Rosalie choked up as well. Tears welled up in her eyes; though she stubbornly held them back, unwilling to be vulnerable in front of him.When she first married Sebastian, their union hadn't been genuine, but things had spiraled one step at a time. Now, it was completely out of control and impossibly tangled.Theodore suddenly reached out weakly, attempting to touch Rosalie's shoulder."Don't touch me!" She slapped his hand away and gave him another hard slap.Theodore's already swollen face became even more so. For some reason, Rosalie felt even angrier seeing him like this. Watching him take her hits without a word and without fighting brought her no sense of satisfaction. He wasn't even dodging. It only made her feel angrier and more hurt."Theodore, what's this supposed to mean?" Rosalie clenched her fists, pounding against his chest. "Why aren't you fighting back? I hate you! Why do you have to do this? Why can't you just stay away from me? Why?""Enough!" Finally, Aurora couldn't
Rosalie felt utterly miserable. She didn't want to say anything and released Sebastian's arm. She took a few steps back, overwhelmed by her emotions."Rose." Sebastian supported her, pitying her. "Let me take you back to rest. You shouldn't stay here. Let's go.""I'm not leaving. I need to stay here with him." Rosalie's gaze shifted toward Justin's direction.Though Theodore had caused her heartache, the most important matter now was Justin. Theodore no longer mattered; whatever he did with Aurora was his own business.She just wanted Justin to wake up.Rosalie anxiously stood by the glass doors of the ICU, her gaze filled with worry and helplessness. The ICU was filled with a sterile chill, with only the beeping of machines breaking the stillness inside.She looked at Justin lying motionless on the bed, his face pale and lifeless.Rosalie clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh, but she felt no pain. Her focus was entirely on the scene before her.Suddenly, Jus
"I got it, Theo. I won't do this again. I'm sorry. I didn't know I shouldn't say those things. I don't have much experience in this area, and I was worried you'd be disappointed in me."Theodore lifted his hand to gently stroke her hair. "Don't talk about these things again, and don't see Rosalie again either.""What about you? Will you still see her?" she asked.Theodore fell silent for a moment.Seeing his lack of response, Aurora knew his answer.Perhaps even Theodore wasn't certain whether he would see Rosalie again. Maybe he would run into her, maybe he would seek her out, or maybe Rosalie would shamelessly look for him—who knew?In any case, it was all Rosalie's fault. Theodore was surely blameless.Suddenly, Sebastian was standing outside the ward and called his name. "Theodore." When Theodore turned around and saw Sebastian, his brows furrowed.Aurora appeared a bit fearful. "Theo, why is he here?"Theodore squeezed her hand gently. "Aurora, don't worry. Just stay here and do
In this world, perhaps only Aurora was willing to go along with his lies, cooperating in his deceptions and accommodating him.No matter how strange his requests were, she accepted them wholeheartedly without ever questioning him.Why was Aurora so good to him? She was so good that it pained him. Maybe one day, he would truly fall in love with her."Mr. Carter, I have a few words I'd like to say to you," Aurora said. She gently released Theodore's hand and walked over to stand in front of Sebastian.Theodore grabbed her hand. "Don't go over there.""Theo, I just want to say a few words to him. Don't worry. I trust Mr. Carter would never harm me here, especially since this is a hospital with so many security cameras. He couldn't do anything reckless."The mention of "security cameras" seemed to carry an implied meaning.At that time, Sebastian had barged into Theodore's house and damaged the security cameras.Sebastian understood the implication in Aurora's words and let out a cold laug
Theodore closed his eyes and held Aurora in his arms tightly. He cupped the back of her head and planted a kiss on her forehead."Aurora, you're always so considerate of me. I really don't know what to say.""Then don't say anything."Aurora lifted her head and kissed his chin. "Theo, as long as you want me, I'll always be your woman. As your woman, I'm willing to do anything for you. I just want you to be happy."Blushing, Aurora nestled herself back into his arms, hugging him once more. Her hand rested on his chest, then slowly moved up to stroke his face.In Aurora's eyes, she already considered herself Theodore's woman. They had progressed this far; if that didn't make her his woman, then what would?Theodore lifted Aurora in his arms, carried her into the ward, and carefully laid her down on the bed."Aurora, I understand what you said to Sebastian earlier was for my sake, but it was also a bit unnecessary.""Why was it unnecessary?" Aurora asked, puzzled."You forgot that Sebast
The significance of Theodore verbally acknowledging her meant more than if they had slept together a hundred times. It meant that he genuinely accepted her from the bottom of his heart. All her efforts had not been in vain.Although Theodore wasn't her first man, she had just lied to him—this wasn't her first time doing it with a man at all.In fact, she was quite experienced. Aurora was far from the pure image she presented. She used to seek thrills often, enjoying the feeling of making men lose control.When she was with Theodore, she had only pretended to be inexperienced.Now that she was in love with Theodore, she realized just how blind she had been in the past. What were those other men? They had no money, no looks, and no build. Theodore was different, and she was determined to hold on to him tightly.When it came to winning over men, Aurora considered herself to have some skills and techniques.-Sebastian walked to a secluded area. He opened his hand, revealing a piece of pap
Aurora needed a very thorough examination, so it would take some time. Theodore had been accompanying her, though he seemed distracted and his thoughts kept drifting back to Rosalie's sorrowful face."Theo, do you need to see a doctor for your face?" Aurora asked, concerned. "It's all swollen.""It's fine," Theodore replied, "I'll be fine in a couple of days. Don't worry. Right now, you're the most important."Hearing what Theodore said warmed Aurora's heart."By the way, Theo, didn't you promise me last night that you'd get checked today too? Why don't you go now? We can do the check-up together.""It's fine. I'll stay with you and wait for you to finish first.""Theo, you should go first. We'll both need to wait for the results anyway, so don't waste time." Aurora was very concerned about Theodore's health.She wanted him to be well. After all, he was going to be her future husband. If both of them were in poor health, how could they manage?To reassure Aurora, Theodore gently patted
"That's right. I thought that way too at first," Aurora said coldly. "I hate you so much for what you did. I did want you to rot in prison here, but then I thought about it more carefully. If you go to prison, won't Rosalie become single again? At that point, Theo will have a thousand reasons to get back together with her, and he'll abandon me."So, after thinking it through, I decided that you shouldn't go to prison and should stay by Rosalie's side forever. That way, Theodore won't have the chance to reconcile with his ex-wife. I'm actually doing this for my benefit more than yours."On the other end of the line, Sebastian was silent for a long time.Aurora's words made a lot of sense, but Sebastian, who was naturally suspicious, still couldn't fully trust her."Why should I trust you? If you're lying to me and this was a trap set up for me, wouldn't that mean I'm falling right into your hands?" he argued. "You don't have to trust me," Aurora said, "but once Theo leaves the hospital
Sebastian took a deep breath, seemingly trying to hold back his anger. Finally, he said in a calm tone, "Let's eat first. We have plenty of time ahead of us. Rose, think about it. You're just in your twenties, and we still have so many years to go. This is just the beginning."Sebastian was not in a hurry because he was the one in control. He still had plenty of time with Rosalie. He would slowly make this woman obey him.After lunch, Sebastian didn't stay long. Even though he wanted to talk to Rosalie, she wouldn't say anything pleasant. Listening to her would only frustrate him.Just as he reached the door, Rosalie called out to him. "Wait a moment."It was rare for her to call him. Sebastian couldn't help but feel a flicker of expectation in his heart.Rosalie asked, "Won't you sleep with me tonight?"There was a hint of mockery in her eyes when she said this. Sebastian's brows furrowed tightly. He knew she was humiliating him. She was saying this on purpose, trampling on his pride
Rosalie didn't say anything and let Sebastian talk to himself."Rose, am I really such a bad person in your eyes?"Rosalie didn't want to respond to such a stupid question—it wasn't just stupid, it was ridiculous.He had done so many bad things, yet he was completely oblivious to it and still had the nerve to ask if he was really that evil.Sebastian let out a bitter laugh. "Fine, I'm a bad person, but it's all because of you. If you had accepted me earlier and stayed by my side obediently, none of this would've happened."Rosalie's hand holding her cutlery trembled. She wanted nothing more than to stab them into his body."Rose, if I didn't love you enough, after you nearly ruined my manhood, I would have pulled out all your teeth, whipped you three times a day, and even brought Nana in front of you to strangle her. Even though she's not your biological daughter, it would still be enough to make you suffer and despair."Rosalie coldly stared at him. "So, should I thank you for that?"
Rosalie didn't know how long she had been trapped here—was it a month, two months, or even five or ten years? She had lost track of time.Since the last time she hurt Sebastian, she had been tied up. Even when she went to the bathroom, someone was watching her, holding onto the rope. She had been stripped of all dignity.But as far as she was concerned, Sebastian had no dignity left as well. Even the most crucial pride of a man had been wounded by her bite, leaving him too afraid to touch her for a long time. This was something he would remember for a lifetime.Since that incident, Sebastian would occasionally come by to take a glance at her, but he didn't sleep in the same bed with her anymore. He wanted to protect his manhood and needed time to recover.This was fine with Rosalie. Though she was tied up, at least she no longer had to sleep with Sebastian.At that moment, Rosalie heard a voice in her ear. "Mom."Turning her head at the sound, Rosalie saw Nana being wheeled in on a whe
Yerick continued, "Think about it—what countries in the world, outside of globalization, are completely isolated, where the outside world cannot get any information? Such countries must be economically backward and lacking in foreign exchange, and yet they don't have normal trade relations with the international community. How, then, do they obtain foreign exchange?"Theodore listened to Yerick's words and felt they made sense.Yerick went on, "These countries are extremely isolated, economically backward, and have low productivity. They may lack creativity, but they certainly are a threat, which is why they've been under sanctions. To obtain foreign exchange, they have a few ways. One of those ways is to get money from some of the world's richest individuals. They will hide these wealthy individuals in their secretive countries, keeping them safe from discovery."Yerick smirked. "In such countries, even tourists who enter will go missing, let alone those truly wanting to hide there t
Blencalgo.Lying on the hospital bed was a coughing man, so thin he seemed like skin and bones. His eyes were deeply sunken, his face was pale, and his body was connected to many machines.All this while, Yerick had been under constant surveillance in the hospital.Today, Yerick wanted to see Theodore.Naturally, Theodore was unwilling to meet him, but Yerick had someone pass his message to Theodore: Did he want to find Sebastian?Upon hearing this, Theodore came.The bodyguard brought in a chair. Once Theodore sat down, he crossed his legs and leaned back against the chair. Staring coldly at Yerick, he said, "Yerick, it seems you don't have long to live."Yerick smiled. "That's precisely why I wanted to see you."Theodore furrowed his brows. "Where is Sebastian? Do you know?""I don't know where he is.""You don't?" Theodore said coldly, "If you don't know, then why did you call me here? To watch you die?"He had come here with some hope, thinking Yerick might know something, but to
Rosalie had overheard everything. Sebastian no longer had any information about Theodore or Steve.Now, with Sebastian so far from home and Theodore taking full precautions on his end, even if Sebastian had incredible abilities, what could he do?He was merely relying on her fear to threaten her. Now that she knew the people she cared about were safe, she had nothing to fear.Upon seeing Rosalie's expression, Sebastian likely guessed what was going on. He sneered coldly. "Very well. You think I can't do anything to them, huh? What about Nana? Do you think I can't deal with her?"At the mention of Nana, Rosalie's gaze wavered slightly.But in the next moment, she lifted her head and said, "Nana is your adopted daughter. If you do anything to her, it's on you. Don't even think about threatening me with anyone else."She had been threatened by Sebastian over and over again, but in the end, she always succumbed to him. Now that she knew Theodore and Steve were fine, she felt relieved. She
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a glow on Sebastian's pale face.The curtains fluttered in the breeze. The nurse walked to the window and closed it.The doctor stood by the bed, explaining the situation to Sebastian. "Mr. Carter, you need plenty of rest given your current condition."Sebastian was filled with resentment. He coldly asked, "Will my quality of life decrease in the future?"Sebastian emphasized the word "life," clearly indicating that he was referring to more than just his general existence.The doctor understood. "Mr. Carter, with proper treatment and regular check-ups, after enduring the long recovery period, your quality of life will be close to what it was before.""How long is this recovery period?"The doctor replied, "At least six months before you can resume marital relations."Upon hearing this, Sebastian clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. His eyes burned with fury.He hadn't expected Rosalie to pull such a stunt on him. She had been pretendin
"Rose, what are you doing?" Sebastian's eyes were practically glued to her.Rosalie propped herself up and brushed her long hair aside. "Do you not like it? Then I'll change into something else."Just as she was about to get out of bed, Sebastian grabbed her wrist. "Wait a moment."Rosalie looked at him with a smirk. "What is it?""I like it when you dress like this." His voice was hoarse. "What made you decide to wear this tonight?""I just felt like it. And I've been thinking about a lot of things.""Is that so?" Sebastian sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard as he gazed at her. "What have you been thinking about?"He gently pushed the strap of her black lace camisole off her shoulder."Things have already come to this. The only thing I can do now is make my life a little easier. As long as you promise me not to hurt Theodore or my child again, I'll do whatever you want," Rosalie said.Her obedience and submission made Sebastian feel like he was dreaming. He cupped her face
"She's just a five-year-old. She's done nothing wrong. Whether I like her or not, you were the one who adopted her, so you have an obligation to take care of her. You cannot simply abandon her like this," Rosalie said. Sebastian sat beside her. "Aren't you afraid that I might go mad and kill her? Yet you still want me to continue looking after her?""I can take care of her," Rosalie said. "Didn't you say before that you adopted her to make our so-called family complete? If Nana doesn't come back, then this family will never be whole.""Are you saying that you fully acknowledge her as your daughter now?"Things had already come to this point. Whether she wanted to or not, she had to accept it. Rosalie nodded. "Yes, I do."She was indeed a mother, and she couldn't help but think about what she would do if Steve were in such a situation. That thought alone made her determined to help Nana.Sebastian kissed her on the cheek. "I'll think about it. I have some matters to attend to—I'll be i