A sound came from the door. It was faint but noticeable."Who's there?" Tyler narrowed his eyes and opened the door abruptly.He frowned at the sight of the familiar figure before him and was stunned when he saw the smooth, fair skin on the woman's face.Vicky's face had recovered.Realization dawned on Tyler, and he instinctively reached for her hand. "Vick—"Slap! Vicky glowered at Tyler as she smacked his face."So it really was you!"Although she found out what happened, hearing their conversation in person still made Vicky's blood run cold."Tyler Hart, I never expected you to be so cruel!" Vicky gritted her teeth as she glared hatefully at Tyler.Tyler, who had always been composed and unruffled, could not help but panic.Not bothered by being slapped, he said hastily, "Vicky, let me explain.""Sure, I'll listen to your explanation." Vicky did not leave and stood in place. She glanced at Avery, who was sitting on the ground, then looked at the bottle of poison on the c
Vicky looked into Tyler's eyes and spoke slowly, "It's a clever move to have someone else do your dirty work for you.""I didn't make Avery poison you," Tyler said tensely. "It's easy if I truly wanted to poison you. Why would I need to rely on someone else?""Having Avery poison me might be troublesome, but if the truth is ever revealed, you can easily shift the blame onto her. After all, she has the motive to hurt me. If you did it and I discovered it, your 'devoted lover' image would've collapsed, wouldn't it?"Tyler pursed his lips, and his expression darkened at her sarcastic tone. "Vicky, you'd rather believe a woman with ill intentions than believe me?""You want me to believe you? Sure." Vicky shifted her gaze at the vial placed on the table. "Since you say you didn't poison me... Can you tell me what you intended to do with this poison you bought?"Tyler moved his lips but failed to form any coherent explanation.She ignored his silence and continued, "Since you don't wa
It was almost as though whatever feelings Vicky had left for had finally faded.She stared at him with an unfamiliar look in her eyes, and Tyler struggled to read her.Without hesitation, he said, "No. I will never let go.""Give up. I'm tired of this.""This is all a misunderstanding—""Tyler," she interrupted him as she stared at him calmly with determination; there was no trace of anger or resentment in her eyes. "It's not just about this. It's about all the things that happened. Do you understand?"He stared into her eyes gloomily and said hoarsely, "You've only pretended to accept me, when in truth...you've never believed me for a moment, have you?"Vicky saw no point in his question but answered anyway. "That's right.""You've concluded that I poisoned you right from the start, right?"She nodded. "Yes."Tyler smiled bitterly and clenched his fists. "Vicky, do you no longer have any feelings toward me?"Vicky avoided his gaze. "Why bother asking a question that you kno
Tyler's voice was low and pleading as he continued, "I won't do anything that will upset you again."Vicky shook her head. "Don't you understand? I don't love you anymore."Her merciless voice echoed in his head, and he tightened his grip to the point he almost snapped her bones.His chest heaved, and his eyes reddened as he muttered, "That's fine. You're stuck with me forever whether you love me or not."'What familiar words,' Vicky thought. 'He hasn't changed one bit.'Vicky had stopped caring and smiled as she studied his face. "You can make me stay, but you can't make me live."Tyler trembled slightly. "What did you say?""Either you let go and let me leave, or you kill me and keep me here forever." Vicky raised her head and stared into his eyes. "Tyler, you can never hold onto a woman who is determined to leave you. Back when I wanted to leave you, you couldn't keep me. It's the same now."Vicky's determination reminded him of that not-so-distant past, and his gaze became
Avery could tell Tyler still wanted to cling to Vicky, and this baffled her.…One day, Vicky went to the store for grocery shopping, and she then went into a taxi parked by the road.The taxi started moving forward as soon as she provided the driver her address, and she sat back to stare at the scenery outside."Vicky." Just then, a familiar voice sounded in front of her.Vicky raised her brow and turned her head, noticing only the driver apart from her in the taxi.When Vicky got into the car, she did not pay much attention to the driver's appearance and only knew that he was a young man with a glance.However, when he heard his voice, Vicky looked at him in shock. "Lincoln? Your face...has healed?"The man wore a duckbill cap and a pair of black-framed glasses which modestly concealed his features. Still, Vicky could easily recognize his alluring features.He nodded with a smile. "Yes, it has."Vicky looked at Lincoln's attire and asked, "Why are you dressed like this?"L
"Vicky, are you sure you want to leave him?""Yes," answered Vicky."Alright." Lincoln nodded. "I'll make the arrangement as soon as possible. Once everything is in place, I'll get you out of here."Vicky studied his sophisticated side profile and whispered, "Thank you."He chuckled. "We're friends. You don't have to thank me. I will contact you once everything is prepared."With that, Lincoln sent Vicky back to her apartment....For several consecutive days, there was no news from Lincoln's side.'Has Lincoln encountered some kind of trouble, or...has Tyler found out?' Vicky thought anxiously.She wanted to call Lincoln and ask about the situation, but she remembered what Lincoln said about Tyler monitoring his phone recently.Vicky did not dare to act rashly. If Tyler discovered their contact, all their efforts would be in vain.In the evening, just as Vicky walked out of the bathroom, she heard a slight vibration from her phone.Worried that Tyler might see the messages
Vicky was at a loss for words and could only reply, [I guess... I will start over.]Lincoln, who rarely asked so many questions, acted strangely and continued. [How will you start over?]Vicky considered for a moment and typed. [I haven't been able to relax in the past few years, so I think I'll travel around for a while and open a new fashion studio.][Where would you like to go traveling?]Vicky scowled at the sight of this message. After all, she was hardly in the mood to think when it was not certain if she could leave.[I haven't thought of that.] She replied.[Think about it, and I will take you wherever you want to go.] He typed.As Vicky looked at the text on her phone, she trembled slightly and wondered if she understood him. [You mean...you can take me away from here?] She responded.[Yes.][When can I leave, then?][When you have decided where you want to go.]'So I guess Lincoln is asking me these things again to confirm if I still want to leave,' she thought. 'T
Smack! The woman's heavy slap knocked the young lady in front of her to the ground.The young woman, pampered and held in high regard since childhood, had never been struck before. She was stunned for a few seconds before bursting into anger.She covered her swollen cheek and shouted, "How dare you hit me? Do you have a death wish?! Do you know who I am? I can make your life hell here in Zendonia!"This young lady was from the Sackfield family, a family of jewelry merchants with considerable influence and wealth that rivaled that of the Shaws before their downfall.However, Miss Sackfield was far less attractive and talented than Vicky and Gloria, so she had far fewer pursuers compared to them. As long as two Shaw ladies were around, other women paled in comparison.Despite their popularity, both Vicky and Gloria unequivocally rejected all their pursuers, which only fuelled the hatred of many affluent young ladies toward them.When the Shaws had gone bankrupt and fallen into ruin