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
Her belly was completely flat."A while back, I had gained a bit of weight, so I already had a little bit of a belly. Then, when I got pregnant, there was a slight bump. It wasn’t that obvious, but you could tell. But now, look! There's nothing left."No fat. And no baby.Nina was stunned. She struggled to speak, “The baby... the baby’s gone?”For a mother, there was no greater pain than losing a child. Nina knew just how much Lydia had looked forward to this baby, and as a mother herself, she could deeply empathize.In that moment, words felt so inadequate. Nothing she could say would ease the pain in Lydia’s heart."Yeah," Lydia nodded. "Right after I lost the baby, I was in a daze. My mind was blank. I couldn't make sense of anything. But I’m not stupid. After I got off the operating table, a lot of things started to make sense. Mrs. Perez never thought highly of me, so why would she suddenly start treating me well?”Lydia wished she could go back in time and slap some sens
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