Ch. 631..640

Chapter 631

Meanwhile, in the Zeigler residence, after llerbert returned from his morning exercise, he received a call. By the time the call ended, his expression turned as dark as ink. Instantly, he instructed the housekeeper, "Get Sylvic down licrel"

Then, he sat in the living room and waited for her with a grim look on his face.

When Sylvie heard from the housekeeper that Herbert was in a rush to scc hcr, alarm bells began ringing in her head, She did not even bother changing her clothes before running down the stairs.

The moment she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw the tchisc expression on the clderly man's face, and her heart lurched.

"Granddad," Sylvie greeted softly as she walked into the living room. "Were you looking for me?"

Right as Herbert saw Sylvic, he sprang up from the couch and slapped her hard. His sudden action frightened the housekeeper at the side.

The force of the slap made Sylvie's head turn to the side. A beat later, she raised her hand to hold her aching cheek.

"I've always given you anything you wanted, but this is too much!" Herbert began in a furious tone. "How dare you use your uncle's name to contact the people in Xedells Prison? Do you know what you're doing? Do you know that you're sticking your hands into political matters now? Do you think that Xedells is the same as Baykeep? Your uncle might be doomed because of you!" "Granddad, I didn't.." Sylvie sobbed. "I didn't use Uncle Phineus' name for anything. I just gave them money to ask for their help..."

"Did you think they would let that criminal go if you didn't?" Herbert hissed.

Herbert was in poor health that year, and his anger only made his condition worse. He nearly could not take his next breath, and he had to lie on the couch for a while.

In the meantime, Sylvie quickly took his medication for him.

Tears rolled down Sylvie's checks when she saw the pale look of the elderly man. "Granddad, this is my fault. Don't be mad anymore. What do I do if anything happens to you? I know I'm at fault, Granddad. I'm sorry!**

At that, she went on her knees before her grandfather.

She then continued sobbing out, "That man helped me before. If not for his support, I would've died overseas a long time ago. Ile wanted me to get him out of jail, so I agreed to it. I tried to send someone to bribe the people there with money, but to my surprise, the ones working at the jail called me and asked if Phincus Zeigler was my uncle. If I said yes, they would then turn a blind cye to the jailbreak. Granddad, I really never thought of troubling Uncle Phincus. I didn't mean to do it!"

In just a short while, Sylvie alrcady had tear tracks on her face. "I just wanted to return my

friend's favor."

No matter how livid Herbert was, he could not liclp but fccl bad for her which he thought about her difficult childhood.

Herbert then helped her up and solemnly said to hier, "Sylvic, there are many ways to return the favor to him. What you've done will really coon your Uncle Phincus and me. Now that they have gotten something to blackmail your uncle with, they'll be able to request anything from your uncle in the future."

Herbert had been in the military for most of luis life, and he looked down on those who sided with the underworld. Thus, when he saw how his cldest son had joined the army and become a commander while his other son became a party secretary, he was filled with relics and pride.

He did not wish for a minor matter to allect his and the Zeigler family's reputation.

Sylvie nodded before obediently responding, "I'll remember this lesson, Granddad. I won't do this again."

The pain Herbert felt lessened after taking his medication, so he told Sylvie to head upstairs.

Herbert then asked his driver, "Have they caught Xavier?"

He had to catch the man as soon as possible and send him back to Xedells Prison; he could not let the situation worsen any further.

The driver had received some news via text messages while Herbert was talking to Sylvic, but as Herbert was chiding Sylvie, the driver dared not interrupt him.

Now that Herbert was asking him about it, the driver softly answered, "No, but he killed someone."

"What?" Herbert froze.

The driver continued, "I received news from Jadeborough that Xavier fled after killing the woman. That woman used to be engaged to him. It's Peter Faulkner's daughter."

Chapter 632

Everyone in Xedells knew about the Faulkuer family. After all, Baykeep and Xedells were quite close to each other.

Therefore, Herbert know about Peter Faulkner.

Herbert thought that Xavier had only escaped from prison, but now, the man had also killed someone. The shock was visiblc on lis face as hic asked, "Did lic escape from prison to kill this girl?" The driver sliook his licad, a gesture of him not knowing the answer to that. "General Zeigler, there's something I'm not sure if I should voice out loud or not."

"What is it?

"Jane was working at Genevieve's company before her passing. She was also quite close with Mr. Sutton of Specter Corporation. Besides, you know that there's bad blood between Ms. Sylvie and Genevieve..."

Herbert had been in the military for many years, so he could understand what the driver was trying to tell him despite the latter's stammering words

As a matter of fact, he even began wondering if Sylvie had deliberately let Xavier out of prison and asked him to kill Janc while she rcaped the benefits of the situation without dirtying her hands. That very thought made Herbert's hair stand on end.

He could not believe that his granddaughter was such a terrifying girl.

When the driver saw Herbert massaging his chest and looking unwell, he quickly added, "Please don't get too emotional, General Zeigler. This is just a guess of mine. Ms. Sylvie is quite the obedient girl."

"If she really is a good girl, would she have gotten someone to commit murder and abused her Uncle Phineus' power to do all those misdeeds?" Herbert retorted.

Once Herbert's heart stopped aching as much, he sighed tiredly. I know that Sylvie's father might not be a good man, but Juliana was such a sweet girl. Yet, Sylvie doesn't take after her at all..." Everything that Sylvie had done was making Herbert wonder. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, huh? Did Sylvie really take afier her father to have such a similar character as him? Herbert was starting to feel suspicious.

He had been making frequent contact with Dartan for decades, but he had never been able to get any news of his daughter. However, one day, he had received news about her out of the blue. The more Herbert mulled over it, the more doubtful he became. He then waved at the driver to get him to come over before whispering. "Find a way to get Sylvie's hair with follicles. After that, send her hair sample, along with mine, to the lab for a paternity test."

"General Zeigler, didn't you have a test with her before?" the driver asked. "Moreover, Zecler is the best DNA-testing center in Baykeep."

If a place like that dared to falsify its test results, everyone working in that company would be doomed.

Herbert was silent for a moment before lic sighed. "I know, but I just feel that Sylvic is too different from Juliana. I have so many grandchildren, but look, how many are like Sylvic?" The driver silently agreed with that. There were many grandchildren in the Zeigler family, and they worked in various fields. However, all of them were good people.

"Do the test in a different place this time," Herbert instructed the driver. "Do it discreetly: don't let Sylvie find out about this. I just hope my worries are unwarranted." The loss of his daughter had depressed his wife and later caused his wife's passing. Herbert himself had spent most of his life yearning to see his daughter again. It had taken him ages before he managed to find his granddaughter, but if his granddaughter turned out to be a vicious person, he would be devastated. "Okay." The driver nodded.

Herbert had no idea that a listening device was hidden in the vase on the square coffee table. Sylvie had heard his conversation with the driver.

Once their conversation ended, Sylvie took off her earphones, her expression gloomy as frustration rose in her chest.

She knew that Herbert had been mindful of her ever since she hired someone to kill another person the other time. Therefore, she had to be extra cautious.

Nevertheless, life was always surprising. Sylvie had never thought that a staff member at Zecler was Jane's friend. When Sylvie had found out that Jane was looking into her actual relationship with Herbert, she panicked.

Sylvie had then sent someone to stop Jane's friend.

However, she did not know whether the other woman was speaking the truth and whether or not the latter had acquired the original copy of her paternity test result with Herbert. Sylvie also did not know if the other woman would betray her in the future,

Right as she was at her wits' end, Sylvic recalled that Jane had used to be engaged to Xavier. Later on, Specter Corporation had acquired many of Wood Group's businesses, so Xavier would certainly despise Cooper. That was why Sylvic had sent someone to contact Xavier and let him out of prison to have him kill Jane for her.

However, the one mistake she had made was to contact the people working at the jail by using her uncle's name.

Along moment later, Sylvie took out her phone and sent a messige.

The look in her eyes was a vicious one as she stared at the phone screen. I can't let that old man do another DNA test with me, or else / mdoomed.

Chapter 633

Genevieve was grief-stricken after returning from the hospital in the afternoon, and she locked herself in her bedroom.

When she was at the hospital in the morning, the coroner had told her that most of the blood on the floor belonged to Janc, and only a little was Xavier's.

The blood on the knife that had fallen into the crack was all Jane's blood, and Xavier's fingerprints were found on the handle of the knife.

Hence, the police hypothesized that Xavier had fled again after killing Jane.

It seemed like Xavier was extremely cautious, for he had avoided the surveillance cameras on his escape route. That was why the police still could not track him down until then. Genevieve could still remember how Jane and she were blushing furiously when the two watched the show at Charlotte's party on Christmas Eve.

It had only been two days since then, but Jane was already gone.

Along while later, she heard the sound of a key unlocking the door. Then, the towering man pushed open the door and entered.

Bruce saw Genevieve sitting against the wall, seemingly desolated. He then walked over to her and sat down beside her. He pulled her into his arms and remained silent. Genevieve listened to his steady heartbeat.

Feeling warm and emotional, she reached out to hug him..

In a hushed voice, she said, "Jane had been suffering from severe heart disease, and she had been taking medication for it since young. A while ago, Dr. Sitler said that he could operate on her and make her live a normal person's life. I was planning to accompany her to the hospital on the twenty-eighth and stay there until she comes out of the operating room..."

Unfortunately, that day would never come.

"Jane was a pretty and talented woman, and she was younger than me by half a month." Genevieve said hoarsely, tears welling up in her cyes. "Why is it so unfair?"

Those who should be punished went unpunished, but those who lived their lives to the best of their abilities were cruelly whisked to the afterlife early on

Bruce silently listened to her as he reached out to wipe away her tears once in a while.

The two leaned against each other for a long time. When Bruce noticed that she seemned to be feeling a little better, he softly asked. "Are you hungry? Do you want me to make you something to eat?"

Hearing that, Genevieve realized she was indeed a little hungry.

Bruce then carried Genevieve out of the room before putting her down on the couch. He washed some fruits to let her snack on them first and then put on an apron to prepare a meal in the kitchen.

Belatedly, Genevieve realized that they were actually in her house, so she asked, "Where's Rosa?"

"She had nothing to do here, so I told her to go on a holiday."

At that, Genevieve gloomily wondered, Isn't Rosa the housekeeper I hired? Why is Bruce giving her instructions without hesitation? It's almost as if he's the owner of this place.

Meanwhile, Bruce made a plate of sausage and peppers, as well as a plate of cabbage rolls. He had poured some secret sauce on the sausage and peppers, and the food was still warm when she ate it. In fact, the warmth rolled down her throat into her stomach.

As Genevieve ate the food, she wistfully commented, "It's such a waste for you not to join a cooking show."

After putting a bowl of gruel by her side, he pulled out a chair and sat on it. "If I join a cooking show, you won't be able to see me for a month or two. Moreover, other people will be the ones trying out the food I make."

"Forget it then." Genevieve immediately dismissed the thought. "All's good as long as you make food for me every day."

Bruce gave her a small smile at that.

After Genevieve was done with her dinner, Bruce cleaned up the stove and made a cup of chamomile tea before walking to the living room.

He then sat down beside Genevieve and covered the two of them with a blanket.

Genevieve played with his slender fingers before kissing and biting them. She flirted with him to the point Bruce's breathing turned uneven, and Bruce pinched her

"Don't flirt with me. I have little self-control."

"I'm bored," Genevieve said as she brought his hand to her face. "If I don't find something to preoccupy myself, I'll think about Jane, and I won't be able to stop myself from calling Coop." However, Genevieve knew that Cooper was even more sorrowful than her at the moment, and he probably did not want anyone to disturb him.

Bruce then handed her the phone. "Find a horror film that you want to watch. I'll watch it with you."

"That's not a good idea," Genevieve replied. "I'm a girl: I'll be scared."

Bruce thought about how Genevieve had once excitedly told him that she wanted to watch a horror film and how he had brought her to the movie theater he reserved for the film. Back then, she had been brave.

Bruce could not help but chuckle. "It's fine. I'll accompany you to sleep tonight."

Genevieve then picked a high-rating horror film that she had never watched before. When Bruce went to turn off the lights, Genevieve sneakily checked out his WhatsApp.

Bruce barely had any close friends on his WhatsApp. The contact list comprised mostly his coworkers, producers, and some directors.

Genevieve spotted the ninety-nine friend requests.

Curiously, she clicked on it, only to see countless people trying to add him. There were people from the entertainment industry, and there were film producers. As a matter of fact, she even saw

Coco.

Chapter 634

Bruce kept ignoring Coco. Perhaps that was why she had been relentless in sending messages and making herself out to be ever so pitiful.

She kept talking about their past, mentioning how he had treated her well. She even highlighted how on one occasion, he had ignored his job, flown overnight to the studio where she was working in, had supper with her, and kept her company all night.

There was also the part where she mentioned how a circctor had bullied her, and he would rather pay for the liquidated damages than let her be cast in the movie.

On top of all that, she claimed that she was too young and immature when they were dating. That was why she had failed to realize how nice he was to her. She insisted she had since Icarned to appreciate him and had kept every gift he had given her, even if said gift was just a random mug.

Genevieve couldn't help praising Coco inwardly. Yep, she definitely has what it takes to be an award toinning actress. Her acting skills are impeccable.

Coco was trying to get together with Miles and trying to get her ex-boyfriend back at the same time.

After reading about everything Bruce had done for Coco in the past, Genevieve became a little jealous. She noticed that Bruce was back, so she tossed his phone back to him.

Her voice was brimming with jealousy when she said, "I really should thank Coco if I run into her someday."

"Huh? What's wrong?" asked a confused Bruce.

"After all, you wouldn't have learned to be that gentle and considerate to your new girlfriend if your ex-girlfriend hadn't trained you well. There was a notification on WhatsApp. She's trying to get you to add her to your contact list," replied Genevieve.

Bruce rarely checked his WhatsApp. After hearing what Genevieve said, he tapped on the app to look at what was going on.

He was utterly speechless when he saw the messages from Coco. Exasperated, he went to "Settings" and blacklisted Coco.

Genevieve caught him doing that. She didn't really know why, but she was suddenly pacified, so she reminded, "If you do that, you won't be able to receive any messages from her in the future. "I don't care about my past. All I want is to cherish the present," replied Bruce as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "Everything is fine, as long as I can stay by your side." Genevieve tilted her head and looked right into his eyes. Curiosity filled her. "Did Jerry teach you how to flirt? How did you get so good at sweet-talking within such a short time?" Charlotte had had many boyfriends, and amonu them. Jerry was the most flirtatious One with the best sense of humor.

"Not at all." replied Bruce sincerely. "I was simply speaking from the bottom of my heart."

Those words worked wonders and filled Genevicve's heart with love and warmth. She pulled him closer and kissed him deeply for quite some time before she snuggled up to him and watched a horror movie while snacking.

The show was heavy on the following day.

Genevieve didn't have any urgent matters to attend to at work, so she stayed in bed.

Bruce had a habit of waking up carly, so he carried Genevieve to the bathroom to let her freshen up. After that, he made breakfast and served it in bed. Genevieve went back to sleep after she had hier breakfast, whereas Bruce made his way to the study to call Steven.

Cooper had been staying in the hospital since the night before, and Steven reported that matter to Bruce.

It seemed Cooper didn't want to cremate Jane's body, but he eventually let the people from the funeral house take the body to the crematorium that morning.

There was no news from Xedells Prison, as the people there kept their mouths shut. It seemed a powerful official from Baykeep had told everyone to keep all the information to themselves. Steven guessed that the mysterious official was from the Zeigler family.

Unfortunately, the Zeigler family's influence in Baykeep was too powerful. Herbert, for an instance, had two sons. One of them was in the military while the other was a politician. Both held immense power.

As such, no one could do anything to Sylvic even though Sylvie was the prime suspect at that moment.

Bruce looked out the window and watched as the snow fell. His tone sounded grim when he said, "If Sylvie's plan was to con others into doing her dirty job for her, then Xavier should go after Cooper or Genev."

That hypothesis made sense, since it was Cooper and Armand who had joined forces all those years ago to destroy Wood Group. Now that Armand was "dead," Cooper was the only one left to kill.

The confusing bit, however, was that Jane was engaged to Xavier but never played a role in that incident. Hence, it didn't make sense that she was tarreted.

"I am also rather perplexed about this. Why would Xavier go after Ms. Jane?" said Steven who was confused about that as well. "Also, what could Xavier have said to Ms. Jane to get her to go to him of her own volition?"

Bruce knew how smart Jane truly was.

She must've discovered something crucial and happened to know where Xavier was. That was the only explanation as to why she asked for a meeting with him.

Bruce had an inkling of what might've happened, but he didn't share his views. He simply turned

to Steven and ordered, "Investigate the matter and find out who Jane had met up with during that period of time, Xavier is not an idiot. He must know that Sylvic only wanted him to do her dirty work for her. Also, there is no way she would continuously help Xavier evade the cops. At this moment, Xavier is nothing but a liability to her."

Bruce didn't say much, but Steven caugh what he was implying right away. The latter replied, "I will come up with a plan to draw Xavier out of hiding."

Chapter 635

Bruce returned to the bedroom after completing everything. He saw that Genevieve was still sleeping. Her dark, messy hair draped over the pillow, providing a stunning contrast to her snow white skin.

Bruce made his way to the side of the bed and crouchied down to kiss Genevieve.

He kept kissing Genevieve until slic was out of breath and was so annoyed that she klared at him. After hic let her go, le tucked lier luair behind lier cars.

"What do you want for lunch, my lazy kitten?"

"I'm not hungry," replied Genevieve furiously. Stretching her leg out of the blanket, she kicked him hard.

Bruce never planned to keep annoying her anyway, so he went back to his place to gather some stuti after that. At noon, he prepared lunch. When everything was done, he returned to the room to carry Genevieve out of bed and helped her comb her hair.

Genevieve stared at her own legs as Bruce carried her to the dining table. "You're making my legs redundant."

"That's not true. Your legs have a much more important task to work on."

Genevieve instantly know where Bruce's dirty mind had gone, so she punched him lightly. "I should change your contact name to "Insatiable Playboy". It'd suit you well."

Genevieve had slept the entire morning, so she did not feel like napping after lunch.

She rested on the couch and watched a television series. As she did so, she put her legs on Bruce's lap. She saw how her nails seemed ordinary and suddenly wished to get a manicure and a pedicure.

Bruce bought the kit online via an app.

It took less than thirty minutes for the delivery man to show up with a set of tools for pedicures and manicures.

Bruce scanned the QR code on the box and watched intently as the tutorial video played. A sense of familiarity washed over Genevieve as she stared at his serious look, and that scene amused her. She teased, "You know... I will not pay you if you don't do a good job. In fact, I might demand a nice compensation for it."

"Then I shall work hard and make sure everything is perfect, my queen," Bruce said before he chuckled and used the tools to cut hier nails. Genevieve's pedicure and manicure were only completed after the night bad fallen and darkness engulfed everything outside the window.

Bruce picked a light caramel color that matched the winter perfectly for Genevieve's fingernails. It made her fingers look exceptionally beautiful.

Genevicve saw how gorgeous her nails were and shifted licr gaze to Bruce. "Is this rcally the first time you did someone else's nail? How did you do everything so perfectly?" "All I did was follow the instructions."

Genevieve giggled and pointed out, "Oh, come on. That cannot be true. These kinds of stuff take practice... It's like how a person can't learn how to swim from watching a tutorial video once." Bruce ignored her. He simply washed his hands and carried her back to the bedroom.

Genevieve was a little confused. "What are you doing? It's already half-past five. Aren't you going to make dinner? I never said anything about skipping dinner or losing weight."

"I'll get to it later. For now, I want my reward."

Genevieve was speechless.

She had stayed inside the condominium for the past few days. A small portion of her time had been spent on eating, watching television, and sleeping. She had spent the rest of her time on the bed with him.

Her feet had never touched the floor because Bruce would carry her everywhere. She didn't even need to walk to the dining room.

Bruce's sweet gestures and care slowly made Genevieve feel better. On the thirtieth, she went to the cemetery with Cooper and buried Jane.

She saw the dark circles under Cooper's eyes and noted how his eyes seemed dull. Everything pointed to the fact that he had had a rough time.

When they left the cemetery, Genevieve asked Cooper if they had caught Xavier. The way Cooper shook his head made her feel disappointed and exasperated.

"It's New Year's Eve, Coop. Let's have lunch together," suggested Genevieve.

Cooper grinned and turned her down. "I have to meet Mr. Wasco tonight and should prepare for it. You should head home, eat well, and rest. I'm fine, and there's no need to worry about me at

all."

He refused to waste his time wallowing in sorrow. Instead, he would work hard so he could catch Xavier as quickly as possible and avenge Jane.

"Okay," replied Genevieve. She nodded, then reminded, "Don't drink too much."

It was past eleven when Genevieve got home. The second she walked into the house, she smelled the alluring scent of grilled chicken. She also saw Bruce, who was donning a black sweater, sitting in the living room and watching television

When she got closer, she saw the yarn he had with him and was momentarily stunned in surprise. "Are you knitting a sweater?"

"A scarf, actually," replicd Bruce. He picked up his half-knitted scarf and draped it over her neck

to measure the length. "What pattern would you like in your scarf?"

Genevieve tossed the red yarn around a little and replicd in a pleasantly surprised tone. "I didn't know you can knit."

That was when she suddenly thought about the house slippers Bruce used at home. She turned to him and immediately asked, "You knitted those house slippers too, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Then why did you lie to me and say you bought them?"

"You wouldn't have believed me even if I had told you the truth," replied Bruce as he continued knitting away.

Genevieve stared for quite some time before she said, "You are so mysterious, Bruce. You always surprise me, and it seems you can do everything, be it acting at your job or attending to those matters in life. You seem to be only a few years older than I am, but you are so much more

considerate and mature..."

Chapter 636

Genevieve remembered the time when she had dropped Bruce off at Imperial Club a long time ago. At the time, he had crouclied down and spoke to her as he stood on the other side of the car window. Everything about him shone with maturity and wisdom.

Bruce's father is a professor at a university, but Bruce doesn'have that bookish aura. Instead, he has a regal aura.It's strange 4 person's aura comes from the deepest part of their soul, and even a professional actor can't conceal it. regardless of how hard he worked and trained. It is just like how things are with the rich and beautiful Charlotte. Her ertraordinary presence makes her stand out among the crowd. She can effortlessly captivale everyone wherever she goes. The others will instantly see her as someone who comes from a rich family.

Bruce knew that Genevieve was complimenting him, but for some reason, he felt as though she were dissing him and calling him an elderly man. That made sense, though. "Bruce" was getting older.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "Is being mature and grounded a bad thing?"

"Not at all." replied Genevieve. She loved having someone spoil her without being overly possessive. She could do what she wanted, and he wouldn't cross the line by getting too involved. Genevieve smiled and caressed his face. "I bet you are the kind of man that would be a great boyfriend resembling a fatherly figure."

Bruce raised his brows. "And exactly what kind of man is that?"

"The kind who is mature and grounded, but also loves and spoils his girlfriend."

Bruce chuckled and tilted his head down to reward Genevieve with a kiss.

That was when the timer went off and prompted Bruce to put the yarn away to get lunch ready.

They spent the rest of the afternoon in a dark living room where the thick curtains were pulled Sitting on the couch, the duo watched a mystery film together.

Bruce had to go get some groccrics at around five o'clock, so Genevieve tacked alonu.

It was New Year's Eve, so the supermarket was packed.

Genevieve scanned the surrounding for a bit before she inched closer to Bruce and whispered in a surprised manner. "Are you really that unpopular? Why is no one asking for a selfie or secretly snapping a picture of you?"

He was wearing a face mask and a liat at the time, so his face was hidden. Still, he was tall and had a unique aura, so his die-hard fans should still be able to recognize him even if they were a distance away. Genevieve had long been able to recognize him by his figure as well.

Bruce thought to himself, Well... Half of the people here are my bodyguards, so it's only natural that no one dares to mess with us.

Uhm... It's weird, but this is kinda nice, right?" said Bruce. He put her hand in his pocket and

chuckled. "I get to shop freely with you."

"That's true." If that hadn't been the case, Genevieve would have been loo scared to hang out with him in public.

When they got home, Genevieve rolled up her sleeves to help Bruce cook, preparing a scrumptious meal for lunch.

Genevieve insisted on having brandy and got drunk after two drinks. She began talking nonsense and ended up dancing in the living room, rendering Bruce speechless yet amused at the same time.

She gestured for him to get closer to her and then wrapped her hands around his neck. In a seductive and uncouth tone, she ordered, "We're going to bed now, and you're going to satisfy me with your body."

Bruce massaged his templc helplessly. I really shouldn't have let her drink hard liquor. He coocd her after that. "Let's do that later, okay? I got you a gift."

"Is that so?" asked Genevieve mischievously. "Are you the gift?"

Bruce was speechless.

It took him a great effort to drag Genevieve away from him and have her wait patiently beside the window. After that, he put on his down jacket and left the house. Genevieve waited for some time and became upset. She called him. "Are you out keeping some other woman's company?"

"No." He then instructed, "Close your eyes and count to ten."

Genevieve murmured an affirmative reply, closed her eyes obediently, then counted to ten.

When she opened her eyes and looked out the window, a colorful and fiery firework brightened the dark sky; one came after another.

Chapter 637

Beautiful fireworks overlapped in the sky and shonc brightly, turning the dark night into a sea of colors. After that, those fireworks turned into shimmering diamonds that danced slowly as they fell. The scene was breathtaking.

Genevieve looked out the window and admired the beautiful fireworks that came one after another. Everything was so wonderful that she was at a loss for words.

That was when her phone vibrated. It was a message from Bruce.

Bruce texted: Do you like the fireworks?

Genevieve didn't reply. She went into the closet and put on a down jacket. The moment the elevator reached the ground floor, she daslied out of it.

She made her way to the spot beside the artificial lake where the two of them had had a snow fight some time ago.

There, she saw a tall man standing in the distance. She ran to him. Bruce was stunned to see her there, but he later opened his arms to hold her tightly.

"It's beautiful," said Genevieve as she held him in her arms. She was happy when she said, "I've never seen fireworks that beautiful before."

Bruce adjusted her down jacket for her, then took off his scarf to wrap it around her neck. "You could've replied to me via WhatsApp. Why did you run all the way here? It's so cold out." Genevieve shook her head and insisted, "It's not good enough to thank you via WhatsApp."

After saying that, she stepped on his feet and tiptoed to kiss him sweetly.

Bruce put his arms around her waist and tilted his head down to kiss her back.

In the distance, the bell at the clock tower rang, signaling the passing of the day and the beginning of the new year.

Genevieve was panting a little as she pressed her forehead against his.

The man in front of her was funny and was an excellent chef. She loved everything about him, and he mesmerized her.

It was nice. She could be a childish kid without a care in the world when they were together.

The icy wind was brushing against her face, but Genevieve felt as though she had just downed a cup of hot cocoa. Every inch of her body was warm, and her heart thumped uncontrollably fast. She caressed his face. Her breath carried a hint of the alcohol scent when she spoke in a foreign language. "You fascinate me."

Her Frosan accent was perfect, and her eyes were filled with tenderness as she gazed at him.

Bruce grinned when he heard that. He kissed her again.

When he looked into her eyes, however, he recalled something crucial, and that turned him deathly pale. Right then, a sharp pain gripped Genevieve's heart, and the pain suffocated her. Her entire body gave way, and she collapsed in his arms.

Genevieve's illness didn't act up as badly when they were at Golden Restaurant. It was much worse this time. She was pale and seemed to have dilliculty breathing

Bruce quickly fished out the medicine in his pocket and tried to put it into Genevieve's mouth.

Unfortunately, her lips didn't part. She gripped his shirt tightly, and before they knew it, she had tilted her head and gone unconscious in his arms.

"Genev?" called out Bruce. His heart was burning with anxiety when he called Steven.

After that, he put her on the ground and took off her down jacket before putting his ear by her chest. He almost went insane when he realized her heart had stopped beating.

Time and again, he told himself to remain calm and to administer emergency first aid to her.

Steven showed up soon after with some medical experts. One of the doctors had Bruce move aside. The former kneeled beside Genevieve after that.

"Get me the defibrillator now!"

Bruce watched as the team of medical experts set up a temporary tent quickly, and then they worked hard to rescue Genevieve. He stood there and stared intently at the tent. He didn't dare to even move a muscle.

Steven glanced at the anxious Bruce, and he was heartbroken for the man. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. Steven didn't even know what to say.

He had worked for Bruce for over a decade, and he had been to many countries, making him a knowledgeable and experienced man.

Yet, he never knew that biological sciences had progressed to the point where terrifying medicine like that could actually be created.

The toxin reacted to the hormones naturally secreted in humans. When experiencing intense emotions, the poisoned individual would suffer from cardiac arrest, and the blood vessels would constrict rapidly, bringing about insufferable pain in the heart. It would cause so much pain that the poisoned individual would rather die than go through the pain.

The doctors battled the Grim Reaper for thirty long minutes before they finally rescued Genevieve from its hold.

Bruce cased up when he heard that Genevieve was fine. He thanked the doctor and then got into the ambulance to go to the hospital with Genevieve.

He didn't dare to go into Genevieve's ward, so he stood guard outside instead..

When Steven returned from paying the bills, he said to the man in front of him in a hushed voice. "Mr. Faulkner, you saw how things are when Ms. Rachford's illness acts up. She might not be so lucky next time."

Chapter 638

When Genevieve had fainted in Dartan, the doctor had also put in a great clfort to rescue her. At the time, the doctors had almost given up on her and were on the verge of declaring her death.

"This is all my fault," said Bruce as he stared at the unconscious woman on the bed through the glass window. He was heartbroken and filled with guilt.

He knew he had to stay away from Genevieve, but he truly wanted to be with her. Who would've thought that Genevieve would fall for him within such a short time?

Bruce gritted his teeth. "I'd rather he kept Genevieve luidden in Dartan than to have him give her such a cruel poison."

Steven had dealt with Jack before and know how cruel the latter was. Jack would destroy what he couldn't have.

Perhaps it was because Jack kucw that Genevieve would still love Armand, even if she were to lose that bet. He realized that she would never love him, so he made it so that she could never love anyone ever again.

The second she fell for someone, she would die.

About ten minutes later, Cooper's call came. He sounded nervous and worried when he asked, "Steven, how is Genev?"

"She's fine, but she's still unconscious," answered Steven.

Cooper stared at Genevieve for a long time. He was scared out of his mind when he first heard from Steven that the doctors worked for thirty minutes before Genevieve's heart began beating again.

Earlier, he hadn't quite believed Steven when the latter shared the truth. The situation at the time convinced him completely.

He turned his attention to Bruce and curiously asked, "You're assuming another man's identity, so how could Genev have fallen for you? Or perhaps she has fallen for the actual actor instead?" Bruce had a similar suspicion, but hearing Cooper say that Genevieve might be in love with someone else annoyed him to no end.

Bruce replied, "I never pretend to be someone else when I am with Genev, so the man she loves should still be me."

Cooper Avas decp in thoughts for a few seconds, but he eventually agreed with Bruce's statement.

Genevieve had spent that much time with Jack, but she never fell for him. That proved she wasn't the kind of woman who would easily fall for another man.

However, now that the man before him turned out to be Armand, it was not surprising that she would fall for him again.

Cooper's guze turned grim. His tone was stern when he pointed out, "I wish that you and Genev could stay together, but you saw how things turn out. The longer you stay with her, the more she'd rely on you."

Bruce thought about Gencvicvc's dying state a few liours ago. That hurt liim so much that he couldn't breathe,

He closed his cyes and bitterly promised, "I will not see her again... At least not until the doctor finds a cure for her."

He would not wish to put Genevieve in harm's way because of his recklessness.

When Cooperlicard Bruce mentioning the cure, hic recalled something. "A few days ago, I received some news about the doctor who once worked in the research facility that created the poison. Someone saw the doctor in Saspiuburg."

Bruce immediately asked, "Which part of Saspiuburg? Did your men manage to locate him?"

"Not yet," answered Cooper. He massaged his temple in frustration and was burdened as well. "The doctor only showed up for a short time in the surveillance footage. No one knows where the doctor went after that."

Bruce had Steven send some men to Saspiuburg and demanded that they locate the doctor.

He would not give up on any shred of hope.

"Locating the doctor is not the most important task at hand. Genevieve comes first," said Cooper as he looked at Genevieve in the ward. "You can stay away from her, but she already developed feelings for you. We have to deal with that first."

Genevieve woke up the following morning and saw Cooper staying by her side. He was working on his phone at the time.

"I'm fine, Coop. You should go back to work," informed Genevieve as she sat up.

Jane's death had already gotten Cooper depressed, so Genevieve didn't want to make things more difficult for him.

She had no idea what had happened the night before. All she knew was that her heart suddenly ached so much that she fainted. Now that she was up, she felt fine.

When Cooper saw Genevieve getting up, he poured her a glass of warm water and grinncd. "There's nothing urgent I have to tend to at work anyway, so I don't need to go."

He called the staff at Golden Restaurant and had them deliver breakfast.

A

Just then, Genevieve recalled that she had been with Bruce before she passed out. Cooper is here right now, so that means...

Chapter 639

She turned to Cooper and looked at him with an unnatural expression.

"Bruce called me yesterday and told me you passcil out. Ilclcft after I showed up," said Cooper who guessed what Genevieve was thinking.

"There's something I need to tell you. Genev."

Genevieve noticed his grim expression, and that worried her. She was a little nervous as she asked, "What is it?"

Did Bruce say something to Cooper?

Cooper took luis phone out and played a video for her.

Genevieve noticed that the person taking the video seemed to be at a private gathering at the time. The videographer had his camera pointed at the bottles as though he was afraid the others would realize that he was secretly recording them.

It didn't take long before the video played a recording of some men talking. A guy talked about how Genevieve was young and beautiful and asked if Bruce had met her. Bruce replicd and claimed hic ran into her when he went to sign the contract.

As the conversation progressed, they began making a bet. Thic terms were as follows. If Bruce could get Genevieve to fall for him, his friend would give him a house.

Bruce sounded sleazy and nonchalant. "Pilt, a woman like her is ridiculously casy to con. If I win this bet, I want the house in Regality Gardens. Deal?"

"Deal!"

"I think she lives there, too. Okay, give me your house in advance so I can get closer to her and work my magic."

Silence fell after that.

Genevieve turned pale after she heard the conversation. She was refreshed when she woke up that day, but that glee had since turned to hatred. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Bruce's eyes shone with tenderness and love whenever he looked at her. She hadn't expected that it was all a lic.

No wonder he was able to get his friend to lend him an erpensive condominium that easily.

Cooper turned off the video and calmly said, "I've long suspected that Bruce has an ulterior motive for getting close to you, so I had my people investigate him. It took me so long to get my hands on this recording. Cenev, don't fall for his tricks. Everything lic did was designed to con

you."

Genevieve thought about what had happened the night before at the artificial lake. She had even confessed her love to Bruce and fallen for him.

A stinging pain spread out in her heart.

However, her stoicism quickly overwhelmed that pain and extinguished it. Calmly, she replied, "I understand. I will keep my distance from him from now on."

Cooper stared at her pale face, and he was cartbroken. Unfortunately, his hands were lied. All he could do was sigh internally.

After Genevieve was discharged from the hospital, she cut off all contact with Brucc.

She hated him for making that bet and messing with her feelings, but she had no intention of exacting her revenge on him. He had donc quite a bit for her during that time after all, and she quite enjoyed it.

On top of that, the movic Bruce was cast in was a movie directed by one of Paula's friends. It had since been sent into post-production.

Genevieve didn't want Bruce to get in trouble because it would affect the movie's reception.

Joash had to accompany Bruce to the production company to retrieve their copy of the contract on a particular day. However, the company's staff sent a WhatsApp message and told Joash to come alone instead.

Joash sensed that something was off about that.

When he returned to the minivan, he hesitantly asked the man sitting next to him. "Uhm, Mr. Gable? Did something bad happen between you and Ms. Rachford?"

He thought the two of them looked rather good together, and they treated each other really well.

Why has the company suddenly banned Bruce from entering?

Bruce kept his attention on the script and calmly answered, "She's my boss, so what could have happened? I bet Mr. Dixon is the one who has something against me." Joash thought that made sense.

Bruce would always make strange requests when he accepted a script, so James was often exasperated and frustrated because of it. Hence, it made sense that James would not want Bruce around.

Joash didn't think much of it after that. He checked the app on his phone and murmured, "Mr. Gable, we'll have to stay in the studio for over a month. I wonder if we can make it home in time for the festivities.."

The festivities?

Bruce turned his head and looked out the window as the car traveled down the road. He missed Genevieve and the kids.

I wonder if she'd stay here for the festivities or if she'd go to Dartan...

Chapter 640

As the new year drew closer, it was getting colder. There was even heavy snow in Jadeborough.

Genevieve had been visiting the hospital a lot lately.

Johanna's belly had gotten much bigger and resembled a big round watcrmclon.

The head of the gynecology department had been performing weckly checkups for her. According to him, the baby was growing well, and a C-section could be schedulcd sometime after the new year

Nonetheless, Tinotliy was worried stiff. He was well aware that Johanna's life could still be at risk during her C-section. What if our baby survives, but she's gone forever?

Meanwhile, Genevieve could only try her best to seek help from all the gynecologists she knew, requesting them to be on standby on the day Johanna was supposed to have a C-section.

One day, she dropped by to accompany Johanna for a while and talked to her in the ward as usual. When she left at about eleven in the morning, she saw a nurse pushing a wheelchair in her direction in the corridor.

Evidently, the man seated in the wheelchair looked familiar, and he noticed her too.

Grinning blissfully, he greeted her, "Ms. Rachford."

Next, he gestured for the nurse to leave and moved forward with the wheelchair by himself.

Ever since there was a new chairperson for Central Group, Genevieve was back to Jadeborough again. As her tasks mainly revolved around the production industry, she hardly crossed paths with the other bigwigs of the business sector other than Jan.

Genevieve flashed the man a smile. "I'm here today to visit my friend. Mr. Lebon, what a coincidence to meet you here."

"There's no need for the formality. You can call me Landon. After all, I'd left Central Group long ago." Landon waved at Genevieve. Seeing that she was not in a rush, he requested her to stay longer so they could have a chat. When she gladly agreed, he led her to his private ward.

Back in the ward, Landon wanted to boil water to make some coffee. Genevieve volunteered to help hin with that.

Knocking his leg lightly, Landon heaved a sigh as he told Genevieve. "I have to admit that I'm aging and not as agile as before. A few days ago, I went mountain climbing with my friends but sprained my waist while descending the mountain. My wife and my son insisted that I must be hospitalized. My goodness! I only have a sprain! I can't believe they don't even let me have my phone."

"They're doing so for your sake so you can rest properly here these two days." Genevieve tried to appease him as she pressed the button of the electric kettle to boil the water.. Landon pointed at the fruits on the table, asking her to help herself.

After that, he took an orange from the fruit tray and started pecling it. "I heard you're closely acquainted with Mrs. Hossler, and the business of your production company is flourishing." Genevieve chuckled. "To be honest, I'm not contributing anything to the company. My employees are the ones striving painstakingly for the operation instead."

"You don't have to be huuniblc. Ilow nice would it be if thicre were more compctcnt young ladics like you in the industry." Landon complimented. To him, Genevieve