Laurence locked the door before Zoey could say anything. Zoey scoffed angrily and breathed deeply. Her chest felt like the air was sucked right out of her. She couldn't feel at ease sharing a space with an intimidating man. Zoey stayed silent. Her coldness was more hurtful than the painful remarks. Laurence got her a glass of water and her medicine.Zoey was so angry that she broke out in a sweat. Nevertheless, she felt a lot better after a good sweat. Her head did not spin as much as before. She didn't feel sleepy. She stayed alert because Laurence was in the room, and it was hard to fall asleep when she was so worried. She calmed herself down and stuck to the phone. She would rather bore herself with gossip than face the man in the bedroom. Laurence was upset that he was invisible to Zoey. He pressed his lips together and looked at her. Zoey's turned her face away from the light. Her skin was smooth and fair, but her cheeks were flushed. The tip of her nose was rosy, and her
"I can't believe you would break your promise." "Sorry." The apology was insincere. Laurence didn't think he had crossed the line. Zoey pushed him away angrily. "Get out of my way." Laurence followed her. He didn't change his mind about her leaving. He was angry at the thought that her husband was back from Novarvia. He felt a storm brewing inside him. "I'll drive you." He stopped her before she could decline. “If you don’t get into my car, don't even think about leaving. I mean it.”Zoey stopped in her tracks and looked Laurence in the eye. A moment later, she curled her lips and grinned. "I guess you have time to waste as a driver." The curt remark upset Laurence, but he had the tolerance of a saint. He slipped his hands into his pockets and stood next to her, towering over her. He tilted his head down to look at her. "I have a lot of free time on my hands now. It’s not a waste of my time when I’m spending it with you." Zoey gave up. She said, "Suit yourself." Laurence
Laurence had planned to drive away, but he stood there frozen. Zoey and Michael chatted for a while. "Aren't you going to rest at the hotel?" "I’ve rested enough." Michael was a light sleeper, so a five-hour sleep was more than enough. He was jetlagged, but he was wide awake and eager to see Zoey. "What's your address? I'll take a taxi from the hotel." Zoey paused. She asked, "How about I go to you?" Michael was picky. He didn’t like his hotel. The environment and service didn't meet his high standards. "I could use a bit of fresh air, darling." Even though Michael often used the term of endearment, Zoey couldn't get used to it. She said, "Alright. Come on." Zoey sent him the address. It would take around fifteen minutes for Michael to get to her place. Michael checked out of the hotel before leaving. It would be easy to find another five-star hotel in Northwell. While sitting in the cab, Michael booked a new hotel on his phone. Since it was windy outside, Zoey put a ha
Michael couldn't speak the language, but he understood the word “ex-wife.” He never expected the man to be Zoey's irresponsible ex-husband, who abandoned his family. Then again, Michael didn't know the full story between Zoey and Laurence. Zoey was very private about her past. She never brought up her ex-husband. Michael's mom was ill at the time, and he had just married Zoey. He was stopped on campus by a gorgeous man. The man's chilling gaze looked at him like he was a worthless piece of meat. Michael didn't know the man and why he rubbed him the wrong way.Michael didn't want any trouble, so he turned around to leave, but the man's security detail surrounded him. Michael had nowhere to run. The man was Shawn. Michael thought Shawn was Zoey's lover and possibly the father of her child, but that wasn't the case. Shawn wasn't the child's biological father. Michael learned more about Zoey gradually. Zoey talked a lot when she was drunk at class gatherings. Michael often carried her
Michael fell into character very quickly. He stood in front of Laurence. His body and good looks were comparable to Laurence’s. However, he was still younger and more naive. He was no match for Laurence.Zoey covered Teddy’s ears. She didn’t want him to hear two adults fighting. She didn’t want Teddy to mature quicker than he was supposed to. She held him in her arms and went to the elevator. She bent down to talk to him. “Can you go back by yourself, Teddy?”Teddy was silent for a while. He was afraid of his mother getting bullied. He thought his mother was naive. Sometimes, she did things in a blur. Like Michael. They were both kind of naive.But his father was so unlikeable and wasn’t a fool.Teddy stayed still. His little face tightened. “You’ll get bullied, Mom,” he said seriously.Zoey massaged his little head. “I won’t. Just go upstairs. Michael and I will head up very soon.”Teddy was still concerned. He looked away and said, “I know that man is related to me.”Zoey was
When Zoey went downstairs and noticed Laurence and Michael still standing in the same spots, she heaved a sigh of relief. She was afraid they would fight.Northwell was Laurence’s territory. Since coming back, she had been unable to escape news of the Scotts’ power. Laurence had this city’s economy tightly wrapped around his finger. An enemy was strongest in their own habitat. Nothing good would come out of Michael fighting Laurence in this country. On top of that, Laurence was good at manipulation. He could cause trouble for them while they were looking the other way.Zoey went to Michael’s side and faced Laurence. They had to play the part of a married couple of five years. She held his hand lightly. “Let’s not fight anymore. Let’s go upstairs.”Michael was frowning. Annoyance was written across his face. “He was threatening you.”Zoey paused. Of course, she knew. She knew Laurence’s gentleness came with a price. He was only doing it because he wanted to be in control. He was e
She was supposed to be living a good life. And not like what the other people said.Zoey felt like the steel walls she’d been building were torn down. She didn’t want to show Laurence her embarrassment. But now that things were out in the open, it would be foolish if she denied her past.“It definitely didn’t go well when I first got to Novarvia.” Zoey’s voice remained calm. “You must be happy. But I got through it despite how difficult it was.”Laurence’s face was pale. Although he sounded calm, he was affected. His voice was no longer as steady as before.“I’m not happy.” His voice trembled.Zoey and Michael looked at Laurence’s porcelain white skin. It was eerily quiet. Zoey wondered why he wasn’t happy. Did he actually want her to live a good life? This wasn’t what she was expecting.She thought Laurence would sneer and mock her when he heard about her hard life in Novarvia. She thought he would rub salt into her wounds and say this was what she deserved after leaving him. Bu
”Why don’t we go back to Novarvia? I think even Shawn is more pleasant than your ex-husband,” Michael said.This was how he truly felt. Although Shawn was delusional and sent someone to protect her everywhere she went, he didn’t have other major flaws. He wouldn’t involve himself in her education and her work. Michael used to think Shawn’s possessiveness was too much. Compared to her ex-husband, it was a flaw not worth mentioning.Zoey did not go into detail. “I can’t go back now. There’s something wrong with my passport.”Michael was no fool. He caught the implication right away. “Did your ex-husband do something?”Zoey considered it and nodded. “Probably.” She added, “You haven’t stayed in the country for long, so you might not know him that well. He’s hard to get rid of. Ignore him the next time you see him. That’s all I can do right now.” The proud and arrogant Laurence wouldn’t be able to stand being ignored for too long.Michael understood this city was Laurence’s turf. He