Spencer took a deep breath. He bent down and picked up Ariana in his arms. Ariana's eyes snapped open with anger. Spencer looked down at her. "If you don't want everyone at the research center to come out and watch the show, come with me quietly."He carried her out of the research center. Unable to resist, Ariana was then brought onto a plane. He once again brought her back to the country, with no intention of letting her leave again. Ariana's current state made him terrified. He dared not imagine whether there would be any chance for them to meet again in the future if he really let Ariana go. He also knew he could not possibly let Ariana leave. So, even if Ariana would hate him and blame him, he still decided to bring Ariana back to the country to stay by his side. And he absolutely would not give Ariana a chance to escape. Ariana did not even know Spencer had such a property. The villa was built on a mountain with no one around.Her range of activity was limited to with
Ever since Spencer had brought Ariana back here, she had been silent and had not said a word to him. Spencer knew Ariana had resentment and anger toward him. But he firmly believed that his persistence and deep affection would surely move Ariana. However, he seemed to forget the saying that belated affection would not be worth anything. Besides, Ariana had long since lost hope for him. He figured that the kidnapping incident with Shanice and his subsequent actions might have been the last straw. But in reality, Ariana had given up any hope for Spencer even before that. Spencer also knew he had gone too far this time. But given the urgent situation and Ariana having the upper hand back then, his concern for "Irene" was understandable. He had explained to Ariana afterward. He thought that if Ariana was reasonable at all, this incident could be forgiven. Even if Ariana was angry, he was willing to coax her. He had been very careful in his words and actions ever since he had brought
Spencer longed for Ariana so much that he wished he could make love to her. He struggled to control his desire, and Ariana's expression made him panic. He desperately wanted to remind her of his existence and show that he was the one closest to her. He kissed away her tears as he held her hand and intertwined their fingers. He comforted her with the softest voice and the most endearing words. Yet, at the same time, he gripped her tightly as he moved forcefully and intensely.Ariana was his. He could not let her go. The mere thought of her with another man in the future drove Spencer to the brink of madness. Ariana's current unresponsiveness and his imagination made it hard for Spencer to restrain himself. Only in these moments of passion did he find temporary solace and reassurance. However, he did not realize that this experience was deeply traumatic for Ariana. When he finally noticed, Ariana had bitten her lip until it bled. Even then, she had not made a sound. Spencer's hear
Spencer wanted to hold Ariana forever, to stay by her side and protect her. But time would wait for no one. As dawn broke, Spencer remembered he had a meeting in the afternoon, though his morning was free. He had held Ariana all night, feeling her body tremble. It lasted until she quieted down and finally fell asleep. Now he was awake early again. During their months apart, he had struggled to sleep. Even with Ariana beside him now, he could not rest deeply. It felt as if she might vanish at any moment. Sunlight shone in through the curtains. He gently wiped away the tear stains on her face as he looked at her. "Sorry." His heart was heavy with guilt. Yet he knew he would not let her go. By most standards, he was not a good person. He could not bear the thought of Ariana happy with someone else. The very idea felt like a drill to his heart, leaving it full of holes. Ariana's long lashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes. They were slightly swollen, and her lashes were s
If he could do it all over again, Spencer would never have treated Ariana so roughly. It would feel great when both of them were willing to do it. Ariana did not respond, so Spencer had no choice but to pick her up. "If you won't move, I'll have to feed you myself."As soon as he said that, Ariana sat up and got out of bed expressionlessly. She took the tray out of the room. Spencer found her behavior oddly endearing. He followed her downstairs and watched her eat dinner. He then had her join him in watching some financial news. After the housekeeper left, they were alone in the villa. Looking at the quiet Ariana beside him, Spencer could not resist kissing her cheek. He moved closer and tilted her chin to face him. "Ari..." His kiss landed on the corner of her mouth. Seeing no resistance, he pushed her down on the couch. As the kissing intensified, he wanted to go further. "Ari." Breathing heavily, his hand slipped under her shirt. "I want you so badly..." "Spencer." Hi
The turning point came when Jensen called Enrique. Ariana had contacted Jensen earlier. Besides, the Rivera family still invested in the research center, and he had sent some of his own people there. So, he eventually found out that Ariana was no longer at the center. Where could she have gone? And why could he not reach her? Anxious, Jensen hired someone to investigate and managed to trace her to Spencer. When he tried calling Spencer, his calls went unanswered. This only raised more suspicions. Jensen had recently had a cast removed for a fracture and was advised to rest. Unable to do anything himself, he had no choice but to call Enrique. Enrique was shocked when he got the call. "What do you mean you can't contact Ariana? You think Spencer did something?" After Jensen explained, Enrique hung up and angrily confronted Spencer. Spencer had intended to keep things quiet, but Enrique warned, "You think I'm too old to be doing anything? If I really wanted to find somethin
Spencer had no choice but to approach Ariana. When she was not lying in bed, Ariana would spend her time sitting by the window. He did not know what she was looking at. He tried to talk to her, but he was met with silence, no matter what he said. Spencer knew Ariana could not accept what he had done. However, compared to her leaving, he preferred to take the risk of keeping her by his side. "Ari." He crouched down. Placing his hand on her knee, he looked up at her. "Grandpa called. He misses you. Will you call him back?" Ariana's eyelashes fluttered, and she looked down at him. Seeing her response, Spencer quickly said, "But let's agree on one thing. Don't say anything unnecessary to Grandpa. You know he's not in good health. If he knew about all this, he wouldn't be able to handle it."Spencer sighed and continued, "Ari, I don't want things to be like this, either, but I don't want you to leave me. You can blame and hate me all you want, but I won't let you go. So what if y
Ariana looked at him. "I only realize now that Jensen is a thousand, no, ten thousand times better than you!" "I knew it!" Spencer's eyes bulged with anger. "I knew there was something between you two! Even your parents didn't suspect anything, but he went to Grandpa to ask about your whereabouts. Sure enough, you and he—" Ariana shook her head. "Not just Jensen, but Jacob, Gerald, and even George are all better than you. Spencer, do you still not understand where you've gone wrong?" "You're even thinking about Gerald?" Jealousy made Spencer lose all reason. "You know he's the child of a mistress, and it was his mother who ruined my parents' relationship, yet you dare mention him to me?""From what I know, your father forced himself on her back then. She was a victim, too." "A victim who couldn't wait to have her rapist's child? Who would believe she had no ulterior motives?" Even now, Spencer was defending Bernard. Ariana did not want to speak ill of Spencer's elders. But s
Ariana lowered her gaze, her lashes hiding the emotions in her eyes. Spencer could not see them, but he imagined her expression remained as distant as ever."I just want to know if we could still be friends," he continued softly.Ariana paused for several seconds before shaking her head. Spencer's voice was strained with pain as he spoke, "I know it's an inappropriate request, but if we don't try this approach, I might not be able to stop pursuing you." "So you're saying if I don't agree to be friends, you'll keep bothering me?" Ariana finally looked at him directly. "Are you threatening me?"His words reminded her of Zane, who had used the same tactic. She wondered if all men thought this way—when pursuit failed, they would settle for friendship as a consolation prize.Spencer met her gaze. "That's not it. Ari… I'm just asking for your mercy."His eyes were bloodshot with dark circles underneath, clearly showing signs of sleepless nights. Ariana looked away, unable to bear
Jacob rubbed his temples in frustration. "I've warned you about this. She has a boyfriend now, and they have a kid. If you get involved, what does that make you? The other man?""I know…" Spencer mumbled. "But I love her and can't control these feelings." "Having control is what makes us human," Jacob said firmly. "Losing control makes us no better than animals. You're better than that.""Maybe being an animal would hurt less," Spencer muttered."If that's your attitude, then there's nothing left to discuss." Jacob was getting exasperated with him. "That man isn't right for her!" Spencer burst out, recounting everything that had happened.Jacob shook his head. "They have a child together. What's the point of saying all this now?""He's manipulative and deceitful!" Spencer's voice rose with frustration. "How can Ari be with someone like that? Even if I didn't love her, I couldn't stand by and watch her be with someone so toxic!"Jacob took a deep breath and offered another per
"Still, he shouldn't have hit anyone!" Ariana sighed as she looked at his face, now swollen and red. "Does it hurt?"Sam's eyes welled up with tears. "Yeah, it hurts like hell..."Spencer stood nearby, his fists clenched tight. For some reason, Sam just made his blood boil, and he wanted nothing more than to punch him again."Mr. Ulrich," Ariana said while supporting Sam. "Let me say this one last time—stay out of my life. Since Sam's willing to let this go, I won't press charges, but if there's a next time, I will call the police."After her warning, Ariana helped Sam inside their house. They both froze in their tracks when they saw Leo standing in the doorway—neither knew how long he had been awake or how much he had heard."Leo," Ariana quickly spoke up. "Go back inside.""Mom, you two go ahead. I'll close the door," Leo responded quietly.Ariana had no choice but to help Sam inside while Leo walked to the doorway and looked up at Spencer. The little boy barely reached Spence
After that, Sam told Ariana softly, "Go check on Leo. I'll handle this."Wanting no part in this confrontation, Ariana went back inside. Sam closed the door and cracked his knuckles. "Why are you always bothering Ari? She's my girlfriend now, and you should stop.""You're not right for her," Spencer replied coldly."Are you?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "I'm younger, more devoted, and I'd never hurt her or flirt with another woman. What makes you think you're better?""This is between Ari and me. It doesn't concern you.""It doesn't concern me? Or you just can't think of a response? Did I hit a nerve? I guess getting older really does make people shameless.""Don't get cocky. You're not Ari's type at all."Sam leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "That's where you're wrong. Ari loves everything about me, especially my young body..."Before he could finish, Spencer threw down the food container and swung at him. Sam, anticipating the move, dodged quickly. Before long, the two me
Boa quickly called Ariana back and reported, "It's not Zane.""Then, it must have been Spencer," Ariana concluded."That obsessive jerk!" Boa exclaimed. "He just won't give up!"Ariana asked, "Boey, since Rowan and Zane are close, could you tell Rowan to let Zane know that nothing will ever happen between us?"Boa sighed. "I already told him, but I'll emphasize it to him again. By the way, when are you heading to Orkney? I want to pick up Leo!""Tomorrow afternoon," Ariana replied. "But don't worry about picking him up—he's coming with me."When Ariana hung up, she found Leo watching her expectantly. He jumped into her arms as soon as she put down her phone. "Mom, are you done? Can you play with me now?"Ariana's heart melted. "Of course, baby. What would you like to play?""Let's play house!" Leo's eyes sparkled. "You be the mommy, and I'll be the baby, and you have to carry me!""Alright." Ariana laughed, scooping him up."No, not like that," Leo directed. "Carry me like
Dennis could not help glancing in the rearview mirror at that comment. Meanwhile, Ariana looked at Sam and blurted out, "Marriage? Did you forget what we agreed on?""I remember," Sam replied. "But with your ex-husband and that Zane guy, we've got our work cut out. I'm worried they'll figure things out. Maybe we should turn this act into reality."Ariana shook her head firmly. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. You're already doing me a huge favor by helping. Marriage is sacred, and when you find someone you truly love—" "But Ari, you're the one I love! I want to marry you!" Sam interrupted."Sam, you're still young..." Ariana smiled gently.Sam protested, "I'm not that young! You always use that excuse, but you're only five years older than me!"Before Ariana could respond, Dennis chimed in from the front seat, "There's an old saying—you can't force love. Sam, if you really care for her, win her heart properly and make her say yes to you. This isn't the way." "You sound like
Ariana smiled politely. "That really won't be necessary. Don't put yourself through that, Mr. Marshall. You're quite the catch, and I'm certainly not worthy. If you'll excuse me, they're waiting for me."With that, Ariana turned and headed downstairs, where Sam was leaning casually against the car, waiting for her. Even though he and Dennis knew each other, they did not get along well, so Sam stepped out of the car to wait.Being a handsome foreigner with striking features and bright blue eyes, Sam naturally drew admiring glances from passersby. He was used to the attention, but suddenly, his gaze fixed on someone watching him with unmistakable hostility.He quickly realized it was the same guy from the airport yesterday, who had tried to block their path but was completely ignored by Ariana. Sam met Spencer's gaze with calm confidence and the natural arrogance of someone who knew they had won. As far as he was concerned, Spencer was the defeated rival—someone who did not stand a
"That jerk..." Boa muttered under her breath before turning to Leo with a bright smile. "Leo, I'm going to treat you to something yummy!""Thank you, Aunt Boa," Leo replied with a blank face."Come on. Give me a smile," Boa cooed, pinching his cheek. "Oh, my goodness! You're just too cute!"Leo responded by burying his face in Ariana's shoulder. Jensen rushed to join them after finishing his surgery, making it a lively meal with five adults and one child. Leo only showed his bright smile when interacting with Ariana, maintaining his composed expression with everyone else.However, his stoic demeanor only encouraged Boa to tease him more, filling the dinner with laughter and joy. After that, Rowan arrived to pick up Boa, accompanied by Zane. By then, Leo was fighting to stay awake after his long flight and emotional reunion.He managed to open his eyes briefly to look at the two tall men before drifting off on Ariana's shoulder. Though the glimpse was quick, it was enough for
"Me, too!" Sienna exclaimed, and Ariana could not help but laugh at her precious son's perfect little face, now adorned with two lipstick marks.Even though Leo felt that he was too grown up to be carried, he had not seen Ariana in so long that he did not want to leave her arms. Just this once, he decided to indulge himself and enjoy the comfort of her embrace.As the group walked toward the exit, sharing laughs, Ariana suddenly stopped in her tracks. The others paused, confused."What's wrong? Why did you stop…" Boa's voice trailed off as she spotted the man standing ahead of them.It was Spencer, his eyes fixed intently on the child in Ariana's arms. Now, Boa understood why Ariana had been so confident that Spencer would not question Leo's parentage. With those bright blue eyes matching Sam's, there was no way Spencer would suspect Leo was his.Boa thought it was a brilliant plan, and she looked at Spencer smugly. On the other hand, Leo glanced at Spencer before resting obed