All heads turned toward the source of the voice.A tall, slender man appeared seemingly out of nowhere.He wore a hat, a mask, and sunglasses that almost obscured his entire face, but one could still make out small red rashes on the exposed skin.As soon as Valencia caught sight of him, her expression changed instantly. She hurriedly approached him, her voice filled with concern. "Lincoln, why are you here? Your injuries haven't fully healed, and you shouldn't expose your face to the wind... Hurry, hurry, go back and rest!"Valencia paid no attention to Vicky and attempted to usher Lincoln away. However, he stood his ground, unmoving. "I heard you fell into the water, so I came to check on you. Are you alright?"Lincoln's concern seemed to greatly please Valencia. "Can't you see that I'm perfectly fine now? There's nothing wrong with me. You don't have to worry about me. Go back and rest."Instead of leaving, Lincoln's gaze shifted toward Vicky. "Vicky," he said, his eyebrows fur
Tyler was the first to break the silence. "Does it hurt?"Vicky kept her head bowed wordlessly."What exactly happened?" he asked.She remained quiet, and tension rose in the air.He pursed his lips at her reluctance to speak or look at him. "Vicky, how am I supposed to handle this if you don't tell me anything?"Her lashes fluttered at his words, and she finally looked up at him. "Handle this? Isn't your way of handling it having me apologize?"His dark and intense eyes stared at her unwaveringly. "It's a fact that you pushed her into the lake, isn't it?" he asked.In fact, he had arrived in time and witnessed the scene.Vicky admitted, "Yes. So what?""Her health is fragile, and she has had heart problems for a while. By pushing her, you could've caused unforeseen consequences—"Tyler's words were abruptly cut off by Vicky's cold interruption. "Are you accusing me of trying to kill your mother?""I'm merely stating an objective fact.""Is that why you're not interested in
As long as Vicky was willing to apologize, Tyler had a way to keep Valencia quiet and prevent her from exploiting the situation any further.A certain level of justice was expected, and an immature, unjust dictatorship would never work.While he could use his power to suppress others temporarily, in the long run, Vicky would find it increasingly difficult to survive in the mansion, and her situation would only worsen.As long as Vicky stayed in the Hart household, his favoritism toward her would be putting her in danger, making her the enemy of everyone, subject to constant attacks.No one would like someone who disregarded reason and used brute force to oppress others.However, Vicky seemed to completely misinterpret his intentions."If you don't want to apologize, that's not an issue." He looked at Vicky, his voice deep and clear. "Leave the Hart family with me, and you won't have to apologize. I'll fight for justice on your behalf."Upon hearing this, Vicky instinctively took
Tyler felt more relaxed after the kiss, and his tone of voice was no longer as rigid. "Wait here. I'll come back soon." He lowered his head and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry. I will give you a satisfying ending."With that, he let Vicky go and stepped out of the room.Shortly after Tyler left, someone knocked on the door again, and a beautiful woman strode in elegantly. "Are you alright, Miss Shaw?"Vicky studied Avery, who stood before her.Avery sized up Vicky and smiled. "Although the injuries on your face may look frightening, they're just superficial wounds and nothing serious. However, Missus Hart was pushed into the water, and even if you acted in self-defense, you've overdone it.""What are you trying to say, Miss Yeager?"Avery smiled faintly. "I saw Tyler going to see Missus Hart just now. I assume he went to plead for you. It's only my first day at the Hart household, and I already get to witness such a spectacle... I imagine it won't be lonely fo
Vicky continued to stare at Avery intently. "Tyler saw it too, didn't he?"Avery stiffened and remained silent, which confirmed that Vicky guessed right.In an instant, disappointment crashed over her like a tsunami, shattering the last trace of affection she had for Tyler in her heart.If Tyler had been indifferent and remained a bystander throughout the time she was abused by Valencia, she would not have blamed him, but he instead appeared at the right moment, giving her hope and radiance so that she would be grateful toward him.In the end, it was all a lie and a calculated manipulation on his part.'How is this any different from before when he trapped me by being tender and considerate before casting me aside?' she thought.These were indeed the tactics Tyler was accustomed to, and Vicky's heart sank little by little.Had Tyler only seen her as a means to an end and someone to exploit?Seeing Vicky's vacant expression, Avery seemed unwilling to continue the discussion and
Vicky's brow furrowed. "Are you saying that..."Lincoln nodded. "Either someone has been watching you on my mother's orders, or someone is tipping her off. However, because of my persistent injury, my mother has been devoting most of her time to taking care of me, so she probably hasn't had the chance to arrange for someone to spy on you.""So you're saying someone might be informing her of my whereabouts?" Vicky asked.Lincoln looked at her. "Vicky, when you and Miss Starling were walking around the mansion, did you encounter anyone?"The base of where the Harts resided was in Molivia, so there were not many people living in the mansion in Zendonia.Vicky considered for a moment and was about to say that she had not encountered anyone when something suddenly struck her, and her eyes widened.Lincoln noticed her change in expression and asked, "Vicky, did you think of something?""I did not encounter anyone, but...Aurora and I did see Tyler and Avery. However, we only caught a g
Valencia pointed at the sofa and said, "Sit."After Tyler sat down, Valencia said, "Tyler, I'm elated that you finally see that woman's true color. For your sake, I'm willing to spare her from death this time. However, that doesn't mean her deeds should go unpunished. Leave her to me, and I'll make sure she learns her lessons."Tyler was sitting lazily on the sofa and seemed a little absent-minded. "I'll make Vicky apologize to you for what happened this time."Valencia did not even have time to be smug about that before Tyler's tone turned sharp, "However, I hope you have a good reason for beating her up and wanting to take her away?"Valencia's face immediately changed. "What are you trying to say, Tyler?"She thought Tyler had finally come to his senses, so she was understandably upset by what he implied. How could she not understand what he was trying to say when she had been entangled in the Hart family's conflict for so long?The only reason Tyler would make Vicky apologize
Valencia wanted to refute Tyler's claims, but she knew clearly that he must have had solid evidence to say something like that. In other words, it would be useless for her to play dumb.After a few minutes of silence, she stiffly said, "It's true. I did force her to break up with you, but so what? It wasn't like she put up any fight at all. In fact, she caved in after I applied some pressure. Unlike you… You wouldn't give her up no matter what we did to you, and what does this mean? It means she doesn't love you as much as you love her."This time, it was Tyler who fell silent as no matter what, he was tied by blood to the Hart family, so he would need to endure more physical and emotional stress than Vicky.Regardless, he could take it all in strides. What he truly could not accept was Vicky demanding a breakup.Valencia snuck a peek at Tyler, and she instantly understood what his cold expression meant. After all, she had been through the same thing in the past. It would be normal