“People who are sick get treatment to stay alive, but if you’re perfectly healthy, taking treatment is like asking for trouble,” Mrs. Perez laughed. “I just made it up to fool him a little.”After all, a mother knew best, and her son was no match for her.The doctor thought of mentioning that Quincy had already paid for her treatment, but he reconsidered. Whether the money had been paid or not, she didn’t actually need any treatment. If he refunded it, Quincy would immediately suspect something was up.After a moment, the doctor proposed a plan, “Here’s an idea. I’ll bring your medication every day, but you don’t take it, no IVs or anything. If Quincy checks in, we’ll both be covered.”“Good thinking! You really know your stuff,” Mrs. Perez grinned, completely unaware of the trouble looming ahead.……Meanwhile, Lydia had just landed. When she got home, she found Eugene standing at the door, carrying his usual load of gifts for her parents, putting on quite the show. But her paren
She wasn’t just laughing at Eugene. She was laughing at herself. Time and again, she had trusted the wrong person. “Trust isn’t something that’s just given. It’s something you earn. Just go. There’s no reason for you to be down on one knee in front of me. Don’t do this. It doesn’t mean anything.”“Lydia!” Eugene reached out again, desperately gripping the hem of her coat. He held on tightly, not daring to let go for even a second, fearing that if he loosened his grip, he would lose her forever.“Just go home. You’ll have your life, and I’ll have mine,” Lydia said firmly, slipping out of her coat. “I told you before that we can’t even be friends.”Eugene was left holding nothing but the coat, watching helplessly as Lydia walked away with her parents. Mrs. Fay glanced back several times, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she just picked up her pace and disappeared with Lydia from his sight.Once they were home, Lydia didn’t bring up Eugene. Instead, she dove straig
In just one week, Lydia had accomplished so much that even her supervisor took notice of her hard work and dedication. “Tomorrow, we're meeting with a client. I’d like you to come with me.”“A client meeting? Really?” Lydia's eyes lit up. She had once been an assistant to Nash, so handling clients was nothing new. But after only a week at her family’s company, being invited to a client meeting felt like a clear sign of her supervisor’s trust in her.“Absolutely. I’ve been observing your skills and your attitude, and honestly, I think you might be even better than me. You’re more than ready to meet clients,” her supervisor affirmed.There was still plenty of prep work for the meeting, so her supervisor forwarded all the project files to Lydia’s email. Opening her inbox for the first time in a while, Lydia saw her supervisor’s email at the top, but she also noticed an unread message from Quincy. She had intended to delete it, but her finger slipped, opening the email instead. No
Seeing his daughter collapsed on the floor, Mr. Fay was terrified. He rushed over in just a few strides, scooped her up, and bolted out of the office. “Call an ambulance!” he shouted. One of the nearby employees quickly dialed 911, and within minutes, an ambulance was at the building entrance. Mr. Fay rode with his daughter to the hospital, anxiously pacing outside the emergency room, his worry mounting. She was his only child, his greatest treasure. If anything happened to her, he didn’t know how he or his wife would cope. Just the thought alone was overwhelming.Lost in his thoughts, he nearly jumped when the doctor approached. He grabbed the doctor’s shoulders, his voice frantic, “Doctor, how’s my daughter? What’s wrong with her?”The doctor glanced at Mr. Fay’s grip, considering stepping back, but the desperation in his eyes was unmistakable. With a deep sigh, the doctor replied, “Your daughter’s fine, Mr. Fay. She just had low blood sugar. She’s recently pregnant, so she
“That's not true. This child isn’t his at all. He’s lying about it,” Lydia shook her head, her voice steady. “This child is Quincy’s.”She gently placed her hand over her stomach, a thought striking her. Could it be that the child she had lost before had somehow returned to her?Turning to her father, she declared, “No matter what, I’m keeping this child. Quincy and I are divorced, but he won’t trouble me. I trust him. I know he’s a decent man.”“And what about his mother?” Mr. Fay sighed, shaking his head. “That troublesome mother-in-law is a nightmare for anyone unlucky enough to deal with her.”Compared to Eugene, he was starting to view Quincy in a more favorable light. Besides, the evidence he had found showed that the slanderous posts defaming Lydia online weren’t Quincy’s doing. They were from Tiffany, who had even connected with a rival of Fay Corporation. This mess wasn’t Quincy’s fault.If Quincy were the only concern, Mr. Fay might have looked the other way for the sake
“With what would she get pregnant?” Mrs. Perez laughed, dismissing Lydia entirely. “I asked the doctor last time. With her condition, it’s hard for her to conceive, especially after a miscarriage. Even if she tried to lure Quincy, it wouldn’t bring about a child.”Suddenly, the door to the room was thrown open.Quincy stood outside, his face filled with anger. He could no longer hold back. Every word he had just overheard pushed him to his breaking point. He never imagined his mother could be so ruthless, so selfish, so downright despicable.“Quincy, what are you doing back so suddenly?” Mrs. Perez was genuinely panicked. With only Mabel in the room earlier, she hadn’t held back, saying exactly what was on her mind. She hadn’t expected Quincy to come back like this.“If I hadn’t come back, how would I have known about all the ‘good deeds’ my mother’s been doing behind my back?” Quincy’s voice trembled with frustration. “You’re a woman too. How could your heart be so twisted?”Not
“I didn’t actually go through with the treatment.” Mrs. Perez felt a deep wave of regret. She had schemed and plotted, yet, in the end, she had outsmarted herself. If she had known it would come to this, she never would have gone down this road.“But it’s all clearly documented in your medical record.”“I didn’t take the medication, and I poured out the IV fluids,” Mrs. Perez confessed, regretting every word as she spoke.The doctor could only look at her, baffled. “If you don’t want treatment, then just go home and save the money. Young people today work hard to earn a living, and it’s embarrassing for our hospital if this gets out.”“No, no! I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll fully cooperate with treatment from now on.” Mrs. Perez was suddenly willing to comply, all traces of defiance gone.Despite her tough talk about dying, the ones who talk about it the most are often the ones most afraid of it. She genuinely wanted to live. Life was good now, with no financial worries, and excep
“Her condition is very severe. Even if she undergoes surgery now, she’ll most likely be bedridden for the rest of her life.” When it came to his mother, Quincy could only think, “she brought this on herself”.In the beginning, Lydia had treated her so well, always considerate and caring, visiting her regularly and even making various nutritious soups. If his mother hadn’t created so much trouble, the family would be happy together, eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new life. But life would not work on “what ifs”; only actions and consequences.Lydia was silent for a long time. “How did it come to this?”Back when they were still married, Mrs. Perez’s health had seemed fine. She looked perfectly healthy. How did things deteriorate so quickly?“She’s been faking her illness for ages, but now she’s genuinely sick, and her condition has worsened fast. She’s missed the best treatment window,” Quincy explained briefly.Lydia nearly blurted out “serves her right,” but held her tongue,
When Karina was a child, Mr. and Mrs. Stone barely acknowledged her, and Kieran mostly treated her as a target for pranks. Back then, he was too young for the darker thoughts he would develop later. But even then, his behavior was hard to endure. Some people didn’t become awful as they grew up. They were terrible from the very beginning. At the time, Kieran’s pranks were relentless. Sometimes, he locked her outside on purpose. Other times, he “lost” her homework, leaving her unable to turn it in and getting her punished. Then, when she came home, Mr. Stone would scold her, calling her an embarrassment. “They treated you like that?” Wilfred’s voice was tight with anger. Karina nodded slightly. “When I was a child, I didn’t understand. It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized it was because I wasn’t their biological child.” Wilfred scoffed coldly. “That’s just an excuse. If they never planned to treat you well, why bother bringing you into their home in the first place?”
After Mr. and Mrs. Stone left, the turmoil surrounding the incident didn’t settle down. Although it hadn’t been confirmed whether Karina was responsible, in most people’s eyes, she was already seen as the culprit. Overnight, she became isolated. The only person who treated her the same as before was Wilfred. Whenever gossip started circulating in the hospital, he stepped in to put an end to it, warning the offenders, “This is a hospital for treating patients, not a place for spreading rumors. If you want to gossip, find somewhere else.” Only then did the malicious comments begin to die down. Wilfred returned to his office. Hearing the door, Karina quickly wiped the corners of her eyes before looking up and offering him a smile that appeared no different from her usual one. “Dr. Wilfred, thank you for believing in me.” Wilfred studied her for a moment before saying, “If you don’t feel like smiling, don’t force yourself.” She froze. “You look awful when you fak
Drawn by the commotion, Wilfred was attracted to the scene. His brows furrowed instantly as he took in the chaotic situation.Wilfred strode over to Mrs. Stone and spoke calmly, “Mrs. Stone, please step down from the windowsill. This is far too dangerous. I’m the director of this hospital, and I assure you that we will thoroughly investigate this matter and give you a fair explanation.“If you act impulsively now, it won’t solve the problem. It will only make things worse.” As he spoke, Wilfred subtly signaled to the nearby security guards. Understanding his cue, they inched closer to the windowsill, ready to act at the right moment. Wilfred then turned to face Mr. Stone. “Mr. Stone, pressuring Dr. Karina like this is unreasonable before the matter has been properly investigated. We can’t assign blame based on one-sided claims. It goes against both the law and the principles of fairness.” Mr. Stone scoffed. “Dr. Wilfred, don’t be fooled by that woman. We saw with our own
Karina instinctively wanted to follow, but a nurse stepped forward to block her path. “Dr. Karina, you can’t leave right now. This matter needs to be thoroughly investigated,” the nurse said firmly. “I really didn’t push him! He collapsed on his own. I swear you have to believe me,” Karina pleaded, but the nurse simply shook her head without responding further. At that moment, the hospital security team arrived at the scene. They escorted Karina to an office, where she was instructed to wait for further action. Sitting in a chair, Karina hugged her arms tightly around herself, trembling. It wasn’t long before hospital administrators arrived, their expressions heavy with disapproval. Without any hesitation, they launched into a barrage of harsh reprimands.“Dr. Karina, how could you, as a medical professional, do something like this on hospital grounds? This is a serious violation of our policies and professional ethics!” “No matter what the reason, your actions could
“Jenna, have you heard? That notoriously difficult patient from the neighboring department actually thanked the staff today. I can’t believe it,” Mandy said, her face lit with surprise.Jenna chuckled and replied, “Maybe our care finally moved him. By the way, why hasn’t Dr. Karina come back yet? She should’ve finished her rounds by now.”Mandy shrugged casually. “Probably a patient with a more complex situation. You know how meticulous and responsible Dr. Karina is.”“That’s true, but it’s been so long already. I’m starting to feel uneasy,” Jenna said, frowning as a sliver of worry crept into her thoughts.“Oh, don’t overthink it. Maybe she ran into someone she knows and stopped to chat. This hospital’s big, after all,” Mandy tried to reassure her.But as the minutes ticked by, Karina still didn’t return.Jenna couldn’t sit still anymore. She stood up and said, “This isn’t right. I’m going to check on her. It’s late, and I don’t want anything bad happening.”Seeing Jenna’s seri
Karina threw out those words and ran off.The only place she could go was the hospital, where she had switched shifts to cover the night shift.Tonight, the hospital hallways were unusually quiet, with only the occasional beeping of medical equipment breaking the silence. As usual, Karina patrolled the patient ward, checking on the conditions of her patients. But then, an unexpected figure appeared before her. Kieran hobbled toward her, leaning heavily on his crutches, his gait uneven. Karina wrinkled her nose. What was that smell? It seemed to be coming from him. The closer he got, the stronger the scent became.Kieran reeked of alcohol, and his eyes were clouded with confusion and wildness. “Karina…” he slurred her name, his voice thick and indistinct. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly.Startled, Karina tried to pull away. “Kieran, you’re drunk! What are you doing here? Let go of me!” But Kieran ignored her protests. Fueled by alcohol, he ya
Kieran didn’t see it that way. “Of course, it benefits me. Look at you! You came back, didn’t you? Regretting not giving me that 40,000 yet? You could’ve saved us both the trouble if you’d just handed it over earlier.” “You—” “Now it’s 100,000,” Kieran interrupted, reclining smugly in his wheelchair. “You want the trending posts gone, don’t you? Pay up—100,000, not a penny less. Otherwise...” His voice dropped, laced with menace. “I’ve still got a few things up my sleeve.” The blatant threat made Karina’s hands tremble, her voice quivering as she spoke. “One hundred thousand? Wasn’t it forty just a few days ago?” Kieran sneered. “That was the old price. It’s 100,000 now, take it or leave it.” Karina could taste blood in her mouth. Her lips had been bitten raw without her noticing. Rage and utter disappointment overwhelmed her. This was her family. Twenty years of being with them, and all they had ever done was take. They had given her nothing in return. Her mind wa
Wilfred pondered briefly after hearing Karina's words. “I’m coming with you. Don’t rush to refuse. After what happened last time, I don’t think I need to remind you of the situation. If I hadn’t been there, leaving the Stone family might not have been so easy.”Karina couldn’t argue, especially when she remembered Kieran’s aggressive demeanor during her last visit. She took a deep breath and smiled faintly. “I’ll have to trouble you again, Dr. Wilfred.”Wilfred’s lips curved into a faint smile. True to his word, he personally drove Karina to the Stone residence that very day.As they arrived, Karina stopped at the door. “You can wait here. If things get bad, you can come in.”Wilfred glanced at her phone. “Keep the phone on you.”Karina held it up for him to see. She had already set him as her emergency contact. “If anything happens, I’ll call right away.”Prepared, Karina used the key she still had to open the door and walked in.The moment she stepped inside, Mr. Stone’s face
Karina felt the need to clarify. “It’s not because of what they’re saying about me. It’s… something else.”She left the rest unsaid, but Wilfred had already pieced it together. He had seen the trending posts online, and after hearing the truth from her a few days ago, everything made sense.The online rumors didn’t just accuse her of secretly taking photos. They delved into her past, exposing videos and photos of her working multiple part-time jobs day and night. The posts claimed she came from a poor background and insinuated that her position at the hospital was only secured by leveraging a powerful benefactor.It didn’t take much to infer that the “benefactor” in question was him.Karina’s past wasn’t common knowledge in the hospital. Even Wilfred only learned about it through her explanation. The only people who could expose such private details were her own family. Wilfred’s gaze softened with an almost imperceptible hint of pity. She had sacrificed her youth working hersel