When Stephen exited from the base and turned on his phone, he noticed Tessa’s missed call. He immediately returned her call.

“Tess, are you asleep?”

Tessa’s words were muffled over the phone. She sounded like she was only half awake. “I’m really sleepy. I can’t even open my eyes.”

Stephen slid into the backseat of his car, gently asking, “Why aren’t you sleeping if you’re tired?”

Tessa’s voice was rough with sleep, making her sound gentle. “I was waiting for you to call.”

Stephen’s frozen heart melted at her words. “I’ve just wrapped up the business I had to handle. Do you want me to go over to your place?”

Tessa took a peek at the time. “Let’s make it tomorrow. I want to sleep now.”

“Alright,” Stephen acquiesced warmly. “It’s cold at night. Make sure to cover yourself with a blanket.”

“I know that. In your eyes, am I still a three-year-old child who doesn’t know how to cover herself with a blanket…”

Tessa’s voice grew softer and softer until she stopped speaking completely. Stephen could hear her steady breathing coming from across the line. He kept the phone pressed to his ear, quietly listening to her breathing in her sleep.

He was still unwilling to cut the call-even after the muscles in his hand started getting sore. He kept the call going until he arrived at his villa.

As Stephen alighted from the car, his driver nodded at him, saying, “Mr. Jacobson, Lawrence called earlier saying he had something urgent to tell you but couldn’t get in touch with you.”

Stephen buried the gentleness in his eyes as he ended the call with Tessa. The moment his line was free, his phone began to ring-it was Lawrence calling.

Answering the call, Stephen asked coldly, “What is it?”

With a trembling voice, the panicked Lawrence answered, “Something bad has happened, Mr. Jacobson. Our men called earlier and informed me that Susan’s father had committed suicide by jumping off the hospital building.

“The timing makes me suspect that this isn’t just pure coincidence… Also, the men I sent to look for Garret’s mother reported…”

Stephen narrowed his eyes. “What did they say?” he demanded.

“They said that Garret’s mother had died of carbon monoxide poisoning. She had been trying to keep warm in her home…”

Stephen’s eyes flashed sharply. “Can she be saved?”

“She was already dead by the time our men got to her,” Lawrence explained.

Hissing in an icy tone, Stephen commented, “Lawrence, I’m sure you’re aware of what’s going to happen to you if you don’t get to the bottom of this within the next five days.”

There was fear in Lawrence’s voice when he murmured, “Yes…”

Tessa woke up to the sound of knocking on her door the next morning. The banging had first appeared in her dreams and

persisted for ages. As she slow

opened her eyes, she realized that the knocking was much clearer instead of fading away with her dreams.

So, there was indeed someone at her door, but who could it be?

As her heart was burdened with other matters, she had only fallen asleep in the wee hours. Now that she had been rudely awakened when she wasn’t ready to wake up,

she was cranky. Her cran et

MS

dialed to eleven that morning.

was

Tessa got off the bed, slipped on her fluffy bedroom slippers, and headed toward the door. She yawned widely when she opened the door, asking lazily, “Who is it?”

As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, Zachary’s loathsome face appeared in her vision.

He was carrying a bag with him and smiling as he said, “I bought breakfast for you, Tessy. I know you have low blood sugar, so you have to remember to eat breakfast.”

“Are you fucking crazy?”

Anger swiftly replaced Tessa’s sleepiness. She didn’t bother to hold back as she scolded him.

He didn’t seem bothered by her anger as he jostled the bag he had with him lightly. “I got you your favorite croissants and butter cake.”

Tessa slammed the door shut, trapping that irritating face outside her apartment.

Zachary was stunned for a moment, his smile frozen on his face. Banging on the door, he shouted, “Tessy, open the door! You can be mad at me and refuse to see me, but you can’t starve yourself! At least take the breakfast with you. Be a good girl.”