Chapter 302: Accident

Leon Quillan drove Jared Hawthorne back to the hotel.

“President Hawthorne, Maxim Chandler has already sent him to the old estate. How do you think the Old Master will deal with your uncle once he finds out?”

Jared looked out the car window. The morning light was slowly spreading across the horizon. “I’m not sure, but whatever the result, I’ll accept it.”

At the end of the day, it was his blood uncle. He couldn’t bring himself to eliminate the problem at its roots, nor did he want to watch his grandfather suffer from exhaustion and heartbreak over this.

“Your uncle is living far too foolishly,” Leon said. “If it were me, and someone was willing to carry the weight at the front, I’d just stay in the back and happily coast through life.” He wondered how someone could fail to enjoy such a good life. What an idiot!

“You talk too much,” Jared replied. “Go pack your things. We’re heading back to Veridia soon.”

Now that the matter was settled, he didn’t want to stay here a minute longer. He just wanted to go back early and hold his soft, sweet-smelling wife.

Back at the hotel, Leon started packing. They hadn’t brought much luggage, so it didn’t take long. The two immediately set off for the airport.

M-Country wasn’t far from Veridia; the flight was only two hours. Before takeoff, Jared called Vesper Grayson to let her know.

Just as the call ended, a violent commotion erupted in the terminal. Dense gunfire suddenly exploded, accompanied by ear-piercing screams and the chaotic, hurried footsteps of the crowd. Leon shielded Jared and walked briskly out of the airport.

With a shootout at the airport, they definitely wouldn’t be flying today.

After receiving Jared’s call, Vesper instructed the kitchen to prepare a lavish lunch.

Renee Rhodes held her hand and asked with a smile, “Is Jared done with his work there?”

“Yes, he should be home by noon.”

“Look at how happy you are. When Jared gets back, have him accompany you to your prenatal checkup this afternoon.”

Vesper nodded gently. She picked up an orange and was about to peel it, but Renee was quicker, taking it and peeling it for her.

“You’re pregnant now,” Renee said. “If you need anything done, just say the word. There will naturally be someone to do it for you.”

Vesper didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Mom, it’s just peeling an orange. I can still manage small things like this myself.”

“Absolutely not. Your hands are precious! I shared that soothing essential oil you gave me with some of my friends, and they all said it had an immediate effect. I think we could expand production. Once it hits the market, it will definitely create an unexpected sensation.”

Nowadays, many people suffered from severe insomnia due to various factors, especially the wealthy upper class. They had earned enough money in their youth, and as they grew older, they just wanted a good night’s sleep. Even a single night of sound sleep was something they couldn’t buy with all the money in the world.

“Large-scale production isn’t realistic right now,” Vesper explained. “The usable scraps of wild agarwood I have are limited. We can’t consider mass production until we can skillfully cultivate artificial agarwood. But agarwood is extremely difficult to grow. It’s only in the initial stages right now, and the conditions for cultivation haven’t been met yet.”

Renee paused for a moment. “Look at me, only thinking about production and sales, and forgetting about the raw materials. Vesper, you’re much smarter than I am. Go ahead and be bold with it. If you run into any difficulties, just ask your older brother and your dad.”

“Okay, I know.”

“Even though I can’t help you much, I do have a certain status among the society ladies. I can help promote it for you when the time comes.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Renee placed the peeled orange segments into Vesper’s palm. “Eat this and watch some TV. I’ll go supervise the kitchen myself.”

Meanwhile, Summer had been looking for an opportunity to make a move against Shiloh Sloan. Unfortunately, Nolan Forrester kept a tight watch on her, almost to the point of never leaving her side. Even when Shiloh went out, she had bodyguards flanking her. Those two were tall, burly, and clearly trained fighters—obviously not easy to deal with.

Just as she was agonizing over this, she heard a huge piece of news. Frederick Forrester, who had always maintained the image of a devoted husband, had an affair, and the other woman was his sister-in-law, Mrs. Forrester’s own sister.

Good heavens, she had stumbled upon quite the scandal. What surprised her even more was that Mrs. Forrester had forced Frederick to leave with nothing on the spot, forfeiting all of the Forrester family’s assets.

In the future, all of this would belong to Nolan. If she could marry him, these assets would become hers as well. This made her even more eager to marry into the Forrester family. A heartbroken, injured woman needed comfort and support more than ever at a time like this. She went to find her mother and asked her to accompany her to the Forrester family’s home.

Mrs. Summers frowned. “Since Nolan looks down on you, why must you force yourself on him? The fact that Carla Shepherd could divorce Frederick on the spot shows that someone like her doesn’t waste time on emotional turmoil, much less need comforting. If I go with you, I’ll just be making a fool of myself!”

“Mom, you promised you’d help me marry into the Forrester family. I really like Nolan. I believe that time reveals a person’s true heart. Over time, he’ll slowly discover my good qualities and fall in love with me.”

“Nolan is endlessly entangled with his ex-girlfriend. He even left the Forrester Corporation and openly defied Carla just for her. It’s clear how much he likes his ex-girlfriend.” Mrs. Summers sighed. “Confidence is a good thing, but you shouldn’t be blindly confident. Three years ago, we interfered, but it didn’t affect their relationship at all. Summer, you’re too obsessed. In the end, the only one who will get hurt is you!”

Mrs. Summers was an experienced woman and saw things much more clearly than she did. What mother wouldn’t want her daughter to get what she wanted? But the other party’s attitude was clear—he obviously didn’t like her, so there was no need to force the issue. Nolan was no longer the young man from three years ago. He was now at the helm of the Forrester Corporation and used ruthless methods. Even Carla probably couldn’t interfere with his decisions. Although the Summers family was wealthy, their business had been declining in recent years, and they had no intention of offending Nolan.

Summer’s eyes widened in disbelief. She thought her mother would support her unconditionally, but she was actually advising her to give up. Then what were the three years she had dedicated? A joke?

“Mom, I only want to marry Nolan in this life. I can’t live without him.” Her eyes reddened as she choked out, “Just help me, please? As long as she disappears forever without a trace, Nolan will definitely turn around and look at me.”

Shock flashed in Mrs. Summers’s eyes, and she grabbed her daughter’s arm tightly. “Summer, are you crazy? Don’t you know that you have to pay with your life for murder?”

A hint of hatred curled Summer’s lips. “So what? As long as I can have Nolan, I don’t care if I have to play dirty! Mom, if the Summers family can form a marriage alliance with the Forrester family, joining forces, we will definitely reach new heights in Northolme. Don’t you want our Summers family to rise higher?”

“But if things are exposed, the Summers family will be doomed beyond redemption!”

“Wealth and danger go hand in hand. What family climbs to a certain position without getting their hands dirty?” Summer persuaded. “I’m also thinking of the Summers family. Do you want the Summers family to climb a step higher, or do you want to see me dead!”

Mrs. Summers’s brow furrowed tightly. Of course she wanted her family to rise higher, and she also didn’t want her precious daughter threatening suicide. Her jewel, whom she had pampered and held in the palm of her hand since childhood—how could she be outdone by a wild girl born at the bottom of society?

At this thought, her eyes darkened, and she asked in a low voice, “What do you want to do?”

“You accompany me to see Mrs. Forrester to test her attitude. If her thoughts are still the same as ours, then we’ll carefully discuss a perfect countermeasure.”

Mrs. Summers and the Forrester family had a good relationship in their circle. Initially, it was the two of them who had agreed to let their children interact and form a marriage alliance. Although things hadn’t developed as they had hoped, the two maintained a superficial friendliness.

“Alright, then I’ll make a trip with you,” Mrs. Summers relented.

For the past few days, Carla hadn’t stepped a foot outside her doors. She locked herself in the villa all day—not out of sadness, but to seek some peace and quiet. After Frederick left without a word, Clara couldn’t accept the arrangement. Even though she was still in her postpartum confinement period, she constantly called Carla, who didn’t pick up a single time.

Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd visited several times, but aside from the first time, Carla didn’t show her face. Outside her door, Mrs. Shepherd cursed her for being heartless, unfeeling, and an unfilial daughter, regretting ever giving birth to her. Seeing that Carla remained unmoved, she went back to the hospital to take care of Clara.

Through this incident, Carla suddenly saw through many things. Cold family ties, a hypocritical sister, a cheating husband, and an estranged son—she had an epiphany in an instant! She had strived for perfection her entire life. She was filial to her parents, caring toward her sister, considerate of her husband, and responsible for her son. She worried about everyone, yet every single one of them harbored dissatisfaction and resentment toward her.

Perhaps she should have learned to love herself a long time ago, instead of worrying about other people’s affairs and interfering in their lives. That way, she wouldn’t have ended up being unappreciated at every turn.

Sitting by the window, she focused single-mindedly on drawing with her stylus on the tablet. A knock sounded at the door, and a maid’s voice came through the wood. “Madam, Mrs. Summers and her daughter are here to see you.”

Carla’s fingers paused on the screen. “Please invite them in,” she said flatly. “I’ll be down shortly.”

If Summer had come alone, she naturally wouldn’t have seen her. But since Mrs. Summers was also here, it wasn’t appropriate to deny her face. A few minutes later, Carla walked downstairs with calm, elegant steps, a perfectly polite smile hanging on her face.

“Jasmine, what brings you here today?”

Jasmine Lester looked worried. “I heard about you and Frederick. I really couldn’t put my mind at ease. Are you doing okay?”

Carla’s smile faded slightly. She hadn’t publicized her divorce from Frederick, yet Jasmine’s information network was exceptionally well-informed. “It’s nothing major. I’m just living my life as usual.”

She picked up the light tea the maid had brewed and took a small sip. Knowing that the mother and daughter wouldn’t visit purely to offer condolences, she quietly raised her eyes and swept a glance over the two of them. “Jasmine, feel free to speak your mind.”

Jasmine covered her lips and chuckled softly. “Seeing that you’re doing alright puts my mind at ease. I came this time mainly for Nolan and Summer’s marriage. The two children have known each other and spent so much time together; isn’t it time to put their marriage on the agenda?”

“You should be clear about their situation. I’m afraid my Nolan doesn’t have the blessing to marry such an excellent girl as Summer.” Carla set down her teacup, the bottom clinking crisply against the saucer, and then sighed softly. “Nowadays, I don’t want to interfere too much in Nolan’s private romantic life. I’ll just let everything follow his own heart.”

Summer suddenly gripped Mrs. Summers’s arm tightly, burning with anxiety. Mrs. Forrester was planning to completely let go and allow Nolan to choose for himself. With his feelings, he would definitely choose Shiloh without hesitation. What would she do then?

Jasmine gently patted the back of Summer’s hand to comfort her and looked at Carla. “Carla, are you really willing to watch Nolan be with a girl who has no family background? As the old saying goes, marriages are dictated by parents’ orders and matchmakers’ words. As long as you, his mother, finalize it, Nolan won’t openly defy you.”