ВойтиThe moment Beverly stepped out the door, she ran into Evan, who'd rushed over.He knew it was unlikely, yet he couldn't help but hold out a little hope anyway. "Bev, were you—"Before the word "jilted" could leave Evan's mouth, Beverly brushed past him and headed into the elevator with Horatio.Evan wanted to go after her, yet Anna bolted out of her office and into the elevator first. She clutched Beverly's hand tightly and demanded, "Tell me what happened to Professor Reed!"The wound on Beverly's wrist throbbed with pain under Anna's grip, making her inhale sharply.The next second, Horatio pried Anna's hand off. "Ms. Graham, I already told you, Professor Reed's gone missing."The elevator doors opened, and the trio headed into the basement parking lot.Anna followed Beverly and Horatio to the car. "Well, then, call the police! What are you waiting for?"Beverly grabbed Horatio's laptop and got into the car while Horatio closed the door, firmly keeping Anna outside.A dark l
"Was he drunk?" Beverly demanded."He wasn't drinking when we parted ways." Horatio paused. "But Professor Reed has been drinking a lot lately…""What?" Beverly was taken aback by this. She knew Damien drank from time to time, but never to the point of inebriety. "I thought the research institute's project was going well. Why would he be drinking so much? Is something troubling him?""I… can't really explain it, but he's been in a foul mood lately," Horatio answered hesitantly. "Look, maybe I'm just overreacting. He's only been missing for 12 hours, which isn't long enough to file a missing persons report. Besides, Professor Reed is a grown man."Beverly ordered, "Meet me at his house right now."Her temple throbbed and a sense of foreboding gnawed at her. It was her and James' wedding day, not to mention the day they would formally accept Timothy as their godson. Damien wouldn't miss out on such an important day.This, coupled with the fact that he hadn't answered his phone la
Harvey smiled and turned to leave the room as well.Beverly stood by the window, consumed by a wave of uneasiness. She felt like a lot of things were slipping out of her control.In a hushed voice that did little to conceal her nervousness, she asked, "Honey, when are you coming over?"James checked the time on his watch. "About two hours later.""Could you come sooner?""What's the matter?""Nothing. I just… wish you could be here sooner." Cold sweat broke out across her palms, the pressure growing insurmountable. "Your parents want me to receive the guests on your behalf."James stretched his hand out the window, and the fleet of cars slowly rolled to a stop by the roadside. His gaze was clear and steady, and his handsome profile was bathed in golden sunlight. His dark eyes, reflecting the sun's rays, seemed to glitter with stars. His white shirt billowed slightly in the breeze off the sea.He spoke slowly and quietly to avoid startling Beverly, but he wanted nothing more t
When Beverly woke up, she found herself in the bedroom on the third floor. James was no longer by her side.She rubbed her throbbing temples, remembering the warmth of James' breath as he whispered in her ear before he left early that morning."Honey, take the children to the Hanson estate first. I'll join you later."Beverly touched her ear, which James had kissed, feeling as if the warmth of his lips still lingered on her earlobe.The first thing she did after getting up was call Damien. But the phone rang for a long time without anyone answering.Beverly was puzzled. After all, Damien had always cared deeply about Timothy, so there was no way he would go an entire night without checking in.She felt a prickle of apprehension.After washing up and changing, she went downstairs.Esther, Harold, and Timothy were playing in the living room. They'd been dressed up beautifully by Maya and Kathy.Esther was wearing a Princess Maryanne dress, with two small braids and a tiny crown
"What are you doing here?" James asked."Waiting for you to come back from your date," Kyle replied. Meeting James' indifferent gaze, he scoffed coldly. "What? You have the guts to do it but not to admit it?"Evan's people were following James, while Kyle's people were following Evan. So Kyle knew everything Evan knew as well. "No wonder you didn't react when I told you Beverly was with that bastard Evan," Kyle continued, anger flickering behind his glasses. "Beverly is Cipher—the top-tier hacker who can control missile processes."From the very beginning, you've only kept her by your side because of her abilities, haven't you? That's why you allowed Evan to do as he pleased and to take Beverly away again and again. You never truly cared about her. James, I thought you'd at least be better than Evan."Rubbing his brows in exhaustion, James said in a calm, detached tone, "See Mr. Dawson out."Ramon, standing by the door, moved toward Kyle.Kyle's anger flared at James' nonchalan
Kyle's sudden appearance and his move to knock Evan down startled the crowd around them.Beverly immediately stepped forward and took Esther into her arms.After rushing over, the patrolling officers stopped Kyle from continuing and helped Evan back to his feet.Evan was already worn out from a sleepless night. Now, he looked even more haggard."Dealing with Henderson Group is my sister and my matter. It has nothing to do with you," Kyle said icily. "Don't even think about using any excuse to get close to Bev. Get lost!"As Evan listened to Kyle, his gaze remained fixed on Beverly. When he saw that she remained silent, his expression darkened."Your sister?" he sneered. "What makes you think you're fit to be Bev's brother?"Behind his glasses, Kyle's eyes grew sharp and cold, his anger simmering.Beverly stepped between them, facing Evan. "My affairs have nothing to do with you. I'll handle Henderson Group myself."Just then, Maya and the others, who'd been separated by the cr







