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
Someone called out to her.Nina walked absentmindedly into the prenatal exam room, unaware that the examination paperwork was still with Nash. Once inside, without waiting for the nurse to speak, she took off her shoes and lay down on the exam table.Suddenly, she sensed something unusual. Glancing to the side, she noticed a woman leaving the room. The woman had given her an odd look, and Nina quickly realized that she wasn’t pregnant. It was odd for a non-pregnant woman to be in the prenatal clinic. It did not make sense.At that moment, a voice came over the hospital intercom, announcing that it was not yet Nina’s turn for her exam. Quickly, she got off the table, put her shoes back on, and made her way to the door. As she reached the entrance, she overheard a conversation."That’s her. The woman said if we could bring Nina to her, she’d give us ten thousand."Someone hesitated. "Can we really trust her?""Why not? She said she’s William’s mistress. I checked, and there reall
The woman smiled faintly and said, "I was planning to keep it from you a bit longer, but since you’ve figured it out, there’s no point in hiding anymore. Come on out, she knows."Nurse Sarah came out of another room, her eyes burning with hatred as she looked at Nina. Seeing her, Nina instantly understood what was happening and smiled at her.Sarah was enraged. "What are you smiling about? So what if you’ve figured it out? You’re in our hands now. No one’s coming to save you, no matter how much you scream.""Oh?" Nina raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her.This only made Sarah angrier. She rushed forward, grabbing Nina by the collar and yanking her to her feet. Worried about hurting her baby, Nina followed her motion. Nina stood up, glaring coldly at her. "You’re digging your own grave.""Digging my own grave?" Sarah sneered, glancing at Xena before letting out two mocking laughs. "I’ve done my job by bringing you here. Once I get paid, my aunt and I will leave this place
"Officer Zimmer, you know what to do. Don’t go easy on a woman this ruthless," Nash growled, his voice low but filled with fury.It was clear this time, someone had touched his bottom line.Nina and the baby were Nash’s ultimate boundaries. Anyone who crossed them would face serious consequences. Nurse Sarah, still attempting to make a last-ditch effort to resist, instantly stopped when Nash shot her a cold, piercing glare.After finishing up at the police station, Nash gently pinched Nina’s nose, teasingly scolding her. "You knew it was dangerous, so why did you follow them?""You found out," Nina pouted, rubbing her head against his arm playfully. Nash rolled his eyes at her, though the affection was clear.Of course he knew! They had been married for years. He could read her every small move and knew exactly what she was planning."I wanted to end the threat once and for all. Don’t worry, I won’t do it again.""It was really risky, though. What if something had happened? Ha
Vera's expression changed completely as she looked at the family. “What are you talking about? Why would I stay here? I have my own life.” “Vera, didn’t you say you couldn’t find your brother?” Alice’s voice grew anxious. “Then take my brother instead! He’ll protect both of us. This is a good thing for you! Don’t tell me you think my brother isn’t good enough?“His leg isn’t perfect, and he can’t do heavy labor, but he’s not useless. And I can help him with the farm work—we can do it together!” Her words were absurd. If Vera had known this was her real intention, she never would have accepted her help. “Enough, both of you, stop talking.”Gerald had lived long enough to understand that his son and Vera were worlds apart. He also knew that there was no way she would willingly stay. But plenty of women in the village hadn’t wanted to stay either. That didn’t matter. As long as she was here, that was enough. He got straight to the point. “Our village
The young girl suddenly looked torn. In their village, getting a wife was extremely difficult. Families with a little money could sometimes bring a wife in from outside, but for families like hers, who had nothing to offer, it was nearly impossible. To make things worse, her brother had a bad leg. As a child, he had been mocked by other kids. He could still walk, but not quickly—and he couldn’t do the heavy farm work required to support a family. Now that he was getting older and still living alone, she felt incredibly anxious. Today, by some stroke of luck, she had met a woman in the mountains who was as beautiful as a goddess. She was determined to make this woman her sister-in-law. But if she left now, what if the woman ran away or was taken away by someone else in the village? What would happen to her brother then? *“It’s already so late,” Vera said gently. “Even if everyone in the village knows each other, it’s still not safe for a young girl
Up ahead was a village. “Miss, it’s really late today, so I’ll take you home first. My parents and brother will take good care of you, and you can get a good night’s sleep at our place. Once you’ve rested, we’ll take you to town tomorrow.” The young girl tightened her grip on Vera’s hand. “My mom is a great cook! She’ll definitely make a big meal to welcome you.” It really was late. The sky was completely dark, and Vera’s phone battery was nearly dead. The girl was still so young. She had already gone out of her way to bring Vera back from the deep mountains. It wouldn’t be right to ask her to take her all the way to town tonight. Vera still had some cash in her pocket. After covering the cost of transportation, she decided she would leave the rest for the girl’s family. If it weren’t for the girl, who knew how long she would have been wandering in the mountains? “My house is just ahead. It’s not in great shape, so don’t mind it too much. Next year, whe
Vera’s nerves tensed up again. A sudden sound in the middle of nowhere was never a good sign. If it was a snake or some other large animal, she would be in serious trouble. Her ankle was swollen, and she couldn’t run fast. Would this be where it all ended for her? She had to leave quietly. But the ground was covered in thick layers of fallen leaves, with dry branches hidden underneath. Crack. As she stepped back, her foot snapped a twig, the sound piercing through the silence. Only one thought filled her mind—this was it. The rustling nearby grew louder. Vera squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself. Then, a voice suddenly spoke beside her. “Miss, why are you here alone? Didn’t your family come with you?” It was a person. Not an animal. Vera’s eyes flew open. A young girl stood in front of her. Fear dissolved in an instant, replaced by relief. She was saved.“I came here alone. Little one, do you know how to get out of here?” Ver
Hunter took a bite of the biscuits and ravioli she had made. The taste was surprisingly good. It wasn’t on the level of a Michelin-starred chef, but it had something even more special—the taste of home. And of course, there was the oatmeal. He took one spoonful after another, finishing the entire bowl. *Meanwhile, Vera still hadn’t found her brother. Disappointment weighed heavily on her as she prepared to leave. But just then, her phone buzzed. An anonymous message. She tapped it open and stared at the image attached. It was a watch. Alone, a watch meant nothing. But this watch was her brother’s. Vera immediately zoomed in on the photo, carefully inspecting the engravings inside. There they were—his initials. No mistake. This was his watch. Below the image, a location pin was attached. The place was nearby. Vera’s eyes filled with determination. If she had found nothing, she would have simply left. But now, she had recei
When Yelena woke up again, she was shocked to find that she wasn’t at the club. She sat up abruptly, looking around in confusion. Then, she got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and pushed the door open. “Where am I?” “At my place,” Hunter replied casually. He was working in the living room when he saw her wake up. “You slept for a long time. I couldn’t just leave you alone at the club, so I brought you back here.” Seeing the uncertainty on her face, he added, “It’s already late. Just stay here for the night. I’ll take you back tomorrow.” Yelena nodded. There was no other choice now. “There’s food in the fridge. If you’re hungry, heat something up. There are also snacks in the drawer—take whatever you want.” “Alright.” She really was hungry. She opened the drawer, grabbed a few small bread rolls, ate them quickly, and then went back to her room to rest. *The next morning, Yelena woke up early. Thinking about everything Hunter had done—treatin
Yelena quickly lowered her arm, letting her sleeve fall over the mark to cover it. “It’s nothing. Here’s your cocktail. Please enjoy.” “Yelena.” Hunter grabbed her wrist without warning. He pulled up her sleeve, revealing the deep, ugly scars on her arm. His brows knitted together instantly. “Who did this to you?” The force behind it was brutal—downright inhuman. Yelena remained silent. Who else could have done this besides Liam? But she had agreed to this. She had willingly accepted Hunter’s request and entered Liam’s world. She had no right to complain. Her silence gave Hunter all the confirmation he needed. “Liam did this to you, didn’t he?” Yelena nodded. “It’s nothing. The wounds have already started healing. They look worse than they feel. Give it some time, and they’ll fade.” “Wait here.” Hunter stood abruptly and walked away. Yelena had no idea what he was doing, but since he told her to wait, she didn’t argue. A few minu
Then again, it made sense. How could a normal person possibly empathize with a lunatic? If Yelena could understand Liam, that would make her just as twisted. *For the next few days, Yelena stayed home to recover. During that time, Liam came back a few times, bringing her flowers and food. Like a child showing off a treasure, he placed the food in front of her. “Yelena, these are your favorite honey crullers. I got them fresh from the bakery. Try them and see if you like them.” “I’m not really hungry.” She didn’t want to eat anything he gave her. She couldn’t even stand looking at him. But she had made a promise. So, she had to force herself to stay. Liam’s expression darkened. “Are you really not hungry, or do you just not want to eat what I give you?” For someone like him, once he had lost his temper once, the second time would only come faster and smoother. With a heavy thud, he slammed the honey crullers onto the table. “Yes, I hit y
If Liam had been a normal person, Hunter never would have sent her here in the first place. But of course, Yelena could only think that. She wasn’t suicidal enough to say it out loud. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. “I was really just messaging an old classmate. If you don’t believe me, go ahead—check my phone.” She wasn’t worried. Whenever she contacted Hunter, she deleted each message immediately. She had even forged an entire fake conversation just in case Liam ever got suspicious. So, no matter how thoroughly he checked, there would be nothing for him to find. Liam narrowed his eyes. “Is that so? Then why do I still feel like you’re lying? Women like you—nothing but liars, every last one of you.” Then, he struck her again. Yelena screamed. The pain was relentless, merciless. She had no idea how long it lasted—only that by the time he finally stopped, she was barely breathing. Her body slumped against the floor