Noah dared not to take up any more of Vicky's time and swiftly settled the bill after finishing his food. Aurora was deeply impressed by how quickly he managed to eat.Vicky lost her appetite after answering Tyler's call.…Upon returning home, she saw Tyler's leather shoes on the shoe rack. She changed into her slippers and went upstairs.The bedroom door was not fully closed, and she noted the lights in the room were switched on.She stepped into the bedroom and found Tyler standing by the window in a bathrobe, holding a wine glass.The scent of wine filled the air.She glanced at the table on the side and spotted a bottle of wine that was half-finished.For some reason, Vicky felt like she was suffocating."When did you come back?" she asked.He did not turn around, but his indifferent voice reached her ears. "Come here."Sensing that he was in a bad mood, Vicky walked over as instructed.Tyler handed her an empty wine glass. She took it, picked up the bottle of red wine
Vicky was not lying. If she were to give up her business here, she could wrap things up within three months—and that was being generous. After all, she was the owner, not an ordinary employee. Whether she decided to sell the studio or find a partner, it would be a tedious process.Given Tyler's ability and experience, she expected him to understand."Three months..." he repeated, before asking, "Is three months enough?""It should be," Vicky replied."I thought you might need more time."Vicky found his words strangely cryptic and did not have time to think them over before he continued, "Well, it's better this way. That way, you can leave everything behind."Tyler was oddly reasonable, which confused her. She mustered a faint smile and said, "It's getting late. I should rest... I'll take a shower first."Vicky was just about to leave when he suddenly grabbed her wrist."Not so soon," he said and pressed her against the window, before lowering his head to kiss her.It had been
Tyler took a drag from his cigarette and responded with a nonchalant hum.Although Vicky witnessed the whole incident, she was not entirely clear on what had happened.She picked up a wine glass and handed it to him, asking, "What's the deal with Avery and Lincoln?"Taking the glass from her, Tyler's voice remained emotionless. "It's exactly what you saw."'He might as well not answer my question,' she thought.She raised her own glass, lightly clinking it against his. After taking a sip of wine, she continued, "What I mean is...she's always been infatuated with you. Why would she sleep with Lincoln?"Vicky carefully considered the events of that day, and the more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Even if Avery was desperate, she could have chosen to sleep around on another occasion instead of Mister Hart's birthday banquet, especially when Tyler was present as well.Most importantly, Avery got caught in the act.Tyler extinguished his cigarette and responded with c
Vicky suddenly realized she was wrong, and there was a winner in this situation.Though Tyler was the head of the Hart family, Lincoln still held a certain level of power. After what happened, however, the family members who supported Lincoln were likely to lose faith in him.Vicky had been suspicious about how the event unfolded, and the fact that Tyler was likely pulling the strings sent chills down her spine.Sensing the way she trembled, Tyler lowered his gaze at her. "What's wrong?""I guess I'm a bit cold after getting out of the shower..."He held her closer and moved the wine glass closer to her lips. "You won't be cold if you drink."Vicky took a distracted sip of her drink before realizing that Tyler had been gazing at her intensely."Why aren't you drinking?" Vicky attempted to remain composed. "I'm here today to drink with you..."Tyler glanced at her with a hint of meaning. "You need to feed it to me.""..."Vicky understood what he meant almost instantly. She fe
This was the other reason why Vicky decided to get Tyler drunk; she wanted to know if Tyler remembered the past. She would never dare to ask such a thing under normal circumstances.Tyler was a sharp man. If she confronted him, he might pick up on her intention.Tyler seemed distracted under the influence of alcohol and took some time to focus on Vicky. "What?""Have you remembered anything?" Vicky repeated."Remember what?"Feeling resigned, she elaborated, "Do you remember the past?""The past?" Tyler frowned and contemplated. "Have I forgotten anything?"His confusion seemed real, and Vicky could not tell if she was relieved or disappointed.She did not press on and helped him to the bed in the bedroom.Like Noah, she had been doubtful as to whether Tyler remembered the past. However, Tyler acted as though he did not remember her, and it seemed odd for him not to question her if he remembered something.Vicky simply could not figure him out for the life of her.After help
After finishing that sentence, Tyler closed his eyes and fell silent.Vicky waited for a moment. Once she was certain Tyler was asleep before wiping the sweat from her forehead.She felt fortunate that she had asked these questions when he was drunk, or she would have invited his suspicions.The next day, when Vicky came downstairs, she found Tyler sitting in the living room reading a newspaper.He spotted her and instructed a servant, "Bring breakfast."Tyler did not ask about the events of the previous night, nor did he mention the topics they discussed as if he had forgotten.During breakfast, the two of them did not engage in much of a conversation. It was not until they finished eating that Tyler suddenly spoke. "Pack your bags. We're going to Yudonia this afternoon."Vicky looked at him and asked, "Are you going on another business trip?""Sort of," he replied.Vicky was not quite sure what he meant by 'sort of', but she did not press further as she did not intend to acc
Vicky fell silent before saying, "No."Cece seemed to understand what she was trying to say and did not press further. "Vicky, enjoy yourself, and leave the work to us.""Alright, feel free to call me if anything comes up."Not long after hanging up, Tyler came to her door.Vicky walked out of the room with her suitcase....The plane touched down at the Yudonia airport just as night came. There was a time difference between Zendonia and Yudonia, and at this moment, it was already late at night in Yudonia.After disembarking, Adam drove them to a luxurious six-star hotel where they would be staying.Adam greeted her without any hint of surprise or familiarity, maintaining a respectful and formal distance.Vicky, too, pretended not to know Adam at all.The scenery outside the window rushed by as they drove. The streetlights cast scattered patterns on the ground.Vicky gazed at the cityscape outside.In recent years, she had traveled frequently, but it had always been for wor
Tyler's question caught Adam off-guard. He hesitated, unsure of how to explain. "It's because...""Because our relationship wasn't that great back then," Vicky chimed in. "We didn't meet often, and maybe Adam has forgotten about me. As for me, I... I didn't have much to say to Adam."Tyler looked at Vicky. "Why didn't you get along?"Vicky smiled and replied, "Well, it's because Adam always reminded me not to have any unrealistic fantasies about you."Tyler studied her for a moment, seemingly believing her explanation, and did not press the matter further.Due to a long day of travel and Tyler's scheduled appointments for the next day, he did not do anything to Vicky that night, and they went to bed early....The next day, Tyler woke Vicky up very early."Get up and get ready." Tyler was already dressed perfectly.Vicky checked the time and found that it was only half past five.Lately, she had been quite the sleepyhead. Normally, she could get by with seven to eight hours o