Ch. 351..360

Chapter 351

Jefferson was used to waking to her smiling face and her morning greeting. He loved the breakfast she made and the gifts she gave to him. The man knew he could not bear to lose the trace of warmth she g ave to him.

In fact, he desperately wished that Frosa was the only place in the world so that they would live there fo rever and she would stay by his side for the rest of their lives.

Since Jeremy’s lab was located in the metropolitan area, it was not far from the hotel Rayna and Jeffer son stayed in. It was a six– minute drive to that mansion, and she nervously rang the doorbell after arriving there.

Soon, a blond man opened the door and warily looked at her.

“Who are you looking for?”

“Hello, I’m Mr. York’s friend,” Rayna said in Ferropenian. “I’m Rayna Garland, and I’m here for Ixora. Ha s Mr. York told you about this?”

The blond man then closed the door, seemingly having gone to make a call.

She patiently waited for his return. About a minute later, the door was opened again, and he invited her in. “I’ve called York for verification, but the thing you want will be troublesome to get.”

“What do you mean?”

Instead of answering her, the blond man brought her to the basement of the mansion.

It was a room with an area of two hundred square meters, and the place was filled with various kinds of equipment and experimental products. Around eight researchers, dressed in work attire, were walking around the workstations.

Rayna was stunned by the sight.

Putting aside the number of military supplies Jeremy could receive by researching medicine for Loang, the fact that Faymon Group had him meant that it had a po werful backup and needed not to worry about anything.

Rayna followed the blond man into a small lab. It was then she saw a few glass jars on the laboratory bench - one had a green plant inside. That was the plant they had fortunately managed to bring out of that villa ge in Tyrandas. After Jeremy and the researchers studied it, they named it Ixora.

“Is the liquid in this test tube Ixora too?” Rayna asked as she pointed at a green test tube.

The blond man inclined his head in acknowledgment before a look of passion appeared in his eyes. “Th at’s right! Our research is currently in its fourth stage, and we have yet to encounter any failures. We never thought the research would be this smooth sailing”

Hearing that, she turned back to the glass jars on the bench and curiously asked, “I remember rescuing six Ixoras back then, but there’s only one glass jar and four test tubes now.”

“York took one of the plants. He said he bought a piece of new equipment that would allow him to deco mpose Ixora faster, so he’s doing his experiment at his place to save the hassle of moving the equipme nt around.”

Rayna nodded. A moment of hesitation later, she asked, “Can you sell me one? The price doesn’t matt er.”

The blond man shook his head.

A wave of disappointment washed over her as she thought he was refusing her. After gritting her teeth, she said, “If it can’t be bought, tell me what you want instead. I’ll try my best to fulfill it.”

1

“You’re overthinking this, Ms. Garland, he replied and chuckled. “Since York sent you here, it means you’re a very important friend of his. You’re free to take whatever you want.”

“Then, why…”

“Ixora is still in its testing phase, so it might carry viruses we have yet to discover,” he explained. “We n eed to test it on living beings to determine its safety before giving it to you. The unknown viruses that some plants and animals carry might be highly contagious and transmissible via air. If viruses like these are widely spread across a city, they might ca use the deaths of millions of people. We cannot afford to take such a great risk.”

Rayna thought about how the villagers had been consuming Ixora and were even using it as an ingredi ent for their soup.

However, the raw plant was different from its liquidized form. Some kind of virus might make itself know n during the researchers‘ experiments.

After realizing that, she nodded at the blond man and said, “Sorry. I was too anxious. I wanted to use th is to save someone, so I never thought this far”

The blond man then stroked his chin and mulled over it. “The research on Ixora is in the last stage, whi ch will take ten days. Adding on the testing on living beings, it will take at least thirty days.”

“Okay. I can wait for thirty days.” As long as Ixora’s research was a success, Jefferson could be saved. Rayna sighed in relief at the thought of that. “I’ll have to trouble you to contact me when it’s done.”

“Will you be leaving Frosa?”

She shook her head. “No, we’ll be waiting for Ixora’s research to be completed. Moreover… he’s in ill h ealth. He can’t travel far.”

The blond man smiled and asked, “Seeing how anxious you are, I reckon he must be very important to you, right?”

“No, we’re just friends,” Rayna said after hesitating momentarily. She was doing that much for Jefferson to repay him for the care he had given to her. While she felt bad for him, she could not let him have a p lace in her heart.

Once he recovered a little, she was going to go back to keep Curtis company and apologize to him.

She had wronged him, after all.

Before Rayna left, she exchanged numbers with the blond man, who told her he would update her on any progress in Ixora’s research. On her way back, he r heart raced with excitement.

In the hotel, Jefferson had prepared lunch. When he heard the doorbell, he hurried over to open the door.

When he saw Rayna’s rosy cheeks, twinkling eyes, and grin, he smiled as though he was affected by he

“I found Jeremy’s lab!”

Jefferson froze.

Rayna was in the middle of taking off her coat and scarf, so she did not notice his tense expression. Wit told me the location of his lab. I took a trip there, and guess what I found out? The research on Ixora is in the last stage, so we only

The more she told Jefferson, the more excited she became. She then spun around and gripped his hand,

exclaiming, “In a month’s time, you’ll be healthy again! You’ll get another chance in life!”

At that point, Jefferson finally returned to his senses, but there was no hint of joy on his face. “Is that so?”

Fear had crept into his heart when he heard Rayna say those words. He desperately wished that Jerem

It was because Jefferson knew she would leave once he recovered.

However, he would rather die than have her leave him.

“Are you not happy?” Rayna asked, finally taking in his expression. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hide Mr. York’s call from

Jefferson shook his head and gave her a soft smile. “My heart aches for you because you’ve been going his lab.”

There, he paused, lifting his hand to run his fingers through her dark hair and her cheek.

Rayna stiffened, but the thought of his condition stopped her from pushing him away. Instead, she grasp said, “One month will soon pass. I’ll be right beside you.”

His blue eyes bored into hers, and he fearfully asked in a small voice, “Will you always? You won’t leave me once I recover, will you?”

 

 

Chapter 352

It was nearly impossible for Rayna to meet his gaze.

In the end, she decided to lie. Smiling, she shook her head and replied, “No, I won’t leave you. I will alw ays be by your side.”

“Really?” Jefferson’s eyes lit up. It was as if he was rejuvenated when he heard her reply. Then, he dra gged her to the dining area.

“I cooked your favorite dishes for lunch,” he said.

A pang of guilt struck Rayna’s heart. She tried her best to put on a radiant smile and sat next to him at t he table before praising him. “Your culinary skills have improved greatly, Chef Hamilton!”

“Eat more,

then.”

“Don’t worry. I will definitely finish all the food you cooked!”

Her words delighted Jefferson greatly. With a chuckle, he served her a bowl of soup.

As Rayna was gobbling the food down, a bit of white cream got on the corner of her mouth. He reached out to wipe it off with hi s thumb, but she instinctively inched away and evaded his touch.

Jefferson paused in his motion, a gloomy look clouding his eyes.

Rayna had an awkward expression on her face as she whispered, “It’s a subconscious reaction… Don’t take it to heart.”

“I got carried away. Very soon, he revealed a warm smile and handed her a napkin. “There’s still plenty of time. I’m sure I can wait till the day you accept me”

Nodding, she said, “In one month, you will be well again!”

Jefferson put some food on her plate. It was not until minutes later he spoke again. “The hotel is too boring: I don’t want to stay here anymore. I wan t to stay at a place with more people and a garden.”

“Sure. I will look for a place like that later in the afternoon,” said Rayna hurriedly. She was also aware t hat staying in a hotel was akin to staying in prison. It was not a surprise that he was getting bored. “Let’ s plant camellias in the garden.”

Jefferson recalled that woman’s sharp words and how she had looked at him resentfully at the restaura nt in Norwal City that day. His heart ached terribly, as if countless knives were stabbed into his chest. T he agonizing pain suffocated him.

He cast his eyes downward and said softly, “No, I don’t like camellias. I never want to see this flower ev er again in this lifetime.”

Camellias made him realize just how filthy his birth was. For the past twenty– odd years, he had been living in

a dream.

Rayna felt her throat tighten upon remembering the hardships he had experienced in the past. “Sure. We will plant green roses instead Back when we went on a trip to Hallsbay, you gave me green roses, and I like them very much.”

Jefferson looked up at her and asked, “So you knew?”

“Yes, I do” Tears started to well up in her eyes, and she was at a loss for words. “You’re so foolish. Why do you like to keep everything to yourself? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Yeah. If I had told you everything earlier on, things would have been better,” muttered Jefferson.

If I had been more despicable and courageous to tell her the truth and keep her by my side forcefully, I wouldn’t have had to worry about Curtis right now. As it turns out, the order in which one appears in an other person’s life doesn’t matter when it comes to love. Most of the time, the most despicable person would wound up winning instead

“Let’s eat.” Rayna reined back those sad emotions and changed the topic. Putting some food on his pla te, she suggested with a smile, “After lunch, let’s go out and view houses together. It won’t rain today!”

Jefferson smiled as well. “Okay.”

Once they were done with the meal, she helped him clean up. The two of them left the hotel around hal f past one in the afternoon.

Rayna managed to find a few decent residential areas with good accessibility using the local real estate websites. After making appointments with the property agents, she drove Jefferson for the viewing.

The two of them traveled around the metropolitan area and viewed houses for more than an hour. Final ly, they decided on a small mansion located in a residential area on Lavanya Road. It came with a garden, as Jefferson had requested.

That residential area seemed to be favored by Chanaeans. When Rayna and Jefferson were on the way there, they met quite a number of Chanaeans who greeted them warmly .

After signing the agreement and transferring the payment, the duo returned to the hotel to pack up their belongings.

Since they did not have much in the first place, it did not take them long to pack up their things and return to the mansion.

Once Rayna tidied her room, she went downstairs to find Jefferson cleaning the living room while being clad in cleaning attire. “Where did you come from, Snow White?” she teased.

“What do you mean?”

It was then she briefly told him the story of Snow White and added, “I feel like the dwarves in the story. When I return home, food is ready, and my house is cleaned.”

“That’s quite a nice story,” he commented with a smile before looking at her with a burning gaze. “If you like, I can be your Snow White for the rest of our lives.”

Rayna’s cheeks burned, and she coughed lightly to evade his statement. “Didn’t you say that the lightb ulb in the living room isn’t working? Why don’t we go to the supermarket to get some groceries? We ca n buy a bulb at the same time,” she asked, changing the topic.

Jefferson was used to her evasion, so he said nothing. Instead, he changed out of his cleaning attire an d went out with her.

At the supermarket, the two of them bought a lot of fruits and vegetables, as well as daily necessities and a lightbulb. By the time they retur ned to the mansion, it was already dark. Rayna volunteered to make dinner while Jefferson went to cha nge the lightbulb in the living room.

Once dinner was ready, Rayna placed the dishes on the table and proclaimed proudly, “Quick! Have a t aste. I made the sauce from scratch. I assure you that it will be the best lasagna you have ever tasted!”

Jefferson smiled softly and asked, “Are you so confident in your culinary skills?”

“That’s mean of you…

She waited for him to take a bite before leaning over to ask for his opinion. “So? How is it? It’s delicious , isn’t

it?”

“Nope.”

“What?”

Rayna tasted the food on her plate. Just as she was about to praise her own cooking, she heard Jeffers

*Jefferson, why can’t you finish speaking in one go?” Pretending to be angry with him, she glared at him and declared, “Initially, I plan to

He immediately begged for her forgiveness with a chuckle. “It’s my fault. I spoke too slowly. Please don’

In response, Rayna snorted and ordered, “You’ll be doing the dishes tonight, tomorrow, and the day afte

“Sure.”

“I bought some green rose seeds. Tomorrow, you shall set up the shed and prepare the soil. Agree?”

Jefferson nodded with a smile. “Agreed.”

Rayna swiftly took a mouthful of lasagna. “After you are done with the dishes, let’s play a game of morra to decide what we shall watch tonight. I have already chosen a movie

“What if I win?” he remarked with a laugh. Chatting with her put him in a relaxed and joyful mood. The two of them behaved

“I’m a girl. Shouldn’t you give in to me?”

“What’s the fun in that?”

Rayna propped her chin in the palm of her hand and sighed, “Men are meanies. They don’t know how to

on us women.”

Jefferson let out a soft chuckle.

During the game of morra, he allowed her to win without her knowledge. The sight of her squealing excit

Rayna chose Schindler’s List, a movie she first watched when she was a student. It was a long movie, b

The living room was pitch– black, with the only source of illumination being the light coming from the projector. Both Jefferson and R

Rayna was a person who cried easily. Halfway through the movie, her face was already covered in tears

 

Chapter 353

Rayna swiftly withdrew her hand.

Jefferson’s countenance was cloaked in darkness, so it was impossible to read his expression. He dre w two pieces of tissue and handed them to her. “It’s just a movie.”

“You’re going to say something along the lines of ‘the actual war is crueler than movies, aren’t you?” Sh e wiped her tears with the tissues and grumbled, “Aren’t you sick of repeating yourself? I can’t help that I tear up so easily. It’s not as if I’m disrupting your movie–watching anyway.”

“I can’t bear seeing you cry, even more so when a movie’s the cause. You might as well shed tears for me. It’d be more worth crying over me.” His heart ached at how miserable she seemed.

Rayna was choked with fury. “Fine, you win! I can’t outsmart your silver tongue!”

“Where’s the lie?”

“You’re right.” Then, she grabbed a handful of popcorn and forcefully stuffed them into his mouth as sh e threatened, “Concentrate on the movie. If you dare disturb my crying session, it’s off to bed you go!”

Jefferson’s mouth was so full that he could not utter a word.

While watching the movie, Rayna silently wept. In no time, the number of used tissues on the table pile d up. By the time the movie ended, her eyelids had drooped, perhaps because she was too sleepy.

Her drowsiness took over her, and her head tilted to the side, landing right on Jefferson’s shoulder.

When he felt the weight on his shoulder, he turned off the projector and waited for his eyes to adjust to t he darkness before carrying Rayna to her bedroom. Gently, he lay her on the bed and switched on the

night light..

The soft, amber light bathed the woman’s slumbering face in a golden hue and cast shadows beneath her thick lashes. Her sharp chin was proof that she had lost a great deal of weight from her hard work in the past period of time.

Jefferson sat on the side of her bed and stared at her protractedly as if she were the most riveting piec e of art in the room.

He reached out and gingerly stroked Rayna’s cheek lest he disturbs her sleep before planting a light kis s on her lips longingly.

“Goodnight, my princess.”

May you have sweet dreams tonight, and may I be part of them.

The following day, the sun shone brightly, bringing up the temperature.

Rayna and Jefferson threw themselves into setting up the garden once they had breakfast. While he w orked on constructing a shed, she formulated fertilizer with the help of a botany manual and tilled the s oil.

Before they began, she was initially concerned that his pampered upbringing would render him unfit for manual labor. Yet he surprised her by building a sturdy shed single– handedly with only its blueprint as a guideline.

Rayna gave him a thumbs–up. “I’ll have to address you as ‘Mr. Omnipotent‘ from this day forth!”

Planting flowers was an arduous task. Even the construction of the shed took up several hours. The du o rested at noon and resumed work after devouring venison soup and several other tasty dishes prepar ed by Rayna

It was not till around five in the afternoon that the green roses were planted in the spacious and toasty shed.

Rayna and Jefferson howled in laughter as they took in one another’s grimy appearance. After cleaning up, they went to the supermarket to get some groceries and window shop.

Verdant Vine Garden on Lavanya Road was where they settled down In Frosa. When the weather was pleasant, they would go for jogs in the morning, then read or play puzzles in the comfort of their home during the afternoon.

Occasionally, Rayna would bring Jefferson out to explore the area, dine at fancy restaurants, and purch ase new clothes. However, because he disliked the food from said restaurants, they later took turns co oking at home instead.

The research progress on Ixora was always in the back of Rayna’s mind. From time to time, she would text the blond–haired man named Robert for updates.

In the blink of an eye, she and Jefferson had been living in Verdant Vine Garden for half a month.

That day, Rayna woke up early as per usual. Just as she was reaching for some milk in the fridge, she smelt something that made her nauseous. The churning of her stomach prompted her to make a mad d ash for the bathroom, where she started retching at the sink.

However, that wave of nausea did not persist for long. Therefore, she was under the assumption it was caused by her empty stomach and was soon back on her feet preparing breakfast.

All of a sudden, the phone on her table began ringing.

Rayna, who was busy with the breakfast preparation, rushed to pick up her phone. After tapping on the answer button, she placed her phone next to her ear and asked in Ferropenian, “Mr. Robert, is there an y progress on the research of Ixora?”

James and Robert were the only ones privy to her new contact number, which she had gotten after mo ving to Frosa.

There was only dead silence on the other end of the line.

A long time had passed by the time Rayna sensed something was amiss. She took down her phone an d checked the caller ID.

It was an unknown number that had Frosa’s calling code.

Her heart clenched.

Abandoning whatever she was doing, Rayna lifted the phone to her ear once more. Then, she bit her li p and waited mutely for the caller to speak.

Just like that, the two of them remained silent.

A baritone voice with an air of aloofness sounded after the drawn– out silence. “I can’t comprehend why I still take care of it when I obviously detest long– haired pets. I called Jessica, and she told me your cat is at Jasmine’s house. I’d wanted to send Lucky away, yet I f*cking ended up bringing your cat back from Jasmine’s instead. Your cat is seriously obese that it resembles a pig. Besides, it’s s poiled with the most premium cat feed and high– quality mineral water that costs dozens per bottle. Despite its docile appearance, it fought with Lucky fr equently My floor is constantly covered with fur”

Rayna cracked up at that, and her eyes stung “Please help to trim its nails. Lucky’s skin isn’t resistant t o its scratches. Don’t worry. They’ll stop fighting once they’ve gotten to know each other”

“Taking care of your cat is too costly. It’s too much of a glutton.”

“I’ll reimburse you when I get back. Just state the amount. Her longing for him reached its apogee at the

sound of his voice, causing her to shed tears. She had to bite her lip tightly to hold back her sobs lest he

Curtis sighed and grumbled, “Of all the things you could do, why did you become a thief? You made a m

“I’m sorry”

“Is that all you have to say? You ran off with another man and broke off contact with me. Tell me, is my anger not justified? Do you think a single word of apology would suffice when I had to get hold of new means of reaching you from y returned?”

“I…” Rayna was at a loss for words from his unconditional care, concern, and consideration. By then, te

Of course, she yearned to tell him that she missed him dearly, that he occupied her thoughts day and night, that she missed kissing and hugging him and even his scent. But a be kept to herself.

Curtis relented and said in a low voice, “Do you know that I missed you so much that I had to drown mys

Rayna wept even harder.

She recalled what Jeremy had told her. “Curtis says nothing, but everything he does is for you. You mea

Curtis was a reticent man, never one to express his affection readily. The fact that he could confess that he missed her showed how much he treasured her. It was because he pined for her greatly that he decided to verbalize his feelings.

Rayna sniffled. “Curtis… I miss you too.”

To her dismay, there was only dead silence on the other end of the line. Not even a breathing sound cou be heard. Only when she looked at her phone screen did she find out that the call had already disconnected.

She attempted to reach him, but the line was busy.

Rayna hastily began typing a message on her phone. At that moment, she no longer held herself back, planning to come clean about how much she yearned for him, in addition to

 

Chapter 354

Right after Rayna sent out the message, she heard faint footsteps behind her. In swift movements, she put her phone on the countertop and washed her face. By the time she turned around, her expression was back to normal.

Jefferson had already entered the kitchen. When he saw her reddened eyes, he hastily asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Everything’s fine. It’s the chili pepper.” Rayna pointed at the chili pepper on the chopping board and said pitifully. “It hurts my eyes so bad that I had to rinse them a few times.”

He then took out a piece of tissue to wipe off the water droplets on her face.

“It’s all right. I can do it myself.” However, she quickly drew the tissue from his hand. “You should wait o utside. We agreed that I’ll be preparing today’s breakfast”

At her insistence, Jefferson nodded in agreement. When he was about to leave the kitchen, he saw the phone on the countertop. His eyes darkened as though som ething had popped into his mind.

After breakfast, Rayna wanted to change the bed sheets. He offered to help, but she turned him down. “It’s not a lot of work. I just need to throw these into the washing machine. Why don’t you check on the garden?”

“All right,” he replied.

The environment in the garden shed encouraged plant growth, and that was why the rows of green ros es they planted two weeks ago sprouted so soon. Once the stems grew taller and the buds formed, the roses would bloom in no time.

Jefferson wished they could grow even faster. Daily new chapters upload Only On Alaniniz(dot)com He wanted to harvest them as soon as possible and put a bouquet in the living room and another in Rayna’s room. The green roses emanated a sweet scent, which he believed would help her sleep better..

After that, he returned to the house and realized no one was in the living room. Rayna seemed to still b e busy with her chores upstairs.

While cleaning up the space, he spotted a phone on the coffee table. It was Rayna’s.

Upon recalling her reddened eyes that morning, he unconsciously reached out and picked up the phon e.

Jefferson could access the device easily as it did not require a passcode. The phone had only a few applications alongside two numbers in the contact list. T he call log showed she answered a call that morning.

It has Frosa’s calling code…

In an instant, he figured out who the caller was, and his heart clenched.

He then clicked into the messaging application, where he found a message Rayna sent to the unknown number: Curtis, I miss you so much. Forgive me for being willful . The research on Ixora is going very well, and I still need to wait for fifteen more days. Once Jefferson gets better after taking the medication, I’ll head back immediately. I’ll do anything to make it up to you.

That message was not sent out, seeing that there was a red exclamation mark right next to it. She must have accidentally switched off her mobile data.

Nevertheless, Jefferson’s heart started beating rapidly the moment he read the message. Feeling suffo cated, he clutched the fabric over his chest to suppress that uncomfortable feeling.

His eyes reddened when he recalled the empty promises she made. I knew it. She has been lying to m e all this while. She said she would always stay by my side, but it was merely because she pitied and sympathized with

me. I never had a spot in her heart. The man she loves is in Frosa, and his name is not Jefferson but C urtis.

He pressed his hand against his forehead, laughing and crying uncontrollably. There was a forlorn expr ession on his face as he muttered, “Why didn’t I behave more selfish back then? Why did I allow her to go back…”

She was the love of his life, yet, someone stepped in and snatched her away, refusing to return her to him.

The fear of losing Rayna ate Jefferson up. Amid that, a hint of menace arose. At that point, he only had one thought– he wanted to keep her by his side and never let her go back.

Jefferson believed Rayna would stop dreaming of returning to Chanaea if he could get Curtis to ditch h er.

An idea began to take shape in his mind. He made a call with his phone and instructed the person to reprogram an application on a particular phone.

Minutes later, the person on the other end of the line replied, “It’s done.”

Jefferson restarted Rayna’s phone, switched on the mobile data, and clicked on her messaging applica tion. Then, he resent the message that failed to send out earlier.

The message seemed to have been delivered, but in reality, it was stuck because the messaging applic ation on her phone was reprogrammed. Likewise, she would not receive any incoming messages, even though the senders had sent them out successfully.

After getting everything done, Jefferson put Rayna’s phone back on the table.

Various intense emotions clouded his eyes. Staring at the phone, he did not feel an ounce of remorse. The man did not think he had done anything wrong.

It was because he believed Rayna was destined to be with him since they had known each other before Curtis appeared in her life. Moreover, he was her first love.

“Why didn’t you turn the heater on since you’re in the house?” Rayna, going down the stairs with light f ootsteps, asked when she saw Jefferson in the living room. She then quickened her pace and went to switch on the heater. “It’s raining outside now, so it’s v ery cold.”

“I didn’t turn it on because I don’t feel cold,” Jefferson said, giving her a warm smile as if he had done n othing earlier. At the sight of Rayna leaving after taking her phone, he asked, “Where are you going? I’ll come with you.”

The woman waved her hand. “It’s all right. I’m just going to the mall to get some new bedding. The drye r’s not functioning, but the technician can only come tomorrow since he doesn’t work on the weekend. I’ll be back

soon.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“Worried? Are you worried someone might rob me in broad daylight?” Rayna chuckled before turning around to get her coat. “You’d better stay home. The ai r outside is cold and damp, so you might catch a cold if you follow me.”

Jefferson saw her out and exhorted, “Drive carefully.”

“I will!”

Rayna waved him goodbye and ran toward the open– air parking lot in the drizzle. After driving out of Verdant Vine Garden, she headed to the nearest shoppi ng mall.

Once she arrived at the store, she went straight to the bedding section, where she picked out bed sets.

She then proceeded to the payment counter and handed the cashier her credit card.

The cashier tried making payment using the card but to no avail. Shaking her head, she said, “I’m sorry, miss. The transaction couldn’t go throug

“That’s impossible. All this while, I’ve been using this card without any problem. I have quite a high credi

The cashier gave it another shot, but the payment still could not get through.

“How about an overdraft?”

“It can’t work as well. I’m afraid there’s a problem with your credit card.” The cashier shot a dubious look at Rayna, makin fished out another card from her wallet and handed it to the cashier.

The cashier tried again, but a few seconds later, she pulled out the card and grumbled, “Miss, are you pulling a prank on me because you think I have nothing bette

Rayna immediately apologized to her. “I’m so sorry. Something might be wrong with my credit cards.”

As she frequently used those two credit cards in her daily life, she kept the habit of swiping them when making purchases in Frosa. Knowing that she had not maxed out her credit limits, she decided to

Yet, her credit cards were declined even when she tried making payments in an apparel store and anoth

Left with no choice, she went downstairs and tried withdrawing money from the ATM, but she could not g

When Rayna was thinking of calling the bank, she received a call from an unknown number.

“How are you doing in Frosa, Ms. Garland?”

The image of a young man with a chiseled face, blond hair, and blue eyes immediately came to her mind voice of a male.

Tightening her grip on the phone, she demanded, “Arnaud Montail, how did you manage to get my number?”

“I can find out anything as long as I want to,” Arnaud said with a smirk from the other end of the line. “I feel sor

Rayna took a deep breath to calm herself down. “Things don’t always go as planned, Arnaud. I’ll settle a

He was impressed. “I always wonder how you hold Mr. Faymon and my younger brother spellbound, and now, I finally found the answer to my question but also assertive, Ms. Garland.”

 

Chapter 355

After a pause, Arnaud smiled and added, “It’s unfortunate that you won’t have the chance to do so any more, Ms. Garland. The living cost in Frosa is extremely high. It’s going to be tough to survive without money.”

Rayna immediately understood what he meant by that. Her expression darkened. “You did something to my credit cards.”

“I can do whatever I want to his card, let alone yours,” he taunted.

His arrogant voice gave her a strong urge to tell him off. However, she took a few deep breaths and successfully reined ba ck her anger. “Arnaud, you won’t be smug for long.”

“Oh, it sounds like you want to meet up with me, Ms. Garland?” Arnaud chuckled softly. “Oh, by the way , all my younger brother’s identification documents are no longer valid now. Other than the city buses a nd subways, I don’t think he’s able to take any other forms of transportation.”

Trembling with anger, Rayna snarled through gritted teeth, “You sure are f*cking inhuman.”

“Thanks for your compliment, Ms. Garland.” His voice was still relaxed. “I’ll do my best to bring out the f ull meaning of ‘inhumanity: Please excuse me as I have a meeting coming right up. I hope that you and my brother will have an enjoyable time over there. Send my regards to him and his mother too.”

Soon, the call was disconnected.

Rayna shot daggers at her phone. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to have a door that c ould reach Arnaud’s place and go through it to lay a sharp punch across his disgusting face.

What a cunning man! Not only did he cut off our means of subsistence, but he also called to provoke m e!

After standing in the chilly wind for a long time, Rayna finally calmed herself down. She took out the tw o credit cards and stared at them. They were useless then. There was nothing she could do but get so meone to transfer her money so that she could directly withdraw it from the bank.

Some hesitation later, she dialed the same number that Curtis used to call her that morning.

While waiting for the line to go through, she recalled that she had severely hurt him once. If she were to tell Curtis that she needed money from him because Arnaud had frozen her cards, he would definitely not be happy about it. After all, it was once again related to the grudge between Jefferson and Arnaud.

No man could tolerate their beloved woman helping another man, let alone the petty and jealous Curtis.

Rayna hung up the call at once. Inwardly, she was glad that it did not go through.

After ruminating on it, she realized she could only seek help from Jessica and James.

However, she troubled Jessica a lot of times when she went abroad. There was no way she would want to bother her with her problems anymore, so she contacted James.

Rayna held her breath the whole time she waited for the call to be answered. The moment it was conne cted, she immediately said, “James, I can’t use my cards. Find a way to transfer some money to me-”

“Rayna, what’s wrong with your cards? Where are you?” Kristie cut her off before she could finish spea king. “How much do you need? I’ll transfer them to you.”

It astonished Rayna, who did not expect Kristie to be the one answering the phone.

“Hello? Why aren’t you saying anything, Rayna?” Kristie asked when she did not hear anything from th e other end of the line. “Did you encounter difficulties abroad?”

“No. It’s just that there are some problems with my cards.” Rayna quickly regained her composure. “But I think.

they’re fine now. Bye, I’m hanging up,” she said in a hurry, not wanting to drag Kristie into the mess.

In the Norwal City of Chanaea, Kristie stared at the black screen on the phone in puzzlement.

When I answered the call earlier, it was clear that Rayna sounded anxious. It felt like she had run into s ome difficulties. But why did she gloss it over when I asked her about it? She even ended the call.

She had been anxious since learning about Rayna going abroad and witnessing Curtis‘ indifference wh en she met him that day. Even though she was aware that something had happened to their relationship, James claimed to be clueless about everything.

Kristie snorted at the phone and said in dissatisfaction, “As if you’re truly clueless! Why would Rayna c all you if you don’t know a thing?”

Is Curt planning on leaving Rayna in the lurch?

Within a matter of seconds, Kristie’s imagination had run wild. Considering Curtis‘ apathetic personality, she reckoned there was a chance he would seek revenge on Rayna after the breakup.

At once, the young woman got out of bed, copied out the phone number, and deleted that particular call log. Then, she hurriedly put on her shoes and left the

house.

While running, she even called Wyatt. “Wyatt, where are you? I’m coming to you now.”

Wyatt had been busy in the office. With Kristie taking up his whole afternoon, a few of his meetings had to be postponed.

By the time he returned home, it was already late at night.

The housekeeper took the coat slung over his arm and asked, “Mr. Lopez, do you want to have some s upper?”

“It’s okay.” Wyatt waved his hand, still full from drinking at the cocktail reception. “Where’s Ms. Jessica? ”

“She’s long gone to bed.”

“Got it.”

With that, he entered the bedroom upstairs, being extra careful not to make any noise. When he notice d the bulge on the bed, he walked closer and saw Jessica slumbering while lying sideways.

Stroking her cheek, he chuckled.

Back then, she always refused to go to bed even when the clock struck twelve, insisting on staying up t o watch dramas. But after moving here, she goes to bed at midnight every day. And now, she’s already asleep when it’s only eleven o’clock. Is she trying to be a good daughter–in–law in front of my mother?

As Wyatt’s fingers caressed her soft cheek, he was aroused. Giving in to his impulse, he went under th e covers and pulled her warm body into his arms. Slowly, he began to plant kisses along her neck.

His lips against her neck tickled her. Half–awake, Jessica pushed him away with her hand a few times.

“What time is it?”

“Half past twelve.”

At his reply, she became slightly more clearheaded. Tilting her head to look at him, she complained, “Wh

“I can’t hold back myself. I missed you.” Wyatt could not stop kissing her delicate skin. “Kristie came loo

“Why did she look for you?”

“To track down the location of a phone number. She said a foreign lady gave James a call this morning,

Jessica guessed that the caller was Rayna in an instant.

James and I have been dealing with Rayna and Jefferson’s matters since they went abroad. Rayna prob out the address? Is she going to look for Rayna? Also, what happened to Rayna?

The pain on her lips broke her train of thought. Flashing a sharp glare at Wyatt, she asked, “Why did you

“Babe, you should be focusing on me at times like this instead of spacing out.” He pinned her arms abov

For a moment, Jessica could not breathe. After regaining steady breathing, she rolled her eyes at him. “Y

“No worries, Babe. I’m very clean.” Wyatt interlocked his fingers with hers, his breath falling onto her ear as he spoke. “Could it be that you’ve drugged me? Otherwise, why would I love you so much? W home to hold you in my arms. It’s all your fault!”

“I’d be happy to drug you so that you can think straight! Other people get exhausted after a whole day at work, yet you’re so energetic and keep thinking of ways to take advantage of me.”

Wyatt chuckled. “It shows that my stamina is good. I can make you ten times happier compared to other

 

Chapter 356

“Wyatt, stop with your dirty jokes!”

“Why not?”

“Get off me and go take a bath!” Jessica was rendered helpless by his shamelessness. In a low voice, she warned, “We’re not the only ones staying on the second floor. You may not have a sense of shame, but I do.”

“Stop calling me by my name. Give me a pet name,” Wyatt requested.

“You can just call me by my name too!”

“That feels too distant,” Wyatt said while kissing her brazenly and taking in her scent. “You’re my babe, my honey pie, my Jessie… My wife.”

Jessica’s ears turned red as she felt her heart flutter at his words. “G–Go take a bath.”

“Call me.”

“Wyatt Lopez.”

Wyatt stared at her in amusement. “You heartless woman. Are you really going to treat me so perfuncto rily?”

“Wyatt?”

“Something else,” he prompted, intertwining their fingers and pressing his body against hers. When he saw a blush creep across her delicate cheeks, he couldn’t help but gulp. “Something I like to hear.”

Jessica’s breath began to quicken, and the redness in her ears spread to her entire body.

“Y–You’ve got no shame!”

“Hmm?”

As Jessica struggled against him, she started to sweat all over. She glared at him with red– rimmed eyes, but when she met his passionate and loving gaze, her last line of defense crumbled.

“Hubby,” she finally mumbled.

Immediately, Wyatt’s eyes were ablaze with excitement.

However, he pretended not to hear her and leaned in closer. “Babe, say that again. I didn’t hear you.”

Frustrated, Jessica bumped her head against his and snapped, “It’s your fault if you didn’t me! Hurry an d take a bath now!”

Circling his arms around her, he whined, “Later.”

“You’re seriously so shameless!”

Wyatt chuckled “Of course, I have to be shameless to pursue you. How can I make you mine if I don’t d o that?”

His words made Jessica speechless.

Because of his nonstop flirting, she was already blushing all over.

Gathering all her strength, she kicked him to the other side of the bed and shot him a warning look. The n she asked, “Does Mr. Faymon know?”

“What are you referring to?”

“Does he know that Kristie asked you to look into the number?”

“Curtis isn’t in a good mood recently, so I’m not about to make myself a punching bag. Wyatt went on w ith vigor, “Besides, this is Kristie and James‘ matter. If he’s really cheating on her, I will never let him off. ”

He then turned around and propped his chin on his hand while looking at Jessica. “Babe, don’t bother yourself with these irrelevant things. It’s my birthday tomorrow. T hink about what you’ll gift me!”

“Didn’t I give you a sunflower already?” Jessica snorted.

“That was my Christmas gift, so it’s not counted as a birthday gift.”

“What do you want, then?”

“Babe, you’re the one giving me the gift. There won’t be any element of surprise if I tell you.” Wyatt reached out and flicked her forehead lig htly. “But since this is a special circumstance, I can make an exception.”

After saying that, he glanced downward.

Jessica understood what he meant right away and pulled the blanket over herself. “Stop looking! Go to sleep. I promise to prepare a gift for you tomorrow.”

“Babe, are you sure your gift is something I want?”

“Take it or leave it. Get out!”

Tired and sleepy from his shenanigans, she rolled her eyes at him and turned around to sleep.

Wyatt smirked and climbed over to her side again. Despite her struggles, he wrapped his arms around her until she fell asleep in his embrace.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he loved this woman to the moon and back.

When Jessica woke up, Wyatt was already gone. He probably went to work early in the morning.

She dashed to the bathroom and hurriedly inserted a different SIM card in her phone before dialing the number on the piece of paper.

Since she was the one who bought the SIM card Rayna was using abroad, she knew the latter’s number.

Soon, the call went through. “Nana?” Jessica called out in a low voice.

“Jessie! What’s up?” Rayna was obviously surprised at Jessica’s sudden call,

Jessica heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing Rayna’s voice since it meant that the latter was fine. “Didn’ t you call Kristie? She went to Wyatt and asked him to track your location. I figured something happened to you”

“I called James, but I didn’t expect her to answer the call instead. Arnaud is taking it too far. He even fro ze my card. I was worried he’d hurt Kristie, so I hung up.”

“Is he that powerful?” Jessica gasped.

With a sigh, Rayna said, “Yes. Aside from my card, he also froze Jefferson’s card earlier and messed w ith his identification documents. We’re stuck in Frosa now.”

“I’ll go there and find you guys.”

Rayna declined her offer, saying, “Jefferson and I are fine. We’re just out of cash. I don’t want to drag y ou into this.”

“Rayna, you shouldn’t say that if you consider me as a friend. Do you think I’m useless and can’t offer much help?” Jessica complained.

“No…”

“That’s good to hear. I have three hundred thousand in my account. Is that enough? Use someone else’ a few days.”

Rayna could not even put her gratitude into words. In the end, she managed, “Yes, it’s enough. Thank y

“It’s my pleasure to help you. Hurry up and apply for a card. Send me the details, and I’ll head to the ban

“Okay.” Before hanging up, Rayna reminded her, “Kristie won’t be able to leave the country with James b

“I know. Don’t you worry!”

After the call, Jessica washed up and got dressed rapidly.

Pamela had just finished making breakfast when she saw Jessica descending the stairs. She chirped, “J

“Thank you, Mrs. Lopez Jessica readily accepted the bowl Pamela handed her and sat down at the dinin

As she ate the oatmeal, she asked, “Mrs. Lopez, should I bring Wyatt some of this?”

Pamela waved her hand. “I made this just for you. He had the food the housekeeper made.”

Feeling Pamela’s gentle gaze on her, Jessica couldn’t help but feel shy and even a bit guilty.

Mrs. Lopez is so nice that it’s a bit overwhelming.

“Jessica, it’s nice that you want to be an independent, working woman, but Wyatt is turning twenty– seven today. I hope you guys give some things another consideration,” Pamela said tenderly.

“Mrs. Lopez, I… I know,” responded Jessica softly while her face started to turn red.

“Thank you, Jessica.” Patting her hand with affection, Pamela added, “By the way, tell your parents to co is more important than meeting his parents–in–law?”

Jessica’s expression turned a bit stiff, but she soon regained her composure and explained calmly. “My

Pamela nodded. “That’s great to hear.”

After breakfast, Jessica left the house hastily. Pamela noticed that the former’s scarf was still on the clot

“It’s still early, yet she left in such a hurry that she left her scarf behind,” she muttered as she hung the s

Just then, the housekeeper who was cleaning the second floor came downstairs.

She approached Pamela and asked in confusion, “Mrs. Lopez, is Ms. Jessica feeling unwell?”

“What’s wrong?” Pamela tensed up upon hearing the housekeeper’s question. “Now that you mentioned it, she does look a little pale and sickly these days.”

Chapter 357

The housekeeper passed Pamela a small box. “I swept this out from under the bed while I was cleanin g Mr. Lopez and Ms. Jessica’s room. It seems to be a medicine box.”

Although the housekeeper could not understand the Anglandurn words on the box, she could smell the faint scent of medicine from it

Pamela swiftly took the box. To her, understanding the Anglandurn words on the box was a piece of cake. Right after she took one glance, her face lit up. “Oh, this is folic acid!”

“What kind of medicine is that, Mrs. Lopez?” the housekeeper inquired curiously

“It’s something women eat when they’re pregnant. No wonder Pamela looked so shy when I spoke to her earlier. It turns out that s he’s pregnant!” Pamela exclaimed, feeling so excited that she stammered over her words

At the same time, she was also frustrated.

Why didn’t they tell me about her pregnancy? If the housekeeper hadn’t come across this while she wa s cleaning, who knows how much longer those two are going to keep me in the dark?

Right away, she grabbed her phone and called Wyatt.

Wyatt picked up the phone almost instantly. “Mom, I’m on my way to a meeting. Why did you call?”

“You brat! Are you going to keep acting?” Pamela yelled, though her voice was laced with joy. “I didn’t k now Jessica was pregnant! How could you keep such major news from me?”

“What pregnant… Wyatt could not seem to wrap his head around what was going on.

It was only after Pamela repeated her statement that he processed her words. A curse escaped his mouth as he s aid in bewilderment, “Really? She’s pregnant?”

“You two sleep in one room every night, yet you don’t know that she’s pregnant?”

“I really had no idea. She didn’t tell me.”

“That means you’re not concerned enough about her,” Pamela chided. “How did such a wonderful girl like Jessica fall for you? You’re not only inatt entive but also a playboy!”

“Mom, I’m your son!” Wyatt protested. He was feeling at a total loss about the news of Jessica’s pregna ncy. “I’m going home right now. I’m going to Faymon Group to fetch her… I’m going to be a father!”

Pamela had calmed down by then, and she advised, “I think Pamela kept the news from you so she co uld give you a surprise on your birthday. If you go to her now and tell her you’ve found out, her efforts w ill go to waste. Stay in your office and fetch her after work. Don’t give yourself away. Do you understand ?”

Wyatt pondered for a while and thought that Pamela was right. He then said, “Then Mom, I’ll be headin g to my meeting now, okay?”

“Meetings, meetings, meetings! That’s all you ever think about!”

Before Wyatt could respond, the call was cut off.

He stared at his phone, feeling helpless. Wasn’t she the one who told me not to do anything for now?

At the thought that he would soon become a father, Wyatt was pumped. How he wished that time could go. faster so he could bring Jessica home, celebrate his birthday with her, and wait for her to tell him th

e news. herself.

Wyatt then asked someone to buy tons of wedding favors to distribute to all the company’s employees. During the meeting, he couldn’t even hide his radiant smile, confusing the senior executives.

When the wedding favors finally reached the conference room, an executive asked tentatively, “Mr. Lop ez, are you getting married?”

Wyatt raised his brow. “No.”

“Then why are you giving away wedding favors…” another executive chimed in.

“My wife is pregnant, so I want to share the joy!” Wyatt announced exuberantly.

Everyone gasped at the same time.

What? When did Mr. Lopez get a wife? How come we didn’t know? There used to be a young woman who came here all the time to bring him lunch, but no one knows what she looks like or who she is because she always wears a mask. Cou ld it be her?

“Congratulations, Mr. Lopez!”

Wyatt nodded and cast a glance at the unmarried executives. With a serious expression, he began, “Yo u guys should take some time out of work to go on blind dates or something. You’re all in your late twen ties, yet none of you are married! Don’t you feel embarrassed of yourselves? In a few months, my baby will be born already!”

The executives were rendered speechless by his impromptu lecture.

Meanwhile, Jessica had no idea that Pamela and Wyatt had already found out about her pregnancy.

When she received Rayna’s account details, she excused herself from work and headed to the bank. After lining up for some time, she finally transferred three hundred thousand to Rayna’s account.

Some time later, Rayna called her. “I’m withdrawing now. Sorry for troubling you, Jessie.”

“I told you to stop saying things like that, Jessica huffed. “I took time off from work in the afternoon. I’ll be visiting Kristie.”

“Okay”

Jessica tightened her grip on the phone and hesitated for a while. Finally, she said, “Nana, I’m pregnant.”

“What?” Rayna froze in shock. Certain that she did not hear it wrong, she asked, “Is this really what you want, or are you doing this to take revenge on Wyatt?”

Jessica pursed her lips and answered softly, “I did want to get pregnant to get back at him, but now that I’m really pregnant, I feel that the life in my womb is not something that comes by easily. Besides…”

“I get it.” Rayna sounded relieved. “Jessie, Gerald is already dead. It’s time that you live your life for yo urself. We can all see that Wyatt loves you very much.”

Jessica stroked her stomach. “I know. Today is his twenty–seventh birthday.”

“So you’re planning to give him a birthday surprise!” Rayna chuckled. “Since I can’t go back there, I’ll have to ask you to greet him on my behalf.”

“Do you think he’ll like this child?”

Rayna was amused at Jessica’s question. “You silly girl, you’re worrying too much. Wyatt is an only child, so he’ll want a big fa mily of his own. I’m sure he will love you and the baby. They say that bables grow to be like

the first person they see upon coming into the world. Jessie, you have to wait for me to return. I will be t here when you give birth so that your baby will be good–looking”

Jessica couldn’t help but chuckle. “All right. I’ll give birth to the baby after.

you return.”

Upon hanging up, she waved down a taxi by the road. As she was unsure whether Kristie was in her condominium, she decided to phone her first.

However, the call went unanswered.

Jessica gave it a thought and proceeded to dial James‘ number.

In no time, he picked up the call. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Hi, I’m going to visit Kristie, but she’s not answering her phone. I’m just wondering if you guys are toget

“No. I came to the capital last night. I talked to her an hour ago, and she mentioned she’s not filming for

“Okay. I’ll go and take a look.”

An uneasy feeling rose within Jessica when she recalled how Kristie had asked Wyatt for Rayna’s addre

She went to Kristie’s condominium first, but no one opened the door even after countless knocks. Then

Linda put down her task at hand and said to Jessica, “She stopped by in the morning to help and said sh

Jessica’s face turned pale. “She really said that? This is bad”

“Why? Did anything happen to Belle?” Linda hurriedly asked.

“Don’t worry, Ms. Linda. Everything is okay. I’ll be heading off first!” With that, Jessica left quickly and ca

I didn’t expect Kristie to be so bold as to go to Frosa to look for Rayna! I have to tell Rayna right now.

In her haste, Jessica accidentally bumped into someone passing by. She uttered an apology and walked caught a glimpse of her face, she strode over in her high heels..

“Ms. Marsh, let’s have a talk.”

Jessica turned around impatiently. At the sight of the woman, she paused in her tracks.

 

Chapter 358

Standing there was Gianna, dressed to the nines. Her tall, slender figure made her stand out from the c rowd. Gazing at Jessica with her gorgeous eyes, she greeted, “It’s been a while, Ms. Marsh. Care for a chat?”

“Get your hands off me!” Jessica snapped. As she was in a hurry to make a phone call, she did not wish to waste time talking to that woman before her eyes. She tried to fling Gian na’s hands away but to no avail.

Dissatisfied, Gianna insisted, “You don’t want to talk? Well, I do.”

Considering that Linda’s shop was right around the corner, Jessica feared being seen having an argum ent with Gianna. She lifted her chin slightly and gestured toward the emergency exit nearby. After Gian na loosened her grip, she led the way at once.

Soon enough, the duo entered the emergency exit.

During the interim, Jessica had been trying to get Rayna on the phone. Yet, before long, Gianna closed the door behind her and raised a question. “Do you reme mber the day when you came looking for me and asking for my help? Why did you wire me the money without actually letting me help with anything?”

“Isn’t it good enough when you get to have free cash like that?” responded Jessica, growing impatient. Deep down, she was starting to panic because Rayna still did not answer the phone after several attem pts. “I have an emergency to attend to, so if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now!”

Getting one step ahead of her, Gianna stood in the way and refused to let her go. “Oh, no, you don’t. Who knows if you’d stab me in the back l

ater on by calling me a swindler and putting me behind bars?”

“Return me the money, then, was Jessica’s only suggestion.

“No way.”

“Then keep it. Consider it a gift. I promise I’ll never use it against you.” It was clear that Jessica had rea ched the limit of her endurance. “I still have matters to deal with, so if you’ll excuse me!”

Be that as it might, Gianna was still there, blocking the path with her slim body. “I can’t just take your word for it. H ow would I know what you’re really thinking?”

That left Jessica at a loss for words.

Promptly, she fished out a pen and a piece of paper from her handbag and detailed a statement in blac k and white. She even signed her name on it before handing it over to Gianna. “There, happy? I’m in a rush for something, so please move aside before anyone gets hurt.”

Gianna carefully kept away that piece of paper, but instead of letting Jessica off, she probed further, “Yo u previously told me to get together with Mr. Lopez, so when will you be hooking us up?”

Jessica gave a bark of laughter in exasperation. “What the f*ck! You’re really pushing your luck! I’ve alr eady given you a handsome amount of money for nothing, and here you are, still having the nerve to d emand more from me.”

“You said those words yourself, and you also gave me the money of your own accord.” Pinning her gaz e on Jessica, Gianna parted her ruby lips and teased, “Let me guess. You were in a relationship with Mr . Lopez and you got hurt in the process. That’s why you contacted me and tried to pair me up with him. In reality, you only wanted revenge, correct?”

Having been exposed, Jessica clenched her fists in rage.

Then came her frosty voice. “Would I be that dumb to specially seek you out and pay you that hefty su m of money only to take revenge on a man?”

Gianna let out a chuckle and leaned over to look Jessica in the eye. “In this world, Ms. Marsh, only we women

understand each other best. I’ve seen some pictures of a woman making frequent visits to the Lopez G roup. From what I’ve heard, that woman is Mr. Lopez’s girlfriend, and she’s been bringing him lunch boxes. Although. she had a face mask on, I can still recognize that it was you, Ms. Marsh.”

“You’re sick! I’m so done with you!” Rolling her eyes, Jessica shoved Gianna away and forced her way through.

Concurrently, she dialed Rayna’s number once more. Alas, before she could open the door to the exit, she was pulled away from behind.

Taking advantage of her height, Gianna yanked Jessica violently. “You gave up on vengeance because you’ve reconciled with him, right?” Jealously filled her eyes.

“How’s that any of your business?” Jessica tried to retract her arm with all her might. “You’d better let g o of me before I call the police!”

It looks like I’m right!

Gianna’s face contorted. She tugged on Jessica’s arm even more tightly than before. “Do it, then! It’d b e even better if Mr. Lopez could be here to see your true colors! I recorded our exchange back at the ca fe. I wonder what his reaction would be when he heard it.”

Upon hearing the threat, Jessica gnashed her teeth while glaring daggers at Gianna.

With a gloating smirk playing about her lips, Gianna initiated a negotiation. “If you carry on with that pla n of yours, Ms. Marsh, and let me be with Mr. Lopez, I’ll surrender that recording to you. Otherwise, I’ll simply forward it to him. Weigh up the options wisely.”

“There’s no need for that.”

Gianna’s eyes lit up at those words. She thought that Jessica had agreed to go with the plan. However, a few seconds later, she heard Jessica uttering, “You can let him have the recording and even show him the transaction history of my remittance for all I care.”

That would make sense, for Jessica had already made up her mind to tell Wyatt the truth that very nigh t when they celebrated his birthday. In fact, she had been quite depressed about keeping him in the dark for so long. No longer did she desire to shoulder that burden alone.

Regardless of what his decision would be, she would accept it.

Moreover, since they had an unborn baby, she thought he might be lenient toward her.

Gianna was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting Jessica to be that fearless.

Snapping out of her daze, she saw Jessica already stepping out. Once again, she reached out and wre nched the latter inside. “You can’t leave!”

“Let go!” bellowed Jessica, her visage as grim as death.

In response, Gianna clasped Jessica’s arm, unwilling to set her free. Jessica struggled to break free from Gianna’s grip. Just like that, the ladie s tussled with each other at the emergency exit.

As they scuffled, Jessica almost lost her balance and fell down.

Noticing the staircase behind Jessica, Gianna had a sudden thought in her mind. With a push from her, Jessica, who had just gotten to her feet, tumbled down the stairs.

The next second, Jessica was lying on the floor down the stairs. She was in such agonizing pain that s he kept gasping for air as though she was suffocating.

2

Gianna, in turn, froze in shock as she broke out in a cold sweat. She took quite a moment before dashing. down the stairs to help Jessica. “Hey! Are you okay?”

“Y– You…” Jessica could not say another word. All she could do was touch her own belly with her trembling hands.

It was then Gianna finally caught sight of the trail of blood flowing out below the hem of Jessica’s dress. You fell down because you were careless. It’s not my fault. It’s not…”

Mustering all her strength, Jessica managed to open her mouth and say, “C–Call… the ambulance.”

Gianna frantically picked up Jessica’s phone from the ground. Thankfully, the screen was not locked. Sh

Right before hitting the call key, she suddenly realized something. If Jessica’s saved, she’ll come after m

Panic– stricken, she accidentally opened the list of reminders on the phone. As she read the contents, her eyes

On the floor, Jessica was already sweating profusely from the pain. Still, she made a great effort to grab Call… the ambulance… and I’ll let this slide. Please.”

As fast as she could, Gianna forwarded to herself everything that was on the list of reminders on Jessica

Jessica managed to sneak a peek at the phone before her consciousness began fading away, her hand

Anybody, please, save my baby…

Every passing second felt like an hour to Wyatt. He was dying to give Jessica a call, yet he was worried that he might give himself away for getting overly excited about her having a bun in the oven. No, I must resist the temptation!

At long last, he weathered the excruciating wait until it was time to get off work. He put his jacket on and was prepared to leave.

“Mr. Lopez.” His secretary stopped him in his tracks and stated gingerly, “Mr. Green from Greenbit Indus

“I’m not going. I’m heading home for dinner, Wyatt rejected the invitation then and there. It’s my birthday

“It’s about the project on Gilded Avenue. Mr. Green has agreed to the business collaboration. He said he

Annoyed, Wyatt glanced at the watch on his wrist. “Are the terms all set? How about the contract?”

“The contract’s ready.” With that said, the secretary submitted the files to the man on the spot. “I’ll arrang to drive-”

“Where’s the place?”

“Room 1688 at DM Premium Club at six o’clock.”

“Got it,” said Wyatt, all ready to march out of the door.

 

Chapter 359

While on his way to DM Premium Club, Wyatt texted Pamela that he would be running a little late and asked her to fetch Jessic a.

He waited for almost half an hour at DM Premium Club before Jerry Green and the rest arrived.

Fortunately, they managed to come to an agreement smoothly.

Wyatt stopped Jerry’s subordinates when they were about to pour him some wine. He said with a chuckle, “I can’t drink today, Mr. Green. I’ll have some juic e instead!”

“Are you looking down on me, Mr. Lopez?” Jerry was visibly displeased.

Wyatt toasted him with a glass filled with juice. “Don’t you ever think so, Mr. Green. I’m grateful to be able to work with you! I’m very sorry. It’s just that women can be quite fussy. I’m dead if I drink before going home!”

Jerry caught on immediately and burst into laughter. “What a surprise! You’re married, Mr. Lopez! Why do none of us know about this? Are you planning on keeping her identity a secret?”

Wyatt let out a chuckle. “I wasn’t planning on hiding her. She’s pregnant, so…”

“You are one lucky man to have both a wife and a child, Mr. Lopez.” Jerry patted Wyatt’s shoulder and downed his own gla ss of wine. “All right! I won’t let you off the hook this easily when I attend your welcome baby party!”

“Sure. I will drink as much as you wish by then.”

After some chattering, Wyatt finally got out of the room with the agreement.

He left the agreement with the secretary and loosened his tie to get some air, exhausted from the ordea l. “We’re done here, right? Can I go back and celebrate my birthday now?”

“How about I drive you home, Mr. Lopez?”

Wyatt waved his hand. “I didn’t drink. I’ll drive myself back.”

He was walking away with his secretary when a tall figure stepped into the lights while approaching the m. The person stopped in front of them, so Wyatt was forced to stop in his tracks as well.

With a frown, he asked, “Do you need anything from me?”

“I’m Gianna, Mr. Lopez. We met at a fashion show in Kenfort. Don’t you remember me?” Gianna brush ed her hair aside to reveal her long neck, but Wyatt’s attention wasn’t on her at all.

“I don’t know you. You’re blocking my way!” Wyatt shoved her aside and strode past her.

Gianna staggered aside, stunned by his reaction.

Isn’t Wyatt supposed to be attracted to beauties? Why does he seem to have no feelings for me and ac t so rude? Did he really get together with Jessica?

Wyatt got a call from Pamela after taking a few steps, and he picked up immediately. “Hey, Mom. I’m going. back now.”

“Is Jessica not with you?”

Wyatt furrowed his brows. “Didn’t I tell you to go fetch her since I have a business meeting?”

“I went to Faymon Group, but the receptionist told me she had applied for leave this afternoon,” Pamela said.

“I thought she had gone to find you, and you’re together with her now. I couldn’t reach her just now.”

1

“You wait at home. I’ll go check on her.” Wyatt hung up and hurried outside. However, Glanna caught u p to him and blocked his way.

Wyatt’s face fell, and he sounded annoyed as he spoke. “Get out of my way. I don’t have time to deal w ith. you!”

Despite being frightened by him, Gianna mustered her courage and said, “Mr. Lopez, give me a few mi nutes to show you something about Jessica. You’ll want to know about this.”

“How do you know her?”

“I knew her because she initiated contact with me. Why don’t we have a private chat?”

Wyatt gave his secretary a look, and the latter left swiftly.

Upon noting that the room beside him was empty, Wyatt entered and slumped onto the couch. Just as he was about to smoke, he worried Jessica might complain about it when he got home, so he discar ded the cigarette in the ashtray. With a grim tone, he warned, “You better be able to show me somethin g, or else you’re not joining in any events in the future!”

“It’s all in this phone.” Gianna quickly unlocked her phone and handed it to Wyatt. “Ms. Marsh contacte d me to ask me a favor. You must be interested in knowing what her request was, Mr. Lopez.”

Wyatt’s gaze was fixated on Gianna’s phone as he scrolled down from time to time.

He saw the detailed plan that Jessica had laid out, from seeking revenge against his father to approaching him.

He couldn’t believe his eyes as he read the text on the screen,

It turned out that Jessica had planned the pregnancy. Then she needed Glanna to interfere and force Wyatt to break up with her before eventually aborting the bab y as revenge against him.

Is she still thinking about revenge even now?

Wyatt remained silent for a prolonged period, and the atmosphere in the room was depressing, so Gian na could no longer hold herself back.

“M–Mr. Lopez?”

Snapping back to his senses, Wyatt pounced on Gianna and pressed her against the couch while choki ng on her neck, his eyes bloodshot and terrifying. “Do I look like a kid you can fool so easily? Jessie is still waiting to tell me about her pregnancy. She will never do this, you d*mned woman!”

“I didn’t make this up! This is all in her phone memo…” Glanna dug her fingers into his arms as her eye s rolled over. “In the phone… Audio recording of our conversation…”

Wyatt shuffled around for the phone with one hand and tapped open the only audio recording in that se ction. After a few seconds, Gianna’s and Jessica’s voices could be heard.

“What do you need my help with?”

“Don’t you want to be with Wyatt? I can play matchmaker and even offer you a sum of money. However , you will have to obey me.”

“Is it true that you know Wyatt?”

“It’s not that hard to get to know him.” Jessica let out a chuckle. “I need only play some tricks, and he took my bait hook, line, and s

Gianna was shocked. “Are you two dating?”

“Nah, I don’t like men like him. Okay, let’s get back to the topic. Is this a deal?”

“Deal. What is it that you want me to do?”

“Give me your bank account. I will transfer the money to you. I will inform you of your task when it’s time

“Okay.”

The audio recording stopped there.

Wyatt’s ears buzzed as he released Gianna and slumped on the couch, his body cold with dread.

Are my ears playing tricks on me? Jessie told me she loves me. She couldn’t have said whatever I hear

now.

Gianna rubbed her neck as she staggered backward, fearing Wyatt might lose control. However, she did feeble voice after a few seconds, “Mr. Lopez, I’m telling the truth, Ms. Marsh even got in touch with me t

She might have pushed Jessica by accident at the mall, but Jessica had indeed come up with that plan, so she wasn’t worried that Jessica would say

Besides, she was certain Wyatt would no longer believe a word Jessica said after he listened to the reco

Glancing at Wyatt, she mustered her courage and said, “I think she’s too ruthless. She shouldn’t have tr

“Shut up.”

“She has been using you all this time, Mr. Lopez. Why are you so nice to her?”

“I told you to shut the f*ck up!” Enraged, Wyatt grabbed the ashtray on the table and smashed it in her d the couch.

Gianna froze, her face drained of color.

 

Chapter 360

Wyatt got up from the floor a little clumsily and walked out, his fingers tapping away frantically on his phone. When he found Jessica’s location, his eyes darkened.

She’s at the hospital!

Wyatt got into his car and immediately rushed over to the hospital.

Shutting his eyes briefly and opening them again, Wyatt silently decided that no matter what, as long as Jessica came clean and apologized to him, he would forgive everything she had done. They would go back and celebrate his birthday together–him, Jessica, and their baby.

The moment Wyatt reached the hospital, he hurried over to the receptionist in long strides and asked, “ Can you please tell me where Jessica Marsh is? I’m her boyfriend.”

The receptionist swiftly looked up and gave him a furtive glance. “According to the ID card number that you gave me, this lady named Jessica Marsh is at the obstetrics and gynecology department now. It se ems she has a uterus scraping procedure scheduled.”

Uterus scraping?

Wyatt knew very well what the procedure entailed. Feeling exasperated and enraged, he fervently pray ed that the worst had not happened yet as he dashed toward the stairs.

The moment he reached the floor where the obstetrics and gynecology department was located, he gra bbed a nurse and asked impatiently, “Where’s the operating room?”

“That way.”

Taking quick steps, Wyatt entered the corridor leading to the operating room. He saw a woman, whose face was sickly pallid, come out from inside. She placed one hand on her stomach, and it looked like she had difficulty walking.

Wyatt’s heart palpitated. He quickly grabbed hold of the nurse who was about to walk away. “Where’s J essica? Has she done her surgery?”

The nurse looked at him with disdain. “You’re her boyfriend? Don’t you know that a pregnant lady is ver y fragile? She-”

“I’m asking you, has she done her surgery?” interrupted Wyatt as his eyes became increasingly bloods hot.

Startled by Wyatt, the nurse stuttered, “S– She was in such a state… We had no choice but to go through with the procedure. It was such a pity. T he embryos had already become fetuses. They were a pair of twins.”

Wyatt was deeply crushed upon hearing that, so much so that he could no longer think.

In such a state? What kind of state? Was she so determined to get rid of the babies that she insisted the doctor carry on with the procedure?

After Wyatt got Jessica’s ward number from the nurse, he wasted no time getting there.

Anger arose like a burning fire in his heart. The flames of fury blazed and burned within Wyatt, nearly c onsuming and reducing him to ashes.

He pushed open the door to the ward quite roughly and saw Jessica sitting on the hospital bed. Jessica looked in his direction because of the sudden commotion. Her delicate face was devoid of any color.

Wyatt strode over and glared at her with reddened eyes. “Did you enjoy taking revenge? Are you satiat ed? Or do you want to kill me as well?”

Jessica’s lips moved, but she did not get even one word out as Wyatt clamped a hand over her jaw. He did it so forcefully that her brows furrowed from the pain.

He leaned over and stared into her eyes.

“Jessica, I can’t believe you can be so cruel! How could you use our children as a means to take reven ge against me? Aren’t you afraid of retribution?” asked Wyatt through gritted teeth. His completely bloodshot eyes could make one’s skin crawl.

In a weak and hoarse voice, Jessica explained, “I did think of doing that, but…”

After she found out she was really pregnant, she had given up on that idea.

Since Gerald was already dead, the Lopez family no longer owed her anything. Jessica had intended to settle down with Wyatt and give birth to their children peacefully.

Sadly, Wyatt was so furious that he refused to listen to anything Jessica had to say. He wrapped his ha nd around her throat tightly and pinned her down on the bed.

He glared at Jessica menacingly and was on the verge of strangling her to death.

“I knew early on why you approached me. I also knew that you were the one who masterminded my fat her’s death. Of course, I hated you, but I felt sorry for you at the same time. So I told myself that if you said you loved me, I would pretend not to know about any of that. How could you do this to me, Jessica? You said you loved me, but

you spent every minute and second exacting revenge upon me! You can come at me all you like, but w hy did you have to harm my children?” shouted Wyatt indignantly.

He was like a kid throwing a temper tantrum. It seemed as if he was going to snap Jessica’s neck with the amount of force he was applying.

Suffocating from the lack of oxygen, Jessica knew that Wyatt would not listen to anything she had to sa y.

He’s right. I planned everything, and I just changed parts of the plan halfway through. I have indeed been constantly plotting revenge against him.

The moment she lost their children, she knew that there would be nothing left between them. If Pamela found out what Jessica had done, she would not forgive the latter as well.

I might as well cut all ties with Wyatt completely.

With that thought in her mind, Jessica stared back at the angry man and gave him a half– smile. Her face was purple, and her breaths became more and more labored. She uttered with difficulty, “That’s right. I’ve been toying with you… and taking reven ge against you. Staying by your side… It was all for revenge. You’re such a gullible man… I merely lifted a finger, and you fell for it completely.”

As Jessica’s gaze swept across the small box on her bedside, her heart ached immensely. She stretch ed out her hand and took hold of the box with much effort. Holding it out in front of Wyatt, she asked, “Do you… want to have a look?”

Before Wyatt could move away, Jessica opened the box.

One glance at its contents was all it took for Wyatt to break down. He slapped Jessica hard.

The slap was so strong that Jessica’s head turned to one side from the force. There was a tingling sens ation of numbness at one corner of her mouth, followed by a trickle of blood.

“Why did you do that? Why? They were twins… How could you?” Wyatt choked out. He grabbed Jessic a’s hair roughly, forcing her to look at him.

“I feel disgusted when I think of giving birth to the children of a man like you, responded Jessica with an impassive glance.

Wyatt’s rage was intense that he had the urge to end Jessica there and then. He raised his hand again,

She can go to the extent of aborting my children just for revenge. What else would she care about? Wha getting angry with her?

“What good would it do to hit you?” mumbled Wyatt to himself. Suddenly, he slapped himself hard twice. “I should hit myse

Jessica’s heart ached. She wanted to stop him from hitting himself but she steeled herself and remained stoic.

I guess it’s better to let things end this way.

Wyatt gave Jessica a glance full of hatred, then he held the box and stumbled out of the ward.

He seemed to have exhausted all of his energy in that confrontation. Staggering around in unsteady steps, he looked around helplessly, not knowing where to

He looked at the various patients walking past him. Some were old, and some were young. There was a way. It was as if he was afraid that either one of them might fall and hurt themselves.

The baby bundled up in the blanket had translucent, pinkish skin. It was staring intensely at its mother, it

Wyatt’s wobbly steps quickened as he was saddened by the scene.

When his body came into contact with a wall, he finally regained his senses. His body crumpled, and he

He had never cried from when he was young. Even when Gerald died, he did not shed a tear. Now, how

Wyatt had always thought that men tend to be more heartless, but that day, he had learned firsthand how be.

He was utterly shattered by Jessica and hurt beyond belief.

Holding the box tightly against his chest, Wyatt sat numbly on the cool floor tiles for a long time. Finally, his phone.

After he made a call, he went back to Jessica’s ward with a cold expression.

Rayna had finally picked up Jessica’s call, but before the latter could say anything, her phone was snatc

Jessica looked at him helplessly and asked weakly, “Wyatt, what are you doing?“