Zoey had chosen Shawn then. Laurence’s anger toward her far surpassed his hatred. He hated her for her casual betrayal and unfaithfulness in their marriage. If he and Zoey got divorced, she would get together with Shawn. Would he still be as furious, then? Laurence had no idea.Zoey blinked at his words, lost. It wasn’t until several moments later that she understood what he said. Even as Laurence comforted her, he reminded her that her initial choice was wrong. She wondered if he was telling her that she was betraying him. No, she couldn’t continue down that line of thought. The more she thought about it, the more her head hurt. The pain felt like a string digging across her brain, slicing through it. It just hurt.Zoey pulled the covers over her head again, obscuring her face. “It’s my fault. I’m getting my just desserts,” she whispered.Would he be pleased now? Would he be satisfied?Laurence’s heart went numb as he listened to her even tone. He didn’t look good and his face dra
Zoey had no recollection of what she had said in her sleep. She drew a complete blank. The only thing she could remember was Laurence pushing her down that cliff and into the abyss in her dream.“Sorry for bothering you while you were sleeping. Why don’t we sleep in separate rooms for the time being? You’ll get a better night’s sleep. It’ll be better than this.”And besides, she couldn’t control her nightmares.Laurence was a light sleeper in the first place; it was no surprise he had been awoken so easily. He pressed his lips together. “No need,” he said calmly. He scanned her face for a few moments before continuing, “I was just curious about what I did in your dream.”“I don’t remember,” Zoey answered, making up an excuse.“Never mind then. It’s still night. Just go to sleep.”“Right.”…Zoey only woke up at noon the next day. Laurence had already gone to work by then. Her phone had switched off due to low power, so when she turned it back on, hundreds of unread notification
Zoey stayed at home the entire day. She didn’t have the courage to turn on her phone. She hadn’t dared to leave the house in days due to the lack of mental preparation. All the poisonous words cursing her to the ends of the world weighed on her heart. Zoey remained curled on the couch. She wasn’t even sure what was airing on the television —she wasn’t paying attention to the screen. However, she heard Laurence’s car outside the house before evening arrived. Zoey glanced out the window to see Laurence get out of his car. His face was blank, and she could sense his sternness even from this distance. He was in a bad mood. Although she couldn’t see it, she could sense it.Laurence didn’t usually leave the office so early. Sometimes, he would be so busy that he’d be at work til eight or nine o’clock. He rarely returned home at this hour.Laurence saw Zoey spacing out on the couch when he entered the living room. Her frail figure looked especially lonely. After stepping into his hous
The next morning, the footage from the security cameras near the offending internet cafe was delivered to Laurence’s office. All the irrelevant footage had been edited out, leaving only the important moments.Laurence didn’t play the footage. He sat as his mind wandered elsewhere. Zoey had been asleep when he left for work. She hadn’t spoken much the last few days, immediately going back to sleep after waking up and waking up shortly after falling asleep.“Miss Jenner entered the internet cafe sometime past six that day. She arrived by taxi. The cameras show that she went in, but illegal internet cafes don’t require guests to use their real name or show their ID, so there are no official records of her.”It didn’t matter whether Sarah’s name was on the internet cafe’s records—the important thing was that she was there.Hearing the report, Laurence wasn’t surprised. Instead, an odd feeling filled him, but it wasn’t disappointment. He wasn’t even interested in playing the footage f
Sarah was terrified by Laurence’s calm gaze. His silence was even more frightening than outright anger. He showed no emotion.Sarah forced herself to calm down. Her tears stopped as she decided to give in a little to save herself. “I’ll apologize to Zoey. I was wrong.” She clutched Laurence’s hand and cried again.Laurence slowly shook her off and sighed before looking at her. “Sarah,” he said evenly.Sarah had a bad feeling as her heart skipped a beat.“Do you think saying sorry would erase everything you’ve done?” he asked her.Sarah was at a loss for words. Tears hung off her lashes as she was scared out of her wits. She looked pitiful. “I know apologizing won’t do anything, but I can make up for it. Even if she wants me dead, I’ll do it.”Laurence was quiet for a long while. “Why did you do it?”Sarah looked down, her voice frustrated and carrying a hint of a sob. “I wanted you two to split.”Laurence never thought that he would be the reason behind the leaked photos. “We’r
”He’s alive. He’s still in the hospital but awake,” Laurence said flatly. He wondered why he had to add those two extra sentences. She shouldn’t be concerned whether Shawn was alive or not.Still, Shawn’s survival had been a miracle. Laurence had heard countless times that Shawn’s life was in danger, with warnings from doctors that he might not make it. The many illegitimate Zuckman children that Shawn had silenced had probably been out of their minds with excitement, thinking that he wasn’t long for this world. One by one, they came rushing back to the country from overseas, worried that they wouldn’t be able to get their hands on a slice of the Zuckman family fortune pie.Sometimes, when Zoey recalled the stabbing, the memory came back to her in a blur, like she was dreaming. All of a sudden, she returned to reality. She didn’t know why she had admitted it and had no idea why Laurence was being so cold. Then again, her relationship with Shawn had always been a sore spot for him. If
Sarah was detained by the police for the next 14 days. When Zoey next saw her, she looked wan and worried. Sarah seemed unaware that she had crossed the line this time, probably because she had never thought Laurence would treat her this harshly. Or had Laurence changed instead? It never was obvious whenever he changed his attitude.Sarah was going insane. She had never lived through such a hellish experience in her life. She wasn’t the only one in the jail cell either; there were other cellmates. They had hair dyed in various shades and smelled of cigarette smoke. She felt she would suffocate if she had to spend another second with these women. She sobbed, begging for a lawyer. She wanted bail, but her request was denied. It seemed that a certain someone would only be satisfied if she sat through all 14 days of her detainment.When she met Zoey again, Sarah had already dried her tears. She would not let Zoey see her at her lowest. Even now, Sarah still feigned sincerity. “Zoey,
Zoey still found it difficult to handle everyone’s perception of her. She hadn’t even brought herself to meet any of their gazes when Laurence pulled her into his office. It had been a while since she had entered it. The last time she was here, she had a bad argument with him.Zoey peered outside of the window. The seat at the desk across the door was still empty. No one had taken it since she left. The new secretary that Laurence hired was a young man fresh out of university. Other than this, there were no other major personnel changes.Laurence watched as she looked out of the window, not bothering her. His phone kept buzzing in his hand, however—the post that he had made had garnered scores of likes and comments. The last time he posted something was when he had lost a game, and that was about half a year ago. Anyone with a brain could see that he was standing up for his wife. All those horrible comments and rumors online apparently couldn’t break their marriage, which these outsi
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