Alyssa listened to Mandy''s words, eyes slowly tearing up.


    Battered and bruised...


    Barely breathing.


    What suffering did her mother go through to have nearly lost her life in a foreign country?


    Jasper held on to Alyssa''s trembling hand, asking Mandy curiously, "During all the years Mrs. Taylor


    was here in Belbanks alone and after giving birth to so many children, did she never once thought to


    contact her own family or return to her home country?"


    Mandy shook her head, eyes downcast. "No, not once. Winston even changed Jennifer''swful


    nationality and gave her a new identity, cutting her off entirely from her past."


    Both Jasper and Alyssa were even more confused now. What did Jennifer undergo to be willing to hide


    her identity and permanently part ways with her home country?


    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Alyssa was all the more curious about her mother''s identity now.


    "I don''t have answers for whatever more you might want to ask, Lyse. Your father has also privately


    reminded me on countless asions to never tell you this information about your mother," Mandy said.


    She then held Alyssa''s hand and pleaded tearfully, "I don''t know why Winston is doing this, but you


    must trust him. He truly did love Jennifer and loves you in turn.


    "All he does, he does for your well-being, nothing else. So, Lyse, just pretend I never told you about


    Jennifer today. Don''t ask Winston about it. Okay?"


    Alyssa loved her mother deeply, but she didn''t want to trouble Mandy, so she could only nod tearfully.


    Winston''s health had once again deteriorated due to Dominic''s actions, just as he had started to show


    signs of improvement.


    Fortunately, Julien arrived in time to check up on Winston and gave him some medications to stabilize


    his condition.


    When Julien returned to his office and shut the door, he slumped back in his chair, exhausted to the


    max. As Winston''s primary doctor, he was under great pressure.


    Winston was his lover''s father, after all. Who could understand the pressure of having to execute your


    job well in front of your future father-inw?


    Julien syed himself on the desk with his mouth crumpled up grumpily. Julien had helped Winston


    whenever thetter had a sudden and dangerous decline in health, saving him from death''s door


    countless times.


    It had been three whole days of no sleep and long hours spent standing on his feet, making him both


    exhausted and hungry. But Jonah, heartless as he was, only worried over Winston and never once


    checked in on Julien.


    Julien, ustomed to wine and thepany of men, had always navigated life effortlessly, winning


    over whomever he pleased. But encountering Jonah changed everything, as Julien found himself in


    uncharted territory, experiencing the difort of being outyed by another man.


    "I hate you, Jonah Taylor!" Julien growled, nearly shattering the surface of his ss desk with how hard


    he mmed his hand on it. Aggrieved tears welled in his eyes. "I swear that this is thest time I''m


    helping you! I''m not going to help you anymore, even if you beg me to—"


    Someone knocked on the door just then.


    Julien quickly dried his tears and wiped his nose with some tissue before opening the door.


    Jonah''s handsome, smiling face came into view the moment Julien opened the door.


    "Julien."


    Julien''s heart raced, and his grip around the door instinctively tightened.


    Jonah''s gentle call of his name had made him instantly slip into a daze.