Lucas responded coolly, "Alright."Though he acknowledged verbally, he didn't head upstairs. Instead, he took out his phone to call Aveline.While he knew she'd be more comfortable away from here, she should have at least informed him. Leaving without a word - did she not consider him at all?When he dialed, he heard a message saying the phone was switched off.Turned off?Lucas frowned.Seeing that he hadn't moved, the servant said, "Mr. Lucas, Mr. Frederick wants to discuss Mr. Leo’s matter with you. You should go quickly."Lucas' dark eyes grew cold, his intense pressure weighing on the servant, who lowered their head even further.He put away his phone.Recalling Aveline's extremely cold attitude towards him, a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.Perhaps she had deliberately turned off her phone to avoid him!Feeling increasingly irritated, he walked towards the study with an icy expression.Without knocking, he entered, only to see Frederick sitting in his chair with a maid kneel
Frederick said in a deep voice, "I didn't discipline him well before, which is why he's become like this now. I can't let him continue like this. He's right; he's the only heir of the Tudor family now, and nothing can happen to him. I need to find him a wife who matches our status, someone who can give birth to an excellent heir."A hint of disgust flashed in his eyes. "Aveline's status is not suitable to be the Tudor family's daughter-in-law."Yvonne replied, "But I think Lucas really likes Aveline."Frederick said, "Women with low-status value unfounded feelings the most. As long as Aveline discovers Lucas's infidelity, she will definitely demand a divorce. He does like her a lot now, but if a woman becomes too troublesome and loses her original charm, will he still like her?"Frederick knew this well because that was how things ended between him and Lucas' mother.Yvonne listened, her eyes briefly revealing a cold glint, but she kept her expression neutral and said, "Shall we do it
Aveline walked directly down. The basement was even colder than above, and as she descended, the lights flickered on one by one. She stopped in front of a door with iron bars and frowned, "Who's in there?""Is... is that you, Aveline?" The man's voice came out weak and frail. Aveline could even smell a faint scent of blood.Aveline's expression grew tense, "Who's there?""It's Bobby."Aveline widened her eyes. "Bobby? Is it really you?"She grabbed the bars and peered inside desperately, but it was pitch dark; she couldn't see anything."It's me... Aveline, please save me. I'm being tortured to death. I don't want to die. Please help me, okay?"Bobby's voice was filled with pleading as if clinging to a lifeline."I..." Aveline wanted to say she would get him out, but then she remembered Bobby's own father had given up on him. As an outsider, did she have the right to intervene?Aveline asked, "Did you really steal from the Tudor family?""No, I didn't!" Bobby was extremely agitated.
Aveline pondered for a moment and said, "I'll get to the bottom of this. If you're innocent, I'll get you out."Bobby broke down in tears. "Aveline, thank you!"Aveline felt a pang of discomfort. If Bobby knew that Zane had given up on him for money, how would he react? At the same time, a chill ran through her. If someone had orchestrated all this, what was their motive? Why target a mere driver?Aveline returned upstairs, feeling somewhat warmer. She glanced towards the villa's garden and headed in that direction. She couldn't leave just yet. She needed to find Lucas and get some answers.The garden was still lively, and Aveline's sudden appearance stunned everyone. Their gazes quickly turned to shock and disdain. She looked disheveled, her dress dirty, her hair messy, and her face and arms covered in dust, as if she had crawled out of a dirt pit.A servant saw her and hurriedly stepped forward to stop her, "Who let you out? Go back inside!"Aveline pushed the servant aside, "I am th
The butler explained what had happened in the garden earlier, especially the scene where Barbara was frightened to tears, describing it vividly. He glanced at Aveline with a frown, his tone becoming colder. "Madam Barbara is very fond of Madam Aveline. I don't understand why she would want to harm her."Aveline frowned. "I didn't do it. It wasn't me."The butler replied, "But the servants saw you pushing the wheelchair, which scared Madam Barbara."Aveline looked at Lucas and said calmly, "Grandma wanted a flower crown, so I went to pick flowers. When I heard the commotion, she had already been pushed away by someone else.""Did you check the surveillance?" Lucas asked the butler in a low voice, his eyes cold.The butler nodded. "We did, but that area is a blind spot. Nothing was captured."Lucas' tone grew even colder. "If nothing was captured, how can you be certain she pushed Grandma? If that's the case, can I speculate that you instigated someone to frame her?"The butler became t
Lucas asked in a deep voice, "Have you found this person?"Aveline shook her head. "No, the butler said there were no servants wearing masks today."Due to the birthday banquet, many temporary workers had been hired, and the requirements were strict. Allowing a servant to wear a mask was out of the question.Lucas' expression grew colder. He took out his phone and made a call."Hello, boss?" came Maria's lazy voice."Check the surveillance at the Tudor family estate," Lucas said, providing a specific time frame. Without waiting for Maria's response, he hung up.Maria sighed. "Seriously?"Aveline looked at him. "Do you have a way to check the surveillance there?""Let's wait and see," Lucas replied calmly.Aveline nodded. Either the surveillance would reveal something, or Barbara would need to clarify things herself. But since she was asleep, Aveline couldn't disturb her.Just then, there was a knock on the door."Lucas, Aveline, it's me," Yvonne's gentle voice called out."Come in," Lu
A chill spread from the depths of her heart as she struggled to control her emotions. Yvonne fixed the zipper and suddenly asked, "Aveline, did you see that basement?"Aveline shook her head. "No, I came over immediately after I got out. I was afraid something might have happened to Grandma."Yvonne replied, "It's good you didn't see it. If you had, you might have been scared."With that, she turned and left the dressing room.Yvonne left the bedroom directly. When Aveline walked out, her face was somewhat pale.Lucas, sensing something was wrong, walked up and held her hand, finding it cold."What's wrong?"Aveline pulled her hand away and lowered her eyes. "Let's handle Grandma's situation first. I don't want to be falsely accused."Lucas nodded but still sensed her resistance and reluctance. She hadn't been like this before. What had changed?Aveline turned to leave, but Lucas grabbed her and asked, "Where are you going?"She paused and said, "I want to see Grandma."Lucas replied,
At that moment, Lucas' phone vibrated. He took it out and saw a surveillance video.Maria had found the footage from the time of the incident.Lucas played the video and discovered it was just as Aveline had described: someone had pushed Barbara's wheelchair. However, due to the angle of the camera, it was impossible to see who pushed the wheelchair.The wheelchair rolled downhill until a masked attendant stopped it. The attendant kept his head down, revealing only that he was a tall man, but his face was unclear.Lucas frowned.He quickly composed a message and sent it out.Looking up at Aveline, he asked, "Are you tired?"Aveline pressed her lips together and said, "I want to leave."Lucas responded, "It's not over yet. You can't leave."Aveline looked at him, frowning. "What do you mean? Don't you believe me?"Seeing her agitation, Lucas replied, "I believe you, but we can't leave until this is resolved."Aveline still felt uneasy.But then she thought, even though he didn't trust
“Got something on your mind, Dad?” Gavin asked, noticing Wilfried’s serious expression as he entered the room. His own demeanor softened a bit.Wilfried didn’t waste time, sitting down heavily on the sofa with a stern look. "What are you planning to do about what happened today?"Gavin froze for a moment, realizing that the whole situation had become an open secret within the family. His response was calm, though. "I don’t have any specific plans."At this, Wilfried’s expression darkened even further. "That won’t do. You’ve taken advantage of someone, so you need to take responsibility. I’ll have someone look into that girl’s background tomorrow, prepare the bride price, and we’ll go make the proposal immediately."Gavin blinked, his typically composed expression faltering slightly. After a brief silence, he replied, "Dad, I’m willing to take responsibility, but what if she doesn’t want to marry me?"Wilfried paused, momentarily caught off guard by this possibility. His gaze swept over
“Hmm, you’re right. I’ll talk to your brother and see what he thinks,” Wilfried said thoughtfully.Aveline nodded and went on her way....In the study, Gernard sat on the sofa, a mischievous grin plastered on his face. “Brother, why didn’t you let me finish? I was about to spill the best part.”Gavin ignored him and pulled out a document, handing it over. “Take a look at this. If everything’s in order, you’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow.”“What’s this?” Gernard blinked, taking the file and flipping it open. His eyes widened as he scanned the pages.He shot up from his seat, staring at Gavin in disbelief. “Wait, you’re serious? You’re actually sending me to South Africa? Do people live there? When did we even expand into that region?”Gavin, seated in his leather chair, remained cold and composed. “Recently.”Gernard’s face twisted in disbelief. After a long pause, he finally blurted out, “No way. I’m not going.”Gavin’s gaze flickered over to him, calm but stern. “You don’t hav
“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