?Chapter 703:


    Upon entering his quiet apartment, Jeffry noticed two pairs of slippers by the door, a stark reminder of Lydia’s departure.


    His expression tightened as he shut the door behind him.


    On the tabley the remnants of once vibrant flowers, now wilted and scattered with petals. These were the flowers he had given Lydia, which she had cherished and ced in a vase.


    With a heavy heart, Jeffry opened the master bedroom door to find it starkly bare. Lydia’s clothes had vanished from the wardrobe. All traces of her presence were erased from the apartment.


    A wave of sudden anger overtook him. He loosened his tie in frustration, his breathsing in short gasps. She had really gone. Since leaving was her choice, then let her stay gone. Did she really think such a stunt would force him to cancel the wedding? How childish!


    Jeffry moved through the apartment, everything exactly as he left it, yet the ce felt utterly empty.


    Returning to the living room, he eyed the wilted flowers, picked them up, and discarded them in the trash. That’s when he noticed a phone card.


    He hesitated, then picked it up.


    Recognizing the number on the card, his face hardened. This was the phone card he had purchased for Lydia. She had discarded it too.


    Jeffry’s expression grew somber. He gripped the card so forcefully that its edge sliced into his flesh, yet he held on tightly.


    He remained numb to the pain. Momentster, he rxed his hand and watched the card flutter back into the trash.


    With a detached air, he cleaned the blood from his hand and exited the apartment.


    At Empire, Malcolm observed Jeffry from across the table. Jeffry consumed one drink after another, his frustration evident. Malcolm asked, “Do you really need me here just to watch you drink in silence? Couldn’t you do this by yourself?” Since Malcolm’s arrival, Jeffry had been silent.


    Jeffry’s face remained unreadable, revealing no hint of what he was thinking.


    Assuming it was rted to recent troubles, Malcolm tried to offer somefort. “Wasn’t your sister’s issue sorted out? The papers in the have all been about clearing her name. She’s safe from any further attacks, right?”


    Malcolm leisurely took a drink, casually slinging an arm around Jeffry. He clicked his tongue in disapproval and remarked, “Seems like you’re trying to drown yourself in booze tonight. What’s troubling you?” Malcolm knew that if Jeffry kept drinking like this, he might end up more than just drunk.


    Typically, Jeffry was the most restrained of their group, rarely indulging in alcohol unless for business, and even then moderating his intake. Recently, however, both his tolerance and consumption had unexpectedly increased, which baffled Malcolm.


    Jeffry managed a weak smirk. “I’m quiteposed.” He refused to let anyone throw him off bnce—especially not a woman.


    Malcolm raised an eyebrow, his tone skeptical. “Sure, calmly drinking yourself into oblivion?”


    As Jeffry lost count of his drinks and a sharp pain gripped his gut, Malcolm decided it was time to intervene, summoning Jeffry’s assistant toe get him.


    Shaking his head, Malcolm murmured to himself, “There are only two reasons a man drinks like this—trouble with women or money.” But money was hardly a problem for someone who stood to inherit the Harper family fortune. Thus, it must be about the woman.


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