At the hospital.The doctor checked on Vicky and confirmed she was not hurt, but Harvey did not seem to believe it. "Doctor, the back of her hand is kind of red. Are you sure she's okay?""Sir, your wife is fine. The redness will fade after a while," the doctor said with resignation.Vicky frowned at how the doctor called her Harvey's 'wife' and immediately wanted to correct the doctor, but she felt like dignifying it with a denial was beneath her.Once Harvey confirmed that Vicky was unharmed, he let the doctor be and turned to look at Vicky. "Where are you going? I can give you a lift.""I'm going home to rest," she said. "I won't take any more of your time, Mister Sparks."Harvey was a sharp man and knew that this was Vicky's way of reminding him that it would be inappropriate for him to send her back to her house.He sighed and did not press on. "Very well. I'll walk you to the exit, then."Vicky did not refuse.…Once she was home, she collapsed on the couch and massaged
Alas, she had to do it because she refused to betray Tyler.10 minutes later, the man walked out of the bedroom. "The documents you brought are quite useful, Miss Shaw," he said emotionlessly.She sobered and held her breath as the man strolled toward her. His shadow loomed over her as he got closer, and tension rose in the room."You were smart enough to only edit the numbers on the contracts." He studied her thoughtfully as he lifted her chin. "Miss Shaw, do you take me for a fool?"'He found out,' she lamented internally and closed her eyes helplessly.This had been the best solution she could think of, yet he managed to see through it.She knew that arguing would not help her and thus opened her eyes. "How did you find out?"The look in his eyes darkened. "Don't you know that the prices stated on bidding contracts are announced to the public?""..."She did not know anything about business and could not possibly know about that. If the prices were indeed public knowledge,
"You know that I'm a man of my word."Vicky knew there was nothing she could do even if the masked man went back on his promise, but she did not want to give up when there was hope."I ran into a friend outside the hospital.""What kind of friend?""Just...casual friends."The man's interest was piqued. "Was it a guy?"She fell into silence and thought to herself, 'He's asking a question that he knows the answer to.'After a thoughtful moment, Vicky said, "Yeah. He's…my ex-fiance. I don't remember him, though. We just ran into each other by coincidence.""Your ex-fiance? Do you like him?""No. I don't think much of him."He seemed satisfied with her answer. "If you don't like him, stay away from men like him."His words sounded familiar as though she had heard them somewhere else.Before she could grasp onto the thought, the man added, "I don't want you to be close to any man."Disgust and disdain took her attention off her original thought, and she said, "I might not be a
It was likely that the masked man's belongings were locked in this room.After searching the entire suite, Vicky left the room. She knew that she had to know her enemy well enough to fight back.She went down to the ground floor and strode toward the entrance before coming to a sudden halt.An elegant-looking man stepped into the hotel with his assistant.It was Sebastian.Vicky's eyes widened slightly and started to scan his figure, realizing a few similarities with the masked man. She seemed to reach both of their shoulders considering their heights.Sebastian did not spot her, so she slipped into the stairway next to her until she heard footsteps walking past the exit to the stairway.Ding! The elevator door opened, and she stood frozen for a few moments before stepping into the elevator lobby.She stood by the elevator to watch the numbers ascend, and since no one else was using the elevator, it went up the floors smoothly before stopping.Her blood ran cold when she noted
The masked man did not finish his sentence, but it was a blatant threat. Vicky was instantly overwhelmed by fear and anxiety as she wondered if she would ever be free of the man.Sensing the trembling of her body, the man tightened his arm around her. "What's wrong? Are you cold?""I'm fine.""Have you brought me the confidential information of Hart Corporation?"Vicky lowered her head wordlessly and realization dawned on the man. "You didn't...which means you have made up your mind?"She still refused to respond.He studied her face and said, "Do you care about Tyler Hart that much? You'd rather be taken advantage of than sacrifice his career? He can't see what you're doing for him, and if he finds out about the truth someday, he might even be disgusted by you.""You call this 'caring' for someone?" She stared into his eyes. "Isn't it the basic requirement for any relationship to not betray one another?"The look in his eyes darkened. "You ran to Lovian to divorce him, so I th
"Vicky," rang Cece's surprised voice, "are you sick?""Cece?" Vicky recognized her voice and paused as memories rushed back to her.It was the day for Jennifer to be discharged from the hospital, and she had told Jennifer that she would be picking her up from the hospital.She opened her eyes abruptly and glanced at the clock, realizing that it was almost one in the afternoon. She told Jennifer that she would arrive at the hospital at ten in the morning!Vicky stared at the screen on her phone and noticed that there had been a lot of missed calls.Frustrated, she said, "I'm sorry, Cece. Something happened. Just wait for me. I'll be there right away.""There's no rush, Vicky," Cece said. "Jennifer and I have nothing else to do, anyway."Vicky sat up and said, "You two should get something to eat. Don't wait for me.""Sure."After washing up, Vicky noticed how pale she looked in her reflection in the mirror and put on a blush to make herself look more energized before heading ou
Jennifer's eyes lit up. "Sure!"The three proceeded to talk about work and cast aside any thoughts about men, relationships, and their troubles.Two hours later, Vicky glanced at the time and realized that it was almost eight. There was not enough time for her to make it to the hotel.She lowered her gaze thoughtfully before sending the masked man a text message.[My friend has been discharged from the hospital, and we're having dinner together. I might be late.]A few minutes later, the man replied. [Alright.]An idea formed in her head, and she typed, [Can I not come over tonight?]This time, the man replied within a matter of seconds with just one word. [No.]Vicky was displeased at his authoritative tone. According to what the masked man said, they were not going to see each other for long, but he seemed to be more restrictive than Tyler.Cece noticed that Vicky had been texting and giggled. "Vicky, are you talking to Mister Hart?"Since Vicky returned from Forever Night,
Vicky glanced at the television and noticed that the masked man was watching finance-related news.He grabbed the remote controller and shut the television.Darkness instantly returned to the room, and Vicky's heart sank."Come here."She walked over and stopped right before him stiffly.Surprised, the man asked, "Why are you being so obedient today?"Vicky had not given up, of course. She simply discovered that the best way to deal with the masked man was to approach him with a softer attitude, and it was best not to disobey him.She did not answer his question, but he did not seem to mind. "What should I reward you with for being so obedient?" he murmured seductively. "Should I let you rest for another day?"The man seemed to know her well and would feed her with sufficient hope whenever she was close to giving up, before disappointing her again.She felt as helpless as a child before him."Why aren't you speaking?" He chuckled. "Don't you want to rest?""I do," she said.