After making the arrangements, Jasper and Alyssa traveled home to Sna City. During the journey,


    he pulled her into a hug, kissing her on the ear. "Lyse, thank you. How can I ever thank you enough?"


    "Why so formal?" Alyssa wrapped her arm behind his neck while tapping the tip of his nose, sending


    his heart fluttering. "In return, how about you take Mrs. Rosie''s ce and cook for me for a month?"


    "A month? You''re underestimating me." He squinted at her with an affectionate look. "I can cook for you


    forever."


    She shook her head. "Oh, never mind then. I appreciate the thought. Eating your cooking forever will


    only be torture."


    She rendered Jasper speechless with that remark. Pouting, she added, "To be honest, I feel sorry for


    putting this burden on Cyrus, but it''s the only way to pressure the Hodgsons into calling off the


    marriage.


    "Only when the Hodgsons give up on Lauren will Landon have the luxury of time to focus on his family


    matters. He''ll stand a chance to get back with Lauren once he sorts out his family issues."


    "Lyse, I have other ways to deal with the Hodgsons," Jasper began.


    She shook her head. "I know you''re prepared, but you shouldn''t get into trouble with the politicians in


    Sna City."


    He said coldly, "I don''t mind crossing anyone for Lauren and Landon''s sake."


    "But you can''t get onto Javier''s wrong side for now. You can''t give him ammunition against you. If he


    thinks you''re a liability to the Beckett Group, he has more reason to get rid of you." She sat up in his


    embrace andforted him, "Don''t worry. Mandy is a capable woman.


    "She''s been managing part of Winston''s business and assets for years. I''m sure she will make the


    Hodgsons give up on their social-climbing n."


    Jasper couldn''t hold back a grin. He was about to kiss her again when her phone rang. She answered


    the call from Sean, "Hey, Sean."


    "Ms. Alyssa, we have new updates on Betty Beckett," Sean reported urgently, "We got news that Betty


    went for a health checkup at the hospital, and she looked quite sick."


    "Oh, great news, then." She spoke in a low voice, her eyes shining with a chilling look, "Get someone


    to monitor her. After she leaves the hospital, get her blood sample by any means."


    "Got it, Ms. Alyssa!"


    At the same time, Betty struggled with continuous low fever for a week at Mosgravia. The fever did not


    subside even though she took medications.


    She had not nned to visit the hospital due to the expensive consultation fees in Mosgravia. Her


    allowance was a pittance that wasn''t enough to sustain hervish lifestyle, not to mention pay for


    medical expenses.


    She recalled the times in the past when she had people tending to her for something as minor as a


    prick in the finger. The difference in treatment saddened her.


    However, she decided to visit the hospitalte at night, as new symptoms such as lethargy and


    persistent cough emerged.


    After going through multiple checkups and tests, she wrapped herself in a dirty jacket and drifted to


    sleep on the bench in the hospital corridor.


    In the middle of her sleep, a nurse woke her up and reminded her to get the test results from the


    doctor.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    The doctor hesitated as he nced at Betty''s test results. Finally, he said in a low voice, "Madam, I''m


    sorry to let you know that you have caught HIV. We came to this conclusion from all the tests we ran on


    you."


    "HIV?" Betty''s face paled. She fixed a nk stare on the doctor''s serious face.


    Back in school, she was a bad student who couldn''t properly grasp Grunndish. Still, she understood


    the doctor''s diagnosis upon hearing the term "HIV". Her slow response was merely out of disbelief.


    The doctor attributed her response to thenguage barrier. So, he repeated the diagnosis in his broken


    Cyrrisian, "In other words, it''s AIDS."


    This time, Bettypletely understood the diagnosis. Following that, she copsed to the ground and


    trembled uncontrobly. The doctor tried to help her up from the ground, but her legs were jelly.


    Her mind went nk, and she couldn''t take in a word the doctor said. It wasn''t like she could actually


    hear him anyway.


    Betty stumbled listlessly down the corridor, trying hard to figure out where she got AIDS from. Finally,


    she thought of that day when she enjoyed a one-night stand with a male model in the bathroom of a


    nightclub lounge.


    The model did not use protection and came twice—once inside her and once on her breasts. Was he


    the one who spread AIDS to her?


    Before that exhrating night, she had only been staying at home. There could be no one else but him.


    "Argh!" She tore the test result into shreds in a dark alleyway. Then, she curled up in a corner, held her


    head, and wailed. "Why? Why did it turn out this way? Just why?"


    She had been kicked out of the Beckett family and lost ess to a privileged life. Not only did she lose


    her hearing in both ears, but she was also diagnosed with AIDS.


    She couldn''t see a reason to live, and she wanted death.


    In the depths of her despair, she heard footsteps approaching her. A man in leather shoes stopped in


    front of her.