Ch. 881..890

Chapter 881

"All right." Armand laughed again as he kissed her. "We'll head to Regality Gardens."

Genevieve grunted in assent.

The car exited the underground garage and cruised on the road. "I was supposed to dine with Yuvan at an exotic restaurant," Genevieve said to Armand as she touched her stomach, "but Charlotte called to invite me to the club before I'd even taken two bites. I'm starving."

"Why were you having a meal with Yuvan?" Armand asked in surprise.

"Because I was willing to," Genevieve replied with childish petulance. "I'm not married. Why shouldn't I dine with a man who asked me out?"

Armand knew she was trying to aggravate him as she still felt a little jealous.

He grabbed her hand and nibbled the back of it.

Genevieve glared at him. "You're learning to bully me. You're not the man I love anymore."

"This is mistreating you?" Armand cast her a sideways glance.

Genevieve understood his meaning at once. She chided him for being an old pervert and tried to retract her hand, but Armand held on tightly while his other hand held the steering wheel steady.

After parking and entering the mall, Armand procured a cart and told Genevieve to pick out whatever she felt like eating.

The couple then returned to their condominium in Regality Gardens with several bags of groceries. Armand rolled up his sleeves, rinsed a plateful of strawberries from the bag, and brought them to the living room to Genevieve before heading back to the central kitchen counter to prepare dinner.

Genevieve gazed at his tall frame, busy with dinner preparations, and came to the kitchen barefoot to hug him from behind.

Armand fed Genevieve a meatbail upon making sure they are cool enough to be eaten.

Genevieve opened her mouth to receive it before launching into another complaint. "Why would you fry something just because I said I was hungry? Deep-fried stuff like this has a ton of calories. I would put on weight easily if I ate it at night."

Armand chuckled. "No problem. I'll supervise your workout tonight."

Genevieve's cheeks flushed red upon being teased by him twice in a row. She was also slightly annoyed and reached into Armand's shirt.

The delicate touch of her fingers caused Armand's body to stiffen, and his breath became labored subconsciously.

"Remove your hand, Darling." Armand could not pull her arm away as his hands were dirty from handling the ingredients. "Dinner would have to be postponed several hours if you don't behave yourself," he said hoarsely.

"You started it." Genevieve considered herself avenged when she saw the man's discomfort.

As she did not want to starve, she obediently retracted her hand though she kept her arms around his waist. "Mindy and Timothy's incident seemed suspicious to me, so I had Yuvan investigate her. Besides, his grandfather is not doing well, so I went to Baykeep to cheer Old Mr. Zeigler up.

"Yuvan's help has really come through this time. His father gave General Loake a call. Coop is estimated to be released tomorrow."

"You did very well." Armand turned around and kissed her encouragingly. "As Sally is the one who is hurt, it would not do for me to persuade General Loake, given my current identity."

"I went to the hospital to see Sally after I heard she was shot." Genevieve pursed her lips and gazed up at Armand. "Have you ever thought about how she might take Ethan's heart away? What would you do then?"

"Second heart transplants have a high failure rate. If she wants to take it away, let her," Armand remarked calmly. "If I see you being bullied, I would rather-"

Genevieve tiptoed and kissed him quickly on the lips to prevent him from finishing his sentence.

After the kiss, she pressed her forehead against Armand's. I need you. Lucian and Amanda need you too. Nothing can happen to you."

Armand swallowed. "If you kiss me again, Darling, we won't be having dinner tonight."

Chapter 882

Despite it being past eight in the evening, the lights in the conference room of Forlisle Medical Group were still brightly lit. Timothy was, at that moment, having a meeting with several of the executives in charge of researching the new drug.

As they had been at it since that morning, a palpable sense of fatigue was visible on his face.

Upon seeing his phone on his desk light up, Timothy unlocked it and found a voice message from Genevieve.

He rubbed his brow, puzzled, as he pressed the phone against his ear to hear the voice message.

After listening to the four-minute recording, Timothy finally understood that somebody had been watching him that night since he entered the club and had put something in his drink. Mindy, too, had appeared before him with a motive to take him back to a hotel when he was groggy.

No wonder I couldn't recall any detail of that night, no matter how hard I tried.

With a sudden scowl, Timothy pushed the chair away and stood up. After dismissing the rest with a curt, "Meeting adjourned," he strode briskly outside as he made a call.

"Find out where Mindy is for me."

Coincidentally, a friend of Mindy's was throwing a birthday party that night, and she had come to Jadeborough for the celebration.

The group was at a bar called No Man's Land to continue drinking after dinner.

Though Mindy had been blacklisted in the art industry, which resulted in her works not being featured in any exhibitions in or out of the country, she did not seem to be affected.

Some time ago, she had, from out of the blue, secured a connection with investors in the entertainment industry to whom she became very close. She had even dined with a famous director as if she was getting into the film industry.

Because of her money and connections, Mindy's friends continued to hang out with her.

At that moment, the group was crowding around Mindy in the bar's private room to chat. It looked like she was the birthday girl instead.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open with such force that it startled everyone inside.

Timothy strode in, pressed the switch for the ambient lights on the wall, and quickly spotted Mindy through the crowd when the lights grew bright. His eyes narrowed and exuded a threatening aura. "Those who wish to keep their lives, get out now!"

The group saw Timothy staring daggers at Mindy and knew at once that he had come for her. They hurried out of the private room, looking pale.

This is a man we cannot afford to offend.

The hatred emanating from Timothy caused the hairs all over Mindy's body to stand on end. She did not even have the strength to rise from the couch. The man's chilly aura enveloped her as she watched him approach.

Timothy grabbed Mindy's frail neck and pulled her up from the couch.

Mindy gasped for breath. Though not fatal, Timothy's grip around her neck caused her great pain.

She tried to pry his fingers from her neck as she shot him a pleading gaze.

"I'm not going to kill you as it would dirty my hands." Timothy's icy gaze bored into her. "The human frontal lobe controls thoughts and emotions. Once removed, one will become mentally disabled for life. She will not feel anything no matter what is done to her and will die a slow, ignorant death."

Mindy's face filled with horror at his words. Terrified at the prospect of Timothy dragging her to the operation theater, she shook her head with some difficulty.

With a sudden movement, he threw her onto the couch.

After catching her breath, Mindy struggled to sit up from the couch and hastened to explain herself. "I should not have gone to the ward to look for Ms. Joule that day, Mr. Jensen. I—" "Who ordered you to do that?" Timothy interrupted her babble and glared at her.

The intensity of his gaze sent a shiver down Mindy's spine. Not daring to hold her tongue anymore by that point, she lowered her head and stammered, "I-I don't know. Not long after I came to Jadeborough, a follower on Instagram messaged me with information on you."

Chapter 883

Despite having studied abroad in her youth, Mindy was more or less acquainted with the wealthy heirs and heiresses in the country.

She knew she was not even fit to have supper with a wealthy young man like Timothy, who took over Forlisle Medical, much less become his girlfriend.

That follower told her they had a grudge against Timothy regarding business and did not want him to prosper. As long as Mindy followed their directions to get close to him, she would be able to become his girlfriend.

To Mindy, it was like a golden opportunity falling from the heavens into her lap to receive help in approaching Timothy without having to pay anything for it.

She agreed without hesitation. Several days later, she entered Imperial Club as per their arrangement and ran into Timothy, who was exiting his private room.

Mindy then brought him to the hotel. Unexpectedly, Timothy had a little too much to drink. In addition, his drink was spiked, rendering him unconscious upon arriving at the room.

Mindy reported to her benefactor, then removed Timothy's clothes at their instruction. She then took a series of photos and uploaded them onto her Instagram to show everybody they had slept together. However, the photographs had not circulated on Twitter for very long before they were removed around the time Timothy regained consciousness. Mindy did not gain a thing for her efforts. However, the mysterious follower was not angry at the failure. They even paid Mindy a sum upon discovering that she did not get her reward. Then, they contacted Mindy once more to have her pay Johanna a visit to the hospital. In a fit of rage, Timothy had the art world blacklisted Mindy. However, her benefactor gave her another sum of money and introduced her to the bigwigs in the entertainment industry. The guilt and self-blame that had weighed heavily on Timothy finally dissipated when he realized that it was not him who had come on to Mindy, nor did they even sleep together. However, his expression was grimmer than ever.

He and Charlotte had been from the same social circle before, and the world knew the type of person he was very well. Even his enemies in the business knew that the tactic of tempting him with women was futile.

Why did that person engage Mindy to seduce me?

After Mindy told Timothy everything, she became frightened at the intervening silence in which he merely scowled.

She fiddled with her phone and handed it to Timothy of her own accord. "I have recovered our chat on Instagram."

Timothy took the phone and studied the follower's information. They did not register with their actual name, and the information filled up was also most likely false. He then perused Mindy's bank statements and found two large deposits made some time ago. The transfer payment originated from an overseas account.

He took out his phone and photographed the details of the mastermind's Instagram and overseas bank account.

Then, Timothy handed the phone back to Mindy. "Do not initiate contact with him. When he reaches out, take a screenshot of his message and send it to me. Everything will be on you if I cannot locate him." Mindy's face turned even paler. Clutching her phone, she could only manage a nod.

After Timothy left the bar, he sent details of the overseas account to a hacker friend to ask for his help in investigating the owner of the account.

He then drove to Johanna's residential area and ground to a slow halt beside the gate.

Timothy walked up to the door and was about to press the doorbell when he realized the house was dark. Johanna's bedroom was also not lit.

He glanced at his wristwatch and found that it was already midnight.

He stood and stared at the pitch-black bedroom for a long time. At last, he fell asleep in the car in his reluctance to leave.

A nightmare tormented Timothy. He dreamt that the scoundrel, Hector, was holding his daughter with his other arm around Johanna and taking them both to the airport. Timothy could not catch up to them no matter how hard he tried, and he was forced to watch the plane take off. He spent his twilight years in misery without his wife and child.

Suddenly, a thumping sound startled Timothy awake. He took several sharp breaths, his forehead drenched with sweat, before noticing the housekeeper outside his window.

He mopped his brow and winded down.

"Why didn't you ring the doorbell since you were here, Mr. Jensen?" The housekeeper came out for a look after seeing Timothy's car outside the entrance through the surveillance cameras. "Is my wife awake?" Timothy asked curtly.

Chapter 884

"Not yet. As Asel cried for Ms. Joule last night, she had to coax the child to sleep." As the housekeeper spoke, she handed a food jar to Timothy. "Ms. Joule warned us not to grant you entry, and we too do not dare let you in on our own. Here's some breakfast."

"All right. Thank you." Timothy took it from her.

After her breakfast delivery, the housekeeper saw Johanna with Asel in her arms upon entering the house. She called out in greeting before turning to head for the kitchen.

Johanna handed Asel to the nanny and sat at the dining table.

The housekeeper served Johanna some oatmeal and shot a furtive glance at her before bursting out, "We saw Mr. Jensen's car outside on the surveillance cameras this morning, Ms. Joule. It looks as if he arrived last night but didn't ring the doorbell and had slept in the car. I'd just sent him some breakfast."

The housekeeper could tell that Johanna did not hate Timothy. She just did not wish to see him, so she took the initiative to send Timothy some breakfast.

Johanna's expression did not change upon hearing the news.

After several more spoonfuls of oatmeal, she said to the housekeeper in a level voice, "I have matters to attend to which necessitates me to go abroad for a week. Please take good care of Asel. Lucian and Amanda are coming over this afternoon."

"All right." The housekeeper nodded and headed upstairs to tidy up the bedrooms.

Timothy had just finished breakfast when a call from work came. He leaned against the car and had a cigarette while methodically delegating his instructions.

When he turned around casually after another drag, he saw Hector's car arriving slowly and stopping in front of the entrance.

Scowling, Timothy dropped his cigarette butt and stamped it out.

Hector was momentarily stunned when he saw Timothy upon descending the vehicle before calling out in greeting. "Good morning, Mr. Jensen. Does Jojo still not want you inside?" Johanna was pushing a twenty-four-inch suitcase out the front door as he spoke.

She was dressed in jeans and a black short sleeve top. Her fair skin sparkled under the sun with exquisite femininity. The tinge of red on her lips made her look even more like a woman in her prime. Timothy immediately recalled his nightmare when he saw the suitcase in Johanna's hand. He hung up abruptly and strode over.

"Where are you going?" he asked in a hoarse voice as he lowered his gaze to stare at Johanna.

"Abroad," Johanna replied tersely before pushing her suitcase to Hector. He was about to intercept it, but Timothy gripped his wrist with menacing pressure as though he wanted to snap it. Then, he turned around to stare at Johanna as he swallowed. "Somebody bribed Mindy to seduce me. My drink in the bar had been spiked that night, and I did not sleep with her.

"I know it's all my fault. I shouldn't have remained stubborn despite making a mistake and throwing my temper at you. Don't go, Jojo. Please?"

Johanna was indifferent. She did not say a word.

Timothy had never seen Johanna this cold. His heart sank further, and he felt awful and anxious.

Though I have many tricks to make Johanna stay by my side, my relationship with her is bad enough. I must fix it instead of pushing her into Hector's arms. Timothy pursed his lips. "I will agree to anything as long as you don't leave the country," he pleaded softly. "I will never harass you again, nor will I ask to see Asel." Hector's eyes flashed at those words as if he wanted to say something.

Johanna stepped forward to wrench Timothy's hand away before turning around to address Hector, "Wait for me at the airport. I'll be there in two hours."

"All right." Hector nodded. He placed her suitcase in the trunk and departed.

Johanna loosened her grip and walked toward Timothy's car. Then, her nonchalant voice drifted over to his ears. "Come. Drive."

Chapter 885

Timothy hurried over. "Where to?" he asked Johanna after getting in the car.

"To the Jensen residence."

"Why are we going to my house?" Timothy looked sideways at Johanna, but she was staring outside the window with her chin in her palm without paying him further attention.

There was nothing to do but start the car. He exited the residential area before heading toward the direction of the Jensen residence.

Along the way, Timothy shot frequent glances at Johanna in the passenger seat.

"I know you went drinking at the bar with Genevieve that night accompanied by a guy from public relations. I was jealous, and I went over to bring you home. I didn't intend to quarrel with you. Can you forgive me?

"Yes, I admit that Hector might be better than me. But do you know him well? The better one's character appears, the more frightening they actually are.

"You promised me that you won't take Asel away."

Johanna's ears throbbed from his incessant chatter. Unable to take it anymore, she turned around to glare at him. "If you won't shut up, stop the car and let me get down."

Timothy did not utter another word after that.

Meanwhile, the housekeeper of the Jensen residence glanced at the surveillance cameras when she heard the doorbell ring. Upon seeing that it was Timothy and Johanna, she threw open the entrance doors and headed to the living room to inform Jeremiah.

"Mr. Jensen, Mrs. Jensen. Mr. Timothy and Mdm. Johanna are back."

Vanessa was reading international news on her tablet. Her finger on the tablet froze upon hearing the housekeeper's announcement, though she appeared otherwise unperturbed.

Timothy and Johanna soon arrived in the living room.

"Mr. Jensen," Johanna greeted him before her gaze fell onto Vanessa. "Mrs. Jensen."

Jeremiah nodded at Johanna. "Why isn't Asel with you?" he asked her.

"It isn't suitable to bring her as this isn't a family gathering." Johanna smiled lightly. "I'm not here today to visit you. I'm here specifically for Mrs. Jensen."

Vanessa put her tablet aside and met her gaze calmly. "What can I do for you?"

Johanna took out her phone and selected a photograph before placing it before Vanessa.

Timothy's sharp eyes caught the account number and found it familiar. He quickly recalled that it was the overseas account that had remitted money to Mindy. As he himself had been investigating the account, Timothy was shocked that the account belonged to Vanessa.

Vanessa lowered her head. Her expression shifted slightly when confronted with the account information.

"I know Timothy has his flaws, but I know him. He's not somebody reckless, which is why I found this matter suspicious after our quarrel. However, I also know that no matter which perspective you look at the matter from, it will look like Timothy is the one to seek Mindy out. At the same time, I couldn't get any information from her lips.

"So, I found somebody to hack Mindy's Instagram some time ago and found the person who had directed her every move. After much time and effort, I also learned about the overseas account that paid her." Jeremiah glanced at Johanna's phone and said nothing.

Despite the evidence in Johanna's possession, Vanessa's expression remained unfazed. "It was me who contacted Mindy to have her do so. But I did it for Timothy's own good.

"Though Mindy's family could not be regarded as exemplary, she was at least clean. Your family, however, has no background to speak of. Your father was a gambler who sold you to clear his debts. I was afraid that the world would find out about your past and make Timothy a laughing stock which would subsequently tarnish the Jensen family's reputation. That is why I did not want Timothy to be involved with you anymore."

Timothy's countenance darkened. He was about to let loose a series of profanity when Johanna raised a hand to stop him before looking Vanessa in the eye and smiling as she exposed the latter.

"You didn't do it for the Jensen family; you have a grudge toward Timothy and me. When you found out you were pregnant, you were excited to bear a child to stabilize your position within the Jensen family and a portion of the Jensen family inheritance for your child. However, Timothy arranged for the doctor to give you an abortion and you lost your child.

"You blame Timothy for everything, so you bribed Mindy to seduce him. You wanted me to see it so that I would hate Timothy."

Chapter 886

"It's all your fault, Johanna!" Vanessa pointed at the woman, her face full of hatred. "I did everything I could to raise you and send you abroad for your studies, but in return, you kept trying to get back at me just because you couldn't stand the thought of me getting remarried! That child of mine would've been perfectly fine if you hadn't shown up!"

The more she spoke, the more aggravated she became. "Had I known you'd turn out this way, I would've left you with your gambling-obsessed father instead!"

Johanna remained calm despite being regarded as an ingrate. "I was raised by money, not you. You had the housekeepers take care of me ever since I was born. Sure, you'd carry me at times, but you spent every other moment living for yourself. You never picked me up from school, and you hardly ever played with me."

She continued, "When I was six, Dad bought me three houses with the best possible locations. You then divorced him when he became hooked on gambling, and using your position as my caretaker, you sold those houses along with all the jewelry he gave me to fund your extravagant lifestyle."

Vanessa scoffed. "You're all grown up now, aren't you, Johanna? Are you shifting the blame on me now? Was I wrong to have raised you and paid for your education?"

"I'm not blaming you. I just want you to recall what you have done," Johanna iterated. "How often did you even spend time with me? Also, you sent me abroad when I was still a kid only because you felt I was in your way, and you kept funding my studies simply because you saw potential in my looks..."

The young woman paused briefly before concluding, "You only think of me as a pawn. You did all that for me hoping that if you were to ever divorce, you'd at least still have me to keep funding your extravagant lifestyle."

Timothy pulled Johanna into his arms, feeling utterly sorry for her.

Those words stabbed into Vanessa's heart like a knife, and she couldn't seem to refute them.

"I married Timothy back then because I still wanted to be with you and call you my mom. I didn't do it to get back at you," Johanna explained as she felt her eyes sting. "I know how smart you are. You should've known that as your daughter, I would've made sure you continued to live a good life as long as I am with Timothy."

Vanessa froze as she finally recalled how Johanna had never caused her any trouble ever since returning to the country.

In fact, rather than bringing up the past, the young woman had continued to cling to her like a daughter who genuinely loved her mother-even after the former had gotten married to Timothy.

She's right. Timothy's going to be the next head of the Jensen family. My life would've remained the same the moment she married him. Why did I keep going after her, thinking that she was out to get me? At that very moment, Vanessa felt regretful over everything she had done.

Jeremiah, who had remained silent all the while, placed a divorce agreement next to her. "Sign this and pack your things. I'll get someone to send you abroad."

Panic swirled within Vanessa as she turned to her daughter. "I'm sorry, Johanna. I'm a terrible mother..."

"You stopped being my mother the moment you tried to kill me while I was in a coma," Johanna remarked frigidly, lowering her head.

"Sign the papers," Jeremiah repeated. "You'd at least still get something by doing so. You won't get a single cent otherwise."

Vanessa wanted to beg for mercy from the man to whom she had been married for the last decade or so, but judging from the stern look on his face, she knew there was no room for negotiation. If she didn't sign the divorce agreement, that man would most likely get Timothy to deal with her, and he was completely on Johanna's side...

Ultimately, Vanessa could only grab the pen and sign the document.

A housekeeper walked over and led her upstairs to pack a few important IDs. Then, in just a matter of ten minutes, Vanessa was evicted from the Jensen residence.

Chapter 887

Seeing how Johanna remain standing, Jeremiah pointed to the couch. "You don't have to keep standing. Have a seat over there."

"It's okay. I have to make my way to the airport," Johanna replied while grabbing her phone from the table. "I should've come over a few days ago, but the housekeepers said you weren't doing too well and had to be on medication."

She didn't want all these issues driving him to the edge, especially given how Vanessa had been his wife up until just a while ago.

Timothy could no longer remain silent. "You found out long ago that Vanessa's bought Mindy over, didn't you, Jojo? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why should I?" Johanna asked in return. "We've been divorced for some time."

Timothy tried to rebut but couldn't fmd the right words.

When they were done talking, Jeremiah turned to the woman. "You may not come from a prominent family like Lottie, but I really like you. Thank you for always loving and believing in this son of mine to the point that you were willing to make that bet with me."

"It can't be helped." Johanna grinned. "I've owed him one ever since I woke up and saw him crying. Anyway, get some rest. I'll be off now."

With that, she turned and left.

Timothy still wanted to talk to his father, but seeing Johanna leave made him hurry after her.

Right after Johanna opened the car door and hopped in, the man peered over the open window and questioned, "What kind of bet did you make with my dad?"

"Nothing much," Johanna responded coolly while buckling her seatbelt. "Your dad felt you wouldn't be able to manage the company well, but I believed otherwise. We also bet that if you fell in love with another girl, I'd lose and he'd give me three hundred million so I could leave the country with Asel."

Hearing that, Timothy reached into the car, pulled her face toward him, and kissed her hard.

After finally leaving her lips, the man placed his forehead against hers. "I already love you to death. How could I have the time and energy to love someone else?"

Then, he gave her another kiss. "Thank you for believing in me, Darling."

The woman pushed him away. "Get in the car."

Timothy made his way to the driver's seat, and it was only after leaving the Jensen residence that he thought of something. "Darling, I know my family isn't super wealthy or anything, but am I only worth three hundred million?" he asked in amusement.

"I think that's already quite a fair bit," the woman responded with curved lips but furrowed brows. "Hurry up. Hector's waiting for me at the airport."

Timothy parked the car by the roadside as he heard that.

He then unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned toward Johanna. "Didn't you say you owe me one? Why are you still leaving with Hector? Give me another chance, Darling. He's neither as handsome nor well-off as I am, and he definitely can't sweet-talk you the way I do."

Johanna snorted. "You're right about the first two things, but he's much gentler than you are. At least he's never made me mad."

"I'll never make you mad from now on then," Timothy promised, grabbing her hand and kissing it. "I'll kneel and beg you for forgiveness until you feel better. How about that?"

"Like I even have the time to watch you do that." Johanna released her own hand from the man's grasp. "I have to go to Marsingfill for the show. I'll be there for about a week."

Timothy stilled as realization dawned on him. "You're just going to watch the show? You're not eloping with Hector?"

"Well, if you want me to elope with him, I can always grant your wish." The woman chuckled while patting him on the face.

Timothy said nothing more and put his seatbelt back on.

After meeting Hector at the airport lobby, Timothy took a suitcase from the former's hand and wrapped an arm around Johanna's waist to announce his status. "I've arranged for a private jet and will personally take my wife to Marsingfill. You can board the plane on your own, Mr. Lee."

Chapter 889

Johanna balled her hand into a fist, refusing to let Timothy put the ring on her.

"If I'm that pretty, wouldn't it be a waste for me to get married? What if other guys are interested in me, and one of them happens to be a prince?" The more she provoked him, the more jealous he became, and his urge to let her wear the ring only intensified. "Please, Darling. I'm begging you."

"No." Johanna shook her head.

Then, the man began to kiss her again. "I'll do whatever you ask. If we ever fight again, I'll be your dog."

The woman pouted. "Oh, please! Why would I want you as my dog?"

Despite saying that, she began to loosen her fist.

Timothy hastily put the ring on her finger, and he felt as though a huge rock had been lifted off his shoulders at once. It was as if she was finally his again, and no one would dare try to take her away from him. Then, the man pressed his lips against hers again while running his hand down her waist.

The sensation of her smooth skin get his body temperature to rise, and his gaze slowly darkened as his voice turned hoarse.

"Darling..."

Johanna grabbed his hands immediately and shot him a furious glance. "Can't you see where we are right now? You might not care, but I do."

"I've already told the crew not to come in without my permission," Timothy explained while nibbling on her lip. "Please, Darling."

Upon seeing how pitiful he looked, the woman felt her heart soften, and she finally let go of his hands.

Back in Jadeborough, Armand drove into the underground parking lot of Twilight Tower. After stopping the car, he got off and walked over to the other side to help Genevieve unbuckle her seatbelt. Instead of alighting the vehicle, the woman glanced up at him. "Will I not get to see you again?"

Armand couldn't help but laugh. "It's not like I'm going anywhere. I'll still be here in Jadeborough." After being helped out of the car, Genevieve wrapped her arms around his waist.

The man sighed while caressing her face. "But I won't be able to see you during the day because of who I am now. It'd be trouble if anyone were to catch me. I can go home and cook for you guys when I'm free at night though."

"Okay."

Armand felt helpless seeing her refuse to let go of him. "Didn't you ask to meet Jerry to sign his contract? You should go. I have to pick Cooper up at the police station."

"Okay." Genevieve gazed at him. "I'll go after you kiss me again."

With that, the man bent over slightly, cupped her face, and gave her a kiss.

After sharing a long, intimate moment together, the woman let go reluctantly, headed toward the elevator, and waved at Armand after entering it.

The man returned to his car after the elevator doors had closed and made his way to the police station.

He didn't have to wait very long to see Cooper exit the building, but the latter disheveled clothes now made him look a lot less elegant than he usually did.

Armand pressed the horn and lowered the window.

Spotting him, Cooper strode toward the car, opened the door to the passenger seat, and climbed in.

"Do you need food?" Armand asked while driving away from the police station.

"I've already eaten back there." Cooper grabbed a bottle of water from the armrest and took a few sips. "You've explained the situation to General Loake and pleaded to him?"

He knew how infuriated Gerald had become after hearing about Sally getting shot and probably would have gotten the cops to beat him to death.

Yet, an officer had told him that morning that he was free to go.

"He'd only be more p*ssed off if I were to talk to him with my current identity," Armand explained. "Genev is pretty good friends with Yuvan, so he got his dad to give General Loake a call. You'll still have to make a trip to the hospital and apologize to Sally, though. Everything will be fine if she forgives you."

Chapter 890

As though having understood something, Cooper turned to him with narrowed eyes. "Who attacked Genev on the cruise then?"

"That's not something we can find out easily. All the surveillance cameras were shut down when that happened, and there were too many staff members on board." Armand grew livid at the mention of that incident.

Sylvie died, and Jack was now taking care of Lilian.

Genevieve wasn't even considered a businesswoman, so Armand couldn't fathom why anyone would want to kill her, let alone be at odds with her.

"Give me a list of the guests and employees who were on the cruise that day. I'll look into it," offered Cooper.

Then, he frowned upon remembering something. "I've been wanting to ask you this. Why did you become Robert Zane's godson?" he questioned before pausing briefly and turning to Armand. "Genev was upset for a really long time after coming back from Sally's birthday party."

He understood Armand and knew how much the latter loved Genevieve.

He disappeared for a few months and suddenly came back as Robert Zane's godson. I seriously thought he'd get himself a new wife too.

"It's a long story," Armand replied in frustration.

Upon arriving at the north entrance to the hospital, he explained to Cooper everything that had happened.

After a long moment of silence, Cooper remarked, "I would've done the same if I were you. It's just sad to not be able to spend the rest of your days with the person you love and watch your kid grow up." "Well, you can blame your dad for marrying so many women and giving you bad karma," he added jokingly. "That's why the universe keeps trying to separate you and your wife."

Armand rubbed his temples in exasperation before unbuckling his seatbelt. "You take the car."

After alighting the vehicle, he turned to Cooper once again. "Sally's become a little irrational now, so you'd best listen to whatever she says. Don't do anything even if she tries to hit you while she's injured and lying in bed."

A chill ran down Cooper's spine as he thought back to how Sally had broken his arm at the underground parking lot.

That woman was certainly not to be underestimated.

Cooper left the car in the parking lot before heading straight for the elevator to the inpatient department. Armand had already told him which floor Sally was on. Arriving outside her ward, Cooper spoke to the bodyguard standing at the door. "I'm Cooper Sutton. Could you please inform Ms. Loake that I'm here to see her?"

The bodyguard entered the ward briefly before opening the door to let the man in.

Upon noticing that Sally was on the phone, Cooper lightened his own footsteps while walking over and placed a fruit basket on the table.

The woman hung up shortly after and tossed her phone onto the bedside desk before turning to Cooper.

"Would you like some water?"

Sally merely nodded.

The man handed her a glass of warm water. "I'm here to apologize for what I did that day. I'm sorry for firing at you before getting the facts right."

"Why are you behaving exactly like your sister? Is apologizing all you can do?" Sally glared at him frostily. "You shot me. It wasn't just a slap. If the bullet ended up a little bit to this side instead, I wouldn't even be able to hold a gun anymore."

In response, Cooper walked toward the bodyguard inside the room.

"Do you have a silencer on your gun? I hurt Ms. Loake's left shoulder, so could you shoot me in the same spot?" he asked calmly while glancing around. "Let's go to the restroom. I don't want to dirty the floor." The bodyguard froze in shock, not knowing what to do until Sally sent him outside.

Then, she turned her icy gaze back on Cooper. "You'll never be able to make it up to me just by letting yourself get shot."

The man returned to her with his head lowered. "Then what should I do?"

Sally touched her left shoulder. "If you're serious about apologizing to me, I want you to take good care of me, be there for me whenever I call for you and follow me wherever I go."

Bewildered, Cooper twitched his lips. "Ms. Loake, I believe you're looking for what we'd refer to as a premium caregiver. I'll be sure to find you one."