Sarah still saw Zoey as the same gullible high-schooler and defenseless rival she could manipulate. However, times had changed, and Zoey was no longer the person she once was. Tolerance was not Zoey's only option. In the past, she did not want Laurence to perceive her as a self-serving opportunist, as the last thing she wanted was for him to dress her down in disdain. She was no longer concerned about that. His skeptical eyes could do no damage to her even if he did not believe her. "Alright. Let's see if he saves you." Zoey then terminated the call. She did not put all her hopes on the police. Zoey hired a private investigator to follow the money. While the doctor's bank account showed no abnormal activities, his wife had received a considerable sum in hers recently. The source of the money could not be traced, but it was used to treat his wife's cancer. Zoey handed the bank statements of the doctor's wife to the police, but the papers lacked the weight of solid evidence. Besi
Zoey's slaps did not just leave a mark on Sarah's face, but they left the others on the scene stunned. The blows came without warning and with full force. While Laurence's unknown ex-wife was associated with scandals, no one had seen her violent side. Zoey didn't give a shit about assaulting Sarah in public. Both Sarah's cheeks were swollen. Sarah shook with rage at being humiliated in public. The physical pain was only secondary to her sense of pride, which had been shattered. Overwhelmed with self-righteousness, someone came forth and spat at Zoey, "You might be pregnant, but that is no reason for you to act violently." The art gallery was filled with Sarah's sycophants, many of whom were only interested in her for what they could get, hence why someone spoke up for Sarah. Zoey gleefully looked at the person who spoke. "Those were her thank-you gift to me." She then turned to Sarah. "Weren't they?" With a hand over her face, Sarah lowered her head, hiding her swollen cheeks b
Zoey hadn’t brought up the whole shebang so that Laurence would fight for her.She smiled, looked at Laurence with an emotionless expression, and calmly said the most hurtful thing she could, "It’s no surprise you were both lovers once. Why are you both hellbent on harming the kid of another?" The question was curt and flat. Laurence was speechless, feeling his breath catch in his throat. It felt like he had swallowed a razor blade, his throat cut and lungs filled with blood. He could only offer apologies for all that happened. He pursed his lips. "Don't let the anger get to you. Your health is already suffering." The last thing Zoey needed was his pretentious concern, but she still had Laurence's ruthlessness to thank since she could witness Sarah looking upset. "What do you think? Should I have hit her?" she inquired. Laurence had no answer.Zoey found it meaningless, and Sarah had a point. Laurence would always take Sarah's side when it mattered. He was her get-out-of-jai
Such an indifferent remark was spoken in a lighthearted tone. As she always ended up hurting herself, Zoey had never brought up the details of the incident, even though she’d told herself to let go. If Sarah hadn't gotten in her face and flashed her invincible get-out-of-jail-free card around, Zoey wouldn't have been so tempted to tear her deceitful mask apart. Even though her words carried no weight with Laurence, she had to voice everything. Laurence grabbed her tightly by the arm like a hunter latching onto his prey, sucking the life out of it. "Are you interested to know? I can tell you the story, or…" Maybe there was more to it than he knew. The woman impatiently interrupted Laurence before he had the chance to finish his sentence. She was eager to shake him off. Alas, she did not have the strength to overpower him. Zoey said dismissively, "No need for that. The story is nothing more than Sarah taking a few lashes and blows for you." Her speech was cut short by the sudden
The question pierced the air like a bolt out of the blue. Color drained from Sarah's complexion. It had been years since Laurence had broached the subject. He must have really liked "her" back then because his eyes would twinkle with joy whenever he talked to her. Since he probably never thought he would be fooled by an imposter, Laurence never doubted Sarah. He used to be the one who spoke about the incident, but now he was questioning her instead. Sarah had a vague memory of the kidnapper's appearance as all she had seen was a photo on the news. While she could answer the question, she would probably struggle with further questioning. "He looked mean and had a scar on his face. I think he was in his thirties,” she muttered. She tried her best to keep her head as she described the man from the news article she had seen. She was careful with her description, ensuring she left no room for Laurence to doubt her. She guessed what Zoey had said to Laurence earlier. The audacity…
Although the kidnapping had happened many years ago, the scene was still vivid in Laurence's memory.The world behind that dark cloth was dark and grim. Everything was shrouded in darkness, and he couldn't see a thing. Even the simple act of reaching out to touch her face and tracing the contours of her features with his fingertips seemed like an impossible task. He never once harbored any doubt that the person before him was Sarah. Laurence thought it was utterly absurd.His phone vibrated, snapping him back to his senses. Expressionless, he answered the call.The driver spoke respectfully, "Mr. Scott, Miss Jenner has arrived home."Laurence responded with a hum. After hanging up, he leisurely headed to the office.Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the company seemed less tense than before. The president managed to stabilize his emotions and accepted the fact that his ex-wife was getting remarried. When it came to work, he wasn't as strict as before.After finishing his tasks in the
Laurence entered the living room and greeted the guests with a casual nod.Mrs. Scott had no intention of matchmaking the two kids. Rowan wasn't expecting Laurence to get married immediately, either. He simply thought Laurence wouldn't mind an alliance marriage since he didn't seem to care about marriage. As long as they came from the same background, it didn't matter whether they loved each other or not. As long as their interests matched, that would be enough.Laurence tugged at his tie and walked toward the stairs, intending to keep the conversation brief after the initial greetings. However, his father stopped him. "We have guests. Don't you think you should entertain them?"Laurence rarely argued with his father. Even during his adolescence, he didn't rebel much, at least not openly. Yet today, Laurence wasn't in the mood to put on an act. "Don't we have you for that?"The daughter of the Cullen family was young and seemed knowledgeable and well-mannered. She was also quite
Zoey never gave up on searching for evidence of Sarah bribing the doctors, but the police couldn't find any leads, and she didn't want to have too many expectations. However, she still refused to give up.It had been a few days since she was released from the police station, and news about Sarah had spread like wildfire. Diana and her friends were sneaking glances at her social media posts and even accidentally liked them. Perhaps they believed she and Sarah had already fallen out. However, regardless of the consequences, Zoey wouldn't regret it. If anything, her only regret would be not slapping Sarah harder that day.Jason also saw the news. He knew his niece's temper very well. She was patient and rarely went against anyone, even during a confrontation. Sarah must have done something Zoey couldn't tolerate that drove her to resort to violence publicly. Jason had been busy dealing with the guys under Leo's command who had taken the money and fled. If he didn't eliminate them all at
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