"Are you full already?" Lucas looked at her seriously and asked, "You've eaten very little."Aveline glanced coldly at him. "Since when do you have to control how much I eat?"Lucas raised an eyebrow and didn’t continue speaking. Instead, he took her plate and started eating her leftovers.Aveline was slightly stunned by his action.Everyone else saw this scene and didn’t know what to say.It seemed fine?They were married after all.Even though they were in the midst of divorce proceedings, they had once loved each other.Selena rolled her eyes dramatically, "Disgusting.""I want to go back to my room," Aveline said.Selena got up. "I’ll help you."Aveline nodded and then stood up with Selena’s help.At that moment, Lucas put down his utensils, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and stood up, immediately lifting her into his arms."What are you doing?" Aveline exclaimed, grabbing his collar as if she feared he would throw her down.Lucas said, "You're walking too slowly. Let me carry you
Russell, whose eyes usually held a carefree smile, now stared at Aveline with serious intent.Previously, his demeanor was relaxed and casual, often appearing before Aveline with various hair colors.Aveline suddenly realized he seemed to have dyed his hair back to black, as it had been a long time since she’d seen him with any other color.She gave a small smile. "Yeah, I understand."Russell reached out, lightly tousling her hair, a playful glint in his eyes. "Get some rest. I'll visit you again soon.""Okay."Aveline nodded, watching him leave.Selena, after seeing him out, returned with an excited expression."My God! What was that? Was that a confession? A hint? Was it?"Selena pounced beside Aveline, asking excitedly.Aveline shook her head. "I don't know."Selena looked at her. "When Russell said those words to you, didn’t your heart flutter for a moment? Like there were butterflies in your stomach?"Aveline looked at her helplessly. "At a time like this, you’re still thinking a
Aveline stared at Lucas, his stern features catching her off guard. “What do you mean by that?”A faint, teasing smile tugged at the corners of Lucas’ lips, and there was a hint of mischief in his eyes. “Because you sued me, I went bankrupt faster, lost the board’s trust, and now I’m no longer the president of DK Enterprises. I’m unemployed. So, as my legal wife, you’re responsible for me.”Aveline’s eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what she was hearing! What did he just say?The consequences he kept talking about meant that because he failed, she had to take responsibility for him? What kind of twisted logic was that?“No way! I won’t take care of you!” Aveline shook her head, still in disbelief. What a ridiculous joke.He had been the one refusing to divorce her, and now that he had failed, how was that her fault?If he had divorced her earlier, would the Tudor family have turned against him? Would he have ended up like this?Lucas casually sat down next to her and said,
"Sigh... He’s completely shattered my worldview. It’s like he has no sense of decency or shame," Selena muttered.Aveline stared blankly ahead, not responding. She never expected that Lucas’ backup plan would be this...It seemed he didn’t care at all about being kicked out of DK Enterprises. He still had the energy to come here and make her life difficult.What was he thinking?Noticing Aveline’s lack of response, Selena waved a hand in front of her face. "Ave?""Hmm?" Aveline snapped back to reality. "It looks like, for the foreseeable future, we’ll be seeing him every day."Selena pulled a face. "But I don’t want to see him.""Then you should move out."Lucas’ deep voice cut in, causing both women to look up. He was leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed, his eyes carrying a hint of coldness as he stared at Selena.Selena sneered. "You think I’ll move out just because you said so? Who do you think you are?"Lucas pointed at Aveline. "She’s the boss, and I’m also the co-own
Aaron’s reply was clearly meant to provoke Lucas, and he hung up immediately after. Lucas let out a quiet scoff, then reached into his pocket for a cigarette, lighting it up...It was dusk, and the sunset painted the western sky in a dazzling array of colors. Aveline, feeling tired, sat down on a bench, admiring the serene beauty of the lake reflecting the deep blue sky above.Selena handed her a bottle of water and said, "Ave, I have a feeling..."She hesitated.Aveline took a sip of water, looking at her curiously. "Hmm? What is it?"Selena sighed softly. "Looks like Lucas is trying to latch onto you. When force didn’t get him anywhere, he's now opting for a gentler approach."Aveline’s grip tightened on the water bottle.Selena, with her usual playful demeanor gone, looked at Aveline seriously and asked, "Are you going to waver?"Aveline’s lashes fluttered as she shook her head. "No."Selena pressed, "Even though he was once the love of your life, and now he’s showing remorse, want
"Hmm?" Lucas paused, staring at Aveline. "Are you sure you want me to toss it over?" Aveline responded firmly, "I'm sure." No way would she let him come any closer. "Alright." Lucas nodded, then casually tossed the pajamas toward her. Aveline reached out to catch them, but they slipped through her fingers and fell to the floor, landing in a puddle of water. The pajamas were quickly soaked, making them unusable. "You..." Aveline looked up, glaring at Lucas. "Did you do that on purpose?" Lucas' sharp, handsome face showed nothing but innocence. "You told me to throw them, and I did. You didn’t catch them, so how is that my fault?" He acted as if Aveline was the one being unreasonable. Aveline was fuming. "Lucas, I'm freezing, and I’m not in the mood for games. Get Selena!" Lucas stared at her for a long moment before suddenly walking over. In her shocked gaze, he lifted her into his arms. "Put me down!" Aveline's body tensed up immediately. His warm hands pres
Lucas casually slipped his hands into his pockets and strolled out of the master bedroom, as if he hadn’t just done something so outrageous.Selena was so furious that she stomped her foot. "What a piece of work! He’s really pushing his luck!"Aveline was speechless.She remained silent for a moment, then sighed helplessly. "You should go rest."Selena, at a loss for words, could only nod in agreement.Lying in bed, Aveline pondered how she would handle the days ahead. Should she leave Maple Garden? Go somewhere else? But knowing Lucas, he would undoubtedly follow her wherever she went.And from the looks of it, he wasn’t seeking her forgiveness at all—he was just being plain stubborn.Aveline turned over, unable to sleep.The next day.She emerged from the bedroom with dark circles under her eyes. Seeing her, Selena immediately felt a pang of sympathy."Ave, didn’t you sleep well last night?"Aveline nodded. "Barely slept. I couldn’t stop thinking."Just then, Lucas stepped out of the
Lucas had been staying there for a week. Aside from the first night when he caused a bit of a stir by deliberately entering Aveline's bathroom, nothing else of note had happened since. The few of them managed to coexist peacefully.Selena had truly mastered the art of ignoring him, treating Lucas like just another tenant.Lucas spent his days either exercising or reading, carrying himself with the laid-back air of someone who had already retired. Even though the Tudor family was in the process of merging with DK Enterprises, he seemed completely unbothered, as if DK Enterprises wasn’t the product of his hard work and dedication.Aveline watched the news and her emotions conflicted. After graduating college, she began working at DK Enterprises and grew deeply attached to the company. If it hadn’t been for everything that happened later, she would never have left so easily.She felt so affected by the situation, so why was Lucas so indifferent?Unable to hold back any longer, she knock