Ch. 1131..1140

Chapter 1131

At a little over three o'clock in the afternoon, the helicopter arrived in Baxrich.

Cooper had long since contacted a five-star hotel in Baxrich, and the helicopter landed on the helipad at the top floor of the building. They first went downstairs to their room to put their things away. Baxrich was in the north, so it started going into winter in October. By December, there had already been several snowfalls.

The entire city was blanketed in a deep layer of snow, making for a fairytale-like sight.

It was the first time Amanda had ever seen a city with such thick snow. She trotted on the street after exiting the hotel, only to accidentally trip on the snow with a thud.

Seeing that, Cooper hurried forward and helped her up.

Amanda's face came into contact with a large patch of snow, making her so cold that she shivered. But still, she grinned happily. "Uncle Cooper, do you know there's this saying to dig something?" "To dig deep," Lucian interjected.

"Yes, that's it! To dig deep! Digging deep here, there's still snow! This is fun!" Amanda crowed, waving her hands excitedly.

At that precise moment, Sally walked up. "You haven't seen fun yet."

Recalling the "ski castle" she mentioned, Amanda no longer obsessed over the stunning scenery before her eyes. Instead, she urged Sally to bring her there posthaste.

The ski castle was located at the southeast of Baxrich.

It was actually a vast expanse of snow, famous for its castle structure. Other than beginner ski trails for children, there were various other fun activities available.

Next to it was the biggest ski resort that enjoyed great acclaim in Baxrich. Many people who loved skiing came to enjoy themselves each year.

It so happened to be Christmas that day, so there were even more tourists than usual.

As soon as Amanda alighted from the car and caught sight of the castle-shaped snowscape in the distance, she exclaimed several times in a row. If it weren't for Cooper clutching at her collar, she would have sprinted off ages ago.

Cooper planned to head to the counter to buy tickets when Lucian brandished his phone at him. "I bought tickets online, so we only need to scan the barcodes."

While walking side by side to the ticket gate with Cooper, Sally stuck her hands in her pockets and remarked placidly, "Are you out of touch with the world that you don't even know how to buy tickets online, Mr. Sutton?"

In response, Cooper shot her a sidelong glance. "Isn't that your job?"

"What has it got to do with me? They're your niece and nephew, not mine," Sally retorted.

Out of the blue, Cooper lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder, pulling her into his embrace. "That was a genuine marriage certificate, Ms. Loake. Do you still remember why we got married?" Leaning close to her ear, he murmured, "Other than us having the same goal, you've got to take good care of my niece and nephew since you're their aunt."

Sally dipped her eyes, her expression was cold and indifferent. "Let go of me."

"It's nothing unusual for a married couple to hug each other," Cooper teased, in a good mood. He moved his hand down to her waist, and they went to the ticket gate together. Meanwhile, Sally was afraid that she wouldn't be able to keep a tight rein on her strength and end up pummeling him so badly that he would be laid up there overnight.

Restraining herself, she yanked the collar of the sweater up to cover half her face.

When Amanda stepped foot into the place, she was dazzled by the various kinds of snow activities. She ran all over the place, thrilled to the core.

Digging out a clump of snow from the ground, she shaped it into a ball and flung it at Cooper with a cry.

Cooper didn't dodge, so the snowball hit his down jacket. A good deal of snow slid down the collar into his jacket, making him shudder. Amanda, on the other hand, burst out laughing. Feigning anger, Cooper scooped up a snowball from the ground and tossed it. But his hand abruptly changed directions, and it hit Sally instead.

Sally lowered her head and glanced at the snow staining her down jacket. Her hands remained still stuck in her pockets, and she said nothing. Conversely, Amanda hurled another snowball at Cooper, clamoring, "Don't pick on Aunt Sally, Uncle Cooper! Take this!"

"Okay. I'll pick on you, then!" Cooper packed a snowball to lob at her.

Before he could do so, a snowball hit him first. Failing to dodge in time, it hit him squarely in the face. Half his glasses ended up covered in snow. Amanda doubled over in laughter. "You got hit, Uncle Cooper!"

Chapter 1132

Cooper took off his glasses and wiped the lenses before turning to Sally. "Never aim for the face. Don't you know the rules?"

"Your face doesn't look all that delicate to me." Scooping up a clump of snow from the ground with a hand, Sally kneaded it into a ball and launched it at Cooper once more.

Cooper didn't bother wearing his glasses anymore since his short-sightedness was mild.

He put his glasses into the pocket of his down jacket. While dodging the snowballs from Sally and Amanda, he bent and dug some snow from the ground. "Lucian, quick, pack some snowballs and help me attack them—”

Before he had finished speaking, a snowball hit him on the waist. It turned out that Lucian was on Amanda's side.

Cooper threw his nephew a dark look. "What a little traitor!"

They all had great fun having a snowball fight in the snow. Facing off three opponents, Cooper ended up thoroughly defeated. Well, I've really sacrificed much to make Amanda and Lucian happy! Without warning, a snowball flew right at Amanda.

Standing a stone's throw away from her, Sally acutely noticed something off with the snowball. She wouldn't be able to run over in time, so she shot her hand out to block it.

Unexpectedly, it didn't shatter upon hitting her wrist. On the contrary, a snapping sound came from her wrist bone.

She grunted in pain, yet she didn't bother checking her wrist but looked down at Amanda first. It wasn't until she had ascertained that the latter wasn't hurt that she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she turned her gaze to the ground.

The snowball on the ground was packed densely though it looked no different from an ordinary snowball.

Cooper hastened forward, his face turning as black as thunder when he saw the snowball on the ground. Crouching at once, he asked Amanda, "Did it hit you, Mandy?"

"No. Aunt Sally blocked it with her hand," Amanda answered.

If Sally hadn't first shot her hand out, the consequences would've been disastrous if the snowball had hit Mandy on the forehead at its speed earlier.

He stood up to question Sally about the incident, but Sally pushed him aside and stalked toward the crowd in the distance.

She grabbed a boy about eight or nine years old who was running, her gaze icy. "It was your doing, yes?"

Terror struck the boy at the look in her eyes, and he struggled to free his shirt from her clutches. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I saw it," Sally stated frostily.

The boy's eyes flickered, and he suddenly started wailing about someone picking on him, snagging the attention of the tourists around them.

His family swiftly rushed over. Shooting daggers at Sally, the boy's aunt bellowed, "What's wrong with you? Hurry up and let go of my nephew, or I'm going to lodge a police report..."

While she was still ranting and raving, Sally dropped her hold on the boy before spinning on her heel and leaving.

Just then, Cooper came over with Amanda. A single glance at the boy and woman behind Sally had understanding promptly dawning upon him. In a baleful voice, he uttered, "I'll go and ask for the surveillance footage."

"No, it's okay. Let's just continue playing," Sally replied mildly.

Noticing something off with her left hand, Cooper wanted to bring her to the hospital to get checked out. However, Sally led Amanda away and resumed their snowball fight.

Throughout it all, the boy hid behind his aunt. Seeing that Sally merely interrogated him before leaving, he broke out in a wide grin.

How fun to get two thousand in exchange for a snowball!

As he was having a snowball fight with his friends, a snowball hit him hard on the back. Even with a down jacket softening the blow, he still sensed a stab of pain.

He glanced back over his shoulder, but there was nothing there.

No sooner had he turned back around than a solid snowball hit his left arm. The pain was so excruciating that he let out a howl, his entire arm shaking.

Before he had finished howling, another snowball hit his right calf.

His calf spasmed, and he collapsed onto the ground. He started bawling in terror. "Aunt Giselle, someone pelted me with snowballs!"

His aunt hastily dashed over.

Pointing at his arm, he complained of it hurting before telling her that his calf was also throbbing badly to the point that he couldn't stand up. "It must have been the woman earlier! She was the one who threw snowballs at me!"

Giselle rolled the sleeve of her nephew's down jacket up, only to see that a bruise had already formed on his arm.

Such fury blazed within her that her face flushed bright red. She searched among the tourists for Sally and stormed over after spotting the latter. Just when she was about to grab her, Sally deftly dodged. In the process, she casually lifted her leg. Giselle tripped on the snow and choked on a mouthful of snow.

Chapter 1133

It took Giselle much effort before she managed to regain her feet. Wiping the snow off her face, she glowered at Sally. "Hey! What's wrong with you that you pelted my nephew with snowballs?"

Sally wore a chilly expression. "I've been having a snowball fight with my niece and nephew here. How do you reckon I pelted your nephew with snowballs?" "You're denying it? My nephew told me it was your doing! His arm is all black and blue from the snowball, so I want to lodge a police report!" Giselle lambasted. "Go ahead." Sally wasn't at all perturbed.

Giselle was no easy prey, so she immediately whipped her phone out and called the police. That aside, she even demanded to see the management, complaining that someone deliberately assaulted her nephew.

When the management personnel saw the bruise on the boy's arm, he brought them to the surveillance room to check the surveillance footage.

Although there were many guests who had snowball fights in the snow, he didn't see Sally lobbing snowballs at the boy.

They played the surveillance footage further back, only to see the boy hurling a snowball at Amanda's face.

Sally had the management personnel enlarge the surveillance footage before staring sideways at the boy hiding behind his aunt. "I asked whether you threw the snowball earlier, but you denied it." At once, the boy's gaze turned evasive. "I... I accidentally threw it at her while playing with my friends."

In a menacing voice, Sally commented, "It was accidental, yet you could aim for my niece's forehead. Well, it seems that your eyesight is pretty good."

The boy was so terrified that words eluded him.

The moment Giselle glimpsed a few police officers entering the surveillance room, she quickly flashed Sally an apologetic smile. "My nephew shouldn't have done that, so I apologize to your niece on his behalf. He's just a kid-■"

"Even so, he has to take responsibility for his wrongdoings," Cooper interjected coldly, cutting her off.

Then, he went over and narrated the turn of events to the few police officers.

Sally looked down at the boy, her eyes dark and icy. "I'll give you another chance. Why did you pack such a dense snowball and hurl it at my niece?"

Petrified by her aura, the boy teetered on the verge of tears.

Clutching at his aunt's down jacket, he stammered, "Aman gave me two thousand to pack a snowball and hit her. I'm sorry, miss.

I won't do it again."

Sally narrowed her eyes a fraction, her gaze unnerving.

She turned and said to Cooper, "This kid has apologized, so just let his aunt bring him back and educate him."

"Yes, yes, I'll definitely teach him a lesson later!" Giselle hurriedly chimed in.

After saying that, she took off at lightning speed while dragging her nephew along, fearful that Cooper would pursue the matter, considering the grim look on his face.

Thus, Cooper had no choice but to tell the few police officers that it was a tiff between children and allow the matter to slide.

Meanwhile, Amanda had been waiting with Lucian at the snow play area. When she saw Cooper returning, she swiftly ran up to him and inquired, "What did you see in the surveillance footage, Uncle Cooper? Was it him who threw a snowball at me?"

"Yeah. But your aunt has taught him a lesson in the surveillance room." Cooper stroked her head.

"Aunt Sally is amazing! She scared him with just a few words!" Amanda threw herself at Sally, but she accidentally bumped her left hand.

Sally was still aching from her fractured wrist, but she merely frowned without saying anything.

Clocking it all, Cooper bent and scooped Amanda up. "We've played for a long time, Mandy. Let's go back and have dinner. We'll go to the ski resort tomorrow."

"Okay!" Amanda bobbed her head.

Cooper wanted to bring Sally to the hospital to get her hand checked out after settling the children back at the hotel, but Sally brushed it off by claiming that it was merely a minor fracture, asking him to get her some medication instead.

Only when they had eaten dinner and settled the two children in their room did Cooper have the time to inspect her wrist.

When her brows knitted deeply with just a light touch on her wrist, he dropped the gauze and got to his feet.

"I'll take you to the hospital."

"No, it's okay. I know the extent of the fracture. Just splint it," Sally insisted.

Failing to convince her otherwise, Cooper crouched back down. He snagged the splint on the coffee table and held it to the spot where her wrist had fractured before wrapping it with gauze.

Sally reclined against the couch. As she allowed him to help her deal with her injury, she remarked placidly, "That boy told me that someone gave him money and instructed him to throw a snowball at Mandy." Realization seemingly dawned upon him, and his gaze promptly turned chilly. "How daring of the Gaudette family that they even made a move against a kid."

I initially planned on dealing with the Gaudette family slowly, but I can't do so anymore from the look of things now.

Chapter 1134

"It's because General Zeigler is still unconscious in the hospital, and Armand is no longer here. Otherwise, Beatrix wouldn't have been so arrogant at the mall that day," Sally surmised.

Speaking of that, she dipped her eyes and pinned her gaze on Cooper. "Do you think Armand didn't know about the Gaudette family's ambition when he was so smart?"

"He naturally knew when even both of us could tell. But he had never been interested in going into politics. Besides, he was but a man. There was no way he could prepare for every eventuality," Cooper answered calmly.

The only person he cared about was his wife, Genevieve, so much so that he would head to death with her without an ounce of hesitation.

When he was done doctoring Sally's injury, he suddenly divulged, "It wasn't Ethan's heart. Robert knew about it, yet he never said a word and used Armand all along."

"I know. Mr. Zane told me when he went to prison," Sally admitted.

Like Robert, she didn't want Ethan to be dissected in death, so relief suffused her when she learned that the man was cremated whole.

At some point in time, she had seemingly let some things go.

Cooper's gaze shifted from her wrist to her face. "Was your eagerness to save Mandy back at the snow play area, even going as far as suffering a wrist fracture, a show for my benefit?"

Sally held his gaze. "Why would I do that?"

"To garner my sympathy."

Despite Sally's great control over her emotions, his words still had her letting out a bark of laughter in vexation. "Mr. Sutton, we only got married because we have the same goal. Is there a need for me to curry favor with your niece to garner your sympathy?"

Cooper put on his glasses that had been wiped clean, appearing gentle and elegant. "That's not entirely impossible."

At that, the corners of Sally's mouth twitched. "I find that you're pretty... narcissistic."

Leaning forward, she closed the distance between them, her eyes bright and clear.

"Even if you hadn't sought me out for a collaboration, Mr. Sutton, I still had a way to deal with the Gaudette family. General Zeigler has a few unmarried grandsons, including Miles at the space agency and Yuvan, who's running a large-scale art gallery. Yuvan's father is Commander Zeigler, and my father's relationship with him is pretty good. Say, will the Zeigler family protect me?" she analyzed mildly. Then, she continued, "I protected Mandy because she's adorable, and I like her a lot." Pausing for a moment, she wept her gaze over the man. "It wasn't because I wanted to garner your sympathy." "It looks like I was indeed too narcissistic." Chuckling, Cooper grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her toward him.

Her eyelashes quivering, Sally lowered her head and kissed him.

It was a whim on Cooper's part, so the kiss merely lasted for a brief second.

After leaning back, he brushed a finger against her lips, only to find it slightly cool. "Why are your lips always cold?"

"Because I was born with a cold constitution," Sally replied expressionlessly. She pushed his hand away and stood up.

Feeling a touch parched, she went to the bar and snagged a bottle of mineral water.

Cooper knew that it would be a problem for her to unscrew the cap since she had fractured her left wrist, so he walked over and did that before handing the mineral water to her. Throwing her head back, Sally took a few gulps of water.

Cooper seized advantage of the situation to hug her from behind and bury his head in her shoulder.

Sally immediately stiffened. While she was pondering whether to throw the water onto his head or give him a swift kick, the man queried, "Do you not like this?"

"No." Her voice was cold and indifferent.

In the end, she placed the bottle of mineral water on the bar. "At such a time, a person's physical and psychological defenses are at their weakest, so it's easy to be ambushed if she gives her back to someone else."

When she had said that, the room plunged into utter silence. A long while passed before Cooper's muffled laughter drifted into the air.

With a hand propped against the bar, Cooper looked at her with his head tilted, his eyes brimming with amusement. "I just discovered that you don't like others hugging you from behind. What were you thinking?"

Sally was stunned for a few seconds, and she cast her mind back on her words earlier.

At the sight of the mirth dancing in his eyes, chagrin swamped her out of the blue. Wearing a sullen look on her face, she kicked him hard in the calf.

Chapter 1135

Opening the luggage she brought, Sally took out a set of pajamas from within.

Upon seeing that she wasn't heading to the bathroom, Cooper asked with a quirk of the brow, "Where are you going?"

"Mandy's room. I'll tell Lucian to come over." Verily, Sally feared she wouldn't be able to restrain herself from getting physical with him if he were to continue teasing her.

"Your hand is splinted, and Mandy is short. How is she going to help you out of your clothes?" Cooper drawled.

"I can undress with one hand," Sally assured evenly.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Cooper steered her toward the bathroom. "I don't want you to injure your hand again that I'll have to send you to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning. I'll help you with it."

They had been intimate countless times, so they had long since grown familiar with each other. For that reason, Sally didn't bother declining.

There was central heating in the room, so it was warm even in the bathroom.

Sally wore a white shirt beneath the woolen sweater. The cuffs were rather tight, so Cooper helped her out of the left sleeve first before removing the entire garment.

That left her in a thin mint-colored bra, held up with two slender straps on her shoulders.

Her skin was white as snow, and her waist was incredibly slender.

Bending down, Cooper slipped his hands down her arm to her waist, inadvertently skimming his fingers against her skin.

He often held a pen, so he had thin calluses on his fingertips. The foreign sensation was so intense when they brushed across her waist that Sally couldn't help grabbing his wrist. She stared at him, her voice tinged with a hint of desire. "You know my waist is very sensitive."

"Really? I never noticed that." Flashing her a faint smile, Cooper moved his hand up and stilled at the hooks of her bra. He inquired, "Shall I help you with this?" Sally dipped her eyes and remained silent.

Cooper was bent over as he spoke to her, his posture bringing them so close that they could smell each other's scents.

His lips brushed across her ears, his voice low and deep. "You're wearing perfume?"

"No." Sally's back inexorably stiffened.

At that moment, Cooper still had his hand on her smooth back. Sensing her reaction, he turned and kissed her ear.

Thereafter, he chuckled. "Your ears are sensitive as well?"

Snapping at his seduction, Sally removed his glasses and placed them on the counter. Then, she lifted her head and kissed him urgently, even biting his lip once. Cooper carried her to the sink. As he did so, Sally wrapped her legs around his waist.

The bathroom steamed up, and the sounds of their panting saturated the space.

Sweat drenched Sally's scalp and back. Without warning, she shot out her right hand and clutched at Cooper's shoulder, sweat trickling down her forehead to her chin.

A long time passed before she noted in a hoarse voice, "You're rather brutal."

"Hmm?" Cooper leaned down and gazed into her eyes.

Sapped of all strength, Sally could only support her weight by hooking a hand around his neck. "Were you jealous because of what I said just now?"

"Is there a need for me to be jealous?" Chortling, Cooper wiped off the sweat from her chin with his hand.

Subsequently, he held her chin and tilted her head up to meet his gaze. "Well, let's talk about you. You're the daughter of General Loake, so you wouldn't go to such a place to make a living by selling yourself no matter how difficult life gets. I've also asked the clients of that private room, and they said they do what they're paid for. What do you think they get paid for?"

Dipping her eyes, Sally uttered calmly, "Would you believe me if I say I've got no idea?"

At that, Cooper snickered. "Nope."

It so happened that the water in the bathtub was full then. He carried Sally to the bathtub and placed her in, mindful to keep her splinted left hand away from the water.

After doing that, he took the showerhead down and helped her wash her sweaty hair, his movements gentle and delicate.

"The marriage certificate is genuine, so you should inform General Loake about our marriage. Bring the marriage certificate along, and the prison officials will allow you to visit him. When you see him, ask him the relevant questions in detail. It'll make things much easier for us out here," Cooper urged.

Sally murmured an acknowledgment. All of a sudden, she lowered her head and giggled.

The two of them had been acquainted for a long time, but she was a reserved person who seldom smiled. Instead, she often appeared like an aloof goddess who couldn't care less about interacting with others That was the second time Cooper had even seen her smiling. He looked down at her. "Why are you laughing?"

"We're on our downtime now, but you just had to mention work. If I were your assistant, I'd probably want to kill you were I to receive your call when I'm having a roll in the hay," Sally quipped. Hearing that, Cooper couldn't help guffawing either.

Chapter 1136

When Cooper had helped Sally wash her hair and wrap a towel around it, he briefly rinsed them both before taking out the hairdryer in the cabinet beneath the sink and blowing dry her hair. Standing in front of the sink, Sally could see the tall and muscular man behind her.

He wasn't wearing glasses, and his drooping eyelashes concealed his eyes. His forbidding features eased under the lights, giving him an elegant and graceful air that made him seem like easy prey. However, all who had contact with him knew that his appearance was deceiving.

In truth, he was more ruthless than anyone else.

When he lifted his head, Sally happened to glimpse a glimmer of light in his eyes despite the indifferent look in them.

Seeing that she was spacing out while staring at the mirror, Cooper instinctively understood the reason.

He unplugged the hairdryer before snagging a comb and running it through her long hair. In a casual manner, he questioned, "Why did you take an interest in me? Which part of me resembles Ethan?" Turning, Sally brushed her finger across his eyebrows. "The eyes. Both your eyes are beautiful.”

"No wonder you didn't bother when I suggested finding someone and having him undergo plastic surgery to look just like Ethan back then." Even if that person ended up looking no different from the man she loves, his eyes would never be the same.

Sally regarded him curiously. "Aren't you angry to hear that?"

"Why would I be? You love someone else, and so do I," Cooper replied mildly, pulling her hand down.

They could only continue being together because they had the same goal and decided to collaborate.

It had nothing to do with love.

A strange feeling welled within Sally as she gazed at the man's cold eyes. It took tremendous effort on her part before she succeeded in suppressing it.

She went to the adjacent room after changing, and Lucian came over to sleep with Cooper.

Amanda had played two rounds of the escape room game with Lucian earlier, so she was still too excited to sleep. Climbing into bed, she inched close to Sally and stared at her with wide eyes. "Aunt Sally, why aren't you sleeping with Uncle Cooper?"

Tucking the covers over her, Sally explained evenly, "While there are surveillance cameras in the hotel, your uncle is still worried about your safety."

Amanda hummed in acknowledgment. "Can I hug you to sleep, Aunt Sally?"

She usually slept with a plush toy in her arms, but she forgot to bring her favorite plush toy during the trip to Baxrich this time.

"Sure." Gathering Amanda in her arms, Sally murmured, "Good night."

Amanda felt much more relaxed in her embrace. A while later, she inquired in a mere whisper, "Aunt Sally, are my mommy and daddy... never coming back again?"

"Your mommy is recuperating abroad. She'll be back when she recovers," Sally coaxed softly.

Cooper had taught her to immediately change the subject to divert Amanda's attention if the latter's mind wandered, so she promptly put it into action. "Would you like to go skydiving, Mandy?" Amanda jerked her head up and looked at Sally with excitement dancing in her eyes. "Yes! Can you skydive, Aunt Sally?"

Sally grunted in concurrence. "There's a skydiving establishment in Springwyn. After skiing tomorrow, we'll go to Springwyn for skydiving. Now, hurry up and sleep."

"Okay! Good night, Aunt Sally!" Looking forward to tomorrow, Amanda obediently closed her eyes and slept.

After breakfast the next day, they all went to the ski resort.

Amanda and Lucian had been to several ski resorts all over the world. Despite their young age, they had tons of experience in skiing, with no problems traversing advanced trails. Sally competed with them for their enjoyment.

Out of the blue, she spotted someone bumping into Cooper on the ski slope. Losing control of his speed, he barreled down.

Manipulating her ski poles, she intercepted him in the nick of time, saving him from an embarrassing tumble into the snow.

When the ski boots beneath her feet had come to a complete stop, she teased airily with an arm around his waist, "Other than being good at making money, you're really bad at everything else. Did you not have enough to eat this morning, my delicate princess?"

She then pinched him on the waist.

Chapter 1137

Cooper removed his helmet and looked down at Sally with a smirk playing on his lips. "I expended too much energy last night. After all, someone said I was too brutal." Sally's expression remained detached, but the tip of her ears went red.

"What's this about being too brutal?" Amanda heard the latter part of Cooper's utterance when she skied over, so she stared at them with eyes wide in curiosity. Cooper flashed her a gentle smile. "Your aunt said that I'm brutal. Do you think I'm brutal?"

"Nope." Amanda shook her head.

Meanwhile, Sally struck the man's calf with a ski pole before leading Amanda away with a cold expression on her face.

They played at the ski resort until a little over ten o'clock before they went back to the hotel to pack.

Since Sally's left hand was still splinted, Cooper was worried that she wouldn't be able to pilot the helicopter and planned to hire a pilot.

Unexpectedly, Sally insisted, "I can pilot the helicopter. Contact the relevant parties, for we're going to Springwyn."

"Why are we going to Springwyn?" Cooper queried.

"Mandy wants to try skydiving."

"No way. She's still young, so skiing is already sufficient. Skydiving is too dangerous," Cooper rebuffed without even thinking about it, lifting a hand and nudging his glasses.

If anything were to happen to Mandy and Lucian while in my care, I wouldn't be able to face Genevieve even if I were to repay her with my life.

Overhearing the conversation between them, Amanda threw herself at Cooper at once and hugged his thigh. She acted cute, gazing at him with tears shimmering in her eyes.

Sally glanced at her before arguing, "She's healthy and fulfills the height requirement. Besides, I'll be doing it with her. I'm far more reliable than any instructor."

No match for Amanda's coquettish act, Cooper relented in the end.

Upon arriving at the skydiving establishment in Springwyn, the staff checked Sally's skydiving certificate before giving them skydiving training.

Worried about the two children, Cooper had an instructor skydive with him.

It was Amanda's first attempt at skydiving, so she was exceedingly excited. On the aircraft, she chattered endlessly with Sally and even comforted Cooper. "Don't be afraid, Uncle Cooper. Be brave!" Cooper was rendered speechless.

I merely can't skydive, not afraid of it!

When the helicopter had attained the designated altitude, Sally first checked the safety gear on Amanda. "Cling to me tightly, Mandy."

"Okay." Amanda bobbed her head.

The instructor opened the cabin door and gave the order to jump. Hugging Amanda, Sally leaped out against the wind. Only after she had adapted to the feeling of weightlessness did she slowly open her eyes Springwyn had no winter. There was only one season, and it was always spring. As such, the sky was blue right then. It hurt when the wind swiped across one's face, but the scenery was stunningly beautiful. Subsequently, Sally urged Amanda to open her eyes.

Amanda was likewise thrown off by the intense feeling of weightlessness and had been clinging to her tightly.

At Sally's urging, she tentatively opened her eyes a slit. The instant she saw the incredible scenery in the sky, her eyes popped open fully, and she shrieked in delight.

Soon, the instructor brought Lucian and Cooper down as well.

Glimpsing Cooper on her left, Amanda waved at him and shouted enthusiastically, "Do you see me, Uncle Cooper?"

Tickled pink, Cooper yelled back, "Yes!"

After Sally had ascertained that the instructor was taking good care of Lucian, she steered the parachute over to Cooper. Gradually, only half a meter remained between them.

As she glided down in a parallel line with Cooper's instructor, she teased, "You've gone as white as a sheet. Are you scared?"

Cooper turned to her. "Your face has also gone pale from the wind after jumping down at such a height."

Leaning over until her arm was plastered against Cooper's shoulder, Sally hooked her arm around his neck and kissed him before dropping her hold on him.

Amanda exclaimed in delight and squealed in excitement, "How romantic!"

The instructor accompanying Cooper was single, so he really didn't want to see such a lovey-dovey scene. "I've skydived with more than a hundred people, but you guys are the most adventurous, kissing in mid-air," he lamented.

Chapter 1138

With Amanda in her arms, Sally flashed the man across from her a faint yet mesmerizing smile. "See you later."

"Bye, Uncle Cooper!" Amanda waved at Cooper.

Watching as the distance between him and Sally grew, Cooper abruptly chuckled soundlessly.

The skydiving experience that lasted an hour left Amanda craving for more. On the way back to Jadeborough, she kept asking Sally whether they could still come back and play again next month. "Shouldn't you be asking me that?" Cooper interjected.

"What's the use of asking you when you can't skydive?" Disdain was written all over Amanda's face.

When she turned back to Sally, she was all smiles again. “You were so cool, Aunt Sally! You were just like a superwoman!"

"Aunt Sally should accompany me next time," Lucian chimed in.

While they were skydiving earlier, he saw Sally performing a myriad of challenging moves in mid-air with Amanda. It seemed to be fun, so he likewise wanted to experience it.

Amanda pondered for a while before reluctantly agreeing, "Okay, then. We'll take turns."

At the sight of the two children chattering away with Sally and ignoring him in the co-pilot seat entirely, disappointment swamped Cooper.

Hmph! I shouldn't have gone to the police station to bail her out yesterday!

Seeing that it was only a little over four o'clock in the afternoon when they arrived back at Swallow Garden, Sally placed a call to Jadeborough Prison.

Gerald received a heavy sentence, and Sally was his daughter, so her requests for visitation had been rejected multiple times due to various considerations.

This time, she phoned to say that she had gotten married and should inform her father about it. The prison authorities reported it to their higher-ups. In the end, they allowed her a visitation tomorrow morning. The next morning, Sally rushed over to the prison after driving Cooper to Specter Corporation.

Jadeborough Prison was located in the northernmost part of the city, so it took her almost two hours by car. Upon arriving, she filled in the visitation form and went through a series of examinations. An hour passed before she was finally allowed into the visiting room to meet with Gerald.

In prisoner's uniform, Gerald was still as broad-shouldered as ever. However, half his hair had grayed, and his sharp gaze of the past was all but gone. Instead, his eyes brimmed with weariness and the vicissitudes of life.

Forcibly suppressing her emotions, Sally pulled out the chair and sat down. Subsequently, she picked up the phone by the window.

Gerald followed suit, picking up the phone and placing it against his ear. He scrutinized his daughter for a long time, seemingly ascertaining whether she had been doing well. "No one is making life difficult for you, right, Sally?"

"No. Don't you know that it's only ever been me picking on others since young?" Sally's voice was gloomy.

Hearing that, Gerald chortled. "That's true. You're unrivalled."

In a calm manner, Sally declared, "I married Cooper. That's why I have this opportunity to visit you today. Perhaps this is also the only time."

Gerald frowned, seemingly having something to say.

"Dad, I'm only given thirty minutes to visit you, so let's not speak of unnecessary things. I want you to tell me everything that happened that night," Sally urged in a low voice. Gerald knew that his daughter was trying to save him.

Although he didn't want her to risk herself, she wouldn't listen, considering her stubborn nature. Otherwise, she wouldn't have suddenly gotten married.

Composing himself, he told her everything that transpired that night in detail.

Sally committed it all to memory before asking him about Robert's bribery case. After asking all the necessary questions, she took out something from her pocket.

"Do you recognize this, Dad?" She pressed the metal bullet casing against the glass to allow her father a clearer view.

Thereafter, she continued grimly, "The Carlo family told me that it wasn't them who killed Ethan, but someone else framed them. They gave me this bullet casing. Back then, he was cremated in a hurry, and the injuries on him weren't examined, so we didn't pay all that any mind. Such a bullet is used with a K262 handgun, and the K262 is a newly developed firearm five years ago. At present, it's only used in the military. That aside, all bullets have serial numbers."

Gerald could clearly see the serial number on the bullet casing through the glass. He seemingly recalled something, for his pupils abruptly constricted.

However, it only lasted for a brief two seconds, for his expression then reverted to its usual calmness.

Chapter 1139

"Dad, the one who killed Ethan might be from the army..." Sally would rather believe that the Carlos family were the ones who killed Ethan than believe that he had a mole by his side.

Even if Ethan was in love with her, the nation was still his priority. He would even sacrifice himself for it.

When Sally heard nothing but silence from her father, she went on, "The new weapons that are distributed to the different troops will come to you first. Dad, do you remember which troop received the bullets of this batch?"

Gerald studied the serial number of the bullet before shaking his head. "I had to go through countless documents previously, so I didn't pay attention to this batch."

Sally was disappointed to hear that.

Ever since her father and Robert went to jail, the others in the army kept a distance from her. Even if she wanted to find out more about the matter, no one was willing to help her out.

Right then, an officer walked over to remind Sally that the thirty minutes of her visit were almost over.

Gerald then said to Sally, "Sally, I'm fine as long as you believe that I didn't do it. It's all right too if you can't save me and Mr. Zane. All I want is for you to be safe and happy."

"I'll find a way to save you," Sally said as she lowered her gaze. "I want to clear the Loake family and the Zane family's names."

She was not going to let those who were family to her be wronged and rot in prison until the end of their lives.

Tears welled up in Gerald's eyes at her statement. "Thank you. Although Stefo isn't your biological brother, his father is a good friend of mine. Do take care of him on my behalf." Sally nodded. "I know."

Once the thirty minutes were up, Gerald was taken away by the officer, and Sally was forced to leave.

On her drive back, she lost herself in her thoughts as she mulled over her earlier conversation with her father.

Right then, the screen of the phone she placed on the rack lit up. Even though the caller ID was not a number she recognized, she accepted the call.

"Hello?"

"It's me, Josephine," came a pleasant woman's voice from the other end of the line.

Sally muttered, "Anything I can help you with?"

"Zeno just came back from Romdale, and he was thinking of meeting everyone," Josephine said with a chuckle. "We've known each other for so many years, and our fathers are on good terms with each other. You won't skip out on this one, right?"

Around eight to nine years ago, before Sally's father's promotion, they had lived in the same residential block as Josephine and Zeno's father.

Zeno's father was Gerald's underling, and he had worked under Gerald for many years. Three years ago, he was transferred to Springwyn and was promoted to deputy commander. However, he never appeared to help Gerald out when the latter faced trouble.

Therefore, Sally found Josephine's words mocking, but alas, most people were selfish.

Otherwise, her father and Robert would not have been set up.

"How can I not after what you've said?" Sally quietly said. Where are we meeting tonight?"

"Come to No Man's Land at eight tonight."

After acknowledging that, Sally ended the call.

The prison was far from the metropolitan area, and her trip back took quite some time. Only after three in the afternoon did Sally finally reach the city.

She had nothing to do, so she drove straight to school and waited for Lucian and his sister to finish their classes.

While she was waiting in the car, she took out the bullet case from her bag and stared at it for a long time. Then, she took out her phone to send a message.

After seven at night, Sally drove to No Man's Land.

Upon reaching the bar, Josephine called-it was as if she was afraid that Sally would be a no-show. Once Josephine found out that Sally was already there, she told her the room number they were at.

Sally followed the server to the room. When she opened the door, she noticed that many people were already in the spacious room.

The room had dim dynamic lighting, which only made Sally look even prettier. She was tall, and her simple black sweater and jeans were as if they were custom-made for her.

In fact, despite the dim room, her aloof, beautiful features were clear to everyone present, and her neck and face looked fairer than usual.

Chapter 1140

Josephine was stunned by Sally's beauty when she stepped into the room. Then, feelings of jealousy seeped into her heart.

Sally's mother was technically not a beauty, but the daughter she had with Gerald was beautiful.

Furthermore, looks were not all Sally had. She was smart and capable in combat. At the young age of eighteen, she joined the women's special forces training. Some of the male special forces members were not even a match for her later on.

Those who were prettier than her were not as smart as her, and those who were smarter than her were not as pretty as her.

Nevertheless, Josephine was only jealous for a while.

So what if Sally was pretty and smart? Everyone in the country knew what her father had done.

"Sally." Josephine stood up to welcome Sally and pulled the latter to the seat beside her. "I was afraid that you wouldn't want to be around us after what happened to your family."

"Why would I?" Sally asked. "As you said, our fathers were good friends."

"Of course." Josephine flashed her a smile.

The two of them chatted normally as if Josephine had never encountered Sally at the jewelry store and insulted her as if Sally never retorted.

Supposedly, they were meeting each other because Zeno Cicero came back, but this was actually all part of Josephine's scheme.

Who would not want to take a good look at the daughter of General Loake, who had fallen from grace?

After a few drinks, a lady sitting beside Josephine curiously asked, "Why was General Loake found guilty of raping minors with solid evidence even though he's such a morally upright man?" Sally did not answer her as she continued to drink in silence.

On the other hand, someone whispered, "I heard there was semen found on the girl and it was General Loake's..."

At that, Josephine glanced at Sally and saw that Sally had her gaze lowered. Josephine could not see Sally's expression at that angle.

Thus, she deliberately said, "I used to go to the Loake residence with Dad all the time. I'm sure Mr. Loake isn't that kind of man. There must be a misunderstanding somewhere."

"General Loake has already received his sentence. How can there be a misunderstanding?" Someone snorted.

Right then, Zeno sat down beside Sally and said in a "concern" tone, "Sally, we grew up in the same residential block. Although my father and I can't do anything to help with Mr. Zane's matter, do come to me if you need money or a place to stay."

"She doesn't even need your help," Josephine said before her gaze drifted toward Sally's finger.

On her ring finger was an intricate wedding band.

When Zeno looked at what Josephine was gazing at, he saw the ring. "You're married?"

Before Sally could say anything, Josephine uttered, "Actually, I bumped into Sally when my boyfriend and I went to the jewelry store the other day. She told me she's married to Mr. Sutton of Specter Corporation."

In a way, the others knew about Specter Corporation's reputation in Jadeborough.

Gerald had committed a grave crime, and Sally had not been able to escape the jeering of the public after the incident too. Who would dare to take the risk of marrying her then?

Therefore, everyone came to the conclusion that Sally had sold herself to Cooper in her desperation and that Sally's life was far more miserable than they thought it would be after the collapse of the Loake family.

When Josephine saw the others looking at Sally with pity and derision, she nearly grinned.

It was all because Sally's father was a high-ranking official and she was pretty, smart, and a good fighter. She was flawless regardless of her background or appearance. In the past, they would either talk about Eurydice or Sally whenever they met each other.

Even the man who married Josephine had wanted to marry Sally initially. He only gave up on Sally and went after Josephine after the Loake family's incident.

That really irked Josephine.

However, the Loake family was doomed, and its reputation soured. No one could protect Sally anymore.

Right then, Josephine found herself needing to use the restroom, so she stood up and went outside. On her way back after using the restroom, someone knocked into her.

Some of the whiskey from the person's glass spilled on her sweater.

"Sorry," came the man's magnetic, pleasant voice in the noisy environment.

Josephine tugged her sweater and grumbled, "Forget it..."

11

As she spoke, she lifted her head to look at the man under the dim light. He had bright eyes and was wearing thin silver-rimmed glasses.

Josephine froze, for she soon recognized who he was-Cooper Sutton.