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
[Are you not here yet?] The mysterious person sent.Vicky glided her fingers across the screen to type. [I am in the room now.][You weren't here when I came inside, though.] The man replied.Vicky's breath hitched. [I was occupied and went outside for a moment.][Sorry, I can't stay too long. Let's reschedule.] The man replied.Vicky stared at the text for a long while before replying. [Sure.]She did not believe in the man's excuse and realized that he might have left fearing that she was up to no good when he saw that the room was empty.She did not stay for long and went to the lobby to wait for the elevator.Ding! The elevator arrived, and she went inside to find that it was occupied by another person.She did not pay much attention to the other person at first, but she froze when she accidentally caught a glimpse of the man's face later on."It's you!" She stared at him. "You..."The gentleman did not seem surprised to see her and smiled kindly at her. "We meet again,
Vicky stood still for a few moments before walking toward Tyler's car.Tyler was resting with his eyes closed and opened them when he heard knocking on his car window.He unlocked the car when he spotted Vicky outside, and she immediately opened the door to the passenger's seat."Why haven't you left?" she asked."I wanted to wait for you." He looked at her and asked, "Why are you out so soon?"The lights inside the car were off, and the neon light of the club shone into the car faintly; his features appeared clouded under such lighting."... My client said something else came up, so she can't make it today."Rescheduling meetings with her clients happened frequently, but Vicky still felt slightly uneasy about lying.Tyler did not ask much about it and simply started the car. "Let's go home, then.""Okay."They arrived home early. Tyler went to his study to finish up his work, while Vicky sat on the couch, staring at her phone dazedly.After a while, she finally summoned the
Ever since that day, the mysterious man had not reached out to Vicky again, and the peaceful days returned.However, Tyler seemed to be extremely busy after that and no longer had time to return home for dinner.One day, Tyler ended work early and returned home in time for dinner.Vicky glanced at her watch and picked up her purse to leave her studio when her phone rang.She pulled her phone out and smiled when she saw Tyler's name on the screen. She answered it and asked, "Have you returned home?"After a brief moment of silence, Tyler said, "Vicky, something urgent came up. I'm afraid I can't come home tonight as well."The smile on her lips froze in place. "A—Again?""Yeah."Vicky knew Tyler was busy as the CEO of Hart Corporation, but they had not been able to dine together for a whole month, and she could not help feeling upset."Tyler, when will you be done with work?" she asked."It'll take some more time.""I thought you didn't have anything else to do today.""Some
However, as Vicky watched the continuous stream of phone calls and the assistant constantly knocking on the door to report work, she felt that her presence there would only hinder his work, so she left."You don't know that for sure," Cece whispered. "Vicky, men like Tyler, handsome and of distinguished status, are desired by many women. Even if he's married, it won't diminish his charm in the slightest. You can't be so casual about it."Vicky did not take it to heart and simply replied, "He won't cheat on me. I trust him."Cece wanted to say more but could only sigh silently after seeing how certain Vicky was.The waiter quickly brought the dishes they ordered.The fragrance of the food and spices filled the air, making Cece's stomach growl. "Mm, it smells so good! I'm practically drooling."Vicky laughed and said, "Between the two of us, we don't have to worry about appearances. Let's dig in and eat as much as we want.""Well, I won't hold back, then!"Cece picked up her spoo
[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