After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 178

“Can’t you even wait for a minute?” Rebecca’s voice was sharp with sarcasm.

“Cto the study once you're done,” Jeffrey ordered crisply. “There's something important.”

Rebecca said nothing.

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Ten minutes later, she walked in wearing her casual clothes. Her face was still a little damp but clear and fresh.

her long hair falling smooth over her shoulders. She looked almost angelic.

Jeffrey watched her for a long moment until Rebecca asked coldly, “What is it?”

“We've collected all the evidence showing Richard hurt you,” Jeffrey said, switching topics as if nothing had

happened before. “Do you want to press charges, or let him go nuts at Marcus's place?”

Rebecca frowned slightly, confused by how fast he'd jumped from one thing to another.

“He didn’t cause you major physical harm. If he pleads guilty and shows remorse, the sentence won't be long,”

Jeffrey went on, reading her expression but not explaining. “Even the Hanson Group's lawyers won't change

that.”

There wasn’t much room to maneuver in a case like this, but he could still turn detention into a formal

sentence.

“What do you want to do?” Rebecca knew he wouldn't ask for no reason.

“On paper, Richard is Samuel's grandfather. If he goes to prison, it could hurt Samuel. | wanted to know what you

think.” Jeffrey knew how much Rebecca loved Samuel.

He'd always pictured Samuel one day taking over the family business. But Rebecca had always respected

whatever Samuel wanted. If bringing charges against Richard ended up casting a shadow on Samuel's future,

she would regret it.

And Jeffrey didn’t want to see her regret anything.

Rebecca paused, realizing she hadn't even considered all that.

“Wait, you just said he’s been going nuts at Marcus's place?” Rebecca latched onto Jeffrey's previous words.

Jeffrey summed up his last encounter with Richard. “He's afraid I'll put him in prison, so he’s been losing it at the

Hanson residence. Wherever Marcus goes, he follows.”

“He can actually get close to your dad?” Rebecca blinked in surprise.

Marcus and Candice always had bodyguards when they went out. With the Hanson family’s security, Richard

shouldn't be able to get close to Marcus.

Jeffrey looked at her without answering.

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Chapter 178

Rebecca caught on instantly. “You've got someone watching Marcus for you, haven't you?”

Jeffrey nodded.

Rebecca studied him for quite a while, then said, “Let him hound Marcus all he wants.”

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If Richard and Marcus tore into each other, it wouldn't hurt Samuel but would make Richard pay sprice.

“Fine,” Jeffrey said. “I'll put pressure on Richard so they tear each other up as much as possible.”

Rebecca nodded and said nothing more.

Jeffrey grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer, lowering his voice as he apologized. “Sorry that | lost control

earlier. Can you forgive me, just for a moment?”

Rebecca was stubborn to the core. Jeffrey knew that unless he had no other choice, pushing her would only

backfire. The harder he pressed, the more she resisted.

“At least I'm still good for something, aren't I?” Jeffrey teased gently, his fingers softly tracing hers, voice laced

with tenderness, “Please?”

For just a second, Rebecca almost found herself getting swept up in his gentle little trap.

But reason returned in time. Taking advantage of the moment, she laid down her terms to secure her own

safety-and Jessica's, and the others’.

“I can go with you to parties and dinners. In public, Ill hold your hand like before. But | can’t accept being

intimate with you. Not now,” she said.

“Alright,” Jeffrey agreed without hesitation.

“And you can’t hurt my friends,” Rebecca added.

“As long as you don’t think about leaving, they'll be fine.” His voice stayed smooth, calm, endlessly reassuring.

Rebecca gave a small nod.

With life finally settling down, all Rebecca had to do now was wait for her mom to wake up. But that didn’t mean

she had forgiven Jeffrey.

“So, what's going on with Samuel?” Rebecca asked, slipping her hand out of his grasp.

Just a couple of days ago, Samuel heard his friends talking about how fun summer camp was and told them he

wanted to go back. So Jeffrey sent him back.

-Jeffrey had promised to uncover the truth within three days, but it had been longer than that—and he’d told

Rebecca nothing.

“Just kids‘ grudge,” Jeffrey answered calmly. “One of the kids saw that Samuel was popular, always winning at

activities, and got jealous.”

Chapter 178

Rebecca frowned. “But how would he know about Samuel's allergen?”

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Lena had said Samuel's reaction cfrom something slipped into his cup-something he was allergic to. That

meant whoever did it knew his triggers. And every child’s medical info was only supposed to be in Lena’s hands.

“Someone once offered Samuel ssnacks at school,” Jeffrey said evenly. “Samuel turned him down and

mentioned his allergy. Maybe that kid remembered.”

Rebecca still felt uneasy. Yet Jeffrey's expression gave no sign of deceit.

“Don’t worry. I'll take care of it. Samuel won't be hurt for nothing” His tone was soothing. “The kid himself can’t

be held responsible, but I'll have a serious talk with his parents.”

Even so, Rebecca couldn't shake her uncase.

Samuel had always gotten along with other kids since preschool. Now, out of nowhere, there was one jealous

enough to slip something into his cup. That thought made Rebecca’s stomach knot.

“It's probably his free tnow,” Jeffrey said, checking his watch. “Why don’t you give Samuel a call and see

how he’s doing?”

“Alright.” Rebecca nodded and went to call Samuel.

It wasn’t until she walked out of the study that Jeffrey picked up his phone and called Gregory. His eyes were

more serious than ever. “How's the investigation on Samuel coming along?”

“We tried every way we could, and that man finally talked,” Gregory said calmly. “His employer is from Honnala.”

Jeffrey tapped the table lightly. He hadn't crossed anyone from Honnala.

“The reason?” he asked.

“He doesn’t know either. All he was told was to slip sallergens into Samuel's food.” Gregory told him

everything he knew. “His employer ordered him not to kill Samuel, just to put him in danger.”

“The allergen cfrom the person who hired him?” Jeffrey asked.

Gregory said, “That's right.”

“What did he get out of it?” Jeffrey pressed.

Gregory replied, “A hot property that’s being bid on in a neighboring city. He's already secured it.”

Jeffrey narrowed his eyes.

The mastermind behind this allergy incident not only knew Samuel's allergen but could also help someone win

that much-coveted property bid. That meant their personal ability and connections were impressive.

Most importantly, there weren't many people bold enough to take such risks and go against Jeffrey like this.

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Chapter 178

“Keep digging,” Jeffrey ordered. “Find out who's behind it.”

“Got it,” Gregory replied.

Jeffrey added, “And don’t mention any of this in front of Rebecca.”

He still didn’t know whether the target was himself or Rebecca. If it was aimed at Rebecca, she wasn’t in any

shape to handle it right now.

Meanwhile, in a high-rise in Honnala, a secretary with a sharp, professional look walked into the CEO's office. He

was in a suit and tie, wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

His voice was flat and precise as he said, “Sir, Jeffrey has already started looking into it. With his skills, it won't

take long before he traces it back to you.”

A young man sat in the executive chair, back facing him. His casual tone carried a hint of a chuckle. “That's what

makes it fun.”

The secretary gave a warning. “Don’t push it too far.”

The young man curled his lips into a careless smile, a touch of mockery in his expression. “If it goes too far, we'll

just cup with another plan, won't we?”

The secretary fell silent.

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