The look in Vicky’s eyes darkened as she turned to her right side.Aurora raised the number plate in her hand with a confident smile on her face.Vicky raised her plate. "Fifty thousand."Aurora followed. "Fifty-five thousand."Vicky had been self-employed for some time and had quite a considerable amount of savings, so a few thousand meant nothing to her and she raised her plate again. "Sixty thousand."Before she could set her plate down, Aurora bided again. "A hundred and fifty thousand."Silence instantly fell over the hall and everyone exchanged confused looks.The chessboard was worth 30,000 at most and one had to be insanely wealthy to frivolously spend so much on it."Vicky," Elijah whispered. "Forget it. The chessboard isn't worth this much."It was not that Vicky could not produce more, in fact, she was willing to spend more than what the chessboard was worth. However, spending more than what was bid to buy something worth 30,000 would definitely make her look like a
Aurora pretended to be shocked to see the two. "Oh, my, Miss Shaw. Did you not get anything?" Elijah had a dark expression after being bullied throughout the auction and said, "Vicky, let's go." Vicky did not want to waste any time on Aurora and ignored her completely. "Sure. Let's go." Aurora's face flushed in anger when Vicky ignored her. Meanwhile, Tyler watched the two leave with a dark look in his eyes. ... Vicky sat in the passenger seat, quietly gazing at the moonlight outside the window. Before long, Elijah finished his call and returned to the car. Vicky noticed that he seemed different from his usual self and asked casually, "What's wrong? Did something happen?" "It's nothing. Just some tricky business matters at the company," Elijah replied, unwilling to share more details. So, Vicky did not press further. Elijah started the car and drove Vicky back home. After the car was parked in front of the house, Vicky moved to get out and leave when Elijah suddenly c
"No. It's just..." Elijah stumbled over his words as if there was something difficult to say. Vicky and Elijah had become good friends at this point, and she instantly sensed that something was bothering him. She asked softly, "What's really going on? Can you tell me?" After much hesitation, Elijah finally spoke up, "Vicky, well... I recently met a girl..." Vicky paused for a moment and instantly understood. "So, you and her..." "I... I have entered into a relationship with her recently," Elijah said, avoiding Vicky's gaze. Upon hearing this, Vicky did not have a strong reaction. She nodded and asked, "So, does this mean that our agreement ends here?" Elijah hurriedly said, "No. My whole family likes you, especially my grandmother. She even declared that you are the only granddaughter-in-law she will ever accept. So, I was wondering... if you could continue to help me while my grandmother is still alive?" Realizing that his request might be unfair, Elijah felt ashamed. "I k
At that moment, the sound of microphones being adjusted echoed through the hall, signaling that it was time for Old Madam Harrisons’ birthday banquet to begin. Vicky, who was about to return to the hall to join the celebration, paused as she heard the crisp sound of high heels approaching from the entrance and realized another guest had arrived. She stopped and turned to greet them with a polite smile on her face. "Welcome..." However, her expression froze as she laid eyes upon the two individuals standing before her. A tall and beautiful woman, accompanied by a handsome and refined man, entered the room gracefully. Upon seeing Vicky, a flicker of surprise crossed the woman's eyes before she smiled and said, "What a surprise to see you here, Miss Shaw." Vicky suppressed the slight twitch at the corner of her mouth. She was unable to bring herself to smile. "Please come in," she said. Aurora, on the other hand, remained motionless. She observed Vicky with a scrutinizing gaze
Vicky paid it no mind and simply nodded. "Go ahead." Ever since Elijah found a new girlfriend, he had refrained from looking at Vicky unnecessarily and maintained some distance from her like a perfect gentleman. After Elijah left, there were quiet discussions among the guests. "I didn't expect Vicky to be so capable. She had just divorced Tyler, yet she has already found herself a rich young man from the Harrisons family so soon." The news of Tyler's divorce was not made public, but with Tyler showing up with other women at various social events and Vicky showing up at the Harrisons family's birthday banquet, people began to catch on. "But... she does have the capital for it. Look at her figure and face... Tsk tsk. No man can resist her. I wouldn't have been able to resist either..." "She used to be a rich young lady herself, and her temperament is different from those women who throw themselves at others... Although she was with Tyler, her desirability hasn't decreased...
'Is Aurora not here?' Vicky thought. As Vicky wondered, she suddenly noticed that the room's door was not completely closed and was left with a narrow gap. Out of curiosity, Vicky pushed the door open and walked in. The room was pitch black without any lights. 'Could it be...?' Vicky's heart skipped a beat as she wondered. She did not want to see anything unpleasant. Standing in the living room, she called out, "Miss Starling, are you there?" Vicky decided that if Aurora did not respond, she would simply leave. After waiting for three seconds and hearing no response from Aurora, Vicky placed her clothes on the sofa and prepared to leave, only to be held abruptly from behind. Before she could react, the person pushed her onto the sofa and kissed her forcefully. Vicky was startled and was about to call for help. "Hel- Umph!" The person instantly covered her mouth with one hand. In the dark room, nothing could be seen clearly. The air was filled with the scent of alc
"It was Aurora who told me to come here and deliver clothes to her, she..." Tyler's voice was cold. "Where is Aurora?" "I... I don't know." Tyler shot her a knowing glance. "Vicky, your ability to lie is getting worse." Vicky clenched her fists, trying to keep herself calm. "Tyler, I'm not lying. I have no reason to do such a thing." "Oh?" "Firstly, we are already divorced. You have a fiancee, and I..." Vicky took a deep breath, then continued, "I also have a fiance myself. We both have our own lives, so I have no reason and no need to do such a thing." Tyler's thin lips curled into a mocking sneer. "No reason? Are you sure there is no reason?" Under the man's intimidating presence and piercing gaze, Vicky's confidence wavered. "What reason would it be?" "Firstly, I forced you to divorce me. You didn't want to at that time, did you? Secondly, you've had issues with Aurora for a long time. Otherwise, why did you publicly label her as a homewrecker and embarrass her?
The door swung open, and Aurora's voice echoed from the direction of the living room, "Tyler, why did you take so long to answer the door? Could it be that you're hiding a woman in the room?" Aurora teased. Upon hearing Aurora's words, Vicky's nerves tensed. Even her breath became slightly erratic. Tyler replied in a cool and calm voice, "No. I went to the bathroom just now and didn't hear anything." Aurora did not press the matter. Instead, she asked, "The servants just came by and said that breakfast is ready. Let's go downstairs for breakfast." Tyler responded with a casual acknowledgment. Footsteps could be heard fading away, indicating that the two of them were leaving. However, as if recalling something, the sound of those high heels came to a halt. Aurora's voice was hesitant, as if she had something to say but was holding back, "Tyler… Did you see Miss Shaw last night?" "Vicky?" "Yes." Aurora hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Last night, my clothes got
[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