Chapter One Hundred and FifteenGemma looked at Clement with affection and concern as she hurriedly approached his side to examine the bruise on her son's arm. The bruise was quite large, obviously the result of a strong impact that had caused Clement considerable pain."Mommy... it hurts so much," Clement said, his teary eyes welling up. He gritted his teeth as if enduring terrible pain.Gemma felt a pang of pain when Clement called her "mom." Her current status was not suitable for him to address her in such a way, but she couldn't bring herself to stop him. Gemma turned her gaze to the maid and said, "Could you please get me some medicine to apply on the little one's bruise? Thank you."With a cold expression, the maid nodded slightly and left, returning shortly with a first aid box in hand. Gemma deftly applied the pain-relief ointment on Clement's bruise, and every action was gentle and tender, even a slight frown from Clement made her anxious."Now, it's all right. Perhaps you'r
Chapter One Hundred and SixteenWith less than half an hour before landing, Jethro sighed, feeling wretched and pitiful. He knew the price he had to pay for the things he had done that hurt and pained Gemma.It would be selfish to hope for Gemma's forgiveness. Jethro felt like a beggar of the past, gnawing at memories that had long passed. He craved the simplicity and love Gemma had offered, the things he once held in his hands but deliberately let go of.Gemma wouldn't easily forgive him as she had done in the past, and he understood that, but he couldn't comprehend why he kept yearning."Why does she have to pretend not to remember anything about me? Clearly, she has remembered everything..." Jethro said.His subordinates by his side listened but remained silent. Jethro fell into contemplation; he had been in this state for a while now, asking himself questions he couldn't answer. Sometimes he would ask his subordinates and those below him, but no one could help him with those quest
Chapter One Hundred Seventeen "The organization's structure is truly impressive; otherwise, it would have collapsed years ago. But how many people are at the top remains just our speculation," Louis praised openly. BIK operates so boldly, yet its leadership remains shrouded in mystery, which intrigues him. "What we can do is send more people to infiltrate and avoid making any hasty moves. We must not disturb the hornet's nest. What do you all think?" Jethro suggested, knowing that BIK was gaining strength, and a direct confrontation might be disadvantageous at the moment. However, they still lacked a deep understanding of the organization. Harvey chuckled sarcastically upon hearing Jethro's words, "Your approach seems quite different from your usual style, Jethro. Since when did you choose the cautious path?" Jethro sensed the mocking tone in Harvey's remark but chose not to pay attention to it. After all, even though they were sitting at the same table, they held entirely differen
Chapter One Hundred EighteenHarvey smirked mockingly and sneered; he found it quite amusing. This woman really had a big ego, perhaps she had been pampered so much that she didn't know her place."True, if you hadn't reminded me, I might have forgotten that we once had a wedding ceremony. But, as you know, this marriage was never my intention. Don't delude yourself any further," he said.Before being forced into marrying Quinn, a wealthy family head had told Harvey that she was a highly skilled woman, adept at handling social situations, and knew how to please others, which was why she made it onto the list of heirs to the Reed family. However, now Harvey thought that the family head should reconsider the words he had spoken. Harvey found this woman to be nothing but a nuisance and trouble, and he couldn't see any positive qualities in her.Compared to his beloved Emma, Quinn was like a tiny ant underfoot.[What do you mean by that? Are you now trying to cancel the marriage? I won't
Chapter One Hundred and NineteenAs Gemma played the piano, she glanced over at Clement, who had never had direct contact with any musical instrument before, making him feel both new and thrilled. The melody she played was incredibly gentle and tender, just a little listening to it brought comfort, dissipating any worries.Clement looked up at his mother just as their eyes met, and in that moment, he was awestruck by Gemma's ethereal beauty. He knew his mother was beautiful and admired her looks, but at this instant, he couldn't bring himself to look directly into her eyes.Feeling embarrassed, Clement quickly turned his head away, and his face flushed red like a tomato. He clumsily tried to conceal his embarrassment, not wanting his mother to see it. Gemma chuckled softly, seeing her son in such a state.As the music came to an end, Gemma raised her hand and turned to ask her son, "What do you think? It was lovely, right?""Yes, it was beautiful. You never told me you could play the
Chapter One Hundred TwentyClement remained expressionless when mentioning the scars on his father's wrists. It wasn't because his father brought it up or told him about it; rather, Clement accidentally caught a glimpse of them during dinner. At that moment, he was taken aback by the numerous crisscrossing scars.However, due to Jethro's malevolent gaze, Clement dared not speak up and ask. The mere thought of it sent shivers down his spine. Gemma was still stunned by her son's words. Jethro always wore long-sleeved, dark-colored shirts and had never revealed such severe wounds in front of her."Could you have mistaken it, Clement?" Gemma forced a laugh, hoping that Jethro wasn't so mad as to harm himself like that.Clement tilted his head, pondered for a moment, and replied, "It's possible... but that was a long time ago, about two years ago."Clement stared at Gemma intently and continued, "After Mom committed suicide on that cliff."Gemma shuddered as she met Clement's cold and pier
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-OneJethro was very annoyed, but he had to suppress his irritation, not letting it show outwardly. Now he had to pretend that he had changed, that he was a good man so that Gemma would change her perception of him."All day, I had important matters to attend to, so I couldn't be by your side and Clement," Jethro said, smiling.Gemma raised her hand to stop Jethro. She wasn't here to listen to his explanations, and she didn't care about where he went."Your work is not related to me, and I have no interest in hearing about it," Gemma stated bluntly.Recalling the early days of their marriage, Jethro always used work and his company as excuses to avoid being at home with her. Every time Gemma asked about his work or how his day went, he would get annoyed and tell her it was none of her business, instructing her not to care.After so many years, he seemed to have forgotten it all quickly, but as her memories returned, Gemma became more vividly aware of things f
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-TwoGemma screamed loudly, the agony had reached its peak early on, but she managed to suppress it by thinking that one day she would escape Jethro and his watchful eyes, or at least patiently wait until he grew tired of her and stopped chasing her.But Gemma was wrong; Jethro seemed to be obsessed with her. He wouldn't let her go. Now, she had nothing left, and he still wanted something from her."Jethro, what is there left for me that you haven't taken? Speak up! I'll give it to you," Gemma yelled, not realizing that tears were streaming down her face as she spoke.Jethro wanted to approach and wipe away her tears, seeing her cry pained him deeply, and his heart felt constricted witnessing her like this. However, Gemma pushed his hand away forcefully, repulsed by his touch. Every time he touched her, a chain of painful memories from the past resurfaced. The awful and traumatic experiences he had inflicted upon her made her feel disgusted and haunted."Don'