Cecelia let out a cold laugh. "Hah! Stanley was never around much. Now he's suddenly rushing over, desperate to see her."However, she was always respectful of Wendy. "Wendy, this is your decision. Do you want to see him?"Wendy placed her hand gently on her stomach, her gaze distant. "We've already resolved our past. There's nothing left to say between us. I don't want to see him. Tell him to leave."Halsey nodded. "Got it."She walked over to the door and opened it again. Looking at Stanley, she said, "Please go. Wendy doesn't want to see you."Stanley's voice was rough, almost pleading. "Did you tell her that I have something to say?""I did," Halsey replied, "but she said you've resolved the past, and there's nothing more to discuss. It's over."Over?Stanley shook his head, his frustration evident. "It's not over between us! Let me in. I need to talk to her myself.""She's pregnant. She needs to rest, and she doesn't want to see you. You need to respect that."With tha
When Harry made the call, Lilian couldn't help but smile. A satisfied grin spread across her face.Her daughter was finally on the brink of soaring to new heights!As Lilian walked out of the room, Edith, Trish, Archer, and Natalie all watched her closely, their eyes filled with anticipation. Edith asked, "Has Harry made his decision?"Lilian nodded. "Yes. He's making the call right now."Edith, overcome with excitement, slammed her cane on the floor. "Good! That's great!"Trish, still trying to grasp the situation, asked, "Grandma, who is Uncle Harry calling?""You don't need to ask for the details. Just know that someone important from the Capital is coming to Hovendale. We need to prepare ourselves to welcome this man!"Trish looked at Edith and Lilian, both of them beaming with excitement, their eyes shining. Though Trish had no idea who this important person from the Capital was, she couldn't help but feel a rising sense of tension. She had a feeling that this individua
Trish, confused, asked, "Uncle Harry can save Jessica? She's in Mr. Hawk's hands, and with Wendy involved, what can you possibly do to save her?"Harry remained silent, not uttering a word.Trish stepped forward, urgency in her voice. "If you have a way to get us out of this, tell us! What are you waiting for?"After a long moment of silence, Harry turned and walked away without a word.Lilian quickly followed, calling out, "Honey!"Trish wanted to follow as well, but was stopped by Edith. "Don't go after him."Trish paused, surprised. "Why?" She looked at Edith, then at Archer and Natalie. "You all seem to know something. Are you hiding something from me?"Archer spoke up, his tone serious. "Trish, stop asking. This involves Jessica's true identity."Trish's eyes widened. "Identity? What do you mean? Isn't Jessica Uncle Harry and Aunt Lilian's daughter?"Natalie took Trish's hand, urging her gently. "Enough questions. The truth is, Jessica's trump card is gone. Her fate is un
Lilian and Harry looked at Edith in disbelief. "Mom, how could you abandon Jessica at a time like this? Aren't we family?"Trish, clearly agitated, spoke up quickly, not wanting to be dragged into Jessica's downfall. "What do you mean by that? Jessica stole Wendy's identity! All these years, she's been reaping the rewards from Mr. Hawk, while you all enjoyed the benefits without sharing them with us. Now that she's been exposed, why should we sacrifice ourselves for her?"Archer and Natalie quickly chimed in, "Yes, Trish is right! We won't be going down with her! Mr. Hawk, if you have a problem, it's with Jessica, not us."Lilian felt a surge of anger rise in her chest, almost to the point of nausea. "You're all unbelievable!"Halsey and Cecelia watched the scene unfold, secretly pleased by the chaos. It was satisfying to see these people tear each other apart. Years ago, Lilian had abandoned Wendy, leaving her alone in the countryside. Now, it seemed, Lilian was finally expe
This time, Jessica wasn't pretending. Her heart really was hurting, and large beads of cold sweat rolled down her forehead.But this time, Stanley didn't even look at her. She felt like the boy who cried wolf, completely abandoned and discarded.Wendy stepped forward, looking down at Jessica with a cold, disdainful expression. "Stop dreaming. There was never going to be any surgery."Jessica quickly processed what she had just heard. "I get it now! This is all part of your plan. You knew all along I was impersonating you. You pretended to agree to the surgery, but you brought Finnley in to expose me, didn't you?"Wendy's lips curled into a cruel smile. "I see you're not completely stupid. Yes, today was all part of my scheme. I wanted to reveal your true face, to expose the truth of what happened all those years ago."Jessica's eyes widened. "You're really heartless! You're still a Crone! Why would you do this to me?"Wendy let out a short laugh, filled with venom. "Heartless? I'
Halsey stood there, eyeing the Crones, whose faces had turned ashen. She pointed sharply at Jessica. "Mr. Hawk, Jessica is nothing but a liar!"Cecelia quickly added, "That's right! The only thing you should be focusing on right now is dealing with her!"Stanley slowly released his grip on Wendy and turned, fixing his bloodshot eyes on Jessica.Jessica's face drained of color. "Stanley, l-listen to me..."Stanley's gaze was cold and sharp as he glared at her. "Alright, I'll give you one chance. Answer me: Why did you pretend to be Wendy? Why did you steal her crystal pendant? Why have you been lying to me all this time? You only get one chance to explain yourself. If you don't do it well, I'll make sure the entire Crone family pays the price!"The members of the Crone family turned ghostly pale.Edith's legs buckled beneath her, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. She couldn't let the family crumble. She simply couldn't!Jessica rushed forward, grabbing Stanley's sleeve.
Halsey shook his head in disbelief. "Mr. Hawk, you've made such a terrible mistake! Wendy's the girl from back then. How could you mistake Jessica for Wendy?"Cecelia added, "Yes! You and Wendy missed each other. And in the process, you caused her so much pain, all while being completely unaware of it."The girl from that time was Wendy.It had never been Jessica, but Wendy!Stanley's long fingers suddenly clenched into a fist. How could this be? The girl from that time was Wendy.He had been looking in the wrong direction. All these years, he had been pampering the wrong person.Wendy looked at Stanley and said slowly, "Yes, it was me."Stanley froze, his tall frame suddenly stiffening.Wendy's pale eyes slowly filled with tears, her voice thick with emotion. "I was the girl who saved you in that cave. Where did you go after that? Do you know how long I waited for you? I waited for you for so, so long. You promised me you would take me away. You said you'd give me a home, yo
Jessica reacted quickly, rushing toward Halsey. "Enough! Turn it off! Don't play it anymore!"She slapped Halsey's phone from the latter's hand, sending it crashing to the floor.Lilian moved to pick up the phone, but someone was quicker. Stanley reached down and grabbed it first.Seeing that, Jessica screamed, "Stanley, don't look at it! Don't look at the phone!"The Crones were in a panic. Lilian urgently said, "Mr. Hawk, please throw that phone away! Everything in it is a lie. You can't believe it!"Edith added, "Have you forgotten today's main goal? We're here to treat Jessica's heart! Let's start the surgery!"The Crones were growing more restless.Stanley's cold, piercing eyes swept over them, silencing their movements. He parted his thin lips and ordered, "Get them all under control. I don't want to see them moving around anymore!"Zayn nodded. "Right away, Mr. Hawk."With a wave of his hand, a group of black-suited bodyguards stepped forward and immediately restraine
Jessica, feeling the pressure of the moment, began to urge Stanley.At that point, Halsey sneered, "What's the rush? Mr. Finnley is an old acquaintance of yours, right? Didn't you get him to help rescue Mr. Hawk all those years ago?"Cecelia gasped in realization. "Wait a second, Jessica! Why does it seem like you don't recognize Mr. Finnley?"Stanley immediately sensed something was off. Just moments ago, Jessica had shown nothing but disdain for Finnley, treating him like a complete stranger.Stanley fixed his gaze on Jessica. "You don't recognize Finnley?"Panic flashed across Jessica's face. "I was just so young back then. I-I didn't remember at first. But now I do. He's Finnley. Stanley, I'm really not feeling well. Let's get on with the surgery."Lilian, too, had noticed something wasn't right. She hadn't expected such a turn of events at such a crucial time. She quickly interjected, "Mr. Hawk, we should proceed with the surgery first. They can catch up afterward."Edith