“Mom, is this the only thing you want to talk about? I know what to do. It’s getting late, you should go to sleep. Tomorrow, I have to fly over to B City’s World Trade Center.” Hansen did not want to listen to Marissa any longer, so he urged her to go downstairs. He wanted to have a good sleep as he had an early flight to catch the next day.
Marissa understood what his intentions were. She remained seated on the couch.
“Hansen, yesterday Johan sent someone over…” Marissa said after she thought for a while.
“Mom, I need to get some sleep now.” Hansen cut his mother off. His face was full of impatience, and his tone was heavy.
Marissa had no choice but to rise to her feet and leave. However, before she left, she said in a stern voice, “Hansen, it has already been one year. You really should get your life together. I only have you, my only son. I feel distressed whenever I see you. Eventually, you will have to come to terms with it and start all over again.”
Hansen could read between the lines of Marissa’s words.
He immediately pursed his thin lips and smiled coldly. “Mom, I understand. But I’ve got to be frank with you, I will never remarry. Jenna will be my only wife in this life. As for whether I will come to terms with her death, I will only believe it when I see her body.”
“But, what if you don’t?” Marissa’s face turned pale. She sighed and asked in horror.
“Then, I’ll be forever alone and never remarry.” With that, Hansen stood up and walked out of the study.
“Ah.” Marissa sighed deeply and plopped back down onto the couch.
At Redondo International Airport.
A bustling place with planes taking off and touching down, there were streams of passengers coming in and out.
Jose Trenton patiently escorted Hansen out of the airport.
“Alvin, how are the preparations at the World Trade Center?” Hansen asked in his low, magnetic voice. A pair of sunglasses perched on his nose, he was dressed in his tailored, bespoke suit. He was the picture of a debonair man.
Jose was stunned, smiling bitterly in response. He could only reply softly, “Mr. Richards, don’t worry. Everything has been prepared.”
From the day before until then, Hansen had inadvertently mistaken his name for Alvin’s!
He had no choice but to ignore it.
What else could he have done!
When Hansen heard Jose’s voice, he became absent-minded for a while.
He had inadvertently addressed Jose as Alvin again.
Alvin had been the one taking care of him during the past year when he lost his sight.
Although Alvin was a stubborn man, he was a veteran of the cutthroat business world, and attentive to boot, especially when it came to Hansen.
He could accurately analyze every movement of his and execute countermeasures in time.
After all those times, Hansen was actually already accustomed to having Alvin by his side.
Reflexively, Hansen sighed. He felt a pang in his heart as he shook his head.
“Hansen.” Hansen heard a crisp feminine voice coming from behind him, accompanied by the clanking sound of high heels. An elegant jasmine-scented perfume wafted through the breeze and traveled into his nostrils.
Hansen’s brows furrowed, and his ears twitched. The expression on his face was stoic.
“Jaqueline, what are you doing here?” he asked in a cold voice.
“Hansen, Grandpa Johan said it might be inconvenient for you to move about because your eyes are injured, so he asked me to come and take care of you.” Jaqueline smiled, with her face blooming with joy.
“Thanks, but I’m good.” When Hansen heard this, he furrowed his brows even deeper. “I have my assistant with me.”
After that, he ignored her and said to Jose, “Mr. Trenton, let’s go. We’re almost running late.”
“Yes, Mr. Richards.” Jose did not dare to disobey him and strode forward to help Hansen.
Jaqueline remained rooted to the spot as tears started to swirl in her eyes.
Again, without exception, he had avoided her like a plague whenever he saw her. His expression was always frigid, devoid of any warmth.
Must he have acted in this way!
After a while, Jacqueline picked up her knapsack and quickly trotted forward to try and catch up to them. However, as soon as she stepped out of the gate, Hansen’s and Jose’s figures were nowhere to be seen.
Back in the Moore family residence.
Nuncio sat on the couch in the living room, nursing a cup of tea while he perused the newspaper. His wife, Marilyn, walked up to him.
“Nuncio, Jacqueline has just passed her exam. Do you think she can take over as the Deputy of Foreign Affairs?” Marilyn, the epitome of elegance, spoke in a soft and gentle voice. Her gaze was delicate, and she was wearing light makeup.
Nuncio put down the newspaper and said thoughtfully, “During last year’s dispute, Madam Lilian didn’t agree to help. I’m also lacking in confidence. Furthermore, Jaqueline is still young. I think it’s best for her to work as a secretary for a while before promoting her.”
Marilyn was disappointed upon hearing this.
“Nuncio, we’re talking about a job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Why, it’s an advantage to be young. The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not young anymore, so it’s time to nurture the next generation. Jaqueline is very knowledgeable and has a good image. She’s well-versed in multiple languages, which is an excellent skill to cultivate. It’s hard to come across such a perfect candidate,” she reminded Nuncio in a low voice. It was as if she was afraid that he could not see their daughter’s strengths.
Nuncio took a sip of tea, and then raised his head to look at her.
“As far as I’m concerned, Jaqueline is not young anymore. As her mother, you should be more concerned about her love life rather than her career.”
Marilyn blushed and somehow lost her confidence. She said, “Jaqueline has been spoiled by her grandfather ever since she was young. She has ambitions. I doubt she would take a liking to ordinary men.”
“So you’re saying that she’s going to remain single for the rest of her life?” His tone became even more serious. He did not look pleased at all.
When Marilyn saw that Nuncio was unhappy, she held back from provoking him. She just sighed and remained silent for a while.
Nuncio narrowed his eyes and said after pondering for a moment, “I think Grandpa’s intention is to set her up with Hansen. Now, this is an opportunity. As a mother, you should pay more attention to it.”
“Hansen?” Marilyn was taken aback. “Do you mean Hansen Richards, the president of the Richards Group?”
“Yup, that’s him, alright.” Nuncio immediately nodded.
After a moment of shock, Marilyn was baffled.
“Nuncio, Hansen has a business empire. His wife died in front of him last year. He’s a single father. The last I heard was that he has lost his sight. Are you sure he is suitable for Jaqueline?” she asked worriedly.
“That’s so typical of you.” Nuncio glanced at her and said discontentedly, “I’ll tell you what, in this world, there is only one Hansen Richards. No one in this world is able to compete with his business empire. If Jaqueline can really marry him, then it’s her fate. This was initially Grandpa’s plan before, but unfortunately, Vivian had disagreed with it. Now, the opportunity has presented itself, and Jenna is dead. Grandpa is more optimistic about Hansen’s future, so he wants to introduce Jaqueline to him.”
“Oh.” Marilyn nodded thoughtfully after hearing Nuncio’s words. “I’ll talk to Jacqueline when I have the time. I’ll ask her to invite Hansen over for a meal and try to evaluate the situation.”
“There’s no hurry.” Nuncio sighed. “This Hansen fella is very devoted to love. Ever since Jenna left, he buried himself in work. He seems to be absent of emotions. He is also unwilling to seek treatment for his eyes and is devoted to taking care of his child. See, a one-woman man like this only comes once in a blue moon.”
Upon hearing this, Marilyn’s heart trembled with fear. “Hansen is pretty unlucky. His marriage with Jenna had been through so many twists and turns. Even if I’m not in A City, I will still hear news about him. It’s a pity that Jenna died at such a young age. All women want is a stable family life. They couldn’t care less about how extravagant their life is.”
Marilyn said with a stark worried look on her face.