Mrs. Adams transferred the payment quickly. “Let’s add each other as contacts,” she suggested. “Our place needs cleaning three times a week, and if we're ever away, you could stop by daily. I’ll reach out directly.”“Sounds good. I’ll be on my way, then.” Jamie returned the cleaning supplies to the service room and headed out. High-end apartments were convenient. With all the cleaning supplies provided, she didn’t need to bring a thing. She only had to show up.Behind her, she could hear Mr. Adams complimenting his wife, “Is that the new dress you bought? It looks amazing on you, really brings out your glow. You’re looking better every day.” He had a comfortable life in a city-center luxury apartment and a high-paying job, not because of his talent, but thanks to his wife’s connections and background. Though he resented her, privately thinking of her as frumpy and unattractive, he was always quick to lavish her with praise.As for Jamie? He hadn’t succeeded today, but he figured
After graduation, one became a lawyer and the other a judge, and with their lines of work, they still saw each other fairly often. During the four years he was apart from Jamie, Ben often met up with Caden for drinks, finding it a small comfort for the ache he carried. Their friendship ran deep, and lending some cash was no big deal.“Alright, I'll just come out with it. Could you lend me $20,000?” Caden asked. “But I’ll need it in cash. Let’s meet at the bar tonight, and you can bring it with you.”“Why cash? A transfer would be a lot easier.” Ben’s curiosity was piqued.After a pause, Caden explained, “It’s for my grandma. She’s in her eighties, doesn’t read, doesn’t have a phone, and trusts cash only. I owe you one, buddy.”“Alright, old place tonight,” Ben agreed, thinking he could use a drink himself.He withdrew the cash from a nearby bank, placed it in a small paper bag, and drove to their usual bar. Over the years, he had come here often enough to be familiar with the st
Caden didn’t press him. He had other priorities. Glancing at the bag, he asked, "So, you brought the cash, right?"“Of course. It’s not every day you ask me for a favor,” Ben replied, sliding the bag over. “It’s exactly $20,000. I just withdrew it, so if it’s not enough, just let me know. Between us, don’t worry about the whole ‘borrow and return’ thing. You’ll pay it back when you can, and if not, it’s no big deal.”Caden hesitated as he held the bag in his hands. Once he opened that zipper, there would be no turning back. Ben had always treated him well, genuinely seeing him as a brother. But, no matter how generous a friend might be, it could never compare to having wealth of one’s own. After a moment of wavering, Caden made his decision and unzipped the bag. Inside, stacks of cash were neatly arranged. He dumped them out onto the table, giving a quick count to estimate the total amount.“You really thought I’d short you?” Ben laughed.“It’s not that,” Caden said, shaking
“I’m not as drunk as you. I’ll just call a ride home. It’s pretty convenient these days with all the ride-hailing apps. Do you want me to wait for someone from your family to come pick you up, or should I head out?” Caden had mostly been watching Ben drink tonight, barely touching his own glass.Ben shook his head. “No need to wait for me. Head home, and just shoot me a message when you get there.”“Alright, then I’ll go,” Caden replied, standing up quickly and leaving in a hurry.After walking a bit, he glanced back and sighed to himself. He would like to consider Ben a good friend, but their families were just too different. It was an uncrossable gap lay between them. No matter how hard he worked, his destination would never match Ben’s starting point.Still, was it wrong for him to want a better life, to try and change his situation?……After working the whole day, Jamie sank onto the sofa, exhausted. Today had really worn her out. But looking at her bank balance, she felt
Jamie’s heart raced, anxiety tightening her throat. She dreaded what Ben might say next.As soon as the call connected, Winnie hit the speaker button.Silence lingered on the other end, broken only by the faint sound of Ben’s breathing.“Jack, where are you?” Winnie couldn’t wait and spoke first.Ben’s voice came through, unmistakably slurred from drinking. “I’m at the bar. Can you come pick me up?”“I’m coming right now!” Winnie set her phone down and hurried upstairs to change, missing the name Ben muttered afterward.“Mimi…”It was the nickname he used to call her when they were together. Even after their breakup, she hadn’t heard him use it again until now.Jamie froze, fear washing over her. If Winnie had heard him say that, she would have been furious.Quickly, she picked up the phone and ended the call.Winnie returned a few minutes later, throwing a casual jacket over her pajamas. “Jamie, come with me to pick up Jack. I can’t lift him on my own, especially if he’s tha
“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
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…
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
Caleb’s first words were, “Don’t make things hard for her.”They all knew exactly who he was talking about.The excitement drained from Luna in an instant, replaced by a chilling cold that seeped from her head to her toes. Just thinking about it made her shudder.She forced herself to steady her voice. “Caleb, after all this time without a word from you, the first thing you say when you finally reach out is… about her?”“You’ve been pushing things too far lately,” Caleb replied. “I’m not Simon. I can’t handle your feelings, so you should focus on him instead.”“Simon has a kid now. He doesn’t have feelings for me.”Caleb didn’t hesitate. “Neither do I.”Luna had never imagined that words from someone’s mouth could cut so deep.Maybe because she didn’t respond, Caleb spoke again. “You never accepted me. There was never anything between us to begin or end. But whatever’s going on, don’t drag other people into it.”Luna almost laughed. Instead, she asked, “In your heart, Vera is
Vera felt a flicker of guilt, like a child being scolded by an elder. “It’s nothing.” Caleb studied her for a long moment, then sighed. “You really think you can hide things from me?” Vera hesitated, unsure how to respond. Caleb didn’t press her. Instead, he changed the subject and gestured for her to sit down and eat. She hadn’t had a chance to grab lunch before rushing out of the office. Not just today—she had been so caught up dealing with the board members that she often only ate one or two meals a day. No wonder Mr. Mason had noticed how worn out she looked. Caleb had picked up takeout from the hospital cafeteria. It wasn’t anything fancy—certainly no match for restaurant food—but it was balanced and nutritious. He had ordered two portions, like he had already planned to eat with her. As she quietly ate, Vera felt an unexpected sense of relaxation. She was so at ease that when Caleb spoke, she almost didn’t catch it. “Rough week?” “A littl
That man was definitely important to Luna. Vera made up her mind—she would keep an eye on it when she got back.“Our Mason Corporation has reviewed your company’s requirements for the HN Tower project, and we have two concerns. First, the compensation doesn’t match the workload. You’re demanding top-tier materials, yet only offering a profit margin of less than ten percent. “Second, we have our own team. As the client, your company shouldn’t have a say in our staffing decisions.” That was why Vera had come today. She was usually easygoing—if a client’s requests weren’t unreasonable, she was more than willing to listen. But this time, Luna was pushing it. Since when did a client get to dictate who the partner company could or couldn’t hire? And less than ten percent profit? What happened to the so-called “win-win” they had promised in the contract? Sounded more like a scam. Luna wasn’t the least bit surprised. “Too much? I don’t think so.” She shrugged. “E
Vera had no idea what kind of game Luna was playing. But she had no choice—she had to go. After a brief moment of hesitation, she made up her mind. Fine. It was not like she was walking into fire. Luna’s company was massive—one of the country’s top 100 firms. A company of that caliber naturally had a professional and well-trained front desk. “Miss Mason, Miss Gibson is expecting you upstairs,” the receptionist said with a polite smile, gesturing toward the elevator. “Right this way.” Vera took the elevator up to the third floor, where Luna’s office was located. She assumed Luna would be there waiting. But instead, her secretary greeted her with, “Miss Gibson is currently in a meeting. Please wait a moment.” How familiar. Vera couldn’t help but wonder if Luna was deliberately messing with her. She didn’t want to be petty, but… First, she refused to take her calls. Now that she was here in person, Luna was ‘too busy.’ Wasn’t this just a way to waste
“If you had been any later, she might’ve had a kid by now!” Luna had done her homework before coming, so she knew all about Vera’s situation. Her emotions were running high, but at the core of it, she looked down on the women who had been rescued from that mountain village. Some of them had even given birth. Who knew if Vera had been touched during her time there? The thought hit Vera like a blow to the head. A rush of emotions surged through her, and she instinctively wanted to sit up. But just as she moved her fingers, she remembered—she was supposed to be asleep. Opening her eyes too suddenly would make things worse. She had no choice but to stay put. Every second stretched unbearably long. Finally, she heard his voice. “Whether or not that happened doesn’t change how I feel about her.” Caleb’s tone was calm, unwavering. His words landed in Vera’s heart like a stone hitting water, sending ripples through her. Luna’s face paled. “Caleb, are y
Caleb was startled at first, quickly arranging for Vera to be taken to the hospital for a check-up. When he realized she had simply pushed herself to exhaustion, he sighed, caught between frustration and tenderness. “How could you let yourself get like this?” he muttered at her bedside. But Vera couldn’t hear him. She was still deep in sleep. The hospital had hooked her up to an IV drip, and she wouldn’t wake up until her body had fully recovered. Caleb wasn’t in a rush. She was safe now, and that was all that mattered. He had all the time in the world to sit there and watch over her. *“Caleb!” The hospital room door swung open, and Luna burst in. But the scene in front of her made her freeze. Caleb was sitting beside Vera’s bed, clearly exhausted from a sleepless night, but he refused to leave even for a moment. Even now, when he looked at her, his expression was unreadable. “What are you doing here?” he asked, his tone indifferent. There
Vera didn’t want to leave Caleb behind to face this alone. But there were people in the car depending on her. She took one last deep look at Caleb. Through the rearview mirror, she could see his tall figure shrinking into the distance as the car sped forward. Even as his silhouette blurred, his stance remained firm. Vera blinked back the heat in her eyes and slammed her foot on the gas. The car shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. The next second, a mob of villagers—armed with hoes and shovels—swarmed around Caleb. *At the local police station, a distress call came in. The officers were stunned when the caller arrived, bringing four rescued women with her. After verifying their identities, it was clear that their bodies bore the marks of prolonged captivity and abuse. “There’s still someone back there! You have to save him!” Vera’s voice was urgent, almost pleading. She had driven all night without stopping.No food. No rest.Only a few
Caleb let them in. After hearing about what these women had endured in the village, his anger was palpable. Vera looked him in the eye. “I want to get them out of here.“They were forced to stay. Outside this mountain, their families are still waiting for them.“They shouldn’t be trapped here, forced to have children against their will.” At the mention of that, the room fell silent. Even Sera hesitated. Some of these women already had children. Leaving meant abandoning them. As mothers, the thought was unbearable. But what choice did they have? Stay and continue to suffer? Vera could see Caleb was thinking it over, so she pushed forward. “We have to move quickly. It won’t take long before the villagers realize they’re gone.“Once they start searching, it’s only a matter of time before they come here.“We won’t cause trouble for you. We just need a car.” There was a road leading out of the village. Otherwise, Caleb wouldn’t have been able to get in.
Vera watched as Leonard stumbled out of his house in nothing but a pair of pants, rushing toward the fire. Disgust churned in her stomach, but more than that, she worried about Sera’s safety. The darkness of the night concealed the emotions on her face, and no one noticed anything unusual. Women in this village were nothing more than tools for childbirth—no one paid them much attention. Especially now, with the fire raging, no one was thinking about her. The village chief had come by to ask how the fire started, but she had convinced him with a quick excuse. With all the men busy putting out the flames, Vera quietly slipped away toward Leonard’s house. Inside, Sera had been startled by the commotion outside. But the moment she saw Vera rush in, she understood immediately. “Was this you?” Sera’s eyes widened. “You set the fire?” Vera grabbed her hand. “There’s no time to talk about that!“We have to go—now. Do you know where the other women are being held?