Ch. 141..150

Loving You In Secret Chapter 141-There were no sheets on the piano, and Vicky might not be able to play any song at all even if there were.

If she was never good at playing piano before losing her memories, it was unlikely for her to remember how to play without any sort of recollection.

Vicky only agreed to Maria's request to buy time because once Tyler appeared, a few of his words would break all accusations toward her.

Vicky sat down and glanced around, feeling disappointed when she could not find Tyler anywhere.

"Miss Shaw, the piano was already adjusted beforehand, so you don't have to test the notes. Stop stalling and play already. Miss Mayland's wounds need to be treated," Maria called out.

Vicky sneered coldly as she glanced at the smug expression on Maria's face.

'I guess she came prepared,' she thought.

It was indeed hard for Vicky to get out of this, but Maria had forgotten about something.

Tyler.

Even after what happened with the bracelet, Maria still had not come to the realization that Tyler was on Vicky's side and seemed to be confident that Tyler would never help Vicky.

Since Maria had not taken Tyler into her consideration, it would be easy for Vicky to escape this trap.

She set her hands on the piano keys, slowly beginning to regain her composure as she thought to herself, 'I just need to stall until Tyler gets here. As terrible as my performance might sound, these people will still say that it sounds wonderful if Tyler says so.'

She felt more at ease than she ever was with that thought in mind.

Tyler was in the backyard on the phone when he heard footsteps approaching from behind him.

Harry appeared before Tyler, and when he saw that Tyler was on a call, he hesitated.

Sensing his hesitation, Tyler hung up on the call calmly and said, "What is it?"

"Mister Hart, something's happening on Missus Hart's side," Harry explained.

Tyler narrowed his eyes and strode toward the event hall while Harry explained the details of what was happening.

Tyler listened quietly, his composure unwavering until he heard the sound of someone playing the piano from the hall.

Vicky had always thought that she could not play the piano and that she was hardly skilled even if she could.

However...

She had no idea what came over her when she pressed her fingers onto the piano keys, but her fingers came to life on their own accord as a beautiful melody escaped the tips of her fingers and filled the air around her.

Vicky did not recover from her dazed state until she finally finished the song.

She looked down at her hands, and the name of the song appeared distinctly in her mind.

'The Moonlight Bay.'

Silence fell over the crowd as they all gasped in disbelief that Vicky could play the piano.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 142-Vicky was not only capable of playing decently; she was stellar!

People who did not know much about playing the piano would only be impressed by how beautifully she played, but those who had a certain extent of expertise in the regard would know that Vicky was extremely talented.

'I thought that Vicky can't play at all? They said that even if she plays, it's so horrible that it's hard to listen to a whole song. Why am I seeing something different?' Sheila thought to herself as her eyes widened in disbelief.

Maria, too, gaped at Vicky, unable to recover from the shock.

Nikki-who chose to stay to see Vicky embarrassing herself instead of treating her wound so she could push herself to appear as a victim of bullying-paled. With widened eyes, she bit her lower lip and shivered. She shook her head hysterically and mumbled, "No... That's not possible."

Nikki was confident in her skill as a pianist. Though she was not one of the very best in the world, she knew she qualified as a professional pianist. She was the top student in her school, and if her family did not suffer from a financial crisis that caused her to drop out, she would have graduated with the best academic results in her class.

She knew that she could not hold a candle to Vicky's looks and background, but she was certain that she was superior when it came to playing the piano.

Nikki had always looked down on Vicky, thinking that she was nothing but a woman who relied on her family and her looks and that she was not worthy to be Tyler's wife.

When Maria reached out to Nikki, she agreed to help without hesitation.

She was willing to be the villain who set Tyler free so he could make his choices, even if it meant she would suffer the consequences in the end.

True love was giving and not taking, unlike what Vicky knew.

Nikki knew that she was hardly a match for Tyler, but she did not mind if she ended up with him as long as he was happy.

The more she thought about it, the more righteous she felt. When Vicky surpassed her even in the skill she was proudest in, however, Nikki's pride shattered.

Vicky slowly sobered as she sat in front of the piano.

She wanted to wait for Tyler to come to her rescue, but she did not expect to succeed.

As she slowly looked up, she froze.

It was not Maria, Nikki, nor the crowd that she saw, but it was Tyler, who was standing in the distance quietly.

Even within the crowd, he always reminded her of the brightest star of the sky.

He was staring at her with unknown emotions glittering in his eyes, and she never saw him looking at her with such focus.

Someone took the lead to clap, and soon the hall erupted into a deafening round of applause.

"Bravo! I never knew that Missus Hart is a talented pianist herself!"

Loving You In Secret Chapter 143-"I thought Missus Hart can't play at all! She's...at the level of a brilliant pianist!"

"My daughter has been learning to play for six years, and she's not even half as good as Missus Hart!"

"It's no wonder that Mister Hart doesn't go out to listen to others play.

She’s much better at it compared to other performers out there!"

"Didn't someone say that Missus Hart injured Miss Mayland on purpose because she's jealous of Miss Mayland's talent in playing piano? Why would she even be jealous of anyone?"

The crowd erupted into a heated discussion, and the majority of them started to look at Nikki with odd expressions.

"Could it be that...this woman fell on purpose and framed Missus Hart on purpose, all to capture Mister Hart's attention?"

"Maybe it's just an old trick that only ignorant girls like her would use."

Nikki paled at the comments directed at her.

Maria's expression darkened as she struggled to believe that Vicky could play piano.

'How is this possible?!' she snarled inwardly. 'Throughout the three years she has been married to Tyler, she had only played once and became the city's laughingstock because of how terribly she did.'

Vicky never played the piano in public before the fall of the Shaws, and it was her cousin, Gloria, who was known for her skills in the piano.

Gloria was yet another elite lady who was comparable to Vicky, and the two were referred to as two of the most beautiful women in Stoneford City.

Maria's mind was in complete chaos, and she could not figure out what had gone wrong, but she could not deny what was happening before her own eyes.

Just then, steady footsteps echoed within the hall as Tyler strode toward Tyler.

His presence was majestic and intimidating and wherever he went, the discussion would die down naturally.

He ignored everyone but Vicky and stared at her intently. Emotions that she could not begin to read filled his eyes.

"Why are you playing piano all of a sudden?" he asked.

He did not look surprised or happy but seemed to have conflicted feelings about the sight before him. i

Vicky did not have time to study the look in his eyes and simply turned to glance at Nikki, who was about to collapse. "Miss Sparks and Miss Mayland accused me of shoving Miss Mayland and ruining her hands because I'm jealous of her talent..."

Before Vicky could finish, they all heard a gasp.

Nikki was already weak from her injury, and the shock she experienced pushed her body to its limit.

Everything went black as she collapsed onto the ground.

By the time all was handled and they returned home, it was already past 11.

Tyler's phone rang as soon as he entered the bedroom, and as he walked to the balcony to answer the call, Vicky took the chance to open her social media account.

There was not much record, but she seemed to have marked all the details about her wedding with Tyler, along with how they spent birthdays and anniversaries.

It was obvious she used to be deeply in love with him and only recorded their memories together because she cared about him.

Vicky scowled and scrolled up to the history of before their marriage and on the first birthday Tyler spent with her present.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 144-[I wanted to surprise him, but I messed up... He probably hates me even more now. Anyway, happy birthday.]

The above was the only post on her social media during that time, and it was not hard to tell that she was walking on thin ice around Tyler at the time.

She scrolled through her social media account once again but did not see any mention of pianos.

Just as she felt confused, Tyler returned from his phone call and stared at her. "What do you want to do with Nikki?"

She looked up to meet his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"She tried to frame you and has to be punished,’ he said coldly.

She thought about it for a moment and said, "Have her leave Stoneford City, then.’

"Sure," he said without hesitation.

Vicky opened her mouth to speak but was not sure what to say. In the end, she muttered, "Was L.able to play the piano?"

He lowered his gaze expressionlessly. "Are you asking me about yourself?" i

"I don't remember anything,” she said.

After a few moments of silence, he said, 'You played once after we got married, and it sounded like hell."

"I know that." She studied his expression, trying to spot any change of emotion. "I'm just confused as to why I managed to play so well today."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Did you not practice in secret to surprise me on my birthday?"

"So you've been thinking that this whole thing was a surprise for you?"

The look in his eyes darkened slightly. "Even the best pianist would need practice.'

Vicky understood what he was trying to point out.

Indeed, as skilled as a pianist might be, they would grow rusty without practice, and she did feel odd when she played the piano at Tyler's birthday party hours ago. However, the melody of 'The Moonlight Bay1 sounded so familiar that she could play it with her eyes closed, as though she had practiced it thousands of times until it became a muscle memory.

Nonetheless, even a genius required practice, so she muttered to herself," Did I practice really hard to maintain this marriage before the accident?"

It had been half a year since the accident.

Vicky did think about practicing and surprising Tyler on his birthday, but she also knew that it was not something that could be accomplished over a short period and that she would never be able to play a single song perfectly by his birthday.

She sank deep into thoughts but could not understand how she managed to play and since she was never one to trouble herself over problems that could not be resolved, she eventually gave up since knowing how to play piano would only work to her advantage.

Instead of dwelling on a problem she had no answer to, she handed her gift to Tyler. "Here is your birthday gift from me."

He opened the gift and found a beautifully engineered ball pen inside. His expression darkened as he stared at it, and she began to grow uneasy at his lack of response. "What is it? You don't like it?"

He looked up and scanned her face. "Why did you choose this as a gift?"

"I noticed that the pen you used to use is kind of old and decided that it'd be a good idea to buy you a new one."

She had been in and out of Hart Corporation frequently and noticed that the pen he had been using seemed to have been used for years.

Though she did not give it much thought when she bought the pen, she started to notice something odd from his reaction.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 145-"Have you been using that pen for some time?"

Tyler quieted down for a few moments before answering, 'Five years.”

"Is it...important to you?"

"I've just grown used to it."

She stared at him wordlessly, knowing that Tyler must have understood that she was trying to inquire if the person who gave him the pen was of importance to him.

He stared at the pen in his hand and said, "It's been too long, indeed. It's time to use a new one." He focused his gaze on her once again. "Any other gift apart from the pen?"

"Other gifts?" She repeated in confusion before noticing the dark look in his eyes.

Her heart raced as soon as she read the lust hidden within those dark eyes, and her breath caught in her chest. She tried to calmly pick up another gift box and said, "Cece bought you a gift as well. Let's see what it is.”

Cece said that it was meant for Vicky, and she had not opened it yet. To ease the tension, Vicky decided to open the gift in front of Tyler.

The box was rather big in size but not too heavy either.

Vicky did not know what was hidden inside, and Tyler turned his attention to the box in her hand.

She unwrapped the gift curiously, only to freeze as soon as she saw the content inside.

There were costumes inside that included a nurse's uniform, maid uniform, bunny-girl outfit, and more!

'What on earth are these?!’ She thought and flushed before frantically trying to shove the clothes back into the box. Before she succeeded in doing so, she accidentally dropped the box, and everything inside scattered on the ground.

II II

Vicky realized that the odds were not on her side tonight.

At almost the same time, Tyler saw the clothes on the ground and bent down to pick up a hairband with bunny ears attached to it.

"This is..."

Vicky was embarrassed beyond speech and could not bring herself to meet his eyes.

Tyler swiftly came to realize what he was looking at, and a teasing smirk appeared on his lips. "Did you prepare these for tonight?"

Vicky wanted to deny it, but knew that there was no way he would believe him. ’If I said that I didn't prepare these, would you believe me?"

"What do you think?"

II II

She took a deep breath and looked up. "Ty-"

Before she could call out his name, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers forcefully.

He had been kissing her frequently in recent times, and she had gotten used to it, so she instinctively closed her eyes.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 146-Tyler’s kiss was almost predatory, and he seemed different than usual.

Rendered helpless, Vicky instinctively wanted to push him away.

She had long prepared herself but still could not help feeling nervous. However, Tyler did not let her go like he usually would and simply deepened the kiss.

Thus, a passionate night ensued.

The next day, Vicky woke up to her phone vibrating.

She was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open as she fumbled for her phone. Once she grabbed it, she forced her eyes open, only to find an unknown number displayed on the screen.

She glanced at the time and jolted awake.

'Half past twelve?! At noon?! I've been asleep for that long?!'

She glanced outside the window and saw the sunlight shining in through the curtains.

She was shocked to learn how long she had been asleep and felt both shy and frustrated when she recalled the night before.

The call eventually ended because it was not answered, but her phone started vibrating again shortly after.

Vicky snapped out of her dazed state and answered the call. “Hello. Who is this?"

After a brief moment of silence, a hoarse woman's voice came through the phone. “This is Nikki."

Vicky sobered completely. “Miss Mayland, is there something you need?"

Nikki chuckled darkly. "I'm leaving Stoneford City this afternoon... Thank you for showing me mercy. I thought I'd inform you before leaving."

"No problem," replied Vicky emotionlessly. “Safe travels, Miss Mayland."

Just as she was about to hang up, Nikki said, "You played 'The Moonlight Bay' much better than I do that I admit defeat, Miss Shaw."

Vicky’s grip tightened around her phone. "What? You played that song as well?"

Nikki chuckled again. "Goodbye, Miss Shaw."

Before Vicky could react, Nikki hung up.

Vicky stared at her phone blankly until it started to vibrate once again.

It was Cece this time, and as soon as Vicky answered the call, she heard Cece's teasing tone as she said, "Did I wake you, Vicky?"

"No. I'm already awake.’

Cece giggled. "How was last night, Vicky? Did you two enjoy yourselves?"

Vicky was still thinking about Nikki but was immediately reminded of Cece's gift from the night before.

"Cece, don't buy me things like that again..." she said with resignation.

"Vicky, you need to work on your relationship and spice things up! There are too many women out there who want to seduce Mister Hart, so you need to keep him interested so that he will be immune to the temptation out there," Cece deadpanned.

Vicky was at a loss for words.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 147-It might seem like harmless advice, but Vicky could not help but blush when she thought of the night she shared with Tyler before.

Once she got past the initial reluctance, everything else seemed to happen naturally.

Just like his kiss, she was not at all appalled by the intimacy between them.

Cece was extremely excited when she talked about the party the night before. "By the way, Vicky, when did you practice playing the piano? Was it supposed to be a surprise for Mister Hart's birthday? It was amazing, and Nikki and Maria were both livid! They were accusing you of being jealous and had their own words shoved back at them the next instant...

"Hahaha! Vicky, that was amazing!'

"Cece." Vicky interrupted her. "Did you not know that I can't play piano?"

Cece paused and asked in confusion, "Huh? You can't play? But you played perfectly last night!"

Cece did not know much about the piano, but Vicky was different. "Cece, one can't become an expert in an instrument within a few days. The better you want to become, the more practice you need.'

"I don't know much about that, and you haven't talked about it or played in front of me before... Maybe you took piano lessons before the Shaw family fell."

After exchanging a few words with Cece, Vicky ended the call.

She got up from bed and dragged her feet toward the bathroom to wash up before heading downstairs for lunch and going back to her own study.

Fashion design was a flexible profession, so she could work at home whenever she pleased. However, she could not calm herself down as she sat in front of her computer, as what Nikki said echoed in her head.

Vicky's expression darkened, and she immediately searched for 'The Moonlight Bay' on the internet.

It was a classic song that was not overly complicated but could no doubt calm one's soul.

She read through all the news regarding the song and did not find anything odd. She flipped through the pages and stilled when she reached the third page because she found Sheila's name.

Three years ago, Sheila had played 'The Moonlight Bay' as well.

She lifted an eyebrow and thought to herself, 'Does Nikki know about this as well? If Sheila is also another substitute Nikki was referring to, who is the person that Tyler truly loves?'

She went through a few more pages and did not find any other useful information. After a few thoughtful moments, she picked up her phone and made a call.

"Vicky?' a gently, yet excited voice came through the phone.

"Sebastian, can I ask you something?’ she asked.

Cece did not know Vicky long enough to know certain things, but Sebastian, who was her childhood friend, might have the answers she sought.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Can I play the piano?"

After a few moments of pause, he said, "It's part of being a lady of a high- status family, so you took lessons before."

"Was I good at it?"

"You were studying overseas before the Shaw family fell.'

Vicky paused. "Sebastian, you aren't answering my question."

"Vicky, all I know is that you can play piano... I don't know much of anything else, and you've never played in front of the public's eyes anyway,' he said with resignation.

Sebastian seemed to hear about what happened the night before and said," I don't really know if you've practiced when you were studying abroad, but...

Loving You In Secret Chapter 148-Sebastian hesitated.

"But what?” Vicky asked.

After a while, he said, "Gloria was the one who played the best version of The Moonlight Bay."

"Gloria?" Vicky felt as though she had heard this name before.

Knowing that she would not remember, Sebastian explained, "She's your cousin. Your uncle's daughter. Your uncle was the head of the Shaw family before it fell.’

Vicky had no memories of her family and rarely heard anyone mention anything about them. All she knew was that she lost both her parents at a young age.

Vicky suddenly recalled what Sebastian and Missus Mills had mentioned to her before.

Harvey originally wanted to marry Gloria but changed his mind to be engaged to Vicky instead.

Sebastian mentioned that she was the one who approached Harvey at first, and though she wondered about who Harvey was, she did not dig deeper into the Shaw family's history.

Vicky did not have to ask.

As an orphan who lost both her parents, her life in the Shaw family must have been rather torturing, and though the Shaws left Zendonia since they had declared bankruptcy, none of them reached out to her since she regained consciousness.

There was no doubt in her mind that she was not close with the others in the family since she did not have any of their contacts on her phone.

"What kind of a person was Gloria Shaw?" she asked.

Sebastian thought about it for a while and said, "Well, if I am to describe you as an alluring red rose, I'd say she's distant and cold-just like the moon. You're known for your looks, and she, her demeanor. The two of you were referred to as the two most beautiful women in the city."

Vicky had not expected a woman whom she had neglected to be such an incredible person.

"She keeps a low profile and doesn't enjoy socializing, so you're more famous in a way," he continued.

Vicky did not care much about fame and asked, "You said that Gloria played the best version of The Moonlight Bay, yes?"

"Yeah," said Sebastian. "Gloria was talented in basically everything. Not only has she mastered a dozen types of instruments, but she was great at calligraphy and drawings as well. It's not an overstatement to call her a genius. When compared to her, even the brightest person would appear ordinary." He paused for a moment and continued, "You were the only one who could rival her." 1

Vicky felt increasingly interested in Gloria after hearing what Sebastian had to say. 'What is she doing now?’

"She's overseas with the other Shaws, but I heard that she's having a piano world tour now."

Vicky quieted down for a few moments before asking, "Has she been close with Tyler?"

"Tyler Hart?" Sebastian seemed surprised. "Not really. The Hart family was in a crisis at the time and even disappeared from the public eye for a

period. I haven't heard anyone mentioning anything about Gloria and Tyler, but there were...countless rumors about her and Harvey."

Gloria had a cold character, and though she was known across the entire city, she kept a low profile and was never involved in a scandal with anyone apart from Harvey, which was enough proof that there was something between them.

Vicky relaxed when she heard that Gloria and Tyler had not interacted with one another much, and was not interested in the relationship between Gloria and Harvey.

"Alright. I got it," she said. "Thank you, Sebastian."

"We're friends. You don't have to thank me," he said gently.

Just as she was about to hang up, he said, "Vicky, are you not going to divorce him now?"

She stilled and muttered, ’Yeah. Not for now."

He remained quiet for a few moments before saying, ’Vicky, have you... fallen for him again?"

She looked outside the window. "Maybe feelings don't disappear even when all memories are lost.’

"Vicky..." Sebastian wanted to say something else but ended up sighing. ’If there's a day you need help, remember to call me."

"Yeah, of course."

After ending the call, Vicky devoted herself to her work.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 149-'So what if Tyler has a past?' thought Vicky. 'Everyone does, but the past is the past. No matter what, it’s enough that he wants to start over with me, not over some song played on a piano.'

Time flew, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Tyler and Vicky grew closer as time went by after they became intimate, and it even began to feel like they were in a honeymoon phase.

On the weekend, the two sat in a restaurant and as soon as they finished ordering, Tyler's phone rang.

Tyler answered the call and frowned after a few moments. "I'll be there," he spoke before hanging up.

Vicky looked at him. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

He looked at her with a dark expression and said, "Sheila’s involved in an accident."

"Miss Young? What happened to her?"

"I've already ordered Harry to look into it."

"Where is Miss Young right now?"

"In the hospital."

"I see..." She took a sip of her drink. "If that's the case, you should check on her."

Tyler looked at her silently but did not leave immediately.

Vicky smiled. "Go ahead. I know you owe Miss Young that much. I won't misunderstand you. Besides, you are paying my debt to her for me, in a way. N

He confirmed that there was no trace of displeasure in her expression before finally getting up to leave. "I'll go have a look, then."

She nodded. "Be safe."

"Alright."

Shortly after he left, the dishes were served by the waiter and she realized she had lost her appetite.

She reached into her purse and pulled out two tickets for a concert that took place at two in the afternoon.

She knew that Tyler enjoyed listening to piano performances and thus had gotten two tickets to surprise him since he did not need to work that day. However, the news of Sheila's accident beat her to it.

After lunch, Vicky got up to leave and bumped into another person while being overly absorbed in her thoughts.

The person was holding a file filled with documents which scattered on the ground upon their collision.

Stunned, she snapped out of her thoughts. "I'm so sorry.”

She immediately crouched down to pick up the documents before looking up at the person she ran into. "I’m sorry. I was spacing out..."

Her voice came to a sudden halt when she had a good look at the man's face.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 150-The man was young in his mid-twenties with a slender frame and a height of roughly 1.9 meters, just like Tyler. He had a pair of enchanting eyes that seemed to contain the entire galaxy within them. His long legs were wrapped in tailor-made trousers and the top two buttons of his white shirt were left unbuttoned.

His features were in such a state of perfection that he looked as if he was a statue sculpted by God himself.

Among all the men Vicky had ever seen, only Tyler was comparable to the man before her in terms of looks.

"Your documents, mister. Can you check to see if any of them are missing? " she asked politely.

The man lifted an eyebrow and accepted the documents before flipping through the pages.

Soon, he said with a husky, hypnotic voice, "It's fine.'

She sighed a breath of relief. "If that's it, I'll be going now."

He stared at her in silence and just as she was about to leave, he called out, "Hang on."

She stilled. "Is there something else?"

The man pointed at his shirt, and she noticed that one of the buttons had fallen off.

She glanced around and found a white button at a corner nearby.

"I’m sorry, sir. The button on your shirt fell..." she muttered apologetically after picking up the white button.

However, she then thought to herself, 'What kind of button would break under such a small impact? The quality of this shirt is horrible...1

"It's my fault. Let me buy you another shirt. Is that okay?" she offered.

The man seemed to be waiting for her to say this all along and nodded." Let's go now, then."

"Sure."

The man strode out of the restaurant, and they made their way to a mall nearby.

They were at the heart of the busiest business area of Stoneford City with countless high-end restaurants, malls, and entertainment venues.

As soon as they entered the mall, they were greeted by an enthusiastic saleswoman who acted more gingerly once she spotted the clothes the two were wearing. "How can I help you?"

Vicky glanced at the man. "We need a shirt."

"Of course. Please follow me."

Vicky followed the saleswoman to the section for male clothing, and the man followed closely behind.

After spotting a shirt that resembled the one the man was wearing, she said to the saleswoman, "Can I have a look at that shirt?"

The saleswoman smiled. "Of course! Please wait."

As the saleswoman was taking the shirt off of the shelf, Vicky turned to the man standing next to her and asked, "What do you think about this one, sir? N

He glanced at the shirt in disgust. "It's alright."

Vicky was left with no choice but to check on other options. However, despite picking out five to six shirts for the man's picking, he was not satisfied with any of them.

"Maybe you can walk around to see if there's something you like," she suggested.

He strolled around the mall before declaring, "There's nothing I like here."