Emily was caught off guard. Although their rtionship extended beyond the professional boundaries of a boss and assistant, as she had once been his closest confidante and lover, that was all in the past. Now, she was merely an assistant. Nothing more. "It seems you''ve forgotten our agreement, Mr. Xanth," she said with a smile.


    Clover''s outstretched arm hung in the air, his eyes subtly narrowing. It had been so long since they made that agreement. He couldn''t believe she was still holding onto it after all this time. "Emma-" he began.


    Maintaining her professional smile, Emily gently cut him off. "You should rest, Mr. Xanth. I''m going to check on Rose. She''s had quite a lot to drink tonight, so I can''t help but worry about her." Without waiting for Clover''s response, she turned and walked toward the door. His expression darkened as she left.


    Outside the room, Emily''s professional smile immediately faded. She knew precisely what he was about to say that she shouldn''t be so stubborn. But she didn''t perceive it as stubbornness.


    A glimmer of sadness filled her eyes as she took a deep breath, attempting to regain herposure before making her way to Rose''s room.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Jack had been taken to the police station. When the station called Be, it waste at night, rousing her and Yosef from their slumber.


    "What''s going on?" Yosef grumbled, clearly irritated.


    Be took the phone and ended the call, but not before noticing the name on the caller ID. Her expression shifted momentarily, and a sh of something unreadable passed through her eyes before she quicklyposed herself. "Nothing. It''s just Yara. You know how she''s infatuated with Jonathan. She keeps calling metely, asking about his preferences. But it''s really inconsiderate of her to call at such odd hours!" Be fabricated an excuse.


    Yosef looked skeptical. "Is that so? It''s good that she''s interested in Jonathan, but Jonathan... You should teach Yara some strategies. She needs to use the right methods with him."


    "Yes, I know," Be responded absentmindedly.


    After soothing Yosef back to sleep and waiting long enough to ensure he was deep in slumber, Be carefully slipped out of bed. She tiptoed out of the room, getting outside the vi before calling the number back. When the call connected, she asked urgently, "Jorge, has Jack gotten into trouble again?"


    On the other end was Jorge Lennon, who had some distant rtion to the Maize family. Initially just an ordinary police officer, he had cultivated close ties with the Maize family due to Jack''s antics over the years, eventually bing the deputy chief. He frowned deeply. "Jack did get into some trouble, but this time it''s different. You''d bettere over and see for yourself."


    His words made Be grow increasingly uneasy. However, with Yosef still asleep, she knew she couldn''t just leave.


    If Yosef woke up and found her missing, he might grow suspicious. She needed to keep him in the dark about Jack''s situation.


    After weighing her options, Be said, "Jorge, I''lle by first thing in the morning. I''ll call my brother now and have him handle things in the meantime.


    "Please keep an eye on Jack. You know he''s always been troublesome, and we really appreciate your help. Both the Maize and Finch family will be grateful." Normally, Jorge would have exchanged a few polite words, but this time he was silent.


    After hanging up, Be immediately dialed the Maize family''s number. Despite howte it was, Rupert, Yara''s father, got up and headed to the police station. Not long after, Be received a message from Rupert. "The situation isplicated. Jack has been seriously injured."


    Be''s heart ached


    with pain and


    anger upon reading the message. She had assumed Jack had caused trouble again, and maybe even hurt someone, but she hadn''t expected that he was the one who had been beaten.


    "My son was hurt? How could this have happened?" she thought. She considered waking Yosef to take him to the police station by using Jack''s injury to elicit sympathy from him as a father.


    However, just as she was about to


    act, she received another message


    that made her abandon the idea entirely Jack is suspected of


    organizing an illicit gathering and providing illegal substances


    Be''s heart sank. She nced at the still-sleeping Yosef, grateful she hadn''t woken him up. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing thoughts.


    Early the next morning, as soon as Yosef left the house, she rushed to the garage and drove straight to the police station. When she arrived, she found Rupert already there.


    As they walked inside, Be fumed, "Organizing gatherings is a minor issue that we can easily handle, but whoever assaulted my son must not be spared!"


    Compared to past incidents involving more severe usations, this was indeed a lesser offense. Rupert tried to soothe her anger.


    "Of course, we''ll handle it. I''ve already had Jorge question the others, but no one seems to know anything about Jack being beaten, let alone who did it. "We''ll have to wait for Jack to regain consciousness. He must know something."


    "Regain consciousness?" Be stopped in her tracks and looked at Rupert with concern. "What do you mean by ''wait for him to regain consciousness"?" Rupert knew how much Be loved Jack. To prepare her for the worst, he gently exined, "Jack is still unconscious..."


    Be staggered and nearly lost her bnce. When she regained herposure, she quickened her pace. "Where is Jack? Take me to him now!"


    Soon enough, Be saw her son. Due to his severe injuries, Jack was separated from the others who were arrested the previous night.


    The police station''s medical staff


    had assessed his condition and


    determined that, while he had sustained numerous external injuries he didn''t require


    hospitalization. Thus, he was ced in a private room.


    When Be saw Jack, her legs nearly gave way.


    "Jack? Jack!" she called out, rushing to his bedside. Jack was lying in bed with tattered clothes, his body covered in whip marks and burns of varying severity. It was a heart-wrenching sight. "Who did this to you? Who beat you like this?" Be''s initial shock quickly turned to fury. Then, noticing the handcuffs securing Jack''s wrists to the bed, her anger red even more.


    She began berating the officer on duty. "My son is in this condition, and you still have him handcuffed? Are you blind? My son is the victim here!"


    The officer frowned and was about to exin when Jorge entered the room.


    "Mrs. Finch, given that your son is involved in other matters, this is standard procedure," he exined, trying to ease the tension.


    However, Be was having none of it. "Other matters? What other matters? How can those trivial thingspare to my son''s injuries? Release my son from these handcuffs immediately!"


    Both the officer and Jorge appeared troubled. Despite Jorge''s connections with Be, he was bound by protocol and had to maintain a semnce of impartiality.


    At that moment, Jack began to stir, seemingly awakened by themotion. As he slowly opened his eyes and saw Be, tears welled up in his eyes. "Mom..." he whimpered.