Aveline hesitated for a moment but eventually walked over.Inside the elevator, there were only Lucas and Desmond.Aveline stepped in, and Desmond instinctively moved to the corner.Aveline lowered her eyes slightly, trying to ignore the strong, cold aura next to her. The elevator was quiet, with a faint chilly atmosphere circulating.When the elevator doors opened, Aveline didn't rush out. She waited for Lucas to exit first. But since she didn't move, Lucas didn't either.What was going on?Desmond, standing in the corner, felt like he wanted to disappear into the ground as he thought, “Mr. Tudor, Miss Young, if you two don't leave, how can I? Can't you talk outside? Why occupy the elevator?”Just as Desmond's mental defenses were about to collapse, Lucas finally spoke, "Aren't you going home?"Aveline replied, "I am. You go ahead, Mr. Tudor. I'm not in a hurry."Lucas said, "Mm, if you're not in a hurry, neither am I."Aveline was speechless and wondered, “What's wrong with this guy?
Seeing her graceful figure in the mirror, Sophia smiled in satisfaction. However, when her gaze fell on her prosthetic leg, a flash of disgust crossed her eyes.She had given up so much to be with Lucas. She had to marry him, and Lucas could only be hers.Lucas arrived shortly after. Sophia opened the door with a bright smile. "Lucas, you're here.""Yeah," Lucas responded, stepping in and changing his shoes.Sophia's eyes lit up with anticipation, but throughout the whole time, his gaze never lingered on her. She bit her lip and then asked, "Lucas, do you like my new dress?"She twirled in front of him. Lucas' eyes finally glanced at her, but only briefly. "What did you want to talk about?"Sophia's disappointment was evident. Couldn't he see how much effort she had put into dressing up for him? Why was he so indifferent? Was he like this in front of Aveline as well?"Let's eat first. We'll talk after dinner." Sophia composed herself and led the way to the dining room.Lucas followed h
Sophia directly threw herself into Lucas' arms. "Lucas, what's going on? I'm scared..."Lucas's body stiffened for a moment. He grabbed her arms and pushed her away. "It might be a power trip. I'll go check."Sophia tried to cling to him again, wanting to hold him. "Don't go. I'm scared."Her perfume wafted over, lingering around Lucas' nose. His brows furrowed deeply. He pushed her away again and took out his phone to turn on the flashlight. "Hold this and shine some light for me."Sophia's expression froze, but she still took the phone.Lucas went to the circuit breaker and checked it. Sure enough, it was a power trip. He flipped the switch, and the entire room lit up."It's fixed." Lucas took his phone back from her, speaking in a flat tone.Sophia bit her lip. In the struggle, her neckline had lowered, revealing a glimpse of her cleavage. But Lucas seemed not to notice. He picked up his coat. "It's late. I'll be going now. Take care."Sophia grabbed the hem of his coat. "Lucas, I'
As Aveline exited the company, she breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Lucas hadn't followed her. She had been genuinely concerned about what that troublesome man might do next.She walked towards the subway station. It was convenient to take the subway from the company to Maple Garden since it was the last stop. However, as she turned a corner, she noticed someone familiar following her.She paused and glanced back, recognizing the man who had saved her last night and strangely apologized to her this morning.How did he know where she worked? Why was he following her? What did he want?Aveline became vigilant and quickened her pace towards the subway station. After she swiped her card and entered, she looked back and saw the man following her inside.Her breath hitched as she pulled out her phone, ready to call the police at any moment. If he made any move against her, she would definitely report him! For now, she couldn't be sure if he was just going the same way by coinci
The policewoman left the room.Lucas walked over and stood in front of her, saying, "Brian works for me."Aveline's eyes widened slightly. "You sent him to follow me? Are you insane?"Lucas was speechless.A vein in his temple throbbed. He said in a deep voice, "He made a mistake that caused me to misunderstand you, so he came to apologize."What he didn't expect was that Brian would apologize directly to Aveline without explaining who he was. It was a miracle that Aveline hadn't called the police to have him sent to a mental hospital.Aveline asked, puzzled, "What did he do wrong?"Lucas briefly explained the events of that night. Aveline nodded in understanding. "Oh."Lucas looked at her. "How do you want to handle this?"Aveline suddenly chuckled.Lucas frowned. "What's so funny?"Aveline replied, "He knew to apologize for his mistake. What about you?"Lucas paused, his Adam's apple bobbing as his eyes grew darker and more unreadable. The narrow room felt suddenly suffocating, with
"Hello?"Lucas had just returned to the Tudor residence when he received Aveline's call. He answered almost immediately.Aveline tried to keep her voice steady, but a hint of tremor slipped through. "Lucas, where is the bodyguard you arranged for me? The one who's supposed to protect me closely?"Lucas noticed the urgency in her tone and asked, "What happened?"Aveline insisted, "I need a bodyguard close to me at all times."Lucas replied, "If you don't tell me what happened, I can't help you."Aveline retorted, "I don't care. I just want a bodyguard who will immediately appear whenever I need him.”Lucas's eyes darkened when he sensed Aveline was in danger. "Alright, I'll arrange it.""Do it quickly," Aveline said before hanging up.Somehow, hearing his voice eased the fear and anxiety in her heart.She clutched her phone and gave a bitter laugh. Was she becoming dependent on him? What would she do after the divorce without him? How would she survive?Or perhaps... she might not even
Lucas glanced at her and started eating even faster.Aveline widened her eyes in disbelief. At that moment, she completely forgot about the gruesome photo, focusing solely on not letting Lucas finish all the food.This food was hers! All hers!In the end, only one chicken wing remained on the plate.Quick as a flash, Aveline grabbed it, grinning at Lucas as she put it in her mouth.Lucas set down his fork and elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin, his eyes softening slightly.Aveline savored the last chicken wing, feeling completely satisfied.Standing up, she waved her hand. "Lu, you clean up!"She stepped forward, then suddenly stopped, staring ahead at the empty space, blinking rapidly to hold back a surge of sadness.Had she forgotten he was no longer her Lu?"You came uninvited and ate my food, so you should clean up," she said without looking back, then went into the bedroom.Lucas watched her retreating figure, his gaze darkening.That one word, "Lu," had momentarily taken him
He... he actually came out without wearing anything!What a pervert!Aveline quickly turned her head, hurried to the dressing room, and grabbed one of her bath towels, throwing it directly at him."Put this on quickly. I don't want to go blind!"Lucas was speechless.The towel was pink, not very big, just enough to wrap around his waist. After wrapping the lower half of his body with the towel, Aveline took one look and couldn't help but burst into laughter!She found it hilarious and couldn’t stop laughing at the sight of a tall man with long arms and legs wrapped in a pink, tight-fitting towel.Seeing her smile, Lucas' eyes softened slightly.He went straight to the bed, lifted the covers, and lay down.Aveline was stunned. "What are you doing?"Lucas replied, "Sleeping."Aveline retorted, "You can't sleep here, this is my room!"Lucas said, "Didn’t you want someone to protect you closely?"This was considered close enough, right?The smile on Aveline's face gradually faded, her tone
"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
Jolie watched Selena’s retreating figure and shook her head in frustration. What could she do? Selena’s emotional wounds ran deep, and no matter what Jolie tried, it seemed impossible to bridge the gap between them.Returning to the party, she glanced around at the crowd of men and women mingling with champagne flutes in hand, but her mind wasn’t on the event. She casually picked up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and sipped it slowly.What she didn’t notice was a man standing across the room, watching her. As she drank, his eyes darkened, and he licked his lips suggestively.After finishing about half the glass, Jolie started feeling strange. Her body was growing weak, her skin hot and feverish, and a strange itchiness spread through her veins.Her brows furrowed in confusion. What was happening? She headed toward the restroom, but as she rounded a corner, her legs gave out, and she had to grab the wall for support to keep from collapsing."Did someone drug me?" she murmu
Maria looked at the two little ones, absolutely delighted, and then turned to Aveline. "I’ve got some happy news to share as well."Selena guessed, "You're pregnant?"Maria nodded. "That’s right."Selena gave her a thumbs-up. "Wow, that was fast! You said it and made it happen."Maria smiled. "I couldn’t fall too far behind. I need to make sure my kid has the best opportunities and chances, right?" With their babies close in age to Ethan and Emma, Maria thought it would be perfect for them to grow up together, maybe even become childhood sweethearts.She looked at Selena and asked, "Weren’t you eager at first too? Why haven’t you made any moves yet?"Selena sighed. "I’m not sure. Honestly, I’m a little scared."Maria reassured her, "Take your time, no rush."Selena got up and left the room, heading outside for some fresh air. Seeing Aveline go through the struggles of pregnancy and the dangers of childbirth genuinely frightened her. On top of that, she worried she wouldn’t be a good m
At first, the twin really did look quite wrinkly and not very cute, but as time passed, they started to fill out and became more and more beautiful. The baby boy had a calm demeanor, rarely crying or fussing. He spent most of his time either eating or sleeping, with large, dark eyes like black grapes, a high nose, a tiny mouth, and chubby, round cheeks full of baby fat.The baby girl, on the other hand, was much more lively and prone to fussing, expressing her displeasure whenever things didn’t go her way. She cried the most between the two.The baby boy was born first, and the girl was the younger sister. Every time, the sister seemed determined to make her brother cry, but she never succeeded. Once fed, she would calm down.“Have you thought of any names for them yet?” Selena asked, looking at Aveline, who was slowly recovering, while playfully toying with the little ones in the stroller.Aveline replied, "We’ve chosen some temporary nicknames, but we haven’t settled on their full n
Aveline said, "Braden is probably not interested."“Huh? Why?” Selena asked, confusion spreading across her face.Aveline explained, “Baron, Braden, and Maria all have a special bond with Lucas. No matter what, they wouldn’t betray him.”She paused for a moment, her thoughts drifting to Brian, the man who had always seen it as his duty to protect Lucas. She wondered how he was faring now.Selena shrugged. “Alright, I suppose. He’s helped me a lot recently, and if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have handled everything so smoothly.”Aveline replied, “It’s all over now. Taking him with you wouldn’t really serve any purpose.”“True,” Selena agreed, nodding as she let go of the subject.She ended up staying in Larbor City for a month. One night, Aveline suddenly went into labor. The family rushed to action—though there was some initial chaos, they quickly regained control. Drivers got the car ready, calls to the hospital were made, and everything unfolded smoothly.At the hospital, Lucas h
To mitigate the impact of the incident, the Fletcher family arranged a marriage with the Skyler family, setting the wedding date for just one month later, a rather hasty decision. Aaron officially became the head of the Fletcher family, and despite any grievances Nathalie might have had, she didn’t dare voice them, keeping her frustration to herself.Selena, on the other hand, finally had some leisure time. With Aaron busier than ever, she felt bored and decided to visit Aveline in Larbor City.Aveline’s belly had grown quite large, and with just a month left until her due date, her feet had started swelling, looking puffy and rounded like little pillows. Seeing her condition, Selena couldn't help but remark, "Pregnancy looks so tough. I'm starting to get a little scared."Aveline glanced at her. "Are you planning to get pregnant?"As far as she remembered, Selena had never mentioned such plans.Selena nodded, then shared the idea she had previously about arranging a marriage between
Aaron held her hand and led her directly out of the room upstairs.Meanwhile, inside the room, Nathalie had someone forcibly separate the two entangled people. Ernest looked utterly disheveled, still trying to grab onto Lila and continue.Lila, now slightly regaining her senses, realized the situation. She let out a piercing scream, wrapped herself in the blanket, and cried out in distress."How could this happen? Why did it turn out like this? Why am I here? Mom, wasn't that bitch Selena supposed to be in this room? Why is it me? Why me!"The sensation in her body was undeniable, and seeing Ernest in his dazed state, she could already imagine how wild things had been between them. Worse yet, many people had witnessed it!This scene was supposed to fall on Selena!What went wrong?Nathalie hugged her, trying to calm her down, "Don’t get worked up, Lila. You can’t afford to get upset right now. It’s okay, mom’s here with you. I’ll take care of this."But Lila was inconsolable, sobbing u
The servant stood frozen in shock, unable to comprehend what had just unfolded. How... how could this have happened? How did Lila end up in the room instead of Selena?She distinctly remembered helping Selena into that very room and watching as the family doctor applied the patch to her ankle. The patch, once applied for more than a minute, should have released the drug into Selena's system, gradually taking effect. But now everything had gone terribly wrong.Pale and trembling, the servant knew that her role in this failed scheme had been exposed. There would be no good outcome for her. She began to retreat, hoping to slip away unnoticed."Leaving so soon?"A lazy, magnetic voice suddenly spoke from behind her.Startled, she spun around to see Aaron standing in the doorway. His tall, imposing figure blocked the exit, preventing anyone from leaving easily."I... I..." The servant stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence, trapped in her fear.Aaron’s expression remained neutral, b
"Such a big issue has to be cleared up, don’t you think, Aaron? What if someone is deliberately trying to smear your wife’s name?" "Exactly! We’ve all met your wife—she’s beautiful and sharp. There’s no way she’d do anything to betray you.""We need to open the door and clear up any misunderstandings before things get out of hand."The crowd voiced their concerns, their words filled with feigned sympathy, but their eyes gleamed with anticipation.Kendrick arrived just behind Aaron, and upon hearing the whispers, his expression darkened."Who said this?" The servant timidly raised her hand. "I... I did."His voice hardened. "Are you sure of what you saw?"Though visibly frightened, the servant nodded firmly. "I’m sure.""I don’t think she’s lying.”"Maybe it’s true. If it is, then she really couldn’t keep herself in check, especially at Lila’s birthday party. How shameless.""Unbelievable! With a husband like Aaron, she’s still not satisfied? I can’t understand women like that."A few