Nina sat on the couch, lost in her thoughts, until Nash finally woke up. He had not expected to fall asleep, let alone sleep so deeply that he felt as though his body had been taken apart and reassembled. As he sat up, he noticed Nina sitting quietly on the couch nearby. The room was dimly lit, with just the soft glow of an amber-colored lamp on the nightstand.Nash could immediately sense that something was off with Nina. "What's wrong?" he asked.Nina turned to look at him, her gaze meeting his in the warm glow of the light. Yet, despite the cozy lighting, she suddenly felt a strange sense of distance between them.She did not beat around the bush. "When I came back, you were asleep. But I heard you calling out for Miranda."For a moment, Nash did not respond, and silence settled over the room. Nina did not know how to process her feelings. It had been five years, and despite everything Miranda had done, Nash still had her in his thoughts.But then, Nash quickly moved towa
Freya had not seen any signs that Micah was interested in anyone else either. She bit her lip, her heart aching. "You’re not dating anyone. Is it because of your responsibilities?"Otherwise, how could she explain why there was not even a hint of a woman around Micah?"That’s my business," Micah replied coldly. In an instant, his features seemed to freeze over, and his entire demeanor became dark and unapproachable.Freya understood that this was Micah’s way of trying to make her give up. But she was not going to. Shaking her head firmly, she said, "I won’t give up. I just want to be with you. You don’t have to worry. I won’t get in the way of your responsibilities. Can’t you just…""Don’t you get it?" Micah interrupted, his tone icy. "You’re not my type. And your recent actions have made me dislike you even more. I’m not going to be with someone I can’t stand."He was trying to make Freya lose all hope, and she understood that. But she refused to accept it. She was utterly devote
Micah instinctively looked at Freya. Her clear eyes radiated determination. He knew she did not have the capability to orchestrate something like this, and he had already confirmed with Mr. Joker that it was just a local gang causing trouble. Pressing his lips together, Micah spoke softly, "I believe you, but I don’t have feelings for you."Freya’s expression remained resolute, undeterred by his words. "You keep saying that, Micah. I’ve already told you what I want."A month was not a long time. But before Micah could respond, Freya gave a light laugh and spoke first, "Micah, I was willing to risk my life for you, and this is all you can offer in return?""You don’t need to use reverse psychology on me. The answer is still no."Pretending to be her boyfriend for a month would mean the whole tribe would believe they were together. Breaking up later would only invite gossip and speculation. Something neither of them needed. It was better not to start at all.Freya felt as if her
Being a perfect servant would require one to serve without personal attachment or feelings. Freya truly loved Micah to the point where she was willing to become someone devoid of her own emotions just to be by his side. But for Micah, that was precisely the reason he had hesitated to start anything with her. If he did, he would be fully committed, never just for the sake of it."Freya, you need to have your own identity. Your life is yours to live, not someone else's. Even without me, you'll find that there are other people out there worth loving."Micah's words hit like a heavy weight in Freya's throat. Even now, he was trying to guide her, to make her see reason."I'm not that bad! I've laid it all out for you, and you still won't budge. I don't want you to feel responsible for me. Just give me this one month, and you don’t have to think about anything else. Or do you really want to see me die right in front of you?"Freya’s voice cracked with desperation, and she seemed on t
"That makes sense," Micah responded, his lips barely moving as he spoke. "But maybe I just don't have it in me. Anyway, Freya is waiting for her meal, so I'll head back." He clearly did not want to continue discussing matters of the heart. He was not interested, and talking about it only tired him out.Nina could not help but tease him, "See? You said Freya's waiting for her meal, yet you claim you're not interested. People always say women are the ones who say one thing and mean another, but I think men are just the same."Micah tried to maintain a serious tone. "Is Orion feeling better? Shouldn't you be taking care of him instead of worrying about me?"Nina laughed. "He's still recovering, but I can talk to you and take care of him at the same time.""Go take care of your Orion," Micah said, carrying the chicken broth as he walked away.Nina watched his retreating figure, a smile playing on her lips. He was so easy to tease. It was obvious he had feelings for Freya. But of c
Micah decided to give Freya some space and did not monitor her conversation. As for Pharaoh, he stood by, waiting for Freya to speak. She hesitated for a moment before saying quietly, "I want to recover quickly. I don't want to be bedridden any longer. Pharaoh, is there any special medicine I can take?"Healing from such an injury typically takes a long time, and she could not bear the thought of wasting the precious time she had fought so hard to get. She wanted to make the most of it."There’s no miracle cure. The bullet went through your chest, and you’re still recovering. Rest is what you need. Besides, you don’t have any urgent tasks to carry out," Pharaoh replied. He stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.Freya kept her head lowered. How could she not have something important to do? To her, Micah was the mission she was determined to complete. This was the perfect opportunity to get closer to him and an opportunity she could not afford to miss.
With Nina saying this, Pharaoh knew he could not convince her to stay any longer. He repeated his earlier words, "Use what I've given you. Don't feel embarrassed. Besides that, I have nothing else to offer you."He wanted to give her companionship, fatherly love, but after so many years apart, even though she had accepted him, they could not have a typical father-daughter relationship. Instead, he thought it better to offer her financial support, so she could get whatever she needed."I understand. I've never blamed you. I'll visit when I can, and you're welcome to come to Birkham too," Nina replied with a smile.Between them, there was never any blame. It was just that when Nina first discovered he was her father, the initial shock and the harsh reality hit her hard. But those feelings had passed.Hope flickered in Pharaoh’s eyes. "Really?"His only wish now was to have a genuine relationship with Nina, to be a normal father and daughter. If she allowed him to visit Birkham, it w
He did not want her health to suffer, and in time, Micah would naturally start to hold her in a special place in his heart."I was just thinking out loud. If you don’t want me to go, then I won’t. Wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be," Freya said softly, though a smile played on her lips. Micah pressed his lips together, about to say something when Freya looked up at him with hopeful eyes. "Can I at least go out and buy a few things? Maybe a pair of couple rings? Don’t worry, I won’t put it under your name." She was willing to spend her own money, as long as Micah agreed.Micah did not respond immediately, staring at her in surprise. "Since when do women pay for men?""Aren’t we different? If you’re okay with it… it’s just a keepsake. It doesn’t matter who pays for it," Freya said, understanding the situation clearly. She knew Micah was not going to buy her anything, so if he was not going to do it, why shouldn’t she?"Let’s not think about that right now. I can take you out
At the time, Wilfred had already guessed that this had everything to do with Harley and his mentor, Professor Zeller. “You and your so-called association don’t focus on benefiting patients. Instead, you spend all your time trying to monopolize everything. And now you want to turn me into one of you? Keep dreaming.” Wilfred’s tone was filled with disdain, his eyes cold with contempt. The smug smile on Harley’s face slowly faded. With a sneer, Harley’s voice turned bitter. “You know what I despise most about you? That self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude of yours. I was offering you advice, but if you don’t want to hear it, fine. There’s nothing more to say. After all, if the surgery fails—” Before he could finish the word “fail,” the surgical light outside the operating room flicked off. Clack!The sliding doors parted, and Karina burst through, her face flushed with emotion. She didn’t even notice Harley. Her focus zeroed in on Wilfred. “Wilfred!” Her voice trem
As the surgery approached, Karina worked overtime, meticulously double-checking for any possible oversights. Before stepping into the operating room, she took a deep breath."Karina, you’ve got this!" a nurse beside her encouraged.This surgery was particularly significant, and the assistants and nurses weren’t from her hospital. They were brought in by the project, specifically by Harley’s team. Without a single familiar face around, Karina felt a twinge of anxiety. Opportunities to lead surgeries were already rare for her, let alone under circumstances like this, with no one she could truly rely on.But there was no turning back now. Gritting her teeth, Karina donned her gloves. As she was about to enter the operating room, her peripheral vision caught sight of a figure standing silently in the distance. It was Wilfred. His steady gaze met hers, his eyes carrying something profound she couldn’t quite decipher. When their eyes locked, a faint smile curved his lips.In th
“Ava.”A deep voice cut through the air, and Karina turned to see a man in a black suit, wearing a hat and a mask, striding toward them. But the man’s white eyelashes and distinctive eyes were all Karina needed to recognize him. He was her albino patient, Xavier Jasper!Xavier also didn’t expect to run into both Wilfred and Karina here. “It’s you two,” he exclaimed in surprise.Wilfred’s gaze sharpened as he calmly addressed Xavier. “Keep your sister in line. Apologize.”Before Xavier could respond, Ava stepped forward and, to everyone’s surprise, said, “I’m sorry. I was too impulsive. Please forgive me.” Karina was taken aback by how quickly Ava apologized. Even Xavier, who knew his sister’s arrogant tendencies well, looked stunned.Karina nodded, her tone steady but firm. “I forgive you, but that doesn’t mean everyone else will. You should work on your attitude. Stop acting so entitled everywhere you go.” With that, Karina turned on her heel and walked away. Although Xavie
”Those were her meticulously compiled notes, the result of hours of hard work—and now they were ruined just like that?” Karina thought.“I’ve never wronged you. Why would you do something like this?” she demanded, her voice trembling with indignation. Something about the situation felt off, and Karina’s sharp intuition told her this wasn’t a simple misunderstanding.Under Karina’s intense gaze, the nurse finally broke down, revealing Ava’s role in orchestrating the whole thing. Karina’s anger turned into a mix of rage and incredulous amusement. “Really? Rich people—did they all enjoy throwing money around like this?”All this trouble, just to ruin her hard-earned work over a seat?Her carefully compiled notes were gone, and there wasn’t a second copy. Arguing wouldn’t bring them back, but Ava wasn’t going to let this slide without giving someone a piece of her mind.Finding Ava wasn’t difficult. In fact, Ava didn’t even try to avoid her. She seemed to be waiting, eager to see
Just as Ava was about to cause a scene, the sound of steady footsteps filled the room. Wilfred strode in, his white coat enhancing his composed, almost ethereal aura. Ava shot Karina a glare, silently committing her to memory, then begrudgingly found another seat. Wilfred’s gaze swept across the room, pausing ever so briefly on Karina before moving on. She wasn’t sure if it was real or just her imagination. “Today, we’ll discuss cellular structures. I’ll start with an example from my doctoral thesis,” Wilfred announced, adjusting the projector. To Karina’s surprise, he was an exceptional lecturer—clear, engaging, and far more comprehensible than many university professors. She listened intently, taking meticulous notes. Yvette peeked over at Karina’s notebook, wide-eyed at the densely packed writing. “Karina, when you eventually get promoted, land a big raise, or go for your doctorate, I promise I won’t be jealous. Truly.”Karina chuckled. “If you need these notes, I can len
Karina glanced at the time and quickly gestured for Yvette to sit down as well. However, barely had they taken their seats when a haughty woman marched up to Karina, her sharp gaze fixed on the chair she was sitting on. “You, get up. I want that seat!” Karina frowned, studying the unfamiliar woman. She didn’t recognize her from the hospital, but the designer jewelry around her neck and the branded bag on her arm screamed wealth. She seemed like the kind of entitled socialite who rarely had to fight for anything, let alone a seat.Unsure if the woman was trying to pick a fight or genuinely wanted the chair, Karina pointed to the open seats nearby. “There are plenty of seats over there. Take one of those.”Then, she lowered her head, dismissing the woman entirely.The woman’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Excuse me? I said I want your seat. Get up. Now!” Not content with words alone, she reached out to pull Karina up by force. Karina, now genuinely angry, shook her off. “I was h
Karina looked slightly surprised. She distinctly remembered that Wilfred wasn’t a drinker. “I thought you avoided alcohol?” Wilfred, ever the epitome of control and composure, preferred to steer clear of anything that dulled his sharpness. Back when they worked at the Birkham Central Hospital, she had seen him reject bottles of expensive wine from people trying to curry favor with him. He sipped his tea slowly before replying, “You’ve started at a new hospital. As your former mentor, I haven’t given you a proper congratulatory gift yet.” “This is… for me?” Karina asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. Wilfred’s gaze was steady as he replied, “Don’t like it? If not, I can send it back and we can find something else later.” He raised his hand to call the server over. “Wait! No need. I like it a lot,” Karina interjected hastily, stopping him in his tracks. The idea of going gift shopping with him later felt uncomfortably like a date. And knowing Wilfred’s personality, w
Wilfred’s gaze swept over her without a word, and Karina climbed into the car on her own. When choosing her seat, she instinctively moved toward the back, but before she could get in, Wilfred spoke, “Sit in the front. It’s more convenient.” Karina hesitated briefly. Not wanting to appear overly particular, she complied and took the passenger seat. Although there was a saying that the front seat was reserved for a girlfriend, Wilfred didn’t strike her as someone who cared about such details. She decided to pretend she didn’t know. After buckling her seatbelt, a phone suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked up, her face full of confusion and surprise. Wilfred glanced sideways at her, one hand on the steering wheel, the car still stationary. “I haven’t decided on a restaurant yet. I’ll be driving soon. You pick something.” Karina took the phone. As Wilfred drove, she scrolled through the options, narrowing it down to three restaurants. But her mild indecisivenes
Karina forced a smile. “Really, it’s fine. You all go ahead.”Yvette pouted, her disappointment clear as she relented. “Alright then.”Once the others had left, Karina tried to refocus on work. She pulled out her research materials, determined to get something done. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept wandering. The cheerful chatter from outside finally snapped her out of it, making her realize just how distracted she had been.Karina gave a wry smile and muttered to herself, “This is why you don’t get ahead of yourself. Seriously, one of life’s biggest delusions.”For a fleeting moment, she had thought Wilfred might feel something for her too. But it was better this way, she told herself—better to wake up now than to fall in too deep later. Romance wasn’t her strong suit; focusing on her career was safer.While others might drown their heartbreak in food or a night out, Karina chose the most grueling outlet: work. It might be exhausting, but it was effective. S