Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist, making it impossible for her to break free.
“What are you staring at? Help me pull him away!”
Seeing his assistant frozen in place, Vanessa called out, somewhat annoyed.
Luca's assistant finally stepped forward but only managed to support Luca, not daring to hurt him in the slightest.
Vanessa didn’t know if it was avoidance or fear; she desperately struggled to free herself from Luca's grip.
“Vanessa, don’t go, don’t go…”
Although Luca was drunk, he could still recognize Vanessa by instinct alone, or perhaps he didn't fully realize it, but his inner regret made him feel that this person was Vanessa.
“Luca, let go of me! If you don’t let go, I’ll call the police!”
Hearing the word ‘police,’ Luca became even more agitated, mumbling apologies and explanatio
“Daxton, please take care of him for a moment. I’m going to check on Isla.” With Daxton's help, Luca finally released her hand. “Go ahead. For now, I won’t kill him.” Daxton replied with a smile, leading Vanessa to believe he was joking and not to take it seriously. But that statement was Daxton's true feeling; he wouldn't kill Luca yet. However, if Luca continued to entangle himself with Vanessa and harm both her and her daughter, he wasn't sure he could restrain himself from swiftly dealing with him. A few hours later, Mariah called, saying she had landed and would be home soon. With Daxton's reminder, she had already prepared everything, creating an illusion that she had returned home before dark to prevent being followed by paparazzi or gossip reporters. Isla was sleeping soundly, though occasionally she would stir and react to the fright she had
In the morning, no matter what Luca did, he was cold-shouldered by Vanessa and her daughter. Isla, feeling wronged and angry, even refused to talk to him, turning her head away with a pout.Mariah was too tired to accept the breakfast invitation, leaving only the three of them at the breakfast table.“Isla, Mommy has arranged for you to take a day off from kindergarten. You can rest today and see if you still feel scared. If you don’t feel well, just tell Mommy, and I’ll take you to see a psychologist, okay?”Isla knew about psychologists; she had accompanied her mother many times and always thought they were a bit scary. Often, Vanessa would come out with red eyes, barely speaking, and wearing a forced smile throughout the day.Because of this, Isla felt resistant. She shook her head and said, “I don’t want to go to the psychologist. I want Mommy to stay with me. Mommy, don’t cry. Don’t be sad.”
“Isla, when do you want to go to the zoo? I’ll take you!” Luca, eager to keep the excitement alive, asked with a hopeful smile.But Isla, still just a child, wasn’t focused on the logistics. She simply worried that Luca might turn out like her mother—full of promises but always too busy with work, leaving her waiting indefinitely.She tugged on Vanessa’s hand and asked sweetly, “Mommy, will you come with Isla?”“Of course! Mommy will definitely go with you. Uncle Luca doesn’t know how to handle kids, so Mommy will be with you,” Vanessa replied warmly, her tone full of reassurance.Isla’s face lit up, and she jumped with excitement. “Then let’s go today!”That’s the thing about kids—they want to go the moment the idea pops into their head, without a second thought about schedules or planning.Luca smiled, ready to agree, but paused and glance
Because of Luca’s slip of the tongue, Isla, upset and frustrated, locked herself in her room. Refusing to listen to any explanations, she cried even harder, “Mommy and Uncle are both liars!”Hearing this, Vanessa felt a sharp pang of guilt. Isla was right—she and Luca had both deceived her, and their words had lost all credibility in the little girl’s eyes.Unsure how to make things right, Vanessa stood outside the door, thinking of a way to coax her daughter out.“Sweetheart, I promise! Since Uncle Luca isn’t here today, Mommy will take you to the zoo, okay? If you come out, we can leave right away.”For a moment, there was only silence. Then, a small, hesitant voice answered, “Really?”“Yes, really! Mommy guarantees it!”The door slowly cracked open, and the moment Isla spotted her mother standing there, she threw herself into Vanessa’s arms. Sobbing softly, she
With a ‘bang’, Daxton turned off the TV, tossing the remote onto the sofa. His gaze suddenly sharpened as he walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window to check the surroundings of the community, then dialed the phone number for the head of his company's legal department.“Did you see the news?”The head of the legal department, Mike, remained calm, even joking, “You should be talking to the PR department about this. What do you need me for?”“Mike, I’m not joking!”Mike, the youngest genius lawyer in France, was also Daxton’s childhood friend and a friend of Vanessa. He harbored feelings of admiration for Vanessa but knew his family wouldn’t approve of him dating someone like her. He kept those feelings hidden and treated her like a close friend instead.“Alright, alright, don’t worry. I care about Vanessa’s situation even more than you do; after all, she’s m
After leaving through the side door, the drive was smooth, but the radio in the car occasionally interrupted with gossip about Vanessa and Luca.[Today, rumors swirl around Luca Kensington, the heir of the K Group, regarding his involvement with Cortex's female president. The two reportedly returned to her home overnight after a night of drinking and have yet to be seen leaving. There are even whispers that they were married five years ago, but the woman vanished for five years, only to reappear to secure a K Group project at the bidding meeting. Old flames seem to have reignited, leaving much to the imagination... ]In the back seat, Vanessa remained expressionless, only concerned about Isla's emotions and condition.However, Daxton was feeling quite displeased as he listened, his expression serious and solemn, his furrowed brows tightly focused ahead.He angrily turned off the radio halfway through, sighing, “Who’s spreading these rumors? Ju
The reporters continued to swarm, and when they saw Vanessa finally responding, they became even more relentless.Noticing that she had stopped speaking after that, they attempted to provoke her with rude and inappropriate remarks.“Miss Saxon, you said the child's father is deceased, so why is it that the child's age coincides with the time you were rumored to be having an affair during your marriage?”She ignored them, continuing to be protected by Daxton as they swiped their cards to enter the elevator.“If you don’t respond, could it be because the child’s father is actually President Radcliffe?”At this, Vanessa turned her furious gaze toward the reporters, then coldly laughed and told the security guard beside her, “Get them out of here.”The security guard nodded and re
“Now that you and I have nothing to do with each other, your threats no longer hold any power over me. Mr. Kensington, perhaps you should avoid provoking women too much; consider it advice.” Vanessa showed no signs of jealousy or anger, sitting calmly with her legs crossed, maintaining eye contact with him. Her gaze held an air of needing an explanation, fearless and composed.Luca fell silent, not speaking for a long while. It was hard to tell whether he was hurt or simply at a loss for words in response to Vanessa’s pointed remark.“Since Mr. Kensington has nothing to say, let me go first,” she said, taking a document from her bag—likely an analysis report on the consequences and dangers of the current gossip—and handed it to him. “Please take a look, and then you can decide.”Luca didn’t move, merely glancing at it briefly before shifting hi
Vanessa didn’t come to Ness Corp on a whim; she was aware that the project currently being collaborated on by Cortex and Ness was overseen by Alden. Using the pretext of discussing the collaboration, she could conveniently search within Ness Corp.As expected, the receptionist directly dialed the vice president’s extension: “Vice President, someone from Cortex has come to discuss the collaboration project. What do you think...?”“Just have them contact my assistant directly. No need to report it,” Alden interrupted the receptionist impatiently.As anticipated, Vanessa couldn’t help but curl her lips into a cold smile.Alden didn’t possess any real ability; he was nothing more than a bumbling fool who pushed everything onto others.Seeing this, Vanessa directly said, “Tell him it’s Vanessa Saxon from Cortex looking for him.”The receptionist conveyed the message, and Alden seem
Vanessa stared in disbelief, her eyes wide open, unwilling to believe that these words were coming from an elder. How could she casually slander someone else?At this moment, Mrs. Radcliffe seemed to be in a state of desperation, continuing, “Vanessa, how could you refuse to help us at such a critical moment, especially after all the good Daxton has done for you?”The words from Mrs. Radcliffe, coupled with Mr. Radcliffe's disappointed gaze, pierced Vanessa’s heart like sharp arrows.Tears welled in Vanessa's eyes as she responded angrily, “I’ve already repaid any debts to Daxton and the Radcliffe family. You’re looking for the wrong person today.”With that, Vanessa instructed her assistant to see them out.After sending the Radcliffe couple away, Vanessa leaned back in her chair and let out a heavy sigh, but her thoughts were a tangled mess.Luca had originally only wanted to check on Vanessa. As h
Luca took advantage of his recovery to stay at Vanessa's house for a few days.During this time, Vanessa entrusted all company matters to Mariah, focusing instead on caring for Luca at home.After a few days together, Luca vaguely sensed that Vanessa’s attitude towards him had softened; she was no longer as cold and distant as before, which filled him with a bit of secret delight.In reality, Vanessa had indeed changed significantly in her attitude towards Luca. She was grateful that he had saved her, yet she was still unwilling to easily forgive him for what he had done before.Conflicted, Vanessa found herself alternating between memories of Luca, injured and approaching her, and his cold demeanor when he had plotted against her child.These two extreme emotions battled within her, leaving her feeling both sweet and tortured.Luca, however, was unaware of Vanessa's inner turmoil. To him, it was already a blessing that she was n
Daxton watched the affectionate scene between the two, his jealousy flaring hotter by the moment.Why?! Why could Luca hurt her so deeply yet still make her love him helplessly, while his own silent devotion had gone unnoticed?Rage nearly consumed Daxton’s reason.If that was the case, then he had no need to hold back any longer.With a cold sneer, he didn’t know whether he was mocking the tragic lovers before him or ridiculing himself as a clown.Then, Daxton pulled a handgun from behind him, loading a bullet into the chamber, and aimed it at the two. “Luca, I’m giving you a choice. Only one of you can leave here today. Will it be Vanessa or yourself?”Vanessa frowned and shouted, “Daxton, are you insane?!”This time, Daxton didn’t glance at Vanessa but fixed his gaze on Luca.Luca had anticipated that things wouldn’t be simple. The current situation was within
“I…” Daxton looked into Vanessa’s eyes, momentarily at a loss for words.Taking a moment to compose himself, Daxton sat down beside Vanessa, taking her hand in his. “Vanessa, you know I’ve always liked you…”The sudden touch and inexplicable words made Vanessa furrow her brows in confusion.She forcefully pulled her hand away from Daxton and interrupted him, her voice firm. “You brought me here just to say this? In this way? Daxton, do you realize this is kidnapping? Let me go right now; I have a mountain of work waiting for me at the office.”As soon as he heard Vanessa wanted to leave, Daxton’s expression changed dramatically. He grabbed her by the neck and hissed, “Want to leave? So you still want to be with Luca. Don’t dream; I won’t let you go this time. You’ll never escape.”With the oxygen in her lungs dwindling, Vanessa's face turned red as she
Even though Vanessa insisted she was feeling fine, Daxton and Mariah were still uneasy. They insisted on giving her a full check-up before they would relax.“I really am fine. Daxton, you should head back. I have Mariah here to keep me company,” Vanessa said, reluctant to face Daxton. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with him lately.Daxton glanced at Vanessa but didn’t say much. He only reminded her to rest well before leaving the hospital.As he pushed open the door to his home, the stark emptiness of the room was accentuated by the numerous photos lining the walls.Upon closer inspection, they were various pictures of Vanessa, many of which were clearly taken from hidden angles.Daxton stepped closer, gently tracing the images with his fingers, as if he were caressing Vanessa herself.
After sending Daxton away, Vanessa immersed herself in her work, carefully examining the design blueprints. Inspired by Luca's suggestions, she picked up her pen and began to sketch.In the following days, Vanessa stayed at the company, and thanks to the team’s hard work, the progress on the project revisions was steadily moving forward.However, thinking of Isla made Vanessa feel a pang of guilt. She had been so busy with work lately that she hadn’t spent enough time with her. She wondered if the little one was feeling neglected.Just as she was lost in thought, Luca arrived.Vanessa was already used to his frequent visits.In the past few days, Luca had come by almost every day, but their discussions were all about company collaborations.Vanessa tried hard to control her thoughts, convincing herself to think of him only as a business partner to avoid future disappointment.That said, each time Luca came, Vanessa’s
Cortex.As soon as Vanessa arrived at the office, she saw Ora pacing back and forth at the door, seeming anxious about something.Feeling a bit surprised, Vanessa furrowed her brows and asked, “Is something wrong?”The moment Ora spotted Vanessa, it was as if she had found a savior, and she quickly stepped forward.Vanessa opened the office door, and as Ora followed her inside, she began reporting the latest updates.However, when she reached a certain point, Ora’s expression changed. “President Saxon, I’ve contacted several suppliers, and they all said that the original materials are in short supply. It seems the previous design plan may not work.”Vanessa frowned. “Is it the main material in the design plan?”Ora shook her head. “Not exactly, but this material is used in several places in the plan, so…”Vanessa understood what Ora meant and interrupted, &ldquo
Upon hearing this, Beatriz's face turned pale, then flushed with anger.This was originally her trick. Worried that Luca might discover something, Beatriz cautiously glanced at him, relieved to see he wasn’t paying attention to her.Picking up on the sarcasm in Vanessa's words, Beatriz felt a bit unwilling to accept it and retorted, “President Saxon, what are you saying? Ezra is indeed feeling unwell, and as parents, it’s only natural for us to be cautious. Why does it become us slandering you here?”Vanessa found this amusing. “Miss Langley, your ability to twist facts is truly impressive. However, there’s no need for your little act in front of me; I’m not falling for it.”Seeing Vanessa’s disdainful expression, Beatriz became even more irritated. She tugged at Luca and said, “Luca, say something! Everyone in the mansion knows that Ezra is unwell. It’s not like we’re trying to sland