The party was about to start, and Old Mister Hart finally walked in. He smiled warmly when he spotted Vicky and Tyler.He waved to them and said, "Vicky, Tyler, you're here!"Vicky and Tyler slowly walked up to him arm-in-arm."Hello, Grandpa," Vicky greeted him politely.Old Mister Hart smiled in response before turning his attention to Tyler. "How's work? Have you been busy?""Quite.""Just know that work is never-ending, so you need to take some rest too."Old Mister Hart and Tyler continued their small talk. Meanwhile, the rest of the family who wanted to find out about Tyler's memory loss were disappointed.Vicky took this chance to look around. Alas, there was still no sight of Lincoln."Where's Lincoln?" she asked lightly.Tyler immediately looked at her. He looked very displeased with his lips pursed. It was obvious he was not happy.Old Mister Hart took it all in. He picked up the glass from the table and smiled lightly. "Something suddenly came up in Molivia for hi
"You're a quick learner. If this was any other day, you might've won." Old Mister Hart pointed to the chessboard. "The reason you lost today wasn't because you're not good at playing chess but because your mind was all over the place."Vicky instinctively looked toward the door. 'Why hasn't Tyler come to get me yet? What could they be talking about?'Old Mister Hart noticed her gaze. He sipped his coffee before saying, "Don't worry. I'm sure Tyler will be able to handle those two even if he's lost his memory."Vicky knew what Old Mister Hart was implying. She turned back to him, but he did not seem to notice that as he continued, "The Hart family is known to produce many talented heirs, but Tyler is the most talented in his generation. He's not only smart but capable as well. To tell the truth, I've come to regret my decision.""Regret your decision?" Vicky was confused. "Do you mean letting the other family members kick him out of the family?""That, and more on not doing anythin
"Hey, gorgeous! Care to join me for a drink in my room?" cooed the man.Vicky's expression changed. She immediately shook his hand away. "Sir, please behave!"The man grabbed her wrist again and said lewdly, "Hehe! I've been a bad boy, haven't I? Why don't you spank me, then?"Vicky did not want to waste her time arguing with the man, so she warned him, "Sir, I'm going to scream if you do anything to me.""Go ahead. Scream all you like. No one will come to save you 'cause I'm Braxton Hart! Plus…" His eyes roved lustily over Vicky's body. "All the guests here are from the Hart family. Your screaming will just alert them to the fact that I've had my way with you, and Tyler will forever have to carry the shame of being cheated on."'So he's Braxton Hart.' Vicky's eyes flickered. 'No wonder he looks so familiar!'Tyler had gained somewhat of a firm foothold in the family since he came back, but he had not reached the point where he could call the shots. The branch of the family that
Thus, hearing the story from Braxton made her realize just how little she knew about what happened.Seeing the shock on her face, Braxton thought he won her over. He continued enthusiastically, "My older brother is Xander Hart, and he holds a lot of sway over the family. That's how he knows about a lot of things that had been kept confidential. All the rumors floating outside… Why, they don't ever cover an inch of what really happened."Braxton chuckled lightly. "Rumors had it Tyler tricked my uncle and aunt when he was first brought back to the house for treatments and that was how he escaped, but none of it was true. Several of the doctors that my uncle and aunt hired to treat Tyler worked under my brother. The doctors said it didn't seem like Tyler was faking his memory loss."But Tyler escaped not long after that, so it made my uncle and aunt think that Tyler was faking his memory loss. Even my brother insisted there was something very wrong with Tyler then."It was just that h
Both Vicky and Braxton were startled.A tall man had appeared out of nowhere in the hallway.His body was shrouded by the shadow as he stood against the light. The atmosphere felt stifling as he stood ominously."T—Tyler?" stammered Braxton.Tyler stood still before striding toward them. He looked baleful as if he was the Grim Reaper himself. Even Vicky, who was his wife, was intimidated.He stood before them, and his eyes darkened dangerously when he saw Vicky and Braxton holding hands. He easily pulled Vicky's hand out of Braxton.Vicky was so scared of him that when she tried to explain herself, she found herself lost for words.Tyler's face turned icy cold, and his lips were drawn in a tight line. He hated anyone, even if it was a woman, other than him to touch Vicky. Only he could hold her.His grip around Vicky's wrist bruised by Braxton tightened with rage, causing her to yelp in pain. He immediately loosened his grip when he saw how pale she looked.However, his pupils
Even though Braxton feared Tyler, he was also used to being an arrogant prick. Anger rose in his throat at being treated so unfairly by Tyler."How dare you, Tyler! My whole family will make you pay f—""I'm going to ask you one last time. What did you say?" Tyler interjected. He then stepped on Braxton's wrist with his expensive black leather shoe."I—aah!"The sound of bones breaking mingled with Braxton's screams. They echoed throughout the quiet hallway, causing Vicky to shudder.Braxton's wrist was dislocated, and the pain nearly caused him to pass out. He did not even have the time to beg for mercy when the same black leather shoe stepped on his chest again.Without much effort from Tyler, the sound of bones breaking sounded again. This time, it was Braxton's ribs that broke. Blood spurted out of his nose and mouth. It seemed like the broken ribs had punctured his other organs, causing internal bleeding.At that moment, Braxton was in so much pain that he could not even ut
Another reason for the Hart family's decline was the elders of the family insisted on doing things the traditional way. Tyler, however, deliberately avoided his family's sphere of influence and instead chose new industries to break into.His gamble proved successful as he became more prosperous over time. Old Mister Hart knew the resources Tyler would act as complements to the industries the Hart family had yet to take over.'Tyler would be a great help to the family if he's willing to come back. It might take him another ten or twenty years to overtake the family fortune, but the fact that he could turn the tables with the cards that he was dealt with just proves how capable he is,' thought Old Mister Hart.He was even willing to go as far as giving Tyler all the shares he had to make him come back to the family. With those shares in his hands, Tyler would be able to go head-to-head with Lincoln and Xander.Plus, Valencia and Orion would come out as the winner in the family strugg
There were a lot of people around them, and they all felt obliged to say something."Tyler might be reckless, but...he'd never do such a thing if a certain someone didn't exaggerate the truth," said Valencia.Orion agreed. "Yeah, this isn't entirely Tyler's fault. Had Vicky not told Tyler she was injured, how would he know?"Instantly, everyone shifted the blame onto Vicky, and she simply remained quiet without arguing.Tyler stood before her and lifted her bruised wrist. "What is this, then?""..."Everyone was dumbfounded when they saw Vicky's 'injury'.Mike sneered. "You call that an injury?""Isn't it?"Mike's entire body trembled with anger. "Compared to what my son suffered, what kind of an injury is that? Tyler—"His words were interrupted by Tyler's ominous voice. "Vicky is my wife. Forget the bruises on her wrist now. Even if anyone dares to touch a single strand of her hair, it'll be considered a direct insult toward me." Tyler's gaze was sharp as it swept across th