Tyler's gaze deepened as he looked at the bank card in Vicky's hand. He remained still as he observed with a mocking glint in his eyes.Vicky stepped forward and handed the bank card to him. "I don't owe you anything," she said coldly. "Mister Hart, you may leave now."Tyler absentmindedly toyed with the bank card in his hand. "It seems that your career has flourished over these years, and you have quite a sum of savings... If I'm not mistaken, these funds represent your entire net worth, don't they?" He lifted his head and smirked. "Returning this money to me will render your years of hard work futile, Ms. Shaw."Vicky gazed at his face and smiled. "Are you admitting you were just using that check as an excuse to pester me?"Tyler did not deny it. "I'm not a man to be lured at will, nor am I someone who sleeps with anyone that comes my way.""Indeed." Vicky's tone remained serene. "I understand that your current value cannot be measured in money, but I assume that paying you fift
Tyler's amusement grew when he saw the shock on Vicky's face."You seem to know I was your ex-husband, Ms. Shaw," he mused. "If that's the case, why didn't you mention it to me?"Vicky slowly regained her composure.She had debated on the possibility that he regained his memories, but it seemed as though he only found out that they were once married."Yes, I knew about it."Tyler silently signaled her to continue.She lowered her gaze and said, "Our marriage was a marriage of convenience. You needed a wife, and I needed the money. We had an agreement that we'd get a divorce once the time came. We've never met, nor did you know who you actually married. Everything was done by your assistant. As for why I never mentioned it, that's because there's a clause stating that I am not to have any contact with you after the divorce."This was the official explanation given by Old Mister Hart.Tyler gazed at Vicky silently. "Why would I need a wife?"Vicky's gaze flickered slightly, but
Vicky felt a chill down her spine. She would never dare doubt what Tyler was capable of.Studying Vicky's pale face, Tyler lowered his head and caressed her cheek. "Be a good girl. Don't make me mad, or I don't know what I might do."He gently kissed her lips and placed the bank card into her hand. "You have one week to break up with Harvey. Do not disappoint me, Vicky."With that said, he did not linger and left.The door slowly closed behind him, and Vicky stood frozen in place....The news of Avery meeting her so-called 'lover' in Zendonia spread like wildfire."Dad, this is a setup! There were more people at the restaurant—not just me. Tyler, Harvey, and that pest Vicky were all there! These unscrupulous media outlets are distorting the truth!"Avery was on the brink of losing her mind. The incident during the wedding was long wiped out, yet it was brought up all over again! The raunchy video that had been dealt with resurfaced, and her notoriety was all over the Internet
After a pause, Vernon said, "Why don't you call off the engagement for now?"Stunned, Avery said, "What did you say, Dad?""After what happened last time, Tyler could still help you out by making a public statement, but you'll only be the target of condemnation if he does it again this time. He might look like a loyal man by doing so, but what about you?""I'm not afraid of that!" Avery refused to call off the engagement. "They can say whatever they want to say. I can just head back to Molivia! No one in Molivia will dare to say anything about me!"Vernon sneered. "You can say that you were framed the first time, but can you still claim that it's a coincidence if the same thing happens twice? I know that you aren't afraid of what people might say about you, but everyone sees you as a woman who lost her virtue. Because of that, our company's stock is dropping. The masses are mocking our family! If Tyler doesn't marry you, no one will ever marry you."After the release of the video,
Three days later, it was Vicky's birthday.Harvey reserved the entire restaurant for Vicky and invited all of Vicky's friends to celebrate her birthday.Every year, everyone would gather to celebrate, but this year was different.Harvey and Vicky had announced their engagement before the press but were both placed in a position where they had no choice but to do so. On this day, Harvey decided to officially propose to Vicky.After the birthday song was sung, he held out a ring, got down on one knee, and looked at Vicky adoringly. "Vicky, I've let you slip away once because of my incompetence, and I've lived these past years in remorse ever since. I'm lucky that I now have a chance to start again. This time, I won't let you slip away. I love you, Vicky. Will you marry me?"His proposal caught Vicky by surprise.They had discussed the venue and date for the engagement party, and even prepared to invite the press to the party. However, Harvey had not mentioned anything about proposi
The reporters posed another question. "Miss Yeager, when did you and Mister Hart call off your engagement?"Avery's expression soured slightly, but she replied, "We ended our engagement the day after Tyler made his statement.""Since you've already ended the engagement, why hasn't there been an official statement?""Tyler was concerned that negative comments online would target me, so we decided not to go public at the time."The reporters pressed on. "Regarding the incident where you were seen meeting with the man from the video, Miss Yeager, could you explain that?"Announcing the end of their engagement was a secondary matter; the main purpose was to clarify this particular incident."Someone created some fabricated photos to threaten me, saying they'd spread them if I didn't comply with their demands," Avery explained.The reporters turned to Tyler. "Mister Hart, is this true?"Tyler nodded. "Avery was being threatened and didn't know what to do, so she called me. After I f
Staring at the contents of the box, Vicky and Aurora were speechless for a good while.It was Aurora who reacted first. Fuming, she picked up her phone and dialed a number."Aurora?" The call was quickly answered, and the person on the other end sounded confused. "Is your cat causing trouble again?""Your cat is the one causing trouble," Aurora retorted irritably. "Noah, are you out of your mind?! What kind of gift did you send to Vicky? Can't you stop being a cold blanket?"Noah sounded utterly bewildered. "What's wrong with the gift I sent to Vicky?""Stop pretending. Wasn't it you who sent those decapitated dolls? Seriously, Noah, did you pick up some shoddy dolls from a street vendor?"Noah still looked puzzled. "Shoddy dolls? I didn't send any dolls. I sent a plush toy modeled after my Panther!"Aurora blinked. "You didn't send those dolls?""I have no clue what's going on, okay?"Aurora turned her head and saw an unopened gift box by the couch. Only the boxes from Harvey
Vicky hurried over to Noah the moment she spotted him. "Noah, how's Harvey?""The doctors are still working on him," Noah said gloomily. "He's badly injured.""Why would this happen all of a sudden?" Aurora mumbled. "Harvey is a racer, right? He should be really good at driving."Vicky’s gaze wavered, and she paled.Amid Aurora's confusion, her phone rang. Considering that it was almost midnight, she was shocked to have received a call at this time. "Who'd call me in the middle of the night?"She had just finished filming, so she had been free lately.She glanced at the caller ID and answered when she noticed it was a call from her manager, Cassandra. "Cassandra? Why are you calling me at this time?""My goodness! You're all over the headlines!""Headlines? For what?""Rumors are going around that you have a boyfriend and that you're living with him!""Boyfriend? Who?" Aurora asked in confusion.Cassandra was nearly in tears. "Do you not realize who you're implicated in this
[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