Ch. 671..680

Chapter 671

"I'm fine. Can't you see I'm alive and well?" Genevieve smiled nonchalantly, to which Johanna responded with an eye roll. "I heard about what happened from Mr. Sutton. You acted too rashly, pulling dangerous stunts like this. Can't you have waited for Mr. Sutton to arrive? Don't you know your blood type is special? You really...." Johanna was angry. "Didn't you devise clever schemes when you were helping me teach Sylvie a lesson: Why did you act So irrationally this time? Your children had already lost their father. Do you want them to lose their mother, too?" Johanna's lecture made Genevieve feel guilty. "Xavier called my brother to lure him to our location so he could kill both of us at the same time. I calculated the distance between the Scanned with CamScanner car and the tree, and I was also pretty confident I got the speed right, so I thought it would be fine..." She didn't expect the reason Xavier was able to hide for that long was that Lillian's people were helping him. They had always been keeping track of Xavier's every move. Thus, they tried to run over her and kill her once they realized she wasn't dead yet Johanna s eyes were red from anger. "You thought? What if something Worse happened to you: Mr. Sutton is very smart. Can't you just wait for him to come to you? I feel sorry for my daughter. She almost lost her mother-in-law so soon after she was born..." "Fine, fine, I was wrong. I'll reflect on my mistakes," Genevieve assured Scanned with CamScanner before changing the topic. "Did I 'bleed a lot?" Johanna said in an exaggerated tone, "Oh, yeah. You lost so much blood that you almost went into shock! Thankfully, Mr. Sutton came prepared." Genevieve was puzzled. "Where did my brother get the blood?" "Did you forget Johanna reminded, *Marilyn has the same blood type as you. I heard from Timothy that she was well taken care of when she was in jail before. The doctor would periodically draw her blood and store it in General Hospital's blood bank. Usually, blood can only be kept for a few months. However, her blood was kept inside a special container that could preserve it for years. I heard that thing cost nearly fifty million." She paused for a while before adding, Scanned with CamScanner Vthink Mr. Faulkner loves you a lot, Genev, much like how you love him. He just didn't say anything about it." Armand would make thoughtful arrangements whenever it came to matters that concerned Genevieve. Genevieve had forgotten how much she loved Armand. However, after she heard what her friend said, she thought about the time she had spent with him. Her heart immediately felt as though it was stabbed by a needle, and it was agonizing. The pain was so intense that she gasped. Seeing Genevieve's awful complexion, Johanna quickly asked, "Are you feeling unwell?" "I'm fine. It's just that my chest hurts a little." Genevieve carefully picked up the pill bottle on the table and - swallowed two pills. Johanna grabbed the pill bottle and saw it was meant to treat symptoms like chest congestion and heart palpitations. "When did you start eating this?" "A few months ago." Genevieve didn't pa to hide it from Johanna and told the latter about that time when she fainted in Dartan. "After I woke up. I developed this issue. Occasionally, my chest would hurt." Johanna was quite confused only twenty-something years old. It's not normal that you're experiencing an illness that middle-aged people usually have." Just then, Timothy entered the room with breakfast. "I knew you would come to visit Genevieve after you borrowed a wheelchair from the nurse. * Why can't I come?" Johanna pouted. She took the bowl of aglio olio pasta, blew it for a few seconds, and fed it to Genevieve. "Let me feed you, Genev. It pains me to see you like this." Timothy commented, "Do you think you're better off than her? You're still in a wheelchair, you know?" "Get out of here!" Johanna raised her fist and punched his waist. "Get to work! We don't need you here." "You two would've been hungry if I didn't send breakfast here." Johanna rolled her eyes "Thank you, Dr. Jensen." Genevieve smiled and took the breakfast from Johanna's hands.

Chapter 672

It was past ten at night, and Johanna was still chatting with Genevieve. Thus, Timothy pushed Johanna in her wheelchair to leave the room. After Timothy closed the door, Johanna could not hold back her curiosity. Thus, she asked, "Do you know Genev has chest tightness and is taking medicine for it?" "Yes." Timothy pushed her toward the elevator Since the weather was nice, he wanted to bring Johanna out t enjoy the sunlight. Timothy explained, "I asked Jermaine to check her condition, but he didn't find anything. It is only a minor issue." "But I don't remember Genev ever having this problem..." Johanna muttered They soon reached the elevator. Before Timothy could press the button, the elevator door suddenly opened. Jack stepped out of the elevator dressed in a dark gray highneck sweater and pants of the same color. Ile was tall and slender and was exuding an impressive aura. Jack glanced at them with his beautiful green eyes and greeted, “Dr. Jensen, Timothy nodded in response. "We have just left Genevieve's room." "Thank you for taking care of Genev for me." Jack smiled and continued, "I will bring her home in a while. You can call me if there is anything." "You're taking her home so soon?" Johanna frowned. "Genev's injuries Scanned with CamScanner still haven't recovered yet." "I have consulted the doctor, and he allows her to recuperate at home. I have also hired a doctor to take care of her at home. Anyway, I'll be heading off first," Jack replied and walked past Johanna's wheelchair as soon as he finished speaking Johanna turned around to fix her eyes on Jack until he entered Genevieve's Toon. After the door to Genevieve's ward closed, she looked in front again and sat straight in her wheelchair. "You stared at him for forty-six seconds." Timothy waited for the elevator door to open before pushing her into it. He sounded jealous as he said, "You don't even look at me as much. Am I not handsome enough?" Johanna teased Timothy on purpose, "Of course you're not as handsome as he is. Jack is multiracial. He is breathtakingly handsome. Even 'I can't resist that face." Timothy pinched her cheek. "Close your eyes if you can't resist it. We are legally married!" "Are you sure? Why do I recall that we have divorced?" Johanna replied. Timothy had forgotten about their divorce until she mentioned it. When he was reminded about it, he said to her, "Darling, let's get remarried in a few days. Otherwise, it would be difficult to register our child." "Nope, I will not remarry you," Johanna replied impassively. "Lucian is my future son-in-law, after all. When the time comes, I can easily ask Lucian's uncle, Cooper, to register my child in the local registry. My dream is to be a rich and beautiful single mother."

Timothy was fuming from her words. Once they reached the hospital's garden, he pushed her wheelchair to a sunlit area and sat nearby sulkily. Johanna saw that Timothy was furious and moved her wheelchair close to him. "Dr. Jensen, can you go and buy some cherries for me?" "I'm busy. You should ask your son in-law to buy them!" Timothy answered indignantly. Johanna snorted, "He is now continents away. I won't be able to find him even if I want to. Still, I can look for his uncle." Timothy gritted his teeth and looked at her resentfully. Johanna could not help but want to laugh as she saw Timothy's childish bu adorable expression. She held his face and kissed him. "I was only messing with you. My dear Dr. Jensen, you are handsome and emotional at the same time. How can I not love you?" Timothy glared at her indignantly when she brought up his embarrassing past. "I've told you before. It was due to problems with my tear duct. I don't cry easily!" "Sure, sure, you have problems with your tear duct." Johanna nodded. "Now, go buy some cherries for me!" Timothy leaned his cheek toward her. "You have to kiss me again." After Johanna kissed him, Timothy pulled out his phone and called the fruit shop outside the hospital, "Can I have two pounds of cherries? Please wash and deliver them here." Johanna held Timothy's hand and playfully bit it hard.

"Timothy, you're the best!"

Chapter 673

After the fruit shop owner delivered the cherries to Timothy, he fed some to Johanna and let her spit the pits into his hand. He took care of her lovingly and without complaints. Johanna leaned against her wheelchair to enjoy the warm sunlight and sighed. "I think the most beautiful moment of my life is coming here and basking in the Timothy clicked his tongue and said, "So, your favorite moment is sunbathing and eating cherries? Darling, you are too easy to please. What about I provide you with this service daily?" Johanna kissed Timothy and complimented him with a grin. "Dr. Jensen, you're the best. Not only are you a handsome and good doctor, but you also dote on your wife and child. You are amazing!" Timothy beamed in delight after hearing Johanna's praise. "Darling, do you have a reward for me?" "Yes," Johanna answered readily. "What is it? Would you agree to remarry me?" Timothy asked. Johanna grabbed Timothy's hand and ate the cherries he was holding before replying casually, "I am to decide what the reward is. It will defeat the purpose if I tell you now." "Can I ask you something?" Johanna suddenly changed the topic. "Did something happen to Genev when I was unconscious?" Timothy felt envious of Genevieve, seeing that Johanna was more concerned about Genevieve than himself. He frowned as he said, "Previously, Genev would come to see you every three to five days. I didn't notice anything unusua about her.” “But I feel something is not right." Johanna looked down as she pondered for a while. Then, she said, “I know how much Genev loved Mr. Faulkner. Previously, she was forced to leave Jack because of Mr. Faulkner, so why would she suddenly stop loving him? She didn't even seem sad when I talked to her about Mr. Faulkner." "What do you expect?" Timothy was rendered speechless by Johanna's words. "Armand has died for so long. Do you still want her to break down in tears before you whenever his name was mentioned?" Johanna raised her fist and punched him. "Aren't you popular with the ladies? Don't you understand women at all?" "Since when did I become popular with the ladies?" Timothy was confused "I remember everything you have said before." Johanna began counting his ex-girlfriends with her fingers. "Also, many women pretended to be sick to see you at your office. Since you have interacted with hundreds of women, is what I said unfounded?" Timothy wished he could travel back in time and slap his past self. He had only himself to blame for failing to resist his wife's seduction and telling her things he should not have. All these things became his unsavory past in her eyes. "Perhaps... No," Timothy mumbled and quickly stuffed a cherry in Johanna's mouth. "Darling, please have more cherries. Those were all in the past. Now, I only love you and the baby." Johanna ate the cherry and remained undeterred by Timothy's sweet nothings. "I said all these to show you that even if you don't love someone anymore, you won't be emotionless when another person talks about them. Then, she frowned and continued, "I mentioned Mr. Faulkner a few times when I was in Genevieve's room just now. She didn't even blink at all." It is too abnormal. On the day of that incident, when we were getting ready to get off work, I remember Genevieve telling me that she had made reservations in a restaurant to have dinner with Armand. However, everything changed when I wake up after a few months of coma. Timothy analyzed what she said and replied, "Perhaps Genev is secretly sad, but she is doing her best to hide it from you so you won't laugh at her." Johanna glared at him and was rendered speechless by his response. "Why did you say Genevieve was forced to be with Jack?" Timothy was more curious about this. "Wasn't she the one who wants to marry Jack in the first place? He remembered after Genevieve left for Jack, Armand became even quieter than before. The man would always be working, as if he was trying to numb his pain by staying busy. Furthermore, Steven had to send Armand to the hospital twice because the latter suffered from gastrointestinal bleeding due to overconsumption of alcohol and the lack of rest. Then, Johanna remembered there were a number of things that Genevieve would only tell her and no one else. "It's nothing.

Jack might have something to do with Mr. Faulkner..."

Chapter 674

Within minutes, Johanna managed to explain to Timothy about the motive behind Genevieve's departure and return. Being a doctor for decades, the man had always been calm and composed at the operation table. No matter how risky and tedious an operation was, he would still be able to save his patients every time without fail. However, at this point, he was left in shock and could not regain his senses after hearing what Johanna said "hey, seriously is not like it's happening to you. Is there really a need to look so shocked?" Johanna patted Timothy's cheeks. He picked up a cherry and fed it to her. "It was shocking enough when I learned about Armand and Cooper's "reationship. I can't believe there's more shocking news after that. No wonder Jack always looks so unhappy when he sees Armand...". He remained visibly stumped as he continued, "Armand's dad is honestly on another level. It makes me feel like my identity as a wealthy heir is fake." Cesar had a third wife because of an arranged marriage for the sake of a business alliance. It was no wonder he had so many children with three wives. Not only that, but he also had an ex-girlfriend, who gave birth to Armand while they were still together, and later moved abroad and gave birth to Jack after a remarriage. In Timothy's case, his parents were also married for the sake of a business alliance. Even though his mother had passed a long time ago, Jeremiah did not find himsel another woman and create a mass of offspring.

It was until many years later that his father got married to Vanessa. With her head lowered, Johanna grabbed Timothy's hand and fiddled with it repeatedly. It almost seemed like she was in a daze. The man inched closer to her and asked, "What is it, Babe?" "Nothing." Johanna quickly forced herself to perk up. "The purpose of Genev's return this round isn't simply because of her bet with Jack. There's actually another matter. She found out that Charice isn't dead." Then, she told Timothy everything that had happened. The latter was baffled. "Why did she fake her death and abandon Jack? If she merely wanted to stimulate Jack's hatred so that he would return to seek revenge for her, why did she still choose to remain in the dark now that Cesar and his wives have died and Faulkner Group has also become Jack's?". Johanna answered, "Genev and I talked about that too, but we couldn't figure out the reason either." "Could it be that..." Timothy was bold with his conjecture. "Charice died unexpectedly later, and that's why you guys couldn't find her?" That's definitely a possibility. Johanna smacked Timothy on his thigh and voiced with displeasure, "Timothy, weren't you always with Mr. Faulkner in the past? Did he not mention anything about his family to you?" "Nope. I believe Armand didn't know either." The man held Johanna's hand, brought it near his lips, and left a peck on it: "But now that we've talked about it, I realized Genev indeed wasn't acting normally previously. However, Steven has gone overseas to settle some matters. We can ask him when he's back." Johanna withdrew her hand from Timothy's grip as the stubbles on his chin were prickling her and making her itch. "You're buddies with Mr. Faulkner for so many years. What do you think of him as a person?" "lles a boring old man. Ile always puts on that aloof look, almost as if he's fearless even if the world is ending" Johanna probed, "What about his Work attitude" "Rather meticulous, I'd say. Do you still remember that car accident?". Timothy asked. "Armand has preplanned everything to let Genevieve deal with the Wood family personally I only got to know this later too." Of course, Johanna knew about that. She reckoned Armand must love Genevieve deeply. Otherwise, he would not have sacrificed everything and risked his life. A sudden revelation seemed to dawn upon Johanna, and she turned to look at Timothy at once. "It's fake." "Huh?" Timothy looked at her in puzzlement. "What is fake? You mean that car accident?" Heaving a deep sigh, Johanna rubbed Timothy's face. "No wonder Mr. Sutton can get you to reveal your credit card pin with just a few glasses of alcohol. Dr. Jensen, it seems like being a doctor is the only profession that fits you." Timothy felt a little aggrieved when he realized that his wife was subtly trying to imply that he had a low IQ. Just then, he received a call from his department "You go ahead and work." Johanna waved her hand in dismissal. "I'll continue to enjoy some sunlight here. I'll head back in thirty minutes." "Let me get a nurse to come here and accompany you." Even though there were many surveillance cameras in the hospital garden, that was still not enough to assuage Timothy's worries as it was inconvenient for Johanna to move around while in the wheelchair. A few minutes after the man left, a silhouette entered the garden and walked toward Johanna.

Chapter 675

After taking care of the discharge procedures for Genevieve, Jack took her and returned to Regality Gardens in the afternoon.

Rosa knew Genevieve would have difficulty moving around after the car accident and thus had people install some accessibility facilities throughout the house early that morning.

While sipping on the mushroom soup which Rosa prepared, Genevieve said to Jack, "Why don't you head back to Dartan? I'm worried about the two kids."

"They're doing fine. The guards are looking after them. Besides, Lucian is a smart boy." Seeing her hair getting in the way while eating, the man Jeaned closer to Genevieve and carefully tucked the strands of

hair

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dangling by the sides of her face behind her ears. "Just look at you now. How can I possibly leave you alone?"

Jack's dry and rough fingers touched her cheeks, and instinctively, she dodged away.

At that, he narrowed his darkened gaze.

After the meal, the two proceeded to do their stuff without interfering with each other-Jack settled his work matters in the study, and Genevieve massaged her legs as part of her rehabilitation exercises as told by her doctor.

Around seven in the evening, Genevieve wheeled herself into the bedroom to retrieve her fully charged phone on the nightstand.

It was then she saw the message Charlotte sent about thirty minutes

ago. The message read: Didn't you disagree when I asked you for Bruce previously? What's going on now?

Bewildered by her question, Genevieve replied: What is it?

Charlotte: Your company is selling Bruce to Vitric Entertainment. My uncle told me last night. It seems like they're already in a discussion. Do you not know about that?

During the stay in the hospital, Genevieve had barely touched her phone other than going on video calls with the two kids.

Hence, she was unaware of the company's latest news.

After exiting WhatsApp, she made a call to James. "I heard you guys are going to sell Bruce off. Why didn't you inform me about it?"

"Il was Mr. Valentine's instructions."

James sounded a little confused. "I thought you knew about it."

Aren't the two of them a couple?

Wearing a stern expression, Genevieve was about to reply when she abruptly recalled that even though Jack had handed the production company to her, it was still a subsidiary of Helt Corporation, whose boss was Jack.

While she was still in a momentary daze, Jack knocked on the door and walked in from outside.

Genevieve ended the call right away and turned her wheelchair toward Jack's direction. "Why did you sell Bruce off?"

"He isn't contributing to the company anyway. Why can't I sell him off?" The man thought nothing of it.

Noticing the pajamas on her lap, he pushed her into the bathroom.

"The company has spent a bomb to sign the contract with Bruce. We've also invested in Brian's movie..." Genevieve uttered.

"I'm not short of money," Jack interrupted her. "Genev, why do you show so much care to an actor who has a terrible reputation?"

Genevieve pursed her lips and said nothing as her eyelashes quivered ever so slightly.

Upon entering the bathroom, he bent down before her and helped her remove her clothes.

As realization dawned upon her, she artfully avoided Jack's hands and muttered, "There are accessibility facilities in here. I can shower by myself."

"The bathroom here and the one in the hospital's private ward aren't the same. If you accidentally fall again, you'll have to be bedridden for another month," the man said.

Genevieve gripped her sweater tightly and nervously replied, "I'll get Rosa to help me."

Jack forcefully pulled the wheelchair toward him and broke into a cold smile. "You've kissed Bruce and perhaps even gone to bed with him. Yet, you're unwilling to let me help you shower?" Astonishment filled her heart as she averted her gaze toward him.

The fact that he can say that shows that he must've sent his men to keep a close eye on my every move.

Nonetheless, Genevieve did not attempt to explain herself as she did

not see the need to account for something that had happened in the past. "I've told you back in Dartan that I have no feelings for you and that I hope you can be with the woman you love." "Perhaps I'm inferior if you compare me against Armand. But how could

that mere actor be comparable to me?" Jack was beyond amused and

flabbergasted.

He had put his mind at ease and allowed Genevieve to return because he presumed she would not fall in love with another man again.

Little did he imagine that he had made a mistake.

With a firm grip on the back of Genevieve's head, Jack forced her to look at him. "Genevieve, I'm rich and powerful. Am I not better in every way as compared to that useless actor?

Or is it that I'm not good-looking enough? I only have eyes for you ever since I've known you. And it's still the same now. But..."

He stared at her delicate face and couldn't help but curse, "Are you f*cking blind? Huh?"

Yeah, that's true. It's obvious Bruce and Jack are on different levels.

However, strange enough, there was something even Genevieve herself could not wrap her head around. Despite spending so much time with Jack for many years, she remained uninterested and had no feelings for him. On the contrary, she would sometimes feel her heart thumping uncontrollably for Bruce though she had known him for only a couple of months.

Feeling her heart clenching in pain, Genevieve furrowed her brows.

Jack's gaze only grew gloomier at the sight of the look on her face. "I thought you got together with him for novelty. But I guess that's not it. Y-You must have fallen for him."

Chapter 676

"No," Genevieve flatly denied.

Her gaze dimmed at the thought of that video on Cooper's phone. At the same time, the ache she felt in her chest area also subsided a lot.

Just as she was about to say something to chase Jack out of the bathroom, Rosa knocked on the door and asked carefully, "Ms. Rachford, are you showering? Do you need my help?" "Yes. Please come in," Genevieve hurriedly answered.

It was after heading in that Rosa realized Jack was also inside. Despite a distance away, the man's displeasure was so overwhelming she felt her scalp tingle. "Mr. Valentine, since I'll be taking care of Ms. Rachford in the future, let me help her instead."

Jack fixed his gaze on Genevieve for a long while before he stood up and headed outside the bathroom.

After he left, she heaved a sigh of relief.

It was only about nine when Genevieve finished with the shower. As she wasn't sleepy yet, she decided to make a video call to Amanda. Catching a glimpse of how adorable the latter looked as she had just woken up from her sleep, she felt warmth in her heart.

While putting on her clothes, Amanda asked, "It's been a long time since Mr. Valentine came back here. Has he been with you, Mommy?"

"Mmm-hmm."

Amanda picked up the phone and stared at the screen intently with her clear round eyes. "Mommy, so are

you living together with Mr. Valentine?"

"No. He's just staying at my place for the time being," Genevieve uttered.

Amanda grunted an affirmative reply.

After a short yet sweet interaction, Genevieve concluded the call and signed into Jane's email. Inside, she spotted several new year's greetings sent by some brands quite some time ago.

At the mere thought of the email she had sent Cooper, she felt a pang of awful feeling surge within her.

Genevieve was spacing out though her eyes remained fixed on the

screen. Moments later, as though she was reminded of something, she tried to access Jane's Apple ID with the latter's email and password. Surprisingly, she logged in

successfully.

Jane's photo gallery had numerous photos and videos, but almost all of them were of the two kids.

There were also photos of Cooper's side profile which she had taken while the former was driving.

In the memo, there was a short paragraph: So I've struggled to stay alive because I will chance upon the opportunity to meet him someday-he who will love me, care for me, and let me know what happiness

means.

When Genevieve exited the app, she spotted the voice memo app below and instinctively clicked it. Inside, there was a voice recording.

It was recorded on December twenty fifth last year.

Taking a deep breath, Genevieve

clicked on that recording with her trembling hand.

When the recording finished playing, she was visibly in a trance. It took her a long while before she recovered and pushed herself out of the bedroom in her wheelchair.

She headed into the study, where she saw Jack there. "You knew Sylvie isn't Old Mr. Zeigler's biological granddaughter; why did you help her cover the truth?" she spat through clenched teeth.

Jack hung up a business call he was engaged in and turned around to look at Genevieve.

With a grim expression, she clicked on that recording and played it for Jack. "Jane recorded this before she died. I've always been baffled how Sylvie did it so flawlessly...

I can't believe the one who has been helping Sylvie from behind would turn out to be Jack. So, the boss behind Zecler, Baykeep's famous DNA-testing center, is Jack. No wonder Sylvie didn't seem to be in fear at all.

In contrast to the furious and devastated Genevieve, Jack appeared calm and collected. "Sylvie wanted fame, and I gave it to her. I don't like Armand, and coincidence or not, she also harbors a grudge toward him. I merely made use of her to help me deal with Armand. It works out perfectly."

"You promised you won't touch him."

"Yes, and I didn't." A faint smirk crept up Jack's face as he rested his hands on the desk. "Sylvie was the one who destroyed Central Group and indirectly caused Armand's death."

"But you're the one helping her from

behind." Genevieve's expression was solemn. "If it hadn't been for you, all of this wouldn't have happened. And Armand wouldn't have died either!"

Jack scowled in response.

Walking up to Genevieve, he grabbed her by her chin and forced her to look at him. "So what if I helped Sylvie so that she would help me kill Armand? Cesar owed my mom too much. Not just his parents and wife; even if I kill everyone from the Faulkner family, it will never satisfy me. Because of you, I showed mercy on all of the kids of the Faulkner family, including Armand. But what did you give me?"

With his other hand, he pointed at Genevieve's chest while narrowing his eyes. "You lost the bet. You said you would marry me and stay by my side for the rest of your life. But you didn't fulfill your promises. Genev, are you really that selfish? Not only did you

make me sacrifice for you, but you also had sex with another man. Yet, you expect me to keep to my word?"

Chapter 677

Jack's speech was eloquent and concise, leaving Genevieve unable to refute.

Genevieve, who was forced to look at him, stared at his pair of scornful looking eyes. "I tried to love you, but only to realize all I get is fear while being with you. You're like the chopper suspended midair above my head-you can fall any time, and that fact alone makes me tense and anxious."

She shrugged herself free from the man's grip and articulated each word clearly. "Jack, you don't actually love me either. It's because you were

lonely, and coincidentally, I appeared in your life. That's why you took me as your salvation."

Jack laughed all of a sudden. "So you reached your hand out to me simply

because you were sympathizing with me?"

"Yes," Genevieve admitted. "Even if it was someone else, I'm sure they would help you out too, just like how I did."

Her words were like knives piercing through Jack's heart, crushing his hopes to nothing.

"How can you be so cruel toward me?" Squatting before Genevieve, the man's sturdy and towering figure appeared extremely disheveled and pitiful at that very moment. "You gave me hope so that I would continue to live. I put in lots of effort to look for you and give you the entire world. H How could you not want me?"

I thought we met because we were fated to cross paths. She's my everything. But how can she say she was merely taking pity on

mc?

Jack looked at Genevieve with his reddened eyes. "You can love Armand, but why can't you do the same to me? He has everything since he was born, but I don't have anything."

Wan

He had never had a warm and blissful family since he was a child, and neither had he experienced being loved. The only thing that remained vivid in his recollection was watching his mother being tormented and crying her eyes out.

Now, he had found the one woman he truly loved. Sadly, instead of love, she only had fear toward him.

Having known him for so many years, Genevieve had seen the duality to Jack-he could be gracious and warm at times, yet vicious and cunning at other times. Yet, that was the first time she saw how fragile and weak he could be. Even his voice was trembling as he spoke.

Of course, Genevieve had felt the love and care he was showering her and the kids. He had an exceptional love for Amanda and would adore and pamper her like no other. However, if he hadn't helped Sylvie, everything would not have happened.

As much as she pitied Jack for having a miserable and lonely childhood, she hated him for taking Sylvie's side. With her lips pursed, she remained silent, unable to put forth a single word to comfort the man. Suddenly, Jack stood up and carried Genevieve up from the wheelchair.

Caught off guard, she grabbed onto his sweater to prevent herself from falling off. Her body instantly tensed up when she saw Jack heading for the bedroom.

"Jack, you promised me..."

"Did I? I don't remember." Jack threw her on the bed before leaning closer and pinning her down. "I only remember we're a couple. And you've yet to fulfill your promise."

With that said, he tugged off the bathrobe on Genevieve.

She resisted with all her might pushing him and hitting him

Nevertheless, those punches served no impact on Jack at all. Without much difficulty, he grabbed her hands, pulled out the bathrobe belt, and tied it around her wrists tightly. Then, he grasped her chin and crouched down to kiss her.

Genevieve's tightly sealed lips were pried open, and the man's breath was all over her face, suffocating her.

While in a daze, she recalled how she almost got raped.

That was the kind of person Jack was

- he would resort to extreme methods or even ruin something or someone if he couldn't get what he wanted.

That wasn't love. Instead, it was merely his desire to possess an object or person.

Pulling open Genevieve's robe, Jack saw a large tattoo on her fair and unblemished skin, which extended from her left waist to below her chest.

It was a majestic yet ferocious-looking black dragon, with its fangs bared and its claws raised, almost as if it was about to grapple Genevieve's heart.

As it was too dimly lit in the study the other time, Jack did not see that she had that tattoo on her body and only

spotted it at this point.

When he took notice of the letters near the dragon's tail, he narrowed his eyes:

He pointed at those letters and shifted his gaze to Genevieve. "You're so afraid of pain. You were bawling your eyes out when medicine was applied to your legs. But you could endure having such a tattoo on your body?"

Jack mercilessly bit Genevieve's lower lip to vent his fury and only let go when she began to bleed.

Chapter 678

Jack licked the blood on her lips and swallowed it. Kissing her gently, he said, "Genev, I don't like how you are still deeply in love with a dead person."

Genevieve took a deep breath. Just when she was about to speak, Jack covered her mouth with a tie.

After Jack brought Genevieve to the bedroom, Rosa had been knocking on the door throughout. In the end, she got the backup key and forcefully unlocked the door. When she saw Genevieve tied on the bed so pitifully, Rosa was shocked.

"Mr. Valentine, d-don't do this.." stuttered Rosa. "Ms. Rachford is still injured. Wait till she has recovered-"

Jack got out of bed and glared at Rosa

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viciously. "Get lost!"

Rosa trembled in fear. She was certain that he would kill her if she uttered another word.

With her head lowered, she walked out and quickly sent a message to Steven.

Meanwhile, Jack made a call. Within twenty minutes, a tattoo artist carrying a toolkit arrived at the condominium.

Jack pointed at Genevieve's waist. "Remove all those tattoos."

When the tattoo artist saw how pale Genevieve was, he wanted to suggest that he do it another time because she was in a bad state. However, upon noticing the dangerous glint in Jack's eyes, he kept quiet. Although the tattoo artist used the

+10 peat traditional laser method to remove the tattoos and was very gentle, Genevieve kept trembling from pain.

Sweat dotted her forehead, even drenching the pillow.

Two and a half hours later, the tattoos on Genevieve's waist were gone, leaving behind a vague outline.

When Rosa sent the tattoo artist out, Cooper arrived.

Cooper went to Baykeep to settle something. After receiving Armand's call, he immediately returned to Jadeborough in a private plane.

He rushed into the bedroom and saw Jack carrying Genevieve from the bed. Her wet hair stuck to her pale

face.

Cooper strode forward and forcefully pulled Jack away.

After loosening the tie over Genevieve's mouth, he realized that her hands were tied with the bathrobe belt. There were red bruises around her wrists when he untied the belt.

Unable to hold himself back, Cooper turned around and punched Jack's face. "Jack, f*ck you!"

Jack did not have time to dodge and was punched straight in the face. Narrowing his eyes, he swung another punch at Cooper.

Both of them started fighting on the ground.

When Rosa entered and saw this chaotic scene, she did not know what to do.

"Are you okay, Ms. Rachford?" Rosa rushed to the bed. She saw that Genevieve's cheeks were abnormally red, and her forehead was very hot.

Rosa glanced at the two fighting men anxiously. "Mr. Sutton, Ms. Rachford is having a fever..."

When Cooper heard that, he stopped fighting with Jack.

When Jack noticed Genevieve's red cheeks and breathlessness, his heart was gripped with anxiety. He overtook Cooper and wrapped the bathrobe around Genevieve. Then, he carried her and rushed her to the hospital.

Cooper cursed out loud. He drove Genevieve to the hospital while calling Timothy.

Initially, Timothy was having a horrible night and was feeling angry. When he received Cooper's call at midnight, he almost broke out into

curses.

After realizing that something had

+10 pear happened to Genevieve, he forcefully held himself back and rushed to the emergency room.

"11"

"Why does she have such a high fever?" Timothy's expression changed drastically when he noticed how hot Genevieve's body was. He immediately pushed her into the emergency room.

Although Timothy gave Genevieve an injection for her fever to subside, it seemed to have no effect on her.

Left with no choice, he instructed Jack to carry Genevieve to a private hospital ward and place her in a bathtub filled with cold water to lower her body temperature.

If it was still ineffective, everything boiled down to whether Genevieve could hang in there herself.

Jack kneeled beside the bathtub and

held onto Genevieve's shoulders, preventing her from falling into the bathtub.

He could feel Genevieve's body heat against his palms. Upon seeing her pale cheeks, he was filled with regret and heartache. The thought of possibly losing her made him feel like he was being suffocated. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry." He kissed Genevieve's lips and said softly, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have treated you

like this."

Even a man could not endure the pain of having tattoos removed, let alone Genevieve, who was so afraid of pain.

Regret overwhelmed Jack. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have helped Sylvie, argued with you, or hit you. Genev, you must hang in there. I promise that I won't be violent to you

anymore.

He rested his forehead against her hot forehead and begged, "It is okay even if you take pity on me. I only have you. Don't abandon me."

Chapter 679

When Armand received Steven's call a few hours ago, he was attending a film crew's post-production banquet at a club in Jadeborough.

He received a few more messages from Steven, informing him that Jack had argued with Genevieve and she had ended up getting hospitalized from a high fever. Filled with anxiety and worry, he kept drinking all sorts of alcohol deliberately. In the end, he got alcohol poisoning and was sent to the General Hospital by Joash.

After his stomach was cleansed and he was sent to the hospital ward, he sent Joash away and messaged Cooper.

When Cooper arrived, he wanted to scold Armand. However, when he saw that Armand made himself suffer from alcohol poisoning just so he could be hospitalized, Cooper could not bring himself to scold Armand. Armand asked hoarsely, "How's Genev?"

"She still has a high fever. They're submerging her in cold water to reduce her body temperature." Cooper took off his glasses and rubbed his sore eyes. "Rosa said that Genev argued with Jack, but she doesn't know why. Then, Jack called a tattoo artist over and removed all her tattoos. It took two hours, which led to Genev's high fever."

Genevieve had just encountered a serious car accident previously. Her leg had just barely recovered before she developed this high fever. Armand was filled with frustration and heartache.

At that moment, he even had the urge

to kill Jack.

When Cooper sensed how worried Armand was, he reminded, "You know how vicious Jack is. If he can't get something, he'd rather destroy it. I think that Genev argued with him because of you. We've finally managed to find some clues after all the trouble. If Jack finds out that you are still alive, who knows what crazy things he might do?"

Armand swallowed the bloody taste in his mouth. Suppressing his fury, he said, "I know."

He was worried about Genevieve and wished for nothing more than to stay by her side constantly. However, after he witnessed her dying state, he did not dare to do anything rash

anymore.

All he could do now was wait till that doctor working at Oleigh, whom

Steven had found, created the antidote.

Cooper watched as Armand took out his phone and made a call. The latter's expression was calm, yet his trembling hands betrayed his feelings.

Sighing secretly, Cooper walked to the table and poured a glass of water.

When he passed the glass of warm water to Armand, someone knocked on the door.

Thinking that Joash had returned out of worry for him, Armand ended the call and pointed at the bathroom. Although Cooper was speechless, he placed the glass down and hid in the bathroom. After the bathroom door was shut, Armand got out of bed and opened the door to the hospital ward.

To his surprise, Timothy was standing outside.

Timothy was wearing a white coat with a hand shoved inside a pocket. He was looking downward, as if he was pondering something.

When Armand opened the door, Timothy immediately glanced at him. His gaze swept across Armand's pale face multiple times, just like a scanner.

Armand looked very handsome, with a face that suited the movie screen the most. His skin was fair and smooth, and he had a very dignified aura. His gaze and demeanor... He bears no resemblance to Armand.

When Armand noticed Timothy checking himself out, he guessed that Timothy had noticed something. He asked nonchalantly, "What's the matter, doctor?"

"Nothing." Timothy waved his hand, gesturing for Armand to enter the hospital ward.

He entered the ward afterward and locked the door. "Dr. Lynch from the emergency department left because of something urgent. I'm responsible for looking after his patients now. Did you have alcohol poisoning?"

"Yeah."

"Lie down." Timothy helped Armand to the bed and tried to take off his sweater impatiently. "I'll give you a check-up."

Armand grabbed his hand. "My stomach was cleansed, so I'm fine now."

"Alcohol poisoning is very dangerous. Just cleansing your stomach doesn't

do much." Timothy tugged Armand's shirt forcefully. "I'm a doctor, so I must ensure that you're healthy."

While they tussled with each other, Armand's sweater and tank top were pushed upward, revealing his beautiful abs.

When Timothy saw the shallow bullet hole near Armand's heart, the tattoo, and the string of numbers underneath it, he suddenly pointed at Armand.

"You... You..." Now that his guess had been verified, Timothy was beyond shocked.

Chapter 680

Armand straightened out his clothes and glanced toward the restroom before saying, "Come out. Timothy already knows."

The next moment, Cooper walked out of the restroom.

With a shocked expression on his face, Timothy pinched his cheeks to clear his head. "If I didn't know that you're Armand, I would have thought that both of you were having a rendezvous here!" Armand shot a cold look at the man when he heard that.

"Well, I'm just trying to liven up the tense atmosphere," Timothy said while taking a few steps backward, attempting to widen the distance between him and Armand. "Armand, I really miss that signature sharp gaze of yours!"

Cooper had his arms crossed in front of his chest as he leaned against the edge of the bed. "Given that you're not that smart, how did you manage to find out?"

Armand was an expert in disguise. His expression and mannerisms were exactly like Bruce's. As such, even Cooper, who had sharp observation skills, took a while to see through his disguise. Moreover, Cooper had only guessed that Armand was still alive after being approached by Steven.

"I noticed it with my eyes, obviously." Timothy was rather annoyed that Cooper had said that he wasn't smart. "Also, I am very smart. Have you met any professors who are young and smart like me?" "Stop pretending," Armand said curtly. "I know exactly what you're like after knowing you for so long."

Timothy pursed his lips and said, "When I accompanied my wife downstairs to get some sun earlier in the afternoon, she told me about your relationship with Jack. She also asked me what sort of person you are. At the end of our chat, she suddenly told me everything is a lie but didn't elaborate on that."

Timothy paused and looked at Cooper before continuing, "But all thanks to Mr. Sutton. I remembered that you hated Bruce and wouldn't allow him to go anywhere near Genevieve. However, when he sent Genevieve to the hospital the previous time, not only did you not beat him up, you even spoke to him face-to-face. I also found it strange that you had specially come to see him this time round. I recalled the conversation with my wife and suspected that Armand might be still alive."

As such, Timothy wanted to verify his suspicions, and to his surprise, he was right.

After the man finished speaking, Cooper let out a chuckle before saying, "I had made sure that there wasn't anyone around before speaking to Armand. I didn't expect that you would notice us."

"Well, even though you guys were alone, there are surveillance cameras around," Timothy giggled, feeling proud of his wits. "Don't worry, I'm very close to those guys in the surveillance room. I'll get them to delete the footage."

Cooper gave Timothy a thumbs up as a compliment.

Timothy picked up an orange from the table and started peeling it. Fixing his gaze on Armand, he asked, "But Armand, why did you fake your death and change your identity? Does Genevieve know about it?" "I did it to save Genevieve," Armand said, narrowing his eyes, before telling Timothy the entire truth.

Timothy munched on his orange while saying contemplatively, "My family is in the medical business, and we have quite a few medical research and development facilities. As such, I am more updated than other doctors on the newest medicines available. Armand, that Curb.emotion that you mentioned isn't anything scary. It's just a type of poison."

"Can you explain in layman terms? We don't understand medical jargon," Cooper said, feeling confused.

"Let's take ice as an example. We all know that ice is mainly made up of methamphetamine, which increases the production of adrenaline in the kidneys. It is transported to the brain through the bloodstream and would keep people in an elevated state of excitement. This process is irreversible. The feeling is similar to that when we are dehydrated and need to keep drinking water."

Taking a pause, he continued, "Curb.emotion has the opposite effect. It would drain any excitement out of the body. Once the body feels excitement, the dopamine and endorphins produced would combine with the existing poison in the bloodstream, causing the blood vessels to quickly expand, increasing the heart rate.."

Feeling tired from talking, Timothy grabbed the glass on the table and took a gulp of water before asking,

"Do you guys understand now?"

Armand nodded.

When he first heard about Curb.emotion from Bruce, Armand had thought that it was a scary drug and was worried that something bad would happen to Genevieve.

However, after listening to Timothy's explanation, he realized that it was not as bad as he had thought.

Armand looked up suddenly and fixed his gaze on Timothy. His breath quickened as he asked, "Timothy, since you know the drug so well, would you be able to produce an antidote for it?" Chapter 681

Timothy nodded confidently and replied, "Of course!"

Armand was slightly stunned as he exchanged glances with Cooper. "Is it really that simple?" he asked in disbelief.

"It wouldn't be easy if you had asked someone else, but who am I?" Timothy tugged at his white coat before saying smugly, "I'm a doctor and also a neurosurgeon. To me, opening a human's brain is as simple as peeling an orange. Besides, my family is in the medical business. Even those professors at the medical research facilities have to show me some respect!"

"Guys, what's with your expressions?" Timothy said in frustration after taking a pause. "Do I not look like a doctor?"

Cooper nodded and replied honestly, "You look more like a playboy."

Timothy was utterly speechless.

Previously, Armand and Cooper had thought that Curb.emotion was an extremely lethal drug, and as they had not made any progress after so long, it had never crossed their minds to ask Timothy for help. Also, Armand had not told Timothy anything because Timothy was too gullible and they were worried that Jack would find out the truth.

"No, I think Timothy is quite capable," Armand praised the man before continuing, "It was Timothy who operated on me previously when I had a brain injury. If not for him, I might have been dead already." "Well, I became a senior doctor because of my outstanding abilities,"

Timothy lifted his chin and said arrogantly, "Since you know I'm capable, why didn't you come to me for help earlier?"

Ignoring his question, Armand asked anxiously, "How long do you need to produce the antidote?"

Timothy touched his face with his fingers and said with a crease between his brows, "I'm not sure. I need to get a sample of Genevieve's blood and send it for testing first. If we manage to separate the components of Curb.emotion and find the poisonous substances, we can start doing experiments to attack the poison before doing clinical trials on humans. However, I don't think the components could be easily separated from the blood sample."

The man paused before continuing, "Alternatively, you can either get me another sample of Curb.emotion or

let me have the research information on it. As long as I know what the poisonous substances in the drug are, it would be easy for me to produce an antidote."

Armand let out a bitter laugh before replying, "All the research information on the drug has already been burned. A while back, Cooper managed to find a doctor who had worked at Oleigh previously. That doctor was also involved in the development of Curb.emotion and knew quite a bit about it. However, Steven went overseas to look for the doctor but wasn't able to find him."

Only then did Timothy know the reason Steven went overseas. "If that's the case, would it be possible to get another sample of Curb.emotion?"

"There are three samples of Curb.emotion altogether," Armand said. "Bruce had only managed to get

one through his friend's connections."

Given that a long time had passed, it was likely that the other two samples had already been used by the other buyers.

However, Armand was not demoralized.

The fact that Timothy was confident in producing an antidote for Curb.emotion gave him great hope. As such, it did not matter to him even if that doctor could not be found.

Armand sent a text to Steven, instructing him to try his best to obtain a sample of Curb.emotion, regardless of its cost.

"After Genevieve's fever subsides, I'll draw a blood sample from her and send it for testing." Suddenly, Timothy reached out to touch Armand's face.

However, before his fingers could reach the man's face, Armand had already slapped his hand away.

Timothy blew on his reddened hand and said, "I don't believe that our technology is advanced enough to create such a realistic mask. It's practically flawless! Armand, seriously, you did cosmetic surgery and changed your face to look exactly like Bruce, right?"

Ignoring the man's comments, Armand warned, "Try not to contact me too often. I don't want Jack to get suspicious."

"Given that he could even use Curb.emotion on Genev, if he knows that you're capable of producing an antidote..." Cooper said before continuing, "he would definitely kill you after obtaining the antidote." Knowing that Jack was a lunatic,

Timothy said with a defeated look on his face, "If I had known this earlier, I would have treated as though Armand's dead!"

Indeed, curiosity kills the cat!

The three men spend quite a while talking in the room.