Ch. 1101..1110

Chapter 1101

"Didn't I say I have a debt to settle with Zephyr? Mr. Faulkner isn't powerful enough in Lostaria to singlehandedly get rid of him, so I need your help," Genevieve clarified.

"This is a brutal fight. The Sheratons and the Leonardos will sacrifice many men, so working together will not unfairly benefit you."

She suddenly added, "Actually, Alston loves you very much."

Evangeline shot her a sour look, and Genevieve elaborated, "I kept in touch with Mr. Alston while searching for the gold. He had his men watching you and knew we hung out. He asked me about it, and I could see the feelings he has for you in his eyes."

"So?" Evangeline retorted coldly. "Would you like me to look for him and propose that our families work together to eliminate Osborn?"

Genevieve drew in closer toward her and said quietly, "You love him, too."

Like a deer caught in headlights, Evangeline couldn't help her expression from changing, and she glared at Genevieve.

Evangeline's hand was about to slap her when Genevieve grabbed it. "You love him, which is why you hate it when he's close with someone and wishes to put more distance between you both. You're unaware he's done so much more for you than trying to kill Zephyr. Your blood type is rare, and there aren't many individuals in the world that share that blood type. He was afraid something bad might happen to you and spent a fortune tracking them down. He posted various bodyguards around you not to keep you under surveillance, but he's afraid you would get hurt and bleed."

Evangeline's darkened expression gradually turned blank, and she asked, "How did you know about this?"

"Because we have the same blood type." Genevieve whipped out her phone and showed Evangeline a report. "Mr. Faulkner shares the same concern and has been actively looking for others with the same blood type as well."

Last night Genevieve learned through Sally, who had found her in the hotel where she was staying, that Alston was the gold owner who instructed the biological research lab to look for people of their blood type.

Sally waited until Genevieve finished handling her matters before going back with her.

Evangeline was silent again, and Genevieve continued, "Your life will be lonely if you simply care about your family and deny yourself the liberty to love."

She promised, "I'll help you in protecting the Sheraton family. You'll be able to be with Alston this way."

Still, Evangeline remained silent, turmoil clouding her gaze.

She finally asked after a long pause, "What do you want?"

A while after Genevieve returned to the hotel, she received a courier package from Evangeline of a book that contained a name list of the Sheraton family's inner circle. These individuals were in control of the Sheratons' business operations, and the family would be in shambles if anything were to happen to any of them. Alas, Evangeline chose to trust Genevieve.

I barely know them, so even if they are all gone, the Sheratons will stand strong as long as Father and I are still alive.

Genevieve was a kind soul. She felt guilty thinking about Evangeline's trusting her and the fate of the three big mafia families, but she had no choice.

She texted Frank and personally handed the list to him, ordering, "Don't touch Evangeline, Alston, and their parents."

Frank's parents had been brutally murdered by the mafia, and he must root out every single one of them to prevent them from returning, but he could promise Genevieve this.

He perused the list and looked up at her. "When are we meeting Zephyr?"

"Tomorrow night." Genevieve was mentally exhausted and wanted a break.

"One night is enough for me to prepare our men," Frank answered. "They will head to the mansion to rescue Johanna after Zephyr shows up to the appointment."

He added, "I'll arrange for a few of them to blend in among the waitstaff to keep an eye on you."

"No need." Genevieve shook her head. "Someone will accompany me. Don't worry about me since she's even more agile than you are."

Frank had his men watching the hotel, so he knew she had a female visitor the last couple of days.

He didn't say anything because he knew who she was. After Genevieve got out of the car, he called the Special Task Force and gave them the names on the list.

Chapter 1102

Back in Jadeborough, Chanaea, Eurydice was in the middle of a game of chess with her teacher when her phone on the coffee table next to them rang.

Excusing herself briefly, she walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows with her device and answered it.

After she heard what the other person had to say, her eyes twinkled as her lips curved into a faint smile.

She hung up three minutes later and returned to the chess table.

Her teacher shot her a glance. "You look rather happy after taking that call."

"It was from my dad's secretary. My dad will be back in Jadeborough tonight," Eurydice explained while playing unsparingly.

The teacher eyed the chessboard. "Eurydice, you're being too rash," he guided.

The woman merely smiled.

Within the next few rounds, she easily took down the white king. "It doesn't matter how I play or how many pieces I sacrifice. I always go after the king."

The chess teacher had many students, but among all of them, Eurydice was the most gifted and aggressive one.

He couldn't help but feel wary about this student of his who appeared gentle but was so ruthless on the inside.

Eurydice placed the pieces back on the board while saying kindly, "Let's play two more matches. You can stay for dinner and then chat with my dad later."

The man returned to his senses and nodded with a smile. "All right. Don't mind if I do."

Meanwhile, Johanna headed into the workshop and sat down in front of a sewing machine to make a dress after breakfast.

If Zephyr weren't around, there was nowhere else she could go apart from walking around the mansion, but she had been busying herself with sewing now that the weather had grown colder recently. Fortunately, the housekeepers would immediately bring her every material she asked for, or she would've long gone mad from being cooped up in a place like this.

At present, the woman was so focused on sewing that she didn't notice someone enter the room.

It was only after she had hung the finished product up that Zephyr knocked on the door to gain her attention. "I have a wedding to attend. Get dressed and come with me."

He has a pretty tight relationship with the Leonardos. Would we bump into Frank at the wedding?

Before Johanna could respond, Zephyr was already standing closely behind her and lowered his head to mutter into her ear. "Pack these clothes up. I'll get someone to send them back to your country."

Not enjoying being this close to him, Johanna distanced herself from him without a word. "That's unusually kind of you. Are you thinking of getting a housekeeper to dump all these clothes somewhere and burn them?"

"Am I that horrible in your eyes?" Zephyr chuckled in exasperation.

The woman wanted to retaliate, but she ultimately kept silent upon remembering the subtle threats he had made that night.

"I wouldn't have sent you that video of the kid if I were that evil." Zephyr stroked her cheek. "Besides, I'm not sending these clothes back for free. You'll be coming to the wedding with me in return."

"I hope you won't go back on your word." In truth, she would have accompanied him to the wedding without him asking just so she could try to meet Frank.

The woman had a housekeeper bring in a few boxes to pack the dresses.

After the housekeeper had left, she then headed into the dressing room.

Zephyr followed her in and picked out a black strapless fishtail gown from the pile of exquisite outfits available.

The man had already changed into a suit as she dressed herself.

Seeing her struggle with the zipper located at the back, he walked over and helped her zip her dress up.

It was a bareback gown that revealed her beautiful skin. Her back dimples could also be seen subtly, making her look especially alluring.

With a darkened gaze, Zephyr suddenly pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips against her lower back.

Chapter 1103

His moist lips caused Johanna to tense up, and she reached behind to push him aside on the shoulder. "What are you doing-."

To her shock, the man proceeded to bite her on the waist, and her legs nearly gave way as a result.

He then swiftly pinned her against the floor-to-ceiling window and began to subdue her.

It was only after a housekeeper came to inform them that the car was outside waiting that Zephyr carried Johanna into the bathroom.

Biting her own tongue to force some strength out of herself, Johanna slapped the man across the face.

Although she looked fierce, she was rather frail. The slap felt like nothing more than a light tap on the cheek.

Zephyr chuckled at that. As he seemed to be in a good mood, he let the matter slide and carried her into the walk-in closet after they were done bathing. After spending nearly two hours in there, they left the house.

By the time Zephyr arrived at St. Calisto Church with Johanna, many seats on both sides had already been filled as the priest stood on the stage in front. The ceremony was about to begin.

The pair followed an usher and seated themselves in the second row on the right.

Johanna would sneak some glances at the guests in attendance, but to her disappointment, Frank and his security guards were nowhere to be seen.

I shouldn't have come.

The music began to play as the doors opened, and a bride clad in a black wedding dress walked in slowly.

In Lostaria, many couples opted for black dresses as the color was a symbol of loyalty.

Johanna subconsciously glanced down at herself. The outfit she was wearing so happened to be black, and the organza fabric used made the gown look like a magnificent wedding dress.

The thought of that made the woman feel unsettled and disgusted. If only I could get out of this dress right now.

As the priest spoke in Irushean, Zephyr placed an arm behind Johanna as though hugging her, occasionally twirling her long hair.

"You've been cooped up at home for quite a while, Kitty. It's about time you go for a walk outside," he suddenly remarked as the couple at the altar exchanged rings.

Johanna turned and shot him a glance, thinking he was out of his mind.

After the ceremony, it was time for the bouquet toss. With everyone gathered outside the church building, Johanna stood far away from the crowd as she couldn't wait to leave. Yet, the bouquet seemed to fly in her direction.

She held out her hands instinctively.

As the audience clapped away, the woman finally realized that she had caught the bouquet. Her first thought was to toss it as though she had caught a scorching piece of iron. Before she could do that, Zephyr strode over to her slowly. "Throwing the bouquet you caught at a wedding will bring you bad luck. Or are you thinking of humiliating me?" he asked, smiling. With that, Johanna suppressed her urges and smiled at the crowd while continuing to hold the bouquet.

The wedding celebrations went on until three in the afternoon.

The two headed to a shopping parade in a bulletproof luxury car, where Zephyr accompanied Johanna as she bought herself a set of casual clothes before taking her to the amusement park.

As the car came to a halt, Johanna glanced out the window and frowned. "I don't feel like visiting the amusement park. You may as well take me back instead."

She would rather hide away in the workshop than catch a whiff of his scent.

Saying nothing, Zephyr hopped out of the car and went over to Johanna's side to open her door. "I have some things to take care of tonight and will be taking a plane abroad tomorrow, so you won't see me for a while. Let me keep you company while I can now."

Reminding herself that the next few hours of torment would bring her a few days of peace and quiet, Johanna alighted the vehicle without another word.

Not only were they at the most luxurious amusement park in Marsingfill, but the Carlo family was also its major shareholder. Zephyr had already asked for the entire place to be cleared out before arriving. From now until seven at night, the amusement park could only receive him and Johanna.

It had been a long time since the woman had visited an amusement park, so she was particularly interested in the vast range of activities offered here. Seeing that she enjoyed shooting, Zephyr had the fake gun substituted with a real one, so he could guide her personally.

"Hold on tight, and don't move your shoulders," he instructed while leaning into her ear after adjusting her posture.

Chapter 1104

Johanna imagined the human silhouette target as Zephyr and fired around seven shots calmly. Surprisingly, one of them did hit the bullseye.

Zephyr clapped for the woman and let out a chuckle before complimenting her. "You're indeed a good student."

Ignoring the man, Johanna continued to reload her gun.

As night fell earlier during winter time, the sky was already dark before six in the evening. Zephyr took Johanna to a restaurant for dinner.

After dinner, the man walked Johanna to her car and kissed her before saying, "Have an early rest tonight."

Zephyr brushed his fmgers across Johanna's face and noticed that the woman was frowning and looked as if she was enduring some discomfort. Feeling reluctant to leave her, Zephyr asked smilingly, "Jojo, will you miss me when I'm away on my business trip?"

Johanna merely kept quiet, making it obvious that she could not be bothered to answer.

Zephyr did not press on and closed the car door before waving at the woman and watching the car disappear into the distance.

Johanna wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, feeling frustrated. When she moved her leg, she could feel herself stepping on something. Pretending to be searching through her bag, Johanna looked down, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw that she was stepping on a gun. Zephyr was not a careless person. Perhaps the gun was hidden underneath the seat to be used in unexpected situations and had accidentally fallen out. Or maybe Zephyr was testing her...

Johanna took out her phone from her bag and glanced at it before saying to the bodyguard in the driver's seat, "I'm a bit sleepy, and I'm going to take a nap first. Wake me up when we reach the mansion." Then, she pressed a button that lifted the divider in the car.

Meanwhile, Genevieve walked out of the hotel dressed in a black turtleneck sweater. The wind, which was blowing against her face, felt like daggers.

It was a very cold night.

When Genevieve saw a taxi approaching her, she flagged it down before taking out a letter from her bag and passing it to Sally.

"Bring this letter to Clover Bookshop for me."

Without taking the letter, Sally replied coldly, "I will go with you after you finish what you have to do."

She had stayed in Lostaria to protect Genevieve and to take revenge on Zephyr. Even though Zephyr had managed to escape previously when they were in Chanaea, Sally did not intend to let it happen the second time.

"It would only take you a few minutes to deliver this letter. Just come to our agreed meeting place directly after that."

Taking a pause, Genevieve continued, "Zephyr has planted his men everywhere. He knows how skilled you are at fighting. I'm worried that he would not meet me with you around."

Sally fixed her gaze on the woman for a while before accepting the letter.

"I'll be waiting for you there." Genevieve got into the car after saying that. A while after the car sped off, the woman told her driver to drive to the harbor instead.

Meanwhile, Sally hailed a taxi and set off for Clover Bookshop.

Sally entered the bookshop, which was still open at that hour, and passed the letter to the employee at the counter. Without asking any questions, the employee took over the letter and placed it in the drawer. After leaving the shop, Sally noticed that there was someone following her.

Without reacting, she continued walking along the streets before turning into an alley. She noticed that the person was still following her.

When the woman was in the middle of the alley, she suddenly turned around and took down the other party effortlessly.

"I'm here to pass on a message on behalf of our president," the man said in Ustranasion at once. He was unable to move at all as Sally had pinned him against the wall and had her knee against his back. Sally twisted the man's arm and asked placidly, "What's the message?"

The man replied in broken Ustranasion, "Our president wants to tell you that you are seeking out the wrong person for revenge.

Ethan was not killed by our mafia. Someone else had killed him and framed us."

When Sally heard that, she sneered, "Do you think I'm going to believe that? Ethan was killed while trying to capture someone from the Carlo family. All the evidence points to that. Can the Carlo family prove that they were framed?"

"Our president knew that you wouldn't believe it. He had found something and asked me to show it to you," the man replied.

Chapter 1105

Upon arriving at Marsingfill Harbor, Genevieve got out of the taxi and found her cruise ship. A crew welcomed her onboard the ship.

The only two people on the ship were Genevieve and the captain.

A few minutes later, the vessel left the harbor. Genevieve received a text from Frank while onboard the ship: Zephyr is reaching the harbor. I will be taking action soon.

After reading the message, the woman removed her SIM card from her phone and tossed both the SIM card and the phone into the sea.

As Genevieve had not eaten yet, while waiting, she headed to the ship's dining room to get some food.

While she was eating, she heard footsteps approaching the dining room.

Despite the cold weather, Zephyr was only wearing a gray sweater and suit pants. The man naturally exuded an air of elegance and nobility. After entering the dining room, he pulled a chair and sat across Genevieve.

The latter scooped some pasta into her mouth and said, "There's some food over there. If you're hungry, you can have some."

"It's all right. I've eaten before I came here." Zephyr leaned back against his chair and looked rather relaxed. He merely kept quiet and waited patiently for Genevieve to finish her food.

After the woman was done with her pasta, she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

While putting the napkin down on the table, she looked up at Zephyr and said calmly, "Get your men to send Johanna to the airport, and I will tell you the location of the gold."

Zephyr raised his brows and replied with a chuckle, "Oh? Are you intending to threaten me by choosing to meet on a cruise ship?"

"Yes. Can you say no?" Genevieve questioned in return.

"The fate of the Carlo family depends on that batch of gold and diamonds. So what if you're the president? The Carlo family does not belong to you alone."

Zephyr narrowed his eyes and stared at Genevieve with an inexplicable gaze in his eyes.

Genevieve poured herself a glass of water and took a sip before continuing placidly, "No matter how smart you are, if you lack money or capabilities, no one would be willing to serve you."

"It seems like your tone has become harsher after knowing what I need," Zephyr said, smiling.

Genevieve replied, "All I want is for you to let Johanna go. There's no one else on this cruise ship other than the captain. Even if I have a gun, I am still not your match. You can kill me anytime if you want to." Zephyr stared at the woman for a while before answering, "All right. It's a deal.”

Then, he took out his phone and made a call, but no one picked up.

The man frowned before calling the landline in the mansion. Someone picked up in less than a minute and said in a panicked voice, "Mr. Juksford, Someone had taken Ms. Joule away..." "What happened?" A deep crease appeared between Zephyr's brows, and the smile on his face had disappeared.

The housekeeper replied, "Ms. Joule had a gun on her, and she knew how to fire it. Some men had also barged into the house and killed a few bodyguards before taking her away."

As it was very quiet in the dining room, Genevieve could vaguely hear the content of the phone conversation.

When she noticed Zephyr's grim expression, she immediately figured out that Johanna had already been saved by Frank's men.

After hanging up, Zephyr fixed his gaze on Genevieve and said coldly, "Your intention was never to negotiate with me. You had asked to meet me on the cruise ship to buy time." Genevieve no longer had anything to worry about, knowing that Johanna was fine.

She flashed a provocative smile at Zephyr and said, "Since you refused to let her go, I had no choice but to resort to this. By the way, the gold is hidden in St. Calisto Church. I've already told Alston about it, bu it's probably too late for you to send your men to the church to find the gold."

Just then. Zephyr's phone rang again.

The man's subordinate informed him that Alston had combined forces with the Sheratons and another group of people and that the group had sought out and killed most of the Carlo mafia family's core members. Not only did the mafia lose more than half of its members within just a few hours, but Alston and his group had also stolen top-secret information from them.

Zephyr was confident that none of his men would have betrayed him. Hence, there could be only one reason that the names and details of the mafia's core members had leaked.

The man looked toward Genevieve and said, "Your friend is quite smart indeed."

Genevieve knew that Frank would not be able to obtain the Carlo family's name list and had expected them to face a tough battle that evening. She had also expected some members of the Carlo family to escape.

She had never imagined that Johanna would end up being such a great help to them.

Chapter 1106

"She's not a sitting duck who would accept being at the mercy of anyone without retaliating." Genevieve noticed the fury and menace in Zephyr's eyes when she met the man's gaze.

"This is strange. I didn't know that you get angry too." Genevieve smiled before continuing, "It's not only your men who wouldn't be able to escape but you as well."

She looked toward the clock that was hanging on the wall. Judging by the time, the woman knew that the ship had already sailed far from the harbor and that the captain should have already left via a speedboat.

Besides, the countdown had already started ten minutes ago.

Realization suddenly hit Zephyr when he noticed the peaceful look on Genevieve's face. The man's expression darkened before he drew out his gun and fired a shot at Genevieve's chest. Then, he left hurriedly.

Genevieve fell off her chair as blood gushed out from the wound on her chest and spilled onto the floor.

Given the large blast radius of the explosion, it would be impossible for Zephyr to escape.

While Genevieve was drifting in and out of consciousness, she heard someone calling her name. The voice sounded urgent, and it was a voice that she would never forget. When she opened her eyes, she saw Armand. His shoulders had been shot, and blood was flowing out of his wound.

Genevieve did not expect to see the man in Lostaria and was even more surprised that he was on the cruise ship. She guessed that he had bumped into Zephyr, and the two men had gotten into a gunfight. Genevieve fixed her gaze on Armand's face and lifted her hand with her remaining energy. When Armand saw that, he grabbed her hand and brought it to his face, kissing it gently and lovingly. Genevieve moved her lips and seemed as if she wanted to say something. However, she was bleeding so much that she did not have any energy left to speak. The woman turned pale gradually, and her eyes started losing focus.

Genevieve loved Armand so much. She wanted to grow old with him and watch their two children grow up.

She wanted to tour the world with him.

Armand knew what Genevieve wanted to say and kissed her lips before saying gently, "I love you too. Darling, don't be scared. I will be here with you."

On the surface of the dark and cold ocean, a speedboat was seen sailing at full speed toward the cruise ship.

All of a sudden, the cruise ship that was silently drifting on the sea exploded. The next instant, fiery flames lit up the sky, illuminating the surrounding darkness. The impact of the blast was so powerful that the speedboat was almost overturned.

The helmsman immediately gripped the steering wheel and steadied the boat.

After Frank and Sally, who were on the speedboat, regained their balance, they looked toward the direction of the blazing fire.

Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere was filled with dreadful silence.

Looking at the cruise ship being reduced to ashes in the explosion, Sally said softly, "She intentionally sent me away because she had planned to perish together with Zephyr. The letter she made me deliver to the bookshop was just a blank piece of paper."

The woman had promised Cooper that she would bring Genevieve back safely, but she was tricked by Genevieve.

Frank did not expect Genevieve to pull such an ultimate move and gazed silently at the ocean, which was gradually falling back into darkness. Just then, he felt a vibration in his pocket. The man took out his phone and saw a scheduled e-mail from Genevieve.

In the email, Genevieve told Frank that his brother, Patrick, had died many years ago trying to save her. She had kept it a secret from Frank before she needed his help to save Johanna. She knew that it was not ethical for her to do that as it was akin to giving someone hope and taking it away from them abruptly.

Genevieve was not expecting Frank to forgive her, but she was glad that she had at least helped to avenge Patrick's parents by getting rid of the three major mafia families.

Frank did not know if he should be feeling angry after reading the letter.

In fact, he already knew that Genevieve was lying when he asked her about his brother previously. However, he did not want to press her further.

He was hoping to find his brother and bring him home alive.

While Frank was still trying to process the information, he received a call from his colleague. After composing himself, he picked it up and asked, "Is it all settled?"

"Yes. We managed to catch every person who was on the name list of the major mafia families," the police officer reported before continuing, "But Evangeline Sheraton and Alston Leonardo had committed suicide."

Frank understood that Alston had told Evangeline that he was an undercover police officer after finding out about it. It was then that Evangeline knew that she had been deceived by Genevieve.

She was unable to withstand the guilt of leaking the name list, which resulted in the extermination of her family.

Chapter 1107

In the first-class cabin on the plane back to Chanaea, Johanna could not help but wonder if she was in a dream. She was worried that she would wake up and find herself still in the mansion.

Back then, she had picked up the gun that had dropped out of the car seat and kept it with her. She was planning to use it and try to escape from the mansion. However, Frank's men showed up and sent her to the airport.

Johanna started feeling a little sleepy after drinking a cup of milk and fell asleep shortly after.

However, it was a restless sleep. In her drowsy state, she could vaguely recall Zephyr saying something at his friend's church wedding, which they had attended together previously. However, she was unable to remember what exactly he had said, no matter how hard she tried.

She also saw the way Zephyr smiled at her when he sent her off in the car that day. It was as if she was his prey who was unable to escape from his grasp.

Johanna was suddenly jolted awake.

When she opened her eyes, all she could see was darkness. She extended her hand in front of her, but there wasn't anything covering her eyes.

As she could hear the buzzing sound of an engine and people talking around her, Johanna knew that she was on a plane and heaved a sigh of relief.

She had initially thought that the lights in the first-class cabin were turned off and started searching her bag for her phone. However, when she looked down at the screen, she was still unable to see anything. Even though the woman had a bad feeling in her heart, she calmed herself down before she called the chief stewardess over and asked her to wave her hand in front of her.

The chief stewardess was puzzled but still agreed to Johanna's request. The next moment, Johanna could feel a breeze brushing against her face and knew that it was the stewardess waving. However, Johanna could not see anything. There was something wrong with her eyes.

"Ma'am." The chief stewardess had also noticed that the woman's eyes lacked focus and asked, "Are you feeling discomfort in your eyes?"

Johanna was worried that the plane would do an emergency landing in a nearby city if she told them that she wasn't able to see. As she could not wait to leave, she merely replied, "It's an old ailment. My eyes have been like that ever since I was a kid.

Sometimes, I would just suddenly lose my sight. That's why I needed your help to test if I was having a relapse. It's all right."

People who suddenly lost their sight would either scream or panic, but the chief stewardess had observed that the woman was calm and speaking coherently. Judging by how Johanna was behaving, she reckoned it did seem as if the latter was used to having eye problems.

The chief stewardess left after telling Johanna to call for her when she needed help.

Johanna touched her eyes and wondered why she would suddenly lose her sight. Even though she had spent a lot of time in the office previously, she seldom pulled all-nighters. She had also never suffered any concussions before.

More than ten hours later, the plane finally landed at Jadeborough Airport.

Johanna was drifting in and out of sleep when she heard the in-flight broadcast announcing that the plane had landed in Jadeborough. That was when she finally relaxed and stopped worrying.

"Ms. Joule, your family is waiting for you outside. Let me walk you there."

Johanna was about to call Timothy when she heard an air stewardess speaking to her. With the assistance of the air stewardess, Johanna got off the plane.

After walking for a while, Johanna could hear noises and indiscernible human voices around her.

"Jojo." It was Timothy's voice.

A few seconds later, Johanna was pulled into a warm and broad chest. When she smelled the familiar scent, she reached out and hugged the man tightly. Burying her face into his chest, Johanna started sobbing uncontrollably.

She had been in Lostaria for a long time, and she missed Timothy and Asel so much.

"Don't cry, don't cry. I'm here now." Timothy lifted Johanna's face and wiped away her tears.

He could feel his heart aching when he noticed the woman's sharp chin and how much weight she had lost.

Even though Johanna was unable to see Timothy's face, she could tell from the tone of his voice that he felt bad. "I wasn't angry with you and ran away. I was kidnapped," she said.

"I know." Timothy lowered his head and kissed the woman before saying in a choked voice, "I have not stopped looking for you. I've missed you so much too."

If Johanna had taken any longer to return, he would have gone to Lostaria to look for her.

Standing on her tiptoes, Johanna wrapped her arms around the man's neck and kissed his lips again. They kissed for a long time before letting go of each other.

When Timothy was brushing the loose strands of Johanna's hair away from her face, he noticed something amiss about the woman and waved his hand in front of her eyes. However, Johanna did not even blink.

The man's heart sank instantly. "Jojo, you can't see anything, right?"

"Yes. It happened shortly after I boarded the plane," Johanna replied. She did not care about anything else as long as she could return home and be back at Timothy's side.

After sniffing her nose, the woman continued, "I've missed Asel so much."

As the weather in Jadeborough was very cold, Timothy removed his coat and put it on Johanna. Then, he carried her in his arms and said, "Let's go to the hospital for a checkup before going home to see Asel. Johanna hummed in acknowledgment before leaning into Timothy's chest and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

Chapter 1108

Standing outside the CEO's office at Specter Corporation in Jadeborough, Bertilla was unsure how to report such a heavy piece of news.

Only after hesitating for around five minutes did he finally knock on the door and enter the CEO's office.

Bertilla put the documents he brought in the pending tray, then looked at the man busy working. "Mr. Sutton, Ms. Loake sent me an email half an hour ago."

Cooper furrowed his eyebrows in surprise when he heard that. "What's wrong with my email? Why did she send you the message?"

Some private matters should be kept private. Thinking about the content of the email, Bertilla replied hesitantly, "I guess she wanted me to play the middle man because she didn't know how to tell you directly." "What did she send you?" inquired Cooper, narrowing his eyes.

"She said she worked with an anti-drug police officer named Frank, who happened to be Patrick's brother, to wipe out the mafia in Lostaria." With that, Bertilla handed his phone to Cooper, convinced that the man should take a look at the email.

The atmosphere in the room immediately turned freezing after Cooper went through the message, so much so that Bertilla had trouble withstanding the intensity despite holding his breath. "Mr. Faulkner also went to Lostaria, where he died with Ms. Rachford," added Bertilla in a soft voice.

As if he could not hear the assistant, Cooper had his eyes fixed on the device in his hand while he calmly scrolled to the bottom of the email, which was quite detailed since Frank divulged everything to Sally. The message included what Genevieve did after reaching Lostaria to how she tricked Zephyr into boarding the explosives-rigged cruise ship with the location of Carlos' gold.

Cooper suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart as though he had lost the most important thing in his life.

Groaning, the man held his chest tightly.

"Mr. Sutton!" Bertilla, who was so shocked by Cooper's reaction that he almost lost his voice, hurriedly picked up the phone on the desk. "I'll get you a doctor right away-" "That's not necessary," interrupted Cooper in a hoarse voice.

After shutting his eyes for a while to recollect himself, Cooper returned Bertilla's phone and questioned, "Do you think it's true?"

Even though Bertilla knew what his boss was talking about, he kept silent because he was unsure how to answer the question. Even a dozen kilograms of explosives is enough to destroy a house and affect those around the building, let alone a cruise ship.

Cooper did not wait for Bertilla to answer him and instead calmly uttered, "You may leave."

Holding his phone, Bertilla looked back before walking away and saw Cooper keeping busy again as if the man had already gotten over the bad news.

However, after Bertilla had left, Cooper stared blankly at the documents on his desk and remained so for a while.

The man, having lost the most important person to him, never returned to the office from that day on.

He simply handed the day-to-day operations to other executives and wasted his time away in his condominium.

Bertilla called once to notify Cooper that Johanna had returned and that Timothy had taken Asel back, but the man only responded perfunctorily before hanging up. Cooper did nothing but smoke and drink in his condominium and even ignored Amanda's calls.

Before long, it was December in Jadeborough.

The weather that year was much colder than before since it was already snowing in mid-December. The snow was so heavy that it covered the entire Jadeborough.

With Cooper disappearing for so long, Bertilla got as anxious as a fish out of water. Even Steven called to ask what was going on, so Bertilla had no choice but to look for his boss at the condominium.

Many terrifying thoughts began to cross Bertilla's mind when nobody opened the door despite the fact he had been ringing the doorbell for a while. However, just when he was about to make a phone call, the door suddenly opened.

Chapter 1109

Standing inside the house was Cooper in casual wear, and besides looking a little thin, Cooper seemed just fine.

He was so kempt that even his facial hair was taken care of.

"Mr. Sutton?" greeted Bertilla tentatively, worried that he was hallucinating because he had stood outside for too long and that the door was actually still closed.

"What are you panicking for? It's not as though I'm going to die," stated Cooper calmly as he glanced at the assistant, for he knew the two children would be left alone if he were not around too. After following his boss inside, Bertilla took the food he had bought out of the bags. "I bought you lunch from Golden Restaurant. Would you like to have it now?"

"Sure." Cooper took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and handed it to Bertilla.

Then, he pulled up a chair and sat down to have lunch. "Did you go to Swallow Garden? How are Lucian and Mandy?"

"I've been there thrice," replied Bertilla. "Mandy kept asking me where you went and why you didn't answer her calls. I just said that you were busy with work. Mandy bought it, but not Lucian."

Lucian was smart, so for Amanda's sake, he did not ask Bertilla or Steven about Cooper, even though he knew something was wrong.

"I'll check on them tomorrow. Today, I'm going to the office," stated Cooper.

Bertilla nodded in response to that. "Mr. Sutton, there's one more thing... When I went to Swallow Garden to see the children, I heard from Steven that the news of Mr. Faulkner's and Ms. Rachford's death had reached Old Mr. Zeigler."

Herbert had been ill for a long time but had recently recovered enough to go out.

Unfortunately, when he learned that his granddaughter and grandson-in-law had died overseas within less than a year of returning home, he was so devastated that he was sent to a hospital that very evening. With his dire condition, Herbert lay in a hospital bed and remained in a coma for a long while.

Cooper lifted his head to frown at Bertilla when he heard the news. "Only Frank and Sally were there, so how did General Zeigler hear about it?"

"I heard that another cruise ship passed by, and the passengers on board witnessed the explosion," answered Bertilla.

"Even so, how would they know who was on board?" scoffed Cooper.

Since he knew Sally was not talkative and that she would not spread the news, Cooper had reason to suspect that Frank was responsible.

As much as the man wanted to, he could think of a way to convince Herbert that Genevieve and Armand were alive.

Cooper then washed up in the bathroom after finishing his lunch with a heavy heart and followed Bertilla to the office in fresh clothes.

With the first snow of winter falling, the sky that day was as white as a sheet.

Leaning back in his seat, Cooper watched distractedly as the snowflakes fell on the car window before quickly melting into water droplets due to the temperature inside of the vehicle.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as though he had seen something interesting through the window.

Cooper then went to his office at the top of the building and wrote something on a piece of paper for quite a while before calling Bertilla in.

"Contact everyone on the list and tell them that I'll be available after six every evening starting next Monday," instructed Cooper as he handed the paper to the assistant, who immediately understood what he wanted after just one glance.

Afterward, Cooper remained behind his desk and kept busy until the sky outside the window turned dark. When he lifted his head to massage his neck, his phone on the desk rang.

"What is it?" asked Cooper after picking up the device.

"I'd like to treat you to dinner," uttered Jerry with a smile on the other end of the call. "What do you say, Mr. Sutton?"

Even though Cooper knew Jerry had an ulterior motive for asking him out, he agreed to meet the man for dinner at Imperial Club anyway.

Because of the snow on the road, Bertilla took forty minutes to reach the club by car.

Cooper then entered a VIP room and saw that there were others beside Jerry at the table.

"This is my uncle. He's quite close with my family." Jerry introduced a person beside him after rising to his feet casually.

"Mr. Sutton," greeted the stranger while quickly holding his hand out to shake Cooper's.

Chapter 1110

Jerry's uncle, Caleb, opened a cosmetics company in Xedells, and even though he had earned himself a reputation, the market there was saturated. Specter Corporation operates in the retail industry and has large shopping malls all over the country. If I can forge a deal with them, my company will be able to penetrate the local market.

Cooper was aware of the cosmetic brand and that it was doing well overseas.

Since the business owner was both courteous and reasonable, the two parties did not take long to reach an agreement. The fact that the person was Jerry's relative also helped.

When Jerry returned to the table, the two businessmen were already done talking shop. In fact, they had started drinking.

After pulling up a chair beside Cooper, Jerry sat down and inquired curiously, "Aren't you and Ms. Loake close? Why are you exacting your revenge by taking advantage of her moment of weakness?" "You haven't heard? Sally's father was sent to prison," informed Jerry in a soft voice after realizing that Cooper was unaware of the situation.

Immediately, Cooper paused his smoking and turned to look at the man beside him. "What happened?"

While he was absent from work, the political landscape in Jadeborough shifted drastically.

Robert was immediately sent to jail after being charged guilty of not only accepting others into the army through improper channels but also taking bribes. Since the Zane family had no other descendants, the network Robert built in the military collapsed as soon as he got locked away.

Gerald was also sent to prison after solid evidence indicated that he had sexually assaulted a minor and was in possession of illegal weapons.

Everyone in the military or political circles knew about the man's scandal. Sally's mother got so upset that she passed away the same day Gerald was sent to jail, and following that was the fall of the Loake family.

Sally never joined the military, so she lost everyone she could depend on the moment her family was ruined.

Then, Jerry waited until his uncle left the room to answer a phone call before speaking freely with Cooper. "From what I heard, the Zanes and the Loakes were unwilling to work together. Since that person couldn't make use of the two major forces in the military, he had no choice but to be ruthless."

Cooper thought it was only natural that Jerry knew about the political news even though the man's forces were stationed in Xedells because of the Homptons' bodyguards.

"Who's that person you're talking about?" inquired Cooper calmly, taking a drag on his cigarette.

Although they were in Cooper's territory, Jerry still thought they should be careful, so he dipped his finger in his coffee and wrote a name on the table.

After lowering his head to glance at the table, Cooper pressed the butt of his cigarette on the name. "I wouldn't be surprised if this person could remove both the Zanes and Loakes in a discreet and organized manner."

Jerry then took a sip of his drink and kept silent for a while before continuing, "General Zeigler made a huge sacrifice on the battlefield; his parents and siblings died in battle, leaving him all alone. His years of service also caused him severe illnesses. Luckily for him, the higher-ups gave the Zeigler family complete control over the planning of Baykeep's development."

Besides their capability, Herbert's eldest and second eldest sons were respectively assigned favorable positions in the military and politics because the brass wanted to honor their family's contribution. It almost seemed as if the entire Baykeep belonged to the Zeiglers.

However, times had changed, and so had the people at the higher-ups. Although they did not like it, they had already picked a side.

Cooper's eyes gradually turned grim. "They're planning to make a move against the Zeigler family?"

"The Zeiglers have always pledged their allegiance to the country, not any individual. That was why they rarely picked sides or got themselves involved in any way," explained Jerry before shrugging. "That person has no problem letting the Zeiglers keep Baykeep, but they have to fall in line."

"Your words reminded me of something," stated Cooper while staring at the soaked cigarette butt. "Do you know that a severe plague broke out in Baykeep in mid-June?"

"I do. The citizens of Baykeep even asked for help from Xedells because they were short-handed." Suddenly, Jerry turned his head sideways to look at Cooper as though he understood what the man was implying. "I heard from Armand that this matter was related to Genevieve's step-brother. Is that true?"