Leonard was livid. Upon seeing his anger, Claude frowned. "Does Yvonne not like the vase we sent? Does she not know their value? That's—""No," interrupted Leonard. He slammed his phone onto the table. "She's implying that if we continue to mistrust her, our partnership may end.""Why …" "It's because of Jane," said Leonard. He looked Claude in the face. "Yvonne said we had sent Jane to keep an eye on her, and I couldn't explain otherwise. She's getting bolder now. She hung up after saying her piece without giving me the chance to speak."Claude was displeased. "What's her problem? Does she think that we can't do anything to her now that she has some money?" "Indeed, we can't."Leonard's words took the wind out of Claude's sails."Leonard, aren't you … aren't you selling yourself short? Yvonne is just an immature young lady …" mumbled Claude."On the surface, she merely took over a medical institution. But in reality, she has her eye on Hope's network," replied Leonard.
Kendrick got out of the SUV, took off his sunglasses, and looked at Mark. Curious, he asked, "What was in the box you sent out? Is it something important?""Yes." Mark looked indifferent. "It's a matter of someone's life."Kendrick laughed dryly. "Interesting.""You're finally willing to show up," commented Mark. He turned and walked toward the villa. "Come on in for tea. Let's chat.""Sure," replied Kendrick. He hooked his sunglasses on his clothes' neckline and followed Mark into the villa.The villa embodied Mark's personal style. It was mainly white with black accents and was extremely clean. It looked like it lacked personality. Kendrick was a man of unrefined tastes. He didn't appreciate the villa's design. Upon entering the villa, he found it rather unwelcoming. Mark sat himself down in the living room. He invited Kendrick to take a seat. "You could let me know in advance before coming over next time.""I don't like making plans, and I believe that one should just
Mark's expression changed drastically. "How did this happen?" he barked."We … We didn't think …" His subordinate trembled in fear. "We didn't think much of it when they gave us some drinks. But after we had it, we passed out."Once we regained consciousness, the room was empty! Even the surveillance camera had been wiped clean … "Mark, those doctors weren't working alone. Someone must've had their backs!" "What will you achieve by telling me this now? Hurry up and find Jade!" ordered Mark. "Howard will visit his daughter in two days. If she isn't found by then … You lot might as well kill yourselves." Mark's tone bordered on rage.The subordinate dared not delay any longer and immediately replied, "We'll look for her right now.""Wait," Mark called out. He tamped down his anger. "Tell Howard to defer the visit by a week if you can't find her. Just don't tell him that his daughter is missing." "Yes, sir!"Mark hung up the phone. He was so furious that his ears were ri
"Do you really think you can get rid of me just with Hope?" Mark sneered. "You should know that every time you resist, it will only make me want to grab you tighter."He was hinting that not letting Howard see Jade was a warning to her. All because he was unhappy that Yvonne had taken over Hope.Yvonne naturally understood what he meant. She found it amusing. "Yes, you're right. Hope is just the start. There are other things that I want to do. Just like you said, things between us will end sooner or later. "I'm only doing this so that I will be strong enough to fight against you. After all, it'll be too boring if you're the only powerful one. "Why don't we try fighting each other to the death?" Yvonne said with a smirk.After a moment of silence, Mark suddenly bawled out, laughing. "Great, Yvonne. You're really getting gutsy!""You forced my hand." Yvonne gripped her phone tighter. "If you still want to get along with me for a while longer, you better make sure Jade is sa
"I understand." Curtis nodded seriously. "You're worried that Mark isn't letting Howard see Jade because something has happened to her.""Yes. Jade hasn't fully recovered. All these years, she has been relying on medicine. If anything were to happen to her, I'm afraid everything would go back to square one. By then, it would be hard …"Yvonne was so guilty that she couldn't finish her sentence.If something were to happen to Jade because of her, how would she face Howard? She could never forgive herself.Curtis understood what Yvonne was thinking. He patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry too much about it first. Just like what you said, Mark held Jade captive because he wanted to threaten you. He would surely hope that nothing would happen to her too.""Even if …" Curtis stopped and corrected himself."No matter what, I'll head over to the border first. Finish up your work here. It won't be too late.""But …""I think Curtis' suggestion is right," Jim said slowly."Mark i
It was so quiet in the study that only the sound of their breathing could be heard.Yvonne smiled faintly. "It's the first time I've heard that I need protection. Since I had joined Emerald Group, I had been taught about protecting others even at the cost of my life."She added, "Unfortunately, I only remember that and completely forgot about following orders. "If Mark had known about my rebellious nature early on, do you think he might have killed me before I reached adulthood?" Yvonne sounded casual, but her words made Stephen's heart ache.He released his grip, grabbed her shoulder, and turned her around.As Yvonne lifted her gaze to meet Stephen's affectionate eyes, she chuckled lightly and said, "Why are you bothered now? It's all in the past now, and it's not a big deal—"With utmost seriousness, Stephen interrupted, "Regardless of your identity and origin, to me, you're simply Yvonne, my woman. "You deserve protection, and it's a failure on my part if I make you worry
Jane was secretly pleased. She had been so engrossed in dealing with Jade these past few days that she had forgotten to report this matter to Claude and the others.With that in mind, she grabbed the phone and exclaimed excitedly without waiting for the other end to speak, "Grandpa, I've successfully completed the task. "Mark must be frantically worried now, and it won't be long before Yvonne holds him accountable!" "It's good that it's been taken care of. You should find some time to return to the manor ..." Claude coughed forcefully several times, and his voice became weak. "I'm currently in the hospital. I hope you can come and keep me company."Jane was taken aback. "What happened to you? Why are you in the hospital?""I … I slipped and fell a few days ago … I'm in great discomfort. Please come back soon." It was the first time Claude had lied to Jane, so he couldn't help but feel uneasy. However, having grown up by Claude's side, Jane knew him like the back of her hand.
Yvonne's worry about Jade's situation made her slightly distracted during her interactions with the medical corporations. Fortunately, with Jim's help, she avoided any mistakes.Later in the evening, Yvonne took a break from entertaining a visiting team. After downing a few glasses of wine out of courtesy, she went to the terrace for some fresh air. She stood by the railing, savoring the gentle breeze, and decided to call Curtis."How's Howard? Any movement at the mansion?" she asked."Howard refuses to rest. He's still keeping an eye on the mansion," Curtis replied.He moved aside and cast a brief look in Howard's direction. A sigh escaped him. "If this goes on, I worry that he might collapse before catching a glimpse of Jade.""Jade means everything to him. He won't rest until he knows she's safe."Looking up at the night sky, Yvonne added, "Keep an eye on Howard. I'll join you soon." Her eyes were filled with hints of melancholy."Please rest ass