Ch. 1411..1420

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1411

She Became Excited Again

That afternoon, Ichika and Solomon walked to the cafeteria hand in hand.

When they walked in, all the cafeteria ladies looked at them. It was their first time seeing Solomon.

“Ichika, your husband is really handsome. Did you hide him from us because you were scared that we would snatch him away from you?” teased one of the cafeteria ladies.

“That must be the reason. This girl is smart,” said another cafeteria lady.

The cafeteria ladies teased Ichika, causing her to blush in embarrassment.

“That’s not true. M-My husband is…”

“Excuse me, may I have a portion of beef and fish. Do you have salmon? If you could pan fry it with some vegetables, that would be nice too.” Solomon saved Ichika from their teasing.

Although he did not answer the cafeteria lady’s question directly, the way he gently asked Ichika for her preference and helped her to get food showed everything.

It proved that Solomon cared about Ichika, and she did not have to fear anyone snatching him away from her.

The cafeteria ladies smiled when they saw how Solomon took care of Ichika.

Then, they went to prepare food for the couple.

Solomon’s actions touched Ichika, and she held his hand as they walked to the table. She seemed like a happy child.

Solomon arranged the cutleries for her. His mouth curved into a charming smile when he saw how happy she was.

Ichika and Solomon enjoyed lunch together. After lunch, as they walked back to the ward, Solomon suddenly looked ahead and asked, “Do you want to return to Jetroina?”

“Huh?” Ichika looked up at Solomon, still holding his hand. “Return to Jetroina? When?”

“I will be discharged in another ten days. Before returning to Avenport, we can go on a trip to Jetroina. However, that is if you want to go there,” Solomon said to her calmly.

He was not used to being affectionate with anyone.

It might have something to do with his personality. As he grew up in an unfortunate environment, it had caused him to develop a defensive mechanism to avoid getting hurt.

In other words, even if he cared about someone, he was afraid of rejection. He feared that the person would reject him if he offered his concern.

Ichika blinked innocently before him.

Is he serious about it? That’s wonderful. If I return to Jetroina, I will be able to deal with the matter concerning Himari. My family is in a terrible situation, so it will be good if I can return to them.

Ichika’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Thank you, Darling. You’re so good to me.”

Her reaction stunned Solomon, causing him to pause his steps as waves of warmth spread through his every fiber, filling his heart.

His smile deepened.

That night, Solomon mentioned the trip to Jetroina in the Hayeses’ WhatsApp chat group.

Solomon: @Sabrina

Sabrina: What is it? I’m burning the midnight oil in the company right now. What do you want?

From the tone of her reply, one could sense that she was frustrated.

However, she was not angry with Solomon. She was simply frustrated with her workload.

Solomon: Nothing much. I’m just checking whether you’re busy.

Sasha: Solomon, are you up to something?

Still, Sasha understood Solomon better. When she saw his pointless messages, she immediately knew that he had something on his mind.

Seeing Sasha’s message, Sabrina understood that Solomon had something important to say and began paying attention to him.

She looked up tiredly from her table piled high with work and started typing furiously on her phone.

Sabrina: Hayes Corporation is busy every day. You have been working here for years, so you should know, right? Stop dragging my feet, Solomon. What do you want? Please get to the point and stop keeping me in suspense.

Devin: Darling, please be a little more gentle.

Sabrina was rendered speechless.

Ichika: Sab, please don’t be angry with Solomon. He wants to accompany me to visit my family after his discharge from the hospital. Is that okay?

Ichika suddenly appeared in the chat group.

Huh? Visit her family?

Sabrina’s eyes gleamed.

Sabrina: Wait a minute! Are you going to the hot springs? It sounds like a good idea. Now that it’s the end of the year, it’s the right time to visit hot springs. Let us all go together!

Suddenly, the conversation took a complete turn and became something else.

Sasha: Yes, that’s a great idea. I want to go. I agree with this plan wholeheartedly!

Sasha was so excited that she jumped in without thinking.

As the chat group seemed lively, even the elders popped in to chat.

Mr. Wand: This sounds like a good idea. If you are all going, I’m going too.

Old Mr. Jadeson: Someone arrange this trip!

Devin: Yes. Our holiday will start on the 20th of January. We have more than enough time.

In a few minutes, the nature of the conversation changed so drastically that Solomon and Ichika looked at each other speechlessly.

Solomon had planned to go to Jetroina to help Ichika resolve her family issues.

Ichika wanted to go there for the same reason as well.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1412

He Was Caring

“Darling, have you seen the messages?” Ichika asked.

“Are you okay with them joining?” Solomon asked her back.

He did not say anything in the chat group but turned to her calmly and asked for her opinion.

Ichika was happy with that.

It meant that he cared about her and valued her thoughts.

“Of course. If Sab and the others want to go to the hot springs, the Minamoto family has access to Royal Hot Spring. Not many people get the chance to go there. The hot spring is natural and has a stunning view,” Ichika said.

Silly girl. She even offered us her family treasure.

Solomon’s eyes crinkled with a smile behind his glasses. He nodded in agreement and sent a message with his phone.

Solomon: I’ve asked Ichika. She said if everyone is free, we can visit her family’s Royal Hot Spring.

Sabrina replied with a few exclamation marks and did not say anything else.

Sasha: Sab, are you okay?

Devin: Darling, are you all right?

Even Rufus sent a message to ask if Sabrina was okay.

Suddenly, Sabrina reappeared in the chat group and shared a lot of photos there. Since she was only gone for a few seconds, everyone wondered if she had secretly gathered these photos earlier.

Sabrina: Everyone, look! I thought I won’t have the chance to see this hot spring in my lifetime. I feel so blessed.

Sasha: Sab, you scared me just now. I thought something happened to you.

Devin: Darling, I was worried too. In that case, let us visit this hot spring. Such an opportunity is hard to come by.

Rufus: Yes, you’re right. It’s all thanks to Ichika that we can go there.

Old Mr. Jadeson: What are we waiting for? Let’s arrange this trip quickly. How about ten days from now? @Devin, help me tell those old fellows that I will be busy in ten days. If they have any matter, they should come to see me in Oceanic Estate within these few days!

As expected, Jonathan was efficient as usual.

Ichika: Okay, everyone. I will talk to my parents about it. We shall set off in ten days.

Ichika gave her confirmation and put the trip into motion.

After putting down his phone, Solomon looked at Ichika again. He was relieved to see her holding her phone excitedly and rushing to call her mother.

Solomon planned to use this trip to help Ichika reconcile with her family.

He had lost his temper in the incident involving Himari.

At that time, he did not care much about Ichika, so his methods had been cruel and had brought down her family.

Now, thinking about this, he felt responsible for what he had done.

He watched as Ichika talked to her mother outside, and she seemed nervous initially.

But after talking to her mother for a while, she began smiling again. By the time she finished the call and returned to Solomon, she returned to her cheerful self. “Darling, I’ve spoken to my mother. She is happy to hear that we will be visiting.”

“That’s good.” Solomon smiled at her.

Meanwhile, at Frontier Bay, Sasha ran to the study after receiving the good news.

Sebastian was playing chess with Ian in the study.

At this moment, Ian was still against going to the research institute.

As Ian was still a child, the previous incident had traumatized him. When Sebastian mentioned returning to the research institute, Ian appeared reluctant.

Thus, Sebastian did not mention it anymore.

He had been spending time with Ian for the past two days and did whatever Ian wanted. He played chess, read books, and chatted with him about aerospace.

At this moment, Sebastian and Ian were focused on their game when Sasha came to the study. She did not know if she should interrupt them.

Unexpectedly, Sebastian noticed Sasha, so he informed Ian gently, “Mommy’s here.”

Ian was busy considering his next move. When he heard Sebastian, he looked up from the chessboard and saw Sasha.

“Mommy…” Ian called out.

“Good boy,” Sasha replied.

Then she entered the study and sat cross-legged beside Ian and Sebastian.

“Sebby, Ichika and Solomon have invited us to Jetroina to visit a hot spring. It’s called Royal Hot Spring, and usually, only the nobilities could go there. Sab said that it is beautiful,” Sasha said, and her eyes shone with excitement.

Sebastian’s eyes twitched.

A moment later, he looked at Ian, who was seated across from him. “Ian, do you want to go? I heard that Jetroina’s Emperor chose this hot spring and named it Royal Hot Spring because of its water quality. The water quality is due to the unusual magma beneath the hot spring. Some of the hot springs are even royal blue.”

“Wow!”

Ian was not the only one who widened his eyes in awe.

Sasha also turned to Sebastian with a look of excitement. “Is that true, Sebby? It sounds magical.”

“Of course. Otherwise, why is it called Imperial Spring?” Sebastian explained calmly to his clueless wife and child.

Hearing that, Sasha became even more excited about the trip.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1413

Suffer The Consequences

As for Ian, he declared his stand. “Me too, Daddy. I want to go too.”

Sebastian nodded in satisfaction. “All right, then. Let’s enjoy ourselves there first. After the New Year, you can then decide if you still want to go to the research institute or not. I won’t force you in any way.”

“All right.”

After feeling stressed over the last few days, Ian began to smile happily.

After watching her son leave, Sasha stared blankly at Sebastian.

“Are you letting him make his own decision?”

“Mmm-hmm. It’s his affair after all.”

“But…”

Sasha hesitated.

Based on her observation over the last few days, she believed Ian would decide not to go if it was up to him.

Unexpectedly, Sebastian, who was previously worried, seemed confident after bringing up the matter about the hot spring.

“Don’t worry. He will go.”

With that, everyone decided on the itinerary.

Meanwhile, in Jetroina, the Minamoto family wasn’t happy when they heard the news.

Giichi Minamoto, Ichika’s dad, remarked, “Ichika wants to bring Akiyama back? It’s one thing if she comes, but why does she want to bring him along? Does he think that we have forgiven him?”

His expression darkened at the mere mention of his eldest daughter’s affairs.

It appeared he knew that Solomon was the mastermind behind the scenes.

When Aoi heard it, her face turned pale.

This time, she had agreed to help Ichika persuade Giichi, as she didn’t want Ichika to feel sad.

However, if her husband didn’t agree, she would be in a tight spot.

“Giichi, all Mr. Akiyama did was to stand up for Ichika. He, too, couldn’t tolerate Himari’s behavior. Can you forgive him on Ichika’s account?”

“Ichika?”

The moment he heard her name, his anger intensified.

“She is the one that caused all of this. Now that she is married, she enjoys a good life over there and has no more problems with each other. But now, why is she coming back? Is she here to witness how we’re humiliated?”

“No, no.”

Aoi didn’t know what else to say.

Luckily, Ichika’s grandfather was present. When he saw his son and daughter-in-law arguing, he came over to calm them down.

“Enough. Since your son-in-law is coming over, we should still welcome him. Considering that his entire family is paying us a visit, you’d better not disgrace me.”

After being admonished, Giichi had no choice but to agree.

Soon, the news of Ichika planning to take the Hayes family to the hot spring spread to the Nogita family. When Himari heard about it, she was infuriated.

“What’s the meaning of this? After doing this to me, how can they enjoy such a welcome? What is Dad even thinking?”

She was so angry that she even criticized her father.

However, it was understandable for her to feel that way.

Ever since she was married into the Nogita family, she wasn’t allowed to return home with her husband, let alone be welcomed with such fanfare.

After all, she was considered a disgrace to her family.

But now, the Hayeses are going to enjoy the royal hot springs?

Himari raged at the thought.

“What are you angry about? If you’re upset, you should take me home with you. After all, I’m a son-in-law of the Minamoto family too. Why can’t I go?”

“You? Are you even worthy?” Himari scowled the moment she heard his words.

Itachi’s gaze darkened in response.

“I’ll be honest. You, Itachi Nogita, are nothing but an undeserving toad. If I hadn’t fallen into that man’s trap, you would never have had the chance to marry me.”

“What did you say? Me? An undeserving toad?”

“Isn’t that the case? Why don’t you look at yourself in the mirror and reflect on what you have achieved? Do you even think you’re worthy of me?”

Portraying herself as a lady from a noble family, Himari pointed at her husband in a condescending and humiliating manner.

Just as she spoke, Itachi pounced on her all of a sudden.

“Ah! Itachi, what are you doing? Let go of me!”

“Let go of you? Why should I release you when you’re my wife? Didn’t you accuse me of not being worthy? Fine, I’ll show you right now how worthy I can be!”

The next moment, the enraged Itachi tore all of Himari’s clothes off and pinned her down below his body.

“Argh!”

A piercing shriek echoed through the dilapidated house.

The screams continued from the afternoon until the sun had set. It wasn’t until Itachi was drained to the extent of not being able to move that he finally released her. With her body covered in bruises, he simply kicked her aside.

Ichika! Ichika!

Hugging her torn clothes, Himari trembled violently by the side. Her eyes that were swollen from crying were now filled with an intensifying hatred.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1414

The Affection In His Eyes

Ten days’ time flew past in the blink of an eye.

Bursting with joy, Ichika woke up early and hurried to see Grayson.

“Dr. Wallen, can my husband be discharged today?”

“Yes.”

Looking at Ichika, Grayson had a soft spot for her too.

With a wave of his pen, he wrote her a discharge sheet.

“With this, he will be allowed to leave the hospital. However, you should spend more time with him going forward. His sickness is caused by the fact that he likes to keep all his problems to himself. Hence, you should talk to him more and encourage him to share his problems. That way, he will recover faster,” Grayson reminded as he had realized Ichika was the main reason Solomon’s condition was gradually improving.

Perhaps she is the ray of light that will provide him with his salvation.

After obediently agreeing to Grayson’s request, Ichika merrily left with the discharge sheet.

“Darling, good news! You have been discharged.”

The moment the door swung open, the entire ward was flooded by her overflowing joy. It felt like the spring after a freezing winter or a light that illuminated the darkness.

Anyone bathed by the happiness she was radiating would equally be infected by it.

Solomon had already changed. When he saw her running into the ward in delight, a smile broke out on his face.

“In that case, let’s head over to Jetroina. Have you contacted your parents?”

“I have. I gave my mom a call the first thing I woke up. They will be waiting for us to join them for a meal at home.”

Ichika was delighted to have heard the earlier response.

When she called home in the morning, she could sense from her mother’s tone that they were being welcomed home. Furthermore, lunch was prepared for them. It indicated that her father and grandfather had no issues with the idea.

With that, Ichika and Solomon began the journey to her home in high spirits.

Meanwhile, in Avenport, the ones that were supposed to join her on the trip began to grow rambunctious.

Sasha sent a message to the group chat: Sabrina, are you ready yet? Sebastian said that he wanted to arrange for a private plane to fly us there. Do you want to wait for Solomon?

Sabrina replied: F*ck!

Sabrina cursed in her reply.

Devin had earlier promised that he could come over to Avenport the day before. However, he was delayed by something urgent in the army, causing everyone to be held back together.

Given that he couldn’t make it, Jonathan and Jaena naturally couldn’t go too.

Sabrina was upset that she was not able to fly in the private plane.

Sebastian texted: Tell them to wait at Oceanic Estate. We’ll pick them up from there.

Sabrina replied: What?

Devin responded: Really? You don’t have to do that.

Rufus replied: We’re all family. It’s decided then. All thanks to Sebastian’s idea.

Sasha texted: All right. We’ll leave first.

Jonathan texted: Hehe…

Jonathan beamed when he read the messages.

With that, everyone set off on their journey enthusiastically. Since it was a holiday trip, Sasha brought Wendy along with them. After all, Wendy had served the Hayes family for many years.

As for Rufus, he, too, brought Lance along.

By the time they arrived in Jetroina, it was already evening.

Sasha: “Sebby, should we give Solomon a call and see how they are doing?”

“No. There are many of us, so it’s better that we take care of our own food and accommodation instead of troubling them.”

After giving it some thought, Sebastian figured that it was better that way.

Rufus also agreed with Sebastian’s suggestion.

Consequently, their family booked two top floors in a five-star hotel in Terrandya.

Just when they planned to have dinner after checking in, Sebastian received a phone call.

“Hello, have you guys arrived?”

It was Solomon on the line.

Evidently, he had recovered significantly. Moreover, he actually took the initiative to call the person whom he had once resented before.

Sebastian was pleasantly surprised.

However, he quickly regained his composure. “We have just arrived at the hotel. What is it?”

Solomon replied, “We’re at the Minamoto residence. Do you want to join us for dinner? Ichika’s family would like to have you over when they heard you were coming, but it depends on whether you’re fine with it.”

So, he is inviting us to have dinner at the Minamoto residence.

Sebastian never liked to dine at someone else’s home. Firstly, it wasn’t in his character to exchange pleasantries with others.

Secondly, he didn’t like to be restricted. No matter how well his hosts accommodated him, he would still be burdened by the need to be cordial.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Sebastian recalled how enthusiastic the two ladies were on the plane. They seemed to look forward to having dinner at the Minamoto residence.

“All right. I’ll bring them over in a while.”

“Good. I’ll make the necessary arrangements.”

After ending the call, both men went about their schedule.

Just as expected, everyone downstairs was ecstatic when Sebastian informed them of the plan.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1415

Consumed By Jealousy

Sabrina remarked, “My God! We really are going to have dinner at their home. To be honest, other than during the wedding, I have never experienced a traditional Jetroinian family feast before.”

Sasha replied, “Me too.”

Vivian added, “What are we waiting for? Mommy, do I need to change into a beautiful dress?”

After some dilly-dallying, half an hour had passed by the time they left.

Given that Lance had never been to such a place before, he nervously stuck to Sasha’s side when he heard that they were going to have dinner at a noble family’s residence.

“Sha, what do I need to be mindful of over there?”

“Don’t worry. Ichika is there, so you’ll be fine,” Sasha reassured her cousin.

Only then did Lance begin to calm down.

After more than forty minutes, they arrived at the Minamoto residence to be greeted by Ichika and Solomon.

Furthermore, Solomon’s in-laws were also waiting at the door.

At the end of the day, they were reasonable people.

That evening, everyone had a blast at the dinner until Giichi’s other son-in-law arrived in the middle of it.

“Dad, aren’t you being too biased? I’m your son-in-law too. How could you just invite Mr. Akiyama to dinner and not me?” Itachi asked.

Dressed in a suit, he had arrived at the Minamoto residence to be greeted by the sight of the ongoing banquet.

As he crudely dragged Himari, who was dressed in a Jetroinian traditional outfit, into the hall, he walked up to Giichi and questioned him.

At that moment, tension began to creep into the atmosphere.

As for the smiling Ichika, her face turned pale as a sheet the moment she saw Himari.

“Mr. Nogita, it’s not that we didn’t invite you. It’s just that Akiyama and his family visited at a moment’s notice.”

Finally, Aoi tried to defuse the situation.

However, Itachi pressed his advantage the moment he heard it.

“All right, then. Mom, I came here on purpose to visit you today. Look at the presents I brought. Does it mean that I’m allowed to join you for dinner?”

Just as he spoke, he handed over two bottles of sake.

Aoi, Giichi, and everyone else were rendered speechless.

The atmosphere of the banquet became extremely incendiary, as if a minor spark would be enough to cause an explosion.

At the crucial moment, when Ichika caught a glimpse of Himari trembling with a pale expression, the person who was sitting beside her suddenly got to his feet.

“Darling?”

“Don’t worry,” Solomon reassured her after standing up.

After that, he calmly walked over.

“Mr. Nogita, if you don’t mind, you can sit at our table. Coincidentally, there are two empty seats.”

He pointed to where he had just gotten up from.

Indeed, there were two empty seats.

However, the two seats looked as if they were just extra seats prepared by the Minamoto family.

Meanwhile, when Sasha turned her attention to the two seats, she suddenly heard the person sitting beside her sneer.

She asked, “Sebby, what is it? Do you feel Solomon shouldn’t have invited him?”

Sebastian replied, “Isn’t it obvious that he had prepared it for them?”

“Huh?”

Sasha was dumbfounded, as the thought never crossed her mind.

Evidently, ordinary people like us will never know what goes on in the minds of such geniuses.

Just as expected, Itachi happily moved to the seat.

As for Himari, she had no choice but to follow him. Finally, despite her swearing not to look in her sister’s face again, she was forced to share a table with Ichika.

“Himari, you… Why have you lost so much weight? You should be eating more.”

Ichika still cared a lot for Himari. The moment her sister took her seat, Ichika quickly served her food.

However, Himari didn’t say a word throughout. Instead, she maintained a hateful stare at her sister. No matter how Ichika tried to please her, Himari would simply ignore it.

Consequently, Ichika felt disheartened.

“Don’t worry about it. You should continue eating. Didn’t your dad mention that he will take us to Ichigo River later? You have to fill your stomach, or else you won’t have the energy to go boat rowing later.”

Solomon coldly called out to Ichika to bring her attention back. After that, he served her a bowl of soup.

Only then did Ichika lower her head and drink it slowly.

Compared to her sister, she was a much kinder person.

Nevertheless, Himari continued to stare daggers at her, as if fury was raging within her.

“Ichigo River? Are you going there later?”

Just when she was drinking her soup, Ichika raised her gaze the moment she heard the question. She then asked with a hopeful tone, “Yes, Himari. Do you want to join us?”

Unexpectedly, Himari lost control of herself and shrieked, “How could you take them to Ichigo River? It’s a river within the royal palace’s inner courtyard. Only members of the royal family are allowed to visit. Even if Dad were to go there, he would have to seek permission from the royal family first before he could enter. So what makes them qualified to go in there?”

“I…”

“Dad has arranged this. Why? Is there a problem?”

A male voice plainly rang out.

At that very moment, tension descended upon the dinner table.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1416

Animosity

Himari’s expression drastically changed.

When she shifted her attention to the person who spoke, she was enraged to see that it was Solomon. She then dug her fingernails into the table so hard that they almost began to bleed.

She was filled with indescribable hatred for him, causing her to grimace in rage.

After all, he was someone that she had spurned but ended up proving her wrong.

Nevertheless, she didn’t dare protest further. From then on, she sat gloomily at the table until the feast had ended, not daring to do anything else hasty.

At the end of the banquet, Ichika’s grandfather announced that they were taking their guests to Ichigo River, just as expected.

Ichigo River?

Sasha had never heard the name before. Hence, she turned to look at Sebastian.

“Sebby, what’s that place? Are we going for a stroll?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Sebastian nodded as he helped Sasha put on her jacket.

To him, it was just a lousy river. At most, they would just take a walk there.

However, Sabrina’s eyes widened in disbelief when she heard about it. After all, she had done her research on the famous tourist spots of Jetroina before the trip.

“My God! Ichigo River? Did I hear it wrong? Are we really going there?”

Devin asked, “What is it? What’s so special about the place?”

Jonathan and Rufus also turned to look at her, curious as to what she had to say.

Finally, Sabrina explained, “That’s the river that the royals visit to have some fun. I heard that it is filled with rare and ancient lotus flowers. In fact, legend has it that some came from our country in the olden days. Also, the riverbed is littered with river oysters. Wherever one picks them up, one would easily find priceless blue pearls within them.”

“Blue pearls?”

Everyone was shocked to hear about it.

Even Jonathan, who had seen many treasures within his lifetime, was intrigued.

“It seems the Minamoto family is treating us as distinguished guests, considering they are taking us to such an exclusive place.”

“Yes. It’s really great,” Rufus added.

As for Sabrina, she was already overwhelmed by the excitement the moment she heard they were going there.

Half an hour later, when Ichika’s father led the entire group to the palace entrance, someone was already waiting there to welcome them.

“Thanks for waiting for us here.”

Even though Giichi was the head of a noble family, he still thanked the staff respectfully for their work.

It was evident that the Minamoto family enjoyed the special status there.

When the Hayes family realized the fact, they followed behind Giichi obediently. Soon, they arrived at a river that glistened beautifully underneath the moonlight. It looked so beautiful that one could be fooled to think it was paradise.

Only then did everyone begin to loosen up.

“Wow, Mommy! Look, there are so many lotus flowers!”

Vivian was the first one to exclaim at the stunning sight. Running up to the river bank, she saw a massive swathe of lotus flowers on the surface of the gentle river.

She was so excited that she clapped her hands in joy.

Ian and Matteo were equally delighted as they followed Vivian from behind. Even the two-year-old Jaena couldn’t contain her excitement in her father’s arms.

“Flo-wers… Flo-wers…”

Considering she was still a toddler, she could barely enunciate properly.

Nevertheless, she could recognize how pretty the flowers were.

Not knowing whether to laugh or to cry, Devin carried her over.

More than ten minutes later, everyone boarded a yacht where a variety of pastries were served.

Aoi had joined them on the trip. When she saw the food being brought out, she began to entertain her guests as the host. “Everyone, please give them a try. They are an assortment of our local delicacies. You can enjoy both the scenery and the pastries at the same time.”

Ichika leaned over to Solomon and whispered, “Darling, these have been prepared by the palace chef. You have to try them, as you can’t get them anywhere else.”

Solomon instantly froze.

As he had drunk some wine earlier, his body was feeling warm. When Ichika’s breath suddenly blew in his ear, his breathing began to hasten.

Then his entire body began to burn.

“Hmm.”

He quickly picked up a small piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth.

Soon, the yacht arrived at the center of the river. There, the children had discovered the secret of the large river oysters.

After that, they began to prepare themselves with the equipment provided on the yacht after receiving permission to do so.

“Mommy, I’ll catch one huge oyster and make you a beautiful pearl necklace.”

“Okay.”

“Mommy, me too. I’ll help you make a bottle of pearl powder so that you can use it during your facials.”

Matteo didn’t want to be left out.

Only Ian began to harvest the oysters diligently as he put them into his bag.

When Sabrina saw them, she stomped her feet at once. “Pearl powder? Facial? Do you know how rare blue pearls are? You’re just letting treasures go to waste!”

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1417

Attack

The ambiance on the yacht was extremely lively.

Behind them, there was another yacht, except that it was smaller and a lot less luxurious.

On that small yacht were Himari and her husband.

At that moment, Itachi was harvesting oysters just like a robber. If it wasn’t on the account of the Minamoto family, he would definitely have been chased out.

“What are you doing? Don’t you think you’re disgracing yourself?”

Himari was infuriated at how vulgar her husband was acting.

However, Itachi was utterly unfazed.

“What’s there to be ashamed about? Do you know how hard it is to come here? Do you think I’m here to have fun?”

“You…”

Himari’s face flushed red with anger.

However, there was nothing much she could do about it. All she could do was suffer the contemptuous gaze of the palace guards and pretend to look somewhere else.

Coincidentally, she saw Solomon stretching his hand out of the yacht to help Ichika harvest the oysters with a bag in hand.

“Darling, look at this one.”

“I know.”

Solomon beamed joyously. His affection for Ichika could be felt from a mile away.

Crack!

Suddenly, Himari clenched her fist so tightly that she cracked her knuckles. The jealousy she felt began to emanate from every fiber of her being.

Finally, the hatred she held coalesced into murderous intent.

Ichika, just you wait!

Suddenly, Ichika had her bag entangled with a lotus root.

She had noticed a huge oyster and was looking to harvest it. Hence, after receiving the tools from Solomon, she got it stuck instead of picking up the oyster.

“Ah!”

When she realized what was going on, her face turned sullen.

Just when she wanted to ask Solomon for help, her father had invited him for a drink. Not wanting to disrupt the proceedings, she decided against it instead.

In the end, she tried giving it another tug but failed to pull up the bag. Instead, the recoil from the lotus roots pulled half her body out of the yacht instead.

“Darling!” she yelled in the end.

However, it was already too late. The next moment, the small yacht behind crashed into their yacht with a loud bang, causing her to be thrown into the water.

“Mommy! Aunt Ichika has fallen into the river!”

At the crucial moment, Vivian screamed aloud at the sight.

The next moment, everyone, including Sasha, ran out when they heard the scream. When they saw what had happened, their expressions changed drastically.

Just when Solomon prepared to jump in to rescue her, Himari sprang to her feet from the yacht behind them and dived into the water without any hesitation.

That’s…

Everyone was dumbstruck.

It wasn’t until a few minutes later that Ichika was finally rescued. Everyone hurried forward and pulled them both up onto the yacht.

“Himari, luckily, you saved Ichika today. You should quickly get changed before you catch a cold.”

After she saw her elder daughter save Ichika, her tone softened significantly.

However, Himari walked up to Ichika while still dripping wet and shook her pale face. “I’ll wait for her to regain consciousness first.”

Her expression and tone at that moment demonstrated how much she cared for her sister.

Giichi also softened his attitude toward her.

Due to the accident, the cruise came to an abrupt end.

Solomon brought Ichika back to the Minamoto residence, while the Hayeses returned to their hotel.

Sabrina remarked, “Himari doesn’t seem so bad after all. At the crucial moment, she even saved her sister.”

Devin responded, “I guess so.”

Both of them were not together with Ichika. Hence, they didn’t see what had exactly occurred before she fell into the water.

Sebastian shot them a glance without stating his opinion. After that, he led the children to the top floor with Sasha following him from behind.

“Sebby, don’t you think there’s something strange about the incident? There’s just something off about Himari,” Sasha said as they returned to the presidential suite.

Sebastian sneered, “Despite Vivian being only ten, barely anything happened to her. Given that Ichika is an adult, how did she end up falling instead?”

“My sentiments exactly,” Sasha affirmed with her eyebrows knitted.

Unlike Sabrina and Devin, Sasha didn’t trust Himari just because she had seen her rescue Ichika. After all that she had been through, she knew it was done on purpose even though she wasn’t present at the scene.

Just as Sebastian had mentioned, her three children were harvesting river oysters uneventfully. Given that nothing untoward had happened to them, she wondered how Ichika could have been thrown into the river.

Furthermore, it was such a suspicious coincidence for the small yacht to crash into them.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1418

Insult To The Intelligence

When she recalled how the Minamotos’ attitude toward their eldest daughter improved, she couldn’t help but begin to worry.

“In that case, Sebby, should we tell Solomon about it? Given how much that woman likes to scheme, we don’t know what she has hidden in her sleeves this time?”

“There’s no need for that. Do you think it isn’t obvious to him?”

Sebastian nipped her idea in the bud.

After all, Sebastian was cognizant that Solomon was a lot more intelligent than the ordinary person despite being inferior to him.

Therefore, Sasha cast the matter to the back of her mind that night and enjoyed a good night’s sleep.

The next day, since all of them were scheduled to visit the hot spring, they woke up extremely early. By the time Sasha and Sebastian came down with the kids from the top floor, everyone was packed and waiting for them downstairs.

“Why are you guys so slow? Ichika has already called and told us that she’s waiting for us.”

“Is that so? Let’s hurry then,” Sasha replied apologetically.

With that, all of them set off for the Minamoto residence. Just as expected, they saw Himari and her husband the moment they arrived.

“It seems the purpose of her performance yesterday was so that she can visit the hot spring together with us today?” Sasha whispered to Sebastian who raised his eyebrows in response.

He didn’t discount the possibility, as the hot spring was even more exclusive than the lousy river. Considering Himari’s reputation was in tatters, there was no way she could get in.

Nevertheless, no one gave the matter too much thought. After getting into their transport, they headed toward the hot springs.

As for Ichika, she invited Himari and Itachi to travel in their car after having been rescued by her sister the day before.

“Himari, what would you like to have? I heard that you have the flu. I’m sorry to have caused you to catch a cold.”

Throughout the journey, Ichika felt bad when she saw Himari pinching her nose.

However, Solomon watched on without any emotion. It wasn’t until he saw Himari shamelessly receiving something from Ichika and pretending to be magnanimous that his eyes flashed with utter resentment.

Himari remarked, “It’s all right. Isn’t saving you the right thing to do?”

Hiding his contempt, he turned to look out the car window.

At that moment, he suddenly thought about Akiko who had died in his hands.

Soon, everyone arrived at the hot spring.

“Wow, this place is gorgeous! Mommy, look! There’s something sparkling in the hot spring.”

“Let me see. Let me see.”

The moment they arrived, the children rushed toward the hot springs.

Even Lance followed behind his nephews excitedly.

As for Sasha and the rest, they gradually caught up with them.

“So, shall the men have one area while the ladies have their own?”

Since Ichika’s parents didn’t join them at the hot spring, Solomon began to make the arrangements, considering he was half a host.

“No problem. Come on, Sasha. Let’s go to the one by the lake which has a higher temperature, as it’s more suited for ladies. The men will use the ones beneath the maple trees.”

The moment she heard Solomon’s arrangements, Sabrina began to make her own plans to which Sasha had no objections.

Hence, the women, together with Himari, headed to where the lake was.

Ding Dong!

When they arrived by the hot spring, Sasha’s phone received a message just before she entered the water in her swimsuit.

Solomon texted her: Sasha, help me keep an eye on Himari.

Just as expected, Solomon was suspicious of her intentions too.

Sasha eagerly acknowledged his instructions.

Himari asked, “Mrs. Hayes, what are you doing? Why aren’t you coming down? Don’t stay exposed to the air too long in your swimsuit, or you’ll catch a cold.”

“All right.”

Sasha nodded with a smile.

After that, she put down her phone and joined the other ladies in the hot spring.

The instant she stepped in, she felt extremely comfortable. When the water that smelled of minerals enveloped her body, it felt so soothing that her hair would stand on end.

What a wonderful feeling!

Leaning back against a boulder, Sasha closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation.

“Mrs. Hayes, how does it feel? Do you like it?”

Himari’s voice rang out as she swam over to Sasha’s side and settled down on the same boulder as her.

Sasha opened her eyes and glanced at Himari. “Yes. It feels good indeed. Hey, where’s Vivi and her aunt?”

“Oh, both of them went to the hot spring further down. Considering there are many pools around, they mentioned they wanted to check them out,” Himari explained.

Then she added, “However, this particular pool is the best among all. I heard that you have just fully recovered. Thus, the water here, which is rich in minerals, should be beneficial to you.”

“Is that so?”

Sasha smiled in response.

At that moment, she suddenly felt a chill rising up from the bottom of her feet.

“Mrs. Hayes?”

“I’m fine. In that case, I’ll continue to soak in the water here. Ms. Minamoto, if you want to go elsewhere, please go on ahead and don’t mind me,” Sasha replied warmly while maintaining her smile.

Just as expected, Himari’s face lit up in response.

In a short while, she left the pool Sasha was in for another one. There, she called out to Ichika, who was holding a bath towel, to follow her.

This tactic of hers couldn’t be more obvious.

Sasha pulled out a sharp silver needle from her hair and pierced her feet with it.

Instantly, the numbness in her feet was gone, allowing her to exit the pool and follow them.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1419

Plotting Against Sasha

“Himari, where are you taking me?” Ichika asked as she followed Himari out.

Considering how innocent Ichika was, she wasn’t suspicious of her sister at all.

Himari shot her a glance with an indifferent expression.

“Have you forgotten that there’s a pool that is particularly great for our skin called Rejuvenation Spring here? Previously, the royal family had sealed it off for their own private use. But now, why don’t we see if it’s open to us? If it is, you can invite Sasha to join us. Doesn’t she need it more due to her condition?”

Himari mentioned Sasha all of a sudden.

Evidently, Ichika didn’t think much of it. She was already elated the moment she heard they were looking for Rejuvenation Spring.

“All right. Let’s hurry, then. Honestly, it will be good for Sasha.”

With that, both of them headed to that particular hot spring.

Due to a stroke of luck, the door wasn’t locked when they arrived. Instead, they found it partially closed. At that moment, steam from the pool inside emitted through the gap of the door. The misty surroundings made the place feel as if it was paradise.

“Himari, it isn’t locked!”

The realization filled Ichika with excitement.

Looking as if she was equally thrilled, Himari nodded at Ichika before both of them stepped in.

“Shall we check how good the water is and see if there’s anyone inside?”

“Sure. Let’s do that,” Ichika agreed obediently.

Hence, the two sisters entered together.

Rejuvenation Spring was indeed a favorite of the royal family. Since it was closest to the mouth of the volcano, it was naturally enriched with minerals.

Consequently, it was extremely beneficial for the ladies, which was the reason why it wasn’t open to outsiders.

But on that day, both of them didn’t find anyone there at the beautiful and secluded pool.

Furthermore, they noticed that the spring was blocked by curtains that had been erected. Therefore, no one outside could see what was going on in the pool.

“I heard that those who bathe in this pool do not wear anything so that they can maximize the benefits of soaking in it.”

“Really?”

Ichika blushed in response to the suggestion.

Doesn’t that mean we’ll enter the pool in our birthday suits?

Himari added, “Yes. That’s why they have a curtain here. It’s the same reason why the guys can’t join us. Anyway, why don’t you wait here while I get Sasha.”

“All right, then. In that case, I’ll look for someplace private,” Ichika agreed to the suggestion.

With that, the sisters went their separate ways. Himari went to look for Sasha, while Ichika headed for the pool where the curtains were the thickest.

“What a fragrant smell.”

She suddenly caught a whiff of an enticing scent.

Unable to resist, she dipped her legs into the water. Before she knew it, she had already soaked herself inside the pool which was covered with pink flower petals.

Meanwhile, Himari had arrived at the exit.

However, instead of going to look for Sasha, she locked the door from outside. With an insidious look in her eyes, she quickly left the place.

At the same time, Sasha appeared from behind a boulder after watching how the events unfolded.

Rejuvenation Spring? What is that vile woman up to?

Walking up to the door, she looked at the lock which had its key removed. After pondering for a moment, she pulled out the silver needle from her hair and began picking the lock.

Click!

The lock was opened.

Sasha opened the door and entered at once.

Considering that the two sisters entered together, but only one of them came out and even locked the door, Sasha was filled with a sense of dread.

She continued forward.

Just as she walked, she suddenly saw an unexpected but extremely familiar figure.

“Lennie? Why are you here?” Sasha asked.

She was shocked to run into her cousin who was wrapped in only a towel and was suspiciously blushing.

Feeling dazed, Lance looked up when he heard the familiar voice.

“Sha? I… I came over after receiving Himari’s message. She told me about a wonderful hot spring here and said that she had invited Devin and the guys to come. However, after coming in here for a while, I didn’t see anyone else.”

“What?”

Sasha’s expression darkened.

So, it was Himari who had instructed him to come. It looks like that b*tch has gotten my cousin involved in her scheme. What is she planning?

“Lennie, you…”

“Sha, I’m really thirsty, and my head hurts. Also, my body feels very warm. I… I feel like…”

Suddenly, Lance’s bloodshot gaze fell upon Sasha.

Tightening the towel wrapped around herself, Sasha fumed, “What in the world are you thinking about? Go douse yourself with cold water at the tap right now!”

She pointed furiously at the washroom nearby.

Having not lost all sense of rationality, Lance quickly got a hold of himself.

After that, he hurried to the washroom with his face flushing red.

A few minutes later, he finally came out wrapped tightly in a huge towel. Walking up to Sasha, he looked as if he was a kid that had committed a grave mistake.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1420

As Luck Would Have It

“Sha…”

“It’s all right. You have just fallen into a trap set up by Himari. Did you see Ichika while you’re inside?”

“No, is she in here too?”

Lance was taken aback.

At that moment, the last trace of gentleness on Sasha’s face was replaced by a long-lost murderous intent.

She had assumed that Himari was just causing some harmless trouble.

However, she didn’t expect Himari’s plot to even get her involved.

Fine. Let’s see who is better at this game!

With that, Sasha led Lance out.

While both of them waited at a nearby rest area, they soon saw Himari leading Solomon, who was dressed in a white bathrobe, over.

“My sister is inside. This place is reserved for the royal family and not open to outsiders. On the account of you having just been discharged, Ichika had gotten my dad to seek permission from the royals on your behalf. Anyway, you should go right in,” Ichika said in a sycophantic manner.

In fact, she even put on a polite and gentle expression which she had never done so before.

Solomon squinted his eyes in response.

Even though he didn’t believe in Himari’s lies, he didn’t feel it was a big deal for him to enter the hot spring.

Solomon proceeded to open the door and stepped in.

The moment he entered, Sasha and Lance saw the vicious Himari take out a bottle of perfume.

She then took the perfume upstream and poured it into the spring. The next moment, they could even smell the intense fragrance from the perfume despite watching from a distance away.

“That’s it, Sha! When I entered just now, I saw the place covered in a mist, just like that.”

The moment she heard his comment, Sasha had an epiphany.

Closing her eyes, she quietly took a deep breath.

The next moment, she was well aware of what exactly was going on.

“That is a special herb. When it’s combined with the mineral-rich conditions of the hot spring, it’s mainly used as an aphrodisiac.”

“A-Aphrodisiac?”

Lance blushed the moment he heard it. After all, he hadn’t even had a girlfriend before.

When he finally got a grasp of the entire situation, he was outraged.

“In that case, Himari was trying to sabotage me and her sister? How can she be so vile? Not only did she drug her own sister, she even got Solomon to come over. What lunacy is this?”

“Or else she wouldn’t be who she is.”

Sasha wasn’t surprised at all.

Nevertheless, she didn’t get to her feet. Instead, after watching Himari pour the aphrodisiac into the spring, Sasha poured herself a cup of tea and began sipping it leisurely.

Lance asked, “Sha, aren’t we going to stop them? Himari has spiked the pool again.”

Sasha retorted, “Why should we? They’re husband and wife. Even if something happens between them after being drugged, it’s no big deal, isn’t it?”

Lance responded, “Erm…”

The innocent Lance began to blush again.

That makes sense.

“In that case, what should we do?”

“Do you see the cleaner over there?”

Suddenly, Sasha lifted her gaze and pointed to a middle-aged man who was sweeping the leaves within the hot spring area.

Lance was puzzled. “Yes, what about him?”

“Get him to come over. Tell him that I need his help.”

Sipping her cup of tea, Sasha looked like a wolf in sheep’s clothing when she gave her instructions. In fact, she even sent a chill down Lance’s spine.

Sha is really frightening.

A few minutes later, Sasha left with the cleaner. Meanwhile, back inside Rejuvenation Spring, Solomon finally found who he was looking for in the misty surroundings. By then, he was already breathing rapidly.

“Mmm.”

Suddenly, a seductive moan rang out from behind the curtain, causing his throat to tighten by reflex.

He could feel himself losing control of the burning desire from within.

“Ichika?”

“Hmm?” A soft voice could be heard.

Solomon entered at once.

The moment he did, he was struck by the sight that greeted him. Widening his eyes, he stared at the lady inside the spring and froze.

She wasn’t wearing anything at all.

Sitting in the pool surrounded by petals, she looked like an alluring yet languid vixen. With the steamy mist enveloping her blushing red cheeks, she looked at him lustfully.

Underneath the flower petals, he could already feel her little hands fondling his body.

Solomon was about to lose his mind.

As his gaze darkened, he could feel his blood rushing into his head. The next moment, he snapped with a raspy voice, “What are you doing? Put on your clothes and come out.”

“Darling…”

However, Ichika disobeyed him this time.

After calling out to him again, she suddenly stood up from the hot spring.

Splash!

In the next instant, Solomon’s eyes opened wide.