"The culprit always seemed to be able to know my whereabouts every time I went somewhere. The probability of this being an inside job within our Hart family is quite high." Tyler looked at his parents with a small smile as he looked at them ominously. "Who could harbor such deep-seated hatred against me?""Tyler, you have become the enemy of a lot of members of our family by taking control of the Hart family's power. Many would want to get rid of you," Orion explained.Tyler leaned back. "According to my investigation, however, those who attempted to assassinate me did so under Lincoln's command."Valencia's gaze flickered for a moment before she said, "Someone is framing Lincoln! Their goal is to turn you two against each other, and they'd reap the benefits while you fight."Orion nodded in agreement. "Yes, that seems likely.""I haven't investigated this matter thoroughly yet. I'm not sure whether it's a setup for now." Tyler closed the file in front of him. "Before we learn the
Avery had checked Tyler's schedule and knew he would not be leaving the premises. If he was not in his office, he had to be in a meeting.Avery inputted her fingerprint and opened the door to his office, deciding to wait for Tyler's return.The ability to come and go from the Hart estate as well as Tyler's office felt empowering to her, and she prided herself on it.Yesterday, Avery had been restless ever since Harvey came to Vicky's rescue. For a man as intelligent as Tyler, he should have been able to deduce that those journalists were there at her bidding to humiliate Vicky. Moreover, Tyler had shown a genuine intention to rescue her when it happened at the time, which confirmed Avery's earlier belief that Tyler saw Vicky differently.Avery thought Tyler would question her about it afterward, but he did not. He had not even mentioned Vicky's name and proceeded to drop Avery off at home. He did not even show any trace of anger or suspicion.Avery gradually began to calm down a
Half an hour later, Tyler returned from his meeting.He set the documents in his hand down on the desk and glanced at the documents lying on the coffee table. He narrowed his eyes....Meanwhile, Harvey and Vicky discussed announcing their engagement, but the group chat was as lively as ever.[You two definitely took us by surprise! You literally skipped dating and went straight for engagement. Impressive!] Noah typed.Aurora retorted, [What do you know? Vicky and Harvey were engaged once, and that counts as dating. They've known each other for years, so it shouldn’t be an issue even if they get married right away.][When will the engagement party be?] Jennifer asked.Cece commented, [I agree that they can just get married right away.]Harvey read all the messages and replied, [We haven't started planning the wedding, so it's too rushed to get married now. We will get engaged first and get to the wedding part once everything is in place.][Vicky, I want to be your bridesmaid!]
A thought crossed Aurora's mind as she said, angered, "Vicky stuck to Tyler's side the whole time he was sick, yet he couldn't control himself and hurt her every d*mn time. Has she ever complained? She would've never given up if there was another option. There was once when Vicky got drunk and she let it slip that Tyler was mutilating himself. What else was she supposed to do?"Noah sighed. "They both have their reasons for doing things."Aurora was becoming increasingly agitated. "Tyler is successful now and has a rich fiancee. But when he finds out that his fiancee cheated on him, he decides to take it out on Vicky. That's just so wrong. Besides, no one knows just what horrible fate awaited Vicky if Harvey didn't get to her in time on the day she was confronted by the reporters. Why would the reporters be there in the restaurant if no one tipped them off?"Aurora scoffed. "Tyler called those reporters there to insult Vicky—it must be! I heard that the questions raised by those rep
"Tyler, why don't we just customize another set of wedding bands again? The rings here are unique, but it's not as impactful as designing our own rings," rang a woman's whines."I don't know much about designing things," a man's voice responded."It's fine. I can design them.""If your design fails, we'll have to repeat the whole process again," the man said. "This means we will need to postpone our wedding date even further. Are you sure about this?"Avery's shoulders instantly slumped. "Alright."Harvey and Vicky overheard this as they stepped into the shop.Harvey lifted an eyebrow and thought, 'What a coincidence to run into them here.'Vicky hesitated upon seeing Tyler and Avery when suddenly, Harvey leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "Vicky, I'll help you get revenge."Before Vicky could respond, Harvey loudly greeted the couple. "Mister Hart, Miss Yeager, what a coincidence! Are you here to get your rings as well?"Hearing this, Avery and Tyler turned toward Harvey
Avery did not care about anyone else, but she did care about Tyler's opinion of her.Her rage subsided, and she immediately turned to Tyler pitifully. "Tyler, they're bullying me."Vicky sneered."What did I say that led to such a misunderstanding?" Harvey asked with a smile. "Also, who are you referring to by 'they'?"Avery came close to snapping once more at his question, but she suppressed her anger and grabbed Tyler's arm with a pout. "Tyler, he's still bullying me..."Tyler lowered his gaze at her. "Mister Sparks didn't say anything out of line."Avery was stunned and questioned in disbelief, "W—What did you say?""Avery, he didn't say anything wrong," Tyler repeated."But he's being sarcastic!""About what exactly?""About our wedding..."Avery's words were cut short by Tyler's interruption as he gently reminded her, "Avery, it's been confirmed that the incidents at the wedding were all fabricated."The scandal surrounding the video had reached its conclusion.Shortl
Subsequently, the couples began selecting their respective rings. Avery's voice occasionally echoed in the shop."Tyler, this ring is quite nice. It's the type I like.""Well, get it if you like it," he said."But I also like that ring over there! Oh, and that one over there, too..."To showcase Tyler's affection for her, Avery wished she could buy up the entire jewelry store. Tyler, on the other hand, was more than cooperative and agreed to whatever she liked, greatly satisfying Avery's vanity.The displeasure within her dissolved with Tyler's cooperation, and after a whirlwind shopping spree, Avery noticed that Vicky and Harvey were still picking rings.Avery walked toward them."Vicky, you two haven't finished shopping yet?" Avery feigned surprise as she looked at them. "You can't be serious. You haven't even chosen a single ring?"Though Avery had bought a slew of jewelry, it took less than 20 minutes as she went on a shopping spree.Without lifting her head, Vicky replied
Vicky immediately snapped out of her trance and turned to look at Tyler, only to find Tyler looking at her as well.His gaze was prying, and he smiled as soon as their gazes met.Her heart skipped a beat, and she hastily looked away.At the same time, the young man started talking to Avery. "Avery, is that really you? Why are you here in Zendonia? Gosh, I didn't believe my eyes when I first saw you."Avery's expression darkened. "I don't know you! Go away!""You don't know me?" The man looked at her in confusion. "I'm Tim!""You have the wrong person!""How is that possible?" questioned Tim confidently. "That night, you were in a bad mood and were drinking in a bar in Molivia. I went over to console you, and you complained that your fiance never touched you. You even suspected that he might be a lesser man than you thought..."Vicky could not help but glance at Tyler, and Tyler's gaze shifted to the man in question. At this moment, he appeared calm and collected, his expression
[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