Sophia sat next to Lucas, holding her phone and looking at recipes. Seeing a dish she liked, she leaned closer to him. "Lucas, how about I make this dish? But we need to go to the supermarket; I don't have enough ingredients at home."Lucas frowned slightly and suddenly said, "Stop the car."The driver immediately pulled over.Sophia looked at him in confusion. "Lucas, what’s the meaning of this?"Lucas addressed the driver, "Make sure Miss Winter gets home safely." He then turned to Sophia. "I have something to do, so I need to leave."With that, he opened the car door and got out."Lucas..." Sophia called out to him, but he left without looking back.Sophia clenched her phone, her expression quickly turning cold! She saw that Lucas had been looking at Facebook and he was looking at the post about Aveline. That was why he left immediately!He had promised to go to her house for dinner!Could it be that Aveline really occupied his heart?No! She absolutely would not allow that to happe
"Ave, stop drinking," Selena began, initially frightened, but now even more scared seeing Aveline in this state.Aveline pushed her away. "If I don't finish these, what if he doesn't let us go?" She said, downing another glass.Russell's nonchalant smile gradually faded, his gaze growing colder with a hint of interest. Hah! This woman had the audacity to snatch something from his hand earlier, and now she was utterly terrified. But from her demeanor, it seemed she was drinking to drown her sorrows."Enough!" Russell said impatiently.But Aveline didn't stop. Out of eight glasses, she had already drunk five."I haven't finished yet. No way." Aveline shook her head, her vision now extremely blurry, yet she accurately picked up another glass and drank."I said, enough!" Russell suddenly stood up, grabbed her wrist, and snatched the glass from her hand, hurling it to the floor. The glass shattered into pieces instantly.Aveline swayed on her feet. Selena quickly held her up. "Ave, you don'
Lucas held Aveline, looking at her flushed, drunken face with a deep frown. "Ave, I'm taking you home.""Who are you?" Aveline's vision was blurry, and feeling someone holding her, she immediately started to struggle.Lucas patiently said, "It's me, Lu."Hearing his voice, Aveline paused for a moment, then struggled even harder. "Get off me, you bastard! Don't touch me!"Lucas' face darkened.Russell's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Buddy, didn't you hear her? She doesn't want you touching her."Lucas shot him a cold look. "This is between me and my wife. It's none of your business."Russell's smile faltered. Wife? Watching Aveline struggle, an inexplicable anger flared up inside him. "It doesn't look like it. How about you show me your marriage certificate to prove you're her husband? Otherwise, I can't just hand her over."Lucas' handsome face grew even colder, his expression darkened. He pulled the marriage certificate out of his pocket. "Is this clear enough for you?"Russell
"Mr. Lucas, the ginger tea is ready," the servant's voice came through."Bring it in," Lucas commanded in a deep voice.The servant placed the ginger tea on the nightstand, bowed slightly, and left the room, closing the door behind them.Lucas held Aveline down. "Ave, drink the ginger tea. It'll make you feel better."Aveline continued to struggle. "No, no, get away from me. I want to go home."Lucas said, "Drink it, and I'll take you home."Aveline turned her head and flopped onto the soft bed. "I don't want to go home. I want to live in a big apartment, like one of those 300-square-meter ones!"Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "This is it. You can stay here from now on.""Who are you?" Aveline asked."Look at me and see who I am," Lucas said, grabbing her chin gently.Aveline stopped struggling and stared at him for a moment before saying, "Oh, you look familiar, like my scumbag ex-husband."Lucas's frown deepened. "We haven't divorced yet.""It's happening soon,
Aveline tried to get up, but he pulled her back down."What are you—mmph..."Before she could finish, his fierce kiss silenced her. Aveline tried to push him away, but he grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head.The kiss grew more intense, spreading to her neck, her collarbone...Their breathing became erratic.Staring at the intricate ceiling, Aveline's eyes filled with tears. "Lucas, I'm not your tool for venting your emotions. If you still appreciate that I saved you once, please let me go."Please stop this. It was really painful for her. He was supposed to take responsibility for another woman, yet he kept entangling with her over and over. What was the point? Wasn't he the one who wanted a divorce?Couldn't he be decisive about it?Lucas' breath on her collarbone grew heavier, but finally, he let her go and got out of bed, heading to the bathroom.Aveline slowly lowered her hands, closed her eyes, and exhaled a deep breath, feeling a wave of disappointment wash over her.
"Let's go," Lucas said as he stood up, blocking her view.Aveline looked at him. "Huh?"Lucas looked down at her. "Aren't we going to the lawyer’s office?"Aveline lowered her eyes and didn't say anything. She got up and followed him out of the Tudor residence.As she glanced back at the expansive and luxurious villa, she couldn't help but say, "What a shame, I won't be able to come here anymore."She did like this place."You can still come," Lucas suddenly said.Aveline looked at him, meeting his dark, intense eyes. She smiled and replied, "No thanks. It would be awkward if I ran into you and Miss Winter getting cozy."Lucas's brow furrowed, and his demeanor grew colder.He stopped looking at her and got into the car.Aveline took the front passenger seat, but the driver didn't start the car.She blinked in confusion. "What's the hold-up? Let's go."The driver was sweating nervously. "Could you please sit in the back?"Aveline turned to look at Lucas. Sure enough, he looked even more
Aveline hung up the phone and turned to Lucas. "I need to go back to the office."Lucas's expression was cold. "No, we’ll file for divorce first."Aveline felt a pang in her chest but responded, "I can divorce you anytime, but I can't lose my job. You know I rely on this job to make a living."Lucas' dark eyes stared at her for a long moment before he finally said, "Go to the office."The driver immediately changed direction.As soon as they got out of the car, Aveline hurried towards the elevator. She got in just as it arrived and pressed the close button without waiting for Lucas. But just before the doors closed, a hand reached in, triggering the sensors to reopen the doors.Aveline sighed. Couldn't he have taken the other elevator?Lucas's tall figure entered, making the elevator feel even smaller. Aveline stood in the corner, opening the project files on her phone to review all the details and ensure she was prepared to discuss them with her manager.When the elevator doors opened
Aveline texted, “Selena, can you find out Brighton Enterprises' CEO's schedule?”Selena replied, “I'll try!”Aveline turned off her phone and waited quietly.In the CEO's office, Desmond explained the situation to Lucas and then asked, "Mr. Tudor, should we arrange a meeting with Brighton Enterprises?"Lucas replied, "No need."Desmond was taken aback. "But if this isn't handled well, Miss Young might lose her job."Since the incident happened under her watch, if she couldn't manage it and find the leaker, she would take the fall. Getting fired would be the least of her worries. If rumors spread that she leaked company secrets, she wouldn't be able to work in the industry anymore.Lucas looked at the documents on his desk, his expression calm and distant. "She can handle it."His tone was confident as if he knew her very well. And he did. With her personality, she wouldn't take the blame quietly.Desmond looked at him, feeling conflicted. They were about to divorce, yet Lucas still s
Aveline said, "Braden is probably not interested."“Huh? Why?” Selena asked, confusion spreading across her face.Aveline explained, “Baron, Braden, and Maria all have a special bond with Lucas. No matter what, they wouldn’t betray him.”She paused for a moment, her thoughts drifting to Brian, the man who had always seen it as his duty to protect Lucas. She wondered how he was faring now.Selena shrugged. “Alright, I suppose. He’s helped me a lot recently, and if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have handled everything so smoothly.”Aveline replied, “It’s all over now. Taking him with you wouldn’t really serve any purpose.”“True,” Selena agreed, nodding as she let go of the subject.She ended up staying in Larbor City for a month. One night, Aveline suddenly went into labor. The family rushed to action—though there was some initial chaos, they quickly regained control. Drivers got the car ready, calls to the hospital were made, and everything unfolded smoothly.At the hospital, Lucas h
To mitigate the impact of the incident, the Fletcher family arranged a marriage with the Skyler family, setting the wedding date for just one month later, a rather hasty decision. Aaron officially became the head of the Fletcher family, and despite any grievances Nathalie might have had, she didn’t dare voice them, keeping her frustration to herself.Selena, on the other hand, finally had some leisure time. With Aaron busier than ever, she felt bored and decided to visit Aveline in Larbor City.Aveline’s belly had grown quite large, and with just a month left until her due date, her feet had started swelling, looking puffy and rounded like little pillows. Seeing her condition, Selena couldn't help but remark, "Pregnancy looks so tough. I'm starting to get a little scared."Aveline glanced at her. "Are you planning to get pregnant?"As far as she remembered, Selena had never mentioned such plans.Selena nodded, then shared the idea she had previously about arranging a marriage between
Aaron held her hand and led her directly out of the room upstairs.Meanwhile, inside the room, Nathalie had someone forcibly separate the two entangled people. Ernest looked utterly disheveled, still trying to grab onto Lila and continue.Lila, now slightly regaining her senses, realized the situation. She let out a piercing scream, wrapped herself in the blanket, and cried out in distress."How could this happen? Why did it turn out like this? Why am I here? Mom, wasn't that bitch Selena supposed to be in this room? Why is it me? Why me!"The sensation in her body was undeniable, and seeing Ernest in his dazed state, she could already imagine how wild things had been between them. Worse yet, many people had witnessed it!This scene was supposed to fall on Selena!What went wrong?Nathalie hugged her, trying to calm her down, "Don’t get worked up, Lila. You can’t afford to get upset right now. It’s okay, mom’s here with you. I’ll take care of this."But Lila was inconsolable, sobbing u
The servant stood frozen in shock, unable to comprehend what had just unfolded. How... how could this have happened? How did Lila end up in the room instead of Selena?She distinctly remembered helping Selena into that very room and watching as the family doctor applied the patch to her ankle. The patch, once applied for more than a minute, should have released the drug into Selena's system, gradually taking effect. But now everything had gone terribly wrong.Pale and trembling, the servant knew that her role in this failed scheme had been exposed. There would be no good outcome for her. She began to retreat, hoping to slip away unnoticed."Leaving so soon?"A lazy, magnetic voice suddenly spoke from behind her.Startled, she spun around to see Aaron standing in the doorway. His tall, imposing figure blocked the exit, preventing anyone from leaving easily."I... I..." The servant stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence, trapped in her fear.Aaron’s expression remained neutral, b
"Such a big issue has to be cleared up, don’t you think, Aaron? What if someone is deliberately trying to smear your wife’s name?" "Exactly! We’ve all met your wife—she’s beautiful and sharp. There’s no way she’d do anything to betray you.""We need to open the door and clear up any misunderstandings before things get out of hand."The crowd voiced their concerns, their words filled with feigned sympathy, but their eyes gleamed with anticipation.Kendrick arrived just behind Aaron, and upon hearing the whispers, his expression darkened."Who said this?" The servant timidly raised her hand. "I... I did."His voice hardened. "Are you sure of what you saw?"Though visibly frightened, the servant nodded firmly. "I’m sure.""I don’t think she’s lying.”"Maybe it’s true. If it is, then she really couldn’t keep herself in check, especially at Lila’s birthday party. How shameless.""Unbelievable! With a husband like Aaron, she’s still not satisfied? I can’t understand women like that."A few
"What’s going on?" Nathalie’s brow furrowed as she took in the situation. She immediately called over the servant who had been with Selena earlier. "Is Selena in that room?"The servant nodded nervously. "Yes, I helped Mrs. Fletcher into the room."Nathalie’s expression hardened. "Then why won’t the door open?"The servant’s face turned pale, her eyes darting around anxiously. She stammered, "Madam, maybe it’s best not to disturb Mrs. Fletcher. She just needs to rest, and I’m sure she’ll come out soon.""Why are you acting so suspicious?" someone nearby asked. "And why weren’t you inside taking care of her?"Nathalie narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the servant. Suddenly, her tone sharpened. "Why are you hiding something? Tell me what’s really going on!"The servant flinched under Nathalie’s gaze, her face paling even more. Trembling, she said, "Madam, I-I don’t know for sure. I was with Mrs. Fletcher, but then she asked me to leave… I didn’t go far, I was keeping an eye on things in
After speaking, the servant promptly left the suite, standing guard outside.Selena smirked, her eyes hardening with a cold glint.She stayed in the room for a while, eventually deciding to get up and leave. But as she stood, a wave of dizziness hit her out of nowhere.Frowning, Selena called out, "Come here!"The servant appeared but kept her distance. "Mrs. Fletcher, what do you need?""I don’t feel right. Go get the family doctor."The servant’s eyes flickered with something unreadable before she replied, "Of course, I’ll fetch him right away."She turned and hurried off.Selena sat at the edge of the bed, focusing on regaining her composure. She slowly made her way to the balcony, opened the doors, and breathed in the fresh air. Instantly, she felt better.That patch definitely had something off about it!"Miss Selena," a hushed voice called out.Startled, Selena turned to see Braden standing at the windowsill of the adjacent room, blending into the shadows of the night.Surprised,
Selena’s eyes fell on the pain patch, and she nodded. "Alright, go ahead."The family doctor applied the patch and gave her a few instructions before leaving.Leaning back into the sofa, Selena said, "You can leave now. I’ll rest for a bit."The servant, however, remained standing nearby. "Mrs. Fletcher, I’ll stay here just in case you need anything."Selena raised an eyebrow slightly.What was this about? Was someone sent to keep an eye on her? To stop her from leaving, perhaps?She couldn’t quite figure out the motive yet, but there was no rush. She’d adapt to the situation as needed."Fine, stay there then. Don’t go anywhere," Selena replied, before heading to the bed and lying down. She pulled out her phone and messaged Aaron.“Where are you? You missed quite a show earlier. You’d have regretted not seeing it!”Aaron replied, “Sounds like I did. Will you fill me in?”“You finally replied! Where have you been?”Aaron texted, “Stuck in a meeting with my dad at the office. Heading ba
At that moment, Nathalie spoke up as well, "It's just a dance, Selena. Don't disrespect Mr. Brooks."Her words implied that Selena was deliberately avoiding the dance.Ernest's expression had already soured.Selena glanced from one person to the next, her eyes reddening as tears welled up and began to fall."You’ve misunderstood me," she said softly, her voice trembling. "I didn’t mean it that way. Mr. Brooks and the Fletcher family have business dealings, and of course, I respect our partners. But my foot really is injured. It’s no big deal, though. “Even though tonight is Lila’s birthday party, and she should be the one dancing the opening dance, since Ernest invited me, I would still dance even if my leg was broken."She paused, looking fragile and innocent, before continuing with a hint of apology. "Mr. Brooks, I’m afraid my injured foot won’t keep up with your steps. I’m truly sorry."Playing the innocent card like a delicate girl? Selena could do that just as well. After all, wi