It was like Shawn had forgotten what had happened at Stork Street.He treated Zoey like an enemy and looked at her like she was trash.Zoey wasn’t so much unhappy as she was disappointed that his childhood memories were different from how she remembered them.She guessed that was the consequence of having an insane person as a friend.Shawn seemed unwell too. He coughed slightly, his face pale. He only seemed to feel better when Sarah returned from the bathroom. “Why were you so long? Did someone bully you?” he asked pointedly.Sarah pretended to hesitate for a moment before she answered, “No, nothing of the sort.”Zoey did not say another word for the rest of the meal.She had never been a part of their world from the very beginning, even though she was now Laurence’s wife. Sarah wasn’t wrong. To Laurence, she was nothing but a tool.Obedient, poor, and easy to control.He could leave her anytime he wanted.Even after she had drunk a lot of warm water, Zoey’s cramps did not get bette
What mattered most to Zoey was that Laurence had told Sarah the thing that hurt her the most.He really did not care about what she thought at all.But Zoey couldn’t express any of these emotions. She gritted her teeth and kept her silence.As the smoke filled the car, all Zoey could smell was the bitterness of the secondhand smoke.Laurence reached out and pulled her face toward himself. At her pale face and reddened eyes, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and said instead, “Do you really hate Sarah that much?”“Hate is a strong word.” Zoey refused to waste her energy on inconsequential people. “I don’t want to see her, though,” she spoke truthfully. “And I don’t think Sarah wants to see me all that much either. You should know that.”Zoey was getting more and more annoyed by the minute. Her chin hurt where his slender hand held her. “Can you let go of me?” she asked with feigned calmness.Laurence did not let go of her. Instead, his grip tightened as he leaned in closer
Zoey wondered what drove her to such despair first. Was it the fact that Robert never loved her, or was it because she found out about the murders he had committed to get her inheritance?Zoey said, “I want to see her house too.”She wasn’t allowed to return home all these years simply because she no longer owned it.Back then, her mother wanted to return, but Jasmine told the security guards to kick them out.On the surface, Jasmine did nothing wrong. She looked at them disdainfully and said, “I’m sorry, I cannot let strangers just waltz into my house and harass my family. My husband gave me this house, so it is legally mine now. Please accept this fact, Miss Fulton. It wouldn’t do any of us good if I have to keep asking my guards to kick you out.”Everything had changed in just a blink of an eye, all because her mother trusted the wrong person.Zoey was still young back then, so all she could do was hug her mother and cry for her father’s help.Her mother had held her hand to stop he
Zoey thought Laurence brought her to Southgrove to help him with his work, but he left her in the hotel for the rest of their trip. He did not ask her to prepare any documents, nor did he bring her to any conferences.Zoey appreciated the peace and quiet. Laurence woke up early the next morning. Zoey, on the other hand, had trouble waking up due to the painkiller she had taken the night before. She could barely open her eyes when she felt him get out of bed and she was dazed.She felt Laurence lean down and lightly kissed her lips and heard him tell her to stay put in the hotel.Zoey wasn’t an obedient person in the first place. Besides that, Laurence never really cared about what she did during the day.Zoey’s uncle was still in prison. He had another year to go before he could be released.She made an appointment with her uncle’s attorney and arranged to visit him as well.She rarely visited her uncle. Her uncle didn’t want to see her either.She didn’t tell him about what had happe
When Henry found out about what happened to Zoey and her family, he volunteered to go to court for her uncle.Even though they lost the case, he still managed to negotiate for a shorter sentence.Back then, Robert had demanded a life sentence for Jason.…Henry, considerate of her financial situation, chose an affordable restaurant.Zoey hesitated momentarily and gently suggested, “Mr. Lane, how about we eat somewhere else?”Before Jason could answer, she pulled him over to the restaurant on the opposite side of the street.He did not stop her.Jason knew that Zoey was married. Zoey had shown him their prenuptial agreement before this so that he could check the terms for her. He could tell that the agreement was written by a professional, and there were no loopholes in the terms at all.It wasn’t a beneficial agreement to her.Apart from the pay, there was nothing that she could gain from it.The restaurant that Zoey had chosen was a famous Jelenese restaurant.She passed the menu to J
Zoey didn’t know what was wrong with Laurence. She was trapped between him and the sofa, unable to move.Laurence’s eyes were chilly as he glared at her. A hint of anger surfaced when she didn't explain herself.Zoey was a little scared of him when he was in one of his moods like this. She tried to free herself, but it only made him angry. Laurence grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up roughly. “Explain.”Zoey wasn't even sure whether the “bastard” he referred to was her uncle or Mr. Lane. She didn’t want to tell him about either of them.Even though Laurence did not love her, he was still quite possessive over her.He did not like her getting close to other men. Unless he knew them personally, he would get upset when she spoke with strange men.With him, she had no freedom at all.Zoey hid her fear and took a few deep breaths before looking at Laurence. “Who are you referring to, Mr. Scott?”Laurence stared at her pale face, then let go of her suddenly. He got up and threw a stack
Zoey looked at him through the tears in her eyes. She couldn’t see his expression through the steam and the water, but she could guess.He was most probably expressionless and distant, as always. Just like how he spoke to her. Polite and distant.Zoey knew Laurence’s personality. He was easygoing on the surface and looked unbothered, but he expected everyone to do as he wished. He wanted everything and everyone to be under his control.Zoey felt cold. Her body trembled. “Please go out. I can do it myself,” she said hoarsely.Laurence considered her for a moment.Her wet clothes hid none of her curves.She looked flustered and unkempt. Her face was pale, but there was a flush around her eyes.Laurence answered mildly, “Okay.”When the bathroom door closed, Zoey relaxed and slid onto the floor with her back to the wall. The shower was still on, drenching her in hot water. The bathroom was filled with steam.She buried her face in her hands as her tears fell. Her teeth were tightly gritte
Zoey had no choice but to concede.Laurence felt that he had given Zoey enough respect and leniency in this matter. He let go of her. “I hope this won’t happen again.”Zoey wasn’t really the submissive kind, but it wasn’t like she could disagree with him on this. “Okay.”Laurence threw the photos into a shredder. Even though they were destroyed, those photos still stayed in his mind. He had to admit that Zoey looked happy with that man.A lawyer. That was a worrying career.“You mentioned that he was a lawyer?” Laurence asked with feigned nonchalance.Zoey did not look at him. “Yes.”“How did you get to know him?” His voice was level and emotionless, as if he didn’t really care about the answer.Zoey could not tell him the truth, so she looked up and forced a smile. “I got frightened when your lawyer told me about the compensation for breaching our contract, so I found myself a lawyer too.” With pursed lips, she began to lie, “He’s the brother of a classmate. I had no money to hire a l