Lucas suddenly moved closer to her, his voice low. "Then let's do something more interesting."As he spoke, he grabbed her hand and pressed it against the fingerprint lock."What are you doing?" Aveline froze, staring at him. This man was losing his mind again!His cool fingertips brushed against the skin of her wrist, sending a chill through her. His grip was firm and unyielding."You were the one who said you wanted to try something interesting."They were now standing very close. His clean, crisp scent filled the space between them. With his other hand, he swiftly opened the door and stepped inside, pulling her in with him.Aveline’s inner alarm bells were ringing loudly.Trying not to provoke him further, she stayed calm. But as soon as the door closed, Lucas spun her around and pressed her against the door.His tall frame loomed over her, and he moved in to kiss her.Aveline turned her head away, dodging his lips.His hot breath brushed against her cheek, and he froze in place. H
Aveline smiled slightly and said, "I’ve been good, just busy."Gernard gazed at her and remarked, "You seem to have lost some weight."Aveline touched her face. "Really? Well, in that case, I won’t have to go on a diet."Gernard wanted to say more, but he suddenly realized this conversation seemed a bit too intimate. Thinking about what his sister intended to do, he sighed softly in his heart. He glanced at the two lawyers. "You all continue; I won't disturb you."With that, he made a move to leave."You aren’t disturbing us," Aveline interjected. For some reason, she suddenly wanted Gernard to stay, to hear what was to be discussed next. It felt as if having him around provided a sense of security. This feeling was strange, catching her off guard, but she had already spoken.Gernard decided not to leave. "Very well, I will be there at court tomorrow too, so don’t worry.""Alright." Aveline nodded.As the two lawyers continued speaking, Aveline listened attentively while Gernard occas
Why?Why would Lucas target Gernard? Aveline couldn't figure it out, no matter how hard she thought. "What are you thinking about?" Gernard's voice came from beside her. Aveline snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head. "Nothing. Let's go." "Alright." Gernard responded with a nod. As they exited the restaurant, his phone suddenly rang. He took it out and saw that it was a call from Juliet. "Hello, Juliet." As he answered the call, Gernard's tone softened unconsciously. Juliet's playful voice came through, "Gernard, where are you? I'm so bored. Can I come find you to hang out?" Gernard asked, "Have you had dinner yet?" Juliet replied, "Yes, I have." "I'm planning to head back to the hotel," Gernard said. Juliet immediately sounded like a deflated balloon. "Going back to the hotel this early? Aren't you considering any nightlife at all? You're getting older, and Mom and Dad keep pushing you to get married, you know." Gernard chuckled with a mix of help
The kiss was scorching and chaotic as if he intended to melt her completely. Under such an assault, Aveline's resistance gradually weakened. Sensing her relaxation, Lucas loosened his grip and turned her around to face him."Slap!" A crisp sound echoed in the darkness, neither of them able to see each other's faces clearly.Aveline's breath was rapid and uneven, her voice hoarse. "Lucas, I could charge you with harassment."Lucas let out a low laugh. "Then maybe I should go all the way and make it a case of marital rape instead?""You..." Aveline was momentarily at a loss for words. Though she couldn’t see his expression, the atmosphere around them was cold and threatening. She knew she couldn't provoke him any further.She pressed her lips together, still feeling the lingering warmth from his lips. "Could you not do this, please?"Lucas responded, "If I don’t do this, will you let me kiss you?"Silence fell over Aveline again.Lucas reached out, his fingers caressing her face. "I wa
Aveline froze for a moment. It was true—she no longer had the same reaction around him. But that didn’t justify his behavior.She turned away from his breath, trying to calm herself down. "That’s because I was ill before. I have recovered since then."Lucas gazed deeply at her. "So, are you willing to accept me now?""No." Aveline's answer was immediate.Lucas’ breath hitched, his eyes darkening further, like an impenetrable night. "Aveline, do you know? Many times, I don’t want to care about what you think or how you feel. I just want to take you, keep you trapped by my side."His low, magnetic voice broke the silence after a long pause."You..." A hint of anger flashed in Aveline's eyes, but it was mixed with a sense of helpless frustration. If he really did that, there seemed to be nothing she could do. Even resisting would be futile."But I’m afraid you’ll hate me," Lucas said, his hand gently caressing her face. He leaned in and kissed her lips again, a quick movement that caught
“Alright,” Zachary agreed.Aveline didn’t waste a second. She set off immediately.The night was thick and dark as she drove away from Maple Garden. The bodyguards who had been discreetly watching over her quickly relayed the news to Lucas.Sitting in his study, Lucas listened to the report, his expression momentarily still. "Send more men to follow her," he ordered.The bodyguard responded, "Yes, Mr. Tudor. And what about you?"A faint smile tugged at the corners of Lucas' lips. "I’ll be attending the court session, of course."The bodyguard was speechless.What a strategist.The drive from Cloudflare City to Arthur Town took nearly seven hours. Aveline had driven through the night, barely getting a wink of sleep. By the time she reached the orphanage, dawn had broken.She knocked on the door, and a moment later, Zachary appeared, concern etched across his face. "You look exhausted. Come inside."Aveline’s head was pounding, and she felt terrible, but there was no time to waste. She
"What did you say?" Aveline frowned, staring at her.Out of desperation, Hilda continued, "I know so much—so much! Just help me get out of here, and I’ll tell you everything. Aveline, all those beautiful things, that life—it was supposed to be yours! Someone else has taken your place!"Aveline felt her mind whirl, her gaze shifting to Zachary.Someone had taken her identity?"It seems you really can't hand her over," Zachary said. "It's not that you can't find your biological parents—someone has stolen them from you, Aveline. You need to find out the truth."Aveline blinked, realization dawning. She could have found her real parents. She was supposed to find them. But someone else had known about it first and taken her place?"Who? Who is this person?"A surge of anger coursed through her.She wasn’t an orphan after all!Hilda had always known this and never told her. She had even tried to ruin her completely!Why? Why did Hilda treat her like this?Seeing Aveline's emotions shift, Hil
Zachary opened the door again and saw that all the dozens of bodyguards, who had been so imposing earlier, were now sprawled on the ground. Only two men remained standing, looking down at the others with disdain. "Is that all?" one of them sneered.Aveline saw them too and was a bit surprised. These two men had such ordinary appearances—faces you could lose in a crowd. They wore plain clothes and had an unremarkable demeanor.When they noticed Aveline, they bowed their heads slightly in respect. "Hello, Mrs. Tudor"Aveline pressed her lips together. "And who might you be?"The man in the black hoodie replied, "I’m Baron, and this is my brother, Braden."Aveline paused for a moment, then asked, " As Lucas's men, why do all of your names sound so similar?”First Brian, and now Baron and Braden. Were there more, like Bryan or Byron?Baron chuckled, a pair of sharp canine teeth flashing as he smiled. "We're all orphans. Mr. Tudor thought it was too much trouble to come up with different n