Zoey didn’t know what illness Sarah had, but she’d heard it was quite serious.She didn’t plan on staying at the hospital long, and she didn’t intend to learn more about Sarah’s illness. She’d always kept Sarah out of sight and mind as someone she despised.It was hot outside the hospital as Zoey hailed a cab back to the Scott family home.Laurence didn’t return the next few days, and they didn’t contact each other.Mrs. Scott had called him twice, only to hear him say he was busy with something. Naturally, she was displeased. The holiday season hadn’t even ended, yet he was already so busy that he couldn’t be seen and didn’t even return home. “Is the company going to die without you?”Laurence had been staying at the hospital for the past few days. Last night, he’d stayed up for half the night. His eyes were bloodshot, and his veins stood out. “I’ll be coming home tomorrow, Mom,” he said, massaging his swollen temples.Mrs. Scott was still unhappy as she nagged him. “It wasn’t e
Sarah’s thumb was white from grabbing onto Laurence’s sleeve with all her strength. “I don’t want to die, Laurence. I can’t leave you.”Laurence couldn’t bring himself to push her away when he looked at her gaunt face. After a few seconds of hesitation, he said in a softer tone, “Then listen to the doctors and take your medication obediently. I won’t cast you aside.”This was his promise to her.“Is it because you still love me or because I’ve once saved your life?” she asked, her vision blurry from tears, some of which were genuine.The answer wasn’t important to her, but she still wanted to ask.Was it because he loved her or because he wanted to repay her?Was it because he couldn’t keep her out of his mind or because he was haunted by guilt? She secretly turned on the recorder hidden under the blanket with her other hand.He didn’t answer her; he knew very well whether or not it was because of love.Sarah could barely force a smile—his silence spoke volumes.Some feeling
Zoey had just woken up when she received the recording.She listened to their conversation apathetically and then deleted it without any deliberation.She’d long become immune to such things, so Sarah was just wasting her effort.The day had just turned dark when Zoey woke up from her long afternoon nap. She sat in bed and stared out the window as she gently hugged the blanket closer to her. Her expression was so vacant that it seemed her head would sound hollow if one were to knock on it; her consciousness was foggy from napping for too long.It took quite a while for her to get out of bed. She enjoyed dressing in loose and comfortable clothing whenever she was at home. Her nightgown was slightly wrinkled, and her long hair covered her back as she walked barefoot to the bathroom. Washing her face, she gradually felt herself become more conscious.The door to the bedroom opened at this moment.Zoey was stunned to see Laurence again after he’d been absent for so long. It had been
Divorce was an intention that grew crazily once a person had it.When they signed their prenuptial agreement, Zoey initially thought she wouldn’t want to terminate their marriage prematurely unless Laurence brought it up.Human nature had always been fickle.She ended up in this fake marriage by luck, and she’d been delusional when she overestimated that there wouldn’t be any feelings between them.Having run out of energy to continue talking to him, she sat on the bed and was silent.Laurence was unaware of her low spirits as he loosened his tie and called her over.Zoey didn’t move. Tightening her grip on her phone, she lowered her head so her hair hid her face. “What for?”Frowning slightly as he undid his sleeve buttons, Laurence’s beautiful face softened as he looked her in the eyes and asked, “You didn’t leave the house these past few days?”“No.” she shook her head.“Working on your sketches?” He already knew the answer as someone had informed him without needing to inq
“I’ve prepared a surprise for you, by the way.” Arielle couldn’t keep her secret.A six feet tall male escort with six-pack abs.Zoey’s earlier gloom vanished, and she couldn’t resist smiling; her dimples appeared, and her eyes softened.“Who are you chatting with?” Laurence asked, a little displeased when he saw her smiling giddily at her phone.She switched off her phone. “Arielle Flemming.”He remembered this friend of hers; she was a bit rambunctious."Are you still going out tonight?” she asked, raising her head to look at him.He scrutinized her face, mistaking her cautious, questioning tone as an attempt to persuade him to stay. “Yes, I have something I need to do,” he answered after a short silence.Zoey breathed a sigh of relief—she wouldn’t be able to find a good excuse to leave the house if he was home, but there wouldn’t be a problem now.Her furrowed brows instantly relaxed without her realizing after hearing his answer. “Alright.”Her reaction made Laurence feel
Ryan had no clue why Laurence was suddenly angry.He also didn’t know what he’d said wrong and thought his cousin was upset because Zoey had left the table before the meal had ended.He thought they had a good relationship, just like he did with Sissy; he would also be unhappy if his wife were sulking.“Did you and Zoey fight, Laurence?”“What makes you think I’d do something so childish?” Laurence didn’t like to argue as he felt it was meaningless, and he wasn’t one to allow his anger to affect his actions. He was usually able to calm down very quickly and resolve issues rationally.Ryan certainly knew of his cousin’s swift and stern measures regarding work matters, but dealing with a subordinate wasn’t the same as dealing with one’s wife; one didn’t need to be so serious.“Because I’d sulk just like you are right now whenever I fight with Sissy.”“I am not sulking,” Laurence calmly stated, pursing his lips.Ryan waved his hand. Look, you’re making the same expression as I am.
“Thank you.” Zoey gently pushed Laurence away after she regained her footing.…She locked herself in the bedroom the entire afternoon.Her drafts were completed; all that was left was to select the materials and hand them to the contractors, but she couldn’t stop herself. After all, keeping busy was the best form of mental distraction.It wasn’t until her phone rang in the evening that she snapped out of focus.“You better leave the house soon, I’ve already booked us a private room,” Arielle urged her over the phone.“You’ll have to wait for me a bit.” She felt a change of scenery would be good.“Yeah, yeah, yeah!”Zoey quickly hailed a cab to Nightbloom, where a sexily dressed Arielle dragged her to a private room on the top floor by her arm.It suddenly occurred to her that Nightbloom was possibly one of the many businesses owned by Scott Group. It was an exclusive nightclub that not anyone could just enter.She was afraid of running into Laurence’s friends here.“Do you want to go
Laurence’s words may sound generous, but to Zoey, they were harsh.However, when she thought about it, he had long stopped having a good impression of her. He always thought she was the type to gallivant around and had multiple boyfriends.She let the matter go and considered it as being able to save money since someone else had already paid the bill.“Then, I would like to trouble you to pass a message to him saying I’m grateful for his generosity,” she said to the manager.The seasoned manager could feel his heart thump loudly in his chest. He was a perceptive man. Although Mr. Scott didn’t appear happy or angry at all, he had a chilly air about him and was sneering; it didn’t seem like he was in a good mood at all.Miss Jenner’s words would be like adding oil to a fire. “Alright,” the manager replied, bracing himself.He swiftly went to the room next door, where Laurence sat on the couch in the deepest part of the room. His facial features, hidden by the darkness of the room, appea