Sophia instinctively glanced at Aveline. However, Yvonne acted as if she hadn't noticed her expression and said, "Let's go, time to eat."Throughout the entire situation, Aveline remained silent. She simply observed everything indifferently.How could Yvonne, who managed to become the matriarch of the Tudor family, be someone without a scheming mind and intelligence? What was the meaning behind that scene just now? Was she trying to sow discord between her and Lucas, or make her jealous of Sophia?A trace of mockery flashed within Aveline.At that moment, Lucas descended the stairs. Noticing the expression on her face, his eyes darkened a bit as he approached and asked, "What's wrong?"Aveline glanced at him and said, "Nothing, it's time to eat."As she spoke, she was about to leave, but he grabbed her wrist.She looked at him in confusion.Lucas furrowed his brows and said, "Aveline, you can tell me if anything happens. You can't handle everything alone."Aveline's expression turned
Aveline had been trying to keep a low profile, so she was a bit surprised when Barbara suddenly spoke to her."Grandma, try this chicken leg, okay?" Aveline put some food on Barbara's plate."Alright, I'll try it." Barbara's attention was immediately diverted.Lucas' deep gaze fell on Aveline's face, but she only looked at Barbara, not giving him an extra glance.Yvonne said, "Since you don’t come home often, you should spend a night here. Mom has been thinking about you."Barbara nodded in agreement. "Yes, stay. You must stay tonight."Aveline paused and looked at Lucas, hoping he would refuse. Given their current relationship, it wasn't appropriate for them to stay together.But to her surprise, Lucas nodded slightly. "Alright."Her brows immediately furrowed. What did he mean? Didn't he see the look she gave him?"Barbara took Aveline's hand and said with a smile, 'Ave, you and Lucas need to work hard so I can hold my great-grandchild soon. I've had the kitchen prepare a healthy sm
Lucas seemed to have figured out what was on her mind and said, "It's just one night. What are you afraid of?"Aveline replied, "I'm not afraid. I just think that, given our current relationship, it's not appropriate for us to stay together."Hearing this, Lucas's expression darkened. "What relationship?"Aveline responded, "The relationship of a couple about to divorce."Before she finished her sentence, Lucas walked towards her, his eyes dark and cold.Aveline immediately became alert. "What are you doing?"Lucas stopped in front of her, his gaze intense. "So after all this time, after everything we've been through, you still want a divorce?"Aveline lowered her gaze slightly, her lashes fluttering. "Lucas, I've seriously thought about it. We can't go back to how we were before. Marriage should bring a sense of security and comfort, but I've never felt that way, and I believe you haven't either. So, it's better to separate. It might be the best option for both of us."She spoke since
She looked at Lucas with a sincere expression, desperately explaining as if she feared he might misunderstand her.Lucas' face remained indifferent and aloof. "I didn't think much of it."Sophia sighed in relief. "That's a relief. I was really afraid you might misunderstand me and end up having a conflict with Miss Young."She paused and added, "But I noticed that Miss Young seemed unhappy. Did you two have a fight?"Lucas didn't respond, merely looking at her coldly.Sophia realized her mistake and quickly said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't pry into your marital affairs. I was just thinking, we should consider ourselves friends now, right?"Lucas asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"His tone was detached, completely different from before.Sophia bit her lip lightly and said, "No, nothing else. I won't bother you anymore."With that, she turned and walked away. She was wearing shorts that exposed her prosthetic leg, making it quite noticeable.Lucas' gaze fell on her prosthetic leg, h
Sophia lowered her eyes, hiding her thoughts. This time, she wanted to see how Lucas could continue being with Aveline!...Aveline returned to the villa. A servant approached her and said, "Madam Aveline, the kitchen has already sent the smoothie that Madam Barbara ordered to Mr. Tudor’s bedroom. Please remember to drink it.""Alright, I know." Aveline nodded slightly. "Has Grandma gone to bed?"The servant shook her head. "Not yet."Aveline said, "Then I'll go see her."The servant led her to Barbara's room. Barbara was playing with a flower garland and looked pleasantly surprised when she saw Aveline. "Ave, are you here to keep me company?""Yes, Grandma. How about I sleep with you tonight?" Aveline walked over and sat opposite her.Barbara was about to nod but then shook her head as if she remembered something. "No, you can't sleep with me. How will I get a great-grandchild if you're with me? You need to sleep with Lucas."Aveline's lips twitched slightly. Barbara looked like a
Sophia felt a chill down her spine, but she steeled herself and said, "It... it was Aveline who asked me to come. She said she wouldn't be back tonight. Lucas, she really doesn't love you anymore. She’s willing to do this just to get a divorce. You shouldn't think about her anymore. Are you feeling uncomfortable? Let me help you, okay?"As she spoke, she bravely reached out towards Lucas.At this moment, Lucas was completely engulfed in anger! Aveline had sent Sophia to him?She dared to push him towards another woman? Fine! Excellent!Lucas' eyes were filled with icy coldness as he looked at Sophia, "You really want to help me? You won’t regret it?"Sophia immediately showed her intentions, looking at him with eyes full of admiration. "Lucas, I let go before because I thought you two were in love, and I wished you well. But after truly letting go, I felt heartbroken. I really love you, Lucas. As long as I can be with you, I'll do anything and never regret it."A cold, mocking smile
Aveline dragged Sophia to the bedroom door. Inside, a bedside lamp cast a dim, yellow light. Lucas, wearing a bathrobe, leaned against the headboard, the robe's collar open. He had a cigarette between his lips, and smoke swirled lazily around him."Continue what you were doing," Aveline said, pushing Sophia inside, her expression cold as she watched them. Her hands and feet were freezing.Ha... He couldn’t even control his lust even when they were at the Tudor family mansion?He had claimed he wouldn't marry Sophia. But now, here he was trying to sleep with her, right in front of Aveline. She had even considered whether to divorce...Did it matter? It didn't matter anymore!Lucas had never truly been her Lu; he had always intended to be responsible for Sophia. Now, he and Sophia were finally together. She should be clapping and celebrating her newfound freedom!But why? Why did it hurt so much? She had decided not to love him, so why was it still so painful?Aveline had a talen
The night was deep and dark. The sky, faintly lit by moonlight, was gradually covered by dark clouds. Raindrops began to fall, eventually turning into a torrential downpour. The rain streaked down the windows, creating a chaotic pattern of lines that cast a fragmented, shadowy light into the room.Aveline bit down hard on Lucas' shoulder, her eyes filled with hatred as she trembled and cried uncontrollably. Lucas' shoulder muscles tensed like stone, veins bulging at his temples, and his eyes were filled with cold, piercing fury."I hate you, Lucas, I hate you!" Aveline sobbed, hitting him with her fists, struggling and gasping for breath, refusing to give in.Lucas, however, was overwhelmingly forceful, as if he wanted to devour her whole. His aggression was relentless.She eventually ran out of strength, left helplessly crying. Why was he treating her this way? He was already slept with Sophia, so why did he still need to take out his frustrations on her? Why not just divorce her
Jolie was completely baffled, a string of question marks running through her mind. But when the girl suddenly dropped to her knees, it genuinely startled her.She quickly reached out to help her up. "Get up first. We can talk properly."Before Jolie could react, the girl grabbed her hand and slapped herself hard across the face with it.Smack!The crisp sound echoed in the quiet hallway, leaving Jolie frozen in shock."Why did you hit me?" The girl, who had just been crying like an innocent damsel in distress, now clutched her face and loudly accused her. "Ian and I are the real couple! You’re the one coming between us. How could you hit me?"Jolie blinked, completely dumbfounded, as the girl’s voice rang out.A few passersby paused, glancing over to witness the commotion.Meanwhile, Ian, who had been waiting and wondering why his girlfriend hadn’t returned, came looking for her. The scene he walked into—his girlfriend on the ground, crying and accusing Jolie—made him stride forward,
The person in the hallway glanced at her briefly but quickly looked away, as though she were a stranger. Jolie’s hand, lifted halfway to wave, stalled in mid-air.What... was that? Gavin noticed her reaction and asked in a low voice, "What’s wrong?" "Nothing," Jolie replied, shaking her head and brushing it off. The man outside was Ian. Pretending not to know her was probably his way of avoiding unnecessary trouble—after all, they had already "broken up." The door to their private room shut completely, and Gavin hadn’t seen Ian or his group. He turned back to her and asked, "Do you come here often?" "Yeah," Jolie nodded. "I come here a lot with friends." So, this was one of her favorite hidden gems. The fact that she was willing to share it with him felt significant somehow. Gavin caught himself lingering on that thought and was momentarily taken aback by his own reaction. He kept his expression neutral, not letting on what had crossed his mind. The food arrived qui
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