Hansen was lying on the bed, half-naked. Upon hearing his son's complaints, he pondered for a while before saying, "It's rare for your mother to be out like this, so how can I bear to ruin her mood?"
Jepherson was taken aback. Hansen knew his soft spot and never failed to take advantage of it.
"Well, take care of yourselves then." There was nothing else Jepherson could say but to remind his parents to be mindful of their health.
Delighted that he would have a few more months of freedom, Hansen said cheerfully, "I'll pass the phone to your mother. She's resting, let me get her."
Hansen glanced at the dressing room as he lied without batting an eye.
"No, that's all right. Have fun."
"I'll be sure to tell her."
After hanging up, Hansen tossed the phone onto the bed and leaned against the headboard. He felt pleased that he finally had a say in this family after so many years.
Jenna twirled out of the dressing room in a gorgeous lilac- colored dress. "Hansen, is this dress a little too tight? Does it make me look fat?" "No, you look stunning!" Hansen gave her an approving look as he got down from the bed and scooped her into his arms.
Jenna's heart fluttered at this. After being together for so many years, he was still the same.
After ending the call, Jepherson turned to Raeleigh and said, "I've got to go. You stay here, all right? I've asked the nurses to take good care of you. Call me if you need anything."
With that, Jepherson headed for the door. He had taken a few steps before he stopped, turned around, and walked back to Raeleigh.
"Stay away from Zorion," he reminded her as he leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips. He then turned around and walked away reluctantly.
Raeleigh stood and watched his retreating figure. Somehow, she knew that Jepherson wouldn't be back anytime soon.
After the door closed, Raeleigh went back to bed. As soon as she laid down, someone knocked on the door. Scarlette strolled in, but Raeleigh didn't get up. Scarlette walked over to her and asked, "It's eight o'clock. Are you hungry?"
Raeleigh looked up at Scarlette and answered, "Hmm, now that you mention it, I do feel a little hungry."
"Come on, let's have breakfast. The doctor will be coming by to check on you later. He advised you to eat clean and observe to see if there are any symptoms. If there aren't any, we can simply conclude that it's pneumonia. If there is, things might not be looking good."
Scarlette deliberately exaggerated Raeleigh's condition, but Raeleigh didn't buy any of it.
After all, she had been in good health ever since she was a child. She refused to believe that she had an illness out of the blue.
Raeleigh sat up and threw a sharp glance at Scarlette, "I helped you yesterday, but instead of thanking me, you say such things to scare me. I won't help you ever again."
"We'll see about that," Scarlette said, sitting down next to Raeleigh and scanning her whole body to check if she was all right. Once she was sure that Raeleigh was fine, she added, "Although Mr. Jepherson can be ill-tempered, he's a loyal guy. Plus, he treats you well. What don't you like about him? Why are you acting all shy when it's clear that the two of you have already slept together?"
Scarlette spoke freely and plainly. When she was first sent to watch over Raeleigh, she had been scared out of her wits of misspeaking. Things were different now; she could say anything she wanted.
"So you're finally showing off your true colors, are you?" Raeleigh found it funny. She liked how straightforward Scarlette was; she even found her adorable.
"Don't change the subject. Just tell me why you're not interested in him. This thing on your wrist is something that symbolizes an important identity. I heard from Stuart that Mr. Jepherson put a lot of effort into getting it done. It's worth half of the Richards family's fortune.
The Richards family own a massive business and all their assets are distributed evenly among the family members. However, all of them are now in Jepherson's possession. Since Santiago is not of age yet, he is only given an allowance.
The entire Richards family is under Jepherson's control, and that thing on your hand is worth more than half of the Richards family's fortune.
Even the heavens know that he treats you well. How on earth are you still not satisfied?"
It boggled Scarlette's mind. Why wasn't Raeleigh willing to accept Jepherson?
"Scarlette, let's say you met a handsome young man out of the blue. He's attracted to your beauty and fascinated by you. He likes you very much and treats you well, maybe even better than how Hadrian does. Will you abandon Hadrian for him?"
"What in the world? That's ridiculous. Why would I leave Hadrian to be with a total stranger?" Scarlette paused for a moment after answering and stared at Raeleigh with wide eyes.
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