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
Not happy with being ignored, Tyler pursed his sexy lips into a thin line. He then got up from the table to chase after Vicky. After the two of them had left the dining room, the old butler came over with a pot of coffee in his hand. "Mister Hart, are you sure this is okay?" Old Mister Hart picked up the cup from the tray and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Tyler has this whole place surrounded by his men. Not even a mosquito, let alone Vicky, can get out of here." "I thought Mister Tyler had given up on Miss Shaw a long time ago. Why is he still so obsessed with her?" the old butler asked quizzically. Old Mister Hart looked at the old butler. "Given up? When did that happen?" "A few years ago… when Mister Tyler came back here after Miss Shaw had broken his heart. That's why I was shocked when I heard you say that they had gotten married. I mean… Didn't they break up? So, how did they end up with each other again?" Old Mister Hart picked up the coffee cup, took a sip,
In order to avoid Tyler, Vicky forwent her usual after-dinner walk and went straight into her room. However, someone grabbed her arm just when she was about to enter her room. Before she knew it, she was pinned to the wall and found her lips being ravaged by Tyler's in an instant. Stunned, she angrily pushed him away. However, she was no match for his strength. Seeing her being uncooperative, Tyler grabbed her neck to stop her from struggling. He did not let her go until he was satisfied with the kiss. "You won't eat the food I placed on your plate, eh?" he asked in a deep and hoarse voice. "Vicky Shaw, how long do you think my grandfather can help you? You'll come to regret crossing me once you're in my hands again." Vicky balled her hands into a fist. Regret? Yes, she had lost count of the many times she had to beg him to let her go. He seemed to derive his happiness from pushing her to the brink of despair and seeing her beg him helplessly. He was so confident with the knowl
"Let me get this straight. You forced me into divorcing you, and then it became my fault when I agreed to it? Doing so makes you think that I don't care about it. Is that it?" "Isn't it?" Vicky broke out in laughter out of disbelief. She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it shut again when she realized she did not actually know what to say. After all, everything was her fault, and he would always be the innocent party. "Let me go. I want to go back to my room to rest now." She did not want to speak to him again. Tyler did not move. He simply stared at her silently. After a while, realizing that Tyler was not going to say anything or let her go, Vicky impatiently said, "Tyler, I'm tired. I want to go back into my room." A few more seconds of silence later, Tyler finally said, "You gave up on our marriage without hesitation when I didn't do anything more than threaten you by putting Cece and Jennifer in jail. What if, one day, someone else threatened them or d
Lincoln looked apologetically at her and said, "I'm sorry, Vicky. This is the only way I could think of to make sure Tyler doesn't take you away. Please bear with it for the time being. I'll arrange for you to go abroad once security is not as tight." "Thank you. You've actually been an immense help to me. I might have been taken away by Tyler already if you hadn't asked Old Mister Hart to help me," said Vicky quietly. Guilt immediately filled her heart when she saw the wound on the corner of Lincoln's mouth. "I'm sorry that you got hurt because of me." Tyler did not hold back at all when he punched Lincoln in the face, and up till now, there was still a bruise on the corner of Lincoln's mouth. Lincoln smiled to show that he did not mind. "This? This is nothing. Besides…" He suddenly paused and changed the topic. "Vicky, Tyler's men are stationed outside of this place, so don't ever leave until I give you the green light." A multitude of feelings flashed across Vicky's eyes as
"At that time, Tyler had his own business, so he didn't want to come back to the family. Meanwhile, I gradually grew my influence patiently over the years. My grandfather didn't want the family business to end up in the hands of an outsider, so he came up with a plan." Lincoln's eyes darkened. "His plan was to put me in a fight against Tyler. He's the biological son of my parents, so that makes him the rightful heir. With his capabilities, he could easily dethrone me with my grandfather's help if he wanted to. However, he didn't want to return to the family, nor did he want to fight me for the inheritance." After a pause, he added, "Vicky, everyone thought I was the one who wanted to stop Tyler from coming back for fear of him taking over. However, in all my years of growing up under this roof, I've been preparing and gathering power, so even if he's the biological son of my parents, it would still be very difficult for him to replace me, right?" Vicky gave a light nod. Lincoln
[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