"Seventy thousand dollars?" I squealed, not believing my ears. The clerk nodded his head as he handed me the bill.I didn't know what to do. My mother's hospital fees were far beyond what I could afford. But I also didn't want to give up, I didn't want to lose my mother, my only family.My mom has liver cancer, which was discovered 2 years ago. Her illness is worsening and requires more and more money every day."Sorry, we overheard your conversation earlier. Are you in trouble?" too focused on my own emotions, I didn't realize the presence of a pair of men and women who were already standing in front of me.I quickly wiped away my tears, looking at the two people dressed in fancy office suits before me. "That's right, my mother is sick and needs a lot of money. Otherwise, the doctor won't take any further action," I said in a hoarse voice. The woman smiled sympathetically, stepped closer to me and took a place right next to me. She then extended her hand, inviting me to shake it.
"What? My mom has to get surgery right now. How is this, what should I do?" I exclaimed in panic.The doctor nodded. "Yes, you need to prepare the money so that the surgery can be done immediately,” the doctor said before leaving me. After leaving the hospital, my mind was only filled with the doctor's words until I made a mistake at work. “Can't you do your job properly? How many losses do you think you've made today? Even your salary this week can't cover all these losses!" I can still hear my boss yelling at me for my mistake in calculating a customer's total purchase.Not wanting the issue to spread and give the supermarket a bad image, the boss decided to let the customer go free of charge.Of course, today's loss will be taken from my salary. I can't think straight because my mom's condition is getting worse and I don't know how to get the money to pay for her surgery. Suddenly I remembered the couple's offer yesterday and decided to reach out through the contact left yester
"Oh God! Are you out of your mind?" I exclaimed as I rounded my eyes. Unfortunately, there was no sign that Richard was joking. His expression was very serious.“It may sound crazy to you, but I'm a businessman. I'm just weighing profit and loss. My current offer is the best for the three of us," Richard said calmly. Are all businessmen like this? Thinking only about profit and loss, with no regard for morals? My cell phone suddenly vibrated, breaking my thoughts. I picked up the call without looking at the caller ID."Miss Nikkie? Where are you? Your mother is awake and wants to see you," said a gentle voice that I recognized as the kind nurse who cared for my mother. I told her that I would be there soon and hung up. My mother was unconscious since the relapse yesterday and only woke up this afternoon. But I didn't get up immediately. I can’t meet my mother right now. I feel like I can’t face her yet because I failed to get the medical bill for her hospital expenses.I looked at
"I had a feeling that the insemination must have worked! Aaron said the same thing!" Krystal's face lit up. A smile never left her lips, which somehow made me feel guilty.If she knew that there was no insemination process, I can't imagine what kind of expression she would show. "We must prepare for everything. A favorable environment is necessary for the healthy growth and development of the fetus. I'll prepare everything right away, get ready to move into my house tomorrow!" Krystal hugged me tightly before letting me go. The next afternoon, my mother and I were at home. Mom was very happy to be back home healthy and alive. I felt bad about telling her that I was leaving."Mom, I got a job with a pretty big salary," I said once we got home. Mom looked at me with an incredulous look, then smiled and hugged me.I tried hard to keep my tears at bay as we continued our conversation. "Unfortunately, this job requires me to be away from home," I said carefully. Mom's slightly pale face
"I only ate one packet! Why do you want to fire the chef? He didn't do anything wrong!" I don't know where the courage to counter Krystal words came from. She widened her eyes with one arm around her waist. Her bold makeup made her look even scarier. I was so shocked that I unconsciously developed hiccups. At first, it was once, then twice until finally, it didn't stop.Krystal let out a long breath, lowered her hand, and moved to get me a glass of water. "Listen, Nikkie. This time I'm going to let it slide. I'm not going to fire the chef because it seems to have taken you by surprise. Stress isn't good for the baby, remember?" she explained as she confiscated the rest of my instant noodles."But you're also under contract. Remember, you're currently working with me. You must take good care of your pregnancy. One of them is not carelessly consuming food, especially unhealthy foods that are high in sodium. I have the right to get that from you, understand?"I bowed my head, nodding s
"Stop, Krystal. You're startling Nikkie. It's not good for the baby," Richard soothed Krystal. Krystal gave Richard a fierce glance, then turned to me. "We can't be soft on her forever, Richard. We've been waiting for this baby for so long, and I'm not willing to let our baby down because of her carelessness!" I bowed my head sincerely. Secretly feeling guilty that this baby was not Krystal's as she thought. But on the other hand, I was also tired of not doing anything like this. "I'm sorry, Krystal. I promise I won't do anything to harm this baby in the future," I said quietly without daring to raise my head. I heard a long sigh from Krystal. She still nagged me for a while before deciding to go to her room on the second floor. I felt discouraged after being nagged twice by Krystal. It lasted until the next day and was realized by Richard. "Krystal doesn't mean anything bad. She loves the baby too much," Richard said as we ate breakfast. I hadn't seen Krystal's shadow since this
Richard’s POV "We went together today to buy some supplies for Nikkie," I quickly rescued the situation. Since yesterday afternoon, Krystal still harbored a bit of resentment towards Nikkie. I understood why, but I couldn't bear to see Nikkie shutting up and cringing at Krystal's scolding. I sent Nikkie to her room and invited Krystal to talk to me alone. I asked Krystal not to get angry at Nikkie because it would affect her stress levels. "She's just bored, not trying to harm our baby. Why don't we invite that special gymnastics trainer for pregnant women tomorrow? I think it's time for Nikkie to start some light exercise to make the birthing process go smoothly," I coaxed as I hugged Krystal. Krystal let out a long sigh, lowered her arms, and hugged me back. "That's fine if you say so. I don't want everything to end in vain," Krystal said. I understood her anxiety. Krystal had had a difficult few work days that affected her emotions. After calming her down, I stayed with her
Richard's POV"Who are you? What do you want?" I shouted, trying to calm the panic. "Hands above your head!" repeated the voice. This time, I felt that the voice sounded somewhat familiar. I quickly put my hands up. My mind couldn't escape Nikkie. I hoped nothing wrong would happen to her.The faint light continued to approach me slowly. I tried to focus my vision on the figure behind the dim candlelight."Make a wish!" the familiar voice commanded me again. When my brain started to recognize the owner of this voice, I lowered my hand. It was Nikkie's voice."What the hell, Nikkie? You've got me worried, you know?" I couldn't stop myself from nagging her."Quick, make a wish. My hands are tired of holding this cake," Nikkie said with a mischievous grin. She paid no heed to my nagging. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to make a wish like she told me to. I wished for the baby in Nikkie's womb to grow up healthy. It was an unnecessary request, as I would do everything to make tha
Nikkie's POV"Sick? What's wrong with Krystal?" I asked in surprise. The TV didn't mention any details about Krystal's illness. I remained pensive until the news ended and changed to a sports program.Richard turned off the TV to realize that I looked unfocused. I started to realize something was wrong when I saw that Richard didn't look surprised at all or even concerned at all."You must know something, right?" I urged Richard. Richard let out a long sigh, then stroked my hair with a helpless look."What's the point of caring for a bad guy like that?" asked Richard, looking less than pleased. I shook my head stubbornly, waiting for him to speak."Be honest with me. You weren't involved in Krystal's death, were you?" I urged frantically.Richard sighed. "From my reports, Krystal has been sick since before she entered the prison. The TV report was real. She suffered from a malignant disease in her reproductive organs due to her habit of changing partners."I frowned, a conjecture popp
Nikkie's POV"The bride enters the altar!" the MC exclaimed. This time, Calvin was assigned to be the MC in our wedding procession.As the name implies, it was an intimate wedding only attended by those closest to us. There were 4 of Richard's family members, including Richard's biological mother, Shawn, Calvin, Sharon, Blake, and the household assistants. The wedding preparation went quite fast because there were only a few people. The blessing and the party were held in the hall of Moonstone mansion. I stepped with Uncle Denise towards Richard at the end of the altar. This day was full of happiness, with smiles never fading from everyone's faces. I haven't seen Richard since last night, and I'm feeling nervous. How will Richard see me in my wedding dress?When Richard turned around and accepted my hand from Uncle Denise's, Richard's eyes were suddenly wet. He smiled, and the tears just fell.I'm sure that they weren't tears of sadness. We then said our wedding vows in front of the
Nikkie's POV"I don't know either. My coming to this place wasn't planned. I didn't know where to go after my mom died. I also didn't have a home anymore and only had my suitcase and the money from the sale of the house that my mom gave me before she passed away. I boarded a bus randomly, letting it take me wherever it wanted. Throughout the ride, I cried alone by the window. Then, when I was tired of crying, and my tears dried up without realizing it, I arrived in this city. I took it as a sign from my mother that I should stay here. I then spent two days in a cheap hotel and looked for affordable apartments and part-time jobs. I was lucky to find both right away.From the first day of work, I never stopped working. My days off were spent sleeping or doing laundry. Because, you know. I have to work to support myself," I laughed.Shawn looked at me with interest. "You know, you can stop working and be provided by Mr. Richard completely," he said with a serious face.I laughed amuse
Nikkie's POV"Besides, you might think that way. Mr. Richard is a forgiving person. Shouldn't he forgive Mrs. Krystal based on that trait? Even if they can't get back together, Mr. Richard should never think of cutting off the core pleasure of his ex-wife's life: the money. Their company."Shawn stopped talking when the waiter arrived with our order. The thin, flavorful smoke of the food that would typically instantly whet my appetite now meant nothing. My mind was filled with questions."Are you saying that Richard was the mastermind behind exposing the rottenness of Krystal's company?" I asked after the waiter came back downstairs.Shawn nodded. "I did it all. But I was carrying out the orders given by Mr. Richard. The message was obvious, which was to destroy Goldman Inc. until it could not rise again."I was stunned by Shawn's words. "But why? Doesn't Richard love Krystal? I honestly didn't even think Richard would follow through on his words to divorce Krystal," I said, astonish
Nikkie's POV"Miss Nikkie! Hold on!" a man exclaimed in an absolute tone. Goosebumps ran down my spine, recalling the time I was almost kidnapped when I was going to buy flour when I was still living in Krystal's apartment."Miss Nikkie! Have you forgotten me?" this time, the man even dared to pull my arm. Gosh, did he forget that we were in a supermarket full of people? Even now, there were already several pairs of eyes looking at us with suspicious glances.When I remembered that I wasn't alone this time, I glanced at the man who dared to pull my arm. He was a tall man with big eyes that reminded me of a CCTV camera."Shawn?" I asked incredulously. Shawn nodded with a smile. There was a trace of relief on his face that made me wonder why he looked relieved.Until I remembered that Shawn was usually not far from Richard, I glanced around, then out the window. But I didn't see Richard or his car parked in the self-service parking lot. "I'm alone, came here by car. No, Mr. Richard her
Richard's POV"Since you mentioned it, I've been thinking about it. You're right; Krystal's male mistresses all have something in common with me!" I exclaimed in disbelief. My eyebrows knitted together, an oddity crossing my mind. "But I don't understand; what do you mean by Krystal loving me so much? Just because I have some things in common with those men?"Calvin explained again. "From a study I read, it was explained that love is complicated. The way each person loves another person and expresses their feelings is unique and different from one another.Some of them cannot distinguish love from obsession to the point that they commit deviant acts.But I won't talk about deviant acts here."Calvin paused momentarily as he overtook a car in front of us."There seems to be an emptiness in Mrs. Krystal's soul that makes her look for an outlet outside the home. It could be loneliness or an unhealed childhood wound.Or it could be that Mrs. Krystal is wrong for thinking that she doesn't
Richard's POV"Did you try to find out from the real estate agent? Shouldn't it be traceable to the person who bought the house?" I suggested to Shawn an idea that came to my mind this morning."I've already done this method first. But this house was sold about a month ago by Miss Nikkie's mother. The payment was made in cash, making it even more difficult to check through the bank," Shawn said on the other end of the line.My eyebrows furrowed at this oddity. "Why is Nikkie's mom selling the house all of a sudden? Is she in dire economic straits?" "I found out through the nurse you assigned to look after Miss Nikkie's mother. The answer is they are not experiencing economic hardship.The nurse mentioned that Miss Nikkie's mother had mentioned that she wanted to move to the countryside, which is why she is selling her house now," Shawn explained.I let out a long breath. Who would have thought that Nikkie's mother would move to heaven? "Why can they still live there when the house h
Krystal's POV"What are you going to do now, Krystal? You can't run a company, and now you're officially a widow!" Grandpa exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.Why does everyone always ask me the same thing? Do they think I have 1001 solutions to every problem?I nibbled on my thumbnail, feeling depressed at seeing the divorce papers lying on the table. Grandpa wasn't helping at all, just pacing around, making me even more dizzy! I held my nose, which had been bleeding a lot lately. Ever since I hit Richard's car that time, I'd been feeling unwell.Unfortunately, I didn't have time to go to the hospital to get my health checked. Why? Of course, because of my current status as a police fugitive!Grandpa suddenly stopped pacing when he got a call from who knows who. Shortly after, he turned his body to face me. The look of anger he had shown me lately no longer frightened me.Usually, he would immediately spout out curse words. But now, Grandpa seemed to have run out of words and could
Richard's POV "Let's head back," Shawn commanded Calvin. The three of us quickly entered the car and drove away from Nikkie's hometown.It was already late when Calvin dropped me off at home. I felt like my energy had been sapped, and I didn't have the power to do anything else."Tomorrow, take a day off. I'm not going to the office either," I told Calvin as I was about to get off.Calvin had been with me all day and even late into the night. These days, he didn't even have a day off as he was busy assisting me with various matters."Yes, Mr. Richard. Good night," Calvin said before walking away with Shawn. I staggered towards the front door. I don't know why it felt like the front door was so far away to reach.Halfway there, the front door suddenly opened. The figures of Grandma and Aunt Karina, wearing quilts on their shoulders, immediately came into my view."Oh, Richie. What's going on? Why do you look so messy?" the two women immediately ran to meet me. My tears fell again when