It was as if everything Vicky had just seen was an illusion.Vicky realized that she was sleeping in Tyler's arms. She sat up to find that they had arrived at the entrance of a grand estate.The sky outside was dimming."What time is it?" she asked and massaged her temples."Six-twenty," Tyler replied.Vicky was taken aback. It was just past four o'clock when they left the airport, and with an hour's drive, they should have arrived at Old Mister Hart's estate at around five."Did something happen on the road?" she asked. "Why did we arrive at this time?""You've been sleeping a lot lately," Tyler said, skilfully avoiding her question.Indeed, Vicky had taken long naps on the plane during their trip. Even when they traveled around Yudonia, she often dozed off in the car.At night, after they returned to their accommodations, she would sometimes fall asleep even before he finished showering.At first, Tyler thought she was pretending to be asleep to avoid getting intimate with
What overwhelmed Avery most was the feeling of being unjustly treated."Tyler..." Avery's eyes were red with tears. "Do you have to distance yourself from me like this?"Tyler's expression remained calm. "Miss Yeager, you are now Lincoln's wife. You should maintain a proper distance from members of the opposite sex."Seeing this, Valencia sneered."Avery, you really need to change this habit of throwing yourself at every man you see. It might be tolerated in the Hart family, but in the eyes of outsiders, you might come across as a player. The Yeagers might not mind being mocked, but the Harts have a reputation to maintain."Alana, Avery's mother, furrowed her brow. "Valencia, there's no need to be so harsh with your words, is there? Avery and Tyler were once engaged. It's normal for them to have some lingering habits. Besides, now that Avery is pregnant with Tyler's child, is it wrong for them to be a little closer?"Orion sneered. "Alana, don't forget that Avery is now Lincoln's
'That rat!' Avery cursed inwardly. She desperately wished she could kill Vicky.However, she managed to steady herself upon recalling her pregnancy.She gently placed a hand on her still-flat belly and raised her voice, "Tyler, I'm carrying your child!"Tyler, having gathered this from their conversation earlier, did not display any surprise. Instead, he asked with intrigue, "Is that so?"Avery presented a medical report she had prepared. "Here's the test report." She looked toward Old Mister Hart and added, "Grandfather had someone conduct the examination."This implied that there was no possibility of forgery.Tyler accepted the report and started to review it. It was then Vicky pulled away in an attempt to escape.Tyler frowned and locked her within his embrace, before whispering into her ear, "Stay with me."Everyone stared at them in bewilderment, and Avery glared daggers at Vicky.Though Tyler had not said much, anyone could tell what had happened upon seeing the rings o
Old Mister Hart had gathered enough information about the situation based on Avery's silence and said, "Avery, do you mean to say that this child might not be Tyler's?"Avery bit her lip and replied, "I can assure you that there's an 80-percent chance this child is Tyler's, but there's also a possibility it's Lincoln's..."Although Lincoln was an adopted son, he was still a member of the Hart family. Whether this child belonged to Tyler or Lincoln, it was still a member of the family. Furthermore, Avery was married to Lincoln, so there was no need to terminate the pregnancy.Valencia and Orion looked at each other in displeasure. They disliked Avery's cunning nature, but they placed just as much importance on the family's heir as Old Mister Hart did, especially since they doted on Lincoln, who had not shown interest in women in the past.Old Mister Hart, too, understood this and questioned, "Avery, are you certain that this child is either Tyler's or Lincoln's?""I swear!" she sai
Tyler tightened his hold on Vicky's waist and calmly stated, "I'm sorry, but I'm getting married soon, so I can't marry you."Avery widened her eyes. "Even if I'm carrying your child?"Tyler nodded. "That's correct."Avery could not believe her ears.Her face twisted with rage, and she gritted out, "If you won't marry me, there's no reason for this child to exist!"Avery's threat did not even faze Tyler. "If you insist on not having the child, I'll respect your choice."Avery took a few steps back. "What did you say?""I'll respect any choice you make."Avery thought that she held an ace in her hand, only to be proven wrong as she did not imagine that Tyler would respond in such a manner.Suddenly, she thought of something and turned to look at Old Mister Hart.Old Mister Hart calmly sipped his tea, while Valencia and Orion sat on their respective sofas, appearing as though they had not heard her.Avery felt momentarily lost and helpless. 'Why? Why are Old Mister Hart and Ty
"You mentioned that you want Tyler to marry you. Had he agreed to it, we wouldn't oppose it. However, Tyler doesn't want to marry you," Old Mister Hart explained. "What can we do as his elders? We can't force him to marry you. If he refuses to marry you, we can't make him do it, can we now?"Old Mister Hart's words were relatively tactful, but everyone present understood his message.If Avery was willing to have the child, the Hart family would take responsibility. If she did not want to do so, they would not force her either. After all, she was the one carrying the child. Regardless, none of them were happy that Avery was trying to blackmail them into compliance using her pregnancy.Compared to Avery, the Hart family found Vicky easier to accept, which was one of the reasons Old Mister Hart and Tyler's parents did not outright oppose Tyler's desire to marry Vicky.Women who tried to use children as leverage like Avery were not welcomed into the family.Mister Yeager was also irri
Since Vernon was the head of the family, Alana did not dare to argue with him. She turned back and continued to pass on her wisdom to Avery."All a man cares about is his ego. Just let him marry whoever he wants. Otherwise, he'll just get a mistress or two after you're married to him. The one thing in this world that you shouldn't count on is a man's feelings for you."Even if he decides to marry Vicky today, what's not to say he won't divorce her tomorrow? So you see, it's not about Vicky. As a matter of fact, it could be any other woman. Plus, you're pregnant with his kid, so you shouldn't worry too much. There'll be plenty of opportunities for you to see him once the baby is born."'Mom's right. Tyler will eventually be mine as long as I have the baby. I can use the baby to get closer to him!' thought Avery, feeling much better after listening to Alana."Thanks, Mom. I know what to do now," she said.Alana was relieved to see her daughter feeling better."Avery, don't forget.
Vicky did not even feel a little bit of joy at the prospect of their wedding."So what's going on with the wedding?" she asked."It's been arranged as we speak," answered Tyler impassively. "It'll be held at the end of next month."Vicky frowned. "But I haven't…"She was going to say that she had not agreed to anything when Tyler cut her off. "I've already decided, so I'm not going to cancel the wedding."He looked down at her frowning face."You don't look like you're happy," he commented.Vicky was indeed not happy. Everything felt like a dream to her. She did not understand why Tyler would suddenly want to marry her."Is it because you have some concerns?" Tyler asked gently. "You can tell me if you have."Vicky did not know what to say."If you're worried about the baby, don't be. I promise you I'll never let it come between us," he added.Tyler pulled her into his embrace and kissed her forehead."You can go over the wedding details with the wedding planner and choose