He stared at his phone, thinking about sending a message to Snow, but his fingers hovered in midair, unable to type a single word. Frustrated, he tossed the phone aside, grabbed a bottle of liquor from the cabinet, and poured himself a drink.The sharp taste burned down his throat, momentarily washing away his irritation. Aaron downed the entire glass in one go....As soon as Selena left the building, she breathed a sigh of relief. She frowned, trying to understand what had gotten into Aaron. Just two nights together, and he seemed emotionally attached?The thought made her shiver with disgust.Determined to mess with him further, she pulled out her phone and logged into her alternate account.Snow texted, “Aaron, have you been busy lately? Check out my graduation gown. How does it look?”She sent a picture she found online, showing only from the neck down.Normally, he would reply instantly, but this time, even after she got home, there was no response. “What’s going on? Is he de
Lucas' expression hardened, his eyes turning icy as he stared at her. He had been waiting for her to return, but thirty minutes had passed without a trace of her. He texted her but got no response. He called, but she didn't pick up. A chill ran down his spine.He had someone locate her, only to discover she was at the movies with someone else. Was she really so engrossed in a film that she couldn't even reply to him?"Get in the car," Lucas said icily.Aveline slipped her phone into her coat pocket, shaking her head. "You're a bit scary right now. I'm afraid you'll kill me if I get in.""Heh!" Lucas let out a cold laugh. "At least you're self-aware."Aveline replied, "I'm standing under the surveillance camera. No matter how powerful you are, you won't do anything to me."Her fearless expression inexplicably made Lucas uneasy. He pushed open the car door and got out, his tall figure instantly overshadowing her. An invisible pressure enveloped her."You are right," he said in a dee
Aveline averted her gaze. His eyes were too intense, and she realized she couldn't resist them. Keeping her distance was a better idea.She walked into the villa and looked at Lucas. "Can you tell me now?"Lucas responded coolly, "It was an overseas virtual number. I had someone trace it, and it turns out it was one of the Tudor family's bodyguards."Aveline frowned. "Who instructed this bodyguard to send me those photos? What's the purpose?"Lucas asked, "What was your first thought when you saw the photos?"Aveline pressed her lips together. "Compassion. I wanted to rescue him."Lucas' tone grew colder. "But you know I won't release him. This goes against what you want. The person who sent you the photos wants to see us turn against each other."Aveline said, "That's what I suspected too."Lucas looked at her in surprise. "You figured that out?"Aveline replied, "I'm not stupid. Also, I suspect that my previous imprisonment in that warehouse was intentional. How could it be such a c
Aveline was startled and turned to look, but she only saw the shadow of the speeding motorcycle gradually disappearing from view."Thank you," she said, turning back to the person who had grabbed her. When she saw his face she was slightly taken aback."You're welcome," the young man replied. He was tall and lean, wearing a mask that revealed only his eyes. His bangs naturally fell over his forehead, partially obscuring his stern expression.Aveline was momentarily dazed. This man looked like Lucas!The man turned to leave."Wait!" Aveline quickly blocked his path, hesitantly asking, "Have we met somewhere before?"The man, still wearing the mask, spoke in a muffled voice that revealed no emotion. He shook his head. "No, I don't know you."Aveline asked, "Did you work part-time as a waiter at the Tudor residence?"A memory flashed in her mind - the waiter who'd rushed out just in time to stop Barbara from tumbling off the cliff at her birthday party. Suddenly, the image of that wait
Aveline thought about Lucas' proposal for three days but couldn't come to a conclusion. That afternoon, she received a call from Barbara. Aveline was quite surprised and immediately asked, "What’s the matter?"Barbara's aged voice came through, "What? After the divorce, you don't come to see me anymore? I admit I said some harsh things before and forgot some details. Lucas has told me everything; I wronged you."Aveline was taken aback. This proud old woman was actually apologizing to her? She almost wanted to check if pigs were flying outside.However, considering she was a sick elderly woman, Aveline decided not to hold a grudge. "I've been busy with work. I'll make time to visit you."Barbara replied, "Come over this afternoon. I'll send someone to pick you up. There are many things I don't understand, and I want you to explain them to me."Aveline instinctively frowned. "But..."Barbara interrupted, "Do I have to invite you personally?"Aveline felt a hint of pressure. The current
The sunlight streamed in at an angle, casting a soft glow on the hospital room's white walls. Barbara sat on the hospital bed while Sophia sat beside her, feeding her fruit. Aveline stood at a respectful distance and greeted, "Madam Barbara."Barbara didn't even glance at her. Instead, she said to Sophia, "It's a good time now, how about you take me for a walk?"Sophia nodded. "Alright."She and the nurse helped Barbara from the bed into a wheelchair, and then pushed her out of the room. As they passed Aveline, Sophia glanced at her with a cold smirk.Aveline frowned slightly and turned to follow, but a bodyguard at the door stopped her."Madam Barbara instructed you to wait here.”Aveline's heart sank with a sense of foreboding. She stepped back a couple of paces, and as the door closed, she pulled out her phone to contact someone, only to find there was no signal. The room was equipped with a signal jammer!Her expression darkened immediately. What was Barbara up to? Why was she bei
As night fell, Aveline groggily opened her eyes. She was still in the hospital room, and Barbara had not returned. She got up and turned on the lights. Just as she gathered her thoughts, the door to the room opened. Thinking it was Barbara, she turned her head, only to see two bodyguards walk in. "Miss Young, Madam Babara is waiting for you outside.”This time, Aveline didn't believe a word. She sank into the sofa and said, "It's pretty late. Madam Barbara still isn't back? It's already getting chilly out there. At her age, catching a cold could be serious."Seeing that she wasn't leaving, the bodyguards exchanged glances. They then approached her, took out a spray bottle from their pocket, and sprayed it in her face.Aveline was startled and instinctively tried to avoid it, but it was too late. The strong, unpleasant smell filled her nostrils, and she immediately felt dizzy. "You... you..."She couldn't finish her sentence before passing out.The hospital bed was pushed into the ele
The hospital surveillance footage quickly reached Lucas' phone. He sat in the car, scrutinizing it carefully. From the moment Aveline entered the room to when Barbara and Sophia left together, he didn't miss a single detail. However, there was a missing segment in the footage.Lucas pressed a button on his Bluetooth earpiece, his voice icy. "Maria, where's the rest of the footage?"Maria responded hastily, "I'm looking, I'm looking! Don't rush me." She was sweating profusely, nervous and worried. If she had known that Aveline would get into trouble after leaving in the afternoon, she wouldn't have let her go."Hurry up," Lucas' voice came through the earpiece, extremely cold.Maria felt a chill run up her spine. She swallowed hard and quickly tapped on the keyboard, hacking into one surveillance system after another around the hospital, searching for Aveline's figure."I found it!" Two minutes later, she exclaimed and immediately sent the video to Lucas' phone. The footage, captured
“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