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The middle-aged woman continued, “You’re late. If you were here a few days earlier, you could’ve gotten back some of the money.”

“Thanks,” said Jessica before leaving.

Did he actually cause the professional scammer couple to be locked up? Looks like he’s the only person who will help me. I guess I owe him another favor then. Riley, Danny, and his wife… He has already dealt with these people. However, Jessica was not the slightest bit happy. Instead, there was an emptiness in her heart.

She looked toward the gloomy sky. It was drizzling. Just like her current emotions, it was as if there were no signs of hope.

Do I still have hope?

After spring, everything, including Jessica’s life, calmed down. It was as if nothing much had changed. However, her plan had been developing smoothly, thanks to her effort. She was only waiting for the right time to begin the attack. The peaceful stock market was about to face a bloody war. Meanwhile, in a bleak, dirty alley, was a nameless café that had very few customers.

Its only regulars were a couple.

Yonah drank his coffee as he tried his best to hide the excitement on his face.

As soon as Jessica entered and had taken her seat, the person in front of her said excitedly, “Jess, you’re such a genius! The stock has risen again! Now, more people are coming to me for advice. When shall we begin with our plan?”

Yonah couldn’t wait any longer.

“We can begin now.”

Yonah had been waiting for the moment when he could make a bold move in the financial market.

He laughed happily. “I have been waiting for you to say this.”

Then something came to his mind. “For the past two months, I have earned a commission of about 450 thousand dollars. With the investment’s earnings, that would total up to about 1 million dollars. We should divide this among us. Give me your bank details, and I shall transfer it to you.”

Jessica gulped her fruit juice and said softly, “There’s no need for that. Instead, use the money to build an elementary school for the less privileged. Name it Sunnyside School.”

“But that’s worth about 600 thousand dollars!” Yonah couldn’t help but exclaim.

It’s such a waste to donate it all just like that.

“Just donate it.”

Seeing her emotionless face, Yonah had no choice but to accept her decision.

He had not achieved the state of being able to simply give away such a large sum of money.

“Okay.”

“Get someone else to do it. I need you to focus on the stock market in the coming months.”

“Got it.”

As soon as Jessica left the café, Yonah immediately called up a few company directors he knew from the stock

market. He also reached out to some regular investors from well-established families who had been involved in the stock market for some time.

The wealthy investors were Yonah’s first pick as partners; investors with little capital were practically non-existent to him.

For the past two to three months, he had been worshipped by the people around him. It made him forget that they once looked down on him.

In less than an hour, after Yonah had spread the news, many people started contacting him.

Some of them had earned a large profit by following Yonah’s investment tips.

Meanwhile, the others decided to invest without

hesitation after hearing rumors of Yonah’s brilliance and witnessing their friends earning a huge sum of money from the stock market.

“Honey, are you sure this man can be trusted?” A couple who were dressed in branded clothes were standing outside of Yonah’s office.

“Don’t worry. It’s Yonah. You know him, right? He’s the Stock God who earned more than 150 thousand dollars. Why should I miss the opportunity when he’s willing to guide me this time? I hesitated previously and lost the chance to earn more than 150 thousand dollars. This time, I’m going to follow everything he says.”

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The middle-aged woman was also attracted by the large profit and decided to ignore her concerns.

As soon as they entered the office, a staff member handed them a disclaimer form for them to fill in.

The middle-aged woman was displeased upon seeing the form and frowned. “Once we’ve signed this, does that mean that he is not responsible for anything that happens?”

“Well, you can choose not to sign it. Just take your money and leave. In fact, there are others who can’t wait to get it signed,” the staff said arrogantly.

The duo was slightly angry but did not dare to talk back. After all, nobody would be able to resist the financial temptation.

The middle-aged man summoned his courage and signed the form.

Then the staff said, “Just transfer your money into this account and you may leave.”

“Aren’t you going to give us a receipt?” the wife asked.

“It shall be given once the transfer is successful,” the staff replied with an impatient expression.

“Okay.”

Just as the couple was about to make the transfer, the staff added, “We do not accept transfers lower than 150 thousand dollars.”

“Yes, we know.”

As soon as they made the transfer, the middle-aged man asked politely, “Is Mr. Yonah free at the moment? I was hoping to meet him to discuss some things.”

The staff flashed an impatient look and said, “Mr. Yonah is a busy man. He does not have time to meet you both. Please leave if you have no further business.”

As soon as the couple left, the staff muttered to herself,” They’ve only invested 150 thousand dollars. How dare they ask so many questions and even request to meet Mr. Yonah with such a small investment?”

Just then, the office’s main door swung open and Yonah walked in.

The staff immediately put on a different expression, adjusted her posture, and approached Yonah. She bowed intentionally so that her cleavage was revealed slightly and then greeted in a playful manner, “Hello, Mr. Yonah.”

Yonah’s gaze flashed across her chest, and he quickly put on a calm expression. “How much funds do we have now?” “It has reached 10 million dollars,” the staff answered sweetly.

“Let’s stop once we’ve reached 15 million dollars.”

It has only been three days and we’ve already gained about 10 million dollars. Looks like the title of being a Stock God has been quite useful.

“Okay.”

Five days later, Yonah carried a large sum of money to the stock exchange market and invested it all into two specific stocks that were mentioned by Jessica.

In the beginning, there was a steady growth in the stocks, causing Yonah to be very confident with them.

After a week, the stocks that had been steadily growing had their first slight decline.

However, Yonah was not worried because it was normal to see fluctuations in stock prices.

He continued to live his extravagant life by going to hotels to meet up with various company directors and getting different girls to accompany him every day.

This was the type of life he had never gotten to experience. Yonah felt as if he was starting to climb to the peak of his life. What he didn’t know was that this was the beginning of his downfall.

On the afternoon of the third day, the stocks suddenly dropped to their lowest point.

Yonah was shocked, and he quickly gave Jessica a call.

“Jess, the two stocks have plummeted. Should we sell them off?” Yonah asked in a panic.

The person on the other end of the phone said calmly, “Don’t worry. I have a feeling that it will increase rapidly after this.”

“Really?”

“I have a strong feeling about this.”

Yonah felt a sense of relief after hearing this as he trusted Jessica’s sixth sense.

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“No matter what happens, don’t sell it off. Remember. Never sell them off,” Jessica reminded sternly.

“Okay.” Yonah nodded.

For the next few days, Yonah kept his eyes fixed on the stock market, only to see all the stock prices declining rapidly. Meanwhile, the two stocks he invested in had reached an all-time low.

When he saw that he was slowly losing his funds, he started to panic again.

He dialed Jessica’s number with his trembling hand. “Jess, they have reached the lowest price again. If I keep up with this, I will lose everything. I’m flooded with questions from the investors. I don’t think we can put up with this any longer.”

It will be a disaster if the investors get mad. I don’t know how shall I deal with it.

“Don’t worry, there will be a rise. Tell them that the two stocks you’ve invested in will rise. The drop is only because the stock market is in a bad situation. Once this is over, they will continue to rise.”

“Really?” Yonah was still doubtful.

“If you panic over such a small thing, how are you going to do bigger things in the future? It’s just 15 million dollars. There’s no need to panic. Remember, you’re the Stock God. No one is more powerful than you,” Jessica said, deluding him.

“You’re right. I am the Stock God.” Yonah brainwashed himself. His anxious expression melted, and he was immediately filled with confidence.

“That’s right. Keep up with this confidence.”

Surprisingly, Yonah also used the same method to garner the investors’ trust.

Of course, some were still worried. Hence, they took the opportunity to make him so drunk that he blabbered out the names of the two stocks.

At first, only three of them knew about it. Then, more people came to know about the stock that was bought with their funds.

For the next few days, every investor paid close attention to the stock price.

Unfortunately, there was no miracle. Even after hitting the lowest price for three consecutive days, it continued to drop while the other stocks rose. It was a disaster.

The investors came flooding into Yonah’s office and surrounded him.

“Return our money!”

“Give it back.”

Blood drained from Yonah’s face as he was faced with the furious investors. He put on a brave front and said, “Trust me. It’s all a phase. Soon, the stocks will rise and everyone shall earn a share of the profits.”

“When are you going to stop lying to us?” asked the middle-aged man who came to Yonah’s office to process his investments previously. His face was flushing with anger. “You’ve all got to trust me. It will rise.” Yonah tried his best to convince them, but no one was willing to believe him because he said the same thing too many times.

“Then tell us, when will it rise?”

Left with no choice, Yonah said, “Next month. It will rise from next month onwards.”

As soon as Yonah finished his sentence, someone in the group received the latest news, and his expression immediately changed. He pointed at Yonah and yelled, “He’s lying! The two companies have been declared bankrupt. Our money is gone. It’s gone.”

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.

They were so furious that they had practically lost their minds.

Someone in the crowd yelled, “Let’s beat up this liar!”

It was as if the crowd had received an order. They immediately pushed the two security guards away and dragged Yonah out to beat him up.

“No. Stop. Please don’t! I wasn’t lying to all of you!” His voice was drowned in the angry shouts.

Nobody was willing to believe him anymore. Besides, they were too furious to control their anger.

Twenty minutes later, Yonah’s face was covered in blood. There were bruises all over him, and he looked as if he was run over by a car. He was in so much pain that he could not move.

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Yonah opened his mouth, and his front tooth moved. Then he spat out a mouthful of blood, only to find that a few teeth had come out as well.

“Get out of the way.”

Suddenly, someone charged from the back of the crowd with a knife in his hand.

Yonah was so frightened that he yelled, “I’m not the Stock God! Someone else is! She’s the one who has your money.” The man with the knife grabbed Yonah by his collar and lifted him up. “What did you say? Explain yourself. If you’re not the Stock God, then who is? Exactly who is holding onto our money?”

Although everyone was shocked, they felt slightly hopeful. The frightened Yonah looked at the murderous-looking investors and said with caution, “It’s Ms. Jessica from the Larson family. She is the real Stock God. I am just her puppet. If you want your money, look for her.”

Just like that, he had put all the blame on Jessica.

Since the Larson family is so wealthy, they are definitely able to whip up 15 million dollars to compensate them. Anyway, I am telling the truth. Jessica is the Stock God. “Why should we even believe you?” someone questioned. Yonah immediately replied, “I can prove it to you. I’ll give her a call in front of everyone and you can hear it for yourselves.”

“Okay, do it. If she can prove that you’re right, we will let you go.”

The investors were already plotting something at the back of their heads.

Instead of asking an ordinary man to compensate us, it’s even better to have a large enterprise owner’s daughter do so. That way, we are guaranteed to get our money back.

Everyone calmed themselves.

Under the stares of the crowd, Yonah dialed Jessica’s number with his trembling fingers. A female voice from an automated reply immediately traveled through the speakers.

“Hello, the number you’ve dialed does not exist. Please try again.”

Suddenly, there was a tense atmosphere.

Yonah’s expression changed. His voice trembled as he said slowly, “I-I might have called the wrong number. L…- Let me try again.”

As soon as the second call connected, the cold automated voice replied again.

The atmosphere turned even tenser.

Yonah was on the verge of tears as he faced the terrifying glares from the investors. “P-Please hear me out. It’s true. Ms. Jessica from the Larson family is the Stock God. She has your money, not me.”

Yonah kept convincing himself in his mind.

This has nothing to do with me. It’s all Jessica’s fault. It’s all her fault.

“Evidence. We want to see some evidence.”

They were actually hoping that the daughter of Larson Group was the person behind all this. That way, they would be able to get their money back.

However, it would be impossible for them to demand this without any evidence. No one would admit their wrongdoings without any proof.

An idea suddenly came to Yonah, and he said hurriedly,” Yes, yes. I am the evidence. In fact, I am your best evidence. I can be your witness. Your money is all with her.”

Most of the investors became silent. Then, a chubby middle-aged man blurted, “I suspect the Larson family invested all our money. They must have worked with this liar to scam us of our money.”

Then another person immediately added, “Yes, I agree. This must be the case. The Larson family must have taken our money. We should demand it back from them.”

The others also caught on and said, “Let’s go get our money back from the Larson family. Let’s go.”

Together, the group of investors headed to the Larson residence, bringing Yonah with them.

Meanwhile, the very couple who were previously looked down upon by the staff followed closely behind. The middle-aged woman whispered, “How can everyone believe the liar so easily? He claimed that it is the Larson family’s doing with no evidence.”

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Her husband rolled his eyes and lowered his voice. “You’re wrong. He might be broken, but the Larson family is loaded. I believe they will pay us eventually as long as we have a witness and insist that the Larson family did it. They can’t afford to allow us to cause a scene.”

“Are you sure? Don’t we need more evidence?” The middle-aged woman was confused.

The husband tried to explain, “The same thing happened years ago. Though there was no concrete evidence, the company paid when the news broke out, and people started to make a fuss. Those big companies will try to patch up their reputation through the compensation.” The lady gasped in surprise. She lowered her voice and asked, “Are they doing the same thing now?”

The husband nodded. “We’ll follow from behind. Try not to attract too much attention.”

The couple murmured between themselves for some time. The security guard was shocked to see a group of people rushing into the Larson Group building. He notified the company director right away.

“What? What debt?” James was confused when he heard the news.

The Public Relations Department manager was puzzled as well. “They said that we used the name ‘Stock God’ and defrauded 15 million dollars from them. They are protesting by the front door and demanding us to pay them back.”

“What? Stock God? 15 million dollars?” James was baffled. I want you to investigate what exactly is going on.” Every employee of the Larson Group found out about the protest within 20 minutes. The company’s director also recognized the man who led the protest as Mrs. Larson’s relative.

When James heard about this, his blood boiled from anger.

“Yonah accused my company of being the mastermind? I want you to tell them that this is not the truth!”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Larson. I’m afraid they won’t listen to us. They insisted that Ms. Jessica is the Stock God and you are merely the middleman,” the Public Relations Department reported truthfully.

Upon hearing this, James immediately realized that they were being framed. Yonah wanted to pin the blame on the Larson family and Jessica for his own mistake. James understood clearly why they chose Jessica as the scapegoat.

Among all his children, Jessica was his biological daughter. Hence, she was the best choice.

James recalled hearing the Quail family bragging about Yonah being a Stock God during New Year’s Eve. And he remembered feeling embarrassed about it. Hence, he would not have bragged about his daughter if she was the Stock God.

He immediately called his brother-in-law, Micah Quail, who was the head of the Quail family. “Micah, how can Yonah do this! How can he blame us when he lost the money of his own accord? Quail is his last name, not Larson! We are not responsible for helping him!”

Micah frowned when he heard the accusation. “James, I’m sure there’s a misunderstanding. I’ll ask him about it personally.”

Meanwhile, Jessica listened attentively to the lecture when she felt her phone vibrating. She waited until the end of the class to check her messages.

It did not surprise her when she saw the news. She expected that Yonah would blame her and the Larson family.

She sent out instructions from her phone before putting it aside. She turned her attention back to the lecture as though she was not related to the ongoing protest.

Half an hour later, media outlets across the country reported that the Larson Group defrauded investors. This incident had caught the Larson’s Group off guard.

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Inside James’ office, the veins on James’ forehead were bulging as he watched the Larson Group’s stock price drop drastically.

“Mr. Larson, the stock price has dropped to its limit.”

James tried hard to contain his anger. “How’s the investigation?”

“Mr. Yonah defrauded those people 15 million dollars and invested the money in stocks. However, with the drop in the stock prices of the two stocks he invested in, he suffered tremendous losses. Since he can’t pay back the money, he thought of accusing us.”

“Hmph,” he sneered coldly. The things Yonah did showed that he had contemplated his plan and that he was smart about it. If he was an idiot, he would accuse the Quail Corporation of defrauding the people rather than the Larson family.

Unfortunately, he had taken advantage of the Larson Group. “Order our men to tell the investors that this is not our doing. If they have proof, let them sue us. One more thing, try to clarify the news report as soon as possible. Stop the news from spreading!”

James was enraged when he saw Julianna and Whitney laughing in the living. “How dare you laugh?”

The mother and the daughter were stunned by his shouting angrily.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Julianna asked in a soft voice.

“What’s wrong?” James glared at her coldly. “Why don’t you ask your nephew what he has done. Is your family trying to ruin us?”

Julianna was ashamed and outraged at his nasty comment, but she did not dare to lash her anger at him. After all, the Quail family still needed the Larson family’s help. She was the Quail family’s daughter. Therefore, she had to help her family in any way she could.

“Tell me who made you angry, and I’ll teach him a lesson,” Julianna pronounced her loyalty.

James scoffed at her and headed upstairs.

Julianna took out her phone and tried to understand what had happened. When she found out about the news, her brows furrowed deeply. She finally understood why James was so mad.

James had helped a few of the Quail family’s younger members when they faced troubles. Those troubles were relatively minor issues. However, Yonah’s actions were different. He had caused Larson Group to face a terrible loss, and Larson Group was James’ most precious asset.

Julianna’s face was gloomy, as she was trying to think of a possible solution. Her eyes lit up when she saw Jessica come home. She quickly walked up to Jessica and gently welcomed her home. “Jess, you are back.”

Different from her mother’s enthusiastic voice, Jessica coldly replied to her mother in a faint voice, “Yes.”

The frown returned to Julianna’s face when she heard the coldness in her daughter’s reply. She was displeased with her attitude.

To her, Jessica was an ungrateful child. She always wore the same blank expression, regardless of how nicely or badly she treated Jessica.

“Jess, can you help me? Please tell me that you are willing to help,” Julianna asked Jessica.

“What is it?”

“Can you tell Dad that you have been trading stocks with Yonah? Tell him that you are the Stock God and Yonah believed you.”

“But I didn’t trade.”

“Secret trading,” Julianna replied.

“But why?” Jessica innocently blinked her eyes and stared at her mother.

Julianna took Jessica’s hand and spoke to her in the most gentle voice she could sound. “You are our child, and it’s your right to inherit the company. And yet, your father preferred Zachary, who is adopted. I’m trying to help you defeat Zachary. So long as you can gain more fame, you will have a greater chance to win Dad’s heart.”

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Julianna’s words were beautifully arranged and full of concern.

In Jessica’s previous life, Julianna used the same tactic before. The first time was when Julianna wanted Jessica to be Whitney’s scapegoat. Now, when Julianna used the same tactic, Jessica knew in her heart that she would be Yonah’s scapegoat.

She complied with her mother’s request in her previous life, as she wanted to make Julianna happy. She was pleasantly surprised to see the tenderness in her mother’s eyes.

Thinking back, she realized how stupid she was. Her mother’s tenderness and familial affection were short-lived. It was never genuine in the first place.

“Okay,” Jessica agreed with a smile.

Julianna was excited to see her daughter’s promise and quickly brought her upstairs to talk to the father.

When they knocked on the study’s door, James was on the phone. It took him a while to hang up. He then turned his attention to his wife and daughter. “What’s wrong?”

Julianna spoke in a gentle tone. “Honey, Jess has something to tell you.”

Seeing her mother urging her to speak, Jessica opened her mouth. “Dad, I’m the Stock God. I have been trading stocks with Yonah.” At the end of her sentence, she subconsciously looked at Julianna.

James frowned when he saw the interaction between the mother and the daughter. He then angrily threw the ashtray at Julianna as he felt that she was treating him like a fool.

Julianna did not expect his action. She screamed in pain when the ashtray hit her arm.

“What a good mother! How can you force your own daughter to take the blame? Are you trying to force me to pay that 15 million dollars?” James was furious.

“No, Honey. You’ve misunderstood.” Julianna was angry at Jessica for not trying hard enough.

“Jess, explain to your father!”

“Dad, what do you mean? What 15 million dollars?” Jessica pretended to be confused and surprised.

James turned to his wife after seeing Jessica’s reaction. He was beyond furious. He then pointed at Julianna and said to Jessica, “Your mother wants you to take the blame for Yonah. Yonah defrauded 15 million dollars from others. and lost everything to the stock market. Now he doesn’t have the money to pay.”

Jessica pretended to be shocked and looked at her mother in disbelief. “This is why you asked me to lie to Dad? How could you?”

Julianna’s face went pale immediately.

“You are a traitor! Why don’t you leave the Larson residence since you love your family so much? I’ll send you the divorce papers tomorrow.”

Julianna rushed to her husband’s side and held on his sleeve tightly. “I’m sorry, Honey. Please don’t kick me out of the house. I won’t do it again.”

James stared at her blankly and did not react to her pleas. He was sick of the Quail family’s greed.

“Please, Honey. Forgive me.”

Jessica watched with a stony expression as her mother pleaded with her father.

Whitney balled her hands into fists as she heard the commotion inside the study. If Julianna left the Larson residence, she was sure that her life would be miserable. She wanted to help Julianna, but she knew that she would only make things worse.

After the incident, the Larson family’s housekeepers were gossiping about it. Everyone agreed that Mrs. Larson was an idiot for forcing her daughter to take the blame.

“Mrs. Larson, Mrs. Tiffany Quail is here. Shall I welcome her in?”

Julianna’s face darkened. “Tell her I’m not around. Ask her to leave.” She was unwilling to help Yonah after the incident with her husband in the study the other day.

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The Quail Corporation was unwilling to help Yonah as well. Micah was unwilling to take out 15 million dollars to help Yonah, as the Quail Corporation did not have a sizeable amount of cash on hand. Most of the funds were from bank loans.

As for Joseph, the amount of dividends he got was not enough to withhold his family’s daily spending. He did not have any extra money to help his son. Joseph hoped that the Larson family and Julianna could help them.

Unfortunately, Julianna had distanced herself from them. The Larson Group had reported to the police after the protest from the other day. They even sued the investors for false accusations, libel, and trespassing on the property.

The Larson Group’s unyielding attitude and the lack of evidence forced the investors to change their target.

They then sued Yonah for illegal fundraising and fraud. Yonah was under police custody throughout the investigation.

After a detailed investigation, the police collected sufficient evidence to prove his crimes. The court then froze Joseph’s family assets and closed their shops.

After two weeks of trial, Yonah was convicted and sentenced to death with a one-year probation. The court also fined him 750 thousand dollars and took away his political rights, along with all the illegally obtained assets.

When Yonah’s family heard about the sentence, Tiffany fainted in the courtroom.

The incident had gained nationwide attention. Though the Larson family denied any involvement in the incident, there was no improvement in the company’s stock price. As for the Quail Corporation, their condition worsened.

During this period, Julianna tried hard not to cause any trouble for James. She feared that he would lash out at her.

The atmosphere in the Larson residence was tense, and everyone tried hard not to anger the head of the family. However, Jessica was the only exception. She acted as though nothing had happened and lived her days happily.

One afternoon, she went to Willow’s side and helped her to pick peanuts.

“Ms. Jessica, please don’t dirty your hands. Just let me do it.”

“It’s okay. I’ve done dirtier work before.” Jessica crouched next to her and started to pick the peanuts.

Willow’s eyes were full of softness as she looked at Jessica. “Ms. Jessica, you really suffered before this.”

“It’s nothing.” Jessica smiled. She then casually asked, “Mrs. Wallace, how did you figure out that Whitney is not Larson’s child?”

Willow replied, “I saw Ms. Whitney’s medical report that day, and I realized her blood type was different from Mr. and Mrs. Larson’s blood type. Your mother then ordered Alex to carry out a paternity test. Only then did they find out she’s not their child.”

“I see.” Jessica nodded. “Both Mom and Dad took the test?” “Yes, you did your paternity test at the same place as well.” It had been a while since Jessica went for the paternity test. Though she remembered some important details, she had forgotten about the name and the location of the paternity testing center.

“How did Mom and Dad locate me in such a short period?” Jessica was curious.

Willow tried to remember. “When Mrs. Larson found out that Whitney was not her child, she got worried. She sent out a few people to search for you. Thankfully, we

managed to locate you after two weeks’ search.”

Jessica narrowed her eyes as the timing was suspicious to her.

“Mrs. Wallace, do you remember the name of the paternity testing center?”

“Why do you ask?” Willow looked at her strangely.

“I’m helping Sam to locate a good paternity test center. She keeps complaining that she’s not the Young family’s child, so she wants to take the test to prove it.”

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On Horington Island, Samantha let out a sneeze. Then she nuzzled her nose and murmured, “Who was thinking of me?” Meanwhile, at the Larson residence, Willow said, “I’m not too sure about this. Let me help you check with Alex later.” “Okay,” answered Jessica with a smile. Then she asked, Mrs. Wallace, who did Mom ask to find me back then? I should thank that person.”

“Ms. Jessica, I understand your intentions, but there’s no need to do so. That person completed the job as commissioned.”

“It’s still good to thank them personally. When I was just reunited with the family earlier, my mind was in a mess. Now that I am reminded of it again, I think it will be good to find out,” replied Jessica.

“I really don’t know who it is, but Mr. Joseph often came here during that period,” Willow revealed.

“Yonah’s father?” Jessica asked in astonishment.

“Yes,” said Willow as Jessica helped her place a bag of handpicked peanuts in the kitchen. The gardener would plant them as seeds in the backyard garden.

As Jessica walked out of the kitchen, a maid rushed to her and said, “Ms. Jessica, Mr. Larson wants to see you in his study.”

Zachary was also there when Jessica entered the study. James handed her a file and requested her to read it.

After flipping through some pages, she asked, “The Harbor District is ready to be put up for auction? Dad, wasn’t there any lobbying from us?”

“Don’t talk about it. We sent out many gifts and nearly got what we wanted. However, there was a sudden leadership change in the district administration. The new guy was bent on the auction.” James sighed.

The Larson family’s previous bribes in the form of money and mansions had all gone to waste.

Nevertheless, Jessica was not surprised by this result.

In her previous life, a well-known real estate developer had also tried to bribe their way through. However, they failed to win the project in the end.

The company subsequently faced a crisis and asked the senior officer to return the money.

Somehow, the media got hold of this matter, which led to the arrest of the senior officer and a hefty fine on the company.

To prevent the matter from worsening, a high-ranked officer leveraged his connections to exacerbate the company’s crisis until it went bankrupt.

Jessica was a little disappointed that James didn’t make the same mistake, yet she had bigger plans to sabotage Larson Group’s operations.

What she had secretly done to date would only result in some losses for the Larson Group.

“Dad, why did you ask for me?” Jessica pretended to be clueless.

“I want you and Zachary to take part in the auction together. Both of you have a look at these land plots on this map. Which one do you think suits us the most?”

Zachary spoke first as he wanted to overshadow Jessica. This one near the estuary is undoubtedly the best. It’s suitable for developing mixed-use buildings and villas. The first-class river view will help push up property prices too.”

James listened quietly, then turned toward Jessica and asked, “Jess, what do you think?”

After looking at the map for a few seconds, Jessica pointed to a land plot in the middle and said, “I think this land plot is the best.”

Zachary snorted. “You think it’s the best because it’s the biggest plot of land? That’s so dumb.”

He said the last sentence softly, but everyone in the study heard it.

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James frowned slightly but didn’t reprimand Zachary, encouraging him to smile smugly.

For a while, Zachary’s behavior was more restrained, as he was an adopted son. However, he became self-entitled and arrogant after confirming that he was treated like a rightful member of the Larson family.

James requested Jessica to explain her choice, but she asked, “Isn’t the central land plot a popular choice for developers to build many luxury villas?”

James laughed and shook his head slightly while Zachary smirked.

Above all, a daughter will never surpass a son.

James pointed to the map and stated, “Zachary was right about the land plot near the estuary. The second best is this piece on the top left.”

Zachary shot a haughty look at Jessica, but she ignored him.

James patiently explained the pros and cons of each land plot. Then he pointed back to the one near the estuary and stressed, “This land plot is our target in the auction.”

“Dad, don’t worry. I promise to get it done,” replied Zachary. “Good! You, siblings, must work together, okay?” James encouraged.

Zachary knew it was impossible to stop Jessica from engaging in this project, so he refrained from saying something stupid.

Jessica glanced scornfully at him and went back to her room.

She received a call from Zander. “Boss, I’ve done what you ordered me to do. The only caveat is that I must deposit 15 million dollars to qualify as a bidder.”

“I’ll transfer the money to you. Look out for my signals on what to do in the auction.”

“Okay.”

The auction took place at the banquet hall of Skyview Hotel.

James had assigned Damian, a land assessor at Larson Group, and Tyrone to accompany Zachary and Jessica.

Damian and Tyrone would decide on Larson Group’s bidding, which meant Zachary was only there to gain exposure and experience to prepare him for the top management role in the future.

When the four of them entered the venue, many corporate directors greeted them, though Jessica was the center of attention instead of Zachary.

“Jess, you are getting prettier each day!”

“What a fine young lady!”

Given the cold shoulder, the self-obsessed Zachary held back his anger by clenching his fist.

I’m the rightful heir of the Larson Group, but you’d rather ignore me and curry favor with Jessica. All of you will regret this one day.

Zachary sat down in pent-up anger while Tyrone and Damian looked at each other and pretended nothing happened.

After exchanging pleasantries with the directors, Jessica sat beside Zachary and started to look around the venue. She saw Zander and his assistant sitting in the last row, doing well to keep a low profile.

Shortly, the auctioneer started with two land plots of the lowest value. Many small and medium-sized businesses made their bids, while the large corporates merely observed.

Two companies soon pocketed these land plots. One of them wasn’t a real estate developer, but this didn’t raise any eyebrows, as the land value was insignificant.

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Chapter 251

“What would you like to eat?” Xander asked, passing her the menu.

“It’s my treat, so you choose. Order what you like,” Jessica replied, handing the menu back to him.

Seeing that, the waiter suggested, “Why don’t you try our specialties? They are the bestsellers at our restaurant.” “That looks good. Bring us one of each of your specialties,” Xander said.

The waiter paused. “We have eighteen specialties, so I’d recommend ordering four dishes for the two of you. You may add on other dishes later if it’s not enough.”

Jessica did not like to waste food, so she said to the waiter, “Just bring us any three dishes.”

Then, she turned to Xander and continued, “I heard that the food here is delicious, but I don’t know if that’s true or not. The atmosphere is nice.”

“Yes, it is,” he replied distractedly.

He was worried that she would ask him where he had been all this while. He did not know how he should answer.

Should I be honest, or should I lie? If I answer honestly, I’m afraid she won’t be able to accept it. After all, it’s not appropriate to let a girl know those sorts of things. However, if I lie and she finds out about it, then she’ll think that I’m a dishonest person.

Although he appeared calm outwardly, he was feeling nervous and could not stop worrying.

As they chatted, he noticed that she did not ask him about it. That made him feel a little guilty.

While Jessica continued to eat, she suddenly felt a change in the atmosphere between them. She glanced at Xander and saw that his expression had turned from energetic to withdrawn.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

As soon as she asked him that, her phone rang. The call was from the person that she had sent to look after Simon. The moment she answered it, she heard Jace’s worried voice.

“Jess, this is bad. Simon was taken away by the people from the casino, and I couldn’t stop them. They looked so frightening. Something’s not right. I’m worried that something might happen to Simon.”

Jessica got to her feet at once. “Where are you now?” she asked.

“I’m in the western suburbs. Those men have already left. I couldn’t get through to the boss, so I don’t know who those men were,” Jace replied.

Xander stood up as well.

As soon as Jessica hung up, he asked worriedly, “What happened?”

“Simon has been taken away by a gang of men from the casino. I need you to help me find out who they are,” she answered.

“Okay,” he replied immediately.

As they started heading out of the restaurant, their waiter rushed up to them and said, “Excuse me, you haven’t paid the bill.”

Xander took out a wad of cash from his wallet, plucked out a few bills, and gave it to the waiter. “Keep the change,” he said before striding away.

As they hurried toward the restaurant’s exit, a middle-aged couple not too far behind them exchanged glances and started following them.

Xander quickly made a call. “Louis, find out if those men have been to the shanty town in the western suburbs. Hurry,” he ordered.

Jessica could think of two places they could have gone there, and both of them were places that Simon and his dad used to visit frequently.

They got into the car, and Xander started the engine.

As they started to drive away, someone suddenly ran into the car and fell to the ground. Before the two of them could get out of the car, a middle-aged woman stormed up to the car and started rapping her knuckles on the car window. “Get out of the car. You ran into my husband, so get down now,” she shouted.

They got down, and the man in front of the car started howling in pain while holding his leg.

“My leg! Oh, I think my leg’s broken,” he wailed.

They knew at once that he was faking it, but they did not have time to get into an argument with them right then.

“How much do you want?” Xander asked bluntly.

Chapter 252

If it was something that could be solved with money, then it was not a problem.

Seeing that Xander was so straightforward, the middle-aged woman did not hold back. “My husband is my family’s breadwinner. Now that you’ve injured him, he won’t be able to go to work. I’ll have to take into consideration the loss of income, hospital bills, medication, and many more. I don’t need a lot. 8 thousand dollars will be enough. If you give us the money, we’ll forget all about this incident. For better or worse, we won’t trouble you anymore after this.”

The expression on the woman’s face implied that she was letting them off lightly.

8 thousand dollars! How did she even come up with that amount? Add on another two to four thousand dollars and that amount would be equivalent to the down payment for a studio apartment.

It was clear that the woman was trying to take advantage of Xander.

Not wanting to waste any more time arguing with the woman, he took out a wad of bills from his wallet and handed it to the woman. “That’s all I have. Take it, he said curtly, then pointed at the man lying on the ground. “You, get out of the way.”

The middle-aged woman stared at the money in her hand. There was probably only about 2 thousand dollars there.

She did not expect that he would really give her money when she asked for it.

When the man lying on the ground caught sight of the money, he immediately stopped howling in pain.

The couple looked at each other, and they were both thinking the same thing. There was no way that they were going to let their cash cow get away that easily.

They would only let him go if they wrested eight thousand dollars from him.

At that moment, Xander’s phone rang. It was Louis.

“Did you manage to find something?” he asked after answering the phone.

“Yes. Riley’s men went to the shanty town in the western suburbs today. I’ve sent you the address of their hideout,” Louis reported.

When he hung up, the middle-aged couple had already discussed among themselves and came to a decision.

“Get out of the way,” Xander growled impatiently when he saw that the man was still on the ground.

The woman shouted, “Why should we get out of the way? You knocked him over and didn’t compensate us, yet you dare to act so arrogantly. If you don’t give us eight thousand dollars, we’re not leaving.”

Disgusted by the woman’s greed, he hissed through gritted teeth, “You’d better take the money you got and leave. If you do that, I can pretend nothing happened. However, if you continue to make ridiculous demands, you might get the money you want but not have the chance to spend it.”

If it had been anyone else, they would have gotten as far away as they could after hearing those words.

However, the woman was not afraid at all, especially since Xander was so young.

“Oh my, are you threatening me? Take a look at yourself. You’re just a little child. Are you even eighteen years old? Do you have a driving license? I suspect you don’t even have one,” she sneered. As soon as she said that, she thought of how she could ask for more money.

Jessica watched the scene unfold and guessed that it would take a few hours at least to settle it.

They were obviously a greedy couple. If Xander agreed to their demand and gave them 8 thousand dollars, who was to say that they would not ask for another 2 thousand dollars?

Their greed was so insatiable that no amount of money would satisfy them.

Having no time to waste, she interjected, “Xander, send me the address. I’ll head over first. You stay here and handle this.”

If they had not been in a hurry, they would not give the couple even a single penny.

“Okay,” he replied while nodding.

However, the middle-aged woman was determined to stop her from leaving.

They had targeted Xander and Jessica because they were in a hurry and looked like they had money to spare. Those types of people were the easiest to blackmail.

If one person left to attend to their urgent matter, the person who stayed behind would not be in as much of a hurry anymore. If that happened, they would not be able to get the money they wanted.

Chapter 253

Suddenly, the middle-aged woman pulled Jessica while her thoughts were filled with rescuing Simon.

“You can’t leave until you settle the matter.”

“Let go!” Jessica frowned.

Immediately afterward, the middle-aged woman shouted, Everyone, check this out. Someone is trying to flee the scene after hitting the man.”

In an instant, the onlookers started to surround them when they heard the commotion.

Jessica tightened her grip on the middle-aged woman’s hand. The latter winced in pain and let go of her hand.

Then she turned around and left. At that moment, four young men blocked her path by standing in front of her. “You can’t leave.”

However, she ignored them.

When the middle-aged woman noticed they were trying to help her, she yelled, “This woman hit me. You must prevent her from leaving.”

In the meantime, Jessica scrutinized them one by one. All of them had resolute faces. Although they were wearing ordinary clothes, they couldn’t hide their intimidating aura. As a matter of fact, they didn’t look like ordinary people. Most likely, they were affiliated with the special task forces.

Even if she teamed up with Xander, they had zero chance of winning against them.

Needless to say, she was no match for them as she was self-taught, while her opponents all underwent formal training.

For that reason, she did not want to engage in a fight with them because she knew the chance of her winning was minuscule. She explained, “This couple is trying to blackmail me. I have an urgent matter to deal with now. As for their matter, someone will deal with it later.”

Hearing that, the middle-aged woman interrupted, “Not only did she run into the man with her car, but she also beat me up. You must not let her leave.”

“Okay, I will stay.” Jessica turned her head. “Xander, you should leave first.”

The four young men’s expressions changed when they heard Xander’s name.

Abruptly, they blocked his path when he was about to leave. Jessica narrowed her eyes. “What’s the meaning of this?” She gave them a cold stare.

“Neither of you can leave.”

Furious, Xander tried to suppress his anger and glared at the middle-aged woman. “I only have 2,000 dollars on me, and I already gave them to you. I will make a transaction for the remaining 6,000 dollars later.”

When the couple heard those words, they were secretly delighted.

“No, you must pay all of them in cash. I’ve heard that you can cancel the transaction within 24 hours. We have no way of contacting you if you cancel the transaction.”

“What do you want then?” Xander questioned.

“Go and withdraw money. We want the cash right now.”

“Okay. Get into the car. We will go and withdraw the money now.” He looked at the woman coldly.

“No, what if you hurt us? I know there’s a bank nearby. You should withdraw the money there.”

In order to prevent Xander from escaping, the middle-aged woman requested two of the young men to accompany them.

Meanwhile, the remaining two will guard Jessica to prevent her from escaping.

Undeniably, the lady had truly thought things over. Little did she know, her thoughtfulness would cause her life to be in danger.

Xander knew that Jessica was anxious. “You don’t have to worry. I’ve already sent someone over. If Riley’s people dare to touch him, I won’t let them get away easily,” he comforted.

“Okay.” She nodded.

Although he had already given an order to his subordinates, it was not enough to calm her down, as she couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

Chapter 254

Five minutes later, Xander came back and threw the money at the couple.

“Let me through.”

In actuality, he wasn’t speaking to the couple. He was speaking to those four with unknown identities.

The four men frowned when they noticed the couple was satisfied after receiving the money.

Moments later, Xander got into the car.

Next, Jessica walked past the four men and said in a cold voice, “Holding the candle to the devil, how superb!”

The next moment, the door was slammed shut, and the car drove past them.

Shortly afterward, the four young men exchanged looks, and their gaze fell on the couple.

After the crowd dispersed, the couple stopped acting.

One of the young men turned his head before they left the scene, and he saw the couple standing there unharmed, looking excited.

On second thought, the four young men blocked the couple’s path.

“You lied!” the leader shouted.

“Lie? What do you mean? They did run into us. On top of that, we didn’t force them to compensate us. It’s none of your business. Now step aside.”

Nevertheless, they didn’t move away as they finally realized an innocent person had to suffer the consequences of their action.

“Follow us to the police station and leave the money with the police,” one of them said.

Hearing that, the middle-aged woman quickly covered her pocket.

“You are suspected of blackmail. If you return the full amount and proactively surrender, the punishment will be lighter,” the leader said.

“Blackmail? Do you have any evidence? There’re no surveillance cameras here,” the middle-aged man scoffed. Listening to that, the four young men examined the surroundings. They noticed there was a surveillance camera nearby, but it couldn’t record what happened at the spot they chose to commit their crime.

Seeing that the four young men didn’t want to leave, the woman yelled, “Somebody help! They are trying to rob my money!”

The couple’s action infuriated the four young men.

Noticing that more people started to surround them, one of them said, “Xavier, let’s just forget about it.”

Xavier pulled a face and said, “No, they must be punished for what they did. Call the police immediately.”

Hearing their conversations, the hearts of the couple beat even faster. Since Jessica and Xander already left, they thought the police could not do much about them.

In fact, they already had a lot of experience dealing with those situations in the past.

Twenty minutes later, the police arrived at the scene and brought the six of them back to the police station.

On the other hand, Xander stepped on the gas and hurried to the dock.

“Don’t worry. All Riley wanted was money. He won’t hurt Simon. I already gave an order to my subordinates to rush back as soon as possible. He will be fine.”

Jessica acknowledged his words but kept silent the entire ride.

However, he did not tell her that Riley was a cunning and merciless person.

“Is it possible to drive faster?” she inquired.

Throughout the ride, she felt something was pressing against her heart, and she felt suffocated.

Most of the time, the more anxious one felt, the messier and worse the situation would be.

During the time they were on their way, there was a traffic jam. Xander kept honking the car horn, but it was futile. The cars in front remained stationary.

Moments later, Jessica peeked out and noticed there was an accident. A truck had crashed and blocked the road. They probably needed to wait for a few hours before they could continue their journey.

Chapter 255

“Use another road,” said Jessica in a low voice.

Xander reversed and got off the main road, turning to the side road.

The journey would shorten by at least half an hour with the side road.

The car sped through the journey.

Halfway through, Xander received a phone call from Louis. “Xander, we’ve arrived.”

“Did you find him? How is he now?” Xander asked.

“No one was found. When that jerk, Riley, heard we were looking for him, he ran away in fear. There are only a few men here. The boy you want is not here.”

“Keep looking. Also, get someone to find out where exactly Riley is hiding.”

Those people that dare touch his people must be tired of living “Yes.”

Xander ended the call and turned to look at Jessica. “Don’t worry. No news is good news. Since Riley knows I’m searching, he won’t have the guts to do anything to Simon.” “Okay.”

I hope that’s true! Riley, Riley… That name sounds so familiar.

Jessica’s brain was in a mess. She could not recall where she heard that name.

After twenty minutes, Xander’s car reached the dock and stopped outside the warehouse.

Louis and the rest were waiting at the door. They saw Xander get out of the car.

Respectfully, they shouted, “Xander.”

Many curious looks were shot at Jessica, who was standing behind Xander.

She was probably the woman that Xander was eager to meet after the mission.

“Did you find them?” Xander asked.

Louis lowered his head. “We searched everywhere, but we

still couldn’t find him. We even asked the people downstairs. They said they never saw that boy.”

“Xander, are we looking for the wrong person?”

Without waiting for Xander’s response, Jessica said, “Bring me to see those people.”

Those men were carried upstairs and their faces were filled with bruises. They were then tied up and pushed down by Louis’ men.

Louis kicked one of the men. “You better tell the truth to whatever we ask.”

They nodded fearfully.

Jessica scanned the men. “What time did your boss come here today?”

“He arrived at three in the afternoon and stayed here for the rest of the time.”

“Have you seen anyone?”

“No,” said the underling.

“Do you know Simon?”

Three of them looked at each other secretly and shook their heads.

“No. We are insignificant.”

No longer looking at those three, Jessica said, “They are lying. There’s no need to keep asking. Just deal with them.” Louis and the rest were taken aback. Some of them could not believe that such ruthless words could naturally come from a young and beautiful lady like her.

Wow, that’s right. Only a woman like her would be able to stand beside Xander. A delicate flower is not a suitable match for Xander!

The three men were dumbfounded. Upon seeing that they would really make a move, they were shocked still.

“We really don’t know.”

“We didn’t tell any lies.”

“Please spare us.”

Jessica stared at the men coldly and grabbed one of them by the collar. With a steely gaze, she said, “Don’t waste my last bit of patience.”

Now, she no longer had the time and effort to play guessing games with these people.

When she got out of the car and saw the warehouse, a memory surfaced from the dusty corners of her mind.

This place is too familiar!

She finally remembered where she heard the name, Riley.

Chapter 256

Riley! He’s the one who killed Simon in her previous life.

She always remembered him by his nickname, as his real name was seldom called.

Riley was like a rat. Not only was he cunning and sly, but he was also a calculative and greedy man. He wanted everything but did not have the ability to do so.

In her previous life, it was Riley who took a fancy to Whitney, taking her away from the club.

The Larson Family told her to find a solution. Thus, she had no choice but to seek her old friends in the mafia.

It was at that moment when she lost the only person who was truly good to her.

It was at that moment when she would no longer be able to see the little boy who treated her like his older sister.

This time, it was this person again that took Simon. She could not help but worry.

When the three men realized that they were serious, they grew nervous.

One of them gave up and said, “I’ll say it. The boss did bring a young boy over here.”

Rushing forward, Jessica urgently demanded, “Where is he?” “If I tell you, will you let me go?”

“If you don’t tell us, you will die,” replied Jessica coldly.

“I’ll say it.” The man was frightened. “He is being trapped in warehouse number eight.”

“Lead the way.”

The man was escorted roughly, with Jessica and the rest following closely.

“The one ahead is warehouse number eight.”

Louis walked in front and looked at the lock on the door. ” Boss, the door is locked.”

He kicked the man and demanded, “Where is the key?”

“The key is with the boss.”

“Move away,” said Xander in a low tone.

The men from behind had found axes and started slashing them open. Several burly men stepped forward and pushed the heavy door together.

The moment the door opened, a stench of blood drifted out.

Jessica pushed aside the people in the front and walked forward, only to see a small body hanging in midair swaying slightly.

His thin body was filled with wounds. Fresh blood slowly dripped onto the floor, forming a thick puddle.

Upon seeing the gruesome scene, Louis and the rest inhaled sharply.

Xander moved ahead, wanting to cover Jessica’s eyes, but he was pushed aside.

“Save him,” Jessica ordered.

Louis and the rest got to moving, releasing the ropes.

Jessica caught him as he fell. Fingers trembling slightly, her hands slowly reached for the pulse on his neck. She could not.

She was scared.

When she checked his pulse, there was nothing beating. However, she could clearly feel the warmth of his body.

His body was clearly still warm. Why is there no pulse movement? I must have made a mistake. Yes, it must have been my fault.

Jessica glanced at Xander. “Xander, please help me check if Simon still has a pulse. My hand seems to be having problems. I can’t seem to find his pulse, don’t you think it’s weird?”

Louis and the rest silently turned their heads.

Xander looked at her trembling hands and said in a low voice, “All right.”

He walked up and reached for the pale and stiff body in her arms.

Jessica urgently asked, “How is it? Is Simon still alive? He has a pulse, right?”

Xander could not bear to say the word ‘dead’ to someone with such a hopeful expression.

Seeing his lack of response, Jessica urgently asked, as if she was trying to prove something. “Look, his body is still warm. There is heat. He isn’t dead.”

Chapter 257

Xander’s heart ached for her as he watched her deceive herself.

He wanted her to pull herself together and face reality. “He’s dead,” said Xander cruelly.

In a cracked voice, she protested, “No!”

“How can he be dead? It’s impossible!” Jessica muttered.

He’s still so young. How can he be dead when he still has such a long way to go?

She distanced herself from him and avoided any connections.

Why was he still dead?

Why did God have to be so cruel to her and take away the only person who treated her sincerely?

She was powerless in her previous life. Why must she endure it all over again in this life?

“Ahh-“

A loud wail was heard by everyone in that place.

Jessica hugged Simon’s body as she cried uncontrollably. She looked depressed with reddened eyes. Everyone around her could clearly feel her sorrow and great reluctance.

Xander wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t know what to say.

The man who led them here was trembling in the corner.

Louis and the other guys watched Jessica’s frail body in silence. She hugged the little boy close, a wave of helpless despair washing over her.

After half an hour, she can’t seem to shed any more tears.

Jessica raised her hand to wipe off her tears. She didn’t look sad anymore but became indifferent and quiet.

Xander walked up to her and asked, “Are you okay, Jess?” Jessica looked up and gave him a weak smile.

Despite her smile, her expression remained cold and unreadable.

“I am good,” she said in a hoarse voice.

“I certainly won’t let Riley off,” Xander promised.

Jessica twitched her lips and rejected him coldly.

She carried Simon’s body and left. Xander offered his help but was rejected by her once again.

Simon had once requested to watch a sunrise.

This time, we shall watch the sunrise together.

Jessica brought Simon to the Emerald Cliff Platform. They sat by the cliff quietly and let the cold sea breeze relentlessly blow on their faces.

Xander stood nearby and guarded them silently.

When the first ray of sunlight shone on the sea, the ripples became golden and the sky turned rosy. However, even the sunshine couldn’t seem to warm their hearts anymore.

“Does it look beautiful?” Jessica asked while looking at the boy beside her.

The boy beside her didn’t respond. His head was leaning against her shoulders, as though suggesting that it looked beautiful because his sister was here by his side.

When the sun had fully risen, Jessica muttered, “I will bring you home now, Simon.”

She stood up and wanted to carry the little boy. However, she suddenly felt dizzy, and her sight became blurry. The next moment, she passed out.

Xander immediately rushed forward and held on to her. Her forehead was hot when he touched it with his hand.

Xander didn’t care about anything else and carried Jessica into his car. He drove off after ordering Louis to arrange a funeral for Simon.

At the same time, James was notified that Jessica was having a high fever. However, he did not care and continued socializing with his business partners.

When he returned home the next day, he asked unconcernedly, “Is Jess home yet?”

“Ms. Jessica didn’t return home after she went out that day,” answered Willow.

She hasn’t returned yet? Is her fever that serious? Where is Julianna now?” James frowned.

“Mrs. Larson is having a spa with Mrs. Ackerman and their friends.”

Chapter 258

“Call her back. How can she not care a damn when her daughter doesn’t come home? She only knows how to shop and enjoy life. Prepare the car now. I am heading to the hospital,” ordered James as he rubbed his forehead. James saw the unconscious Jessica when he arrived at the hospital.

Xander smirked at James when he arrived. “You must be a busy man, James. It seems that the Larson family is always so busy.”

Through this incident, it can be seen how low Jessica’s status was in the Larson family.

Xander had always known that there was no affection

between family members in wealthy families. Moreover, Jessica had just been recognized as the daughter of the Larson family.

James asked awkwardly after being ridiculed, “How is she?” “Still alive,” Xander retorted.

James then inquired the nurse embarrassingly. He was informed that Jessica was still unconscious with a high fever, and she should wake up by evening at the latest.

However, Jessica didn’t wake up as they were expecting her to.

“What’s wrong with her, doctor?” James asked.

The doctor had no idea either. He had never encountered a situation like this before.

“Her fever is gone and all of her vital signs are normal. Even though her body is still weak, she should be able to wake up by now. I will do an overall body check on her.”

However, the doctor still could not identify the problem even after the results were out.

Everyone thought that the situation was strange.

James started to panic.

Jessica was the key to whether the Larson family could expand and enter the Jetroina market. He could not afford to have her sick at this moment.

Julianna brought Whitney along to the hospital upon hearing the news.

James slapped Julianna the moment he saw her. “Do you know how to be a mother? Your daughter is hospitalized, and you only show up now!”

“Dad, Mom has just been notified. She rushed here immediately after finding out Jessica was admitted,” Whitney defended Julianna.

James looked at Whitney coldly and said, “Shut up.”

Julianna covered her face after being slapped. She was full of hatred when she felt the gaze of the surrounding people. However, when she raised her head and looked at James, her eyes were filled with grief. She said to James, “Honey, please don’t be angry. How’s Jess now?”

Xander felt disgusted by the Larson family as he sat and watched them.

Julianna stopped the doctor and asked him anxiously, How’s my daughter now?”

The doctor was unsure. “Your daughter had a high fever and slipped into a coma. But now that the fever is gone, she should have been awake. My guess is that there’s something wrong with this part of hers,” said the doctor as he pointed his finger at his head.

“We still have to observe her more to understand what exactly the problem is.”

On the following day, Jessica was still unconscious, even when all of her test results seemed normal.

“Doctor, is there no other way?”

“There is. If you can have the world’s top brain specialist, Sebastian Ferguson, over to check on Jessica, he might find a solution to her problem,” said the doctor.

The doctor had never seen such a unique case like Jessica’s after years of working at the hospital.

“It’s impossible for us to get Sebastian here. Does that mean that my daughter is…” Julianna covered her face and sobbed.

James suddenly thought of a person. He found Jessica’s phone and dialed his number.

Charles’ lips curved into a smile when he saw the name displayed on his phone.

Could it be that the little girl had taken the initiative to call him?

“Hey, little girl!”

Chapter 259

James was slightly startled, but joy flashed past his eyes. “Mr. Young, I’m Jess’ father,” James said awkwardly. The person on the other line was silent for a moment.

“Mr. Larson, is there something wrong?” Charles’ voice turned solemn.

“Mr. Young, I’m calling because I’d like to ask for a favor. Are you able to contact Dr. Ferguson?” James asked worriedly.

“What happened?” Charles had a bad feeling about this. “Something’s wrong with Jess. She went into a coma for three days, and she’s still not awake. The hospital checked on her, but there didn’t seem to be any issues. So now, we can only ask Sebastian, since he’s an expert.”

Charles’ heart sunk a little. “I understand.”

After ending that call, Charles called up the chief assistant’s phone. “Prepare the plane, we’re flying to Horington.”

Charles hurried downstairs and bumped into Samantha, who was going back into her room.

Samantha saw that Charles seemed to be in a hurry and asked, “Uncle Charles, what’s wrong?”

“Something happened to Jess.”

“What?!” Shocked, Samantha followed him immediately.” What happened? I’m coming with you.”

The two of them quickly left, but were intercepted by Tristan.

“Sam, where are you going again?” Tristan looked displeased with his daughter.

“It is none of your business where I’m going,” Samantha answered impatiently.

Charles looked at his older brother. “Tristan, Sam, and I have to take a trip to Horington.”

“What’s so important that you have to leave now? It’s not too late to leave tomorrow either, your brother’s coming back tonight,” Tristan said with a frown.

“It’s urgent.” Charles brushed it off and got in the car. Samantha followed, but was pulled back by Tristan.” Charles has something going on, so don’t go being a busybody.”

What does he mean by busybody!

Samantha was furious. “Something happened to my friend, and you call that being a busybody. I’m not as cold-blooded as you, with the ability to watch his own wife take her life. Get out of my way.”

Samantha pushed Tristan away and slammed the door after she got in the car.

Tristan looked at his daughter furiously.

“Tristan, you can go back. I’ll take care of Sam.” With that, he drove the car slowly out of the foyer.

Charles then called Sebastian, but it went unanswered. Subsequently, he called Sebastian’s assistant.

“Mr. Young, Mr. Ferguson is currently doing research. We are unable to contact him either unless Mr. Ferguson reaches out to us first. He does not like to be disturbed when doing his research,” the assistant explained apologetically.

“Where are you? I’ll go personally to meet him,” Charles said in earnest.

The assistant was in a dilemma. “Mr. Young, I don’t think that is a good idea. Why don’t I try contacting Mr. Ferguson first?”

“All right.”

After hanging up the phone, the assistant put on some mandatory protective clothing. Before entering the laboratory, he looked through the tough glass door at the people who were focusing on their work.

If I’m to interrupt Mr. Ferguson right now, will I be in trouble?

The assistant was just about to ring the doorbell when he suddenly recalled that just last month, Mr. Ferguson removed it because people kept ringing it, and that distracted him.

The assistant was left with no choice but to knock on the thick tempered glass and pray that people inside could hear.

Alas, the quality of the glass was too good and with the excellent soundproofing, no one heard a single thing.

Just when the assistant was about to give up, the person who had his back toward the door turned around and looked at him with tired, bloodshot eyes.

Chapter 260

The assistant was ecstatic and danced for joy outside the door with an excited yet urgent expression.

Sebastian pushed the gold-rimmed glasses perched on top of his nose and rubbed his brows.

The door opened. The clean, white lab coat worn on him seemed to have a unique combined smell of both cleanliness and foulness.

“What’s the matter?” The slightly hoarse voice, along with the unique lowness of the tone, resulted in a refreshing type of feeling when traveling through the ears.

The assistant couldn’t help but sigh when listening to the voice. It really was a loss for the voice acting industry when Mr. Ferguson didn’t choose that path.

But then, thinking of how outstanding Mr. Ferguson is in the medical field, it still shows that he’s more suitable to contribute to the human race.

“Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Charles Young was looking for you, it seems like something urgent.”

The assistant handed him the phone.

Sebastian took the phone and called back.

After the call went through, he asked coldly, “What’s wrong?” “There’s something wrong with my friend, and the doctor can’t do anything to help. You’re an expert in this area.”

“What’s the overall situation?” Sebastian asked with composure.

“High fever and fell into a coma. Even after the fever subsided, there seemed to be no signs of regaining consciousness. It has been three days.”

As he walked outside, Sebastian asked, “There are a few possibilities for this. Severe infection, cerebrovascular disease, brain tumor, brain swelling, and cerebral injuries. Are any of these possible?”

“It has been checked, those that you stated did not show, and everything’s normal. This is the reason I’m asking you,” Charles answered solemnly.

The scariest thing was when the cause could not be found.

The elevator rose from 11 levels below ground slowly to the ground level.

Ding!

The doors to the elevator open.

“I understand.”

“When will you be here?” There was a slight anxiety in Charles’ voice.

Sebastian raised his eyebrows and the corners of his lips curled into a slight smile. “Wait a while.”

The voice was cut off and the call was hung.

Charles looked at the blank screen of the end call

incredulously. That brat!

Just when he was dissing the other, he forgot that Sebastian’s age was older. However, in terms of seniority, Charles was the elder.

The private plane slowly descended at the Horington International Airport. Samantha followed Charles off the flight and boarded the car immediately.

“Mr. Young, are you going back to Horington Island?”

Since it was late at night, it was logical to go back to Horington Island to rest, but the chauffeur asked just in case.

“No, toward Rosehill Hospital. Then send Samantha back to Horington Island after.”

Samantha didn’t seem to agree. “No, I want to be at the hospital to look after Jess.”

Jess was her first friend at Horington.

She was the first person with no ulterior motives, did not purposefully sweet-talk her, and was honest.

Now that my friend is in potential danger, how can I just watch and do nothing?

Seeing the determination in her eyes, Charles did not insist. When the two of them arrived at Rosehill Hospital, there was only Xander by the hospital bed. No one from the Larson family was there.

Charles’ gaze fell upon Jessica on the hospital bed, face pale with both eyes shut tightly and eyebrows furrowed.

He walked forward, sat by the edge of the bed, and stretched his hand to her cheek.

However, before his hand could touch her, a manly pair of hands blocked him.

Charles looked toward the owner of those hands, and only then did he just discover his existence in the room.

Sharp eyes clashed with a pair of wild ones. Their line of sight met in the middle, and it seemed to light up a spark.

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Chapter 241

“I’m not Little Stock God. This must be a misunderstanding.” Yonah said to the personnel.

However, they did not believe his words.

“You don’t have to hide it from us. We know that you are the Little Stock God. People tell us that the god himself is at this VIP lounge. Who else can it be?” they said confidently. They had never thought that Jessica was actually the Little Stock God, as she was too young for that title.

Yonah could only deny it, yet the personnel still refused to believe him.

“Which stock has high potential to balloon in the future, Little Stock God? Just tell us. We know the rules. You will get half of the total earnings if you help us,” he said.

Yonah was in a dilemma about this. Jessica gave him a cue with her eyes to help him out.

A month of interaction had allowed them to develop a bond. He understood Jessica’s cue. He pointed to the screen and said, “This stock has great potential to balloon.”

The personnel were excited by his reply and thought that he had indirectly admitted his identity as Little Stock God. They thanked him for the tips.

They managed to get Yonah’s phone number before leaving the VIP lounge.

Yonah felt relieved after they left. He took a glance at the reward they gave and asked, “Jess, what am I supposed to do right now?”

“That’s for you. Just keep it,” Jessica replied.

Yonah shook his head and said, “No, I can’t take it. This is for Little Stock God, not for me.”

Jessica sat in front of him and said sincerely, “I’ve never wanted to be Little Stock God. You just saw that, right? They would rather assume that you are the Little Stock God, with no doubt. If you want to earn big bucks in stock trading, trading alone is not enough. Your title is exceedingly useful to gain people’s confidence.”

Jessica stared at the 2,000 dollars lying on the table.

Yonah was startled and realized what her words meant.

“Are you saying that I should gather the money from people and buy stocks with that funds? Then, I should take a particular percentage of the earnings as the remuneration?” Yonah asked.

Jessica nodded and said, “Yes, all financial security agencies out there are providing this service, and the percentage of commission varies across the different agencies. We can emulate their operation. If it works, we can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars easily.”

Yonah was so excited about the idea after knowing the potential income they might earn. However, there were two questions that bothered him.

“What if we lose the money?” Yonah asked.

“How is my sixth sense?” Jessica asked rhetorically.

“Your sixth sense is always accurate and precise, but what if we mess it up?” Yonah replied.

“No agency can ever guarantee a profit on stocks and shares. Thus, we have to explain it to our clients beforehand,” Jessica said.

Yonah nodded.

“Why would the people believe us and give us the money?” he asked again.

“Because you are the Little Stock God!” Jessica smiled and said.

Yonah just realized her intention. We can gain people’s trust with this title.

“The personnel who just left will definitely recommend you to their peers if they earned a lot with your tips. This can bring you fame and more people will recognize you as the Little Stock God,” Jessica said.

Yonah was deep in thought. She is right. More people will believe in me if my followers earn big bucks in the stock market with the tips I have provided. It is called the butterfly effect.

Jessica noticed that Yonah was interested in her plan. He did not see that he was advancing gradually into Jessica’s trap.

回

Chapter 242

At the Headquarters of Fairview Ventures, which was located at Marsingfill, the senior executives followed Hugh’s lead and walked out of the conference room.

Hugh took a glance at the document that his assistant handed.

“Somebody must be practicing abusive trading, Gather the evidence and pass it to the Securities Regulatory Commission. They will handle this,” Hugh ordered,

“Okay,” Jake replied.

“Have you found out the real identity of Little Stock God of Horington City?” Hugh asked.

“Yes, I did. His real name is Yonah, currently working as a university lecturer. Stock trading is his favorite hobby. He has earned around 150 hundred thousand dollars lately by trading the stocks of Cloudlance Corporation,” Jake replied. “I need to know his background. Pass me all the information about him,” Hugh ordered.

Yonah’s previous trading history was listed clearly in the document.

Even he himself might have forgotten some of them.

After reading Yonah’s personal information and trading history, Hugh was confused. Something isn’t right with this guy.

“Are you sure all the information here is accurate?” Hugh asked.

Jake nodded and said, “Yes, I’m sure. I’ve verified the facticity of all information about him. This is totally legit. Boss, does this guy receive inside information from somewhere to make accurate and precise decisions when trading stocks?”

Back in the office, Hugh was looking at the candid photo of Yonah, which was taken when he visited the stock exchange center. The petite female follower at Yonah’s back caught his attention.

There were two photos in which both Yonah and that follower were captured.

The follower was wearing a face mask and cap. Hugh could not even see her face.

No one would ever pay attention to her.

“Come over and take a look,” Hugh instructed.

Jake stepped forward and looked at the two photos displayed on the monitor.

“Do you know her?” Hugh pointed to the female follower in those photos.

Jake pondered over the question as the follower’s back view seemed familiar to him.

A girl’s face appeared in his mind, and her eyes were perfectly matched with those of the female followers in the photos.

“It’s her!” Jake exclaimed.

Hugh smiled and responded, “Yes, it’s that little girl.”

She had really surprised everyone, including Hugh.

Is she the Little Stock God of Horington City?

When the stocks of Cloudlance Corporation were experiencing a second fluctuation, Hugh’s company noticed one account.

The owner of that account knew the timing of selling and buying so well; he or she must have sharp eyes and excellent reading on the stock market.

Since then, Hugh had been observing that account as the person possessed the qualities that his company was looking for.

He smiled and said, “Enough with the guess, it’s definitely her. Yonah is only her smokescreen.”

Jessica would never know that her hidden secret had been known by someone else.

That was the difference between an intellectual and a genius. Geniuses knew precisely what the intellectuals were thinking.

Jake could not hold his excitement and yelled, “That’s unbelievable!”

Chapter 243

Is she going to be the next financial genius? Jake’s gaze drifted from his boss to the picture of the young girl who wrapped herself up like a mummy. He suddenly had an unreal, sour feeling running through him.

As a top student from elementary school to earning his Ph. D., he was the perfect child any parent would want.

He used to be proud when people told him how brilliant he was. However, after he met Hugh, he finally understood the meaning that there would always be someone better than you.

Even among the brilliants, there would still be an outstanding genius.

Why are all these whiz investors popping up like mushrooms in front of me? As though Hugh alone is not enough. Now this girl!

Jake felt a blow when he took another look at the girl in the picture and then at Hugh.

Now I know what it’s like to be told to my face that other kids are better.

Hugh pointed at Jessica’s photo. “I want to meet her.”

Jake immediately replied, “I’ll arrange for it now.”

Meanwhile, at the Larson residence, Jessica was enjoying the sun in the courtyard. She did not hear her phone ringing in the room.

Whitney overheard the ringtone as she walked past Jessica’s room.

She looked around to ensure no one was watching before entering the room.

As she looked at the familiar room with tearful eyes, hatred rose in her heart.

She came back to her senses when she heard the ringing tone near the headboard.

When she picked up the phone, she saw it was from an unknown caller from Marsingfill.

From the special last four digits of the fixed-line number, she knew it was not from a common caller.

Then she unknowingly pressed the answer button.

A man’s voice came through the phone. “Hello, are you Ms. Jessica?”

Whitney immediately replied with a hum.

“I’m Jake Thompson from Fairview Ventures. Our CEO, Mr. Ferguson, would like to meet you. May I know when will be a convenient time for you?” Jake asked politely. Jealousy flamed in Whitney’s heart the minute she heard Fairview Corporation and Mr. Ferguson.

Meet her? Hmph! Dream on it!

Whitney looked out the window. When she saw Jessica sunbathing in the courtyard, she unconsciously tightened her grip on the phone.

Jake probed, “Ms. Jessica, are you still there?”

“I’m not free, and stop calling me.” Whitney hung up as soon as she finished her sentence.

Jake looked at his phone, puzzled by her strange behavior.

Instead of calling her again, he sent her a heartfelt message.

Whitney was about to leave the room when she heard a notification sound from the phone.

She walked back to the bed and deleted the message without reading it.

After that, an idea flashed through her mind.

Whitney’s lips curved into a smile as she returned a message to Jake.

She deleted the message after sending it and blocked the number while she was at it.

After doing that, her mood picked up as she walked out of the room.

Hugh walked toward Jake’s desk with a briefcase in his hand. “Is it done?”

After reading Jessica’s message, Jake did not know how to put his words together.

Hugh frowned when Jake did not answer. “Speak.”

Jake let out a cough and showed Hugh the message. He just could not bring himself to say it out loud.

Hugh froze after reading the message on Jake’s phone.

Chapter 244

Mr. Ferguson, I’m not interested in you. Don’t even think about courting me if you’re old enough to be my father. I’ve someone I like and will never like you. I’ll never meet you! Don’t contact me anymore if you still have dignity. You are a moron if you contact me again.

Hugh tapped lightly on his face and looked at Jake. “Do I look old?”

If he remembered it right, he would be thirty on his next birthday. Could he possibly have a teenage daughter at twenty-nine?

Jake answered affirmatively, “Not old at all.”

“What did you tell her?’

Jake understood that Hugh was asking if he had misled her.

With an innocent look on his face, Jake replied, “I only told her that you wanted to meet her.”

What’s wrong with me saying that? It’s so straightforward, with no hidden meaning at all.

Jake had no idea why Jessica misunderstood him.

Then he shared his view. “Youngsters think differently from Hugh squinted his eyes. “Youngster?”

Realizing he had said something wrong, he immediately remediated the situation. “A teenage girl’s mindset differs from us adults. I think it’s called the generation gap. I remember reading about it on the internet.”

“Contact her again.”

“All right.”

Jake only came to his realization after Hugh left. Boss, didn’t you read her last sentence? You are a moron if you contact her again. Isn’t it obvious that she is scolding you? How can you ignore this? Wait, he’s not the one contacting her. I am! So I’m the moron?!

Feeling helpless, Jake rubbed his nose and tried to call Jessica again. Her line remained engaged after Jake tried twice.

He twitched his lips when he realized Jessica had blocked his fixed line.

Then Jake tried to call her with his cell phone, but the call was unanswered.

After the third try, he stopped to continue with his other daily work.

Meanwhile, when Jessica entered her room from the courtyard, she could smell a light perfume scent in the air. It wasn’t hers, nor Mrs. Wallace. It was from someone whom she detested.

Jessica screened through her room and found the items on her table were untouched. Then, her gaze fell upon her phone on the headboard.

She went over to pick it up and saw five missed calls from Marsingfill.

When Jessica called back, the other party answered almost immediately.

“Ms. Jessica, please listen to me. Mr. Ferguson has no ulterior motives. He purely wants to meet with you to discuss something.”

Jessica was dumbfounded to hear such words. “How did I answer you earlier?”

Jake knew something was amiss when he heard Jessica’s reply.

“You sent a message. Wait, I’ll forward it to you after this. In short, you’ve blocked the fixed line I called you on earlier.” Then Jake made it simple and explained the reason he called.

“Oh!”

“May I know when would be a good time to meet?” Jake asked.

“I’m not available until after the New Year.”

Before she hung up, Jessica set a date for the meeting with Hugh.

After that, she read the message forwarded by Jake. Looks like she hasn’t learned her lesson yet.

Chapter 245

She’s so naive! I don’t have to prove what she did. I know how to deal with her.

Jessica stretched her arms as she walked to the drawer.

Then she took out a pack of white powder from one compartment.

She thought about her plan as she flipped the pack with one hand.

Meanwhile, the Larsons were busy preparing for their annual family gathering, which lasted two days.

As usual, the Quail family would visit them two days before New Year’s Eve, followed by the Larson relatives the day before New Year’s Eve.

As for the New Year’s holidays, James would entertain his business partners and leaders from various sectors.

Since noon that day, members of the Quail family arrived one after another. Unlike a few years back, there were only a few luxury cars among the vehicles parked in the courtyard.

The Quail family’s wealth had been declining since Joseph took over Quail Corporation.

After the Larson family’s wealth surpassed the Quail’s, James no longer ingratiated himself with them. Instead, the Quails would serve James as he wished.

When it was almost time, Jessica came down to the living room. As soon as she appeared, the ladies who had gathered around Whitney hovered around Jessica instead.

“Jess, we finally meet. I was abroad and could not attend your birthday celebration. My son is here too. Have you met him?” Tiffany held onto Jessica’s hand as she looked

around the room. “Oh, there he is. Yonah, come over here to meet your cousin.”

Yonah had just entered the living room and was surprised to see Jessica.

He wanted to say something but stopped when he saw Jessica shaking her head.

Tiffany proudly said to all the relatives, “Recently, my son earned a lot of money from the stock market.”

A relative saw Tiffany’s smug face and snorted. “Is that so? Is he as good as Little Stock God? I’ve heard that he hasn’t lost a single penny in the stock market.”

Tiffany became more conceited upon hearing that. “Haha! Let me tell you the truth. Yonah is Little Stock God. But others make the title up. You shouldn’t take it seriously.” Tiffany had a smug look on her face as the others gathered around Yonah and showered him with praises.

The relative who questioned Tiffany earlier was rendered speechless.

Embarrassed by his undeserved fame, Yonah looked at Jessica from time to time.

When Tiffany remembered her earlier intention, she pushed Yonah to Jessica’s side. “You youngsters go take a walk outside. Try to get to know each other.”

Yonah saw Whitney standing alone at the side and offered,” Whitney, let’s go together.”

Since they were cousins, Yonah had been hiding his feelings since he met her last year.

I can confess my feelings to Whitney since she is no longer my cousin. But I still have to prove my worth and gain Uncle James’ approval. It seems like I still need to use my status as a Little Stock God to build my future financial career.

Chapter 246

Whitney was not interested in Yonah at all. She held back her detest for him and replied gently, “It’s okay. You two go ahead without me.”

Although Yonah was disappointed, he did not force her. When they reached the courtyard, Yonah could not help but ask, “Why didn’t you tell them that you are Little Stock God?” “The title of Little Stock God doesn’t matter to me. I am quite surprised that we are related.”

“You really won’t tell anyone?”

“Don’t worry. Little Stock God can only be Yonah, not

Jessica. By the way, can I ask a favor from you?” Jessica blinked and asked.

“What is it?”

“Don’t tell anyone, not even my parents and sister, that I’m trading stocks. You know my dad doesn’t like girls taking risks in business.”

Jessica’s reply led Yonah to ask a question he was curious about. “I don’t understand why Uncle James won’t let you take over the company. Not only are you more capable than Zachary, but you’re also his biological daughter.”

Jessica could not understand it in her previous life, either. However, she found the answer in her present life.

Of course, he won’t let me take over Larson Group. I’m not even his daughter!

“Maybe this is the difference between man and woman. Just like how people assumed Little Stock God could only be a man, not a woman.”

“I can testify for you.”

“Don’t be silly, Yonah. All this doesn’t matter to me.”

Yonah finally understood that Jessica preferred to stay out of the limelight.

Then he joked, “You must help me keep the Little Stock God title long-lasting. I’m counting on you to make me a multi-millionaire.”

“Sure, no problem.”

As Whitney watched through the window and saw both of them chatting happily, a desire to win began brewing in her heart.

During dinner, the elders and juniors were divided into two separate tables.

Yonah was about to sit beside Jessica when he heard Whitney’s gentle voice.

“Yonah, why don’t you sit here? It has been a long time since we talked.”

Yonah looked at Jessica apologetically, and the latter shrugged for him to go ahead.

Jessica watched with interest how Zachary’s face

darkened when Whitney and Yonah sat close to each other.

Seconds later, James stood up and said to everyone, “Let’s raise our glasses and celebrate the New Year.”

Hearing James, everyone stood up and emptied their glasses.

Jessica counted silently in her mind while tapping her fingers on the table.

When she reached number ten, Whitney started to look dazed, like she was drunk.

Zachary thought Whitney was drunk and reached out to support her.

He was surprised when Whitney embraced him. She kissed him on the cheek and shouted, “I love you. I really like you. Don’t leave me.”

Everyone around the table was stunned.

Whitney’s cry was so loud that the elders turned just in time to see Whitney kissing Zachary.

The expression on James and Julianna’s faces changed dramatically.

“Oh my, such depravity!” Tiffany said with a disdainful look.

Chapter 247

“Totally unacceptable!”

“This is so shameless!”

On the main table, boiling rage erupted within Adam. The next second, a crashing sound was heard when he smashed the wine glass to the ground.

The sudden kiss left Zachary in a daze. He could feel her tender lips gently brushing against his while his mind went blank. He remained rooted to the ground.

“Separate the both of them now.”

Yonah froze on the spot.

“You whore!” James bellowed. He rushed up to them and pulled them apart. A slap then followed and it hit Whitney’s ruddy cheek, pushing her away.

Zachary regained his senses, and he saw Whitney

slumping to the ground in pain. Zachary immediately went over to help her up, but Carlos stopped him.

“Let go of me,” Zachary uttered.

James hushed in his ears, “Zac, are you trying to piss grandpa off?”

Fuming with anger, Adam had fallen onto a chair. His wife and his sons were frantically massaging his temples in an attempt to make him feel better.

Zachary held back the urge after taking a glance at his grandpa.

Julianna rushed over and helped Whitney up. Her heart ached when she saw the red palm print on Whitney’s face. “Honey, the kids are just drunk. It’s a misunderstanding. Whitney had always been a sloppy drunk. She always hugs people beside her and spouts nonsense after drinking.” Clearly, no one believed her.

Despite that, no one refuted her.

The Larson Family had an influential background, and they needed to rely on that.

“Yeah, yeah. My honey is also a sloppy drunk, Julianna chimed in.

“She is such a lightweight. She’s gotten so drunk after one drink. Do not let her drink in the future.”

“Luckily, she is in the house right now. I can’t imagine what would happen to her if this happened outside. She’s a girl, so she would be at a disadvantage.”

“Indeed, it is better not to allow young girls to drink.”

The people were trying to calm James by telling him that it was nothing major.

He acted calm and pretended to let things slide, but in fact, he was furious.

Julianna asked Willow to usher Whitney upstairs. She was worried about Whitney’s condition.

Why is she drunk after one glass of liquor? Her alcohol tolerance is not that terrible.

James gazed at Adam, then said, “Dad, don’t be angry.”

The Quail family then added, “Old Mr. Larson, it is a common social etiquette overseas.”

“We could hardly understand the youngsters nowadays since they are getting obsessed with foreign culture.”

“That’s right.”

The members of the Quail family chimed in too. The commotion successfully garnered Jessica’s attention, and she was watching everything unfold before her eyes. Her dislike for the Quail family grew even more when she saw them buttering Adam up and being fake for all time. It wouldn’t take long for the news to spread out in the upper-class society.

When the members of the Quail family had left, James could not bear to control his temper anymore. He bellowed, “Bring that whore to me. I’m kicking her out of the Larson residence today. I shouldn’t have allowed her to stay when Jess came back.”

Julianna hastily replied, “Honey, please calm down. It’s not a big issue. If you chase Whitney out today, people will think something happened between Zachary and Whitney. It would jeopardize their reputations.”

Chapter 248

James started to regain his composure the moment Julianna mentioned Zachary’s reputation.

She’s right. Zachary is my only heir, and I should not let that whore taint his name.

Julianna breathed out a sigh of relief once she noticed that James was recovering from anger. Her eyes were gleaming coldly…

He really does get anxious when his son gets involved.

Later that night, the study room was brightly lit. James was perching on a couch – a gleam of menace flashed across

his eyes when he stared at Zachary.

“What happened today?” James questioned.

Zachary remained silent.

James could figure out what Zachary was thinking from his look.

What Jessica said was true. Although it sounds ridiculous at that time, it all makes sense now.

“I will send her away,” James uttered.

“Why?” Zachary queried.

“Because I am your father,” James instantly replied.

“You are not my biological father.” Zachary was furious. “The Larson Family’s blood runs in you,” James continued. Zachary was stunned as he blurted, “What does that mean?”

“You are my biological son.” James finally revealed the secret to him.

Jessica, who was standing outside the door, froze on the spot when she heard that.

Zachary is from the Larson family’s bloodline?

All her questions before this instantly found an answer.

Zachary is from part of the Larson Family; no wonder James is so protective of him.

Then, what about Whitney?

Things are getting interesting.

Whitney is known to be part of the Larson Family, but she is actually their adopted daughter.

On the other hand, their adopted son is actually their biological son.

This is so interesting.

Jessica gradually retracted her hand, which initially rested on the doorknob.

At the same time, James’s voice was heard from the room,” Jess and that whore are your stepping stones. Your job is to bring pride and achievement to the Larson Family in order to become the top family in Horington City. You can get any girl you like when you are successful.”

Stepping stones?

Jessica narrowed her eyes. Is this our value to the Larson Family?

Jessica ignored their conversation. She then turned around and left.

During the New Year’s holiday, Daisy and her family went on a vacation abroad. Samantha was brought back to Dellmoor by Charles to celebrate the holiday while Jessica decided to spend her time lazing at home.

Meanwhile, at Stone Cafe, Hugh was sitting alone in a corner.

He was able to turn the heads of passers-by even through the glass window due to his attractive features.

“He is so handsome,” the waitress whispered behind the counter.

“Did you see his watch? I have seen it in a magazine. It looks like the limited edition of the Submariner, and it costs at least 75 thousand dollars.”

“Wow! He is rich and good-looking at the same time.”

When the waitresses were discussing, suddenly, the door was pushed open. After glancing around the cafe, Jessica headed toward Hugh, who was sitting by the window.

When the waitress was about to serve her, she sat in front of the good-looking guy.

“Hello, I am Jessica,” Jessica introduced herself while staring at this dashing man in front of her.

His gaze landed on her eyes. These eyes look so similar to those eyes, especially when I look closer.

“Hello, I am Hugh,” Hugh greeted.

“Mr. Hugh, thank you for helping me out on Twitter,” Jessica uttered what she had been longing to say.

“Don’t worry about that,” Hugh said in response.

“May I know what I can help you with this time, Mr. Hugh?”

Jessica inquired directly.

Jessica felt odd because she had never interacted with him before this.

Or maybe it’s because of that incident.

And now he’s trying to convince me since he failed to persuade Zander.

Chapter 249

Although he had helped her out previously, she was not about to betray Zander.

They were two entirely unrelated matters.

Following her example, Hugh decided to be straightforward as well. “I hear that someone known at Little Stock God

has popped up in Horington lately. What do you think of this person?”

Little Stock God?

Taken aback by his question, she narrowed her eyes and looked at him carefully.

Little Stock God had been part of her plan all along, and she had made sure to keep it under wraps.

Is he testing me? Or does he know something? Jessica smiled and replied, “Mr. Ferguson, you really do keep a close eye on Horington’s stock market. As a matter of fact, I know Little Stock God. He’s my cousin. If you need his contact, I can give it to you.”

Hugh smiled knowingly, then pushed the plate of cakes toward her. “Try one,” he said gently.

She looked at the cakes, then at him, sensing an inexplicable pressure.

Even without doing anything, he gave off a compelling air.

She had come across many big shots in the business world and powerful figures since her rebirth. However, none of them had given such a powerful impression as him.

The man before her emanated an imposing aura and made her feel as if she had nowhere to hide.

Jessica tried one of the cakes. It was delicious.

Hugh watched as she ate quietly and asked calmly, Fairview Corporation’s top priority is recruiting those with talent. Little Stock God fits what we’re looking for in a candidate. If it were you, would you refuse an offer to join our company?”

“I’m still young, so my studies are my priority. As for my cousin, you should ask him yourself,” she replied. Although neither of them spoke explicitly, the implied meaning behind their words was clear.

“I’ve taken a look at Little Stock God’s trading records. It’s comparable to mine. In fact, it may even be better than mine. Even I didn’t have as sharp an eye as him when I was her age. That’s a rare talent. If she joins our company, she’ll have lots of opportunities to develop her skills. Our company mainly focuses on the overseas financial market, and that’s where she belongs,” Hugh said.

Anyone who was into finance would have found those words extremely tempting.

After all, it was every trader’s dream to make it big on Wall Street.

Alas, she was not one of them.

I can only rely on the memories of my past life. They can help me now, but not for the rest of my life. If one insists on taking something that’s not theirs, they’ll only destroy themselves.

“That’s something you should ask him,” she answered.

Hugh knew what she meant. He looked at her, feeling a pang of regret that such talent would end up buried.

He was not someone domineering, so he would not force it. He presented her with a simple black name card. “If your cousin changes his mind and wants to join us, call this number.”

“Okay,” she replied as she put it away.

The name card itself was of a unique type of material. It was neither gold nor was it paper. Its texture was smooth and velvet-like. Printed on it was just a phone number.

There was not even a name.

The name card differed completely from the one Zander showed her previously.

As Jake walked in, his gaze happened to sweep over Jessica’s hand. His expression froze slightly, and a look of surprise flashed across his eyes.

However, he looked away immediately.

Jessica watched as Hugh got into his car, her gaze following the black-and-gold Maybach as it slowly drove out of sight.

Chapter 250

She received a text message as soon as she got into the car.

Xander texted: I’m sorry about what happened before. Are you free tomorrow? My treat.

After they parted ways at Simon’s house before New Year’s, no one had been able to contact him on his phone, and no one knew where he had gone.

The promise of a meal to say thank you was also never fulfilled.

Jessica texted back: Are you all right?

Jessica: I’m free tomorrow. You can pick the time and venue. It’ll be my treat.

She had sent someone to look after Simon secretly, and that person would update her on his condition from time to time.

Therefore, no matter how she thought about it, it did not make sense to let him treat her to a meal.

Xander texted: Okay. 7.30 p.m. tomorrow at Sunshine Island. See you there.

When Jessica returned to the Larson residence, she saw that Whitney, who had not left her room for the past few days, was sitting in the courtyard with Julianna.

From afar, she could see that their facial expressions and body language mirrored each other.

Although both of them looked nothing alike, their demeanor and charm were extremely similar.

Is that the result of living in the same house?

As she got closer, Whitney turned to say something to Julianna, then stood up and walked toward her.

“Jessica,” Whitney called out.

Jessica tilted her head and looked at her coldly. “What is it?”

Whitney stood close to her and lowered her voice before saying, “I’m guessing that what happened the other day was your doing. You slipped me a hallucinogenic drug.” Even if Whitney had been drunk that day, she would not have lost control like that, and she would never have done something like that to Zachary.

The only person in the house she could think of who would try to sabotage her was Jessica. She could not think of anyone else.

“I don’t understand what you mean. Didn’t you get yourself drunk?” Jessica retorted. “Or are you saying that you’ve really fallen for Zachary?”

“What nonsense are you saying? He’s my brother,” Whitney replied through clenched teeth.

No matter how despicable she was, there was no way that she would like her own brother, even though they were not related by blood.

Jessica smiled. “That may be how you feel about it, but he may not feel the same way. I clearly saw how reluctant he was to part from your kisses.”

“You…”

Whitney was enraged as she watched Jessica walk away. She put her hand in her pocket and gripped the recorder tightly.

She had wanted to trick Jessica into saying something incriminating, but Jessica had been tight-lipped and did not fall into her trap. In fact, she had even gotten the best of her. She felt as if all she had achieved was to humiliate herself.

“Jessica!” she growled menacingly.

The next day.

Sunshine Island was a specialty restaurant based on ecological conservation and advocating harmony between humans and nature. Since opening its doors half a year ago, it had become one of Horington’s most popular restaurants, and tables were hard to come by.

Walking into the restaurant was like entering a forest park. Lush greenery surrounded every table to create a sense of privacy, and a gurgling stream filled with colorful fish winded through the trees.

Jessica was not surprised by the lush greenery of the restaurant.

In her past life, Yara had loved dining at the restaurant. And she would often bring Jessica with her.

Therefore, she was familiar with it.

She gave the private room’s number to the receptionist. The receptionist then led her to a small pavilion atop a lake in the center of the restaurant. The sheer purple hangings draped across the space made it look as dreamy as something out of a girlish fantasy.

Xander was already waiting for her, and he got up as she walked in.

“It’s been a while,” Jessica said.

She looked at him with a smile and realized that there seemed to be a trace of bitterness in him. The youthfulness and arrogance from before had gone, and he appeared to be much calmer.

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