Ch. 351..360

Chapter 351: Don’t Change The Topic

Mandy’s face became pale.

Her focus had always been on the coffee factory side, while the cooperation with the online drama concept were provided by Joshua-Hazel Pictures. The only one who would know the answer would be Hazel, she had to be trying to swindle her.

Mandy sneered, “So, you know the answer?”

“So, you don’t know?” Hazel smiled lightly and said calmly, “Since it is a collaboration with the online drama, the coffee types chosen should naturally fit the characters of the drama. While in this drama…”

Hazel calmly stated her own idea, which was well-founded. The directors on the board nodded frequently. Even if they didn’t watch that online drama, they all felt Hazel was very convincing.

After listening to her explanation, no matter how biased the directors were against Hazel, they couldn’t find any reason to deny her credit. They looked at Mandy, who had a nasty scowl on her face. She didn’t expect Hazel to be prepared.

“Oh, you know your own devices.” Mandy said with a big head, “Who doesn’t know that Joshua-Hazel Pictures is your private business? If you want to know about the concept, they will naturally tell you, right?”

“Don’t change the topic. Since you said that this plan is your credit, why don’t you understand these things?” Hazel smiled lightly, “You thought the planning was as long as they made a comment, I approved it and everything would be fine? If I can’t fully understand the roles of coffees and characters of the online drama, how can I guarantee the embedded advertisements are popular with the fans of those characters?”

Mandy’s face was even more ugly, and she couldn’t refute these words.

Hazel continued her strike, “Do you think that I have been holding back something from you? You really misunderstood me. If you wanted to ask, I would’ve definitely told you. But your focus had always been on the coffee factory so that when the investigation team came in one day, you would be able to take the credit for yourself. In that case, why would you bother to wonder about what the design concept was?”

Hazel’s simple words easily revealed Mandy’s lies, and the so-called investigation report suddenly became a few pieces of waste paper.

Mandy clenched her teeth but she could not refute Hazel at all.

Although the directors didn’t like Hazel, they would not have a good impression of a liar. What’s more, now every one of them could see the credit of the coffee factory belonged to Hazel but not Mandy.

“Mandy didn’t say that the plan was made by her from the beginning.” Fred hurriedly stepped out to defend Mandy, “I saw the investigation report. Her credit was not less than anyone, but it was not mentioned at all, so I took the initiative to speak for her.”

“This is the reason you lied for her?” Joshua faintly said, “If you even lie on such a small thing, how can we trust what you said?”

Fred was in a fluster. Joshua’s words were deadly.

Fred thought it was foolproof, but to his surprise, Hazel actually reversed her unfavorable situation. Then Joshua took the chance and directly questioned his credibility. He just found out both Joshua and Hazel were tough roles, and they even cooperated so well with each other.

“President Joshua, let’s focus on the topic and don’t expand the scope, otherwise it will really make people doubt your purpose.” Fred shifted the topic with an ugly face, “Our focus is not on the credit of this coffee factory! We just want to confirm the identity of the daughter of the Denmark family. I believe that only Sunny has the final say on this matter!”

Everyone looked at Sunny. Indeed, although she was a foster daughter of the Joseph Family, she had been the closest person to Marcus and Cate.

Sunny was silent for a while, and then she said, “I want to know the truth of the matter more than anyone, but unfortunately the current evidence cannot prove which one of the two is authentic.”

Everyone suddenly started whispering about it and most of them agreed with Sunny.

Hazel suddenly lacked interest in the subject. When they saw she was winning, they began to shift the topic and wanted to downplay her credit.

As for the issue of true or false identities, she really had little interest.

“I’m going to the bathroom.” She whispered to Joshua.

“Okay.” Joshua nodded. He knew that Hazel was growing impatient.

Hazel stood up and walked toward the door. The whole meeting room was quiet now. They looked at Hazel with puzzled faces. What did she mean? She was just going to leave like that? Didn’t she care at all if they thought she was fake?

Hazel walked calmly in the eyes of everyone and went straight outside the door of the conference room. When she closed the door of the conference room, she even heard the lively discussion inside. However, she really didn’t care much.

Hazel came to the lounge next door and poured a cup of coffee. As she just sat down on the sofa, the door of the lounge opened again. Susan hesitated for a second and finally came in.

“You don’t need to think too much. It’s just that it is too noisy and boring inside the meeting room, so I just come here to have a break!” Susan complained.

Hazel gave her a glance and said nothing.

Susan seemed to be a little embarrassed. She really could not think of anything to say to Hazel. She also poured herself a cup of coffee and sat far away from Hazel.

The lounge was quiet, with only the sound of two people drinking coffee.

“That… Actually, I hope you are the daughter of the Denmark family!” Susan couldn’t help it. She looked at Hazel and hatefully said, “Although I hate you… but Mandy is even more annoying!”

Hazel almost laughed out loud.

It turned out it was more fun to sit here drinking coffee with her old enemy Susan than dealing with those hypocritical directors.

“Although, many of the things I did before were under Mandy’s instructions, I also did them because I really hated you! Even if I hate her more now, I won’t try to be your friend. I am here, not to talk to you. Oh, my goodness!” Susan snorted and pulled her hair. “Forget it, I don’t know what I am talking about!”

Hazel twitched her lips. She said faintly, “I can assure you that I understand what you mean, I don’t think you are coming for peace between us.”

“Oh…” Susan said with a little grumble, “In fact, I…”

 

Chapter 352: You’re Very Nosey

Susan hesitated for a moment before she finally said, “I did like Joshua.

After all, I thought only I would be a perfect match for him. But he’s so fierce that I just hope that I won’t need to have anything to do with him again. And, by that, I mean, I wish you were the daughter of the Denmark family.”

“Is it good to be Denmark’s family’s daughter?” Hazel’s eyes drooped, dispirited.

Her parents were suddenly no longer her biological parents because of her newfound identity. Besides, she had been in danger several times; she had been plotted against by a large number of people. Worse still, it was very likely that she had no idea who her biological parents were. If she could choose, she wouldn’t be the long-lost daughter of Marcus and Cate.

“Hey! Don’t you care what I said?” Susan said angrily, “Are you so confident in Joshua? Aren’t you afraid he is with you because you’re the daughter of the Denmark family? It turns out that Mandy is the daughter, aren’t you worried he will be with her?”

Hazel turned away, a bit annoyed. “You’re very nosey.”

Susan got even angrier. “I’m helping you, but you actually think I’m just nosey? Why aren’t you making any effort?”

Hazel heaved a sigh in frustration. She wasn’t confident, but she just didn’t want to think about it. However, Susan was desperately trying to force her to face one of the most painful things in her life.

“Is the situation something that my efforts can really change?” Hazel was helpless.

“No…” Susan said with acknowledgment, “You should capture Joshua’s heart firmly, though. Even if I can’t be with him, I don’t want Mandy to be with him! If that bitch really succeeds, she would be very smug!”

Hazel was a little speechless, it seemed that Susan had a much stronger hatred for Mandy.

“What are you fighting about?” The door of the break room opened, and Sunny walked in. She looked at Susan with disapproval. “I heard you outside.”

“We’re not fighting.” Susan stood up and said awkwardly.

“Miss Crowe, Susan didn’t cause any trouble, did she?” Sunny smiled quietly. She was still polite as before and seemed totally unaffected by Mandy and the accusations.

“No.” Hazel stood up and said quietly, “We’re just talking, but maybe our voices were a little too loud.”

“Okay.” Sunny nodded at Hazel and pulled Susan out by her hand.

Not long after they left, Joshua walked in.

“Is the meeting over?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“What’s the result?”

“Nothing,” said Joshua quietly. “As Aunt Sunny said, the evidence we have at the present time cannot prove who is real and who is fake.”

“Let’s go home.” Hazel heaved a long sigh of relief, feeling a little unhappy as she had guessed the result.

Joshua nodded.

The driver was already waiting in the parking lot. Joshua asked him to get out of the car, and he got into the driver’s seat.

“What are you doing?” Hazel looked at him in surprise.

“Get in, I want to show you around,” he whispered.

“Oh?” She looked at him in astonishment, but eventually, she got into the passenger’s seat.

The car sped away in the direction of the countryside.

“Where are we going?” She looked out the window blankly.

“I don’t know,” he answered calmly.

“Oh?” She looked at Joshua in amazement as he drove without a flicker of emotion.

“Let’s run away.” He looked serious.

She was stunned because it didn’t look like he was joking. Suddenly, she felt relieved.

All Hazel could think was, screw the Denmark Group! Screw the directors! Screw real or fake daughters!

She was going to throw everything away and escape with Joshua.

“Okay, let’s go!” Her eyes were sparkling, she happily agreed.

Looking at her clear, bright eyes, Joshua smiled. They drove for a while longer and then stopped at a pond because Hazel suddenly said she wanted to fish. Joshua paid a local fisherman a large sum for his fishing gear so that Hazel could play.

She cast her line a few times but didn’t catch anything but leaves, so she got frustrated. A group of young men with bright colored hair walked up to the pond and took out their fishing rods.

They noticed that Hazel was not catching anything, they started whispering, and then a man with red hair walked over to her and said, “Honey, let me teach you.”

“Don’t bother.” Joshua wrapped his arm around Hazel and held her hand as he said quietly. “I can teach her.”

The red-haired man looked back at his friends. Seeing they were all laughing at him, he was suddenly annoyed. “Hey, toy boy! I won’t do anything to your girl. I just want to teach her how to fish. What are you afraid of?”

“Poo—!” Hazel couldn’t help laughing out loud.

There was actually someone calling Joshua a toyboy. He was good-looking and gentle, so others naturally had the illusion that he was very harmless.

“Look, your girl likes me a little more!” The red-haired young man said proudly. “I told you! I think I might have a crush on her, you must let me have her!”

In the blink of an eye, he punched Joshua in the face. Joshua’s expression didn’t change, and he calmly stepped in front of Hazel. He grabbed the man’s wrist with a tight grip.

“You, you…” After several attempts, the red-haired man failed to withdraw his hand. In the end, he had no choice but to look at Joshua, he was absolutely frightened.

Joshua was not worried about how scared he was, he punched him in the face.

“Hey, why did you hit him?!” The man’s friends rushed over shouting, but Joshua was totally unconcerned about them.

He was still holding on to the man’s wrist when he hit his friends, the man saw it as an opportunity and lunged at Hazel.

“Stop it, or I won’t let your girl go!” he growled as he was about to put his arm around her neck.

Joshua only cast a quick glance at him, he was not going to stop. Hazel snorted, grabbed the red-haired man’s wrist, and twisted it.

He let out a miserable scream, and without hesitation, Hazel kicked him and yelled, “Get out of here!”

Seeing they couldn’t win against Joshua and Hazel, they fled in panic.

“Are you happy now?” Joshua came to Hazel.

“Yes, I’m in a better mood,” she said, laughing. “Here you go. I don’t want to go fishing anymore.”

She handed the rod to him and picked up some small stones by the pond to skip.

Before long, Joshua had caught several fishes. She was taken aback. “You can even fish?”

 

Chapter 353: Are You Uncomfortable?

“A little.” He smiled quietly. “Our father loved to go fishing.”

“That’s good…” She looked confused. If the Denmark family’s daughter had not been stolen, there would not have been so many incidents. Whether she was the baby or not, at least her life would not be a mess.

“Come here, let me teach you,” he whispered.

She took the fishing rod from his hand just as huge raindrops began to fall.

“It’s really going to rain!” She raised her head in disbelief.

Summer rain always came down hard, and out of nowhere, they were completely soaked by the time they got back to the car.

Looking at the overcast sky, Hazel was a bit disappointed. Enough fun, enough madness. It was time to go back. But…

“Joshua, I really don’t want to go back.” She raised her eyes.

“Who says we’re going back?” He said quietly, “We’re eloping.”

She was always so entertained by him.

He drove to a nearby village and knocked on the door of a farmhouse. It was an ordinary-looking woman who opened the door.

Joshua calmly took out a few hundred-dollar bills and handed them over to her. “Excuse me, my wife and I were caught in heavy rain. It’s too late now. Can we spend a night in your house?”

My wife…

When Hazel heard him call her his wife, she blushed.

“Come on in, it’s raining hard.” The woman just took one bill. “That’s enough.”

“Take it,” said Joshua, but all the rest of the bills in her hand, “and I’ll ask you to buy something later.”

After that, Joshua and Hazel walked into the farmhouse. The woman took them to a clean and humble room. She brought clean towels to the room for them to dry off.

“I have asked my son to buy the bath basin and clean clothes you wanted.” The woman handed the towels to Joshua. “Dry yourselves first. Rest assured, the towels are new, we haven’t used them.”

Joshua thanked her, took the towels, and went to Hazel.

Hazel was about to take one of them when Joshua whispered, “Let me help you.”

“Is that good?” Her cheeks turned a little red.

“Of course not. We’re married in the eyes of others.” He smiled as he took a towel and gently rubbed her body.

She blushed even more, his doting smile was hard to resist. The word ‘married’ left her heart feeling happy. The temperature in the air seemed to rise a bit as the towel was rubbed over her body, making her skin pink.

“Very hot?” He frowned. “Are you uncomfortable?”

“No, no.” She shook her head in a hurry. She wasn’t uncomfortable. She was just too shy.

Then she hurried to change the subject, afraid that he might continue asking further. “I never expected we would run away. It isn’t that funny, and it’s kind of hard.”

“Shall we find a hotel later?” He looked around. “The conditions here are really a little terrible.”

“No, no,” she disagreed quickly. “We’re here to escape. We don’t have to be so particular about it. Let’s experience a different life.”

“Good.” He agreed with a smile and gently undid her dress.

With so much skin exposed in the air, she became shyer. She turned her head away. “As a matter of fact, if possible, I want to find a place with picturesque scenery and few people.”

As she smiled and her eyes sparkled, she thought that way there wouldn’t be so many issues.

“What does it look like?” he asked in a low voice, continuing to rub her body.

“There should be a lake nearby so that I can make time to go fishing. There should be a mountain behind the house so that I can go climbing in my spare time.” She smiled as she couldn’t help imagining.

“Don’t you need a flower field?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Natural flowering is the most beautiful.”

“What’s the house like?” He asked.

“I want it to have a big fireplace so that I can sit next to it and keep warm in the winter. There needs to be a spiral staircase so that I can sit on the railing and slide down. Oh, and a fat cat so it can take a nap with me by the fireplace. Also, a dog so that he can keep the cat company…”

He listened quietly. “What about your room?” he continued asking.

“My room,” she said after thinking for a bit, “It will have a big, round bed. It’s a room full of my favorite dolls, and there’s a big balcony with a view of the lake in the distance. I had better get a swing chair or something.”

He didn’t say anything but kept it all in mind.

Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at Joshua because, most importantly, she hoped he would be in that house.

A sudden cold wind came, and she couldn’t help sneezing. He picked up the blanket and wrapped it around her body.

“This blanket is very clean. Put it around you,” he whispered.

Her body was warmed, and she looked at him quietly while he was thoughtfully drying her hair.

Hazel knew the thoughts of the house with a big fireplace were just her unrealistic dreams; they still had so many disturbing things to face. How could it be possible for them to find the home of her dreams to hide in?

“I was joking,” she said with a slightly depressed smile. “If there really were a place like that, I would probably get sick of it in a few days. Besides, I can’t live without a cell phone or a computer. If I can’t go shopping, how boring would that be?! I would be better off living in the city.”

Joshua’s eyes were a little deep as if he were thinking.

All of a sudden, there was a noise at the gate, followed by a man complaining, “Mom, it’s raining so heavily, why did you want me to buy it?”

The voice was vaguely familiar. Joshua slightly raised his eyebrows while Hazel looked a little embarrassed. Could it actually be that coincidental?

“Stop complaining and give it to the guests,” scolded the woman.

Joshua opened the door, and the red-haired many they had beaten up was standing there.

 

Chapter 354: Taking A Bath

“You, you, you… Why are you at my house?” The red-haired man almost dropped the bath basin as he stepped back out of fear.

“What? This is our guest!” The woman in the distance shouted at him.

Joshua frowned a little. It was still raining heavily, and if they left, Hazel would very likely catch a cold. It seemed he had a better deal with the man.

The red-haired man stood still for a moment, he was unsure what to do but then it was as if a lightbulb went off in his head. He whispered joyfully, “You may stay in my house, but can you teach me a few of the techniques you used? They were so cool!”

“You want to learn?” Joshua took the bath basin and said quietly, “All right, but I have to help my wife with a bath first, then after that.”

“Bath?” The red-haired man rolled his eyes before he said in a low voice. “My mother said you are husband and wife. Brother, it’s so late. What about having a bath with her? Then you can get to sleep earlier and get up early to teach me.”

Joshua’s eyes twinkled as he thought the advice of the red-haired man was great.

“Okay, you have a point. We are good here, so you can leave us for the evening,” Joshua said quietly.

“Then brother, please remember to teach me!” The red-haired man spoke happily.

“Mmm,” Joshua said, and the red-haired man delightfully left.

“Come and take a bath or you will catch a cold,” Joshua said to Hazel.

“Oh.” When she came over, wrapping herself in a blanket, she looked at Joshua waiting nearby and said shyly, “You should go out.”

With a smile, Joshua said, “Hazel, we’re husband and wife…”

“We’re not,” she quickly interrupted.

“But they both think we are.” He held his hand out helplessly. “If you kick me out now, they’ll think we’re fighting.”

And then, he started to take off his clothes.

“You, you, you… what are you doing?” she turned her head in shame and anxiousness.

“Taking a bath,” he said innocently. “They said there’s a limited water supply in this area. We should save water for the hostess.”

“No way!” she clenched her teeth, wondering whether he was lying or not.

“Well, then,” said he, turning around pathetically, “Bathe quickly. I’m a man, and I’m not likely to catch a cold even if I don’t bathe.”

She was speechless. Though she knew that he would probably say something, she didn’t have the heart to see him looking so pitiful, and she didn’t want to take the chance of him getting sick.

“Come and take a bath together,” she whispered helplessly.

“Okay.” He gave a quick smile and answered.

Seeing he agreed so promptly, her face darkened as she felt she had been cheated. Then she said crossly. “I’m back… hmm!”

Before she could finish saying she was backing out, Joshua kissed her. Her blanket fell to the ground, and she felt like she was burning up.

Joshua held her on his lap while they sat in the bath together. She was very shy, so she hurried to look away, but out of the corner of her eye, she looked at him.

“You can look at me if you want to, Hazel.” he chuckled.

“Who wants to look at you?” She went crazy.

“Really?” He gently raised her chin. “But I want to look at you very much.”

She was embarrassed and angry. Why did he always make fun of her? Did he think she really had no way to fix him?

She turned her head crossly. “More than that. I want—”

Hazel passionately kissed his lips. His eyes lit up slightly, and suddenly he felt that there was a pair of warm hands circling gently on his chest. He couldn’t feel anything but the heat from her hands.

Her eyes flashed with slyness as she pinched his nipples and twisted them between her thumb and finger.

“Hm…” A sexy, pleasant moan came out of his thin lips, and he shuddered slightly, looking helplessly at Hazel, who was laughing happily.

“How was that? Is my technique awesome?” She was a little smug. “As long as you want to play, I can play bigger!”

“You little girl,” he said with a bit of resignation, “It’s really bigger because of you.”

The smile on her face froze. The bath basin wasn’t overly small, but it was a bit crowded with two people. She could clearly feel that something was getting bigger, right against her stomach.

What? It seemed she had really gone too far!

She glared at him and cursed with shame and anger, “What’s wrong with you? You can react even when I abuse you… How can you be so lustful?”

“No matter what you do to me, I’ll have a reaction.” He wasn’t angry, and his eyes were even hotter. “Hazel, I’m only lustful when I face you.”

“You…” His words left her speechless. How could he even say that? She now knew that Joshua had a really cheeky side.

“Hazel,” he said as he circled her waist and kissed her on the ear. “Go on…”

Her body quivered, and she had a sudden urge to put everything behind her.

They planned to cast everything aside to escape from reality, so they shouldn’t care about any of it, screw Denmark Group and the three rules. Hazel just wanted to follow her heart.

She gently kissed him on the lips with a quiver…

After getting out of the bath, Joshua carried Hazel to the bed and crawled on top of her, his eyes were deep.

Even though she was shy, Hazel sometimes liked to tease him. But she would always run away after he had the flaming desire, leaving him to endure the pain. He both loved and hated her conflicting emotions, but she seemed to be different.

“Hazel, do you know what you’re doing?” he asked in a deep voice.

“Of course, I do.” Hazel’s smile was charming.

She tried to put her arms around his neck, but Joshua grabbed her wrists and lifted them over her head.

“Hazel,” he said quietly, “let me warn you, if you keep going, I’m not going to stop!”

 

Chapter 355: Try To Believe Me

Her eyes were a little misty. She trembled slightly and kissed him on the lips as her reply to his remark.

His eyes had a deep and distant look, he turned away from her kiss. Hazel was in a daze, Joshua had never done that before.

“Hazel,” he said quietly as his fingers slid gently across her cheek. “Do you really not trust me?”

“Huh?” She was nervous instantly.

“No matter how you teased me before, you were just joking, not really because you always remembered our agreement with your parents, and you were determined not to cross the line. But you can’t wait now.”

His eyes were a little sharp. “You are afraid that we may not have a bright future, so you decided to ignore everything, free yourself, and have a good night with me, right?”

“No, no…” She was flustered and tried to deny it, but what Joshua said was just what she had in mind.

“No?” He frowned slightly and sighed helplessly. “Hazel, I’m not good at guessing girls’ minds, but I’m also not a fool. If you have something on your mind, just tell me, okay?”

Her heart missed a beat. It turned out Joshua saw through her every move and cared for her so much. However, maybe he was kind to her just because she was the daughter of the Denmark family.

Taking a deep breath, Hazel decided to ask because she didn’t want to go on thinking nonsense, “Joshua, what would you do if I wasn’t really the daughter of Marcus and Cate?”

Looking into her burning eyes, Joshua couldn’t resist frowning. “Hazel, you are the daughter of Denmark’s family.”

“I mean if,” she emphasized, “if I were not the daughter, would you still be with me?”

“Hazel,” he said with furrowed brows. “I know more than you think. It would be best if you never doubted that you are the daughter of the Denmark family. The assumption that you have is completely wrong.”

She was tired of it all, and she began to speak again, “I didn’t doubt my identity, and I said ‘if,’ ‘if’!”

“There’s no ‘if,” he said quietly. “Hazel, don’t worry about the impossible thing. It’s not worth it.”

She was disheartened, and even though she understood what Joshua meant, it was only his point of view that though it was impossible for her not to be part of the Denmark family.

She also knew that nothing she said would change his way of thinking, and even if he did promise her something, he might not be able to fulfill it. However, she really wanted to know his answer even if she was being stubborn.

If Joshua changed his attitude toward her because she was not the Denmark heiress, the only explanation would be that he was nice to hear from the very beginning because of her identity, not because she was Hazel. If that were the case, then he would leave her and be nice to Mandy.

Therefore, even though Joshua’s point of view could never happen, she still felt that his love might have been for that of Denmark’s daughter.

“Hazel, have a good sleep and try to believe me,” Joshua whispered as he laid down beside her. “I’m not capable of just saying something sweet to make you happy; I would prefer for you to believe what is in my heart.”

“Mmm,” she quietly said. Although she still was worried, she didn’t want to keep struggling, maybe she should try to believe him as he said.

The two of them spent the night in the humble, little room. The conditions were not what they were accustomed to, but they slept soundly.

When Hazel woke up, Joshua’s side of the bed was empty. She got up and changed into the clean clothes that Joshua had laid out for her.

When she walked into the dining room, she saw the woman and a red-haired man at the table.

The woman saw her and quickly got a chair for her. “Mrs. Denmark, have a seat. I was going to help by getting your breakfast, but Mr. Denmark said he would cook you some fish soup himself. Your husband is very nice to you. He cares about you so much!”

Hazel’s cheeks were red. In the eyes of the woman, she and Joshua were husband and wife, so she couldn’t say very much, she just nodded and smiled.

“Yes,” the red-haired man happily said, “He’s really very awesome. He taught me a few tricks this morning, and I feel they will come in handy. He also said that he would help me find a job and change my hair.”

“Your showy hair should be changed!” the woman cursed. “Thankfully, he can calm you, or I will break your leg if you continue to hang out with those rascals.”

“Mom, how could you…” “The red-haired man said unhappily, but the woman got up and chased him.

Hazel smiled as she looked at them, and a moment later, Joshua came out of the kitchen with fish soup.

“Try it.” he took a spoonful of soup, blew on it, and put it near her mouth.

Looking shyly around, she saw that the mother and son had already left the dining room.

“Don’t worry. It doesn’t matter if you’re seen.” Joshua chuckled.

“You are thick-skinned!” Her cheeks turned red, and she couldn’t help but curse under her breath. She looked at the spoon and opened her mouth.

“Is it delicious?” he asked.

“Yes!” She couldn’t resist praising. “There’s no fishy smell at all! What did you do?”

“All you have to do is drink it,” he said with a smile. “It’s too hard for you to cook.”

She felt a little sad. Was she shunned? But she really had no talent for cooking.

Another spoonful of fish soup reached her lips, and her eyes dimmed. The better Joshua treated her, the more confused her heart became. She didn’t know whether Joshua was nice to her or to the daughter of the Denmark family.

But she could never get the answer from him. After all, in his eyes, she was the daughter of the Denmark family, and he would not separate the two identities.

After Hazel finished her fish soup, she seemed determined and said seriously, “Joshua, let’s go back.”

Joshua cocked his brows slightly.

“I’ve had a good time. I was happy to be on the run with you.” A smile curved her lips. “It was blissful, but it was also pointless and dishonorable. It’s time for us to go back and face reality.”

 

Chapter 356: Does It Need To Be So Troublesome?

Whether her identity as Denmark’s daughter was real or not, she couldn’t keep running away from Joshua just to escape the problem.

“Are you ready?” Joshua asked, his eyes deep.

“Mmm.” Hazel nodded her head firmly. She knew she had to face reality.

After Joshua and Hazel cleaned up the kitchen and walked to the car. When they got in the car, Joshua took out his phone and turned it on. Hazel was shocked, she hadn’t figured out why nobody bothered them during their getaway.

She looked at him with curiosity and said, “Did you turn your phone off?”

“Yes,” Joshua said quietly and smirked. “Of course, since I was on the run with you, I didn’t want anything to disturb us.”

Although she was completely speechless, it was a good feeling, she felt warm all over. Joshua was always so sweet; when he realized she was in a bad mood, he always did whatever he could for her.

She couldn’t resist saying, “… Aren’t you afraid they would make waves behind your back?”

“If they can make waves to destroy the Denmark Group in a few days, then I really want to throw in the towel.” A smile curved Joshua’s lip. “I’m not as useless as you think, Hazel. If they want to target the Denmark Group, they’re going to humiliate themselves.”

“So, you are awesome, aren’t you?” Seeing he was so confident, she smiled slightly. “Do you want me to hug, kiss, and lift you in the air?”

“Yes,” he replied without hesitation.

Hazel didn’t know how to reply, then she said darkly, “I can’t lift you.”

“But I can lift you.” He chuckled.

She was about to say yes, but she was in a daze before speaking gloomily, “Hey! That is not the point, okay?!”

Joshua smiled as he listened to Hazel, even when she was flared up, he still thought she was adorable. He reached out to touch her hair.

“Drive carefully, don’t caress my hair!” She was unhappier and muttered, “I’m not a puppy.”

“Mmm,” he withdrew his hand, “You’re more like a kitten, I think.”

She glared at him.

“By the way, what did Susan and Sunny say to you yesterday?” Joshua’s eyes were a little dim.

He knew they had met in the break room yesterday, but she wasn’t in a good mood, so he didn’t want to upset her by mentioning anything about Denmark Group.

“I didn’t say anything,” Hazel recalled back and told him what happened in the break room.

Joshua scowled, Susan surprised him a little, but with her personality, she could easily be taken advantage of. Besides, she wouldn’t know anything useful anyway. When it came to Sunny’s attitude, he could not find any doubt, either way, she was neither distant nor close.

“Joshua, I think…” She frowned for a moment and then stopped.

“Don’t think about it,” he said firmly.

“I haven’t said anything yet!” She looked at him in surprise.

“I can guess what you’re thinking,” he said quietly. “Do you want to be friends with Susan and find a way to go to Joseph Residence with the hope of finding some evidence?”

Hazel was embarrassed instantly. How could Joshua know her thoughts?

“No way,” Joshua said quietly. “Susan’s unpredictable, and it’s too dangerous for you to stay with her. What’s more, it’s not clear whether Sunny is a friend or foe at present.”

“Are you suspicious of Sunny?” she asked in surprise.

“I’m not going to let anyone that I doubt go,” he said quietly, “You’d better concentrate on your graduation thesis defense.”

Hazel had been dealt a huge blow by the last sentence, she was left feeling depressed.

As soon as he finished speaking, his cellphone rang. He calmly answered the phone, and Jaxson reported the whole situation involving the company.

As Joshua said, even though Denmark Group’s directors harbored evil intentions, they couldn’t do anything to him.

“I see,” he said quietly. “I’m already on my way back. I’ll be there in about two hours.”

After hanging up, he looked at Hazel. “Come with me to the company?”

“Forget it.” She shrugged. “The directors don’t like me anyway. If I strut in there, won’t I upset them? I’d better go back to the Denmark Residence. Just as you said, I’ll prepare for my graduation thesis defense.”

“All right, I’ll take you back to Denmark Residence first,” he said.

“Does it need to be so troublesome?” She chuckled. “Let me take you to the company first, and then I’ll drive myself back to Denmark Residence.”

“Hazel…” He frowned a little.

“That’s a deal!” she nodded firmly. “It’s up to me this time, you have to listen to me!”

“Okay.” He didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

After taking Joshua to the Denmark Group, Hazel drove back to Denmark Residence. On the way there, she kept thinking about how she could naturally approach Susan Edwards. Although Joshua didn’t agree, she didn’t want to give up.

Suddenly, the car behind her suddenly passed her, the car quickly spun around and stopped sideways in front of her. Hazel tensed up and slammed on the brakes.

It was apparent that they were targeting her. She narrowed her eyes slightly, she could see that she was only a few hundred meters away from Denmark Residence.

Joshua had always been very attentive to her safety and to the security at Denmark Residence. The fact that the car had been able to follow her around undetected meant that the car did not appear to be a threat to her, so no one seemed to care.

Four girls dressed very fashionably got out of the car. Hazel’s eyebrows relaxed slightly. They didn’t seem to be much older than 15 or 16, which was not a real threat to her.

“Get out!” The girl taking the lead knocked on her window impatiently.

Hazel opened the door and calmly got out of the car.

“You’re Hazel?” The girl asked impatiently.

“I’m Hazel.” Hazel couldn’t help but furrow slightly. “Who are you?”

“Do you deserve to know who I am? You impostor!” The girl sneered and said with a fierce face. Then she turned around to look toward her friends, “Do you think so?”

“Yes, yes! How do you still have the nerve to live in Denmark Residence? If you want a man, you can pimp yourself out! But you actually annoy Master Denmark. Do you think you deserve him?!”

“How can she steal Mandy’s place? Master Denmark is really blind. Doesn’t he know this kind of bitch has been played with by many men?! I think she made Master Denmark confused by making love to him!”

“Hazel, if you really don’t want to lose all of your dignity, move out of Denmark Residence!”

 

Chapter 357: Are You Afraid Now?

Hazel’s face darkened. Even if she had guessed that the girls were targeting her, she could live with that, but it really pissed her off that they kept insulting her.

It didn’t appear that they had any intention of shutting up. One of the girls took out her phone and pointed the camera at Hazel. She excitedly said, “Guys, quickly undress her, slap her across the face, and burn her with cigarettes! I haven’t photographed such an exciting scene in a long time. I will post the photos on Twitter!”

“Do you hear that?” The girl taking the lead said arrogantly, “You had better obediently let us beat you up to vent our anger. If you make us fight with you, you’ll definitely suffer!”

Hazel looked at them coldly. “Is it Mandy who asked you to come?”

They called her an impostor at the very beginning, so it was clear that Mandy had asked them to attack her. It seemed that Mandy was very concerned about her living in Denmark Residence.

Was Mandy not only interested in being Denmark’s daughter but also in Joshua? Thinking about the possibility, Hazel felt irritated.

“Who said that?” The girl taking the lead looked flustered for a moment, but then, she restored her arrogant manner and said ferociously, “I’m just a stranger who couldn’t put up with your behavior!”

She stepped closer to Hazel and whispered, “I don’t think that your adoptive parents were very good since, after all, you are a bastard with unknown biological parents. They raised you to seduce men and pimp yourself out for a good price! Since you don’t have decent parents to teach you a lesson, let us teach you how to behave yourself!”

“I dare you to say it again!” Hazel’s face was cold instantly, and she stepped angrily forward. Insulting her adoptive parents was her breaking point.

As they looked at her furious expression, the girls were frightened, took a few steps backward.

“What do you, what do you want to do? Freeze, or I’ll shoot!” The leading girl suddenly took out a pistol and pointed it at Hazel.

Hazel’s pupils suddenly shrunk.

She knew a lot about guns because of her mother’s police career, and she could see that the gun in the girl’s hand was real.

They actually had a gun? No matter how daring they were, they wouldn’t dare to kill someone in broad daylight with a gun. It was not going to be a simple situation to get out of, though.

What exactly was Mandy trying to do? Presumably, the identities of the girls would not be well-known.

Hazel stared coldly at the gun and stood still.

The girl taking the lead thought Hazel was scared, so she was relieved. She sneered. “Are you afraid now? Stand still!”

Hazel’s eyes dimmed slightly. Then she lowered her head, but she was, in fact, waiting for the girl to get closer.

Seeing that Hazel was so obedient and seemed to be scared to death, the girl taking the lead was even more arrogant. She proudly walked up to Hazel. “Pooh! Hazel Crowe, you were just so arrogant, weren’t you? How did you dare fight against us?”

Hazel was plotting, and she frowned slightly as she thought the girl was still not close enough. She waited patiently.

Another girl that was standing behind Hazel kicked her hard in the leg.

“Kneel down!”

Hazel suppressed her anger as she watched the girl approach with the gun. Seeing that Hazel refused to kneel, the girl pointed the gun at her.

She stepped forward angrily and said fiercely, “Kneel quickly, or I will shoot you! You are stubborn, aren’t you? But it so happens I like to bully people who are stubborn! I want you not only to kneel but also to lick the dirt off our shoes. Quickly!”

Hazel drooped her eyes and slowly crouched down.

The girl with the gun looked very pleased. She was trying to laugh at Hazel, but before she could say a word, Hazel suddenly threw herself at her.

It all happened in the blink of an eye, and the girl taking the lead was in a daze. She even tried to pull the trigger, but before she could move, Hazel had got close and grabbed her wrist. The girl was unable to get away, and Hazel snatched the gun out of her hand.

“Don’t move! None of you!” said Hazel coldly.

The other three girls were startled to see that Hazel had the gun in her hand. Then they said with disregard, “Shoot if you want! It’s only a fake gun. Who do you think it can threaten?”

“Fake?” With a sneer, Hazel pointed the gun at their feet and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The three girls screamed and stared at the bullet mark by their feet, their faces were white as a sheet.

“That, that is the real gun?!” They stuttered and began shaking, then they fell to the ground in tears.

“You, you can’t kill me!” The girl who Hazel was holding was also very terrified.

She shouted, “I’m Kathie Anderson. If you kill me, the Anderson family will cut ties with the Denmark family! Do you want to turn Master Denmark against my brother Isaac?!”

Hazel’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Is that what Mandy told you to say? Was she the one who sent you?”

“No, no…” Kathie hesitated for a bit.

“Tell me the truth!” Hazel shouted coldly and pointed the gun at her. “Don’t think I will stop from doing anything terrible to you!”

“I met with Lucy and Mandy. Lucy hates you very much. She told me you are an impostor… I was in a fit of anger and came to you,” said Kathie, trembling. “Let, let me go! You cannot afford to offend me!”

Hazel’s brows were furrowed tightly, and she knew the whole incident at long last.

Lucy had been to Denmark Group and had been embarrassed, so she hated Hazel very much. Mandy approached her and provoked Lucy to flare up with just a few words.

Hazel had heard from Isaac that Kathie was the naughtiest and most favored child in the Anderson family and that she had caused a lot of trouble. Lucy only needed a few words of complaint to incite the fearless Kathie to attack Hazel, but the gun was very likely Mandy’s idea. It was Mandy’s style, and no matter when or where it was, she would always find a scapegoat.

Nonetheless, this incident involved the Anderson family, not Mandy. If Kathie did kill or hurt her, Mandy would not be held responsible. Hazel was safe, but the two families would have a falling out with each other if she didn’t let it go.

Kathie knew Hazel would have to let her go. She may have been young, but she had no fear, and she was very malicious.

 

Chapter 358: Don’t Say Anything Else

Hazel really didn’t want to let the girls go, especially Kathie. If she let her off the hook without any consequences, Kathie would think that she was afraid and would definitely come after her again. However, even if she couldn’t really teach her a lesson, she also couldn’t let Mandy get what she wanted.

“You guys are quite skilled at picking on people.” Hazel asked coldly, “You often bully students in school, don’t you?”

“We, we just play with the classmates to enhance their fondness of us,” said Kathie, reluctant to admit her mistakes.

“Play? Enhance fondness?” Hazel sneered.

Kathie once caused a girl in their class to cut her wrist, she was trying to commit suicide. Although the girl was saved, it caused quite a stir, and in the end, her parents, Mike and Amy Anderson, gave the victim a lot of money to calm down the matter and make her let it go.

Hazel had heard Isaac talking about it, he was furious about the entire situation.

“What about letting me play and enhance your fondness of me?” Hazel sneered and kicked Kathie in the leg abruptly!

“Ouch,” Kathie screamed as she quickly knelt down. She raised her head in disbelief and roared with shame and anger, “Hazel Crowe, are you really bold enough to bully me?! Do you know what you’re doing? Do you think Master Denmark will fall out with us because of you, imposter?”

“Shut up, you idiot!” Hazel coldly pointed the gun at her. Kathie’s face was instant as white as a sheet, and she shut her mouth in fright instantly.

“It seems you’re 16 years old.” Hazel sighed with emotions. “Glad you’re old enough.”

“What, what do you mean?” Kathie looked at her in horror.

“What do I mean?” Hazel said with a grim smile, “Driving without a license is a trivial matter, but bullying a classmate and holding a gun can put you in jail for several years. Do you believe me?!”

“Don’t, don’t you dare!” She was an ass in a lion’s skin, but the fear in her eyes had betrayed her. “Are you really not worried that it would drive a wedge between the two families?”

Hazel’s smile got even colder. “What does that have to do with me?”

Kathie’s face dimmed instantly. Hazel really didn’t care… Will I really have to be put in jail for that long?

She shouted in terror, “No! Let go of me! Hazel, I won’t do it again! I bought a fake gun, but I don’t know how it turned out to be a real one! I beg you…”

“Are you afraid now? Isn’t it too late?” Hazel’s eyes twinkled, and she chuckled. “Do you think you’re being persecuted? If you hadn’t come here trying to be a hero, we wouldn’t be in this situation, would we? Besides, this is a family affair of the Denmark family, and it has nothing to do with your family. Blame it on people whining in front of you. You’re too eager to help people take revenge against me, aren’t you?”

Kathie understood instantly. The next moment, her eyes were full of anger. “Hazel Crowe, I was used! It was Mandy who deliberately came to me and pretended to be pitiful, and I was too annoyed! Your real enemy is her. She must be the one who wants to drive a wedge between the Denmarks and the Andersons.”

Hazel was speechless. Kathie was used to being arrogant, and even if it were her fault, she wouldn’t admit to it. Mandy wanted to get away with the incident, but Kathie would never say it was her to save herself. Besides, Hazel knew Mandy did it on purpose and that she didn’t need to enlighten Kathie, who would completely blame Mandy.

But the punishment wasn’t enough for Mandy, who actually had replaced a fake gun with a real one for murdering her!

“You said you were used, but you don’t have any evidence. How can I believe you?” Hazel said coldly, “How about I’ll call Mandy now? As long as she admits she asked you to come for me, I’ll let you go.”

“Okay, okay. Call her!” Kathie said delightfully. She was always selfish and only cared about her own life, how could she care about Mandy’s? Additionally, Hazel only gave her one option, so of course, she couldn’t wait to contact Mandy.

Hazel gave her an indifferent glance and quietly called Mandy.

Mandy quickly answered she was clearly a bit surprised. “Hazel Crowe, why are you calling me?”

“Look at it yourself.” Hazel turned on video chat and pointed the camera at Kathie and others, Mandy looked slightly uncomfortable.

According to her original plan, the best result would be that Kathie killed or hurt Hazel with the real gun. Even if Hazel were really very lucky and escaped, this incident would be just Kathie’s fault. After all, Mandy didn’t leave any trace and had even discouraged Kathie from doing it. Of course, her warning only made Kathie angrier with Hazel.

But what had happened? Kathie was so useless, and the four of them were actually captured by Hazel instead, and she was the one who called her. Was it Kathie who had betrayed her even though she had done nothing suspicious?

“Hazel, what do you mean?” Mandy pretended she didn’t understand Hazel’s words.

“Let me tell you,” Hazel said quietly. “The four of them said it was you who had incited them to bully me so that there would be a wedge between the Denmark family and the Anderson family. Of course, I don’t believe them, but as long as you say what they said was true, I’ll let them go.”

“Mandy, help me!” Kathie shouted worriedly, “Tell her I did just as you told me to! You’re so kind, and you’ll definitely save me, right? As long as you admit it, she’ll let me go!”

Mandy clenched her teeth in anger. She didn’t expect Kathie would shift the blame onto her. The plan which should have killed Hazel with perfection didn’t only fall short but also made her the center of the conflict.

But how could she possibly confess to the crime of plotting to kill people, inciting the Anderson family to fight with the Denmark family?

“Kathie, I’ve never asked you to do this!” Mandy clenched her teeth and finally said with a heartbroken look. “I just said a few words to Lucy, why were you so impulsive…”

“Don’t say anything else,” Hazel said as she stared at her through the phone. “Just tell me whether or not, if it was you who prompted Kathie to kill me. If you say yes, I’ll let Kathie go right now!”

 

Chapter 359: It Wasn’t Very Dangerous

Mandy clenched her teeth in anger. Hazel was actually smart enough to use this to force her to admit to her crime. She could not win, if she said yes, she would offend the Denmark family and the Anderson family at the same time. However, if she said no, she would certainly offend Kathie Anderson.

Taking a deep breath, Mandy’s tone was full of innocence, “Hazel, I know you dislike me. But even if Kathie offends you, she is still a child. Can’t you be generous enough to let her go? Why do you use a child to accuse me of committing some unwarranted crimes…”

“You heard it,” Hazel said, looking calmly at Kathie. “She’s unwilling to save you.”

“Mandy, you bitch!” shouted Kathie, who was extremely irritated.

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Mandy was nervous and wanted to continue explaining, but Hazel hung up the phone without hesitation as she would not give Mandy any opportunity to provoke her or Kathie any further.

“It really was her who incited me!” Kathie was worried. “Hazel, give me a break…”

“It’s not that I don’t want to let you go,” Hazel said coldly. “But given the fact that I was bullied and almost murdered! Don’t you think I should find out exactly who is responsible for this? You said she told you to do it, but she didn’t admit to it, so I have to settle with you. Get up and go with me to Denmark Residence!”

She forced them to follow her to Denmark Residence. With the gun, they dared not disobey her. She called the police, and they arrived a short time later to arrest Kathie and the others.

Elene knew it was not over, and she had to be prepared for the storm that was going to hit. She contemplated everything while she paced back and forth, waiting for Joshua to arrive home.

“Why did you come home so soon?” She was a little shocked.

“If I took longer, I wouldn’t be here to help you.” He said in a deep voice, “I heard all about it. Have the police obtained all the evidence?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “I made a copy of their records.”

“Okay,” Joshua said with an apologetic look in his eyes. “Hazel, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when it was so dangerous.”

“It wasn’t very dangerous anyway…” She smiled. “They were just a few young girls. I handled it.”

Things were, in fact, far less easy than she told Joshua. After all, given Kathie’s reckless character, she might have really shot her at any point, but she didn’t want Joshua to worry.

Before they could say more, Fred Cohen and Mandy walked into the living room in a huff, along with a group of directors.

“Mr. President, you can’t continue to favor this woman! This incident is really too severe!” A director pointed angrily at Hazel.

“Yes! We’ve roughly heard about this incident. The young girl, Kathie, from the Anderson family, just stopped her on the way home and bullied her a little. Why did she need to make such a fuss over a trivial matter?”

“Besides, the Anderson girl did it because she hated to see someone shamelessly living in Denmark Residence before the true identity of the Denmark family’s daughter came out. She did not do anything wrong, but it’s very clear someone is so guilty that she made a fuss!”

“Yeah! Although the Anderson family is not as strong as the Denmark family, the relationship between the two families has always been very good. Won’t the two families have a falling out with each other now that she put the little girl into jail? She ignored the general interest, and it is simply unreasonable to ruin their relationship for a simple incident!”

Listening to all the groundless accusations, Hazel appeared very calm as she gave Mandy a sideways glance. Mandy knew the matter was about to get serious, so she immediately brought the directors to denounce her.

“Well, how do you think we should deal with a woman who is ignorant and deliberately confrontational?” asked Hazel quietly as a smile curved her lips.

Mandy felt something was wrong and was trying to stop her, but before she could speak, she heard a director yelling, “Of course you need to move out of Denmark Residence. Since you are so ignorant and incapable, stay away from the Denmark family’s business? And let go of that little girl…”

Joshua’s eyes were cold. He looked calmly at the director speaking, who felt a chill run down his spine and shut up hastily.

Hazel looked at Mandy with a faint smile on her face. It seemed Mandy also knew that she couldn’t save herself if she didn’t save Kathie. Otherwise, Kathie wouldn’t stop accusing her of being involved.

It turned out that Mandy really cared about her living in Denmark Residence and was not going to give up without a fight.

“Joshua,” said Fred, looking like an elder, “The directors’ words are unpleasant, but they are reasonable. The true identity of the Denmark daughter is not clear, so Hazel living in Denmark Residence is not quite right. Kathie hated to see it, so she confronted Hazel, but did Hazel need to put her in jail? What will the Anderson family think? In my opinion, it’s better to let Kathie go and make Hazel apologize to her so that the Anderson family will be calmer.”

The other directors echoed, “Yes! Let Kathie go and make Hazel apologize!”

Hazel smiled more sarcastically. Mandy was really scheming. If Hazel let Kathie go now, it would look like Mandy saved her, and Kathie would not hate Mandy any longer. If Hazel was forced to apologize, then everyone would think that Hazel was trying to drive a wedge between the two families, making it all Hazel’s fault.

“Do you have a problem with Hazel living here?” Joshua opened his mouth quietly, looking at the people with a thoughtful expression.

“Yes!” They gambled, “It has not been proven that she is the daughter of the Denmark family. Why should she live here?!”

“Why?” Joshua swept over them indifferently, and the next moment he looked at Hazel and kissed her gently.

“… Hm!” Hazel’s eyes widened abruptly. She knew that Joshua would certainly not listen to the directors, but how could he suddenly kiss her in front of the directors?

The directors were totally taken aback. They knew that Joshua liked Hazel, but they didn’t expect he would show a public display of affection right in front of them.

As for Mandy, her expression became extremely cold. If… If she had shown up earlier, it would have been her instead of Hazel that Joshua cherished so much.

“Because of that.” After the kiss ended, Joshua naturally wrapped Hazel in his arms. He looked at the directors calmly and did not feel he was doing anything wrong.

“Joshua, do you mean you’re really going to conceal her mistakes so unreasonably?” said Fred, looking pale.

 

Chapter 360: It’s Just Painting

Hazel was not as brazen as Joshua, but she leaned into his arms.

Hearing Fred’s query, Hazel couldn’t stop herself from looking at Joshua with concern. Indeed, he was undoubtedly showing that he would protect her even if she did something wrong.

“Unreasonable? Concealing mistakes?” Joshua looked at Fred with a smile on his face. “I don’t understand. Did Director Cohen misunderstand something? It’s Denmark Residence here, and it belongs to me. Hazel is my girlfriend, what’s wrong with her living here?”

Everyone was dumbstruck. They wanted to drive Hazel away because they thought Denmark Residence was left by Marcus and Cate for their daughter, and with her identity unknown, Hazel was not qualified to live there. They thought they had come up with the perfect reason and, even if Hazel was bold, should live there any longer.

But they all forgot that the Denmark Residence belonged to Joshua, and since Hazel was his girlfriend, she could live there, they had no way to refute it.

“Gentlemen, you want to get my girlfriend to move out of my house. Don’t think you’re being too unreasonable?” Joshua said.

The directors’ faces were red, and they did not know how to explain it in the least.

“Joshua, even though Denmark Residence belongs to you now, it was your parents’ home. We, like your parents’ friends, cannot let you ruin it like this,” said Fred Cohen in a deep voice.

“Yes, yes!” The other directors nodded as if they had finally found a reason to convince themselves, even if they felt it was a little far-fetched.

“Do you have so much free time that you need to get involved in this situation?” Joshua’s tone became more sarcastic. “Director Cohen, you know that you were friends with my parents, you are not my parents, right?”

“Now that you know Denmark Residence belongs to me, I can deal with it as I wish. If you really want to bother about it, wait until the house is yours. I am presuming you have hoped to take it over for a long time, correct?” Joshua asked.

“Joshua, you…” Fred’s face became pale as he said angrily, “How can you say such heartbreaking things?”

“Heartbreaking?” Joshua looked at him nonchalantly. “I only know that even a gossiper would never meddle in other people’s family affairs. Director Cohen, are you even worse than a gossiper?”

Hazel was shocked. She didn’t expect Joshua to have such a poisonous tongue. It seemed that her distress really made him very irritated. She looked up at Joshua and felt warm, he was so attractive when he was protecting her.

“You…” Fred was horrified. Joshua had always been gentle, and it was the first time that he had humiliated him in public by saying he was a gossiper.

Mandy stealthily tugged at Fred’s sleeve and subtly shook her head. She realized that there was no way to kick Hazel out of Denmark Residence, and it would be more disadvantageous for them to continue. The most important thing was to save Kathie. Only by saving Kathie could they guarantee that the incident wouldn’t incriminate Mandy.

Realizing what she meant, Fred said in a deep tone, “Let’s forget about this, but you must do as we ask when it comes to the incident with Kathie!”

“Yes! Even if you’re the President, you can’t be too partial to Hazel! She must solve the problem that caused on her own!” The other directors echoed.

“She pointed a gun at me and threatened me.” Hazel couldn’t resist defending herself.

“Why would a child have a real gun? It was just a scare tactic. She was just playing with you. Do you need to make a fuss? Are you actually hoping she will blame somebody else?” All the directors continued to condemn her.

Hazel had a cold expression and suddenly bent over and took a gun from the coffee table before pointing it at the directors.

The entire living room was momentarily quiet.

The muzzle of the gun kept moving, everyone tensed up as she slowly went around the room, stopping at Mandy.

Mandy broke into a cold sweat.

Hazel’s gun was exactly the same as the one she secretly replaced and gave Kathie.

“What do you, what do you want?” Mandy stuttered nervously, “Hazel, do you want to kill people?!”

“Hazel Crowe!” Fred glared at Hazel angrily, “Do you want to kill us because you are too ashamed and angry?”

“Kill people? Director Fred is wrong.” Joshua said quietly. “Didn’t you say that Kathie was just playing with Hazel? Hazel’s just playing with you right now.”

Everyone felt instant pain with Joshua’s comment. They were trying to force Hazel to confess, but they were just humiliating themselves over and over. She had a gun pointed at them, what could they say?

“But Kathie is just a kid!” Fred took the initiative to speak first.

“I’m younger than all of you, and I’m also a child!” Hazel looked like she was being persecuted.

“Yeah,” Joshua echoed. “Kathie is only about five years younger than Hazel. Hazel is 20 or 30 years younger than you. She’s just a baby compared to you. Did any of you think of it that way?”

Joshua just continued to make them feel worse. How could he make such a comparison?

Joshua and Hazel were too unreasonable. Worse still, they actually cooperated with each other so perfectly and were both so thick-skinned… But all of the words he spoke were words that they used against Hazel; they couldn’t accuse them at all.

“You, you can’t count on a fake gun to scare us!” Mandy yelled and clenched her teeth. She didn’t have the knowledge if the gun was real or not, so she could guess that it wasn’t a real gun.

“Oh?” An evil smile curved Hazel’s lips, and she calmly pulled the trigger.

“Ah!” Mandy just felt something hit her forehead, and she was so scared that she immediately fell to the ground. She felt a liquid running down her forehead, she wiped it with her hand in a panic. When she saw a red liquid on her fingertips, she screamed in terror, “Blood! Blood! Take me to the hospital!”

“Don’t be afraid, Mandy. It’s just painting.” Fred quickly squatted down to help her wipe the red paint from her forehead.

Mandy shuddered for a while. Looking at Hazel with a smile on her face, she was furious. So, everything that Hazel had done was just to try and scare her?

“The police took the real gun as evidence,” Hazel said with a chuckle. “This is a paintball gun. Just because I was curious, I asked Joshua to help me buy one.”