Chapter: 406

"Nikolas, I really need to know."

“and I'm telling you honestly! Bethany's injury has healed; she's back at the construction site, excelling both in her career and personal life. She's married and..."

Nikolas trailed off.

He recalled Ryan's cautionary words, realizing their weight.

If Jonathan discovered Bethany had married and had a child, it would only deepen his despair.

So why burden him with the truth?

"And. 22"

"And she's moved on." Nikolas sighed, his voice earnest. "Jonathan, you're an incredible guy. Women line up for you. Just forget Bethany. You heard her yourself; she loves her husband. You can't disrupt their marriage."

Jonathan remained silent, absorbing Nikolas' words.

After nearly a minute, he ended the call.

Nikolas didn't need to tell him this; Jonathan had already chastised himself countless times. But it didn't ease the ache in his heart.

Suddenly, a ringtone pierced the office's silence.

Jonathan glanced at his phone, realizing it wasn't this one, but the other one with the driver's SIM card.

Opening the screen, he found a new message.

It was from Bethany. "Hello, sir. I'm the car owner you had a minor accident with in Westsilver. My car's all fixed up now, and I'm sending back the leftover money. Here's a photo of the repair invoice."

Attached was a photo of Bethany holding the invoice, her injured finger clearly visible.

Jonathan zoomed in on the picture to inspect Bethany's injury.

At this moment, Jonathan felt like his heart was gripped by an iron fist. He was a whirlwind of nerves, excitement, and confusion.

Yes, the formidable CEO of Bates Group was now like a teenager who had just received a text from his crush, clueless about how to respond.

It had been four long years since Bethany last sent him a message.

He had completely forgotten he had bought the driver's SIM card.

"Hello?" Receiving no reply, Bethany sent another message.

Jonathan snapped back to reality. He immediately began typing. "Yes?"

Worried that his terse reply might seem too stiff, Jonathan added a smile emoji to avoid arousing Bethany's suspicion.