Aveline froze, instinctively turning to look at him. The dim light inside the car cast shadows over his face, making it difficult to read his expression. She opened her mouth but felt lost."I don't know either," she said softly.As an orphan, she had never seen how parents interacted and therefore didn't know what a good husband or father looked like. But Lucas came from a complete family. How could he not know?Aveline wanted to ask, but given their current relationship, it seemed unnecessary. Even if she knew, what difference would it make?Lucas spoke in a low voice, "Since neither of us knows, let's just get by. Why complicate things with so many demands?"Aveline remained silent. The atmosphere in the car was stifling.Just then, her phone rang. She looked at the screen and saw it was Selena calling."Hello, Selena," she answered, thinking Selena had finished packing and was ready to leave.Instead, Selena's voice was frantic. "Ave, Lucas' people are trying to take me away! I—" H
"Aveline, my people took Selena, but I don't know where she is now. I'm sending someone to find her." He explained that his men had indeed taken Selena and that there was a traitor among his subordinates. They still needed to find out who had ordered Selena's abduction, but for now, he needed to clarify things with her."I only found out about this when you told me," Lucas said in a deep voice.Aveline's eyelashes fluttered, and her fingers curled slightly. She asked softly, "How could your people take Selena without you knowing?"She felt he was lying to her. He knew that Selena was her weakness. As long as he had Selena, he could make her do anything he wanted.Lucas' expression darkened as he walked directly in front of her. "So, you don't believe me?"Aveline didn't respond, which was as good as admitting it.Lucas grew increasingly agitated, his expression becoming even more grim. "Aveline, this has nothing to do with me," he said coldly.Aveline said, "Then find her quickly,
Selena's struggles gradually weakened as despair began to creep into her heart. The next moment, she felt a tight grip on her arm, and she was pulled into an embrace that carried a hint of coldness."We'll keep you tied up for now. Even if we untie you, nothing good would come out of your mouth," came a lazy male voice from above.Aaron held her and placed her into another car. He carefully untied the ropes around her wrists while dialing Lucas' number."Lucas, I've found her. Yes, I also caught those men. I'll have someone send them over to you for questioning.""Got it," came Lucas' cold and indifferent voice over the phone.Selena, though still groggy, paused for a moment upon hearing this. Lucas wasn't the one who ordered her abduction?Then why did those bodyguards say it was on Lucas’ orders?Rip...Just then, the tape over her mouth was suddenly torn off, the pain jolting her awake.She sucked in a sharp breath, her face pale from the pain.Aaron looked at her and chuckled light
The car sped along the highway as the sky gradually darkened. Selena's hands and feet were once again bound, and she was thrown onto the back seat.Aaron's expression was far from pleasant; he was in a terrible mood. How did he end up in such a mess? What if this woman died on his watch? He certainly didn't want to go to jail!They arrived at the nearest villa, and Aaron carried Selena inside. The butler, upon seeing this scene, was utterly shocked."Mr. Aaron, w-we can't do anything illegal! If Mrs. Fletchers finds out about this, she'll faint!" The butler followed Aaron, trembling and pleading earnestly.It didn't look good at all. The girl was tied up, her cheeks flushed, eyes hazy, and mumbling incoherently, clearly against her will.The butler had watched Aaron grow up. As a child, Aaron had been adorable, but he had become quite reckless as he grew older. Still, he had never done anything immoral like this, and it couldn't start now!Aaron glanced at the butler strangely. "Do you
Lucas and Aveline arrived within an hour.Aveline rushed upstairs, finding Selena still sitting in the bathtub, submerged in cold water, looking utterly miserable."Selena?"Aveline's fingers trembled as she touched Selena's face.Selena lifted her eyelids to look at her and forced a smile that was more pitiful than crying, "Ave, I almost died. I want to kill those bastards!"Aveline grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her. "Can you walk?"Selena nodded. "The drug's effects have worn off."A cold, steely glint appeared in Aveline's eyes as she helped Selena out of the bathroom.The butler had already placed a set of women's clothes on the cabinet.Aveline walked over, picked up the clothes, and handed them to Selena. "Change your clothes. We're going to get revenge."Hearing this, Selena perked up immediately, hurriedly drying herself off and changing into the clothes."Damn, these are huge!"Selena looked at the baggy clothes, a simple tracksuit that made her look like a chil
In the car, Lucas glanced at Aveline, noticing her still sour mood. "What now? Even though I wasn't the one who had Selena taken, you're still upset with me?"Aveline looked up at him. "Don't you think Selena has a point?"Lucas' thin lips curled into a mocking smile. "In your eyes, everything she says is always right, isn't it?"Aveline fell silent; it was true. Selena had always looked out for her from the start.Lucas pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and half-closed his eyes. "Don't even think about divorce. I'll have Brian protect you in secret, and I'll assign a few bodyguards to you as well."Aveline said, "That's quite a bit of trouble. It must cost a lot of money."Lucas glanced at her. "I have money."Aveline chuckled lightly. The smell of smoke suddenly irritated her, and she reached out, grabbed his cigarette, and tossed it out the window.His fingers were left empty.Lucas looked at her in surprise.This was the first time she had taken his cigarette away.His ga
“Holy crap...” Selena exclaimed as she saw the scene, her face turning a bit pale.Aaron stood nearby and scoffed. "Afraid?"Behind them, Lucas covered Aveline's eyes with his hand, pressing his chest against her back and speaking in a low voice, "Don't look."Aveline, however, pushed his hand away, calmly glanced at the three men, and then looked at Selena. "Are you okay?"Selena replied, "I’m... I’m okay. I can still walk..."Aveline fell silent.She helped her up. "Let's get out of here first. They won't let these men get away with it."Selena nodded, her voice trembling, "Okay... okay."Aveline supported Selena as they left, while Lucas watched them go.Aaron remarked, "Didn't expect her to have such guts."Lucas responded, "If she didn't, I wouldn't be here."After all, no timid person would pick up a man from the roadside and take him home.Aaron understood what he meant and chuckled softly. "Considering she saved your life, haven't you thought about making things work between yo
Aveline nodded. "Okay."She then turned to Selena. "Come with me.""No way.”"Absolutely not."Two voices spoke at the same time. One was Selena's, who shot a look of disdain at Lucas. "There's no way I'm staying under the same roof as him. I'd be tempted to stab him in his sleep, and I don't want to go to jail."Aveline was speechless.Lucas' face hardened. "Just throw her in the basement and let her sleep with those guys for a night.""You bastard..." Selena nearly exploded.Aveline quickly intervened, "Let's take you home first."At that moment, Aaron's voice chimed in, "I'll take her."Selena looked at him suspiciously, "Is there any hidden motive behind your kind offer?"Aaron laughed in exasperation. "I saved your life, didn't I? What do you think?"Selena muttered something under her breath, but no one caught it.Aveline thought for a moment and said, "I'll take her. I’ll feel better knowing she got home safely."Aaron replied, "I brought her back safely. What more reassurance d
“What gossip?” Aveline's interest was instantly piqued, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Gernard.Gernard leaned in conspiratorially, about to spill the juicy details. “It’s about Brother. You won’t believe what happened today…”“Ahem!”Before he could finish, Gavin appeared, clearing his throat just loud enough to interrupt. He grabbed Gernard’s arm, pulling him away. “Let’s talk about the company,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.Gernard protested, “Brother, wait, I wasn’t finished!”Aveline, her curiosity fully ignited, took a couple of steps forward. “Hey bros, don’t leave me hanging! Finish the story first!”Without slowing down, Gavin replied, “He’s headed to South Africa soon. Work comes first.”“South Africa?” Gernard’s jaw dropped. “Wait, since when am I going to South Africa? I didn’t hear about this! What’s going on?”Aveline stopped in her tracks, equally puzzled. “South Africa? Does the Cooper family even have projects there?”Just then, Wilfried walked
"Got too much free time on your hands?" Gavin’s cold gaze fixed on Gernard.Unbothered, Gernard strolled over and patted his brother's shoulder, grinning. "So, what’s your plan now? I got a little bored and did some digging on the Quin family. Guess what? Turns out they’re Selena’s birth family. She left them ages ago to make it on her own, but the girl you were with? That’s Jolie Quin, the pampered princess of the family."With a knowing smirk, Gernard added, "Brother, I couldn’t help but notice—Jolie and Selena do look a bit alike. Could that be why you…?""Get lost," Gavin cut him off, not in the mood for Gernard’s teasing. He brushed past him, heading downstairs.Of course, that only fueled Gernard’s enthusiasm. "Hey, don’t walk away! I haven’t finished my gossip yet!" he called after him, but the conversation came to an abrupt end as they reached the main floor, where the guests were still gathered for the celebration....Aveline noticed Selena seemed a bit distracted and asked,
One of Jolie’s long, slender legs was exposed to the cool air, and Gavin’s fingers instinctively tightened, as if they could still feel the smoothness of her thigh under his grip. His gaze darkened, though his expression only grew colder. His sharp, chiseled features gave him a distant, unapproachable aura—a man who seldom smiled and whose demeanor warned others to stay away.He was cold, almost like an ice block."Debt’s owed," he said flatly, tossing out the two words before sitting on the sofa and picking up the phone to make a call.Jolie blinked in surprise, processing what he said. Debt owed?Was that something you could even keep on hold?But thinking about it, he probably didn’t need anything right now. So, if he wanted to leave the debt hanging, so be it.Stretching lazily, Jolie sat up and said, "Have someone bring me a change of clothes."With that, she pulled the blanket aside, slowly rising from the bed despite the discomfort between her legs and headed toward the bathro
As the effects of the drug finally began to fade, Jolie lay exhausted on the bed, her body drenched in sweat. Her skin, especially across her delicate shoulder blades, bore faint marks from their encounter and her breath ragged as it brushed against her own back. Her vision was hazy, and she barely had the strength to speak."I... I’m fine now... you can stop," she murmured, her voice weak and broken from the strain of what had just happened.The madness of moments before still pulsed through her, the aftershocks of it lingering in her body. She never expected that grabbing a random man for help would lead to this, nor did she expect him to have such relentless stamina.Yet, the man behind her didn’t stop. He didn’t respond either. His large hands remained firmly gripped around her slender waist as if he were trying to squeeze the very breath from her."Stop... I told you to stop, didn’t you hear me?" Jolie’s anxiety spiked as he continued. What was wrong with him? They’d agreed he was
Gavin said nothing and simply hung up the phone, his expression darkening by the second.Behind him, Jolie’s soft, pained whimpers filled the air. She was writhing on the bed, her delicate skin flushed a faint pink.Gavin clenched his jaw, tugging at his tie. It had already loosened from when she’d pulled on it earlier, and with a rough yank, it came completely undone. Frustration simmered beneath his calm exterior.Where was Selena? She was supposed to be finding help, but she still hadn’t returned.His frown deepened as he reached for the door, ready to leave."Please… help me…"Her desperate voice, laced with a hint of a sob, echoed from behind him. The softness of it hit him like a lit match to his chest, sparking a heat he wasn’t used to feeling. "Please… I’ll pay you… I won’t take it for free…" Jolie’s voice broke as tears streamed down her face. She was sobbing now, her words dripping with helplessness and shame, as if offering him money would somehow make her request more bear
"Stop moving," Gavin growled in a low voice.But Jolie, completely under the control of the drugs, was acting purely on instinct, seeking out what her body craved most. She didn’t register his words at all. Instead of stopping, she slipped her hand inside his shirt, feeling the hard muscles of his chest."Mm..." Jolie let out a soft sound, whether from the satisfying feel of his muscles or because the touch of his skin intensified the drug’s effects, it wasn’t clear.Gavin's breathing became heavier. He couldn’t stay here any longer—this drugged and irrational woman could do anything at this point, and there was no telling what she’d attempt next.Quickly surveying his surroundings, Gavin spotted a quieter route. Without hesitation, he carried Jolie out through the back door, re-entering the villa through another entrance. He headed upstairs and slipped into the nearest empty room, laying her down on the bed.Just as he moved to leave, Jolie, still hazy and half-conscious, sensed his d
"Let… let me go!" Jolie struggled with all her might, but the drugs were quickly sapping her strength, leaving her powerless to break free.The man, too impatient to care, ignored her pleas and began dragging her toward the back exit."Hey! She told you to let her go. Are you deaf?" A sharp voice suddenly cut through the air.The man froze, startled, and looked up to see a girl standing not far away."Who the hell are you? This has nothing to do with you. Get lost!" He snapped, not recognizing Selena, his tone turning nasty.Selena’s expression grew colder as she took in Jolie’s disheveled state. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and slapped the man hard across the face, then yanked Jolie away from him."Letting yourself fall into the hands of this scum? Where’s your fight?" Selena said sharply.Jolie’s blurry consciousness flickered at the sound of her familiar voice. When she realized it was Selena, her tensed body finally relaxed, leaning heavily into her for support."Take me
Jolie watched Selena’s retreating figure and shook her head in frustration. What could she do? Selena’s emotional wounds ran deep, and no matter what Jolie tried, it seemed impossible to bridge the gap between them.Returning to the party, she glanced around at the crowd of men and women mingling with champagne flutes in hand, but her mind wasn’t on the event. She casually picked up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and sipped it slowly.What she didn’t notice was a man standing across the room, watching her. As she drank, his eyes darkened, and he licked his lips suggestively.After finishing about half the glass, Jolie started feeling strange. Her body was growing weak, her skin hot and feverish, and a strange itchiness spread through her veins.Her brows furrowed in confusion. What was happening? She headed toward the restroom, but as she rounded a corner, her legs gave out, and she had to grab the wall for support to keep from collapsing."Did someone drug me?" she murmu
Maria looked at the two little ones, absolutely delighted, and then turned to Aveline. "I’ve got some happy news to share as well."Selena guessed, "You're pregnant?"Maria nodded. "That’s right."Selena gave her a thumbs-up. "Wow, that was fast! You said it and made it happen."Maria smiled. "I couldn’t fall too far behind. I need to make sure my kid has the best opportunities and chances, right?" With their babies close in age to Ethan and Emma, Maria thought it would be perfect for them to grow up together, maybe even become childhood sweethearts.She looked at Selena and asked, "Weren’t you eager at first too? Why haven’t you made any moves yet?"Selena sighed. "I’m not sure. Honestly, I’m a little scared."Maria reassured her, "Take your time, no rush."Selena got up and left the room, heading outside for some fresh air. Seeing Aveline go through the struggles of pregnancy and the dangers of childbirth genuinely frightened her. On top of that, she worried she wouldn’t be a good m