Ch. 71..80

Chapter 71: I Believe You

Joshua smiled, any doubt he had was gone, and he felt completely relieved. Hazel was not hiding anything from him, which meant nothing was going on between her and Ivan.

“Mmm. Try to go back to school as early as possible, it’s cold,” he said.

“Don’t you want to ask me what we talked about?” She was curious.

“Hazel, I trust you,” he said in a low voice. “You can handle these things.”

She felt happy that he trusted her. Joshua did not continue asking her what had happened but gave her space to deal with it herself.

“It’s done.” She asked playfully, “What about you? Is there any relationship that you need to deal with?”

“No,” he replied softly.

He had never had an affair, and he had never had any interest in anyone else. Even Vanessa, who liked him, definitely said she had given up. He didn’t think there was any relationship that he had to deal with.

“I believe you.” She smiled.

The three days passed in the blink of an eye. The time Joshua was away given Hazel plenty of time to work on making her chocolates. There was a lot of chocolate wasted, and even though she was not very satisfied with the end result, Ariel and Summer spoke very highly of them.

They had eaten so much chocolate in those three days that they were nauseated by the sight of chocolate and were thankful when Hazel wrapped the chocolates in a box before she put her shoes on.

“Hazel, where are you going?” Summer asked.

“The airport,” Hazel said happily.

She had privately asked Jaxson yesterday when Joshua would be arriving at the airport. She was going to pick him up and give him an unexpected surprise.

Hazel’s heart danced with joy on the way to the airport. The taxi was not going extremely slow but

to her, it was not going fast enough, she could not wait to get there.

“Can you drive any faster, sir?” Hazel asked as she looked out the window anxiously.

“Miss, you have urged me several times.” The driver was a little helpless. “Are you in a hurry to meet your boyfriend?”

“… No.” Hazel blushed with shyness.

“Haha, I also used to be young, I understand.” The driver laughed.

She was feeling shy and embarrassed to ask him to speed up again.

Suddenly, her phone rang, she did not recognize the number but answered it with a confused tone.

“Who is this?”

“Hazel, it’s me,” said Vanessa coldly.

Hazel became even more confused. “And, you are?”

“I’m Vanessa! Joshua’s friend!” Vanessa’s voice sounded like she was a little annoyed.

Hazel thought she was not close to Vanessa, why should she recognize her voice? Plus, she had been busy making Joshua a gift the last few days and had forgotten all about her.

“Oh, it’s you,” Hazel understood. “What’s the matter?”

“Hazel, leave Joshua.” Vanessa didn’t beat around the bush.

“Oh?” Hazel was in a daze. Then she asked in astonishment. “What did you say?”

Vanessa cried irritably. “I’m his woman!”

Hazel was stunned for quite a long time, she never expected Vanessa to say that.

“Isn’t he on a business trip? Did you go with him?” Hazel asked in surprise after coming to her senses.

“It was before his business trip, the night we met,” Vanessa said.

Hazel recalled back that night and frowned. “It’s impossible. Joshua clearly took me home that night. And, wasn’t it Kenny who took you home? Are you mistaken…”

“Hazel, face it!” Vanessa interrupted angrily.

She was furious. Other women would at least get excited or angry when they heard this, but Hazel actually questioned her, and even her doubts seemed to confirm that she was lying!

“I went to Denmark Residence, and Joshua took me home! Then I expressed my love for him, and he accepted me, and we made love… So please leave Joshua. He’s only with you to make me angry.”

Hazel still didn’t believe her even when she heard that.

“Well, in that case, you let Joshua speak to me in person,” Hazel said coldly. “As long as he breaks up with me, I’ll agree.”

Vanessa was furious! She never thought that Hazel would be so tough! Hazel’s reaction made her words seem futile — Hazel didn’t believe her at all!

“If you don’t believe it, you can ask Joshua for proof!” Vanessa sneered. “Hazel, do you think I would lie about this?”

Hazel was somewhat uneasy with the way Vanessa was speaking to her, she came across as if she was confident there was confirmation of her and Joshua making love.

Was there really something happening between them?

“Oh, I will,” Hazel said calmly and hung up immediately.

“You…” Vanessa looked at her phone angrily and almost threw it against the wall.

After hanging up, Hazel was feeling very unsure about her relationship with Joshua.

She began to tremble as she was searching through her phone to call Joshua.

Hazel was not expecting him to answer, so she was startled when he answered on the first ring.

“Did you get off the plane?” Hazel asked in surprise.

“Yes, I just got off,” Joshua said in a low voice. “What’s the matter?”

“I wanted to pick you up…” she looked out the window of the car, seeing the airport in the distance.

She was interrupted by Joshua before she could say she was close.

“No, Hazel,” Joshua whispered, “you go to Denmark Residence and wait for me. Kenny has come to pick me up. I may have something else to deal with.”

“Alright…” she said, a little disappointed.

She could not add to his troubles since he had something to do.

“By the way, did Vanessa contact you before you went on your business trip?” she directly asked after hesitating for a moment.

It was better to ask him directly than to ask him nothing and to let her presumptions get the best of her.

“Mmm, she got drunk and came to my house to look for me. I took her back to her apartment,” he replied softly.

It turned out to be true…

No wonder Vanessa wasn’t afraid that she might talk to Joshua about it. The more questions Hazel asked, the anxious she became, but she needed to know.

“And then?” she continued asking.

“What then?” He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Then I went straight on a business trip. What happened, Hazel?”

“No, I am just asking,” she said in a low voice. “Come home quickly. I’ll meet you at your house.”

“Okay.” He smiled. He didn’t think much of the conversation and hung up the phone.

Hazel had arrived at the airport, but she was supposed to meet Joshua at home. She was uncertain about what she should do, she decided to go see Joshua first, then she would go to Denmark Residence.

At the very least, she wanted to let him know she was there to pick him up and had prepared a Thanksgiving Day present for him.

But as she approached the baggage claim area, she caught sight of Vanessa and Joshua hugging.

 

 

Chapter 72: It’s True As Expected

Hazel froze when she saw them together, she was both panic-stricken and stunned.

When Vanessa called her, she did not believe her story at all, and even when she had asked Joshua for proof, it was because she was a little unsure, but then he answered honestly, so she believed him.

But now, she actually saw Vanessa leaning intimately on Joshua’s chest as if she were crying while Joshua patted her on the back as if he was comforting her. They looked like a couple who hadn’t seen each other for a long time while she was standing there like his mistress.

How could this be happening?

Joshua didn’t want her to pick him up because he was meeting Vanessa Young?

Hazel’s heart was filled with anger at being deceived. She took a deep breath and was walking toward them for an explanation when suddenly there was a man in front of her.

“Miss Crowe, can we talk?”

It was Kenny, she looked over at Joshua again, but Kenny said, “It isn’t right to bother them now, is it?”

Hazel looked down to the ground as her heart broke.

Kenny guided her out of the airport to a nearby corner. He hesitated for a bit before speaking, “Miss Crowe, it may not be right for me to say this, but I hope you will be the one to leave Joshua.”

Her eyes suddenly turned cold. “Did Joshua send you here?”

“No, that’s what I mean.” He heaved a sigh. “Joshua is a very kind man who places a high value on relationships. I think he just may not be able to say anything, but you shouldn’t be kept in the dark.”

She looked at him coldly.

He recalled. “Joshua chased Vanessa when he was in school. It was rumored that the two of them were engaged, but Vanessa refused to marry him. Then Joshua’s parents died, and the matter was never mentioned again. It appears that this is why Joshua never had any women around him.”

Hazel bit her lip hard. It suddenly occurred to her that she had asked Joshua if he had any relationship to deal with, and he had said there was none. However, even his friend came to tell her to leave him.

Kenny originally called her sister-in-law when they met only a few days ago, but now he was calling her Miss Crowe.

Even though she wanted to believe Joshua, she could not deny what was happening right in front of her eyes.

“So?” She took a deep breath. “That’s all over. I don’t care what happened to Joshua before he met me.”

“But Joshua has always had a special place for Vanessa.” He said. “Vanessa’s parents wanted to send her to study abroad, but Joshua suddenly ran the surrogacy competition. Later, Vanessa persuaded her parents to let her stay at home, and the surrogacy competition was suspended. Vanessa went to see Joshua, and I heard they talked, then suddenly your story went viral. Do you think it was all a coincidence?”

She just felt chilly all over. “You mean Joshua just used me to make Vanessa angry?”

Seeing her in despair, he relented a little.

“Joshua has always kept his thoughts to himself, and I thought at first that he did love you.” Kenny sighed. “It has only been two days since I found out that Joshua had arranged a job for Vanessa in Denmark Group, and they also…”

Looking at his hesitant expression, she felt somewhat frustrated.

“Have they made love?” she asked, with a hint of a sneer on her face.

“… Did you know that?” Kenny looked at her apologetically. “I didn’t want you to know that, but I’m afraid there was something Joshua couldn’t say. I don’t have to lie to you about that.”

“I see.” She turned around to leave, immediately getting into a taxi. Since she was the extra in the relationship, she felt she should leave first.

In the taxi, Hazel squeezed the gift box in her hand as hard as she possibly could. Her chest was aching from all of the emotions she was feeling.

Suddenly, her phone rang, and she answered the phone, confused.

“Hazel, it’s Thanksgiving Day today, and Joshua is on a business trip. Shall we spend it together?” On the other end of the line, Isaac said in a cynical tone.

“No.” She refused in a deep voice.

“You are actually refusing me so cruelly?” He wailed. “Don’t you think of me as your brother? Why are you still afraid I’ll bite you?”

“I’m not in the mood.” She looked out the window, feeling lonely.

“What happened?” he asked with sincerity in his voice.

She was silent for a while.

Isaac was Joshua’ friend, and so he should know about the situation, right?

“Isaac, can I ask you a few questions?”

“Ask as many questions as you like.”

Taking a deep breath, she squeezed the box in her hand. “Did Joshua chase Vanessa before?”

“Chase Vanessa?” He thought for a moment and said, “It seems it did happen when we were at school. It went viral all over the school, but Vanessa turned him down.”

It’s true, as expected. Her fingers grew cold.

As Kenny had said, she could prove it at any time, and he did not need to lie to her.

“Hazel, it’s been more than a decade. You don’t have to worry about it. He should have no interest in Vanessa,” he said positively.

Her eyes dimmed a little, and she then asked, “By the way, what does Vanessa do now?”

“She seemed to say she was going abroad some time ago, but then she changed her mind. I seem to have heard that she plans to work for Denmark Group…” He was stunned and said quickly, “Hazel, don’t think too much about it. Vanessa’s parents are directors of Denmark Group. Normally, they want their daughter to work in the Denmark Group.”

“And did the other directors do the same?” She cocked her eyebrows slightly.

“It’s rare, Joshua is very strict in this aspect,” he said. “But the Young family has always had a good relationship with the Denmark family. He may not want to disappoint the Young family.”

Her heart sank completely.

If she had any misconceptions before, she completely gave up now.

No wonder Joshua asked her to be his secretary, it turned out he had also arranged a job for Vanessa in the Denmark Group.

She was just Joshua’s toy he played with just to make Vanessa angry. He chose Vanessa, and so she must step aside.

When a tear fell from her eye, Hazel quickly wiped the tear and resisted the urge to cry.

It was her who had been too naive.

Such a person did not deserve her tears.

 

Chapter 73: Are You Going To Murder Your Husband?

Unable to hear her response, Isaac anxiously asked, “Hazel, are you all right?”

“Yeah, it is nothing.” Hazel sucked in a deep breath. “I’m just asking.”

“Really?” He was still worried.

“Really,” she replied.

After a brief chat with Isaac, she hung up.

She went straight back to her dorm, she was thankful that Summer and Ariel weren’t there.

She looked down at the chocolate box in her hand. She had actually brought it back, she threw it in the trash can without thinking twice.

Just as it hit the bottom of the can with a loud thud, her phone rang.

Looking at the two words “Joshua Denmark” on the screen, she stiffened. She just let the phone ring but then decided to answer it so she could hear his explanation.

“Hazel, haven’t you arrived yet?” Joshua said in a low voice.

He was back at Denmark Residence, but Nanny Carter told him that Hazel didn’t show up.

There was fear in his heart.

“I didn’t want to go,” Hazel said suddenly.

Joshua was somewhat surprised. He asked softly, “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“No, I just didn’t want to go.” Hazel’s voice was a little more annoying.

His expression got grave. When Hazel called him when he got off the plane, everything seemed to be fine. How did she change her attitude so quickly?

“Hazel, what happened?” he asked in a low voice.

“Nothing,” Hazel said coldly. “Joshua, let’s break up.”

Rather than waiting for him to say it, she might as well say it first, either way, he would be happy, she thought.

“Hazel, no kidding.” Joshua could not help frowning.

“I’m not kidding,” she said, holding back her anger. “Joshua, I don’t like you anymore. Go and be with someone you love!”

Ignoring her angry words, he said calmly, “Where are you now? I’ll come to you.”

“You do not need to come. I won’t see you even if you do!” she hung up the phone in anger and set Joshua’s name on the blocked list without hesitation.

What was wrong with him? She gave him what he wanted, but he was still going to pester her?

Joshua was furious when she hung up, he stood there staring at his phone.

Hazel left him so he could be with someone he loved. Who would that be if it wasn’t her?

While he was thinking, his cell phone rang. He answered the phone irritably. “What?”

“Joshua, it’s about Hazel. I feel there’s something fishy going on,” Isaac said in a low voice.

“What’s the matter?” Joshua felt nervous for a moment.

“I called Hazel today, and she suddenly asked me about your relationship with Vanessa,” Isaac said. “I thought she was just jealous, so I didn’t pay attention…”

Vanessa? Joshua’s face changed at the thought of seeing her at the airport.

He suddenly understood the root of the problem.

“Isaac, what did you say?” he asked.

“Just tell the truth,” Isaac recalled and told Joshua exactly what Hazel asked and how he responded. But Joshua could not guess from these conversations what Hazel had misunderstood. It seemed that she would still have to go to find her and explained the confusion.

“Thanks, Isaac,” Joshua said in a low voice.

“You’re welcome. You’ve also helped me solve a big problem.” Isaac said heartily. “Alright, you had better go to find Hazel quickly. To tell you the truth, I really like this girl. If you can’t get her back, I’ll chase her.”

“You won’t have the chance,” Joshua said calmly and quietly hung up.

He opened the car door and was about to get in.

“Mr. Denmark,” Nanny Carter said to him, “are you going out immediately after you get back? At least take a shower and change your clothes.”

“No, it’s a little urgent.” Joshua sat on the driver’s seat and closed the door.

Joshua drove to Quantum University; he parked his car near the dorm then changed to a different cell phone, hoping she might answer, but her phone was turned off.

He was sure Hazel was in the dormitory. However, she would not come out to see him, so he would have to go in to find her himself. How would he get into the girls’ dormitory, though?

To make the situation that much worse, today was Thanksgiving Day, the dormitory was filled with students, so he could not just sneak in.

Hazel did not want to be recognized anymore, meaning that he could not be too ostentatious getting into the building.

Joshua took out his phone and dialed the number of Quantum University’s president.

Soon, students at Quantum University were told by their class counselors that there was an

important class meeting and that credits would be deducted if they did not come to go to their classrooms.

The whole school began to complain. It was loud for a long time with students complaining about getting credit deduction, but no one wanted to get credits deducted, so the students headed for their classrooms.

Joshua looked up at Hazel’s dormitory room, his expression filled with determination.

No one would dare stop him if he tried to enter the girls’ dormitory building, but if Hazel locked the door inside, it would not be easy for him to break in.

It seemed that he only had one other option.

Hazel was sitting on her bed trying to read, but she could not focus at all.

She was surprised to hear that the whole dormitory building was in an uproar as if they were extremely annoyed. But she was in her own bad mood and didn’t care at all.

But before long, the whole building suddenly became quiet, and it left Hazel feeling very confused.

She was about to go out and see what was going on when Ariel and Summer came back.

Ariel said hello to her and went straight to the balcony.

Summer and Hazel talked for a while, and soon Ariel brought all the clothes inside.

“Let’s go, Summer.” Ariel made an OK gesture to Summer.

“Did you just come back to bring your clothes in?” Hazel looked at them in disbelief. “Couldn’t you have just called me?”

“We were just passing downstairs, so we came up.” Summer laughed. “Keep reading. We have other plans. No worries about us being an inconvenience.”

As the two of them sped out of the dorm, Hazel was still a bit baffled.

She went to lock the door, then when she got back to her bed, she still could not concentrate on anything.

After all, she still couldn’t just let it go. She frowned when she thought about Joshua, but she was quickly distracted by the strange sound coming from the balcony.

She was tense when she picked up a baseball bat on her way toward the balcony. She barely had the door open to see what was happening when a figure jumped over the railing. She swung the bat to hit the intruder, but he grabbed the bat suddenly.

He looked at her attentively, with anger and amusement. “Hazel, are you going to murder your husband?”

 

Chapter 74: Are You Mad?

It turned out to be Joshua who was breaking in?

Hazel looked at him in astonishment. She lived on the fifth floor. He climbed up to the balcony from the first floor?!

But the bitterness and anger seemed to burst, and she could not help cursing. “What are you doing here?!”

Joshua’s face changed slightly, and he leaned back against the wall. She was frightened and hurried to grab him by the wrist.

She looked down and saw there was only one rope tied to the balcony railing. There were no other safety precautions at all.

“Are you mad?!” she shouted angrily. “Do you want to die? This is the fifth floor! Why would you dare climb up like that?!”

A smile appeared on his lips, he seized the chance and held her in his arms. “You’re so worried about me, but why did you want to break up with me?”

She felt a little more victimized. “Who says I’m worried about you? I’m just afraid you’ll get me into trouble! If anything happens to you here, people will think I murdered you!”

This little dishonest girl!

Joshua hugged her tenderly. He sighed helplessly. “Hazel, whatever you’ve misunderstood, at least give me a chance to explain. Even criminals on death row can defend themselves. It is very unfair to me if you sentence me to death by hearing one side.”

She stiffened as she tried to break free from his arms, but Joshua was still standing outside the balcony, and if she struggled too much, he might fall.

“Come in first,” she said reluctantly. “You’re not afraid to be seen?!”

Joshua climbed over the balcony. He smiled lightly. “No one will see me.”

Hazel looked downstairs in surprise. The first floor of the dormitory building, which was normally busy, was now so empty, and there were no students around. Even the opposite dormitory building was dark as if there were no people at all.

“Where are they?” she asked bewilderedly.

“They all went to the class meeting,” Joshua said slowly.

“Oh?” She was utterly surprised. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

As she looked worried and seemed ready to go to the class meeting, Joshua quickly grabbed her hand. “You don’t have to go.”

“Who said so?” She threw him off impatiently.

“I said,” he whispered.

She was in a daze and suddenly understood what he meant.

Maybe the class meeting was orchestrated by Joshua. This rope must have been tied by Ariel on the balcony just now.

“What…” She looked at him in astonishment. “Why did you make such a big deal?”

“I almost lost my wife. How couldn’t I be worried?” He looked at her with hidden bitterness.

“Who is your wife?” she was angry. “Joshua Denmark, now that you are ready to be with Vanessa, why are you still bothering me? Is she ignoring you, and you want to use me to make her jealous once again?!”

“Hazel, why would you think that?” He felt quite helpless. He knew she was jealous, but the jealousy wasn’t logical.

“Joshua, don’t pretend! I already know all!” She angrily walked back to her dorm room and opened the door. “Get out, I’m not interested in being your woman on the side!”

Joshua’s face darkened. Then he came close to Hazel and closed the door behind her.

She was so irritated that she wanted to push him, but Joshua suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her against the door. “What do you know, Hazel? Who said you’re a spare? If you’re jealous of Vanessa, I can tell you for sure that I’ve never liked her. Not before, not after.”

“You… Let me go!” Hazel was extremely pissed. He was trying to deny this?

“No,” he said in a deep voice. “I will let you go when this whole misunderstanding is cleared up.”

She was angry and powerless, she had no choice, so she drew a deep breath and sneered. “If you don’t like her, why did you chase her before?”

“You mean when we were at school?” he asked.

“You did!” she was irritated.

“No.” He shook his head.

He said slowly, “Back then, Vanessa expressed her love for me. I was not interested, but it became a rumor that I was chasing Vanessa. She was only a young girl at that time, and I was afraid it would hurt her if I explained any more, so I just let others get the wrong impression.”

Hazel was startled.

How could this be?

She didn’t know whether she should believe Joshua, but given his character, it was indeed like something he would do.

“That’s just what you are saying…” She was angry. “And you were going to be engaged!”

“Who told you this?!” He was confused himself, it was no wonder Hazel did not believe him. “The Young family intended for me to marry their daughter, but neither my parents nor I ever agreed. You can ask Nanny Carter about it.”

Things were so chaotic that she did not know what to believe. Why was Joshua saying exactly a different version from what she had heard?

She bit her lip. “But apparently, you knew Vanessa was going abroad, so you ran the surrogacy competition. When she changed her mind and didn’t go abroad, you immediately stopped the surrogacy competition!”

Joshua gave her a flicker on the head. “Stupid girl, do you think if I made up my mind yesterday, I would be able to run the surrogacy competition tomorrow? I had already been thinking about running it for the last six months when Vanessa hadn’t even thought of going abroad.:

Hazel rubbed her head then she looked at Joshua questionably. Was that so?

“Besides,” his eyes grew deeper, “don’t you know why I stopped running the competition?”

Her heart skipped a beat. Joshua had told everyone he stopped running the surrogacy competition because he had met her.

Hazel just felt more confused. She asked bewilderedly, “Then why did you get her a job in a company? Didn’t you want to make her jealous?”

“What are you thinking, little girl?” Joshua frowned. “Her parents are the directors of the company and, of course, want their daughter to have a job there. The Young family also helped Denmark’s family at the beginning, so it’s not good if I don’t show them gratitude.”

“But…” Her face darkened a little.

“But what?” He looked at her with hidden bitterness, waiting for her next question.

“But you…” Taking a deep breath, she clutched her fingers tightly and whispered, “made love.”

He frowned. “Vanessa told you that?”

“If you were willing to touch her, that meant you had her in your heart, didn’t it?” She smiled mournfully. “Are you going to tell me you didn’t love her and touched her just because your body needed her…or was it just to make her happy?”

 

Chapter 75: I Didn’t Touch Her

Even if everything made sense, Hazel couldn’t accept whatever reason Joshua had.

Joshua burst into laughter and said with a sigh of relief, “I’m glad I was there with the driver to take her home that day.”

“Oh?” Hazel looked at him blankly. “You mean…”

If Joshua and the driver took Vanessa home, how could he do anything to Vanessa with the driver around?

“Hazel, I didn’t touch her,” he whispered. “I took her home with the driver and left with him that day. Then I went straight to the airport, so there was no way I could do anything to her.”

“But I saw…” She looked at his white shirt, and her eyes dimmed somehow.

Joshua didn’t change his clothes. He was wearing the same one he was wearing when he came back. There were still traces of tears on his shirt from Vanessa.

“What did you see?” He cocked his brows.

“I went to the airport and saw you are holding her,” she said jealously.

How could a man have a normal friendship with a woman who he allowed to cry in his arms like that?

Joshua was caught off guard then finally understood why Hazel had such a deep misunderstanding that she would want to break up with him without any answers.

There were really too many coincidences and misunderstandings, or rather, someone had deliberately misled her and caused this. He stretched out his arm and held Hazel in his arms lovingly.

Hazel, who misunderstood him, must be sad, right? He wanted to comfort her and protect her from all of the experiences she had endured since she met him.

“You’ve hugged another woman, don’t hug me!” She pushed him angrily.

“Hazel, listen to me first.” He explained in a low voice, “Vanessa came to meet me at the airport. She said I had touched her that night and asked me to be responsible for my actions. I did not do anything with her, so of course, I would not admit to it.”

Joshua continued to say, “However, when the driver and I left that night, Vanessa was actually assaulted. She could not accept the fact for a moment and cry. I could not push her away.”

“You mean Vanessa slept with someone else, but she thought it was you?” Hazel looked at him in astonishment.

No wonder Vanessa was so confident and proud when she told her about it. It was just too coincidental…

“It appears so.” He nodded.

His eyes deeper, he asked softly, “Hazel, will you believe me now?”

“Joshua, I’m very confused now. I don’t know if I should believe you…” she bit her lip and stared at him blankly.

“If you don’t believe me, it means the misunderstanding hasn’t been cleared up.” He frowned. “Shall I call the driver and ask him to explain to you?”

“… It’s unnecessary,” she whispered. “You can presume I believe you.”

“Presume?” He slightly raised his eyebrows and gently lifted her chin with his finger. “To believe is to believe, to not believe is not to believe. How can I presume that?”

His lips pressed against hers, she tried to push him away, but he grabbed her wrist. He seemed to express all the feelings of missing her for the three days by kissing her passionately.

“You…” When the long kiss was over, she leaned against his chest and gasped.

“Hazel, can you feel it?”

“What?”

“My heart.”

She leaned on his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat.

Her hand, which had been holding his shirt, suddenly tightened a little, and Hazel finally made up her mind, “Joshua, I believe you.”

The stone in his heart fell at long last as Joshua chuckled. “What about the gift?”

“What gift?” She was a little stunned.

“Thanksgiving Day gift,” he whispered. “Shouldn’t you have prepared a Thanksgiving Day present for me?”

If not, why would Hazel make a special trip to the airport to meet him?

“There’s no Thanksgiving Day present!” she said awkwardly.

The chocolates she had intended to give him had been crushed in her hand and thrown into the trash can. How could she give them to him?

However, Joshua even could guess it, so she could only play the fool.

“Is it?” Joshua let her go and turned around to walk toward the trash can.

He took the box out of the bin and smiled. “This?”

“How did you know?” She was dumbstruck.

Joshua was too smart, wasn’t he? She hadn’t said anything at all!

“You kept looking at it when I asked you. I suppose you have left your present here.” He explained with a smile.

She was convinced.

“What’s in it?”Joshua sat down in his chair and looked down at the crumpled box.

Hazel had completely destroyed the box. He heaved a sigh and gently opened it.

“Forget it.” She shyly grabbed the box and slammed it closed. “I’ll throw it away and give you another gift in the future.”

“The future is the future; the present is the present.” He took her by the wrist and pulled her into his arms.

He took the box again and opened it, his eyes lit up. Hazel actually had intended to give him chocolates as a gift. Many of the chocolates in the box had been crushed, and their former shape could not be seen at all. Looking at the crushed chocolate, Hazel suddenly felt a little sad.

It took her several days and numerous attempts to prepare the box of chocolates, but she got angry and crushed it before giving Joshua the opportunity to explain.

She said hopelessly, “Throw it away, it’s all broken…”

She was overwhelmed with surprise when Joshua calmly took out a piece of chocolate and put it in his mouth.

“Delicious.” He smiled.

Hazel wanted to cry and said in a low, trembling voice, “They’re so dreadful, you don’t mind them…”

“What’s dreadful?” He whispered, “It’s from you. I like it very much. Hazel, this is the best Thanksgiving Day present I’ve ever received.”

Feeling a warmth in her heart, Hazel leaned on his chest. “Joshua, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have suspected you before.”

“Hazel, it’s not your fault. Perhaps we should deepen our feelings.” He looked at her tenderly and kissed her again.

The kiss had chocolate flavor. Hazel wrapped her arms around his neck in bewilderment and responded emotionally.

At the end of the kiss, Joshua gently touched her forehead, and they smiled at each other.

All of a sudden, the phone rang, and Joshua frowned.

“Answer the call quickly.” Hazel smiled and warned him in a low voice.

He answered the call and heard Kenny’s voice frantically say, “Joshua, come quickly, Vanessa killed herself!”

 

Chapter 76: Are You Still A Man?

Hazel was in absolute disbelief.

Vanessa had committed suicide? She had just called her early in the day to warn her to leave Joshua.

Joshua hung up the phone after saying a few words that Hazel could not comprehend due to the shock.

“Is she okay?” Hazel asked.

“Kenny found her and got her to the hospital in time. Now she is out of danger.” Joshua replied. Hazel muttered, “Will you go to visit her?”

“Yeah. That is also the reason Kenny called me, I need to visit her in person.” Joshua replied in a low voice.

“Okay.” Hazel replied in a depressing voice.

Joshua noticed the change of her expression and smiled, “Are you jealous of her?”

“No, I’m not.” Hazel refuted him angrily.

“Hazel, come with me.” He proposed.

“What?” Hazel looked up at him with a puzzled look.

“Since you seem to be uncomfortable with me going to visit her alone, then come with me.”

Joshua spoke to her and held her hand naturally.

Hazel hesitated, it was indeed better that she went to the hospital with him rather than staying in the dormitory speculating what would happen between them.

“Okay.” Hazel nodded her head. “Would it be too late to go now?”

“No.” Joshua replied calmly, “We won’t stay long anyway. We will figure out the situation, and I will bring you back right away.”

When they arrived at the hospital, they found Vanessa lying in her bed, and Kenny was sitting beside her. He heard the door open, so he lifted his head to see that Joshua and Hazel were walking in.

Kenny was angry when he saw Hazel was also there. He stood up, walked toward them, and then he asked Joshua in a low but angry voice, “Why is she with you?”

“Hazel is my girlfriend, why shouldn’t she come with me?” Joshua raised his eyebrows and was irritated slightly.

“Joshua, you should not be like that.” Kenny was angrier, “Vanessa tried to commit suicide because of you. The fact that Hazel is here will just make her sadder.”

Hazel felt awkward and suddenly believed that her appearance here was indeed inappropriate. Even though she had misunderstood Joshua and Vanessa before, it was the truth that Vanessa liked Joshua.

From Vanessa’s point of view, she might think that Hazel came here with Joshua just to show off.

Joshua replied in a cold voice, “Kenny, I know you have always regarded Vanessa as your sister, I have never ever had any other feelings for her.”

“If you had no special feelings for her, then why would you do that to her.” Kenny stared at him angrily.

Joshua furrowed his eyebrows, “What did she say to you?”

Hazel also furrowed her eyebrows. She wondered if she misunderstood what he was saying, regardless his choice of words made her uncomfortable.

Vanessa woke up before Kenny was about to reply.

“Joshua, is that you?” She asked in a mournful voice.

Kenny stepped aside so that Joshua and Hazel could get closer to Vanessa’s bed.

Vanessa struggled to sit up. When she saw Hazel, a flash of hatred appeared in her eyes.

“It’s me.” Joshua replied, “Vanessa, you need to give this a rest and let it go.”

“How could I let it go?” She had an IV in her hand, out of the craziness, she pulled the needle out. “Joshua, how could you treat me like that?” She spoke to Joshua with grief and resentment.

Kenny quickly calmed her, “Vanessa, take it easy.”

Joshua spoke to Vanessa coldly, “Vanessa, I think I have made it clear about us.”

“Do not talk with me about this!” Vanessa interrupted him. She said with tears in her eyes, “Why did you come here then? Leave me to die.”

“Joshua, why are you pushing her so hard?” Kenny shouted at him.

Joshua was miserable, and Vanessa would not even do not give him a chance to speak. He believed there was a weird reason.

Suddenly someone pushed the door open, Vanessa’s parents came rushing into the room in a panic.

“My dear, why are you so stupid?” Vanessa’s mother, Mabel Lawrence, rushed to her daughter and pushed Kenny away. She held Vanessa to comfort her.

“Mom, how could he treat me that way? I’m too ashamed to live.” Vanessa burst out crying in Mabel’s arms.

Hazel found it strange to be looking at the mom and daughter crying together.

It made no sense that even if Vanessa was assaulted and she could not deal with it, why would she put all the responsibility on Joshua.

Hazel worried about Joshua and pulled on his sleeves, but he gently pinched her palm and motioned for her not to worry.

At that time, Vanessa’s father, Garry Young, walked toward Joshua.

He spoke to Joshua angrily, “I see you are all grown up now. Vanessa has always been close to you. How can you treat her that way?”

Joshua still replied coldly, “I do not know what you are talking about.”

Maybe Joshua’s momentum shocked Garry. “Joshua, a decent person, should be responsible for what he has done. For this, you should take responsibility!”

Why would Joshua be the one to take the responsibility?

Hazel was feeling sick to her stomach, she felt something was very wrong.

When she was thinking, Joshua asked, “Uncle Garry, what do you want me to do?”

“Marry her, of course,” Garry replied in a firm voice. “You have slept with my daughter; shouldn’t you marry her? Do you think that we Young family are weak and you can use us?”

Hazel was deep in thought, but when she heard Garry say that Joshua should marry Vanessa, her head spun around to look at them.

“Have you misinterpreted something?” Joshua refuted, “Nothing happened between your daughter and me.”

“Mom, he will not even admit what he has done.” Vanessa cried loudly.

Hazel was stunned. Vanessa’s family was trying to make trouble out of nothing and force Joshua to marry her!

“Joshua, are you still a man?” Garry stared at him angrily. Then he noticed Hazel and saw the light suddenly, “I see. You bastard. Is this woman the reason that you are reluctant to assume your responsibility for Vanessa?”

“Director Young, I respect you as an elder and call you uncle,” Joshua was irritated, “But I hope you can also show your respect and don’t forget who you are.”

Mabel got angry upon hearing that, she lunged at Hazel and shouted, “Bitch, it’s you who deceived Joshua. I will beat you to death.”

 

Chapter 77: Collecting Important Evidence

Hazel was still lost in thought. It was indeed not a wise decision to come here with Joshua. She just stood there and did not speak a word, but she was still being pulled into the situation.

Mabel was about to reach for Hazel, holding her hand to slap her and looking at her furiously. Hazel was scared of the woman coming toward her, so she moved out of the way. At the same moment, Joshua stepped in between Mabel and Hazel, the slap landed with a loud smack on his cheek.

The room suddenly got very silent, everyone was in shock and looked at Joshua.

“Joshua Denmark, go away, don’t protect this bitch!” Mabel shouted at him in a daring voice. She had slapped Joshua! It made her a little scared, so she was trying to justify her actions.

“Mrs. Young, if you talk to me like this, do not blame me for being impolite,” Joshua said in a cold voice.

“You-you talk to me like that!” Mabel retreated as she spoke. She held Vanessa again and was very mad. “If your parents were still alive, they would not allow you to do such an absurd thing.”

“Joshua, you’ve gone too far.” Kenny also spoke to him angrily.

“Kenny, we’ve known each other for so many years, you know me. Do you think I’m the kind who would not assume responsibility?” Joshua looked at him coldly.

Kenny thought for a while and did not reply.

“I do not care what Vanessa has told you all,” Joshua explained, “I haven’t slept with her. I took her home that day with my driver. You can ask the driver if you do not believe me.

Garry and Mabel panic after hearing that and turn in surprise to look at Vanessa.

“Your driver will vouch for you. If he does know anything, I do not think he would tell us.” Vanessa stopped crying and replied firmly.

“Yes! We won’t believe a word your people tell us!” Garry quickly echoed, “Joshua. You are determined not to take responsibility. Though the Young family can’t compare with the Denmark family, we still will not let you bully us like this!”

“We can check the video surveillance.” Hazel suddenly said.

Joshua looked at Hazel appreciatively. They had the exact same thoughts.

“Shut up! What video surveillance? Who do you think you are to suggest what we should do? You bitch…” Mabel shouted at Hazel. But when she saw the cold expression of Joshua, she stopped shouting.

Hazel continued, “Since you both insist on your own opinions, then why not check the video surveillance? We will be able to see when Joshua arrived and when he left from the video. If they indeed took Vanessa home together as he said. Then the whole thing is cleared up.”

Garry and Mabel looked at each other suspiciously.

They had made up their mind to force Joshua to marry their daughter this time. What if the video showed it was not Joshua who did this thing? What would they do then? By then, what an embarrassment this would be, there would be people laughing at their daughter.

“I have asked Chuck to get the video surveillance for that day. I believe everything will be clear soon enough.” Joshua said calmly. “If I asked my people to do this, I don’t think you will be convinced. Chuck is impartial. He will favor none of us. Do you still have any questions?”

Hazel looked at Joshua with admiration, he was prepared before they entered the hospital.

Garry and Mabel grew more and more restless.

Garry shouted at Joshua, “Joshua, what do you mean? Do you think that I am slandering you with such a thing? If you keep bullying us like this, I will not give up on anything in the world!”

“We just want to know the truth. Getting the video surveillance is the best way.” Hazel puzzled at his reaction, “What are you afraid of? Don’t you want to know the truth?”

Garry and Mabel were too angry to say anything, it was as if everyone could see through their story.

“What makes you think that we are afraid?” Vanessa said coldly,” We will wait for the video. I’ll prove to you that it’s Joshua who is reluctant to admit his part.”

Hazel looked at Joshua; she believed him. However, Vanessa was so determined, which made her somewhat uneasy.

Joshua whispered in her ear, “Don’t be afraid, Hazel.”

His conscience was clear regarding the entire situation, he knew he had left with the driver, but he believed Vanessa had concocted a plan because she was too calm and relaxed as they waited.

His phone rang suddenly, Joshua told everyone, “It is from Chuck.’

“Then answer it quickly.” Garry urged him. He felt encouraged upon hearing his daughter’s words.

Joshua pressed the answer button and put Chuck on the speaker so everyone in the room could hear.

“Chuck, what’s going on?” Joshua asked, “Have you got the video?”

“Joshua,” Chuck replied anxiously, “I just went to get the video, but the video of that day has been hacked.”

“Only that day?” Joshua furrowed his eyebrows.

Now he understood why Vanessa was so confident and non-argumentative about the video, she must have been the one who destroyed the video.

“Yes, videos for other times are all normal,” Chuck explained.

“Has anyone else asked for the before you?” Joshua kept asking.

“I have asked the property management staff and the security guards, they told me that no one had come.” Chuck replied. “but later I discovered that someone had hacked into the surveillance system this afternoon and destroyed the video after checking.”

Joshua looked at Vanessa with a meaningful look, thinking that after explaining to her what had happened, she got the video and destroyed it after she saw Joshua was telling the truth.

The problem was he had no other way to prove his innocence without the video.

“Joshua!” Garry suddenly snapped, “what will you say now? Do you still want to explain? You must use the one who destroyed the video. You are afraid the truth would be revealed, so you destroyed it.”

“Yes! You know that there is no video already. So, you proposed to watch it!” Mabel added. “Admit what you have done to our daughter. In any case, you must be responsible for that!”

“Do these two things have any connection? You can’t say Joshua did something to your daughter just because the video was destroyed.” Hazel said angrily.

She was not going to let the Young family force Joshua to marry their daughter!

 

Chapter 78: The Young Family Schemes

“How do you know he didn’t do it?” Mabel was furious. “I think that you are planning on marrying better than you ever imagined you would, so you are speaking for Joshua.”

“Joshua, you must marry my daughter.” Garry was rampant. “Or I am obliged to prosecute you for raping my daughter. Let us see what influence it would have on the Denmark Group.”

“Are you threatening me?” Joshua looked at him with a half-smile.

Garry was scared by his look. Although it was always said that Joshua was easy-going and mild, Garry clearly knew another side of him. He could be cold-hearted and cruel if he were serious about the confrontation.

Hazel ran out of patience, she did not intend to get involved. After all, she had nothing to do with the situation, and they just assumed she was only there to show off, but they were so brazen to pressure Joshua like that!

“Call the police.” Hazel suddenly proposed.

Everyone turned to look at her with mixed expressions on their faces. Every time Hazel spoke, they could not speak; she disrupted the Young family’s plans and schemes.

“If you call the police, Joshua will go to jail.” Kenny was puzzled and looked at Hazel.

“The police have not investigated yet. How do you know that Joshua will go to jail?” Hazel was surprised at his words.

Kenny was left speechless.

Hazel turned to Joshua and looked at him, “Are you sure that you did nothing to her that night?”

“I’m sure.” Joshua nodded his head.

“Then call the police. If they are determined to frame you, I believe the police must have ways to prove you are innocent. Doubts will clear up when the facts are known.” Hazel said calmly, “Furthermore, if you really did do what they are saying, shouldn’t you be in jail?”

The Young family were panicked while Hazel was completely free from the threat that Joshua would go to jail. Did this woman really not care about Joshua and his future?

Actually, they did not have the ability to send Joshua to jail, and if he really was jailed, what good was it for them?

“You are right,” Joshua took out the phone, “we can’t allow the man who terrorized Vanessa that night to remain at large. We should find him and send him to jail.”

Vanessa became very pale. Garry rushed to grab his mobile phone and said, “We can’t call the police.”

“If we do not call the police, how can you send Joshua to prison?” Hazel said, he looked at her and was surprised at her reaction.

Garry did know what to say to counter her statements.

“Joshua, we have known each other for so many years, why are you so mean to me?” Vanessa cried.

“If you call the police, would this thing be made public? Then what do you want me to do? Attempt another suicide? What’s more, how could it be possible that I would send you to prison? Now you have someone new, if you insist on refusing to admit it, what can I do? Tell me, and I will not intervene if you really want to be with her.”

“Chares, I never expected that you were such a bastard! You, two sons of…” Mabel scolded angrily.

Hazel was aggravated by this unreasonable family.

“You were raped by another person. I can understand why you are reluctant to call the police. But why are you blaming me?” Joshua sneered. He had run out of patience. “Now that we are all here let me make it clear.”

Joshua was not going to give Vanessa any chance for further deception.

He quickly said, “Vanessa, we were young when you first told me that you loved me, but I refused you. Then you proclaimed in public that you refused me. I did not explain that time because I thought you were too young to realize what you were doing. Later, your parents wanted us to be married. My family and I refused.”

Joshua continued without letting anyone else speak. “You fell back into old habits and spread rumors again. Okay, thinking of the relationship between our two families, I did not blame you for that. How long do you think that I can allow you to keep treating me like this?”

His cold words were like a sword stabbing into Vanessa’s heart, she sat trembling and unable to speak, she knew her story was shattered.

She had not planned for Joshua to speak about the past and to stand up for himself.

“No, he is not telling the truth.” Vanessa pleaded and turned her parents for help.

Garry became angry from embarrassment, “Joshua, don’t forget how we helped you before. You are the type of man who goes after those that help you.”

“I haven’t forgotten.” Joshua said, “Otherwise, what makes you think that as a director, you can be a tyrant for so many years in Denmark Group?”

Garry was left speechless when he caught Joshua’s warning. He was rather scared. Did he know all the things he had done in the company?

“Since things are clear, we will be going now.” Joshua said slowly, “If you have changed your mind and still want to call the police, I’ll also do my best to help you to find the man.”

They were angry and awkward but had no words to fight back.

“Let’s go,” Joshua said to Hazel in a low voice and held her hand.

“Joshua,” Vanessa shouted in a hateful voice, “You really want me to die?”

Joshua furrowed his eyebrows impatiently. It was not the first time she threatened self-harm.

“Joshua,” Kenny was thoughtful and followed up. The Young family did not know what to do and were clenching their teeth out of anger.

“Mom, what should we do?” Vanessa burst into tears.

“Vanessa, tell me the truth. Is Joshua really the one that hurt you that night?” Garry asked her with a sour face.

Vanessa froze. But in the next moment, she replied firmly, “Yes! Dad. I don’t care about anything else, I want to marry him.”

Garry struck the table with his hands angrily and said, “He has gone way too far. I need to teach him a lesson!”

Mabel was hesitant to say, “Joshua was now the president of Denmark Group and has a solid fundamental strength. We may not be able to hurt him.”

“Though he is the president now, he won’t be in the position for long because he is not supposed to be.” Garry said ruthlessly, “as long as we find her and threaten Joshua with her, won’t he have to listen to us?”

“Who is her?” Mabel asked surprisingly.

“The Denmark family has lost their daughter, the authentic heir of the Denmark Group.”

“But it is said that she is dead.” Mabel was puzzled.

“But no one has found her body,” Garry continued coldly, “We may be able to find her as long as we are willing to look.”

 

Chapter 79: Close Your Eyes

“It doesn’t make sense!” Vanessa objected. “If we find her, then the Denmark Group would be returned to the woman. If so, then what is the use of marrying Joshua? ”

“Vanessa, be rest assured.” Garry comforted her, “After we find the woman, we will use her to threaten Joshua but not let her take over the Denmark Group. As long as we have her in our hands, we will make Joshua marry you.”

“What if we can’t find her?” Vanessa was worried.

“If we really can’t find her,” Garry said maliciously, “I’ll make someone be her!”

Vanessa’s eyes lit up, she believed her father. Then she asked curiously, “Mom, how was the daughter of the Denmark family lost?”

Mabel recalled, “It seemed that when she was born, she was taken away by the enemy of the Denmark family. It was a piece of big news when it happened. They looked for her for a long time but never found any trace of her.”

“Oh.” Vanessa nodded her head and did not keep asking.

Kenny caught up with Joshua just as he and Hazel were leaving the hospital.

“Joshua,” He called.

They stopped.

“Anything else?” Joshua asked him.

Kenny looked at Hazel. She understood the situation and said to Joshua, “Well, I’ll wait for you in the car.”

She walked to the car to wait while Kenny and Joshua spoke.

“Joshua, are you telling the truth?” Kenny was a little hesitant to speak, but he finally asked him.

“Kenny, we have been friends for so many years, aren’t you clear about who I am?” Joshua sighed, “And remember, don’t tell Hazel those rumors that have not been confirmed.”

“Did she tell you that?” Kenny was awkward.

“No. I guessed so.” It was not hard to guess what had happened.

“Sorry, Joshua.” Kenny was embarrassed. “But this time, could you please let them off? Vanessa could not accept the reality and may lose her mind.”

“You need to clarify with her more these days.” Joshua then changed his attitude, “But if they have further actions, I won’t be as nice as this time.”

Kenny did not say a word.

Joshua walked away and got into the car. He took Hazel’s hand and apologized, “Sorry Hazel, I should not have brought you here.”

If she hadn’t come with Joshua, she would not have been exposed to their harsh attitude.

Hazel shook her head, “If I weren’t here, I would make blind and unclear assumptions myself. What’s more, what if you were not determined and agreed to marry her?”

“You don’t trust me?” Joshua smiled slightly, “You are the only one I want to marry.” Joshua suddenly looked at her fondly.

Hazel blushed. Why did he suddenly say that to her?

“I need to get home now.” Hazel urged him.

“You haven’t had supper yet.” Joshua smiled, “are you hungry?”

“No.” Hazel pretends to be angry. However, her stomach growled.

Hazel felt awkward.

“Let’s go and have something to eat first,” Joshua said to her gently.

He took Hazel to a villa halfway up a hill located in the suburbs.

Hazel got out of the car, and the first thing she noticed was a fragrant odor from the nearby flowers.

She looked around in surprise, there was a beautiful flower field only a few steps from the car.

“Roses! Look at all of them!” She exclaimed with joy and excitement.

She did not expect to see such a field of roses here, the fragrance spread in the wind, which made her feel relaxed and happy.

“Unfortunately, we are not here in the daytime.” Hazel sighed. Although the lights here were bright, there would be a better view during the day.

“I had planned to bring you here in the daytime,” Joshua said.

“Ah?” Hazel looked at him surprisingly.

“I remembered today is Thanksgiving Day.” He continued, “I have prepared a surprise for you…”

But Hazel had given him quite a shock the moment he returned, and then the disastrous situation with Vanessa arose.

Hazel was awkward; she changed the topic, “Is this your home?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

“How come you planted roses here? Were they for a certain person?” Hazel said jealously. After all, roses represented love.

“Not me,” Joshua explained. “My father planted them to please my mom. After they passed away, I hired people to take care of this place so it would not go to waste.”

“Your father must love your mother very much,” Hazel said emotionally.

Joshua looked at her affectionately.

For some moments, he had the impulse to tell her everything.

But he couldn’t.

He had to keep the secret to himself for her safety.

“Let’s go, aren’t you hungry? Joshua held her hand to walk into the villa. The servant led them to the balcony on the second floor.

There was a table with bright red candles, delicate roses, and delicious food freshly prepared.

Candlelight Dinner?

Hazel was surprised to see all of the work that Joshua put into the surprise. She sat down, and the red candle made her cheeks redder.

The servant came forward and poured the red wine into the goblet.

Hazel looked worriedly, she whispered, “It would probably be better if I do not drink.”

Last time she was drunk and made a fool of herself.

“Don’t worry about getting drunk this time.” Joshua must have heard what she was thinking.

“What is the percentage of alcohol in this wine, very small?” She asked.

“I mean, it doesn’t matter if you are drunk. You can stay here.” He chuckled.

Hazel was left speechless and suddenly felt silly. It was not like she had to drink it all. What was she worrying about?

She took a sip. After the original astringent taste, she felt sweet and mellow of the red wine.

She then picked up the knife and fork to start to eat her meal. With all the commotion, she had not eaten anything since lunch, and she was desperately hungry.

Just as they were about to finish their meal, the sky lit up. Beautiful fireworks were changing the color of the roses below them with each bang.

Looking at the bright light in her eyes, Joshua smiled.

“When did you prepare all of this?” Hazel looked at him happily and asked after the fireworks show finished.

“I had everything arranged well before I came back,” Joshua said slowly. He felt somewhat disappointed because he had prepared many other activities for her, but he was climbing the balcony when it was time for those activities.

“Is this a gift for me?” Hazel asked with joy.

“It’s just a small part.” Joshua smiled. “I had planned to send you a few sets of old exams for the Graduate Record Examination.”

“What?” Hazel looked at him ruefully, “why are you so bad to me?”

“Close your eyes,” Joshua said to her.

“What do you want to do?” Hazel was alert.

 

Chapter 80: A Gift For You

“Are you afraid of me?” Joshua smiled and said jokingly, “Are you expecting me to do something to you?”

“I’m not!” Hazel closed her eyes quickly. However, she regretted it immediately.

How did she become so senseless once she met Joshua? He always succeeded in provoking her into saying what she did not mean.

She thought since she had closed her eyes, it would be too awkward to open them immediately.

However, what did Joshua want to do? He would not really send her the old exam?

Hazel waited for a while. Suddenly she felt a soft touch on her lips.

She hurriedly opened her eyes but saw Joshua standing in front of her with a smile.

“Why did you kiss me when I did not know?” She blushed again.

Joshua smiled gently, “Well, you closed your eyes all the time; I thought you were waiting for me to kiss you.”

“I did not.” Hazel blamed him. Suddenly, she bowed her head and found a unique stone on her neck.

However, it was a bit heavy. She had no idea what was inside it.

“Is this for me?” She was surprised.

“Yes.” Joshua nodded, “A gift for you.”

Hazel was curious and intended to open it.

“It won’t work if you open it.” Joshua reminded her.

“Oh.” Hazel stopped immediately, “Why would you think to give me a stone?”

“I heard from others that the place where I was on business has a famous temple. They told me that the stone from the temple is especially effective. Therefore, I got one for you. “Joshua explained.

“Thank you.” Hazel smiled happily.

It was just a stone, and Hazel liked it, so she gladly accepted it. However, she did not expect that the stone would save her life later.

Joshua let out a sigh of relief.

What he wanted to give her was not the stone but the thing hidden inside. If he gave it to her directly, she might not accept it, so he had it hidden in the stone.

Hazel was slightly drunk after the meal.

“You can sleep here,” Joshua said to her gently. He did not know that Hazel would get drunk so easily.

Her face turned red. However, she shook her head resolutely. “No, please take me back.”

Joshua blinked his eyes. This little girl still did not believe him.

“Okay.” He agreed.

Joshua drove her back to Q University. Before leaving, he called Ariel and asked her to go downstairs to meet Hazel. As he stood there watching her walk away, his phone rang.

“What is it, Jaxson?” He asked. It was so late now, there must be an emergency.

“Sir, it is about the Young family,” Jaxson replied.

Joshua’s attitude changed upon hearing that.

After he left the hospital, he had already sent people to follow up with them to see what they would do next. He was clear that they would not stop if they had gained nothing from him this time.

“What has Garry Young done?” he asked.

“He contacted a lot of people to help him look for information regarding that year. It seemed that he planned to search the missing daughter of the Denmark family.” Answered Jaxson.

Joshua furrowed his eyebrows. How could he think of this? He thought for a while and realized what Garry Young planned to do.

Joshua got into the car and hit the steering wheel with his fist, and then began tapping his hand on its side. He asked in a low voice, “Jaxson, have you got the result of the paternity test of Hazel and her parents?”

“I’ve got it. Hazel has no blood relation to her parents that she is living with.” Jaxson reported to him. “Sir, is she the daughter of the Denmark family?”

“There can be no such coincident birthmarks in the world.” Joshua squinted his eyes. Hazel’s birthmark on the chest was almost the same as the one in the photo.

He had confirmed many times when he helped her with the shower. The position and the shape were the same.

He did not expect that Garry would get involved, he could not let anyone discover that Hazel was the missing daughter of the Denmark family. It would put her in a dangerous situation, Joshua had to help her conceal her identity before he could make sure that she was safe.

“Jaxson, you need to keep spying on the Young family. I’m afraid they will make a reckless move. We should be able to get the goods on them before that.” Joshua suddenly stopped tapping the steering wheel, “I will be going out of town on business tomorrow, help me arrange that.”

Jaxson agreed and hung up.

***

Joshua did not expect that he would be gone for more than two weeks. However, each day made time to speak with Hazel on the phone.

She was very busy studying for her final exams, which helped distract her from Joshua being away.

Vanessa did not stop trying to get attention from Joshua, she tried twice more to commit suicide. However, when she knew Joshua was on business, she was quiet for days.

After she wrote her final exam, Hazel got a cold unexpectedly. She seldom got sick, but this time, she was so sick she was in bed.

The phone suddenly rang while she was sleeping, she answered and mumbled, “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Joshua replied in a low voice. “Hazel, I heard that your holiday begins today. You can also leave the school, right?”

“Yes,” Hazel replied in a weak voice, “Ariel and Summer have left already.”

“When are you going to leave?” Joshua asked gently, “You have agreed before that you will live in my house during the winter holiday.”

Hazel was dizzy and sleepy. She did not expect that Joshua still remembered that she had agreed.

For the past few days, he had never mentioned anything of it. Hazel did not know what to say when he mentioned it suddenly.

After a long while, Joshua suddenly asked, “Hazel, are you not feeling well?”

“Ah? Did you hear it in my voice?” Hazel was somewhat awkward. “It’s no big deal. Maybe it is because of the weather change recently. I have got a cold.”

“How could you not take care of yourself?” Joshua stopped for a while and smiled slightly, “Should I suggest you drink some water?”

Hazel felt he was funny. But she was also a little unhappy, “Do you think that water can cure any illness?”

She was sick and feeling uncomfortable. But Joshua only suggested her drink water? He was not considered at all!

“Yes, that is exactly what I was thinking.” Joshua agreed. “Then open the door.”

Hazel was taken aback. What did he say? Was she too sick and imagining what he was saying?

A sigh came from the earpiece, and then she heard a knock at the door through the phone.

“Oh, my goodness.” Hazel cried.