A while later, Herbert returned with a tall man in a black coat who bore a gentle and graceful yet mysterious expression. "This way, sir." Herbert extended his arm to show the way to the living room. "Mrs. Layton is waiting in the living room." Marley nodded courteously. Lucille was shocked to see Marley. She'd never expected him to visit her at Sparrow Residence. "Hi, Marl," Lucille greeted. Marley smiled warmly and nodded in return. He noticed Spencer sitting on the couch, who had a stoic expression and remained motionless, then smiled at him, too. Lucille's eyes darted between the two men before she lightly kicked at Spencer's leg, which was crossed. Spencer remained silent. He looked up and saw Lucille winking at him, which looked adorable. This was the third time he'd seen her make such sweet expressions at him. The whole scene unfolded before Marley. Without reservations, he casually sat on the couch across from them before looking up at Lucille. "It looks like I'd
After a while, Marley looked up at Lucille and said, "Something happened to Octavius." Lucille's eyes widened as the sparkle in them faded at the mention of Octavius Heldon. Her body trembled slightly. "Half a year ago, he came to my place. But he left on that same night and was attacked on his way back home," Marley said. "The trip he'd made was confidential, so he'd only brought two people—a driver and a bodyguard. But the opponent had over 20 people, each armed with weapons. "We only found the driver's and bodyguard's bodies when we rushed there, with no Octavius nowhere in sight. To this day, we haven't been able to find his whereabouts, nor can we tell if he's dead or alive.""The Heldon royal family covered up all the news about Octavius' disappearance. No one knows he's been missing to this day," Marley added. Lucille's expression dimmed to a terrifying extent at Marley's words. Her sparkling eyes were now covered in a layer of frost and darkness. She clenched her
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve. Many people celebrated New Year's Eve the same way—by spending quality time with family and friends. But to Lucille, New Year's Eve was slightly different this year. Spencer went to the office very early in the morning. Then, at noon, they went to Harmony Sanatorium to pick Marie up for lunch. They wanted to take Marie back to Layton Manor, but she refused, saying she was used to tranquility and just having lunch was enough. Luckily, Marie stayed relatively healthy, thanks to Casey's care. So, Lucille was relieved.Every time they met, Marie always kept an eye on Lucille's belly to see if there were any changes. Of course, Lucille knew Marie really wanted her to get pregnant, but…At 3:00 pm, Lucille and Spencer left for Layton Manor. "I saw Mom say in the group chat earlier that your aunt has returned this year." Lucille turned to say to Spencer as she checked her phone in the passenger seat. She knew Spence
Spencer threw Seth a cold and disgusted look, as if Seth were somewhat dispensable to him. This time, Seth had a keen sense of observation. He noticed that Spencer's handsome expression was sour and that his eyes were burning red in anger. "What's wrong, Spence? You don't look too well. Did you eat something bad recently? You should probably get Luke to have a look at you so that Lucille won't be worried." Seth asked out of his genuine care for his brother. But Spencer rolled his eyes at him and said, "You're such an idiot. No wonder you're still single today!" Seth looked at Spencer's handsome back with a saddened expression, wondering how he was an idiot. His IQ was at least 200! And what did he mean by "no wonder you're still single today"? It was because Seth wasn't interested in the first place!…Before Lucille entered the garden, she heard the laughter of different adults and the sounds of children playing. Lila noticed Lucille as soon as the latter arrived at the
James and Eric were playing chess in the garden while Lila and Yvonne were busy in the kitchen. Usually, during holidays, Lila would be cooking in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Seth and Spencer were left in the living room. Seth was casually checking his phone, whereas Spencer was seated on the couch with his legs crossed. His expression was grim, and he remained motionless like a statue. His pitch-black, abyss-like eyes were glaring at the silhouettes of an adult and a child outside the garden. His face was filled with annoyance and frustration. Feeling the sudden tension in the living room, Seth looked up and saw Spencer's handsome face etched with irritation. He then followed Spencer's line of sight and looked out at the garden. After thinking for a moment, Seth turned toward Spencer in curiosity. "Hey, Spence, don't tell me you're jealous of a 3-year-old kid, huh?" They had an over 20-year age gap with their cousin, Zane. They were in a completely different league and could
Lucille and Spencer finally returned to Layton Manor at 11:00 pm. Eric, Lila, Yvonne, and Seth were seated in the living room, while James was nowhere to be found. After all, he was old and couldn't stay up so late.While the others all said nothing seeing Lucille and Spencer returning this late, they all had a knowing and suggestive look in their eyes. Except for Seth, who was single, everyone present had once been young and gone through the same experience. They all knew exactly what happened to Lucille and Spencer with just a look at the two.Especially Lucille, whose eyes were so moist and reddish that it was clear that she'd just shed tears. Besides, her lips were slightly swollen, obviously the work for someone's passionate kiss. There was no way they'd believe Lucille and Spencer had just been kissing when they'd been gone for over two hours. Lucille felt a little embarrassed. She cleared her throat before greeting everyone, then sat on the couch with her head down.
Seth gulped. He wanted to say that he didn't even have any women around him. How could he mess with anyone? But, of course, he didn't dare to say anything. So, he just timidly nodded instead. …At 12:00 am, Spencer held Lucille's hand and took her to the balcony on the second floor. "Why did you bring me here?" Lucille asked curiously. Suddenly, she heard some rustling noises as fireworks colored the sky bright red, quickly turning the night sky into a sea of fireworks. The rapidly changing fireworks bloomed in the sky with exquisite, colorful patterns, creating a breathtaking scene. Once the fireworks had blossomed, they looked like gemstones embedded in the night sky for a moment before slowly descending like a shimmering waterfall of stardust. Spencer stood beside Lucille as she looked up at the blooming, vibrant fireworks with a smile on her face.He, on the other hand, gazed down at her eyes, seeing the vivid fireworks sparkling in the sky reflected in them falling
After hanging up the call, Eunice explained what had happened to Lucille and Bailey in their group chat. Soon, Bailey came up with an idea. "How about we frame Uncle Ian having an affair? Then, Eunie will have a reason to divorce him." Lucille was with Spencer at the moment. She wasn't concerned about him being there, so she played Bailey's voice message without hesitation. Bailey's morally dubious plan was broadcast into Lucille and Spencer's ears.At the time, Lucille was taking a sip of water and was taken aback when she heard Bailey's idea. Spencer, too, looked at her with a raised brow. Lucille noticed him looking and asked, "Do you think that would work?" She'd asked out of curiosity. After all, Spencer and Ian were close friends. Spencer would probably have a better idea of how likely Ian was to be deceived.Spencer went silent. For a moment, he didn't understand what was going on in Bailey's mind.He then concluded that women were terrifying for thinking of such un