The fragrance of tea filled the private box, and the bustling noise from the auction hall reached their ears from time to time.Zoey gave a faint glance at Nathalie, who was sitting to Russell’s right, before lowering her gaze to the tea cup, watching the tea leaves float and sink.For some reason, she felt an unspoken sense of competition.Russell spoke softly, “Nathalie, you’re sitting in the wrong spot. Braeden was sitting here just now.”Nathalie smiled. “I know. I just poured the tea and sat down for a moment.”She glanced at Braeden, who had just entered the room, and stood up. “Braeden’s back. I’ll move back to my seat.”She sat down next to Zoey, a gentle, serene smile on her face.The auction hall soon quieted down as the host of Treasure Hall, an elderly man in his seventies with white hair and a bright demeanor, took the stage to begin the opening remarks.The first item was a vase from two hundred years ago. It had been auctioned off previously and was now being resold by t
Everyone turned their attention to the third-floor VIP box, as Treasure Hall had never sold fakes before. If Zoey's words were true, Treasure Hall’s reputation would be in ruins after tonight.Zoey’s tone was firm, “Of course!” She looked at Russell, “I’ll be right back.” Russell nodded, “Okay.” Zoey exited the box, took the elevator downstairs, and walked to the stage under everyone's gaze. The head of the hall scrutinized Zoey, “Little lady, are you the one saying these two paintings are fakes?” “Yes,” Zoey pointed to the paintings and said, “The large, dark green lotus leaves and the thin, twisting lotus stems seem well-drawn at first glance, but if you look closely, the stems are stiff and not flexible enough. The reed grass isn’t vivid enough either. The colors also show signs of being artificially aged.” The head of the hall replied, “Our appraiser, Vivian Brown, is Enzo Conway’s direct disciple.” Zoey raised an eyebrow, “Enzo? His direct disciple?” The head of
In the Auction House of Treasure Hall, everyone watched the dramatic scene in shock.Zoey looked at Vivian, a playful curve appeared at the corner of her lips.Vivian sobbed, "I was really upset, please let go of me!"Zoey felt that she and Ariana were really on par, top-notch angelic bitches."I was afraid that if I let go of you, you would fall to the ground. Look at how much I take care of you," Zoey raised her eyebrows slightly. "I never expected that I would suddenly have a junior sister out of nowhere."Vivian knew that Zoey did it on purpose, and just a little bit more, those two paintings would have been sold for two billion dollars.She really hated Zoey. She was truly a stumbling block on her path to wealth.After today's events, she would definitely be blacklisted by the antiques appraisal industry.The smile on Zoey's face gradually disappeared. "Just because you, a morally corrupt scumbag, want to falsely claim yourself as Mr. Conway's disciple?"She looked at the owner o
Nathalie took her handbag and left the private room, running into one of the stalls in the restroom.She covered the position of her heart with her hand, and that tearing sensation finally stopped.The thing inside that bamboo tube seemed to want to devour the thing in her chest.She couldn't go back anymore, otherwise she would be exposed, and she wouldn't be able to stay by Russell's side anymore.Zoey and the people around Zoey were her nemesis, to be honest!She took out a small bottle from her handbag and looked at the seemingly wriggling things inside. She clenched the small bottle.It seems that she wanted to find an opportunity and start early.She originally intended to send a message to Russell, but to avoid suspicion, she sent a message to Braeden, saying that she was not feeling well and had left first.Just as she got into the taxi, she received a phone call."Nathalie, do you know the consequences of deceiving me?""Gilberto?" Nathalie's heart skipped a beat, and her han
Zoey lived a new life, she would no longer be morally kidnapped, and she would no longer be at the mercy of others.She would not unconditionally accept Nathalie just because her father owed a favor to Russell.If Nathalie did something outrageous, Russell couldn't bring himself to do it, but she wouldn't mind being an executioner.Russell looked at the girl's serious expression and raised his hand to gently stroke her cheek. "If she is harmful to us, I will definitely not let her go. You don't need to dirty your hands."Upon hearing this sentence, Zoey finally felt relieved.The little thing in the bamboo tube calmed down from restlessness to stillness, as if savoring the taste of blood.The two of them returned to the apartment and, after washing up, lay down on the bed.These past few days have been exhausting, and Zoey fell asleep in no time.Russell kissed her forehead and closed his eyes.Luxury hotel.Ariana had just finished serving the old man when she received a call from Da
Russell did not expect Royce to give such an explanation. He looked towards the front of the banquet hall, where Mrs. Keller was accompanying Tabitha to receive gifts.The woman had delicate eyebrows and eyes, looking as if she was in her thirties despite being in her fifties. Time had not left any traces on her face, and there was indeed some resemblance between her and Zoey in her eyes and eyebrows.Royce asked, "May I ask, Mrs. Maddox, on which day is your birthday?""September twenty-second."Royce nodded slightly, "My sister was born on October 2nd, ten days apart.""What's ten days late?" Madeleine hurriedly walked over, her smile beaming. "Mr. Maddox, Zoey, you're here."Russell nodded slightly, and Zoey curved her lips, "Madeleine.""I said Mrs. Maddox's and my sister's birthdays were ten days apart," Royce chuckled.Madeleine was taken aback, then smiled slightly with a hint of regret.Royce asked, "Have you known each other for a long time?""We hit it off right away, and it
The laughter in the banquet hall gradually became muffled, while Lola's crisp high-heeled footsteps echoed in the sparsely populated corridor.She turned around and looked, seeing no one, she then entered a lounge.She directly formatted the robot dog, erasing all the content inside.She breathed a sigh of relief.It was just a little bit short of Zoey becoming known to the Keller family.In order to meet Ariana, she chose the backyard where no one would come.I didn't expect that her earring fell off when she left. When she turned back to look for it, she had an encounter with Carolyn.It seems that the heavens have favored her too much, so getting rid of Zoey will definitely go smoothly.Lola made a phone call and the person on the other end warmly greeted her by calling her name, "Lola..."She said impatiently, "Next time you hear my voice, don't speak. What if someone deceives you? Ariana and I have already met and warned her not to ruin my plan. Until the mission is successful, d
"Carolyn!"Lola called Carolyn and said, "The robot dog has been fixed."Carolyn walked over, took the robot dog, and shyly smiled at Carsen, "Thank you, Carsen."Carsen smirked, "You're welcome."He glanced at Zoey again and nodded slightly.Carolyn felt a bit uncomfortable in her heart when she saw this. It turned out that everyone liked beautiful women, and someone like her, a poorly developed little sister, was not at all eye-catching.She envied her little sister-in-law for being beautiful, having a good figure, and being talented!Zoey was her role model, and she wanted to work hard to become that kind of person.At the beginning of the birthday banquet ceremony, a refined and handsome man walked briskly to the entrance of the banquet hall. He had a tired look on his face, clearly indicating that he had rushed here.Leanna introduced, "This is Brodie Keller, an international cardiology expert and the second younges
Russell couldn't explain it this time, he raised his hand and pressed his forehead.To avoid suspicion, Troy directly transferred to Dalton's hospital when he arrived.When Dalton entered the ward and saw Layne, his heart was deeply shaken.This child looks exactly like Zoey, identical in every way.No wonder Russell recognized this ghostly-looking Zoey at first sight.The little one blinked his big eyes and sucked on a lollipop, "Uncle, you looked so handsome!"Dalton approached and asked Russell, "Is this your son?"Russell nodded and asked, "Are you handsome?"Yasmine was speechless."Looking handsome!" Dalton wanted to say, the male version of Zoey looks really good, even better than Russell, but he remembered Russell's advice not to mention Zoey's name in front of Yasmine. He wanted her to remember on her own, so he held back the rest of his words.He raised his hand and rubbed the little guy's head, "Does it
Yasmine glanced sideways and caught sight of Russell rushing towards her, momentarily stunned.She stood up from her seat and said, "How did you come?"When Russell passed by her, he raised his hand and gave the woman's shoulder a squeeze, "There won't be any problem."She said to the nurse, "I have the same blood type as my child, draw mine."The nurse asked, "Are you the child's father?"Yasmine exclaimed!The nurse looked surprised when she saw Yasmine and asked, "Is he the father of the child?"Yasmine was about to say no when she heard Russell say very confidently, "Yes!"The nurse pointed at Yasmine and asked, "And what about her?"Russell remained calm and composed as he uttered, "My mother-in-law has some opinions about me because I had an argument with her daughter."Yasmine was speechless.Russell raised an eyebrow and said, "Right, Mom? Layne needed a blood transfusion now, saving the child is th
Yasmine was initially startled, and then she began to struggle, but it was in vain.Russell was very skilled at using tricks to immobilize her."What did you want to do?"Russell smiled in his eyes and said, "I just wanted to ask you why you didn't take my pulse before giving me an injection."Yasmine did indeed forget about this matter, "It was my mistake, I apologize.""Do you have something on your mind?"Yasmine pursed her lips and denied, "No!""Are you still reminiscing about last night?" Russell had been thinking about keeping his distance from her after last night, but his body and mind couldn't help but want to get closer.He couldn't keep his distance!"I didn't!" Yasmine's voice involuntarily raised a few decibels.Russell saw that she was getting a little impatient, so he said, "Don't be angry, I let go."He slowly let go, and Yasmine pricked the needle.The needle was just about to stop
The next morning.Yasmine woke up and realized that Layne was not by her side.She heard the laughter of children outside the window, so she got out of bed and went to the window.Russell was watering the roses with Layne.Layne held the water hose with both hands, while Russell bent down and held his little hand to help him control the direction. They watched as the water splashed around, and Layne laughed heartily.Yasmine's lips curled slightly, and this scene was quite heartwarming.But the smile on her face gradually disappeared, none of these belonged to her, what was she expecting and longing for?She wanted to find out as soon as possible if the Huffman family's tragedy was related to Russell.After she finished washing up, she reapplied her previous makeup and went outside the villa to call Layne back.Children are easily dependent on and attached to people, so she wanted to keep Layne away from Russell in order
Russell's eyes were deep and dangerous as he stared at the man. "Who sent you?"The gaze was filled with a strong sense of danger, making the man's scalp tingle. He had no doubt that if he didn't tell the truth, Russell would kill him in the cruelest way possible.He confessed, "Derrick! Maddox is your Maddox, Derrick."Derrick?Russell had never heard this name before, but the surname Maddox was somewhat intriguing.He looked at the other four people and said, "Is that right?"The other four people also nodded repeatedly in agreement.Russell stood up and turned around to look at the two people still talking on the sofa, "I'm leaving, Derrick."Troy furrowed his brows, "This name sounds familiar to me. I think I've heard it somewhere before."Braeden rubbed his chin, "I feel like I've heard this name somewhere before."Russell took off his white gloves and said, "The rest is up to you guys, I'm going back first."
Russell glanced at him and said, "What's the excitement? Have you been single for too long that you become perverted at the sight of a woman?"Troy chuckled and quickly pursed his lips, lowering his head.Dalton's mind seemed to be working particularly fast. He cleared his throat and said, "Have you improved a bit and started returning to your sarcastic state?"Russell put his arm around the man's shoulder and led him up the steps, heading towards the entrance of the hospital.Yasmine glanced at Troy and asked, "Who is he?"Troy respectfully replied, "He was Mr. Russell's good friend Dalton, and this hospital was opened by him."Yasmine nodded, "So this is the standard for every male protagonist in a romance novel, a doctor friend?"Troy was speechless.Yasmine shrugged her shoulders and quickly followed.As he watched the woman enter the door, Troy burst into laughter, but as he laughed, tears welled up in his eyes.
Yasmine looked over suddenly, and the man stared ahead, gripping the steering wheel with both hands.His hands were slender, and his knuckles were distinct, just like a perfect piece of artwork.His profile was too outstanding, with contours that seemed to be outlined with charcoal, sharp and distinct.The protruding Adam's apple showcased the man's sexual tension, faintly exuding a wild scent.The dim yellow light of the streetlamp shone on his face, casting alternating shadows and highlights on his features, creating a sense of mystery.Russell glanced at her, "Did you really think so?"His voice sounded like it had been rubbed with sandpaper, with a low and magnetic tone, which was very pleasant to listen to.Yasmine stared at him, "Russell, weren't you loyal to your wife? Then why are you flirting with me?"Russell knew that he had upset her, so he stopped teasing her. "My wife wants me to live a good life."Yasmine
Yasmine didn't expect Layne to say such words. She trembled her eyelashes and held the little one's hand back."Layne, marriage between a man and a woman must be built on a foundation of love and affection. It is a sad thing for someone to become a substitute for the person who holds love in their heart, as no one can replace them."Layne nodded, "I understood."He hugged Yasmine and looked at her with blinking eyes. "Mom, actually I think you are also pitiful, not knowing who Layne's dad is. So Layne thinks it's better for you not to look for dad and just stay with uncle."He sighed, "I don't want to think anymore, my brain capacity is not enough, the adult world is really too complicated. Mom, why don't you give me a bath instead! Layne is going to sleep!""Okay."Yasmine took him into the bathroom and gave him a bath.After coming out, the little one climbed onto the dressing table and sat on the chair, swinging his little legs.
"Go back to Serene Manor?" Yasmine furrowed her brow. Derrick is now more dangerous than Russell, so going to Serene Manor is indeed a good idea, but it doesn't feel right.She cleared her throat and said, "Those people were chasing after you, what did Layne and I do?"Russell naturally guessed her thoughts, "Can't you cure me?"Yasmine lightly chuckled, "I saw you were quite normal now, maybe you didn't need any treatment after all.""That was because you were there." Russell and Yasmine's gazes collided in the rearview mirror.Yasmine averted her gaze and said, "I felt like your illness had improved for a month or two, so Layne and I would leave by then."Russell fell silent for a moment and then said, "Okay."Layne's eyes rolled around. One or two months, huh! Uncle better hurry up and become a father!Yasmine said, "Both Layne's and my belongings are at Rivulet Villa, we need to go and get them."Russell saw through