"That was then, and this is now," said Vicky expressionlessly. "People change. I might want pasta today, and steak tomorrow. It's the same thing." She paused and added, "If you really want someone in your car... Gloria is still in her studio and hasn't been able to rest so far. I'm sure she'll gladly say yes if you offer to send her home.""I'm not here for her."Vicky looked at him and asked, "Is there something you would like to discuss, then, if you're waiting for me here late at night? Can it be that...the divorce paperwork has been finalized?"He narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip around her waist. "Divorce?""Isn't that the case?""No."She felt confused and asked, "So what is it, then?"After a few moments of silence, he said, "I'm here to bring you home.""That's it?""Yeah.""That won't be necessary," she said coldly. "I'm an adult and I work late all the time anyway. It's not like I've never returned home at this time before, so you don't need to give me a lif
Vicky's eyes widened in shock when Tyler leaned closer. "Tyler Hart, what do you think you're doing?!"There was not much space in the car, and she was left with nowhere to run with Tyler's body pressed against hers.He sneered at the fear in her eyes and said, "You were the one who said that this is a quiet spot perfect for a secret date, no?"Without giving her the chance to respond, he captured her lips....Sometime later, it started to rain again, and the sound of raindrops falling onto the windows echoed in the house.Inside the bathroom, steam filled the room and clouded the mirror.Vicky was rubbing her skin until it turned red, but she failed to erase the marks on her body. Still, she repeated the motion as though she felt no pain.She felt disgusted like she never felt before.What happened between Tyler and Gloria earlier that morning filled her mind, and though they did not cross the line, it was all the same to Vicky. Seeing them together in real life was far wors
"I'm tired and I want to go to bed early..." Vicky lowered her eyes, not wanting to look at Tyler, but he lifted her chin and stared at her with his deep, dark eyes.His eyes were like two bottomless pools of clear water that threatened to draw her soul in, and there were no emotions or lust in those eyes at all."Vicky, this is your duty as a wife."'Duty?' she thought bitterly. 'Married couples have the duty to stay loyal to each other, but did he do that?'The steam in the bathroom made it hard to breathe."I'm not your pet, and I have the right to refuse. Besides..." Vicky's eyes glittered under the light. "I don't think couples that are about to get divorced should have to adhere to these duties, do they?""No?" The look in his eyes darkened. "Have you forgotten about what happened just now?"Her expression darkened and he reached out to caress the skin on her neck. Her skin was fair, so the marks he left on her neck stood out."Besides, when have I ever mentioned that I w
When Vicky woke up the next day, Tyler was nowhere to be found.She felt dizzy and ill when she got out of bed and realized that she might have caught a cold from standing in the room for two hours. Nonetheless, Vicky found some medicine at home and took them before going to work.Once all the discussion about Gloria's dresses had been finalized, she would need to start drawing designs and bring them to Gloria to see if any amendments were required.She proceeded to the studio despite feeling ill and assigned the designing of three of the dresses to Cece.Since Gloria had asked for several dresses and there was an imminent deadline, Vicky could not complete everything alone.After working for Vicky for years, Cece had already become a skilled designer herself."Ugh!" Vicky coughed as she drew the draft for the designs."Vicky, are you okay?" Jennifer walked over worriedly. "You look so pale. Are you falling sick?""Just a little cold, but I'm fine. I've already taken some medic
Gloria glanced through the drafts and was in awe, not expecting Vicky's designs to be so refreshing and unique.She only hired Vicky's service because she was recommended by a friend; she never imagined that Vicky was excelling as a fashion designer.She suggested a few points for improvement, but not much was to be changed. The discussion ended an hour later.As they walked out of the cafe, Gloria said, "I have something scheduled after this, so I'll get going now.""Sure." Vicky nodded.The two were about to go their separate ways when a black car with no license plate stopped before them.Before they had the time to react, a few men darted out of the car and covered their noses with white handkerchiefs.Without any chance to resist, they instantly lost consciousness....The sea breeze blew past Vicky's body.She felt cold and since she was still recovering from her cold, she started coughing."Ugh! Ack!" She coughed, and someone immediately placed a warm jacket on her sh
Alex smiled and said, "It's good that you're here, though. Seeing how things unfold with your eyes will definitely feel way better than seeing it on videos."Contrary to Tyler's quiet restrained character, Harvey's playfulness, and Sebastian's gentleness, Alex seemed more straightforward.After seeing him in her dream before, Vicky did not see him as a stranger."Better?" She frowned. "What are you going to do?"He smirked coldly as he looked at Vicky. "Vicky, I'm going to make Gloria and Tyler pay for the pain they've caused you. I'll let Tyler know that I'm not the same man as I was four years ago.""Are you...plotting revenge against him?""That comes second. My top priority is to make things right for you."She recalled the time when Alex had his legs broken and twitched. "Alex, calm down," she said. "Tyler isn't as easily fooled as you think he is. You—""I know that I can't hold a candle to his wit and slyness, but..." he interrupted, sneering. "Everyone has a weakness, a
It did not seem to be an appropriate question for Vicky to ask as Tyler broke Alex's legs because of her.Asking about it seemed like rubbing salt in Alex's wound, but not asking about it would make her seem heartless…and she truly did want to know if he had recovered.Alex smiled casually. "With modern technology, I've recovered a lot of time ago."In truth, he had just recently recovered because Tyler had beaten his legs with such brute force that he came close to being bound to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.His family had traveled all around the world in search of skilled doctors and finally managed to cure him some time ago. He would have never waited so long before coming back to rescue Vicky.Vicky stared at him. "Really?""Of course. When have I ever lied to you?"She relaxed. "Where is Gloria? I want to see her."Since Tyler had already been informed, Vicky realized that she would need to think of something else."Come on, then. I'll take you to her," said Ale
Alex scowled. "So soon?" He then turned to look at Vicky. "Vicky, Tyler is here. I'll need to go meet him."Vicky's heart sank at the mention of Tyler's name, and she blurted out, "Take me with you."He hesitated. "But...""Take me."Alex could never decline Vicky. "Alright, but don't interfere. This is between me and him, so just leave it to me."She nodded with a dark look on her face."Vicky Shaw!" Seeing that Vicky was leaving, Gloria raised her voice. "Just let me go, and we can all pretend that this never happened."Vicky stilled and turned to look at Gloria hesitantly.Sensing that she was wavering, Gloria continued, "I know that you're upset about what happened that day, Vicky, but that's just how confidential contracts work... In any case, I am to blame for you getting sick, so I can understand that you want to vent your anger." She stared into Vicky's eyes. "You've had your fun, Vicky. If this isn't enough, you can slap me in the face and we'll let this pass, okay? Yo