Ch. 31..40

Chapter 31 Time To Give Up

Harriet loved everything, including the style and color, about the suits Genevieve picked out. Thus, Harriet bought all of them. After selecting the two suits to gift Armand, Genevieve thought the neckties in the drawer looked nice, so she picked some out. “Grandma, these two neckties go well with the suits we just picked out.”

As Genevieve spoke, she passed a black card to the shop assistant. She continued, “These two are gifts. Please wrap them nicely.” “I’ll foot the bill. How could I let you pay?” Harriet stopped Genevieve.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just two ties. I haven’t even thanked you for chatting with me for so long,” said Genevieve as she pushed Harriet’s card back to her. “No. That won’t do. These two are unrelated matters.” Genevieve pondered for a moment and said, “Grandma, there’s a boutique upstairs.

Why don’t you gift me a gown, and we’ll call it even?” “Okay.” Harriet finally smiled. The boutique upstairs was a tailor shop. All of their clothes were handsewn, and they used high-quality fabric. Harriet touched one of the gowns and was reluctant to let go. Genevieve could tell that Harriet was interested.

She took the one Harriet had her eyes on and said, “Grandma, this one suits you. Let me help you.” Harriet was a Jazonian woman. She loved figure-hugging gowns, but she hurt her arm during an act in front of her grandson. Therefore, she could not wear a figure-hugging gown for the time being.

In the end, Harriet bought two of them and was perfectly satisfied. When Genevieve left the mall with Harriet, the sky had begun to darken, and she received a notification on her phone. Genevieve checked her phone and smiled.

She turned to Harriet and said, “Grandma, something came up, and I need to go now. Is someone coming to pick you up, or should I call a cab for you?” “I’m fine. Go ahead. Someone will come and fetch me.” Harriet waved her hand. Since Harriet had put it that way, Genevieve didn’t probe further.

She waited for Patrick to drive the car from the underground parking lot, then opened the car door and got in. Right after Patrick’s car left, a Mercedes-Benz stopped by the roadside. Frankie saw Harriet carrying multiple shopping bags alone. He hurried over and took them off her hands as he said, “Old Mrs. Faulkner, why didn’t you let the housekeepers follow you again?”

“I haven’t called, so why are you here?” asked Harriet in surprise. “Mr. Armand called and told me.” Harriet got in the car and glanced at the shopping bags after Frankie put them in. She belatedly realized that Genevieve had paid for the gowns too. “This child…” Harriet shook her head with a smile.

With curiosity, Frankie asked, “What is it?” “Armand did a good job this time. He found a good granddaughter-in-law for me.” Harriet smiled and seemed very happy. She continued, “Out of all my granddaughters-in-law, she’s the only likable one.” “Didn’t you say Ms. Rachford came from a non-reputable family?”

Frankie had a look of confusion. He added, “You even asked me to prepare the money to drive her away…” Harriet scoffed, “Can’t I have a change of heart?” Soon, Harriet turned her gaze to the view outside the car window. Her gaze turned sharp as she said, “As long as Armand gets married, it’s good.

What should not be coveted will not be coveted again. It’s about time someone gives up.” Frankie understood what Harriet meant. He answered, “Yes.” However, he sighed in his heart. I bet things would turn ugly once the person finds out that Mr. Armand has gotten married.

The person will never give up. For the past few days, the outside world had been convinced of Erica and Cooper’s relationship because Erica brought a child to the hospital for a consultation. The scandal also affected Specter Corporation’s stock prices. Cooper wanted to prevent the scandal from causing an impact on the company.

However, regardless of how much money and manpower he had expended to do so, he couldn’t keep a lid on the news. Furthermore, he couldn’t find out the culprit behind all this. That day, Cooper went to Feston for a meeting to discuss a large-scale collaboration. He was worn out when he returned to Jadeborough at night.

He had just switched on his phone when he received a text message from an unknown sender. The text message read: Mr. Cooper, your girlfriend is now with a man in Room 2588 in Langfield Hotel. He narrowed his eyes and thought that the room number was familiar. Langfield Hotel… Room 2588?

While heading out of the airport, he dialed Erica’s phone number. The call got through, but she didn’t pick up. Cooper then called the housekeeper of the mansion.

He found out from the housekeeper that Erica would be home late because she was meeting her close friends. His heart dropped, and he coldly said to the driver, “Langfield Hotel!”

Chapter 32 Convenient For Your Affair

Genevieve ordered a ton of takeouts. She sat at a table in the cafe opposite Langfield Hotel with Patrick and enjoyed her food.

Soon, she saw a taxi stop on the roadside near the hotel.

Genevieve's red lips curved into a smile when she saw Cooper get out of the taxi and enter the hotel with a grim expression. She took out her phone, sent a text, and then got up to her feet. "Let's go, Patrick. We have a show to catch."

Cooper got on the elevator and arrived outside Room 2588 in no time. As he recalled what had happened half a month ago, his expression turned grimmer.

Could Genevieve be the one who is behind this?

As Cooper suspected Genevieve, he could vaguely hear a woman's moans coming out from Room 2588. He clenched his jaw, lifted his leg, and kicked the door forcefully.

After two or three kicks, the door was forced open. Cooper paced into the room with long strides.

The two naked people on the bed were too immersed in the moment to hear the sound of Cooper kicking the door. Even when Cooper had approached them, they were still passionately making out. With a dark expression, Cooper picked up the lamp by the bedside and smashed it against the man's head.

"Ah!" the man screamed in pain, and Erica snapped back to her senses.

"C-Coop..."

Erica never expected Cooper to show up there. Her face turned pale, and she quickly yanked at the blanket to cover her body.

Cooper glanced at the man and immediately recognized him. He grabbed Erica by her hair and questioned, "Erica, you arranged for your cousin to enter Specter Corporation just so you can conveniently have an affair with him?"

"N-No. It's not like that." Erica's scalp began to hurt from the pulling of her hair. She was trembling as she said, "He forced me..."

Cooper slapped her across her face and spat, "You're f*cking disgusting!"

The slap threw Erica on the bed. She scrambled back up. She covered her body by tugging at the blanket with one hand. Then, she tugged at Cooper's pants with her other hand. She cried and said, "Harrison forced me... He said if I didn't sleep with him, he would spread the news of you committing bribery and destroy your reputation. Coop, I did it for you..." Cooper's expression softened a little.

He had found it odd that he received such a message right after getting off the plane. He had even suspected that Genevieve was the mastermind behind that.

So, Harrison is the real culprit...

Erica let out a sigh of relief as she saw Cooper dismiss his suspicions of her. She didn't have the time to wonder how Cooper found that place. Her priority was to get rid of Harrison, in case he let the cat out of the bag.

Before Erica could get up from the floor, a crowd of reporters rushed in with their cameras and lenses. They clicked their shutters non-stop.

"H-How did you all get in here?" The flashes from the cameras almost blinded her. She tightly grasped the blanket around her chest and yelled, "Coop, get them out of here! Hurry! Get them out!"

Not only did the reporters not leave, but they also began taking photos even more aggressively. They started asking questions one after another.

"Ms. Hall, what going on? Are you having an affair?"

"The news circulating the internet says that the little boy you brought to the hospital isn't Mr. Sutton's child. Is that true?"

The look in Cooper's eyes suddenly changed. He looked toward that reporter and asked, "What news?"

The reporter quickly replied, "Half an hour ago, a nurse from General Hospital posted on Twitter. She did a blood test for the child previously, and his blood type is A. However, your blood type and Ms. Hall's blood type, as written on the documents, are B..."

Even before the reporter finished his sentence, Cooper figured out the whole situation. He slapped Erica again.

"No wonder you keep bringing Leroy to the hospital after the family doctor resigned. You were afraid that I would find out!" Cooper was infuriated. He said, "Well, aren't you f*cking incredible?"

"Coop, Leroy is your son! Harrison forced me. I did it all for you... If you think I'm too dirty, you can hit me or scold me, but you can't doubt Leroy. If you don't believe me, we can bring Leroy to the hospital now for a DNA test!" Tears of sadness streamed down Erica's face as she tried to explain.

She even raised her hand and swore with confidence, "Coop, I swear. If I lied to you, I will die a horrible death!"

Just then, Harrison, who Cooper hit in the head with a lamp, finally regained consciousness. He sneered, "Erica, stop swearing, for God's sake. Do you even believe your own words?"

Erica started to panic. She turned to Harrison and said, "Harrison, I know you like me, but I'll never be with you. Is it not enough for you to get your revenge on me? Why do you have to mislead Coop and say that Leroy isn't his biological son?"

Doesn't he always do as I wish? Why is he saying something like that now? Has he lost his mind?

Chapter 33 You Are The Disgusting One

"I've had enough of you, Erica!" Harrison wasn't fazed by her tears. Instead, he was repulsed.

He continued, "You've treated me like a fool since our university days. You made me wait for you. In the end, you snubbed me because I was poor. Then, you suddenly got together with Cooper, yet you refused to break up with me. I'll be frank with you, Cooper. I already bedded her ten years ago. Leroy is our son! Do you know why she could confidently say she'd bring the child for a DNA test? Because the director of the DNA department in General Hospital has taken large sums of money from Erica. He'll give Erica whatever result she wants!"

"What nonsense are you talking about, Harrison? Shut up!" Erica didn't expect him to expose the secrets like that. She was furious and pounced on him, intending to stop him from speaking.

Harrison pushed Erica away with great effort and said, "I'm telling the truth! How is it nonsense? Oh, right. Cooper, there's probably one more thing you don't know." Harrison paused and turned to Cooper, whose face had turned red with fury. Harrison continued, "Do you know why Leroy is my son? It's because you are infertile!"

Harrison's statement caused an uproar.

All the reporters present gasped as they clicked their cameras continuously, afraid that they would miss out on anything. Cooper's expression darkened at once.

Harrison wiped the blood at the edge of his eye and went on, "Erica tampered with your medical report. When we were sleeping together, she told me that she found it funny whenever she saw you treating Leroy well—"

Erica yelled, "Are you f*cking crazy, Harrison? If you were rich, I wouldn't need to sleep with another man. I did it all for us, for our son, but now you're turning your back on me?" Harrison spat and said, "Erica, you didn't do it for me. You only care about yourself. You gave birth to this child only because you wanted to solidify your power and wealth!" Cooper stood there and stared at her coldly.

After he found out the truth, the disgust toward Erica that he felt in his heart was greater than his anger toward her. He said, "Erica, you really are f*cking disgusting."

I thought I had found a supportive woman to stay by my side. Who would've thought she's a b*tch?

Harrison had exposed everything, and Erica had no more excuses. When she saw the disdainful look on Cooper's face, she didn't care anymore and burst out in laughter. "Me? Disgusting? Cooper, you're the disgusting one."

Erica pointed at him with a vile smirk. She continued, "Right, Genevieve was an innocent girl, yet you ruined her. You wanted to divorce her and kick her out of the house, so you made me send her a text to lure her to a hotel and let the other man bed her. Now, tell me. Aren't you a disgusting man, Cooper Sutton?"

Upon hearing that, the reporters excitedly focused their cameras on Erica's and Cooper's faces.

Due to Cooper's intervention, only a few people knew what had happened during the banquet. Everyone had thought Genevieve used a fake video to get revenge on Cooper.

No one had expected that Genevieve was speaking the truth and that it was Cooper who had set Genevieve up.

Cooper was worried that Erica would recklessly spill everything. If that happened, the company would be greatly affected. With a solemn expression on his face, he was about to drag Erica out of there. Right then, a pair of hands pushed the reporters away, and someone walked to the middle of the room.

Right after that, Cooper was slapped across his face.

His expression turned gloomy as he was caught off guard by the slap. He looked up, only to be greeted by Genevieve's teary eyes.

Cooper was stunned when he noticed the hatred, love, and bitterness in the depths of her eyes.

"I thought you were using my affair with the other man as an excuse to get rid of me... I never thought that..." Genevieve teared up, and her eyes reddened. She appeared as if she had just found out the truth. "I never thought that you were to one who lured me to the hotel and arranged for the man to bed me... Cooper, I've loved you for twenty years. How could you do this to me?"

Although Genevieve was putting on an act in front of the reporters, she still felt unbearable pain when she recalled the nasty things Cooper had done to her.

With tears trickling down her face and off her chin to the floor, she approached Cooper and asked, "Does my twenty years of love mean nothing to you?" She has loved me for twenty years?

Many things Cooper had overlooked in the past began to flash across his mind. Those moments jumbled his thoughts, and he instantly lost his composure.

He even wanted to raise his hand and wipe her tears for her.

Cooper's gaze softened, and his lips quivered like he was about to say something. Genevieve, who had gotten close to him, whispered, "Cooper, you had everything planned out previously and got yourself cuckolded. Now, someone does that to you again. Does it feel good to be cuckolded again?"

Cooper fell silent as Genevieve continued, "But you truly are pitiful. Not only were you cheated on, but your son isn't even yours."

Cooper was at a loss for words.

After listening to her insulting remarks, he snapped back to his senses, and his facial expression turned colder.

Genevieve tiptoed and moved her red lips closer to Cooper's ear, making them look incredibly intimate. She whispered, "What happened today is just the beginning. I will make you pay for what you did to me, and I'll take back everything you own me one by one."

Chapter 34 A Great Act

"Mr. Sutton, use your extra cash to get an eye checkup at the hospital and get a better secretary. Don't waste it on trying to keep a lid on the trending news." Upon hearing that, Cooper quickly realized that the news he had failed to stamp out and everything that had happened that day was all Genevieve's doing. They were very close to each other, so he could even detect the faint smell of cigarettes on Genevieve.

Women don't like this kind of cigarettes. Now that I think about what I saw at City Hall and...

Cooper despised Genevieve when he realized she had done some unspeakable thing. At the same time, he felt a wave of rage rising in his heart for an inexplicable reason. The mixed feelings surging in him caused him to lose his composure, and he raised his hand to slap Genevieve.

Suddenly, a man emerged and grabbed Cooper's wrist tightly. He pushed him away. "Just try laying a hand on the lady of our family. I dare you."

"Let's go, Patrick." The show was over, and Genevieve didn't want to stay there any longer. She turned around and left.

Patrick immediately followed her.

When Patrick pushed Cooper away, Cooper recognized Patrick in no time, which indirectly made him realize that Genevieve really had a close relationship with Armand. Did they go to City Hall that day to get their marriage certificate?

Cooper's heart clenched as he instinctively stepped forward to chase after Genevieve. However, the horde of reporters surrounded him.

"Mr. Sutton, why did you set Ms. Rachford up?"

"I heard that the car accident that had caused Mr. Rachford's and Mrs. Rachford's deaths wasn't actually an accident. Were you behind that too?"

"Mr. Sutton, please answer the question!"

The reporters interrogated Cooper, but he kept his mouth shut, so they quickly turned their cameras to Erica.

Erica had long lost all her honor. She answered everything the reporters asked.

However, Cooper pulled her by her arm with a tight grip before she could say much. His tone was cold as ice as he threatened, "Shut up or I'll strangle you." Cooper pushed the reporters away and dragged Erica out of the room as he shouted, "Get lost!"

Right after Genevieve stepped out of the hotel with Patrick in tow, she got a message from Harrison saying Cooper had taken Erica away.

She wasn't the least bit worried. Instead, she wired the end payment to Harrison without hesitation.

After Patrick hacked into Erica's phone, he not only discovered her relationship with Harrison but also found out that Erica had gone to a host club with her friends. Erica had even complained to her friends about how stupid Harrison was and revealed her motives behind her decision to give birth to her child.

Genevieve knew that Erica and Harrison grew up together, so Harrison would never betray Erica just for money. Furthermore, Erica even gave birth to his child. Even so, things were different after he knew what Erica did.

As expected, after Genevieve gave the information to Harrison, he approached her of his own volition to conspire with her.

"Mrs. Faulkner, you were crying too hard just now." Patrick glanced at Genevieve and couldn't refrain from asking, "You don't have feelings for Cooper anymore, do you?"

"All my feelings for him were gone when I found out the truth. Now, I only hold grudges against him and nothing else."

Genevieve added expressionlessly, "Besides, I'll be on the headlines tomorrow. Would the netizens pity me if I didn't cry hard enough?"

Patrick instantly understood what she meant. "Wow! Your crying act was amazing, Mrs. Faulkner! What you said made me hate Cooper so much that I wanted to punch him." Genevieve thanked Patrick for his praise and smiled as she said, "It looks like Cooper will be busy for quite some time."

Half a month ago, Cooper had divorced her and kicked her out of the house without even giving her a penny. After that, she was helpless and could do nothing about Winifred's death. However, she finally got to humiliate Cooper that day.

The reason why she had managed to exact vengeance was that she had Armand backing her.

She made a deal with Armand. All she needed to do was marry Armand, and she could use his authority to do whatever she wanted.

Genevieve suddenly felt that she was at the winning end of the deal.

Because the two of them had not planned to stay at the hotel for long, Patrick had parked the car by the roadside. They walked down the stairs and along the pavement. All of a sudden, the car exploded. Genevieve heard a loud explosion. The vehicle in front of her blew into pieces as a blazing flame rose to the sky.

It had all happened too fast for her to react. She stood there, frozen.

Patrick was about to throw himself on Genevieve to protect her when a tall figure appeared out of nowhere and pulled Genevieve into his embrace.

The man wore a thin shirt. The metal shard that flew from the explosion cut through his shirt and pierced into his back. Blood gushed out from the wound, and he groaned in pain.

Genevieve quickly snapped back to her senses and realized that the man who shielded her was Armand. She asked in surprise, "Mando, what are you doing here?"

"I have a meeting with a business partner here." Armand's tone was steady, but his complexion was rather pale.

He scanned Genevieve from head to toe and asked, "Are you injured?"

"No. I'm fine." She shook her head. She could smell a faint scent of blood.

Soon, Patrick got up from the ground and glanced at Armand's back. He took a deep breath and said, "Armand, your back..."

Chapter 35 The Explosion

Genevieve whirled around immediately. She noticed that there was a piece of metal shard pierced into Armand’s back. His back was covered with blood. That made Genevieve realize why she could smell the stench of blood. Genevieve’s heart ached when she saw how badly injured Armand was because of her. She hastily pulled the silk scarf off her neck and pressed it on Armand’s wound, attempting to stop the bleeding. “Patrick, get help!”

“All right!” Patrick was about to hail a car when Steven arrived to pick Armand up. The expression on Steven’s face darkened when he witnessed the scene. Without delay, he let Patrick drive his car to the hospital while Steven himself stayed behind to handle the mess. The car sped to the nearest hospital.

In the backseat, Genevieve positioned Armand such that he was leaning on her. Both Genevieve’s hands were putting pressure on the man’s back. Her silk scarf had long been soaked in blood, but still, there was blood seeping from Armand’s injury. Even though he was badly wounded, Armand’s expression remained indifferent. He could vaguely feel that the hands pressing against his back were trembling.

He caught a glimpse of Genevieve from the corners of his eyes and noticed that she was biting her lips. “It’s just some metal shard, not a bullet. Don’t worry.” Genevieve grunted in response. However, she found it difficult to ease her worries while looking at the large piece of metal shard piercing into Armand’s back. Soon enough, the smart-looking Timothy, who was wearing a white robe, came into view.

He had been waiting in the emergency room ever since he received the notice. Timothy swept a glance at Armand’s wound, then gestured toward a hospital bed with his chin. “For an injury as minor as this, I’ll just handle it here. Otherwise, we’ll make an unnecessary mess in the operating room, and someone would have to clean it up.”

Genevieve was rendered speechless. The wound caused by the metal shard was deep. When Timothy removed it, Genevieve witnessed how Armand’s inner flesh was also being drawn out. The bones underneath his skin were exposed. Genevieve’s heart raced as she witnessed that gory scene.

Earlier, if it were not for the fact that Armand had pushed her to the ground and shielded her in time, then Genevieve would be the one who was seriously wounded then due to the explosion. She was indebted to Armand once again. As Timothy cleaned Armand’s wound, he asked Genevieve casually, “How did Armand get this injury?”

“The car exploded all of a sudden.” Genevieve turned her gaze away, unable to stomach the sight of Armand’s wounded back. “Mando protected me, which was how he got hit by that metal shard.” When Timothy heard that, his eyes flickered. Realization soon dawned on him.

This is probably the work of that person. “Armand, congratulations.” Timothy’s lips arched up into a smile. The doctor teased his patient cheekily. “You hit the jackpot again.” “Shut up.” Armand shot a cold glare at Timothy. Timothy cowered in response and gave up teasing Armand. Once Timothy was done bandaging Armand, the doctor promptly tossed his surgical gloves onto a plate. “Armand, will you be checking in to the hospital or…”

“It’s just a minor injury, so there’s no need for that.” Armand accepted the clothes handed out by Patrick and swiftly changed into them. “It’s better that way, since I don’t need to arrange a room for you.” Timothy shrugged. He then turned his head toward Genevieve. “Genev, are you staying with Armand?”

There was only silence in return. Then and there, Genevieve thought that the doctor, who had tied his hair in a ponytail, was too friendly with her. They had only met twice, yet he was already calling her by a nickname. Ultimately, Genevieve nodded her head. “That’s right.” “Well then, I’ll have to trouble you to look after Armand for the time being. Don’t feed him any spicy food. Never allow him to shower before his wound scabs completely.

If he insists on having a shower…” Timothy paused. He then continued, “Then you should help him with it!” There was a hint of teasing in his voice when he made the suggestion. As soon as she heard that, Genevieve recalled the night she washed Armand’s hair. She felt uneasy at once and mumbled something unintelligible in response. Once everything had settled down, Genevieve and the others returned to Swallow Garden.

By the time they arrived, it was already one o’clock in the middle of the night. Genevieve soon discovered that Steven had returned as well. Once Armand had gone up to the second floor, Genevieve walked over to Steven. She asked in a hushed voice, “Steven, have you found out the reason as to why the car exploded?” She had been gripped with a question for a while. My car was fine. So why did it explode all of a sudden?

Then, Genevieve’s lips twitched abruptly when she remembered a rumor about Armand. Both of Armand’s ex-wives had died soon after marrying him. As for Genevieve, it had been only several days since she married Armand when her car exploded. Steven seemed to have comprehended what went on in Genevieve’s mind after examining the dark expression on her face.

“Mrs. Faulkner, there are many members of the Faulkner family who detest Mr. Faulkner. Hence, all the vehicles in the garage have anti-explosive devices installed in them. However, the car you drove had been sent to a service center for maintenance last week.

I had been busy, and so I forgot to have Patrick examine the car.” Patrick, who was nearby, rubbed his nose and then lowered his head. “It’s my fault. I was careless.” “Of course it is!” Steven stated, his face sullen. “I reminded you time and time again that whenever Mr. Faulkner or Mrs. Faulkner is heading out, you must inspect the car carefully before you drive them.

Yet, you’re always mindless about it. If it weren’t for Mr. Faulkner, things would’ve ended up more serious than it is!” As he said that, Steven pointed a finger toward the door. “Go home and ground yourself in ‘the darkroom’ for a week!”

Chapter 36 Visit Marilyn

The moment Patrick heard Steven mentioning 'the darkroom,' a chill went down Patrick's spine. "Steven, please... Don't do that to me. I admit that it's my fault, okay? If I leave, who's going to take care of Mrs. Faulkner?"

"There are many housekeepers in Swallow Garden. We don't need you to tend to Mrs. Faulkner!"

Patrick was then at a loss for words.

Noticing the temper rising in Steven as if he wanted to punish Patrick heavily, Genevieve spoke up hastily, "What happened this time isn't entirely Patrick's fault. It's the opponent that's too cunning. Giving Patrick a scolding should suffice."

If it were not for Patrick hacking into Erica's phone and unearthing all that information, it would have been impossible for Genevieve to exact vengeance. If anything, I should be thanking Patrick. When Steven heard Genevieve's plea, his mood improved slightly. He then shot a glare at Patrick. "Hurry up and thank Mrs. Faulkner!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Faulkner. You saved me." Patrick wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Otherwise, you'll find only my corpse in 'the darkroom' once my sentence is up." Genevieve could not help but burst out in laughter at Patrick's joke.

After a short conversation, Genevieve noticed that it was getting very late. She sent the men off to rest, then went up the stairs herself. Guess I've overthinked things.

Not long after Genevieve returned to her room, Steven came upstairs and entered Armand's room.

"Mr. Faulkner." After entering the master bedroom, Steven spotted Armand sitting silently by the window. Steven then marched over to Armand and reported his prior conversation with Genevieve to Armand. "I told a lie to Mrs. Faulkner. She believed it..."

Steven paused for a few seconds, then continued, "When I was handling the scene, I retrieved the surveillance footage from a store by the street. I spotted one of Ms. Wood's bodyguards standing next to Mrs. Faulkner's car for ten seconds after Mrs. Faulkner and Patrick went into the hotel."

After Armand heard that, he narrowed his eyes. "Did you take care of the surveillance footage?"

"I've handled them all," Steven answered. He then asked, "Mr. Faulkner, you're constantly being considerate of Marilyn, but she's acting more brazenly recently."

Armand bowed his head down to look at the phone in his hands.

It was only out of pure coincidence that he had a business meeting in Langfield Hotel, which enabled him to push Genevieve down in time when the car exploded. Otherwise, Genevieve would have truly lost her life.

After a momentary silence, Armand unlocked his phone, then keyed in a series of familiar numbers.

However, before he made the call, his phone rang. The caller was exactly the person Armand wanted to speak with.

Steven took a glance at the caller ID, then wisely decided to take a few steps backward.

Armand stared at the vibrating and ringing phone. In the end, he accepted the call and placed the phone by his ear. "What happened?"

"Mando, I'm scared." The sound of a woman weeping resounded from the other end of the line. The voice sounded weak and pitiful. "I had a dream just now. I dreamt that you dumped me."

Armand initially intended to reprimand her. However, the moment he heard her cries, his initial intentions disappeared into thin air.

"It's just a nightmare," Armand coaxed her with his deep voice. His cold expression softened substantially. "Don't think too much about it."

"Was it truly a dream? It felt so real..." the woman sobbed. She then took things further and began to beg Armand, "Mando, come over and keep me company, will you? I'm really scared!" "I'll call a housekeeper and ask her to accompany you."

"I don't want a housekeeper. I want you!" the lady whined. She suddenly cried out in pain, "Mando, the b-baby is kicking me as well! Could it be that the baby is going to abandon me too?" Marilyn's cries made Armand's heart ache. He could not bring himself to ignore her. "Be good and stay there. I'm heading over there now."

"Okay. Mando, you must come!"

Armand promptly stood up, grabbed his coat, and got ready to leave. Seeing that, Steven let out a deep sigh in private. He then ran up to Armand. "Mr. Faulkner, allow me to drive you." Steven was secretly disappointed. After all these years, that woman still has Mr. Faulkner under her thumb.

"No need. I can drive there on my own."

"But you've suffered a heavy injury on your back." Steven was about to say more, but as soon as he arrived downstairs, Armand was gone in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Patrick, who had collected a pile of snacks from the fridge in the kitchen, was sitting in the living room.

It just so happened that Patrick witnessed Armand going out the door hastily. Soon after, his brother arrived downstairs as well.

"Just from one look of that bitter expression of yours, and I can tell where Armand is headed to." Patrick dug out a big scoop of ice cream, then stuffed it into his mouth. "He's going to visit Marilyn, isn't he?"

Chapter 37 Worried

Steven's face instantly became serious as he solemnly asked, "How did you know about Ms. Wood?"

Patrick shrugged and replied, "Though I'm rarely by Armand's side, that doesn't mean that I'm ill-informed. I basically know what had happened between Ms. Wood and Armand in the past." "Hey, this car accident wasn't aimed at Armand. Right?" Patrick asked abruptly.

After hearing no response from Steven, Patrick put the food that he was holding down. He muttered to himself, "Old Mrs. Faulkner wants to have a grandson. It would be easy for Armand to find a surrogate mother using his abilities. Moreover, didn't the previous two women have a fake marriage with Armand? So why did Armand and Genevieve hold a real marriage? Don't tell me it was because of Ms. Wood..." As Patrick continued speaking, he suddenly came to a realization.

"All right, shut up!" Steven snapped.

To the left of the hall was the housekeeper's room. Though the housekeepers had already slept at that time, Steven did not want what Patrick had said to be heard by others.

After getting scolded by Steven, Patrick pouted and immediately stopped speaking.

"Patrick, Even if Armand treats you well, he's still the boss while we're the workers. No matter how much you know about Ms. Wood, just keep your mouth shut. Let's just do our best to protect Mrs. Faulkner," Steven cautioned in a deep voice while his eyes conveyed warning.

"Got it. I won't gossip ever again. I'm going back to my room to sleep." Terrified of how Steven looked when he was lecturing someone, Patrick lifted his hands in surrender.

He then carried the ice cream pail that was on the table before attempting to escape.

"Wait! Don't say anything you're not supposed to in front of Mrs. Faulkner. Or else, once a problem arises, don't blame me for not protecting you," Steven warned.

Patrick immediately understood what Steven meant. The hairs on his body stood on end as he scurried away hastily.

When Genevieve was sleeping, all she could think about was the bloody wounds on Armand's back. She kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, and she even began wondering if Armand could only sleep face down due to his injured back.

Could he even have a good night's rest if he slept face down?

She finally fell asleep after a long time. When the sunlight started pouring through the window, it was already the second day.

After Genevieve had finished washing up, she went downstairs but Armand was nowhere to be found.

"Is Mando still sleeping?" Usually, Steven would send Armand to the office. However, Steven was still at home that day.

"Mr. Faulkner went out early this morning. He didn't let me send him." Steven answered.

Hearing this, Genevieve frowned. Her face expressed worry as she questioned, "Why didn't he stay at home to rest when he's injured? Did something urgent happen in the company?"

"Wow! Are you concerned about Armand, Mrs. Faulkner?" asked Patrick cheekily as he glanced at Genevieve.

Genevieve instantly realized that she was indeed worrying excessively.

She blushed and coughed before rolling her eyes at Patrick. "Mando was injured because of me. Isn't it normal for me to care about him?"

"You're right," Patrick said with a know-it-all expression. "Have you seen the news about the hotel?"

Genevieve shook her head as she picked up the bowl of oatmeal that Maria had prepared. "I was too tired after I came home yesterday so I didn't have the time to scroll my phone. Did the situation take a turn?"

With Erica's confession, Genevieve did not believe that Cooper could clear his name.

"There was no turn of events. Everyone was scolding Cooper and feeling sorry for you. I think you deserve an Oscar award for crying, Mrs. Faulkner," Patrick responded while passing her the phone. Genevieve took the phone and placed it on the table, scrolling it as she had breakfast.

Last night, there was an uproar after the reporters that she had invited had recorded the interview and posted it online. The netizens were scolding Cooper and Erica everywhere online and the news had been on trending since last night.

The comments were as followed: Sh*tty people like them are certainly a match made in heaven.

Serves Cooper right for being cheated on and being infertile. Someone like him doesn't deserve to have children!

After seeing Genevieve cry, I cried too. If my love of twenty years had betrayed me like that, I would have taken my own life.

As she scrolled further down, Genevieve saw that some angry netizens had even printed out photos of Cooper and wrote the words "Do everyone a favor and die" before sending them to Specter Corporation. Reading all those comments and news, Genevieve seemed as composed as ever.

In actuality, she had broken down and wanted to take her own life shortly after the incident had happened. It was just a coincidence that she met Armand and his presence helped her get through all that. Just like how she was exposed on the internet back then, she wanted to let Cooper experience the same thing as well.

Chapter 38

Genevieve returned the phone back to Patrick. As she picked up the orange juice to drink, her phone that she had left on the table lit up. It was an anonymous message.

It read: I am Erica. I have proof that Cooper murdered your parents. If you want the proof, send me three million in exchange for it. After seeing the message, Genevieve's eyes widened in shock.

When Genevieve went to the hotel with Armand that time, she had heard from Erica that she was the one who got rid of the clues that would prove Genevieve's parents did not die of natural causes. However, after Patrick had hacked into Erica's phone and computer, he did not find anything. Even though Genevieve had asked him to check carefully, he still couldn't find anything. And now, Erica had personally contacted her.

Genevieve suppressed the urge of agreeing right away and replied: How are you so sure that I have three million? Using this trick, you can get way more than three million from Cooper. Genevieve had no idea why Erica would come to find her instead of Cooper after gaining such crucial leverage over the man.

Erica replied: I know that there's a man called Patrick by your side last night. He's Mr. Faulkner's subordinate. And I also know that you've been cozying up to Mr. Faulkner. I understand Cooper more than you do. If he knows that I have leverage over him, he would not let me off easily. As long as you give me three million and help me leave Jadeborough, I would not only pass the evidence to you, but I would also help you testify against Cooper.

After getting no replies from Genevieve, Erica sent two more messages.

The first message read: Let's meet in Blue Shore Café at half-past eleven. If you don't come, I would delete the evidence. Followed by another message: It was your parents who got murdered, not mine. So, you hate Cooper more than I do.

Genevieve was provoked by Erica's last text. So, she responded quickly: Fine, I'll meet you at the café.

Judging from the text messages that Erica had sent, Genevieve felt that Erica didn't have a reason to lie to her.

She guessed that Erica and Cooper must have had a fallout and Erica was afraid that Cooper might settle the score with her. Hence, when Erica knew that Genevieve was now with Armand, who was powerful, she then decided to do a transaction with Genevieve.

After responding to her message, Genevieve told Patrick, "Erica wants to meet me. Send me there later."

"She's basically a celebrity now. How does she still have the guts to be out in public? Does she want to take revenge on you?" Patrick sensed that something was off.

Genevieve let out a chuckle. "I have you, don't I? Why would the two of us be scared of her?"

"You're indeed a woman with great insight, Mrs. Faulkner! Let me tell you, I'm not only a hacker, but I also have a black belt in Kickboxing," Patrick proudly exclaimed as he was overjoyed to be praised. "Oh, really? Yet you still couldn't protect Mrs. Faulkner last night," Steven said coldly.

Patrick's expression instantly changed. He scratched the back of his head and replied, "I was just trying to give Armand a chance to become the hero."

"Ha!"

Upon seeing Steven's solemn face while he let out a mocking chuckle, Genevieve couldn't help but laugh.

In the meantime, she was secretly worried for Armand.

He was so badly injured but still went out early for work. Would he really be fine?

After the car explosion incident last night, Patrick did a thorough check on the car that he was driving. After confirming that the anti-explosion system was on, he then allowed Genevieve to enter the car. After reaching Blue Shore Café, Patrick waited in the car while Genevieve entered the café and chose a window seat.

Afterward, she sent Erica a text, informing her that she had arrived.

Genevieve had her wireless earphones on and stayed in touch with Patrick through WhatsApp voice call the whole time. As she sat in the café and waited for a while, it suddenly began to rain.

"It's already eleven. Why isn't Erica here yet?" Patrick kept observing the surroundings. It was finally eleven o'clock, but there was still no sign of Erica anywhere.

"She might've been caught up in a traffic jam due to the rain. We've planned to meet at half-past eleven, so let's wait for a while more," said Genevieve, looking out the window.

Inadvertently, she glanced across the street and saw a man pushing open the door of a dessert shop and walking out. His left hand was holding onto a black umbrella with his defined jawline visible from under the umbrella.

There was a woman that was walking right beside him, but the woman was blocked by the man's body, so Genevieve couldn't see her face.

She could only see that the woman was wearing a flaxen, knitted long skirt. Her belly was slightly bulging, which was an obvious sign that she was pregnant.

Though Genevieve and Armand had not known each other for a long time, Armand's tall build and his indifferent temperament had already imprinted on Genevieve's heart.

Thus, she could certainly conclude that the man holding the umbrella was Armand.

However, she had never seen Armand behave so gently toward a woman before.

She watched as the man tilted the umbrella toward the woman, oblivious to the fact that half his shoulder was drenched. Then, he pulled the car door open and placed a hand on the roof of the car to prevent the woman from bumping into it when she got in.

After inspecting the scene, Genevieve asked hesitantly, "Patrick, look behind you. Is that Mando?"

"What?" Patrick, who was sitting inside the car, turned his head and was extremely shocked. It is indeed Armand!

Chapter 39 His Wife

Although Patrick had never met Marilyn before, he could tell what relationship she had with Armand by the latter's expression.

Genevieve furrowed her eyebrows when she heard Patrick cursing. "Is that really Mando?"

Armand always had a cold demeanor and treated people condescendingly. As far as she knew, he had never been as gentle as this before.

"The woman beside Mando..." Suppressing the unusual emotions, she asked, "Is she his wife?”

After getting married to Armand, Genevieve dug up the Faulkner family's background.

She knew that the Faulkner family had become successful in Xedells and was one of the four most prestigious families in the city. As the law was rather outdated there, the Faulkner family's male ancestors had many wives.

Initially, Armand's grandfather ordered the Faulkner family to only practice monogamy from his generation onward.

However, the global financial crisis severely affected the Faulkner family's business. Therefore, the ex-patriarch of the Faulkner family had no choice but to marry three wives to save their family. Armand's mother was the second wife of the family, and also the distant relative of Harriet.

As his mother was born and raised in Jadeborough, Armand chose to expand his business there when he first entered the business circle. When he took over the Faulkner family's core business, he moved all business projects to Jadeborough.

Due to Xedells' backdated law, Armand could still marry another woman in Jadeborough despite already being married in Xedells.

Therefore, Genevieve thought the woman beside Armand was the wife he married in Xedells.

"You must have seen it wrongly. The man is not Armand. His figure just looks similar to him, that's all." Even though it was the first time Patrick bumped into such an intense scene, he managed to react quickly. "If that's the case, why did you shout so loudly just now?"

"Don't you think her girlfriend is gorgeous? She looks just like a pop star!" Patrick's exaggerated words caused Genevieve to feel speechless.

The man they saw had already gotten onto the driver's seat. However, she could not see his face clearly as the wipers were turned on. Therefore, she could only watch as the car left.

Genevieve mumbled in exasperation, "Not only his figure, but his side profile looks like him too."

"What's so odd about that?" Patrick said. "I've even been told I should try becoming a porn star because I look like one from Jetroina!"

Genevieve was speechless at that.

To diminish Genevieve's suspicion, Patrick spoke again. "Don't overthink this. Although Xedells still maintained its polygamy policy, Old Mrs. Faulkner hated this outdated law and ordered that the Faulkner family's grandsons could only marry one wife. Therefore, Armand will only have one wife, which is you."

"Does that mean that Old Mrs. Faulkner is an easygoing person?" Genevieve asked.

She did not know if Armand would bring her to visit Harriet. However, one could find any information on the internet, so Harriet probably knew about her from the news. "I probably gave her a terrible impression of myself," she thought.

"No way. She even made me cry twice from her scolding." Patrick felt uneasy when he thought of the memory of him crying because of Harriet. "However, it seems like Old Mrs. Faulkner has taken quite a liking to you."

Genevieve asked curiously, "I've never met with Old Mrs. Faulkner before. How do you know if she likes me or not?"

Immediately, Patrick realized he had said something wrong and quickly covered it up. "Old Mrs. Faulkner would like anyone Armand chooses, after all."

Once again, Genevieve was rendered speechless.

The duo chatted casually in the cafe until one in the afternoon. Although the rain had stopped, Genevieve still did not see Erica anywhere.

She decided to give Erica a call. Although the latter's phone was not turned off, nobody picked it up.

Immediately, a sense of uneasiness rose in Genevieve's heart. Therefore, she ordered Patrick to track Erica's GPS location on her phone. They found out that her phone was located at the entrance of Southwood Mansion, but when they got there, the place itself was empty.

"Cooper probably found out that she wanted to look for you," Patrick analyzed. "Should I hack into Cooper's phone to investigate?"

Genevieve was reminded of Cooper's counter-reconnaissance during the car accident. Thus, she shook her head. "Cooper is smarter than Erica, and he'll definitely have security on his phone. Even if we try to track him, we probably wouldn't be able to find Erica."

Taking one last look at the empty mansion, she turned around and entered the car. "Let's head back."

The reason why she married Armand was to take revenge. If she could obtain some evidence from Erica, she could quickly send Cooper to jail and enable her parents to rest in peace. Unfortunately, her wish did not come true.

Genevieve was in a foul mood after coming back with nothing. On the way back, her phone suddenly rang.

Chapter 40

Genevieve thought Erica had contacted her with another phone number, so the former immediately answered it. "Hello?"

"Is this Ms. Genevieve?" the person on the other end of the line asked politely.

After hearing that the person was not Erica, Genevieve felt her heart sink. "Yes. I am. Is something the matter?"

"I am from Central Group's HR department," the person said politely. "We're quite interested in your resume. Do you have the time to come over for an interview on Thursday, nine o'clock in the morning?" Just then, Genevieve remembered she had sent her resume to Steven. She had no idea she would receive a call so soon.

"I'm free on that day. Do I need to bring any materials with me?" After returning from finishing her studies in Dartan, she had never worked before. Apart from heading overseas occasionally to help Cooper, she had no working experience. Therefore, she had never attended an interview at other companies.

After jotting down the materials she needed to bring for the interview, she continued chatting with the man for a while. When she hung up the call, the car had just reached home.

After returning home, she took off her jacket and hung it on the clothes rack. While doing so, she realized that there was another thin black coat on the rack. When she got near, she could smell a faint scent that seemed like perfume.

"Maria." After hanging up her jacket, she asked, "Is Mando back yet?"

Maria nodded. "Mr. Faulkner returned two hours ago and immediately entered the study room with Steven. I went to send them some coffee just now. They seem to be busy with work."

Genevieve turned back to eye the jacket on the clothes rack, deciding not to bother about the perfume. After all, the man she met in the dessert shop did not wear that jacket. It seems like the man really wasn't Armand.

As she knew Armand was working upstairs, Genevieve did not bother him and teamed up with Patrick to play games in the living room. The duo only stopped when it was time for dinner. Right after the housekeeper finished placing the plates on the table, Armand and Steven headed downstairs.

Armand wore a white shirt and a pair of trousers, accentuating his handsome figure. The sleeves on his shirt were folded up, revealing the muscles on his arms.

Perhaps he had been working for too long, for there was a hint of exhaustion in his eyes. However, that did not change the usual indifferent expression on his face.

Genevieve could not help but feel worried when she thought of how he had to continue working despite his injury. "Mando, how is your injury?"

"It's just a tiny injury on my back." Armand pulled out the chair in front of her, seemingly annoyed. "You should go on with your own life. You don't need to put your focus on me constantly."

Genevieve wanted to thank him at first, but she gripped her fork when she heard the reproach that followed next. Does he think I'm too annoying? Well, both of us are only in a fake marriage. It's not like we're a real couple. Besides, he gave me everything that I have now. I don't have the right to care about him.

"I'm sorry." She lowered her head and continued eating, not saying anything else.

Armand seemed to notice the change in Genevieve's mood. Furrowing his eyebrows, he lifted his eyes to glance at her.

However, due to his quiet and aloof nature, he didn't bother to explain.

Patrick glanced at Armand and then at Genevieve, noticing the shift in the atmosphere at the dining table. Therefore, he stopped his usual chattering and ate in silence.

The group of people finished eating dinner silently.

As Armand still had some work to do, he quickly went upstairs. Meanwhile, Patrick continued to play games with Genevieve.

"Don't mind what Armand said just now during dinner," Patrick whispered to Genevieve. "He's quite cold and likes to keep things to himself. I think that he's even more secretive than my brother! Besides, he couldn't even care less when a gunshot almost hit his heart last time, much less a minor injury like this."

Upon hearing that, Genevieve's bad mood was soon replaced with shock. "When did this happen? Did his brothers... do it?"

When she scrolled through the news regarding the Faulkner family, she discovered that the inheritance was given out according to their ages.

However, the Faulkner family's core businesses were handed over to Armand. That caused the other children to only obtain some stocks and small companies, thus angering them as they could not get much money.

Therefore, when Armand moved the business to Jadeborough and expanded it, they were blinded with jealousy when they saw how much money he earned. That further escalated their fury as they tried to make a move on Armand to get all of his assets.

Patrick almost nodded but quickly stopped himself. "Mrs. Faulkner, it's safer for you to not know some things."

After seeing that he was unwilling to tell, Genevieve did not force him.

The duo continued to play games in the living room until past ten at night. Finally, Genevieve called it quits as her eyes were sore. She then returned to her bedroom upstairs.

After she came out of the shower, she spotted the shopping bag on the couch.

She soon remembered it was the few suits she picked out for Armand when she went shopping with Patrick that day.

Worried about Armand's injury last night, she had forgotten all about the suits. Thankfully, I asked someone to send the suits back to the mansion beforehand. Otherwise, I'm going to lose several hundred thousand after the car exploded.

Taking a look at the time, Genevieve figured Armand would be resting at this time. After pondering for a moment, she towel-dried her hair quickly and went out while carrying the few shopping bags. When she walked to Armand's room, she was going to knock on his door when her vision went black, causing her a big deal of shock.