As he finally controlled his anger after a while, Tyler said in a deep voice, "The Hart family is more devious than you think. Staying here any longer will only put your life in danger. Do you understand?"Vicky scoffed. "And who's to blame for that?"She would not have ended up in the Hart family's place if Tyler did not hurt Lincoln. It was he who did not think of the consequences. It was not like they would do anything to Tyler since he was related to them by blood. She, however, was an outsider. If it were not for Old Mister Hart, whose position had not been determined, Tyler would have taken Vicky away a long time ago.Tyler fell silent as he did not know how to answer her, but after a while, he said, "The Yeagars would never call off the marriage, so you'll only make an enemy out of them if you're too close with Lincoln.""It's simple, then—I'll just have to stay away from Lincoln," replied Vicky indifferently. In other words, she had no intention to leave with Tyler, and thi
'That explains why his attitude has changed toward me recently. No wonder he wanted to try again with me. It's all because he knows the truth now.' At that moment, Vicky did not know what she felt. Him knowing the truth did not make her happy at all. Instead, her heart felt heavy.She shook her head and said, "It's all too late.""No, it isn't." He kissed her cheek, and his tone softened. "Vicky, leave this place with me. We can start again."His words sounded so tempting, but Vicky had lost all trust in him. Instead, the thought of him luring her out so that he could defile her again did cross her mind."We're over, Tyler."All the times Tyler had humbled himself tonight were rewarded by Vicky's outright refusal…and he reached the end of his patience."Vicky, are you or are you not going to leave with me?""No, I'm not.""Do you seriously think you can get away from me by staying here? Well, dream on!"His tone became harsh as it looked like taking the softer approach did not
"My mother will apologize to you in person later," Lincoln repeated with a smile."She… She'll come and apologize to me in person?""Yes."Vicky was in disbelief. 'The headstrong Valencia is willing to apologize to me?'Even though what happened was Valencia's fault, Vicky understood it would be impossible for an elder to apologize to someone younger than her. In fact, the best way to deal with the problem was to pretend it never existed. Even Tyler, in a bid to assuage the public, requested Vicky to apologize to Valencia.Sensing Vicky's disbelief, Lincoln added softly, "Vicky, I've talked to my mother, and she promised not to make life difficult for you anymore." Then, his tone became apologetic. "I'm so sorry. I was the one who asked you to stay here, yet I didn't manage to protect you… Instead, I let the person closest to me hurt you."Vicky felt a little embarrassed by how cold she treated him moments before after she heard what he said."It's not your fault; you don't have
Vicky knew Valencia's apology was hardly sincere; it was just a way to brush things aside. However, what confused her was how Lincoln convinced Valencia to even apologize.With this in mind, Vicky asked, "May I ask what Lincoln said to you that made you come and apologize to me?"Valencia glanced at her and softly replied, "You are quite astute to guess that Lincoln spoke on your behalf.""It must be more than just intercession. What did he do?"Valencia looked at Vicky for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "That's right. For your sake, Lincoln even defied his mother... It's the first time I've seen him go to such lengths for a woman." Despite her smile, her gaze was cold. "Lincoln was afraid that I'd hurt you again, so he insisted on moving to his grandfather's place to protect you. He said he'll bear your responsibility and be punished in your place. His gunshot wound hasn't fully healed, and the rash on his face hasn't subsided after all this time... He can't withstand this kind o
Tyler had appeared behind Vicky without her noticing it, and he stared at her phone with a scowl.His expression darkened when he saw Lincoln's name on the screen.When he entered the room, Vicky, who had always been extremely alert, did not notice him even as he approached her.Curious, Tyler decided to grab her phone to see what she was looking at. To his surprise, Vicky was texting Lincoln.When he saw that Vicky was the one who initiated the conversation, Tyler pursed his lips and glanced at the ointment on the table darkly.The next instant, he narrowed his eyes at the sight of the next message.Vicky's anger surged, and she immediately stood up and went to snatch her phone back. "Tyler, give me back my phone!"It was intrusive enough for him to enter her room without permission, but to brazenly look through her phone was crossing the line.Tyler chuckled in anger, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he read the text message from Lincoln aloud."Vicky, I'm close to getting
Rage overwhelmed the last bit of Tyler's senses.He pinned Vicky against the dresser roughly and said, "You want to leave with him? Dream on! You'll never get away from me unless I die." He sneered sinisterly. "Even if I am to die, I'm going to make sure you die with me as well."The skin care products and bottles on the dresser fell onto the floor loudly, and Vicky's back slammed against the hard surface of the dresser. A sharp pain shot up her body, but Tyler showed her no mercy.He lowered his head and bit onto her lips viciously....The long night stretched on as if dawn would never come.After a night of torment and suffering, Vicky finally fell into a coma.In the last moment before losing consciousness, she felt a sense of relief.She did not know how long she had been sleeping when the sounds of arguments faintly reached her ears."Tyler, Vicky has had a high fever for so many days. Why won't you take her to the hospital and keep her locked in the room instead?!" The
The expression on Lincoln's face was stern. "Tyler Hart, you truly are a selfish man. You've always cared about yourself with no consideration for others. You know better than anyone here as to why Vicky came down with a high fever. She doesn't want to be with you, so how much longer are you going to bend her to your will?"Lincoln's words were so similar to what Vicky had said years ago.'Tyler Hart, we've already broken up. When will you stop pestering me?'Tyler's breath grew heavy, but his gaze hardened as he sneered. "Do you think I should selflessly hand over my woman like a saint?""Tyler, don't get it wrong. Vicky isn't your woman."Tyler raised an eyebrow. "If she's not my woman, is she yours, then?" Before Lincoln could speak, Tyler sarcastically remarked, "Avery Yeager, your fiancee, is currently living here. Lincoln, aren't you exhausted from dividing your attention between women like this?"At that moment, footsteps could be heard from the other end of the corridor.
Sure enough, Vicky was thirsty and finished the glass of water quickly."Do you need more?" Tyler asked.Vicky nodded, so Tyler poured her another glass.Avery, who watched the scene unfold, frowned as she glanced between Vicky and Tyler, who fed Vicky water gently.After staying in the Harts' mansion for a while, she encountered Tyler a few times and came to know him.If Lincoln was the perfect example of a gentleman, Tyler was the opposite of it because he was a very aloof man.Avery learned from Valencia that Tyler and his family members were emotionally distant, as if he were born without human emotions. Yet, at this moment, Tyler was tenderly feeding Vicky water, which once again subverted her perception of Tyler Hart.After all, she was made to believe that a man like him would never care about anyone.Avery stared blankly as she was captivated by the scene before her.After drinking two cups of water, Vicky finally had enough, and the haze in her mind finally started to
[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