Ch. 81..90

“You seem very surprised to see me, don’t you, Ms. Wight?” Hesper had already sat down on the guest table with a faint smirk, but Juniper was still standing in a daze, too surprised, almost astonished, and the scene dove into a moment of awkwardness.

“Juni, what’s wrong with you? Say something, quickly!” Her

assistant’s anxious reminder sounded in her earphones, and Juniper finally came back to her senses.

As she sat down gracefully, she tried to cover up her embarrassment from just now with a series of commendations. “Yes, it’s a little surprising. I didn’t expect our guest to be this young. You look so young and promising, Ms. Rivera.”

She placed quite a bit of emphasis on the last few words, giving off a

sarcastic tone.

Hesper chuckled all of a sudden. “Ms. Wight, didn’t you go through the script before you came into this interview as the host? It’s Ms. Lane, not Ms. Rivera.”

“Nonsense, you’re obviously…” Halfway through her exclamation, Juniper stopped abruptly. She remembered what she saw when she was going through the script backstage. The guest that they had invited today was indeed Ms. Lane. However, she had forgotten about it because Hesper was the one who took the stage.

“You’re Ms. Lane?”

“Other than that, who else would I be?”

Juniper felt a chill up her spine, then a wave of numbness crept underneath her scalp from the back of her head up to the front.

‘This woman is obviously Hesper. I’d still recognize her even if she’d

been burned down to ashes. How did she become Ms. Lane out of

nowhere?

“Ms. Wight, shouldn’t we be starting already? At the end of the day, this is still a live broadcast.” Hesper let off casual ridicule.

Hearing this, Juniper quickly adjusted her state and forced a smile.” That was only a joke to lighten the mood of the interview. We’ll

officially start the session now.”

However, anyone with a discerning eye could tell whether it was a joke or not.

The director sat silently behind the camera. His expression looked so dissatisfied that no one around him dared to approach him at this

moment.

He originally chose to entrust this project to Juniper because of her attractive and young appearance, but who knew that she would cause such a huge problem during her first interview?

Other colleagues were also whispering to each other. “Juniper

doesn’t seem to be prepared for this. How in the world can she make such a rudimentary mistake?”

“Who knows? Perhaps she thinks she’s a famous celebrity now, so she didn’t take the script seriously.”

Juniper’s assistant bit her lip as she heard the comments, but she dared not say a word.

She was just an assistant; what someone like her thought would not

matter.

Fortunately, the director gave those people a cold glare. “Shut up, and go back to your desk and study your script if you have nothing to do. Something like this had better not happen when you’re hosting your

own show!”

“…Yes, sir.” Those who got reprimanded could only keep their mouths shut.

At this time, Juniper had gradually regained her rationale and rhythm. She stared at the woman who was answering her question and smiling at the camera, and a beam of coldness shot out of her eyes as she deliberately asked, “Ms. Lane, you’ve become the president of a company at such a young age. Would you mind sharing your secret with our audience?”

Hesper glanced at her unconcernedly and replied indifferently, “It’s just a lot of hard work and effort.”

The answer to this type of question had always been extremely predictable. Most interviewees would only provide the interviewer with a rather superficial and general answer.

But Juniper immediately asked to follow up on that response. “What kind of effort would it be, Ms. Lane? Perhaps you can elaborate more

on that?”

Her tone made the question sound obviously deliberate, and everyone on and off the interview project frowned for a split second.

Hesper remained silent for a short while too.

Juniper thought she was quiet because she was scared and became more and more aggressive. “Let’s make this the final question before we end this interview. As far as I know, you’re an orphan and grew up in an orphanage. You even filed a divorce from your ex-husband three years ago because of some issues in your marriage. So, how did you change your last name and become the president of Lanes Holdings?

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Every single word that came out of Juniper’s mouth was full of aggression, which was extremely off-limits for television interviews.

The director’s expression changed instantly, and he immediately contacted Juniper through the earphones. “Juniper, what kind of questions do you think you’re asking?! Look around you and remind yourself of the occasion that we’re in! You’d better start to mediate the situation in there!”

In spite of the director’s warning, Juniper sat there and did not even budge.

‘I know very well that this is inappropriate, but as long as I can embarrass Hesper on national television and radio, so what if it’s inappropriate?’

“Ms. Lane? Is it inconvenient for you to share that part of your life with us?”

The atmosphere of the entire video studio remained stagnant for a while. Many spectators who were watching the show felt the delicate situation too.

Benji happened to be listening to the simultaneous live broadcast on the radio, and when he found out that the interviewee was Hesper, he immediately brought his laptop to Rickard. “Mr. Duval, you should see this.”

Under the attention of all the spectators and audience, Hesper’s scarlet lips parted slightly. “Oh my, I’m surprised that TV station’s interviewers would actually include questions that pry into their interviewees’ private lives in their interviews nowadays.

“Yes, I did file a divorce from my ex-husband three years ago. As for the reason why I filed the divorce, shouldn’t you, Ms. Wight, out of all

the people in Genecity, know it best?”

She sounded neither humble nor overbearing, and she straightened her posture, showing her fair and delicate neck as she continued. “I didn’t plan to bring this up at first, but since you want to bring so much aggression into this interview, I might as well share this story with everyone else. I got divorced three years ago because my ex- husband had an ex-lover who stayed in my house more often than her own home. She even maintained an exceptionally close relationship with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law at that time. As for who this

ex-lover is…”

“Ms. Lane!” Juniper interrupted her immediately.

‘If she were to disclose this in public, that would be the end of my reputation and career.’

However, at this time, the other people in the studio gradually came back to their senses.

During these few years, rumors had been circulating in Genecity. Some people said that although Juniper and Rickard were childhood sweethearts and each other’s first love, she tore his family apart a few years ago, causing Rickard’s wife at the time to ask for a divorce in grief.

Now it seemed that the wife was their guest for today!

“Ms. Lane, you don’t have to talk about your private life on national television. I believe our spectators are more curious about how you changed your last name and became one of the Lanes?” Juniper cleverly changed the topic.

Hesper took a glance at her disdainfully.

‘She actually has the guts to try to embarrass me on national television? Juniper Wight, you’re no match for me when it comes to this.’

But Juniper was right, most people really wanted to know how Hesper Rivera became Hesper Lane, and Rickard was one of them.

He sat in front of the computer and squinted his eyes slightly.

In the next second, Hesper explained calmly, “Of course, I changed my last name because of my relationship with the Lanes. Matthew Lane is my elder brother.”

“What?!”

“No way!”

Everyone watching the broadcast was surprised, including the people who were working at the scene. This information was not even found and listed in the script.

Some spectators were even astounded.

‘Matthew Lane, the man who’s been dominating the business circle in multiple countries in the past two years. It’s not an exaggeration to claim that he’s the man who was capable of turning the entire

Emperion City upside down. He turned out to be Hesper Lane’s elder brother?’

‘Doesn’t that make her…’

Juniper was astonished, and her eyes widened. “Impossible… How could you be Matthew Lane’s sister?”

Seeing that the show was about to come to an end, Hesper could not bother to beat around the bush anymore, and her expression turned cold in an instant.

“Ms. Wight, your question sounds so strange. Why can’t I be Matthew Lane’s sister? Ever since I took the stage, you’ve been targeting me intentionally. Why so? Are you afraid that I’ll expose you as the homewrecker who seduced my ex-husband? Or is this how your TV station treats all its guests?”

The amount of information that Hesper let out through the last few sentences was too much for anyone to handle, and the scene got out of control for a while. The director had no choice but to urgently order for the broadcast to be temporarily suspended and commercials to  be inserted.

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He then hurried forward with a frown. “Juniper Wight, what’s wrong with you today?”

Hesper was a quest that they had invited to the television station for an interview, and she did not do anything excessive during the session, so he could not blame her and could only cast all his grievances on Juniper.

“I don’t care about the grievances that exist between the two of you. but this is a live interview! And please don’t forget that you’re a host! If you can’t even deliver what you’re being asked to, what makes you think you’re worthy of the support that our viewers and fans show

you?”

His reprimand reminded Juniper that she had placed everything into this career of hers, and she must not fall short at this moment.

“Sir, I’m sorry. This is on me…“

The director let out a long sigh, took a deep breath, and gave off a polite smile as he apologized and explained the situation to Hesper.” I’m really sorry, Ms. Lane. I didn’t know Ms. Wight would be so confused that she would go out of control today. I’ve just taught her a lesson, so please show our station some leniency and don’t take today’s incident to heart.”

“Today’s interview was about to come to an end too. How about we proceed with the interview? You can then give our viewers a few

pieces of financial advice before we end the session smoothly.”

Hesper glanced at him with a faint smirk. “That’s easy for you to say. Ms. Wight brought up so many matters and used them to slander me during the interview It’s obvious that she doesn’t care about Lane Holdings’ reputation at all! And here you are, asking me to get back

into the interview with her?”

“Then what do you…”

The director was a smart and tactful person too; he immediately knew that Hesper had something in her mind.

She gazed at Juniper coldly as all the humiliation that she had experienced in the past flashed across her mind over and over again.

“Get her to apologize to me until I’m satisfied.”

“Hesper Rivera! Don’t push your luck!” Juniper had never been humiliated like this before. She raised her eyebrows, about to lose her head.

However, before she could utter another word, the director who was standing next to her glared ferociously at her. “Can you not add more fuel to the flames? This whole incident is clearly your fault, so it’s totally understandable for someone as important as Ms. Lane to demand a formal apology. Even if you’re not willing to do so, you have to think about the reputation of the entire television station and the countless staff members who have poured tons of effort into this project!”

Juniper understood his hint instantly!

‘If things don’t end well today, it’ll be difficult for our department to explain to those higher-ups, and if that were to happen, I’ll be blamed for all the mistakes. It’ll be even more difficult for me to survive in this television station.’

Gnashing her teeth firmly, Juniper bowed her noble head for the first time in all her life. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought up all that

nonsense.”

“Ms. Wight, can this even be counted as an apology?” Hesper folded her arms and asked expressionlessly.

The director had no choice but to urge her, “Show more sincerity.”

Juniper bit her lower lip to the point of almost piercing the flesh.

‘This b*tch is doing this on purpose just to embarrass me.’

“All this is my fault, please forgive me!”

“You’re so soft-spoken, I can’t hear you.”

“I said it’s all my fault, so please forgive me!!”

“I don’t hear any sincerity at all, so I won’t let this slide.” Hesper continued to make things difficult for Juniper

Juniper could not take it anymore. The wrath within her surged and overwhelmed her rationale. She roared angrily, “Hesper Rivera, what more do you want?! I’ve already apologized, so don’t push your luck too much!”

“Do you call this pushing my luck?” Hesper chuckled but still did not buy Juniper’s apology.

Juniper became even angrier and said to the director, “Sir, you’ve seen it yourself. She’s doing this on purpose! No matter how many times I try to apologize, she’ll never forgive me! Let alone work together with  me!”

“Yes, it seems that you’re finally learning.”

The person who spoke was Hesper She glanced at her disdainfully as if she was looking at a piece of trash. “Why should I help you deal with the aftermath of the mess that you created? Do you really think you’ve done nothing wrong by seducing my ex-husband and plotting against me back then? Juniper Wight, all this time, I’m only been waiting for the day when you fall.”

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She left immediately after saying so. The director wanted to stop her but was stopped by Isaac who came out of nowhere.

“If you want to blame someone for this incident, blame it on your own employee. Who told her to bring up all that nonsense? Your host has angered our lady and won’t stay here anymore, not even for another second.”

At first glance, the director instantly knew that he was a man of extraordinary status and ability. He sighed helplessly and hurriedly arranged for someone from the next show to take over.

However, when such an incident happened, it was natural for everyone to know that something had occurred during the live broadcast, and it must be something major and extremely serious.

The television station’s official social media platforms were flooded almost instantly as countless people commented on their page.

“What just happened? How can a financial interview be so exciting?”

“By the way, has Juniper left her pea brain at home? Can the host of a TV program even talk like that?”

“She deserves it. I already thought she was only putting on a show before this, but I didn’t expect that she’d be someone who loves to seduce someone else’s husband and even bully her guests on her show!”

“By the way, the guest, Ms. Lane, she’s so cool. She made the whole program sound like a proper plot of a modern novel in which the female lead has come back in search of revenge…”

The number of comments reached more than 1,000 in no time at all, most of which were accusing Juniper of her actions.

The atmosphere in the television station was not looking too good

either.

Juniper stood in the corridor as the director rebuked her. “Juniper, I’ve always thought that you’re a brilliant person, so why are you so senseless today?! Even if you hold a huge grudge against our guest, you can’t bring it with you into the studio! We were facing so many audience members during the broadcast. How do you expect me to explain the whole situation to them now? Did you even think about your reputation and image when you said those things?”

Juniper also knew that she had caused a catastrophe, but she really could not help it and blurted out those words without even thinking.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“Don’t apologize to me. Do you think your apology is worth anything now?” The director looked at her exasperatedly. “Recently, gossip and rumors about you have been going around in the industry, and now this. For now, I think you should just stay at home and take it as a short break to grab some needed rest. We’ll talk as soon as you’ve gone back to your peak.”

“No, I don’t need to take a break.”

Juniper panicked. She had seen too many hosts and celebrities who were asked to take a break and stay at home due to broadcast

incidents. All of them would be shelved at the end of the break in

most cases, and with that, they would lose all opportunity at a comeback.

“I can do it, sir. What happened earlier was only an accident. I’ll post an apology on my Twitter later, so please give me another chance.”

“All opportunities must be fought and won. I’m really disappointed with our behavior during the interview. With the damage that you’ve just done to your own reputation, if I were to still allow you to stay here in the department without any caveat, I really don’t know what

you’ll do after this. So, you going on a holiday would only do both parties good.”1

After saying so, the director turned around and left.

Juniper froze in place, and as her colleagues walked by her occasionally, all of them stared at her with condemning gazes.

Many of them could not even stop picking up phone calls from viewers who wanted to launch complaints regarding the incident, while some had to clean up comments on all social media because of the aftermath of today’s incident.

She stared blankly at the scene and suddenly realized that this was Hesper’s most ruthless revenge.

Outside the television station.

After Hesper came out of the building, she got into Isaac’s car, and the little boy pounced into her arms from the rear seat.

“Mommy, I heard your interview just now. Aunt Juni sounded so dumb during the show. And yeah, she always wants to seduce daddy.”

Hesper’s gaze dimmed for a moment, but it was not because of jealousy.

‘Even Renfrew can see her filthy actions so clearly. This only goes to show that they don’t even shy away from it at all. Aren’t they afraid that they’ll raise a bad kid?!’

“Don’t worry about her. I’ve already taught her a lesson.”

“You’re so awesome!”

Isaac watched as the mother and son laughed and roughhoused, but still asked, “Ms. Lane, will you let Ms. Wight go after this? In my opinion, the higher-ups of this television station treat her very well, so if the aftermath of this matter were to be reduced to an acceptable level, wouldn’t it be a waste of your time?”

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“The television station can’t and won’t tolerate such a mistake, whether it was committed by a host or an artist. Juniper has made such a joke out of herself and the station, so even if the director of the department wants to protect her, everything he does will be in vain. They won’t be able to keep her; that interview has marked the end of her career.”

“That sounds reasonable too.”

“Come on, let’s head home already.”

Hesper gave off a faint smile, and the group of three disappeared from the entrance of the television station.

And at the same time.

Rickard just finished watching the entire interview too, but when he heard that Matthew Lane was Hesper’s elder brother, his pupils constricted instantly.

“So, she’s been with him all this time?”

‘I didn’t know him when I met him at the hospital back then and I only learned about him by accident later on. I never thought that Hesper would be by his side all this while.’

“Mr. Duval, the young lady claimed that Matthew Lane is her brother. Did she mean it literally, or did she become one of the Lanes for real?”

Rickard pondered for a moment. “Where are we at with the matter that I asked you to investigate?”

“Our men arrived in Emperion a while back. I think we’ll get news really soon.”

Rickard nodded, and his gaze looked dim.

Back in the television station.

Juniper was packing her belongings at her workstation. She had always been the center of everyone’s attention and admiration in the department, so how could she bear such grievances? The more she thought about it, the more infuriated and glum she became, and her eyes turned bloodshot.

The colleagues sitting around her saw that she was crying and said sarcastically, “Someone’s made such a huge mess but is shameless enough to sob around here. I really can’t understand what she’s

thinking. She’s always been so arrogant and boastful about her achievement, so why would she need us to deal with the aftermath of her stupidity?”

Juniper’s career path had been very smooth sailing in the past few years, and she had often stepped on others in order to climb to where she was today, so all the grudges that her colleagues had been holding in exploded at once, turning Juniper into a punching bag that was hung in the middle of the office

“Yeah, I told you before that a daughter of a filthy rich family like her. would not put much effort into her work. And whenever she commits a grave mistake, she’ll just quit her job, go back home, and inherit the family’s property, so why would she care about our life and death?”

“Thank God that someone’s finally leaving now. We can finally get some peace.”

“That’s enough!” Juniper yelled sternly.

But those people had been holding deep grudges against her for a very long time, and now that she was leaving, they did not have to care about her feelings anymore.

“So what if we still haven’t gotten enough of it? We’re not as bold as you; we don’t have the guts to do something like that. Plus, you’re the one who’s caused this mayhem. What makes you think you’re in the

position to stop us from talking about it?”

“Shut up!” Angry, Juniper grabbed the pillow beside her and threw it at the colleague.

‘I’ll take it from anyone in this office other than this slut. Who does she think she is? She’s just an ordinary, insignificant employee? What right does she have to talk to me like that?’

However, the woman was not someone to be trifled with. She threw the pillow back at Juniper, not willing to show any trace of weakness.

Juniper was not paying attention for a split second and got smacked in the face. While she got hit, her long eyelashes poked into her eyes, and she gasped in pain.

“B*tch, you actually dare to hit back at me?” Juniper was furious and rushed forward, wanting to strike the woman.

At this moment, the director let out an enraged roar. “Hey, enough is enough! Don’t you two think we’re in quite enough of a mess now? And Juniper, I told you to go home, didn’t I? So why are you still here?”

Juniper bit her lips tightly. If she did not know that the director had. very important people supporting him from behind, she might even have scolded him too.

She grabbed her handbag, left everything else behind, turned around, and left.

After leaving the television station, Juniper stood in front of the building for a while and then gave Sophia a call.

“Hey, where are you…?”

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Things had not been going too well for Sophia recently too. Ever since the fact that she had hired someone to drug and harm Hesper back then was exposed, Rickard punished her to stay at home, and she was not allowed to go anywhere.

Juniper deliberately defended Sophia when she saw her. “Isn’t Hesper too much? That incident was from so long ago, and she waited this long to come back to settle the old score with you? As for Rickard, how could he treat you like this?”

Sophia held back her anger and gritted her teeth as she said, “That b* tch turns out to be a scheming one. She’s able to bewitch Dick into obsession with just a few words! He’s even ignored his biological sister for that whore!” 2

She was never an obedient lady, so she immediately resisted when she heard that she was going to be grounded. She even dragged Madam Duval along to intercede for her.

But Rickard only provided her with two options. “You either choose to be grounded or go abroad.”

Of course, Sophia did not want to go abroad. Living abroad meant having to encounter plenty of unfamiliarities, so how could it be as comfortable and happy as her life here? So she could only choose to stay at home reluctantly.

When Juniper heard that it had something to do with Hesper again, a trace of impatience flashed across her eyes. “Sophia, speaking of which, I planned to ask you when I see you, but what happened between Renfrew and Hesper? Is Rickard the one who allowed them to be together? Apart from that, what kind of relationship does Hesper have with Rickard now?”

Sophia knew what she cared about and gave off a mocking smirk. Don’t worry too much. Dick will never get together with that b*tch. It’s just that the b*tch didn’t come back here with good intentions this time around and took Renfrew away while we weren’t paying

attention.”

“But…”

After saying so, Sophia stared at Juniper with a dissatisfied gaze.” However, if this goes on, who knows if Dick will get back together with her. Speaking of which, you two have been going back and forth for so long already. Why haven’t you knocked Hesper out of the park with your relationship with Dick?”

Juniper felt anxious about the matter, and she had to pretend to be aggrieved.

“You should know Rickard’s temperament better than I do. Back then, after the divorce, he told me that he wanted to place more focus on Renfrew and had no time for a new relationship, so I thought that he would be mine sooner or later even if I had to wait for him. But now, that slut has approached me and bullied me!”

“What do you mean by that?”

Sophia had never been interested in finance, so she had no idea of what happened earlier today.

Juniper recounted what happened that day with bloodshot eyes, and Sophia responded angrily in an instant. “What?! How come I didn’t know that she could be such a scheming b*tch?”

Seeing that Sophia’s emotion was almost at its peak, Juniper pretended to mention the consequences unintentionally. “Actually, I don’t mind her bullying me, but judging from her current capability and background, if we were to let her get back together with Rickard again, she’ll definitely go back to investigating the incident where Renfrew fell off the building. By that time, I’m afraid that she won’t let

any of us get away unscathed.”

Sophia imagined a scene where her world would be turned upside down if Hesper were to get to the bottom of the incident, and she could not help but frown.

Juniper then put on an aggrieved expression as she begged, “So,

Soph, we must stop them from investigating the matter, for both our wellbeing. Will you help me with this?”

“But how can I help?”

‘Judging from Dick’s current attitude toward me, why would he listen

to me?’

But Juniper added cryptically, “He might not take us seriously, but don’t forget that he’s one of the most filial people in the world. As long as you can get Madam Duval to talk to him…”

“I see!” Sophia’s eyes lit up, and she immediately went to talk to

Madam Duval.

Not long after, Rickard received a call from Madam Duval, asking him to come home for dinner tonight no matter what.

A trace of exhaustion flashed across Rickard’s eyes, but he still went back to the Duvals’ residence obediently.

“Rickard’s back.” As soon as his car stopped at the gate of the courtyard, Madam Duval walked out with a smile.

“Mom.” Rickard greeted her and saw Juniper standing behind her. His long and narrow brows raised slightly in an instant.

“Juniper heard that I’m feeling a little unwell, so she brought some supplements here to visit me. I’m the one who asked her to stay back for dinner.” Madam Duval explained immediately while holding Juniper’s arm and looking delighted.

As soon as he heard this, Rickard did not utter another word, nodded,

and strode forward.

“The meal is ready, let’s grab a seat in the dining hall.”

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Madam Duval followed everyone into the dining hall and motioned for Juniper to sit beside Rickard at the same time.

“Juniper, don’t you like to eat fish? Eat some of this. It’s boneless, so it should be convenient for you to eat.”

“Okay, thank you.” Juniper let off a bashful smile, took a glance at the man sitting beside her, and asked, “Rickard, would you like some soup? I’ll fetch you some.”

“There’s no need for that.” Rickard interrupted her, and his stern expression gave off an intense sense of alienation.

“Dick, how can you speak so rudely to Juniper?” Madam Duval frowned instantly. “Juniper came to our place because she cares about my health, not to mention that you two have known each other for so many years. No matter what, you should always treat her kindly.”

“Mom.” Rickard looked at her.

He could explain himself by saying that he did not understand what was going on before this, but he now had a general picture of what had happened back then.

He then said calmly and slowly, “As you said, we’ve known each other for many years, so I’ll naturally treat her well in certain aspects. But other than that, I don’t want to create any misunderstandings.”

Upon hearing this, Juniper’s cheeks paled, and her eyes teared up immediately. “Rickard, what happened? Are you saying that you hate me now?”

“No.” Rickard shook his head, giving off a hint of exhaustion.*

He did not hate. Juniper, but he did not want to get too close to her

either.

Ever since Hesper came back to Genecity, some of the hidden truths had been uncovered gradually, and those suspicions caused him to feel that he did not seem to know this woman all that well.

“But if you don’t hate me, why would you keep me at such a distance all this while? You know very well that I’ve always loved you after all these years!”

“Boom–“The moment these words escaped Juniper’s mouth, a huge noise came from the living room.

After a few seconds, Hesper suddenly appeared at the entryway of the villa with Renfrew, but she did not expect to hear such an intense confession live.

Everyone in the dining hall looked back at the same time, and Rickard stood up subconsciously. “Why are you here?”

Hesper had regained her calm demeanor at this moment and gazed at him with a faint smirk. “Renfrew said that he hasn’t seen his father for a few days and he misses him a lot. However, it seems that I’ve come here at the wrong time.”

“No…”

“Yes, you’re interrupting our meal!” Just as Rickard was about to explain, someone grabbed his arm abruptly. Juniper wrapped her

3 arms around him tightly as if she was showcasing her sovereignty in this household.

“Since you’ve fetched the kid here, it’s time for you to leave if there’s nothing else that you wish to say or do. And don’t mind us for not seeing you off!”

Madam Duval and Sophia had already walked up to Hesper from the dining table.

“Hesper Rivera? Who gave you permission to come here? You’re not welcome at my house. Now get lost!”

“That’s right, you’re a vicious woman who only knows how to provoke dissension in our family as soon as you return here. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have been grounded by Dick!”

Every single word and sentence that came out of their mouths was full of ridicule and humiliation.

Hesper listened to what they had to say indifferently, then tilted her head and smirked at Rickard. “Did you see that? This was how my everyday life looked like when I was living with you.”

After saying so, she glanced across the hall coldly. “Just shut your traps. This place is so full of filth, do you really think I’d like to come

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“If you don’t like it here, you can always avoid coming here. No one begged you to come, right?” Madam Duval snorted in dissatisfaction.

‘After three whole years, this woman is still so presumptuous. Does she really think that I’m non-existent?’

“Hesper Rivera, you took Renfrew away without any permission, and I haven’t even pressed the case yet. Know your place and stop

swinging by, or I’ll make sure that you suffer!”

“Heh, Madam Duval, you really haven’t changed at all.” Hesper scoffed. She did not want to argue with them when Renfrew was around, so she wished her good health with a rather sarcastic tone.” If this is the case, you should really take good care of your health so that both of us could have long lives ahead.”

“Do you think that I wouldn’t understand what you’re trying to say?!”

“Did you just manage to catch the point that I’m trying to make? Then it seems that you’re not as dumb as I think you are.” Hesper let off an enchanting smirk. “Alright, that’s all from me for now. Bye, guys. I wish you all sweet dreams tonight.”

After saying so, she turned around immediately, ready to leave.

Rickard frowned and stepped forward without any hesitation. Hesper.”

“Mr. Duval, is there anything else that you wish to bring up?”

”

Staring at her, countless words flashed across his mind, but only one sentence escaped his lips in the end. “I’ll apologize on behalf of my mother and the others. They’ve been very rude since you arrived.”

“Apologize?” She scoffed and mocked him deliberately. “Mr. Duval, it just so happens that you’re here to witness this scene live tonight.

What about all the previous incidents that I suffered in the past? Will you apologize to me on their behalf too?”

“What else happened back then?” Rickard frowned.

Looking at his bewildered look, Hesper understood everything almost instantly. “So, you haven’t listened to the recording pen that I placed in your study?”

“Recording pen? When did that happen?”

For a few seconds, Hesper gave him a profound stare, and then curled her thin lips upward, giving off a smirk. “So you really have no idea of what happened back then? It seems that God deliberately made things really difficult for me three years ago. Even though I placed the evidence right under your nose, you still missed it.”

She chuckled at her own fate. “Forget it, since I never expected you to stand by my side anyway.”

“Just speak up already! What the hell went on back then?” Seeing that she was still about to leave, Rickard grabbed her by the wrist.

Hesper’s expression turned as cold as frost in an instant. “You’d better let go of me. Don’t make me embarrass you in front of your son!”

Rickard turned his head and saw Renfrew standing in the direction of the entrance. The little fella was staring fixedly at both of them.

Rickard still had some scruples, so he slowly let go of his hand. “I already told you that if there’s anything that you wish to bring up and talk about, we can always find a place, sit down, and talk about it calmly. Why won’t you agree to this suggestion?”

She sneered. “When you get to the bottom of the whole matter and know what I had to suffer back then, you’ll understand why I reject you now.”

After saying so, Hesper did not utter another word, and her slender figure quickly disappeared into the dark courtyard.

Rickard trudged back into the living room, while Juniper, Madam Duval, and Sophia were still talking about something indignantly,

none of them taking care of Renfrew.

“That’s enough!” Rickard let off a roar, and hints of anger could be seen surging from the bottom of his eyes.

He then stepped forward and glared at Juniper. “Who told you to speak up just now? Do you know what relationship we share? And you dare wrap your arms around me?”

Juniper was taken aback, and her voice subconsciously softened.” Rickard… Please don’t be mad at me. I thought you didn’t want to talk to her, which is why I stepped forward to help you chase her away. It’s all my fault.”

“Alright, Juniper only did so out of kindness. Why must you talk to her so fiercely?” Madam Duval wanted to protect Juniper but was glared at by Rickard as soon as she opened her mouth.

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 89

“Mom, what makes you think you can talk to her like that just now? Has Hesper done something outrageous before this? Why do you all look like you were meeting your archenemy when she was here just now?”

“Huh? Why are you blaming me for what happened?!” Madam Duval felt extremely wronged. She sat down on the couch and started complaining. “What have I done to deserve this? I got myself such a former daughter-in-law and you’re telling me that I can’t get physical with her, nor can I raise my voice against her? If you think she’d make a great wife, then go to her and ask for her hand again. While you’re at it, you can disown me as your mother!”

Rickard was so exasperated that the veins on his forehead bulged one after another. He was not in the mood to argue, so he turned around and went upstairs without saying another word.

Sophia and Juniper wanted to catch up to him, but he stopped them harshly, “Stop right there, you two. I don’t want to talk to anybody!”

Sophia curled her lips, feeling very unreconciled to this outcome.

Seeing that the situation did not look too in her favor, Juniper whispered to Madam Duval, “Rickard seems to be genuinely infuriated about what just happened, so I guess I’ll take my leave first for tonight. I’ll come and visit you some other day.”

“That sounds like a plan.” Madam Duval stopped making a fuss and patted the back of her hand. “Don’t worry. As long as I’m still here, there’s absolutely no way that I’m letting the two of them reconcile.”

The sky was already dark at that moment. Juniper shivered when a gust of cold wind brushed against her body as she stepped out of the Duvals’ residence.

She quickly got into her car and settled down, but as soon as she turned the headlights on, she instantly screamed in horror, “Ah!!!”

In front of the headlights, Hesper stared at her contemptuously, and there was a dimly lit ember at the tips of her fingers. Like an eerie fairy in the night, she looked captivating but murderous at the same

time.

“You… Didn’t you leave?”

Hesper flicked the cigarette and hooked her index finger. “Do you want to get out of your car?”

“No, I won’t get out.”

For some reason, Juniper felt a burst of fear deep down. It felt like if she were to get out of the car, Hesper would certainly make a move on her.

Hesper saw through her fear and chuckled disdainfully. “Is this it? Ist this all you’re capable of? So where did you muster the courage to persecute me back then?”

She lost her patience, and a hint of aggressiveness could be seen between her brows. “You can either come down at your own accord or I’ll get someone to help you do so. Now choose.”

Juniper did not want to choose either of the options and wanted to drive away to escape, only to find that there was already a person standing outside her car next to the driver seat; it was the bodyguard

she had met in the mall.

“I’ll count to three. If you still insist on staying in the car, I’ll get him to guide you out.”

Hesper started counting down, but in only a split second, Juniper had already opened the car door and got out hastily.

“What on earth do you want to do? I’m warning you, the Duvals’

residence is only yards away behind us. If you dare to lay a finger on me, Madam Duval and Sophia will definitely not let you get away with

this!”

“Pfft…” Not caring, Hesper dashed up to her, pressed her knee against Juniper’s lower abdomen, and exerted a huge amount of strength on

•

“Aaah! Have you lost your mind?” Juniper yelled at her angrily, and the next second, Hesper shoved something in her palm into her mouth.

Juniper’s eyes widened, and before she could spit it out, Hesper had already made her swallow it.

Juniper then roared in panic, “What did you just make me eat? Are you trying to harm me? Let me tell you, if something happens to me, you’re going down with me!”

“Don’t worry, killing you isn’t a profitable thing to do. I won’t sacrifice my whole life just to take away your cheap life!” Hesper clapped her hands with a malicious smirk. “However, that was a pill, and it was my friend’s latest invention. I heard that it can completely disfigure someone if accidentally ingested. I don’t know if it’s true, so I’ve chosen to test it on behalf of that friend of mine.”

“You!” As soon as she heard that she would be disfigured, Juniper felt even more anxious.

“I’m going to tell Rickard about this. I’ll make sure that he sees just how vicious your true color is!” She ran back to the Duvals’ residence while threatening Hesper.

Hesper did not stop her. However, out of nowhere, a cold voice

slashed through the silent night. “Are you 100% sure that he’ll help you?”

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 90

Juniper stopped running and froze in place.

‘That’s right, Rickard might not believe in what I say, let alone stand up for me.’

“What the hell do you mean?”

“It’s nothing. I only want to return all the pain that you inflicted on me back then to you.” Hesper responded lightly, then continued. “Oh yeah, by the way, I might’ve forgotten to mention this to you. I made two copies of the recording from back then, one of which is already in Rickard’s possession, and I guess he’ll find out about it soon. So please enlighten me, will he still think that you’re his perfect damsel?”

She gave off a smirk and then left.

Juniper’s expression was on the verge of distorting. But after

listening to all that explanation, she did not dare to go to Rickard to explain herself.

‘If he hasn’t found out the truth behind the incident at all, wouldn’t I be calling myself out?’

Back in the study.

Rickard ordered everyone not to come in.

‘Hesper claimed that she had left a recording device here three years ago, so why didn’t I see it all this while?’

He searched all the well-hidden corners but did not find anything unusual, at least not until his gaze landed on the desk, and a pen that he had never used before finally caught his attention.

Rickard’s gaze was fixed on the pen. In the next second, he picked it up. Pinching the body of the pen tightly, he immediately felt that the

weight of the pen was a little off.

Sure enough, a voice recording device was found under the pen’s cap.

Rickard pressed the play button, and the long-lost conversation

echoed in his ears.

Sophia’s foretelling of the examination results, Juniper’s various insinuations about Hesper, and his mother yelling at her for being a whore…

The more Rickard heard, the more gloomy his expression became, until finally, he clenched his hands and slammed them heavily on the desk.

‘I didn’t tell anyone about Hesper’s examination results at the hospital back then, but they were able to know the result in advance?’

Rickard, who had already gotten used to seeing and experiencing countless conspiracies and tricks before this, instantly understood what that meant, and his expression became extremely furious.

‘Could it be that I really wronged her back then? Now that I think about it, the person who saved Hesper was Matthew. With his identity, it’d be impossible for him to take advantage of the life- threatening situation that others are in. Then what about the results of the physical examination? Is the so-called foreign fluid an unfounded lie, or was the doctor in it too? And I actually made her kneel in the rain for one whole day! I can’t imagine what she was thinking at that time, and how much she hated me back then.’

Rickard suddenly understood what she meant when she said he would understand why she had rejected him as soon as he got to the bottom of the whole matter and realized just how much she had to suffer back then.

‘If I was the one who got punished and tortured for no obvious reason, I’d never let the other party get away with it, not even if I needed to turn the whole world upside down in order to achieve that.

However, Hesper endured everything in silence; her explanations, her resentful exclamations, and her grievances were all ignored…”

Rickard had never felt so tired before.

‘How could I manage to ignore all of them for three whole years? It’s me… I’m at fault here. I’m the person who’s wronged her.’

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Benji rushed in and reported, “Mr. Duval, we’ve gotten to the bottom of the young lady’s past.”

“Bring it to me.”

A few seconds later, Benji handed a stack of documents to Rickard and said in a distressed tone, “Mr. Duval, the young lady did leave the city with Matthew Lane back then, and Matthew then announced to the public that the young lady is the Lanes’ long-lost daughter.”

“After the young lady got into the Lanes, many of the younger family members in the Lanes didn’t want to recognize her. The young lady had a very difficult life during her first year living with the Lanes.”

In the document, several major events were listed out and described

in detail.