Tyler returned to his usual, composed self. "Who knows if you're teaming up with someone else to lie to me?""Lie to you?" Vicky repeated in confusion. "For what?""You said you lost your bag, arrived late, and even found yourself a witness. What do you think?"Realization dawned on her, and she widened her eyes in disbelief. "Are you trying to say that I'm delaying the process of the divorce on purpose?""Is that not the case?""Of course not!"He stared down at her and chuckled. "Heh."Her breath caught in her throat. "You don't believe me?""I can believe you." Before Vicky could respond, he added, "If we can proceed with the legal procedures today.""I lost my bag. My passport and the divorce agreement are all gone..."He stared down at her mockingly. "So we can't file for divorce today, is that right?"In his intimidating presence, the tone of her voice weakened. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't expect..."He interrupted her. "Vicky, you did all these on pur
Vicky, too, thought that it was too much of a coincidence, and from the way Tyler presented it, it did sound as though she was pulling the strings."It's really just a coincidence... I'll apply for a new passport tomorrow. Once it's done, we can come back to file for divorce, okay?" she asked hoarsely."Are you sure that's just going to go smoothly?" Tyler asked pointedly."... What are you implying?""Your identity card, passport, marriage certificate, and divorce agreement are all stolen, and it'll take at least a month to get new copies of everything."Realizing dawned on her that the procedures for applying for new documents would be complicated, and Tyler suspected her of stalling.At the moment, Vicky had no evidence to prove her innocence and could only say, "Believe it or not, it's just a coincidence."He glanced at his watch and said, "Vicky Shaw, you've wasted my entire afternoon.""I'm sorry.""Your apology isn't worth anything."She bowed her head. "I will get a n
Tyler studied the bag in front of him darkly and opened it a few moments later.There were Vicky's phone, keys, wallet, a pack of tissues, and a sealed folder inside.Tyler opened the folder and took out a few pieces of blank paper from it before tossing the folder aside to reach for Vicky's phone.He swiftly keyed in the password and opened the contact list.There were many numbers saved to Vicky’s phone, and two-thirds of the contacts were labeled as clients.Tyler slid his finger through the screen, and his expression darkened when he saw the names of Sebastian, Alex, and Harvey, so he went ahead and deleted their contacts.The dark expression on his face intensified when he saw that Vicky labeled his contact as 'Jerk Hart' and went on to change the label to 'Hubby'.He checked the list repeatedly and relaxed slightly when Noah's name was nowhere to be found.He then opened her chats.Her chat with Cece was pinned at the very top, and even at first glance, their conversatio
Cece's confusion deepened. "But why would the thief hack your account?""Maybe he thinks that I have money in the application and wants to steal that as well."Thankfully, Vicky rarely kept a large amount of cash with her and set up a security block for her bank account that required her fingerprint, so it would be challenging for the thief to steal much from her.Cece sighed. "If you can't get your passport back, you won't be able to get your sim card. I guess you can only wait until you get your new passport to change your password again."Vicky did not pay it much mind. "It's off-season now, and you have the backup for our clients' contact, so it's not that big a deal.""It's just a little troublesome that we have to call each other to have a conversation..."Vicky was about to console her when she heard the door opening. "Tyler is back. I should go.""Okay. Good night, Vicky."As soon as she ended the call, Tyler strode into the bedroom.The look in his eyes darkened when
Vicky smiled. "Don't worry, Noah. I'm alone this time, and Tyler isn't around."Noah sighed a long breath of relief. "Good... I was so scared.""Noah, why are you so scared of Tyler?"For someone from such a powerful family, it seemed odd for Noah to be so afraid of Tyler even when there was a gap between their statuses.Sebastian and Harvey never showed any fear toward Tyler, and Alex even dared to curse Tyler in his face."He's just sick in the head," Noah said bitterly.Vicky was interested in the past and suggested, "You helped me out twice now, Noah. I haven't gotten the chance to thank you. Why don't I treat you to a meal?"Noah had a rough idea as to what Vicky wanted to know and wanted to tell her the truth to avoid any misunderstanding, so he nodded. "Sure."The two walked into a restaurant, and after placing the order, Vicky looked at Noah and asked, "Noah, Tyler said that you were my ex-boyfriend. Is that true?""It's the truth in his eyes, but not the whole truth."
"Gloria…is my substitute? That's impossible," Vicky denied instinctively.Noah lifted an eyebrow. "Why not? If you think it's possible for you to be a substitute for Gloria, why is it impossible for it to be the other way around? Vicky, you underestimate yourself."She shook her head. "It's not that I underestimate myself, but...judging from my previous interaction with Tyler, he doesn't look like he loves me at all. There was a time when we were doing alright, but even then, I can tell that he struggled to feel attached." Reminded of something, she asked, "Why did I break up with Tyler?""I don't know about that," Noah said. "I've asked you a couple of times, but you'd dodge the question every time. I think even Tyler is clueless about that."Vicky lifted an eyebrow. "What makes you say so?""When you were cheating..." Noah paused and cleared his throat. "When Tyler thought that you were cheating on him, he asked you repeatedly why you insisted on breaking up with him, but you'd
'Again?' Vicky thought in displeasure but suppressed her annoyance, considering how the divorce would be imminent."I ran into Noah in a restaurant. Since he's helped me out a few times, I invited him to dine with me.""How convenient," Tyler said pointedly."Even if we didn't run into each other and actually set up a time to hang up, that's normal, isn't it?" Vicky frowned. "Everyone has a few friends of the opposite sex. Don't you?""Me?""Don't Gloria and Sheila count?"After a few moments of silence, he said, "Do they bother you?"'What's the point of asking that question now?' Vicky thought before saying, "Did you call to tell me something?"After a long pause, the man said, "We caught the person who stole your bag.""Really?" Vicky was overjoyed as not only would she recover her documents, she could prove to Tyler she was innocent."Yeah," Tyler said coldly. "It's good timing. Why don't you bring Noah along?""Why him?""He is your witness, right?""But he didn't exa
The noon sunlight shone into the office through the window, and Tyler sat back lazily on his chair, seemingly taking a break.He opened his eyes when Vicky and Noah stepped through the door. "Take a seat."Vicky glanced around and did not see anyone else, so she asked, "Where's the robber?"He shot her a look and said, "Am I supposed to keep that 'thing' here in my office to breathe the same air as I do?"Tyler was a clean freak both physically and mentally, so Vicky did not say another word as she took a seat on the couch.She turned around and saw Noah standing frozen in place. "Noah, why don't you come and sit?""Oh, sure."Tyler glanced at Noah coldly before making an internal call. "Bring him in."A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door, and Harry walked in with a creepy-looking man. "Mister Hart, he's here."Tyler turned his attention from Noah to the man. "Are you the one who stole her bag?"The man glanced at Vicky and nodded. "That's right.""When and where