After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Rebecca was clueless about what was going on. As they neared the hall, she shot Stephen a sidelong glance and

asked, “You said you had something to talk toabout. What's up?”

“This isn’t the right place for that. Let's step outside in a bit,” Stephen said as he walked slowly toward the exit,

his gaze lingering on Jane. “Want to go say hi to your coworkers while you're here?”

Rebecca nodded, said, “I'll go over now,” and headed toward her colleagues,

When Jane spotted her, she pulled out her phone and sent a text to a number with no nsaved: [Rebecca and

Stephen have left the private room. Everything's fine.]

“Hi, Jane,” Rebecca said, hurrying over. “I still have sthings to take care of. Can | leave early?”

“Aren’t you going to wait until they announce the results?” Lisa asked, stealing a glance at Stephen before

quickly averting her eyes. “You and your team have a real shot at winning.

“And if you do, you'll have to go up on stage to accept your award.”

Rebecca paused. She'd been so caught up dealing with everyone tonight that she'd almost forgotten about the

celebration itself.

“Why not stay a little longer?” Jane told her, recalling what Jeffrey had asked her to do.

“I'll head out for a bit,” Rebecca said casually. “Just ten or twenty minutes.”

Jane considered for a moment, then nodded. “Sure.”

Rebecca turned and walked off.

Everyone couldn't help but whisper among themselves, dying to know who Rebecca really was.

Stephen and Jeffrey were absolute titans at the peak of the business world; seeing them up close was next to

impossible, and even online, photos of them were practically unicorns.

If someone hadn't overheard Jason greeting Stephen, half of them wouldn't have even realized he was the

legendary heir of the Hanson family everyone gossiped about.

“What's Rebecca's story, anyway?” Lisa muttered, her eyes glued to their backs, sneaking extra looks at

Stephen's tall and cool figure. “She’s clearly super familiar with both Mr. Hanson and Stephen.”

Jane just kept silent.

After tonight, no matter how low-key Rebecca tried to act, everyone would inevitably end up wondering who she

really was.

Yannie had called Rebecca out on stage as a friend, Jason had personally invited Rebecca to dine in a private

room, and Rebecca clearly had a close relationship with Stephen.

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This wasn’t something encountering each other in an art show could explain away.

Rebecca knew that, too, but none of it was really something she could do anything about.

‘So be it. Let the chips fall where they may, she wondered.

“We've still got more company events coming up, so if you've got something to say, let's just talk here.”

Rebecca said, stepping into the massive garden outside the hotel.

She made sure no one else was around before glancing at Stephen, ‘So, what's the deal?”

“It's nothing serious,” Stephen replied, his voice low and soothing. “I just wanted to know, what's your plan with

Jeffrey?”

This time, Rebecca didn’t shoot him down with a blunt. “That's betweenand him.” Instead, she kept her

answer to herself, leaving the topic hanging.

Noticing her guarded and distant tone, Stephen didn’t push or get annoyed. He just asked gently, “Do you

remember what | told you last twe saw each other?”

Rebecca looked up at him, eyes lifting slightly. Jeffrey’s childhood?” she wondered to herself.

“The current way Jeffrey is mostly because of his childhood,” Stephen said, sounding a little resigned. “He really

wasn’t happy until you calong.”

Rebecca stayed silent.

Even though Stephen had spoken up for her back in the private room and always treated her with kindness,

Rebecca still couldn't fully trust him.

During their five years of marriage, Jeffrey had told her again and again to watch out for Stephen.

If Stephen were just srandom guy, Jeffrey wouldn't have kept warning her like this.

“If you can, | really hope you two can sit down and have a real conversation,” Stephen added.

Rebecca wasn’t one for subtle games, and since no one else was around, she spoke her mind. “You and Jeffrey

have a rivalry going on.”

‘Put simply, his showing this kind of concern is just odd, Rebecca thought.

“We are rivals, but we're brothers,” Stephen said, his lips barely parting as he spoke.

Under the streetlights, he looked more concerned than before. “It's only natural for an older brother to worry

about his younger brother.”

Rebecca wasn’t buying it.

“If you'd ever seen the way he used to be, you'd get why I'm here talking to you,” Stephen said, his voice

tangled with emotion. “Honestly, his whole life’s been hell.”

Chapter 101

Rebecca raised an eyebrow. “So you really chere just to say all that?”

Stephen gave a quiet nod. “Yeah, that’s it.”

He pulled out his phone, scrolled for a moment, then found a photo and handed it over.

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He said, “If this doesn’t move you, just pretend | never said anything, and from now on I'll keep out of whatever

happens between you two.”

Rebecca took the phone, and the impact hit her harder than she expected when she saw the photo.

In the photo, Jeffrey looked about sixteen or seventeen, wearing a white shirt stained with blood.

His hair was messy, hanging down over his eyes as he sat slumped on the ground; he just looked totally

wrecked, and those eyes were hollow, completely dead inside.

In that instant, Rebecca felt a sharp stab in her heart.

“He-" Rebecca started, but the word caught in her throat.

Jeffrey was never one to show weakness around her. In all five years of their marriage, he'd never tried to get her

sympathy, never let his guard down, and never asked for pity.

Whenever he acted up, it was just playful messing around to make her laugh, never anything real.

“This was him, not even seventeen yet,” Stephen said softly as he took his phone back. His tone was still gentle

but held back, “I can’t go into details. That's something only he can share.”

Rebecca pressed her pale lips together, feeling a dull ache inside.

She'd asked him about his past a few times before, but he always brushed her off with just a couple of vague

sentences, never really letting her in.

“Jeffrey’s pretty clueless when it comes to relationships. | just want you to talk to him,” Stephen said, his tone

even and unhurried.

“Sure, we're rivals in business and fight our battles, but when it comes to his private life, | just hope it turns out

good for him, something warm, something real,” he added.

Rebecca steadied herself and replied, “Maybe you should be saying this to Andrea instead.”

Stephen said plainly, “He cares more about you than he does about Andrea.”

Rebecca paused, raising an eyebrow questioningly. She honestly couldn't figure out why he’d bring that up.

“To check, | did a little experiment tonight,” Stephen said, phone still in hand, his usual calm back on his face.

“And turns out, | was spot on.”

Rebecca was about to ask what kind of experiment he was talking about, confusion flickering across her face.

But Stephen jumped in before she could, “He should be here any minute now.”

12:57 Wed, Sep 24

Chapter 101

‘Arrived?’ Rebecca wondered, uncertainty flickering in her mind.

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Before she could say anything, the roar of a motorcycle approached from a distance. A seriously cool bike came

to a stop not far from them, and a broad-shouldered, athletic guy climbed off.

In one smooth motion, he pulled off his helmet, revealing a drop-dead gorgeous face that could make anyone

forget to breathe.

When Rebecca realized who it was, she froze. ‘Jeffrey? Why is he here?’ she thought, barely able to process the

sight.

Stephen deliberately closed the gap between them, lowering his voice, “Want to talk to him?”

But Rebecca's full attention was locked on Jeffrey; she didn’t even register Stephen’s move. Without missing a

beat, she brushed him off, “Nothing to talk about.”

“Alright, let's head back inside then,” Stephen said, his voice steady and normal. “You've got more events

coming up soon, and | don’t want to keep you.”

Rebecca instinctively refused.

She could bet that if she passed by Jeffrey while walking with Stephen, she’d be the unlucky one who'd catch

all the heat.

Just to keep things -free and for her safety, splitting up was definitely the smarter move.

But it was already too late to split up.

The moment Stephen said those words, Jeffrey glanced over, his eyes landing on just how close Rebecca and

Stephen looked together, the sight instantly tightening the air around them.

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