"I've told myself countless times that I need to live with my dignity intact and that I can survive without a man, but..." Vicky smiled bitterly. "I have nothing and no one to rely on in this community, and even if I don't want to admit it, I have to acknowledge that I'm helpless without you."Tyler stared at her and asked, "So everything you've done in the past month has been for this, right?"Vicky knew that she could not hold a candle to his brilliance, so she did not bother lying."Mister Hart, I worked hard to take care of you in exchange for something that means nothing to you but means the world to me while you enjoy being taken care of... It's a fair exchange.""So the three months of our agreement isn't your attempt to save this marriage, but the time you bought to plan your future?"She shot him an odd look. "I've been trying to save this marriage for three years, and that hasn't changed your mind at all. What can three months do? I don't believe that I haven't hovered o
"I've asked Eric about it, and what Sasha did can't be forgiven. The surveillance captured everything as well, so there's no room for her to argue. On top of that, considering what happened the last time...she'll be sued if you don't decide to let her go."Vicky looked away for a moment. "Has... Has Tyler done anything to help her?"Tyler had not appeared since he left, and since he was always hard to read, she could not tell what he was thinking."No," he said.She relaxed slightly."Don't worry, Vicky. I've informed Eric ahead of time, and even if Tyler decides to interfere, Sasha won't get away so easily.""Thank you."Sebastian smiled gently. "We're friends. You don't have to thank me."After a moment of hesitation, she said, "Sebastian, how much do you know about the man I was previously engaged to?"He paled and asked, "Vicky, why are you asking that all of a sudden? Did... Did my mom say something to you?!"She met his eyes. "Sebastian, I might've lost my memories, but
Vicky fell into silence.Sebastian had not been involved and only knew what he had been told, so he could not know the details of what truly happened....After staying in the hospital for a week, Vicky was finally discharged. Tyler had not shown his face during that time nor had he interfered with what happened to Sasha, who would be locked up for quite some time.Vicky and Tyler went back to treating each other like strangers; he rarely came home and she stopped delivering food to him.They seemed to have reached a consensus to wait for the remaining time to pass.While she recovered, Vicky familiarized herself with her work with Cece's help and was fully capable of running her studio.As a fashion designer, she opened a studio before the car accident, and Cece told her that the studio focused on designing clothes for celebrities.One day, Vicky arrived at her studio and received a call from Cece."Vicky, has the client referred by Director Collins contacted you yet?"Vicky
Vicky followed the host down the luxurious corridor.The client she was meeting was referred by Director Collins.Cece told Vicky that she had always been close with Director Collins and had provided customs for Director Collins's set.Vicky's designs were fashionable and won the hearts of countless actresses. Since they had all asked Director Collins where the customs came from, Director Collins had referred a lot of clients to Vicky in the past.As time went by, Vicky gathered a large connection and enough resources to open her own studio.She specified tailor-made services for female clients, targeting mainly actresses and some high-born ladies.It was not odd for actresses to arrange a meeting in a clubhouse.The host stopped in front of a room and said, "This is it, Miss Shaw."Vicky thanked the host and knocked on the door before entering the room.A dozen people were drinking inside the room. The women were all dressed in revealing dresses and were leaning on the men se
"Even if Tyler looks into this, he won't find out that I'm the one who did it.""Do you have other plans?" asked the manager."Of course. After all, Tyler isn't that easily fooled." Maria leaned onto the couch lazily. "Sheila is reading her script with Jessica Packman in another room right now as we speak. Sheila and Vicky might seem to be civilized with one another, but they both want the other to die. If Tyler finds out that Jessica is with Sheila this entire time, what do you think he'll think of this?"The manager's face twitched. "You want to sic Sheila and Vicky against each other? Sheila means a lot to Tyler, and he's probably going to just help cover what she did...""You can't cover everything. If Vicky ends up getting violated, Tyler will grow sick of Sheila no matter how much he likes her. She won't matter as much to him from that point onward. Besides..." Maria turned to look at her manager. "Do you take Vicky for someone you can easily bully?"The manager shook her he
The others in the room instantly quieted down and turned to look at Vicky.The woman next to Jason said, "You should consider it an honor that Director Hachett is interested in you. What's the point in playing hard to get?"Another woman giggled. "I've seen countless hypocrites like that before. She probably wants to get more money out of this.""President Hachett, she's so ungrateful! You should teach her a lesson."Jason was drunk from earlier and was easily provoked, so he darted up to grab Vicky by the wrist and raised his hand to slap her.Since he was stumbling along and was slow in his motion, Vicky managed to dodge his assault and slapped him across the face instead.Slap!The sound echoed within the room, and everyone fell silent.Jason was the person in charge of Hachett Group who got whatever he wanted in the past years. Most women could only dream of being one of his lovers, and those who refused were dealt with.To be slapped by a woman in public was an insult to
The people around them cheered along, and finally, Jason lost all sense of inhibition.Vicky was pinned against the couch, and the darkness inside the room threatened to swallow her whole."Let me go!" Vicky fought and struggled as she finally lost her composure.Smack! Smack!Jason slapped her twice across the face and wiped his hands as he stared down at her swollen cheeks."Curse you! How dare you slap me?! I'll make you regret this!"Vicky seemed to have lost all strength and stopped struggling in despair.Jason's anger was appeased when he assumed that she had given up on fighting and grinned with contentment. He waved his hand in dismissal at the bodyguards. "You may let go now!"He slowly removed his belt and sneered, "You should've obeyed me from the start. If you did, you wouldn't have to suffer at all."He leaned closer eagerly, and the scent of liquor on his body filled her nose.Just as he was about to touch her, Vicky snatched a beer bottle from the table and sla
It had been some time since Vicky last called him. They had not spoken to one another since the day they put everything on the table.Tyler stared at his vibrating phone.Vicky always contacted him whenever she wanted something and would cast him aside as soon as he fulfilled his purpose.Instead of answering the phone, Tyler simply said to the manager, "Carry on."The manager glanced at Tyler gingerly, noticing the dark expression on Tyler's face. He gulped and continued to report.Five minutes later, someone knocked on the door hastily.Harry rushed into the office and whispered into Tyler's ear, "Mister Hart, Missus Hart has been in an accident."...Everything felt like it hurt.Pain pierced through her from head to toe, and through the misery, Vicky regained consciousness.Still, she could hear a distant voice saying, "Mister Hart, Missus Hart has suffered severe injuries. Though her bones are intact, she'll have a few scars after she recovers."The sound of the convers
[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