Past the door, the hall was empty and deserted with nothing but the gentle moonlight shining across the floor, casting a silvery glow.This was the place she had called home for four years, and even with her eyes closed, she could navigate it with ease.She did not turn on the lights, but instead ventured forward in the darkness, ascending the stairs.The house was quiet, and the sound of her footsteps sounded particularly crisp. As she pushed open the bedroom door, Vicky sensed that something was amiss.A scent that did not belong to her room hit her immediately.She widened her eyes, and suddenly caught sight of a tall and slender figure standing by the windows.In the darkness, the crimson flame at the end of his cigarette flickered intermittently.At the same time, a whiff of smoke drifted into her nostrils.Instinctively, Vicky reached for the switch on the wall and light instantly illuminated the room, causing her to squint her eyes until she adjusted to the new scene.O
"That works best, doesn't it?" He caressed her cheek gently. "Look at you. You came back, didn't you?"She slapped his hand out of the way in disdain.She had already lost all expectations and hopes for Tyler. Now that he blackmailed her into compliance, it disgusted her even further.A man of his status had plenty of ways to force her back into the house, but he chose the nastiest way to settle the score."You disgust me, Tyler Hart!" She said coldly.He did not seem to care about the resentment she spewed and chuckled. "Want to stab me again?"With the Harrisons at Tyler's mercy, Vicky dared not to act recklessly. "What on earth do you want, Tyler?""You know what I want."Vicky clenched her fists, raising her gaze. "So, you just wanted to keep sleeping with me?"There was no trace of surprise or satisfaction on Tyler's face, as if everything was just as it should be as he said casually, "Old Madam Harrison is reaching the end of her life and yet has to endure such suffering
Vicky looked up at him. "You don't want to be a murderer, do you?"Tyler stared at her quietly for a moment, before saying, "Seeing how you performed well today, I can let the Harrisons off the hook. For now.""For now?""That's right. If you upset me again, the Harrisons will suffer again."Vicky's heart sank.With Cece and Jennifer gone, Tyler had resorted to using the Harrisons as his hostage."For how long?" She said abruptly."What?""How long do you want me to keep sleeping with you?""Obviously, until I lose interest in y-"Before he could finish, Vicky interrupted him."Our arrangement ends on the day of your wedding." Determination and resolve flickered in her eyes. "If you still want to use the Harrisons to pressure me into doing what you want after your wedding day, then I'll just let you be."Tyler was somewhat surprised. "You don't care about the Harrisons anymore?"Vicky's tone was calm. "I don't want to hurt one person for the sake of another. Besides, if th
Both of them refrained from mentioning their "engagement" as that was conveniently the best way for them to end their arrangement. After a brief exchange, Vicky hung up the phone. After getting up, Vicky went to the bathroom to freshen up. As she looked at the previously empty bathroom, she was slightly stunned for a few seconds. There were some men's items in sight, including towels, toiletries with men's toothpaste, and toothbrushes. Even the bathrobe in the bathroom had an additional one in Tyler's size. Before their divorce, Tyler's belongings were always there even if Tyler did not stay at home often. After they filed for a divorce, Vicky cleared away all of Tyler's belongings. With the absence of those men's items, there was always a sense of emptiness, as if something was missing. However, Vicky had already gotten used to it after some time. Hence, the sight of his belongings somehow showing up in her house once more made her feel uneasy. Stepping out of the bathroom
"Fine. Even if you want to stay in my house to recuperate, why did you move your things into my room? If I remember correctly, your room is downstairs!" Vicky questioned him through gritted teeth. Tyler replied calmly, "The guest room is too small. It's not very comfortable to live in. Since none of you are here, I can naturally choose whichever room in the entire mansion I want to stay in." "Tyler, that house is mine, not yours." "As of this moment, that house is still under my name." It was only then that Vicky remembered. Although they had signed an agreement stating that the house belonged to her, the name on the deed had not been changed. "Would you like for me to move out, then, Mister Hart?" Tyler replied in a flat tone, "There's no need for that. Once my wound is completely healed, I will leave your house." "Tyler, how can you be so shameless?!" "I'm shameless because of you. If you didn't stab me and refused to take responsibility, I wouldn't have resorted to t
Vicky and Tyler sat in silence in the dining room. It had been a while since she dined with Tyler, and it felt strange. Tyler had never been a talkative person, so he did not say much as he ate. Even so, his intimidating presence still made her feel uneasy. Ding dong! Just then, the doorbell rang, and Vicky got up to answer the door. Outside the door stood a young and beautiful woman. She was wearing a casual T-shirt, and her skin seemed slightly tanned compared to before. Seeing Vicky open the door, the woman gave her a warm embrace. Aurora lifted the bag in her hand and exclaimed excitedly, "Vicky, the filming of my movie ended, and I brought back a lot of souvenirs from the area. There's food and a lot of fun stuff... Oh, I found the unique local products really interesting." Aurora rushed back as soon as she finished filming. She did not even have the time to change her clothes as she could not wait to share her experiences with Vicky. Although Aurora grew up in M
Aurora turned to Vicky and asked, "Vicky, do you mind if I join you for dinner?" Aurora was, after all, Tyler's fiancee, so Vicky knew that she had no right to refuse Aurora's request and nodded. Aurora glanced at the dishes on the table. "That's great. They're all home-cooked dishes that I love!" Having grown up in luxury and indulgence, Aurora had always enjoyed the finest things in life, including food. Most of what she ate was Western cuisine during her time in Molivia. Even though she tried some Italian food after coming to Zendonia, they were mostly traditional delicacies and not the simple home-cooked ones she was seeing at the moment. Aurora sat in Vicky's seat. "When I was filming on set, the director provided us with packed meals. Surprisingly, although some of the dishes didn't look appetizing, they were quite delicious. I asked some of the cast members, and they said they were ordinary home-cooked dishes... I discovered that, compared to elaborate meals, the flavo
"I feel... like you don't really care about him," Vicky remarked. Letting her fiance spend time with his ex-wife and going off to film when he was injured did not seem like something Aurora would do. When Vicky was in a relationship with Tyler, she had given up important performances to take care of him when he fell ill, so she could empathize with Aurora's situation. She would never have left to film movies. Aurora let out a sigh. "Vicky, I'll be honest with you. At first, I thought he was great. He's young, successful in his career, and so handsome that any woman who sees him would be attracted to him." Vicky nodded. It was Tyler's deceitful appearance that had fooled her when they were dating. "But when it comes to getting along..." Aurora hesitated, and looked at Vicky before continuing, "I find him rather... difficult." Vicky wanted to know what Aurora really thought of Tyler and asked, "What do you think of him?" Aurora's face showed a hint of conflict as she replied