Before I could respond, he tilted his head downwards and complained, “If Lydia hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known the truth. It turned out that mom has sent someone to spy on me after she knew of our relationship. And before she blew up at me, she confronted him without my knowledge! Well, I don’t know what they talked about, but I’m pretty sure that Jackson disappeared after that day. Then soon after, he went to M Country and ended up being the scapegoat of his own brother!
“Look at him now. He is laying unconscious in bed, and his parents didn’t even come and visit him. Do you know what they told me over the phone? They said he disgusted them and that he is not their son! They said he deserved to suffer because he chose to leave and protect me. You see, I am the only one he could turn to. I must stay beside him. And I’ve promised myself that I don’t want to be a gutless coward anymore.”
I could see his gaze wandered over the floor as he spoke. Then he stared ahead absently as if his soul leaving his empty shell of a body.
I knew nothing was perfect in this world. We would always fail the very person who loved us the most.
As a bystander, I didn’t have the right to judge his decision, but at the same time, I felt sorry for Rose.
“Still, Rose and your son are innocent. I know you’re a busy man, but you must fulfill your responsibilities. Even if you want to go your separate ways, don’t run and hide from your problems. So, think carefully before you make your final decision,” I said, even though I knew it was almost impossible to convince a stubborn man.
If he allowed his ego to rule his decision, the problem would only drag on much longer. In the end, he would only make it more difficult for himself.
I left his office. Suddenly, I received a call from the police station. I had to call off my plan to visit Rose.
“Are you Emery Moore’s attorney?”
Half an hour later, I arrived at the police station.
From inside the car, I saw an ambulance pulled off at the front entrance. It has an emergency light on.
I got down from the car and walked toward the entrance. When I was inside the building, I saw a patient in a ventilator mask being wheeled into the ambulance. It was hectic.
Just as I was wondering about what happened, Hunter hurried out of the corridor with his father. He looked surprised when he saw me. Then he walked past me like we were total strangers. They got into a white car and followed the ambulance.
At that moment, I could probably guess what had happened. I walked further in and saw Emery sitting face to face with a police officer. Her attractive features were expressionless; her eyes were cold and sharp.
The police officer explained the whole situation to me.
Emery wanted to file an application for custody of their son, Xavier. She also requested that all the joints assets should go to her. Initially, both parties had reached an agreement, but their decision somehow reached Hunter’s parents, and they were not happy about it. His parents were strict with family traditions, so they refused to let Emery take their precious grandson away from them. They went to her office to confront her and made a big fuss.
Emery immediately called the police, and she was brought in for questioning. Hunter’s mother had said some offensive things to her prior to my arrival. Despite that, Emery remained calm and composed. Instead, Mrs. Zane was aggravated with anger and passed out on the spot.
The police released Emery since she wasn’t involved in physical or verbal violence. I sent her home after I signed some documents.
On our way home, she stared out the window in silence as though something was bothering her.
I guessed she was worried about the custody, so I tried to comfort her. “The Zanes may seem like a better fit for Xavier, but you have the advantage in terms of financial resources. The judges will also take the morality clause into consideration. We will prove his infidelity to the court, so you have the upper hand.”
Emery turned her head to me and replied softly, “Mr. Newman told me the same thing. I trust you guys one hundred percent on this.”
“Thanks.” I patted her back gently. “I know it’s hard to deal with a stubborn parent, but just bear with them. Do what you think is right. Don’t take their words to heart.”
Then I realized that she dressed differently that day, more like the girl next door. She put on a long delicate silk dress on her voluptuous body, probably to hide her sexiness and scars.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m used to it. They never like me as their daughter-in-law anyway,” she muttered. After a pause, she blurted, “By the way, I will go abroad in two days to do a scar removal surgery. I’ll leave the company to you. As for the lawsuit, my standpoint is still the same. They deserve censure and punishment. Also, Delilah and his parents might push my lawyer to the wall. I’ll need your help when that happened.”
“Don’t worry. Just leave everything here to me. If I can’t handle it, my bodyguard will settle it for me.” I laughed. Emery calmed down a bit and sat silently for a while before she called her secretary. She wanted to get her mother-in-law transferred to a better hospital.
“After all, they were once my family. I must do my responsibility, nothing else,” she explained calmly.
I was not surprised. I knew Emery had a clear line of demarcation between love and hate. She was kind-hearted and a big softie on the inside despite her sharp tongue. It was almost ten o’clock when I reached home. I saw John sitting in the living room. And in front of him, there was a man in a suit.
When I was about to walk up the stairs toward my bedroom after an exhausting day, John called out to me. “Letty, come here for a bit.”
“What is it?” I asked as I walked over.
He didn’t respond. Instead, the gentleman in front of him stood up and said, “Ms. Stanhope, it’s about Summer’s school transfer. There are some documents that need your sign of approval. When are you available?”
“Summer’s transfer?” I asked, confused. After a moment, I gazed down at John. “What does this mean? Why does Summer need to be transferred?”
Without any expression, he replied, “I’ll explain to you later. Now, you should discuss this with him. You know, the procedure could be troublesome.”
“Ms. Stanhope, I know you’re busy. How about you ask your secretary to email me your schedule instead? I will make an arrangement and let you know about it. Here, this is my name card with my contact information.”
“I see.” I reached out for the name card and took a glance at it. His name was Wayne Hertel, the vice- president of a prestigious international school. He seemed eager to talk about Summer’s school transfer, I figured John had made a good deal with him.
“All right now, you should get going.” John dismissed him after Mr. Hertel told me his purpose.
As soon as he left, I was about to ask John to explain further, but Summer suddenly came hopping down the stairs. She hugged my leg and began to cry. “Mommy, I don’t want to be transferred! No!” Tears streamed down her cheeks as she wailed.
“All right. I get it. Don’t cry.”
I calmed her down. Eventually, she stopped crying. I crouched down and looked her in the eyes. “Sweetie, why you don’t want to change school?”
“I just don’t want to!” she said and sniffed back a sob. She looked at me with a very sad frown on her face. “I finally have friends at school. I like them, and I like Mr. Cress. I don’t want to be apart from them!”
My heart sank when I heard that. I only sighed in reply. I knew her feelings. After all, she was a child who would hold dear to everything she liked.
I turned to John. He stood still with his hands in his pockets while he fixed his cold gaze on us. The frown on his face gave me the feeling that he was angry.
He must be hiding something.
I didn’t want to ask him when Summer was around, so I asked Lois to take her upstairs. I waited until they were away from our sight. Then I turned to John grimly.
“Tell me, what is this about? Why did you suddenly want her to be transferred?”
I knew he went to Summer’s school that afternoon to find out about Mr. Cress, so I figured something had happened there to make him behave that way. Don’t tell me… it’s him.
John gritted his teeth. Hesitancy held him back. Almost a minute passed. He opened his mouth and said hoarsely, “It’s him.”
I jumped to my feet, completely thunderstruck by his short replied. I clenched my fist and teeth in anger.
The guy he meant was none other than Jared, who almost got Summer killed and ruined my relationship with Anthony.
With his expression full of hate, John fumed, “His sentence was reduced after the judge reviewed his behavior in the prison. He was released on parole a few months ago, with the Crests’ help. I believe he has tampered with Emery’s resources because that school never hired such a highly qualified young teacher in the first place! That son of a b*tch is using a fake identity to get close to Summer!”
My heart raced and my breathing turned rapid.
No wonder the last time I went to her school, Mr. Cress would deliberately avoid me. It all makes sense now! That jerk has it all planned out so that he could approach Summer. His identity, his appearance… Everything is fake!
I knew Jared could do such a wicked trick.
I immediately turned around and rushed upstairs. On my way, I reminded John to arrange a meeting with Mr. Hertel the next day.
He is a dangerous man. He should stay away from Summer!
When I entered the room, I saw my daughter on the bed while Lois read her a story.
“Lois, let me.” She passed me the storybook, then I took a seat beside the bed.

New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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