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.
"Tyler…" Vicky murmured, "when did you come back?"Tyler's voice was clear and melodious like the river as he replied, "This morning.""I thought you'd be away for more than ten days," Vicky wondered."You haven't been sleeping well with nightmares these few days." Tyler looked at her and added, "So I finished my work ahead of schedule and decided to come back."If this happened on a usual day, she would be thrilled to hear that. At this moment, however, she was not ready to face him…yet here he was, home already.His eyes darkened when he noticed the lack of excitement in her eyes."What's wrong? You're not happy to see me?" he asked."No," Vicky answered without thinking twice, "I'm just a little surprised…"She tried to calm herself. "Why didn't you tell me ahead? I said…I'd go pick you up from the airport."Tyler stood up and walked to her. "I want to give you a surprise, but…you weren't at home."Her heart throbbed. "What… What time did you arrive?""Six." He stood righ
"What's wrong?" Tyler looked worried. "Are you not feeling well?"Vicky was not feeling ill. She was just… Her heart and mind were a mess, and she no longer had the courage to tell the truth."I'm…fine," she muttered."Head upstairs. I'll go get some cream to treat those swollen lips," Tyler said."Alright…" she replied.Not long later, Tyler entered the room with a cream, and he spotted Vicky sitting on the sofa, daydreaming.He approached her and said, "Let me apply it for you."With the medical-grade cotton bud, he started to sterilize the wound on her lip and applied the cream. The moment he was serious, his face looked extremely stern, and the vibe he presented was rather intimidating.A refreshing sensation graced Vicky's lips, and it soothed the pain and dryness of her lip injury.Suddenly, her tears started to spill without any warning. Tyler was still concentrating on applying the cream to her lips by then.Stunned when the cold tears dropped on the back of his hand,
Vicky looked up and saw Tyler walking toward her after finishing his shower. His robe hung on his body, but his lean, toned chest and muscular body were out in the open. The eight-pack abs looked sturdy, so much to the point she could have a nosebleed.Despite having seen it numerous times, her face always turned red and hot seeing that hot body. She quickly looked away. "Nothing…"Tyler walked to her and placed both hands on the bed beside her body, trapping her between the bed and his chest."Are you sure it's nothing?" he asked.She still did not dare to look at him. "Yes."Surely, she was not going to tell him that she was wondering about the difference between him and the man with the mask. There were some differences, but she got a feeling…that there was a similarity of sorts.'Are men all built the same? Like, you can't tell the difference between two men once the light is off?' she thought.Tyler did not think too much and said, "I'm going to work for a while in the stud
[Yes, he came back this morning.] That was Vicky's reply.The man with the mask texted back instantly, [If that's the case, I'm going to let you have a day off since you behaved nicely last night. Come and spend time with me again tomorrow.]Vicky frowned. [I have no chance to go out if he's at home at night.]The man with the mask replied, [That's not my problem.]Vicky tried to reason. [He's going to suspect if I go out every night.]The chat stopped there because she did not get a reply from the man. She tried to send a few more messages, yet she received no response.It felt awful not knowing what was going to happen and where she would end up the following day.Just then, steady footsteps sound were heard from the stairs. Vicky quickly deleted the messages in her phone and put on a new expression.The tall, strong man walked down the stairs gracefully.She looked at his handsome face and asked softly, "Where did you go?"Tyler stopped walking and replied, "I just remembe
[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