Travis remained expressionless and replied lightly, “It’s okay.”Hailey instantly knew that her cousin had misunderstood them, so she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. I guess it would be hard not to misinterpret it, considering our current position and all. Anyone would think the same if they saw us now.As the door closed once more, Travis pressed one button but still didn’t let go of Hailey. Hailey did not know if there was anyone around them since he didn’t release her, so she didn’t dare move a muscle either.However, she could hear Travis’s heartbeat. It felt too intimate, and she wasn’t used to this at all. Her whole body froze as she continued to listen to his heartbeat.Her own heart also seemed to beat faster than usual, but this only made her more anxious. The elevator was too quiet; she worried Travis could also hear her heart beating.“If he did, would he believe me if I told him I’m worried someone saw my face a moment ago?”Hailey knew they shouldn’t stay like this an
Calvin spoke. “Her name is Belle.”“Belle?” Christian and Mark exclaimed in surprise.“Where does she work?” Mark continued to ask.That name really sounded like a pseudonym.“How would I know?” Calvin rolled his eyes. “Do you really think I would ask my cousin where he got her from?”“Oh, yeah, you’re right,” Mark replied. “If it were my brother, we could still ask. But damn, if we asked Travis that, we’d probably be skinned alive.”Christian felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. “Well, as long as it’s not Hailey.”He wanted to laugh at himself. What am I thinking? Why would Travis bring Hailey to this party? Let alone get intimate with each other.“Many people also share the same sentiment. Damn, I think I like Hailey so much that I’m hallucinating.”His mind relaxed from the tension he felt before. Now that he was less anxious, he could make even more cheerful jokes. Not only that, he could get the information he came for.“Hey, since Mr. Blake brought Mrs. Belle as his
Matthew wouldn’t have guessed they would reject the wine he purposely sent to their room. Hailey simply didn’t dare to drink.She was worried that if she drunk now, she might confess her true feelings to Travis, as she had passed out and forced herself to kiss him the last time.Travis didn’t drink either. He never intended to stay here with Hailey or attend the midnight party. He just waited here until the items arrived, so they could be sorted out. After that, it was time to leave.“If you want to see the scenery, do it now,” he blurted. “We won’t stay here tonight, and I’m not sure when I’ll bring you back here again.”Hailey froze and instantly knew what he meant.“Alright,” she replied. “Can I open the curtains then?”Travis pondered for a few seconds and said, “Your choice.”Hailey couldn’t hide her smile. “This is great!”Travis stared at Hailey, who was by the window. He instantly remembered that oil painting in his room. The style was like what she had now, but it felt differ
“Oh, I wouldn’t dare,”Sophia said. “At first, I thought you would help us, for the sake of our friendship.”Travis continued working. He signed with his name and then set aside the pen and the document. “I made it clear before. The help I offer is that I will not explain or handle the photos that were taken of us. And I just wanted to bring a date to the opening ceremony with me.”“I only promised not to handle the photos, but I never promised to keep playing along with your act. Besides, even if I told you I brought a date just before the party, you wouldn’t believe me either, right, Mrs. Lambert?”Sophia pressed her lips together. She believed Travis was a very calculating person. She thought he would only try to do something for special reasons.Like this time, she knew the scandal was important for the Lambert family he brought another girl to the opening ceremony of the Chalcox Club.However, she didn’t dare ask if Travis knew that someone was hired to take those photos that nigh
No matter how conflicted she felt, time and tide did not wait for her.The next morning, Hailey went to the mansion to request a leave of absence from her mother-in-law, Lilian. When Lilian found out that Hailey had to go to the museum for work, older woman told Hailey to work hard.“By the way, what is Travis up to recently? Has any woman come to the company looking for him?” Lilian asked casually before Hailey left.Hailey paused for a moment to think about what she should say. Mrs. Lambert came to the company looking for him yesterday. I have seen pictures of Mrs. Lambert, so I recognized her.“What did she want?” Lilian had not heard the news that Travis had brought a lady to attend the grand opening party at the Chalcox Club.“I don’t know, but I heard that the Lambert family is not doing very well recently. Maybe she wants to ask Travis for help,” Hailey replied.Lilian snorted. “Travis told me the Lambert family took those pictures. He will never offer them a helping hand.” Aft
After spending the entire afternoon exploring the museum, Hailey and Christian had not finished their outing yet. They planned to continue after lunch. Following the brief exchange in the morning, the atmosphere between the two became strange the entire afternoon. Perhaps it was because Christian had thought things through, but his attitude suddenly became natural. He stopped saying ambiguous words and casually made Hailey explain any beautiful exhibition that caught her interest.Hailey sighed in relief. While it was understandable for Christian to feel sad for a while, it was still preferable to him being sorrowful all day. The two enjoyed lunch near the museum before heading back inside the building. As they climbed the stairs and were about to explore the second-floor exhibition hall, a reckless teenager spilled coke on Hailey.“Ah! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I didn’t mean to,” the boy, who seemed about thirteen or fourteen years old, panicked.The boy had completely ruined Hail
William took Hailey to a luxurious five-star hotel. Hailey’s stained dress attracted attention once again, but it didn’t bother her. However, she was very confused. Why was Travis here? Was he socializing with some business clients today? What problems could he have encountered in a place like this? She threw the first two questions at William.William pondered it. He realized it was straightforward to answer these two questions and said, “The Lamberts invited Mr. Blake here to discuss cooperation between their companies.”“The Lamberts?” Hailey asked. “Could it be that both parties couldn’t agree and started fighting?” Hailey wondered.“If they were really fighting, do you think I would have time to come pick you up?”William never imagined that the dignified Lamberts would descend to such a low level. When William realized that the head of the Lambert family had actually encouraged his daughter to commit such a heinous act, his respectful assessment of the family crumbled beneath hi
Lying on the bed, Hailey, who didn’t even want to lift a finger, cursed Sofia in her heart.When Sophia has a boyfriend in the future, Hailey must find an even stronger drug and let her have it so that Sophia can also experience this hell.Oh wait. Sophia wanted to experience it, but Travis didn’t give her a chance.Hailey weakly asked, “Did you say Sophia not only drugged you but also installed several hidden cameras in this room?”“Yes,” Travis had snapped out of his frenzy state. He frowned as he looked at the bruises on Hailey’s body. This time, he wouldn’t let Sophia off so easily. As soon as the Lamberts dare to attack him, he will retaliate and seek revenge.“Why did she do this?” Hailey asked. “Is she trying to use the video to blackmail you?”Travis replied, “It’s not that simple. She probably wants evidence that I raped her.”His eyes narrowed. “The drug she used was too strong. If it had been someone else, they could have faced certain death.”Hailey was very upset. Sophia
“Has my mother left?” Travis asked, even though he already knew the answer.Hailey pretended to smile and said, “What a great moment. Don’t tell me someone already informed you of what happened here?”Travis didn’t even blush despite Hailey’s statement and said, “I don’t know about your closed-door discussion.”Hailey looked at Layla, who approached her with a thin blanket and said, “I’ll tell you later.”“Okay. I’ll go now,” Travis said as he hung up the call.Layla covered Hailey, who was resting on the couch, with the blanket. The air conditioning temperature was low.Soon after, Hailey’s phone rang again. It was Travis once more. She didn’t hesitate and answered the call.“My mom is here,”
Thalia was very punctual.Hailey, Layla, Harry, and Laura stood up and greeted her by the driver’s seat.Originally, Layla wanted to greet her with all the servants standing in a row. However, Hailey said it was unnecessary. She did not organize something so extravagant when her in-laws came last time even though the two were looking for a fight. However, Hailey believed it was more important for her to greet herself. Everything else was not as necessary. Not to mention that with all the servants around, it would be challenging to keep a low profile. They might also be curious about how she would act when Thalia was present. That’s why she managed without them.If she overdid it and accidentally leaked into the main mansion, someone would say she was trying to butter up Thalia.After Thalia exited the car and saw Hailey greeting her at the entrance, she smiled and wrapped her arms tightly around Hailey
Travis addressed Eva normally. He called her “aunt.” But Eva was so used to being called Madame Winters that she felt uncomfortable with the new term.“Ms. Blake...” She only got out two words when Travis interrupted her.“You’re my elder, so call me Travis,” Travis whispered.If any of the Blake family members had been here, their eyes would surely pop out of their sockets. Travis rarely spoke with such respect, and only a few people had been worthy of such consideration. His grandmother was one of them.Eva’s lips trembled. In the end, she couldn’t say his name. “You... What did you want to tell me?”Either way, there was no way out. She had heard too many unfortunate news, so she thought she could probably bear one more.Travis’s response caught her off guard. “I would like to talk to you about Hailey,” he replied calmly.“Eh?” Eva was f
Fortunately, Travis didn’t press on about the friend or the photo. After hearing Hailey’s response, he lowered his head and returned to the financial news section.Hailey breathed a sigh of relief. After finishing her breakfast, she gathered her things and prepared for her visit to the hospital. Her uncle’s surgery was scheduled soon, so she wanted to keep him company as much as possible before that.Travis did not know that Hailey was going out. According to his usual schedule, he usually headed to the mansion before lunch. Judging by his bare face and comfortable clothes, she could guess his destination.However, she still asked, “Where are you going?”“To the hospital,” Hailey said.“Yesterday, I went to the mansion and informed Grandma in advance. I can go to the hospital directly now.”Immediately, Travis dropped everything and stood up. “I’m coming with you.”
When Travis appeared, Hailey continued to check both the study room and the bedroom. The sight of him shocked her greatly.“Didn’t you say you would come back tomorrow?” she asked, confused.Travis was supposed to return from his business trip tomorrow, but here he was.“I finished my work early, so I returned,” Travis replied. He didn’t tell her he had returned a day earlier because Hailey had instructed the servants to clean the villa and store his things to welcome his mother.Hailey said, “Oh, you came back just when I had someone helping me clean up the place. Can you go back to the Imperial Garden tonight? Don’t come tomorrow night either.”Frustrated, Travis questioned the obvious. “Why?”Hailey raised her eyebrows. “Don’t you know? Mrs. Thalia, your mother, will come to inspect my house in two days. I was worried she would check the upstairs, so I kept all
“About what you mentioned earlier... I think it’s a good idea.”The following day, Travis suddenly brought up this topic to Hailey.Hailey still felt quite dazed, with a bewildered expression. “What?”Travis was calm. “About getting Uncle Liam and Aunt Rowena to have another child.”Hailey instantly woke up. Travis’s words quickly dispelled her drowsiness. “What? Why suddenly?”Travis replied, “I just said; suddenly, I feel like it’s a good idea.”Hailey touched Travis’s forehead and then felt her own. “Do you have a fever or something?”Travis gently removed her hand and held it in his palm, with a serious expression. “I’m serious.”“Serious? Doesn’t it sound like you’re trying to separa
Hailey was taken aback as if Travis had said something truly horrible.“I don’t know.” She was silent for a while. Then she asked with a blank face, “Can’t you finish this contract before anyone finds out?”Travis tightened his grip on Hailey. Unable to control his strength correctly, he was about to crush her jaw.“Ah...!” Hailey cried out in pain and tried to pry his fingers off.But Travis had no intention of letting go. Hailey’s words were sharp and painful needles that pricked his heart.“So, was it all a misunderstanding? Did she not care for me at all?”At that moment, Travis had never doubted his sixth sense more.“So, what you’re saying is: if someone finds out about us tomorrow, you want to cut ties with me today?” he asked, his face grim. With each word, his heart hardened even more.Hailey thought, “I guess Travis isn’t d
Christian was a complete gentleman to Hailey. They were friends, but not the kind who had known each other for a long time and could make inappropriate jokes. Therefore, their behavior seemed normal to everyone—everyone except Travis.Travis’s expression had always been icy, so his attitude was nothing unusual to everyone. Even Helena couldn’t tell what he was thinking, let alone anyone else.After dinner, Christian drank some wine and became bolder. He boldly asked Hailey to go out with him over the weekend, saying he had plans with some friends to hike in the suburbs. If she was interested, they could go together.Hailey could feel everyone’s eyes burning holes in her. She smiled, “I’m not sure if I’m free this weekend. I’ll let you know when I’m sure.”Everything seemed normal and harmonious, at least until dinner ended, and Hailey got into the car. After she drove away and lost sight of the o
When Hailey went to sit down, she looked at Travis. His gaze was elsewhere, and he wasn’t looking at her.Christian, who had been paying attention, noticed who she was looking at. He assumed she was afraid of Travis and sighed with sadness.Since Hailey was being so cautious, he also had to be careful. He didn’t want to make things difficult for her. He knew Hailey was shunning him. If she felt the Blakes would misinterpret things if she got too close to him, she would keep her distance.When Christian arrived at the office building a moment ago, he noticed something. Hailey now had a driver and a bodyguard. The two people accompanying her were probably her driver and bodyguard. They even shamelessly followed her to the company! What the hell happened? Why didn’t he hear anything about this?He had to find the opportunity to ask her about this carefully. Thinking about it, he conclu