Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

Ivy collapsed to the ground, her strength drained. She had never imagined that even her last lifeline, Mr. Raymond, would slip away because of Aurora.

Aurora. Aurora. Why was it always that damn Aurora? Ivy repeated the name in her mind over and over, consumed by hatred. Because of Aurora, her life had crumbled to this state. And yet, Aurora continued to cast her shadow over her.

Dragging her despondent self downstairs, she found Kyle already seated at the dining table.

The other women sat at a separate table, leaving Kyle alone at the head of his. He seemed like a monarch reigning over his kingdom, solitary and unapproachable, exuding cold indifference.

"Miss Montgomery, join us for breakfast," the butler said with his ever-present, polite smile.

Ivy shook her head. "No, thank you." There was no reason for her to stay any longer. Kyle had made it clear-he wouldn't help her.

"Then allow me to arrange a car for you. Transportation is quite inconvenient from here, and with today being the first day of the new year, there won't be any taxis around." The butler's meticulous attentiveness felt almost too kind.

"Thank you," Ivy replied. She didn't refuse the offer. Walking on foot from this place could take days.

Stepping out of the villa, she was met with falling snow, still steady and relentless. After spending the night in the warmth of the villa, the chill that hit her now felt piercing.

The snowflakes danced gently through the air, creating an undeniably beautiful scene. But Ivy's heart felt colder than the frost around her.

The car drove off slowly. The driver, who had given her a lift on a few occasions before, recognized her. "Miss Montgomery, where would you like to go?"

"I..." Ivy hesitated, unsure of where she should head to. She had barely slept the night before, her face still carrying yesterday's makeup, and her entire body felt grimy and uncomfortable.

Finally, she gave the driver her apartment address. She decided it was best to go home, take a shower, and rest. She felt like she was on the verge of collapse. Dragging her exhausted self into her apartment, Ivy was greeted by the sight of Genevieve sitting alone at the dining table, eating dumplings.

I was bored last night and made a ton of dumplings. Come

to take

you right now-it won't take long,"

went to her room to shower. Emerging later in

grown up without ever trying dumplings made by my hands, haven't

said with a touch of melancholy. "Back when we lived with the Montgomery family, we could have anything we wanted just by asking. You

not dwell on those days," Genevieve said with a smile. "The important thing is that we're still alive and well. After everything that's

me that when I was young. Now, let's eat dumplings to celebrate the new year. We'll all be together-Zach too, even though he hasn't come

complaint, though there was no real blame in her words. To her, Zachary was still her

book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! Hearing Zachary's name brought a pang of sadness to Ivy's heart. She bit into a dumpling filled with

chattering away as she taught me. So many years have passed, and now you're all grown up." During their luxurious days with the Montgomery family, Genevieve rarely thought about her own family. But now,

Grandma and Grandpa? All these years, we've

when I was in school, I was always top of my

your grandparents were overjoyed. But coming from a poor, small town to a big city, I couldn't

up with, wearing simple clothes. They

how good my grades were-they called me a 'country

city looked down

she

studies were everything. But I grew resentful of

I was naturally good-looking, tall, and slender. A little effort in

refused to accept it. Just because they were born into better circumstances

me. I was determined to change

started working part-time during holidays and weekends. That's when I met someone who

man, but he offered me