Tyler studied Vicky's anxious expression condescendingly. "It's nothing you haven't seen before."His shadow loomed over her, and as the scent of shampoo oozed from him, Vicky felt his presence encompassing her.Vicky felt her breath catch and mumbled, "It's...getting late. Let's go to bed..."The look in his eyes darkened. "Bed?" He approached her, his warm breath caressing her cheek. "What are you hinting at, Vicky?"Spotting the lust in his eyes, Vicky instinctively tried to run. "Tyler—mmph!"He kissed her abruptly, drowning out Vicky's muffled noises. Her struggles and resistance were effortlessly ignored.Eventually, the two of them fell onto the newly bought king-size bed as Tyler continued to kiss her.Just as things were about to spiral out of control, Vicky reached her limits and shouted, "I'm pregnant; you can't touch me!"Tyler froze instantly and opened his eyes, reflecting Vicky's pale, flustered face in his pupils.His chest heaved irregularly, his breathing in
The doctor remained silent for a while after examining Vicky. Meanwhile, Vicky kept her head lowered as she feared she would be exposed by her results.A few minutes later, one of the doctors smiled at Tyler. "The baby's stable, so all you need to watch out for is the mother's diet."Vicky shivered and looked up at the doctor, who did not bother looking at her and instead informed Tyler of the things he needed to pay attention to.'Does this doctor work for the mysterious person as well?' Vicky thought, her heart sinking instead of feeling relieved.She knew that lies were never meant to last.After the doctor and Tyler left, Vicky texted the mysterious person, asking if he made the arrangement, to which the mysterious person admitted.[I can keep this a secret for now, but it'll become increasingly difficult to hide it as time passes. You need to find a way to get pregnant before Tyler finds out.] The mysterious man typed."..." Vicky fell into silence a long while after that.
Vicky perked up. "What do I need to do?""Nothing," replied the man. "I'll send someone to pick you up." The man informed her of the general plan and continued, "I've prepared all necessary documents for you."Vicky had not expected Lincoln to be so efficient. She was pleased to leave but felt worried for his safety at the same time."What about you?" she asked."Me?""You helped me get out of here. If Tyler finds out, he won't spare you," Vicky whispered. "What will you do?"After a brief moment of silence, the man said, "I will leave the country for a while as well."Relieved, Vicky said, "As long as you have a plan in mind." A thought then occurred to her as she asked, "Can I go to the mall to get some things?"Auran was different from Stoneford City; it was a tropical area with a lot of insects and harsh sunlight.Since she was preparing to go to Auran, she would need to purchase daily necessities. However, Vicky was worried that Tyler might get suspicious and decided to c
Vicky, having experienced countless times just how cunning Tyler was, nodded. "Alright.""I can't stay here for long." Lincoln stared into her eyes and reminded once again, "Unless I come to you in person, do not believe any text or call you receive. Also...if he contacts you pretending to be me, don't expose him so that he won't be alerted."Vicky could see the severity of the situation from the look on Lincoln's face and tensed. "I understand."Lincoln nodded. "I'll get going now, then."After Lincoln left, Vicky lost the mood for shopping and bought a few clothes before returning home.Shortly after she arrived home, her phone vibrated. The look in her eyes darkened when she saw the number of the mysterious man displayed on the screen.[Are you home?]Upon seeing this message, Vicky was certain that it was not sent by Lincoln.Lincoln made it clear that he would not contact her again to avoid detection, and since it was not Lincoln, the message was likely from Tyler.Fortun
[Who did you guess I am?]She typed, [There's such a wide range, so it's hard to guess who you are. I might not know who you are, but one thing I can be sure of is that...you are absolutely not Tyler.]There was a long silence following her message, and just as Vicky thought that Tyler had stopped responding out of guilt, her phone vibrated once again.[What makes you think so?]Vicky was dumbfounded by the question and typed fearlessly. [Tyler caused all the misery I've been through. He's backed me into a corner this whole time, and if you were him, well...that's going to be the joke of the century.]Before her memory loss, Vicky speculated countless times about the mysterious person's identity, but she never considered that the mysterious person could be Tyler because it was simply too illogical.After a long wait, a reply finally came. [What if I am him?]Vicky snorted. She had a hunch about Tyler's intentions: to impersonate the mysterious person who had been helping her.S
At the time, she was curious as to who the mysterious man was as he could bribe the doctor Tyler hired. Her fake pregnancy had not been discovered in every examination that followed.Just as Vicky thought that the peaceful days would continue until she was truly pregnant or until Tyler discovered the truth, Alex returned to the city.Everything was fine at the start, but some time after that, Tyler started to forbid her from contacting Alex and locked her up in the mansion.When Alex found out about it, he risked everything to take Vicky away with him. However, Stoneford City was practically ruled by Tyler, and the two were soon captured.When Tyler wrecked Alex's legs, Vicky threatened Tyler with her life to get Alex to safety. Tyler eventually caved, yet Vicky ran into an accident and lost her unborn child on her way sending Alex to the airport.During that time, their relationship became strained due to the incident involving Alex.Since Tyler locked her up at home, she stoppe
Lincoln calmly listened to Avery's accusation and explained, "This is the only way to get her to let her guard down."He took a sip of his tea and continued, "I impersonated the mysterious man who helped her throughout the years to get closer to her, but she's held back toward me still. She wouldn't trust me if I didn't help her during this event."The anger on Avery's face subsided slightly, but she continued sarcastically, "You've helped her so much, destroyed your own face, and got shot. Still, she hasn't really trusted you completely... Lincoln, you aren't as attractive as you think you are."Lincoln remained silent.Indeed, ever since he admitted to being the mysterious man, he made a point to assist Vicky a couple of times, but Vicky continued to maintain a certain distance from him.Obtaining Vicky's trust was so challenging that he had to admit that he wasted a lot of energy on it.Avery did not mind his silence and continued, "We made a deal. You want the power that Tyle
Lincoln smiled faintly. "Do you think Tyler has nothing outside of the Hart family?"Avery clearly did not understand the intricacies and said, "I admit that Hart Corporation has gained some reputation under Tyler's reign, but there is still a long way to go for his company to reach the status of my family or yours. He might have prominent power in Zendonia, but on a global scale..." Avery pursed her lips. "It's probably far from enough."The Yeagers would not accept anyone ordinary as their daughter's match, and the reason Avery's parents agreed to her marrying Tyler was that they valued his abilities. They never appreciated men born with a silver spoon who had high social standings but lacked talent.Avery's parents had introduced to her several wealthy young men with outstanding abilities and suitable backgrounds, but she did not find any of them appealing. She had high standards for men and needed them to be good-looking with no appalling hobbies.Finding someone with good char
[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