Anabella could sense Tobias' fury. She was sure she was in the right, but somehow she felt guilty when she looked at him.Tobias' voice was frosty, like a glacier. "Your Majesty, you are the Queen of Faldoria, feared and respected by many. "Tell me, if word got out about the comments you made earlier, do you think you would still have the trust and admiration of your people?"Once he finished speaking, he waved his hand and revealed a voice recorder.Anabella was reddened with rage. She furiously looked at him. "How dare you record this?""You threatened me, so why can't I record our conversation?" Tobias sneered and lowered his head to fiddle with the recorder. He looked like a mature, steady, and domineering champion."You have two options—discuss it with me, or I will publicize the recording!"Anabella scoffed. "How dare you threaten me on my turf? Do you think you'll be able to walk out of here alive?"A cold glint flickered in her eyes as she said, "Guards, take the recor
While Tobias was negotiating with Anabella, Lucy was busy too. She traveled high and low to the quiet mountains to seek help from Benedict.The mountain trail was uneven, and she almost passed out from how much the wheelchair shook as they went up the mountain.When she reached the wooden house, her face was pale, as if her soul had left her body.A casually dressed old man came out to get some water. However, he saw three women standing at the door from the corner of his eyes. Initially, he thought it was weird—why would three women come to such a rural area?"Mr. Jones!" Lucy addressed him sweetly.Benedict blinked; he thought he was dreaming and rubbed his eyes and pinched his cheeks. "Lucy? I can't believe it's you! Why did you suddenly come here?"Benedict stared at Lucy's cast; his expression turned serious. "What happened? Why do you have a cast?"Lucy laughed lightly and said, "I'm okay, Mr. Jones. I can remove them in less than two weeks.""How can you let someone ru
Back in Faldoria, Tobias' suggestion left everyone looking at each other and whispering to each other. The atmosphere became tense.Anabella scoffed and said, "Why should I give you a three-day grace period, Mr. Ripley? How does that benefit me?"Tobias said, "Your Majesty, everyone poured their blood, sweat, and tears the whole year to plan for your birthday party. Every outfit, hair accessory, pair of shoes, and hat—every single thing was intricately designed. "I believe you wouldn't want to take everyone's effort as a joke. Plus, the birthday party is going to be held soon. "Do you think it's more important to waste your time fighting a lawsuit against me? Or is it more important for you to show up as the most beautiful woman in the world?" Tobias gave Anabella two options.Someone advised, "Your Highness, the birthday party is around the corner. Why don't we give Mr. Ripley a chance? As they say, it's better to let someone off if the opportunity arises."Everyone started ta
"This matter is excusable, and we shouldn't be so graceless. Don't you think, Your Majesty?" Albert might have posed his statement as a question to Anabella, but his tone and attitude seemed flinty, implying that he would fight with her if she didn't agree to it.Why was Anabella so terrified of him?In his early years, Albert had been a famous politician in Faldoria. He was an influential minister who had supported the late king's rise to power. After helping the late king secure his throne, he had given all his power to the late king.His generous attitude had earned him the respect and admiration of many!The late king had died young due to sickness. Since the country had become unstable afterward, Albert had supported Anabella's rise to power and helped her secure the throne.He had not been in politics for a long time, but the political circles would always tell his legacy.So, as long as he was in the palace, everyone would pay him respect, including Queen Anabella.Anab
When Tobias left the meeting room, he almost fainted as a cold wind blew toward him. Thankfully, Finn was waiting for him outside. He noticed the ghastly look on Tobias' face and quickly went to hold him out.Tobias covered his mouth and coughed violently. He felt as if he were about to cough his lungs out. Finn caressed his forehead and shrieked, "Oh, my god, you're burning, Mr. Ripley. Let me take you to the hospital."Tobias waved his hand and said, "It's not that bad. Take me back to the hotel and get Peter to administer an IV drip. Ask the professional team to come to my room, and we will discuss the next steps."Finn felt helpless but could only comply. "Okay."…After a string of events, Tobias was finally resting on his hotel bed. Once Peter had administered an IV drip, he checked Tobias' vitals and reprimanded him. "Tobias, you're burning at 104 degrees yet still working so hard. You really don't take care of your health enough!"Tobias felt his head throbbing violen
It was a 24-hour flight from Clusia to Faldoria. While Lucy was on the plane, a lot happened on Tobias' end.Tobias was suffering from a high fever that caused a severe case of pneumonia. He was sent to the emergency ward and was conscious, utterly oblivious to the recent developments.After Lucy called Chloe, Tobias' team panicked as they couldn't find a business partner. Then, Chloe came to the rescue and agreed to work with them.Once both parties came to a mutual agreement, the factory ran overtime to get the job done. It was a high-end pair of shoes, so every detail needed to be accounted for. Hence, the production period took longer; the shoes would only be ready by the third day.Lucy landed in Faldoria on the third day.When she landed, Chloe was waiting for her at the airport's exit.Chloe warmly welcomed her. "Ms. Lucy, welcome back to Faldoria. Why are you in a wheelchair? What happened to your arm and leg?"Sasha and Faith had tagged along with Lucy.Faith saw how e
What Tobias thought by day became a dream by night. He had been unconscious for two days and had many terrible nightmares.He dreamed that Ripley Group was forced to shut down. The employees who had worked for Ripley Group for many years were devastated and blamed him for their downfall. It was torturous; he was filled with remorse. He was devastated that his family suffered, too.In his dream, he locked himself in a small and dark house, leaving himself to his own demise. While he was in a trance, he heard a familiar voice."Don't worry, Tobias. I'll be with you as we ride through this storm with Ripley Group.""Lucy…" Tobias muttered as he attempted to barge out of the dark house to look for Lucy.However, no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't escape!Tobias had his eyes closed. He shouted, "Lucy!"He waved his hand around and grabbed Lucy's. Then, like a drowning man who had caught a lifebuoy in the water, he found the hope to continue to live.Lucy was beside him,
Lucy and the rest arrived at the palace gates. Coincidentally, the delivery person arrived at the same time, too.Both parties exchanged words shortly and were about to examine the product.Initially, the delivery person was skeptical of Lucy's identity, but he recognized Finn, who explained the situation. Then, he agreed to let them examine the product.They opened the extravagant-looking gift box, and a beautiful pair of high heels was displayed before everyone's eyes. The group couldn't help but gasp in awe when they saw them.Everyone shouted, "This pair of heels is gorgeous!"Lucy felt content as she admired her design come to life. "Finn, please tell him to bring the heels to me so I can examine them.""Okay."Finn communicated with the delivery person in Faldorian. The man removed the high heels from the box and passed them to Lucy. However, as he retrieved them from the box, the heel of the pair of high heels fell off!"Oh my god, what happened to the heel?""Shit, we'
Lucy heard what Tobias said and didn't dare to look at him. She lowered her gaze, allowing tufts of hair in front of her forehead to conceal her emotions. "Why would I feel jealous? I don't love you."Tobias heard the last part of her sentence and felt as if countless insects were gnawing on his heart, making him feel itchy and painful. Both of them fell quiet, and things were a little awkward between them."The doctor's here, Prince Toddy.""Let him in."The doctor entered the bedroom and brought with him medical equipment of his own. He did a series of checkups on Lucy and said, "It's the same diagnosis as before, Prince Toddy. Her internal organs remain untouched, but she was wounded severely on the outside. "We need to apply a specialized ointment on her skin. Otherwise, she will have scars."Tobias said, "What are you waiting for, then? Get us the specialized ointment.""I've given you all of them, Prince Toddy. Use it wisely for now. The only person who possessed these sp
It seemed like Tobias was afraid that Lucy might reject him again. He added, "You haven't gone home for an entire night, Greta. Sully and Eli are extremely worried about you. I didn't want to alarm them, so I lied and said you're staying in the castle as a guest."If you insist on going back and letting them see you in this state, the twins would be worried and scared. Wouldn't you say?"Solomon and Elio were Lucy's weak spots. Initially, she was determined to leave. However, she hesitated when she heard what he said. Lucy lowered her head and looked at herself. Her limbs were injured, and her fingers were slightly bent. She was trembling ceaselessly as well. It looked as if her joints were distorted, giving off the impression that she was a disabled person. On top of that, Lucy's skin was cracked open from all the lashes. She looked absolutely terrifying. If she showed up in front of Solomon and Elio, looking like this, she would definitely traumatize them. With that said, Luc
Staying in the castle for the long term? Elio, who was a curious and mischievous kid, thought about the lavishing and magnificent castle, and his eyes sparkled. He responded to Tobias without any hesitation, "I do!"Meanwhile, Solomon wasn't interested in the castle that much. He wanted to spend some time with Tobias. On the other hand, he wouldn't be able to see Noah anymore if he went to the castle. So, he stuttered and said, "I don't."Elio looked at Solomon in confusion. The latter seemed to see through the former's bewilderment, and he asked, "Do you honestly think we can do whatever we want in the castle, just like the way we lived at the farm? "Moreover, we won't be able to see Noah anymore once we move there."Noah might've been a stepfather, but he took a huge place in the twins' hearts. Tobias was disappointed when he heard what Solomon said. "Do you two care about Noah very much?"Solomon responded, "Of course!" He considered his stepfather to be a good father. Tobia
Tobias used the military authority to his advantage and swiftly subdued Killian and all the leaders of his faction. All of them were incarcerated by the royal guards, and the signals were jammed. Not even God himself could help Killian and his ilk now. All they could do was sit on their thumbs in their respective homes. Moreover, Tobias revoked Killian's dukedom and stripped the latter of his military authority over Killian's negligence in Marie's education. After all, she drugged a prince. Now, Killian was nothing but a loser.Killian flew into a rage. "Damn it. King Samson had to show me some respect, but Toddy just disrespected me. How dare he lock me up at my home and make me a laughingstock in front of the entire world?""Marie has been imprisoned in the dungeon for a long time now, Kilian. What if she can't take it?""I'll never let her die!" Killian bellowed. "Did they think I command only the factions in the castle? They have grossly underestimated me."Killian couldn't
Tobias accompanied Lucy and looked after her carefully. News of Marie's arrest quickly made its way to Samson. Once he knew what happened, he was enraged at her actions. Before he had time to comfort Tobias, Marie's father, Killian Lemoine, rushed into the castle in a fit of rage. "King Samson. Prince Toddy actually ordered his men to arrest Marie for the sake of a civilian. Do you have no respect for me as a duke?" Killian ordered angrily, "Release Marie at once. Otherwise, I'll make you regret it."Samson slammed the table. "Are you trying to launch a mutiny, Killian?"Killian responded, "All I want is for my daughter to be safe and sound. If someone so much as touches her hair, I won't mind going up against the throne to the bitter end!""Why, you!" Samson was agitated. "You are feeling heartbroken for what happened to your daughter, but Lucy was also her parent's sweetheart. Why haven't you thought about how poorly you've educated Marie while she did those heinous acts?""I
Lucy cried out, "Get away from me!"The royal guards acted like starving wolves. They pounced at Lucy and tore her clothes to pieces, making her look even more miserable. At the critical moment, a figure flashed past them. A thudding sound could be heard as one of the royal guards was sent flying into the air. Every time Tobias swung his fist, he sent another royal guard flying. He bellowed coldly, "How dare you lay your grubby paws on what belongs to me? Death has come for all of you!""Prince Toddy." The royal guards immediately felt that something was wrong and fell to their knees, their faces drained of color. "Take all of them away!"Lucy was downright miserable. There were filthy liquids and blood all over her body. On top of that, her hands and feet were covered in bloodied welts. Her hair was disheveled, and her face was pale. It felt as if she was one touch away from passing away.Tobias' heart seemingly stopped beating. He was so heartbroken that the veins on his fo
Someone stole Duchess Lemoine's necklace.Tobias felt that this was something fishy, but he couldn't be bothered by it now. His head throbbed as he thought about how he had forced himself on Lucy. He said, "Dante, do you think Greta will hate me?"Dante stuttered, "Ms. Everhart was f-furious when she left and asked you n-not to look for her. Otherwise…"He stopped himself from finishing his sentence.Tobias asked, "Otherwise?"Trembling, Dante said, "Otherwise, s-she would beat you up each time she saw you."Tobias massaged his throbbing temple. "Prepare all the shoes, clothes, and accessories any woman would like. They need to be the best in the world. I'll apologize to her when dawn breaks.""Okay."Tobias stood by the bedside, heavy-hearted.Outside the window, the guards were scouring high and low. When Tobias saw what was happening, his eyes twitched for some unknown reason, as if he had an ominous feeling that something terrible had happened.After finishing breakfast a
At 3:00 am, Lucy felt like her bones were about to shatter.That damned man! How long had he been starving himself? He had come onto her seven times, devouring her completely.Tobias was sound asleep. Lucy lost herself for a second as she stared at his handsome face. At that moment, her heart beat wildly. When she regained her senses, she was so furious that she cursed him out internally.She wanted to help out of kindness but ended up giving herself to him. Lucy didn't want anything to do with him anymore and only wanted to remember this as an unfortunate event.Lucy got up, but her legs were so weak that she collapsed on the floor with a thump. She was even more furious.She turned to look at Tobias, who was fast asleep. She conveniently took her clothes from the bed and left while supporting herself on the wall.The corridor was still empty, but Lucy noticed the guards surrounding the entrance when she arrived on the first floor. Dante was also there. He was dozing off from wa
"Hmm… L-let go."Lucy tried to resist, but Tobias' kiss was like an ever-burning flame. She felt uncontrollably weak in her knees. It was hard for her to breathe, as if her mind was foggy from the lack of oxygen. She even kissed him back fiercely.Her kiss, in return, was like a fuse being lit, igniting the burning passion in Tobias. He aggressively ripped open her clothes, but the intricate design of her gown made it difficult to tear off. Lucy regained her senses and forcefully pushed him away.Tobias was caught off guard. With a loud knock, he collapsed on the floor. He moaned in pain as the back of his head hit the floor hard.His face flushed with an unnatural shade of red. He curled his body up in agony, and his voice sounded gruff. He had the last ounce of rationality in him. "Help me…"Lucy was blushing as well. In shock, she exclaimed, "What's the matter with you?"She walked closer to him and realized something was wrong with Tobias, assuming he had eaten something upse