Ch. 931..940

Chapter 931

It was then that the doorbell suddenly rang.

Cooper figured that the dinner from Golden Restaurant had arrived. Since the ring had interrupted the amorous atmosphere, he climbed up from Sally before going to get the door.

At the same time, Sally tucked her fringes aside before strolling up to the dining room and taking her seat.

Taking into consideration that Sally should have something nutritious to help with her recovery, he ordered steak and mushroom soup for her.

Tearing up the plastic wrap, Sally retrieved the cutlery inside. "With regard to what happened at the cruise ship, I had my men leak fake information to Armand. This is something I haven't shared with him yet." Cooper turned his head to look at her. "Being Genev's bodyguard isn't your true goal at all."

Cognizant of how intelligent Cooper was, Sally didn't deny it. "The Carlo family will make a move on Genevieve again. Also, their core members must be in Jadeborough too."

"Are you using Genev as bait?" Cooper's expression darkened abruptly.

Stuffing a piece of steak into her mouth, Sally maintained an icy expression. "I'll do my best to protect her."

Before anger overwhelmed Cooper, she added, "The Carlo family are relentless when it comes to killing their enemies. Regardless of how capable Armand is, he still has a lot of responsibilities and can't be by Genevieve's side all the time. Therefore, in contrast to having five to six bodyguards follow her everywhere or not being able to travel overseas due to the fear of having her safety threatened, my plan is the most effective one of all."

Cooper knew that Sally never told Armand about it because he would never agree to let Genevieve act as bait.

"The bait doesn't necessarily have to be Genev." Cooper, too, wouldn't put her in danger. "Considering that the Carlo family tried to kill me in broad daylight, they clearly harbor just as much animosity toward me."

Sally burst into laughter. "Cooper, I'm impressed by how sharp you are."

Instead of replying, he flatly remarked, "Going forward, you should stay by my side so that we can investigate the Carlo family together. As for Genev, I'll get Armand to arrange a different bodyguard for her." "Since I'm going to protect you from now on, I'll have no choice but to live here with you."

No sooner had Cooper furrowed his brows than his phone rang. It was Bertilla on the line, checking on why he hadn't reached the office yet.

It was then that Cooper remembered he was due in the office to handle some matters.

After glancing at the time, he told Bertilla it was getting late and he would take care of them tomorrow morning. As for the staff that worked overtime, he gave them the next day off.

After the call, Cooper sent Bertilla another message: Send me the pictures of the male hosts at Imperial Club.

At the other end of the line, Bertilla was shocked.

Not only did her boss not return to the office, he even requested pictures of male hosts. Thus, it was hard for her not to let her imagination run wild.

Nonetheless, she didn't dare question him unnecessarily as she slipped off to check with the club manager.

After dinner, Cooper received a bunch of pictures from Bertilla. He curated a few of them before forwarding them to Sally.

When the latter checked her phone, she realized it was from Cooper.

"I've sent you pictures of the most desirable male hosts at Imperial Club." Cooper had seen through Sally from the very beginning but was in no mood to play along. "Whenever you feel lonely, you can go see them. Regardless of whether it's a one-night stand or a kept boy, it's on the house."

Slamming the phone on the table, she glared at Cooper with a grim expression.

As if he was oblivious to the look on her face, Cooper continued, "You'll sleep here tonight. Tomorrow, I'll get someone to buy the unit next door as a gift for you."

With that, he turned around and walked toward his bedroom.

After spending the entire day with the children at the water theme park, Cooper was exhausted and wanted to rest early. After all, he still had to go to work the next day.

Upon emerging from his walk-in closet after getting his pajamas, he realized Sally had already entered his room.

Without a word, she pushed him back into the walk-in closet. Despite her slender figure, the force she generated was enough for him to stagger backward before falling down onto the carpet.

Smoothly straddling herself on top of him, she pulled out a belt from one of the drawers and swiftly tied his hands up.

Chapter 932

Cooper was startled for a while before he scolded coldly, "Untie me now!"

Sally grabbed Cooper's shoulders and pinned him on the carpet. Then, she leaned over and said, "I didn't have feelings for you back then, but now I do. How much is your price?"

Cooper looked at Sally in shock, for he didn't expect the seemingly aloof lady to say something like that.

"The Carlo family is targeting you and Genevieve. I can't protect you for free," Sally said, patting the man's cheek.

Cooper sneered, "Sally, I'm not an idiot. You and the Carlo family must have grudges against each other. As such, you only want to use Genev or me to bait the core members of the Carlo family." Suddenly, Sally leaned closer and almost pressed her lips against his. "Cooper, you're as smart as Armand."

When Cooper tried to turn away, Sally clasped his chin tightly to stop him from avoiding her.

She then said gently, "Don't you know Armand is now Mr. Zane's godson? My dad likes him too. They both hope that I can marry Armand."

"I don't think Armand is so incompetent that he can't handle the matter," Cooper replied coldly.

"Are you sure?" Sally flashed him a smile and continued, "In that case, do you want to place a bet and see if I will marry him on the first of October?"

Cooper's face darkened, for he knew Sally wasn't joking.

No matter how clever Armand was, his heart once belonged to Ethan. In other words, Armand owed the Zane family. Despite Armand's reluctance, Genevieve would agree to all conditions Sally proposed as long as Armand could stay alive.

After coming to his senses, Cooper gazed at Sally and asked, "What do you want?"

"Don't you know what I want? After all, you're a clever man." Sally smiled and bent over to kiss his lips.

Slowly, she pulled the necktie around Cooper's wrist to untie him.

The next moment, Cooper rolled over and pinned Sally on the carpet. After staring at her for a few seconds, he leaned in to kiss her ferociously.

When Genevieve woke up, she realized the other side of the bed was empty. Thinking that Armand had probably left for quite some time, she yawned and got out of bed to freshen herself up.

After getting out of the bathroom, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand and saw Cooper's message.

Cooper told her those who targeted her on the cruise ship were related to the Carlo family. Hence, he wanted her to ask Jack if his godfather's thugs had gnidges with the mafia of the Carlo family.

Mafia.

Genevieve, who was descending the stairs, paused in her tracks once she saw the word. At the same time, she recalled the man she saw when she was thrown into the sea. He was leaning against the railing, smoking as he wore an indifferent expression.

Is he related to the Carlo family?

As Genevieve was deep in thought, Amanda skipped downstairs happily and saw her mother standing motionlessly. The little girl asked curiously, "Mommy, why have you stopped walking?" Genevieve kept her phone away and answered, "To wait for my sweetie, of course!"

Amanda was wearing a red and white suspender dress with a cute cartoon picture printed on it. She looked like a little princess with curly hair draped over her shoulders and a chubby, adorable face. Genevieve picked Amanda up and kissed her. "Did Aunt Jojo make the dress for you?"

"Nope. Harry gave it to me." Amanda wrapped her arms around Genevieve's neck and said in an adorable voice, "When you and Daddy went to Baykeep, Harry visited us at Aunt Jojo's place. He gave Lucian, Asel, and me a lot of gifts. Among all, I love Bearbrick the most!"

During their flight to Baykeep, Armand asked Genevieve to keep a distance from Harry. Although Genevieve was clueless, she stopped replying to Harry's messages.

Seeing how delighted Amanda was, Genevieve didn't say anything that would ruin her good mood.

Genevieve and Armand brought the two kids back to Swallow Garden last night. Armand was the one who prepared breakfast for them that morning.

They arrived at the dining room and saw a vase of Wintersweet on the table.

"Wow! The flower is beautiful!" Amanda climbed onto the chair and sprawled on the dining table, observing the flower.

Then, she asked Genevieve curiously, "Mommy, what kind of flower is this?"

While having breakfast, Lucian interrupted, "Wintersweet. It's a type of flower that will only blossom during winter. There's a poem about Wintersweet. Have you not heard about it before?"

Chapter 933

Amanda puffed up her cheeks and looked at Genevieve unhappily. "Mommy, Lucian is showing off his intelligence again."

Lucian scoffed. "I don't need to show off my intelligence. I am indeed smarter than you."

Genevieve chuckled lightly and put a scone on Amanda's plate, silencing her with food.

After taking a bite of the scone, Amanda turned around and asked Lucian, "Is the poem mainly about eulogizing Wintersweets that only blossoms in winter?"

"Um. You're not that stupid, after all," Lucian replied.

Amanda widened her eyes as she looked at Genevieve and exclaimed, "Wow! Daddy dotes on Mommy a lot! He can even make a flower that only blossoms in winter to bloom during summer! He's much better than Uncle Tim. During our stay at Aunt Jojo's, Uncle Tim would hug her and call her 'Darling' every day, but he has never gifted her flowers."

Genevieve raised her eyebrows proudly. "Of course! Your mommy will never settle for a mediocre man. Sweetie, send your Uncle Tim a text message to reprimand him."

"Okay," Amanda muttered and took out her phone to send a text message to Timothy while munching on her scone.

Meanwhile, Genevieve narrowed her eyes after staring at Lucian's hair for seconds. Then, she walked to her son's side and ruffled his hair before saying in shock, "Luc, did Uncle Tim bring you to style your hair?"

Lucian looked at Genevieve speechlessly. "My hair is curly by nature. You just didn't notice it because it used to be short."

"Is that so?" Genevieve turned to Amanda and asked, "Why isn't your sister's hair curly?"

"Mommy, my hair is curly too!" Amanda grabbed a few strands of her hair and showed Genevieve the ends. "However, mine is not as curly as Lucian's. His hair looks like curly pasta when it's long. I have pictures to prove it!"

With that, Amanda searched for pictures on her phone and showed them to Genevieve.

Lucian's face fell. Just as he was about to snatch the phone from Amanda, Genevieve beat him to it. She looked at her son's curly hair, which was incompatible with his aloof face, and thought he looked super adorable.

Genevieve burst into laughter and ruffled Lucian's hair. "I didn't notice you have curly hair. Hahaha, you're so cute! I shall send these pictures to your daddy."

"No!" Lucian murmured.

Despite Lucian's protest, Genevieve forwarded the pictures to her phone and sent them to Armand.

Several minutes later, Armand texted her back: Luc is handsome.

Genevieve quickly replied to his message: Why didn't you notice your son has curly hair? Why isn't your hair curly? Is he even my son?

Armand was rendered speechless for a while. He texted back: My hair is curly too. You didn't notice it because I always trim my hair before it gets too long.

Genevieve replied: Wow! The two of you are similar in so many ways! You have the same personality and thoughts, and you both like keeping your hair short. But don't trim your hair so soon. I want to see how you look with curly hair.

Armand: I don't look good with curly hair.

Genevieve: I don't care. I want to see it! What if someone notices that Lucian has curly hair but you don't and thinks he's not your son?"

Armand was rendered speechless by Genevieve's stubbornness but soon realized that she got it because he pampered her. Genevieve: Please? I really want to see your curly hair. Can you please just satisfy my curiosity? I love you, Darling! Mwah!

Armand's heart melted into a puddle because of the way Genevieve called her. Thus, he eventually agreed to her request.

Once he closed the chat box, he received Cooper's call. "Sally will be staying at my place from now on. Please select two bodyguards to protect Genev," said Cooper.

"What is her motive?" Armand asked.

When Sally proposed to be Genevieve's bodyguard back then, Armand knew she had an ulterior motive.

Moments of silence later, Cooper answered helplessly, "She wants me..."

Initially, Armand thought he misheard Cooper's words, but after the latter repeated his sentence, Armand immediately recalled how Sally followed suit right after Cooper left Johanna's house the day before. Trying hard to hold back his laughter, Armand said, "Well, that's great. I have to thank you for your service."

Cooper curtly ended the call.

Chapter 934

Armand phoned Steven to have the latter handpick two bodyguards for Genevieve's protection.

"One last thing, Mr. Faulkner..." Before he hung up, Steven told Armand, "I've sent the pictures of the traffic accident you were involved in that day to some experts, and they are of the opinion that this accident might have been premeditated. I'll go have someone look into it."

As though he had been reminded of something, Armand scowled and replied blandly, "Just drop that, because you'll only be wasting your time. Nothing is going to turn up."

"Are you suspecting..." Steven asked.

Armand merely went on to issue an instruction, "Let the housekeeper at home and the nanny over at Johanna's know that they are not to allow Harry into the house should he ever visit."

Initially, he had considered getting Steven to discard the gifts Harry gave to Amanda, but he thought the better of it when it occurred to him that the little girl, being very fond of those items she was given, might get upset if he were to suddenly get rid of them.

Massaging his own forehead, Armand then said, "Check the presents he gave Amanda and Lucian one more time and see whether there is anything more to them."

"Understood." Steven ended the call before he proceeded to follow through with the man's orders.

Moments later, someone came knocking at the door to inform Armand that his meeting would commence at ten. Responding with a hum, he went on to wrap up whatever he had on hand before he headed over to the conference room.

The meeting lasted until eleven, after which Armand returned to the office to resume his work.

Although his posting at the Department of Public Information was a formality for the most part and required him to only hang around for a while, he was by no means occupying that position for the sake of it. There were many matters that he needed to attend to in order to demonstrate to outside observers that he was an active contributor.

Having already been a CEO previously, Armand was no stranger to frequent work trips overseas and had thus cultivated an awareness of international developments considerably keener than most civil servants. As such, he had found the role he was expected to perform now almost too easy compared to the sort of heavy brainwork he was used to handling. The issue for him was that the tasks he had to dea with presently were so voluminous that dealing with them in repetition tended to be quite exhausting.

Feeling his vision a little blurry, Armand placed his fountain pen down and lifted a hand to lightly massage the bridge of his own nose.

Just then, there was a knock on his office door.

"Come in."

Shortly after, someone walked in and closed the door behind her. Following that, she approached his desk and placed a food carrier on top of it. "Your lunch is delivered, Mr. Faulkner."

The workers from several buildings had all headed for lunch at the cafeteria, but he had not asked any of them to help him bring a takeout.

Finding her voice to be rather familiar, Armand lifted his head to regard the woman standing in front of the desk. She was wearing a light green dress suit paired with a ruffle dress that accentuated her slender and fair legs.

Her hat and mask ensemble left only a pair of fetching eyes exposed which she used to wink at the man when she caught him looking back at her. "Surprise!"

Armand was pleasantly surprised indeed.

He pushed the office chair back a little and beckoned toward Genevieve before lifting her onto his lap. "How did you manage to sneak in here?"

"Mind you, I had strolled in very openly," replied Genevieve with a snort. "An old friend of Granddad's who also works in the Department of Public Information asked for my help with getting two bags of coffee beans as gifts for his guest. It was the elderly gentleman himself who brought me in here, and he was also the one who told me where your office is. But you know, I could always leave if you don't wish to see me," said Genevieve while she regarded him askance.

"Why would I not want to see you?" Armand brought her hand close to his lips for a kiss. "You should have called so that I could go downstairs and get you. That way, I'd be able to introduce my wife to everyone else."

"Pass." Genevieve withdrew her hand. "I'm perfectly happy to get a divorce and take the kids with me!"

Armand was flabbergasted.

Retrieving the food from the lunchbox, Genevieve took the opportunity to test her husband. "Guess which one of these dishes I made? Get it right, and I may reward you with a kiss."

"Then I'd absolutely have to take a proper look at them." After Armand surveyed the dishes one by one, he pointed toward that plate of stuffed pork loin on a whim.

"Wrong." Genevieve pretended to be upset. "You can't even figure out which one is the dish prepared by your own wife. What does that prove? It proves you haven't been paying regular attention to me and don't love me enough."

Armand's brows perked up. "How could it be possible that I don't shower you with enough attention? Didn't I spend like half the day massaging your hips yesterday?"

"You pervert!" Genevieve glared at him. "We're talking about food here, you scoundrel!"

Armand let out a chuckle, then caressed her cheeks.

Chapter 935

Something finally clicked for Armand after he helped himself to some pasta. Afterward, he turned to regard Genevieve. "You obviously made this pasta, so why did you ask me to choose from amongst the rest of the dishes?"

"Pasta is considered a dish on its own too. How could you try to put that on me when you couldn't get it right yourself?" replied Genevieve adamantly.

That rendered Armand speechless.

Feeling that the pasta she had prepared herself was a tad undercooked and hard to stomach, Genevieve decided that she was done with it after a few mouthfuls. She then scooped the remainder of what she had left into Armand's plate and helped herself to more servings of pork loin to satiate her belly.

After Armand cleaned up the table after their meal, Genevieve went to brush her teeth and also rinsed off an apple while she was at it.

Since the building employed a centralized cooling system, the temperature in the room could not be adjusted. Out of concern that the lightly dressed woman might catch a cold, Armand retrieved a blanket from a cabinet which he subsequently used to cover Genevieve's legs.

Once she was done paring the apple, Genevieve sliced off a piece of it and fed it to the man.

Armand held her close and stroked her hair. "What made you decide to drop by?"

Chewing the apple in her mouth, Genevieve mumbled. "The weather is too hot outside, so I couldn't take the kids out to play. If they stayed in, they'll surely come to demand that I take sides should they end up fighting. I've no interest in getting mixed up in all that, and that's why I thought that I might as well send you some lunch."

"With that being the case, I suppose that I really should thank you for keeping me in your thoughts," replied Armand light-heartedly.

Genevieve fed him another piece of apple, then asked in confoundment, "What's going on with Sally? Didn't she say she'd be my bodyguard? Why has she been replaced by two male bodyguards today?" "When she went to the airport that day, was she..." Genevieve sprung up from Armand's embrace. "Expressly there to see you?"

"Something came up unexpectedly for her, so she won't be able to serve as your bodyguard anymore," Armand stated.

"How did you know that? Did she inform you of this herself?" Genevieve's diminutive face grew solemn while she regarded him in wariness. "Is there something going on between the two of you?" "Stop being jealous," Armand laughed. "You know that I only have eyes for you."

Genevieve leaned over, pressed her ear against his chest, and listened to the man's stellar heartbeat.

Then, she tilted her head up to regard Armand. "Your heart belonged to Ethan, right? Sally and Ethan were childhood sweethearts and were very much in love with each other. Do you really have no feelings whatsoever toward her?"

Armand let out an exasperated sigh. "Human memories are stored in the head, not in the heart. You should really watch less of those melodramatic soap operas going forward." "I'm just curious, that's all," replied Genevieve, pursing her lips.

Armand took the small knife and apple out of her hands. "She's over at Cooper's place at the moment. He was the one who told me that she can't make herself available right now." Briefly stunned, Genevieve then widened her eyes and gawked.

"I'm not sure what Sally wants to do, but... Mr. Sutton's a great guy." Armand pulled out a napkin to help her clean her fingers. "I really have to take my hat off to him." Genevieve did not know how to respond to that.

Desiring to hang around the office to watch Armand work and also to keep him company, Genevieve went on to ask whether there was anything that he needed help with. It just so happened that Armand had received two mailed letters from Lostaria which he needed to translate into Chanaean.

The mention of Lostaria reminded Genevieve of the text Cooper sent her earlier in the day.

At around ten, she phoned Jack, but no one picked up. She then followed up with a text message to ask him whether he had any quarrels with the Carlo family in Lostaria.

Jack had yet to get back to her to date.

Genevieve received a call from Johanna at around four in the afternoon. “Hugh had just phoned to invite me for dinner, Genev. He said that his company is in the works to kickstart a major project and wants to hire me as their stylist. He hopes to be able to discuss that over the meal."

Prior to getting promoted to the top job, Hugh Cabot used to be the deputy CEO at Beluga Media. Beluga Media was also an investor in the film directed by Gustav that starred Armand while the latter was masquerading as Bruce.

"He called me just this morning himself and told me that he wants Jerry as the lead," Genevieve said.

"In that case, come by and pick me up later. We can head over there together," Johanna replied. “I'll take this job if he offers me more of the money and less of the bollocks."

"Sure thing."

Presently, Genevieve had little enthusiasm for this sort of business appointment. However, the scale of the production that Hugh pitched this time was big, which fitted Jerry, who had just signed a contract with Genevieve Orsi Productions and needed more gigs as well as a greater degree of publicity.

No proper business owner would lament about having too much money to make.

Chapter 936

"Hugh's invited a few investors and producers he knows for dinner," said Genevieve after hanging up. "What time do you get off work? Do you want to come along?" Armand glanced at his phone. "I have to join Robert for dinner with some finance ministers."

Aware that it was an important event, the woman said nothing.

As she left the information office at half past five, a bodyguard drove her to Johanna's place so she could wait for the latter to finish packing up before leaving together. Hugh had asked to meet up at Jazona Clubhouse.

As one of the most top-tier clubhouses in Jadeborough, it was located in the renowned Kushburn Alley. Many celebrities and high-ranking individuals would dine here. Being Cooper's friend, Hugh knew not to mess with Genevieve, let alone Johanna.

Despite Johanna and Timothy having been secretly married for a few years and then divorced in the past, everyone within the circle knew that the couple had a daughter whom Timothy loved to bits. He would also go home to accompany his wife and child after work.

All the people Hugh had invited tonight were reputable producers and investors.

After entering the private room and seating themselves, everyone chatted as they ate.

This project was a brilliant plan set up by Beluga Media. All the main investors and directors had been decided on, whereas Hugh wanted to have Jerry Pann of Genevieve Orsi Productions as the film's lead actor.

Genevieve knew what Hugh was up to the moment she received the script. She was no fool.

First of all, Hugh was aware of Cooper being her brother and decided to cast an actor from her company. That meant if he didn't have enough of a budget, he could still ask Cooper for some investment funds. He also knew what Armand was currently doing and was hoping to make use of his connections with the latter to gain early approvals for the film's release.

Meanwhile, Hugh had decided to leave all the designs to Johanna because of her husband's identity. Channeling some funds into a movie would be no issue for Forlisle Medical, given its wealth.

It was a well-thought-out plan, but Genevieve knew they had nothing to lose as well.

Although Jerry had faced some difficulty after his fight with Charlotte, many continued to look up to his abilities, and he still had the title of best actor. Moreover, all his followers were die-hard fans who were more than willing to splurge on anything he was involved in.

Casting Jerry as the film's lead actor would raise her production company's popularity, and more so if he were to win another best actor award.

Having read the script, Johanna leaned toward Genevieve. "I think the script's pretty good. I'll take it."

As a clothing designer, Johanna had the same aspirations as others in her field-to win herself an award and become the object of her peers' envy.

Now that she had a chance to earn some cash and unleash her creativity, why wouldn't she be interested?

Seeing both women interested in the project, Hugh magnanimously allowed Johanna to name her price, even going as far as to assure her that no investor or producer would get in her way. Halfway through dinner, Johanna left the room after a word with Genevieve.

Jazona Clubhouse was humongous and shaped like a quadrangle. Upon walking out of the restroom, Johanna glanced at her unfamiliar surroundings and realized she was lost.

Why didn't I bring my phone with me?

The woman walked along the corridor hoping to ask a waiter for help, only to find no one. Then, while spacing out, she bumped into someone.

Johanna took a few steps back before noticing a tall man standing in front of her.

The man wore a black silk shirt lined with gold thread that was tucked into a pair of suit trousers. Despite the banded cuffs and large lapels making him look like he grew up in an Epean palace, there was nothing elegant or noble about his presence. Instead, he looked dangerous and bloodthirsty.

As the man glanced down at Johanna with a pair of rarely-seen purple eyes, he let out a whistle.

"Are you lost, Kitty?"

Chapter 937

Back inside the private room, Genevieve was in the middle of a conversation with Hugh when her phone screen lit up.

It was a text message from Jack: My godfather knows the Carlo family, but they've never had any business with each other in recent years. What's up? Upon reading his text, the woman felt something amiss.

Yet, the room was so buzzing that her thoughts were quickly cast aside. Since Jack's godfather and the Carlo family never had any business with each other, there's probably no bad blood between them.

Now that Jack and Lilian were together again, Genevieve didn't want him to come back to Chanaea out of concern, so she chose not to explain anything.

She then received a phone call immediately after responding to Jack's message.

It was from Harry.

As Genevieve hesitated to answer the call, the man hung up and sent her a text instead: Hey, Genevieve. I'm at Jazona Clubhouse too. I'll be waiting for you in the courtyard. The woman was taken aback.

How did he know I'm here? Hugh was the one who chose this place, and I've only told Armand where I'd be going. Besides, it's not like Hugh and Harry know each other. Did Harry happen to see me?

She thought back to how the man was usually well-behaved and never did anything to annoy her. Most importantly, he had even shielded her from a knife not too long ago. Feeling her heart soften, the woman got up and headed to the courtyard after informing Hugh.

The antique-style courtyard was over six hundred square meters wide with a magnificent view containing man-made mountains and lakes along with fields of exquisite greenery. Genevieve arrived to find Harry standing by the lake and feeding the fish.

"Did you run into me when I came here?" she asked, walking toward him.

The man turned to her. Standing at nearly a hundred and ninety meters tall despite only being eighteen years old, he looked like a wall blocking out the light above Genevieve. "Nope," Harry replied with a grin. "I came over after tracking your location."

Genevieve stilled briefly and glanced at her phone. "You installed a tracker on my phone?"

Instead of replying, the man gazed into her beautiful pair of eyes with excitement and satisfaction.

Walking a few steps forward, he closed in on Genevieve, his mature demeanor a stark contrast to his youthful face.

"I like you, Genevieve," he declared solemnly.

Genevieve stepped back to widen the gap between them. "You only like me because you crave affection, Harry. I can treat you well if that's what you want, but please don't do things like track my location. That'd only gross me out."

There was always a pure look in Harry's eyes whenever he gazed at her.

Perhaps it was because he grew up without much love from his parents, so he needed an older sister figure in his life.

"But I really like you," the man repeated, bending slightly and placing his hands on his knees to meet her gaze. "I want you to have eyes for only me."

Those eyes of his gave Genevieve the impression that he had gone crazy, and so she turned to leave.

Suddenly, Harry grabbed onto her arm. "You have to give me what I want, Genevieve, because Mandy's life... is in my hands."

Hearing that, Genevieve turned around swiftly and stared at him in puzzlement.

"I'm not joking." The man knew she didn't believe him.

He took out his phone and showed Genevieve a program. "Do you see this tiny green dot here? It's a mini bomb I've planted inside Mandy's brain," he explained in a serious tone despite still smiling faintly. He then zoomed in on a map showing that the green dot was now located in Swallow Garden. Seeing that, Genevieve retracted her arm and left Jazona Clubhouse immediately.

After returning to her car, she hopped in right away and told the bodyguard to return to Swallow Garden.

Meanwhile, Amanda was on the carpet enjoying a bag of potato chips while watching Star Wars with her brother.

When she heard the door open, the little girl surmised that either Armand or Genevieve had returned, so she jumped to her feet.

Yet, her mother came rushing in before she could hide the chips, so she hastily shoved the bag into Lucian's hands. "It was Lucian, Mommy! He opened these chips and made me eat them!"

Chapter 938

Lucian frowned and was about to start a fight with his sister.

Yet, Genevieve came to the living room, picked Amanda up, and headed back out while asking the housekeeper to watch over Lucian.

"Where are we going, Mommy?" Amanda asked, visibly perplexed.

"To the hospital," Genevieve responded, forcing a smile and suppressing her nerves. "Didn't you say you have a sore throat? Let's get that checked, shall we?"

"Okay," the girl replied, finding the situation odd.

Don't people go to the hospital during the day? Why is Mommy in such a rush to take me there now?

Johanna called while they were on the way to the hospital.

Only then did Genevieve realize she had taken off from Jazona Clubhouse in such a hurry that she left Johanna on her own there. Thus, she told the latter that Amanda was unwell and asked her to head back on her own later.

The woman then arrived at the emergency department and requested a CT scan, citing that her child was sick.

Given that the hospital had just received a new set of medical equipment and Genevieve was well-acquainted with Timothy, the medical staff quickly tended to Amanda. Then, the scans were ready in less than an hour.

"There seems to be something inside the child's right ear," the doctor commented while peering at the film.

Genevieve gazed at where the doctor was pointing to. This was probably the miniature bomb Harry was talking about; it was barely the size of a thumb and particularly easy to overlook. He wasn't joking.

At that very moment, the woman felt as though all her blood had left her, and she gritted her teeth. "Could you please arrange for a surgery-"

Her phone suddenly rang while she was speaking to the doctor.

Seeing that it was Harry, Genevieve suppressed her rage as much as she could and walked toward the window to answer the call.

"I suggest you not to do that, Genevieve," Harry began. "Mandy's got the latest mini bomb inside her head. It's so unique that it'd explode if you try to take it out."

The doctor was already using his own phone to call any available surgeon over.

Harry sighed as he overheard the conversation. "You'll be sorry if you don't believe me, Genevieve. Mandy's going to have her head blown into pieces inside that operating room." "Shut your mouth!" Genevieve was on the verge of breaking down.

Regardless of whether or not Harry was just messing with her head, it was true that there was something inside Amanda's ear, but Genevieve was now too afraid to proceed with the surgery. Thus, she hung up and returned to the doctor. "Sorry, but I've decided not to let her have the surgery."

Amanda waited outside in the hallway and skipped over as she saw her mother exit the doctor's office.

"Are we getting some medicine, Mommy?"

"There's no need for that." Genevieve picked her up and headed to the elevator. "Let's go home."

The little girl beamed upon learning that she didn't have to take any bitter medication, but she quickly realized how pale her mother looked.

"What's wrong, Mommy? You don't look so good," she remarked when she noticed the woman's hands shaking.

Genevieve forced a smile. "I guess it was too cold inside the doctor's office, and I'm wearing such a short dress. That's why I'm shivering."

Hearing that, Amanda wrapped her arms around her mother's neck immediately and kissed the latter's cheek several times. "Then I'll warm you up!" The two returned to Swallow Garden about ten minutes later.

"What happened, Mommy?" asked Lucian. "You left in such a hurry with Mandy."

"Mommy took me to the hospital!" the little girl answered. "They even did a scan on me, but we didn't have to get any medicine.

My throat doesn't hurt anymore either."

Lucian scoffed. "It'll definitely hurt tomorrow because of all those chips you ate."

Amanda shot her mother a sheepish glance. "But I only had three, and I drank lots of water after that!"

"Three? You mean a whole bunch-"

The girl hastily lunged forward to cover her brother's mouth before flashing a sweet smile at Genevieve. "I only had three pieces of chips, Mommy. I promise."

The woman merely caressed Amanda's head in response. "I still have something to take care of, so I'll be heading out. Stay home and behave yourselves," she instructed in a shaky voice. Then, she drove out to see Harry without the company of her two bodyguards.

Chapter 939

Upon returning to the courtyard of Jazona Clubhouse and seeing Harry still standing next to the fishpond, Genevieve strode over and slapped him across the face.

She struck him so hard that her hand turned numb, and there was soon a handprint on the man's cheek.

"She's only five! Don't you know how much she loves everything you give her? How could you do this to her?" Genevieve exploded, glaring at him in anguish. "If you have something against me, direct it toward me instead! Why do you have to go after a child?"

"I'm using her to blackmail you, of course," Harry responded truthfully, his eyes laced with a hint of wickedness.

Feeling her body tremble, the woman smacked him across the cheek again, this time tilting his face to one side.

Yet, Harry merely licked the insides of his mouth, looking completely unbothered.

Seeing how furious she looked, he tried to placate her. "I was wrong, Genevieve. Don't be mad at me, okay?"

He tugged onto her hand, only for her to shake him off instantly.

In an attempt to prevent herself from losing her mind, Genevieve gripped her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. "Turn off that bomb inside Mandy's ear."

"Sure." Harry bent over and smiled. "Mandy will forever be safe as long as you do what I want."

As soon as he was done speaking, he felt something sharp being pressed against his chest.

The man looked down to see Genevieve holding a knife over his body. The sharp blade had already pierced through his clothes and skin, and his shirt was now stained with his own blood. Yet, instead of cowering with fear, he only grew excited as he glanced back up. "Are you going to kill me, Genevieve?"

"Turn that thing off, and I'll let you live," the woman ordered. She had come back under the presumption that Harry was carrying a device used to control the bomb.

If he refused to hand it over, she would kill him and then tell Timothy about this.

Even if the bomb would go off the moment something touched it, Timothy was an exceptional neurosurgeon, and Forlisle Medical provided the best neurosurgical instruments in the world. Mandy will be okay as long as Timothy has time. I'm sure of it.

Harry burst into laughter before showing the woman his phone. "Do you see this, Genevieve? There are two green dots now. The bomb inside Mandy's ear is connected to the one inside mine. If I die, her bomb will go off too."

Genevieve stared at him with quivering hands.

"I had a feeling you'd do something like this, so I figured I'd make sure my life is linked to Mandy's. What a surprise, eh?" Harry beamed. "Everything I'm telling you right now is the truth. If you don't believe me, how about you give it a try?"

He gripped her hand, pushing the weapon deeper into his chest.

There was nothing maniacal about his expression or voice, but the words he spoke gave Genevieve the chills.

Not daring to take the risk, the woman withdrew her knife forcefully to preserve Harry's life.

"You're a madman!" she hissed through gritted teeth while staring at him as though he were a monster.

Harry leaned closer in response. "Is that a compliment?"

"I'm begging you, Harry." Genevieve was on the verge of devastation and wanted to put a stop to this battle of nerves right away. "She's just an innocent little girl. Let her go. I've always been kind to you ever since we met. Why would you do this to me?"

"As I said, it's because I like you." Harry's lips curled as he gazed at her. "I want you to have eyes for no one else but me."

"And then what? You want me to keep being with you?"

The man nodded.

Genevieve laughed helplessly. "You're just like Jack Valentine. He's ruthless, but you're a complete psycho."

No matter how cruel Jack was, he would never lay a finger on Genevieve's two children.

"I know him. My mother had him with a foreigner, so that makes him my half-brother," Harry remarked. "So, which one of us is better-him or me?"

Genevieve thought back to the time they watched the sunset together. He had also asked her whether she preferred him over his older brother. Since when did he find out that he was related to Armand and Jack?

Chapter 940

Genevieve was seething, but she dared not continue running her mouth at Harry in case he were to do anything outrageous.

"Turn off the switch to the remote," she requested, taking a deep breath. "If you do that, I'll do whatever you ask."

"The bomb can't be turned off once it's been turned on."

"You said Mandy would be fme as long as I did as you asked!"

Harry shrugged. "I only said she'd be okay. I didn't say there'd be a switch to turn the mini bomb off. Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself."

The woman snatched his phone and realized that it only showed the bombs' current locations. There was no switch to deactivate them. She blinked at the screen.

Harry's lips curved upward as he saw that. "Are you thinking of getting a doctor to find out how to get that bomb out of Mandy's ear safely?"

He leaned into her ear with a chuckle. "You're too naive, Genevieve. These mini bombs were incredibly expensive to make. They don't just track a person's location; they also act as a tapping device. I can hear whatever you tell Mandy."

The man then tapped on his phone and handed it over again. "My expertise lies in computers. I can enter any computer system in the world, whether it be to alter surveillance camera footage, a citizen's personal information, the amount of cash inside someone's bank account-you name it. I won't leave a single trace either. See? There's zero information about you online."

Hearing that, Genevieve keyed in her own name on the internet, only to find other people who shared the same name as she did.

Every prior news article that had made her a trending topic was now gone, nor was there a single picture of her online.

Harry smiled again. "As to anyone who has pictures of you or screenshots of any article about you, I've made sure they'd be hit by a virus the moment they try to dig up anything related to you. The virus will automatically infiltrate their computers or phones and delete any picture of you that it finds."

Genevieve didn't want to believe that Harry was capable of doing such things, but after looking up her own name, she was indeed unable to find any news about herself.

In addition, all the pictures she had taken with her children and Armand had vanished from her phone gallery.

The woman took two steps back and stared at Harry in terror.

Even the most intricate computer system wouldn't be capable of getting rid of information from someone else's computer or phone. How in the world did he do it?

Harry beamed at her. "I'm not trying to scare you, Genevieve. I just don't want you to do anything rash. I can wipe out every single detail about a person in a matter of ten seconds and make it seem like they never existed. For example, yours, or maybe even Armand's..."

He neared in on Genevieve and continued, "I can even frame Armand as an international spy. Wow! He wouldn't just be unable to become a commissary. He might even die, you know?" The woman glared at the deviant standing before her.

That explains why he knew I was having dinner here at Jazona Clubhouse. That explains why he could hear everything the doctor said even when I wasn't standing so close. This psycho tapped my phone! The man tilted his head to one side as he saw the way she looked at him. "I know what's on your mind now, Genevieve. You're thinking of a way to knock me out and tie me up, aren't you? That way, I wouldn't be able to reach my computer, and you'd have time to save Mandy."

Then, a twisted smile crept across his face. "Unfortunately for you, I've already set up a program beforehand. If I don't get back to my computer or log in by a specific time, the program will start running on its own and wipe out all of Armand's personal details. Do you want to bet on that, Genevieve?"

Not only had he guessed what Genevieve intended to do, but he had also sent her to the depths of despair.

I thought Jack was horrible, but he's nothing compared to this guy.

In the past, she had deliberately fooled everyone into thinking she had dissociative personality disorder because she knew Jack loved her. That was why she had tried to repulse him with an unlikeable personality.

Still, it was clear that the same trick wasn't going to work on Harry.

This man was merely interested in her, so any other trait of hers would only excite him further. He wasn't afraid of playing with fire at all.

Genevieve would have slit his throat by now if she had no qualms about the risks she faced.