Ch. 91..100

A Spoonful of Sugar: Don’t Beg for Love Chapter 91

For example, the first year that Hesper went to live with the Lanes, her identity was scrutinized. The cousin even swore by her life that she would one day kick her out of the family.

The threat was averted only because Matthew handled it.

Hesper was locked in the walk-in freezer for three hours and almost froze to death. When she was let out, she was freezing from head to

toe and she had lost sensation in her extremities.

She fell very sick and was admitted to the hospital for two months before she recovered.

Arthur Lane flew into a furious rage and punished a lot of people, and that was how Hesper started having a place there.

Everything that happened after that was all because of how hard she studied the information that was provided to her.

“Mr. Duval… Mrs. Duval had it tough in the past few years.”

Rickard curled his fingers hard around the documents. He could

imagine what happened based on what was written. All of this

happened because she was kicked out of the Duval family. Thinking of how much she had suffered, Rickard’s heart felt weary.

“Ask Sophia to come to see me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Benji didn’t know what happened, but he followed his orders and went to get Sophia.

Sophia knew very well that her brother wouldn’t see her without a good reason, but when he did, it was never about anything good.

“Mom, what should I do?” She was afraid and held Julie’s hand tight.

“It’s alright. I’ll go with you.”

She didn’t believe that Rickard would do anything ridiculous if she was there.

“You asked to see me, Rickard?” Sophia walked into the study with Julie. She carefully read his face, but it was cold as usual, so she couldn’t tell.

Seeing how she looked more relaxed, he grabbed the recording pen and threw it at her. “Tell me how you knew about the test results from the hospital? What else are you and Juniper hiding from me?”

Sophia jumped. She clicked on the pen and listened for a few seconds, then her face turned pale.

“I… I just guessed it!”

•

“Do you think I’m stupid?” Rickard’s gaze was razor sharp. “How could you get it right if you were only guessing? You said the exact same thing as the doctor. Sophia, not everyone is as dumb as you!”

“Rickard, how could you speak to your sister like that?” Julie frowned.

Rickard immediately turned his attention to her.

“I haven’t started with you yet. Why don’t you tell me why you loathed Hesper so much three years ago? You kept insulting her. What did she do to you?”

“I never said that.” Julie wanted to deny it, but the recording

continued playing and her scream was heard throughout the study. It was all the insults she hurled at Hesper.

Her face twitched as she thought of killing the b*tch. Why was there a recording?

“Dick, she talked back and I got angry and said all the nasty things. Are you going to hold me accountable for it?”

Rickard took a good look at her. How could they still try to push the responsibility away at that point?

He coldly said, “I won’t hold you responsible, but I’m afraid of how you insulted and tortured her when I wasn’t around.”

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The answer was no longer important because he was not going to listen to their excuses.

Rickard said with a stoic expression, “If you continue to bully her, I’m not going to let you off just because you’re my family.”

“How could you say that to me? Have you forgotten that I’m your mother?” Julie was frustrated. Rickard had always been a good son to her, but after what he said, she was unhappy and afraid at the

same time.

Rickard looked at her, his calm eyes sending chills down their spines. “If you weren’t my mother, this would end very differently. Enough,

Mom.”

Julie wanted to say more, but Rickard gave his order. “As for Juniper, we’ll let bygones be bygones. She should visit us less often because I don’t want any more trouble. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, sir.”

He walked away in silence. His heart was in a knot and he had to do something to release the stress.

In the presidential suite.

Hesper was in a milk bath. She had had a good life in the past two years because Matthew treated her very well and would give her anything she asked for. That made her overall well-being improve, and her skin got better too.

Her fair skin was bare as she closed her eyes and rested. Under the dense vapor, her face was so pretty.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Hesper frowned and quickly W

up in a bathrobe.

Went to

“You?” She raised her brow when she saw who was there then was about to close the door.

“Wait,” Rickard stretched out his hand to block her, his dark brown

eyes looking guilty, which was the complete opposite of what he usually was like. “I need to speak to you.”

Hesper stared at him for a few seconds then let him in.

“Make it quick, then leave.”

Rickard stood behind her. The usually decisive man started

hesitating, but when he saw how impatient she looked, he spoke. “I heard the recording. I’m sorry for finding out so late.”

He kept thinking that if he found out about the situation that she was in earlier, it might not hurt her that much.

“So? You came all the way to say that?” Hesper was apathetic as if she didn’t care.

After staying quiet for a few seconds, Rickard pulled out a check from his front pocket. “I can’t change the past. I know that we’ve treated you horrendously. Please take this money; it’s compensation for you.”

Her eyes fell on the thin piece of check and it was double the amount from the one that Benji brought over. It seemed as though he felt even more guilty after hearing the recording.

Hesper didn’t take it but instead scoffed. “Do you think money can make me forget the hurt I went through? Or do you think I need this money?”

Rickard knew it wasn’t the latter. With the Lanes supporting her, she was now living comfortably. Why would she care about this?”

“But this is how I’m making amends.” His voice trailed off because even he thought that it was pathetic.

Hesper laughed “Rickard, who do you think I am? I never asked for money from you when I was suffering in the past, yet now you’re offering it to me? Are you trying to insult me?”

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“I’m not.” He panicked. He wanted to explain himself but he didn’t know what to say.

Hesper scoffed. “Yes, you’re not trying to. All you’re doing is making yourself feel less guilty by spending money because you know that you’ve wrongly accused me in the past. You knew they bullied me, so this is your way to feel better about yourself.”

“No, that’s not what I was doing.” Rickard’s brows were in a knot..

Hesper didn’t give him a chance to explain. “Stop denying it. If you really feel sorry, let me ask you this, after exposing what Sophia and Juniper did, what did you do? I want you to punish them, but did you?”

Rickard spoke. “I’ve given Sophia a stern warning so she will not do anything anymore. I grounded her too. As for Juniper, I’ve given an order that she can no longer visit our home.”

“That’s it?” Hesper wasn’t satisfied. She stood up and walked over to him. Her white bathrobe wasn’t covering her fair and tender skin well enough, so it peeked through as she walked.

Rickard was shocked to find that he was very nervous, but being someone with status, he didn’t let it show. He sat there, unmoving; his eyes were like a hawk, locked on her body.

“Rickard, you’re a powerful man. Is that all you can do when it comes to punishing someone? You weren’t so nice to me.”

She grabbed his hand and placed it on her left cheek then smiled a joyless smile. “This was where you slapped me. Have you forgotten?”

Rickard froze, the memories replaying in his mind. He was very brutal toward her.

“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. If you need to let out your anger, you can direct it at me, but…” He paused. He still had to care for his family. “Sophia is my sister and Juniper did all that because of me. You can do anything you want to me, but I hope you can let them off the hook.” 1

Hesper laughed. See, he had compassion. However, this compassion wasn’t shown to her.

“What if I say no? Are you going to hurt me again?”

Rickard quietly observed the woman before him. She had changed so much. The old Hesper wouldn’t speak to him nor look at him that way, but now she was an elf of the night, fatal.

“I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t let you do whatever you want. We should keep what happened to us between us, alright?”

“It’s too late.” She smiled. Rickard immediately knew that something was wrong. “What do you mean? What did you do?”

Hesper elegantly looked at her fingers and smiled eerily. “Don’t worry, you’ll find out soon. Isaac, walk Mr. Duval out.”

With that order, Isaac, who was hiding in the shadows, appeared.

“This way, sir.”

Before he was thrown out, Rickard heard Hesper pick up her phone and said, “Nate, you finally called me back…”

The man’s iris shrank. Nate?

So she had men other than Matthew? A curious feeling rushed toward Rickard’s chest. It was a mixture of helplessness and jealousy.

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Hesper didn’t overthink it. When she suddenly got a call from Nathaniel, she was genuinely happy.

“Didn’t you go to Centrelest for training? I thought you’d be gone for a long time.”

Nathaniel’s laughter could be heard from the other end. “Yes, I thought it would be long before I contacted you again, but I heard your brother say that you were on your way to take revenge by yourself. How’s the progress?”

Nathaniel was Matthew’s best friend, heir to the Tucker family, one of the four most affluent families in Emperion. He was an arrogant man but became friends with Hesper after an accident.

“It’s alright. Everything is as planned for now.”

Nathaniel asked, “Are you sure you don’t need my help? Why do you need to go through so much h*ssle?”

“I really don’t.” Hesper smiled. “Revenge is sweeter when I do it myself. Seeing them getting destroyed, isn’t it exciting?”

“You’re full of ideas.” Nathaniel smiled and didn’t say more.

With them around, if anyone dared hurt Hesper, he wouldn’t let them get away with anything.

“When will I get to see your son then? I keep hearing about him, but I haven’t met him yet. I’m very curious.”

“Soon, I guess.” Her eyes turned gentle when Ren was brought up.

Her arrangements were correct. Rickard would be in trouble soon, so he wouldn’t have time to care for the child. She would have the chance to bring Renfrew home and show him off.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Nathaniel advised her, “Hesper, do whatever you want and just take care of yourself, alright?”

“Alright, you too. The situation in Cetrelest seems to be complicated, so be careful.”

After hanging up, Hesper glanced at the time and it was twelve, midnight. Someone would be losing their

mind in a few hours.

When she realized that, she knew she would be having a good night’s sleep.

The next day.

Juniper woke up at eight in the morning as usual. She would be getting ready to go to the station, but now that she was suspended, her habit still remained.

She yawned and saw the cleaner who was polite. “Good morning Ms. Wight- Ah! What happened to your face?”

The second half of the sentence turned into a scream. Juniper’s expression changed as she felt around her face. “What’s wrong with my face?”

She didn’t feel anything odd because it still felt smooth like a freshly peeled egg, but the cleaner’s eyes were wide open.

Juniper immediately ran back to her room and looked into the mirror, then almost fainted.

Her features were still the same, but her skin had turned as black as coal. It wasn’t tanned, it was black, like something that wasn’t properly washed.

“How did this happen!” Juniper couldn’t take the shock and fainted but was saved by a helper who rushed

over.

“Let’s go to the hospital. The doctors might know what to do.”

“Yes, to the hospital. Get the driver!”

On the way there, Juniper remembered what Hesper gave her yesterday. She said it would make her ugly, and it really did!

Thinking of Hesper, Juniper started grinding her teeth and immediately called Sophia. “Soph, help me. I was tricked by Hesper last night. Please get to the hospital immediately!”

“I can’t…” Rickard was very angry, so Sohpia didn’t dare do anything. “My brother heard the recordings she left and found out about everything. He lost his temper yesterday and ordered us to stop speaking to you. Juni, I’m afraid you’re on your own.”

“What? Hello? Hello?”

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Before Juniper finished, the line was cut.

It wasn’t time to think about that. She rushed to the emergency ward, and after checking, the doctor gave her opinion.

“Did you eat something unusual yesterday? You don’t seem to be poisoned or have any unusual signs. Did you take some pills to get a tan?”

“Why would I take that?”

Juniper liked her fair skin and worked really hard to keep it that

way so she would never tan.

She told the doctor everything that Hesper said, and after she heard that, she frowned. “If that’s the case, we should get you blood test.”

Juniper was afraid of needles, but for her beauty, she had to do

The test results came out, but the doctor still couldn’t find the

source of the issue.

Juniper threw a tantrum. “Are you really a doctor? I did

everything you asked but you can’t find the reason? I’m a Wight, so if you can’t get rid of this, you’re going to lose your job.”

“Alright, please calm down.” The doctor was stumped. She had never come across this, so she gave her a suggestion. “Since only your face is dark, why not try aesthetic treatment to see if it helps?”

Juniper wasn’t new to aesthetic treatments, so she immediately nodded and agreed. “Alright, arrange for that immediately. I want the best and most expensive treatment!”

At the hotel.

Hesper lazily ate her breakfast. There was a tablet on the table while she spoke to the boy on a video call.

“Mommy, would Aunt Juni find out that she’s ugly already?”

“I guess.” Hesper took a few sips of milk and was amused at her

son’s excitement.

She didn’t want the child to know about that, but Renfrew’s maturity exceeded expectations. She thought about it, and since he would need to learn to protect himself one day, she didn’t

hide it from him.

“But there are a lot of ways to overcome turning black. She’ll soon be fine.” Ren tilted his head sideways because he didn’t

understand.

Hesper patiently explained. “Don’t worry, the pill that Uncle lan develop wouldn’t be cured with the usual ways. If Juniper found a random way to cure it, it would get worse.”

“Wow, Uncle lan is so smart!” Renfrew’s eyes shone and started feeling curious about the legendary Uncle lan.

Hesper spoiled him unconditionally. She smiled. “I’ll let you meet him when he has time.”

“Yay! You’re the best!” Ren cheered but suddenly, there were footsteps outside the door. He quickly held out a chubby finger to his lips, a gesture of silence.

“Mommy, someone is coming. We need to hang up.”

He was worried that it was his aunt or grandma, so he quickly paused the video, but when the door opened, it was Rickard.

“Who were you talking to?”

“No one, I was alone.”

Rickard looked at him curiously. He was getting ready for work and heard him cheering excitedly when he walked past Renfrew’s room, but when he came in, nothing was going on. It was too curious.

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“Ren, children shouldn’t lie. Who were you speaking to?” Rickard put on a stern face.

Renfrew was still afraid of him, so he came clean. “Mommy. I

was on a call with mommy.”

When he heard that it was Hesper, his face looked confused.

He looked at the child. Renfrew was active but he didn’t smile a lot. Ever since Hesper’s return, he seemed to be a lot happier.

“Ren, tell me, do you love mommy?”

Rickard got to his height and started caring about him.

Renfrew nodded. “Mommy is so cool and she treats me very

well. Of course, I love her.”

“Do you want to live with her then?” Rickard asked.

He nodded but then shook his head.

Rickard didn’t understand. “Do you want to or not?”

Renfrew replied, “I want to, but that’s pointless. Mommy was bullied by grandma and Aunt Sophia, so she would never forgive them, so she wouldn’t come back to us either.”

This little child was able to understand such complex emotions. He sadly lowered his head and suddenly looked at his dad with puppy eyes. “Dad, why don’t you try to ask mommy to come home? Then we’ll be able to live together as a family!”

Rickard’s heart s*ipped a beat, as he realized that he didn’t mind

that at all, but he didn’t agree. Instead, he calmly asked, “What do you think I should say to her?”

Renfrew thought about it, then replied, “You should protect her, of course. Punish the people who hurt her and give her justice! She’ll see how much we care for her then!”

Yes, take revenge, give her the justice she deserved. Even a child could see that, but he couldn’t do it.

Rickard’s face dropped and he patted his son’s head. “Alright. Don’t watch so much television. Why do you need to know so much, nosy?”

Renfrew felt as if he was underestimated, as he didn’t learn all that from television. Ms. Myriade told him that, but since she said that he had to keep her a secret, he couldn’t let anyone

know for now.

Rickard felt uneasy even when he was at the office after hearing what Renfrew said.

Benji noticed that he was s*acing out. “Did something happen, Mr. Duval?”

“No.” He didn’t want to talk about it, so Benji didn’t push and continued updating him about the day’s agenda.

“There’s a meeting at 2pm with the director of Drogon Tech and a private party at 5pm with William Gerault. After 8pm, you’ll have time for yourself.”

“Alright.” Rickard was bored because it was mundane:

Suddenly, his phone rang and he saw that it was Juniper. Rickard ignored it. However, she called Benji instead.

“Sir, she…” Seeing how he wasn’t saying anything, Benji tried to cover up for him. In a formal tone, he said, “Ms. Wight, I’m a little busy right now. Could you please-”

“I know you’re with Rickard. Put him on the phone!” Juniper sounded rude and Benji was shocked.

Juniper yelled into the phone. “Hesper is ruining my life! If he has a bit of kindness in him, get him on the phone!”

She was so loud that Rickard could hear her even when he was sitting next to Benji.

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Rickard finally reacted when he heard Hesper’s name. He stretched out his hand, and Benji gave him the phone.

“Speak. What’s going on?”

Juniper was upset. “Rickard, we’ve known each other for so

many years. Do I have to mention Hesper for you to want to speak to me?”

“I have limited time. I’m going to hang up if you don’t get to the point.”

“Don’t-!” Juniper bit her lips and told him the hospital’s location. “Hesper is more ruthless than you imagined. You’ll find out what she did when you get here.”

“Stop being dramatic.” He impatiently pinched the bridge of his phone and lazily leaned back on his chair. This had something to do with Hesper, so it piqued his curiosity.

“Let’s go take a look.”

Benji saw how his emotion changed and couldn’t help but ask, Mr. Duval, you miss Mrs. Duval, don’t you? You get uneasy every time her name is mentioned.”

“Mind your own business.”

They both went to the hospital and soon found Juniper’s room. What they saw was a face that was red, black, and swollen.

“Are we… in the wrong room?” Benji looked at the room number. It was the right one.

Juniper angrily glared at them. “It’s the right room. It’s me!”

Rickard and Benji froze when they heard her voice.

Luckily, Rickard had a strong heart, so he calmly asked, “What happened? What does Hesper have to do with this?”

“Hesper! She’s the only thing on your mind!” Juniper hated her to the bones as she clenched her jaw. “She’s the reason I look like this! We grew up together, but instead of asking if I’m alright, all you could think about is that b*tch!”

He frowned. “Watch your language.”

That made Juniper even more furious. “She’s a b*tch. I wouldn’t -look like this if it weren’t for her!”

“Tell me exactly what happened.”

“After I left your home last night, she cornered me and made her bodyguard feed me something. She said I’m going to turn ugly. This was what I looked like when I woke up!”

Her black face turned red and her skin started flaking after the

aesthetic session.

She thought that it was the products involved and forced the doctor to do it again, but the doctor said that people would look younger. She was the only one who looked uglier!

She suspected it was that thing!

“Rickard, I don’t want to turn ugly. Can you please help?” Juniper was tearing up in fear. How could she walk around with this face?

Rickard frowned but didn’t immediately believe her. “That’s what

you say. How do I know that you aren’t lying?”

Juniper almost lost her breath. “I’m not lying! If I lie, I’ll get hit by a bus. How about that?”

Rickard was still hesitant, but if she would curse herself, she was probably desperate.

After a few seconds of silence, he asked, “How do you want me to help?”

“Ask her for an antidote and give it to me! I can’t wait anymore!”

“She might not listen to me.” Rickard was being honest. From what happened last night, it was obvious that Hesper hated him, so why would she listen?

Juniper cried and said, “I don’t care. Figure something out. If I don’t recover, I might as well die! I’m the only descendant of the Wight family. The worst thing that could happen is that my family ends with me.”

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Rickard knew she said that intentionally. Mrs. Wight helped him once and he had always remembered that. Even if he didn’t care about Juniper’s life, he would still be concerned about Mrs. Wight.

“You’re… impossible.”

Juniper knew that her plan worked because he no longer ignored her plea. Her eyes were red when she said, “Don’t blame me, I didn’t have a choice. Hesper was coming after me like a mad woman and put me on the spot even during the interview.”

Rickard watched that interview, so he knew who was in the wrong and wouldn’t be tricked by her words.

“I’ll figure something out for the antidote, but I can’t promise. anything.”

The man looked tired. When she saw that he was leaving, she tugged at his sleeve with a sad look.

Rickard frowned impatiently. “What?”

“I was so shaken by this and haven’t had any food all day. Could you stay and dine with me?”

“No.” Rickard immediately rejected her and didn’t give her a chance to delay him, then turned and left with Benji.

When they got into the car, he asked, “Have you heard of a pill that could turn someone ugly?”

“No.” Benji shook his head. When he heard that just now, he

thought Juniper came up with that, but when he thought about it, she was a vain person and would never use her face as a joke.

“Mr. Duval, Ms. Wight might not be lying this time. We should ask Mrs. Duval about it.”

“We should.” He squinted, then took out his phone and made a call.

“Hello? Where are you?”

“What do you want?” Hesper’s impatience could be heard through the phone. There was a conversation between some construction workers in the background too.

Rickard raised his brows. “Are you at the site? I’m coming over.”

After hanging up, he told the driver where to go.

Benji said in surprise, “But Mr. Duval, we have a meeting at 2pm. We won’t make it.”

Rickard frowned but quickly made a decision. “Get in touch with them and tell them that I have an emergency, then reschedule it for another day.”

“But…”

“What do you mean ‘but’? Just do as I say!”

Benji was cut off and had to do as he was told, but he was

worried.

The director of Drogon Tech was a weird man and hated it when people weren’t punctual. It took them a long time to get this. meeting, so if they rescheduled it, they would probably never get another chance.

However, since Rickard already made his decision, there was no point saying more. He asked the driver to start driving.

“Let’s go to the branch office of Lane Holdings.”

The car soon parked in front of the building.

This was the central business district, and Lane Holdings’ building was a skyscraper. The towering height was exactly the same as the main Lane Holdings building, and it wasn’t difficult to imagine the storm it would bring when the company was officially established in Genecity.

“Mr. Duval.” Benji’s voice brought him back to reality. He looked down slightly and walked inside.

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The structure of the building was completed and the interior was under renovation.

Workers and ladders could be seen everywhere and everyone was busy with their own tasks.

“This spot, the paint is uneven. Please go over it again.”

When Rickard walked over, he saw Hesper in a red dress pointing around a ladder. The bright color made her look so stunning, her dark hair fell behind her shoulders and she was even prettier than before.

Suddenly, the man who was on the ladder accidentally kicked a can of paint over, and the white paint spilled downward-

“Watch out!”

Rickard yelled out and rushed over to grab her, using his back to block the paint from her.

Hesper immediately shoved him away after he hugged her. “Who says you can hug me!”

Rickard didn’t expect that, so he stumbled backward. That was when Hesper saw what was on his back and was stunned.

“Are you alright, Mr. Duval?”

Benji rushed over and when he saw what Hesper did, he said, ” Mrs. Duval, Mr. Duval was just trying to save you. If he didn’t shield you, you would have been drenched.”

“I don’t need you to jump in.” Rickard frowned. It was by instinct

that he saved her, so there was no need to ask for her gratitude.” I came here because I need to speak to you. Can I have a word with you?”

If all that didn’t happen, Hesper would have rejected him, but seeing how his back was soaked by paint, she nodded.

They both went into the CEO’s office, which was already

completed. Benji went to the mall to get him a shirt to change

into.

While waiting, Hesper thought that it was funny that the room that she would be using in the future was already used by

Rickard first. Was it fate?

“I’m ready.” The man’s voice was heard from behind her. Hesper turned around and saw that he was already in a fresh white shirt. All he needed was to clean up and he already looked like a rich

man.

Rickard had always worn dark colors and rarely wore anything so pale. He looked so different with what he was wearing now.

However, Hesper wasn’t in the mood to appreciate any of that, so she calmly raised her chin. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Did you do something to Juniper’s face?”

Even though she guessed why he was there, she still thought that it was funny when she heard it from him.

“Did you put yourself in danger to come to see me about that?”

Rickard ignored her tone and said in a serious tone: “What did you give to her? Is there an antidote?”

“Don’t worry, I just want her to look ugly. She won’t die.”

“What about an antidote?”

“There is no antidote.” Hesper was honest. That pill was

developed by Julian and Professor Miles. It was a prank, but it turned out to be effective. She went to their lab and got a few before she came back, just in case she needed them.

Rickard thought she was lying, so he frowned. “Enough. Juniper is the only descendant of the Wight family, so they wouldn’t just let her be hurt without doing anything. If the Wights start

attacking you, you-”

“Don’t exaggerate.” Hesper cut him off. “Do you really care about me, or are you worried about Mrs. Wight’s daughter? I think you know the answer.”

Rickard looked surprised.

Hesper thought it was funny because she did so much to make him happy in the past, and that included finding out more about his past. She knew about the help that Mrs. Wight gave to him.

“If you already know that, then you know that I have to get the antidote no matter what.”

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The man’s voice sounded threatening, but Hesper couldn’t care less.

She turned around, her dress swirling in the cold office. It was beautiful.

“I don’t have an antidote, but seeing how you shielded me just now, I could help her.”

“What do you plan to do?” Rickard didn’t look very happy because he realized that he no longer knew her.

Hesper’s smile was still cunning like a fox. “Don’t worry, there’ll only be good news.”

They looked at each other for two seconds, but Rickard knew that she already made up her mind.

He turned to leave, but Hesper stopped him. “Hold on.”

Rickard stopped walking and thought that she had more to say to him, but she lazily said, “How has Ren been? I want to spend a few days with him.”

Rickard took a deep breath and was going to say that she

couldn’t just do whatever she wanted but changed his mind and after a few seconds of silence. He calmly said, “I’ll send him to the hotel.”

“Sure.”

After they said what they wanted to say, Hesper walked away in her high heels.

Rickard’s eyes were on her four-inch heels. Wearing heels that high to a construction area was the equivalent of having a death wish.

Before leaving, he said, “Get a pair of comfortable flats and give it to her assistant.”

Benji was used to that. “Mr. Duval, if you care so much for her, why don’t you get it yourself?”

“You won’t understand.” Rickard smiled sadly. If he was the one who bought them, she probably wouldn’t even look at them.

And the truth was just as he imagined. When Renee walked over with some sandals, Hesper was really happy. “Good job. You’re pretty observant now and brought shoes for me to change into.”

Her feet were hurting, so she changed into them without a second thought, then asked, “But I didn’t see any place that was selling sandals nearby. Where did you get them?”

Renee didn’t want to hide it from her, so she stuttered. “It… it was Mr. Lynch who gave them to me and asked me to give them to you.”

Benji? Benji wouldn’t do that. It must be Rickard’s idea then.

Hesper’s expression turned cold, and she kicked the sandals away. “You should have said that earlier.”

She would have bad luck for the rest of her life if she wore shoes

given by useless men.

Renee touched her nose. Ms. Lane was a great person, but no one could ever mention Mr. Duval in front of her, or she would

become a loose cannon.

Meanwhile, at the hospital.

Juniper sat in front of the mirror and looked at her red, swollen skin that started sprouting acne. Acne! She hadn’t had acne

since she became an adult!

But now, her forehead, cheeks, and nose had a few big red ones! They were big and ugly!

“Where’s the antidote? Why isn’t it here yet!” Juniper yelled furiously, her eyes welling up. She grabbed her phone and called Rickard, but he didn’t pick up.