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Nina seemed to be having a nightmare, her hands occasionally flailing around. Jonathan held one of her hands and reassured her, saying, “Nina, don’t be scared. I’m here.” Remarkably, Nina immediately calmed down.
Jonathan looked at the tears streaming from her eyes, feeling mixed emotions. Over the years, he had come to see Nina as a little sister, caring for and protecting her.
Besides their shared struggles, there was another significant reason: there was an agreement between her and Nina’s mother.
In the future, there would inevitably be a battle for inheritance between him and Whitney. As one of the four leading families in Betrico, if the Sullivan residence could give him some support in this fight, it would surely increase his chances of success.
Of course, Aaron and Yuliana were only distant relatives of the Sullivan family and did not partake in running the family business. They did not hold high status within the Sullivan residence.
Arthur Bennett favored Preston as his successor. When Whitney and Aaron divorced, Arthur’s only condition was that Preston would not change his surname. He also made them promise that they would hand over the leadership of the Sullivan family to Preston in the future.
While Yuliana didn’t hold much importance in the Sullivan family, she had a trump card. She used it as leverage to secure Jonathan’s promise to keep Nina safe all her life. In truth, Jonathan seemed to be using Nina more for his own gain.
He wasn’t unaware of Nina’s feelings or the rumors going around. The reason he didn’t step in was partly because it was a way to protect Nina. By taking her under his wing, Whitney’s lackeys would have to think twice before trying to harm her.
Secondly, it was sometimes also to provide cover for Cynthia. Nina still had the Sullivan residence as her backing. Preston had not yet taken over the Sullivan family business, so Whitney had to somewhat consider the relationship between the two families.
Arthur was famous for being fond of his younger generation. However, Cynthia’s family background didn’t cause any concern for Whitney.
So for the past three years, Jonathan couldn’t stop thinking about being with Cynthia. However, he didn’t dare to reveal his identity.
The relationship between him and Nina, as understood by others, conveniently served as his cover. This let him enjoy himself openly in Roncrity for three years. At the end of the day, he did feel some guilt towards Nina.
Jonathan sat in the room for a while before getting up to leave. He took a phone out of his pocket and called Jason. When Jason answered, his voice was overly enthusiastic. “Sir, what can I do for you?”
For this variety show Jason was involved in, Betrico Multimedia was both the producer and the investor. They gave him the guest list ahead of time, telling him to invite people based on the list, except for Preston.
Initially, there was another guest, a non–celebrity named Filip.
Jason had already invited him, and Filip agreed. But the day before the recording, Preston called him, asking to join this episode of the show. A few years back, Jason owed Preston a favor and had promised to repay him.
So, they decided to secretly switch out the ordinary guest for Preston. Of course, he didn’t inform Betrico Multimedia. After all, as the chief director, he had the right to make such changes. Besides, Betrico had only provided a guest list without any specific requirements.
Jonathan was to be given special treatment. He wasn’t just any ordinary guest; he was the young Mr. Bennett from Betrico. It was unclear why Jonathan agreed to join this reality show. However, Jason knew that Jonathan and Whitney didn’t get
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along either openly or secretly. This show was likely another stage for their rivalry.
Jason didn’t care. He stayed neutral, only concerned about the show’s ratings. He could just go with the flow.
Jonathan spoke in a calm voice, “Send a helicopter over, and announce tomorrow that Alex is withdrawing from the show’s production.”
Jason was a bit surprised. “Why?”
Jonathan stayed silent.
Jason immediately got it. “No problem. Whatever you say goes.”
The helicopter arrived promptly. The pilot this time was Claude Claude had a brief meeting with Jonathan.
Claude looked at Alex, who was badly beaten, and said, “I’ve figured it all out. Alex, an orphan, was noticed by an Opera master John Anderson because of his exceptional looks and voice. He took him in as a disciple and raised him like a son.
“At seventeen, Alex performed Hamlet at a famous party and quickly became famous. However, a month later, his mentor John suddenly announced they were ending their relationship.
“After that, he started mingling in the entertainment industry, appeared in many movies, and became popular, earning the title ‘the most handsome man in period dramas.”
Jonathan asked, “What’s his relationship with my older sister, Whitney?”
Speaking of this, Claude felt a bit guilty.
On the first day of the variety show recording, Jonathan asked him to investigate whether there was any connection between Alex and Whitney.
After his investigation, the result was negative. According to his findings, Alex wasn’t signed under Betrico Multimedia, and there were few films and TV shows he worked on that had Betrico’s investment over the years.
Whitney was the leading heiress of a trillion–dollar group, and Alex was just a top actor in the entertainment industry. Besides, Whitney disliked those in showbiz because of Yuliana’s influence and didn’t care to interact with them.
So, Claude thought that Alex’s appearance on this variety show was unrelated to Whitney.
This made Jonathan careless. But just yesterday, he reviewed the footage of Alex’s opera performance at the famous party and found a startling secret: Whitney was present on the day of the party.
It felt like an intuition. Eventually, he went to great lengths to find John, who had withdrawn from the world. That was when he discovered a mind–blowing secret.
“What did you say? Are you saying that Alex is Whitney’s lover? Jonathan clearly didn’t see it coming either.
Although Whitney was famous, her private life was very secretive Plus, she could control the media. To the public, she had many labels, such as “Heiress of the Bennett Group,” “the Thatcher of Business,” and “Elegant Philanthropist.” However, the media never reported on her personal life.
She spent most of her time abroad. Naturally, Jonathan wasn’t aware either.
Claude nodded and then revealed an even more sensational piece of news. “She wasn’t only with Alex, but also John.”
Jonathan’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. He went silent for a while and said, “So that’s why there was a fallout between Alex and John, the mentor and the apprentice.”
Jonathan was quite shocked too. After all, Alex was only three years older than Preston. When he was with Whitney, he was
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just seventeen, and he had–quietly been with her for seven years
Jonathan let out a cold snort, his tone slightly sarcastic. “She never fails to impress.”
Claude continued to ask, “Boss, how should we handle Alex?”
Jonathan glanced at Alex with an icy glare. “He’s seriously hurt. Take him to Blossom Care and have someone treat himn Remember, no hospitals.”
Claude quickly left with his team.
**
The next morning, Nina woke up feeling sore and achy all over. Her mind was foggy, and she couldn’t remember anything about what happened last night.
She only remembered confessing to Jonathan and getting rejected. Then she went to a bar, met Alex, and everything after that was a blank.
She looked around and found the room was unfamiliar. It wasn’t the one set up by the show crew after arriving on the island. ‘Where am I?‘ she mused. But her mind was too foggy to think clearly right now.
She got up and went to the bathroom, planning to take a shower to clear her head. But then she turned and saw the mirror reflecting her neck, covered with red marks. Her heart leapt.
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