"Resort to violence?" Tyler repeated.Sheila turned to look at Tyler with resignation. "I'm sorry, Tyler. I was hysterical last night and slapped Miss Shaw across the face..."Maggie shot Vicky a look and muttered, "Miss Shaw keeps suspecting the nature of your relationship with Sheila and came to warn her not to trouble you no matter what happened, Mister Hart. Not long after that, Sheila was kidnapped and she was just a woman who hadn't been in such a situation before. She had no one and was on edge."When Mister Hart finally rushed to her rescue and they were about to escape, Miss Shaw kept calling and exposed them to the kidnappers. That’s how Mister Hart got shot while protecting Sheila..."She paused and said, "Miss Shaw, what you said was right. Mister Hart would've never gotten hurt if he hadn't gone to rescue Sheila, and it has nothing to do with your call. However..." She turned to look at Vicky in confusion. "What happened yesterday, Miss Shaw, for you to keep calling Mi
Knock, knock!Someone knocked on the door, and Harry walked in with Adam.The two were informed by the doctors that Tyler had regained consciousness and were both stunned to see so many people inside the room.They were about to greet Tyler when he said, "Find who kidnapped my wife last night."The two froze. "Kidnapped?"They turned to look at Vicky, and Adam was completely dumbfounded. "Mister Hart, did she say she was kidnapped?"As he wondered how Vicky could make up such a ridiculous excuse, Tyler narrowed his eyes coldly. "Go!"Harry and Adam shot each other a knowing look, before leaving without further delay....Two hours later, Harry and Adam walked into the room with the results.Harry had a slightly odd look on his face, but Adam was never a person who could keep his thoughts to himself and did not try to hide his contempt.Though Adam had thought that Vicky's claim was ridiculous, he did not rule the possibility out completely and even suspected that Vicky was t
The voice on the phone was heard by everyone inside the room, and silence fell as they all turned to look at Vicky oddly."Miss Shaw, I know that you want to find yourself an excuse, but...you shouldn't have made up such a horrible excuse," sneered Maggie. "You might as well have said that you were lost or something."Adam sneered. "You saw others getting kidnapped and felt the need to act like you were kidnapped as well to get attention. What a drama queen."Harry was a more composed man compared to Harry, but though he did not speak, he was also looking at Vicky with disbelief and doubt.Sheila, on the other hand, said gently, "Regardless, it's a good thing that Miss Shaw came back safely. By the way..." She turned to look at Tyler. "Tyler, why don't we call the doctor to check on Miss Shaw? I ran into Miss Shaw and her friend yesterday when you were in the surgery room. I'm guessing that she's probably here to treat her injuries, right?"Vicky did not respond.Tyler narrowed h
"I'll get them myself. I don't like others touching my things.""Wait." Tyler grabbed his phone from the nightstand. "I'll have my bodyguards send you."Vicky's hand on the doorknob stilled as she said, "It's fine. I can go home on my own. After all, I'm just acting like I was kidnapped, and it wasn't even true. Why should I be afraid at all?"There was one person who could prove that she was indeed kidnapped, and that was Mister Kirby. However, there was no point in mentioning him. Since they were determined she was acting, it would also make sense that she had bribed a few 'witnesses' into supporting her claim."I told you that I'll keep looking into it," he said emotionlessly. "Are you not going to be satisfied until I say that I believe you out loud?"She turned around to meet his eyes before shaking her head. "What's the point of saying it when you don't mean it?""Why are you upset, then?""I'm not upset."He scanned her. "You basically have the word 'upset' written all o
Vicky answered the call and heard a man's voice come from the speaker."Is your husband better now?"It was Mister Kirby.She paused before walking over to stand in front of the window. "He's awake and mostly fine.""Have you told your husband that you were kidnapped?"Silence fell over the two, and tension rose."He doesn't believe you...does he?" he whispered.Vicky narrowed her eyes. "What makes you think that?""I looked into the kidnappers' identities and found out that the car avoided all surveillance cameras except for when you got into the car. Even the car plate is a fake one."What Mister Kirby found was similar to what Tyler found."Your kidnapping lasted far too short, and you weren't injured in any way," he continued. "There's no surveillance footage to support your claim either, so it's hard to prove that you were kidnapped. Besides..." He paused. "Your call resulted in your husband getting shot, so he might not believe you and might think that you're just looki
"There's no point in doing so. He can believe whatever he wants to believe.""Do you want me to stand as your witness?""No. This ends here."Mister Kirby did not insist. "Alright, then. Call me if you need anything."Vicky was about to thank him again when he said, "Don't thank me again. I'm getting tired of hearing you say that."She froze for a moment before chuckling. "Okay. Goodbye, then."After ending the call, Vicky headed back to the hospital and heard a soft voice of a woman as soon as she arrived outside Tyler's door."Tyler, you're still injured. You need to eat your dinner.""Set it down. I will eat later," Tyler responded."But Tyler..." Sheila wanted to persist when she heard the door opening, and she turned to find Vicky walking into the room.Vicky scanned the two and saw the bowl of soup in Sheila's hand.Sensing that Vicky was looking at her, Sheila explained, "I've been discharged and came to say goodbye to Tyler, only to find him alone in his room." She s
Seeing how Tyler was not moving, Vicky looked at him. "What is it?""You're upset."She scowled. "Am I supposed to be happy about the fact that my husband is injured and bed-bound?""You know that's not what I'm referring to.""People don't always get what they want. It's fine." She remained composed. "Open up. My hand is getting sore."He stared at her intently for a while before finally taking a sip.After dinner, Vicky called the doctor over to ask about Tyler's condition before relaxing.Later during the night when Vicky was about to drift off to sleep, Tyler blurted out, saying, "I want to take a shower.""No way," she rejected his request instantly. "You can't come into contact with water."Not only was he forbidden to take a shower, but even getting out of bed would risk ripping his wounds as well.He scowled. "I can't sleep without taking a shower."He would always shower before sleep."If you can't sleep, I'll get the doctor to inject sleep-inducing medication into
Vicky's work was flexible and she could design dresses while caring for Tyler, so she had not been to the studio in recent times.After another week, Vicky received Cece's call out of the blue one day."Vicky, are you free to talk now?"Cece knew that Tyler was injured and that Vicky had been taking care of him, so she had not called Vicky and only checked on her every day via messages to not disturb her.Noticing Cece's odd tone, Vicky asked, "Did something happen, Cece?"Cece sounded slightly hysterical. "Vicky, can you… Can you please help Jennifer? I... I can't hide her any longer.""Jennifer?""The friend I went to pick up from the airport before. She's my childhood friend and was the one who lent me money to run away from my family. Something happened to her and she came to seek refuge with me...but the people who have been searching for her haven't given up and came all the way here."Cece lowered her voice and explained, "I kept Jennifer in my place, but I realized that
[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