It had been a week since the subpoena was delivered to the Lancaster family. During this time, not only Martin Lancaster, but Wendy Lawrence and Riley Lancaster had also called Zoe Lancaster, trying to coerce and bribe her into dropping the lawsuit. They tried every trick in the book to persuade her not to push them too far. Zoe had already made up her mind, and eventually, she simply stopped answering their calls. She even temporarily blacklisted Martin, which finally gave her a couple days of peace.
Riley and Sean Sheffield’s affair had been suppressed, so not many people currently knew what happened between them. However, it had been painfully clear that day that Sean was not a merciful or accommodating man. He had actually brought in a private doctor and personally supervised the abortion performed on Riley. He even forced her to sign a consent form. The man’s methods were incredibly ruthless; his style was to permanently eliminate any future troubles. Riley stood absolutely no chance against him. Zoe guessed that even if Riley had secretly given birth and brought a living child to force Sean into marriage, it would have been futile. If anything, Sean would have resorted to even more extreme measures. The blow to Riley had been substantial, and she had been very quiet recently. Zoe couldn’t help but wonder, "Is this just a case of monsters being defeated by bigger monsters?"
She didn’t pay too much attention to the matter, as Claire Sutton and Leo Linden’s divorce case had gone to trial. Previously, Leo had been dragging his feet, refusing to sign the papers, and Claire had been helpless. Now that Caleb Ford had intervened and collected all the evidence, there was absolutely no room for maneuvering. With a top-tier gold-medal domestic lawyer stepping in, the court ultimately granted the divorce. Emerging from the courthouse, Claire immediately burst into tears, overcome with the emotion that she could finally start her life anew. Zoe hugged Claire affectionately. "Aunt Claire, everything will be fine from now on. I’ll take good care of you and Autumn."
Claire finally nodded through her tears. "This ill-fated relationship is over." Her child would no longer have to live a life of fear with her.
When Caleb walked out, Zoe looked at him with deep gratitude. "Thank you, Leo Ford. Having you handle a divorce case like this is really making a mountain out of a molehill for your talents. If there’s ever anything you need from me in the future, I’ll do my absolute best to repay you."
However, given a man of his status, how could he possibly ever need her help?
Caleb nodded, his expression indifferent. "It’s nothing. You’re welcome." After taking just two steps, he suddenly stopped and looked at Zoe. His brow furrowed slightly before he asked, "Where has Crystal Hayes been recently?"
Zoe looked at him in surprise. "Crystal went to another province for a competition. She won’t be back for half a month. Did you need something from her?"
A dark glint flashed in Caleb’s eyes, but he ultimately said nothing more. "It’s nothing. Just asking."
Crystal hadn’t bothered him for nearly ten days, and the silence felt highly abnormal. Usually, she loved to hover around him. Regardless of whether he gave her the cold shoulder, she never tired of it and never showed the slightest sign of backing down or giving up. He didn’t know when exactly it started, but she had stopped seeking him out, nor had she revealed her whereabouts. At one point, he even wondered if something had happened to her. Now that he knew the truth—she had gone to another province for a competition and didn’t have time to contact him? He couldn’t figure it out.
Before they could take another step, Leo Linden chased after them from behind, his face twisted in anger. "So what if we’re divorced? I’ll still haunt you! Neither of us will have a good life! Don’t even think about finding another man and living happily, Claire. Just you wait and see!"
He lunged forward so quickly that Zoe instinctively shielded Claire behind her. But someone else was faster. Appearing out of nowhere, a figure stepped directly in front of them, glaring coldly at Leo Linden. "Take one more step, and I won’t mind snapping your arm."
Zoe hadn’t expected Shane Shaw to be here.
Startled by Shane, Leo Linden faltered. The man looked incredibly fierce. Being the type to bully the weak but cower before the strong, Leo immediately stopped in his tracks. He shot a resentful glare at Claire, spat on the ground, and sneered, "We’ll see how this plays out, Claire!" With that, he turned and left.
Only then did Shane turn around.
Zoe already had a rough guess in her heart. "Did he ask you to follow us?"
Shane nodded. "Mr. Hawthorne assigned me to protect the mother and daughter. I’ve been staying close to them recently. Rest assured, Ma’am, there won’t be any problems."
Zoe couldn’t describe the mixture of feelings welling up inside her. She had always thought Simon Hawthorne didn’t care about her affairs. Yet now, he had secretly dispatched his personal bodyguard to protect Aunt Claire and Autumn. Shane had been by his side for many years. He had a complicated background but unparalleled abilities, and Simon rarely let him leave his side. It was impossible for her not to be surprised. Simon... what exactly was he thinking? She had no answers.
Simon was also recovering quickly. He had an excellent constitution, and with a specialized medical team and nutritionist taking care of him, his wound was healing exceptionally well. Claire’s smooth divorce was all thanks to Simon; otherwise, things wouldn’t have gone so effortlessly. After mulling it over, Zoe decided she ought to thank him. She recalled how he had been fixated on having her buy him that tie last time, which she had brushed off because it was too expensive. Now, it was time to give him something in return.
During the weekend, Zoe went to the mall, heading straight for that boutique. Swiping her card still made her heart ache. She still couldn’t understand why a tie had to be so outrageously expensive! She had the staff wrap it nicely.
Simon had been quite busy with work over the past few days, handling major overseas projects despite his injury. He hadn’t returned to Somerset Gardens, and since she couldn’t see him there, she drove to The Imperial Residence. He usually stayed at The Imperial Residence when he was busy. It was very close to the Global Trade Concourse, saving him a stressful commute.
By the time she arrived at The Imperial Residence, the sky had just turned dark. Since her purpose today was to show gratitude, a surprise would naturally be best. She didn’t call Simon and headed straight upstairs. The Imperial Residence used a passcode lock. She had been here once before and had Shane open the door for her. She remembered the code was 120607. The string of numbers wasn’t his birthday or their wedding anniversary, so she didn’t know what it meant. She entered the passcode and pushed the door open.
The massive penthouse was unlit. The only illumination came through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the living room. Outside, the luxurious, dazzling lights of the business district cast a decadent glow, putting the glittering skyline right beneath her feet. She closed the door behind her but couldn’t find the light switch, so she fumbled a few steps forward in the dark. Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound coming from within. Zoe jumped in fright.
After all, the penthouse was sprawling—over three hundred square meters—and being entirely alone in the pitch dark did give it a rather eerie atmosphere. She hurriedly reached for her phone to turn on the flashlight. Before she could switch it on, something brushed against her pant leg. The next second, she heard a sharp sound.
"WOOF WOOF!"
Stunned, Zoe quickly looked down. A small puppy was frantically wagging its tail at her. In the darkness, the little dog’s black eyes sparkled brightly as it kept pawing at her, practically vibrating with excitement. Her heart rate spiked as she crouched down. "Heartbreaker...?!"
Heartbreaker stood on his hind legs, nuzzling into her embrace. "WOOF WOOF WOOF!"
The puppy couldn’t speak, but his actions perfectly expressed how much he had missed her.
Astonished, Zoe scooped Heartbreaker into her arms, overwhelmed with a mix of shock, joy, and disbelief. "What are you doing here?! Have you been staying at The Imperial Residence this whole time?"
Hadn’t Simon said he gave the dog to someone else? He had claimed he absolutely despised small animals. But... Zoe glanced toward the corner of the living room. An automatic pet feeder and a pile of dog toys sat there. As for Heartbreaker, he was dressed in a little Chanel dog sweater, looking absolutely adorable. He had even gained a little weight, and his fur was immaculately groomed and silky smooth. He was being taken care of exceptionally well—even better than when she took care of him.
For some reason, tears suddenly welled up in Zoe’s eyes.