Chapter 54

+25 BONUS

After having dinner with Michael, Jessica gave him and the child a lift home. She was even invited into the house for some tea. Jennifer brought over a pot of tea and placed it in front of Jessica with a bright smile. “Good evening, Ms. Wilder.”

“So you’re the nanny Shannon picked. Come to think of it, this is the first time we’ve met.” Jessica took a sip and was hit by the overwhelming sweetness—it almost knocked her out. There was too much sugar in it.

From the corner of her eye, she caught Jennifer’s seemingly sweet smile laced with hidden malice. This woman had definitely done it on purpose!

“Yes. Although my salary is paid by Ms. Wilder, I handle all work matters through Miss Harvey.”

“Keep up the good work. The New Year’s coming—there’s a bonus at the end of the year.”

“Okay.”

Jennifer turned and walked away.

Michael continued chatting with Jessica for a while, subtly steering the conversation toward Crimson Engineering.

“I heard my parents scolded Luke pretty badly. Apparently, he said something inappropriate in front of Mr. Wayne and his wife. A project that was about to be signed is now in limbo. The expensive painting that my father had given to Mr. Wayne was for nothing as well.”

Jordan happily bounced upstairs for her bath, leaving Michael and Jessica alone, discussing business unexpectedly.

Who said Michael was no longer involved with the Hall family? The connection seemed very much alive. That incident had only just happened, and Michael already knew about it.

“Mr. Wayne is indeed unhappy.” Jessica looked helpless. “You know about me and Chris… Bringing him along was just to stabilize the Wilder Group’s stock price. Those shareholders are watching me like hawks, hoping I’ll slip up. And now with Luke’s big mouth, all my efforts have gone to waste.”

Michael immediately looked remorseful and held Jessica’s hand. “I’m really sorry. This is all Luke’s fault. But I honestly can’t say anything right now. You know I’ve lost all say in the Hall family. Luke still manages several subsidiary companies, but I–Jessica, I really want to help you.”

His head was lowered, but there was a glint of light in his eyes. Jessica finally understood why Michael had gone through all this effort. Michael wanted to return to the Hall family.

Jessica coaxed him for a long while before finally leaving. From beginning to end, Jennifer had only exchanged a few words with Jessica and didn’t even make eye contact. Michael didn’t notice anything unusual.

Once inside her car, Jessica immediately called Chris–but he didn’t answer. She let out a sigh. All the effort she had put into winning him back was undone the moment Michael showed up. She was so close to winning Chris back.

She hadn’t expected Michael to come looking for her at the company. With all the scrutiny on him right now, he should’ve been laying low at home–at the very least, he shouldn’t have come to the Wilder Group and stirred things up for her. Even more unexpected was that Chris had shown up too.

Sighing wouldn’t help. She needed to resolve these issues quickly if she wanted to be with Chris properly.

What surprised her even more was how much Michael had changed in just five years.

+25 BONUS

Back then, the Hall family had also tried to take advantage of her relationship with Michael. But Michael hadn’t wanted her to be put in a tough spot and never asked her for anything.

Now, it was different. Michael wanted to return to the Hall family, to regain power, and he made his desires known outright.

The Hall family. Michael. She was getting closer and closer to the heart of the secret.

When she got home, she had expected darkness—but as soon as she opened the door, a warm yellow light greeted her. She walked in, surprised.

Chris was sitting in front of the sofa, watching an auction. He turned around when he heard the door.

“Welcome home,” he said, smiling at Jessica.

That left her momentarily at a loss. She dropped her keys in the entryway. “You…”

Based on his personality, Chris should’ve just gone back to his dorm at the hospital. He was likely to be mad for a couple of days, so why had he come back?

Chris smiled and took her coat to hang it up. “Are you hungry?”

Chapter 55