Chapter 538

Jasmine thought, "Have a baby? Our relationship is already moving fast enough. Damien isn’t just rushing; he’s trying to leap straight to the end."

Of course, Jasmine was going to say no, even though babies were cute and she’d dreamed of having a little one as pretty as Gracie, all pink and perfect. Just thinking about it made her happy, but not now.

Since that night, they hadn’t been intimate again, mostly because Damien was too busy handling everything for the wedding. She’d had it easy, just dealing with a few documents each day.

Jasmine bit his lip. Damien pulled away from her.

Jasmine said, “I don’t want to have a baby so soon.” Her cheeks flushed. “We… We haven’t even dated yet.”

“We can start now,” Damien said.

Jasmine’s eyes lit up when she was about to ask how they were going to date.

Damien’s hand moved to the bikini strap around her neck. He gave it a light tug, and the string came loose like scattered sand.

Water splashed. Skin pressed against skin.

Jasmine was like a fish, swimming freely in the water one minute, but then her tail was caught, leaving her at Damien’s mercy.

After they had sex, Damien carried her back to the bed. He kissed the tears from the corner of her eye, as gentle as could be.

“I’ll stay with her for life,” he thought.

In Wallington, lights were just coming on.

Shermaine and Joshua had been gone for nearly two years.

Snowflakes fell from the sky. Every household’s windows were covered in thick frost.

At Yaleview Hospital, Danielle had just finished another four-hour surgery. She stepped out.

Her mask covered her pretty face, but her eyes were still bright, though there were dark circles under them and red streaks, showing she hadn’t slept in a long time.

The patient’s family swarmed around her as she came out.

One asked, “Doctor, is my son going to be okay?”

Another said, “Doctor, how’s my husband?”

Their voices were full of concern, but their chatter only made Danielle’s headache worse.

She’d meant to tell them the surgery had gone well, that they didn’t need to worry so much, but before she could speak, she fainted. A nurse coming out saw her and hurried to hold her up.

Danielle was exhausted. After pulling two surgeries back to back, she was already completely worn out.

Danielle was a surgeon, but her real specialty was the heart, not brain surgery.

Tonight’s operation was on a police officer who’d been shot in the head, causing heavy bleeding. The officer’s life hung in the balance.

Danielle hadn’t wanted to take part in this surgery. She’d just finished a highly difficult operation and was already feeling weak. Then they asked her to lead this one. It was too big a challenge for her.

The officer’s condition was urgent, but with several top surgeons from the department out of town at a conference, she was the only one left in the hospital who could perform the surgery.

Danielle had no choice but to push through.

Before she fainted, Danielle thought, “It would be good if Shermaine were here!”

But Shermaine and Joshua vanished nearly two years ago and still hadn’t returned.

Secrets couldn’t be kept forever. With them staying out of the public eye and what had happened that night, the media and people in the circle had guessed Shermaine and Joshua had met with misfortune that night. They were dead.

But the York family was influential, and Joshua was the head of York Group. If the news of his death got out, the York family would be thrown into chaos overnight.

So the news of his and Shermaine’s death was kept under wraps.

The York family had been the top family in Basterel for a long time. When word spread that Shermaine and Joshua might be dead, many other families grew restless. They joined forces to take on the York family.

With Joshua gone, they were like untamed horses with no restraints. They hit York Group from all sides in the business world.

Luckily, the York family didn’t fall apart without Joshua. They didn’t get pushed back.

Owen stepped up to run the company. He took over all the projects Joshua had been in charge of before disappearing. Ross was helping too.

All in all, the York and Jean families went through a big upheaval after Shermaine and Joshua left, but they weren’t hurt at the core. They remained unshakable in Basterel.

The only real problem was that Molly went back to Ustrana and Roy followed not long after, but then the two of them got into a car accident.

People said it was a car accident, but it was actually an ambush.

After all, Molly’s family was huge and complicated. She had so many siblings, all wanting to inherit the throne, and Molly was definitely one of the most outstanding heirs among them.

So after she went back, Molly was ambushed.

That attack left her badly hurt and in a coma for three months before waking up, but Roy went missing in that incident.

First, Shermaine and Joshua suddenly disappeared. That was hard enough. Two people just vanished right in front of them. They were already on edge. Then, not long after, Roy went missing too.

So Ross has been really busy these past two years. He was busy with Jean Group’s business, also helping the Shay family look for Roy.

Danielle had plenty to do at the hospital. She and Ross barely get to see each other.

After Molly recovered from her injuries, she had been looking for Roy too, but there was still no sign of him. All traces of him had been wiped clean, so there was still no news of where he was.

When Danielle woke up again, she saw Ross sitting beside her and going through papers.

It had been over two weeks since she’d seen Ross, so when she opened her eyes and saw him, she was a bit dazed. She thought she must be dreaming.

Then Ross touched her cheek, asking gently, “How are you feeling?”

Danielle looked at him. This gentle, refined man seemed to have lost a little weight.

But he still had that same charm. He was wearing a well-fitted gray suit with an overcoat over it because it was cold. He looked elegant and smart.

Over the past two years, Danielle had grown more and more fond of him, who’d risked his life to save her during the earthquake. After missing him for over two weeks, she shook her head and held out her arms. “Ross, hug me.”

Ross helped her up from the bed. He put his arms around her, and she sat on his lap.

Danielle leaned in, pressing her soft lips on his.

She’d always been the forward one, often getting Ross all worked up.

This noble, refined man had long since fallen for her.

Ross parted his lips.

Danielle still felt weak after sleeping. She kissed him for a moment and pulled back, out of breath. Then Ross took over, but his kisses were gentle.

When their slow, soft kiss ended, Danielle’s lips glistened, and her eyes were a little red. She looked just like a pink rose in spring, with a faint flush. “Ross, I missed you so much.”