Everyone was confused and unsure what had happened in the coffee shop. Suddenly, the door flung open.The police were on guard as they aimed their guns at the entrance of the coffee shop. However, to everyone's surprise, Lucy appeared before everyone's eyes."Babe!" Tobias shrieked and rushed to her. Seeing that, the police put down their weapons."Are you okay? Did anything happen to you?" Tobias held her shoulders and looked her up and down.Lucy was covered in dust. A black substance was on her face, making her look like a cat. She blinked, her eyes glistening like the stars in the night."I'm okay, darling. I heard what he said, and I'm so furious. He was distorting the truth and lying. I couldn't take it anymore and turned back to whack him!""Turn back?" Tobias quirked his eyebrow; he had noticed a keyword in her statement."Yeah, we had escaped before he noticed. Then, I crawled back in and gave him a piece of my mind!"Everyone around them buried their faces in their ha
At a corner, Rhett's wrist was bleeding when he had grazed it during his fall. He didn't care about his bleeding wrist and rushed to them, asking, "My dearest sister, are you okay?"Tobias held Lucy up. He heard how Rhett addressed her and glanced at him. Then, he retracted his gaze and looked at Lucy again.During that dangerous moment, Tobias hadn't been able to push Lucy away in time, so he could only hug her in his arms. Even if Simon's blade came at them, it would only hurt him!However, he had never expected an accident to happen—Simon's blade had grazed Lucy's and Kate's arms."Shit, you got hurt in the end!" He had risked his life to save Lucy. He felt guilty and blamed himself as he saw that she was hurt."It's okay, Tobias." Lucy noticed the blood on his arm, making her heart ache terribly. She asked in shock, "Darling, why are you bleeding?"Then, Tobias realized that his hand had started bleeding without him noticing. However, it didn't hurt much, so he said nonchalan
Lucy didn't know what Tobias had in mind. Confused, she asked, "We're only mildly injured. Why do we need a blood test?"Tobias explained, "Who knows what might go wrong? It's better to be safe than sorry. It won't take much to get a check-up."Rhett wanted to get another DNA test done with Lucy but didn't have the opportunity to get Lucy's blood or hair sample. Now, the opportunity was right before his eyes.So, he played along and said, "Mr. Ripley is right. We should get a blood test. Who knows if there was anything wrong with that man?"Since they had both said so, Lucy had no choice but to follow the majority."Okay."As they conversed, they arrived at the hospital, and the group exited the ambulance. They placed Kate, who was still unconscious, on the gurney. After running a series of tests, the doctor said she was in shock and would potentially stay unconscious for some time.Then, the adults went to get a blood test done.…Joey hadn't seen Tobias since the latter ha
As Joey walked toward the laboratory, her phone rang. "Madam Joey, something terrible has happened. Ms. Hudson fainted.""What?" Rather than worry and concern, a glint flickered in her eyes. She asked, "Why did she faint? Has she gone to get herself checked?""We've brought her to Central Hospital. The doctors are checking on her as we speak."Coincidentally, Joey was in Central Hospital. "Give me her room number. Please take extra good care of her. She might be pregnant!""Okay."After ending the call, Joey glanced at the laboratory and decided to look.The doctor in the laboratory went to test the blood samples. When Joey quietly entered, she overheard a conversation between two doctors."This is weird. Mr. Ripley and Mr. Rhett decided to run a DNA test with Ms. Everhart. Did they plan this? Why would they secretly run separate tests instead of doing it together?""I have no idea!"The news struck Joey like a roaring thunder. Back then, she had meddled in Lucy's DNA test wit
"Oh…"Lucy didn't notice how absent-minded Rhett was.As Millie watched them leave, worry began to fill her eyes. She sighed and caressed the unconscious Kate's face, saying, "Kate, I never thought I'd bump into your father here. It's a shame… He has a girlfriend."Joey, who was eavesdropping from the outside, covered her mouth in shock when she the words Millie uttered sadly. She almost screamed."Your father doesn't know you exist. Would he hate us if we interfered with their relationship?" Millie sniffed and croaked, "Kate, I'll take you far away, okay?"Joey covered her mouth in shock. Shakily, she left.What she heard was music to her ears!Millie used to pursue Tobias so aggressively. Joey never expected they had slept together and had a daughter in secret.If Howard learned about this, she would be able to return to Ripley Residence. Joey considered it and started devising a plan. The more she thought about it, the more miraculous she thought the situation was. She bel
The person who spoke was Mabel Robertson, the second daughter of the Robertson family, the charity event's organizer and tonight's host.The Robertsons and the Ripleys had encountered each other multiple times in business. Tobias and Mabel had met each other before. But being the aloof man he was, he had always been so occupied with work that he hadn't noticed Mabel much. He couldn't remember who she was. "Mr. and Mrs. Ripley, you are a match made in heaven. You make everyone envious!" Mabel appeared friendly as she spoke with a saccharine smile plastered on her face.She looked at Tobias with a glint of adoration, but a glint of jealousy was hidden in her eyes when she looked at Lucy. Tobias frowned at the woman standing in their way. Unamused, he said, "You're in our way. Are you trying not to let us in?""Why would I?" Mabel realized she was being rude and quickly stepped away, saying, "I'm sorry for being rude. Please, after you."Mabel smiled at Lucy, who returned a smil
Tobias shrugged and appeared uninterested. However, he noticed Lucy's curiosity and said, "The Robertsons are the hosts for the charity event tonight. Kate is a Robertson, so she might be related to them."Lucy nodded. "I see." She wasn't interested in the items displayed on stage. She said, "Darling, I'll look for Kate and be right back.""Okay."Lucy got up and headed toward Kate's direction.Behind the area where the charity event was being held, there was a small garden with a lovely view and a swimming pool. A few celebrities were hanging out there, enjoying some drinks and snacks.Lucy overheard their conversation. "Did you see the news? Mr. Ripley's public display of affection with that woman. Pfft, the idiots were so enthusiastically discussing someone else's public display of affection. Don't they know flames like that die quickly?""Fran, don't tell me you're jealous!" That woman was Francesca Marlow, Mabel's friend.Francesca said with disdain, "Me, jealous? Please,
Lucy stopped in her tracks. "They mistreated your mom?"Lucy thought about Millie. Although she had only met the latter once, she felt an unexplainable sense of familiarity with her.Kate nodded. A petite girl like her was carrying a huge burden. "Yes, that vicious woman's name is Francesca Marlow. She and Mabel frequently mistreat my mom. "Mabel went against my momagain earlier, and my mom was hiding in the backyard, crying. I came to stand up for her and overheard them gossiping about you. I had to intervene!"Kate scoffed. "I wanted to give her a piece of my mind!"It turned out Kate wanted to avenge Mille and had stood up for Lucy.Lucy rubbed Kate's head. "Where is your mom now?""Over there."Kate pointed in a direction. Lucy said, "Let's go and find her.""Okay." Lucy held Kate's hand and went in the direction Kate had pointed in to look for Millie. In the greenery not far from them, they heard a woman crying and the sound of a man's reprimands. "What are you crying
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