Zoey murmured, "I'll take you home now." She was gentle with the child and spoke with a reassuring tone. It was hard to stay mad at her tenderness.Teddy burrowed into his mother's arms and gritted his teeth. If he had known this would happen today, he would have stopped his mother from leaving the house. He clenched his fists as he sulkily planned to bite the annoying man if he continued to pester his mother. Teddy wanted the man to feel pain and stay away from them. His mother was polite and wouldn't say anything too hurtful, but Teddy could.Zoey hurried out of the mall with the child in her arms, and Laurence followed her without a word. The pair stood in a stalemate at the entrance of the mall, neither one of them moving. Zoey did not look back and ignored Laurence’s glare. She waited a long time for a cab. As she entered the vehicle, Laurence grabbed her arm. She froze and felt her temper rising. Anyone would be annoyed by this constant pestering. She closed her eyes, waiting
Laurence verified Zoey's marriage status with influential and well-connected senior alumni in Novarvia he knew. Soon, Laurence had information on Zoey's wedding date, venue, and details of her husband. The spouse was a classmate of Zoey's, but the reason for their marriage was unclear. There was also no information on her life before her studies in Novarvia, how she got there, or how she started her life there.Laurence’s email inbox contained information about Zoey’s past. While he had been looking for her, she was in Novarvia. It explained why he couldn’t find her. He did not trust Jason fully. He had kept an eye on her apartment over the years, but she never returned. Laurence's head hurt from all the thinking, and he was out of cigarettes. It didn't bother him that she was married. He thought that it was fine if she was married with a child. All that mattered was that she was alive. His arrogance nearly killed her. His prejudice pushed her further away. Everything that happene
People in the event hall turned their attention to Zoey and Laurence. Zoey didn’t care about being embarrassed in public. She was determined to leave. Laurence clutched her wrist and pulled her into his arms. As Zoey was wearing heels, the force made her stagger and she slammed into his chest. He grabbed her arm and didn’t show signs of letting go. The others fell silent and pretended they saw nothing. There was a private conference room outside the event hall that could give them some privacy. Stern and unfriendly bodyguards in black stood watch outside the door.Zoey was dragged into the private conference room. She said nothing as she broke free from Laurence’s grasp. She stumbled and hit her back on the edge of a table. Laurence stayed still. Zoey’s presence felt like a dream. When he woke up, she would be gone. Zoey folded her arms and kept her guard up. Her eyes were wary. Laurence didn't dare to face her. He needed time to process that Zoey was now a stranger in his life.
Some truths were no longer relevant after some time. In fact, Zoey realized that the problems between her and Laurence were not solely due to others' interference. The vague affection she had when they were younger was fragile. A gentle breeze was enough to destroy it.If Laurence hadn't mistaken her for Sarah and the misunderstanding had never happened, the awkwardness between them wouldn't have been reversed. She was never Laurence’s type. The mistake was real, and so were the passionate heartbeats at the time. Zoey couldn't be bothered anymore."Robert is holding a grudge against Jasmine for not bailing him out with her connections. He's only saying this to get back at them. I wasn’t in Northwell that summer vacation. I was by my mother’s side. We were doing great, and nothing unusual happened." Zoey didn't care that her lie was flawed or if he believed it. She added, "You don't have to take it to heart."Laurence was silent. He hadn't expected her to deny it so decisively. He sa
Zoey had never underestimated Laurence's efficiency. She knew it was highly probable that he had already managed to find out everything he could about her husband when she told him she was married. Since they weren't an actual couple, she wasn't bothered that her husband had other lovers. She had met his partner while she was in Novravia and found him very likable. However, she was annoyed that Laurence was intruding on her privacy. It seemed to have developed into a habit."Yeah, I know."These few words carried a lot of weight. The car fell silent, and they remained so for quite a while. Perhaps Laurence hadn't expected her to be so casual about this. Zoey’s indifference threw him off guard.Laurence lowered his eyelids, and his lashes cast a shadow on his cheeks. He asked, "Why?"Why didn't she care?"I don't mind." Zoey smiled. "As long as he's willing to come back to me. That's all I ask."Laurence wanted to imply that her marriage was far from perfect. She didn't believe
Zoey booked a return flight for the following day. When Teddy learned they were returning to Novarvia, he leaped with joy. He hugged his mother and kissed her cheek. When Jason found out that they were leaving, he frowned and asked, "Did you meet Laurence?"Zoey looked down. "Yeah, I ran into him."Jason looked at her as he loosened his tie and asked, "You're leaving to avoid him?" Five years in hiding should have been enough.Zoey nodded her head, but a shake quickly followed.As she bobbed her head like a pigeon, Jason cracked up. He raised a hand and ruffled her hair like he did when she was a little girl. "What are you trying to say? I won't know what you're thinking if you say nothing."Zoey lifted her head, and her eyelashes fluttered like a butterfly's wings. Her eyes sparkled as she said, "I'm not afraid to face him. I just find it more troublesome if I do. So I'd rather go back earlier. Plus, I have work to do there."Jason reluctantly accepted her explanation. Laure
"I know what you want to say," he continued calmly before she could speak. "I admit. I am a despicable, shameless man."He stood at the window and gazed at the horizon in the distance. Even through the phone, he could picture the expression on her face. She must be furious. Knowing she would be pissed wouldn't have stopped him from doing it. He wanted to keep her nearby, even if it necessitated dishonorable means.Zoey shut her eyes and focused on her breathing. After regaining composure, she asked in the iciest tone, "And the deadline?"The cold breeze attacked his face like rain that froze his skin. Laurence gripped the railing with one hand, his pupils as dark as black ink. "I don't know." A spiteful hint of sarcasm flashed across his eyes. He added, "You can ask your husband to meet you here."He spoke as though he had considered every aspect of her migration.Zoey hadn't been this angry in a long time. She’d had enough. She asked, "Is it true that you still love me?""That's
Sarah’s health started getting worse when she was in university. Zoey wasn't sure what illness she had because she was busy working and didn’t have time to bother about the princess’ problems.Sarah even took a month off to get surgery. It seemed to cure her. But when she broke up with Laurence that year, she went for treatment again but told everyone she was going abroad. Year after year, Sarah's health never truly improved. She had a chronic illness, and it kept coming back. Zoey wanted to praise Sarah for putting so much effort into harming others even when she was so sick."Sarah doesn’t have a job right now. When she no longer has the money to feed those bad people, they’re not going to stop being nice. They’re going to be hard to handle. They’ll keep coming back for more. You may not have any proof, but it’s not the same for them."Human greed knows no bounds. Desires are hard to please."Her life is different now. Because of her plagiarism, her reputation in the design indus