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
Zoey felt wronged. How many times had this happened? Sometimes, she couldn’t stand Laurence’s unreasonable possessiveness, as if he had ownership of her and she couldn’t be close with any other man. In his eyes, she couldn’t be trusted and always attracted unwanted attention. Laurence’s grip on her cheek was quite hard. His sudden burst of anger was quite out of character for him as he rarely lost his temper. However, Laurence might not be interested in her explanation. “Mr. Scott, you can have your array of women,” Zoey lowered her eyes and whispered.She was just being fair. They had an agreement not to interfere in each other’s private lives as long as they did not cross a line. His raging anger did make people suspect that he was jealous. He had his fair share of women around. Many women had courted him, and he had played along with them. He did not have the right to implement his double standards on her. Zoey would not overreach her boundaries and think that he was jealous.
Ryan had a reason for barging into the room. He thought he had seen something he shouldn't have.He had witnessed Zoey's relationship with his brother over the past few years. He hadn't thought so many things would happen between them when they got married.In the end, Laurence fell for her.The high and mighty guy had willingly become the loser for that woman.Zoey could tell from Ryan's reaction that he had misunderstood. Without bothering to explain, she walked straight out of the office.Laurence ignored Ryan, too. He treated Ryan as if he didn't exist and strode out the door after Zoey. Ryan was left alone in the office, dumbfounded.Laurence's assistant greeted him politely. "Are you here for ..."Ryan was still in a daze. He snapped to his senses and said, "I'm here to see my brother!""Mr. Scott just left.""I saw that.""Then, is there anything else I can do for you?"Ryan turned around to leave but returned halfway. He put his arm around the assistant's shoulder as
Zoey could feel the gazes on her as she stepped into the office. There were hardly any familiar faces left in the office.She secretly sighed in relief. She would have felt awkward and at a loss if she had to face the inquisitive gazes of acquaintances.Laurence held Zoey's hand, and she had no choice but to let him do as he pleased. She couldn't resist him.They entered Laurence's office. His office looked cold and plain, just like he was.Zoey noticed he was still grabbing her wrist. She took a deep breath and asked, "Where should I sit?"Perhaps surprised by her sudden cooperative attitude, Laurence raised an eyebrow. After a pause, he kindly reminded her, "The door is locked."Without a key, the door couldn't be opened from the inside.Zoey tried to pull her wrist away. "Got it."Laurence watched her sit on the sofa, and he relaxed slightly. He asked politely, "Would you like something to drink?"Zoey was momentarily lost in thought. She replied, "Warm water will do"Laur
Zoey was composed. She didn't seem worried about Laurence investigating her past in Novarvia. But deep down, she wasn't confident.Laurence had long lost any moral boundaries. Despite knowing she was married, he showed no concern about interfering in her marriage. He would likely become even more audacious and unrestrained if he discovered that her marriage was fake.Just the thought of it gave Zoey a headache. She never thought getting rid of someone would be so difficult, even if they held a certain position of power. Shaking him off became increasingly challenging.Lost in her contemplation, Zoey failed to notice the driver had changed direction. When she finally realized, the car was parked at the entrance of the Scott Group.Zoey pondered briefly. She thought the driver was sending Laurence off. She waited patiently and remained seated in the car.The man beside her calmly looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you getting out?"Zoey furrowed her brows. "Why should I?"
Sarah always seemed like she was thriving. Looking radiant, she hooked arms with the man beside her. She no longer looked as worn as she had a few months ago.Laurence was acquainted with the man beside her. His gaze was indifferent, showing neither surprise nor much emotion. Firmly grabbing Zoey's hands, Laurence wouldn't let her leave his side.Laurence had no intention of greeting Sarah or engaging with William. He held Zoey's hand, seemingly aware she didn't want to deal with them either. He turned his face to her and said, "Let's go."Zoey didn't refuse. They left quietly.This time, Sarah didn't stop Zoey. She usually tried provoking her.Once they were far away, Zoey immediately shook off Laurence's hand. He saw her furrowed brows and the undisguised disgust in her eyes. She must have hated Sarah a lot. She didn't even want to see her.Laurence explained, "I didn't know she would be here today."Zoey ignored him and walked ahead. The man behind her suddenly circled he
Zoey had no idea whether she was acting out of spite or being stubborn, but she arrived at the restaurant as promised. The restaurant had a private courtyard that offered great privacy. She didn't want to cause the person she was meeting any trouble. Neil's wife was once Zoey's client. Both parties were pleased with the business transaction. Zoey didn't like socializing, but she was out of alternatives. She forced herself to befriend Neil's wife. She had something to ask of Neil because her passport application had been dragging on without any progress. Zoey didn't want to lose control of her emotions again. She could still keep her cool if she stayed away from Laurence. To her surprise, Laurence had found out what she had been secretly up to. It was like he had installed a bug on her. She was horrified. "I've heard a lot of good things about you, Ms. Jenner." "You're too kind, Mr. Jackson." Neil was nicer than she expected. He didn't act superior or avoid the topic. Inst
Zoey ended the phone call. Without having to ask, Zoey knew what was going on when she saw Laurence. Needless to say, Laurence had taken the liberty to take the morning off for her. She couldn't be bothered to be angry. Instead, she felt numb as it had happened too many times before. Zoey looked down at her changed pajamas and turned to the man by the bed. She asked, "Where are my clothes?" Laurence met her gaze. He didn't feel embarrassed at all. "They were in the wash. They are in the dryer now." Zoey lifted the bed covers and stepped onto the carpet. She made a beeline for the walk-in closet, which was filled with many clothes she hadn't taken with her when she'd left years ago. She picked an outfit and put it on. Laurence was still in the bedroom when she walked out of the walk-in closet. He put on his tie and looked over at her. She glanced at him and said, "You should've woken me up last night." Laurence approached her. He was tall and looked sharp in his suit, with
Zoey was fast asleep. She thought she was dreaming when someone lifted her up. Her body clock over the last few days had been regular. She was going to bed early. Now, she couldn't keep her eyes open. Maybe she went back to sleep because she didn't sense any danger.Laurence hooked his arm behind Zoey's knees in a cradle and pulled her arm over his neck to secure her from falling. She mumbled in her sleep. He guessed that she was dreaming.Laurence couldn't hear what she was saying. He leaned in with his ear near her lips, but her mumbling stopped.The chauffeur, dedicated to his job, was on standby outside. Seeing his employer in the distance, he opened the door respectfully.Laurence carried Zoey into the car. The chauffeur closed the car door and glanced again at the woman in his employer's arms from the rear-view mirror. She looked familiar, but he didn't want to make any assumptions. "Where to, sir?" The chauffeur couldn't read his employer's mind, so he was careful not to
The bar wasn't too far from the restaurant. It was less than a ten-minute drive away. Laurence refused to let go of Zoey's wrist. He was bold to show off their closeness even though it was inappropriate. The others could hardly take their eyes off the couple. It was drama in the flesh. If they remembered correctly, Zoey had denied their relationship online two days before. She had even announced her marriage to someone else to set the record straight. What was going on? They had a hunch about the situation, judging by the resistance on Zoey's face. Maybe her ex-husband wouldn't leave her alone. The man seemed relentless in his pursuit. Nevertheless, it was not their business to get involved. At the end of the day, it was between Zoey and Laurence. Everybody quieted down and sobered up. The group caught a cab to the destination. Laurence shamelessly invited himself to join the group, and no one objected, not even politely. They weren't fools. They wouldn't offend the man for
Zoey felt a tingling sensation along her ear. It felt as if she had been electrocuted. Laurence's tone was half-joking, but there was seriousness behind it. He was ready to tell on her to her husband the moment she nodded. Zoey had lost her patience with him a long time ago. She couldn't help but snap back every time. She looked up. Her face was small. She was about to tell him to get lost when the man took the chance to deepen the kiss. He squeezed her chin, forcing her to part her lips to let him in. Zoey was pinned against the wall. His scorching breath took hers away. She was trapped like prey in a snare. The more she struggled, the tighter his grip became.Laurence didn't stop with a brief kiss. He didn't give Zoey room to breathe, and she could feel her limbs going weak. Her tongue was going numb. The woman opened her mouth, gasping for air. She hung onto his collar to stop herself from going limp. The man was always greedy. He could never get enough of her. Zoey had