I Once Married You (Harper and Benjamin)

What Is Your Motive?

Nathan's eyes lit up at the news. "So you're not going to keep up the cold act with me anymore? Alright, since you're willing to cooperate, I'll save myself the trouble. But you better hurry, I've taken some pills, and I can't wait."

It was only then that Harper understood; he had taken pills.

"I'm willing to cooperate with you, but don't hurt me."

Her expression turned faint, her tone carrying a hint of negotiation.

Nathan agreed, then released Harper. As he turned to get some water, Harper rushed to the door, but Nathan caught her just as her hand reached the doorknob.

"Bitch! Lie to me?!"

Nathan wanted to slap her, but his hand was intercepted mid-air by Harper.

Harper grabbed his fingers and suddenly exerted force, almost breaking them at a 90-degree angle.

Nathan cried out in pain.

"Bitch..."

"Here's your chance to speak properly," Harper warned coldly. Then, before he could react, she slowly approached him, lowering her voice, "Nathan, answer me. Did Lauren tell you to deal with me?" Nathan, sweating from the pain, dared not to speak out of anger but only nodded. "Yes, it was her, Ms. Mitchell. Please, let go of me..."

Harper's expression changed, her eyes deep with coldness. Nathan felt her beauty but also shivered at her presence, feeling as if he had been kicked in the groin...

The pain made his mind go blank, but before he could cry out, Harper pulled out something resembling a needle from her pocket and stabbed it into his backside. In just a second, Nathan collapsed to the ground.

Though he hadn't lost consciousness, Harper stood over him. "Now, I will play with you properly."

*****

Pineview Villa.

Meanwhile, Benjamin had just returned. As soon as he stepped into the room, Lauren hurried over. "Benjamin, something's wrong."

"What's happened? What is it?"

"I'm not sure if I should tell you," she said, lips pressed together, speaking softly, "This involves Harper, and I only heard about it from Lucy's friend."

Lucy was a friend of Lauren's from the entertainment industry.

Benjamin's brows furrowed slightly at the mention of Harper. "What's wrong with Harper?"Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Benjamin, don't get angry when you hear this. After all, we're not sure if it's true or not. Some people have been saying that Harper has been getting very close to Nathan recently, even going out to eat together. They even went to a hotel tonight..."

Lauren spoke softly, stealing glances at Benjamin. His face turned extremely grim, his brows knitting together tightly.

He said coldly, "Don't talk nonsense."

"I'm not. I'm just telling you what I know. Do you want to ask Harper about it?"

Benjamin didn't make a phone call but simply said he had work to do and went upstairs. Standing by the window, he lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, his face still grave.

Finally, he picked up his phone and dialed Harper's number, but there was no answer.

Benjamin's brows furrowed, then he called Curtis. "Where's Harper?"

"I'll find out right away."

His handsome face was as cold as ice, his eyes filled with a chilling intensity.

The call continued, and Curtis immediately began asking people who had been following Harper. After getting the information, he reported back, "Mrs. Martin arrived at a budget hotel around six o'clock this afternoon and hasn't come out since..."

The more Curtis spoke, the more he felt like he had discovered something extraordinary, and he dared not continue speaking.

Benjamin hung up the phone, gripping it tightly in his palm.

He pondered for a few seconds, then sent out a message.

At this moment, the sound of a car engine outside could be heard. From his position, he had a clear view of the woman getting out of the car and entering the house.

Harper entered the house, and Draven came out from the dining room. "Harper, we've been waiting for you to come back to start dinner."

"Okay, where's Benjamin?"

"He's upstairs. I'll go call him down."

"Draven, you're busy. I'll go."

Harper said as she prepared to go upstairs, but Lauren came out from the living room, neither warm nor cold. "Harper, why are you back so late?"

Harper calmly assessed Lauren's face - pretty, with a captivating voice, but a dark heart.

She just glanced at her indifferently and ignored her. Lauren continued, "Benjamin knows what you've been doing outside. It's embarrassing. I didn't expect you to be that kind of person."

Harper narrowed her eyes slightly, turning to look at her. "What have I been doing outside? Ms. Davis, why don't you tell me, hmm?"

"Anyway, Benjamin knows," Lauren's peripheral vision caught sight of the man descending from upstairs, and she quickly added, "Benjamin, please don't be angry. Harper probably just went to see a friend and didn't do anything."

Harper also turned instinctively, looking at Benjamin. Their eyes met for a moment, and he casually looked away, his expression indifferent, as he walked downstairs.

"Dinner," he simply said and headed straight for the dining room.

Lauren also arrogantly glanced at Harper before promptly catching up with the man.

During dinner, Benjamin remained silent throughout, and Harper didn't speak either. Lauren, feeling a bit dissatisfied with the current atmosphere, pretended to pick up her phone, then exclaimed, "Oh my, Harper, how could you do this?"

Harper looked calmly at Lauren, offering no response.

Lauren extended the phone to Benjamin's face. "Take a look."

His face was cold, his deep eyes gleaming with cold light, and his noble demeanor was completely shrouded in indifference. At that moment, it seemed as though there was a chill permeating the air. Benjamin extended his hand to take the phone and pushed it in front of Harper. "What about this? How do you explain it?"

Harper lowered her gaze. On the screen was a screenshot of a message: [Harper actually slept with Nathan. It's disgusting. Nathan said it himself, bragging everywhere.]

Harper looked at Benjamin and asked, "Benjamin, do you believe me?"

His gaze was deep, revealing a hint of inscrutability as he stared at her intently, and the atmosphere became quieter.

After a few seconds of silence, before he could speak, Lauren couldn't wait any longer and said, "Harper, is it true that you and Nathan...?"

Harper's heart was full of anticipation for his response, but in the end, she didn't get it. She looked at Lauren and said, "It seems like you know everything, Lauren Davis. What is your motive?" "Harper, don't talk nonsense."

"Really? Who knows if it's nonsense or not?"

Harper directly dialed a number on her phone, and soon it connected. It was the hoarse voice of a man. "I'm Nathan."

"Nathan?" Lauren became emotional, her expression somewhat flustered.

Harper looked meaningfully at her. "Nathan, tell me, who ordered you to watch me and attempt to do inappropriate things to me?"

"It's Lauren, she told me that you are easy to take the bait..."

"You're talking nonsense, Harper! You're wronged. How could you do this? If you did something wrong, you could admit it and explain. I believe Benjamin will give you a chance." Lauren was very excited. She looked at the man next to her and explained, "Benjamin, it's not my business. Nathan is falsely accusing me. Someone must have instigated him."

Benjamin remained silent, his handsome face expressionless, his eyes deeply shadowed with an intense chill, exuding an aura of frigidity that seemed to envelop his entire being.

The atmosphere fell silent.

Lauren became flustered. She pointed at Harper and questioned, "You clearly went to the hotel. Dare you say you didn't do anything with Nathan? He must have slept with you, so you're helping him frame me."

Harper just smiled faintly and hung up the call.

She looked at Benjamin with indifference. "Benjamin, all the evidence is right in front of you. Do you really believe Lauren is innocent?"