Lucas Corporation appeared to be running as smoothly as ever, showing no signs of turmoil despite the recent rumors.Jamie arrived at the reception desk and asked to see Ben. The receptionist raised an eyebrow at the mention of Ben’s name and smiled slightly. “He’s a top-tier lawyer in Birkham now. If you’re looking for him, shouldn’t you be at his law firm rather than here at Lucas Corporation?” “He’s not here? Did he say when he’d be back?” Jamie was momentarily stunned. She had just spoken to him on the phone. Where could he have gone at such a critical time? The receptionist shook her head apologetically. “I’m sorry, I’m not privy to Mr. Lucas’s schedule. If you’d like, you could try calling him directly.” Jamie sighed, unwilling to trouble the receptionist further. She was about to leave when the receptionist called after her. “Wait a moment. Are you Miss Lewis?” Caught off guard, Jamie hesitated. “Yes, I am. Why?” The receptionist looked a bit uncertain, rea
Jamie had originally come with the intention of helping Ben in some small way. She hadn’t planned on agreeing to his job offer so quickly, but seeing his exhaustion had changed her mind. That evening, Ben invited her to dinner. Jamie wanted to decline, but Ben cut her off. “Consider it a celebration for your new position. There’s a restaurant I think you’d like. We could pick up Charlie and bring him along.” At the mention of Charlie, Jamie couldn’t find a reason to refuse. Charlie rarely got to go out, and Jamie often felt guilty about that. She always wanted to make it up to him, even in small ways. Ben drove them back to pick up Charlie, who had been at home with the helper. Since the helper hadn’t started dinner yet, Jamie told her there was no need. *When Charlie heard they were going out for dinner, he was thrilled. “Mommy, where are we going? Can we have burgers?” Jamie started to say no, but seeing the excitement in his bright eyes, she changed her answer
The car skidded to a halt, narrowly avoiding disaster. Before the stunned driver could process what had just happened, a large, out-of-control truck barreled through the intersection ahead. The truck was moving too fast to stop, flipping over and sliding across the road, smashing into several vehicles in its path. The screeching metal and shattering glass filled the air, leaving the driver visibly shaken. Had it not been for Jamie’s timely warning, the consequences could have been catastrophic.Ben frowned and glanced at Jamie, who was pale with fear. He wanted to ask her something but knew now wasn’t the time. “Turn around and take another route,” he instructed the driver. It took a moment for the driver to regain his composure before restarting the car and pulling away. Not long after they left, the scene was surrounded by police vehicles. Traffic on that road came to a standstill as officers began redirecting cars. The drive home was smooth, but this time the driv
After breakfast, Jamie took Charlie to his preschool. It wasn’t far. It was just a ten-minute drive. From a distance, she spotted a teacher with long hair and a scarf standing at the preschool entrance, greeting parents and students. Recognizing her as Miss Georgia, Charlie’s homeroom teacher, Jamie approached her with a smile. Miss Georgia crouched down to Charlie’s level and beamed. “This must be Charlie! He’s so handsome. What a little gentleman!” Charlie, shy as ever, blushed and hid behind Jamie, peeking out to observe his new teacher. Miss Georgia couldn’t help but chuckle at how adorable he was. Jamie smiled apologetically. “He’s a little shy.” “That’s perfectly normal. Kids this age are often like that. Would you like to take a quick tour of the preschool, Miss Lewis?” “No, that’s okay. I need to get to work. I’ll stop by later after I finish for the day.” After giving a few parting instructions to Miss Georgia, Jamie waved goodbye to Charlie and left.
Jamie focused intently on taking notes, capturing every detail of the meeting. Although Ben appeared to be fully absorbed in the presentation on the screen, his gaze would occasionally and subtly flicker toward her. It was so faint that no one else noticed. The illusion was only broken when the enthusiastic leader of the project team asked, “President Lucas, what do you think of this proposal?” Ben didn’t respond, lost in thought. “President Lucas?” the leader called again, this time with a touch of unease. Snapped out of his thoughts, Ben’s expression hardened. “It’s no good. Go back and redo it.” His tone was curt, his judgment swift as he glanced at the screen to assess the proposal’s flaws. The team leader, who had been passionately presenting moments ago, fell silent, his enthusiasm deflated. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Ben seemed unusually displeased. Had he done something wrong? The meeting was abruptly interrupted midway when Ben’s assistant entered
Others might not understand Ben’s character, but the assistant certainly did. Ben was calm, detached, and distrustful. He was the type to stick to a decision once made. This was the first time the assistant had seen someone actually make him reconsider.Jamie couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed by the weight of that realization.They took a cab to the old district. The moment they stepped out of the car, the distant sounds of shouting made it clear why Ben hadn’t wanted her to come.“It’s your fault my mom is gravely ill! Pay up!”“Block their way! Don’t let them escape! These folks want to tear down our homes and leave us with nowhere to go, only to buy us off with a few measly pennies!” A mob of people surrounded a small group who clearly had no means to defend themselves. The crowd brandished sticks and shovels, looking like an angry mob ready to revolt. But this time, their actions didn’t seem to be rooted in justice.One middle-aged man in the center, drenched i
The man lunged forward, grabbing Jamie’s wrist before she could fully evade him. Pain shot through her arm as his grip tightened. “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, her other hand clutching her phone as she frantically dialed for help. But the man had anticipated her move. He snatched the phone from her hand and slammed it to the ground with a loud crack. “Go ahead, try calling the cops now,” he sneered, his voice dripping with menace. Not far away, the assistant witnessed the entire scene. Panicked, he shouted, “Jamie, hold on! I’m coming!” “Don’t come over!” Jamie yelled back sharply, stopping him in his tracks. She was already surrounded. The last thing she wanted was to drag someone else into this dangerous situation. The assistant froze, torn between his urge to help and her firm warning. He could do nothing but pace nervously like a trapped animal, his anxiety palpable. The man, noticing Jamie’s interaction with the assistant, narrowed his eye
Ben was exhausted. Jamie knew that and didn’t want to trouble him with every issue. Yet Ben still showed up. “You came… I thought… you wouldn’t,” Jamie said, her voice wavering slightly. Earlier, surrounded by an angry mob and nearly having her wrist crushed, she hadn’t uttered a sound of pain. But now, a hint of vulnerability crept in. Perhaps it was just human nature to be strong through everything, only to falter when met with genuine concern. Ben pulled her into his arms, her faintly reddened eyes breaking his composure. His shoulders trembled slightly as he murmured, “I’m sorry. I came too late.” Jamie didn’t resist, quietly leaning into him for a moment. The troublemakers were soon taken into custody, and things settled down. Jamie was about to get into Ben’s car when she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, a woman behaving suspiciously with a camera. “That woman’s a paparazzo!” she exclaimed. Ben’s sharp gaze followed hers, and the cold intensity of his
After that, they decided to walk around the mall for a bit. It had been a long time since they last saw each other, and now that they were finally out, neither of them wanted to head back too soon. But neither of them expected what would happen next. “Someone’s robbing the place! Stop him!” A man suddenly dashed through the crowd. Vera instinctively stepped aside, but Yelena wasn’t quick enough. Before she could react, the man had grabbed her, pressing a knife to her neck. “Stay back!” he growled. Vera reached for her phone to call the police. The man noticed and barked, “No calls! If you try anything, I’ll kill her right here!” “Okay, okay, I won’t call,” Vera said cautiously, afraid he might actually go through with it. She slowly put her phone down and raised her hands. “Don’t do anything reckless. This is a human life—we’re talking about murder. You don’t want that, do you?” It was hard to tell if her words got through to him, but at least he didn’t esc
The door slammed shut with a heavy thud. From the entrance to the living room sofa, Vera and Caleb kissed without pause. When they tumbled down onto the couch, Caleb instinctively placed a hand behind her head to cushion it against the table’s sharp corner. Their lips and tongues entwined, their breath mingling, amplified in the stillness of the room.“Wait a second.” Vera’s voice broke through.Caleb didn’t stop at first—until she pushed against him. “Go downstairs and buy that.”He looked at her flushed face and immediately understood. Still, he teased her deliberately, pretending not to budge. “We don’t have to use it.” His breath was hot against her ear, his voice deep and husky, already laced with impatience.Men who had gotten a taste of indulgence were all the same—once they had it, they never forgot.But Vera was firm. “No. Go buy it.”Caleb had no choice but to sit up. He reluctantly kissed her one last time before grabbing his clothes. “Fine. Wait for me.”Ther
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