Ch. 431..440

Chapter 431 Run!

Norman squinted his eyes slightly; doubts brewed in him as he looked at Pierre in confusion.

Pierre lowered his voice and continued slowly, “Kohlberg Group of the Kolberg Family is the only one that could rival against the Gardners. As long as Kohlberg Group manages to overthrow the Gardners, their pressure on you would be gone. By then, it shouldn’t be a problem for you to be released, right?”

Naturally, Norman knew that the Kohlberg Group was the only one on par with the Gardners.

His lips twitched for a moment before saying, “Do you have a plan to get Kohlberg Group to deal with the Gardiners?”

When Pierre heard this, he merely rose to his feet and said with a smile, “Of course. Bryan Kohlberg, the president of the Kohlberg Group, is already talking about dismantling the Gardners. There’s still a chance as long as there are no formal charges against you. What you can do now is not admit to any of the charges.”

Norman was silent for a moment. When put into such a situation, he had to try everything. So, he lowered his gaze and gritted his teeth, replying, “You’d better hurry up before my patience runs out. By then, everyone will die with me.”

Pierre laughed and reached out to pat Norman’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Mr. Clancy, don’t you worry. We’re all in the same boat. Why would I abandon you?”

Betty received the results of her full-body examination; her body was fine other than receiving a heavy dosage of drugs. Yet, based on the report, the drug had eroded her body. Nevertheless, if they didn’t flush the medication out of her body, it would eventually lead to Alzheimer’s.

Although Nicole had asked the doctor to prescribe Betty some medication, the doctor felt that the patient was too old and might be unable to withstand it. Thus, the only way was through conservative treatment.

Although she really wanted to, she couldn’t learn about what happened back then. She wanted to know why Lydia wanted to drive Betty away and why Lydia was in the hospital when Nicole’s mother died.

But now that Betty was in this state, there was nothing Nicole could do about it.

She looked at Betty, who was lying on the hospital bed, with a wry smile.

When Nicole was a child and her mother was still living in the Anderson Residence, Betty spoiled Nicole like her granddaughter. Even after Nicole’s mother left and Lydia came into the picture, Betty still stood by Nicole’s side.

Nicole had never regarded Betty as a butler but as a kind grandmother.

“Nicole.”

Betty’s voice was weak. When she raised her eyes and saw a vague figure, she immediately called out habitually.

When Nicole heard Betty’s voice, Nicole quickly put on a brave front and leaned forward with a smile on her face as she called out, “Ms. Betty, I’m here.”

“M-Madeline…” Betty suddenly seemed to change into a different person as she constantly called out Nicole’s mother’s name.

Nicole pursed her lips and kept quiet when she heard this.

Then, Betty seemed to shoot awake and suddenly shouted, “Madeline, run!”

It was so abrupt that Nicole, who was standing next to Betty, was frightened by her screams.

“Ms. Betty, are you okay?”

This seemed to snap Betty out of her trance. Once she opened her eyes and saw that it was Nicole, Betty’s face returned to normal.

“Oh, Nicole. It’s you.” There were sweat beads on her face, probably from the nightmare she had just had.

Nicole took the tissue by the bedside, gently wiped the sweat off Betty’s forehead, and then asked, “Ms. Betty, I just heard you call my mother’s name, and you told her to run. What happened?”

Nicole stared at Betty as her throat constricted as she asked the question.

When Betty heard the question, she was at a loss. She looked up at Nicole in confusion and frowned, shaking her head.

“Did I? I don’t remember.”

“You did. You told my mother to run. Ms. Betty, was there someone who tried to hurt my mother?”

Nicole unconsciously raised her voice as a hint of doubt was already starting to form in her heart.

 

Chapter 432 Break Up

Betty must have dreamt of what happened in the past. She called out for Madeline to run; what did that mean?

Nicole looked at Betty with a trace of anxiety on her face.

However, Betty’s eyebrows knitted together even more as confusion covered her face. Although she was the one that had spoken, she didn’t have the slightest memory of it. Thus, she looked at Nicole as she shook her head helplessly.

“Nicole, I…I really don’t remember…”

Nicole looked at Betty’s pain-stricken face as she struggled to find the words to say. The doctor mentioned that with Betty’s current situation—because of the medication—she would be driven mad if she were forced to remember things.

Because of this, Nicole did not dare to pressure Betty any longer and swallowed her doubts before saying in resignation, “Ms. Betty, don’t think about it if you can’t remember. Take a good rest, and stop thinking about it.”

Regardless, Betty kept slapping her head as she looked at Nicole guiltily.

“Nicole, I really can’t remember why I told Madeline to run.”

Nicole looked at Betty’s agonized appearance and hurriedly stepped forward to comfort her.

“Ms. Betty, stop thinking about it. You can tell me again once you’ve remembered.”

Betty finally nodded wearily, and her distraught face relaxed a little.

“All right. I will try my best to remember it, Nicole.”

Just as Nicole was about to converse further with Betty, she suddenly received a call from Julia. For Julia to call this late at night, so it must be something important.

When Nicole answered the call, she immediately heard sobbing from the other end of the line.

“N-Nicole…Sob…” Julia burst into tears as soon as she spoke.

She was wailing so loudly that her dignified persona was long gone.

Nicole immediately realized something was amiss and quickly asked, “Julia, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Julia sobbed and sniffled before saying, “Nicole…Richard wants to break up with me.”

Her voice was trembling as she spoke, holding a trace of grievance.

When Nicole heard this, a strange look appeared on her face. Weren’t the young couple just happy with each other before this? Why would Richard suddenly ask for a breakup?

“Did something happen? Nicole asked.

Julia had cried until her voice turned hoarse, and she helplessly said, “I-I don’t know either.”

This made Nicole frown. Logically speaking, Richard wasn’t such a person. He wouldn’t ask for a breakup without a proper reason.

Nevertheless, she was still worried that Julia might do something stupid. So, she said her goodbyes to Betty and hurried to Julia’s house.

In the darkened room, the curtains were drawn, and none of the lights were on. A woman was curled up on the couch. The air was quiet; only the sounds of the woman choking and sobbing echoed in the room.

When Nicole pressed the switch, the room instantly became lit. Then, she stepped forward and looked at Julia, who was hugging her knees as she cried herself senseless.

“Julia,” Nicole called out softly.

Her impression of Julia had always been this happy-go-lucky person. The two had been friends for many years, yet Nicole had never seen Julia this sad before.

When Julia heard Nicole’s voice, she raised her head slightly. Julia didn’t know how long she had been crying; her reddened eyes were swollen like two walnuts. She looked like a pitiful mess.

“Nicole…”

Nicole stepped forward and noticed the tissues scattered around her, presumably used to wipe Julia’s tears and snot. Nicole felt a little troubled when she regarded Julia, who was entirely immersed in her despair.

“Julia, all right now. Don’t be sad anymore,” Nicole pulled Julia into her embrace and comforted her.

Although Julia gritted her teeth and blinked, tears still fell from her eyes like a string of pearls from a broken necklace.

“Nicole, I don’t understand why Richard suddenly broke up with me. I thought we were fine—”

 

Chapter 433 Unable to Cheer Up

Nicole found it strange too. Even though she did not know Richard very well, she did spend a few days with him. As she spent time with him, Nicole could feel that Richard was not an irresponsible and flashy person. Moreover, through some details that she had observed, she could also notice that Richard fancied Julia.

For that reason, she could not figure out why Richard would call it off with Julia. Nicole felt wholly puzzled by the entire situation as she asked Julia while comforting her, “Julia, did he tell you the reason he broke up with you?”

However, Julia merely shook her head. Her face was full of confusion as she, too, did not know why Richard had broken up with her. Everything happened so suddenly. He just called and told me he was breaking up with me without telling me why. Then, when I called back, he hung up the call.

When she noticed that Julia was equally bewildered by the whole situation, she thought for a while before continuing to inquire, “Julia, was there something unusual about Richard’s behavior before he broke up with you?”

Once again, Julia shook her head, still looking perplexed. She was just as clueless as Nicole. All she knew was that a few days ago, prior to their break up, Miss Zuniga of the Zuniga Family in Durobrivae was diagnosed with a peculiar disease. The Zuniga Family had sought many remarkable doctors and medical experts, yet none of them was able to cure her. Later, when they heard Richard had returned to the country, they invited him over to their residence in the hope that he would be able to cure Miss Zuniga’s disease. But, come to think of it. It has been almost a week since the Zuniga Family invited Richard over to the Zuniga Residence. I know he is there to treat Miss Zuniga, but I am not sure what is going on with him while he is there within this period either.

“If I am right, Richard should still be at the Zuniga Residence now,” Julia said absentmindedly.

When Nicole heard the unknown name, she asked in bafflement, “The Zuniga Family? Is there any business-oriented family that goes by the last name Zuniga in the country?” Odd. I do not seem to remember that there is a family by the last name Zuniga among the domestic businesses.

Julia pursed her lips before she replied, “The Zuniga Family in Durobrivae.”

This time, it was Nicole’s turn to be struck dumb. Although I have been living abroad all year round, I still have heard a little about the Zuniga Family in Durobrivae. They are a renowned political family, and the entire family consists of high-ranking political figures. So if the Gardner Family is a plutocrat in the business world, then the Zuniga Family is a plutocrat in the political world.

All of a sudden, Nicole felt something was fishy behind Richard’s break-up with Julia.

Nevertheless, she figured it would be better for her not to come up with any speculations, considering nothing had been confirmed yet. Therefore, she could only console Julia by saying, “Julia, do not give this too much thought for now. Maybe Richard simply has his own difficulties that he is reluctant to mention. Try to think about the positives. Let’s wait for Richard’s return and think about clearing the air then.”

After Julia heard Nicole’s suggestion, she felt that Nicole did have a point. Hence, she nodded in agreement and said, “You’re right. Thank you, Nicole.”

Nicole reached out to hug Julia. Then, she put one hand on Julia’s back and gently comforted her. But, for some reason, the uneasiness kept circulating in her heart. It was like she could feel that the reason behind Richard’s breakup with Julia was not as simple as it seemed. If this affair really involves the Zuniga Family, I am afraid that I, too, cannot do anything about it.

…

The first clinical trial for the administered vaccine was a great success. Because of that, the research center conducted a second clinical trial without stopping.

As for things on Norman’s side, the evidence was already conclusive, yet he refused to relent and insisted that he was innocent.

Although he was more influential abroad, he was still a highly respected figure. Thus, the police dared not make things difficult for him during the interrogation.

For the time being, both sides could only wait patiently and see who would crack first.

Today was the weekend. The weather was fine, and the sky was blue—one would eventually feel hot and annoyed as the sun hung brightly in the sky.

Julia had been unable to get in touch with Richard ever since the day he called her and broke up with her. Unwilling to give up, she searched for him at the Jenkins Residence and the Gardner Residence. Unfortunately, whenever she mentioned Richard’s name, everyone simply told her they had not seen him.

Day by day, Julia’s mental state was getting worse. Not only that, she had also lost her appetite to the point that her weight loss was visible to the naked eyes.

Nicole was distraught when she saw Julia in such a sorry state. Therefore, she adamantly dragged her out of her house and took her out for a walk on the weekend.

Even after coming outside, Julia’s face still did not show any sign of joy at all. Instead, her face remained sullen, and everyone could tell she wasn’t enjoying herself.

Nicole looked at her and smiled. “Alright, Julia. No matter what, we are outside now. Cheer up a little. You will get wrinkles if you continue frowning the way you do.”

Julia looked over at Nicole when she heard Nicole’s teasing. Finally, she smiled, albeit a bitter one, as she said, “Nicole, I want to cheer up too, but my mind is so preoccupied with everything that it’s making me unable to enjoy myself.”

 

Chapter 434 Just a Junior

Nicole also knew that Julia was currently in a terrible mood because of Richard. So, she reached out, threw her arm around Julia’s shoulder, and comforted her by saying, “Julia, I brought you to the amusement park today so you could enjoy yourself. This amusement park has just opened recently, and I heard that there will be a never-before-seen acrobatic performance.”

Julia forced a smile and changed the topic casually. “By the way, where is Hayden? Why did you not bring him along?”

“Hayden? He is busy playing with his computer at home. Besides, my main purpose this time is to take you out and let you get some fresh air. So it does not matter if Hayden joins us or not.”

When Nicole saw Julia was no longer frowning, she eased up a little.

Afterward, they two headed inside. Yet, Julia suddenly stopped in her tracks, stood still, and stared straight ahead when they were halfway inside the amusement park.

Nicole found her behavior odd as she turned her head to look over and asked, “What’s the matter, Julia?”

Alas, she received no reply from Julia. Instead, Julia’s focus was fixated on that one spot, and her body became tense at what she had seen.

Therefore, Nicole also looked in the direction that Julia was staring out of curiosity and noticed a couple standing together while linking arms at the booth in front of them.

The man had a slight smile on his gentle face as he held some knick-knacks in front of the woman and said something to her with a smile. This man was none other than Richard. As for the woman, Nicole had seen her in the newspaper before. That is Christi Zuniga, the eldest daughter of the Zuniga Family!

“Nicole, a-am I seeing things?” Julia asked tremulously. At this moment, the two people in front of them were so intimate, as if they were a couple who had been together for a long time. Julia could not find any flaws or signs of them acting.

Julia didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she could feel her heart aching. She felt suffocated but couldn’t tear her eyes away from the scene before her as she held Nicole tightly. It didn’t take long for tears to immediately stream down her cheeks.

As Nicole watched Julia drowning in her sadness, she didn’t know how to begin comforting her.

Moments later, Julia wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and stormed forward. Nicole hurriedly followed behind her, fearing that Julia would impulsively get entangled in a conflict with the people before her.

Julia directly strode toward Richard and stared straight at the man before her with teary eyes.

In the meantime, the smile on Christi’s face faded slightly after Julia’s arrival. She glanced at Julia and Nicole with confusion and asked, “How may we help the two of you?”

Nevertheless, Julia paid no mind to Christi as she fixed her gaze on Richard. Finally, she gritted her teeth and spat, “So, this is where you have been!”

Richard looked at Julia—a cocktail of emotions flashed across his face. Despite this, he immediately restrained himself, and a smile gradually appeared on his face. Then, he pulled Christi closer and explained to her in a low voice, “Christi, I would like you to meet my junior back in college, Julia Hull, and the genius doctor who cured Old Mr. Benedict, Nicole Anderson.”

Not a single ounce of oddity could be traced when he introduced them both. Furthermore, the gentle expression he used to have when he saw Julia disappeared. There was only a dispassionate yet polite look on his face when he introduced them.

“This is my fiancée, Christi Zuniga.”

When Julia heard Richard introduce Christi as his fiancée, her eyes instantly reddened with anger. In a fit of rage, she nearly charged forward and hit Christi. Fortunately, Nicole managed to lock her down firmly by the side.

Then, Nicole pulled Julia to stand behind her and smiled at the two in front of him. “What a coincidence to bump into you today, Richard. I did not expect to see you here. But, there are still things that we need to do, so we will get going first.”

As soon as those words left her lips, she immediately dragged Julia and left.

Before the two walked far, they heard Christi’s voice. There was a tinge of doubt in her voice as she asked, “Richard, do you not think that lady who approached us just now was acting a little weird?”

Richard merely replied, “She had a crush on me during our college days, but I rejected her. Plus, there is nothing major between us now. I will avoid her in the future.”

“Oh, so that is what it is.”

Julia almost blew up when she heard what Richard had said. If Nicole had not grabbed her, she would have stepped forward and slapped Richard.

“Julia, Christi is the only daughter of the Zuniga Family in Durobrivae. Therefore, you cannot afford to offend her,” Nicole said in a low voice as she stood beside Julia.

 

Chapter 435 You’re Pregnant

Nicole’s words had dampened the burning fire in Julia’s chest. “He used to claim that he loved me, Nicole. So how could he flirt around with other girls all of a sudden? Why would he do that?” Julia cried with her teeth gritted and her face twisted in agony.

Nicole was speechless for a moment—she didn’t know what to say at first. Then, after she had thought about it for a while, she parted her lips to speak. “Julia, have you ever considered that Richard might have his reasons for doing so?”

Julia blinked, and beads of tears trickled down her cheeks as she sniffed and looked into Nicole’s eyes. “Didn’t you hear what he said earlier, Nicole? He said I’m just his classmate in university, but that woman…! That woman’s his fiancée!” Of course, Nicole heard everything that had been said. She wanted to comfort Julia but didn’t know what else to say. The truth had been shoved in their faces, and there was nothing much they could do about it.

“Does my love mean nothing to him, Nicole? I have loved him since we were in high school. If he didn’t want to be with me, I wouldn’t force him to stay,” Julia uttered with a heavy heart. Her eyes were red and swollen. “But if he agreed to be with me, why would he do such a thing? Do I deserve to be dumped by him? Do I deserve to be treated like trash just because I love him?”

Nicole immediately tried to calm Julia down when she saw the other girl getting worked up. “You shouldn’t think of it that way, Julia. Loving someone shouldn’t be that hard. You can give Richard a chance to explain the situation to you.” Upon hearing Nicole’s words, Julia curled her lips into a sarcastic smirk as she raised her voice. “An explanation? Why do I need an explanation? Do I want to hear his reason for abandoning me? Do I want to hear about how much I deserve it?”

“Julia—” Nicole was trying to comfort Julia. However, an outsider’s words wouldn’t make an impact when one was blinded by love.

“I never thought that this day would come, Nicole. What a joke! I was so happy to follow him back to the country, and I was waiting for—” Before Julia could finish her words, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed and fell toward the ground.

Nicole was shocked, and she quickly reached out to support Julia. “Julia! Julia!” Nicole cried when she saw Julia turning unconscious. Unfortunately, Julia didn’t respond at all, so Nicole had no choice but to call the ambulance. Initially, Nicole thought that Julia had fainted because she was emotionally overloaded, but after a checkup at the hospital, it turned out that Julia was pregnant.

She’s pregnant… Nicole widened her eyes. Julia has always been a chaste woman, and she is really picky with her men. She never fell for anyone else except Richard. Could that mean that the child belongs to Richard? This is like a drama series! Richard abandoned Julia and got together with Christi, yet Julia is now pregnant with his child!

Nicole stared at Julia, who was still unconscious. For some reason, Nicole felt a heavy sensation on her chest that made it hard for her to breathe or say anything. The doctor explained that Julia had already been pregnant for two months and that she had fainted because she had gotten too emotional earlier. The doctor also warned that it might threaten the fetus’ well-being if Julia were to experience such intense emotions again.

Nicole stayed by Julia’s side and waited for Julia to wake up after being on an IV drip for a while. When Julia opened her eyes, she saw Nicole in front of her. “What happened to me, Nicole?” she asked weakly. “How did I faint? I’ve always been healthy,” she muttered.

Julia was a doctor herself, so she knew her physical health well. Nicole contemplated for a moment before she decided to tell Julia the truth. “Julia, you’re… pregnant. You’ve been pregnant for two months,” Nicole announced. This wasn’t what Julia had expected. She froze for a moment before pressing her hand against her stomach. There was a bitter look on her face.

Chapter 436 I Won’t Disturb Them

Nicole was worried that Julia might do something rash, so she quickly tried to calm Julia down. “The child isn’t even two months old yet, Julia. If you… don’t want the child; you can abort it.” Judging by the situation that they were in, Richard probably wouldn’t want the child, even if Julia wanted it. The Zuniga Family was too powerful—if Richard became their son-in-law, they would never allow this child to exist.

Julia was silent for a long while. She stared at her belly for an extremely long time before finally speaking with a slight smile. “I met Richard in university, Nicole.

He was one year ahead of me, so he brought me around when I was new to the campus,” Julia continued her story while rubbing her tummy. Her pace of speech was languid, almost as if she was just starting on a long fairy tale.

“I fell for him when I first saw him. I wondered how a man as handsome and gentle as him could exist. After that, he decided to take his master’s in the same school, so I did mine together with him. We were always together at school, and I could tell that he had feelings for me,” Julia said. She sounded like she was close to crying at this point, but she clenched her jaw as she continued talking.

“When he was about to graduate from his master’s, I decided that I would confess to him. But something happened at home, and my grandfather was really ill, so I had to return to the country.

Richard and I missed the chance to be together after I left. I thought that we might never get a chance to meet again, but to my surprise, I bumped into him a year ago. My confession was a success this time, and he agreed to date me. I was so happy. I always thought that I was the happiest girl alive because our feelings for each other were mutual…” Julia mumbled.

They had known each other for nearly eight years, yet it seemed like they had lost all of that in one night. Nicole could tell that Julia was genuinely in love with Richard—Julia wouldn’t feel so hurt otherwise.

“What are you going to do with the child, Julia?” Even though Nicole felt terrible for Julia, she knew they would still have to face the problem.

Julia lowered her gaze and touched her belly once more. “I’ll give birth to the child, but I won’t use the child to threaten him,” Julia replied. Nicole knew how hard it was to care for a kid alone. Julia was a little different from Nicole—back then, Nicole had no will to live at all, and it was the child in her belly who had saved her life.

Meanwhile, Julia’s parents were still present in her life, and she had older siblings who cared for her. She was everyone’s favorite child. The Hull Family was primarily involved in the medical industry.

Although they weren’t as powerful as the Zunigas, they were a tight-knit family. If Julia decided to give birth to the child, others might spread gossip about her.

“Are you sure about this, Julia?” Nicole knitted her brows as she questioned Julia in a soft voice. But, of course, Nicole respected Julia’s situation in the end. Julia nodded before forcing a smile onto her face. “I’ve thought about it, Nicole. I want to bring this child into this world. The child probably wants to take a look at the world, don’t you think? I can’t be so cruel toward the child.”

Nicole didn’t have much to say in response, so she simply nodded. Even though she didn’t know what happened with Richard, she still had a feeling that Julia would eventually have to sit Richard down to have a talk.

“I think you should find a time to speak to Richard about this,” Nicole suggested. Julia felt her chest aching at the mention of the man’s name, and she tightened her fists for a while before giving in. “I know, Nicole. I’ll have a good talk with him. Then, if he really wants to be with that woman, I won’t disturb them anymore.”

 

Chapter 437 I Deserve Better!

Julia lay in the hospital for three days and did a full body check-up. She was a doctor who specialized in this area, so the doctor didn’t need to explain much of the procedure to her. Instead, the doctor simply sent her home after giving a few basic instructions. Julia got Nicole to keep this a secret for her, and Nicole agreed to it. She respected Julia’s decision.

After Julia learned she was pregnant, she wasn’t too critical of herself. Even though she was still dejected after being abandoned by Richard, she made sure to eat a lot of good food and take care of herself for the sake of her baby. Julia rested at home for nearly a week before Richard finally called her. He asked her to meet at a restaurant near her place.

Julia agreed and headed to the restaurant. She sat on the stool and stared at the man she hadn’t seen for a long time. While we were together, we basically spent all our time together. We moved in to stay together while we were overseas.

I can’t believe it… Julia thought about how Richard had treated the woman when she saw them at the theme park that day, and she turned her gaze away after that. With her gaze lowered, she pressed her lips together before speaking in an icy tone. “What do you want to say?”

A complicated gaze flashed across Richard’s eyes when he noticed Julia’s attitude toward him. He hesitated and thought about something for a moment before handing the menu to her. “Do you want to order some fish? I remember you saying that you liked it.”

Julia’s gaze fell on the menu. She couldn’t bear eating things with a fishy smell after her pregnancy—she felt like she would vomit if she ate any of it. “It’s fine. You can tell me what you want to say.

I’m not here to reminisce old days with you,” she replied with a frown. Richard took the menu over and ordered some fish and a few other dishes she liked.

Julia’s nose wrinkled a little when she realized what he was doing. Even now, Richard’s still as warm and gentle as ever. But his warmth is only making me feel worse.

“Julia, I hope we don’t meet again in the future. This will be our farewell meal,” Richard said as he looked into Julia’s eyes. Julia had prepared herself for such a conversation, but her expression was still stiff when she heard his words. She held her clenched fists by her sides and tried her best to look normal despite the hurt she felt. Finally, after she had managed to calm herself, she looked up at the man in front of her.

“Richard… Can I know why?” she asked.

There was a hint of agony in Richard’s eyes as he pressed his lips together. However, he managed to conceal the pain he felt when he looked at her. “I’m Christi’s fiancé now. I realized that I like her and not you.”

Julia fixed her glare on the man’s face. She would’ve never expected to hear him say such cruel words in her lifetime. “If you don’t like me, why did you accept my confession? It’s not as if no other men would date me, Richard.

I can always find someone other than you! Of course, I admitted to liking you, but you shouldn’t have given me hope if you didn’t like me from the start!” she cried.

Richard felt helpless in the face of Julia’s questioning. “I’m sorry, Julia. This is all my fault.”

Julia turned to look away as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. Her ego forced her not to step down in front of this man. “It’s not that you don’t want me. I’m the one dumping you now. I deserve better than an indecisive playboy like you!”

Richard couldn’t do anything but apologize to Julia. The waiter served their dishes, and all of them were seafood. Julia felt like puking the moment she inhaled the scent of it.

She didn’t want Richard to know about her pregnancy, so she tried her best to control her nausea as she grabbed her bag and hurried out of the shop.

 

 

Chapter 438 Is There More to This?

Julia couldn’t stop herself from retching when she got to the door. The fishy stench made her stomach uneasy. Fortunately, she managed to control herself—Richard would’ve definitely noticed that something was odd otherwise. Julia wiped the corner of her lips as she left without looking back. Even though she felt highly hurt, she didn’t want to see him again.

Richard sat in his spot without moving as he watched Julia walking away. After a while, he finally spread his lips into a bitter smile. He looked down to see a table full of Julia’s favorite dishes, and his grip on his chopsticks tightened a little.

He took a piece of the fish and chewed on it as he thought, I’ve never enjoyed eating these things. I always thought that it was terrible for my health, but Julia loved it so much. She said that raw fish like this gives off the most original taste.

Well, if I knew that Christi would fall for me, I would’ve never gone to the Zuniga Residence to treat her. The Zuniga Family… Us Jenkins are no match for them. Of course, everyone’s jealous that I got the opportunity to be the Zunigas’ son-in-law, but Julia is the only one I like.

Richard lowered his head as he thought about the Zuniga Family. Christi was the only daughter in the household—the rest of the Zunigas’ children were all males. She was the only girl, so she was extremely precious to the whole family.

At the start, Richard had no idea that Christi was the girl who had been robbed overseas. Back then, he had been kind enough to help her, but he had no idea that she was yearning for him ever since he saved her four years ago.

When Richard went to treat her illness, Christi immediately recognized him. She told him that she had fallen for him four years ago but that she had never found a way to contact him.

Before Richard had a chance to decline their offer, the Zuniga Family threatened him to make him marry Christi. Richard was familiar with the Zuniga Family’s tactics—he knew that Julia would suffer if he rejected the Zuniga Family’s request. Well, such is life. One can never say no to the ones in power.

Julia’s belly grew as time went on. She rejected all the jobs she received and stayed home most of the time. The only person she met was Nicole. Nicole could tell that Julia was trying her best to be happy but that she was still despondent deep down.

Back when Nicole gave birth to Hayden, Julia was the one who made sure that she was safe and well. So, Nicole couldn’t bear to watch Julia suffer alone.

Since Nicole couldn’t go directly to Richard, she came up with another plan—she went to see Colton instead. After Benedict’s illness improved, Colton moved out of the Gardner Residence.

When Nicole paid a visit to his house, Colton was somewhat surprised. He raised his eyebrows in amusement and teased Nicole when he saw her. “What’s this? Have you finally come to your senses and decided to offer yourself to me?”

Nicole shot Colton a glare in response to his flirty words. “Aren’t you tired of daydreaming all the time?” Colton let out a laugh as he opened the door for her. “Let’s talk inside, Nicole. If someone sees us out here, they might think that something’s going on between us.”

Nicole kept a poker face in response to Colton’s teasing, and she turned her body sideways to enter the house. Colton made her a cup of tea, and Nicole took it from him before she went directly to her main point. “Do you know about Christi and Richard?” she asked.

Colton wasn’t surprised to hear her question. “Yes,” he nodded and replied. Nicole looked up to fix her eyes on his as she took a gulp of saliva before speaking. “Is there more to Richard and Julia’s breakup?” she asked.

 

 

Chapter 439 Helpless

Colton lifted his glass to his lips before taking a sip of his drink. “Nicole, how much do you know about the Zuniga Family from Durobrivae?” Nicole stared at Colton for a while.

She was overseas most of the time, so she had only heard a few things about the Zunigas. “I know that Old Mr. Zuniga is a general,” she replied.

Colton lowered his glass cup that made a soft clink against the wooden table. He was no longer smiling at that point—instead, he was eyeing Nicole with a severe look on his face. “It isn’t just Old Mr. Zuniga who’s a general.

All of the younger generations are generals as well. Christi is Old Mr. Zuniga’s only granddaughter, and she’s the eldest son’s daughter. So you can’t afford to offend any of the men in her family.”

Nicole vaguely understood what Colton meant, and she looked up into his eyes while questioning him. “Are you saying that Richard will have to stay with Christi even if he doesn’t like her?”

Colton nodded. Richard visited him with a glum look on his face that day. In the past, they used to be able to chat and bicker with one another, but now…

It seemed as if Richard had grown a few years older overnight. If the Gardner and Jenkins Families gathered to go against the Zunigas, they would probably lose something in the fight.

The Kohlberg group already had their eyes on the Gardners. If anything happened to them, Bryan would definitely seize the opportunity to get involved. But, as much as Colton wanted to help Richard, it wasn’t the right time to do so. It was crucial for the Gardners to get a partnership with F&R Enterprise, so they would be doomed if anything went wrong.

“Richard was probably trying to protect Miss Hull by cutting ties with her. If the Zuniga Family knew that Richard liked her…” Colton didn’t finish his sentence, but Nicole was smart enough to figure out his meaning. For the first time, she realized that true love didn’t always bring two people together.

Nicole didn’t know if she was supposed to tell Julia about this. After all, nothing would change even if Julia knew the truth. Perhaps Richard and Julia can run away together, but what will happen to the Jenkin and Hull Families?

Will they suffer the wrath of the Zunigas? Any family who’s even just a little weaker than the Zunigas would have to beware of them. But, knowing Julia, she will definitely go to Richard if she knows about this.

Nicole reached her hand out to rub it with her fingers. Her head was hurting as she thought about this. When Colton saw how troubled Nicole looked, he spoke sternly.

“I don’t think you should tell Miss Hull about this. Otherwise, both the Jenkins and the Hulls will suffer.” Nicole let out a sigh. She had initially wanted to help Julia find the truth, but now that she knew it, it seemed like there wasn’t any use.

All of a sudden, Nicole recalled something. “Did Miss Zuniga force Richard into this, or was it the rest of her family who did it?” Colton shook his head. “I didn’t get to ask him about this.

But I know Christi, and I don’t think she’d force Richard to do this.” Colton had met Christi at a few parties in the past, and she seemed like a gentle and friendly woman.

“So, are you saying that the Zuniga Family was the one who forced Richard to be Christi’s fiancé?” Nicole knitted her brows. Colton leaned back against the couch as he lowered his gaze. “I guess so.”

Nicole felt her body turning weak. How am I supposed to explain all of this to Julia? She thought about it for a while before deciding that she would go back and see how Julia was acting.

At that thought, Nicole stood up and turned to Colton. “Thank you so much for today, President Gardner. I’ll head home now.” Right when Nicole was about to leave, Colton held onto her hand.

Chapter 440 You’re So Horny

Nicole turned around to look at him puzzledly. “Is anything else the matter, President Gardner?” There was a hint of amusement in Colton’s eyes as he gazed at her with his dark pupils.

“You can’t just walk away like that after paying me a visit, Nicole,” he said in a husky voice. Nicole was speechless. What is this man trying to do? She pulled her hand away as she gazed at him with a cautious look. “What are you trying to do?”

When Colton saw how careful Nicole acted around him, he couldn’t help but scoff before taking a step forward. Nicole had been in a rush to come over today, so she was dressed in a pair of flats. She wasn’t short, but in comparison to Colton, there was still a significant height difference.

The man’s slender figure was right in front of her, and although he didn’t do much, it still made Nicole feel somewhat pressured. As Colton stepped closer to her, Nicole could smell his unique scent.

He smelled like he had used some custom-made perfume, and the scent of it was faint and pleasant. It wasn’t too strong or sharp to her nose.

“I’m curious, Nicole. How many secrets are you still hiding?” Colton asked in a deep voice. They were so close that their bodies were nearly touching, and she could feel the man’s warmth as his voice traveled into her ear.

She instinctively took a step back, but Colton held onto her and stopped her from doing so. Nicole decided to play dumb as she looked up at him. “What are you talking about, President Gardner? Why don’t I understand what you mean?”

Colton chuckled as he found her act rather adorable. He lowered his figure as if he intentionally wanted to exhale against her ear, and his breath tickled Nicole’s ear. “Firstly, I found out that you were F&M Apparel’s chief designer, and then I found out that you were White’s apprentice, and now, you’re Aimee International’s investor as well.

So I can’t help but think that you’re hiding a larger secret, Nicole,” he said while moving closer to her and resting his hand around her waist. Then, suddenly, he pressed on a spot around her waist that somehow made her legs turn to jelly. She nearly fell onto the ground.

Fortunately, Colton had his arm firmly around her waist—she would’ve actually fallen otherwise. “C-Colton…” Nicole didn’t understand why, but her voice was trembling as she spoke through gritted teeth. “Let me of me,” she ordered. Colton chuckled before letting her go.

Nicole hadn’t had the chance to react to the situation, and her legs were still jelly, so she felt herself falling toward the ground once her support was gone. There’s a carpet on the floor, so it shouldn’t hurt that much, right…? This was Nicole’s first thought after Colton released her.

However, before she could collapse onto the ground, the man was kind enough to reach his arm out to hold onto her again. Nicole felt her heart racing as she leaned against his chest.

She held her head up and was about to say something when the other person’s face moved closer to her. Before she could think of what to do, he had already pressed his lips against hers.

“Mmm!” You b*stard! The words in her mouth were forced back down her throat as she couldn’t speak at all. She simply widened her eyes and glared hatefully at the man in front of her. Regardless, Colton didn’t seem concerned by her glares at all—he shut his eyes as he focused on making out with her.

His movements were gentle and passionate. After he kissed her for a while, he finally let her go. He wore a faint smile on his face as he spoke in a greedy tone. “Your lips are still as sweet as ever, Nicole.”

Nicole was rageful when she saw the shameless man in front of her. With a stiff smile, she responded in an icy voice. “You must be really horny, President Gardner! You’d kiss every girl you see!”