Laurence coughed uncontrollably, his back arching slightly. He looked thin and frail.Matthew was stunned when he noticed the trace of blood at the corner of Laurence's lips. He didn't dare comment on it, but he asked carefully, "Mr. Scott, do you need to go to the hospital?"Gradually, Laurence stopped coughing. He used a handkerchief to clean his face. When he looked at his hand, there was blood. Even though he'd coughed up blood, his chest still felt suffocated. He closed his eyes. He grimaced before regaining an expressionless composure. "There's no need. Let's go back to the hotel."Matthew wanted to try and talk him into it, but Laurence seemed reluctant to speak of the matter. Thus, he didn't dare say more. Laurence had been fine before the inspection. Who knew what Robert had said that was provocative enough to incite such a reaction from him?Back at the hotel, Laurence stayed silent. He really didn't want to talk about it. His mind furiously replayed Robert’s words. Memor
Laurence woke up with a splitting headache. He couldn't remember what he had said last night. However, he went to the company in a suit and tie the next day, looking meticulous. He didn't look hungover at all. He continued entertaining his clients at night but wasn't out of control and hadn’t gotten drunk like he had before. Laurence was the only one who thought he was doing fine. He looked like his usual self, but inside, his heart was empty. Tonight, there were many acquaintances at the bar. While socializing, Laurence suddenly felt annoyed. He pulled at his tie to loosen it and felt relieved from the inexplicable irritation. With an indifferent expression, he walked to the window. From the high building, he looked out at the city's night view. The city lights were bright, and the streets were bustling. In contrast, his eyes were filled with loneliness. Tristan held a wine glass as he walked up and quietly stood beside him. He tilted his head, revealing the veins on his back, a
Never once had Laurence and Jason’s conversation ended happily, as they could never have a peaceful chat. In the end, Jason still arranged the funeral. However, he never expected Laurence to bring his men to clear out the venue. Zoey didn't have many friends, but her classmates rushed over from around the world to attend her funeral after learning about the incident. Arielle was dressed in black and wore sunglasses to hide her swollen, red eyes. Zoey's university roommate had cried before attending the funeral, and her eyes were also puffy and glistening with tears. She staggered when she saw the black and white photo. Her eyes stung as if they were almost empty of tears. Rose couldn't stand up and slowly sat back down as she gripped the chair. Although it had been a while since the accident, she still felt like it was a dream. As long as she woke up from another sleep, she would return to the day Zoey was still alive, holding her newborn baby as she sat in the sun. She looked so g
Five years later, at the airport. "Uncle Jeremy, our flight was delayed. We just got off the plane." The woman's voice was gentle as ever. She was still soft-spoken as before, and her voice was soothing to the ears. The man on the other end of the line answered, and she replied slowly, "No need. I'll call a cab to take us back to the hotel. We're only staying for a couple of days. Yep, I'll be going abroad once the competition is over." She glanced at the child beside her as she talked, afraid he would wander off. After ending the call, Zoey crouched and looked at him at eye level. His skin was soft and smooth, and something in his eyes shone like the stars in the night sky. She asked, "Teddy, are you hungry?" The little boy ran into his mother's arms, hooked his arms around her neck, and said, "Mom, I'm not hungry." He tried to sound cool when he spoke, but his voice was cute, just like a young child's."Are you sure? You didn't eat anything on the plane." The boy shook hi
"Mr. Scott, the chauffeur's downstairs," Chris said carefully to steer them back on topic. In the last two years, he realized that Mr. Scott's temper had improved for the better. He no longer noticed trivial things and would let things slide. Still, nobody was dumb enough to do anything that might piss him off. He would have refused to attend the date tonight, but that lady from the Cullen family had called incessantly, begging Chris to tell Mr. Scott to go to dinner with her. Otherwise, her parents would not stop urging her to marry and might even marry her off to a random hedonistic playboy. All she asked was for Laurence to put up an act with her to fool her parents. Besides, she promised she would not talk about him behind her back after this. Chris could not stand her calls. She cried and wept all the time on the phone, which was the opposite of the calm and composed image she usually portrayed. Apparently, all the young ladies from affluent families were merely putting on an
Diana had always been dumb. At times, she acted really stupid. She asked, “Are you saying Zoey might not have died?”Diana was fine with Zoey being alive. Maybe this way, Laurence would forgive her for bullying Zoey in the past. She didn’t think it was outlandish to believe she was alive. She asked softly, “Didn’t the police fail to find her body?”A chill went up Eliza’s spine. A person dying and coming back to life was a scary thought. She said, “Laurence just helped me out. I shouldn’t be talking about him behind his back.”But Diana was not one to keep her mouth shut. At the mention of Zoey, she thought of Sarah. She was silent for a while before asking, “Have you seen Sarah these past two years?”“No. Hasn’t she also disappeared?”Zoey’s incident hadn’t happened too long ago. All the scandals about Sarah were scary to think about. Even the news that she had been stealing someone else’s designs was nothing compared to the other things she had done in the past. Her internationa
Zoey looked down silently for a moment. She finally said, “You don’t have to tell me about him, Uncle.”She didn’t care. Neither did she have the energy to. She hadn’t had a very pleasant five years.Thank goodness for the plants on the cliff that had cushioned her fall. She was still badly hurt and sent into a coma. She hadn’t been completely unharmed.When Zoey woke up, she was already in Novarvia. She was in an unfamiliar castle. When she opened her eyes, she was unable to speak much. She couldn’t move her body. She did not stay awake for long each day, either. She was dizzy every day. It was like a nightmare. She spent many days unconscious. After a few months, her head gradually cleared. She could sit up with someone’s help. She nearly lost her ability to talk because she hadn’t talked in a long time.As Zoey thought about those difficult months, her body began to ache. She couldn’t just stop herself from feeling that intense pain.She had no idea how Shawn had found her and
Zoey froze. She touched her mask instinctively. Thank goodness it still concealed most of her face. Her seat was two rows behind Laurence’s, so he wouldn’t notice her. Zoey did not wish to meet him again. Even now, she would avoid him if she could.The sponsors were basically royalty, and they were treated as such. The staff members of the organizing committee ushered them to the front rows. They acted humbly and carefully. They had not expected someone as busy as Laurence would attend their event. They couldn’t figure out why Mr. Scott would suddenly start funding their competition. Because of his funding, their events in the past two years were orderly and effective. They improved every year. The competition was expanding. Every year, they could select a few extraordinary new talents.“Please sit, Mr. Scott.”He was expressionless and dressed in a dark suit. He sat, and the atmosphere around him seemed to freeze a little. It was chilly and ominous. The people around him were ner
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