Ch. 711..720

Chapter 711

Lowering her gaze, Genevieve responded with a grunt. "That day, Coop and I were sending gifts to Old Mr. Zeigler, and to expose Sylvie's false identity. I thought Sylvie was finished. Who would have known that Bruce wanted to marry her?"

Bruce even posted two tweets in a row, as though he was afraid that no one would know that they were together.

That piqued Johanna's curiosity.

She had guessed that Armand was still alive, and through her investigations, had a gnawing feeling that Bruce could very well be Armand himself.

Now, it would seem that her hypothesis had been overturned.

If Bruce Gable is indeed Armand Faulkner, he would have known how deep the enmity ran between Genevieve and Sylvie.

Seeing how Jane had also died at Sylvie's hands, he could not possibly have turned around to marry Sylvie and save her in the process.

While the two of them were chatting, Genevieve was surprised to hear someone call out to her. She also found that voice to be quite familiar.

Turning around, she saw Charlotte walk into the rooftop garden.

Charlotte was accompanied by a tall and handsome man beside her. He wore a white shirt with dress pants and had one hand tucked inside his pocket in a very laid-back manner. Staring into his luscious, affectionate eyes would cause one's heart to throb involuntarily.

Charlotte arrived at Genevieve and her companion's table within a few strides. "I thought I saw someone who looked like you inside the restaurant, and had to come over to see for sure."

"What a coincidence." Genevieve stole a quick glance at the man who was standing motionlessly at the side before she rescinded her gaze. Then, she went on to make an introduction to Charlotte. "This is my good friend, Johanna Joule."

"You girls have several gowns that trended after some celebrities wore them onto the red carpet, and I heard that they were made by you, Ms. Joule. I also really like the ones that you've modified as well." "Thank you," Johanna was all smiles and warmly accepted her praises. "Feel free to contact me whenever you need a makeover, Ms. Benson."

"Be happy to take you up on your offer." Charlotte then proceeded to exchange numbers with Johanna.

By the time Charlotte looked back, Timothy was already seated at the table, browsing through the menu. She chatted with Genevieve briefly before heading over to join him.

"Don't you and Genevieve know each other very well? asked Charlotte quizzically. "Why didn't you go over and say hello?"

Timothy pointed at a variety of items on the menu for the waiter to jot down before he casually replied, "Knowing each other well doesn't mean that we always have to talk when we see each other. Besides, you've already gone over in my stead."

"I didn't ask to represent you!" Charlotte pouted.

Passing the menu along, Timothy then withdrew his arm and draped it over the backrest. "You should try to be nicer to me since you're the one who begged me to come out to eat and shop with you. Otherwise I'm going to have to leave."

Charlotte was about to roll her eyes at him when the phone in her bag rang.

Once she caught a glimpse of the person making the video call, she immediately loosened up her face and put the call through. "Hey, Dad. I'm having lunch with Timothy right now. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Why are you dining out? Wouldn't it be better to come home? I can have someone make whatever the both of you want to eat!"

"Timothy wanted to eat outside."

Looking over to the side of the video feed, Jiminy asked, "Where's Timothy? Let me talk to him."

Flabbergasted at her own father's lack of trust in her, Charlotte passed her phone across to Timothy opposite her.

Timothy lifted the phone up after he received it.

"I've asked Lottie out for lunch, Mr. Benson. Are you worried about something?"

"Of course not!" Jiminy's doubt vanished once he saw that his daughter was really in the company of Timothy. "I was just concerned that she might have gone off to fool around with her bunch of friends using you as an excuse."

That got Timothy chuckling softly. "I'm going to go shopping with Lottie after this, to help her pick out a few outfits for you."

"There's no need for you to do that. Just enjoy yourselves," replied a boisterous Jiminy. "Come by for dinner later together with Lottie if you are available."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to, as I have to get back in the office by three-thirty."

Chapter 712

After he had chatted awhile with Jimmy, Timothy handed the phone back to Charlotte.

Inadvertently, he spotted Johanna chatting with Genevieve about something that got her so tickled that she laughed until her shoulders shook. She looked so cheerful that it was as though she did not care that he was seeing someone new.

Timothy suddenly felt miffed, angry even, so much so that it got him gnashing his teeth.

Charlotte was a little baffled by the way Timothy kept looking over toward Genevieve's table. "What are you staring at them for? You didn't even want to go over to them when I asked you to a moment ago." "Wait. Don't tell me..." What she thought had her glaring at Timothy in astonishment.

"No," Timothy batted down whatever presupposition she might have had.

When the waiter served up the whiskey, he lifted the glass and took a sip from it. Swallowing it down, he used that astringency to dull some of the feelings of frustration that he felt inside.

Regarding Johanna's bright and beautiful smile, Timothy said, dourly, "Johanna's my ex-wife."

"Huh?" Charlotte was stunned. "The two of you were married?"

"Yeah." Imbibing another mouthful of whiskey, Timothy's tone was lackadaisical. "We were, for four years until our divorce. My daughter had just turned one month old."

"Timothy, you assh*le!" Charlotte almost wanted to grab her bag and get out of there immediately.

Sullen-faced, she let it rip, "Why didn't you tell me that you were married with kids before? To think that you're still masquerading as the perfect son-in-law in front of my Dad? You must have been sent by the heavens to punish me!"

Although Charlotte was the callous kind with a penchant for changing several boyfriends on a whim in the same month sometimes, she still had her own limits.

There was no way she was going to allow herself to become the floozy in anybody else's relationship.

Once, a married male model who claimed to be unattached wooed her. It was only when his wife came calling that she found out that she had been played, so in response, she flat-out destroyed that male model's career for good.

Tales of her handiwork were still being circulated within the industry. Hence, no men dared to make a fool of her again.

"Didn't I mention that I am divorced? Besides, I'm not the one who is raising our daughter." Casting an eye at that woman, Timothy added blandly, "My ex-wife wouldn't so much as bat an eyelid even if I were to kiss you right here, and right now."

Charlotte's face became black as soot. She picked up her bag in anticipation of leaving.

When Timothy noticed her body language, he put a hand on the chair. "If you walk away now, your father's dream son-in-law will be gone. Where will you find the money to support all the boyfriends you have if he were to get upset with you?"

"F*ck you, Timothy Jensen!" Bringing out the swear words caused Charlotte's pretty face to look a little contorted.

"Sit back down," said Timothy leisurely.

After mulling over it briefly, Charlotte plonked herself back onto her seat. "A wicked scoundrel like you doesn't deserve to have a wife and kid. So, die a bachelor!"

"I wasn't done talking to Mr. Benson just now, so I think I may want to call him again." Timothy lifted his phone.

In response, Charlotte snatched it out of his hands and shot him a look.

Very quickly, the waiter brought up a serving of grilled mushrooms.

Timothy unhurriedly portioned it out with his knife and picked up a piece with his fork which he brought close to Charlotte's mouth.

That immediately elicited from Charlotte a look of disdain. "Unbelievable! You've said so yourself that she wouldn't even bat an eyelid if you kissed another woman in front of her, and still, you want to use me to put on an act for her to see?"

"Think this over carefully. Do you want to eat this piece of grilled mushroom, or..." Timothy's lips curled up. "For me to become your father's actual son-in-law?"

If her piercing stares could turn into knives, Charlotte would have already stabbed Timothy to death a hundred times over.

Repressing her disgust, she consumed that piece of grilled mushroom.

With the rooftop garden only as big as it was, Genevieve was able to pick up on the commotion that was taking place behind her. Turning around, she saw that Charlotte engaged with Timothy in conversation, only to have it suddenly escalate into an argument.

Charlotte snatched Timothy's phone away and glared at him.

On Timothy's part, he merely smiled as though he was indulging her little tantrums. When the grilled mushroom was served, he carefully cut it up before sending it into her mouth.

Chapter 713

With one being the former husband of her good friend, and the other her own friend, it felt a bit wrong in Genevieve's esteem for them to behave so flirtatiously without a care in the world.

Genevieve turned back to regard Johanna who was simply enjoying her pasta; the latter's fine mood was seemingly unaffected by anyone else in the slightest.

While drinking her water, Johanna noticed Genevieve looking at herself. Glancing at the pair who were behaving immodestly across the way, she seemed to have caught up. "If you don't want to look at them, shall we go and eat somewhere else?

Genevieve was momentarily stumped. "That's your ex-husband."

"It is you put it, ex-husband. So, it's none of my business." Johanna stuffed another mouthful of pasta into her own mouth. "Why should I care about him seeking someone new? He's got a good eye this time, choosing a mega-rich and pretty little thing like her."

Genevieve did not know how to respond to seeing how at ease she was, as though she had completely severed whatever emotional ties she had with Timothy.

Having known each other for so many years, Genevieve knew how deeply she had loved Timothy.

For over five years, Johanna and Timothy walked side by side, experiencing both the good times and the bad. Both had matured exponentially since then and only managed to finally come together after undergoing so many trials and tribulations.

That was why Genevieve would not believe that Johanna had already moved past that relationship.

Then, Charlotte approached Genevieve. "I think I may have some issues with my clothing, Genevieve. Do you mind coming with me to the restroom to help me sort this out?"

"Sure." A smiling Genevieve then stood up and left with Charlotte.

Previously, Genevieve was only motivated by her own desire to prevent Charlotte from siding with Sylvie. After getting to know her better, she had come to genuinely want Charlotte as a friend. Wealthy, smart, and of good character, she was also well connected in many circles.

After leaving the rooftop garden, Charlotte promptly explained to Genevieve, "I've only realized that Timothy is Johanna's ex-husband after he told me so. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't have come out for lunch with Timothy if not for my father's insistence. With Mr. Jensen unwell, Timothy has been put in charge of Forlisle Group. My father was worried about Timothy being taken by another woman and thus kept urging me to call him and talk to him more often..."

With that, Charlotte evoked a look of despair.

Forlisle Group is practically a gold mine. If the Bensons and Jensens were to be linked through marital ties, Mr. Benson would be able to make inroads into the healthcare industry and expand his own business portfolio. Not just Mr. Benson, I bet that there are many other directors with daughters who have also set their sights on Timothy.

In light of the perks involved, it got Genevieve smiling. "When I saw you and Timothy behaving lovey-dovey and all, I was for a moment puzzled as to why you would be interested in him."

Charlotte fancies men who possess the qualities of being dashing, doting, and docile in her boyfriends. Being similar to her in more ways than one, it would be mutual torment for Timothy and Charlotte to date each other.

"Lovey-dovey my ass!" replied a furious and cussing Charlotte. "He purposely exploited me to try to make Johanna jealous and used my father to threaten me when I refused. Just eating the grilled mushroom he fed makes me want to puke! Had I not wanted something from him, I would have smashed the plate on top of his head the second he tried!"

Upon hearing Charlotte's complaints, Genevieve could not contain her own amusement.

As Timothy had not laid his eyes on Johanna once since he stepped in, his nonchalance almost had Genevieve convinced that he did not care about her.

To think that it was all an act.

Back at the rooftop garden, Johanna was already done with her minced-meat pasta. Summoning the waiter over, she then proceeded to place an order for an iced coffee.

Much to her surprise, while she was fiddling with her phone, a cup of hot chocolate was placed on her table instead.

"I've asked for an iced coffee..." Thinking that the waiter might have made a mistake, Johanna looked up to address him, only to realize that it was Timothy who was standing beside her.

Timothy pulled up the chair next to her and sat down. "It'd be better to drink something warm this time of the year."

Chapter 714

Johanna merely grunted.

Seeing how unenthused she was about entertaining him, Timothy fell silent briefly before he fished out a gift box from his pocket. "I had been too busy to come when Asel celebrated her full moon, so this is my gift for her."

"I've already seen for myself exactly how "busy" you were, Mr. Jensen." Your schedule must be awfully tight if you have had to make time for lunch dates with women alongside everything else you have to do in the office.

While Timothy watched her lower her head to open up the gift box, he placed a hand on the back of the chair's backrest. "Is it just me, or do you sound a wee bit jealous?"

"When will you ever stop being so narcissistic, Timothy Jensen?" Raising her head, Johanna looked the man right in the eye. "Even if you are a slab of gold, you're way too heavy for anyone to enjoy holding on to indefinitely."

Whatever hopefulness Timothy might have harbored was dashed to pieces by her words.

Never one to mince her words. That's my Johanna.

From the gift box, Johanna took out an exquisite silver bracelet. "I'd put it on Asel when I get back in the afternoon."

When Timothy noticed her shifting the focus onto their daughter, he took out his own phone. "Have you taken any photos or videos of Asel these past few days? Send me a copy, will you?"

"Sure." Selecting all of the media from her own photo album, Johanna then sent them all to the man.

Timothy went through them one by one to appraise the little girl's rosy visage. The inside of those black-colored eyes of hers was bright and dazzling like stars.

The sight of her simply made his heart melt. Resisting the urge to kiss the photo, he went on to designate it as his phone's screensaver.

"Have you gotten used to the new place?" Timothy asked Johanna.

"Yeah."

"Has Asel been good?"

"I guess so. The nanny is the one who takes care of her most of the time." According to the nanny who was taking care of Asel, the kid did not fuss, slept after meals, and was also consistently in a good mood. That, in her own experience, placed Asel among one of the easiest children to take care of.

Fiddling with his own phone, Timothy said, "I'd come by to see Asel the day after.”

"Well, sure. Just send me a WhatsApp message ahead of time."

Casting a glance at the woman, Timothy wondered if she had changed, or if it was only him that she treated that way.

Aside from the child they conceived together, it was as though they were previously unacquainted.

Recalling what he overheard Johanna tell Genevieve outside of the ward that night had him clenching his jaw. Moments later, he said, "Let me know if there is anything else that you need."

That yielded another grunt from Johanna who went on to pick up the cup of hot chocolate which had mostly cooled off by then and took a sip from it.

Declining to pester her further, Timothy got up and left.

On his way out from the rooftop garden, he bumped into Genevieve and Charlotte who were coming back in the other way. "Let's go. I'll send you to the mall."

With that, he went ahead and made his own way out.

Charlotte rolled her eyes in the direction the man exited, then blandly told Genevieve, "See how detestable that dog Timothy is? When Johanna is no longer looking, he couldn't be bothered to keep up the charade anymore. Didn't even have the decency to fetch my coat for me."

After she was done griping, Charlotte returned to the rooftop garden to grab her coat and bag.

But before she left, she recalled something and ran back inside to tell Genevieve about it. "Hey, Genevieve. Remember to send me the address of that tailor!"

"No problem." Genevieve flashed her an "okay" sign.

Failing to hold her cup firmly, Johanna spilled some of the hot chocolate onto her beige woolen sweater. Very quickly, she grabbed a paper towel to try and soak up the spillage from it. Coincidentally, Genevieve caught sight of that.

She guessed that Johanna's emotional state must have been affected by her own false assumption in thinking that Charlotte wanted to have suits made for Timothy. Meaning to clarify it with Johanna at first, she thought the better of it and eventually decided to keep mum.

These two obviously still care for each other, and yet, they chose to part ways and also purposefully do things to make each other uncomfortable.

She thought that they needed to sort out their own feelings on their own, and an outsider like herself ought to stay out of it.

After lunch, Genevieve took Johanna to the mall to chill out. Either owing to fate or ill fortune, it so happened that Charlotte and Timothy turned out to be at the exact same place at precisely the same time.

Chapter 715

They met in a luxury retail store.

Timothy, who was initially irritable, did not want to enter the store, but when he saw Johanna and her companion coming toward him from a distance, he strode quickly to catch up with Charlotte and snaked his arm casually around her waist.

Charlotte stiffened and refrained from aiming a kick at him. "Don't hug me. It's uncomfortable."

"I'm your father's 'son-in-law,' aren't I?"

Charlotte did not know how to react. She only realized what Timothy was doing when she saw the two familiar figures coming toward them and chuckled to herself.

They entered the store with Timothy's arm still intimately wrapped around Charlotte. A retail assistant hurried over to greet them.

"Pick whatever you like, Lottie. Money is no object," Timothy declared before taking a seat on the bench so Charlotte could shop in peace.

"All right!" She took him at his word. Pointing at whatever caught her fancy, Charlotte soon picked out a small mountain of apparel.

The retail assistant almost fainted from excitement as the bill approached the six-figure mark.

Acting as if she did not know Timothy, Johanna entered the store with Genevieve without so much as a sideways glance. She tried on two tops and a pair of shoes before going to the cashier to pay. Timothy came over and held out his card. "Use this."

"That won't be necessary. As clothes are something personal, I don't like others footing my bill." Johanna smacked his hand aside.

The card fell to the ground.

Johanna was taken aback. She was about to squat down when Timothy bent over first to pick up his card. After placing it back into his wallet, he turned around to leave.

Johanna collected her purchase that had been packaged by the cashier and departed the store with Genevieve. She did not look at Timothy the entire time.

Charlotte was overjoyed to witness Timothy's downcast expression. "I've picked out the clothes, Mr. Jensen. Pay up!" she chirped with her chin in the air.

"My money is reserved for my wife and kids," Timothy snapped. "Who are you to spend it?"

"What the h*ll? You told me that money was no object!"

Timothy waved his hand dismissively, his eyebrows raised in amusement. "As Mr. Benson's daughter, your pocket money must be in the millions a month. I'm sure the tiny cost of some clothes wouldn't be a problem for you."

Charlotte suppressed the urge to hurl a vase at his head. "You scumbag!"

It was already past four when Genevieve came out of the mall with Johanna.

Sensing her friend's forlorn mood, Genevieve took her phone out to send Jack a message, wanting to inform him that she would be spending the night at Johanna's.

Before she could do so, an incoming call from an unknown number came.

Genevieve glanced at its area code and discovered that it was from Baykeep. Confused, she answered the call. "Hello."

"Is this Ms. Genevieve Rachford?"

"Speaking."

The voice on the other end of the line said, "Good day, I am calling from General Hospital of Baykeep. Is a Mdm. Melissa Jones, who had received treatment here, a relative of yours?" Genevieve took several long moments to recall that Melissa was their old housekeeper. "Yes, what is it?"

"Our cleaners have found during their routine cleaning this morning a phone wedged in the mattress. There was no passcode, and yours was the only number in the message log, so I called it. As Mdm. Jones had previously occupied this ward, we guessed that the phone belonged to her."

Genevieve asked, "Could you send it over to me in Jadeborough?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible. As it has to be registered as per hospital policy, you need to come to retrieve it.”

"That's fine."

Since the old housekeeper had passed away, Genevieve was the one in charge of sorting out her belongings. Her phone must contain something important if she took it with her during her stay at the hospital. After hanging up, Genevieve turned to Johanna and said with a resigned sigh, "I won't have time to keep you company tonight as I have to collect something in Baykeep."

Johanna did not mind. "No problem. Have a safe trip."

Chapter 716

As Johanna's place of residence was in the opposite direction to the airport, she took a taxi home while Genevieve took a different taxi to the airport.

Along the way, Genevieve sent Jack a message to notify him of her unexpected trip.

It was past six when Genevieve arrived at Baykeep. She took another taxi to the hospital and made haste toward the lost and found counter.

Upon ascertaining Genevieve's phone number and having her sign a form, the nurse produced took out a battered-looking phone with its paint chipped off its casing and handed it to Genevieve. "Thank you." Genevieve turned on the phone as she left the hospital lobby.

She opened the photo gallery. When she saw the photos that Melissa had sent her in the past, she snapped photographs of them with her own phone.

Genevieve scrolled further back to peruse the older photos when the screen suddenly turned dark.

Initially assuming that the phone had run out of battery, she tapped the screen only to find out that it was a video around four minutes long with only blackness on the screen.

Taking out her earphones, Genevieve played the dark video.

"Are you really alive, Ms. Valentine?" Melissa's feeble voice exclaimed in delight.

Ms. Valentine? Could that be Charice?

Genevieve seated herself in a quiet corner and played the clip from the beginning.

She heard the old housekeeper explain how Cesar had given her a sum of money to leave Xedells years ago. "Your child did not die, Ms. Valentine. He's at the Faulkner residence."

"I know." The calm and pleasant female voice barely concealed the simmering hatred beneath. "But he has betrayed me."

Melissa said weakly, "I'm sure Cesar loves you very much, Ms. Valentine. But he is left with no choice as Old Mr. Faulkner has forced his hand. Faking your death and sending you abroad was the only thing he could do."

The woman seemed to have leaned closer to the housekeeper as her voice suddenly became much clearer.

"You wouldn't understand, Melissa. You have no family of your own and you've never fallen in love before. The person who truly loves you wouldn't look for excuses not to be with you. If he were just a little braver, I would even be willing to die with him."

She continued with a sigh, "But he wasn't, Melissa. He gave my child up for adoption to Isabella and had me live in anguish every day. My life in Dartan for the past twenty years had been worse than death." The footage was silent for the next few seconds as the old housekeeper was at a loss for words.

Melissa said sadly after a long while, "Though Armand is dead, Ms. Valentine, he has a wife and children who share your blood, too. You should visit them."

Charice answered coldly, "As he is raised by Isabella, he is no son of mine."

The video ended there.

Genevieve remained on the bench and replayed the footage thrice more. Each time she replayed it, she could feel Charice's powerful hatred.

Her voice was especially callous when she declared that Armand was not her son.

The footage proved Genevieve and Johanna's theory correct. Not only was Charice alive and well after her faked death, but she had also come to Baykeep.

Why did she go to see her old housekeeper instead of Jack?

As Genevieve listened to the conversation from her earphones, the sudden occurrence of a harrowing thought rooted her to the spot.

It was only upon the second time her phone rang that she regained her composure and hurriedly answered the call.

"Hello?"

Genevieve's scrambled thoughts cleared completely when the person on the other line identified themselves. "Of course. Where would you like to meet?" she said calmly.

Upon obtaining a keycard from the reception after her taxi arrived at the hotel, Genevieve dashed up to the twenty-fourth floor.

She swiped the card before the doors of a deluxe suite and walked into a room with all the lights on.

A woman sat in the center of the Epean-sfyle living room.

She had a head of blonde hair even more glaring the sun, but her pair of blue eyes looked like stagnant pools of water. From afar, she looked like a hollow figure wearing the mask of a pretty face. The woman smiled when Genevieve entered. "We meet at last, Genevieve."

Chapter 717

Lilian Helt was the daughter of Byron, the thirty-third patriarch of the Helt family of Dartan.

She was also Jack's ex-wife.

Throughout Genevieve's four-year stay in Dartan, Jack never wanted her to find out about the Helt family and Lilian. She had never even seen a photograph of the latter. With skin so fair it looked snow-white, Lilian was more beautiful than Genevieve had imagined.

The purity of her ancient family's blood granted her the right to haughtily look down on the rest of the world, with her ethereal loveliness out of reach for most mortal men.

Though Genevieve was confidently aware of her own beauty, she nevertheless felt insecure standing before Lilian.

After regaining her composure, Genevieve walked toward Lilian when she suddenly realized that her host was wheelchair-bound. Despite being clad in a long, white dress, the absence of a carpet over her lap revealed a glint of black metal protruding from the hem of her skirt.

Genevieve's footsteps faltered, though she quickly retracted her gaze. However, Lilian's sharp eyes caught her in the act.

Instead of displaying any sign of dejection, she pulled apart her skirt to reveal a pair of cold, black prosthetic legs. "Though I survived my self-induced car accident, my legs had been so mangled that they had to be amputated. I only wear my prosthetics to feel less empty underneath when I wear a dress."

Genevieve pursed her lips and said nothing. Instead, she turned to the bar for some cups and brewed some coffee. She placed one of the cups before Lilian.

Amidst the ensuing silence, the steam rose steadily from the cups as the fragrance of coffee enveloped the room.

Lilian raised her cup for a sip before looking at Genevieve. "You seem very shocked to see my prosthetics. Why don't you ask me about it?"

"Why did you crash on purpose?" Genevieve asked, taking advantage of the invitation.

Lilian was silent for several seconds before answering, "My father suspected back then that Jack was colluding with other families to make a move against Helt Corporation. He planned to murder Jack for it but I had been married to him for two years then, besides having a baby in my belly. I trusted him. I told my father that Jack was one of us and that he wouldn't conspire with outsiders to harm our company. I even knelt before my father to beg him when he didn't believe me."

Genevieve noticed that Lilian did not even blink once. Appearing entirely devoid of life, even Lilian's tone was mechanical and cold as if recounting somebody else's tale.

"I begged Dad to refrain from harming Jack and that there must have been a misunderstanding. I'd even swore I would kill myself and my child to pay for my transgressions against my family if Jack was as devious as my father thought."

As her father loved her and her unborn child, he decided not to pursue the matter in the meantime for their sake.

Due to a threatened miscarriage resulting from a mental breakdown, Lilian was rushed to the hospital. She gave Jack a call during her stay and implored him to explain things to her father. Unfortunately, it did not occur to her that her maid had been under Jack's employ.

During Lilian's convalescence at the hospital, her maid confiscated her phone and lied that her father had called and asked if she was well.

As a result, she had missed several urgent phone calls from her father regarding the tumultuous changes that were happening outside.

Lilian noticed something amiss about her maid upon returning home. Only after demanding her phone back did she realize that Jack had gained total control of Helt Corporation with the help of outside forces. The shareholders and the executives had been culled en masse through his cruel measures. Unable to accept the harsh reality, her father leaped off a skyscraper to his death.

Chapter 718

The news hit Lilian like a sack of bricks.

Horrified at the amount of faith she had in Jack, she recalled how she had vouched for him with her and her unborn child's life, and the promise she made to her father.

As it was her misguided trust in Jack that had cost her father's life, she had become the sinner in her own family.

Lilian did not dare face her uncles as she felt unworthy to apologize to them, though she did fulfill her vow and drove herself out into traffic with purposeful recklessness. However, she awoke to find herself in the hospital.

Though she had lost her child and her legs, she was still alive.

Lilian attempted many times to slit her wrist and her throat after that, but the doctors came to her rescue each time. Jack came to see her when she finally grew weary of defiance.

He treated her and cared for her the same as he always did. Though he spoke at length, not a word registered with Lilian until...

"Did you know that your father had plans for you the whole time?" he drawled, in his elegant, steady pace. "The child isn't mine. Your family places a great deal of importance on their bloodline, as you very well know. Your father only approved of our marriage for my brains to handle the company, and also to keep things from you. He found out what a filthy mixed breed I am after investigating my parents. How would he allow me to taint the purity of the Helt family's royal blood? Your father's plans for you suited me just fine as I've never loved you anyway."

Jack touched his heart, the blazing flame of passion alight in his eyes. "A girl who I love very much lives here. She is my light. I have to become rich and famous to find her. I want to be her rock so nobody would ever hurt her."

To preserve the purity of their lineage, the Helts had been marrying the core family members of other large families and even within themselves.

Lilian had thought that it was Jack's qualities that impressed her father when he agreed to their marriage. It turned out that her father looked down on Jack, after all, and was plotting something against her behind her back.

Jack had a girl whom he deeply loved. He would do anything for her.

Lilian had once felt proud, as she was the wife of such a wonderful man. She strived to reciprocate Jack's love for her.

In the end, it was all a mirage, and she was the only one foolish enough to have believed it was real.

At that moment, upon feeling the full sting of betrayal from her family and lover, Lilian grabbed everything within reach to hurl at Jack as she let loose screams of fury.

Jack stood where he was and allowed her to vent her anger.

Without her legs, Lilian fell from the bed amidst her struggle. Her hands were drenched with blood from the broken pieces of glass on the floor.

In another attempt at suicide, she grabbed a shard of glass to shove into her mouth but Jack was quick to stop her. He grabbed her wrist that was holding the shard and snapped it before lifting her back onto the bed as he called for medical assistance.

During her extended stay in the hospital lasting several more months, she learned from the news that Jack had plans to shoot a movie.

Upon watching the movie after its release, she realized that Jack was telling the story of his relationship on the silver screen. He reiterated with the film the intense love he had for his girl and his hope that she would one day find him.

Meanwhile, Jack was given a wide berth at the company by the Helts as they were wary of his cruelty.

Upon her complete recovery, Lilian suddenly did not wish to die.

Hell-bent on giving Jack a taste of her misery, she took the initiative to divorce him and began planning in secret with the ten billion in compensation she had gotten from him.

Chapter 719

Lilian's dead gaze surveyed Genevieve as she spilled everything forth. "I secretly sent someone after Jack when I was informed he had come to Chanaea. After learning of your existence, I had you investigated as well. I also financed Wood Group of Xedells handsomely during their bankruptcy upon finding out that you have a grudge against them.

"However, Xavier is nothing compared to Jack. He is not businessman material at all, and he was easily tricked by your brother and Armand. I knew that you have a special place in Jack's heart. So, if you were to die, he would undoubtedly live a life of misery just like I have. Despite doing my best to have you killed, I never seem to succeed. Besides Jack's bodyguards, there were others protecting you in the dark."

Her words stirred something in the recesses of Genevieve's mind. "Did you make a move against me in Xedells?"

"That's right." A cold smile spread across Lilian's lips. "I remember his name was Yorick, and he's Johanna's father. Being a gambler, he spent his days at various casinos in Xedells and racked up a hefty debt. had people inform him of your arrival at Xedells and he did not even hesitate to sell you to his debtors. Isn't that clever of him? I also thought you'd be dead after being cast out into the wilderness. Imagine my surprise when your ex-husband found you so quickly."

Genevieve vaguely recalled the time when she had been left in the wintry wasteland by the debtors and her phone call to Armand. Though he tried to keep her on the line, she had fainted from the cold and only remembered waking up in the hospital.

Was Armand the one who found me?

Genevieve's eyelashes quivered as she glared at Lilian. "Long ago, I went to the home of Mr. Wasco of Resonance Corporation to teach his daughter the violin. Were the rumors of me and him spread by you?' Lilian's tone remained flat. "No, but I did bribe his housekeeper.

"I knew that Mr. Wasco's wife was ill because of her daughter, and lived in constant fear that Mr. Wasco was involved with other women. You are beautiful, young, and got along well with the girl. Imagine her anxiety when she saw the photographs and thought that you were going to steal her husband and her child away from her. Her pinning you at the edge of the cliff was your closest brush with death thus far. Even if she decided to let you go, I still had people ready to strike from the shadows. However, Genevieve, you were extremely lucky for successfully evading death once again."

The assassin Lilian had in the shadows was on a constant lookout for opportunities to make a move against Genevieve. However, Armand was always in his way. After shooting Armand, the assassin escaped. Genevieve's pupils dilated as she hurled her cup of coffee toward Lilian in a fit of rage.

Lilian did not avoid it. The hot liquid splashed onto her face and sweater upon impact while the cup rolled down her leg and smashed to smithereens on the floor. Genevieve picked up a shard and pressed it against Lilian's fair neck, piercing her skin and drawing blood, but Lilian remained as impassive as ever.

She did not even seem afraid that Genevieve would slice her throat open, nor did she show any inclination to beg for mercy.

"If you want to kill me, I recommend dropping me in the tub and slicing my wrists in the water," Lilian suggested. "You'll be sprayed with blood if you slit my throat."

Genevieve laughed coldly. "Killing you quickly is a luxury you cannot afford for your numerous attempts on my life."

"I know you are capable." Lilian slumped against her wheelchair and did not move a muscle. "Before you kill me, I would like to tell you something and propose a partnership." "You want me to help you kill Jack?"

Since Lilian had tried to have her assassinated numerous times, the former's request to meet alone and the recount of her history with Jack had given Genevieve a clue to Lilian's intentions.

Chapter 720

Genevieve threw the broken pieces onto the table and took a tissue to wipe the blood off her finger.

"Jack told me once that Helt Corporation is corrupted from top to bottom. The departments inside the company itself are complicated for they are all headed by members of the same family. Your father had always let all of that slide. If it weren't for him working together with others to attack Helt Corporation and became the official person in charge of the corporation, moreover wiping it clean of those..." she trailed off. "With your father's incompetence, not just the company, the entire Helt family might have fallen along with him.”

A mocking smile crept up Lilian's face as she listened to Genevieve's words. "I thought that it was because I was dumb that I made things so much easier for Jack. Now it seems that you are just like me. I've seen firsthand how quickly he acquired Helt Corporation. I've also realized how cunning of a man he was."

As she spoke, she fished out a document that was hidden behind the couch and gave it to Genevieve. "Whatever Jack wants, whatever Jack gets. If he can't get it, he would rather destroy it himself. Even if he loves you, he would never let another man have you if he couldn't."

Genevieve flipped open the documents and read through them multiple times. On the two pieces of paper wrote Curb, emotion.

It was something that could suppress one's emotions and even erase the burning passion within one's heart. If one ever came to the point where they would rather lose everything for love, the drug would also take away their life just as ruthlessly.

At first, Genevieve could not really understand the document, however, when she compared it with Methamphetamine, she instantly understood.

Ice could kill one silently as they were in excitement. Curb.emotion could do the same.

Genevieve thought back to when she told Johanna that she did not love Armand. Johanna had a look of shock on her face when she heard the former. "Didn't you leave Jack and be burdened with so much jus because of Mr. Faulkner? There's no way you don't love him."

She was right. There was no way Genevieve did not love Armand.

She could not remember the reason why she fell in love with Armand. When she thought about the memories that they had together, Genevieve felt as though she did not love him that deeply. Her heart was calm whenever she was near him.

Now she realized that it was because she had been injected with Curb.emotion. It was a drug that suppressed her love for him.

With her fingers tightly gripping the document, she stared at the lengthy combination of alphabets as she recalled the moments when she interacted with Bruce. There were many times when his actions resembled Armand's.

On New Year's Day, she had run down the stairs to hug him, but his face had turned pale, and he seemed to be in a state of shock.

He was Armand.

He wasn't dead, but he had used another way to appear by her side, to make her fall in love with him again.

He knew.

Tears started to form in Genevieve's eyes as she recalled the memories from ages ago. She remembered him cooking in the kitchen. She remembered how they danced together in the living room. She remembered the time when they went to the skating rink together.

His eyes had always been filled with love and affection along with a strong desire to kiss her.

Such beautiful memories came as poison to Genevieve, causing her heart to start aching painfully. It started to beat uncontrollably.

When Lilian noticed Genevieve clutching her heart with a look of pain on her face, she quickly snatched a cup of coffee and smashed it down on Genevieve's head. She then rushed over to the bar to grab a bottle of whiskey before bringing it to Genevieve's lips and forcing her to drink it.

The burn of the booze made Genevieve feel as though her body was burning up. Even so, the pain in her heart seemed to subside a lot.

Genevieve harshly pushed Lilian away. She bent over and started coughing violently.

Her head had not been split open by the cup, but it was still throbbing painfully. Her hair smelt like coffee while her clothes were drenched with the stench of whiskey. She looked absolutely wretched. Genevieve grabbed a tissue to wipe the remaining alcohol off her face. "Even if I didn't die from the pain, I would have been choked to death from the alcohol."