A smile instantly appeared on Sophia's face. "Thank you. As long as you don't keep her detained, that's enough. Once she returns, I'll have a serious talk with her.""Fine," Lucas responded coldly, just as he was about to say something else, the sound of a car door closing interrupted him."No!" Aveline walked over briskly, her clear eyes filled with agitation as she looked at Lucas. "You can't release Gwen!"Lucas' eyebrows furrowed. "Are you giving me orders?"Aveline's fingers instinctively curled, and a sharp pain shot through her heart. His stern, sharp face felt completely unfamiliar to her.Sophia spoke up, "Miss Young, my cousin acted impulsively and made a mistake. She already knows she was wrong. If you feel that's not enough, I'll apologize on her behalf."With that, she bowed deeply to Aveline, placing herself in the lowest position possible. "Miss Young, I'm sorry!"Lucas grasped Sophia's arm and pulled her up. "Sophia, what are you doing? This has nothing to do with you."
"I’m not going!" Aveline said, not even glancing at Desmond as she stepped into the elevator.Desmond felt a headache coming on. Weren't things fine last night? How did they end up like this after just one night?He quickly followed her into the elevator, trying to salvage the situation. "Miss Young, if there's any misunderstanding, I think it would be best for you to clear it up with Mr. Tudor in person. After all..."Aveline gave him a cold look. "Get out."Desmond fell silent.He wanted to tell her that refusing to communicate with each other wouldn’t solve anything!But Aveline's icy gaze made Desmond feel a heavy, invisible pressure, as if Lucas himself were standing in front of him.Not daring to linger, he hurried out of the elevator, watching the doors slowly close. He sighed helplessly and took another elevator to the CEO's office.He knocked on the office door, and after hearing a response from inside, took a deep breath and walked in. "Mr. Tudor, Miss Young has packed up a
She wanted to erase every trace of him from her life!On the phone, Russell chuckled lightly and then said, "Alright, wait for me. I'll be there soon.""Okay."After hanging up, Aveline opened the app and listed her property for sale.About fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang.Aveline walked over and opened the door. Russell stood there, sporting short purple-gray hair and a roguish grin. He leaned one hand on the door frame and asked, "What made you change your mind so suddenly?"Aveline replied, "The house is too big. I get scared living here alone."Russell raised an eyebrow. "That's your reason...?"He didn't press further, though it was clear he didn't believe her.Aveline smiled slightly. "Russ, take a look and see if you like it."Russell walked in, taking long strides as he strolled around the house. "Of course, I like it, but Aveline, this house is already considered second-hand. While the location is great, it might not fetch the price you’re hoping for."Aveline's clear
Aveline hesitated and said, "But I've never attended such an event. I'm afraid I might make mistakes."Russell replied, "No worries, you just need to look beautiful."Aveline nodded. "Alright, just promise not to scold me if I mess up."Russell chuckled softly. "I promise I won't."Aveline continued packing her things. She didn't have much; everything fit into one suitcase. Once she was done, she paused for a moment, feeling a bit dazed.After living here for so long, this was all she had?From the beginning, she had never felt like this place belonged to her.A faint bitterness crossed her eyes as she zipped up her suitcase and carried it out the door.She gave the passcode to Russell.Russell nodded slightly, took the suitcase from her hand, and said, "Let's go.""Alright."Leaving Maple Garden, they headed back to the apartment she had lived in before.It had been a while since she returned, and the place was a bit messy.Feeling a bit embarrassed, Aveline said, "I haven't been back
The orphanage was filled with children who had been abandoned by their parents. When Aveline was a child back then, she couldn't help but wonder if she had been abandoned too. Why didn’t her parents want her after giving birth to her? So, for all these years, she had never thought about looking for her biological parents.Russell, noticing her distracted expression, said, "Maybe something happened to your family, or perhaps you were taken away. It's all possible. Do you want to find them, Aveline?""I haven't decided yet," Aveline replied.Russell said, "Take your time to think it over. When you're ready, let me know. I can help you."Aveline looked at him, feeling touched. "Russ, why are you so good to me?"Russell saw the familiar look of admiration in her eyes, and it made his heart ache. He choked up a bit and said, "Because I'm your friend, remember? Haha."Aveline smiled slightly. "I'll think about it.""Good."Russell didn't want to continue the topic. Did he really appear li
Aaron reached up to rub his arm and said, "I overheard Selena talking to Aveline on the phone. She sounds pretty certain. What did you do to make her want to leave Cloudflare City?"But he received no answer; Lucas hung up on him abruptly."What a temper!" Aaron commented, setting his phone aside and leaning back against the headboard."Selena!" He called out loudly, immediately feeling dizzy and unwell.A moment later, Selena pushed the door open and poked her head in. "What is it?"Aaron, half-squinting, said, "Add me to your messenger contact. I don't want to keep shouting; it gives me a headache."Selena replied, "You could just call me."Aaron said, "That's too much trouble."Selena was speechless.She gave him a perplexed look, unable to understand why he found calling her more troublesome than opening WhatsApp to send a message.What had gotten into him this time?But, remembering that she only had a week left with him, she decided not to argue. She walked in and added him as a
Selena glanced down too, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.Oh no!She was about to be caught!But when she looked down, she saw that her phone had broken upon impact!The screen was black!For a moment, she didn't know how to react.Aaron frowned. "Why are you so nervous?"Selena looked at him with a blank expression. "I wasn’t nervous. But you, why did you sneak up behind me? Were you trying to ambush me?"Aaron fell silent.He gave her an exasperated look and said, "I just came to see if you were done. I'm starving."Selena maintained her blank expression. "You could just send me a message! We just added each other on WhatsApp. If you were to fall because you came over, would you blame it on me?"Aaron was speechless, thinking, “What's gotten into this woman?”He rubbed his temples. "I don't have the energy to argue with you."Then he left the kitchen.Watching him enter the dining room and sit down, Selena let out a deep breath.Phew!That was a close call!She thought he'd
Lucas gritted his teeth in anger, now wanting nothing more than to grab Aveline and strangle her! The Maple Garden house was a meticulously chosen gift from him. How dare she sell it?The pressure in the room intensified, and the coldness in the air seemed to freeze.Russell frowned, seeing the murderous look in Lucas' eyes. He suddenly felt worried for Aveline. This madman might actually try to kill her. He needed to warn her to get out of town quickly.Lucas' cold gaze fell on Russell's face, his voice icy. "Mr. Skyler, you don't need this house. Name your price, I'll buy it."Russell laughed as if he had heard a hilarious joke. "Lucas, did I hear you right? You want to buy this house back? Are you that desperate to throw your money away?"Lucas' expression remained haughty and detached. "I'll have someone contact you. Within three days, I expect you to move out."With that, he turned and left, heading straight for Aveline's current residence.Russell snorted. The house was in his h
The reason it wasn’t the same was simple—her plan would fall apart if she got caught.Of course, that wasn’t something she could admit.Jolie simply said, "I just don’t want any unnecessary complications. Since you’ve already arranged the flight, let’s just leave directly."Gavin’s dark eyes fixed on her for a moment, but he didn’t press the issue.It was clear she didn’t want to talk about it any further, so he let it drop.When the elevator doors opened, the two of them walked out together. A car was already waiting at the entrance. Gavin, ever the gentleman, opened the door for her.The car pulled away from Cooper Enterprises, and Gavin asked, "What do you want to eat?"Jolie, busy typing on her phone, replied, "I know a good restaurant."It was a cozy place she loved, one she often visited with her friends."Alright," Gavin replied, pulling out his phone to respond to some emails. With his work condensed into such a tight schedule, he seized every spare moment to handle it.Jolie p
Gavin suddenly recalled Wilfried's words, "That girl doesn’t even like you."Lowering his gaze slightly, Gavin pushed the thought aside without explanation, his expression remaining cool and indifferent as he watched her. After Jolie finished looking through the photos, she turned to him and asked, "Why do you have pictures of all these women?" "My father brought them over," Gavin replied. "Oh." Jolie nodded knowingly and didn’t press further. It was easy enough to figure out—the Cooper family obviously wanted him to consider an arranged marriage, so they sent over these photos for him to choose from. She could understand that. In fact, she even helped him look through them, just in case one of these women turned out to be a good match for him. After all, their relationship wasn’t meant to last forever. When he grew tired of her and she had her fun, they’d part ways, and everything would return to normal. As she neatly organized the photos and placed them back on the ta
It was Jolie’s first time visiting Cooper Enterprises, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of curiosity about the place.No, to be precise, it was her first time stepping into any corporate office. The Quin family also had company, but she had never visited, nor had Daisy or Terence ever asked her to.The private elevator for the CEO was stunningly opulent, its polished surface gleaming like a mirror, perfectly reflecting their images. Jolie’s heart began to race with an inexplicable excitement.The assistant glanced at her and said with a warm smile, "Miss Quin, there’s no need to be nervous. Mr. Cooper will definitely be delighted to see you."Jolie nodded and replied, "I’m not nervous."The elevator moved swiftly, and as they neared the executive office, Jolie adjusted her cap and mask, pulling them snugly to hide her face as much as possible.Meanwhile, near the adjacent employee elevator, Rosalie was holding a stack of files, ready to head downstairs.She froze the moment she s
"I’ll wait for you to come back," Jolie said softly before hanging up the call. The phone let out a soft beep, and the beautiful girl on the screen disappeared. Gavin frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flickering across his face. She ended the call without letting him say anything. But as he replayed her soft words about waiting for him, the irritation quickly faded. When his assistant walked in, the first thing he noticed was Gavin staring at his phone, an unreadable smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The assistant froze, momentarily feeling as though he’d seen a ghost. Blinking hard, he looked again. Phew! It must have been his imagination. Gavin still wore his usual cold and impassive expression. "Mr. Cooper, these are the proposals submitted by the planning department," the assistant said as he placed the documents on Gavin’s desk. "Mm," Gavin acknowledged, immediately opening the files to review them. "Mr. Cooper, I’ve also finalized your schedule for
It sounded so much like Jolie! The thought stunned Rosalie. Jolie had a boyfriend, and she got sent abroad because of him. How could she possibly be in contact with Gavin, let alone on a video call with him? Still, an uneasy suspicion gnawed at Rosalie. If she could just take one glance at the woman in Gavin’s video call, she could put her mind at ease. Gathering her courage, Rosalie lifted her head and looked in Gavin’s direction, her gaze fixed on his phone. The next second, a figure stepped in front of her—Gavin’s assistant. With a cold stare, he blocked her view. Startled, Rosalie’s face turned pale. By now, Gavin had already entered his office. The assistant looked at Rosalie, his voice icy. “What are you trying to do?” “I-I…” Rosalie hadn’t expected to be caught so quickly. Her heart leapt into her throat as she scrambled for an excuse. “I just wanted to check if Mr. Cooper needed anything.” “That’s not your job,” the assistant replied firmly. “You may be the
Aveline held Joy in one arm and looked at Selena, asking, "What are you doing?" Selena replied, "Do you know what I just saw?" Aveline shook her head. "No idea." "Hickeys!" Selena pointed exaggeratedly to a spot on her neck, saying, "Right here. And I don’t think it’s just one spot. There’s probably a lot more below. Tsk tsk!" She clicked her tongue twice, shaking her head as she added, "Who would’ve thought Mr. Cooper could be so... ravenous." Aveline was amused and said, "Well, it makes sense. After all, he's already thirty, never had a girlfriend, and now that he finally does, of course, he’d go all out to spoil her." "Go all out to spoil her..." Selena drew out the words, mimicking her tone as she leaned in closer. "Ave, you’ve really been corrupted by Lucas, that scoundrel. You never used to talk like this." Aveline responded matter-of-factly, "I’m the mother of two now. What’s there to be embarrassed about?" "Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Selena made a playful, teasing expr
The corners of Gavin’s lips curved into a faint smile.The subordinate giving the report froze, his eyes widening in shock.What on earth?!Did he just witness that?Their notoriously serious and unsmiling boss—especially during work—had just smiled. In the middle of a meeting at his phone.Several others in the room noticed it too. Their gazes darted between each other in silent but frantic communication.What’s going on?Did Mr. Cooper just smile? At his phone? During a meeting?“Is he… dating someone?” everyone thought.“Ahem!”Gavin’s assistant cleared his throat, immediately breaking the silent chaos. First, it was a warning to the staff to rein in their imaginations, and second, it was a subtle reminder to Gavin, who was typing a reply.Even the assistant couldn’t help the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.Who would have thought?The president of Cooper Enterprises, a man known for his iron will and unshakable focus, was texting his girlfriend during a meeting… and smilin
Rosalie said, “That must be tough for you. But why did Uncle and Aunt suddenly decide to send you abroad?” Jolie’s eyes flickered. So, her parents hadn’t told their relatives the real reason? How typical.Of course, they’d be too embarrassed to admit it. Shipping their daughter abroad just to force her to break up with her boyfriend? What a humiliating thing to confess. Jolie replied calmly, “I wanted to study abroad to gain some experience. It’s for my future photography exhibition. I still have a lot to learn.” “Oh, I see,” Rosalie responded, feigning understanding. Then she added, “Where are you staying? If I get the chance, I’ll come visit you.” “There’s no need, but thanks for thinking of me,” Jolie said lightly. “I’ll only be gone for a year. I’ll be back before you know it.” Rosalie smiled on the other end. “Alright then. If you need anything, just let me know.” “Sure.” After a few more polite exchanges, the call ended. Rosalie stared at her phone, gripping it
"Beep! Unlocked!" The electronic voice of the fingerprint lock sounded unusually clear in the quiet night. As soon as Jolie stepped through the door, Gavin wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into a warm embrace. His hot breath cascaded down onto her ear and neck, making her breath hitch instantly. She didn’t even have time to take off her shoes before she was swept up into his arms. His kisses were relentless, stealing her breath and unraveling her control as her emotions rose and fell with his every move. Before she knew it, she was seated on the entryway cabinet. Her dress had been pushed up to her waist, and her legs were forced to cling to his lean waist. His fingers trailed over her skin, leaving traces of his presence wherever they went. “Mm…” A soft whimper escaped her lips as his kisses marked her skin. Each mark, blooming like crimson flowers against her fair skin, painted a vivid contrast on her porcelain complexion. The room remained pitch dark, but