Ch. 511..520
After a simple wash-up, she called the three of them over for breakfast.
Timothy threw Nicholas another disgusted glance at the table before saying, “Tessa, why don’t you go back to Nicholas’ villa tonight? Our house is too small. It can’t accommodate all of you.”
Tessa blushed to the tips of her ears when she heard this, and she wanted nothing more than to bury her head in the bowl.
On the contrary, Nicholas was calm and suggested, “You can move into a bigger house, then we can stay at both places in the future.”
Gregory was beyond thrilled when he heard that he could stay at both places.
“Mr. Timothy, let’s buy a bigger house. Then, when Miss Tessa is homesick, I’ll come and stay with her.”
As he spoke, he stared expectantly at Timothy with a pair of starry eyes.
He didn’t respond to Gregory’s request immediately but considered the feasibility of the situation in his mind.
Meanwhile, Tessa was attracted by Nicholas’ proposal to buy a new house as well.
Then, he turned to his sister and asked, “Tessa, what do you think of Nicholas’ proposal?”
“I’m fine with it. After all, we’re able to afford such a thing financially. So, it’s definitely possible for us to look for a bigger apartment.”
She shared her thoughts with Timothy.
He nodded in agreement and noted it down in his mind.
I suppose I should start hunting for a new home before Tess goes abroad again.
After breakfast, Nicholas asked her, “Do you have any plans for today?”
Gregory and Tessa looked over when they heard his question.
Tessa thought about it for a while, then shook her head and replied, “I don’t have any plans today. I think I’ll clean up the house while spending some time with Gregory.”
“Miss Tessa, you’re the best!”
Undoubtedly, Gregory was the happiest about this arrangement as he clapped his hands and cheered
Nicholas nodded and said nothing.
Not long after that, he and Timothy left for work.
Then, Tessa got ready to start cleaning up the apartment as well.
Although Timothy had cleaned up the place last night, he only cleaned the areas they needed to use, so there were still many places he hadn’t had time to clean.
“Miss Tessa, let me help.”
Gregory sensibly took the initiative to roll up his sleeves and came forward to help out with the chores.
Tessa was gratified by his attitude and didn’t refuse the little boy’s desire to help but arranged simple and easy tasks for him.
He was happy to see that he could help her and was full of energy while working.
Just like this, both of them buzzed around cleaning the apartment, and cheerful laughter floated out of the window from time to time.
U line.
By the time they were finished with the cleaning, it was almost noon.
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As there were only two of them, Tessa didn’t cook much food, only one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a soup.
Even so, when Gregory finished eating, his belly was bulging.
In the end, he even smacked his lips together and exclaimed, “I still like the food you cook the most. If only I could eat it every day.”
Tessa’s heart warmed when she heard this, and she wondered how such a cute child could exist in the world.
Unable to stop herself, she held the little boy in her arms and kissed him. “I’ll cook for you as long as I have time in the future, okay?”
“I knew you loved me the best, Miss Tessa.”
Gregory was overjoyed and planted a kiss on her cheek.
After the two fooled around in the living room for a while, Tessa asked, “Greg, is there anywhere you’d like to go?”
He thought about it for a while, then blinked his dark eyes and looked expectantly at her. “Miss Tessa, can you take me to the aquarium?”
“Of course!”
Tessa readily agreed as she had planned to take Gregory out to have fun.
At this thought, she affectionately tapped the tip of Gregory’s small nose and smiled. “We have the whole day to ourselves, Greg.”
“That’s great!” Gregory cried out as his eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands, feeling extremely happy After the two of them tidied up, they went downstairs hand-in-hand.
She took him to the basement, then left the residence in the car her brother bought for her.
As she hadn’t driven for a long time, and Gregory was with her, she kept all her focus on the road, not noticing that someone had fixed a vicious gaze on her since she left the apartment.
Always Been Yours Chapter 512
At the residence’s entrance, Hayley sat in the car and stared resentfully at the car Tessa was in. and she only retracted her gaze when she couldn’t see Tessa’s car any longer.
When she thought of the news she had received in the past two days, a steady stream of jealousy surged into her heart, which twisted her delicate and beautiful appearance into something hideous and terrifying.
“Tessa, you asked for this. You could’ve gone for any other man, but you just had to snatch mine!”
She was practically forcing those words out through her teeth.
After a while, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm herself down before picking up her phone and dialing a number.
“Keep a close eye on that b*tch and take care of her, you hear me?!”
When they arrived at the aquarium, there weren’t many visitors because it was a working day.
After Tessa bought the tickets, she led Gregory into the aquarium.
“Wow, there are so many fishes! It’s amazing!”
“Miss Tessa, there are sharks!”
“Miss Tessa, what is that? It’s so big!”
In the tunnel, the little guy tilted his head up, and his awed remarks never stopped throughout the visit.
When he saw a fish he didn’t know, he would look at her with a curious expression on his face.
Naturally, she wouldn’t spoil his fun and would try her best to impart her knowledge of those fishes to him.
Of course, when she encountered a species she didn’t know, she would search it up on her phone before explaining it to him.
She took many photos of him as well, planning to organize them and send them to Nicholas later.
The tunnel was quite long, and half an hour had passed after their relatively detailed tour of the aquarium,
As soon as they came out, they heard a staff member informing the tourists that the beluga whale show was about to begin.
“Miss Tessa, let’s go see the beluga whale, shall we? I like beluga whales.”
Gregory tugged on Tessa as he stared expectantly at her.
Naturally, she agreed and brought him to the Beluga Whale Section.
The Beluga Whale Section was one of the aquarium’s main attractions, so it was huge.
Inside, the blue pool occupied a large area.
When they arrived, she found that many people were already seated.
Then, she found a place with a good view and sat down as she held onto Gregory securely.
Gregory poked his tiny head up and looked toward the pool, then asked, “Miss Tessa, why hasn’t the beluga whale come out yet?”
“Because it’s not time for the show yet. You’ll just have to wait a little longer to see the whale,” she explained.
He nodded his head obediently and patiently waited.
A few minutes later, a staff member walked to the pool to welcome the guests, and a beluga whale appeared in the pool behind him.
“Miss Tessa, look! It’s the beluga whale. It’s so cute!”
Gregory’s eyes gleamed as he stared unblinking at the beluga whale in the pool.
The entire place grew lively due to the appearance of the beluga whale as well.
Then, under the staff’s guidance, the beluga whale started the performance.
Applause sounded continuously.
Gregory clapped his hands vigorously, turning his palms red, but he didn’t feel anything at all.
He stared at the whale with sparkling eyes and kept saying, “It’s amazing! It’s so cute!”
Tessa smiled in amusement when she saw Gregory in such an excited state, as it was a rare sight for him to get so worked up over something.
Finally, when the performance was over, the staff suddenly announced, “Let’s randomly select a lucky audience to come down and interact with us.”
As soon as they said this, many female spectators grew excited.
After all, few girls could resist a cute creature like the beluga whale.
Meanwhile, the staff had already drawn lots and was saying with a smile, “The lucky audience has been selected. Let’s see who the lucky one is.”
As he spoke, the staff unfolded the paper in his hand and read, “The lucky audience is… seat 189!”
Everyone in the audience immediately took a look at their seat numbers when they heard the announcement.
Although Gregory was only four years old, he could already count up to two hundred.
So, when he saw that his seat number was the one the staff had mentioned, he grabbed Tessa excitedly and shouted, “Miss Tessa, my seat is number 189!”
She was stunned at his good fortune, then happily congratulated him.
Always Been Yours Chapter 513
Gregory was also over the moon.
However, because he was a child, Tessa had to follow him to the pool as his guardian.
“What’s your name, little guy?” The staff crouched down and talked to Gregory:
Since Gregory was not timid around strangers, he answered the staff with his crisp voice. “My name is Gregory Sawyer, and my nickname is Greg.”
“Then I shall call you Greg. Is that okay?”
“Okay!”
Although he said those words to the staff, Gregory’s gaze had already landed on the Beluga whale.
When the staff saw this, they smiled and beckoned the beluga whale to swim over and interact with Gregory.
The whale swam over and let out ‘clicking’ sounds. It made Gregory, who was touching the beluga whale, smile happily, especially when it kissed him on the cheek.
As she looked at his bright smile, she immediately took pictures of these beautiful images with her phone.
Later, she sent these pictures directly to Nicholas.
In the meantime, Nicholas was discussing matters with Kieran in Sawyer Group’s President’s office when he received those pictures.
The moment he saw the pictures on his phone, he simply felt that those pictures had magically erased all his worries.
Among the pictures there was Gregory’s solo picture and a group picture of Tessa and Gregory. There was no doubt that both of them were genuinely happy as they smiled in those pictures.
In the beginning, Kieran was talking to Nicholas about work-related matters. However, he found out that Nicholas didn’t even give him the slightest response after everything he had said earlier. Therefore, he could not help but look up suspiciously and discovered that Nicholas was staring at the phone with a tender and focused look on his face.
“Nicholas, what are you looking at?”
As he spoke, he stuck out his head out of curiosity. Then, he saw the picture on Nicholas’ phone and understood instantly.
It was just that he thought of another thing and could not help asking, “Nicholas, seeing that Greg and Tessa have such a good relationship, when are you going to tell her the truth?”
Like a shot, Nicholas’ expression froze. He naturally knew that Kieran was referring to Tessa being Gregory’s biological mother.
But-it’s just that it’s hard for me to come clean with her regarding this matter…
Finally, he lowered his head, looking at the adult and child smiling brightly on the phone; he caressed the screen. Then, he said slowly, “It doesn’t really matter what the truth is.”
“Are you for real?” Are you planning to keep this secret from Tessa?” Kieran was stunned.
Nicholas glanced at Kieran when he heard that. Then, he said solemnly, “Tessa has her own dreams to pursue now. As for the truth, we’ll talk about it when the time comes. Besides, I have to solve the bias our family holds against her. I don’t want her to face multiple obstructions just for choosing me as her partner.
All of a sudden, Kieran didn’t know what to say, and he had a complicated look on his face.
Nicholas continued regardless of his silence. “Furthermore, when that time comes, Tessa may not be as unburdened as she is now if I tell her the truth. She’ll not be able to pursue what she truly
desires, which isn’t the outcome I want to see. I hope she can realize her dream and stand on the stage where she belongs.”
“… Don’t you think you’re pampering her too much? As your brother, I have never seen you so attentive to someone else’s needs before.”
After listening to Nicholas’ words, Kieran simply felt that he really worried about Tessa too much. So naturally, this made him a little jealous.
Nicholas side-eyed Kieran when he heard that comment and his gaze seemed to be saying, ‘Of course, he was nowhere comparable to Tessa.
Kieran understood the meaning of his gaze and instantly felt heartbroken.
“Nicholas, you’re really pushing it right now. Who’s your biological brother? Me!”
Even so, Nicholas just threw him a look before lowering his head and continuing to look at the pictures Tessa had sent.
In the end, Kieran could only lean over and look at the pictures with him in resignation. But then, he happened to see the picture taken when Gregory interacted with the beluga whale.
As he looked at Gregory’s sunshine-like bright face, Kieran could not help but sigh, “I haven’t seen Greg smile so happily for a long time. Nicholas, share this picture with me. I’m going to send it to our parents and let them see it too.”
In this regard, Nicholas had no objection to that and shared the picture with him.
The moment he received the picture, he stopped bothering Nicholas. Instead, he sat on the side, held his phone, and showed the photo off to their parents.
Meanwhile, Nicholas sat at the desk and continued to scroll through the following pictures when he noticed his brother’s distraction.
Always Been Yours Chapter 514
Something in the pictures had caught his eyes, so he suddenly narrowed his eyes as he looked at them.
Due to him being at a close distance from Nicholas, Kieran immediately noticed the change in his aura.
“What’s the matter, Nicholas?”
“I’m going out for a while. I’m putting you in charge of the afternoon meeting. Don’t contact me unless it’s urgent.”
After he said that, Nicholas kept his phone away with a grave expression. Then, he grabbed the car keys from the table as he dashed off.
“What happened?” Kieran watched him leaving with a solemn look. As he thought that something had happened, he chased after Nicholas and asked. 1″.
However, it was a pity that he couldn’t catch up with Nicholas. Thus, he could only watch Nicholas departing with Edward.
Edward felt the menacing aura emanating from Nicholas’ body and was at a loss as he followed behind Nicholas dutifully.
In the end, Edward couldn’t help but hurriedly chase after him as he asked, “President Sawyer, is something the matter?”
“We’ll talk in the car.” Nicholas strode out of the elevator in large strides as soon as those words left his lips.
When they left the company building, the driver had already parked the car at the entrance.
Nicholas opened the door with a frosty expression and sat on the back seat while Edward followed closely behind.
“Go to the aquarium,” he instructed the driver.
The driver nodded and started the car immediately after he received Nicholas’ order.
When Edward saw this, he was dying of curiosity. Then, just as he was about to ask once more, Nicholas’ austere voice rang in his ears.
“Contact the bodyguards who are secretly protecting Greg and check if they have noticed these few people on the phone around him.”
As Nicholas spoke, he took out his phone and showed Edward the suspicious pictures he had found earlier.
Both Tessa and Gregory were smiling brightly in the pictures. However, several tall men consistently showed up in the background behind them.
Nicholas could still consider it a coincidence if these men appeared once or twice in the pictures, but as he judged from the order in which Tessa took the pictures, these men had obviously followed them from the beginning to the Beluga Whale Section in the aquarium.
Edward immediately realized the severity of the situation when he noticed those suspicious looking men. So, he immediately executed Nicholas’ instructions and contacted the bodyguard who was secretly protecting Gregory.
“Mr. Jackson, are there any instructions from the boss for me?”
“Where are Young Master Gregory and Miss Reinhart now?”
Although the bodyguard was puzzled, he still answered truthfully, “Young Master Gregory and Miss Reinhart are in the ice cream shop right now.”
Edward breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that. Then, he turned his head and informed Nicholas, “President Sawyer, Miss Reinhart and Young Master Gregory are all right. They’re in the ice cream shop now.”
The solemn look on Nicholas’ face also relaxed when he heard the good news. “Wonderful. Ask the bodyguards to check if there are any suspicious people around.”
Edward nodded, then instructed on the phone, “I’ll send you a few pictures in a while. After you receive them, let your subordinates check around and see if they spot the suspicious people in the photos. If you find them, contact me immediately.”
“Yes, sir!” The chief bodyguard nodded as he received the order and hung up the phone.
On the other side, the subordinates immediately stepped forward when they saw the serious expression on their chief’s face and asked, “Chief, is there something wrong?”
“You guys will know in a while,” replied the chief bodyguard. Shortly after, his phone vibrated a few times.
He unlocked his phone and found that Edward had sent him some pictures. “Identify these men in the picture. Then, split up and find them.”
As the chief bodyguard spoke, he handed the phone to his subordinates.
After a while, the subordinates came back one after another,
“Chief, we had looked around and did find those people in the photo. They’re all scattered around the ice cream shop.”
A grave expression painted across the chief bodyguard’s face as he listened to his subordinates’ reports. “Keep an eye on these people. I’ll contact Mr. Jackson and ask him what our next move should be.”
Meanwhile, on Edward’s side. his expression darkened when he heard the bodyguards had indeed spotted the suspicious people in the picture. So, without further ado, he reported to Nicholas.
“President Sawyer, the bodyguards found them.”
After Nicholas heard that, his facial expression was gloomy and he gave Edward a menacing glare.
Edward received the hint and immediately instructed the chief bodyguard via phone. “Arrest those people and interrogate them to discover their motives. Also, protect Young Master Gregory and Miss Reinhart. If even a single strand of their hair is harmed in the process, you’ll be facing President Sawyer yourselves!”
Always Been Yours Chapter 515
After Edward hung up the phone, he looked at Nicholas’ slightly upset face, and immediately hastened the driver to speed up.
The driver also realized the severity of the situation, so he instantly stepped on the accelerator and rushed in the direction of the aquarium as fast as he could.
On the other end, Tessa was utterly oblivious to the entire situation.
At the moment, she was enjoying an ice cream with Greg at one of the shops.,
“Miss Tessa, the food here is tasty!”
Greg took a huge scoop of ice cream and placed it into his mouth. The icy-cold sensation was delightful for him, and he responded by comfortably shutting his eyes as he savored the ice cream.
He swung his short, little legs beneath the table, and he was clearly in good spirits at the moment.
At the same time, she was quite tickled to see the adorable expression on his face.
Nonetheless, she maintained her rationality and did not spoil Greg unconditionally.
After Greg had taken another scoop of ice cream, she then took away the ice cream. “That’s enough. You can’t have any more ice cream after this. Otherwise, you’ll get an upset stomach from all of this.”
After all, it was late autumn, and children generally had a weaker digestive system, so too much cold food might cause complications.
However, Greg evidently was reluctant to give up the bowl of icy-cold and sweet ice cream.
He turned to Tessa and blinked while looking at her with doe-eyes. “Miss Tessa, please, can I have another scoop? I’ll just take a tiny scoop.”
As he spoke, he lifted his chubby little hands and gestured by showing her the size he would take. He looked extremely adorable at that moment.
Just then, Tessa’s heart melted, and she was so tempted to give in to him.
However, she hardened the resolve in her heart soon enough and shook her head firmly. “No. You’re not allowed to have any more ice cream.”
Quite disappointed, the original glimmer in Greg’s eyes disappeared, and he looked quite glum.
Tessa felt quite bad upon seeing his reaction.
As such, she ordered another piece of cake for him.
Greg was instantly cheered up at that moment as he enjoyed the sweet dessert.
“Miss Tessa, try some.”
He was a good kid, and he even fed her some.
She tried a mouthful of it, and stopped eating. However, she watched with a smile as he devoured: the piece of cake.
Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure from the side of her eyes, and she turned to look at the tall guy heading straight toward them with a stunned expression.
“Miss Tessa, what are you staring at?”
Greg noticed Tessa’s odd behavior, so he turned his head with a perplexed look. As soon as he turned around, he saw that it was his dad standing behind him, but he wasn’t sure when his dad had arrived.
“Daddy!”
Greg was slightly stunned before yelling out excitedly.
At that point, Tessa also came to her senses and asked with surprise, “Why are you here?”
“It’s not often that you get to bring Greg out for some fun, so I wouldn’t want to miss this!”
Nicholas spoke up, but he kept his eyes on the window as he glanced outside.
Outside, Edward stood not too far away and made a hand gesture to indicate that the person had been captured.
In response, Nicholas’ expression darkened, and he immediately signaled with his eyes for Edward to leave first with that person.
Edward comprehended Nicholas’ intentions, and the former gestured for his men to leave with the person.
Meanwhile, Tessa was completely oblivious to all of that.
I was c
She noticed Nicholas suddenly staring intently outside, so she instinctively turned in that direction too. However, there was nothing out there.
“Did a pretty girl just walk past outside, so that’s why you’re staring so intently out the window?”
She turned her head and looked at him with an amused expression.
Meanwhile, Nicholas took a look at her mischievous expression, and he couldn’t help smiling. “You’re the prettiest in my eyes.”
After he had said that, he turned his almond-shaped eyes to look at her tenderly.
At that moment, Tessa was momentarily stunned.
She heard Greg’s voice ring out in her ears as he agreed with a child-like tone, “Yes, Miss Tessa is the prettiest.”
Instantly, Tessa burst out laughing.
She shifted her eyes from Greg and turned to look at the tall, strapping man by the side as she revealed a teasing smile. “I now realize where Greg learned flattery from. It’s quite obvious that it’s hereditary! I must have been mistaken about you in the past.”
Nicholas looked at the teasing sweet smile on her face, and the tender look in his dark eyes —- deepened. “Well, even so, my sweet flattering words are only for you. Besides, Greg has never said this to anyone else either.”
As soon as Greg heard that, he turned to Tessa and nodded his head earnestly with a solemn expression. “Daddy’s right! I’ve never said this to anyone else too.”
As for Tessa, she looked at the father and son duo in front of her, who had similarly solemn expressions on their faces, and she found herself wrapped in a warm, fuzzy feeling.
“Okay! I’ll trust your words then!”
After she had said that, she gestured for Nicholas to take a seat and enjoy afternoon tea with them.
Always Been Yours Chapter 516
However, Nicholas was not a fan of sweet stuff, so he didn't try much of the food. Instead, he spent the entire time staring tenderly at Tessa.
I'he three of them chatted and enjoyed their time with each other. Furthermore, their stunning looks attracted the attention of the bystanders.
Besides, Nicholas' unbridled loving expression directed at Tessa was also even more so a source of envy for the bystanders.
As time passed, the trio decided to head off to another location for more fun.
Half a day went by, and Greg enjoyed himself so much that the beaming smile never left his face at all.
Finally, night fell, and the skies darkened too, so they headed back home.
They arrived back at Dynasty Gardens to find that the kitchen staff had already prepared dinner for them.
Andrew instantly instructed the kitchen staff to lay the table and serve the food as soon as he saw them walk in.
Tessa ate dinner with the father and son in the dining hall, and they resembled a family enjoying their meal together.
Andrew stood apart with his eyes on them and found the scene quite heartwarming.
After dinner, Nicholas suddenly wrapped his arms around Tessa and said to her, "I've got something to deal with urgently at work, so I'll be back in one hour."
"Sure, stay safe. But, don't stress yourself out too much."
She nodded and took the initiative to kiss him on his lips.
The tender pressure on his lips made his eyes darken significantly.
If only the timing were much better, he would definitely take things further and deepen the kiss.
"Wait for me to get back."
He grabbed the jacket he'd flung to the side of the couch and strode out the door after saying that.
He did not head in the direction of the company after he'd walked out of the door. Instead, he drove his car to see Edward.
The black sedan sped off on the wide roads of the rural area.
At that moment, the night sky was completely dark.
Later, he arrived and parked his car at one of the factories owned by Luke Corporation on the outskirts of town.
He got out of the car with a solemn expression, and he exuded a formidable aura that was quite terrifying.
Edward had gotten word that Nicholas would be here soon, so he waited patiently by the entrance for the latter's arrival.
As soon as he saw Nicholas get out of the car, he instantly stepped forward and greeted him respectfully, "President Sawyer."
Meanwhile, Nicholas asked coldly, "Where is he?"
"I've instructed the men to hold him in the warehouse. He's all tied up. This way, sir."
Edward led the way in front as he spoke.
Inside the warehouse, two men clad in black had their hands tied up and seated on the ground.
The two men were surrounded by identical-looking bodyguards dressed in suits, and the bodyguards clearly looked like they were not to be messed with.
At that moment, Nicholas descended upon the warehouse as if he was royalty gracing his subjects with his presence, and his piercing eyes were focused on the two men clad in black.
The two men could sense his menacing stare, and they felt like the devil had set his sights on them. Frightened, they couldn't stop shivering.
Nicholas made his way directly to stand in front of the duo, and his voice was icy as he questioned them, "Tell me, who sent you guys?"
At that moment, the two men exchanged perplexed looks with each other.
The square-faced man instantly revealed a sincere expression and tried to feign ignorance. "Sir, you must have captured the wrong person. We re just ordinary tourists."
"Are you going to keep denying things?" Nicholas sneered, and his mirthless smile caused the two men to shudder all of a sudden.
Nonetheless, they were fully aware that they had to deny everything vehemently under the current circumstances.
"Sir, there must have been a misunderstanding here. We're upstanding citizens."
As soon as Nicholas heard that, he scoffed as if he had just heard a huge joke. "It looks like you guys refuse to admit it until you're actually subjected to punishment, huh? Edward, you know what to do."
Edward immediately took a step forward and placed the photos taken during the daytime in front of the two men. He interrogated them, "If you're actually reputable, upstanding citizens, then why did you trail after us? Don't tell me that it's just a coincidence! I don't believe in coincidences at all!"
As soon as the two men saw the photos in Edward’s hand, their expressions twisted into something awful, and they became quite flustered.
Despite that, they continued to deny things vehemently.
"We have no idea why we keep bumping into them too! Of course, it was just coincidental!"
In response, Edward shot a hard look at the two men, and he clearly did not trust a single word that they'd just mentioned. "Are you guys taking me for a fool? Do you think I would just capture you randomly without concrete proof?"
As soon as he said that, the two men's faces instantly turned ugly.
Edward disregarded them and continued to speak, "Do you realize the identity of the two people that you've gone after?"
Both men exchanged looks with each other.
Finally, the square-faced man spoke up feebly, "Who are they?"
"They are the mistress and the young master of the Sawyer Group. So you two must have a death wish, huh? How dare you go after someone from the Sawyer Group?!"
Always Been Yours Chapter 517
Al that moment, Edward stared at the two men with an expression that signaled they were basically dead meat.
The two men's faces instantly turned, and suddenly, there was a noticeable look of fear in their eyes.
They were totally unaware that the woman and kid from this afternoon had such a prominent background.
Suddenly, the two were quite frightened and quickly confessed, "Were not involved in all this! We don't know what’s going on. We re just doing all these under our boss's instructions!"
As soon as Nicholas heard that, naturally, his expression turned ugly, and he seemed to exude a deadly aura that became noticeable as it started affecting the people around him.
Edward could sense the oppressiveness in the air, and he couldn’t help shivering too.
At that moment, Nicholas' cold voice rang in his ears, "Find out exactly who this boss they just mentioned."
Edward nodded in response to Nicholas' instructions, and the former shot a sharp glare at the two.
"You've heard him. Hurry up and be frank. Reveal who's your boss; otherwise, you'll have to bear the consequences."
As Edward spoke, he signaled for the two men to take a look at the strapping bodyguards around them.
The two men had already been quite shocked to hear about the Sawyer Group, coupled with Edward's threats. They were frightened out of their wits, so they immediately spilled the beans.
"Our boss is the gang leader active around the old township, and his name is Philip Grayson."
As soon as Edward heard that, he couldn’t help furrowing his brows as he turned to glance at Nicholas.
Meanwhile, Nicholas was also frowning, and his expression was much colder than before.
He shot an austere look at the two cowering men on the ground and spoke in a cold tone, "Continue the interrogation."
Edward nodded and turned to continue questioning them, "In regards to Philip Grayson, tell me everything you know about this man."
The two men no longer dared to conceal anything and spilled the beans on everything. They revealed everything that they knew about that man.
"Philip Grayson operates a bar at the old township, and it’s the meeting point for his lackeys. He's got plenty of men working for him. That's all that we know. We’re at the bottom of the ladder after all."
Edward realized that the two seemed to be telling the truth, so he got up and went to Nicholas' side to ask him, "President Sawyer, how do you want to deal with these two here?"
"Send them to the police station."
After Nicholas said that, he turned on his back and left the scene.
As soon as Edward saw that, he immediately gestured for the bodyguards to escort the two to the police station.
The two men were terrified upon hearing that they would be sent to the police station, so they hastily pleaded for mercy, "Sir, we've learned from our mistake! Please forgive us! We'll never make the same mistake again!"
Edward frowned at the commotion they were making and signaled for the bodyguards to gag them. Then, finally, he turned and left to go after Nicholas.
When he walked out, he saw that Nicholas had a murderous look in his eyes while he was basked under the moonlight, and the aura surrounding him was ominous.
Edward knew that his boss was furious.
With that in mind, he gingerly took a step forward and asked respectfully, "President Sawyer, where are we headed next?"
Nicholas glanced at him coldly, then he opened the door and entered the car after saying, "Let's go to the old township to meet Philip Grayson."
That night, in Moonlight Bar at the old township, the scene inside was quite rowdy and wild. Everyone seemed to be lost in the lifestyle of debauchery.
Inside the luxurious private room, Philip Grayson had two women in his arms, and he resembled a nouveau riche as he drank with his fellow disreputable companions.
Everyone was busy fawning over Philip.
The entire room reeked of rot and corruption amidst the women's peals of laughter and the men's loud jeers.
The vibe was quite great when all of a sudden, Edward kicked open the door to the private room, which caused it to collide at the back of the wall loudly.
"Who's there?"
The crowd stared in shock at Edward.
However, Edward disregarded them, and the ten bodyguards streamed into the room one after the other after walking past him. Finally, they stood upright in two lines facing each other.
At that moment, everyone was shocked by the situation.
Just then, everyone heard the sound of footsteps gradually increasing in volume as they moved closer to the private room, and each step caused the masses to feel increasingly terrified and bewildered.
Edward disregarded the stupefied crowd, and retreated to the side with a respectful expression.
Nicholas—dressed in a black suit, strode purposefully into the room, and his perfectly-sculpted features were expressionless and as cold as ice.
lie walked into the private room devoid of expression; everyone significantly felt the oppressive aura he exuded.
"Where is Philip Grayson?"
He scanned the surroundings as his glacial voice rang out like a shot in the private room.
As soon as the people in the room heard that, they slowly regained their composure, and each of them naturally turned to look at Philip, who was seated in the center of the room.
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Al that point, Philip finally returned to his senses and shoved the women aside angrily.
"Who arc you?"
He got up and stared at Nicholas with an aggressive look on his face. Just then, Philip felt that his authority was being challenged.
Meanwhile, Nicholas stared al Philip coldly, and he narrowed his eyes at Philip threateningly. "So you must be Philip Grayson, huh?"
"Yes, I am! Who are you anyway?! How dare you trash my place! Do you have a death wish?"
Philip strode arrogantly toward Nicholas and stood in front of the latter.
Initially, Philip had intended to direct some threats at Nicholas, but within the next second, he found himself hurtling into the air, then crashing into the wine table.
That caused everything on the table to fall to the ground with a resounding crash.
There were broken glasses and spilled wine all over the ground.
However, all Philip could do was clutch his stomach and groan in pain as he remained curled up on the ground.
"Ah!"
The girls by the side saw everything, and they couldn't help screaming out in fright as they rushed out of the door.
Philip's buddies were significantly shocked loo.
However, Nicholas paid no heed to the others as he took several steps forward with a dominating aura that was quite terrifying, and he headed straight toward Philip.
As soon as Philip saw Nicholas headed toward him, he was so scared he almost pissed his pants.
He clutched his stomach and retreated, warning Nicholas, "Don't come near me!"
However, Nicholas merely shot him a look that clearly indicated he thought that he was an imbecile. Once again, Nicholas kicked him to the ground and stepped on his face.
"Let go of me!"
At that point, Philip no longer cared about the pain in his abdomen as he reached out with both hands to shift Nicholas' feet away from his face, but his efforts bore no fruit.
Nicholas continued to stare at him from an elevated position. Finally, his thin lips moved as he slowly enunciated in his menacing tone.
"Did you send some men to go after a girl and a kid today?"
Philip was caught by surprise, and his eyes turned shifty as he replied, "What girl and kid? I don't know what you're talking about. I’m warning you. You'd better let go of me right away; otherwise, once my men get here, I won't let you get away with this!"
Philip stifled the fear in his heart and threatened Nicholas.
However, Nicholas didn't heed Philip's threats as he pressed down harder on Philip's face. As a result, his actions practically distorted Philip's face.
At that moment, Philip was in extreme pain, and he realized then that he had encountered a problematic guy, so he quickly pleaded for mercy. "Sir, please forgive me! Spare my life, please!"
Nonetheless, Nicholas ignored him and continued to stare at the latter with a thunderous look while
exuding an extremely menacing aura. "Don't you dare challenge my patience! This is your last chance! Did you send someone to go after them or not?!"
Philip had already realized the tight situation he was in, so he knew that if he didn't explain himself, he would definitely not be able to leave this place in one piece.
So, all he could do was bob his head in response. "Yes.
I did send someone to go after a woman and child."
As soon as Nicholas heard that, the murderous look in his eyes became quite evident, and he exerted more force on Philip's face.
Philip sensed the murderous aura Nicholas exuded and no longer cared about the pain on his face as he pleaded pitifully, "Sir, I was paid off by someone else to do this! I didn't know that she was your woman. Please forgive me. I'm sure that you're not as petty as such."
At that point, Philip was regretful for taking the job. He would never have accepted this job if he knew that he would encounter such a troublesome character.
On the other hand, as soon as Nicholas heard Philip's words, a dangerous look flashed across his narrowing eyes.
"So someone paid you off to do this, huh? Who is it?" He stared at Philip from above.
Philip met Nicholas' dark, cold eyes and instantly shivered in fear. At that point, he didn't dare to conceal anything and spilled the beans, "It was Hayley Stone from the Stone family."
As soon as Nicholas heard Philip’s words, naturally, he was angered beyond words.
"The Stone family, huh? Good on them! Hayley Stone's very impressive indeed!"
Under the warm hues, Nicholas had a murderous look that could not be masked. The surrounding temperature seemed to drop significantly as soon as he realized who the perpetrator was.
Edward sensed the coldness in the air, and he instinctively shivered. He was, in fact, quite shocked too.
After all, he didn't expect the Slones to have the guts to do that. Unfortunately, after the poisoning episode, they hadn't learned their lesson and actually went after Tessa and Greg this time.
With that in mind, Edward glanced toward Nicholas— who was significantly angered, and he knew right then that the Stones were doomed.
As soon as that thought entered his mind, he heard Nicholas' furious voice echoing in the room, "Edward, stay back and deal with the aftermath. Do you understand?"
Nicholas turned to look Edward squarely in the eyes with his own irate ones.
Instantly, Edward responded, "Yes, sir."
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Soon after that, Nicholas sauntered off.
However, he didn't return home immediately, and instead went to another property under his name.
After all, the bar was too rowdy and unhygienic, so there would definitely be a stench on him.
He didn't want to cause Tessa to worry for him, so he changed into a fresh pair of clothes before going home to Dynasty Gardens. Anyway, his suits looked practically identical.
Inside the bedroom, Tessa was utterly oblivious to everything.
She noticed that Nicholas was back, so she went forward to greet him, "You're back! Is your work all sorted?''
"Everything's settled." Nicholas took off his jacket as he spoke.
She took it from him naturally and hung his jacket on the coat hanger by the side as she spoke, "I'll fill the bath for you, and you can get some rest for now."’
Nicholas nodded and looked at Tessa, busy getting things ready for him out of love. A warm, fuzzy feeling rose within him as he looked at her figure. Il felt as if they were a couple happily married for the past odd ten years, and life was simple yet fulfilling for them.
On the other end, the situation was starkly different at Moonlight Bar, and the atmosphere was so tense that one could cut it with a knife.
There were several police cars parked by the side of the street, and many people gathered around to catch a glimpse of the scandalous scene.
Inside the bar, all of the customers were dismissed and escorted out. The only people left were Philip and the staff.
Edward took out the evidence he had procured and stepped forward to liaise with one of the police officers.
"Hello, I'm the personal assistant of President Sawyer from Sawyer Group. This man here has been involved in an illegal agreement with someone else to attempt to kidnap our mistress and young master. Here is the evidence."
As he spoke, he handed over the evidence he had acquired.
The policeman leading the team heard that there was a criminal offense, so he immediately responded with a solemn expression as he took possession of the evidence.
Edward continued, "At the same time, we also discovered that this bar conducted illicit activities too."
Edward walked out of the bar within half an hour with the police officers.
The team leader gestured for his men to escort Philip into the police car, then instructed his subordinates to seal off the whole place. Finally, he bade farewell to Edward and left.
The next day, Nicholas enjoyed breakfast with Tessa and Greg before going to work.
As soon as he entered his office, Edward knocked on the door to pop in to report back on last night's outcome.
"As per your instructions, Philip and his men have been taken into police custody, and the bar's also been sealed off."
"Good."
Nicholas nodded approvingly, and there was a vicious glint in his dark eyes as he continued speaking, "Let everyone know that from now onward, any business dealings with the Stone family will be put to a halt."
Edward was stunned when he heard this. He knew that Nicholas was rightfully angry because of last night's matter, but...
"What if Old Master Sawyer asks about this? How should we explain this to him?"
"Is there anything else that needs further explaining?"
Nicholas shot a stern look at Edward. "Ever since they spiked Grandpa's medication, he has been extremely disappointed in them."
Edward thought about it and agreed with Nicholas. Then, he changed the topic and queried about the matter of halting the projects the Stone family was involved in.
"We've got a lot of projects in collaboration with the Stones, and if we stop all of them right now, we will sustain a significant loss."
As soon as Nicholas heard that, he narrowed his eyes and pondered the matter deeply.
Edward saw that and stood respectfully by the side while wailing for Nicholas' instructions.
Shortly after that, Nicholas' cold voice rang out in his ears.
"Put a stop to all of the projects we're currently collaborating on with them. I'll gradually phase out the future projects we will be involved with."
Nicholas gave several detailed instructions, so Edward nodded and left after receiving them.
At the same time, in Stone Enterprise, Hayley sat at her desk in her massive office, looking entirely washed out.
She had been up practically the entire night waiting for news. Finally, however, dawn broke, and she had not even received a response from the thugs.
"Did something go wrong?" She muttered under her breath quite anxiously.
She was getting increasingly anxious, and finally, she grabbed the landline on her desk to initiate contact with the thugs.
"Sorry, but the number that you've dialed is currently unavailable." The cold, mechanical, pre-recorded voice rang out from the other end of the phone. At that point, Hayley's brows were tightly furrowed in anxiety and annoyance.
She sensed that something must have gone wrong, so she quickly called out to her personal assistant to come into her room.
"Go to Moonlight Bar, where we went yesterday, and ask for Philip Grayson. Ask him what's the progress with the job I gave him."
Her personal assistant nodded in affirmation and went about following her instructions.
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However, shortly after that, Hayley's assistant returned with a grave expression. "Miss Stone, Philip Grayson is in trouble."
As soon as Hayley heard that, her heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she immediately questioned, "What happened to him?"
She also stood up abruptly from her seat and turned to look at her personal assistant impatiently.
Her personal assistant did not keep anything from her, and she told her everything that she had found out. "For some reason, last night there was a squad of policemen that turned up at the bar, and not only was Philip Grayson taken into custody, the bar was also sealed off."
Instantly, Hayley's expression took a turn for the worse, and there was a look of fright that flashed across her eyes. Philip Grayson's in custody, and the bar's sealed off too. Could it be related to the job I gave him yesterday?
With this in mind, she couldn’t help questioning her assistant, "Did you find out the exact reason why they were taken into custody?"
"I asked the people working nearby, but none of them knew the exact details." Her assistant responded frankly.
At that point, Hayley's heart thudded frantically, and there was a tremor in her voice as she spoke, "Could it be because of us?"
Her assistant was also aware of the deal she had with Philip.
She considered the situation for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't think that it’s related to us. If it was, the police would have come after us by now."
Hayley thought about it and found that her assistant's words made sense, so she finally felt slightly at ease. However, she was still somewhat apprehensive.
As soon as her assistant noticed that, she advised, "Miss Hayley, perhaps Philip Grayson committed some offense, so you shouldn't take this to heart and let it get to you."
At that moment, she also wished that this was merely her imagination running wild as she listened to her assistant's words.
She waved to gesture for her assistant to leave the room and sal in her office silently for a moment before continuing to handle her work.
Later in the day, Hayley brought her assistant to attend the weekly company meeting.
During the meeting, Nero announced with a grave expression, "The collaboration project that we submitted to Sawyer Group previously was rejected by them. Furthermore, they've identified multiple issues with our proposal."
Hayley's heart sank upon hearing that. Meanwhile, all of the upper management level staff turned to glance in her direction because she was the one in charge of the project.
Nero continued, "Miss Stone, I hope that you can resolve the issues pointed out by Sawyer Group as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir." Hayley nodded her head to indicate that she agreed. However, she couldn't seem to shake off the uneasy feeling in her mind.
Half an hour later, after the meeting ended, Nero sent for Hayley to see him in his office.
"What's going on with the project? Why are there so many issues all of a sudden? Did you check and ensure everything was completed properly back then?"
Meanwhile, Hayley responded seriously when faced with her father's interrogation, "I double-checked and made sure that everything was completed flawlessly when we handed over the proposal. There was nothing wrong with it then."
As soon as Nero heard that, he frowned while maintaining his silence.
Hayley noticed that, and she couldn't help questioning him, "Besides this, did Sawyer Group mention anything else?"
"They didn't bring up anything else." Nero comprehended her words, but he shook his head at her.
This caused her to start biting at her lower lip in anxiety.
As for Nero, he was engrossed in his thoughts too. Since Hayley had mentioned that she had doublechecked the proposal, there could only be one reason for the rejection.
"It looks like Nicholas is still quite mindful of what you did in the past, so he purposely rejected our proposal."
At that point, Hayley's face paled slightly. "How did Nicholas find out?"
"Since Remus is aware of this, then Nicholas would definitely know about it! Besides, I have a strong
suspicion that Nicholas was the one who revealed this to Remus ."
Nero glowered as he spoke, "Perhaps Nicholas kept a low profile and didn't take any action back then because Remus was quite unwell at that point. Think about it, though. Weren't you stopped from entering the house each time you visited Remus during that period?"
She tried to recall and seemed to realize that Nero's words were entirely accurate. At that moment, she felt a cold chill run down her spine. No wonder Nicholas behaved increasingly cold and distant toward me during that period. So, she immediately panicked. "Dad, so what should we do now?"
"Right now, you must go and gain Remus' forgiveness. You have to do so not only for the sake of our company but also to maintain our family ties with the Sawyers."
Nero instructed her with a grave expression on his face. "You have to visit Remus frequently during this period when you have the free time. Isn't he about to be discharged from the hospital within two days? So, go over there to help out."