Zoey was momentarily stunned. Her brows slowly knitted together, and she no longer sounded as cheerful as she had been seconds before. "No." She hurriedly added, "But my monthlies never come on time. I usually have them at the end of the month, and that's more than ten days away." Her hasty explanation sounded like she was trying to cover things up. "Rose, what are you implying?" she asked. As much as she tried to steady her voice, it had an uneasy undertone. She smiled, albeit a very forced smile. "You aren’t assuming I’m pregnant, are you?”Rose hoped she was just overthinking things. "Yes, that must be it. I’m jumping to conclusions too hastily," she thought to herself. Zoey had been married to Laurence for two years, and they never had a child in that time. Could she be so unfortunate to find out that she was pregnant right after their divorce? "No, I was just asking offhandedly. Don't let the thought mess with you," Rose assured."Now that you mention it, there do seem to
"I have no control over your thoughts." Zoey replied dismissively. She couldn't be bothered to explain, nor did she find it necessary. She was headed out the door, and he was making his way into the building, so they were going in opposite directions.Laurence had the urge to call out to her when she passed him. Things had already turned out this way between them, yet he still held out unrealistic hopes for her to reconsider things. After all, since they were both at the Bureau of Civil Affairs, it wasn't entirely impossible for them to remarry. However, Zoey did not turn back, and he did not say another word.The staff there recognized him immediately and could only exclaim inwardly, "Men have always been unfaithful. He's just gotten a divorce, and he already has a constant stream of new lovers.""Please give me my divorce certificate.""You'll need to sign here, please."Laurence picked up a pen and signed the piece of paper. The staff then handed the other copy of the divorce c
Zoey felt like she'd been struck by lightning. Her refusal to believe the results prompted her to do the test again. However, the results remained consistent every time. Every test displayed two red lines. Zoey had an indistinct feeling for days. Ever since Rose had asked her about her menstruation, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was off. But she was in denial and refused to accept the possibility.Zoey sat on her bed and stared into space for a long time. No matter how she thought about it, nothing seemed to make sense. How was it possible? There were only two possible explanations. It was either purely accidental, or something must’ve been wrong with the medicine Laurence got her from the hospital. But Zoey didn’t think that Laurence would do something like that.It was true that he had said that he wanted a child. However, he did not hide his intentions from her and had told her upfront that he wanted a child. If he really did pull something so u
Adrian had never seen Laurence behave in such a manner. If only he could unsee it as it was out of character for Laurence. He was acting strange. Laurence wasn’t himself at all. Adrian believed something was going on with Laurence. Silence befell the room. Some people did not know who Zoey was before, but she was a familiar face now. In an attempt to lighten the mood, Adrian smiled. "Isn't she your ex-wife? It's normal not to keep in touch after the divorce." The tension rose to an all-time high. Clutching his phone, Laurence fixed his dark, emotionless eyes on Adrian as if he had said the most blasphemous thing. Laurence's staring gave Adrian the creeps. But Adrian was only being honest. What was wrong with keeping it real? Laurence was probably sensitive to the subject. He shouldn’t be, though. Everybody had seen the statement he released a few days before. You could understand a person’s attitude by the way they handled matters. Adrian had a hard time believing that Zoey was l
Laurence recalled bits and pieces of what had happened. He pulled a long face, confused by his erratic behavior. Like a trapped beast, he could not seem to break free from the invisible chains. This was not the first time Laurence had pulled such an act. The chauffeur bore witness to his behavior in the last two weeks. Mr. Scott would not engage in such disgrace when he was in a lucid state of mind. Nevertheless, under the influence of alcohol in social engagements, Laurence became obsessed with returning to the former villa or driving to Miss Jenner's new residence. The chauffeur was reluctant to speak, and pin-drop silence filled the vehicle. It was as if someone was strangling Laurence, sucking the air out of him. He ordered, "Head home. Don't listen to me whenever I have too much to drink." "Of course." Laurence believed he capped his alcohol during the dinner party. How did the alcohol get to his head? They had broken up. He could not embarrass himself in her presence.
Laurence found himself coming to see Zoey time and time again. It was a hard habit to break, and he needed time to adjust to the new routine. That was the scary part about habits. Often enough, it took a long time before a person could grasp the magnitude of pain after losing someone or something. The realization always came from the tiniest details. Laurence would reach out while he was half-asleep to feel the person who no longer slept next to him. He always set a course to Birch Residences after work, and poured a glass of milk before bed. The pain was a long time coming, forcing him to cope with the new circumstances. Laurence stared at the receding figures as he sat in the car with a cigarette between his teeth. The thin smoke clouded his vision, hiding his bloodshot eyes from the lack of sleep. His eyes felt sore, so sore his tears threatened to fall. Laurence calmly finished his cigarette. Since the divorce, he no longer saw the point of quitting. It was not as though she
Fed up, Zoey kicked Laurence. Laurence maintained a straight face as if he knew no pain despite her loafer coming into contact with his shin in full force.Laurence would rather that she was angry than give him the cold shoulder. "Do you want to kick me a couple more times?" Zoey could not understand what had gotten into Laurence. "What is wrong with you?" she asked, exasperated.Sensing that she was about to make her escape, Laurence tightened his grip on her wrist and trapped her in place. Zoey scowled in pain. "Let go of me." Paying no heed to her words, Laurence uttered offhandedly, "We can do this all day if that's what you want." The stalemate was going nowhere, so Zoey begrudgingly pulled out her phone to remove Laurence's number from her blocked contacts. Laurence seemed pleased now. Still, something was nagging at him. "Don't block my number again," he warned. "I wouldn't have in the first place if you hadn’t pestered me repeatedly." "I had to call you since
The noise at the door startled Janet, who was in the living room. She went to the entryway for a look. What's the matter, Zoey?" Before Zoey could reply, the sick person outside the door brazenly said hello to Zoey's mom through the open crack. "It's me, Mrs. Fulton. Sorry to bother you,” he greeted weakly.Janet recognized Shawn's voice from the last time they met when Janet woke up in the hospital. Shawn was a stranger to her back then. "Come on in. We don't keep our guests at the door." "Thank you, Mrs. Fulton." Zoey had no choice but to open the door completely to let him in. It did not seem like Shawn was putting on an act, as he did look sickly. He pressed his lips against his knuckles to shield his coughing. Janet listened to his cough and asked, concerned, "Are you sick?" Shawn put on a brave face and replied, "I caught a little cold. That's all." Zoey was rendered speechless. Why did he come here for medicine if it was just a little cold? He could have toughe
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