Chapter 1077
Lincoln looked apologetically at her and said, âIâm sorry, Vicky. This is the only way I could think of to
make sure Tyler doesnât take you away. Please bear with it for the time being. Iâll arrange for you to go
abroad once security is not as tight.â
âThank you. Youâve actually been an immense help to me. I might have been taken away by Tyler
already if you hadnât asked Old Mister Hart to help me,â said Vicky quietly. Guilt immediately filled her
heart when she saw the wound on the corner of Lincolnâs mouth. âIâm sorry that you got hurt because of
me.â
Tyler did not hold back at all when he punched Lincoln in the face, and up till now, there was still a
bruise on the corner of Lincolnâs mouth.
Lincoln smiled to show that he did not mind. âThis? This is nothing. Besidesâ¦â He suddenly paused
and changed the topic. âVicky, Tylerâs men are stationed outside of this place, so donât ever leave until I
give you the green light.â
A multitude of feelings flashed across Vickyâs eyes as she looked at the smiling man in front of her.
âJust what happened in the past between you and Tyler to make him hate you so much?â Then,
realizing she had overstepped her boundary, she quickly added, âYou donât have to tell me if you donât
want to.â
âWell, what happened was no secret.â Lincoln walked over to her and looked at her gently with his
deep, dark eyes.â Besides, thereâs no need to be a stranger with me.â
Vicky instinctively backed away to avert her gaze from his. Noticing this, Lincolnâs eyes darkened but
he did not continue to move closer to her.
âI know you must have heard a lot of rumors about what happened between me and Tyler, like how Iâm
worried about him usurping my position as the heir, so I deliberately set up a plan to frame him to the
extent of using you as a bargaining chip to destroy him. To be honest, Iâve never cared about all those
rumors, so I didnât feel the need to clear them up. While I might not care about what others think about
me, I do care about what you think about me.â
He moved his gaze from her face and to the calm pond.
âI also know that my grandfather had spoken to you a few times. He had been trying to throw me out of
the family ever since he found out that we were not related by blood. He wouldâve gotten his way if my
parents didnât intervene,â Lincoln continued in an indifferent tone.
He suddenly smiled in a self-deprecating manner. âOur family and the Hart Corporation might be big,
but through the years of infighting to be the successor, everyone has pulled out all of the tricks in the
books at the expense of those closest to them
âIâm sure youâve heard about my father being in a coma before. Well, he ended up that way because
the other relatives tried to get rid of him for their own benefit. To ensure her own and our safety, my
mother transferred away all the shares she had, but she never got them back, not even after my father
woke up from his coma.
âThat is why this branch of the family had no choice but to live under the thumb of the other relatives.
My mother had to ingratiate herself and endure all kinds of humiliation just to ensure my safety while I
was growing up. She never fought back even when she was hit.
âThus, when I was young, I swore to myself that once Iâm an adult, I would never let my parents live
such a life anymore. I hid whatever I was feeling and pretended to be lackadaisical just so they would
lower their guard around me while I slowly bought back all the shares that belonged to my parents.â
Lincoln raised his head and looked at Vicky.
âHowever, my grandfather prevented me from doing that once he found out that we were not related by
blood. He even went as far as to bring Tyler back into this family.â