After Isabella was slapped over a dozen times, her mother finally fainted, having failed to escape the bodyguards' restraints.Without anyone to her rescue and having lost a couple of teeth at this point, Isabella finally came to terms with the reality and caved."I will apologize..." She sobbed. "I will apologize, alright?"The bodyguard, who was slapping her, finally stopped and stared coldly at her.Through her tears, the look in Isabella's eyes remained deviant as she looked at Vicky. "I'm sorry.""Who are you saying that to?" Tyler questioned.Isabella bit her lower lip and said, "Sorry, Vicky.""Sorry about what?" he asked."I... I shouldn't have insulted her...and you...""What happened to kneeling?" Tyler continued.Her eyes widened as she lost her temper once again. "You're asking for too much, Tyler!""You have one minute," he said."Why you..."Orion decided to intervene. "Tyler, it's not that big a deal. Why don't you—"Tyler narrowed his eyes and turned to lo
Many members of the family were present when Tyler was initially punished for harming Lincoln. Still, he dared to shoot Isabella, who was an important member of the family, so the others instantly knew that Tyler would not be hesitant to attack them."Tyler Hart!" Mike was both furious and terrified for his daughter. "H—How dare you?!"Tyler glanced at him. "What are you trying to say, Uncle?"Mike's lips trembled as he stared at the gun in Tyler's hand, unable to utter another word.Tyler was about to say something else when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He lowered his gaze and found himself staring at the anxious look in Vicky's eyes.The look in Tyler's eyes darkened. "Don't worry." He tightened his hand on Vicky’s. "I will make this right for you."Vicky felt both touched and anxious. "This is more than enough.""No, it's not." Tyler turned his gaze at Orion and Valencia. "They're my parents, not yours. You don't have to put up with them."Vicky felt a lump in her throat.I
"So..." Tyler's cold gaze fell upon the two of them as he slowly parted his thin lips. "Are you prepared to apologize, or...would you prefer experiencing what Vicky went through and get locked up for a few days?"Orion pointed at Tyler in anger. "Tyler, you wouldn't dare!""You can try me."Orion's finger trembled, and his chest heaved rapidly. He wanted to say that they would never apologize, but he could not bring himself to do so with all the bodyguards surrounding him.Tyler never bluffed and always followed through with his words.At that moment, Valencia, who was beside them, seemed to have reached her limits and fainted."It seems Mother's old ailment has flared up again." Tyler glanced at Valencia indifferently. "Doctor, come and see her. Make sure she wakes up as soon as possible."Orion's face twitched.They were currently in a difficult situation. Tyler would lock them up in the cellar if they refused to apologize, but if they did, they would look like fools.Both V
Orion and Valencia glanced at Tyler darkly before leaving as well.Tyler ignored them all, and once everyone was gone, he strolled toward Isabella.Mike tensed. "Tyler Hart, what are you doing?!"Isabella lay sprawled across the floor, her consciousness drifting as blood pooled next to her knees.Without Tyler's command, no one dared to treat Isabella.With the gun in Tyler's hand, even Mike held still, knowing that Tyler could very well shoot him as well with his own gun.Tyler lowered his gaze at Isabella. "Isabella, do you admit your mistakes now?"She struggled to lift her head and stared at the devilish man before her in terror. "I was... I was wrong... I apologize...to Ms. Shaw. I'm sorry, Ms. Sh—no, Missus Hart. I'm sorry. I will kneel before you..."The smugness and pride in her eyes earlier had faded without a trace as she was utterly stunned by Tyler's ruthlessness.However, she was shot and could not get up no matter how hard she tried.Tyler looked at her indiffer
Vicky held him back. "But, Old Mister Hart and your parents...""Don't worry about them." Tyler narrowed his eyes coldly. "Their actions will only escalate if we don't show them what it means to mess with us. Only pain can truly teach a lesson. That's human nature." He lowered his head to meet her eyes. "They'll never dare to pick on you ever again."Vicky wanted to tell him that he did not need to do that for her but felt hypocritical for saying so."Thank you." She buried her head into his embrace. "Thank you, Tyler.""Don't thank me. You were only in these troubles because of me." He caressed her hair and continued in a gentle tone, "I'm just doing what I should do."She wrapped her arms around his neck abruptly and tip-toed to kiss him.He was stunned for a split moment but soon snapped out of it and took over control....The following days were peaceful and serene.Gloria had left, and Aria had not reappeared. Even the Hart family had quieted down.Vicky and Tyler spent
Vicky looked at the plates in his hands. "Don't you have work today?""Mm." Tyler placed the lukewarm oatmeal on the table. "I'm not too busy today, so it's fine to go a bit later."Lately, whenever Tyler had free time, he would cook breakfast for her.The gloom in Vicky's heart dissipated somewhat, and she smiled. "Then I must eat more today."Tyler sat across from Vicky. "I have an appointment tonight, so you don't have to wait for me to have dinner."With the conversation concluded, the two of them ate breakfast in silence, as usual.Although Vicky had said she would eat more, she did not manage to fulfill her words due to her preoccupations.Tyler gazed at Vicky and suddenly spoke up. "What's wrong? You don't like your food?"Vicky snapped out of her thoughts. "No, it's delicious.""You've been lost in thought today."Vicky did not know if she had been too obvious or if Tyler was just perceptive.She lowered her gaze. "I was contemplating whether I should hire more desig
As soon as she entered the studio, Cece teased, "Vicky, are you and Mister Hart back to the honeymoon phase lately? I saw him dropping you off from upstairs."Vicky smiled wordlessly.Cece instantly sensed that Vicky looked bothered and whispered, "Vicky, what's wrong? Did you fight with him?""No." Vicky snapped out of it. "I'm just thinking about some designs. I'll get to work now. Just order me whatever you get for lunch and bring it back to me later."Cece nodded and watched as Vicky walked away in shock.Once Vicky was back in her office, she sat on her chair blankly for a while before pulling her phone out.The text she received earlier was from the mysterious man. [Vicky, I need you to do something for me.][What is it?] she replied.[I need you to make a copy of a certain document on Tyler Hart's laptop.][Why do you need it?][It's best that you don't know.][But how am I supposed to help you if I don't know what you want?][Vicky, there's no such thing as free lun
[I'm already here. When will you arrive?]There was no response.Just as Vicky considered if she should make a call instead, her phone vibrated.[Sorry. Something came up. I might be late.]The look in Vicky's eyes darkened as she thought to herself, 'Is he late, or does he not plan on coming at all?'After a long thoughtful pause, she stepped out of the club and found a hidden corner not far away that could guarantee sight of the door.There were too many restrictions for hiding in the room, and she would have no means of improvising if the mysterious man arrived at the door, only to decide against going inside.The person said they had met before, and though Vicky did not have a photogenic memory, she could recall most of the people she had met in the past.Sometime later, a black car stopped outside the entrance, and as the door opened, a familiar-looking figure stepped out.His back faced Vicky, and she could not see his face, but she instantly straightened her back in int