?Chapter 715:


    Returning with a tube of burn ointment in hand, Elena approached Jeffry and silently took the smoldering cigarette from his fingers.


    Surprised, Jeffry wondered why Elena had returned. Hadn’t she been keeping her distance?


    Without a word, Elena squeezed some ointment onto her fingertip and gently applied it to his burn. Her face remained impassive as she focused on the task, though her touch was delicate. “Make sure the burn stays dry tonight,” she said, finally breaking the silence. “And try cutting back on the cigarettes. They’re doing you no good.” She then handed Jeffry the tube of ointment.


    Observing her solemn demeanor, warmth blossomed in Jeffry’s chest, and he couldn’t help but smile faintly. Beneath her aloof exterior, she harbored a tender heart.


    Jeffry’s voice, hoarse from smoking, expressed his gratitude, “Elena, thank you.”


    Elena’s lips pressed into a thin line as she nodded slightly and turned to leave.


    As she turned, Jeffry’s eyes narrowed, and the question he had been holding back slipped out. “Where did Lydia go?”


    Elena halted, caught off guard. She hadn’t anticipated Jeffry mentioning Lydia. Lately, Jeffry had been consumed by work. Their mother had assured everyone the business was proceeding smoothly, yet Jeffry seemed unable to slow down, limiting his rest to mere hours each night. He appeared to have moved on from Lydia’s absence, distant and unaffected as if her departure had been insignificant. Yet, his question revealed he wasn’t entirely detached. Unfortunately, it was toote.


    Elena responded honestly, “I don’t know. Lydia will only be found if she chooses to be.”


    A flicker passed through Jeffry’s dark eyes before they dimmed. He looked down, his face betraying nothing, and murmured, “Is that so?”


    Elena said nothing. Lydia had moved beyond her rtionship with Jeffry. Any regrets Jeffry harbored now were useless. The chance to change the past was gone. Besides, his and Evelyn’s wedding was just around the corner.


    The Harper family was fully immersed in the chaos of wedding preparations. Jolie, in particr, spared no effort, starting with thevish choice of the Peak Hotel in the as the venue—a true symbol of luxury.


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    But upon Evelyn’s wish for a beachfront setting, Jolie swiftly relocated the celebration to an ind. Every flower for the wedding was carefully flown in, each petal sparkling with fresh dew.


    With the ns firmly in ce, there was no turning back.


    Elena spoke calmly. “Jeffry, your wedding is set for next week.” Her words carried no advice, merely a reminder that his past with Lydia was over.


    Jeffry caught the implicit meaning, feeling as if Elena had pierced through to his hidden emotions, leaving him tense and somber. Elena fell silent, knowing that everything that needed to be said had already been spoken. She would not interfere in Jeffry’s decisions.


    Elena returned to her room where she noticed a new text message from Shawn: “Elena, Keith has been relocated overseas.”


    After ncing at the message, she set her phone aside on the nightstand, switched off the light, and went to bed.


    Across the city, Shawn watched his phone, hoping for a response that never came. He felt no disappointment or resentment. To Shawn, Elena represented a beacon of hope, the one who had offered him a new lease on life.


    From his childhood, Shawn was painfully aware of his status as the son of a mistress, branded illegitimate by society. His father, often in the public eye, had shown little interest in him or his mother. The harshbel of “bastard” was thrown at him by peers, subjecting him to ridicule and disdain.


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