“She saved me.”These words sounded light as a feather.Zoey pretended that nothing was out of the norm. “So that’s how it is.”Laurence lit a cigarette, but the moment the flame lit up, he snuffed it in the ashtray after slight deliberation. He asked, “Is it strange?”Zoey still had to act normal in front of him. She could imagine how stiff her expression was. Her eyes stung and reddened. “It’s a little unexpected.”Laurence turned around and looked at her fixedly.Her face was drained of color, and her body was all tensed up. She looked like a frightened bird and wasn’t in a good state.He slowly elaborated, “I was kidnapped when I was small. Actually, no, not that small. It happened when I was a teenager.”Laurence could talk about the past without any sign of discomfort. “I was held captive for quite long, about half a month. I thought I’d die at that person's hands several times, but I was fortunate. I managed to survive no matter how I was beaten.”Thinking back to those days, La
Laurence stood still and looked at her. After a moment, he said, “Sorry, there really is an emergency.”“How sorry can you be? So be it,” thought Zoey.She had broken out in a cold sweat due to the pain. She took a few deep breaths. Showing her weak side to him once was already her limit. She endured the pain and said hoarsely, “Okay, you go on ahead.”Laurence put on his tie, took his suit jacket, and left without turning back. Downstairs, the driver and bodyguards were already waiting. Laurence casually threw the car keys to the driver, his expression cold and serious. “Drive me to the mansion on South Street.”“Yes, sir.”Laurence seemed to remember something suddenly and called the butler. “Miss Jenner isn’t feeling well. Look after her and check on her.”The butler immediately perked up. “Yes, sir.”Laurence hung up the phone and left his household affairs behind him. Zoey was an adult and should know to call a doctor if she was feeling discomfort.He thought of what Sarah had sai
Sarah spread her knees apart and sat on Laurence’s lap. She looked at him with reddened eyes and used her tears to show that she was sorry every time they quarreled. “Laurence, I was wrong.”Sarah shed more and more tears, and her face was soon completely damp. “Don’t do this to me.”She cried and choked as she spoke, her voice and speech slurred. It could be very distressing indeed.Laurence was silent for a moment. He frowned lightly and pinched her chin. He looked serious in the dim light as he slowly wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief. “Forget it.”He told himself there was no need to chastise her.Sarah’s eyes were still red. He glanced at the mobile phone next to the sofa. The call had already been hung up.Pretending not to notice anything, Sarah continued, “I didn’t go abroad to leave you behind.”Laurence interrupted her, “I know. You were sick.”Sarah was stunned as she thought he didn’t know about this. She choked back sobs, lowered her face, and looked aggrie
Getting a divorce now or two years later didn’t make much of a difference for Zoey. She was okay with it either way. Besides finding another way to sustain her mother’s high medical expenses in the hospital, nothing else would change much.Zoey thought about it seriously and told Laurence truthfully, “If you need to, I’m willing to cooperate.”She could unconditionally terminate the contract earlier as long as he paid her the corresponding liquidated damages in accordance with the contract.After she’d said that, she noticed Laurence’s expression darken. He became reserved and gloomy. He was unpredictable, but Zoey had always been unable to gauge his temper. She contemplated it, polished her words a little, and mentioned tactfully, “Well, if it is terminated early, I should get compensation, right?”She asked the question carefully, afraid that Laurence might change his mind if he got upset. She could now understand why Laurence preferred to trade money and goods. It was straightforwar
Laurence wasn’t pleased after hearing that. He shouldn’t have said so much; it made him seem more concerned than he was.He was quiet for a few seconds before his expression changed to a fleeting cold smile. “I hope that you’ll be able to follow through with your plans when the time comes.”Laurence had known many women who were terrible at discerning others’ characters. He had a scatterbrained female cousin who fell in love with a man with a poorer financial background than her. When she finally had him, she provided for all his financial needs. Her actions were that of a lovesick person. And yet, in the end, the man never saw her as a romantic partner; once he’d garnered a fortune and could stand on his own two feet, he’d discarded her without a second thought.Laurence’s cousin had sobbed when she begged through gritted teeth for Laurence to teach the man a lesson that he would never forget. Laurence was annoyed by her weeping, so he simply agreed to her request. Before he could
The nurse was startled by Zoey’s tone. Zoey had always been soft-spoken and civil. She had never raised her voice at the nurse before.“Ms. Teller brought flowers with her, so she didn’t seem like someone with bad intentions. She said that she was an old friend of your mother’s, so I let her in,” the nurse said shakily.Zoey felt a bit light-headed from anger. An icy expression hung on her face, a rare look for her. “Please tell her to leave the next time she comes.”The nurse let out a breath of relief. “Alright.”Zoey’s anger still hadn’t dissipated after she ended the call. She forced herself to calm down and mull over Jasmine’s motives for today's visit. Jasmine wouldn’t visit her mother for no reason—she wasn’t one to do anything just for the sake of it. She was clearly more intelligent than the average person, considering how she’d waited for so many years. Jasmine had played a pivotal role behind the scenes regarding Robert’s smooth and easy acquisition of the Fulton family’
The young woman was pleased with the progress and looked forward to seeing the final product. “Alright then.” She’d heard that Zoey was tight on money, so out of the goodness of her heart, she referred a potential client to Zoey. “Miss Jenner, my uncle recently bought a house for his girlfriend, but it hasn’t been remodeled yet. He’s probably looking for someone to help with the remodeling. I’ll point him your way in a few days.”Zoey definitely wouldn’t give up the chance to make money, but it didn’t hurt to be more careful after the example that was James. “How old is your uncle? And what would you say his personality is like…”The young woman laughed. “He’s quite young, not much older than you, actually. He’s a nice person too. He’s a man of his word. He’s very good-looking but not much of a chatty person, so he’s on the distant side. To be honest, I don’t know if that lady is actually his girlfriend—he seems to be into her, but that woman has been trying to get back with her
Zoey was prone to feeling cold, so she pulled her shawl tight around her shoulders before looking for a deserted corner. She then asked for a warm water from one of the waiters.Sarah had a rather wide network; the venue was filled with many notable people tonight. Zoey spotted plenty of well-known people in Northwell.In truth, Zoey had initially studied jewelry design. During the summer break in her freshman year in university, her lecturer signed her up for a major competition.Sarah and Zoey were in the same year, and they were also in the same faculty. However, they had different lecturers.Newbies were able to make their debut during the annual competition. Her tutor sent her the collections of designs that had won first place right before Zoey handed in her own work. The designs that her tutor sent were completely identical to the work that Zoey planned to send in.Zoey’s heart had stopped at the sight.The tutor kept singing his praises over Sarah’s winning design. Zoey c
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