At that moment, William returned with the ointment, instantly disrupting the ambiguous atmosphere of the room. Travis was disturbed but not angry. Tonight, they faced many challenges. They had to call an emergency meeting to discuss their next course of action and assign individuals to stop the news of Louis’s fall from spreading. At the very least, they needed to keep Louis’s identity a secret as Wilson had suggested. They had to prevent others from discovering the true identities of Wilson and Louis, who were involved in two separate accidents that night, until they investigated the supposed secret.Travis instructed William to apply the ointment first, preventing anyone else from entering. The first thing he had William do was to attend to Hailey’s bruises. “It might sting a bit,” William warned Hailey.“Please bear with me.” Hailey smiled and nodded, assuring him she was okay. Unfortunately, she wasn’t prepared for the “little pain” William had warned her about. It was only when h
When Hailey woke up, she discovered that there was something strange about the feeling in her arms. Why did it feel like she was hugging someone? Was it Travis? That’s not right. Wasn’t he on a business trip? Why would she be holding onto Travis? Had he returned from the trip? Or was she dreaming?That’s not right either. She should be at the station. She woke up with a start and immediately jumped out of bed.The sudden movement woke up Travis, who hadn’t been asleep for long. “Are you awake?” he asked, squinting.Hailey felt relieved to see Travis’s face once her blurry vision cleared. Still, she was puzzled. “Why are you in my room?” She looked around and found it unfamiliar. “Oh... This isn’t your room, is it?”She suddenly shivered and looked down. She wasn’t wearing any clothes!Travis was still not fully awake. All he could hear were murmurs from Hailey. He reached out, pulled her back to bed, and placed his hand on her face while telling her with his eyes closed, “This is your
The butler seemed to have been waiting for Hailey for a long time.Hailey blinked. She had a feeling that something big was about to happen and couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding rising within her.Hailey anxiously followed the butler and forced herself to ask as calmly as possible, “Butler, has something happened at home?”The butler responded with a smile, “Why do you ask that, young lady?”Hailey smiled. “I just returned from a business trip with my brother-in-law, and I originally thought the driver would take me home. I wasn’t prepared for the mansion to be my destination. I was concerned that something had gone wrong.”The butler chuckled. “Young lady, you’re overthinking. Everything is fine at home. I’m not sure why Master Travis brought you back to the mansion. He simply instructed me to wait for you in the parking lot and to
Lilian replied disapprovingly, “No, all of this is necessary.” Now, many people know you are a wealthy wife. Could your lack of security lead to your abduction? If something happens to you, we won’t be able to explain it to your family back home.”Hailey was speechless. “What do you mean we won’t be able to explain it to my family? Are you even aware of who these people are?”“Perhaps you find it inconvenient?” Lilian asked.“No,” Hailey hardened her determination and forced the words from her stiff lips.Mary couldn’t contain a burst of laughter. Everyone turned to her, and even her husband Hank looked at her.Mary quickly pretended to be innocent and said, “Why is everyone looking at me? I was distracted a moment ago! I didn’t hear what you said. Did someone ask me something?”Lilian looked at Mary and
Hailey remained silent in response.Travis hit the nail on the head when he asked, “Are you upset because Grandma assigned you a bodyguard and a driver?”Hailey bit her lip but stayed quiet.“You’ve always hated being followed. Why is that?” Travis narrowed his eyes. “You’re not planning to do anything wrong out there, are you?”“What kind of awful things can I do? What do I dare to do?” Hailey scoffed coldly. “I simply dislike the sensation of constant surveillance. It gives me the impression that someone is watching me. It’s not a pleasant feeling."Her expression was calm but filled with disdain. It wasn’t like there was someone she wanted to secretly meet. She was worried that seeing Christian might have caused misunderstandings, but now it didn’t matter because she had already figured out what to do next.At that moment, Hailey knew that her plan and the actual situation were practically thousands of kilometers apart.“Your words are very contradictory,” Travis said. You shouldn’
The meaning of his words still implied it was surveillance, but somehow, when those words came out of his mouth, his reasons didn’t sound as superficial as he made them seem.Hailey seemed to have forgotten how to move her eyes as she continued to gaze at Travis, with her lips slightly parted. She shifted slightly, wanting to say something, but no words came out.Travis reached out and nuzzled his lips. The touch felt as satisfying as always.He cupped her chin and leaned down to give her a deep kiss.Hailey was shocked by his words, and her hands, which had been pushing his shoulder, had lost their strength. She failed to retaliate, allowing Travis to use her mouth as leverage.When Travis had satisfied his cravings, he lifted his head to look at Hailey, whose face was flushed from the slight lack of oxygen.“Don’t forget, you’re my woman. I dislike having flies around me. I feel compelled to swat them until they die.”His voice suddenly lowered and sounded dangerous, hinting at a wa
After Matthew entered the room, he stood at the door and looked at Travis with a teasing smile. The way Matthew was looking at him perplexed Travis.Confused, Travis asked, “Did you really fall in love with a salesperson?”Matthew turned around and glanced back. Then, he took two steps to the side, revealing a stunned Hailey behind him.It was unexpected to see Travis in a state of perplexity. Initially, he was sitting on the sofa leisurely. Now, he seemed frozen in place.The two stared at each other, seeming to be in a dream. It was a revelation for Matthew. He chuckled secretly to himself.It was not advisable to leave the door open. They could be seen by others later. Matthew cleared his throat once and went to close the door. Both Travis and Hailey seemed to have regained their composure but felt uncomfortable.“Why are you with Matthew?” Travis didn’t understand why they were together.Hailey entered the room and sat on another sofa. After giving it some thought, Hailey said, “I
At this moment, Travis no longer wanted to dwell on the topic of the enjoyable adventure at the jewelry store. Maintaining his composure, Travis said to Hailey, “I estimated the ring size. Try it on to see if it fits. If not, you can return it for a change."Hailey also seemed calm as she put the ring on her ring finger. The size fit.“It fits.” She extended her arm to look at the ring. The ring was exquisite and also suited her hand. She tried her best to conceal her internal emotional fluctuations.Then she asked, “Why didn’t I see this unique type of ring in that store? When Matt showed up, I was about to close my eyes and randomly choose one.”Matthew raised his eyebrows and looked at Travis.Travis said seriously, “Only prestigious guests can choose this style in that store.”Matthew felt his friend had changed. In the past, Travis would never lie blatantly in front of a woman. He used to find it disdainful to use such tricks with women.Hailey deeply believed Travis’s words. In
“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