Once Jade left, Sheila asked, "Is there something you'd like to say to me, Miss Shaw?"Vicky looked into Sheila’s eyes. "Do you still want to be with Tyler, Miss Young?"Sheila froze, baffled by Vicky's words. "What are you trying to say, Vicky?""If you still want to be with him, I can help you with that.""You...want to help me?" Sheila gaped in disbelief. "Why would you do that?""Because I don't want to be with him anymore."Though Sheila was slightly surprised, she was not entirely shocked. "You lost confidence in yourself after Gloria returned, didn't you?""She is a part of the reason, but not all of it," Vicky said calmly.The conflicts between her and Tyler had escalated far beyond the concern over Gloria, but Vicky could not deny that Gloria's reappearance was the triggering point."Why would you help me instead of Gloria? She is your cousin, isn't she?"Vicky smiled. "It's simple. I know you better, and you still want to be with Tyler. Apart from that...I guess it'
Selene was the one who proposed to organize a celebration, but when Gloria arrived at the restaurant, she found herself alone with Tyler."What's your plan from now on?" Tyler changed the subject."I was born and raised here, so I intend on staying."He hummed in response and did not say anything else.Gloria lowered her gaze and rubbed her finger against the bracelet on her wrist. Finally, she summoned the courage and asked, "Tyler, I'll be performing this weekend. Would... Would you like to come?"After a few moments of silence, he said, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to a resort with Vicky this weekend."She froze, and the hope in her eyes vanished. "It's okay. You should go ahead with that, then."Silence returned to the car, and Gloria took the initiative to speak after some time. "Tyler, are Vicky's legs injured?"His hands on the steering wheel stiffened for a moment. "Yeah."Sensing that he did not wish to talk about it, she did not press on the subject.10 minutes later,
Vicky woke up suffocating. When she opened her eyes, she found herself half-naked as Tyler was planting a trail of kisses down her skin.Her emotions were raw after having just woken up, and when she shoved him away, the disgust in her eyes was unconcealable.Tyler paused and opened his eyes.Their eyes met, and they instantly saw the emotions in each other's eyes."Finally awake?" he muttered hoarsely as his warm breath caressed her cheek.Vicky could distinctly see the lust burning in his eyes and felt as though she was targeted by a starving beast.Despite the heated look in his eyes, her blood ran cold.She lowered her gaze to hide her contempt. "It's getting late... Let's go to sleep."He reached out to lift her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Vicky, you've recovered."She looked away. "It's late. Let's... Let's just rest for now."He kept his eyes trained on her. "Vicky, I'm not aiming for a platonic marriage here.""..."For as long as they were married, she cou
"Sure." Tyler lowered his head to kiss Vicky and whispered into her ear, "Aren't you going to reward me?"She tilted her face away. "I don't have anything to reward you with.""You do," he muttered and captured her lips.She tried to shove him away, but she eventually gave up upon failing....Vicky and Tyler remained in the resort for weeks, and Tyler would spend three hours each day traveling back and forth, which frustrated Adam.One day, he arrived at Harry's office to hand him a document when he noticed a few colorful catalogs on his desk.Adam scowled and said, "Harry, it's all hands on deck now, and you're slacking off?""I'm not slagging off." Harry put the catalog aside. "These are the research that Mister Hart assigned me to do.""Mister Hart did?""Yeah," said Harry. "Miss Shaw has been in a pretty good mood lately, and Mister Hart wants to give her a surprise to patch things up between them."Adam scowled. "Miss Shaw? Which one?""Vicky Shaw."Adam's eyes widen
Vicky rarely smiled at Tyler, so he was dazed at the sight of her beaming smile.He tightened his hand around hers. "Why don't I take you outside to have a look?"She thought about it for a few moments and nodded. "Sure."She would either refuse or remain quiet whenever Tyler offered to take her somewhere, so the sudden change in her attitude surprised Tyler.He stood and slowly wheeled her out of the restaurant.Boom!Fireworks blossomed in the sky above them the moment they got outside, and Vicky stared at the sky calmly as she thought, 'It's all going to be...over soon.'She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she did not even notice Tyler walking away. By the time she snapped out of her trance, he returned with a beautiful bouquet in his hand."This is for you."He handed the bouquet to her, and she accepted it after a few moments of silence.It was a bouquet of crimson roses, but Vicky's mind was taken to the sight of the crabapples she once saw on the internet.There
"What are you supposed to call me?"They were so close that she could distinctly see the predatory look in his eyes. He was like a beast that had its eyes on prey and merely waited for the right time to devour it.Her lashes fluttered as she whispered, "Honey..."She rarely addressed him that way because she was always aware of the distance that could not be crossed between them, and she could not bring herself to refer to him in such an endearing manner freely. The only times that she addressed him that way was when they were in bed.She apparently guessed it right, and Tyler brushed his lips against her cheek. "Call me that from now on."She lowered her gaze and whispered, "... Okay."Vicky's behavior pleased Tyler, and he almost felt like they had gone back in time.Realizing that Vicky might truly love surprises, he decided to do it more often in the future and was certain that they would become close once again.He lifted her and entered the bedroom....That night, Vick
"I won't," Vicky said."I heard that Tyler has been running himself thin at work to make time for this surprise for you...yet you've plotted against him at such a moment. Aren't you at least a little touched by what he's done?"Sheila saw how much effort Tyler had put in to cheer Vicky up and knew that Tyler treated Vicky differently compared to her."If what he gives me isn't exclusive, I don't want it," Vicky said.Sheila's breath caught in her throat as she studied Vicky.Vicky's delicate features seemed to have frozen in place, and there were no emotions on her face at all.Sheila could not imagine why a woman who did whatever she could to make Tyler hers would change so drastically. She did not know what had happened to Vicky nor had Vicky mentioned anything to her.She observed the cold look on Vicky’s face and said, "If that's the case, why didn't you go all the way?"Vicky looked Sheila in the eyes. "Do you think that I'm being merciful for not drugging you two with an
Sheila said nothing else as she took a deep breath and entered the room.The door closed with a small noise, and Vicky stared at the cold night outside the window, feeling as though a part of her was ripped off. Just like a piece of necrotic flesh, it hurt when it was cut away, but new flesh could grow out eventually and the pain would fade.With that, she rolled her wheelchair forward and disappeared at the end of the corridor....The next day, Tyler woke up as the sky brightened.He had always been slightly introverted and did not enjoy being excessively emotional, but Vicky's behavior the night before satisfied him both physically and mentally.He had finished all the work for the next three days, so he could take Vicky to wherever she wanted to go without worrying about work.He opened his eyes and saw a woman sleeping next to him with her back facing her.Tyler reached out to pull her closer, but his expression darkened as soon as he touched her."Who are you?" he questi