"Arabella struggled in agony, desperately clutching Robert amid the flames. 'Robert, Robert!' she screamed, tears streaking down her cheeks.Her cries startled Reynald. Seeing her closed eyes and anguished expression, he furrowed his brow slightly, then reached for tissues on the bedside table. Gently, Reynald wiped away the tears from Arabella's face.He silently observed her for a moment, then enveloped her in his arms. Reynald softly caressed her back, consoling her in a low voice as he had done before.Yet his heart felt like it was wedged with jagged stone, throbbing in pain. Reynald found himself instinctively comforting Arabella even as she suffered torment in her nightmares.Reynald's dark lashes cast shadows beneath his eyes, adding a somber hue to his handsome countenance, mirroring the storm brewing within.In recent days, Reynald had forsaken everything, steadfastly staying by Arabella's side throughout her recovery. He believed he was doing right by her.However, at this
Arabella looked at Reginald in confusion as he suddenly kissed her lips.Even though it was already nighttime, people were still strolling nearby, occasionally passing by them.Grandmother had just been laid to rest. Engaging in romantic moments during the mourning period was inappropriate.Arabella tried to push him away, but Reginald tightly grasped her wrist with one hand, preventing her from moving. Unable to break free due to his strength, she closed her eyes and allowed him to continue kissing.His kiss was forceful, even a bit assertive, devoid of the usual tenderness. It was as if he were trying to prove a point to someone.Arabella recalled his words spoken into the phone earlier. He must have been talking to Northridge.She thought Reginald was just trying to stand up against Northridge.Not until he had kissed her almost breathless did Reginald finally release her, gently wiping away the moisture from her lips. "We're not getting a divorce," he stated decisively.It wasn't
"Reginald's voice is so charming, deep, sexy, clear, as pleasant as a cello, brushing past Arabella's ears and slipping into her mind.Arabella's heart raced uncontrollably.It felt like a little deer was vigorously bumping into her chest.She stood there, motionless.Words of love from her beloved truly set off a dopamine rush all on their own.Arabella lifted her eyes, tilted her face up, and gazed at his charming and handsome features, saying, 'Thank you for soothing me, thank you.'Reginald laughed, pinching her cheek with a teasing look. 'I've noticed you're quite straightforward, my little straightforward girl.'Arabella's expression paused slightly, embarrassedly smiling, 'I might lack some finesse, George mentioned it before.'Reginald's lips curved upwards, jokingly asking, 'Oh? How did George evaluate you then?'Arabella rolled her eyes, helplessly saying, 'He said I'm too honest, a bit dull, and suggested I should learn to be more open and proactive, sprinkle in some cute c
Arabella felt as if someone had stabbed her heart with a sharp knife, the pain unbearable.Her face was as white as paper, and she could barely stand straight.She gripped the railing tightly, her knuckles turning white.And this man, just this morning, had been completely devoted to her, wanting to carry her in his pocket, taking her wherever he went.But now, here he was, chatting and laughing with his ex-girlfriend.The old saying was right — you can't trust a man's words; they are just lies.Emily, seeing Arabella in this state, was frightened. She grabbed her hand and urgently asked, "Arabella, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Is it because the Ferris wheel is too high? Are you afraid of heights?"Arabella nodded numbly, her chest heaving.A full minute passed before the color returned to Arabella's pale face. She scoffed at herself.No wonder Reginald didn't want her to leave the house.Talking about the outside world was too dangerous; he just didn't want her to see him wi
Arabella was burdened with heavy thoughts as she walked out of the hotel lobby with Reynald. The driver, upon seeing them, immediately pulled the car to the side of the road. "Take Arabella home," Reynald instructed him. The driver stepped out of the car, opened the back door, and respectfully said, "Ma'am, please get in." Arabella thanked him and climbed into the car, greeted by the cloying scent of Chloe's perfume that filled the interior. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, feeling as if she had taken a bite of an apple only to discover that half of it was infested with worms, and the other half had already been swallowed. As the car drove away, Reynald returned to the hotel. Back in the lobby, he called his assistant. "Check the surveillance footage on the third-floor corridor, find out the name and background of the person who encountered Arabella." Thirty minutes later, the assistant walked into the reception room and handed Reynald a file. As Reynald took it, his gaze fir
Arabella has lost a sense of security in this marriage.However, thinking of her mother's advice, encouraging her to give it a try to avoid regrets later on, she nodded and said, "Alright."Reginald's dark eyes suddenly lit up, as if sparkling with starlight. He held her in his arms, somewhat incredulous, and said, "You're really willing to have a child with me?"Arabella hesitated for a moment, "We can give it a try."Reginald kissed her lips passionately, his fingers caressing her snow-white shoulders. "Let's have a son. If the first child is a boy, we won't need a second. Giving birth is too laborious."Arabella replied cooperatively, "Okay."Reginald tousled her hair and smiled, "I appreciate it.""It's nothing." Arabella nuzzled into his embrace, but in her mind, the somber face of Northridge emerged.Arabella genuinely feared that after giving birth, she would be separated by Reginald's father, and the child would end up in a pitiful situation, losing the companionship of both p
Emily glanced at Arabella, sensing her interest in purchasing the antique. Recognizing Arabella's negotiating skills, Emily extended a finger and said, "One hundred pounds."Arabella had to suppress a laugh.She did have the audacity to haggle this low. In the past, such an insulting proposal would have surely earned a slap.Fortunately, they lived in a more civilized era.The shop owner seemed visibly displeased but forced a smile. "Do you think this is just junk? Even if I sell junk, this item dates back to the late Tudor or early Stuart period. I can fetch at least eighty thousand pounds for it.""Don't fool me, eighty thousand pounds for a piece of paper? It's so small it can't even compare to old paintings. Tell you what, I'll give you a thousand pounds. Anything more, and we're out of here," Emily said firmly, grabbing Arabella's hand and heading towards the exit.The shop owner caught up with them, "Fifty thousand pounds! I'll let it go for fifty thousand!""One thousand pounds
Upon closer observation, the man's eyes bore a striking resemblance to Robert's—almost identical.However, that was the only similarity. His nose, facial structure, skin tone, height—none matched Emily's memory of Robert.The Robert she remembered was fair-skinned, with delicate features, and had a slender stature, almost like a character from a comic book.The man before her now had darker skin, a robust build, short hair, sharp features, and a rugged appearance.All the features of masculine charisma were distinct. He was a man in his prime, exuding confidence and charm.Emily's eyes began to sparkle again as she whispered, "My, he's handsome! Mr. Williams looks dashing!"The man rose from his chair, striding over with long strides toward them.Arabella stood still, her gaze fixed firmly on him. Those eyes were like a key unlocking painful memories, revealing countless layers of untouchable pain.He stopped in front of her, extending his right hand in a polite greeting. "Pleasure to
"Speak up! Who sent you?" Robert demanded sternly, his hand tightly gripping William's throat.William glared back at him, his face stained with blood, eyebrows furrowed in pain.Through gritted teeth, he insisted, "No one... no one sent me, I swear. If there was someone, I would have... I would have said by now."Seeing that relentless questioning yielded no results, Robert instructed the officer, "Check his call records and contacts, find out who he has been meeting recently.""Yes, of course," the police officer quickly agreed. "We will initiate an investigation immediately."Then he hesitated, wondering why he was following this guy's orders.Even if he was a special forces operative, that was abroad.He had no jurisdiction here. But he dared not voice his objections aloud.The police immediately recognized that this group of people was far from ordinary. They were individuals of significant influence in the big city—beyond the scope that regular police could handle.Robert glance
Arabella quickly grabbed a jacket to cover herself and then jumped off the bed to turn on the lights. The bright light illuminated everyone in the room, exposing them.Still panting, Arabella looked at the rude, rough man who had just attacked her. His weathered, dark skin, robust build, and ugly features suggested he was a local. The man with the gun pointing at her head had dark skin, a crew cut, handsome facial features, and a cold expression. He wore a sleek black leather jacket on his tall and straight figure.It was Robert.Arabella hastily put on her jacket, smoothed back her disheveled hair to regain composure. Feeling dignified, she asked, "Robert, what are you doing here?""I'm meeting a client in the area," he replied.Arabella was puzzled. "You came here to meet a client?""Yes, I'm here to collect some antiques," Robert said gently to her, then he moved the gun to the man's temple and sternly asked, "What's your name?"The man's raised hands trembled slightly, his rough l
Emily sighed as she looked at the mural, "Our Arabella's mind is sharper than a camera. She remembers every detail of something she has seen once, and can even perfectly recreate it. We should have brought her here."Upon hearing her words, Professor Graham's eyes flashed with admiration. "Heroes abound, your generation is truly talented!"Emily said, "Of course, Arabella is a once-in-a-century genius."Arabella lightly tapped her, indicating she should lower her voice.Emily quickly closed her mouth.Arabella modestly told Professor Graham, "Oh no, we still have a lot to learn from experienced professors like you."Professor Graham laughed heartily, "I heard you are the granddaughter of Percy Sisalvos?""Yes," Arabella replied."I have admired his work for a long time. In fact, I collaborated with him on several projects in the past. It's a pity the old professor passed away."Thinking of her late grandparents, Arabella felt a wave of sadness.She paused for a moment and then continu
After their marriage, they maintained a respectful distance. Following the storm of divorce, it seemed that their relationship had greatly improved. Their intimate and affectionate gestures resembled those of newlyweds. After a moment of contemplation, Arabella spoke, "I'll be working there, and it will take at least ten days to two weeks to complete. You're usually busy with work, so don't waste time on this."Reginald briefly considered and replied, "Then I'll assign a few more bodyguards to protect you. Four should be enough, right?"Arabella was taken aback by this suggestion – it seemed too extravagant. Going to restore some paintings while being followed by four well-dressed bodyguards. Just imagining that scene gave her a headache."One is enough; I'm going for archaeology, not warfare. Others aren't bringing bodyguards, and if I have them, it'll be too ostentatious and not aesthetically pleasing.""At least two, taking turns to protect you," Reginald's tone allowed no dissent.
An ordinary worker dared to betray her!Chloe was furious, feeling like her lungs were about to explode. She angrily shouted at the driver, "Go after that worker! Damn it, I've been humiliated! Now Reginald will hate me even more!"The driver quickly responded, "Yes, miss."He started the car engine to locate the construction worker.The worker walked silently along the road. It was an affluent neighborhood with no buses, let alone taxis.His legs grew tired, and he couldn't find a taxi. Just as he looked around in confusion, someone suddenly threw a piece of clothing over his head. Soon, he was dragged behind the bushes by the roadside,thrown to the ground, and subjected to punches and kicks.As the assault began, the wailing siren of an alarm sounded in his ears. The driver felt guilty, abandoned the worker, and attempted to flee. Unfortunately, before he could get in the car, he was detained by police who jumped down from a patrol car.The driver was arrested for assaulting someon
Chloe could hardly believe what she was seeing.No mistake! The worker in front of her was the one who had spilled the bucket from the scaffolding that day. Her father had secretly bribed him so that she could capture Reginald's heart using the tricks of a distressed maiden.But now, this worker suddenly appeared on the estate.It's over! Only one thought remained in Chloe's mind — her conspiracy had been exposed!Although the weather was pleasant, she felt like she had been thrown into an ice cellar, shivering from the inside out.She really wanted to rush over and strangle the worker.This way, she could kill him and keep him silent.She regretted her previous overconfidence and carelessness. She should have been more vigilant and prepared. She had missed such a good opportunity.Reginald gave Chloe a cold look. "Miss Chloe, don't you have anything to say?"She sat there dumbfounded, unable to utter a single word.Northridge looked at her with confusion, then turned to Reginald. "Wh
Northridge looked at him with suspicion, "Why did you suddenly bring the workers home?"Reginald remained expressionless, spooning the food from the plate into Arabella's bowl, and slowly replied, "You'll find out soon enough.""Trying to keep secrets from me?" Northridge said with some annoyance.Chloe cleared her throat gently and said to Northridge, "Uncle Northridge, he might have something to attend to."Reginald's lips curled slightly. Looking at the steamed abalone Chloe had just placed in front of him, he picked up the entire plate and handed it to the servant behind him, saying, "Get me a new one.""Of course, sir."The servant took it and quickly replaced it with a new one, placing it in front of Reginald.Chloe stared at the plate in front of Reginald, feeling indignant. This was too disrespectful to her.Doing this in front of so many people made her lose face.Seeing her unhappy expression, Northridge's eyes turned cold. She picked up a piece of grilled steak with her for
He received a call from Olivia, "Your dad said you came to the hospital, but we haven't seen you yet. Chloe just woke up and has been calling your name non-stop. She hit her head, seems a bit confused, forgetting who some people are, but she hasn't forgotten you."If he had heard this ten minutes earlier, Reginald would have felt guilty.But now, he knew it was all a lie.They had manipulated him, orchestrating the entire performance to deceive him.For this, they went through so much trouble.Reginald said expressionlessly, "There's an emergency I need to attend to. You all take care of Chloe; I know she's in good hands.""But...""I'm busy." Reginald hung up the phone.A few minutes later, Northridge called, sounding accusatory, "Reginald, what happened? Chloe got hurt because of you. In the situation where our family is working together, you should be by her side. Unless there's something else, it's your duty."Reginald's face immediately turned cold.He didn't know if Northridge w
Arabella breathed a sigh of relief.Arabella had genuinely worried that Chloe might become mentally disabled or vegetative due to the impact.Given the temper of this family, they would undoubtedly endlessly blame Reginald.Reginald checked his watch. "It's getting late; you should go home. I might come back very late tonight."Arabella hesitated. "Don't forget to have dinner.""I know, you too," Reginald replied.As Arabella left, she encountered Reginald's assistant at the corner, reminding him to "make sure he eats dinner.""Of course, ma'am," the assistant respectfully said.Back home, Arabella freshened up and went to bed. She waited and waited for Reginald, but he didn't return. Exhausted, she finally fell asleep.In the middle of the night, Arabella woke up, opening her eyes to see an empty bedside. Her heart sank.Glancing at the clock on the wall, she realized it was past two in the morning, and Reginald still hadn't come home.She grabbed her phone to call him, but it was tu