After Diana left, Katie asked curiously, "Is Miss Cole your friend?" Zoey shook her head and said no. Katie didn't have a very good impression of Diana and said, "Those ladies looked like bullies. They seemed more like they'd come to trash our studio than to show support." Zoey had a similar impression of Diana too, but she thought that Diana was quite foolish because she willingly let Sarah use her. "It's nothing. Just don't bother with her if she doesn't provoke you. If she makes your life difficult, then you don't have to be nice either."Katie blinked at Zoey and said, "Then I won't be nice, but of course, I'll still be professional when designing her villa." Zoey smiled and said, "She's just…a little spoiled, but she's very naive. I think you'll be able to deal with her." Katie had dealt with these types of rich but foolish girls at her old job, and she knew that as long as she sweet-talked them and rained exaggerated compliments on them, everything would run smoothly. "I k
Laurence went upstairs to get her medicine and quickly found the Omeprazole she wanted in the second drawer. Just as he was about to turn around and return downstairs with the bottle of pills, an inexplicable urge overcame him. He opened the lowest drawer and saw an array of colorful boxes and bottles of medicine. There were quite a shocking number of them. He crouched to read the labels on the boxes and realized that they weren't the usual kind of medicine. All the names were unfamiliar to him, and there were just so many. Why did she have so much medicine? He memorized the names on all the labels with a solemn expression and closed the drawer, going downstairs as if nothing had happened. Zoey was curled up on the couch with her hair covering most of her ashen face. Laurence poured a glass of warm water and asked, "How many pills do you need?" Zoey fought against the burning pain in her abdomen and said, "Just one is enough." Laurence popped out a pill and lifted her face ge
The word "police" drove Robert into a panic. It was an eye for an eye. What he had done back then was premeditated murder. He closed his email with shaking hands and came back to his senses. He glared at Jasmine with gritted teeth, thinking that if she hadn't given him the idea, he would never have been bold enough to order a hit on someone. He'd already had enough of the driver's son threatening him all these years! Robert no longer felt the same deep affection for Jasmine as he had last time, and he thought the saying was true. Husband and wife went their own ways when the house burned down. Not only did he hate the sight of her now, but he even blamed the whole terrible incident on her. She'd been the one to brainwash him and ask him to get rid of those people. He didn't have the balls to kill anyone. If he hadn't listened to her, then he wouldn't have someone threatening him and so many sleepless nights now. Robert asked coldly, "How much money do you have left in your bank acc
The doctor didn't know much about Zoey's situation, so he could only offer some basic professional advice. "Depression deeply affects the patient's life because they cannot control their emotions. Sometimes, they could be overcome by urges to do something extreme. However, if the patient is willing to accept treatment and take medication, it shows hope that their condition isn't that serious—it is a sign that they're seeking help. But you have to be very alert to their emotions no matter what."Laurence wasn't unfamiliar with the term "depression", but he still found it a little hard to accept right off the bat. He never thought that Zoey could have depression, although he'd noticed something off about her some time ago. She would stare blankly out of the window in low spirits. Laurence nodded and said, "Thank you, Dr. Zahn." After hanging up, Laurence sat in silence for a moment before getting up and grabbing his coat off the back of his chair. He opened his office door and walked
A few seconds later, Laurence softened his voice and spoke again, "That's great."Having shared her happiness, she suddenly realized she may have told him too much. He probably didn't care about what she had to say anyway.Zoey hailed a taxi. She wound down the window, allowing the chilly breeze to caress her face. "I'm on my way home. If there's nothing else, I'll end the call now."Laurence's tone sounded no different than usual. "We'll talk when you get back."Zoey didn't think it was something too important. Otherwise, he would've told her over the phone.Recently, she'd been suffering from motion sickness a lot. As a result, she didn't dare stare at her screen for too long during the ride. Once she hung up the phone, she only watched the scenery whiz past outside and enjoyed the breeze.She managed to arrive home a few minutes earlier than Laurence. She unlocked her phone and instantly saw the news about Robert's arrest. Reading further, she found no additional information d
Laurence was furious as he roared these words at her. All she ever did to him was keep secrets and keep more secrets. She'd never been willing to tell him anything.Bloodshot veins could be seen running across the whites of his eyes. That feeling of someone ripping his chest open had returned, as had the feeling of being mysteriously strangled, which was all too familiar to him. His throat was dry and scratchy, making it hard for him to breathe.His words flew at Zoey like an ax headed straight for her head. At one point in the past, she used to have impulsive thoughts so uncontrollable that she wanted to jump out of every window she saw and run into every car she happened upon. Had Rose not stopped her the other day, Laurence would probably be dealing with her funeral right now.Laurence didn't look pleased in the slightest. Fury threatened to overflow from his increasingly bloodshot eyes.He stormed toward the chest of drawers in silence and fetched all the boxes of medicines she
When Laurence returned with her glass of water, Zoey had already climbed back into bed.He handed her the glass, and she absentmindedly downed its contents in a few gulps. Eyeing the empty glass, Laurence offered, "Should I get you another glass?"To which Zoey responded with a shake of her head, "That's fine, I've had enough."Instead, she asked, "Why are you up? Don't you need sleep?"It wasn't that he didn't need sleep—he just couldn't fall asleep. How could he go to sleep with something weighing on his mind? He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that she had developed depression, not to mention depression so severe that she needed medication.Before dinner, he'd consulted a private doctor via text. However, he wasn't a professional psychiatrist and didn't exactly have expertise in this field. Struggling to fall asleep, he climbed out of bed in the middle of the night to dig into this a little further. The internet was his only source given the time of day—he couldn't
Laurence had no words to say.He couldn't possibly tell her that he feared for her, that she might do stupid things without thinking them through when he was away, and that having someone by her side, looking over her, would make him feel more at ease.Although Laurence didn't know much about depression, it wasn't as if he had absolutely no idea either. A few years ago, his aunt had jumped off a building to her death due to a depressive disorder that followed her divorce. The mere thought of something happening to Zoey made Laurence feel extremely uneasy.Zoey didn't want to argue and create more tension between them so early in the morning. Neither of them spoke a word as they both went downstairs with silence hanging over their heads. One sandwich later, Zoey felt full enough to leave. She headed for the door with a bottle of milk in her hands. Laurence had hardly touched the coffee before him, but as soon as she stood up, he too rose to his feet. He grabbed his coat and said, "
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