Amidst her mental distress, Lauren had also been injected with a high dose of sedative. Hence, she still hadn't stirred when morning came. Meanwhile, Landon stood resolutely in the freezing courtyard like a lone sentinel. His entire body had gone numb from the freezing cold. Though his face had paled considerably, he dared not budge. He was close to his limit, yet the hope of Lauren seeing him upon waking kept him rooted to the spot.Why this cruel twist of fate? Once inseparable, they were now denied even a glimpse of each other. Lost in thought, Landon was startled by the sound of approaching footsteps—hurried yet firm. "I'll take you home, Landon," Jasper's voice was low and strained, filled with frustration and deep concern for his friend. "You're being absurd! There's no point in you torturing yourself like this!" Landon groaned as he lowered his frigid gaze. His face was so stiff he could barely form an expression. "You once waited outside Heightsnew Villa to beg for
"Got it," Jasper muttered, ending the call. His expression was so grim it seemed like a storm cloud loomed over him. "This timing is suspicious! Betty sneaks out to meet Zoe in the middle of the night? It practically screams conspiracy. They're clearly in cahoots over the leaked report." Landon's eyes widened with anger. He clenched his fists, slamming them onto the bed with such force it felt like he might break it."I fear your sister, Zoe, has allied with Preston in secret. She may have also informed Mr. Harper Senior privately. Otherwise, their plan wouldn't have gone so smoothly. They've likely been planning this for some time." A memory flickered in Landon's mind. It was the night he delivered the engagement invitation to Cornelius and bumped into Zoe bringing him chicken soup. She had never been so caring before. In hindsight, her sudden kindness was obviously a calculated move. "She's not my sister!" Landon repeated, his eyes ablaze with hatred. With each repetition, he
Jasper squeezed Alyssa's hand, his gaze holding a somber weight. "There's something I need to discuss with you." …In the room, Lauren clung tightly to Angelina, her warm tears soaking Angelina's black suit. "Look, Madam Lauren. I'm right here with you. I'm completely fine," Angelina reassured her, returning the embrace. Though her voice was steady, tears welled in her eyes. "Those people only wanted to scare you. You're alright now. It's all over… "Such a thing won't happen again. Nothing but happiness awaits you and Mr. Landon." "Landon and I… do we even have a future?" Lauren's voice was barely a whisper. Angelina's chest clenched at that question. She promptly answered, "Don't think like that, Madam Lauren. What happened wasn't as big a deal as it seems. Mr. Landon, Mr. Jasper, and Ms. Alyssa will handle everything. Things will return to normal!" "Angie… I'm not stupid. I know why this happened. It's because of the Harpers. They don't want us together." Lauren's lashes
Back in their room, Jasper confided in Alyssa about Zoe and Betty. He could have kept it secret, but respecting Alyssa's wishes for transparency, he opted for honesty. Keeping secrets would land him in trouble, and the thought of facing Alyssa's wrath was enough to deter him.After all, appeasing an angry Alyssa wouldn't be an easy feat. She might not even let him touch her for days or even weeks, and no words could describe this sort of misery. Alyssa listened intently, her eyes narrowing dangerously. The look in her eyes was so intense that it would make anyone's heart race. "Lauren has endured so much unfair treatment, and it's all because of her sister, Betty." In the next second, Alyssa snatched up her teacup in a fit of anger and flung it across the room, shattering it into pieces. Jasper's chest tightened. He took Alyssa's hand and examined it carefully. He then cradled it gently between his palms and comforted her. "Getting so worked up like this isn't good for your
The more one knew their enemy, the higher their chances of victory. Just like Alyssa predicted Jameson's rash move against David, she also knew Betty would be brimming with pride right now.While the rest of the Becketts reeled from Lauren's ordeal, Betty reveled in worldly pleasures. She barhopped and indulged in excessive drinking. Fueled by alcohol, she even gossiped about her autistic sister with her unsavory friends. She exploited her family's pain for entertainment, releasing years of pent-up hatred.Since Sophia's death, Betty had kept a low profile. She didn't dare to make any rash moves either. However, after joining forces with Zoe, a realization dawned on her—even without Sophia, she could still hold her own against those people. She could manipulate them as she pleased. That night, chaos reigned in the private room. Betty was engaged in frenzied dancing with a charming male model, egged on by the surrounding crowd. Intoxicated by alcohol, she shamelessly struck vari
Landon spent a single, sleepless night at the hospital. He worked tirelessly, making phone calls to arrange a press conference and contacting renowned psychiatrists and psychologists worldwide, all to secure the best treatment for Lauren.Cornelius, however, seemed determined to overwhelm Landon. He disregarded Landon's well-being and dumped nearly all the company's affairs on him. Jordan could only watch helplessly, on the verge of tears.The next morning, while receiving an IV drip, Landon received a call from Angelina. Upon hearing that Lauren was more stable, he yanked the needle out immediately. Then, he got up and headed out the door as he threw on his black coat. "Jordan, get the car!" "Mr. Landon, waiting for the medication to finish wouldn't delay your visit!" Jordan exclaimed. Landon's suffering was evident. He'd lost a significant amount of weight in just two or three days, and it pained Jordan to see him like that."I'll be fine," Landon replied tersely, already st
Landon's mind conjured images of Cornelius' cruel words, tearing down the happiness he'd fought so valiantly for. Watching Landon's face pale in panic, tears welling in his eyes, Ben felt a pang of guilt. Even so, he could only say in a low voice, "Mr. Landon, I'm sure you're very familiar with Ms. Lauren's condition. "Mr. Newton never intended to marry her off, as marriage isn't suitable for her. With Mr. Newton, Mr. Jasper, and Ms. Alyssa, she has all the care she needs for life.""Rather than being somebody's wife, Ms. Lauren is more suited to live a carefree life with the Becketts. You're not wrong, though. One could only say that this was a destined meeting, but not one meant to last."When you get back home, don't make things awkward with your family. Mr. Newton doesn't expect you to fight against them. Let's just put an end to things here. At least you've got beautiful memories to look back upon. Don't you think so?" Ben knew how cruel his words were toward Landon, who w
After a night of excessive partying, Betty was woken up by a waitress in the washroom. She didn't even have time to clean up the filth from the lower part of her body before she slipped out through the back door. By the time she stumbled out, the sun was high in the sky. It was already the next afternoon. In no condition to return to Seaview Manor looking like a mess, Betty returned to her exclusive suite at the Berenike Hotel to scrub away the remnants of the previous night. Vivid memories of her encounter with the muscular model kept replaying in her mind."Damn," she thought, "size really does matter."It was a shame she hadn't exchanged contact information with him. She would have enjoyed a repeat performance.Once cleaned up and dressed in fresh clothes provided by a staff member, Betty was once again the picture of a refined lady. She instructed her driver to take her back to Seaview Manor.Upon entering, she heard voices coming from the living room."Do we have visitors