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
Magnus nodded immediately. "Of course, Daddy is a strong man. If he promises Maxime something, he will make sure to do it.""Daddy is so great! Daddy is the best! I love Daddy the most!" Maxime happily jumped up and down in his arms.Senna's face immediately turned dark. "This little brat has no conscience. You’ve been bought with just a gaming console. If Mommy doesn’t buy you one, you’ll hate Mommy, right? Hmm?"When Maxime saw that his mother’s face darkened, he immediately slipped out of Magnus’s arms, hugged her arm, and coquettishly said, "No, no, Mommy, don't be mad, I love Mommy the most... the most... the most..." He said ‘the most’ many times in one breath.Senna chuckled. "Good thing you still know you love Mommy the most... Otherwise, I wouldn’t want you anymore."Maxime immediately pouted his little lips and said, "No, no, no...""Alright, Maxime, Mommy needs to rest more to recover. You go back to Rosewood Manor with Uncle Edric."As the time was getting late, Magnus cal
When Maxime saw the old man lying in bed, his black eyes scanned the room a few times, realizing there was no one else. He then leaned over to the bedside with a cute smile. "You’re my great-grandpa." Magnus hadn’t lied to him. He was practically his mini-me, looking so much like him when he was young. The old man looked at Maxime, his eyes reddening as he almost couldn’t stop himself from crying. "Great-grandpa, why are you lying in bed, not moving?" Maxime reached up to scratch his head and then seemed to realize something. "I know, great-grandpa is sick, just like mom, and has to rest in bed, right?" "Little young master is so thoughtful. That's right, your great-grandpa is sick and can only rest in bed," the butler said, increasingly happy as he looked at the thoughtful child. What a well-behaved little one. "Mom says when you’re sick, you need to rest and drink more water. Great-grandpa, you should drink more water and eat more so you can get better soon." Maxime leaned ove
Senna looked at Magnus, the man who was like a god to her, her eyes reddened with emotion. "Magnus, you...""Those shares were left to you by your grandparents. I know you’re worried," Magnus gently cupped her face with his hands, leaned down and softly kissed her forehead, smiling as he said, "I helped you get them back because I want you to be happy, not to make you cry.""I… I am just so overwhelmed with emotion," Senna chuckled, blinking away the tears. She cared about those shares not for the wealth they represented, but because they were a legacy from her grandparents, a blessing from them."Senna, I want to ask you for one thing," Magnus said, lifting Maxime in his arms and looking at her."You've done so much for me, and yet you're still being so distant?" Senna raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued."This matter requires your consent before I can act. The Voss family owes you so much," Magnus lowered his head to glance at the child who was looking at him with equal curiosit
Mrs. Thorne had swollen, red eyes and a pale face, clearly having cried all night. She stormed in, angrily pointing at Senna and accusing her. “You wretched woman, you should have died three years ago. You shouldn’t have come back. Give me back my Astrid’s life! My poor daughter, she died so miserably!”Tobias and Maxime saw their hostile intent and quickly stood up to block Senna’s window.Maxime pointed at Mrs. Thorne and loudly said in a grown-up manner, “Old witch, I won’t allow you to curse my mom.”“Where did this wild child come from? How dare you call me an old witch? You rude, ill-mannered little bastard,” Mrs. Thorne snapped at Maxime.Senna sat up, gently patting Maxime’s head, her face darkening, and her gaze turning cold. “Maxime is not a wild child. He is my son, and he only needs to be polite to others.”Mrs. Thorne was beyond enraged. “Senna, you wretched woman, you killed my daughter, and now you’re insulting me? I’m your stepmother! How can you treat me like this? Ar
In a spacious, luxurious private hospital room, The Old Master lay on the bed, his face withered, his expression weary, and his eyes hollow. He had always been so proud and arrogant, unable to accept that he was now paralyzed. He refused to eat, and after two days, he could only survive on nutrition injections.“Old Master, I beg you, please eat a bit. If you don’t eat or drink like this, how can your body survive?” The butler, holding a bowl of congee, tried to feed him, but he refused to open his mouth.The butler felt heartbroken. He had served the old master for many years, and their relationship had long exceeded the bounds of master and servant. He thought of him as a brother, a family member. Seeing him like this, he wished he could take the suffering for him.The old man was known for his stubbornness; when he didn’t want to do something, no one could force him. He was once a powerful figure, but now he had fallen to such a state,
“You don’t have it now, but you will soon. Hurry up and get better, don’t forget, the tenth day is our big day,” Magnus said as he held her hand, his face full of anticipation.“Everyone outside thinks you're going to marry Astrid Thorne. What does that have to do with me?” Senna turned her face away and snorted.“Are you jealous?” Magnus couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re the mother of my two children, yet you’re still so jealous.”Magnus reached out to turn her face back to him, gently brushing her nose with his finger. “I haven’t told you yet, Astrid is dead.”“What? Astrid is dead?” Senna asked in surprise. “How did she die?” She had already guessed that Magnus wouldn’t let her off after hurting her at the mansion, but she didn’t expect him to go as far as killing her.After the shock, she felt a little pity—it w
Magnus reached out and gently wiped the tears from her face, his voice hoarse. “My Grandpa believed you were the one who set the fire that killed Matthias. He wouldn’t pass up any chance to take revenge on you. If I hadn’t done what I did, your life would have been in danger.”“Sis, brother-in-law didn’t mean to deceive you. Please forgive him.” Tobias pleaded anxiously.“You bad daddy! You made Mommy cry! I hate you!” Maxime angrily raised his little arm and shoved him away before hugging Senna tightly, speaking in an old-fashioned tone, “Mommy, don’t cry. Maxime loves you the most.”Looking at his own son standing like a wall between them, Magnus’s temple twitched violently. He barely resisted the urge to throw the little brat out.“Maxime, kids shouldn’t interrupt when adults are talking. Let me talk to your daddy, okay?” Senna stroked his head, her mind overflowing
It was unclear how much time had passed when a beautiful melody drifted into Senna’s ears. This song…“Sis, don’t sleep anymore. Please wake up, okay? I miss you so much. Sis, it’s been so long since you sang me to sleep. Do you still remember this song? You used to sing it to me all the time. Please wake up, sis. I’m so worried about you.”The familiar voice echoed in her ears—it was Tobias’s voice. Could it be… that she had died and met Tobias in heaven?“Sis, wake up! Open your eyes and look at me! It’s me, Tobias. How could you be so cruel and leave me behind?”Tobias’s voice grew increasingly sorrowful, choked with tears. Big, warm drops of his tears landed on Senna’s face.“Tobias…” It really was his voice. Senna’s eyes flew open, and the moment she saw that familiar little face so close to hers, tears gushed uncontrollably dow
But, the butler warning came too late. The sharp blade plunged mercilessly into the old master’s abdomen."You old bastard," Astrid sneered, her voice dripping with venom. "Three years ago, you promised me that if I got rid of Senna, I would marry into the Voss family as the young madam. But you went back on your word—I tolerated it. And now, when Magnus’s people are hunting me down, you want to cut ties with me? Since I’m doomed anyway, I’ll take you down with me. HAHAHA!""Old Master!"Blood spurted out as Astrid pulled out the knife. The butler’s face turned ashen with terror. Without hesitation, he raised his gun.Bang!The gunshot rang out.Astrid’s crazed laughter was abruptly silenced. A bullet pierced her forehead. Her wide, crazed eyes froze in place as her body collapsed to the ground, lifeless, her expression frozen in disbelief."Old Master, are you alright? Someone call for help!