"Who sent you?" Nina asked, taking a long look at the five men in front of her, silently assessing their strength. She figured she could probably take them.The station was less than a hundred meters south of the alley. Even if she couldn’t fight them all off, she could make a run for it. The men didn’t know what was going through her mind. They assumed her silence meant she was scared to leave the car. After all, a petite woman like her, faced with five bulky men, should be quaking in her shoes. It was already impressive she hadn’t lost her composure. As for fighting back? That wasn’t even on their radar. There was already a huge gap in strength between men and women, and it was five against one. Even if Nina wanted to fight back, did she really have what it took?“Come on, sweetheart, you don’t need to know who sent us," the leader sneered, eyeing her up and down. "Just get out of the car. Cooperate, and we might be gentle. Otherwise…” He let his voice trail off as he scann
If all three of them teamed up, they should have had no trouble handling one woman, right? But they quickly found out how wrong they were.Nina twisted the leader’s arm into a lock, stepping around him and landing a hard kick to his lower back. He gasped in pain, unable to straighten up as she kept a firm grip on him. He tried to threaten her, “Let me go, or I’ll pump you full of our strongest stuff. You’ll be begging like a dog.”Even in their organization, that drug was rarely used. But Nina paid no mind to his threats. Even if she let them go and tried to play nice, it was obvious they wouldn’t suddenly be friends. These guys were ruthless and had come with a mission to capture her for their twisted experiments. Her only option was to fight with everything she had. Giving in would only lead to something worse than death.She released him with a twist and kicked him hard, sending him stumbling forward into the second guy, who was too focused on Nina to react. His punch, meant
Nina took deliberate steps toward the leader. He pushed himself up with his hands and instinctively scooted back, fear flashing in his eyes. This woman was brutal. She hadn’t held back at all, and he was feeling it, especially his back, which he suspected might actually be fractured.“D-Don’t come any closer,” he stammered, attempting to sound threatening. “If you touch us, the organization behind us won’t let you off.”Nina’s expression was all scorn. “Do you really think I’m that naive? Even if I let you go now, your organization wouldn’t just let me walk away. And besides, do you think you’re that valuable?”She didn’t sugarcoat it. To her, they were just the organization’s lapdogs, only good for carrying out orders. If they succeeded, everyone would be pleased, and their organization would give them their due. But now? They had failed miserably.“Even if I do let you go, do you really think they’ll let you live?” she asked, pressing the point.The leader fell silent, clenc
She stood still, deep in thought. After waiting for a moment, the leader grew impatient. “I can also tell you about a secret treasure,” he said, leaning forward. “Whoever possesses it can be truly wealthy beyond measure. Miss Nina, come a little closer. This is something I’ll only tell you.”The lure of such a fortune was hard to resist, and, just as he had hoped, Nina’s curiosity got the better of her. She took a few steps closer, and at the right moment, he pulled a small syringe from his pocket and lunged forward, aiming it at her arm.Did he really intend to betray the organization? Of course not. No matter how tough Nina seemed, she was just a woman in his eyes, easily manipulated. A mention of treasure, and she had fallen for it. If he managed to inject the serum, it would take effect in less than five minutes, and by then, it wouldn’t be Nina calling the shots. She would be the one on her knees, begging them.As he envisioned his victory, something unexpected happened. Ni
Over at Nash’s office, he had just finished his meeting and decided to call Nina. Judging by the time, she should have been home by now, so he dialed the house number.After a few rings, the call connected, and Orion’s sweet little voice came through the line. “Hi, Daddy!”“Hey, buddy. What are you doing answering the phone? Where’s Mom?” Nash’s tone softened as he spoke to his son.“I don’t know,” Orion replied with a little sigh. “Mom left after she got off the phone with you and still hasn’t come back. I was going to ask you why you kept her so long.”Nash’s brows furrowed instantly. Something didn’t feel right. Nina had left the office a while ago, and even if she had run some errands, she should have been home by now. “Orion, is everything at home okay? Any strange people showing up? Is everything normal?” Nash asked, his voice growing tense.Orion yawned, then wandered into a room, turning on the phone to check the surveillance footage. The yard was empty except for two se
Nash circled the area, calling Nina repeatedly and even asking passersby if they had seen her, but he kept coming up empty-handed. Just as he was on the verge of despair, a familiar voice called out from behind him.“Nash.”It was Nina! He quickly turned around and ran to her, pulling her into a tight embrace. “You scared me to death. I couldn’t find you, and you weren’t answering your phone. I was terrified something had happened to you.” The thought of losing her was unbearable. He knew he couldn’t go on without her, not with Orion and Gemma needing both their parents. They were so young and needed the love and security of a complete family.“I’m so sorry,” Nina murmured, rubbing his back gently. “I was giving my statement to the police, so I put my phone on silent. I’m really okay. See?” She reassured him, showing her arms. “I didn’t get hurt. This blood isn’t mine. It’s from them.”He finally relaxed a bit, though his concern lingered as he looked her over. “But still… ther
She had no intention of arranging a get-together just yet. With the situation around the organization still unresolved, meeting up with Lydia and Quincy could only risk drawing unwanted attention toward them. It would be putting them in harm’s way.“When we get home, I’ll reach out to Quincy. I have a project at the company that I’d like to collaborate on with him,” Nash said. He was considering collaborating with Quincy because he trusted his integrity and knew Quincy would approach the project with commitment, regardless of its scale.“Why don’t you just focus on driving?” Nina suggested. “I’ll reach out to Lydia instead and send a quick text. They’re probably both busy at this hour.” She pulled out her phone, found Lydia in her contacts, and sent a cute emoji. With no immediate reply, she left it at that.As they pulled up to their house, Nina barely had time to step inside with the takeout before Orion came running up to her. He didn’t even notice the bag in her hand as he wrapp
"Orion, you're amazing. You’re such a good kid, always willing to share," Nina praised her son, quick to reinforce his positive traits. As a mother, all she wanted was for her son and daughter to grow up getting along, supporting one another. After all, besides their parents, they were each other’s closest family.Nash held Gemma in his arms, pacing around the living room a couple of times before finally placing her back in the cradle under Mrs. Watson's care. With dinner ready, the three of them headed to the dining room, sharing laughter and stories over the meal.After dinner, Orion ran off to watch cartoons, while Nina, with some time to herself, picked up her phone. She opened her messages and was taken aback to see Lydia’s response: "Next Monday, I’m meeting Quincy at the county courthouse. We’re getting a divorce."Nina could hardly believe her eyes. Just recently, Lydia had shared the news of her pregnancy and now she was talking about divorce? It seemed so surreal. For a
Winnie reacted strongly, refusing to believe any of it. “We’ve known each other for so long. He’s always been so good to me, and he’s incredibly dedicated to his work. He’s an exceptional lawyer. How could he possibly do something like this? You have to investigate thoroughly and clear his name,” she said, her voice trembling. The captain waited until she finished before asking, “Miss Lewis, just now you called him ‘Jack.’ Is that right?” “Yes, that’s his name, Jack Green. We’re engaged, and we’re getting married soon. Is there a problem with me calling him that?” Winnie responded, momentarily stunned. Her first thought was that the captain was being unnecessarily nosy. Was it wrong for an engaged couple to call each other by their first names?The captain shook his head. “This has nothing to do with your upcoming marriage, but the name you’re using doesn’t match the one on his ID. Were you aware of that?” “You’re joking, right? That’s not funny,” Winnie said, her face
While Nash spent time with his daughter, Gemma, every day, Nina and Pharaoh had missed out on so much together. Now that the doctors had given Pharaoh only five years to live, it was clear they needed to make the most of the time they had left and create as many good memories as possible.Lydia completely understood.She waved goodbye to Nash, then linked her arm through Quincy’s as the two walked toward their parked car.“I was thinking that, since work has been slow, we could take a short trip to a nearby city,” Quincy said, glancing at her with a warm expression. “But it looks like we’ll have to postpone it.”With her by his side, life felt perfect.Lydia smiled. “If not this week, then next week or the one after. We’ve got all the time in the world.”They were still young, with plenty of time to do everything they wanted.……Meanwhile, Winnie was left alone at home since Jamie went out to work. With nothing else to do, she decided to tidy up. The villa was large, and clea
Nash was the first to speak. “Mrs. Lucas, what exactly happened to Ben? Can you tell us everything? Let’s see if there’s a way we can help.”“Alright. Thank goodness he has friends like you. Otherwise, I’d have no idea what to do right now.” Mrs. Lucas recounted the situation in detail but carefully omitted her own involvement.The living room fell silent, and everyone’s expressions darkened.“I raised Ben. I know my son. He would never do something like this. It must be a setup,” Mrs. Lucas said, her voice trembling with emotion. The more she spoke, the more heartbroken she felt. All she could think about now were her Ben’s virtues. Apart from refusing to listen to her about marriage and career plans, Ben had always been a good son.“Don’t worry, Mrs. Lucas. We’ll figure something out,” Lydia offered as she stood and gently guided Mrs. Lucas to the nearby study. “You should rest for a bit. Don’t wear yourself out.”Quincy watched Lydia closely as she left the room. Only when sh
Mrs. Lucas deeply regretted her decision. If she had known it would come to this, she would never have sought out this man for help. “You hide behind a mask and won’t even show your face. How can you call yourself a man?”“Mrs. Lucas, do you really think throwing insults will make me take off the mask and obediently do your bidding like a dog?” The masked man remained calm, his tone even laced with amusement, which only added to Mrs. Lucas’s frustration.She was on the verge of breaking down. “Just name your price. How much will it take to get my son out of there?”As long as Ben could walk out safely and unharmed, no amount of money was too much.But the masked man shook his head. “This isn’t about money. If it were that simple, you wouldn’t be here begging me for help.”The truth was, Mrs. Lucas had come to him because she had run out of options. He was her last hope. Yet, he shrugged nonchalantly, as if to show her just how powerless he really was.“I don’t make the laws, an
Why would Caden do this?“And then there’s that recent case you handled. The client is suspected of laundering money for an international corporation, and these are the ‘evidences’ you submitted.” The captain’s brows furrowed as he pulled a file from the side, placing it in front of Ben. “Take a look at what you turned in.”The documents were full of evasive arguments, but the worst part was that a check had somehow been slipped between the pages. With all this evidence piled up against him, even as a lawyer, Ben had no way to prove his innocence.He had no idea how things had come to this. He had personally organized and submitted these files to the court, but the ones on record were completely different. Someone had swapped them out.But who?Ben handled everything himself, except for having his assistant print the documents. Could it be…?“Mr. Lucas, the evidence is overwhelming. You’d better think about how to clear your name,” the captain said, standing up and looking at Ben
“Please come with us,” one of the officers stepped up, holding a pair of silver handcuffs.Ben was even more puzzled. He hadn’t done anything illegal. Why were these officers showing up at his office? And why the cuffs?His first reaction was to step back. “You must have the wrong person.”“Your name is Ben Lucas, right? We’ve already matched your photo. I suggest you don’t resist and just come along quietly,” the officer barked.They wouldn’t be here without solid evidence. There was no mistake.“If you’re taking me in, I’d like to know the reason,” Ben replied, still trying to make sense of what was happening.To the officers, his reaction came across as defiant, making him look even more suspicious.“Don’t tell me you’re unaware of your own wrongdoing? You’re supposed to be a lawyer, familiar with the law. How convenient to play ignorant when it applies to you!“Think carefully! Confess, and things might go easier for you. Resist, and you’ll only make it worse. Don’t interfe
How could Jamie feel right about taking the money? In just a few days, Winnie had already lent her so much. She couldn’t keep taking advantage of her.“Jamie, if I were living alone, I wouldn’t care so much. But now, with Jack and the baby on the way, it’s unrealistic for us to keep living together forever. Take this money. It’s enough to cover at least half a month’s rent,” Winnie said firmly.Jamie could hear the underlying message. Winnie was trying to hint, as gently as possible, that it might be time for Jamie to find her own place. It made sense. Winnie was building her own family and naturally wanted privacy. Having a relative around wasn’t exactly ideal, especially with everything Ben had been doing lately. While he hadn’t openly revealed anything about their past, it was clear enough that Winnie had noticed something.Jamie truly wanted to move out, but the moment she started looking for a place, Ben would make her life difficult. She didn’t mind for herself, but with
The next morning, Ben opened his eyes. He immediately noticed the blanket covering him. Could Jamie have been the one taking care of him last night?He sat up, only to see Winnie sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor.“You’re awake? You were so drunk last night that you passed out on the way home. It was a struggle just getting you here. I even tried to wake you up for some tea to help sober you up, but you were completely out,” Winnie said as she woke up, too.After straightening up the living room a bit, she went to the kitchen and came back with a mug of warm herbal tea. “I’m guessing the hangover’s mostly gone, so you probably don’t need anything strong. But this will soothe your throat.”“You don’t have to go through all this trouble,” Ben replied, placing the mug on the coffee table without drinking it.Ben looked around the room. It was just the two of them. Where had Jamie gone?The thought nagged at him, so he asked directly.“Jack, I’m not sure if I should say this…
“He… likes my sister?” The shocking thought had barely surfaced before it jolted Winnie. “You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not Winnie,” Jamie quickly pushed Ben toward Winnie’s side.A look of irritation crossed Ben’s face. It was Jamie he wanted to hold. What did Winnie have to do with him?Annoyed, he grumbled, “Why do you keep pushing me away?”“Jack, you’re mistaken. I’m your fiancée!” Winnie finally couldn’t hold back anymore. She strode over, took Ben’s hand, and placed it around her waist. “I get that my sister and I look a bit alike, but you can’t keep confusing us like this!”She had brushed it off the first couple of times, but this was going too far.Ben still seemed inclined to push her away.Just then, the taxi arrived, and Jamie opened the front passenger door, slipping inside. Seeing this, Ben staggered in her direction, while Winnie hurried to open the back door for him.Once inside, Ben leaned back in the seat and fell asleep almost immediately.Not wanti