Ex-Husband’s Endless Pestering by Susie Cecillia

"Spike is capable of doing anything. You should know that," said Henry with a smirk.

Sergio was panicking, and his face had turned white. "Impossible! You're lying to me, Henry. You're doing this so that I would report Spike to the police! You're lying to me! How can Hazel be dead? Spike promised me he would spare her! No..." "Promised? Hmph..." Henry got up. "There's no need for you to turn over the evidence to the police. You just need to wait here quietly."

Henry's words made Sergio panic even more. "Henry! Henry, please save her. She's your mother, after all. I beg of you. Please save her!"

There was an ironic smile on Henry's face. "You said you wanted to see Hazel, right? I suggest you prepare yourself for the worst."

Sergio's hands were trembling, and his whole body was shaking.

"It's impossible. Absolutely impossible... No way Hazel's dead! She must still be alive! No..."

A week passed, and during all that time, Ashley was always featured on the trending search list.

She never officially confirmed her relationship with Henry, but everyone treated her as the future Mrs. Gibson, seeing as how many resources were being piled on her.

Her success and rise in status made her extremely cocky, to the extent that Ashley wasn't aware of what was actually going around her.

"Thomas, have you gotten rid of those people?"

"Ashley... Maybe it's time you stop." There was a hint of nervousness in Thomas' voice.

Ashley had been crazily getting rid of all those who had hurt or blackmailed her.

At this rate, the police would definitely come knocking on her door sooner or later.

"They were outlaws anyway. The police would never suspect it was us, even if those people died. Not when they're Spike's men." Ashley was getting bolder and bolder. Thomas thought it would be dangerous for Ashley to go on like this, but she wouldn't listen to him, no matter how much he tried to persuade her.

She had gone utterly crazy.

"We've already gotten rid of Hazel. What else are you afraid of?" Ashley just wanted to keep everything as it was. Ashley would not allow anything to ruin it.

"No one can take this away from me now," thought Ashley.

Meanwhile, at the police station, Caden received a report that someone found some blood and dead bodies at the Resettlement Area wasteland.

"Has Hazel's body been found?" Caden kneaded the space between his eyebrows.

The dead bodies belonged to Spike's men in the gang. It was difficult not to chalk it down to a clash between rival gang members.

"Charles, maybe we're going in the wrong direction? Maybe Hazel's still alive?" They had been looking for her body all this while and always came up empty-handed.

Caden pondered for a moment, "Keep searching for her body at the nearby villages."

Meanwhile, at Ritaville Bay, Nina went to the supermarket to buy some groceries. Leonardo was back from his business trip to Sloummont by the time she arrived home. They hadn't seen each other for two and a half months. "Why didn't you tell me you'll be coming back today?" Nina asked indifferently.

If she was honest, she was actually happy to see him back.

"I wanted to surprise you." Leonardo covered Nina's eyes.

Nina was used to his antics, but she still wondered what he was up to this time.

Leonardo took his hand off Nina's eyes after they had entered the living room through the foyer.

The huge living room was filled with a sea of flowers, which Leonardo had somebody prepared in advance.

"You're so corny!" Nina wanted to laugh.

"Look closely." Leonardo gestured at a spot with his chin.

Nina's eyes followed the direction he pointed at and saw a pure white rose right in the middle of the sea of roses.

"Isn't this a little bit childish?" Nina didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

There was a diamond ring on top of the pure white rose.

"Is this a proposal?" Nina raised her eyebrows.

"Ms. Turner, would you do me the honor of taking a wedding portrait with me?" Leonardo knelt on one knee and put the ring on Nina's finger.

"I'm not going to wear it. It's so ostentatious!" Nina smiled.

"This is the proposal ring. We'll wear a pair of simple wedding rings after the wedding ceremony." Leonardo kissed Nina's hand.

"Leonardo, you should save the Convergent Group first. Gabriel came to me the other day and said you already have a plan on how to deal with the Turner Corporation," probed Nina with a smile.

"Well, I have a plan for what I'm going to do with you," said Leonardo unapologetically.

"The daughter of the chairman of the Convergent Group came to the Turner Corporation to see me today. I refused to see her. You know how much hate to deal with trivial matters, such as your ex-girlfriend." Nina narrowed her eyes as

a

warning for Leonardo to keep his

stupid exes in check.

Leonardo got up and pulled Nina into his arms. "It was a short-lived relationship. Besides, we're not even in contact with each other now."

"And yet she wants to marry you?" Nina scoffed.

"I'm just that good." Leonardo was not one to be humble.

"Anyway, just deal with your stupid ex and make sure she doesn't come to trouble me anymore," warned Nina once more.

"Okay!" Leonardo nodded.

Meanwhile, at the Gibson Corporation, Henry's assistant came running into Henry's office. "Mr. Gibson! They've found Hazel!"

Henry was stunned for a while before he stood up with a frown. "They've found her?"

"The police said a villager from the Resettlement Area found her buried in the ground. The autopsy results showed that she was... buried alive. Either the person who did that really hated her, or they didn't know she was still alive," replied Henry's assistant in a trembling voice.

Henry slowly clenched his fist and walked out of the office. He nearly blacked out.

He had fantasized about all the ways he could have killed Hazel. After all, the world would be a better place without her.

But he didn't expect this day to come so soon.

Karma might be late to the party, but it was never absent.

Henry went to the warehouse in the suburbs after leaving the police station.

Sergio held on to the belief that Hazel was still alive-that with the power of his belief, she would be safe.

Henry pushed open the steel door and sat on the chair at the door without speaking for a long time.

Sergio was the first to speak. "Your mother and I met when we were very young. We were from the same village and lived next door to each other."

"She is not my mother," said Henry in a warning tone.

"At that time, everyone in our village

was poor, but we were happy."

Pet

Sergio leaned against the wall weakly. "Our ancestors have been farmers for generations. They were kind and diligent people. I never thought that we would one day... end up doing despicable things and even killing others for money."

Sergio glanced at Henry. "I know you hate Hazel and wish she didn't give birth to you. Actually... I had thought about ending your life many times before while she was still pregnant with you. Even after you were born, I wanted to strangle you." Henry's eyes were cold.

"But I couldn't do it. You were just an innocent baby, and your life only belongs to you."

Sergio lowered his head. He felt extremely weak. "I know Hazel doesn't actually love me. I worked to put her through school and kept my head up no matter how hard life was, but she wanted more. She vowed to claw her way out of poverty. She hated being poor... I don't blame her, though."

The life Sergio and Hazel led before was really hard.

"When we first arrived at Hofcaster,

we couldn't even afford to rent a basement. Hazel went to school. We could afford the school fee but not the dorm room, so we had to lie to the school that she lived nearby to be permitted to live outside of the school. Those days... we were always hungry. We lived under the bridge, unfinished buildings,

anywhere-as long as it provided us shelter against the rain."

"Later, we were able to rent a small, shabby house near the school with the money I'd made from my construction work. Even though the house was small and shabby, we were happy because we finally had a place to call home."