LM
CHAPTERS 979 - 985
979
Edwin Carter's low and seductive voice once again sounded in his daughter’s ears. “My little Janell, we believe in you!” He only uttered a few words and did not say anything else. It was very much in line with his usual cold and quiet character.
But such few words were enough for Janell Joy Carter. Her family believed in her and that was already the greatest encouragement.
She smiled and said, “Thank you, Dad!”
Edwin replied, “Mm.”
Even when it came to his daughter, Edwin Carter was still a man of few words. He was quiet and aloof.
“Brother, we’ll take care of this. Please take care of your wife too, you can rest assured.” Angela Carter grabbed the phone and said to her brother. But before Edwin could reply, she had already hung up the phone.
In front of Edwin, Angela was a bold woman. She felt that she was now under Victor's protection that she wouldn’t be afraid of anything.
If Edwin were to bully her, she would make use of Victor's status as Edwin's uncle. However, despite Victor being an elder, he could never command Edwin. Edwin would never listen to him.
Perhaps this was human nature. Despite getting injured, once the scars have healed, they would move on and possibly forget how they had gotten injured in the first place! This was a good representation of Angela's behaviour.
Despite always addressing Edwin as her cold brother, and knowing that he would punish her greatly for her misbehavior, she still had the audacity to irk him.
She handed the phone back to Victor and pushed Janell Joy back to the room. “It’s getting late. Go back to your room and get some rest. Let’s talk about everything tomorrow.” Just as Angela had pushed Janell Joy back to the room, they saw a tall and masculine man in a suit, standing at the door.
He stood at the door and looked at them. It seemed that he had stood there for a long time, but no one had noticed him. “Andrew, how long have you been here? Why didn’t you say anything when you arrived?” Angela was asking Andrew, as she livened up the atmosphere.
However, Andrew did not look at Angela at all. His eyes were fixed on Janell Joy as if he was trying to look deep into her heart. He seemed to be trying to uncover her deepest thoughts.
Andrew did not answer nor look at Angela, so she was a little upset. “Andrew, what are you doing? Come in if you have something to say. It’s quite frightening if you just stand there and say nothing.”
“Little Aunt, I have something to say to Janell in private.” Andrew said to Angela, but his eyes were still locked on Janell Joy.
“I’m sorry! I’m sleepy. I want to rest now.” Since she was young, Janell Joy had always treated Andrew the same way. If she could avoid talking to him, she would do exactly that.
It was a habit since childhood, and she had never changed. However, Andrew ignored Janell Joy’s refusal and came to Janell Joy’s side. He dragged Janell Joy into her room, in front of everyone.
He kicked the door shut and threw Janell Joy on her big and comfortable bed. He stood in front of the bed and looked down at the girl on the bed.
Janell Joy sat up and shouted angrily, “Andrew, what are you doing?” Andrew did not answer her. His eyes fell on her face, as if he was looking at a woman he had never seen before.
His gaze…
Janell Joy didn’t know how to describe the way Andrew was looking at her. She only knew that whenever he looked at her, she would feel so uneasy. It made her feel short of breath.
She didn’t know what was going on. In the past no matter how he looked at her, she could stare back at him fearlessly. But now, as he stared at her, Janell Joy was so nervous that she couldn’t speak. This was something she had never experienced before.
After a long while, Andrew finally looked away and his eyes fell on the window. He said softly, “If Nathaniel is dead, will you die with him?”
“Andrew, what are you talking about?” Janell Joy shouted back emotionally. How could her Brother Lucas die? He would definitely be fine.
The thing that Brother Lucas had promised her was still unfulfilled. He would never break his promise. She believed in him. She believed in him more than she believed in herself.
“Janell, tell me, will you?” Andrew asked again, insisting on getting an answer he wanted from her.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Janell Joy didn’t want to talk to him any longer. She really didn’t want to talk to him. She really wanted him to disappear from her sight immediately.
“Janell, you won’t do it right?” Andrew suddenly stepped forward and pulled Janell Joy into his arms. He was ignoring Janell Joy struggling in his embrace, and he hugged her even more tightly. He said, “Janell, Nathaniel is not the only person you have, you also have Mom, Dad and Little Precious. You have your family. You will never do anything stupid, will you?” He was shaking, scared, and in a panic…
Even when he was ten years old and had witnessed his parents’ death in a car accident, he was still not afraid, but at this very moment, his tall and strong body was trembling.
“Andrew, what are you talking about? I’m fine, why would I seek death?” Janell Joy pushed him hard and escaped from his arms.
“I don’t know what I’m talking about. I don’t know why I came to you.” He smiled bitterly, but he was relieved. He was relieved that she would not kill herself.
He knew clearly in his heart that even if Nathaniel didn’t exist in this world, Janell Joy still wouldn’t belong to him. Because more than ten years ago, the time when he was led to the Carter family and when he had called Edwin his father, he was given a new identity.
— The adopted son of the Carter family, and the elder brother of Janell Joy!
All of these were haunting and torturing him every single day, but he couldn’t change anything. He could only watch as the girl ran into the arms of another man.
Yes, why did he come here to look for her? He was seeking humiliation again, wasn’t he?
He smiled bitterly, shook his head and turned around to leave. However, Janell Joy suddenly jumped up from the bed and blocked his way. “Andrew, did you get any new information at all?”
“Haven’t you gotten any?” Andrew smiled and continued to walk out. Just after he had taken another step, Janell Joy blocked his way again.
She glared at him angrily as if she was looking at an enemy. “Andrew, now that you are here, let’s make it clear. Don’t act all strange around me.”
Strange?
After he had received the news of Nathaniel’s death, he immediately rushed over to see her, just to confirm that she was safe with his own eyes.
He wanted to know that she was fine, But she said that he was being strange.
However, it was not entirely her fault.
When he looked at her, he just couldn’t control himself. He would always blurt out strange words to attract her attention. He would always come up with strange things so that she would look at him.
Alas, his efforts had backfired. It did not turn out as he expected at all.
980
Andrew Carter looked at Janell Joy Carter. Her face was flushed with anger, but it looked rosy and adorable. She was really beautiful. She was the kind of person who you would instantly notice in the crowd.
Especially when she smiled, her eyebrows would curve and her eyes would sparkle like the milky way. Her gaze was bright and beautiful, just like the rising sun. All this while, what he loved seeing most was her smile.
He liked to watch her smile so much, but she would always keep a straight face whenever she was facing him, so he would always stand in a corner to discreetly watch her smile.
In this life, perhaps she would never know that she was the little sun that he had been pursuing all along, the sun which could give him warmth.
Thinking of her, thinking of himself, thinking of the future that they would never have… Andrew's heart was filled with a trace of bitterness again. One of the worst sufferings in life was to never get what you have always yearned for.
After he had been adopted by the Carter family, he gained a warm and loving family and lived a life of luxury and riches as the son of a powerful family. His life was something others would envy. He went to one of the world’s best universities and also took over a portion of the almighty Shengtian businesses.
He had always been addressed as the First Young Master of the Carter family. Because no matter where he went, he was always the object of people’s flattery.
No matter how noble he was and no matter how many people had fawned over him, what he wanted was just this girl’s heart. But, he could never get it!
Never!
He could only suppress his feelings for her. He had to suppress his fantasies of her again and again.
“Andrew, why are you shaking your head? What did you find out?” Janell Joy was still worried about Nathaniel Cooper’s safety. Each one of Andrew's unfathomable actions was enough to make her feel more distressed.
“What do I find out? Do you want to know?” His thoughts were interrupted by her voice. He smiled and raised his eyebrows slightly, which softened his cold face by a little.
“Say it.” No matter good or bad news, Janell Joy had to know it all. She shouldn’t only choose to listen to the good news only.
It seemed that she really didn’t know about the news of Nathaniel’s death. Should he tell her then?
Could she endure the pain when she knows the truth? Andrew was contemplating this for a while, and then decided to tell her.
Hiding Nathaniel’s death from Janell Joy could only be temporary. Andrew would not be able to hide it from her for her whole life. It would be better to just tell her frankly.
Andrew said, “Alright, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me..”
Janell Joy interrupted him and said, “Tell me. I’m not as fragile as you think I am.”
Andrew looked at her for a few more times before he said slowly, “Nathaniel’s helicopter crashed when it was returning from Misty Mountain earlier. I guess you should already know about this.”
Janell Joy nodded.
Seeing that she was so calm, Andrew was a little worried. He wondered again if he should tell her the news that he had just received or not.
“And then?” Janell Joy asked.
Since he had already told her the first half, he had to tell her the other half. He continued, “There are news that they’ve found Nathaniel’s body at the crash site.”
“They found his body?” Janell Joy scoffed. “Did you see his body with your own eyes? If you didn’t see it with your own eyes, then don’t spread such news.”
Janell Joy’s heart had always been uneasy, but when she heard of this news, her heart was surprisingly calm. She too didn’t know why she believed that nothing would happen to Brother Lucas.
Perhaps Brother Lucas was faking his death to draw enemies out of hiding. Thinking of the possibility that Nathaniel might have deliberately fabricated his death, Janell Joy was so agitated that her body trembled, and her heart was beating so much faster in that instant.
Would he be faking his death?
Would Brother Lucas use this way to lure those enemies out? Was it possible?
Janell Joy bit her lower lip and considered it carefully. The President’s helicopter had to be examined multiple times by the engineers before any flight. When it was confirmed that the helicopter was absolutely safe, then only would Nathaniel board the vehicle. Also, when he was on his flight back, there was nothing unusual about the weather.
It was very unlikely that the President’s helicopter would malfunction out of a sudden, it would be very likely that Brother Lucas wanted to create a fake death to lure those enemies out.
He had been looking for the mastermind scheming against him but was never successful. Hence, it was possible that
he might have used this method at such a critical moment.
This was not the only reason that led Janell to this verdict. It was also because she was able to grasp some clues from the conversation between herself and Jason Lesley. Previously, because of her emotions, she did not notice that there was something different when she was talking to Jason.
Now, after she calmed down and thought about it carefully, she realized that there was something amiss with what Jason had said.
Usually, Jason would talk to her in a polite manner, which was no different from the attitude that he would have with the President. Today, it was obvious that Jason’s tone was deliberately provoking her.
There was also something with Serene Silas. After Serene had answered the phone call, her tone became very strange. Presumably, she had already known about the truth
Both Jason and Serene’s behavior were very questionable. They were deliberately hiding something from her, but it didn’t seem like it was something about the helicopter crash, it was something else.
Other than that, when Brother Lucas's impostor had called to ask her to meet him, it was probably a trick. The impostor wanted to find out from her if Brother Lucas was really killed in the crash.
Perhaps this was the key point why Brother Lucas had faked his death and even hid it from her!
If she knew that Brother Lucas had faked his death, she was likely to be discovered by the enemy, and then Brother Lucas's plan might be ruined.
So that was how it was!
After thinking it through, Janell Joy couldn’t care any lesser about Andrew's words. She immediately rushed out of the room and went to Blake White. “Blake, ask your people to act cautiously. They should just follow those men discreetly and take note of anyone that has contact with them.”
Well, since Brother Lucas wanted to lure those sly enemies out, she would lend a hand to Brother Lucas. This time, she must not let those people get away again.
Blake did not understand. “Miss, but why?” In the past, he would not question Janell Joy on whatever she had asked him to do. He would just listen to her obediently and complete the tasks she had ordered.
But the current situation was exceptional, and danger was just around the corner. Blake had to be careful, so he had to ask before he would execute the order.
Janell Joy said, “Don’t ask me why. Do as I say. Be careful not to alert the enemy. If anyone ruins the plan, I will not let him go.”
“Yes.” Blake was worried, but he did not question her anymore. Then, he immediately conveyed the order to his subordinates according to Janell Joy’s words.
After she had instructed Blake of her plan, Janell Joy breathed a sigh of relief. She turned around and looked at Andrew's fiery gaze. He was still standing behind her. He hadn’t left.
Earlier, she had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she had forgotten about him. She didn’t expect that he would still be there and was still looking at her with his blazing gaze.
“Thank you for bringing me this news. It’s getting late. Go back and have a rest first.” If it weren’t for Andrew, she wouldn’t have realized that all of these were a part of Brother Lucas's plan. Deep now in her heart, she was actually quite grateful to him.
981
“I’m going back now.” Andrew Carter walked away, but suddenly, he stopped after taking two steps and looked back at her. “Janell..”
“If you have something to say, just say it.” He would always look at her with such a complex look in his eyes. He knew that she hated it the most when he looked at her like that.
But Andrew really didn’t know. He said, “Grandpa and Grandma are getting old. Grandma is in poor health. Let’s go back to spend New Year with her.”
“Andrew, I think you have underestimated me. My life was given to me by Mom and Dad. No matter what, I would never take my life lightly.” Andrew had spoken in such a subtle way, but Janell Joy Carter immediately understood what he meant.
Anyway, both of them had lived together for more than a decade, since they were young children until today. She could immediately guess what he was thinking. However, he might not understand what she was thinking.
“Well, it’s good that you understand,” Andrew smiled, turned around as he straightened his back and walked away. Perhaps he had really thought too much. He should have known very well that Janell Joy was not a girl who would take her life and personal safety lightly.
For the sake of love, she could do whatever she wanted, but.she would never forget her loved ones. Even if Nathaniel Cooper had disappeared from the world, he would still want her to live well and to live her life to the fullest.
He was worried about her for nothing again! He smiled bitterly. Over the years, he was getting more nosy and was always interfering in her affairs, and his emotions were gradually getting influenced by her. Most of the time, he thought, since there was no possibility of a romantic relationship between them, shouldn’t he just behave reasonably? Perhaps he should stay away from her, and leave her alone?
But every time when he had made up his mind to keep a distance from her, something would happen to her. Then, he would never be able to leave her alone. He came to the Carter family and became their adopted son.
Since the Carter family had given him everything, then he must take up the responsibility to protect the children of the Carter family.
This was what he told himself.
But, that was not how his heart felt. He had a deep crush on Janell Joy. He had imagined that maybe someday she would suddenly realize that he was the right person for her.
How ridiculous!
When he went out, he closed the door and his phone in his pocket suddenly rang. He took out his phone and looked at the number that was on the screen. He frowned immediately, yet he still answered, “What’s the matter?”
Seeing Andrew closing the door on the way out and his figure completely disappearing from her sight, Janell Joy exhaled gently.
She knew that Andrew was worried about her. He was worried that she would do something silly out of her emotional panic. He really did not understand her enough. If he did, he wouldn’t think that way then.
This was how Janell Joy interpreted Andrew's actions because she didn’t want to admit to something else or think otherwise. She did not want to admit to herself that his concern towards her was not because he did not know her well, but because he cared about her too much.
The more a person cared for another, the more entangled they would be.
That was what Andrew was like to her.
Angela Carter, who had dragged Victor James and Levi James back to the room to rest, was poking half of her head out of the room. She looked around and made sure that there was only Janell Joy in the living room. Then, she tiptoed out from the room and said, “Janell, what did Andrew say to you?”
“Little Aunt, why are you not in bed yet?” This Little Aunt of hers, why did she have to be so sneaky? Others might think that they were up to no good!
“I’m used to going to bed late,” Angela added, “Tell me, what did Andrew say to you just now? Why did you change your mind suddenly?”
"Just now, he asked me to go home together during the New Year’s. You should have heard that, right?” Janell Joy knew her Little Aunt’s character very well. She knew that Angela liked to eavesdrop on others.
“You guys were talking so loudly in the living room, so for sure I could hear it. But what did you guys talk about in the room? The soundproofing of the room is so good that I couldn’t hear it.” Angela had always been a thick-skinned person. She would eavesdrop on others’ conversations and she wouldn’t even feel that there was anything wrong with it.
“He asked me to rest early and not to stay up late. He also said that women, especially women in their thirties, will age faster if they sleep late. Little Aunt, goodnight!” Janell Joy didn’t want to disclose too much information. She answered Angela perfunctorily, gave her a smile, and returned to her room.
“Janell Joy, you are a heartless kid. How dare you imply that I am old!” Behind her, Angela's roar came, which shook the apartment a little.
“Little Aunt, although Great Uncle is older than you, in terms of appearance, men tend to age slower than women do. You really have to pay attention to that.” After saying that, Janell Joy went into the room and closed the door.
As soon as the door was shut, Angela could no longer hear what she said because of the soundproofing of the room.
All of a sudden, the surroundings became so quiet, which could be slightly frightening in the dark night.
It was late at night, and the lights outside her window went out one after another. The whole city and the entire Moon Bay grew quiet. “Brother Lucas, you should do what you must do. Don’t worry about me. Everything is fine here.” Janell Joy murmured to the night sky. She hoped that Brother Lucas could hear her. She wanted him to be at ease as he executed his plans.
Could he hear her?
She said it here at Moon Bay, but Nathaniel was at the North Palace, of course, he couldn’t hear her. But the news that she had asked Blake to change her strategy had already spread to Nathaniel’s ears.
Nathaniel guessed that Janell Joy, this smart little girl, must have realized that it was all part of his plan. That must be why she could be so calm.
“Janell, wait for me!” He said. He also hoped that she could hear what he had just said. Even if she could not hear what he said, it would be enough if she could at least feel that he was missing her.
“Sir, we’ve got some new information!” Jason Lesley reported in a hurry.
Jason looked extremely overjoyed. For someone like him, who had been in politics for a long time, it was a rare thing to be so excited.
Usually, when he was with Nathaniel, he had seen all kinds of situations, and it was compulsory for him to keep his composure under any circumstances. In the past, Jason had done a good job at that. But today, he was so excited that he couldn’t control his emotions. He did not intend to restrain his emotions too much either.
They had been trampled over for such a long time. Soon, they would be able to discover who those masterminds were. Those people had made them suffer for so long. How could Jason not be excited?
Nathaniel ignored him and said in a deep voice, “Speak.” It was just a word, but it was full of power.
Jason calmed down and tried to suppress his excitement. Then, he said, “Someone has posted an anonymous message on the internet, stating that when you were on the way back from Misty Mountain today, your helicopter had crashed.”
“Very good!” Nathaniel smiled coldly and said, “You should notify them immediately. Everything should be carried out according to the original plan. There can be no mistakes, make sure of that!”
982
Those people who were hiding in the shadows were no longer able to sit still. It seemed that he had overestimated their abilities, he didn’t expect that they would believe so easily that he had been killed in the crash.
“Yes.” After receiving the order, Jason Lesley turned around and left. He took a few steps and suddenly remembered something. He had forgotten it earlier due to his excitement. He turned back and said, “One more thing, sir, Mr. Leves and Miss Silas are already here.”
“Invite them in here.” Nathaniel Cooper said.
Of course, in order to put on a good show, Serene Silas, who was publicly known as the President’s fiance, would definitely appear since the President was in a serious accident. Once the news that Serene had rushed to the North Palace was shared, the enemy would be more convinced that Nathaniel had really died. This was the reason why the enemies had acted so quickly.
Those people had been waiting for too long, and they couldn’t stay idle anymore. Now that they had such a good opportunity, they would want to end the battle as soon as possible.
“Don’t bother. We’re already here.” When the man’s voice came, Jackie Leves and Serene were already standing at the entrance to Nathaniel’s office.
His face looked different from before, so he could pretend to be Serene’s bodyguard for the time being. It would be convenient for him to accompany Serene and to protect her at all times, this way.
Jason nodded and left the room to pass on the President’s orders.
Nathaniel looked at Jackie. He hadn’t seen Jackie for only a few days but Jackie looked completely different, he was much more energetic and happy. At a glance, he knew that Jackie must have been nourished by love in recent days.
Looking at Serene again, although she was still very thin, she looked more rosy and healthy than before too…
“What are you looking at?” Nathaniel had only looked at Serene for a few seconds, but Jackie was already unhappy about that. He pulled Serene behind him so that Nathaniel couldn’t look at her again.
“If I had feelings for her, did you think she’d still be there waiting for your return? I would have kept her for my own!” Perhaps Nathaniel was overjoyed to see his good friend recovering from the trauma that had been haunting him. He cracked a joke, and this was very rare! He would almost never joke.
“How dare you have feelings for her?” Knowing that Nathaniel was just joking with him, Jackie still wished that he could hide Serene in his pocket so that no one could see her beauty
“Jackie, don’t be like this!” Serene tugged at the corner of his clothes. This man standing before Jackie was, after all, the President. Did he not realize it?
“After all, she is still officially my fiance. You should pay a little more attention to that.” The words that Nathaniel had just said was not a joke. After all, they were now in the North Palace. For Jackie who was the ‘bodyguard’ to be holding the President’s fiance like that, it would seem very inappropriate.
Before Jackie could say anything else, Nathaniel’s subordinate knocked on the door and came into his office. He reported the situation to Nathaniel in a hurry, “Mr. President, we’ve got our hands on some new information.”
Nathaniel said in a deep voice, “Continue.”
The subordinate said, “After the person had spread the news about your death, our internal employee immediately posted a statement online, indirectly verifying that the news that on the Internet was true. A short while later, our employee deleted the statement but the netizens were very fast with their actions. They had taken screenshots of the post, and now it has been going viral on the Internet.” Nathaniel slightly curled his lips, and there was a sharp murderous intent flashing in his eyes. “Let them continue to spread. I want everyone to know about it.”
This was the effect that Nathaniel had planned for. Not only could he draw out the enemies who were hiding in the dark, he could also eliminate the people with malicious intent around him. How could he not be happy to kill two birds with one stone?
The subordinate answered, “Yes.”
The subordinate left. Jackie then said, “Let those people jump as they wish. Let them jump as high as they can. I will let them fall as high as they jump. The higher they jump, the more painful it would be.”
More than a dozen people of the Leves family had been massacred overnight. Those were painful scars on Jackie’s heart. If these enemies were not eliminated, he would never be able to rest for the rest of his life.
Nathaniel reached out his hand and patted Jackie’s shoulder. He comforted him, “When we capture those masterminds playing tricks on us, you can do whatever you want with them.”
Jackie removed his hand and said, “You don’t have to comfort me. Even if you won’t let me deal with those people, I will still do it.”
Serene pulled Jackie’s arm again. “Jackie, watch your tone.
Jackie glared at her and said, “What kind of tone do you wish for me to use? Do I have to call him Mr. President every time I speak?”
Nathaniel waved his hand and said, “Don’t you do that. If you call me Mr. President, will suspect that you are an undercover agent sent by the enemy.”
The two men had been sworn brothers for nearly 30 years. They were already used to doing things and talking like this, it would be difficult for them to change.
Jackie casually asked, “So are we going to just sit here and wait for information?”
Nathaniel looked up at the clock on the wall. It was exactly three o’clock in the wee hours of the morning. With the current weather, the sunrise would be at 7 o’clock. The government departments would formally start working at 9 o’clock, so they still had six hours to kill.
It seemed that these six hours would be an idle wait, but at the same time, these six hours were very crucial. Before nine o’clock the next morning, if anything went wrong, everything they had done would be in vain.
During these six hours, they had to ensure that they would not make any mistakes in executing every part of the plan. They had to ensure that the enemy would come forward to take over the country at nine o’clock the next morning.
Only when the enemies who were hiding behind them jump out and reveal themselves, could their goal be achieved…
Nathaniel nodded and said, “The only thing we can do now is to wait” He pointed to the lounge and said, “You and Serene can go and rest for a while. Tomorrow, there will be a lot of things that we would need her help with.”
“Well, okay.” Jackie treated it like it was his own home and took Serene to the lounge. “It’s already so late and I had to drag you out of bed. I’m so sorry about that.”
Earlier that evening, he couldn’t control himself, and they had been in a romantic tryst. He initially wanted her to have a good rest after that, but they had received a phone call from the North Palace asking them to go over. When she got up from bed, Serene’s legs were still shaking so hard that she couldn’t stand straight. It was because he had been too hard on her in bed.
In fact, it was not entirely his fault. It was because she was too attractive, she was a mesmerizing girl. Once he held her in his arms, he couldn’t restrain himself from exerting more force on her.
Serene blushed and glared at him with her beautiful eyes. “Jackie, please be more attentive when the others are around, okay?”
Jackie asked innocently, “What did I do?”
Serene pursed her lips tightly and looked at him with her plaintive gaze. “What do you think?”
The way he looked at her and the way he held her hand, no matter what he did, he seemed to be showing off to the others how much he loved her. Jackie understood. He turned over and lay down beside her.
He held her in his arms and said, “You are my woman. If I want to dote on you and care for you, why do I have to bother about what others think?”
Serene, “....”
Yes, he was always a domineering person.
……..
In the dead of night, someone had posted the news of the President’s death on the Internet. How sensational this news would be once it was released. The people who went to bed early were also woken up by their friends’ calls. Suddenly, the Internet was buzzing with discussions about whether the news of the President’s death was genuine or not.
Many people commented that no one would have the audacity to spread such fake news about the President’s death. The comments also stated that it was extremely strange that, up till now, the government had not made any statement to refute the rumor.
If that was the case, it would mean that this news was almost true!
983
Even though it was the middle of the night, the news of the President’s death had shaken the entire nation from their slumber.
The people shared the news with their family and friends via social media, text, and calls. Within an hour, almost everyone in Country A had seen the news.
After the news broke, it would only be the start of the problem. The government would soon face many more new problems. For example, the citizens would go into a panic as they would worry about who would step into power and take control of the government given the President’s untimely death.
The current President, Nathaniel Cooper, had only taken office for a very short time, and he was very young. Since he had only been in office for such a short period of time, the next presidential candidate hadn’t been decided yet.
The successor of the president had not been determined and that the current President had suddenly passed away. Such a situation would definitely cause a huge impact on the economy and the national security of Country A.
Panic, fear, and helplessness slowly sprouted in the hearts of the people. They didn’t know who could take over Nathaniel’s place as the next President, and they didn’t even know what kind of person the next President would be.
They didn’t know if the new President would be able to support and drive the economy of Country A. They did not know if the new President would be capable enough to bring the people of Country A to greater heights internationally.
There were many problems that no one would usually think of. At such a critical moment, no matter whether they could manage it or not, everyone was worried. They knew nothing about the future.
The candidacy of the next President was still vacant and unknown, so the people had a lot of uncertainties. Such uncertainties were as terrifying as the snowstorm that was still ravaging some regions.
The matter of the next President and the snowstorm had a similarity, which was that no one could predict what would happen next. No one knew when the blizzard would stop, and what kind of person would ascend to the position of President.
In this world, the most terrifying thing was not the disasters, but the fear and helplessness caused by the uncertainties in the people’s hearts.
It was late at night, and the netizens on the Internet didn’t rest. Under the guidance of some discussion groups, groups of netizens had tried their best to publish comments that they thought were right.
The enemy was busy, they were busy spreading the news of Nathaniel’s death. Their goal was to have every single person in Country A know about the death of their President by nine o’clock the next day.
In the dark of the night before Nathaniel’s central government was ready, they wanted to spread the news before his team could notice it. Then, it would then be too late to stop it.
As long as the news was spread out, their master could then come forward to comfort the people when they were at a loss.
He planned to appear at this very crucial moment, and allow the people to feel at ease and while stabilizing the country and the economy. Under such a scenario, the position of the next President of Country A would undoubtedly finally be his.
The enemy was planning all of these with such wishful thinking, and they thought that everything was under their control..
It was impossible for Nathaniel to rest while the enemy was busy at work. He had asked his men to constantly pay attention to the enemy’s situation.
He was reading those comments on the Internet. The netizens were mainly divided into two groups. One was his supporters, which were the majority, and their comments were gentler.
The other party was his adversaries. The number of people in this group was relatively small, but their remarks seemed to be very on point. At one glance, it was obvious that their comments were posted by a professional team.
Among these commenters, there were also the employees who were working in the North Palace. They had revealed some private information about their Mr. President.
Many people believed that those comments were true and began to have doubts about the President’s character. They began to wonder if he was capable of developing the country at all.
Those comments posted by those vicious people were to influence the innocent and ignorant citizens who were easily convinced. They wanted to use them as their pawns.
The enemy was excellent at convincing the people. Even if they were to fail at their plans later on, nobody would know who was behind it.
The enemy had also left themselves a way to escape, just in case.
……..
“Only five hours are left!” Jackie’s voice suddenly came from behind. Nathaniel did not look back at him but just nodded gently.
“Actually, I think that you already know who the mastermind is.” Jackie sat down next to Nathaniel and said to him.
Nathaniel still remained silent, but he was deeply shocked by Jackie’s words. Jackie was right. He did have someone in his mind, but he didn’t want to believe it.
Despite being a ruthless politician in the highest place of power, he still had a little sense of humanity in him. It was not a lot, but he was still human.
No matter what, he could not bring himself to take down someone who was related by blood to him. Of course, it would be an exception if they had intentionally provoked him.
He would not take action on his blood relatives, but if they provoked him, he wouldn’t stay put like a docile sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
“If it is inconvenient for you, then you can leave the matter to me. I can do whatever you want me to.” Jackie knew him better than anyone else. He had been friends with Nathaniel for so long. Jackie knew exactly what Nathaniel was worried about.
“There’s no need. Don’t forget that my mother was also one of the victims when the Levees family was exterminated.” Nathaniel said lightly, showing that he hadn’t forgotten how his mother had been forced to her death.
“I will never forget what happened a year ago,” Jackie said lightly, but his eyes were full of murderous intent. He had never been a good person. Jackie always thought that he was a vengeful person. He would definitely seek revenge on those who had hurt him.
No matter who had hurt him and his family, he would make them pay the price ten times or even a hundred times.
Once again, Nathaniel did not reply to Jackie’s words. His cold eyes were quietly staring at the news that his subordinate had just sent to him.
After a long silence, Jackie said, “I heard that Victor James of Jiangbei is also in Coast City. It seems that he was investigating the case when your Aunt and Uncle went undercover to Jiangbei as spies thirty years ago.”
“Yes.” Nathaniel nodded. He had met Victor James before, so he knew why Victor was here. He also knew that this time, Victor was determined to get the answers that he wanted.
Jackie asked again, “Do you have any new clues about that matter?”
Nathaniel said lightly, “Not yet, but I believe it will come soon. That man has put out the bait for so long, it’s time to reel it in.”
“They probably can’t stay idle anymore.” Jackie lit up a cigarette, took a deep drag, and asked, “Do you want one?”
Nathaniel shook his head. “My Janell hates the smell.”
“Look at you. Just because she hates it you don’t even smoke anymore.” Jackie looked at Nathaniel with a despicable look, but at the same time he had unconsciously put off the cigarette that was in his hand, because his Serene didn’t like him to smoke either.
Nathaniel looked at Jackie’s actions, but he didn’t say anything about it because he knew him very well.
Jackie had always been a person who would not show mercy verbally, but he had a gentle side, especially when he was with Serene.
984
“I still think that women need to be doted on. The more you dote on her, the more lovable she will become. She would become even more considerate and loving which would make you love her even more.” After a long while, Jackie Leves suddenly said this.
Nathaniel Cooper tilted his head to look at Jackie, his eyes were cold and there was a dissatisfied look on his face. “There’s nothing for you to do here. Go back to your room and accompany your woman.”
Jackie said, “I didn’t mean that.”
Nathaniel asked, “Then what do you mean?”
Jackie clearly knew that his woman was not by his side, but he kept showing off in front of him. Nathaniel felt that his actions were extremely infuriating.
Jackie glared at him. “Nathaniel, when did you become so petty?”
Nathaniel said, “When have you ever seen me not being petty?”
After thinking for a while, Jackie realized that he really had never seen Nathaniel not being petty.
Since they were children, Nathaniel was just like Jackie. Nathaniel would also always seek revenge on the people who had offended him.
Jackie wanted to explain, but Nathaniel interrupted him and said, “Stop. Go back to your room and accompany your woman. Don’t be an eyesore here.”
Jackie was speechless. What a heartless man!
Jackie was worried that Nathaniel
would suffer during the long night, so he left his woman behind and came to accompany him. Alas, Nathaniel chased him away instead!
This was unforgivable!
Nathaniel added, “What are you staring at? If you have the time, go and watch over your woman, she should be the one whom you should protect.”
Jackie suddenly smiled and said, ”Nathaniel, you sound like you’re jealous because of something I’m doing. Don’t tell me that you’re actually secretly in love with me!”
Nathaniel was repulsed by his words, it almost made him gag. He pointed to the bathroom over there and said to Jackie, “There is a mirror there. Please go and look at yourself.”
Jackie said, “Man, I’m just kidding. Don’t take it so seriously.”
Nathaniel waved his hand impatiently. “Just go. Don’t bother me here.”
Jackie turned around and left. He turned back after taking a couple of steps and said seriously, “Have you sent someone to take care of the girl from the Carter family? Nothing must happen to her.”
Jackie knew how much Nathaniel cared about the little girl of the Carter family. If something happened to her, their plan would be ruined. Jackie wanted to mention it earlier on, but he had just forgotten about it.
Nathaniel nodded.
Janell Joy Carter was the most important part of the plan, it was the part that he couldn’t neglect at all. There could be mistakes on any part of the plan, it could be anything related to Janell Joy.
Jackie added, “There’s another person I’m worried about. Will he stab us in the back?”
Nathaniel frowned. “Are you referring to Andrew, the adopted son of the Carter family?”
Jackie nodded. “Yes.”
Nathaniel said, “I don’t know much about him. He’s very low profile so it’s hard to say whether he’s a friend or a foe.”
Upon hearing what Nathaniel had said, Jackie became more anxious. “I have seen this man from a distance. Indeed, it would be hard to see through his thoughts.”
Nathaniel said, “So you get it?”
He understood Andrew Carter very well. Andrew's attention and thoughts were always on Janell Joy. Apart from work, he was only concerned about Janell Joy.
“It’s good that you understand. Watch him carefully, don’t let him destroy everything that you have worked so hard to achieve.” Jackie had always thought that the people who seemed to be bad were actually not that terrible, but those who seemed to be on his side were the ones who were most likely to backstab him.
Nathaniel chuckled, and his eyes were firm and cold. “He won’t be able to destroy anything of mine.” Nathaniel still had much of confidence. His happiness and his life had always been in his own hands. There had never been an exception.
Jackie wanted to say something, but he felt that it was unnecessary. He opened his mouth and shut it again. Then he stepped into the room and left Nathaniel alone in the office, waiting for the arrival of the dawn.
Nathaniel looked at the night sky through the window. The heavy snowstorm was still going on, and the disaster area would become wider. At this time, it was supposed to be the time for him to do his best to organize the rescue missions, but he had never expected that he could only pretend to be dead in order to lure his enemies out into the open.
However, Nathaniel remembered all the sufferings that he had gone through. He told himself that he would make those people pay for the grudges that he had to swallow today.
When he thought that it might be those people, his heart was filled with a sense of conflict. His heart felt colder and colder, it seemed as if nothing would help to warm him up inside.
……………..
“Nathaniel is dead?”
Looking at the news that was spreading on the Internet, Andrew was reading this sentence over and over again. He had almost uttered it nearly ten times.
Was Nathaniel really dead?
At first, when he received the news, he believed that it was true and ran to Janell Joy impulsively. But at this moment, he didn’t believe that Nathaniel was actually dead.
If Nathaniel had really died, this news would definitely not get out until the successor of the President was determined.
If there was any slight commotion on the Internet, the government would suppress this information within the shortest time so that it would never spread to the public and cause mass panic.
If Nathaniel was really dead and the successor of the next president was confirmed, then the news of Nathaniel’s death must be released by the highest authoritative officials.
Now that both were not the case, Andrew was almost certain that Nathaniel was not dead, but he didn’t know why Nathaniel would play such a trick.
Why?
Thinking about it carefully, Andrew understood that Nathaniel was most likely intending to set a bait to lure his enemies into the open.
Andrew was lounging on the sofa in the living room and looking out through the window. It was dark outside and nothing could be seen. The dark night made his mind clearer.
Now, he had only two options. One was to not care about anything and pretend that he didn’t catch on any of the clues. He would continue being the adopted son and the First Young Master of the Carter family.
The other option was to make a phone call to that person to tell him all the clues that he had discovered. He would become allies with that person.
As long as they worked together to make Nathaniel disappear from this world, then his partner could get what they wanted, and Andrew too would be able to get what he wanted.
There was no need for him to do much. With just a phone call, he would be cooperating with those people, and his goal would be at hand.
It was just that simple!
Andrew played with his phone, turning and tossing it around, but he still couldn’t make up his mind.
……
Of course, if the people of Country A knew about it, then Janell Joy would definitely know too. When she knew that the news of Nathaniel’s death was spread to the public, she was really relieved.
The reason that she had thought of was completely in line with Andrew's thoughts. But, she was a little worried. Precisely because she had seen through this trap, how could the enemy, who was so cunning, not able to see through it too?
Andrew and Janell Joy could see through it. However, the enemy did not, due to their complacency in the matter.
They thought that the reason that Nathaniel couldn’t stop the news in time was not because he had done nothing to stop it, but because Nathaniel’s response was too late. They assumed that he failed to stop it from spreading until it was already too late.
The bystander sees more clearly than the doer. This was a perfect saying to describe the situation.
985
“Brother Lucas, I know you’re doing fine. You must take good care of yourself. You can’t let anyone hurt you, do you understand?”
She worried so much about Nathaniel Cooper that she almost broke down. However, except for shouting at the dark window, Janell Joy Carter still couldn’t do anything.
She was the daughter of Edwin Carter of Shengtian, so she always had everything she wanted. Her father also hired a team of people to protect her at all times. For a long period, she thought she was an invincible superhero.
Now that she had encountered an obstacle, she realized how incompetent she was. She figured she could do nothing to help Brother Lucas except to wait in silence.
She wanted to know more things and hoped that she could have enough strength to accompany him in facing life’s challenges. Especially now, when needed the most help.
“Brother Lucas, can you hear me? I’m worried about you. You won’t make me sad, will you?”
She thought that Brother Lucas should know how worried she was about him. But he didn’t tell her anything at all. If she couldn’t figure out his plan, she would be miserable.
In order not to break her heart, he would have to protect himself and ensure that those enemies are not able to achieve their goals.
Ding-dong!
As if responding to Janell Joy’s thoughts, her phone suddenly beeped with an incoming text, and the number that appeared belonged to Brother Lucas.
“Brother Lucas?”
Janell Joy wondered how the sender could be Brother Lucas. It was so unexpected and unbelievable. She felt surprised but did not open the text message. An inexplicable worry surged in her heart.
If her previous assumption was correct, then Brother Lucas shouldn’t be sending her a message at this time.
If someone had her mobile phone monitored, and the enemy knew that Brother Lucas was doing all right, their plan would be exposed, wouldn’t it?
Janell Joy felt anxious, so she stared at the text for a long time without clicking on it. She even foolishly imagined that if she couldn’t see the message, the enemy couldn’t too,
She clenched her fists tensely. Just when she was at a loss, an idea suddenly came to her mind. Could this message possibly be a fake?
This was very likely!
The enemy might have employed a hacker to send her a message using Brother Lucas's number. In reality, Brother Lucas didn’t know anything about it.
Chances were high that it was the enemy’s ploy. Therefore, she should continue to pretend that she did not know how to deal with the enemy to deceive them.
It seemed that what she just thought of the enemy also pondered as well. So, they would exhaust more ways just to prove whether the news of Brother Lucas's death was true or false
With this thought in mind, Janell Joy finally opened the message, “Janell, I got stuck in a traffic jam just after the road was closed by heavy snow. I’m downstairs now. Please come now.”
Sure enough, Janell Joy guessed it right. Sure enough, the enemy used a hacker, which made her think that it was a text message from Brother Lucas, but in fact, it was not.
Previously, Janell Joy pretended she had no idea that Nathaniel was dead. Now that the news had spread all over the Internet. If she kept on pretending not to know, it would inevitably result in the enemy’s suspicion,
Thus, she must have had an update concerning Brother Lucas's death.
If the enemy knew of her existence, then they must have found out about her relationship with Brother Lucas by now. Being Brother Lucas's girlfriend, she would surely be distressed by the news of his death. This incident would be the best time to test her acting skills.
Fortunately, she used to watch her Little Aunt act. Besides, she had always been good at disguises, so it was not difficult for her to fake her misery.
Janell Joy wrinkled her nose, somewhat developing her emotions. Then pearl-sized tears trickled down from the corners of her eyes, making her look very pitiful.
When her mood was all set, Janell Joy picked up the phone and dialed the number from the text message she had received earlier.
She didn’t know that the real purpose of this message was not to trick her into going downstairs but to make her call the number back. The registered number was still connected to Nathaniel’s phone.
The enemy wanted to monitor whether Nathaniel would pick up the phone call or not. They wanted to know what he would say after he answered the call.
The call was ringing, nobody responded on the first and second attempt. Janell Joy persisted until the fourth attempt. Finally, the person on the other line answered the phone.
However, before anyone could speak, Janell Joy burst into tears and said, “Brother Lucas, is it you? Is it really you?”
Her voice croaked as she spoke as if she was trying her best to control her emotions. A brief sentence alone took her a long while to finish. She shed so many tears as if her heart had broken into tiny pieces. Her crying was so dreary that her face was full of tears. She looked as pathetic as she could be. The person on the other end of the line didn’t speak for a long time. She figured that the other party didn’t anticipate she would react so vehemently as soon as the phone was connected.
“Brother Lucas, say something, anything!” Janell Joy cried out, bellowing and wiping her tears. “Brother Lucas, don’t scare me, okay? Tell me that you’re fine. Tell me you’re doing well, and that the news on the Internet is fake.”
Janell Joy cried very convincingly, and as she went on, the fake part of her act was getting lesser. She was really crying after a while. She was so down and depressed from the bottom of her heart because no one had told her that Brother Lucas was all right until now. Everything was just her assumption.
What if her guess was wrong? What if it was just her fantasy that he was luring the bad guys out, and what if something terrible really happened to Brother Lucas?
Before authenticating that Brother Lucas was safe and sound, everything was possible, and anything could happen. She cried again and berated, “Brother Lucas, say something quickly. Stop scaring me already. I know you’re fine. You promised me a lot of things and haven’t fulfilled any of them yet. How can something happen to you?”
At long last, someone spoke on the other end. It was a man’s voice that Janell Joy often heard and sounded very familiar. “Miss Carter, the President has been killed in the accident!”
Dead silence.
It grew quiet for a long time, so tranquil that Janell Joy thought the world had stopped. There was no noise at all that she felt she had entered another dimension.
The person who answered the phone, whose voice Janell Joy recognized, was Jason Lesley. Not long ago, that voice told her coldly that the President was busy.
Later on, she got the news that the President’s helicopter crashed.
Afterward, because she could no longer locate the report, and because of the story from the Internet, she thought that the President was in good hands.
She supposed that everything was Brother Lucas's plot, and it was he who wanted to lure his enemies out. Now, Jason told her privately that the President was killed.
Should she believe him?
She shook her head. No matter what, she wouldn’t regard it as true.
Just when she refused to accept it, Jason’s voice echoed from the phone again, “Miss Carter, we’re telling you in advance now. They will release the official news at 9 am tomorrow.”
