Love's New Bloom by Simone Hastings

At around 1 am, Chandler walked into Jazzlyn’s bedroom wearing pajamas. His handsome and devilish

face was truly an unrivaled masterpiece. Chandler’s physical appearance was fatal to Jazzlyn. She

couldn’t help but fall deeper and deeper into the abyss with just

one look at him.

“Chandler, you are truly the most perfect man I’ve ever seen- Jazzlyn walked over, completely

spellbound.

With a flick, Chandler switched off the lights. The moonlight that streamed in from outside the window

made the room look soft and

serene.

Chandler placed a glass of red wine in front of Jazzlyn and teasingly said, “As you know, our

relationship isn’t built on any emotional foundation. Before we do that thing. I need to set the mood a

little.”

Jazzlyn glanced at the glass in his hand and immediately took it from him. She smiled lightly and said,

“Sure. I’ll drink this.”

And so, they clinked their glasses and downed their wine.

Jazzlyn was well aware of her poor alcohol tolerance. She felt dizzy soon after and staggered back one

step after another. She reached the bed and lay down facing upward, feeling her blood boiling

throughout her body. The thought of becoming Chandler’s woman tonight made Jazzlyn so excited that

she wanted to shout and cheer out loud.

Chandler gradually approached her, but he had a frosty look in his eyes all the while. He pressed down

on her body, and his large hands

began untying the ribbon holding her nightgown together.

As he did that, Jazzlyn felt her head growing heavier, as if she were falling asleep.

“Chandler, let me become your woman… I love you…”

Her voice grew softer and fainter. Then, she completely fell asleep. Even if she were thrown into a pool

of ice, she wouldn’t wake up.

Immediately, Chandler got up with an emotionless expression. Holding the wine glasses, he left the

room. From the dark corridor, a man similar in height and build to Chandler walked toward him. When

he passed by Chandler, he stopped in his tracks.

Not looking at him, Chandler said softly. “There’s no need to be gentle with her.”

The man nodded lightly. “Yes, Mr. Frost.”

After Chandler left, the man entered Jazzlyn’s room. Long before Chandler married Jazzlyn, he’d hired

this man. In the event there were unavoidable or troublesome situations, he could have someone stand

in for him. 1

Chandler walked coldly toward the study, thinking. “Since you dared use my grandfather to pressure

me, you brought this upon yourself!”

Five minutes later, Chandler locked the door to the study and started video conferencing with the

hackers at his desk. The four hackers were all wearing matching black hoodies and white masks on

their faces.

Chandler furrowed his brows and asked sternly. “What have you found?”

The leader of the hacker team reported, “We have a lead. We found a photo online showing Jack with

a woman. They happened to be photographed by chance. We managed to identify the woman’s

identity. Based on our analysis, we believe Jack kidnapped Miss Lane specifically to get back at you,

Mr. Frost.”

Chandler’s heart tightened apprehensively. While it was good that they’d somewhat uncovered the true

reason and motivation of the kidnapping, he wasn’t thrilled that Erin’s disappearance was very likely

because of him.

With a grim expression, he ordered, “Send me that woman’s information.”

The hacker leader immediately sent the information to him with a single keystroke.

On Chandler’s oversized computer screen, a woman’s face appeared. The woman looked young,

probably in her early twenties. Her attire was reminiscent of the fashion trends from an earlier era.

From the looks of it, the photo was an old one..

He glanced at the information next to the woman and was drawn to one particular piece of information.

It turned out that she had attended the same medical school as him!

Chandler had studied in medical school for two years before going to university. However, he dropped

out halfway because he couldn’t stomach dissecting corpses. He racked his brain desperately to recall

if there was anything he knew about the woman. Soon, a vague impression and some information

came to him.

The woman in the photo was called Tessa Summers. She had once handed him a love letter in person

when they were coursemates in medical school, publicly confessing her feelings to him. However,

Chandler rejected her on the spot.

At that time, he was still quite young and had an arrogant, unruly attitude. Tessa was publicly

humiliated back then. Since she’d chosen to confess publicly, she should have been prepared for the

possibility of being rejected in front of everybody.

Right then, the leader of the hackers said. “We’ve found three pieces of noteworthy information, but

we’re not sure whether they’re relevant

or not.”

Chandler looked back at the computer screen and said, “Tell me.”

“First, Tessa suddenly disappeared three years ago and hasn’t been found since. Before her

disappearance, her ex–husband died in a car accident, and we can’t ascertain if it’s related to her.

While she may be a medical doctor, she was subjected to prolonged domestic violence. She suffers

from severe bipolar disorder.”

After pausing slightly, he continued. “Secondly, Tessa and Jack grew up in the same orphanage. And

thirdly–we apologize for encroaching on your privacy without your permission–two years ago, a woman

who had a relationship with you died in her own home. It was said the deceased had committed suicide

by slashing her wrists, and the case report at the time showed that she had depression. Judging from

the evidence at the scene, it appeared to be a suicide. So, homicide was ruled out. An experienced

detective had said that the possibility of this being a homicide case shouldn’t be disregarded

completely, as the deceased may have committed suicide under

threat. At that time, the deceased’s new boyfriend was from a wealthy family, and this guy’s father was

worried that the reason for her suicide was related to him. In the end, he used his connections to

pressure for a hasty conclusion of the case.” 1

After listening to all that. Chandler remarked, “I don’t find the third point relevant in any way.”

“I apologize. Let me get to the point. The thing is, shortly after you slept with this woman, she received

threatening messages warning her to stay away from you. But the deceased didn’t listen. For a period

of time, she frequently went to your company to find you, but she was always kicked out by the security

guards. This is a photo of her when she was alive.”

As the photo appeared on the screen, Chandler immediately understood what the hacker leader was

implying. The deceased bore a resemblance to Tessa, but she was much prettier.

The more leads they uncovered, the more everything pointed to this problematic woman named Tessa.

Chandler connected all these complex clues and finally came up with a bold speculation. “Could it be

possible that Jack kidnapped Erin

for Tessa, and the root cause of all this is me?”