

"What are you talking about, Juni? You're going to marry Mr. Wilson today. You're going to become his legal wife, unlike us, who are just his lovers," Alessandra said, her face filled with mockery. "I want money, status, and his heart. In other words, even if Mr. Wilson meets a hundred or thousand women, I'll just praise him."

"You… You're shameless."

Alessandra chuckled lightly. "Really? Then what about you, Juni? It doesn't seem to me that you knew any shame when you pestered Rickard even though you knew clearly that he was married."

*

After showing her invitation card to the people at the door, Hesper entered the banquet.

She had to admit that Juniper and Carter's wedding was grand. The Wilsons were by no means a normal family, so the wedding of their heir had to be impressive.

Hesper's dress for the wedding was also of her own design. Now that River A. was very famous, it was difficult to get her to design for them, so nearly everyone present who had the ability to access Eustoma and River A.'s high-end clothes could immediately tell that her dress was designed by River A.

Hesper had not been active in the upper circle of Genecity's society for a year, so many people had almost forgotten about her existence. Those who remembered her hesitated and did not dare to approach her.

"Isn't that the young Ms. Lane from Lane Holdings we saw earlier?"

"She's wearing River A.'s design. By the way, have you heard that River A. designed two wedding dresses for Juniper? She might even come in person for the wedding!"

"What are you talking about? There's only one Ms. Lane in Lane Holdings. You should probably get your eyes checked."

Rachael raised her chin and could not help feeling proud amidst the compliments of the crowd. Thinking of River A. repeatedly rejecting her, she coldly snorted. "Isn't she just a new designer? Eustoma has hyped up her commercial value."

Several people around looked awkwardly at Rachael. Although it was true that River A.'s commercial value had been hyped up, she did have real talent that could be brought onto the table.

Rachael perceptively sensed that the expressions of the people next to her were a bit off. She cleared her throat and changed the topic. "Hessy hasn't appeared in Halwanest recently… I heard she went abroad."

Hesper's gaze swept over Rachael, who was surrounded by the crowd. Although she looked completely different from Twiggy, Hesper could still recognize her at a glance.

Rachael also turned her head, and when she met Hesper's probing gaze, she instantly lowered her head.

"What's the matter?"

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 526

Rachael did not know why she felt so uneasy, but her first reaction upon seeing Hesper was to lower her head.

Hesper raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw Rachael. Based on what others had said, Hesper had thought that Rachael would give her a contemptuous look when she saw her.

With that thought in mind, Hesper picked up a glass of champagne from the nearby table and walked straight up to Rachael.

"It's been a long time, Rachael."

Compared to Hesper's frankness, Rachael's reaction was somewhat timid. "Hessy… It's been a long time. I heard you went abroad. I thought you… wouldn't come back for a while."

"You heard?" Hesper's lips curved. "It seems like you're well-informed."

The people around them knew that Hesper was the former daughter of the Lanes when they saw the atmosphere between the two of them. Although most of them had only heard of Hesper or had met her briefly, her outstanding achievements in Lane Holdings were evident to all.

Her exceptional perceptiveness and maturity, which far surpassed her peers', made them all somewhat afraid to speak.

No one doubted that the current Hesper still had the power to influence them. According to Rachael, Hesper had been gone for so long, but she still seemed to be doing well. The designer clothes Hesper wore were proof of that.

Hesper felt somewhat strange. Clearly, she was the one who should be feeling uneasy in this situation, as she had occupied three years of Rachael's life. She did not know why Rachael seemed hesitant to face her.

"I have something to do here. I heard that Grandpa is sick, so I'll go back to Emperion soon," Hesper said, deciding not to bring more stress to Rachael. It was getting awkward, as it looked as if she was bullying Rachael, which she did not want to happen.

Upon hearing Hesper bring up Auther's illness again, Rachael could not help but feel a chill run down her spine. She had thought that Hesper was struggling and destitute ever since she left without any help from the Lanes. But now, not only did Hesper look as though she was doing well, but she even knew what Rachael had done.

"Hessy, I can explain about the projects," Rachael said, trying to appease Hesper with a flattering look.

Shaking her head, Hesper replied, "You can work on those projects as you wish. I never wanted them in the first place. They were always meant to be put to use by Lane Holdings."

Rachael's friends next to her quickly pushed her forward. They had all heard about those projects from Rachael. The projects were resources that would make anyone jealous. Her friends could not believe how generous Hesper was, simply handing them to Rachael.

"Thank you so much, sister. It really means a lot," Rachael replied gratefully.

Hesper shrugged. "It's not really that important… Anyway, you guys have fun. I have things to do and can't stay any longer."

After Hesper left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"I didn't expect you and Hesper to have such a good relationship. When it was revealed that she was an illegitimate daughter, we thought you two would be at odds," said a girl senselessly before being nudged by another person beside her.

Upon closer inspection, the color had drained from Rachael's face, making it almost as cold as ice.

"What does she mean by 'never wanted them'?"

Having just returned, Hesper had flaunted her abilities by giving away the projects that Rachael had spent months wracking her brain to snatch from her. Arthur and Matthew refused to let Rachael touch those projects, yet Hesper gave them away to her so easily.

'What was that for? Was it a charitable act?'

Hesper had not thought much of it. After all, Juniper was the main focus that day. She did not want to waste time and words on Rachael, even though she seemed suspicious.

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 527

Meanwhile, Juniper was preparing for the ceremony backstage. Even if Carter's lover had shown up, this farcical wedding would still need to proceed as planned.

"Check if River A. has arrived," Juniper said while looking at herself in the mirror. Dressed in her wedding gown, she felt a bit dazed.

It was indeed a beautiful wedding gown, beyond what a photo could capture. It fulfilled every girl's fantasy of marriage. When Juniper insisted on choosing it herself and making so many demands, Carter had sneered, thinking she was being excessive.

But of course… Carter did not understand what a wedding meant to a woman.

If it were not for her persistence, perhaps someone else would be wearing this wedding gown right now.

"River A. is already here."

Juniper nodded, turned her head, and saw her mother standing by the door, looking at her with teary eyes just like every mother sending her child off to get married. However, things were different. Juniper had already come to understand why her mother wanted to stop her, but there was no going back.

"Mom."

Ariana walked over and hugged Juniper, gently patting her back. "You look so beautiful."

Juniper looked tired, but there was a hint of a manic glint in her eyes. She quietly wiped away the tears on her mother's face. "Mom, you don't have to worry. I used to be naive and believed in Carter's nonsense, but I'm not stupid."

At that time, she had already consciously or unconsciously turned the things Carter gave her into cash. Later, when she talked about cooperation with Carter, the secret stash she had amassed would be enough for her to make a big move and run away.

Ariana did not know what Juniper had done, but looking at her state, she knew she must have done something bad.

Thinking about the message that Hesper sent her before, Ariana could not help but sweat nervously in her heart. If Juniper really did something illegal and was discovered, even if Hesper promised to let her go, she might not be able to save Juniper.

"Ah, sorry to disturb your tender moment."

Carter knocked on the door. When he saw Juniper, his eyes brightened a bit. He could not help but whistle. "My wife looks so beautiful today. It seems marrying you was a wise choice."

Juniper's face turned cold and Ariana shook her head, but Juniper turned around and patted her on the back of her hand before pushing her aside.

"Let's go. It's almost time for the wedding ceremony to start." Juniper turned her head to look at Carter. "Don't forget our plan. We've already spent too much effort acquiring the scattered shares of the Duval Group. If you still can't obtain all the permissions of your family after we get married, it'll be over for both of us."

"Don't worry, wife." Carter extended his hand, and Juniper expressionlessly placed her hand on top of his.

The curtain lifted, and the actors appeared on stage.

Flower petals rained down from above, and Hesper looked up thoughtfully. Then she saw Carter appear with Juniper holding his hand. Both of them were smiling, as if they had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 528

While Hesper hid in the crowd, quietly watching, the emcee on stage gave his blessings.

When it was time for the speeches, Juniper took the microphone with a smile and said some beautiful words, while Carter stood beside her, occasionally chiming in. If Hesper had not already known the truth, she would have been fooled by their affectionate appearance.

"I would also like to give a special thanks to River A. from Eustoma Studio. Both of my wedding dresses today were designed by her," Juniper said as her gaze swept over the crowd below, wondering which person might be River A. Then she saw Hesper, and their gazes met.

In a split second, Juniper had a bad feeling, but Carter continued with his own words. "Today, we're honored to have the designer River A. here to witness the love between me and my wife."

A spotlight shone down on Hesper. Juniper looked at Carter in shock, who was also stunned when he saw that it was Hesper.

Originally, this part was not included in the wedding. However, if River A. was willing to come up and say a few words, it would just happen to serve their purpose of promoting the wedding. But if she did not want to, Juniper would not force her.

The moment she locked eyes with Hesper, Juniper already felt a bit uneasy. She never expected that Carter, this fool, would arrange for a spotlight behind her back.

It was too late to say anything now. Everyone followed the direction of the spotlight and looked towards Hesper, who confidently stood in place, nodding slightly to the crowd's gaze.

"River A.? Hesper is River A.?"

"Unbelievable! So River A. is a play on her surname "Rivera"!"

Unbeknownst to everyone, Rachael clenched her gists. 'No wonder she had such an attitude when I sought to commission River A. before. She may look honest on the surface, but she was probably secretly cursing me all along!'

Hesper walked up to the stage, looked at Juniper with a fake smile on her face, then took the microphone.

"I am very honored to be invited to Ms. Wight and Mr. Wilson's wedding today," Hesper said as she glanced at Juniper. Even though she was smiling, she looked like she was provoking Juniper.

Many people in the audience knew about the bad blood between Juniper and Hesper. Saying that it was an honor was simply a joke. Juniper had intervened in someone else's marriage and had bullied Hesper for so long. Hesper's appearance that day stirred up everyone's memories of that matter.

"I had no intention of stealing the limelight, but since there's already an arrangement for me to speak a few words, it seems a bit ungracious to refuse." Hesper chuckled, "First, I want to congratulate the newlyweds and wish you both a lifetime of happiness."

"Hesper!" Juniper called out while gritting her teeth. Hesper, who was standing very close to her, naturally saw this clearly but just smiled playfully and looked down below.

"Secondly, I'll be establishing a studio as a designer named River A. I'll be designing more clothing, so I welcome everyone to support me."

To give an advertising speech for her own studio at someone else's wedding speech could be considered quite rude. However, everyone in the audience was shrewd; naturally, they knew that Hesper came up that day to teach Juniper a lesson.

Amidst the applause, Juniper suddenly felt as if the wedding gown on her was a sack. For a while, she couldn't catch her breath.

Hesper did not say anything more and stepped down from the stage.

She believed that Juniper would not be able to forget about this wedding day for the rest of her life.

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 529

What happened at the wedding soon spread across the city. Hesper could no longer hide the news about her returning to Halwanest or her being River A. anymore. Jessie called her that night.

"You came back to Halwanest and didn't even tell me!"

Hesper felt sorry for Jessie. Having been busy with her studio lately, she had forgotten about her.

"Never mind, I'll be the big person and forgive you since I know you've been busy lately," Jessie said nonchalantly. "I didn't expect you to become the protagonist of a popular novel as soon as you came back. The news of River A. establishing a studio has spread all over the city. To think that you'd use Juniper's wedding to publicize it; you're really something."

'This is nothing,' Hesper thought inwardly as she took off her necklace in front of a mirror.

Juniper had not put her plan into action yet, and Hesper was going to do more than just humiliate her. To put it plainly, Juniper's next move was sure to be significant. Renee had discovered that the Wilsons had decided to name Carter as the successor that night, which meant that Carter and Juniper would have more resources to carry out their plan.

However, Hesper was not going to sit still and do nothing.

Jessie asked her about her recent situation again and felt more at ease when she learned that Hesper was doing well even during the time she was away from Halwanest.

"Come to my house for dinner when you have time. I have something to discuss with you," Jessie said.

Hesper frowned. Jessie was always someone who would speak what was on her mind, so why would she ask her to go to her house to discuss something? Her intuition told her there was something fishy going on, but Jessie did not give her time to question her, as she hung up the phone the next second.

Although Jessie was always goofing around, Hesper believed she knew what she was doing, so she did not call back and decided she should just go and see her when she had time.

The sound of something falling upstairs came again, and Hesper frowned.

It was not the first time in the past few days. This apartment was good in every way except for the upstairs tenant, who for some reason made all kinds of noise every day.

After some thought, Hesper changed her clothes and went upstairs.

Hesper knocked on the door. "Is anyone home?"

After a moment, the door opened, revealing a familiar yet unfamiliar face.

Hesper frowned and tilted her head, while the person inside immediately closed the door, seeming too afraid to see her.

'Wait a minute. Isn't that Jean?'

Hesper remembered the warm family. Yohanna had a good relationship with her, and Gabe and Renfrew used to play together. Only Yohanna's husband, Jean, had not appeared much, and Hesper subconsciously ignored him sometimes.

But what was he doing here?

Hesper felt that something was off. Thinking back, the sound from upstairs was also suspicious. What kind of adult would drop things at home every day? Hesper initially thought it was a child, but now it seemed there was another mystery.

With that thought in mind, Hesper sent a message to Renee, asking her to look into Jean.

"Jean? That sounds familiar…" Renee frowned. After a moment, she said, "He's one of the Tuckers, if I'm not mistaken."

 

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 530

"The Tuckers?" Hesper shook her head and fell silent for a moment. "Investigate this matter carefully. Don't make it public until you have solid evidence."

"Okay."

Renee had also realized that this matter was more complicated than it seemed on the surface. If the person Hesper wanted to investigate was related to the Tuckers, it must be because there were some suspicions in certain areas. If Jean was really one of the Tuckers, did that also mean…

Renee shook her head to cast the thought out of her mind.

Everyone could see how well Nathaniel treated Hesper, so how could he harm her?

Hesper stood in front of Jean's door for a while, but there was no sound inside. After a moment of silence, Hesper said, "Yohanna and Gabe don't know about your profession, do they, Mr. Yates?"

The person inside the door had been staying near the door the whole time. Hesper's tone was calm as she continued, "It's fine if you choose to hide, Mr. Yates, but when I find out the truth through my investigation, I'm afraid I won't be so polite anymore."

Jean continued to stay silent, but Hesper did not force him. She trusted Renee's work efficiency. It did not matter if Jean chose to speak or not today; she would find out eventually.

Hesper's face was dark when she went downstairs.

If Jean was really one of the Tuckers and was instructed by Nathaniel to live near her… Then what role did Nathaniel play in the countless "encounters" and "accidents" in the past?

Hesper had never doubted Nathaniel's feelings, but could it all be false?

Her finger hovered over the dialogue box with Matthew. After hesitating for a moment, she did not send anything.

'Maybe I've misunderstood. I should probably wait for a while,' she told herself.

*

Hesper had arranged to have dinner with Jessie on Sunday. On Saturday, she had success at Juniper's wedding, so she wanted to celebrate t.

"Do you even know how big of a deal this is?" Jessie said. "Nearly half of the people in Genecity know that you're River A. from Eustoma. When you left, you quit all your social media accounts, so you have no idea what people were saying about you back then."

It was true that Hesper did not know what other people were commenting when she left, but as a "secret illegitimate daughter" who had taken up someone else's place for so many years, it was possible that she had become the laughing stock of the whole city.

"Do you still remember Michelle? She openly and secretly accused the Lanes of cheating during the competition on social media. But no one cared about her, and not many people paid attention to her."

There was no place for such an insignificant person in Hesper's memory. Michelle not only failed to cause her any trouble, but she also cursed at Juniper. She was not worth remembering.

"I came to find you because I want to set up a studio," Hesper said. "I have sufficient funding and designers, but only Renee is handling personnel and business. She's too busy to handle it all."

Upon hearing this, Jessie's eyes sparkled as she looked at Hesper. "You want me to help you?"

Hesper nodded.

In fact, Jessie was very suitable for this kind of work. Compared to Renee, who was well-organized, Jessie was like a river that flowed nonstop. She was outgoing and enthusiastic, which was an essential quality in communication.

"Sure. If my dad knew I was going to work with you, he would be ready to pack me up and send me over."

Although the life of a teaching assistant was simple and leisurely, Jessie was not someone who would settle down for such kind of work. Being able to work and strive with Hesper was something she had always dreamed of.

Hesper had already guessed that Jessie would agree, so she sent the electronic contract to her first. "Take a careful look at the terms of the contract. If there is anything that you think is not appropriate, we can modify it. I'm not an evil capitalist who exploits employees."