Tobias ran over swiftly and held Lucy's shoulder gently when she bent down to pick up the stuff. He helped her up and let her take a seat. "Be good and sit here. I'm going to pick up the stuff on the floor."Tobias' voice was exceptionally deep and hoarse. After that, he bent down and picked up the things scattered on the floor. "I appreciate it, Tobias."Lucy trembled internally. On one hand, Tobias' affectionate gesture aroused her so much that her heart was pounding like crazy. On the other hand, she was afraid that he might ask her about the reason all the stuff was on the floor.Lucy watched as Tobias picked up the stuff. It was such a common gesture, but he made it look so graceful and natural.Lucy didn't notice it, but she was looking at Tobias with a lot of affection. She asked, "Anyway, why were you gone for so long?"It was a good thing he had come back late. She would've been so embarrassed if he had seen the moment she'd had a meltdown.Tobias rose and said, "I w
Anna's eyes turned cold after she saw the news. All of a sudden, she heard the warden's voice. "Inmate 0988, Anna Lane. Someone's here to see you!"She was confused because she was an orphan. No one would pay her any attention at all after she was put behind bars. So who was here to visit her today?Anna's hands and feet were cuffed before the warden led her to an isolated visiting room. There was a man dressed in a black suit inside. He wore sunglasses, so she couldn't make out what he looked like. However, the man's features somewhat reminded her of Tobias for some reason."Who are you?""Take a seat and have a chat with me, Ms. Anna Lane."Anna was certain that she didn't know the man. So she sat on the chair warily. "I don't know who you are. What business do you have with me?"The man's lips curled into a grin. "My name's Ash. You don't have to know too much about me. All you have to do is answer my question."Anna looked at him in bewilderment.Ash asked, "Do you want t
The doctor was stunned by Tobias' words. "Do you already know about it?"Tobias responded coldly, "I do!"The doctor sighed and said, "Your wife's condition is quite serious. She begged with me sincerely and asked me to keep it a secret from you."He took out the actual medical report and handed it to Tobias. "This is the real report."Tobias checked it out. He didn't understand the medical terms. So, he asked, "Exactly what condition does she have? Why are her hands trembling so much that she couldn't even hold anything?"The doctor responded, "Your wife has the essential tremor. It is a neurodegenerative condition. It's different from Parkinson's disease, which would cause loss of muscle functions and render her unable to walk, in addition to her hands trembling."Tobias grew nervous after he heard what the doctor said. "Your wife's condition hasn't escalated to Parkinson's disease. In fact, we can treat her hand with the current medical technology."Tobias let out a sigh of
Then, Lucy saw Tobias in the kitchen. He was brandishing the kitchen knives as he chopped bones. The chopping sound came incessantly, but Tobias didn't manage to cut the bone. Instead, he almost split the chopping board in half. The kitchen was shrouded in smoke. Lucy could even smell something burning."What are you doing up, Lucy? Yikes. This is bad. My dishes are burnt." Tobias growled and hurried over to turn off the gas. Lucy asked in a shocked tone, "Why are you preparing dinner by yourself, Tobias?"Tobias was a prestigious man who lived a wealthy, comfortable life and was above such mundane matters. What had come over him and made him want to prepare dinner?Lucy coughed fiercely and asked, "Why didn't you turn on the kitchen vent? The house is shrouded in smoke!"Then, she pinched her nose and walked into the kitchen to turn on the kitchen vent. After that, the smoke in the kitchen gradually went away. "I'm sorry, Lucy. This is my first time cooking. I didn't think
Tobias and Lucy stood by the sink. She was washing the vegetables while Tobias stood behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held the vegetables for her. The water kept flowing as his mind wandered far. "My parents were always occupied with work when I was young. When they finally had off days, I wanted to have a happy weekend with them, much like any other child did. "However, they started fighting as soon as they saw each other. They even resorted to physical violence. Once, they fought in front of me. I saw with my own eyes how my mom wielded a knife and hacked away at my dad…"Tobias' voice choked up toward the last part of his sentence. Lucy was heartbroken after she heard what he said. Some people had such a blissful childhood that it allowed them to deflect any harm in adulthood. But there were others who had been traumatized in their childhood and ended up being scarred for life. Tobias undoubtedly belonged in the latter group."My mom used to take it out
"Heh. It turns out the CEO of Ripley Group had a female childhood friend. If we go by the cheesy soap operas, you guys should've reunited with each other. "Then, you two should've fallen in love and gotten married with a couple of kids. So, why didn't you marry her instead?" Lucy grunted and said in displeasure, "It looks like I got in the way!"She pouted as she spoke. Then, she turned her head sideways and ignored him. Tobias looked at Lucy as she got jealous, and his lips curled into a wicked grin. He cupped her face and turned it back gently. "Are you jealous?"Lucy huffed and turned her head to the side again. Tobias turned it back toward him again. "Look at me, babe." His voice was both deep and seductive. "Why bother looking at me? I'm not as pretty as your childhood friend!""It's true. I'm very grateful that she consoled me when I thought back to those moments. However, we were both so young. How were we supposed to know anything about love?"Tobias stared deeply int
It was already 9:00 pm by the time they were done with cleaning up."You've kept me company for the whole day, Tobias. Go ahead and do your work if you have to."Tobias checked the time and said, "Okay. I have a video conference later. What are you going to do after dinner?""I'm feeling a little tired. So, I'm not going to move around. I'll just sit on the couch and watch a movie.""Alright."Tobias turned around and went into the study to get his laptop. Lucy got comfortable on the couch and pulled up an application on her phone to watch a horror flick. Tobias came around and saw the cover poster for the movie. He said in a shocked tone, "Won't you spook yourself if you watch a horror movie at night?"Lucy shook her head and smiled. She said, "I won't be afraid if you're around."Tobias' lips curled into a grin. He placed his laptop on the table and sat on the rug before he crossed his legs.Lucy heard him making a video call and plugged her earphone into her phone. She wat
The next day, the golden rays of the sun shone through the glass and fell on the bed. Two figures were hugging each other and sleeping on the bed. Tobias was the first one to wake up. He had slept in the same posture for the whole night, and his hand was numb. He endured it longer before he finally couldn't take it anymore and pulled his hand out from under Lucy's head. Lucy woke up when he did that. But she was too tired from all the unspeakable things they had done last night. It felt like her body was drained of every ounce of energy. So, she was content to keep her eyes shut and continue sleeping. Tobias' phone vibrated. He slipped out of bed and answered it outside."Hello.""Today's Her Majesty's birthday party, Mr. Ripley. The presents have been prepared. Have you prepared formal clothes for Mrs. Ripley and yourself?"Tobias didn't remember it until Finn brought it up. He had forgotten to buy the formal attire yesterday. He checked the time and saw that there were sti