"At least you’re self-aware," Lydia replied, her smile growing wider.Quincy noticed this and couldn’t help but admire her composure. Even in such a dire situation, Lydia could still find it in herself to smile. Her mental strength was something else.Quincy frowned slightly and asked, "You’re aware of what’s going on, but you don’t seem scared at all. Why…?""Do you think we should be wearing gloomy faces instead?" Lydia cut him off with a soft laugh. "Honestly, if we’re meant to die here, that’s just fate. If it’s destiny that we die together, what choice do we have?"She didn’t seem like she was just trying to laugh in the face of adversity. There was a genuine acceptance in her tone.Quincy felt a pang of guilt. "I brought you on this trip, and now look what’s happened."Before, Quincy might have been wary of Lydia, but after all they had been through together, he knew what kind of person she was. If she were the type to abandon someone in trouble, she would have left him beh
"One million," Nash named his price.The man had not expected such a high figure, but since Nash mentioned it, he was more than willing to agree. "Alright, but you'll only take them once I get the money."Without hesitation, Nash replied, "Give me your account number."Though the man spent most of his life hunting in the mountains, he still had a bank account. As soon as he gave Nash the number, the money was transferred into his account. One million was in his account in less than two minutes.He had never seen that much money in his life.While he was still lost in the excitement, Nash had already left with the people, heading to find Quincy and Lydia.Since the payment was made, Nash naturally took them with him.He had them both sent to the hospital, where Caleb personally checked their injuries. Both were hurt, and traces of snake venom still lingered.Thankfully, Caleb administered the antivenom and kept them under observation in the hospital.Nash instructed Quincy, "Yo
Caleb was doing it on purpose.As soon as he started grumbling, people passing by began glancing in their direction. Back when Nina was not in Nash’s life and Miranda was nowhere near him either, rumors about Nash and Caleb’s relationship had already spread wildly. And now Caleb was stirring things up again!Nash was at a loss for words, his expression quickly hardening as his gaze sharpened. "If you really have a death wish, I don’t mind helping you out."Nash despised being the subject of rumors, especially now that he was happily settled with his family. The thought of false stories circulating about him now was intolerable.Seeing the deadly look in Nash’s eyes, Caleb immediately realized he had pushed too far and dared not say anything more. He could only watch helplessly as Nash walked farther and farther away.When Nash got back to their home at Riverside Estate, even Nina noticed the tension on his face.Alarmed, she asked, "What’s wrong? You didn’t find them?"It had
The uninvited guest was none other than William's mistress, whom he had been supporting outside the family. Back when William was alive, their lives were filled with material comforts. But now that he was gone, things had drastically changed for the worse.To make matters worse, the mistress, Xena York, was visibly pregnant. Standing beside her were William's son and daughter, and their intentions were clear."My beloved man is dead. Even though you didn’t kill him directly, he died because of you. Now our entire family's livelihood is in jeopardy!" Xena sobbed, covering her face dramatically.She also took notice of Nina's slightly swollen belly and raised her voice intentionally, shouting, "You’re pregnant too! You should understand how hard it is for a pregnant woman!"We're barely surviving, that’s why we came to you. We have no other way out…"Xena’s cries grew louder, and her children followed suit, wailing alongside her.Nash instinctively shielded Nina behind him. "Go ups
Xena kept pushing the issue. It was obvious she could not provide the paternity test results and was just trying to squeeze out more money by making a scene. Otherwise, why wouldn’t she follow the proper legal process?Nina, not wanting to waste any more time, raised her voice. "Someone, show them out!""You!" Xena shot to her feet in anger. "Nina, Nash, you’re going too far!""Yeah! My mom’s pregnant. If you stress her out and something happens to her, can you afford to pay for it?" Xena's son chimed in."I’m telling you, if we don’t get money today, we won’t leave! We have no way to survive!" Xena and her children stood united, with Xena even putting on a show of exaggerated pain.But Nina wasn’t falling for it. She turned to the house staff and ordered, "Don’t lay a hand on her. Just call the police and an ambulance.""Yes, ma’am," the staff replied and followed her instructions.Nina then added coolly, "We aren’t family, nor are we friends. Since you refuse to leave, I have
Nina finally breathed a sigh of relief. If Yvonne needed money and came to her for help, there was no problem with that."I’ll bring it to you. Where are you now, or do you want to come and get it?" Nina asked, thinking everything through carefully.Yvonne replied, "Bring it to me, and help me leave Birkham tonight."Yvonne had initially thought about packing her clothes, but on second thought, as long as her account had money, she didn’t need to worry about material things."Okay," Nina agreed, and Yvonne hung up the phone.Shortly after, Yvonne sent her location. It was a hotel. Nina, holding her phone, transferred five million to another bank card. She then turned to Nash and explained the situation, "Can you arrange for a few people to come with me?"Nina had decided that these people would escort Yvonne out of the city.Nash frowned. "You’re not planning to take me with you?""Yvonne wants to see me, and just have a few of your people follow us." It was clear from Nina’s
Joe reached out to Yvonne, his demeanor disturbingly unwell. She had no desire to continue this twisted relationship and screamed, "I don’t need you! Joe, I’ve already contacted my best friend, Nina! You know exactly who she is and her connections. If you dare hurt me, she and her husband won’t let you get away with it!"Joe chuckled dismissively. "But do you really think anyone would believe us? Would you even dare tell anyone, Yvonne? Or maybe you want me to expose our relationship in public?"Yvonne felt completely numb. Joe’s words stirred up memories from the past five years, with days and nights filled with his actions and the sound of his voice echoing in her mind."Ahhh!" She couldn’t take it anymore.Like someone losing her mind, Yvonne grabbed a crystal glass from the coffee table and smashed it to pieces. She picked up one of the shards and pressed it against her neck."Joe, don’t push me. If you keep pushing, I’ll die right here in front of you!"She wasn’t bluffing
After calling Caleb, Nash quickly explained the situation and then instructed the driver to speed up. The whole ride, Joe remained tense. He was glancing at Nina several times, as if considering pushing her away to better protect Yvonne himself. But in the end, he did not. Instead, he fixed his gaze on her with an unreadable expression. Nash noticed but did not ask questions. He was not sure what had happened, and with Joe staying silent, prying would have been pointless. Besides, anything Joe said at this point might not even be the truth.When they arrived at the hospital, Caleb was already there. Before Nash could speak, Nina rushed to Caleb, grabbing his hands, "Caleb, no matter what it takes, you have to save my friend. Please, you must save her."Nash gently pulled her aside, speaking softly to calm her, "I’ve already told him. The person inside is important. He’ll do whatever it takes.""Yes, whatever it takes," Nina said through tears. "I can’t lose Yvonne."Nash held h
But instead of feeling touched, Vera’s first reaction was nausea. A wave of discomfort surged up from her stomach, and Vera’s face paled. She bolted for the bathroom. Caleb followed quickly. “Are you feeling sick?” “I don’t think so. I’ve been eating normally—nothing too heavy or weird lately.” Vera clutched her stomach, just as confused as he was. Then, a possibility flashed through her mind. Caleb clearly had the same thought. Without a word, he turned and walked into their bedroom, returning moments later with a pregnancy test. Vera looked at him, stunned. “When did you buy that?” He responded matter-of-factly, “Better safe than sorry.” Vera was momentarily speechless. Five minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom, her hand instinctively resting on her stomach, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief. It was positive. They had only been married for three months. How did this happen so fast?Caleb, on the other hand, remained composed—at le
Of course, Vera wasn’t about to dump all her responsibilities on her assistant. That would be exploitation. She called her assistant into her office. “You’re twenty-five this year, right?” Her assistant blinked, confused. Wasn’t her age common knowledge? Why was Vera suddenly bringing it up? A thought struck her. Was this an arranged marriage situation? Her face immediately filled with silent refusal. “Miss Vera, I’m still young. I’m not thinking about marriage anytime soon.” Vera tapped her pen against the desk. “I’m not telling you to get married.” “Oh.” “I just want to offload some of the smaller daily tasks to you. You don’t have to run every minor document by me.”Her assistant instantly understood. A raise. After confirming she was on board, Vera gave her a salary bump and had her hire a few more assistants to distribute the workload. “If I don’t have time to handle everything, you guys will take care of it. If something’s too complicated, jus
Vera could sense danger the moment the conversation turned in this direction. Her father had never questioned her about married life, and she was lucky enough to avoid nosy relatives. But just because she hadn’t experienced it firsthand didn’t mean she hadn’t seen it happen to others. Without hesitation, she abandoned the half-folded pastry in her hands. “I... uh, need to use the restroom.” Before she could escape, Mrs. Smith caught her wrist. “You and Caleb aren’t getting any younger,” she said matter-of-factly. “You should start thinking about kids—make sure you’re putting in the effort, hmm?” Vera left the kitchen visibly drained. Mrs. Smith was a wonderful mother-in-law, the kind who treated Vera like her own daughter. Despite knowing Vera came from a well-off family, she had still gifted them a house as a wedding present. Of course, Caleb already owned a place, but his mother had insisted. “That’s your house. This is the home I’m giving you as a weddi
That undeniable possessiveness flickered in Caleb’s gaze—subtle yet impossible to ignore. It was the kind of look a powerful man might give his beloved in an old Hollywood film. And right now, the photographer felt like the unlucky bystander who had accidentally stumbled upon an intimate scene. His voice wavered slightly, caught up in his own imagination. “Mr. Smith, lift your eyes toward the camera.” Caleb’s sharp gaze flickered over, intense and commanding. The photographer instinctively pressed the shutter. They continued with several more poses, reviewing the shots as they went. Vera loved them all, but her favorite was still the vintage-inspired one. “How long until we get the final prints?” she asked. “Two to three days at most,” the photographer replied. “I’ll have them shipped directly to you.” Then, after a slight pause, he hesitated before making a request. “I actually have a personal favor to ask—would you both be open to letting us displa
Vera was tempted. They had already taken plenty of wedding photos—several sets at the island, more at the wedding itself. But this wasn’t just any photo studio. It was privately booked and known for being one of the most prestigious studios in the city. Appointments here were nearly impossible to get. The fact that Caleb had managed to secure a session meant he had gone to great lengths to make it happen. If they were just going to take ordinary wedding pictures, it would be a waste of an opportunity. Still, she wasn’t sure what kind of shoot she wanted. The photographer, understanding her hesitation, pulled out a sample album. “You can take a look at our past work. These are some of the styles we’ve done.” Flipping through the pages, Vera saw an array of stunning concepts—each picture more breathtaking than the last. Then, one particular set caught her eye. A Golden Age Hollywood theme.It was classic, nostalgic, and beautifully atmospheric. “Ca
After the wedding, Vera considered taking some time off for a honeymoon. But the thought quickly faded when she realized Caleb had been practically living at the hospital. With a sigh, she dismissed the idea. She was used to it, but to say she wasn’t disappointed would be a lie. Her assistant picked up on it. “Mrs. Smith, don’t you want to go on a honeymoon?” she asked one day. “One of my friends just got married, and she’s been obsessively researching destinations. “She even said a marriage without a honeymoon is already half a failure.” Vera froze mid-page, suddenly losing interest in the documents she had been reviewing. Her assistant hesitated, then offered a suggestion. “Why don’t you go visit Dr. Smith at work?“You seem… distracted. Maybe seeing him will help.” Vera snapped out of her daze, suddenly aware of how preoccupied she had been lately. It was embarrassing to admit, but she had been zoning out far too often—especially after coming hom
Whenever they did this in the past, Caleb always maintained some restraint. But tonight—he didn’t hold back at all. He took her from the bedroom to the bathroom, then back to the bed, his searing kisses trailing every inch of her skin. The next morning, even as she woke up, Vera could still feel the lingering traces of last night’s intoxicating pleasure. As expected, she ended up taking the day off. It wasn’t until two days later that she finally returned to work. *Everyone at the company had already prepared for this. The moment Vera walked into the office, she was greeted with knowing smiles and teasing remarks. “Congratulations, Mrs. Smith!” “Newlywed bliss, huh?” “Three whole days off? Someone had a good time.” It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she had been up to. Obviously, her married life was going exceptionally well—so well that she had completely abandoned work for it. Under the weight of their mischievous stares, Vera barely k
Yelena still hadn’t accepted Hunter, but he wasn’t giving up either and was relentlessly closing in on her. Knowing Yelena’s soft heart, Vera figured it was only a matter of time before she gave in. She let out a sigh. Her friend’s love life wasn’t something she could interfere with. Besides, Caleb had already given her a little inside scoop. “She came to the hospital for a follow-up a few days ago,” he had mentioned casually. “Hunter was the one who brought her.” Vera had clicked her tongue at the news. Yelena always seemed quiet and reserved, but apparently, she was full of surprises.*Time flew by in the blink of an eye.By mid-month, Caleb had rented out an entire vineyard and spent several days transforming it into the perfect wedding venue.When the day arrived, the celebration took place right there.The vineyard was sprawling and elegant, every bit as grand as any luxury hotel—if not better. Even the wine cellar remained untouched, stocked with years-
“Did you plan this from the start?” Vera narrowed her eyes, feeling like she had just walked into a carefully laid trap. “Mm.” Caleb smiled, then leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Because yes—he had always been planning this. The biggest change in Vera’s life after the island proposal was the ring now sitting on her finger. It wasn’t just any ring. It was custom-made, something Caleb had specially ordered. She only found out by accident when she glanced at his phone one day and saw the purchase record. It had been ordered two months ago. Vera did the math and was stunned. He had been preparing for this long before she even started getting impatient. Her heart swelled with emotion. And as soon as Caleb’s parents heard that their son had finally proposed, they wasted no time pushing them to get the marriage license. *One day, Vera overheard Caleb’s mother lecturing him. “Your dad and I weren’t expecting much from you. With how much ti