Hearing this, Luca’s face paled slightly, and his thoughts were pulled back to the past…
“I actually didn’t hate you. I mean, back five years ago.” Luca hesitated, unsure how to convey his feelings to Vanessa so that she would believe him.
Five years ago, when he learned that he was about to marry Vanessa, Luca felt a sense of resistance. He knew that Vanessa liked him, but at that time, he didn’t have any feelings for her.
Luca disliked the feeling of being controlled by others. He initially didn’t want this arranged marriage and even transferred his frustration onto Vanessa.
However, it seemed that Vanessa didn’t notice his aversion. She continued to revolve around him every day.
Seeing the pampered young lady, who had never touched the kitchen before, learn to cook for him, burning her hands and hiding them behind her back in fear of him noticing, Luca had to admit that, from that moment on, his h
“Really?” Mariah’s interest was piqued. The actor Leonardo Blue was her perfect idol—talented and skilled, it was as if heaven had blessed him with a career.“I wouldn’t joke about this. Recently, at an event, I happened to be a guest alongside him. Since you mentioned before that he’s your idol, I casually asked him for an autographed photo for you. When are you free? I can give it to you,” Cassandra said.Hearing that she could get an autographed photo of her idol, Mariah felt her spirits lift, sweeping away the earlier gloom. She quickly replied, “I’m free tonight. How about we grab dinner?”“Great! It’s a deal. I’ll send you the location later.”The two quickly settled on a time and place to meet.Cassandra’s sudden call to Mariah wasn’t coincidental; it was actually a request from Luca.Luca had been keeping an eye on Vanessa&rsqu
Not knowing if Cassandra had understood, Mariah adjusted her face and said earnestly, “Cassandra, don’t misunderstand. I was just trying to help you out. I really don’t like girls!”At that moment, Cassandra's intoxication caught up with her, and she could hardly hear what Mariah was saying before she drowsily fell asleep.Watching Cassandra sleep in her arms, Mariah found the situation both amusing and exasperating. She could only call a car to take her home.The next morning, Cassandra woke up with a terrible headache, groggily sitting up while holding her head, piecing together the fragmented memories of the night before.‘Did I really kiss Mariah last night? Oh no, she can’t seriously think I like girls, or that I have feelings for her, can she?’Realizing what she had done, Cassandra tightly wra
Luca was taken aback. “What’s so uncomfortable about that?”As soon as he finished speaking, Vanessa shot him an eye-roll, silencing him instantly.Luca replied awkwardly, “Well… I still have to attend the meeting. I’ll try my best not to look at you.”Vanessa wasn’t sure how much ‘trying’ that meant, as Luca continued to stare at her throughout the meeting.Vanessa could only do her best to ignore the intense gaze, focusing on the meeting materials instead. However, due to her nerves, she stumbled over her words a few times while speaking, leaving her feeling flustered, but there was nothing she could do about Luca.Meanwhile, Mariah and Cassandra arrived at the agreed location.In front of the elegant Japanese restaurant, a young man in a suit had been waiting f
Vanessa's private elevator had some issues, so she ended up sharing the same elevator with the staff. She didn’t expect to overhear such explosive content and perked up her ears to listen closely to the conversation between two employees in front of her.“Ah, come on, it’s hard to define something like this,” one said hesitantly.Hearing the doubt in the other’s voice, the first person got anxious. “How could I possibly be mistaken? It’s that actress who has been coming to our company often. I bumped into her at a restaurant once, and the way they interacted felt overly intimate.”“No wonder Mariah is cold toward every man. There were a few guys in our department who wanted to pursue her, but she outright rejected them,” the other employee replied.Finally grasping the situation, Vanessa felt a bit surprised.Recently, Cassandra had been coming here frequently. Coupled with what she
Luca had already done enough for her; there was no need for him to risk himself alongside her.Of course, Vanessa also harbored a secret thought. Luca’s presence and support had made her start to hesitate. She didn’t want to accept too much from him for fear that she might be unable to resist seeking revenge against him later.So, Vanessa discreetly gathered information about the situation of those people and went to visit them alone.Unfortunately, these individuals all found various excuses to avoid seeing her.After being repeatedly turned away, Vanessa felt somewhat frustrated. She couldn’t understand why they were so determined not to meet her. Did they not want to get involved in these matters again?Vanessa speculated aimlessly in her mind.Regardless, one thing was certain: Beatriz had definitely u
“Vanessa, stop acting so smug in front of me. You won’t be able to take Luca away from me—just like you couldn’t five years ago, and just like you won’t now. From the beginning to the end, Luca belongs only to me.”Beatriz’s eyes blazed with anger as she stared at Vanessa, making no effort to conceal the hatred in her gaze.“Oh? Can’t take him away?” Vanessa sneered, deliberately fanning the flames. “Then what exactly are you doing now?”“You bitch.”Beatriz was truly enraged. She raised her hand high, ready to slap Vanessa, but before she could strike, Vanessa caught her wrist mid-air.There was no way she’d take that slap for nothing. Watching Beatriz fume in helpless anger, Vanessa felt a twisted sense of satisfaction rise in her chest.But this wasn’t nearly enough. Not even close. The suffering she had endured needed to be repaid—tenfol
However, while Vanessa had planted some spies in the Ness branch, the manpower was still insufficient. She feared being discovered by Beatriz’s people the moment she stepped outside.After much consideration, Vanessa had no choice but to employ a clever ruse, swapping clothes with one of her subordinates. She had her subordinate disguise themselves as her and rushed out in a hurry.Sure enough, Beatriz’s underlings were completely deceived by this trick, focusing intently on Vanessa's subordinate.Taking advantage of this distraction, Vanessa managed to escape with the help of her aide.Beatriz, still under Raymond's control, could only watch helplessly as the scene unfolded, unable to warn her subordinates. Watching them be fooled by Vanessa made her so furious that she nearly bit her teeth in frustration.‘These useless leeche
Five years ago, Beatriz bribed a doctor and provided Luca with a fake pregnancy test report. Meanwhile, she played the role of a confidante by Luca's side, offering him suggestions.At that time, Luca's feelings for Vanessa were still unclear, but he didn’t want any accidents to befall her, which ultimately led him to fall into Beatriz’s trap.Vanessa looked at the man in front of her, who kept apologizing, and it would be a lie to say she felt no sympathy.After all, he was the man she had admired for many years and had also hated for five.Yet, Vanessa felt deeply moved.Did he even realize that because of one of his actions back then, their child had nearly lost its innocent life?Vanessa couldn’t shake off the feeling that forgiving him too easily would be unfair, yet she also thought that ultimately, what had happened was not entirely his fault. It could only be said that Beatriz was an excellent actress with dee
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 call
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!