Russell tightened his grip on his wine glass, then, after a brief pause, let out a low chuckle. "Thanks for the advice, Lucas. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind."Lucas' narrowed eyes lingered on him for a moment, but as someone came over to exchange pleasantries, Russell turned and walked away...."So tired," Selena muttered as she slumped down beside Aveline, sipping on a glass of juice.Aveline looked at her in confusion. "What did you do?"Selena sighed. "Danced. Aaron, that idiot, insisted on dancing with me. I told him I can't dance, but he kept saying he'd teach me. In the end, he failed to teach me, and I nearly trampled his feet flat."Aveline couldn't help but laugh, then asked, "So, things between you two are still steady?"Selena nodded. "So far, so good. I haven't felt the urge to break it off yet."Aveline smiled. "If you're not tired of him, stick with it. When you get bored, find someone new.""Hey, that’s not something you should say," a voice interjected.Aaron appro
Lucas lowered his eyes slightly and said in a soft voice, "I’m still young. My days of happiness have yet to come."Malcolm was speechless.…After Selena had rested enough, Aaron pulled her back onto the dance floor, determined to teach her how to dance as if it were his mission. Watching them, a small smile formed on Aveline's lips.She thought she could see a glimpse of love there.Aveline couldn't help but wonder, what if she hadn’t discouraged Selena from being with Aaron back then?But she and Selena were different in the end. Selena would find happiness—she was certain of it.A waiter passed by, and Aveline reached out for a glass of juice, taking a small sip. The sweet and tangy taste helped to soothe the heat rising in her stomach. She sat in the lounge area, waiting for a chance to leave.But for some reason, she started to feel increasingly hot, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.She fanned herself with her hand, feeling the urge to go out to the balcony for some fres
"I feel so uncomfortable... so hot..." Aveline’s soft murmurs came from behind him. Russell turned around and saw her restlessly shifting on the sofa. Her fair skin had taken on a flushed, pink hue, looking temptingly like a ripe peach.Russell hurried over and patted her face lightly. "Aveline, wake up. Aveline?"But she grabbed his hand, pressing it against her cheek as if trying to use the coolness to soothe her discomfort. It wasn’t enough; she pulled his hand lower, seeking relief.Russell's breath caught in his throat, and he quickly pulled his hand away. She had been drugged!She wasn’t in her right mind, acting purely on instinct. If she woke up and realized something had happened between them, she would be devastated, and she would never want to see him again!Russell got up and rushed to the bathroom. He soaked a towel in cold water and came back, placing it on her forehead.The cool sensation seemed to calm her down; her movements grew less frantic.Taking advantage of
“Aveline?” Russell glanced down at her face and saw that her awareness was fading once more. The effects of the drug were kicking in again.He quickly scooped her up and headed toward the bathroom.Just then, there was a noise at the door!Russell’s expression darkened. They were here already?Before he could react, the door burst open, revealing a crowd of people from the Skyler, Johnson, and Tudor families.“Oh my God, what are you doing?” At the front was Rina, her eyes instantly reddening as she saw the scene. She pointed at them, her voice trembling with emotion. “Russ, how could you do this to me? Today is our wedding—our wedding!”The faces of the Skyler and Johnson family members were filled with anger and disbelief.Lucas strode into the room, his eyes narrowing as he took in Aveline's condition. His voice was cold and controlled, “She’s been drugged.”“That's right,” Russell confirmed, quickly recounting everything that had happened. He finished with, “Lucas, nothing ha
The soft mattress trembled as Lucas' breathing grew heavier. His voice was husky and strained. "Aveline, when you wake up, you can't deny this happened."Aveline didn't hear a word he said, her actions frantic as she kissed him with abandon.Lucas' voice grew even lower and rougher. "If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes."A night of passion ensued.The next morning.Aveline opened her eyes and found herself in an unfamiliar place. She jolted upright, her heart racing. The blanket slipped from her shoulders, and a chill spread across her chest. Glancing down, her face instantly turned pale!Her memory of last night stopped at the moment when Russell had said she had been drugged. She couldn’t recall anything beyond that.But the current situation spoke volumes—had she been with Russell?Oh, God!How could this happen?And yesterday was Russell's wedding day!She…Aveline stared blankly ahead, tears the size of beads suddenly streaming down her face, her complexion as pal
"Okay," Aveline murmured softly, her gaze lowered.Only after Lucas turned and left the room did she slip on the robe and head to the bathroom to freshen up.When she emerged, she found Lucas setting breakfast on the dining table.She looked at him, puzzled. "Is this place one of your properties too?"Lucas nodded. "Just one of them. It's close to the Tudor Group, so I come here occasionally when it's too late to go home."The apartment was a spacious 300-square-meter flat with a minimalist design. There were no plants or decorations, and the overall atmosphere felt quite cold and empty.Aveline sat down at the table and took a sip of the corn soup. Lucas asked, "Do you like it here?""It's fine," she replied.He continued, "I'll have it transferred into your name later. You can stay here whenever you like."Aveline glanced at him but said nothing.Lucas' lips curved into a faint smile. "What's wrong? Are you so moved you don't know what to say?"Aveline rolled her eyes internally. “T
The girl looked aggrieved, her expression defiant.Aveline watched her calmly. Seeing that the girl had spent an entire night detained yet remained so composed, without a hint of guilt, Aveline turned her gaze to Russell.“Bring it over,” Russell instructed his men.One of his subordinates approached with a laptop, the screen displaying a surveillance video.He hit play, and the footage showed the girl entering the banquet hall, her eyes immediately fixating on Aveline. Wherever Aveline went, the girl followed at a discreet distance, as if waiting for something.Finally, the footage showed Aveline drinking a glass of juice. About five minutes later, the girl casually walked past Aveline, feigning concern and asking a few questions.The surveillance camera’s audio quality was surprisingly good; other background noises were filtered out, leaving the girl’s voice clear as she suggested Aveline go upstairs to rest.As soon as Aveline left, the girl took out her phone and sent a message.Th
Right now, the most critical link was this girl; she might be the only one who knew who was behind all of this. But without concrete evidence, there wasn't much they could do to her.The banquet hall manager, trembling with fear, was sweating profusely. "Mr. Skyler, Mr. Tudor, I swear I know nothing about this! With such an important event, how could I possibly be reckless enough to allow something like this to happen?"Selena let out a cold laugh. "And yet it did happen. Saying that, doesn't it make you feel the least bit ashamed?"The manager nodded repeatedly. "It's my fault, my incompetence. I'm willing to take responsibility, but I genuinely have no idea what happened. I'm innocent!"Selena crossed her arms, glancing between the girl and the manager. "You both claim you have nothing to do with it. Then how did it happen? Did it just come out of thin air?"The girl gave a sidelong look at Russell and said, "Maybe Mrs. Tudor and Mr. Skyler had something going on. Last night, with