Lucy finally understood why no one was outside; they had been assigned other tasks.Lucy could tell Joey was doing it on purpose but couldn't understand why Joey was targeting her. Although Joey had appeared warm when she had visited the hospital this morning, she was completely different when Tobias wasn't around.Lucy didn't give it much thought and said, "Mom, you don't need to summon all the maids to cook. You should leave someone with me. I have trouble moving around right now."Joey gave her a side-eye and scoffed, thinking, "For a barren woman, you are so troublesome."Joey played along and said, "Okay, I'll get someone to come and help you. You can rest while I show Maya around."Lucy nodded and looked at Maya again, who had plastered on a smile."Let's go take a walk, Maya.""Okay, Joey."Maya turned and glared at Lucy with a look of disdain.After both of them left, Lucy was left alone for 30 minutes, without any signs of a maid coming over to attend to her.Lucy
"If she has a visitor, so be it. Can't you say it politely? How dare you call her a stupid woman? Test me, and I'll tell Tobias about this."Although Lucy felt uneasy about what Joey had said, she had held it in for the sake of keeping the peace. However, Sasha couldn't take it anymore and reproached Joy."Who the hell are you? You have no right to use that tone with me in my own home!""I'm Lucy's good friend. I'm warning you, don't mistreat Lucy, or you will suffer for it!""Stop it, Sasha." Lucy gave Sasha a look. Sasha stomped her feet in anger.Joey's eyes sparkled. She asked, "Lucy, it's my fault for what happened earlier. I trust that you won't tell Tobias about it.""It's okay, Mom. I won't tell him. Who's here to see me?""Brett and Rhett Eberhard. Let's go to them.""Okay."The group went to the living room. Brett, Rhett, and Maya were there.Lucy entered and secretly perked an eyebrow. She immediately noticed Maya's mesmerized gaze as she stared at Brett.She thou
Tobias wanted to see Lucy the moment he stepped foot into Ripley Residence.He had been occupied the whole day and had been unsure whether Lucy had been properly cared for while she had been recuperating at home. He had been riddled with worry, completely oblivious that Lucy was the only person occupying his mind."Welcome home, darling!" Lucy's eyes brightened when she noticed his return. Her voice was as sweet as honey.Tobias walked toward her, ignoring the guests in the house. Concerned, he asked, "How was it at home, babe? Did you get enough rest? How are you adapting?"Lucy felt uneasy about Joey's treatment of her. However, she immediately oozed warmth at the sight of Tobias, so she pushed her uneasiness to the back of her mind.Lucy said, "I'm getting used to it. I will eventually."Tobias stretched his arms and wrapped Lucy in them. He asked lovingly, "Did you miss me?"Embarrassed, she glanced at her surroundings and said, "Tobias, we have company."Only then did To
Joey's plan was to kick Lucy out. But now that she had realized how deeply Tobias loved Lucy, she knew she had to shake the foundation of their relationship if she wanted to separate them.So, she had to disappoint either Tobias or Lucy.Lucy was the daughter of the Eberhards, so Joey wasn't bold enough to make Lucy lose her innocence.Hence, she had no choice but to use Maya, who seemingly admired Tobias. Once her plan succeeded, she would take Lucy to catch them in the act."Maya, whether you can get Tobias will depend on your performance. Do your best and give me a grandchild. Then, I will welcome you into the Ripley family."Maya appeared shy and said, "I will try my best, Joey."She lowered her gaze. No one noticed the dark glint that flickered in her eyes. Then, they returned to the dining table one at a time. Tobias was attentively taking care of Lucy. "Darling, I can eat the greens. You don't need to slice the meat for me.""How can you only eat vegetables? Protein is
"Don't worry, Joey, I'll follow your plan.""Great, I'll head out now. All the best!""Thank you, Joey!"After Joey left, Maya's gentle demeanor instantly changed. It was as if she had turned into a naughty elf; it was difficult to grasp whether she was good or bad.Maya went to the second floor. She didn't go to Tobias' room but to the guest room where Brett was.She had never liked Tobias and had had a crush on Brett for many years. Unfortunately, Brett didn't even know who she was. Today, she had mustered the courage and was ready to do something outrageous.The Hudsons were backed by the Shelton family, so she couldn't afford to offend the Sheltons. However, she could tip the scales in her favor secretly.She entered Brett's room. Brett was drugged, so he was unaware that someone was close to him. Maya caressed Brett's handsome face; she looked obsessed as she fixed her eyes on him."Brett, I like you. I don't hope for a future between us, but I need you to be my first time
Lucy questioned, "This is mine and Tobias' room. How did you get in here?"Lucy was riddled with conflicting emotions at the sudden turn of events. She believed Tobias, but her heart was rattled at the sight of the blood on Maya's leg.She went ballistic.Maya wailed, "I don't know. I only drank so little last night. When I went to look for water in the middle of the night, I must have come into the wrong room. Perhaps… Mr. Ripley mistook me for you…"Lucy bit her lower lips. Her gaze turned extremely cold.Tobias looked at her sternly. "Babe, believe me. I didn't touch her. Even if we were fast asleep, how could we not sense that someone entered our room? How could I touch her after I had fallen asleep?"Lucy nodded. She could sense that something was fishy."I just heard shrieks from Brett's room earlier. Did something happen?""Let's get up and see what's going on!"Tobias got up and looked at Maya coldly. He said, "I'm going to help my wife change. Please leave!"Maya cov
The atmosphere at Ripley Residence instantly became tense. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, and no one noticed the smug glint that flickered in Joey's eyes."Since it has already happened, it's useless to talk about it further. You can discuss how to handle your situation amongst yourselves, Mr. Brett and Ms. Zahler. For now, let's settle the situation between Tobias and Maya."Joey said, "Lucy, Maya is the Hudsons' only child. Now, Tobias has robbed her of her innocence, so he should marry Maya. "You should understand this situation and forgo your position. We can discuss how much alimony is appropriate to compensate you."Joey scoffed to herself, disgusted by the idea that Lucy, a barren woman, would be shameless enough to stay in the Ripley family. She should know her place and scram.When Lucy heard this, her face drained of color. "Mom, what did you say?"When Tobias heard Joey, his face turned pale as he stood up. "Mom, I told you—I won't treat my marriage as a chi
Amid the chaos, Lucy calmly agreed to Joey's suggestion. Everyone was dumbfounded; even Joey hadn't expected this outcome. She had thought Lucy would struggle relentlessly.Joey said happily, "Lucy, I'll take your word for it. You can't go back on it!"Tobias was confused. "Lucy, do you know what you're saying? I've never changed my mind. Why did you give up?"Tobias thought she had said that she liked him. So why had she given up so easily? Perhaps her feelings for him weren't as deep as he had thought.Everything about Lucy had been ingrained in him for a long time without him knowing. He had never wondered if he loved her.However, he felt inexplicably disappointed at the thought of how shallow her love for him was.He thought Lucy was his wife. Spoiling her was a gentleman's responsibility, so he had never held back his affection for her. Whether he loved her had never been important to him.But why had she given up on him? Did she not like him anymore, or was she disgusted