Chapter 5

The hallway was quiet and vacant. Vicky was walking ahead with Tyler in her wake.

The floor was covered with carpet, so there was no sound even when Vicky's heels clicked against the floor. Nonetheless, her brow was scrunched tightly, and she looked uneasy.

As the tall man followed behind her, she could not ignore his eyes on her, and this stressed her beyond relief.

She abruptly stopped and turned toward him, coincidentally looking into his dark eyes.

She raised her eyebrows. "Mr. Hart, do you enjoy what you see?"

Tyler was not embarrassed about being caught staring at Vicky red-handed. His gaze did not shift to another place or wavered out of shyness; his eyes were as haughty as before and calm as always.

Majestic and elegant, as he was born with.

He uttered. "Ugly."

Vicky found it so annoying that she was amused. "Then, why are you staring at me like you have never seen a woman before?"

Many of the party's attendees looked at her with various emotions: contempt, malice, and surprise were among them. Nonetheless, the most uncomfortable look she received was from Tyler.

She was not sure whether she was mistaken, but she vaguely noticed possession flash across his eyes when she unexpectedly looked back at him. When she tried to look closer, tranquility was all she could see in his eyes.

Tyler said calmly, "What you are wearing is grotesque. Aren't you trying to attract attention?"

Grotesque? She couldn’t help looking at her evening gown. The claret evening gown suggested elegance and grace. The strapless design revealed her charming collarbone and slender neck. It also perfectly exhibited her curvy, slim figure.

When she put on the evening gown, Cece even exclaimed surprisingly, "Vicky, you're definitely the most stunning and beautiful woman tonight, end of discussion."

Why did Tyler say she looked grotesque? Was he blind?

Vicky said lightly, "Oh, I almost forgot! Mr. Hart always has a unique taste; only the Youngs match your aesthetics and taste. Still, let me give you a piece of advice: No matter how eager and keen you are, you should just wait for a few more days. I mean, it's bad for you and Miss Young to appear in public together before we're divorced."

"Oh, right…" Vicky smiled as she thought of something. "I heard that Miss Young is a public figure. If some righteous media outlet decides to shed some light about this to the public, her future will be ruined."

Tyler squinted upon hearing this. He walked forward and towered over her. The tension between them was self-explanatory.

"What did… you just say?" Tyler asked.

Vicky was stunned; sensing the danger, she took a few steps back instinctively.

What was happening? She had already agreed to get a divorce and had just made a harmless comment. Why was she able to feel that he was angry? Could it be… he accidentally misunderstood that she was using Sheila's future to threaten him?

Before Vicky could saying anything, a door not far from them was opened, which broke the tension between them.

An old butler with gray hair walked out of the room. When he saw them, he said smilingly, "Sir, Missus, Senior Hart was just talking about you two. Hurry in now."

Tyler nodded and made a simple response before he moved toward the room.

-

In the room was an old man with gray hair. His face looked aged, yet he seemed to be hale. He was sitting on the chair enjoying his tea. When he saw Tyler, he cracked a smile and uttered, "Tyler, you're here."

Tyler gave his birthday present to his grandfather and said, "Happy birthday, Grandpa."

Senior Hart accepted his present with a smile. When he saw Vicky, who was behind Tyler, his smile disappeared, and his eyes turned cold.

Vicky then handed Senior Hart her birthday present for him. "Happy birthday, Grandpa. I wish you a happy and long life."

The room became unusually quiet. Senior Hart did not stretch out his hand to accept Vicky's present. Instead, he looked at her with his aged, cloudy eyes and expressed his dislike.

Vicky's hand froze mid-air. She looked at Tyler, hoping he would say something to help her get out of this situation. Nonetheless, he pretended not to see it and stood there emotionlessly.

Vicky bit her lip. She knew she could not count on Tyler. As she composed her feelings, she smiled. "Grandpa. This is the birthday present for you."

Senior Hart replied coldly, "Vicky, I can't accept your present. Please take it back."

A trace of doubt emerged in Vicky's heart. What kind of heinous crime did she do that had Senior Hart treating her like this?

She asked tentatively, "Grandpa, do you really hate me that much?"

Senior Hart looked up. "Don't you know the things you did in the past?"

"Do you hate me just because I married into the Hart family?" Vicky closely observed Senior Hart's expression. "Well, I'm about to divorce Tyler soon, anyway."

Senior Hart's eyes twitched when he heard 'divorce' as if it was some kind of unbelievable news.

Noticing that, Vicky wanted to keep asking before Senior Hart waved his hand at them. "I'm tired. Both of you may leave now."

Tyler left the room emotionlessly while Vicky felt rooted on the spot for a few seconds before she left the room.

There was something wrong with Senior Hart's attitude. It seemed that she marrying into their family was not the only reason that he hated her.

As they walked out of the room, Vicky was about to look for Cece. All of a sudden, she heard Tyler's husky and alluring voice.

"Change your outfit."

Vicky returned a perplexed look to him and coldly refuted, "No."

"Change it," insisted Tyler firmly.

She decided to ignore him and turned to leave before Tyler quickly grabbed her by the wrist.

Tyler looked down at her and enunciated, "I'm asking you to change."

"What does it have to do with you?" Vicky asked.

He uttered coldly, "Ugly."

Just because he thought it was ugly, she had to change out of this? Was she too obedient to do what she was told in the past that he bossed her around like this?

She flung away his hand and scoffed. "You're crazy."

Not walking too far off, Tyler's voice came from behind. "Vicky Shaw, this is the last time I'm asking you. Change your outfit!"

She looked back with a rebellious look. "What if I don't?"