Forceful Marriage: Young Master’s Mute Wife

A Lake’s Depth

Chapter 1

The man sat up and reached out to the lighter on the bedside table. With a clear clink, the air was filled
with the thick scent of smoke other than the extravagant presence of the room.

Jessica blankly got down from the bed with the blanket draped over her body. She bent over to pick up
the sleeping robe on the floor and dragged her sore body into the bathroom under the dim lighting.

She did not need to look back because she knew there was no affectionate gaze looking back at her, not
even a cold glance was spared.

She turned the shower on. The water was cold at first, yet she stood under it blankly as she washed
herself up.

He did not love her. He was just doing his duty as a husband, devoid of any kind of emotions.

She was on birth control pills which took a heavy toll on her body. Because he did not like to use
condoms, she was forced to resolve it in this stupid way. Although she knew it was useless, she was
afraid that she might get pregnant. If she somehow got pregnant, he would never want the child.

After she came out from the bathroom, the only light by the bedside was turned off. The room was dark
and the smoky scent in the air got thicker.

Nevertheless, Jessica had gotten used to it. She slowly made her way to the door and walked out.

In the other room, she leaned on the bed as she stared at the marriage certificate in her hand.

The red marriage certificate was already worn out, and it had cellophane tape all over it. Be it the picture
on it or their signature, they were all covered in cracks.

She clearly remembered that day when she had torn the marriage certificate into pieces while crying her
lungs out, but the man had nonchalantly said, “Stick it together.”

She put the marriage certificate under her pillow and lay down with her eyes closed.

Jessica had to wake up early to prepare breakfast.

Little Winson’s tiny and soft body curled up against her leg as he looked up at her and showed her his
little, white teeth. “Mama, morning.”

Jessica bent over and pinched her son’s pillowy cheeks. She carried him up and then turned down the
fire on the stove before she carried him back to the nursery.

Winson was a little over a year old. He could barely walk and could only say simple words, but he was a
naughty imp. Ever since he knew how to walk, he always climbed out of his bed.

Jessica changed his diapers and then dressed him up like a cute little prince. She then brought him to the
bathroom to brush his only teeth. After the little imp was clean, he ran out while Jessica was cleaning up
the bathroom.

Jesscia put some baby powder on her palm before she went after her son in the corridor.

Blake lifted that little imp of his son with his strong arms as he carried the tiny plump body steadily.
Blake’s shirt was free of wrinkles and it was coupled with formal long pants. He also had his coat in his
hand, which was his usual working attire.

The little imp was playing with his tie by putting it into his mouth. Jessica went up and pulled his hand
away and shook her head at him. The little imp responded with a wide smile, showing off his white teeth.

Blake put the child down. Right after the little imp landed on his feet, he wanted to escape, but Jessica
caught him and smeared the baby powder on his face.

It was then that a burnt smell filled the air. Shocked, Jessica bolted up and ran to the kitchen, but she
accidentally kicked the leg of the chair.

“Ugh!” Her hoarse voice grunted in annoyance as though an amateur was playing an untuned violin
forcefully.

Blake frowned when he heard the vexed noise. Jessica quickly lowered her painful grunts and hopped
back to the kitchen nervously.

Jessica was mute; she could not talk.

Chapter 2

After breakfast, the man put on his coat, grabbed his keys and briefcase, and left for work. Ms. Susan
started to clean up the dining table. “Madam, since Sir has already left, you’d better go too. It’s getting
late.”

Although Jessica was mute, Winson, her son, was able to talk because Ms. Susan, Blake, and the early
education computer taught him to.

Because she could not even teach her son the most basic things, she had to do her best to demonstrate
her love. From washing him up to preparing his breakfast and dinner, and buying his clothes and shoes
plus baby products, she did them all by herself.
The doorbell rang. Whenever he heard the pleasant chime of the bell music, Winson would wave his
little toy car in the air.

When Ms. Susan turned around to Jessica, she noticed her clear black eyes turn a little gloomy. Even her
smile somewhat froze.

Ms. Susan stopped tidying the table and sighed as she wiped her hands and went to answer the door.

“Ms. Jackson, you are early.” Ms. Susan opened the door for Kim.

Ever since Winson uttered his first word, the family realized that the child might face difficulties in
speaking, so they started to search for a linguistic teacher to teach him how to speak.

Kim was undoubtedly spectacular. She came from a family of scholars besides being beautiful and kind
herself. She graduated from a famous university with a bachelor's degree and had mastered Mandarin,
English, French, and even Spanish. She even possessed the qualification as a nursery teacher.

“Morning, Ms. Susan, Mrs. Ferguson.” Kim changed into the soft indoor slippers at the entrance before
she walked in. Her beautiful eyes scanned the living room and the kitchen. “Has Mr. Ferguson already
gone to work this early?”

Ms. Susan nodded. “Yeah, Mr. Ferguson is always early. He doesn’t like getting stuck in traffic.”

While Ms. Susan might not be highly educated, she had been a nanny for many upper-class families, so
she had seen many kinds of people throughout her career. She knew that Ms. Jackson was not merely
here to teach Winson how to speak.

She glanced at Jessica again. The reason why she had reminded Jessica to leave early was that she did
not want the latter to run into this woman. After all, hiring another woman to teach her own child how
to speak was not the best feeling a mother could experience.

On top of that, when Ms. Susan noticed how elegantly Ms. Jackson was dressed, she knew what the
woman was planning.

“Take care of Winson. I’m going to work,” Jessica communicated with Ms. Susan by sign language before
she smiled and nodded at Kim. She then kissed her son, who was playing with his toy car in the baby
chair before she took her bag and left.

She was a teacher at a deaf-mute school. Ever since the Fergusons hired Kim as a nursery teacher, she
decided to go back to work.

The Fergusons was a respectable family in Beijing. They had countless properties under their name, be it
villas or an entire skyscraper.

When Blake and Jessica got married, they were still staying in the old Ferguson manor, but after Winson
was born, the grandfather was worried that his precious grandchild might get infected or fall sick, so he
told Blake and Jessica to move out.

Blake bought a single-story mansion for that purpose. Although it was not exactly big, it was not entirely
a small shack either. The mansion was around 300 square meters large.

There were no stairs in the house, so there was no risk of the child falling down from the stairs. Most of
the furniture in the house had rounded edges. Even those with sharper edges were padded with soft
edge covers. The floor was covered with a velvet carpet so that even if the child fell down, it would not
hurt as much.

They chose a reasonably sized house because if the child decided to run around, his parents would be
able to locate him easily.

Looking at all the signs, be it Blake himself or his entire family, everyone doted on Winson tremendously.
Chapter 3

Traveling from the mansion to the deaf and mute school using the Second Metro Line required a little
more than an hour since she had to commute from the first station to the last station.

Jessica was the daughter of the Scotts, another respectable family in Beijing. Her father, Donald, was
over the moon when he got a daughter in his senior years. He had happily claimed that as long as the
Scotts had a daughter, he would not ask for anything else, but unfortunately, sometime later, his
happiness was replaced by sorrow when the family realized that their precious daughter was mute.

Donald was a proud man and his mute daughter was probably the biggest shock to his life.

He did not hold a grand baby shower for his daughter, and when she was of age, he also did not send her
to a prestigious school, where the children of dignitaries and respectable families went to. Instead, he
sent her to a deaf and mute school quietly.

He barely let his daughter step out of the house. Many teachers were hired to homeschool her.
Therefore, with the exception of talking like a normal person, Jessica had mastered dancing, drawing,
calligraphy, playing the piano, and even the art of making tea.

His daughter’s achievements put him in a dilemma. Although Donald loved his daughter, he was
ashamed of her flaw and did not want the public to know about it. The public only knew that the Scotts
had a daughter, and Donald kept her away from the public like she was his precious treasure.

The second incident that shook Donald’s life happened three years ago, whereby his investment failed.
The serious loss brought disaster upon the Scotts, and Donald failed to overcome the pressure. As a
tragic consequence, he jumped off a building and met his end.

As for Mrs. Scott, she had always been a loving and supporting wife. Therefore, when her husband
jumped off the building, she followed suit. She landed beside her husband’s body and followed him to
the netherworld.

Soon after their demise, Jessica appeared in the public eye as the Scotts’ youngest daughter who was
mute.

It was then that she had appeared half-naked in Blake’s bed. Her appearance in his bed then led to prove
that her only blood relation, her brother, was a b*stard.

As a mute whose family was on the brink of bankruptcy, on top of the fact that she appeared in someone
else’s bed in such a degrading way, Jessica was destined to be looked down upon by the Fergusons.

Even though she had slept with Blake and even though the headlines screamed all about her, the
Fergusons did not want to bear the blame.

John, Jessica’s brother, spent every dime in the family to fan the flames of this incident, but it was still
not enough. The Fergusons were so powerful that they were untouchable and unreachable by
commoners.

Blake refused to marry Jessica. Just when the Scotts ran out of options and Jessica was practically
sentenced to go through an abortion, Master Ferguson, Blake’s grandfather, fell sick, thus changing her
life forever.

Master Ferguson’s liver cancer had returned with a vengeance, and before he died, he had said that he
wanted to see the fourth generation of the family, so the Fergusons compromised and accepted Jessica.

Regardless of how she did it, Jessica got married to Blake and moved in with the Fergusons. She became
Mrs. Ferguson, Blake’s wife, a position that all the ladies in the city coveted for.

Just as the subway announcement came through the speakers, Jessica was jostled by one of the leaving
passengers, bringing her back to her senses. She then quickly alighted the train.

The school was located beside the subway station. It was only a few minutes’ walk, so it was quite
convenient.
The upper-class society belonged to another world. Here, no one knew her identity as the daughter of
the Scotts or as Mrs. Ferguson. Besides, the upper-class society had already forgotten her, who had
seized the position of Mrs. Ferguson in such a lowly manner.

Time flew by quickly.

Jessica had been helping out at the deaf and mute school a few years ago. After she gave birth to
Winson, she rested for a year at home. When Winson could talk, she went back to work.

“Thank you, Ms. Scott,” Dean said beneath the stage as he clapped for Jessica.

The children had completed their performance on stage and they bowed politely at the audience. Then,
everyone went off stage in an orderly fashion.

Chapter 4

The performance was great, but it was just a rehearsal. No one knew what would the children be like
when they truly went on stage, performing for a real audience.

The local television station was hosting a Mid-Autumn Gala, and all the schools signed up for the
competition segment. After several rounds of selection, Jessica and her play “Hear Your Voice” were
fortunate enough to stay till the end.

Dean was a voluntary teacher at the deaf and mute school. He came to the school when Jessica had gone
on her maternity break, and when she came back, he had already served at the school for a little over
half a year. He usually dropped by on the weekends. Every time he came, the children welcomed him like
he was king. They loved to gather around him.

Since the school had been having rehearsals for the play recently, he would drop by in the afternoon if
he was free.

Jessica waved at him.

“The children worked harder than me. They are nervous,” she signed to him, looking worried. She
furrowed her brows slightly but dared not make it too obvious as she was afraid the children would be
even more apprehensive if they saw her.

It was her first time bringing the children to a stage play, so she was a bundle of nerves.

Dean looked at her and signed with a smile, “Don’t need to be nervous. This is the best performance that
I have ever seen.”

A few years ago, the Thousand-Hands Bodhisattva performance during the New Year Gala had caused
quite the commotion. While they might have been children, in Dean’s opinion, their performance was
just as good as the well-acclaimed performance back then.

After the children got off-stage, using sign language, Jessica instructed them to get back on stage.

Getting off-stage was part of the performance.

“The performance is great. A teacher will come by later to apply makeup for everyone. You guys can go
get dressed first. Don’t starve yourself, but don’t overeat. Otherwise, you might affect your bodies.

“Remember, be careful with what you eat. After you apply makeup, you aren’t allowed to eat anymore. I
have my eyes on all of you.”

Dean stood beside her, but he was not looking at the cute children. Instead, he was watching Jessica
communicating with them using sign language.
Her hands were beautiful while her fingers were long and her skin was fair. The tips of her fingers were
quite sharp, and every movement of her fingers seemed like her hands were dancing. She looked
extremely tender when she signed.

“Next, Mr. Roland has something to say.” Jessica then turned to Dean who smiled at the children. His
long arms were strong but soft when he signed.

“It’s your first time on stage. Don’t be nervous. Ms. Scott is only joking with you guys. Tell me what you
want to eat, and I’ll buy everyone a meal after the performance.”

Jessica watched them for a while before she started packing up. She also told another teacher what to
take note of before and during the performance.

With two claps, the rehearsal was over.

Dean walked to Jessica and said, “Ms. Scott, are you sure you aren’t going?”

The children would go to the television station at night by bus based on Dean’s arrangement, but Jessica
was not going. Another teacher was tasked to bring the children there instead.

Jessica shook her head in regret. “I can’t. I have to be at home.”

Winson was still young, and it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, so she had to bring her son back to the
Fergusons’ old home for a reunion.

Dean also shook his head in regret. “Okay, it’s such a shame that you can’t be with the children tonight.
It’s your first instructed play. If you aren’t going to be there with them, the children might be sad.”
Jessica found herself in a difficult spot. She furrowed her brows for a moment and shook her head with a
bitter smile. She signed, “It’s going to be alright. I can watch them on TV. It’s a live telecast anyway.”

She then took the subway back to the mansion. Had it been another normal day, Jessica would have
prepared dinner, but she had to bring Winson back to her husband’s home, so she got changed and
waited for the driver to pick her up.

Chapter 5

Before he arrived, the driver called Jessica, “Ma’am, Mr. Ferguson went to the Mid-Autumn Gala as per
the invite. He told me to drive you to the old manor first.”

Jessica tapped on the phone screen as a sign to express her acknowledgment. She then carried Winson
in her arms. On the couch was the gift for the Mid-Autumn Festival which she had prepared for the
elders in the family. Miss Susan helped her to take the gift down.

The driver stood beside the car, but when Jessica came out, he did not even welcome her or open the
door for her. Miss Susan glared at him before she put the gift in the car.

The driver was a veteran driver for the Fergusons, and he was good at choosing sides. He knew that
Jessica barely had any power in the family. Although he might call her ‘Madam’, he never treated her as
Mrs. Ferguson.

Jessica never liked to cause trouble, so she tended to be less calculative.

The driver started the car and reached the old Fergusons’ manor in 20 minutes.

Jessica got out of the car. The servants from the manor came out to welcome the young master while
she brought the gift in.
The Ferguson family was huge. Every festive season, there was no lack of people visiting the manor,
including their extended relatives. However, ever since Old Master Ferguson fell ill and had to rest, the
family stopped guests from visiting.

Due to that reason, the upper-class socialites and businessmen had been asking the Fergusons out for
gatherings or dinner since they could not visit.

The large Ferguson manor felt extremely empty without the cherry crowd. The garden was blanketed
with flowers, and the trees were lush, yet it felt a little lonely because of the lack of human presence.

After shuttling through the front garden, Jessica reached the manor. In the living room, only Robert and
his wife were there. Despite being a respectable family in Beijing, the manor was pitifully empty and
quiet.

Lady Cecilia, Robert’s legitimate wife and Blake’s mother, was sitting on the couch while playing with her
grandson.

During the weekends, Blake usually brought his wife and son back to the old manor for dinner, so
Winson was not a stranger to the youthful grandmother. Winson called her ‘Grandma’ in his childish
voice whilst his petite hands toyed with the accessories on Lady Cecilia’s clothes.

Lady Cecilia was a strict and elegant person, but in front of her grandson, she was kind and loving. She
was not worried that her grandson might ruin her clothes. Instead, she smiled. “Do you like the pearls
too?”

“Ya!” Winson spewed the word out loud and giggled. He moved closer to the pearl necklace and wanted
to taste it.

Jessica had bought some notoginseng powder as a gift. She had gone to the Chinese medicinal herb shop
and watched them grind the root into powder. Staying in good health was the trend nowadays. The raw
notoginseng powder could heal bruises and boost blood circulation whereas in its cooked form, it could
boost the formation of blood and preserve one’s beauty. It had grown even more popular than
Ganoderma in the past two years.

The Fergusons were wealthy, so they practically had all the best things under their roof. The gifts that
people simply gave them because of some trend or recommendation were mostly rejected.

Jessica did not have her parents around to teach her what kind of gift was suitable for the festive season,
so she decided to go with the supplement for the best effects.

She heard from the principal of the deaf and mute school that after taking notoginseng powder for seven
to eight months, the pigmentation on her skin had faded a lot. Therefore, Jessica decided to take the
principal’s advice and she bought several boxes.

She put the boxes of gifts on the tea table and signed to Lady Cecilia, “Mother, I bought you some
notoginseng powder. I heard it’s good for the skin. Please try it.”

Lady Cecilia did not even spare a glance at Jessica as she continued playing with her grandson. “Look
what Grandma bought you.” She then shot the servant a glance and the latter brought over a whole set
of expensive Lego.

Winson was too young to play with Legos, but Lady Cecilia loved her grandson and would give him the
entire world if she could.

Jessica smiled. She then looked at Robert, her father-in-law, who was reading the newspaper on the
other end of the couch.

Chapter 6

Robert had reached the age at which he had to read the newspapers with a pair of glasses as it was quite
demanding for him to discern the tiny words. He looked serious as he concentrated on the articles, but
Jessica knew he was merely putting on a show because he did not want to look at her.

Nevertheless, Jessica forced a smile on her face and put the gift she had gotten for Robert on the tea
table.
Lady Cecilia played with Winson for a while before she carried him to the garden.

On the left of the manor was another smaller building. To be exact, it was a newly built single-story
building for Old Master Ferguson after he fell sick. Old Master Ferguson was confined to his sick bed all
year long. He would go out to the balcony for some sunlight if the weather was good and he only had a
handful of visitors.

As Lady Cecilia carried the great-grandchild to the old master, Jessica followed. However, when she
reached the entrance, Jessica stopped. Without the old master’s permission, she was not allowed to step
inside.

Jessica handed Lady Cecilia a longevity talisman that she had gotten from the temple so that she could
pass the talisman to the old master.

The longevity talisman was made from ginkgo wood. The 400-year-old ginkgo tree outside Cloud Temple
had been struck by lightning during the summer, and a chuck of its bark had fallen off. Someone had
then taken the bark and made it into longevity talismans and got them blessed by monks at the temples.
They were highly sought after and it was very difficult to get even one.

Even though the tree was 400 years old, it was still made of wood. It was not as valuable as rosewood or
as heavy as jade, but to an old man in his sick bed, waiting for his end to arrive, words like longevity,
blessings, sutras, and efficacies were much more suitable than valuable gifts.

Lady Cecilia glanced at Jessica. She then carried Winson inside, leaving Jessica alone at the entrance.

A while later, the door opened. Lady Cecilia said, “Go in. The old master said that it’s been a while since
he last saw you.”

Jessica lifted her head and was slightly surprised.

“What are you standing here for? Afraid?” Lady Cecilia frowned at her.

Old Master Ferguson had a long battle with cancer. A little over a year ago, he had his malignant liver
removed. He became so weak that he went out of shape. Anyone who met him for the first time would
surely be scared.

It was not Jessica’s first meeting with the old master, so she was not scared, just slightly surprised.

The old master barely asked her to go in. The last time she met him was half a year ago when Winson
had his first birthday.

Jessica shook her head and followed Lady Cecilia in.

The old master’s room was spacious. There were two beds placed side by side with each other, one
bigger than the other. Old Master Ferguson lay in the bigger bed whilst the smaller one was for the
professional caregiver who was there to take care of him 24/7.

In between the bed was a thin wall covered with flowers.

The old master barely went out for air, but he had to be in a refreshing environment at all times.
Therefore, the room had a checkered floral wall to purify the air, which also acted as a partition.

The caregiver’s bed was empty for the time being because he was beside the old master, administering
him an injection to provide him with his daily dose of nutrition.

Winson was clasping Robert’s hand. The little imp was not afraid of the old master. On the contrary, he
was afraid of the needle in the caregiver’s hand.

“Needle...pain!”
He had been vaccinated before, so he knew how badly the needle hurt. Instinctively, he covered his arm
and mumbled, “Touch-touch…”

Old Master Ferguson loved his great-grandchild, but he could only see the kid during festive seasons or
holidays. The old master smiled with his purplish lips. “Who’s my good great-grandson? You are!
Great-grandpa isn’t afraid of pain.”

A moment ago, Old Master Ferguson was a loving old man in front of Winson, but in a heartbeat, he
looked at Jessica with a stern expression.

“Isn’t Blake here with you?”

Jessica instinctively signed with her hands, but she saw the old master frown. She quickly took out a pen
and paper, and wrote in large letters: ‘gala dinner’.

Chapter 7

Although it was just a single question, Old Master Ferguson was already tired. He waved his hand to send
everyone out so that he could rest.

When the group walked to the garden, the servant came by and informed them that dinner was ready.
They then moved to the dining area.

The table was filled with scrumptious dishes. Jessica waited for Robert and his wife to sit first before she
took her seat beside the baby chair.

Jessica had to prioritize feeding Winson at the table. She would feed him with a mouthful of baby food
first before she ate from her own bowl. It was rather fun when the mother and son took turns to eat.

However, it could only happen at home, not in the old Ferguson manor. Jessica would have to feed
Winson first and make sure he was full before she could eat.
There were rules in the family, and she was not allowed to casually have dinner with her son. If Blake
was around, the situation would be better because he would usually carry Winson and feed the child. No
one would say anything when Blake and Winson took turns eating, but Jessica was not allowed to do so.

Another rule in the family was that no one was allowed to chat during a meal, so even though it was the
Mid-Autumn Festival, the atmosphere was dead silent. Jessica was a mute anyway, thus she was used to
the silence.

However, Winson was still a child who did not know how to follow rules. Furthermore, no one in the
family restricted him. Therefore, whenever he was back at the old manor, the house would welcome a
little more liveliness.

“Mama, meat.” The little imp still could not hold the chopsticks, so he reached out to his baby bowl and
was anxious to eat.

The meat was ground into a paste that he loved, so he had a big appetite. Jessica tried to feed him with a
spoonful of meat, but he did not want it. Instead, he grabbed her hand and urged her to eat.

Jessica played along and took a bite, making the little imp giggle loudly.

Her in-laws would not say anything if Winson asked her to eat.

Lady Cecilia glanced at her grandson and said to Robert, “It seems like Ms. Jackson did a great job
teaching Winson. Look how obedient he is.”

Jessica’s hand froze for a moment, and the spoon almost fell out of her grip. Deep inside her heart, her
bottled-up mixed feelings almost toppled when she heard what Lady Cecilia said. She felt bitter and sour.

How could Kim take all the credit for teaching Winson?
However, Jessica knew that the Fergusons were happy with everyone except her. Besides, Kim had been
handpicked by Lady Cecilia herself.

Jessica also had an inkling about why Lady Cecilia had picked Kim to teach Winson, but she was a mute,
so she endured the bitterness and continued feeding her son.

After Winson was fully fed, she had her own dinner, but because of what Lady Cecilia said, she lost her
appetite. She simply grabbed a few bites and was done with dinner.

Because her in-laws wanted Winson to stay a little longer, they went back to the living room to watch TV.

The TV was showing the Mid-Autumn Gala live, and several famous celebrities were hired to perform on
stage. The retired leaders of the city and the province, military officers, model workers, and people from
different levels of society got together for the festive season. Even the dignitaries and upper-class
socialites of Beijing were invited.

The play under Jessica’s direction, “Listen To Your Voice”, was currently performing on stage. The
children were smart and cute as they danced beautifully with sign language on stage, and they were
even better than they were during rehearsal.

With Winson in her arms, Jessica moved his hand along with the performance. She was a little carried
away by her happiness as she instinctively signed at her in-laws, “Father, Mother, I directed the play.
How is it? Is it great?”

“Stop it. I don’t know what you are trying to say. Keep your hands away and watch,” Lady Cecilia said in a
frustrated tone.

…
It felt like a pail of cold water was splashed over her head. Jessica sadly let go of Winson’s hand to pick
up the fruit from the tea table, and she started peeling.

It was then that the camera panned over the audience seat and captured the front row where Blake was
sitting. His face was as handsome as those top-tier celebrities out there and she could recognize him at
first glance.

When Winson saw his daddy on TV, he clapped and pointed at the screen. “Daddy?”

Chapter 8

Delighted, Lady Cecilia carried Winson and put him on her lap. “Little Winson is really smart and sharp.
You spotted Daddy at first glance.”

Lady Cecilia glanced at Jessica and saw her peeling an apple with the fruit knife.

The moment Jessica saw the TV screen, her hand slipped and she cut her finger with the fruit knife.
Fortunately, it was just a shallow cut. While she was not seriously hurt, it still stung just like how the
scene stung her heart.

Beside Blake was Kim. It was apparent that Kim was Blake’s partner for the Mid-Autumn Gala.

Jessica and Blake had been married for a little more than two years. However, the heat surrounding their
marriage had faded, and the husband and wife almost never got together in the public eye.

She was the mute wife who appeared in her husband’s bed in such a degrading manner and was forced
to get married because she got pregnant. The marriage was stretched to its limit. It was hanging on the
edge and could break at any moment.

Everyone knew that Blake was married. While they knew he might have accepted the marriage on the
outside, deep inside his heart, he never acknowledged the marriage. He just never put his feelings in
words.
Whenever he appeared at any public event, the partner that he brought would range from upper-class
socialites to celebrities. Jessica, who was Mrs. Ferguson in name, had never accompanied him to any
kind of event.

Although Jessica had gotten used to it, her numbed heart would still sting for a while.

Lady Cecilia said, “I heard the consul of the Spanish Embassy was invited to the gala. Fortunately, Ms.
Jackson is there to translate for Blake. How nice.”

Jessica subtly curled her lips and showed a dull but polite smile.

Lady Cecilia had mentioned Kim’s name twice in front of her tonight. Be it carrying out her duty as a
mother to raise the child at home, or the duty of a wife who accompanied her husband at a public event,
Kim was the ideal daughter-in-law to Lady Cecilia.

Family background, education, looks, and temperament were all criteria that were meticulously
considered when Lady Cecilia picked a home tutor for her grandson. In actuality, she was looking for the
qualities of a daughter-in-law in Kim.

Truth be told, according to the Fergusons’ status, she could have gotten a better candidate, but the
family loved Winson, so Lady Cecilia must find a woman who loved children. In the end, Kim was
selected.

Robert also saw the pair on the TV. Delighted, he took a sip of tea and said, “I heard Kim is studying
Russian.”

“Oh, really? It sounds like a difficult language to learn.”

Jessica’s in-laws chatted about Kim whereas she had completely turned into an outsider. She quietly
peeled the apple with a single slice. The skin did not have a single crack or nick on it, but in the end,
Winson mischievously pulled the long apple peel, tearing it into two.

Lady Cecilia carried her grandson up and pointed at the TV when Kim was on screen. “Little Winson, do
you like Teacher Kimmy?”

Jessica tightened her lips. There were slight wrinkles on her calm face as if she was holding back her
grievance. She even tightened her grip on the apple to the point that juice started to drip from the flesh.

Before the Mid-Autumn Gala ended, Jessica signed to her in-laws and told them that she wanted to go
back. The reason was simple: Winson had to sleep early.

The driver was waiting outside, so the servants loaded the car with the gifts Lady Cecilia had bought for
Winson.

Just when Jessica wanted to carry Winson into the car, Lady Cecilia called her back, “Jessica, hold on for a
moment. I have something to tell you.” She sounded calm and somewhat cold.

Jessica was used to her cold tone, but strangely, her heart skipped a beat when Lady Cecilia called her.
She put Winson in the car and gave him a teddy bear to distract him for a while. Then, she followed Lady
Cecilia to the side of the garden.

“Jessica, how long have you been married to Blake? Three years?”

Jessica puckered her lips and nodded.

Chapter 9

“Winson is already a little over a year old. You know, a child can barely remember anything before the
age of 4. If you leave him now, he might not remember it in the future.”

Jessica clenched her fists tightly without showing any response.

Lady Cecilia noticed Jessica’s clenched fists. Her proud and contempt gaze at Jessica softened a bit as she
sighed and said, “Why do you even insist on staying? There’s no love between you and Blake, and our
family doesn’t like you. I’m sure you feel the same about us.

“You used every possible method to get into our family back then because you want to save your family,
the Scotts, am I right? Now, Scotts Corporation might not be as strong as it was, but it has overcome the
financial crisis.

“You can see it for yourself. With Blake’s status, what he needs is a wife that can help him in public and
care for him in private. Unfortunately, you can’t do either.

“As for Winson, I know it’s hard for you to leave him, but the child will grow…Of course, no child will
ditch their own mother, but do you really want people to laugh at him for having a mute as a mother? It
will affect him growing up. After all, he is the future heir of the Ferguson family.”

Jessica lowered her head. She gripped her fists so tightly that her nails were embedded in her flesh. Her
stiff body even started to tremble.

“Jessica, time flies. Think about it when you get back. If you leave Winson now, the pain will be short,
and he will forget about you soon. Kim is good to Winson. She will take him as her own, so you don’t
need to…”

Before Lady Cecilia could utter the word ‘worry’, Jessica had had enough, so she left.

Every time Jessica came back from the old Ferguson manor, she would be in a bad mood. Ms. Susan had
gotten used to it.
Jessica asked her how Kim had gone back earlier. Did someone fetch her or did she leave by herself? Ms.
Susan hesitated for a moment before she said, “Joe picked her up with the car.”

Joe Depp was Blake’s personal assistant. With that, how Kim appeared at the Mid-Autumn Gala was
self-explanatory.

Jessica spared Ms. Susan the questions and carried Winson to bed. She accompanied him until he started
to snore, then she went back to her bedroom.

A single lamp was left on in the living room. After Ms. Susan tidied up the place, she had gone back to
her room as well.

At midnight, Jessica was fast asleep when she heard noises at the door all of a sudden, but she did not
get out of bed to have a look. Instead, she turned over and continued sleeping.

It must be Blake.

Jessica was in a deep slumber, hence she did not hear her door being opened. It was until she felt the
pressure on her body that she was forced to wake up.

Blake’s fiery hot lips that reeked of alcohol landed on her neck while his big hands went under her
pajamas and skillfully undressed her.

After sex, he fell asleep with Jessica in his strong arms. Whenever this happened, Jessica always failed to
free herself from his embrace. Even though she wanted a shower, she could not move.

The stickiness from the sweat made her uncomfortable, especially in his embrace. His sturdy chest and
his body temperature that converged with her own...everything made her heart beat faster than usual.
She could not fall asleep in such a situation.
Jessica opened her eyes and looked at the moonlight that shone through the gaps of the curtain.

It was Mid-Autumn night, so the moon was round and beautiful. She wondered if Blake had enjoyed the
view of the moon with Kim when he sent her home?

Lady Cecilia’s words echoed in her ears again. Although she could not speak, she had an amazing
memory. Every word that came out from Lady Cecilia’s mouth was etched clearly in her mind.

Chapter 10

She turned around and looked at Blake’s handsome face as he was still asleep. She smirked ironically and
then turned back to the moonlight, enjoying it until it disappeared at dawn.

At daybreak, Jessica finally felt sleepy, so she succumbed to slumber but woke up soon after that.

The sun was already up, and the first light shed its brilliance over the floor while the dust danced in its
rays.

Jessica took a while to wake up from the dizziness. She was not used to sleeping with Blake. Every time
she was in bed with him, she would sleep late and wake up early.

Blake was still asleep, but his arm around her had softened.

Jessica looked at his sleeping face again. Blake’s features were flawless. His brows were thick, his nose
was high, and his facial features were pronounced. Everyone in the Fergusons had good looks, but as the
son of the first beauty of Beijing, Lady Cecilia, Blake stood out. Be it when he was asleep or when he was
awake, he was the perfect man.

Jessica focused her attention on his Adam’s Apple. She found the slight curve in his throat sexy and
masculine while his voice was also charming and melodious to the ears. However, his charming voice
also widened the distance between them.
Everytime Jessica woke up from his arm, it felt surreal to her.

Maybe it was the surreal feeling that woke her up early. Whenever they curled together after sex, Jessica
could never sleep soundly.

She quietly shifted Blake’s arm away from her and softly landed her feet on the floor. Then, she picked
up her pajamas and went to the bathroom.

After sex, Jessica would always worry about getting pregnant again because she was afraid of having a
second child, but judging from the frequent sex in the past three years, she did not show any signs of
pregnancy, so it should be fine.

She looked down and stroked her flat belly. There were no stretch marks or scars on it as if she had
never given birth. She had a smooth delivery when she gave birth to Winson.

That day, Old Master Ferguson was sent to the hospital for an emergency operation because his
condition had worsened. Everyone in the family waited outside the operation room, except Jessica. She
had waited alone in the old Ferguson manor.

For some reason, she gave birth to Winson half a month earlier than the expected delivery date. Maybe
Winson was anxious to meet his mother.

Her stomach had been huge back then, so she could not even see her legs when she walked. When she
accidentally slipped on a puddle of water, she fell down and the pain prevented her from standing up.
Therefore, she was forced to give birth there and then naturally.

Coincidentally, Ms. Susan came back to the old manor to grab some things, and it was then that she saw
Jessica lying down in a pool of blood. The scene shocked her badly and she almost passed out, but she
managed to quickly call the hospital.

However, it was already too late when the medical personnel arrived. Winson’s legs were already out, so
the medical personnel were forced to build a temporary delivery room in the living room.

Furthermore, a Caesarean section was not an option because it would risk the mother’s life. After going
through labor for a whole night, Jessica finally delivered the child at dawn. At the same time, Old Master
Ferguson’s emergency operation ended, and he came out from the operation room alive.

Therefore, the Fergusons loved Winson for a special reason. Even though the family might welcome
another child in the future, the moment Winson was born, he was already selected as the heir of the
family.

The Fergusons held Winson in special regard, and so did his mother, Jessica. The excruciating pain during
her labor had almost killed her, and right as she wandered at death’s door, the child’s cry had entered
her ears, pulling her back from the face of death.

How could she simply abandon her own flesh and blood after such a traumatic delivery?

Jessica’s heart stung. Maybe because she had damaged her body during the first delivery, Blake had no
worries about having sex with her.

Chapter 11

Washing up took longer than usual this time. When Jessica walked out of the bathroom, Blake was
already awake.

The firm muscles on his naked chest looked like they had been smeared with honey. His skin color was a
healthy glow, and the characteristics of the perfect man were extremely pronounced on his body.

The man was unusually charming in the morning. He lazily slouched on the bed and looked at her, his
gaze was as cold as ice and as sharp as knives.

Jessica was surprised when she saw his finger pointing at the marriage certificate.
The worn-out little booklet had seen better days. No matter how vibrant the red cover was before, it had
lost its vividness under many layers of cellophane tape. The old-looking booklet did not match his long
fingers with his distinctive joints as though his perfect hand ruined the red little booklet, making it a cruel
scene to behold.

He looked at her coldly and said, “Did you just keep it under your pillow?”

Jessica did not deny it since he had found the marriage certificate. Was it not obvious enough?

“Do you take it out and look at it every morning?” He shook his fingers as he ridiculed her, “So, you tore
it apart out of regret before, and now you want to tear it into pieces again?”

Was it cherish or anger on his face? His nonchalant gaze was ambiguous, thus she did not know what
kind of answer he was seeking.

Jessica sighed. She puckered her lips and signed with her hands, “Yesterday, your mother told me that
she wants me to leave. She said…”

Before she could finish conveying her message, Blake rudely interrupted her with a frustrated tone,
“Okay, stop it. I don’t know what you are trying to say.”

He lifted the blanket off him and stood up before he walked past her into the bathroom. When he
walked past her, a slight breeze blew on her face, and she felt chilly.

Bang!

The door was slammed shut loudly, and the mansion felt like it shook for a moment.

Although Jessica was used to it, she still instinctively covered her ears. She turned around at the tightly
shut door. ‘Like mother like son, they are both not very patient.’
Even though Blake had never learned sign language, Jessica had been married to him for three years, and
even if he could not fully understand her, he could at least guess some of the signs.

‘Do you really not get it or don’t you have the patience to even try to guess what I’m trying to say?’

A soft baby cry rang out from the other room. Winson must have been frightened by the loud bang.
Without any delay, Jessica quickly strode to the nursery.

When she was done cleaning Winson, Blake also came out from the room. It was a weekend, and he did
not have to work, so he simply put on some casual clothes.

The husband and wife bumped into each other in the hallway and locked eyes with each other, but
neither had the intention to speak.

Nevertheless, Winson was happy to see his father. He had no idea that his father was the one who had
frightened him earlier. He waved his little hands and called out to Blake, “Dada…”

Blake then carried his son and walked to the living room.

The gifts from Lady Cecilia were simply put on the couch, so when Winson saw the gifts, he urged his
father to open them, “Dada, open! See, see...open…”

Jessica wanted to stop Winson because a baby could not appreciate the expensive Lego, and if Winson
made a mess, tidying up would be a pain. However, after some thoughts, she decided to simply let it go
because Blake would never listen to her anyway.

When she was done preparing breakfast, Blake had built a little car from the Lego and was playing with
Winson.
Blake was a car enthusiast. The cars in his garage were enough to start an exhibition. A few years ago, he
even participated in races, but ever since the incident with Jessica happened, he never went to the track
anymore, so those expensive cars just sat collecting dust in his garage.

However, based on the little vehicle that he built for Winson, he still loved cars.

Chapter 12

Jessica was heart-stricken when the memories from three years ago came afloat. She lost control of the
tray when she put it down on the table, so it landed with a heavy thud, and even the milk spilled.

When Blake heard the heavy thud, he turned around and saw her sitting at the table. He then carried
Winson to the table, pulled the chair out single-handedly, and sat beside her.

Winson sat on his father’s lap while holding the toy car that his father had built for him. He waved it in
front of his mother. “Mama, Dada give me. Nice.”

“It is nice.” Jessica nodded and started feeding Winson some porridge, but her thoughts were drifting
away.

Blake glanced at her before he took the bowl of porridge away from her. During the process, their fingers
accidentally brushed each other’s. Blake noticed there was a small cut on her finger. While it was not
anything serious, there was still a mark that ruined the beauty of her hand.

“How did you get that?” he asked.

As Jessica looked at her finger, it reminded her of the scene where Blake and Kim were together on TV.
Since Blake did not appreciate her sign language, she was not bothered to explain. She simply looked
away and ate her breakfast.

Speaking of the devil, the doorbell rang and Ms. Susan went to open the door.
“Ms. Jackson, you are earlier than yesterday.”

Kim’s smile was sweet, and she looked even prettier than yesterday. Jessica noticed that Kim had the
same hairstyle as yesterday when she had appeared on TV. She must have gone to the salon to get it
done just for the gala last night.

“Mr. Ferguson, Mrs. Ferguson, good morning.” Kim tucked her hair behind her ear and flashed a
saccharine smile. Blake simply grunted at her while Jessica nodded as usual before he continued eating.

The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward when the outsider interrupted the family’s breakfast.

Kim slightly squinted her beautiful eyes and slightly bent over Winson, who was sitting on Blake’s lap.
She smiled even sweeter and stroked the child’s cheek. “Little Winson, is Daddy feeding you breakfast?
You look happy.”

Winson blinked his big round eyes and smiled. He turned to his father and hugged his arm, urging the
latter to play with him. His other tiny hand reached out to Jessica’s hand and asked her to feed him,
“Mama, eat.”

Kim’s smile froze for a moment but she still looked sweet. “Ignoring me when Daddy is here?”

Jessica giggled in her heart.

Kim was anxious, even when she was in front of Jessica, Winson’s mother. On top of that, she already
showed signs and intentions of replacing the mother of the child.

Jessica had reason to believe Kim got the nursery qualification just for Winson. Many other upper-class
ladies in Beijing had Kim’s qualities and even more, but Kim was smarter. She knew that Winson was the
key. In order to get into the Fergusons, she must first secure the qualification to approach the child.
Jessica put the half-peeled egg down and wanted to take over Winson, but Blake said coldly, “Just eat.”

He then pulled his son’s hand away from Jessica’s sleeve.

Her hand froze in the air as she glanced at him. She picked up her hard-boiled egg and removed the
remaining shell, revealing the pure egg white inside.

She cut the egg open and extracted the yolk out for her son, but right before she ate the egg white, she
noticed that Blake’s plate was empty. She stole a glance at Kim who was standing beside Blake.

Jessica’s eyes blinked. She switched the direction of her hand and put the egg white on Blake’s plate
instead.

When Kim noticed how loving and caring the family of three was, she subtly clenched her fists.

In the natural course of events, should they not ask her whether she had breakfast, and if she had not,
invite her to have breakfast together?

Chapter 13

Ms. Susan prepared some tea. She noticed the gloomy look on Kim’s face, so she then turned her
attention to the dining table and realized what happened. Then, she walked up to Kim and said with a
smile, “Ms. Jackson, do you want to have some tea while waiting? It takes a while for the young master
to finish his breakfast.”

Kim regained her senses and quickly put on a smile as if the dourness on her face never happened. She
took the tea from Ms. Susan and thanked her before she went over to the living room.

While Ms. Susan was tidying up the toys on the other couch, she unintentionally asked, “Ms. Jackson, it’s
the weekend. Why are you here so early?” Ms. Susan was merely trying to be polite.

Kim did not meet Blake yesterday morning, and she came by even earlier today. She even wanted to sit
down at the dining table and have breakfast with the family.
He usually stayed at home during the weekend if he had nothing to do. When he was at home, Kim was
not needed to tutor Winson. Besides, when she was hired as Winson’s tutor, her contract stated that she
only needed to tutor him on the weekdays. If she was needed on the weekends, she would be informed
earlier.

Kim was a smart person, so she knew what Ms. Susan was trying to say. She looked at Blake and said, “I
worked extra late last night, and when I could finally sleep, it was already morning, so I decided not to
sleep altogether. I don’t have anything to do. That’s why I decided to drop by.”

“Huh?” Ms. Susan failed to react to Kim’s answer. It took her awhile to process it because it sounded
both reasonable and unreasonable at the same time.

While Ms. Susan was processing the answer, Blake had finished his breakfast and walked over. Kim took
a set of documents from her bag and stood up to tell Blake, “Mr. Ferguson, these are the details about
the embassy. Please have a look if it’s useful. If it’s not good enough, tell me and I’ll change it to suit
you.”

Blake took the document and went through it briefly. He said, “Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s nothing. It’s my pleasure to help, Mr. Ferguson.” Kim subtly glanced at Jessica and Winson at the
dining table when she said that.

Since Blake was going through the document, he did not notice Kim’s gaze. He simply told Ms. Susan,
“Susan, get some breakfast for Ms. Jackson here.”

He then looked up at Kim and asked, “You haven’t had breakfast, have you?”

“Ah…” Kim bashfully nodded and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I came here right away after I finished
working on the document, so I forgot all about breakfast.”
Kim then had breakfast on the couch as she chatted with Blake about work. The two of them were
serious when they talked about work. The atmosphere got so solemn that one could hardly cut in.

Jessica listened to them quietly, and she found out Kim did not sleep last night because she had been
doing some translation for Blake.

Kim might not have attended a gala before, but she knew it was the battlefield for businessmen. She
accidentally heard from Joe, Blake’s assistant, that Blake wanted to start a tourism business focusing on
Europe with Spain being one of the important locations.

Lady Cecilia had also mentioned that the consul from the Spanish embassy had attended the
Mid-Autumn Gala last night, so meeting the consul at the gala would surely spark a conversation or two.

Kim had great mastery over Spanish, and if Blake’s project turned out to be a success, she would be the
one with the biggest credit—as expected of the ideal daughter-in-law of Lady Cecilia.

The sun rose higher into the sky and its light gleamed through the window, bathing Blake and Kim under
its brilliance. The handsome man and the beautiful lady formed a lovely scene, but it was irritating to
Jessica, and she felt like the view stung her eyes.

She blinked and giggled in her heart. She believed she was not needed at all, so she did not walk over
and interrupt them. Instead, she carried Winson and pushed the stroller out of the house.

Chapter 14

It was until the door was closed that Blake only looked up. Ms. Susan said with a slightly embarrassed
tone, “Madam brought the little master out for a walk.”

Blake stared at the door for a second before he closed the document in his hand.

Slightly stunned, Kim looked at him in a confused manner. “Mr. Ferguson?”

At that point, Blake’s phone rang. After the quick call, he looked at Kim and said, “It’s been a long night
for you. Go back and get some sleep. I’ll tell my driver to send you home. We’ll grab lunch or dinner
another day.”

Kim blushed because Blake seemed so concerned about her.

“Okay. You can give me a call anytime if you want to talk about this.”

Ms. Susan was washing the dishes in the kitchen, and when she heard Kim’s coquettish tone, she clicked
her tongue in disdain. She could not understand young ladies nowadays. Why were they so anxious
about becoming someone’s mistress? All the education they received would simply go down the drain.

The neighborhood was surrounded by many convenient facilities, and one of them was a park. Inside the
park were some shops.

Jessica pushed the stroller for a walk in the park. The cute Winson won many hearts of the passersby and
the shop owners after a quick walk around the park. Soon, his cart was filled with little toys and snacks.

Jessica got tired after walking around, and she decided to take a break on the bench at the sidewalk.

Winson wanted candy, so he reached out to the lollipop hanging above his cart and waved it in front of
his mother, urging her to unwrap it for him. “Mama, eat.”

Jessica unwrapped the candy before carrying the little imp into her arms. He was obedient enough to
urge his mother to have a taste first. She simply licked it and then gave the lollipop to Winson who
happily sucked on it while shaking his little legs.

At that moment, she was sitting under a tree. The wind suddenly blew several leaves from the branches
off together. There was a caterpillar on one of the leaves, and it landed precisely on Jessica’s shoulder.

The caterpillar had long and sharp fur on its back. Jessica had been stung before when she was young. As
a result, her skin had turned red and swelled, hurting her for almost a day. The little encounter with the
caterpillar traumatized her since then.

Jessica wanted to scream but could not. She stared at the caterpillar on her shoulder in fear.

Winson, however, found the caterpillar interesting. He curiously reached out to it and tried to touch it.

However, Jessica would never let him get hurt. She grabbed his hand and held him down while trying to
avoid the caterpillar from crawling closer. The caterpillar was driving her crazy, and she almost broke
down and cried.

All of a sudden, a strong hand came and flicked the caterpillar away into the bushes and it disappeared.

Jessica looked up and saw a tall man in front of her. The man frowned at his fingers that had flicked the
caterpillar away while his other hand remained in his pocket. He looked like he was at a loss of what to
do.

Jessica realized what was going on. She quickly took the pack of wet tissues out from the back
compartment of the stroller for him.

The man took the pack of wet tissues and used it to wipe his hand. Jessica thanked him using sign
language, “Thank you.”

The man slightly furrowed his brow, “You…can’t speak?”

Jessica smiled since she did not mind the question.

The man nodded in realization. He then crumpled the piece of wet tissue and threw it towards the trash
can several meters away. It landed inside precisely.

He then pointed at her hand and curiously asked, “You are quite good with sign language, I see. Can you
teach me?”

Jessica was stunned. No one had ever praised her for her sign language because others viewed it as a
flaw or a burden.

She nodded and taught the man how to say “thank you” using his hands. The man did as instructed.

On the other hand, Blake had gone after Jessica and Winson right after they left. He walked to the park
and saw Jessica signing at a man who was mimicking her gestures.

She curled her lips into a soft smile. Blake had never seen her smile so happily and relaxed before!

Chapter 15

Blake strode over as his expression turned cold.

On the other hand, Jessica gave the man a big thumbs-up for performing sign language perfectly. The
man looked at her wide grin with a soft gaze and asked, “How do I sign ‘I’d like to buy you lunch’?”

Jessica did not overthink the situation. She instinctively showed the man how, and while she was at it,
she did not realize that Blake was advancing closer.

Before she could finish showing the man the hand signs, a shadow approached her from the side and
overshadowed half her body. In a heartbeat, she was pulled behind the person who approached her.

Surprised, she looked at the person with a blank gaze.

‘Shouldn’t Blake be with Kim back at the house, talking about the Spanish consul?’

Blake looked at the man coldly and said, “I’ve heard rumors about the second young master of the
Waynes having unusual tastes such as taking a fancy to married women and stuff, but going after a
woman with a child? That’s new.”

Jessica was shocked because besides never having seen Blake criticize someone in such a sarcastic tone,
what he said seemed surprising.

The man laughed at Blake’s comment, not feeling offended at all. He said, “I didn’t expect Young Master
Ferguson to be a follower of the rumor mill.”

Jessica sized up the man before Blake. No matter how she looked at him, with his bright, sunny
disposition, he did not look like someone with a strange fetish.

While she might come from an upper-class family and had gotten married into a wealthy and renowned
family, she barely understood the world that she lived in. Therefore, it was natural for her to be clueless
that the man who had flicked the caterpillar away for her was the second young master of the Waynes.

When Donald, Jessica’s father, started to lose money in his investment, he had bugged her brother, John,
about who to ask for help from. One of the considered candidates was the Waynes.

The first son of the Waynes got married a few years ago, and the second son, who was this man in front
of Blake, was not the heir that the Waynes were looking for. Therefore, John decided to set Jessica up
and sent her to Blake’s bed.

In other words, Jessica could have become Thomas Wayne’s wife if she had not ended up in Blake’s bed.

Blake noticed Jessica staring at Thomas, so he ridiculed coldly, “What’s wrong? Regret climbing into my
bed and not his?”

Ever since the Scotts’ family business failed, they did not just go to the Fergusons for help. They also
asked the Waynes for a helping hand, but in the end, the father and son duo decided to go with Blake
who surely knew a thing or two about what they were up to.

When Blake recalled how warming it was when Jessica and Thomas communicated through sign
language, he sneered, “I guess if you guys had gotten together, you might have a common language to
communicate in. What a pity.”

Jessica reacted poorly to Blake’s comment, and her eyes started to turn red. She knew that he disliked
her and she had never seen his good temper during their conversation, but must he disrespect her in
front of someone else?

She gulped anxiously and puckered her lips tightly. Then, she took her phone out and started typing: [It
seems like you and I don't share a common language!]

She glared at him and then kept her phone away. Subsequently, she pushed the stroller away angrily.

Thomas crossed his hands and drawled at Blake in a lazy tone, “Are you always this harsh to your wife?”

Blake stared at Thomas before he pocketed his hand and walked away. When he walked past Thomas,
their shoulders bumped into each other’s, but it did not stop Blake from walking away.

Blake marched off in a different direction instead of following Jessica. He went left whereas she went
right.

Thomas was left standing in the spot. As the sun shed its brilliance on his face, he squinted his eyes
slightly at the woman pushing the stroller.
Back when Donald and his wife had jumped off the building, their deaths had seized all the major
headlines for days. The victims of the investment failure even gathered in front of the Scotts Tower,
raising banners and demanding their money back.

A while later, the mysterious daughter of the Scotts came under the spotlight and was involved in a
massive scandal with the Fergusons.

The Fergusons, who had always been the most respectable and proudest family in the city, found
themselves in an ugly situation for the first time ever. In the end, they were forced to accept the woman
as their daughter-in-law.

‘So, this woman is Jessica Scott, huh?’

Chapter 16

“Ma’am, isn’t it a little bit early for you to be back?” Ms. Susan was surprised when Jessica came back to
the house.

‘Didn’t Mr. Ferguson go after Ma’am earlier? Didn’t they meet in the park?’

It was then that Ms. Susan noticed the gloomy look on Jessica’s face and quickly kept quiet.

Jessica carried Winson out of the stroller and brought him back to his room. The door was slammed shut.

Ms. Susan had never seen Jessica slam a door this loud. Curious, she sized up the closed door and
wondered what happened.

Less than two minutes later, Blake also came back in a lousy mood. His face was as black as charcoal, and
he looked furious.

Ms. Susan meekly said, “Ma’am is back. She’s in the nursery.”

Blake did not even grunt as he walked straight to the study with that stiff expression on his face.

Bang!

The door to the study room was slammed shut as well. Fortunately, the doors of the mansion were
sturdy enough. Otherwise, a few more slams and they would probably fall off.

Ms. Susan scratched her head at the situation. She shook her head and thought, ‘I guess the two of them
have argued again…Strange. Ma’am is usually quite even-tempered. She’s soft and kind other than being
mute. Alright, I guess it’s difficult for people to accept a mute, let alone the prestigious Fergusons…

‘But arguing with a mute? Mr. Ferguson’s temper is really bad.’

Even during lunchtime, Jessica remained in the room. Ms. Susan looked at the shut door and said to
Blake, “Sir, Ma’am is still in the room. Should I inform her?”

Blake’s hand that gripped the chopstick froze for a moment before he said in an impatient tone,
“Whatever. If she doesn't want to eat, just let her be.”

Finding herself in a difficult situation, Ms. Susan said, “But, Sir, Ma’am barely ate anything in the
morning, and it’s time for Little Winson to have lunch.”

Blake took a deep breath and sighed. A second later, he said to Ms. Susan, “Go call her then.”

“O-okay.”

Ms. Susan went to the second bedroom to knock on the door, but it remained silent. She opened the
door for a peek before she returned to the dining area. “Sir, Ma’am and Little Winson are sleeping.”
Blake frowned. ‘She’s been sleeping ever since she came back from the park? It’s morning! Hmph, how
could she have the mood to sleep?”

He put the chopsticks on the table and then went up to the room.

Jessica was really asleep. It was dark in the room since the curtains were drawn together.

When Blake walked to the window and pulled the curtains open, the bright sunlight poured in and shed
its brilliance over Jessica’s face. She frowned and slightly opened her eyes. Then, she shielded the
sunlight with her hand.

Blake stood beside the bed and looked down at her. “Wake up. It’s lunchtime.”

Jessica barely slept last night, so she did not want to wake up since she was already in bed. She turned
around and continued sleeping.

Blake pulled her blanket away and said, “I don’t care if you don’t want to eat, but Winson must eat. You
cannot torture my son.”

Jessica endured his criticism. She bolted up and grabbed her phone in the drawer beside her bed to type:
[Then, bring your son down for lunch!]

Ever since Blake expressed his dislike of her sign language because he could not understand her, she
never signed in front of him anymore. She typed what she wanted to say on the phone and simply
showed it to him.

Blake furrowed his brows at the words she typed on the phone. He then looked at her while she glared
right back at him. Both of them were confronting each other with no one willing to take a step back.
Blake clenched his teeth tightly.

Since Jessica had nothing to lose anymore, she was much bolder than usual. However, why must she
argue with him?

Jessica got fed up with the stare-off since Blake did not say or do anything. Finally, she covered herself
with the blanket and went back to bed.

Winson, however, woke up. He looked at his father and said in a sulky tone, “Dada, hungry…”

Chapter 17

Blake glanced at Jessica, who was pretending to be asleep. He looked at Winson and said, “Wake your
mother up for lunch.”

He then turned around and left.

Although Jessica could skip lunch and be hungry, she could not starve her son.

Winson went out of the room first and hugged Blake’s leg, asking him for food. Blake saw Jessica emerge
with a stiff expression, and it made him even angrier.

Jessica could not find any reason to smile at him. Instead, she found it more interesting to communicate
with a stranger in the park using sign language, and her smile had been sweeter than ever back then.

Blake carried his son and shoved the little kid into Jessica’s arms, urging her to feed her son. He was not
in the mood to talk to her. She did not even want to sign at him anymore. All she did now was type on
the phone and show it to him, so he did not want to talk to her anymore either.
Because she was used to the oppression, she decided to simply endure it. She picked up Winson’s baby
spoon and started feeding him.

She barely ate anything during lunch. Even Winson ate more than her. After lunch, Jessica left Winson in
Ms. Susan’s care while she went back to her room.

Ms. Susan looked at Blake and carefully asked, “Ma’am doesn’t look too well. Is she sick?”

Blake was slightly surprised but did not say or do anything. In the afternoon, he had a video conference
in the study to discuss the European market with his subordinates.

After lunch, Jessica went back to sleep and finally woke up around 2:00 p.m.

The TV was replaying the Mid-Autumn Gala from last night. When Winson saw the sign language dance
on TV, he started to mimic the movements of the dancers. However, Jessica noticed that her son was
having a hard time learning, so she held his hand and taught him the correct moves.

After Blake ended his video conference, he came out from the study for a glass of water and saw Jessica
and Winson playing together. The scene was warming and loving. It even softened his stiff and cold gaze
a little. He leaned on the walk and watched them play.

Upon seeing the empty glass in Blake’s hand, Ms. Susan went over and asked, “Sir, let me refill the water
for you.”

Ms. Susan’s voice drew Jessica’s attention. She turned around and saw Blake and her smile sank.

Blake coldly handed the empty glass to her and told her to fill it with warm water. He then sat down on
the couch.

Ms. Susan looked at him strangely for a moment, but when she noticed Jessica’s gaze, she understood
Blake’s intention and went to refill the glass of water.

Blake looked at the TV and said, “I heard you were the director of this dance.”

Jessica nodded and let go of her son’s petite hand. Winson happily turned to his father and wanted to
perform what he just learned. “Dada, look!”

The little guy went closer to the TV and boogied along with the music. He was really cute when he tried
his best to follow the dance.

Blake looked at Jessica and said, “Not bad. I heard this performance won an award. You should be able
to get a prize from the TV station.”

The competition system had been introduced this year whereby the performances from the show would
be rated online, but the results would only be revealed a week later.

Surprised, Jessica looked at him and typed on her phone: [Really?]

Blake was a VIP at the gala who had attended it to watch the performance live, so he must be speaking
the truth. He saw her eyes gleam in anticipation, but when he saw the mechanical words on her phone,
the slight delight on his face faded, and he was annoyed again.

“Sir, your glass of water.” Ms. Susan carefully sized up the look on his face and then put the glass of
water on the tea table.

Blake did not take the glass of water. Instead, he searched the drawer beside the couch for some cold
medicine.

“Take these pills.” Blake took two capsules out and gave it to Jessica.
Jessica was a little surprised. She was still feeling a little dizzy, but she felt better after some sleep.
Regardless, she decided to take the pills and swallowed them.

Chapter 18

Blake also drank some water before he said, “After you get the prize money, remember to buy me
dinner.”

Jessica was fully immersed in the fact that she won, hence she couldn't care less about Blake.

It was the first play that she had directed, and it won a prize from the TV station, so of course, she was
thrilled. She nodded without a second thought.

A week later, the school was informed of the result and the winning certificate was sent over.

Jessica held the envelope in her hand. Although it might not be heavy or thick, holding the prize in her
own hands was more than enough to make her delighted. She took a picture with the children together
with the certificate. She then sent a message to Blake: [I’ll buy you dinner tonight.]

Dean was also at the school when the prize was sent over. He went up to Jessica and tapped on her
shoulder. “Congratulations! You are awesome! You won a prize with the first play that you directed.”

Jessica smiled bashfully and put her phone back into her pocket.

Dean actually saw the message she sent to Blake, then he jokingly asked, “So, shouldn’t you buy me
dinner as well?”

Jessica had completed the play with the help of many, thus it would only be natural and polite of her to
thank everyone. She nodded and then signed at everyone, “Let’s go for BBQ this weekend.”
The group was overjoyed when Jessica mentioned food.

Jessica donated her portion of the prize money to the head of the department so that the money could
be distributed to the children. Despite being happy about winning, she did not care about the money.

Dean actually wanted to have dinner with Jessica alone, so when she invited everyone for a celebration,
he was a little disappointed. Nevertheless, he did not sulk for long before he understood he still had
more chances in the future.

He smiled as he watched her tidy up her desk. Then, he said to her, “Want a lift home?”

Jessica shook her head and rejected the offer to Dean’s disappointment again. He had tried offering her
a lift back home several times but failed every single time.

Although Jessica originally planned to go out for dinner with Blake, her mother-in-law had called them to
go back to the old manor for dinner.

After work, she got off the subway on the way home and hopped into Blake’s car. When she buckled up
her seatbelt, she realized that Winson was not in the car, so she asked Blake about it. He answered, “The
chauffeur picked him up.”

Jessica did not ask anything further.

When they reached the old Ferguson manor, Jessica found out that the chauffeur did not only pick
Winson up but Kim as well. Kim was playing with Winson on the carpet, and when she saw Blake walk in,
she stood up and straightened the folds on her skirt.

“Mr. Ferguson, Mrs. Ferguson, you guys are finally here.”

Jessica noticed that Kim was dressed up like a lady and that she looked down bashfully when she saw
Blake.

Jessica never really liked going back to the old Ferguson manor because every visit was depressing and
traumatizing. After all, Lady Cecilia’s intention was incredibly obvious.

When Winson saw his mother, he stood up and walked his plump body over to her and asked her to
carry him. Jessica carried her son and kissed him on the cheeks. Winson also gave her two loud lip
smacks on her cheeks and declared meekly, “Miss Mama!”

She could not put her feelings into words when her son was so touching. All she could do was kiss him
more affectionately than before on his cheeks to express her feelings.

After Winson was pampered by his mother, he leaned over to Blake and said, “Dada, hug.”

Blake carried him and welcomed his son’s wet kiss.

Kim watched the family interaction with all smiles, but deep inside, she was clenching her teeth and fists.

No matter how hard she tried to pamper Winson, the moment the child saw his mother, he would go
over to her right away.

However, as Lady Cecilia said, blood was thicker than water. The bond between Jessica and Winson was
real, so Kim could not do anything about that.

Lady Cecilia went over to Blake to say, “I heard from Joe that the discussion with the Spanish consul went
well, so I invited Kim to dinner as a token of gratitude.”Chapter 19

Blake glanced at Kim who bashfully looked away. “It’s nothing really. It’s my pleasure to be able to help
Mr. Ferguson.”
As Lady Cecilia nodded happily, she glanced at the dining area and then said, “The servants are done
preparing. Let’s go have dinner.”

The group then moved to the dining area. Just when Jessica was about to sit down with Winson, Lady
Cecilia called Blake and nodded at the seats in front of them. “It’s Kim's first time at our house. Be a good
host, will you?”

Jessica froze for a moment. She looked at Blake before she sat down. Deep down inside, she ironically
smiled, ‘I’m still Mrs. Ferguson here…’

Blake sat down beside Jessica whereas Kim sat down on his other side.

After everyone was seated, Jessica squinted her eyes and waited for Robert, the man of the house, to
pick up his chopsticks as a sign to start dinner. Because there was an outsider at the dining table, the
atmosphere was a little more awkward than usual.

Lady Cecilia glanced at Robert who said with a smile, “Make yourself at home, Ms. Jackson. Treat us like
your family, and eat whatever you like.”

“That’s right, Kim. Make yourself at home,” Lady Cecilia echoed. She also subtly glanced at Jessica, who
was on her left.

Jessica slightly tightened her lips and looked at Kim, giving her a shallow smile and nodding. She was
grateful that she was a mute in this kind of situation so that she did not have to worry about saying
something hurtful.

‘Family? Maybe in their eyes, I’m the outsider…’

Kim was over the moon when she received the hints from Robert and Lady Cecilia, but she was not that
stupid to let it show on her face. She smiled and said, “Thank you, Mr. Ferguson Senior, Lady Cecilia. I’ll
help myself.”
Even though Blake was already an established businessman in the industry and was much fiercer than his
father, Robert was still the chairman of the Ferguson Group. Therefore, whenever the father and son
were together, the way to address them must differ.

Kim’s dignified manners won Robert and Lady Cecilia’s hearts. The group chatted over dinner and the
atmosphere was somewhat comfortable.

Jessica ate quietly while taking care of Winson. For some reason, the little imp did not cooperate and
refused to eat. She moved the spoon nearer to his mouth, but he pushed her hand away while
muttering, “No, no eat. Full.”

Although she held his hand and tried to feed him, the little imp was causing a scene. After a few
attempts of struggling, anger got the best of Jessica, and it scared the little imp. He started to sulk.

Blake noticed the little scene, so he brought Winson to his side. Since Blake was much fiercer than
Jessica, Winson stopped throwing a tantrum when his father carried him. He started to eat obediently.

Lady Cecilia glared at Jessica.

Kim glanced at Winson and asked meekly, “Mr. Ferguson, why not let me feed him?”

“No, thanks,” Blake rejected her coldly.

Kim was slightly stunned. Embarrassed, she retracted her hands that froze in the air.

After Winson ate a spoonful, he started to act up again. He twisted his plump body and crawled back to
Jessica, insisting that she held him while Blake fed him.
Blake turned his back to Kim who watched the family of three interacting warmly and tacitly. She
clenched her fingers tightly.

However, after a few spoonfuls, the toddler refused to eat again and Blake got mad this time. He called
the servant over, “If he doesn't want to eat, bring him away.”

The servant was frightened by Blake’s tone, so she quickly said, “I think the young master had some
snacks before dinner. That’s why he’s not hungry.”

Chapter 20

Surprised, Blake furrowed his brows and asked, “Who gave him snacks? Didn’t I make myself clear not to
feed him snacks before the meal?”

Because Blake appeared mad, the servant dared not argue, and she timidly glanced at Kim.

Kim did not know Blake would be this mad, so she meekly confessed, “Winson said he was hungry
earlier, so I gave him something to eat.” She anxiously watched Jessica hand Winson to the servant.

Back at Blake’s home, Ms. Susan was responsible for Winson’s meal while Kim was only responsible for
teaching the kid to speak English and Mandarin.

Kim probably thought that she was not close enough to Winson and wanted to buy the kid’s heart, which
would definitely help her in front of the Fergusons, but the opposite happened instead.

Lady Cecilia furrowed her brows slightly. No matter how well-educated or how well-behaved Kim was,
when it came to Winson, Lady Cecilia would never tolerate any carelessness.

However, she smiled as consolation, and to help Kim out of the situation, she said, “Kim, you are still
young and don’t have any children, so it’s normal for you not to know how to take care of a child. Don’t
worry. You will be able to learn more in the future when you spend more time with Winson.”
As she said that, she glanced at Blake. Although it was nothing serious, Blake reacted strongly. “It’s good
that Kim likes Winson.”

After his mother supported Kim openly, Blake furrowed his brows slightly but did not say anything else.

Meanwhile, Jessica subtly smirked because she knew what Lady Cecilia and Kim were trying to do.

Dinner continued. Once again, Lady Cecilia mentioned that Kim was learning Russian. She also praised
her for being competent and talked about her father being promoted as a vice principal in university.

“I met your father once. He’s a great man. Like father, like daughter.”

“Thank you for the compliments, Lady Cecilia. I’ll be sure to deliver the message to my father.”

Lady Cecilia smiled kindly and even put a piece of fish on Kim’s plate herself. She suddenly thought of
something and said to Blake, “Oh, right, Blake, didn’t Kim help you with the Spanish consul? Have you
thanked her?

“Actually, I invited her to dinner because your father and I wanted to thank her ourselves for helping us
out. If it wasn’t for her, things might not have progressed so smoothly. As for yourself, you’d better think
of something to repay the favor. Don’t just forget it.” She sounded casual as if she was joking, but in
between the lines, Blake knew she wanted him to do as she said.

Blake actually knew that the Spanish consul would attend the Mid-Autumn Gala but only at the very last
minute. He told Joe to ask a teacher or a first-class student from the language school to help, and the
meeting with the consul could still go on. However, for whatever reason, after Lady Cecilia heard about
that, she told Joe to ask Kim for help instead.

Blake simply grunted in reply to acknowledge Kim’s help in this meeting.

Lady Cecilia nodded happily when he agreed. “Don’t you forget.” When she looked asquint at Jessica and
noticed her eating quietly, she rolled her eyes.

‘Hmph, what else can you do other than eating? You have no contribution to our family and even wanted
our help to save your family.’

Robert cared more about the company than anything else, and since Lady Cecilia mentioned the Spanish
consul, it reminded him of the European tourism project. He looked at Blake and said, “Blake, why don’t
you leave the tourism project with the Spanish consul to Ms. Jackson? Since she’s met the consul before,
I think it’ll be much more appropriate for her to follow up on it.”

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