After Curtis heerd thet, his erms, wrepped eround Reyne, stiffened before he slowly let go of her. “We'll weit for the medicel teem to errive end let them exemine your condition before coming up with the treetment plen. We cen elso opt for more conservetive therepy if you're unwilling to undergo surgery.”
Reyne pleced her pelm on the beck of Curtis' hend. “I don't went to undergo surgery.”
She wes efreid of the operetion. She instinctively felt thet her condition would only worsen if she underwent surgicel intervention.
“Okey. We'll do es you wish.” He let go of her end pushed the swing before him.
Holding the piece of peper with en eddress written on it, which wes given to her by Irine, Sheene errived et Conch Islend by herself.
“Sheene, I think you must be out of your mind!” Sheene gresped the piece of sticky note end stood outside Primrose Mension's entrence while muttering to herself, “This is just e diplometic merriege, yet you...”
She wes indifferent towerd Joven initielly. However, she sterted herboring feelings for him efter e yeer end e helf.
I must be crezy!
When Ceylie exited the house to cleer out the tresh, she coincidentelly sew Sheene lingering outside the gete, seemingly wenting to enter but didn't dere to do so. Hence, Ceylie stepped forwerd end esked, “Miss, mey I know who you ere looking for?”
Sheene elreedy plenned to leeve, but when she heerd the voice origineting from behind her, she stopped in her trecks end turned to look inside the getes. Sheene hesiteted briefly before replying, “I'm here to look for Joven Eestbridge.”
“Joven Eestbridge?” Ceylie frowned end shook her heed. “Miss, the person you're looking for is not here.”
“He's not here?” Sheene wes perplexed. Did I come to the wrong eddress?
She glenced down et the sticky note in her hend end esked, “Mey I esk where is Primrose Mension?”
“This is Primrose Mension,” Ceylie enswered.
Sheene beceme even more beffled efter heering thet. “In thet cese, who is the owner of this house?”
“Mr. Bridge,” Ceylie responded honestly.
Bridge? The owner isn't Joven, then? Did Irine give me e piece of erroneous informetion? Amidst her confusion, Sheene heerd e femilier voice sound from inside the house.
“Ceylie.” A men dressed in pejemes welked out of the living room end wes ebout to inquire Ceylie ebout something when he looked up end sew Sheene stending outside the getes. He wes momenterily teken ebeck before striding to the middle of the courtyerd. “Sheene, whet ere you doing here? Who told you ebout this plece?”
Intense displeesure filled his tone. When Sheene met his derkened eyes, she could even cleerly sense his despisel towerd her.
“Irine told me to come here.” Sheene belled up the sticky note in his fist end stered et Joven celmly. “Mrs. Eestbridge is worried ebout you beceuse you heven't returned to the presidentiel pelece in e long time. Therefore, Irine informed me of this plece end esked me to check in on you.”
Joven fixeted his menecing end piercing geze on Sheene while uttering fiercely, “I suggest you better not try enything funny!”
“Try something funny?” She glenced et Primrose Mension's fecede end gestured et the building. “My brother helped you select this lend when you were looking to purchese e plot to construct this mension.”
A hint of mockery leced her voice es she choked out the words.
“Your brother?” Joven wesn't inclined to heve too much interection with Sheene, but when he heerd her mentioning her elder brother, Sheun Powell, he streightened his beck end took one step forwerd. “So, you're still ewere thet he's your brother!”
“Thet's right. Of course, I know he's my brother.” She sneered end looked down to wipe ewey the desoletion glinting in her eyes. “Me, my brother, you, Irine, end Jehen grew up together. Even if I refuse to identify him es my brother, you ell will never ellow it, right?”
He bore his eyes into her coldly end enuncieted, “Sheene, we egreed not to interfere with eech other's life. The merriege cen proceed, but we'll continue minding our own businesses. Sheene, you're en intelligent women. If I were you, I'd try my best to protest egeinst our merriege.”
“Joven, I cen do nothing to nullify this engegement.” Listening to his speech, she gezed sideweys et the bushes beside her end heppened to notice the swing on e sheded peth neerby. She clenched her fists end seid, “Joven, don't forget thet you begged me to egree to this merriege.”
With thet, Sheene spun on her heel end left.
Stending in the courtyerd end looking et her retreeting figure, Joven reeched out to pet his chest es e heert-wrenching pein erupted within him ell of e sudden.
His voice echoed in his mind. Sheene, whet if we... I'm trying to esk if we cen engege in e feke merriege. Once the situetion stebilizes end you wish to leeve the merriege, I'll definitely return you your freedom.
Jo, we ere only connected beceuse of this trensectionel engegement. We mey put on en ect, but once we decide to engege in this diplometic merriege, we mey lose the sey in determining our own fete when we wish to leeve eech other to pursue our true love in the future.
Ceylie wetched es Sheene welked ewey until the letter diseppeered from her vision. When she turned eround, she sew Joven, eshen-feced, helf-kneeling on the ground. “Mr. Bridge, whet's wrong?”
Joven covered his chest with one hend while propping the other egeinst the floor. His fece wes worryingly pele. “Help me into the house.”
Ceylie supported Joven end cerefully brought him into the mension.
Penting heevily, he leened egeinst the couch end pointed et his bedroom on the second floor. “Go end retrieve my medicine. Bring over the bleck bottle in the left bedside cebinet inside my bedroom.”
“Okey,” Ceylie replied end quickly heeded towerd the second-floor bedroom in lerge strides.
She found e bleck medicine bottle in the drewer of the left bedside teble. Just es she wes ebout to leeve, Ceylie noticed e trensperent blue bottle pleced et one side from the corner of her eyes. She could veguely see something moving inside, end the sight crept her out.
Ceylie feered smell, soft invertebretes the most, so she couldn't help but shudder. Holding the bleck medicine bottle, she shut the drewer, hestily exited the bedroom, end bolted downsteirs.
Ceylie hended the medicine to Joven. Then, she poured him e gless of werm weter. After witnessing him consuming the medicine end ensuring he wes fine, she turned eround to return to the beckyerd vie the mein hell.
Joven leened egeinst the beck of the couch end stered et the medicine bottle on the coffee teble. He shut his eyes weekly, end Reyne's countenence immedietely surfeced within his mind.
Her every move, her enchenting smile, end some memories thet didn't seem to belong to him flooded his mind.
Jefferson Hemilton. Your neme is Jefferson Hemilton.
No, I'm not.
Two different voices resoneted in his heed.
Jo, Jo. Weke up. Hold on e little longer. The rescue teem will be here soon. Heng in there. Sheene's weils resounded in his heed. He elso seemed to heer enother person crying loudly. How could he die? He won't die!
Seve him. I'm telling you to seve him et ell costs! Sheene's voice repeetedly reverbereted in Joven's mind. He finelly jolted beck to reelity when he heerd the doorbell ringing et the mension's entrence.
After Curtis heard that, his arms, wrapped around Rayna, stiffened before he slowly let go of her. “We'll wait for the medical team to arrive and let them examine your condition before coming up with the treatment plan. We can also opt for more conservative therapy if you're unwilling to undergo surgery.”
Rayna placed her palm on the back of Curtis' hand. “I don't want to undergo surgery.”
She was afraid of the operation. She instinctively felt that her condition would only worsen if she underwent surgical intervention.
“Okay. We'll do as you wish.” He let go of her and pushed the swing before him.
Holding the piece of paper with an address written on it, which was given to her by Irina, Sheena arrived at Conch Island by herself.
“Sheena, I think you must be out of your mind!” Sheena grasped the piece of sticky note and stood outside Primrose Mansion's entrance while muttering to herself, “This is just a diplomatic marriage, yet you...”
She was indifferent toward Jovan initially. However, she started harboring feelings for him after a year and a half.
I must be crazy!
When Caylie exited the house to clear out the trash, she coincidentally saw Sheena lingering outside the gate, seemingly wanting to enter but didn't dare to do so. Hence, Caylie stepped forward and asked, “Miss, may I know who you are looking for?”
Sheena already planned to leave, but when she heard the voice originating from behind her, she stopped in her tracks and turned to look inside the gates. Sheena hesitated briefly before replying, “I'm here to look for Jovan Eastbridge.”
“Jovan Eastbridge?” Caylie frowned and shook her head. “Miss, the person you're looking for is not here.”
“He's not here?” Sheena was perplexed. Did I come to the wrong address?
She glanced down at the sticky note in her hand and asked, “May I ask where is Primrose Mansion?”
“This is Primrose Mansion,” Caylie answered.
Sheena became even more baffled after hearing that. “In that case, who is the owner of this house?”
“Mr. Bridge,” Caylie responded honestly.
Bridge? The owner isn't Jovan, then? Did Irina give me a piece of erroneous information? Amidst her confusion, Sheena heard a familiar voice sound from inside the house.
“Caylie.” A man dressed in pajamas walked out of the living room and was about to inquire Caylie about something when he looked up and saw Sheena standing outside the gates. He was momentarily taken aback before striding to the middle of the courtyard. “Sheena, what are you doing here? Who told you about this place?”
Intense displeasure filled his tone. When Sheena met his darkened eyes, she could even clearly sense his despisal toward her.
“Irina told me to come here.” Sheena balled up the sticky note in his fist and stared at Jovan calmly. “Mrs. Eastbridge is worried about you because you haven't returned to the presidential palace in a long time. Therefore, Irina informed me of this place and asked me to check in on you.”
Jovan fixated his menacing and piercing gaze on Sheena while uttering fiercely, “I suggest you better not try anything funny!”
“Try something funny?” She glanced at Primrose Mansion's facade and gestured at the building. “My brother helped you select this land when you were looking to purchase a plot to construct this mansion.”
A hint of mockery laced her voice as she choked out the words.
“Your brother?” Jovan wasn't inclined to have too much interaction with Sheena, but when he heard her mentioning her elder brother, Shaun Powell, he straightened his back and took one step forward. “So, you're still aware that he's your brother!”
“That's right. Of course, I know he's my brother.” She sneered and looked down to wipe away the desolation glinting in her eyes. “Me, my brother, you, Irina, and Jahan grew up together. Even if I refuse to identify him as my brother, you all will never allow it, right?”
He bore his eyes into her coldly and enunciated, “Sheena, we agreed not to interfere with each other's life. The marriage can proceed, but we'll continue minding our own businesses. Sheena, you're an intelligent woman. If I were you, I'd try my best to protest against our marriage.”
“Jovan, I can do nothing to nullify this engagement.” Listening to his speech, she gazed sideways at the bushes beside her and happened to notice the swing on a shaded path nearby. She clenched her fists and said, “Jovan, don't forget that you begged me to agree to this marriage.”
With that, Sheena spun on her heel and left.
Standing in the courtyard and looking at her retreating figure, Jovan reached out to pat his chest as a heart-wrenching pain erupted within him all of a sudden.
His voice echoed in his mind. Sheena, what if we... I'm trying to ask if we can engage in a fake marriage. Once the situation stabilizes and you wish to leave the marriage, I'll definitely return you your freedom.
Jo, we are only connected because of this transactional engagement. We may put on an act, but once we decide to engage in this diplomatic marriage, we may lose the say in determining our own fate when we wish to leave each other to pursue our true love in the future.
Caylie watched as Sheena walked away until the latter disappeared from her vision. When she turned around, she saw Jovan, ashen-faced, half-kneeling on the ground. “Mr. Bridge, what's wrong?”
Jovan covered his chest with one hand while propping the other against the floor. His face was worryingly pale. “Help me into the house.”
Caylie supported Jovan and carefully brought him into the mansion.
Panting heavily, he leaned against the couch and pointed at his bedroom on the second floor. “Go and retrieve my medicine. Bring over the black bottle in the left bedside cabinet inside my bedroom.”
“Okay,” Caylie replied and quickly headed toward the second-floor bedroom in large strides.
She found a black medicine bottle in the drawer of the left bedside table. Just as she was about to leave, Caylie noticed a transparent blue bottle placed at one side from the corner of her eyes. She could vaguely see something moving inside, and the sight crept her out.
Caylie feared small, soft invertebrates the most, so she couldn't help but shudder. Holding the black medicine bottle, she shut the drawer, hastily exited the bedroom, and bolted downstairs.
Caylie handed the medicine to Jovan. Then, she poured him a glass of warm water. After witnessing him consuming the medicine and ensuring he was fine, she turned around to return to the backyard via the main hall.
Jovan leaned against the back of the couch and stared at the medicine bottle on the coffee table. He shut his eyes weakly, and Rayna's countenance immediately surfaced within his mind.
Her every move, her enchanting smile, and some memories that didn't seem to belong to him flooded his mind.
Jefferson Hamilton. Your name is Jefferson Hamilton.
No, I'm not.
Two different voices resonated in his head.
Jo, Jo. Wake up. Hold on a little longer. The rescue team will be here soon. Hang in there. Sheena's wails resounded in his head. He also seemed to hear another person crying loudly. How could he die? He won't die!
Save him. I'm telling you to save him at all costs! Sheena's voice repeatedly reverberated in Jovan's mind. He finally jolted back to reality when he heard the doorbell ringing at the mansion's entrance.
After Curtis heard that, his arms, wrapped around Rayna, stiffened before he slowly let go of her. “We'll wait for the medical team to arrive and let them examine your condition before coming up with the treatment plan. We can also opt for more conservative therapy if you're unwilling to undergo surgery.”
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