Filed To Story: The Broken-Hearted She and The Icy He Book PDF Free
When Victor had his men check where Adeline lived, they had gone further, uncovering parts of her past.
He knew she had once been sold off by her parents for money.
He knew, too, that with Lily’s help, she had severed ties with them and was later adopted by Greg and Holly.
But he hadn’t expected her parents-after already taking money years ago when they cut her off-to shamelessly take another eight-hundred-eighty thousand and sell her again. oken Hearted She and the Icy He
Time and again, Adeline had been betrayed and sold out by her own parents. Surely, deep down, the hurt must run unbearably deep.
Victor’s chest ached sharply at the thought.
When Norman tried to reach for her hand again, Victor’s patience snapped. He kicked him hard. “Get lost! Adeline is a friend of my family. If you keep harassing her, you’ll be making an enemy of the Luke family!”
Norman adored Adeline-obsessively, dangerously so.
From the first moment he saw her in college, his mind had been consumed by her. Almost every dream he had since then had been filled with her, and in those dreams he had done everything imaginable with her.
Tonight, he had wanted to drag her back to his house and live out those fantasies.
He couldn’t accept walking away like this. But the Luke family was far beyond anything he could provoke. Another kick from Victor left him no choice. Face twisted with rage, he staggered up, climbed into his car, and drove off.
But he wasn’t done.
He had shadowed Adeline countless times; he knew her habits well. He knew she was close to Lily, Victor’s sister-in-law. Clearly, that was why Victor had stepped in tonight. But Victor couldn’t be with her every moment.
He had already given Hailey eighty-eight million. That money wouldn’t go to waste. He would pressure Hailey and her husband to deliver Adeline straight to him.
And then, in his villa’s basement, with the chains and shackles he had prepared, she would finally be his. Forever. Day after day, night after night, she would have no escape….
Adeline pulled a packet of wet wipes from her purse.
Norman licking her hand had left her feeling filthier than if a viper had touched her.
She scrubbed the back of her hand with furious force, then tossed the wipe into a nearby bin.
Turning slightly, she murmured, “Victor, thank you for tonight.”
“Mm.”
Now it was only the two of them. For a long moment, Victor had no idea what to say. He wanted to ask about her and Norman, but it wasn’t his place. After thinking it over, he only said, “Be careful from now on. If anything happens, call the police right away.”
Adeline nodded.
She had wanted to call the police earlier, but Norman had thrown her purse away, leaving her helpless.
Her eyes flicked to Victor’s car parked nearby. What was he doing in this area so late?
But she knew-it couldn’t possibly be for her. She didn’t ask. Instead, she reasoned he must have been on his way to see Marilyn and happened to pass her house.
She had always disliked Marilyn. After tonight’s framing, her hatred had only deepened.
Yet she also knew, no matter how much Nancy and the others despised Marilyn, Victor himself loved her and wanted to marry her.
The two of them stared at each other, silence thick in the night.
Adeline stepped back, forcing a polite smile. “Congratulations on becoming a father.”
Victor’s heart wrenched violently.
Marilyn’s pregnancy was already a nightmare. Hearing Adeline congratulate him was like having a knife driven into his chest.
But the child was his responsibility. After a long silence, he finally replied in a flat voice, “Mm.”
“I’ll go home now. You should get back to your business.”
She imagined him soon meeting Marilyn, showering her with tenderness. Suddenly the night wind felt like knives against her skin, cutting all the way into her chest.
She stepped back again, voice hoarse. “Goodbye.”
Victor didn’t leave right away.
His eyes fell on a leaf tangled in her hair. As if under a spell, he stepped forward and plucked it away.
His fingertips brushed against her temple. A spark shot through him, a shiver like lightning.
His heart pounded wildly, Staring at her parted lips, soft and red, he felt an almost uncontrollable urge to crush them with his own.
But then he remembered-Marilyn, the stain that chained him. He forced himself to withdraw, steadying his voice. “There was a leaf on your head.”
“Goodbye.”
“Oh.”
Even so, his gaze lingered, unable to tear away from her trembling lips.
But he was stained, filthy, unworthy.
At last, he spun on his heel and strode away without looking back.
Adeline stood rooted to the spot for a long, long time, her eyes burning red with unshed tears.
She really did like him.
But to her, he would always remain that unreachable star in the distance…
Today was James’s twenty-sixth birthday.
Last night, he had pushed Lily too hard. When he woke in the morning, he couldn’t bring himself to disturb her sleep.
The marks on her legs were still clear. He gently applied ointment to them before slipping quietly out of the room.
He had never cared much about birthdays in the past.
But this year, he was actually looking forward to it-for the first time, he wanted to receive a birthday present from Lily.
She had asked him when his birthday was before, and he figured there was a good chance she would prepare something.
Still, just to make sure he would get his surprise, he decided Ashton ought to give her a nudge.
All day he found himself anticipating what she might do for him tonight.
That morning, James had to head over to the family’s mountain resort.
Ashton came to pick him up bright and early,
James wasn’t about to ask Lily directly for a present. Once in the car, he coughed lightly and said in his usual cool voice, “Today’s my birthday.”
Ashton nearly floored the accelerator, the black Koenigsegg jolting forward.
Was James… asking him for a birthday gift?
As his boss’s most loyal follower, Ashton of course remembered the date. He had even prepared a gift. He just hadn’t expected James to want it so urgently!
But if James wanted to see what he had picked out, that meant James valued him. He couldn’t let his boss down.
He quickly pulled the car over, hopped out, and popped open the trunk. From inside, he pulled a beautifully wrapped gift box and presented it eagerly.
“Happy birthday!”
James’s face darkened.
Usually Ashton was sharp. How could he be so thickheaded today, missing the obvious hint?
He repeated, voice lower, “Today is my birthday.”
Ashton blinked.
This didn’t sound like the James he knew.
Before James’s accident, whenever Ashton gave him a gift, James had been pleased, even rewarding him with bonuses. But now, even with a gift in hand, James was repeating himself?
Clearly, just the present wasn’t enough anymore.