“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 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
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
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
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?”
Karina almost wanted to storm over to Kieran’s room and confront him right then and there, but Wilfred stopped her. “Going now won’t get you what you want. Kieran is still in the ICU, unconscious. Showing up there will only cause trouble.” Karina finally began to calm down. She knew every move she made was being watched. Though the gossip in the hospital had died down, countless eyes were still on her. Until Kieran woke up and her name was cleared, she couldn’t risk going near him. If anything happened, the blame would undoubtedly fall back on her. Karina sat back down, covering her face with her hands as she slumped for a moment. “Thank you, Dr. Wilfred. I wasn’t thinking things through.” After a brief pause, she looked at him and added, “I’m lucky to have you here.” Wilfred’s gaze flickered slightly, and after a long moment, he said, “You’re my chosen assistant, of course I’ll help you. Don’t worry, a simple urine test will be enough to confirm the cause.” But
Mrs. Stone’s face turned grim. Moments later, a nurse stepped forward and pulled her away, allowing Karina to enter the hospital room. Her eyes fell on the bed, and she froze. “Kieran, you’re awake?” Karina stared at him, her face a mixture of surprise and confusion. It was baffling that no one in the hospital had mentioned he had regained consciousness, especially with nurses assigned to watch over him. Wilfred’s expression grew colder as he glanced at the nurse behind him. “Who was on duty?” The nurse lowered her head. “It was Mandy…” “She’s fired. Tell her not to come back,” Wilfred said bluntly, leaving no room for discussion. No one dared to speak up. Kieran’s eyes flickered with panic but quickly settled into feigned composure. He sneered and turned the blame on her. “What are you doing here? Haven’t you done enough to ruin me? This is a hospital, Karina. Don’t do anything stupid.” He shot a glance at Wilfred, his tone dripping with mockery. “If someone
Kieran’s symptoms that day were officially determined to be a reaction to drug use. With that, the suspicions surrounding Karina were finally cleared. Still, Kieran refused to admit it. “I didn’t use drugs! This is a setup! Karina, we’ve treated you well, and this is how you repay us? Are you even human?” As the police dragged him away, he resisted with all his might, making a noisy scene that filled the hospital with chaos. The hallways were packed with onlookers, their curious and judgmental gazes bouncing between Karina and Kieran, accompanied by endless murmurs. But Karina didn’t care anymore. She looked at Kieran, her eyes steady and clear. “Yes, you all gave me a place to live, but so what? I’ve already repaid that debt. Six million—it’s been paid back in full.” Six million. For a wealthy family, it might not seem like much, but for her, it was an astronomical figure. She had no idea how many years it had taken her to gather that amount. And what had the S
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