Vicky looked at Lincoln. Lincoln's handsome face bore a smile that seemed to dispel all darkness. She felt as though she was basking in a gentle spring breeze. If one was to describe Tyler as an endless night, filled with cold and darkness, Lincoln would be a warm and bright light that brought comfort to one's heart. Vicky remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking up, "Tyler, I won't go with you." The smile on Lincoln's face grew brighter, while the chilling aura surrounding Tyler grew gloomier. Tyler narrowed his eyes dangerously, and his tone carried a more pronounced threat, "Vicky, say that again." Vicky's face appeared pale, but her expression remained resolute. "No matter how many times you ask, my answer will be the same." She raised her eyes to meet his gaze. "I won't leave with you." She did not want to spend her whole life in his shadow and be forever manipulated by him. In the past, she had felt indebted to him, had sympathy for him, and even
Vicky could not believe that all Tyler cared about was her relationship with Lincoln instead of everything else. "Tyler..." Before Vicky could finish her sentence, he bombarded her with several questions. "When did you two meet? Why don't I know about this?" Vicky found Tyler's words incredibly strange and thought to herself, 'Does he truly believe that he is an all-knowing deity, capable of knowing everything?' At this point, Vicky could not be bothered to wonder about him any further. "Actually, when you warned me to stay away from Lincoln, I had already decided not to have any contact with him. Despite all the help he offered me, you were still important to me, so I would rather be an ungrateful person to him." Vicky raised her head and met the man's dark and profound gaze. "Even if all the kindness you showed me was just for revenge, even if you cruelly abandoned me after I fell in love with you again, you were still the most important person in my heart." Her words see
"Vicky, are you going back with me or not?" "No." Vicky's voice was soft, but her tone was resolute. Tyler's patience had finally run out. "Vicky, if you come back with me right now, I can pretend that nothing happened, and I won't question this connection between you and Lincoln anymore." Vicky's patience had reached its limit as well and she coldly pulled her hand away from him. "Pretend that nothing happened? You won't question it anymore? Ha! Tyler, what else are you capable of apart from threats and intimidation? Do you really think I'm just your possession and that you can do whatever you want with me? If that's truly what you think, that's all the more reason for me to not leave with you today! Tyler, we are already divorced. It's over for good!" Facing Vicky's agitation, Tyler merely furrowed his brow slightly. "I won't get engaged to Aurora." "Tyler, it's not about whether you will get engaged to Aurora or not. Do you understand?" Clearly, Tyler's way of thinking w
'Money...' Vicky thought. She had thought that he learned the truth, but it turned out that he assumed she did it for money. However, she had already made the decision to leave Tyler, so there seemed to be no point for her to explain herself. "Tyler, your grandfather is asking for you." Tyler did not show any intention to leave and held onto Vicky's wrist. "You are coming down with me." Vicky scowled. "No, I'm not." "It's not up to you." With that, Tyler dragged her outside. Had Tyler not been so insistent with the divorce, Vicky would have thought that he could live without her based on his current actions. However, after experiencing his ruthlessness, Vicky knew that he no longer had a heart. Knock, knock, knock. Seeing that there was no response from inside the door, Valencia's knocking became more urgent as though she was about to break the door. Just as Valencia was about to force her way in, the door suddenly swung open. She was surprised to see Tyler coming
One must admit that Old Mister Hart was truly cunning. His choice of words was almost flawless, but Tyler was not falling for it. Tyler tightened his grip around Vicky's waist, pulling her closer to him. "Vicky won't feel comfortable staying here. There's no need for you to trouble yourself." No one could ever take the woman he wanted away from him, and whether the woman in question was willing to be with him was not within his consideration. Nothing else mattered to Tyler. Tyler's stubbornness troubled Old Mister Hart and he could not understand why Tyler was so obsessed with Vicky. Over the years, countless women had appeared by Tyler's side. Amongst them, there were many who were more beautiful and brilliant than Vicky, yet Tyler never showed any hint of interest in any of them. "Tyler, you know that I won't be able to stop you if you want to take Vicky with you by force, but why don't you take a second to look at the state Vicky's in? She's not doing too well. She's
Tyler did not get angry but nodded and said, "Yes, and you're a psychopath magnet." Vicky nearly choked. She could not come up with a clap back. 'I'm no match for his shamelessness.' … Vicky temporarily stayed at the Harts' mansion. Old Mister Hart was thoughtful enough not to put her in the same room as Tyler. However, he was not thoughtful enough to put their rooms next to each other. She understood where Old Mister Hart was coming from, so she did not object to it. The worst thing she could do now was to have an acrimonious falling out with Tyler. Fortunately, even though they were living under the same roof, Tyler had to go to work during the day and was usually very busy at work, so there were not many opportunities for them to meet each other. Vicky could finally breathe a sigh of relief and let all the tension in her body melt away. One day, someone knocked on Vicky's door. "Ms. Shaw, a lady asked to see you," said the maid respectfully outside the door. "Okay,
"How can I marry someone like that? My parents respected my wishes in the beginning, but as time went on, and the situation at the Starling Group got worse and worse… they started to lose their patience and told me to just choose someone. Needless to say, Tyler was the best option I had amongst all the men I described just now, so I…" Here, Aurora dropped her head in shame. Vicky was not surprised to hear what Aurora told her at all. Tyler was indeed that attractive. When Vicky was younger, she fell for him hard, making her no different than Aurora. Vicky asked, "What happened after that? How did everything end up being fake when you had the chance to be his fiancee?" "Everything I told you when we went out drinking that night was true, but that all happened before I met Tyler. After I discovered the truth, I didn't have the power to fight back… not until I met him." She hesitated before continuing, "He looked into me before we met. After you found out, he contacted me priv
Aurora looked around to make sure no one was there to hear what she said before whispering, "When I came here, I saw a lot of mysterious men dressed in black lurking around outside. My guess is they work for Tyler, and I'm afraid that you'll be taken away the moment you set foot outside this house." Vicky was shocked, but her heart turned cold the next second. 'That Tyler never changes! So, not taking me away by force was only a stopgap measure for him!' "I understand. Thank you for warning me, Miss Starling," said Vicky while trying to tamp down the anger rising in her heart. Aurora threw her one last look before turning around to leave. From her eyes, Vicky could see pity and compassion. 'Even an outsider who doesn't understand what's going on between Tyler and I could tell how terrifying it is to get entangled with him,' thought Vicky. … In the evening, Vicky went downstairs on time to have dinner. She paused in her tracks when she saw the handsome man sitting at the din
[Alright.]Aurora sighed in relief. "Vicky, we've been out for quite a while. Shall we head back?"Vicky glanced at Aurora. "Can we finally go back now?""Yes, we can go back... Huh?" Aurora sensed something was amiss. "Vicky, do you...know something?"Vicky smiled. "Every time I go out with friends, Tyler always bombards me with questions about when I'll be back and insists on picking me up. Strangely, he didn't ask me anything today. Also... I remember that it's my birthday today."Aurora was left speechless as she realized Vicky saw right through her act....By the time they got home, it was starting to get dark outside. Inside the mansion, it was quiet and pitch-black. Suddenly, a warm, yellow candlelight gradually illuminated the darkness, revealing a handsome face."Happy birthday, Vicky," Tyler said.Vicky gazed at the flickering candles, feeling a bit dazed.It was then she remembered that during the early days of their relationship, he had prepared a birthday surpri
Tyler showed great disdain when his wish of getting a daughter was let down. What irritated him most was that this son looked remarkably like him.After recovering from childbirth, Vicky accompanied a newly pregnant Aurora on a shopping trip for baby supplies.Upon hearing Vicky's story, Aurora could not help but ask, "Men are usually happy when they have sons, so why does Tyler prefer daughters?"Vicky sighed. "Tyler says that a family is never really balanced and happy unless they have one son and one daughter."Aurora nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed. Now that you have a son, having a daughter would be perfect. Vicky, have you and Tyler considered responding to the national call and having a third child?"Vicky shook her head. "The last time I gave birth, Tyler wasn't around, so he doesn't know what it was like. This time, he was scared out of his wits and had no intention of having more children. A few days ago, he even underwent a vasectomy."Aurora chuckled. "Daughters may be s
However, everything spiraled out of control.Tyler knew his behavior was despicable, but he could not control his emotions.When he loved, every cell within him longed for her. Every time he came to see her, he told himself it would be the last time. However, he found himself appearing at her house more and more frequently.Tyler knew he was in trouble, and it would not be long before he returned to his former self.Vicky was like a drug to him. Even though he knew that contact with her was toxic, he could not bring himself to let go.He knew she was pregnant with his child, and his most primal desires began to surge, making it impossible for him to resist the urge to make her stay.Vicky listened quietly to his confession, and her heart ached.She could not fight off the urge to hold him; her touch was firm and comforting.He only mentioned a few words about the time he regained consciousness, but Vicky knew he had endured a lot of pain. The fact that he was alive was a miracl
Tyler's lips quivered as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he fell silent.What was there to say? It was not like he could apologize. The deed had been done, and his apology would not mean anything. Besides, he had no regrets whatsoever.Vicky stared at him. "You tampered with the surveillance, didn't you?""Yes.""And the servants and nannies. They're all under your control, right?"Tyler lowered his gaze. "Yes."Since all of this was real and not a dream, she must have been unconscious when Tyler returned. No matter how soundly she slept, she should have felt something. Since she had to take care of Lufian, she came home every day for meals, so she guessed that something was added to her food.For the past few days, she pretended to eat at home while secretly disposing of her meals. As it turned out, her suspicions were correct.Vicky repeated the question she asked before. "Why didn't you come to me?"Tyler remained silent once again."Did you come here just t
"Are you planning to leave just like that?"The man's body tensed.Click! The desk lamp was turned on, its warm, amber light illuminating the darkness."Why won't you look at me? Are you brave enough to do it but not to admit it?" echoed Vicky's gentle voice.Tyler snapped out of it and instinctively pulled his hand away from hers, ready to escape, only for Vicky's next words to pin him in place."If you leave now, I'll get rid of the baby in me tomorrow."He swiftly froze in place and turned back to her. "What did you just say?"Even though she prepared herself mentally, seeing the shock on his face made Vicky's eyes widen in shock. In an instant, her eyes welled up with tears. "You..."As Tyler met the shock in her eyes, he came to a sudden realization and turned his face away, looking anywhere but at her.When she learned about her pregnancy and knew she had not been dreaming, Vicky had a hunch about who it was that came and went freely into her home. The only one capable o
Vicky began to feel increasingly uneasy. She was pregnant without even knowing who the father was. That had to be one of the most absurd jokes in the world.Aurora, Noah, and the others were bewildered.They knew Vicky's character well, and she was not the type to casually sleep around. Besides, she still had feelings for Tyler, so she would never sleep with another man.Getting drunk was even more out of the question. After all, she was either working or taking care of her child. She had neither the time nor the inclination to go out drinking.Even Vicky herself was bewildered, and her thoughts were in disarray. "I... I don't know."The others exchanged glances, all noticing that Vicky's first instinct was not to terminate the pregnancy."Vicky, go home and think it over carefully. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call us," Aurora said gently.Vicky nodded absently.Back at home, Vicky reviewed the surveillance footage once more.She had watched it numerous times, but
Just then, a dish that Vicky usually enjoyed was brought to the table by the waiter.The aroma filled the air, but Vicky paled instantly. Before anyone could react, she retched and rushed to the bathroom.Everyone exchanged puzzled glances.Cece blinked. "What's wrong with Vicky?"Jennifer furrowed her brow. "Vicky doesn't look well. Is she ill?"The concerned Aurora chimed in, "Ever since Tyler's disappearance, Vicky hasn't been in the best mood. She even suffered from postpartum depression. Let's take her to the hospital after dinner. We can't afford for her to fall ill again."Everyone assumed that something was physically wrong with Vicky, but Noah, who remained silent, spoke up."I remember when Vicky was pregnant last time... She seemed to be very sensitive to certain smells."All eyes turned to Noah.Jennifer's eyes widened. "What are you trying to say, Noah?! You don't mean to suggest that...Vicky might be pregnant, do you?"Under the curious gazes of everyone, Noah c
As Anthony and Jennifer grew up in Lovian, and their families had deep roots there, they had to stay at Lovian as well. However, whenever they had free time, Jennifer often returned to Stoneford City to meet her friends for gatherings and meals.Vicky's birthday was approaching in a few days, and Jennifer came back early for the occasion.Lufian, on the other hand, became the darling of the group, and everyone loved him. Thus, one of the highlights of visiting Zendonia was to see Lufian.On this day, Vicky had some free time and decided to go to the airport to fetch Jennifer.Harvey held Lufian and walked out of Vicky's mansion.He had also come back early to celebrate Vicky's birthday. Like everyone else, he adored Lufian. His priority the moment he returned was to see Lufian, even though Lufian resembled Tyler most uncannily.Harvey carried Lufian and settled into the back seat, preparing to bond with him during the ride. Vicky sat in the driver's seat.Just as they were about
"Lufian is usually very well-behaved. He doesn't cause a fuss and is easy to handle.""Is his name Lufian?""That's right. Lufian Hart."Gloria's gaze flickered briefly but quickly returned to normal. "Have you given him a nickname?""Not yet," Vicky replied.Gloria did not say anything further.After playing with the child for a while, she carefully placed the necklace she had prepared around Lufian's neck.The baby played for a while and soon fell asleep.Gloria then gently returned Lufian to his stroller.Leaving the nursery, Vicky and Gloria engaged in casual conversation. They had no deep-seated grudges, and over time, their past love and hatred gradually faded away.Vicky smiled and remarked, "You seem to really like children. How about having one yourself? A kid would make a good companion for Lufian.""I'd like to, but I haven't found the right person," Gloria lamented.Gloria had been single for years. It was not because she could not forget Tyler or was waiting fo